Chapter 35: Street Brawl

"Pfft."

The long spear viciously stabbed into Proprietor Zhao's back. Proprietor Zhao's body lurched to a halt. The Japanese warrior in front seized the chance and also thrust a blade into his lower abdomen. Blood gushed out along the blood groove. Proprietor Zhao let out a loud, miserable scream. Several cries of alarm rang out at once: "Big Brother!" "Grand Proprietor!" Everyone's attention was fixed on Proprietor Zhao. No one noticed Chen Xin behind the bulwark.

"Bang!" The Banjiu Foot Gun finally fired. A one-tael-five-mace lead ball effortlessly tore through the Korean's body, blasting a shockingly ghastly bloody hole in his rear abdomen. The Korean was knocked sideways by the impact, crashed into the ship's side, then limply rebounded onto the deck. Fresh blood gushed from the bloody hole, mixed with fragments of internal organs.

The Japanese warrior gave the Japanese Sword thrust into Proprietor Zhao's abdomen a fierce twist, then yanked it out violently. Proprietor Zhao's mouth filled with blood, and he collapsed limply to the ground. Only then did Lao Wang, Hei Pao, and the others arrive, their eyes nearly splitting with rage. The Japanese warrior was already a spent force, panting heavily and not daring to linger. The other Japanese sailors were completely on the back foot, surrounded and cut off by the sailors on the Fujian junk. The outcome was sealed. This warrior had just killed the other side's Grand Proprietor. Knowing full well there was no path to survival, he only wanted to drag a few more down with him. Taking advantage of the moment before Hei Pao and the others reached him, he flipped over the ship's side bulwark and landed on the deck of the Fujian junk. He stumbled upon landing, his legs giving way, and nearly failed to stand.

Just as he made out the situation on deck, a long, black object was already flying at his face. The warrior hurriedly swung his blade to block. The object turned out to be a heavy large matchlock, extremely weighty. After the fierce battle, the warrior could not keep his grip; his Japanese Sword flew from his hand. Immediately, a Japanese Sword swept across horizontally. The Japanese warrior's strength was utterly spent; he could not retreat in time and was slashed below the ribs, though the cut was not deep. The man opposite followed up with a fierce kick below, striking his lower abdomen. The force was mediocre, but the warrior could no longer withstand it. He was kicked staggering backward several steps and fell onto the deck. With this delay, Hei Pao, Lao Wang, and the others had already arrived. They surrounded the unarmed warrior and hacked wildly with their blades.

After kicking the man down, Chen Xin did not press forward. When he had been slashing with his blade earlier, his heart had actually been quailing, his hand weak and unable to exert strength. He watched Lao Wang and the others' blades ceaselessly flailing, the droplets of blood they carried splattering everywhere. After a bout of miserable screaming, the warrior slowly fell silent. Those few men still showed no mercy, hacking until the warrior was a bloody pulp, his limbs severed, his internal organs and intestines spilling everywhere.

By now, the outcome on Zhu Yin's ship was decided. Fewer than ten sailors from the Japanese ship remained, nearly every one wounded. All were kneeling on the deck surrendering. The rest had become corpses on the deck. Among the standing crowd, Chen Xin spotted Lu Lvzi's figure. His bare torso was also covered in bloodstains, but judging by his movements, he had not suffered serious injury. Chen Xin finally felt relieved, congratulating himself on being on the powerful side and having safely weathered his first battle.

"Brother Chen, quickly come with me to see Grand Proprietor Zhao."

Chen Xin turned his head. Song Wenxian had somehow arrived behind him. Chen Xin eyed him suspiciously. If he had come to the deck earlier, had he witnessed that scene just now? But Song Wenxian's expression was as usual. Chen Xin dared not ask him, so he could only nod, hurriedly jump over the ship's side, and help Song Wenxian across.

The deck was awash with blood, making every step slippery. Chen Xin grabbed a cable and supported Song Wenxian as they came to Proprietor Zhao's side. Ba Zi was already holding him in his arms, using a piece of clothing to press firmly against Proprietor Zhao's abdomen. The clothing was already soaked red. Blood gurgled out from between his fingers. Proprietor Zhao's face was pale, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Song Wenxian grasped his hand at once and said, with a sob in his voice: "Grand Proprietor, you are... this is..."

Lao Wang, Hei Pao, Han Bin, and the others also returned to this side. Looking at his wound, there was no hope of survival. One after another, they wept and knelt on the ground. Chen Xin's eyes reddened, and tears were about to flow. Song Wenxian wiped his eyes and said, choking: "Grand Proprietor, rest assured, we have won. The two who wounded you just now were both slain by Accountant Chen. You just focus on healing your wound. Do not... do not think too much."...

