On both banks of the ferry crossing, reeds swayed gently. A dirt path led to a stone bridge, and within the reed marshes, over eight hundred Japanese pirates, draped in woven reed camouflage, hid with sinister gazes fixed southward, like vengeful wolves awaiting their chance to strike.
“Are the tripwires set?” Ma Ye asked through gritted teeth, his mind consumed with thoughts of revenge.
“All eighteen tripwires are in place. We dug grooves in the path, laid the wires, and covered them with soil. Even if the Zhejiang Army crawled on the ground, they wouldn’t spot them. Once we pull the wires, no matter how many horses they have, they won’t get through this death trap,” his trusted subordinate replied with confidence.
“Good. I’m going to teach Zhu Ping’an a bloody lesson, let him know that we Tuolin pirates aren’t just entries in his merit book! We’re his death warrant!” Ma Ye snarled, his eyes bloodshot.
Leading his troops to northern Zhejiang this time, Ma Ye harboured personal ambitions. It wasn’t just about killing to intimidate, making Zhejiang’s people too afraid to comply with the ten-household registration law. He also sought to boost his own prestige.
Among the Tuolin pirates, he was nominally equal to Xu Hai. But after the battles of Suzhou, Jiaxing, and the recent large-scale raids in southern Zhili and northern Zhejiang, Xu Hai’s personal prestige had far surpassed his own.
If this continued, it wouldn’t be long before the Tuolin pirates became Xu Hai’s dictatorship.
Ma Ye faced three choices: bow to Xu Hai, be eliminated by him, or leave.
Bowing to Xu Hai? He wasn’t willing. Challenging Xu Hai? With Xu Hai’s unmatched prestige and many new pirates flocking to his banner, Ma Ye’s forces were far inferior. A confrontation would only see him absorbed. Leaving? With Xu Hai’s towering reputation, Ma Ye couldn’t take many pirates with him. Such a small force would struggle against both the Ming army and other pirate groups.
Thus, this campaign in northern Zhejiang was his chance to restore his dominance and elevate his prestige to rival Xu Hai.
But alas!
That damned Zhu Ping’an had ruined everything!
This defeat was catastrophic. He’d come with over five thousand men; now, he’d be lucky to return with a thousand. His hopes of boosting his prestige were shattered, and he could already imagine the Tuolin pirates back at base mocking him.
Rival Xu Hai? In his dreams. He’d become a laughingstock.
But!
There was still a chance!
Yesterday, Xu Hai had turned defeat into victory in Jiangyin County, nearly wiping out the renowned Shandong spearmen. His prestige hadn’t just held—it had soared!
Today, Ma Ye could do the same!
If he ambushed the Zhejiang Army successfully, his earlier failure would only highlight this triumph.
In the battle of Suzhou, Xu Hai, along with Ma Ye and three other pirate chiefs, led forty thousand men against the city, only to be routed by Zhu Ping’an’s two thousand Zhejiang troops. They lost over thirty thousand men in a bloodbath, a miserable defeat.
The Zhejiang Army’s losses? Negligible.
But today? Today’s ambush would target at least two thousand Zhejiang troops. If Ma Ye could deal them a heavy blow, claiming a few hundred heads, he’d outshine Xu Hai.
Compare it to Suzhou: Xu Hai was crushed by Zhu Ping’an without a chance to fight back. His forty thousand men were reduced to a few hundred escapees, while the Zhejiang Army barely lost a man. If not for capturing Jiaxing and recovering, Xu Hai’s leadership would’ve ended.
Today, Ma Ye, with five thousand pirates, would turn defeat into victory, ambushing the Zhejiang Army and taking hundreds of heads!
Who’s greater, Xu Hai or me?
Xu Hai always loses to the Zhejiang Army; I turn defeat into victory! Xu Hai can’t take Zhejiang heads; I take hundreds! What Xu Hai couldn’t do, I, Ma Ye, will do. That makes me greater than him!
Xu Hai’s prestige is at its peak, but I’ll surpass it.
When that happens, who calls the shots among the Tuolin pirates?
They’ll have to ask me, Ma Ye, first!
Wang Zhi could claim kingship and carve out a domain overseas—why can’t I, Ma Ye?
The more he thought, the more excited Ma Ye became!
“Leader, there’s movement from the south. Zhejiang scouts are coming,” a trusted subordinate whispered, nudging Ma Ye’s arm and pointing to two Zhejiang cavalry appearing on the southern road.
In their line of sight, two Zhejiang scouts clad in the army’s signature cotton armour, armed to the teeth, approached.
“Pass the word: stay hidden, keep quiet, and don’t let the Zhejiang scouts spot us,” Ma Ye ordered softly, scanning his men.
“Don’t worry, Leader. We’ve prepared for their scouts. We entered the reed marsh via a back path, and everyone’s draped in reed camouflage. The scouts won’t see a thing from the road. We’re over a hundred metres from the path—they won’t search this deep,” the subordinate said confidently.
“Better safe than sorry,” Ma Ye snapped, glaring. “Anyone who gives us away, I’ll skin them alive!”
The subordinate carefully relayed Ma Ye’s orders in whispers, passing them from one pirate to the next.
The pirates in the reed marsh crouched lower, silent, barely breathing, terrified of being heard by the distant Zhejiang scouts and facing Ma Ye’s wrath.
Soon, the two Zhejiang scouts rode closer, passing through a grove. Beyond the grove lay the reed marsh where the pirates hid.
As they reached the grove, the scouts reined in their horses, cautiously inspecting the trees for potential ambushes.
The scouts were meticulous. They dismounted, tied their horses to a tree, and entered the grove to search.
After a few minutes, they emerged, satisfied the grove held no ambush, and continued forward.
Soon, they reached the reed marsh. The scouts dismounted again and approached the marsh.
A hundred metres away, the pirates, cloaked in reed camouflage, held their breath, frozen in place.
The scouts advanced, using their long swords to part the reeds, inspecting carefully.
Ten metres.
Thirty metres.
Fifty metres.
Seventy metres…
The scouts moved deeper, under the tense gazes of Ma Ye and his men. They reached over eighty metres, nearly at the pirates’ position, when they stopped.
“Nothing unusual.”
“Same here.”
The scouts nodded to each other and turned to leave.
Ma Ye and the pirates breathed a sigh of relief.
