After listening to Mao Haifeng’s introduction of the three pirate strongholds, Zhu Ping’an nodded slightly in approval, then asked, “In General Mao’s esteemed opinion, who should we target first?”
Without hesitation, Mao Haifeng replied, “The first one to strike should be Xu San on Moon Island.”
“Why?” Zhu Ping’an asked.
“Xu San’s forces are the strongest. If we hit the other two pirate strongholds first and word gets out, they’ll be prepared, making them much harder to deal with. Moon Island is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only one coast for landing, and Xu San has built heavy fortifications there, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. If they get wind of us and prepare in advance, taking the island will be tough, likely costing many lives. So, this chance to catch them off guard must be used on the toughest target.”
Mao Haifeng explained.
“General Mao makes a good point. How should we catch Xu San off guard?” Zhu Ping’an continued.
“Hahaha, Lord Zhu, you’ve asked the right person. Tomorrow is a golden opportunity to wipe out Xu San.”
Mao Haifeng patted his chest confidently.
Zhu Ping’an’s eyes lit up, and he courteously cupped his hands, saying, “General Mao, please share your plan, I’m all ears.”
Seeing Zhu Ping’an, the Governor of Zhejiang and a high-ranking Ming official who had defeated him twice, humbly seeking his advice, Mao Haifeng’s vanity swelled. He coughed twice, barely suppressing a grin, before speaking slowly, “Lord Zhu, I have an inside man on Moon Island, a minor leader. Ten days ago, he sent me word that tomorrow is Xu San’s big day, when he’ll take his thirteenth concubine. That Xu San, well…”
Mao Haifeng then described Xu San, a man obsessed with women, boasting that the more women he bedded, the greater his prowess. His favourite pastime was womanising.
Xu San indulged in women almost daily, even during battles, insisting on having a woman at night.
He wasn’t picky about looks. In wartime, with no better options, he’d take any woman, be she in her fifties or sixties, weighing two hundred pounds, or too ugly to look at.
But if a woman had some beauty or status—say, a merchant’s daughter or a trusted subordinate’s sister—he’d take her as a concubine.
The thirteenth concubine he was to marry tomorrow was the sister of a down-and-out scholar from Taizhou, said to be refined and literate.
Xu San was quite proud of this cultured thirteenth concubine, choosing tomorrow specifically for the wedding. Ten days earlier, he’d promoted the scholar to a military advisor and rewarded him with ten taels of gold.
“Lord Zhu, tomorrow is Xu San’s big day with his thirteenth concubine. We can send men disguised to infiltrate, and when they’re drunk and in chaos, we strike from within and without, wiping them out completely!”
Mao Haifeng said with confidence.
“Brilliant! Truly worthy of General Mao!” Zhu Ping’an praised sincerely.
Honestly, his side hadn’t known about Xu San’s concubine-taking. With Mao Haifeng, a walking encyclopaedia of pirate knowledge, the seemingly impossible task of clearing the coastal pirate strongholds now seemed manageable.
After praising him, Zhu Ping’an added, “Now, we need to plan how to disguise ourselves.”
“No need to worry, Lord Zhu, I’ve already got a plan,” Mao Haifeng said smugly.
“Oh? Please elaborate, General Mao,” Zhu Ping’an said, playing along.
“Xu San has close ties with the red-haired barbarians, doesn’t he? I’ve got over a dozen of them under my command. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange two ships. We can send about a hundred men aboard, with my red-haired barbarians claiming to be from Guangdong, raiding along the Taizhou coast. Hearing of Xu San’s wedding, they’ve come to offer congratulations and resupply. On such a joyous day, Xu San won’t suspect a thing. If questioned, my red-haired barbarians know the barbarian ways inside out and can handle it. Once we succeed, a hundred or so taels of silver will do for them. For barbarians, money is everything—they say the more you earn, the easier it is to get to heaven. Laughable, their god’s so greedy, clearly no proper deity,” Mao Haifeng laid out his plan confidently, throwing in a jab at the barbarians’ faith.
Zhu Ping’an squinted in thought for a moment, then nodded, “General Mao, this is an excellent plan!”
Mao Haifeng’s strategy was indeed solid, using a fictitious group of red-haired barbarian pirates as cover.
As long as Mao Haifeng’s barbarians didn’t betray them, the risk of being exposed was low.
Because no one would know them.
Pretending to be a known pirate group nearby carried higher risks. If someone from that group showed up at the banquet, it could spell trouble. Imagine a pirate hearing their group supposedly sent a hundred men—what would they think?
“What, our group sent a hundred men? What’s going on? Our leader only sent us to congratulate, so why another hundred? I need to check this out.”
Or, “What, another hundred from our group? Let’s drink together! Wait, why don’t I recognise any of these people? Something’s wrong…”
By comparison, Mao Haifeng’s infiltration method was safer and more likely to succeed.
His choice of a hundred men was also well-calculated. Not too many to raise suspicion, but not too few either.
For Xu San’s three thousand men, a hundred pirates were negligible, unlikely to arouse special caution.
Easy to slip in.
A hundred men, while not many, were enough during the drunken chaos to act as insiders.
Seizing the gate and letting their main force in would turn it into a slaughter.
“Lord Zhu, let’s take down Xu San tomorrow. I’ll arrange the ships now. Your men look too much like official troops, not pirates. Tomorrow, we’ll pick a hundred from my men—genuine pirates. Xu San’s side will welcome them with open arms.”
Mao Haifeng said before leaving.
Zhu Ping’an nodded, cupping his hands, “Then I’ll trouble General Mao. We’ll meet tomorrow morning.”