Hearing this, Proprietor Zhao's eyes regained a trace of luster. He looked toward Chen Xin. His lips moved twice, but no words came out.

Chen Xin thudded to his knees beside Proprietor Zhao, tears and mucus streaming down his face. He said, haltingly: "This humble one was a step too late, causing the Grand Proprietor to be injured... Please, Grand Proprietor, punish me."

Lao Wang and Hei Pao also wept as they said: "Please, Grand Proprietor, punish us."

Proprietor Zhao gently shook his head, his gaze much gentler than usual. Song Wenxian still held his hand and said: "Grand Proprietor, rest easy and heal. As for the ship's affairs, please appoint someone to manage them temporarily."

Proprietor Zhao's lips moved slightly, his voice very faint. Second Proprietor Han Bin was about to lean in, but Song Wenxian already put his head to Proprietor Zhao's mouth, pressing his ear against his lips, blocking everyone else's view. After a long while, he raised his head and said: "I understand."

In Tianjin City, in the courtyard on Erdaojie, Dai Zhenggang was telling Liu Minyou the news he had gathered.

"A few days ago, some grain-transport sea ships returned. They say the Tatars failed to take Ningyuan, turned around, and went back to attack Jinzhou. Brother Chen was indeed very accurate. It seems this time the Jianzhou Bandits can only withdraw on their own."

Liu Minyou felt relieved. On the road, Dai Zhenggang had also heard about the Tatar invasion and had been very worried about these brothers. He had hurried back to Tianjin, only to learn that Chen Xin and Lu Lvzi had both gone to sea. In their idle moments, they talked about the battles beyond the pass. Liu Minyou told Dai Zhenggang what Chen Xin had originally said. Chen Xin had known the outcome all along, and now it was naturally confirmed. But Dai Zhenggang's admiration for Chen Xin increased another notch.

Wang Daixi and the three attendants were tidying up the two shop fronts. They had asked Zhou Laifu to make several dresses, which were now hung on clothes racks. In the corner of the doorway stood a human-shaped wooden mannequin. Chen Xin had asked a carpenter to make it based on later-era styles. Considering some superstitions of this era, it could not be made headless or footless. The carpenter had taken a very long time to finish it, and the cost had exceeded the budget somewhat. Because of the constant warfare, the pearls had not been pawned, and money was temporarily a bit tight.

Since the war began, Tianjin had been in a state of panic for a time, and the market had been depressed. But twenty days had passed, and no Tatars had been seen entering. People's emotions were slowly calming, and market activity was recovering. Liu Minyou decided it was time to open the clothing shop now, so that everyone would have something to do.

During this period, Dai Zhenggang happened to be here, so the task of training the attendants was given to him. Dai Zhenggang showed immense interest in these formations and the like, especially upon hearing that the rules were set by Chen Xin. He executed them with meticulous precision. Even from the perspective of Liu Minyou, a complete military layman, Hai Gouzi and the others had acquired a certain soldierly bearing. They walked, sat, and stood as if cast from the same mold. Even Dai Zhenggang's own demeanor had changed somewhat. Now, as he sat by the stone table, he also placed both hands flat on his knees.

"Brother Dai, I plan to open the clothing shop tomorrow. Besides the shop itself, I've printed some flyers at the bookshop and plan to have a saleswoman promote them in the women's quarters. I wonder if Brother Dai knows any saleswomen."

Dai Zhenggang shook his head vigorously: "Brother Liu, you've asked the right person. I've truly never had any contact with saleswomen. In the villages, there are some midwives, and goods are all brought by carrying-pole peddlers. Tianjin here, even less so."

Liu Minyou thought it over and agreed. Dai Zhenggang was an outsider, much like himself. Where would he find any saleswomen? He estimated in his mind that Zhou Laifu and Jiang Wang probably knew some; he could go find them later in the evening. Besides, Chen Xin had also mentioned marketing in brothels. He himself had never been to such places, so he had even less idea where to start, nor could he think of anyone to handle the brothel business.

At that moment, a clamor arose on Erdaojie. It sounded like someone was being chased and beaten. The two exchanged a glance and stood up simultaneously. Going outside the courtyard to look, they saw it was none other than Deng Keshan, running over in utter disarray. Behind him followed over ten men armed with blades and clubs. Deng Keshan's mouth and nose were bleeding, his hat had fallen off, and his footing gave way, sending him sprawling to the ground....

Liu Minyou hurried forward to help him up. The dozen-plus men behind caught up in an instant. They raised their clubs to strike. Deng Keshan dodged and hid behind Liu Minyou. Those men, ignoring Liu Minyou in front, still swung their blows. Seeing the danger, Dai Zhenggang let out a great roar. His right hand shot out and seized one man, easily lifting him by the waist and hurling him at the others, knocking the front few aside. He shouted toward the courtyard: "Hai Gouzi, bring out the clubs."

