Isolated island port, fire burning down the camp.
It was high tide at night, with huge waves crashing against the shore. There was no chance of survival if we jumped into the sea. All our escape routes were cut off, so we could only fight to the death.
The Japanese pirates were enraged when they saw all the small boats being burned. They turned around and looked at the room full of hostages, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
Even the nearsighted Arei could feel the murderous intent of the Japanese pirates, and she could not help but secretly grasp the dagger in her sleeve. She knew a little about self-defense, and was also good at riding and shooting, but she had been obsessed with machinery in recent years and gradually neglected martial arts. Facing the vicious Japanese pirates, she had no confidence at all.
Seeing that they were about to be silenced, the ginseng merchants who had always been surrendering were trembling with fear, "My hero, you just called us your bread and butter, why do you change your mind now? Don't worry, we will be hostages obediently. If you hold us hostage and the soldiers don't kill civilians, they will let you go."
The Japanese pirates sneered: "Do you think the court officials and soldiers care about you rich people? You are so stupid and naive. What is more important, the lives of dozens of civilians or the military merit of annihilating the Japanese pirates in one fell swoop? Except for your relatives, the court does not care about the lives of you people at all."
The ginseng merchant hurriedly advised: "But you care, right? You still want to exchange us for a ransom of 10,000 taels. We are very valuable."
Arei thought, didn't you say on the boat that you spent all your money to buy the Liao ginseng? How come you still have 10,000 taels of capital? You must be trying to save your life and deliberately cheat the pirates. Let him go.
The Japanese pirates looked around, like looking at fat meat on a chopping board, "Everyone, we are not destined to be father and son in this life. Maybe in the next life, if you want to hate someone, hate the Ming Dynasty officials and soldiers. They forced me to kill you."
After saying that, the Japanese pirates threw a jar of liquor into the house, took out a fire starter from their arms, and actually planned to burn them to death!
The female escort and others quickly exchanged glances and pushed Are towards the window.
The ginseng merchant was furious. He didn't care about his generation. He fell to his knees and crawled on his knees like a dog. His knees were cut by the broken pieces of the wine jar. Perhaps he was on the verge of death. He didn't care about the severe pain in his knees. He crawled to the pirate, hugged his thighs and cried, "Please! I have an 80-year-old mother and a baby who just got weaned. Without me, they can't survive!"
The Japanese pirates looked at the ginseng merchant who was as weak as a pool of snot with a disgusted expression, "Let go!"
The ginseng merchant held on tighter and tighter and refused to let go.
The Japanese pirates had no choice but to put away their fire sticks and reach for the long sword at their waist, intending to cut off the coward's hand.
Arei hurriedly swung the dagger in her hand, aiming at the pirate's right arm holding the knife, but she hadn't practiced for a long time and was too nervous, so she lost her aim and the dagger accurately pierced the door frame.
Arei closed his eyes in despair, not daring to see the bloody scene. It was over, the ginseng merchant was dead.
A scream came from his ear, and Arei opened his eyes, only to see that the Japanese pirates were still standing at the door, but without their heads. The ginseng merchant held the knife with both hands and shook the blade skillfully, and the blood on it fell off, and the sharp blade was as cold as frost.
The ginseng merchant just grabbed the knife and chopped off the head of the Japanese pirate in one fell swoop.
"What a good knife." The ginseng merchant put away his knife and shouted, "Hurry up and grab your weapons. A few of you stay here to protect the hostages and crew members. The rest of you, brothers, come with me to fight your way out! Join forces with the young general from inside and outside! Let's destroy the pirates' nest!"
The dozen or so porters working under the ginseng merchant, who seemed weak, immediately changed their expressions and opened the boxes. These boxes full of Liao ginseng all had interlayers, which were full of various firearms and weapons.
It turns out that the ginseng merchants were actually undercover agents in disguise of imperial officers and soldiers!
The sailors of the large merchant ship asked for battle one after another. "We don't need your protection. Give us some of the weapons. We want to avenge the captain. We have been fighting the Japanese pirates for a long time and we will not hold you back."
The ginseng merchant nodded in agreement. When he led the team to charge out, he pulled out the short dagger stuck in the door frame and smiled at A Lei, "This dagger is sharp. Lend it to me so I can kill more pirates. I originally thought you were a useless young master. You look effeminate and useless, but you are passionate and brave enough to do what is right."
The ginseng merchant led his team down the mountain.
What's going on
Are's brain was like a broken clock, stuck.
All of this was a chain of schemes designed by Zhu Zhanji himself.
Zhu Zhanji was a genius in palace intrigue and political tactics. He tried to survive between the Emperor and the Eastern Palace. At the age of nine, he followed Emperor Yongle to the north to lead the army in person. At a young age, he was stationed in Beijing and stabilized the rear area.
His riding and archery tactics were all taught by the experienced Mu Chun, and were by no means just theory. Mu Chun started his first expedition at the age of seventeen and went to Jiangxi to suppress bandits. He came to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to suppress Japanese pirates at the age of sixteen. He was truly better than his teacher.
