The fire in the reed marsh roared, whipped into a frenzy by the howling cold wind, like a dragon sweeping through. The light snow that had fallen that morning did little to dampen the flames, but the melting snow added more thick smoke to the blaze. Billowing black smoke rose like countless dark mountain demons emerging from the earth.
In the fire, few were burned to death; most—around eighty percent—were choked by the smoke. The extra smoke from the melted snow made this reed marsh fire even deadlier.
“Help, help…”
“Kyūmei, kyūmei… Father, Uncle, I miss the cherry blossoms of home…”
One by one, the Japanese pirates cried out for their parents, meeting the end of their sinful lives amid the fire and smoke.
Even those who used urine-soaked cloths to cover their mouths and noses succumbed in droves to the fire and smoke. The raging flames and thick fumes made it impossible to discern directions. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and other toxins in the smoke overwhelmed their makeshift protection.
The pirates’ ambush position was about a hundred metres from the path—a distance that became an insurmountable road to death.
Of course, some pirates, though disoriented by the fire and smoke, relied on memory to flee toward the path.
Those who miraculously escaped the inferno didn’t dare flee south, where the Zhejiang Army awaited. They could only run north, across the bridge, out of Jiashan County, into southern Zhili. There, they might escape with their lives.
This debt would be settled later with that Zhu fellow and the Zhejiang Army.
Or perhaps… better not.
If they encountered the Zhejiang Army again, they’d flee as far as possible. The Zhejiang Army was their absolute nemesis!
Northward.
Run, keep running, almost at the bridge—freedom was near. Survive this, and good fortune would surely follow.
But the hopeful smiles on the pirates’ faces wilted before they could fully bloom. In their line of sight, at the northern bridgehead, rows of Zhejiang soldiers in full cotton armour stood ready: the first row crouching, the second bending, the third standing tall.
“Ambush ahead! It’s the Zhejiang Army!” the leading pirates shouted in panic.
Before they could turn, a flash of fire erupted, followed by the “bang, bang, bang” of a disciplined, dense volley of musket fire.
Pain, screams, collapse…
The foremost pirates, barely having shouted their warning, were riddled with bullets in a single volley, collapsing dead in a heap.
The escaping pirates behind them couldn’t stop in time, their momentum carrying them forward, stumbling over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The front three rows of Zhejiang soldiers, having fired, retreated. Three more rows stepped forward, adopting the same crouching, bending, and standing formation, raising their muskets. Another disciplined “bang, bang, bang” rang out.
The pirates who couldn’t stop were nearly all shredded by the dense musket fire, falling dead.
Only two pirates, tripped by the bodies ahead, escaped the volley.
The pirates behind, hearing the musket fire, the agonised screams, and shouts of “Zhejiang ambush,” belatedly realised the trap ahead. They turned to flee, only to collide head-on with the pirates still running forward. In the chaos of life-and-death terror, neither side yielded, and they tumbled together, triggering a deadly stampede.
“Bloody hell, I fell! Don’t trample me, stop—argh…”
Screams rang out as countless pirates were crushed underfoot, gasping their last breaths.
“You idiots behind, stop running forward! The Zhejiang Army’s ambushing ahead—it’s a dead end!”
“Quick, that part of the reed marsh isn’t burning! Get in there!”
“Are you mad? They’ll just set it on fire again! I barely escaped that inferno—my ancestors must’ve earned me that luck. Another fire, and I’m not sure I’ll make it. Go in if you want—I’m not!”
“If we don’t hide in the reeds, it’s a dead end. Zhejiang troops ahead, Zhejiang troops behind, fire over there. Neither the fire nor their guns will show us any mercy!”
“Don’t go deep into the reeds. The Zhejiang Army’s at the bridgehead, but the river’s long. Slip through the reeds to the riverbank and cross to the other side.”
After the stampede, the surviving pirates descended into chaotic arguments, unsure where to flee.
Amid their squabbling, “boom, boom” echoed as the Zhejiang Army’s tiger crouching cannons opened fire.
Muskets couldn’t reach, but the cannons’ range easily covered the pirates’ position.
The cannons fired grapeshot, each blast covering a wide area.
A hail of iron pellets and shattered stones exploded among the pirates, piercing one body after another.
“Argh…”
Another wave of screams erupted as pirates fell, dead or wounded.
“Forget everyone else—run wherever you can! We’re too obvious together. Scatter and survive!”
“He’s right. Staying in a group makes us easy targets. Good luck, mates—I’m off!”
The surviving pirates dared not linger. Shouting, they scattered, some in groups of three or five, others alone, diving into the reed marsh to escape, heedless of whether it might catch fire again.
“Young Master, the pirates who escaped the fire are heading back into the reed marsh. They’re likely aiming for the riverbank to cross and escape,” Liu Mu reported to Zhu Ping’an, spotting pirates re-entering the marsh and guessing their intent.
“Send men to shoot fire arrows and set the riverbank reeds ablaze.”
“Also, dispatch rangers immediately to patrol the opposite bank and all roads leading to southern Zhili. The pirates crossing the river will head back to their Tuolin stronghold. With the ten-household registration law in place, hiding in Zhejiang is near impossible for them,” Zhu Ping’an ordered swiftly.
Soon, the riverbank reeds were engulfed in flames. The pirates who had just escaped one inferno faced another blaze and choking smoke.
Many who had barely survived the first fire succumbed in this one.
Only a few escaped the second blaze.
Reaching the riverbank, heedless of the depth, the icy cold, or their swimming ability, the pirates leapt into the roaring river under the threat of death.
The river was wide and deep. Pirates who couldn’t swim sank without a trace. Others, shocked by the freezing water, cramped up, their swimming skills useless as the current swallowed them.
A few managed to cross, but before they could celebrate, Zhejiang rangers descended upon them…
