Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles, you will not be defeated; know yourself but not your enemy, and you’ll win half and lose half; know neither your enemy nor yourself, and every battle will lead to disaster.
As Zhu Ping’an saw the pirates across the field finalize their formation, signaling the imminent battle, he silently muttered, “Bring glory to my ancestors.”
*I’m a man with a cheat code—why not use it now? Am I saving it to read someone’s fortune?!*
This was a full-map hack, like having radar covering a hundred li, rendering any enemy within that range unable to hide.
*As long as I’m here, no one’s ambushing me!*
After silently chanting, Zhu Ping’an scanned the horizon. Above the pirates, a blood-red pillar of qi luck shot straight into the sky.
To their southeast, another blood-red pillar of qi luck, no less massive, also pierced the heavens.
This indicated another pirate force, roughly equal in size to Mao Haifeng and Otomo Sadakawa’s combined army.
Zhu Ping’an wasn’t surprised—he’d spotted this force yesterday. Mao Haifeng’s group was likely the vanguard of Wang Zhi’s pirates, and this second pillar probably marked their rear army.
And there was a high chance Wang Zhi himself was with that rear force.
Estimating the distance of the second pillar, Zhu Ping’an calculated the rear army was about 80 li away. Yesterday, it had been 120 li, meaning they’d advanced roughly 40 li in a day—a slow march. By ancient marching speeds, it would take them at least a full day of forced marching to reach here.
Beyond the southeast’s towering blood-red pillar, the other directions were clear under the cloudless sky, with no visible qi pillars—meaning no other pirate forces were nearby.
With no threats from other directions, Zhu Ping’an had no rear to worry about.
He raised his hand and commanded, “Beat the drums! Issue the challenge!”
Instantly, rousing war drums thundered through the Zhejiang camp. Eighteen bare-armed soldiers, wielding arm-length drumsticks, stood before eighteen massive cowhide war drums, striking them with force, speed, and dramatic rhythm.
The drumheads vibrated, shaking the ground.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The stirring drumbeats, majestic and earth-shaking, resounded through the sky, overwhelming like a tidal wave.
As the drums sounded, the Zhejiang army moved like synchronized machines. Eight thousand soldiers marched forward in unison, their footsteps blending with the drumbeats, advancing like an unstoppable force.
“What the hell?! They’re flipping the script! We haven’t even moved, and the Zhejiang army’s already charging to their deaths!”
“They’re moving first? In such a hurry to reincarnate?!”
“Even dying has early birds now? They’re rushing to die and reincarnate early!”
“Have they picked an auspicious hour?! Come on, grandpa will grant your wish—die nice and tidy!”
The pirates, hearing the earth-shaking drums and seeing the Zhejiang army march forward in lockstep, were stunned, then burst into mocking jeers.
“That Zhu guy’s got some manners—waiting for us to set our formation before rushing to his death!” Mao Haifeng sneered, his lips curling as he surveyed the scene with disdain.
“Brother Haifeng, if he’s so eager to die, how can we not oblige?” Otomo Sadakawa said, hand on his sword.
“We must oblige! He’s impatient to die, so we’ll be quick about it! We’re barely half a li apart. Wave the fans, order the army to charge, and send the Zhejiang army on their way—don’t miss the auspicious hour!” Mao Haifeng commanded with a wave of his hand.
His trusted aides quickly relayed the order.
In the pirate camp, several half-bald pirates waved folding fans—a common command method, as many true Japanese pirates didn’t understand Chinese, military flags, or drums, so they used Japanese-style signals they could comprehend.
Seeing the fans, the pirates roared like they’d been injected with adrenaline, brandishing their weapons and charging.
The elite pirate vanguard, handpicked and ferocious, rushed forward like tigers descending a mountain.
Fast, fierce, ruthless!
“Kill! Kill! You dog soldiers! Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll oblige—wipe you out to the last man!”
“Die, die! Ming army, not one left! All die, die!”
“Kill, kill!”
True and false pirates united, roaring as they charged toward the Zhejiang army like tigers.
From the rear, Mao Haifeng stood on the high platform, watching the elite vanguard charge like predators. He smirked with satisfaction, like a crooked-mouthed war god. “My men are like wolves and tigers—the Zhejiang army’s fate is sealed!”
They had the numbers—13,000 against the Zhejiang’s mere 8,000, nearly double. Their men were battle-hardened veterans, while most of the Zhejiang’s 8,000 were freshly recruited farmers, barely three months from放下锄头.
What did they know about fighting?
They were good at harvesting wheat; *we’re* good at harvesting heads! On the battlefield, they’re just green recruits!
As for equipment, though the Zhejiang army was fully armored, it was all for show. Ample evidence proved their armor was cotton-padded, no match for the pirates’ iron armor!
Heaven, earth, and man were all on their side! If they couldn’t crush the Zhejiang army, it would defy reason!
“A sweeping victory! I believe we’re moments from a crushing triumph!” Otomo Sadakawa said, equally confident.
“Let’s see who gave Zhu Ping’an the confidence to face us in open battle—and to attack first!” Mao Haifeng sneered.
“Simple. Once we rout the Zhejiang army and capture him alive, we’ll ask him. Let him tell us himself who gave him that confidence,” Otomo Sadakawa replied with a chuckle.
“Hahaha, good point! Once we break their formation, I’ll order the men to capture Zhu Ping’an alive. We can’t let him die carelessly, or I won’t sleep tonight without the answer. Of course, we won’t pull a Cao Cao—if he can’t be taken alive, so be it,” Mao Haifeng laughed.
“Prioritizing the bigger picture—worthy of you, Brother Haifeng,” Otomo Sadakawa said, giving a thumbs-up.
“Hahahaha…” Mao Haifeng roared with laughter.
Victory was already in their grasp—why not revel in it?
