“Brother Daoyou, what should we do next? Any strategies?” Mao Haifeng asked Daoyou Zhenchuan for advice.
“The next step is for me to perform seppuku to atone for my failure,” Daoyou Zhenchuan said, taking a short blade from his waist and handing it to Mao Haifeng with both hands, bowing deeply. “Please, Brother Haifeng, assist me as my second.”
“Huh?” Mao Haifeng was stunned.
“When the time comes, please take my head. If possible, transport my body back to Matsuura and bury it under the cherry trees of my hometown. My dear Yukiko, forgive me for not growing old with you. Alas, my literary talents are lacking, and I cannot leave behind a farewell poem to be remembered by.”
With that, Daoyou Zhenchuan drew his wakizashi, resolutely aiming it at his abdomen and slowly pressing it forward.
“What the hell, Brother Daoyou, what are you doing? If Zhu Ping’an finds out, he’d laugh himself awake in his dreams!”
Mao Haifeng, exasperated, slapped the wakizashi out of Daoyou Zhenchuan’s hand. With a *swish*, it embedded itself in a nearby tree trunk.
“Brother Haifeng, what are you doing?” Daoyou Zhenchuan looked at Mao Haifeng helplessly.
“Today’s battle was under my command. If you’re performing seppuku to atone, shouldn’t I be the one cutting my belly first?”
Mao Haifeng stared intensely at Daoyou Zhenchuan.
“No, Brother Haifeng, your command was flawless. I, as your deputy—and one skilled in firearms—failed to notice the danger of the Zhejiang Army’s firearms and didn’t warn you in time. Today’s defeat is my fault.”
Daoyou Zhenchuan said, his face full of shame.
“Brother Daoyou, seppuku may atone for failure, but enduring humiliation for revenge shows true manhood! Are you going to face your Amaterasu with this shame? If you’re a man, keep your head and seek to wash away today’s disgrace with Zhu Ping’an’s blood! In the afterlife, you can face your ancestors with your chest held high!”
Mao Haifeng lectured.
“Yoshi! Brother Haifeng’s words are a wake-up call. I was wrong! You’re right—I cannot face Amaterasu with this shame! I’ll follow Cao Cao’s example, cutting my hair instead of my head, bearing this disgrace, remembering today’s shame, and striving to repay Zhu Ping’an a hundredfold, a thousandfold, to honor Lord Hui’s trust in me.”
Daoyou Zhenchuan, enlightened, solemnly cut a lock of his hair with a small knife and held it to his chest.
“That’s the spirit.” Mao Haifeng patted Daoyou Zhenchuan’s shoulder, nodding with satisfaction.
“Thank you for your guidance, Brother Haifeng,” Daoyou Zhenchuan bowed in gratitude.
“No need for thanks. We’re brothers in arms; it’s nothing.” Mao Haifeng waved it off. “But what do we do now?”
“The Zhejiang Army has the momentum of a great victory and the advantage of firearms. We’ve suffered a major defeat, with only four thousand defeated soldiers left. We can’t compete with them,” Daoyou Zhenchuan said reluctantly, sighing despite his frustration.
Though he hated to admit it, they were no match for the Zhejiang Army.
Then, Daoyou Zhenchuan shifted gears. “However, Lord Hui’s main army is arriving soon. We can lose, but we cannot collapse completely. Otherwise, our positions will be at risk, and without status, we’ll have no chance to avenge ourselves against Zhu Ping’an.”
“Brother Daoyou, what’s your plan?” Mao Haifeng asked.
Daoyou Zhenchuan said slowly, “Zhu Ping’an has set up camp across the river. There’s only one wooden bridge, narrow enough for just a single ox cart. For the Zhejiang Army to cross in force, whether over the bridge or by building a pontoon, it’ll take considerable time. That gives us enough time to respond, whether by blocking their crossing or retreating. So, we can boldly…”
Mao Haifeng’s eyes lit up. “Brother Daoyou, I think I get it. You mean we set up camp here, raise our banners, face off with the Zhejiang Army, gather our scattered troops, and rebuild our strength.”
Daoyou Zhenchuan nodded firmly. “Exactly, Brother Haifeng. This way, when Lord Hui arrives, he’ll see us holding the line against the Zhejiang Army, our camp intact. Though we’ve lost many soldiers and suffered a defeat, we’re still fighting, still capable of fighting. In battle, swords are blind, and victory or defeat is common. Failure is the mother of success.”
Pausing, Daoyou Zhenchuan continued, “We have over four thousand defeated soldiers now. If we set up camp, raise our banners, and send men to search for and gather stragglers, I believe we can collect another one or two thousand. That gives us around six thousand troops, enough to face Zhu Ping’an with some strength.”
“Right. With six thousand troops and a camp facing Zhu Ping’an, we can at least give an account to our adoptive father. It’s far better than total collapse,” Mao Haifeng nodded, exhaling in relief.
But the next second, his gaze drifted to the Zhejiang Army’s camp across the river, and his mood sank. He muttered, “Six thousand troops…”
“Heh, six thousand troops,” Mao Haifeng repeated softly, his face brimming with frustration and resentment.
Just yesterday, they had fourteen thousand troops, banners flying, horses neighing—a grand sight.
Back then, he was brimming with confidence, not thinking of scraping together six thousand stragglers to justify himself to Lord Hui. His goal was to capture Zhu Ping’an—the Ming Dynasty’s top scholar, Zhejiang’s governor, and scourge of pirates, with all his titles—and present him to Lord Hui.
*What nonsense about a literary star incarnate, what top scholar, what youngest Ming governor, what Zhu Ping’an! You think you’re hot stuff because you write some pedantic essays, solve a few cases, and beat Xu Hai a few times? You think you’re invincible, leading eight thousand Zhejiang troops, parading openly to challenge Lord Hui?*
*Have you gone mad from writing essays?*
You didn’t take Lord Hui seriously, nor us under his command!
But who could’ve predicted that in a single day, their ambush on Zhu Ping’an was turned into an ambush against them, followed by a crushing defeat in open battle? They nearly lost everything, and Mao Haifeng himself almost got captured.
In one day, they lost eight thousand troops, leaving only four thousand. All their provisions and supplies were gone.
Now, his ambitions had plummeted from capturing Zhu Ping’an to setting up camp, raising banners, and gathering a thousand more stragglers to reach six thousand—just to have something to show Lord Hui.
*Sigh!*
*Zhu Ping’an! Zhu Ping’an!*
*I, Mao Haifeng, will have my revenge for today!*
