“Stop! The pirates are throwing gold and silver to distract us and escape our pursuit! The treasures are on the ground—they’re not going anywhere. They’re ours. After the battle, I’ll divide them equally among you all!”
“Keep an eye on each other. If anyone picks something up, toss it back immediately, and I’ll overlook it. But if someone reports you, I’ll fine you double the value and give you a hundred lashes—death be damned! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
“Don’t fall for the pirates’ tricks! Don’t let them escape! Win this battle, and there’ll be even greater rewards!”
Li Fengshi saw through the pirates’ ploy of scattering gold and silver to divert attention. He immediately spurred his horse forward, shouting to order his Shandong spearmen to continue the pursuit.
Under Li’s command, the few vanguard spearmen who had picked up gold and silver tossed it aside, and the troops resumed chasing the pirates.
The pirates hadn’t gotten far and were quickly overtaken by the Shandong spearmen, leading to another skirmish that significantly slowed their retreat.
“Damn it! They didn’t fall for it!”
“Run! The Ming dogs didn’t take the bait—they’re still coming!”
“Get out of my way! Don’t block my path if you’re slow!”
The pirates descended into chaos, shoving and scrambling to escape, none willing to face the pursuing Ming soldiers.
Seeing this, Li Fengshi couldn’t help but wave his hand and shout, “All troops, attack! Exterminate the pirates!”
His Shandong spearmen, wielding their signature long spears, formed their renowned spear formation and charged forward at a steady pace.
However, the narrow road, uneven slopes, and surrounding river networks, bamboo groves, and rice paddies prevented the Shandong spearmen from deploying their signature spear formation. They had to disperse, pursuing the pirates in small units of five or ten.
Fortunately, the vanguard had pinned down the pirates, and the dispersed Shandong spearmen quickly joined the fray.
“They’re surrounded!”
“Merit’s in the bag!”
Magistrate Jiang, seeing the Shandong spearmen encircling the thousand or so pirates, couldn’t help but smile. This trip wasn’t in vain—military merit was secured.
“Kill!”
Magistrate Jiang drew his sword and led his yamen runners and routed soldiers into the battlefield, charging at a small group of isolated pirates…
“Kill, kill!” “Die, die!”
Just as Magistrate Jiang was gleefully poised to claim his share of merit, a sudden burst of war cries erupted from the bamboo groves on both sides.
What’s happening?!
Magistrate Jiang looked toward the bamboo groves in panic, only to see countless pirates wielding Japanese swords leaping out.
There were too many to count.
These pirates, brandishing their swords with ferocious expressions, charged forward, cutting down all in their path the moment they engaged.
Without their spear formation, the Shandong spearmen’s combat effectiveness plummeted. In close combat, their long spears were less agile than the pirates’ swords. Once the pirates closed in, the spearmen were like fish on a chopping block, hacked to death in two or three slashes.
Meanwhile, the pirates who had been fleeing earlier revealed their true colours, turning back to swiftly cut down a pursuer with a few slashes.
“Damn it! We’ve been ambushed!”
Magistrate Jiang belatedly realised the trap.
“We’ve been tricked!”
Li Fengshi panicked as well.
He hadn’t expected the pirates to have set an ambush in the bamboo groves, deliberately luring them to this carefully chosen battlefield. The dense river networks, narrow roads, and scattered rice paddies made it impossible to form their spear formation, forcing the spearmen to disperse.
Without their spear formation, the Shandong spearmen were like tigers without teeth—utterly outmatched in individual combat against the pirates.
“Hahaha! The dog soldiers fell for it! That Jiangyin magistrate is mine—nobody steal him!” Maye emerged from the bamboo grove, laughing heartily. Gripping his long sword with both hands, he led his elite pirates straight for Magistrate Jiang.
Maye and his elite pirates charged like gods of slaughter, cutting down any Ming soldier in their path like chopping vegetables.
“Damn it! General Li, what do we do?” Magistrate Jiang, seeing Maye’s murderous band charging toward him, panicked.
“We’ve fallen for the pirates’ cunning! This terrain is unsuitable for our spearmen to form ranks, and the pirates are fierce. We’re no match for them. The only option now is to retreat!”
Li Fengshi surveyed the battlefield, realising that without their spear formation, his spearmen were no match for the pirates. In just moments, hundreds of his men had been killed or wounded. Gritting his teeth, he admitted they couldn’t win.
As a seasoned battlefield commander, if they couldn’t defeat the pirates, the best of the thirty-six stratagems was to retreat!
“Retreat, retreat, retreat! We’ve been ambushed by the pirates. We’ll admit defeat this time and settle the score later!”
Li Fengshi decisively ordered his Shandong spearmen to withdraw.
But while he wanted to retreat, the pirates weren’t having it. The pirates pouring out of the bamboo groves had counter-encircled Li Fengshi’s forces.
“Yoshi, yoshi! Lord Xu is brilliant, predicting the Ming dogs would pursue from the city! He even chose this terrain specifically. The Ming dogs can’t form their spear formation, limiting their strength, while it’s perfect for us to shine.”
“The Ming army’s spear formation is formidable, but without it, they’re just pigs waiting to be slaughtered!”
Ryūzōji Nobutake and Matsuura Shimosaburō stood beside Xu Hai, watching the pirates rout the Shandong spearmen. They couldn’t stop praising Xu Hai.
As they spoke, Maye led his pirates to within ten metres of Magistrate Jiang.
“Protect the magistrate!” Jiang’s personal aide quickly directed the yamen runners and routed soldiers to shield him.
Under the aide’s command, the runners and soldiers formed three human walls to block Maye and his pirates from seeking vengeance on Magistrate Jiang.
“Die, dog magistrate!”
Maye led his pirates to the first human wall, swinging his sword. His men were equally ferocious.
The first wall of runners and soldiers collapsed almost instantly, cut down by Maye and his pirates. They were no match at all—not even as resilient as the Shandong spearmen, who could at least hold out for a couple of rounds. These men were felled in a single encounter.
Then came the second human wall.
No surprise—it fell just as quickly as the first, hacked to the ground in moments.
Hiding behind the final human wall, Magistrate Jiang’s face turned pale. Damn it, he was overwhelmed with regret, wanting to slap himself silly.
Why had he volunteered to join Li Fengshi in pursuing the pirates? Now, trapped in their ambush, his life hung by a thread.
There were no courtyard walls here—only close combat with the pirates, and in close combat, they were utterly outmatched.
The runners and soldiers forming the final human wall, seeing the first two walls cut down, grew terrified.
In their fear, they fled!
In an instant, Magistrate Jiang was left with only his single aide by his side.
