“Report! A large Japanese pirate army, numbering over ten thousand, has appeared two li ahead,” a Zhejiang soldier, who had been part of the pursuit, rushed back to report to Zhu Ping’an.
At this moment, the Zhejiang army was fully arrayed at the mountain pass, with several high points on the slopes also guarded by detachments of Zhejiang troops.
Zhu Ping’an, surrounded and protected by Liu Dadao and others, stood at the centre of the formation, commanding with a large banner fluttering behind him in the wind.
“Over ten thousand—slightly fewer than expected,” Zhu Ping’an nodded calmly. The number of pirates was a bit less than he had anticipated, but these were likely just the vanguard. There would surely be more pirate forces behind them. Wang Zhi clearly thought highly of him.
“Dadao, take your battalion to support the forward troops in pursuit. If the pirates give chase, hold them off on the spot, and I’ll bring the main force to reinforce you. If they don’t pursue, slowly return to our main formation,” Zhu Ping’an ordered Liu Dadao.
“Yes, my lord,” Liu Dadao nodded firmly, accepting the order, and led his Zhejiang battalion to support the pursuing forward troops.
“Order the soldiers cleaning the battlefield to return to the formation immediately. All injured soldiers are to be treated at the main camp at the mountain pass.”
“Order the soldiers gradually returning to the main formation to form ranks at the rear.”
Zhu Ping’an issued orders methodically, his gaze steadily fixed on the front, awaiting the arrival of the pirate army.
Soon, the soldiers cleaning the battlefield withdrew from the slopes. Following Zhu Ping’an’s instructions, they cut off the heads of the pirates, placed their bodies on pyres, and set them alight.
Cutting off the pirates’ heads served two purposes: as proof of military merit and as a way to toughen new recruits. The task of beheading the pirates was carried out entirely by newly enlisted Zhejiang soldiers, serving as a way to blood them and build their courage.
Burning the pirate corpses was to prevent the spread of disease.
“Sir, at the first battlefield on the slope, we collected 327 pirate heads. The heads have been severed, and the bodies are being burned. On the pursuit route, we only managed to clear a little over one li, collecting 473 pirate heads, which have been severed, but the bodies haven’t been burned yet. We haven’t had time to clear the farther battlefields,” a soldier reported to Zhu Ping’an, reading from a sheet with the tallied numbers.
At the first battlefield on the slope, the pirates collapsed after losing just 327 men. That suggests the ambush force was around 4,000, meaning they broke after less than ten percent casualties, consistent with historical patterns.
During the pursuit, 473 pirate heads were collected, far more than at the first battlefield, and that was from just over one li of ground cleared. It seems that once an army collapses, the pursuit becomes a slaughter, with most casualties occurring during the chase.
“How many casualties do we have?” Zhu Ping’an asked with concern.
“Sir, we have six injured. Two were wounded at the first battlefield by pirate muskets during their counterattack. Fortunately, their cotton armour provided protection, and the injuries aren’t severe. The medics say they’ll recover in about a month. The other four were injured during the pursuit: two from falls, and two from desperate counterattacks by pirates, stabbed with bayonets—one in the abdomen, one in the chest. Despite the cotton armour, their injuries are serious. The medics say they need to be sent to Shaoxing for treatment, but thankfully, their lives are not in danger, though they’ll need to rest and recover,” the soldier reported.
“Order the medics to treat the wounded urgently, then assign a squad to escort them to Shaoxing for recovery,” Zhu Ping’an ordered.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier acknowledged and went to make the arrangements.
Soon, within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the pursuing soldiers returned to the main formation, and Liu Dadao led his battalion back slowly.
Following behind Liu Dadao was the pirate army, numbering over ten thousand, advancing steadily in a vast formation, trailing Liu Dadao’s battalion.
Perhaps influenced by the earlier defeat of the ambushing pirates, the pirate army didn’t rashly attack the Zhejiang troops. They maintained a distance of two to three hundred metres from Liu Dadao’s battalion, advancing at a measured pace.
The pirates stopped three hundred metres from the Zhejiang army and faced them in a standoff.
“Two leaders, the Zhejiang army is only about eight thousand strong. Should we launch a direct attack?” a one-eyed pirate leader suggested to Mao Haifeng and Otomo Sadakawa.
“What do you think, Brother Otomo?” Mao Haifeng asked, turning to Otomo Sadakawa.
“If this were earlier, I would’ve led our troops straight into the Zhejiang army’s centre, cut down their banner, and taken Zhu Ping’an’s head without hesitation. But the recent defeat of our ambush force has made me wary of this Zhu Ping’an. We thought we had everything under control, with every move of Zhu Ping’an in our grasp. Yet, this man is cunning beyond measure. According to the fleeing soldiers, Zhu Ping’an had discovered our ambush long ago but pretended otherwise. He sent troops to secretly climb higher slopes for a counter-ambush, while setting up camp at the pass, cooking meals, and resting at noon. He even used the weather to weaken our forces—whether he predicted the weather or just got lucky, I don’t know,” Otomo Sadakawa said slowly.
“But there’s an old Ming saying: ‘A general who doesn’t understand astronomy, geography, the art of surprise, yin and yang, formations, or military momentum is a mediocre talent.’ Perhaps Zhu Ping’an is versed in astronomy. We’ve heard of his many victories before, and it seems his reputation is well-earned,” Otomo Sadakawa continued, pointing at the Zhejiang army’s formation. “Brother Haifeng, look—the Zhejiang army is tightly arrayed with no weaknesses. Our ambush was crushed, and our morale has taken a hit. If we can’t break their formation quickly, our morale will suffer further, which is disadvantageous.”
“Moreover, this incident shows Zhu Ping’an is a cunning and treacherous man. His high-profile oath in Shaoxing a few days ago, vowing to lead eight thousand troops against us, doesn’t align with his sly nature. I suspect he’s plotting something.”
“So, we must attack, but my suggestion now is that it’s getting late. To avoid falling into a trap, we should hold off for now, observe Zhu Ping’an’s true strength, and break their army tomorrow,” Otomo Sadakawa said slowly.
“Well said, Brother Otomo. Zhu Ping’an is clearly no ordinary man. We’ve been starving and freezing in the valley for so long, while the Zhejiang troops have been eating meat, drinking soup, and resting comfortably. Engaging them now would be disadvantageous. Let’s camp here, let the men eat well and rest, and build up their strength for the night,” Mao Haifeng nodded. “At the same time, we’ll observe the Zhejiang army’s camp and send scouts to check an eighty-li radius for any hidden Zhejiang troops. Tomorrow, we’ll crush their army.”
