In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the Zhejiang Army had finished eating. Under the command of squad and platoon leaders, they began forming ranks.
“Are the Zhejiang troops pigs? Don’t they chew their food? They eat so fast,” a hidden pirate grumbled.
“They’re in a rush to reincarnate. How nice. Let’s not disappoint them,” nearby pirates sneered in low voices.
“Come on, come on. My katana is thirsting for blood,” the pirates said, licking their lips and gripping their blades, their bloodthirsty eyes fixed on the Zhejiang troops preparing to move, itching to act.
Finally, under their eager gazes, the Zhejiang cavalry formed a simple, snake-like column and trotted toward the path leading to the reed marsh.
The path was narrow, allowing only three riders abreast, stretching like a long snake as they galloped forward.
“Perfect. The Zhejiang Army’s snake formation is exactly what we wanted. Let the first hundred or so riders pass—that’s their weak point. Strike the snake at its seventh inch. Today is their doom,” Ma Ye said, his lips curling into a sinister grin as he saw the Zhejiang Army adopt his ideal formation.
What made Ma Ye’s grin widen uncontrollably was that, halfway through the cavalry’s advance, Zhu Ping’an, escorted by Zhejiang troops, joined the snake formation, riding toward them.
“Zhu Ping’an is here! He’s here! This battle will make us legends!” Ma Ye felt his blood ignite.
The temperature was rising.
He could even hear crackling sounds.
And there was a faint smell of smoke, acrid and choking, tickling his nose and throat.
Wait.
Something’s wrong. Why could he hear crackling? Why was there the smell of smoke?
Ma Ye sensed something amiss and turned. His eyes nearly popped out. Bloody hell, it was actually burning!
In his line of sight, the reed marsh behind them was ablaze. Multiple ignition points flared simultaneously. The dry reeds, fanned by the cold wind, burned like oil on a fire, forming a semi-circle of flames that rapidly merged into one massive inferno.
Damn it!
How did the reed marsh catch fire? And with so many ignition points at once?
Ma Ye was stunned.
The other pirates were equally dumbfounded. How was the reed marsh burning? And in a semi-circle, no less?
No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a coincidence. So many ignition points couldn’t be chance!
What now?
If they stayed in their ambush, they’d burn to death. But if they stood up, they’d be exposed!
The next second, they didn’t have to choose.
The Zhejiang Army, charging in their snake formation, suddenly reined in their horses just before reaching the ambush point.
Dozens of Zhejiang soldiers at the front drew longbows from their backs, lit fire arrows, and shot them into the reed marsh ahead.
The arrows landed, igniting patch after patch of flames that roared to life.
“Damn it, the Zhejiang Army knew we were here all along! They’re trying to burn us alive in the reed marsh!”
“Zhu Ping’an, I curse your ancestors!”
If Ma Ye hadn’t realised by now, his decades of battlefield experience would’ve been for nothing.
His eyes bulged with rage, his dishevelled hair writhing like snakes. At this moment, he hated Zhu Ping’an to his core.
They had planned to ambush the Zhejiang Army, but instead, the Zhejiang Army had ambushed them with fire.
“We’ve been tricked! They knew we were here! They’re burning us alive!”
“We fell for it! The Zhejiang Army’s going to burn us to death!”
The pirates finally caught on, staring at the raging flames behind them, shouting in panic.
But it was too late. They’d realised far too late. The dry reed marsh, once ignited, burned like oil in a fire, spreading rapidly.
After firing hundreds of fire arrows, the Zhejiang Army hurled hundreds of small, burning jars into the marsh.
The reed marsh erupted into uncontrollable flames, sweeping toward the pirates like a tidal wave.
The fire arrows and incendiary jars completed the trap, forming a massive ring of fire that encircled the pirates, closing in with the wind’s aid.
Ma Ye and the pirates now understood: this was a meticulously planned fire attack by the Zhejiang Army.
This trap wasn’t set up overnight. It would’ve taken the Zhejiang Army considerable time and effort.
They’d been exposed—long exposed.
The Zhejiang Army must have known about them before the two scouts even arrived.
The scouts were just putting on a show to lull them into thinking they hadn’t been discovered.
In reality, the Zhejiang Army had known all along. The scouts were there to mislead them—and to buy time.
The Zhejiang Army’s cooking and eating? That was to stall, to prepare this fire trap.
A blaze this intense wasn’t just the reeds’ flammability. The Zhejiang Army must have poured oil behind them!
Damn the Zhejiang Army!
Damn Zhu Ping’an! So insidious!
In the reed marsh, surrounded by flames, veteran pirates recalled the Suzhou battle and the fire in the woods.
That fire was eerily similar to this one!
The roaring flames drew closer, and the temperature in the reed marsh skyrocketed. In the dead of winter, it felt like spring or summer. Thick smoke rolled in, choking the pirates and bringing tears to their eyes.
Amid the smoke and flames, visibility plummeted. They could barely tell north from south.
“What do we do? Fire’s everywhere! We’re surrounded! Are we going to burn to death?”
The pirates wailed, clutching their heads.
“Run! Run!”
Screaming like ghosts, the pirates leapt up, shouting and scrambling like headless flies. Who cared about staying hidden? Exposed or not, if they didn’t run, they’d be roasted alive!
Veteran pirates, more experienced than the new ones, knew how to survive a fire. After the Suzhou battle, where they’d escaped a blaze, they’d replayed that fire in their minds, pale with fear but grateful to have survived. How to escape a fire became a constant topic of discussion.
As the fire erupted, Ma Ye and the veterans tore strips of cloth from their clothes, untied their belts, and urinated on the fabric.
Soaking the cloth with urine, they ignored the stench and pressed the wet rags over their mouths and noses.