Blocked in this way, and seeing Dai Zhenggang standing like an iron tower, the men's ferocity diminished slightly. The one leading them looked at the two and said: "We're only after this swindler. Anyone else meddling in other people's business, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Hai Gouzi and the others rushed out the door with clubs. Every man held a five-chi-five-cun hardwood club. Hai Gouzi also brought out Dai Zhenggang's fine iron staff, laboriously handing it over. With the iron staff in hand, Dai Zhenggang's confidence grew even stronger.

Too lazy to speak with the other side, he recalled that set of methods of Chen Xin's. In his heart, he was just thinking of seeing how effective they were. He bellowed: "Form ranks."

"Kill!"

Dai Zhenggang, Hai Gouzi, and the other three formed a line, three chi apart. Each man had his left leg forward and right leg back, standing sideways. They shouted in unison, raising their clubs diagonally forward and upward. Their movements were uniform and precise, instantly generating an aura of lethal solemnity. The men in front involuntarily took a step back, their faces showing alarm. A sense of pride welled up in the hearts of Hai Gouzi and the others.

Some other neighbors from Erdaojie also rushed over at this time, all holding clubs and staves. Some shoppers watched the excitement from a distance.

Seeing a fight about to break out and worried about injuries, Liu Minyou quickly stepped into the middle. He cupped his hands toward the dozen-plus men opposite and said: "I am a neighbor of this Erdaojie. May I ask why you gentlemen are chasing and beating Young Master Deng? Can we all sit down and talk this over peacefully, without resorting to violence?"

A middle-aged man came forward from the other side and said to Liu Minyou: "This swindler found a beggar woman, seduced our young master into doing that deed, then posed as the beggar woman's husband. Not only did he extort a large sum of money from our young master, but several of them also beat the young master up. We've been looking for him for a long time. Today, we are determined to capture him and take him back so the young master can vent his anger."

Hearing this, Liu Minyou immediately felt at a loss. As a neighbor, Deng Keshan was passable. Whenever he saw you normally, he'd call out "Brother Liu" from far away. But everyone knew he was a swindler. If he helped him, wouldn't he be aiding in harming others?

Seeing Liu Minyou's hesitant expression and fearing he might be handed over, Deng Keshan quickly poked his head out and cursed at the opposite side: "You traveling merchants, relying on your numbers, want to bully us Tianjin Guard people. There are so many neighbors here. You say I swindled your young master—do you have any proof? Any witnesses? And where has that beggar woman gone?" Deng Keshan's words served as a reminder to the neighbors: these people were all from out of town and unafraid of retaliation. Although they had over a dozen men now, their numbers wouldn't increase much.

The neighbors naturally knew Deng Keshan had most likely swindled someone, but he had also established a valid point. Even in court, witnesses and evidence were required. You couldn't just come and seize someone based on empty words. At once, two neighbors on good terms with Deng Keshan started clamoring. By now, the neighbors were gradually increasing in number, with seven or eight men present. Seeing it was outsiders coming to beat a neighbor, they all grabbed clubs and staves, confronting the other side.

Seeing this situation, and that Deng Keshan's argument was reasonable, Liu Minyou thought that if he did nothing at all, he would be unable to maintain his standing among the neighbors in the future. He therefore said to the dozen-plus men: "If this Brother Deng truly swindled you, gentlemen, you are free to file a lawsuit at the Qingjun Ting. Whatever judgment the Vice Prefect my lord renders, we will naturally have nothing to say. But seizing a man without proof or evidence like this is something we neighbors absolutely cannot permit. Please understand, gentlemen."

The middle-aged man on the other side was about to speak again when a stout fellow beside him saw the neighbors slowly gathering more and more. Fearing the situation would turn unfavorable if delayed, he shouted to the others: "Don't waste words with them. This dog swindler bullied our young master. Capture him and get back to collect the reward!" With that, he took the lead and charged fiercely. The dozen-plus men reacted unevenly, some fast, some slow. Only two or three were at the very front of the charge....

"Two-man teams, kill."

Following Dai Zhenggang's loud shout, Hai Gouzi and Zhang Da formed a team to deal with the man on the left. Zhang Erhui was small, so Dai Zhenggang took him along. The men shouted "Kill!" simultaneously. Their front legs bent slightly, their rear legs extended. The long clubs in their hands served as spears, thrusting out swiftly and fiercely, aimed at the opponents' chests and abdomens. Every day they practiced only two moves: one was the thrust, the other was a downward chop to the head. Practicing hundreds of times daily, each thrust carried an indomitable, ferocious momentum.