He is simply a perfect boy who came out of a book. Mu Chun even shamelessly asked A Lei what he liked about Brother Xiao Ji. He had no idea at all. At the same age, Zhu Zhanji's achievements were far higher than Mu Chun's. He was so dazzling that even A Lei's myopia could not ignore him.
Zhu Zhanji, who was as cunning as honeycomb coal, always thought first and never acted first. The 50,000 young soldiers in Nanjing had only been trained in land warfare and had never been exposed to naval warfare. Moreover, the young soldiers came from all over the country, most of them were landlubbers and could not swim. Some even fainted and vomited as soon as they got on the boat, and had no fighting power at all.
Zhu Zhanji would never fight the Japanese pirates on the water. He sent a large number of scouts to investigate the Japanese pirates' crime patterns and traces, followed the clues to find the Japanese pirates' lair, and set up a series of traps to wait for the Japanese pirates to fall into the net.
Zhu Zhanji started a sting operation. First, he spread rumors that the imperial court was eager to win and wanted to wipe out the Japanese pirates in order to seek credit and reward. This aroused the Japanese pirates' sense of crisis. According to the pirates' previous behavior, they would generally choose to make a big move, divide the money and then break up the pirates, disappear and avoid the limelight, and avoid a head-on battle with the imperial army.
These Japanese pirates are very cunning!
Only by luring the Japanese pirates out in full force would the young army have the opportunity to lurk in the pirates' lair and set up an ambush.
Zhu Zhanji found out that the Japanese pirates would set up spies in places where merchants gathered at the port to assess the value of the cargo on board and take targeted actions.
He sent out scouts to disguise themselves as ginseng dealers, parading through the market and exposing his wealth. Liaodong ginseng is precious and is as valuable as gold.
Japanese pirates: Tyrant, you have successfully attracted our attention.
There are six major merchants on the sea ship, including a ginseng dealer. It is a huge piece of fat meat. One bite of it will keep you full for half a year.
The Japanese pirates really took the bait and decided to go out in full force to hunt together.
The ginseng merchant was an undercover agent. He pretended to be afraid and demanded to resolve the issue through negotiation instead of confronting the Japanese pirates head-on. On the one hand, he wanted to try his best to avoid casualties of innocent people; on the other hand, he wanted to use repeated negotiations and bargaining to delay time and give the young army time to set up an ambush in the Japanese pirates' lair.
There were constant shouts and cries of killing at the foot of the mountain, and the 50,000 young soldiers began to show their power.
Arei was protected by the bodyguards and waited for the battle to end with four other merchants.
Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe set out two months ago, but unexpectedly they saved A Lei by accident.
Arei's girlish heart was pounding. She wanted to see him, but she didn't dare to see him, fearing that it would be even harder to let him go after seeing him in person.
There was a struggle between her conscience and her desires in her mind. She ran around trying to catch the restless rabbit in her mind. Finally, reason overcame emotion and she caught the rabbit firmly and locked it in a cage.
A Lei decided to continue hiding his identity, blending in with the merchants and leaving the island together, and not recognizing Zhu Zhanji. Even if we meet unexpectedly, we will still pass by each other, and we each have our own way.
He married his wife.
I'm going to my own ocean.
At daybreak, the sounds of fighting changed from a violent storm to a steady drizzle and gradually could no longer be heard.
A team of officers and soldiers came here to report the battle situation. "We won. The large merchant ship you were on had been sailed out of the port by scouts before we set it on fire. It is safe and sound. The young general said that the original crew should take the merchants and civilians away first to report to their families that they are safe. You should follow me."
Are went down the mountain with everyone else. He used the excuse that it was cold on the island and put on a cloak and a hood, covering himself tightly and wrapping himself in the crowd.
The island was littered with corpses, the Japanese pirates were ferocious, and only a few surrendered. Most of them chose to fight to the death with the young army.
It was the young army's first battle. Relying on their large numbers and excellent weapons and equipment, they were fearless and fought blood-thirstyly, forgetting themselves. Facing such a fierce opponent, the young army also suffered many casualties.
When the war was over, the young soldiers, who had fought all night, were not sleepy at all. They carried away the bodies of their comrades and laid them side by side. As it was still summer, the bodies were prone to rotting and could not be transported back to their hometowns, so they had to be cremated on the spot.
In addition, there was a group of soldiers who counted piles of noses and recorded each person's battle record for future rewards - the nose was the best evidence because there was only one nose and it was all cartilage, which was easier to cut.
Therefore, most of the Japanese pirates scattered all over the mountains had no noses and their deaths looked horrible.
The caravan didn't dare to look closely. They all lowered their heads to look at the road, not even daring to glance around.
The salty and humid sea breeze was so strong that it made the Ming Dynasty's battle flags flutter.
