Chapter 34: Beat Them Mercilessly

The large ship carrying the tribute sat quietly at the Xijindu pier. The ship was pitch black, seemingly unguarded.

It was said that this ship was loaded with this year's tribute from Zhenjiang Prefecture—gold, jewelry, silks, and satins, everything one could imagine. Once the River God Sacrifice Ceremony concluded tonight, it would travel up the canal directly to the Capital.

What no one knew was that several small boats were currently using the cover of night to approach Xijindu, though they did not dock, instead hiding in the distant reed marshes.

On the lead boat sat a mysterious man wearing a wide bamboo hat. He kept the brim low, making it impossible to see his full face, but the centipede-like scar extending from the corner of his eye to his forehead exposed his identity.

Yagyu Ichiro!

Sitting beside him was Li Sheng's subordinate, Datou, who had been sent to contact Yagyu Ichiro.

Time ticked by second by second. Some of the River Bandits began to grow restless, but their leader, Yagyu Ichiro, remained very composed and silent, so his subordinates dared not act out of turn.

Suddenly, the sound of crackling firecrackers came from the distance.

A River Bandit reported to Yagyu Ichiro in Japanese: "The sound of firecrackers can be heard from the direction of Xijindu."

Li Sheng's subordinate Datou said from the side: "According to our agreement, the firecracker sound is the signal, proving the River God Sacrifice Ceremony is proceeding normally. We can make our move now."

"Hmm." Yagyu Ichiro nodded, then muttered to himself in Japanese: "The Chinese believe that setting off firecrackers can drive away evil spirits; it is utter ignorance. If setting off firecrackers could ensure peace, what would those soldiers be for?"

Datou could not understand Japanese and could only look at him speechlessly.

Another River Bandit subordinate came forward to report: "There are no patrol boats on the river surface, Xijindu has no defenses at all, and the river channel is completely unobstructed."

Yagyu Ichiro stood up and said in Japanese: "Yes, board the ships!"

Several small boats quickly sped out from the reed marshes, approaching the large tribute ship under the cover of night. Dozens of grappling hooks were thrown out, catching the ship's gunwales, and many dark shadows climbed up the ropes.

"Bang!" The door to the ship's cabin was kicked open. It was pitch black inside, seemingly empty. Several torches were then lit, illuminating Yagyu Ichiro's sinister face.

With the light of the torches, one could see hundreds of large crates neatly stacked in the cabin. Although it was not yet certain what was inside, the River Bandits behind Yagyu Ichiro were already beaming with joy.

"Lord Yagyu Ichiro, these are the tributes from Zhenjiang Prefecture this year." Datou laughed obsequiously and stepped forward to lift the lid of a crate, but to his surprise, what met his eyes was a pile of dull, grey stones.

"This..."

Datou froze for a moment, then immediately lifted the lid of a crate next to it; it was also filled with stones.

He lifted the third crate—still stones.

Datou was stunned, and from behind him came Yagyu Ichiro's angry voice: "We have been deceived. Retreat."

A group of River Bandits pushed and shoved their way out of the cabin. Just then, countless torches lit up on the riverbank, and a voice shouted: "Fire!"

Countless soldiers drew their bows and arrows, lit the oil-soaked cloth strips wrapped around the arrowheads, and released them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—it was like a rain of fire falling from the sky.

Dozens of River Bandits were hit on the spot, screaming as they fell onto the deck, struggling. Their clothes were ignited by the flames, and they began to burn. The remaining River Bandits had no choice but to retreat back into the cabin.

Only then did the River Bandits, aided by the firelight, discover that large amounts of flammable materials like thatch had been piled in every corner of the ship. Now, blown by the river wind, the thatch was quickly ignited by the fire arrows, and the flames spread rapidly.

The River Bandits were suddenly caught in a dilemma.

"Send the signal to Prefect Zhou." Lin Zuo turned his head and said to his subordinates.

A soldier, upon hearing this, quickly climbed onto a high rock, lit the torch in his hand, and waved it in circles toward the direction of Jiaoshan.

At this moment, Prefect Zhou Yunqing of Zhenjiang Prefecture was standing by the Jiaoshan Fort, pacing anxiously.

"My Lord, look." A soldier pointed toward the direction of Xijin Ferry and shouted.

Zhou Yunqing looked down from his vantage point and saw the torches waving in circles and the fire-ship burning on the river. He clapped his hands in excitement.

"Everyone, load the cannons, aim."

His soldiers had been waiting impatiently; upon hearing this, they quickly prepared to fire.

"Fire!"

Boom—more than ten cannon shots rang out in succession, the sparks from the muzzles appearing exceptionally brilliant in the night.

A dozen cannonballs landed on the river, splashing up massive waves. One of the River Bandits' small boats was hit on the spot and nearly snapped in two, while the large ship carrying the "tribute" was rocked violently by the waves, causing the River Bandits on board to lose their footing and sway unsteadily.

"Fire again!"

Another small boat was struck by a cannonball, and several remaining River Bandits were blown away in the firelight.

"Damn it, did they really think I only knew how to worship Buddha?" Zhou Yunqing shouted loudly, feeling vindicated: "We have plenty of cannonballs, beat them mercilessly for me!"

Boom...

Cannonballs kept crashing down on the river, splashing up huge sprays of water. Several River Bandits struggled in the water, and some of their corpses floated on the surface, bobbing up and down with the waves.

The large tribute ship was covered in flames. Two River Bandits, engulfed in fire, screamed and cried as they rushed off the gunwale and jumped into the river.

"Get on the small boats. Lower them quickly!" Yagyu Ichiro shouted in Japanese, his tone already becoming hoarse.

However, in such a chaotic situation, everyone had lost their reason; it was not something he could solve by shouting a few times.

Seeing that the situation was beyond control, Yagyu Ichiro made another choice—he decided to abandon his subordinates. After all, "as long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood" was his life motto. He had escaped with his life ten years ago by doing exactly this, so he felt no psychological pressure doing it again ten years later. ### CHAPTER 35