The stout man leading the charge had thought he could sweep aside two half-grown kids with one swing of his club. He never expected such ferocity in their opening move and was instead thrown into panic. Two wooden clubs came at him, one left, one right, one thrusting at his chest, the other at his abdomen, their momentum fierce. His own club was still raised high above his head, and he was charging fast. In that moment of hesitation, before he could decide which to block, he was simultaneously struck by both long clubs.

This was a later-era two-man bayonet tactic: simple and effective. The key was the simultaneous initiation by both men, with the waist, legs, and hands all exerting force together. Because the bayonet's lethality was extremely strong, emphasis was placed on winning with a single strike, and momentum was crucial. Chen Xin knew a bit about this tactic and had used it to train the men. Now, its effectiveness was evident.

"Aiya!"

The stout man felt a sharp pain and curled up, clutching his stomach. On the other side, Dai Zhenggang and Zhang Erhui also jabbed another man to the ground. With these two down, the men following behind fell into chaos. Only one man still charged from each flank.

"Kill!" "Kill!"

The four men again shouted in unison. Hai Gouzi and the other two yelled especially loudly. After shouting, it indeed seemed to add some strength. The two men coming from the flanks also fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, four men were down on the ground, rolling and crying out in pain. The rest of the opposing men seemed stunned into foolishness, all momentarily frozen.

The neighbors of Erdaojie were also stunned. Deng Keshan's eyes were wide open. He had thought they were relying on Dai Zhenggang, whose strength was beyond ordinary men. But what he never expected was that these few half-grown kids could so easily take down four stout men. A true veteran of the jianghu, he reacted immediately and shouted: "They dare bully our neighbors! Everyone, beat them up!!"

These neighbors had been together for decades. In their view, the bonds between neighbors far outweighed questions of right or wrong. It was just that the other side also had many men, so they had been somewhat worried. Now, seeing the men from the Liu household so formidable, they had a backbone. The courage of the men among the neighbors swelled greatly. All shouting, they raised their clubs and charged to fight that gang. The street descended into chaos.

Seeing this, Dai Zhenggang thought, forget the formation. He shouted: "Two-man teams, charge!"

"Kill!"

Hai Gouzi and Zhang Da were flushed with excitement. They had trained for so long, every day filled with inexplicable marching drills, push-ups, and combination thrusting. Their training had made them brimming with energy but with no outlet for release. Every day they felt an urge to fight someone. The scene just now filled them with a sense of accomplishment. These simple things Brother Chen had taught truly had such an effect.

Seeing the brawl erupt, the men, spurred by adrenaline, roared and charged into the fray. The two-man team combinations proved even more formidable in the melee. The opponents were a motley crew to begin with, relying on numbers for courage. Now, tied down by the neighbors and utterly unable to cope with those combination thrusts, they were beaten into a sorry state in no time.

Deng Keshan picked up a club from the ground and followed behind the four. Finding the leading stout man lying on the ground, he gave him a random beating, cursing as he struck: "Told you to hit me, told you to hit me. Enjoy hitting me just now, did you?"

Liu Minyou also picked up a club, pacing back and forth but unable to help. He had never been in a fight before. Holding the club, he didn't dare strike anyone. Seeing Deng Keshan beating the man on the ground until his head was bleeding, he hurried over and pulled him back, stopping him from continuing. Deng Keshan abandoned that man and ran off to beat others on the ground.

"Everyone run!" The middle-aged man leading the opposing side had also taken several blows to the head. With seven or eight of his own men already down on the ground, he panicked and could care no more. He turned and fled. The few still resisting heard this and also took to their heels.

Hai Gouzi and Zhang Da, their bloodlust roused, howled as they led a few neighbors in pursuit. Liu Minyou was frantic. There were already seven or eight men lying on the ground, several still bleeding. He had no idea how this would end. Turning, he saw Deng Keshan still beating someone. Anger flared within him. He went over, grabbed his hand, and said angrily: "Brother Deng, are you trying to kill someone or what?"

Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Deng Keshan's eyes darted around. He stopped his hand and said with an ingratiating smile: "Brother Liu, that scoundrel nearly hit Brother Hai Gouzi just now. I was overcome with anger for a moment. Look at my temper."

Liu Minyou knew he was a slippery character whose words were never reliable. Worried about Hai Gouzi and the others who had gone after him, he headed toward Yidao Street. Halfway there, Hai Gouzi and the others came back. Zhang Dahui was bleeding from the head, but his face was full of excitement. Two neighbors were also dragging along a richly dressed young gentleman, pulling him this way.