Zhu Zhanhe, covered in blood, took off his helmet and armor, bent over and vomited. He had not eaten anything, and all he vomited was water. This was his first time in actual combat, the first time he saw so many horrible corpses, and the first time he truly felt the cruelty of war.
Even though his hair was soaked in sweat and felt extremely wet and itchy, Zhu Zhanji still wore a full set of armor and maintained the standard military posture of a leader. Although he looked thin and gentle, he was calm and composed, and turned a blind eye to the corpses scattered all over the ground.
At the age of nine, he followed Emperor Yongle in the Northern Expedition. He had witnessed even more brutal wars and more corpses. In addition, there were countless crows and eagles circling on the northern battlefields, fighting for carrion. The scene was comparable to hell.
The Japanese pirates' lair is located on the southeast coastal islands. The sky is filled with flocks of white seagulls. Compared with the cruelty of the northern battlefield, the battle against the Japanese pirates is just a small scene. It is a peaceful time.
Zhu Zhanji gently patted his cousin's back and consoled him: "This is how it is when you first go to the battlefield. I vomited more than you did back then."
Zhu Zhanhe panted, "The Emperor is too impatient. He took you to the battlefield when you were so young. I was foolishly envious of you at that time, but now I think you are too pitiful. You have to bear things that adults can hardly bear at such a young age. Brother, how did you survive these years?"
As far as the royal family was concerned, Zhu Zhanhe had actually always been well protected and had not been under pressure too early.
Zhu Zhanji didn't answer, but handed over the kettle first, "You sweat a lot and vomited, you need to drink water in time. I put a little honey and salt in the water. It tastes a bit strange, but it's good for your body."
Seeing Zhu Zhanhe drink half a pot in one breath, Zhu Zhanji said, "Just get used to it. Now you know how difficult it is for your father, the King of Han. He has fought in hundreds of battles and escaped death many times. He paid so much, but what he got was far less than the eldest brother, the crown prince, who had never been on the battlefield. That's why the King of Han is not convinced. I have always understood him."
To be honest, it was the first time that Zhu Zhanhe truly admired his father, the King of Han, and began to understand his father's unwillingness.
Zhu Zhanhe nodded heavily, "My eldest cousin is right. I will never argue with my father again or deliberately anger him."
Zhu Zhanji wiped the blood off his cousin's face. "My father has no other choice but to be the crown prince. Your father can become a vassal king. After I leave, it will be up to you to mediate between the Han Palace and the Eastern Palace."
Zhu Zhanhe was reluctant to let go. “Have you really thought it through? Once you escape, there’s no turning back.”
"I'm tired." Zhu Zhanji pointed at the corpses scattered all over the mountains. "I'm only sixteen years old. I've endured too much too early. It seems like I've lived through several lifetimes. I have a sixteen-year-old body and a sixty-year-old mentality. I'm already old. What's more, I've been watching from the sidelines for these years. The throne and even the imperial power are just like this. My father and the emperor are not happy. I decided to let it all go. For the first time, I will follow my own heart and live for myself. You have to help me."
Zhu Zhanhe had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay, let's proceed as planned."
As the two brothers were talking, a scout pretending to be a ginseng merchant came to report: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the big merchant ship has already left the port with the merchants. Don't worry about these civilians. We can blockade the entire island and clear out the remaining Japanese pirates hiding in the caves on the island."
Zhu Zhanji nodded and said, "We must be careful when cleaning up the battlefield to prevent ambush by Japanese pirates. If there is a cave, do not enter it without permission. Use fireworks to test it first."
The scout agreed and turned to leave.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhanji seemed to remember something, and with lightning and thunder in his head, he shouted, "Stop!"
The scout stopped and asked, "What else do you want, His Royal Highness?"
Zhu Zhanji pointed at the short dagger on the scout's waist and said, "Let me see this."
The scout took off the dagger and held it to Zhu Zhanji with both hands. "This is a young master of a merchant ship. He looks like a sissy with a wet nurse by his side, but he is actually a good man. When he saw that I was about to be chopped off by the Japanese pirates, he threw a knife to help me. He had good intentions, but his martial arts skills were too poor. His shot missed the target and the Japanese pirates didn't even get hurt."
Looking at the dark pattern of the word "Chun" on the handle, Zhu Zhanji was shocked: This... Isn't this the favorite of godfather Mu Chun? How did it appear here
Zhu Zhanji turned pale with anger and pointed at the large merchant ship on the sea, "Quick, stop the ship!"
The author has something to say: I will update one chapter first, and the second chapter will be around 11 o'clock. I am looking for comments as usual. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
50 bottles of Nuanyin; 20 bottles of Lixiao; 10 bottles of Gu Yinlou and Yanmiaoyi; 6 bottles of Zizhu; 5 bottles of Yangfanyuanhang and Xixi in the Book Chase; 2 bottles of Honghuang Shuyao and Taozhi Miaomiao; 17471398 and 1 bottle of Vanilla Ice Cream;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!