Chapter 400

"Me too, and there must be someone in this village!"

"Oh? How did you tell?" the other two asked strangely.

"I just saw traces of logging and charcoal fires on the road; the time hasn't been very long." Kimura Ikkuro explained in a low voice.

"If that's the case, then this village isn't abandoned; the silence must mean everyone is asleep."

"Should we go in?"

Hearing this, Kimura Ikkuro shook his head. "Wait. We'll go in at dawn. Lord Ogasawara's requirement is not to arouse suspicion from the Great Ming people; best to gather information unnoticed and return without causing trouble."

"Alright, then we'll listen to you."

The three rustled and hid back in the grass.

Ningbo Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Wenzhou Prefecture, the three places where Japanese pirates might appear, have all been warned.

The villages outside have all been fortified and cleared of resources.

Those unwilling to leave were forcibly hidden in the mountains by government officials.

Those remaining in the original villages were villagers disguised as garrison soldiers.

When Kimura Ikkuro and his two companions arrived, they were indeed very careful and cautious.

But they did not know there were hidden sentries around the village perimeter.

Even though their movements were cautious, they still fell into the eyes of the hidden sentries.

Especially since they were whispering to each other in Japanese, which exposed their identity even more.

Japanese pirates!

If there hadn't been three of them, the hidden sentry lurking in the dark would have already moved to capture them.

This is pure merit!

Kimura Ikkuro and the other two hid carefully in the grass.

The hidden sentry also lay motionless, afraid of startling them.

Until the sky slowly brightened and the sun rose from the east.

The originally silent village immediately became lively.

Some opened doors to cook, others tended the bamboo fences, and some called out to go chop wood.

Cooking smoke rose faintly, entering the eyes of Kimura Ikkuro and his two companions; the whole village finally had a human presence.

They had been waiting and were already somewhat impatient.

Now was the perfect opportunity to sneak into the village early.

They stood up, brushed off the dew from their bodies, adjusted their clothes, and tried their best to dress like Great Ming people.

Supporting each other, they slowly made their way to the village entrance.

Of course, the Wu Shidao they originally held were hidden in the soil by the tree.

After Kimura Ikkuro left, a figure quietly appeared.

Or rather, he overturned the soil and emerged from the ground.

He was a waiting hidden sentry, daring not to reveal even a trace of his aura, fearing discovery by the three Japanese pirates.

Fortunately, he had endured the difficult night, and finally the three Japanese pirates had left.

Only then did he dare to dig himself out of the ground.

"Damn it, I'm suffocating!"

He let out a long breath and lay on the ground to rest for a while.

Then he quickly ran to the big tree where the three Japanese pirates had buried their weapons, found the burial spot, and started digging.

In a few strokes, he dug out the three Wu Shidao buried in the soil.

Holding the three Wu Shidao, he chuckled and quickly left the spot.

Kimura Ikkuro and the other two did not know that the weapons they had just hidden were dug up immediately after they left.

The three of them made themselves look like destitute refugees fleeing disaster, supporting each other, ragged, and slowly walking toward the village entrance.

The people at the village entrance immediately spotted them.

Seeing the three strangers appear, the "villagers" were very alert.

The reason for their alertness was that they all knew clearly that there were no people left in the villages near Ningbo Prefecture; everyone had been fortified and cleared into the cities or mountains.

Basically, no one was wandering around outside.

These three are suspicious!

At this moment, the hidden sentry ran along the path, arriving before those who started later.

Much faster than their dawdling pace, holding the three Wu Shidao, he had already circled from the back of the village into the center to report to the Deputy Battalion Commander.

Kimura Ikkuro and the other two had originally planned to gather news about the Great Ming.

But before they could gather any news, their own identities had already been exposed.

The balance of offense and defense has shifted!

Once they knew the three people arriving at the village entrance were Japanese pirates, the "villagers" inside immediately understood the situation.

They warmly invited Kimura Ikkuro and the other two into the village.

Although Kimura and the other two sensed a slight strangeness in the village before them, they could not detect where the strangeness lay after half a day.

Moreover, they were eager to enter the village to inquire about the situation.

So, raising their vigilance slightly in their hearts, they entered the village.

Thus, it truly counted as a sheep entering a tiger's mouth!

Once the three entered the village, the "villagers" all took out crossbows, steel blades, and revealed their true forms.

Kimura Ikkuro finally slapped his forehead, realizing belatedly, and said with great shame, "Now I understand why the village seemed so strange! There isn't a single woman in the entire village, not even an old lady!"

"Hmm, no one is raising chickens, ducks, or dogs either."

The three of them were absolutely engaging in Ma Pi!

The Ningbo Prefecture captured three Japanese pirate spies, and the news quickly reached Su Qiao's ears.

Su Qiao immediately roughly determined the Japanese pirates' area of operation.

Going to Wenzhou City was definitely impossible.

If the Japanese pirates intended to strike, it would have to be either Suzhou Prefecture or Ningbo Prefecture.

The probability for Suzhou Prefecture was even higher!

"Now that the spies have been captured, if they don't return, could it make Fujita Goichiro sense danger and flee?"

............. 0

Zhang Xueceng also knew about the "luring the guest into the jar" plan.

He had also received the news from Ningbo Prefecture, but it was not optimistic, causing him to worry due to the slanting rain.

Upon hearing this, Su Qiao shook his head. "Fujita Goichiro has an arrow on the string and must release it. First, the three thousand-plus Japanese pirates under his command are not all his own; he summoned them. Would they just stop because the spies are gone and the enemy situation is unclear, then disband?"

"The expenses for feeding people and horses are considerable. Even if he agrees, the others won't! Therefore, raiding and attacking are inevitable! It's just that the location might have changed."

Zhang Xueceng widened his eyes, looking at the map somewhat confused. "Then will they go to Wenzhou?"

"No! Wenzhou is too far from their current area of operation, and it is not as wealthy as Ningbo Prefecture. The Japanese pirates are naturally greedy and ferocious; they will not give up on the fat meat of Suzhou Prefecture and Ningbo Prefecture!"

"Then according to my lord Su's opinion, they will still come to attack one of these two cities?"

"Exactly!"

"Huff, in that case, they still haven't escaped the grasp of the Imperial Envoy!"

Zhang Xueceng skillfully engaged in Ma Pi.

Su Qiao, however, did not feel much more at ease, despite saying so.

But the location of the Japanese pirates' attack tomorrow has added variables, making it hard to figure out.

Let's just hope Fujita Goichiro gets hot-headed and arrogantly comes to attack Suzhou Prefecture directly.

Because Su Qiao has prepared a grand gift for the Japanese pirates in Suzhou Prefecture.

His plan is to completely annihilate the invading Japanese pirates in Suzhou Prefecture!

In the blink of an eye, the third day arrived.

Today is the day the Japanese pirates are to attack! Three.

253, Traces of the Japanese Pirates!