Last night, the temperature plummeted further, and by early morning, light snowflakes began to drift from the sky. Though the snow didn’t settle on the ground, the fluttering flakes still sparked excitement among the young and old of Jiashan County.
Elders said, “A timely snow promises a bountiful year.” At noon, they planned to enjoy a hearty old duck stew, paired with a plate of pickled radish from before the New Year—tastier than a New Year’s feast.
Children, dressed in bright red New Year clothes, stretched out their hands to catch snowflakes, hopping and skipping, calling out to friends across the village.
Dongshan Village was filled with festive cheer.
Wang Laosi, from the seventh *jia*, had been restless since early morning, frequently casting anxious glances toward the village entrance.
“Laosi, relax. The Lord Governor himself guaranteed our village’s safety. What are you still worrying about?” the seventh *jia* head said calmly, spotting Wang Laosi’s worried expression as he went to empty the chamber pot.
“*Jia* head, do you think the Lord Governor can really stop the pirates?” Wang Laosi asked, still uneasy. Over the years, he’d heard countless tales of government troops being routed, with pirates always described as thrashing the army into a shameful retreat.
“If even the Lord Governor can’t stop the pirates, then no one can,” the *jia* head replied with unwavering confidence in Zhu Ping’an. “Our Lord Governor is renowned for fighting pirates. The recent major victories against them were almost all led by him. Xu Hai’s formidable, right? Last month, he led over forty thousand pirates to attack Suzhou. Our Lord Governor, with just three thousand Zhejiang troops, killed over thirty thousand pirates outside Suzhou’s walls. Xu Hai himself nearly got captured alive! Back then, Xu Hai’s group was called the Four Heavenly Kings of the pirates. But in the Suzhou battle, our Lord Governor killed one king, captured another, and only Xu Hai and Maye escaped with a few hundred defeated remnants.”
“You’re saying the Suzhou victory was led by our Lord Governor?” Wang Laosi asked, his face lighting up with surprise.
“Of course! That’s why our Lord Governor was appointed as our governor—because of that victory,” the *jia* head said, well-informed.
“Then I’m relieved. If Xu Hai’s forty thousand troops were nearly wiped out by our Lord Governor, this time they’re coming to retaliate against our village with far fewer men. They won’t stand a chance against even one of his fingers!” Wang Laosi said, finally at ease.
“Good. It’s snowing today, so let’s make extra old duck stew and bring some to the troops to thank our Lord Governor,” the *jia* head suggested.
“Absolutely! I’ve got two old ducks at home, each fatter than the last. I’ll slaughter them both today. They’ll make two big pots of duck soup, and I’ll have my wife bake a basket of leavened flatbreads to go with it,” Wang Laosi nodded enthusiastically.
“Laosi, you’re the man! I know those two ducks of yours—you didn’t even kill them for New Year,” the *jia* head said, giving him a thumbs-up.
While the *jia* head’s and Wang Laosi’s households were busy slaughtering ducks and preparing stew, the pirates at the Tuolin pirate lair, well-fed and rested, set off again with firecrackers and laughter. They split into two groups: one heading north to pillage Southern Zhili, the other south to northern Zhejiang.
This time, their deployment was different from before. Usually, more forces went north and fewer south. Now, the southern force was larger, with over ten thousand pirates, while the northern force numbered about five thousand.
Not far into their march, the ten thousand-plus southern force split again into three groups: one toward Jiashan County, one toward Pinghu County, and one toward Haiyan County. Each group had roughly three to four thousand men.
The group heading to Jiashan County was led by Maye, the one to Pinghu County by Matsuura Shimosaburō, and the one to Haiyan County by Xu Hai’s trusted lieutenant, Han Jingang.
“General Matsuura, and you, Jingang, remember: our goal this time isn’t to plunder wealth but to kill. We want heads rolling, not a soul spared—man, woman, or beast. We want outrage and rivers of blood! After the slaughter, write in blood on the village walls: ‘This is the fate of those who follow the ten-household registration law!’ We’re killing the chicken to scare the monkey, making Zhejiang’s people too terrified to obey the law!” Maye instructed Matsuura Shimosaburō and Han Jingang before they parted.
“Rest assured, Lord Maye. Lord Ryūzōji has drilled it into me. I’ll make the Ming people tremble! Men—chop off their heads, rip out their hearts, livers, and lungs, leave no corpse intact. Women—young or old, violate them first, then kill them, so they’re defiled in life and death. No reincarnation, no dignity even as ghosts! Let’s see who dares follow that registration law!” Matsuura Shimosaburō said, pounding his chest, his face deadly serious as he spewed words worse than a beast’s.
“Lord Maye, I’ve got it. I’ll ensure not a single soul survives in Haiyan County’s Qingfeng Town! That damned Zhu Ping’an loves setting fires on us, doesn’t he? Last time, I nearly burned to death! This time, I’ll repay him in kind! There’s a maple forest east of Qingfeng Town. I’ll herd all the townsfolk there and burn them alive! I’ll make them scream for their parents, cry to the heavens and earth with no answer! Hahaha, I’ll give the surrounding people nightmares forever!” Han Jingang said with a vengeful snarl.
A scar ran across Han Jingang’s left cheek, making him look ferocious. It was a wound from the Suzhou battle.
After the Suzhou defeat, he’d fled with Xu Hai and others, nearly dying in fires set by Zhu Ping’an. In one forest blaze, he survived only by ruthlessly killing his own men, soaking his cotton clothes in their blood to cover his mouth and nose, and shielding his body to escape. The scar on his face was from that ordeal. Even now, he had recurring nightmares, reliving his desperate flight through the flames and the horrific deaths of his comrades, waking in cold sweats.
This time, he’d make Zhu Ping’an taste that terror!
“Good, very good! Do exactly as you’ve said! We’ll split into three and show Zhejiang what’s what! I’ll make them see that obeying the ten-household registration law is a death sentence. Let’s see who dares follow it after this!” Maye said, highly satisfied with their barbaric plans.
The crueller, bloodier, and more depraved the methods, the better—to terrify Zhejiang’s people!
If you’re not afraid of death, follow the law!
If you fear death, don’t. But even if you don’t, we’ll still kill and rob.
