The first rays of morning sunlight fell upon the land of Tuolin. Xu Hai, Ma Ye, Ryūzōji Nobutake, and Matsuura Shimosaburō stood on the command platform, brimming with ambition as they gazed at the vast army of over 50,000 Japanese pirates.
The disastrous defeat at Suzhou had cost Xu Hai and Ma Ye 40,000 pirates, but their capture of Jiaxing had restored their reputation, attracting many pirates to join them. Coupled with lavish spending to recruit desperados, ruffians, and thugs, within less than a month, they had not only replenished their forces but even increased their numbers. With the addition of over 1,200 newly arrived true Japanese warriors, the total pirate force in their Tuolin stronghold reached over 50,000.
“General Ryūzōji, General Matsuura, have you rested well?” Xu Hai turned his gaze from the army to Ryūzōji Nobutake and Matsuura Shimosaburō, asking softly.
“Thanks to the warm hospitality of Lord Xu Hai and Lord Ma Ye, we feasted heartily and slept for a day and a night. We’re greatly rested and can’t wait to experience the wealth of the Great Ming!” Ryūzōji Nobutake bowed deeply to Xu Hai and Ma Ye, then straightened up, eagerly replying.
“Indeed, we’re greatly rested. Our men are already itching for action. I’ve heard the Great Ming is an empire built on mountains of gold, and its people are spineless weaklings. I can’t wait to test this with my Japanese blade,” Matsuura Shimosaburō added, bowing and responding eagerly.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Xu Hai and Ma Ye burst into laughter. “No need to hold back—we set out now.”
“Yoshi, yoshi!” Ryūzōji Nobutake and Matsuura Shimosaburō were thrilled and curiously asked, “Where are we headed this time? Please, Lord Xu and Lord Ma, enlighten us.”
“General Ryūzōji, General Matsuura, many of my pirates are new recruits who haven’t seen blood yet, and you’re new here as well. For this outing, we’ll start by raiding villages and small towns to draw some blood, make a bit of profit, and test our blades to whet their appetites. After a few days, once they’re seasoned with blood, we’ll attack a county town. What do you think, Generals?” Xu Hai explained slowly, seeking their opinions.
Matsuura Shimosaburō looked at Ryūzōji Nobutake, who nodded. “We follow the host’s lead. We’ll do as Lord Xu and Lord Ma arrange.”
“Rest assured, General Ryūzōji and General Matsuura, we’ll ensure you return laden with spoils and that this trip is worthwhile!” Xu Hai said confidently.
After reaching an agreement, Xu Hai, Ma Ye, Ryūzōji Nobutake, and Matsuura Shimosaburō quickly mobilised the pirates.
Leaving 10,000 pirates to guard the Tuolin stronghold, the remaining forces split into over a hundred groups. Led by veteran pirates and local ruffians, they spread out from Tuolin like locusts, some by boat, others on foot, swarming in all directions.
South Zhili, Jiading County, Yang Family Village.
This was a peaceful and prosperous small village, mostly inhabited by people surnamed Yang, hence its name.
Yang Family Village was renowned as a wealthy village within the surrounding ten miles. Not only did it boast an archway at the village entrance, but the houses were well-built, made of wood or brick, with not a single thatched hut in sight.
As noon approached, wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, and the aroma of cooking mingled with the calls of parents summoning their children.
But soon, the tranquillity of Yang Family Village was shattered by a band of vicious pirates.
“Kill, kill, kill!”
“Die, die, die!”
“Hahaha, what luck! This village hasn’t been raided by us yet. Time to break it in!”
A group of over a hundred pirates, brandishing Japanese blades, stormed into Yang Family Village, howling and killing anyone in sight.
“Pirates! The pirates are here!” The villagers, seeing this, turned pale with fear, clutching their heads and running home, shouting warnings as they fled.
Several pirates followed the villagers, kicking down doors and bursting into houses. They stabbed trembling men to death with their blades. One pirate pinned a screaming woman to a bed, eagerly tearing at her clothes.
Two other pirates laughed loudly, searching the house for valuables while watching the woman struggle.
“Yoshi, yoshi, hurry up, I can’t wait any longer!” one pirate urged in broken speech.
The other households in the village suffered the same fate, with pirates breaking in, killing, robbing, and committing atrocities without restraint.
“You idiots, leave more young and strong ones alive—don’t kill them all!” The veteran pirate leader, seeing the new recruits and newly arrived true Japanese warriors caught up in a killing frenzy, cursed loudly as they left few survivors.
“What’s wrong, Dog Egg-san? Why can’t we kill them? My blade hasn’t drunk enough blood yet. Are you going soft?” A newly arrived true Japanese sub-leader, flicking blood from his blade, asked discontentedly.
“Soft, my arse. I fed my mercy to the dogs ten years ago. I’m telling you to leave more alive for a reason. Haven’t you noticed how well-built the houses are? This is a rich village, and their burials will be lavish—plenty of gold, silver, and treasures. Later, we’ll make the survivors lead us to their ancestral graves and dig them up themselves. We’ll take all the burial goods and make a fortune.”
“Don’t underestimate grave-robbing, you newbies. Ever heard of Cao Cao? He had an army just for digging graves, and the burial goods they unearthed fed his hundreds of thousands of troops.”
The veteran pirate lectured with experience.
“No wonder Brother Dog Egg was chosen by the Grand Commander to lead us. That’s experience!”
“Yoshi, Dog Egg-san is greatly professional!”
The pirates, hearing this, felt as if a new world had been opened to them, cheering for the veteran.
“Heh, that’s nothing. I’ve got plenty more tricks up my sleeve. Stick with me, learn well, and I guarantee you’ll get rich!” The veteran pirate grinned smugly, basking in their praise.
Soon, the pirates swept through every household in Yang Family Village, setting the houses ablaze, looting everything of value, and herding the surviving men, women, and children out of their homes to an open area in the village.
Without a word, they publicly executed two pitiful villagers, then forced the rest to lead them to the ancestral graves.
At the graves, the pirates used their blades to force the villagers to dig up their own ancestors’ tombs.
An elderly man knelt and begged for mercy, but before he could finish a sentence, a pirate beheaded him.
The remaining villagers, too terrified to resist, dug up all the ancestral graves under the pirates’ coercion, unearthing the burial goods.
The pirates laughed heartily, sweeping up the burial goods. They mercilessly slaughtered the male villagers, violated the women at the gravesite, and tied up the more attractive ones to take with them, while those deemed less attractive were abused to death.
