The crowd arrived at the battlefield, torches aloft, sleeves rolled up, buzzing with excitement and ready to dive in. They were eager to prove themselves. *Lord Zhu and the Zhejiang troops fought all day, shedding blood and sweat—way too hard. Leave the dirty, tiring cleanup to us; you all rest on the side.*
Under the glow of countless torches and bonfires, the battlefield’s grim visage unfolded before them.
“Ah?!”
The sight—ghastly and bone-chilling—drew involuntary gasps from the crowd. Many collapsed to the ground in shock, and a chorus of retching—“Urgh, urgh, urgh!”—rippled through the scene.
What lay before them was a vision straight out of hell.
The river ran thick with blood, staining the water a deep crimson. The banks were soaked red, like the fabled Styx of underworld lore.
Countless pirate corpses bobbed in the current, some washed ashore—feet on land, heads submerged; heads on land, feet dangling in the water; or sprawled entirely on the banks.
Many bodies, swollen from soaking, were grotesque, bristling with feathered arrows.
In the river, schools of fish—big and small—frenziedly nibbled at the corpses, tails thrashing in gratitude for nature’s bounty.
Above, flocks of cawing crows circled, like soul-reaping emissaries from hell. The bolder ones perched on floating bodies, pecking at flesh in a gruesome feast.
The forest by the shore was even worse. Amid patches of scarlet ash lay countless pirate corpses—like damned souls enduring fire in the abyss.
Most were charred to carbon, black as coal, their forms twisted in agony.
The ashen remains showed myriad poses: some fused to scorched trunks, others writhing on the ground, some frozen mid-crawl, a few huddled together in death.
Worst of all, a thick, meaty aroma wafted through the air, inescapable, assaulting the senses.
Aside from the Zhejiang troops, who chatted and laughed unfazed, everyone else—recruited locals and even Deputy General Zhang’s soldiers—vomited uncontrollably, some nearly heaving up their bile.
These weren’t faint-hearted folks; they’d volunteered knowing battlefields were brutal. But the reality far exceeded their expectations, overwhelming their nerves and triggering relentless retching.
“Hahaha, puke it out—you’ll get used to it!” the Zhejiang troops roared with laughter at the sight.
“Don’t you find this horrifying? Disgusting?” a local, doubled over from vomiting, asked in disbelief.
*You fought here—maybe too busy to notice then—but now, doesn’t it creep you out?*
“Disgusting? Nah, not at all. It’s downright thrilling!” The soldiers shook their heads, grinning wide.
*What? With all these ghastly corpses, you’re not grossed out—you’re excited?!*
The locals froze, stunned. *Are these Zhejiang troops all psychos?*
“These pirates’ hands are stained with our people’s blood—vile scum, deserving a thousand deaths. The worse they die, the more it vents our anger and honors the souls they slaughtered. It makes us happy!” a Zhejiang soldier explained, seeing their bewilderment.
“Oh, I get it.”
Nodding, the crowd looked again at the river and forest’s grisly remains. The revulsion eased; the nausea faded.
“Folks, brothers—pair up, watch each other’s backs. Safety first out here. If you spot a pirate still breathing, no need to ask—just finish him off.”
“All pirate corpses—chop off the heads, preserve them in lime for reward claims. Burn and bury the bodies to prevent plague.”
“If you find one dressed fancier than the rest, it might be a high-ranking pirate—set it aside separately.”
“Weapons, gold, silver, jewels—any loot goes to the collective pot. No pocketing, or it’s harsh punishment. I trust you won’t, but I’ve got to say it: don’t let greed turn honor into guilt.”
“That’s it—no more talk. Roll up your sleeves and get to it. I’ll request hardship pay later to reward you all.”
From a high slope, Zhu Ping’an briefed the group on cleanup protocols, kicking off the effort.
Sure enough, they found a few pirates clinging to life: five in the river, two in the forest—all gravely wounded, barely breathing.
The Zhejiang troops dispatched them instantly upon discovery, without a ripple of hesitation.
The forest cleanup reached only halfway. Fires still smoldered in several spots, forcing them to skirt the flames and wait for them to die out before finishing.
To prevent the fire from spreading and endangering nearby villages, Zhu Ping’an led a team to clear a wide buffer zone around the forest—felling trees and stripping vegetation.
The river cleanup had its own headaches.
Though nearly clogged, the river wasn’t fully blocked. Some corpses drifted beyond the battlefield, while others sank, carried downstream along the riverbed for who-knows-how-far.
They followed the riverbank, finding floating pirate bodies seven or eight li out.
Some must have drifted even farther downstream.
To spare downstream folk the panic of finding pirate corpses, Zhu Ping’an sent word along the river—over ten li down—updating towns and villages on the battle. He instructed them to identify pirate bodies, burn, and bury them on the spot once confirmed.
