Brave—truly brave.
The dawdling crowd watched, wide-eyed, as Prefect Zhao, in his ornate armor, brandishing his gem-encrusted sword, charged toward Jiaxing’s gates with unwavering resolve, fearless and righteous, as if death meant nothing.
One meter, two, three…
Though panting and stumbling, Zhao pressed on toward the gate.
Step by step by step…
Under their incredulous stares, he staggered to the gate, reached out, and pushed.
In that moment, he seemed possessed by Lü Bu, Xiang Yu reborn. With one push, the gate swung open!
“What?!”
“Holy—?! No way! Lord Zhao actually opened the gate?!”
“Damn, a god among men!”
The lagging, hesitant crowd saw him push open the gate, their eyes nearly popping out, jaws dropping wide enough to fit a bronze bell.
No arrows had flown from the walls. No pirates appeared at the gate or stirred within. Could it mean… no pirates were in the city?!
They’d fled!
Left an empty city!
It dawned on them, and suddenly they too were Lü Bu, Xiang Yu reborn. Roaring, they surged forward with unmatched ferocity, faster than ever.
“Pirates, meet your doom!”
“Wash your necks, your grandpa’s here!”
“Kill! Lord Zhao, wait—don’t move! Let us charge! Die, pirate bastards!”
The sky cleared, the rain stopped, the pirates had fled. They felt invincible again.
No need for Zhao’s pirate-guards to threaten with sabers now.
Shouting wildly, waving their mismatched weapons, they rushed the gate in chaos, brave beyond measure, as if Lü Bu and Xiang Yu themselves.
When Zhu Ping’an got the news, he was eating breakfast. Shocked, he nearly dropped his bowl.
“No way, Zhao’s *that* brave?!” Zhu Ping’an blurted, as if hearing the sun rose in the west.
Zhao, charging the gate fearlessly, ready to die? Impossible!
Zhu Ping’an didn’t buy it for a second.
It wasn’t normal. Even legends like Lü Bu or Xiang Yu wouldn’t dare charge a city alone.
How could Zhao dare?!
“Was there a hidden army helping him take Jiaxing?” Zhu Ping’an asked.
“No,” the Zhejiang scout shook his head firmly.
“What? None?” Zhu Ping’an was even more skeptical.
“Sir, truly none. We watched closely. Just Zhao’s 3,000—no other troops,” the scout repeated.
“What?!” Zhu Ping’an wondered if he’d misheard. The Yan faction hadn’t sent reinforcements?
Then how did Zhao take Jiaxing?!
“You watched everything—how did he do it?” Zhu Ping’an was all questions.
“Sir, about half an hour before Zhao’s assault, the pirates slipped out the north gate. If you hadn’t told us to watch Jiaxing closely, we’d have missed it. When Zhao attacked, not a single pirate remained. He got lucky, retaking Jiaxing without a fight,” the scout reported.
“What?! Half an hour before, they fled the north gate?!”
“Zhao got a free win—no pirates left, and he took Jiaxing effortlessly?!”
Practically back-to-back—the pirates left, and Zhao attacked…
Zhu Ping’an rubbed his chin, frowning. Too coincidental. Something was off.
He’d assumed Zhao dared lead 3,000 rabble to retake Jiaxing because he had a trump card, like the Yan faction sending elite troops from elsewhere.
But he was wrong. No reinforcements came.
So why did Zhao dare take 3,000 misfits against a city of 10,000 pirates?!
He couldn’t have known they’d flee before dawn, could he?!
Wait.
Zhu Ping’an jolted. That’s it—Zhao dared because he *knew* the pirates would leave!
With them gone, anyone could play Lü Bu or Xiang Yu and retake the city.
I could too!
But how did Zhao know they’d flee precisely then?!
Was he a prophet, reading the future?!
Nonsense!
Zhu Ping’an dismissed that instantly.
Did he have a spy among the pirates, tipping him off?
Unlikely!
Such a spy would need to be high-ranking—core leadership, like Xu Hai, Ma Ye, or their closest aides.
Jiaxing fell half a month ago, and Zhao fled. In that time, could he recruit a top pirate as a spy?!
Even if he did, would he trust them after just half a month? Would he bet on their word?
No way!
No one would risk their neck on such flimsy intel, leading 3,000 rabble to a supposed empty city.
Zhao wouldn’t gamble his life like that!
No sane person would!
So how did he know for sure the pirates would flee before dawn?!
Suddenly, Zhu Ping’an recalled a widespread rumor: when Jiaxing fell, Zhao didn’t, as claimed, fight to the last and escape by rope to seek aid. Instead, as pirates breached, he tried to flee by rope but, scared of heights and falling, hesitated too long and was captured…
