Chapter 253: On the Sea

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He sit down cross-legged and began chanting along.

Everyone watched in silence, listening as the sutras drifted low around their ears, and their hearts inexplicably stilled.

"Are they like us, only becoming pirates because they couldn't go on living?"

"Probably, otherwise who would willingly become a pirate? Take Big Brother... no, take that Japanese bastard Song Bei, and that young fellow we just caught, soft-skinned and tender—when have they ever really charged at the front waving a greatsword to rob?"

"All they need to do is sit on the ship and tally up the loot brought back."

"Only we truly couldn't go on living, and the people in that pit are the same—those who are truly rich and noble won't die."

After the low-voiced discussion ended, a feeling of "when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves" rose up in every Green-Clad Guard.

They too would die by blade and sword someday, wouldn't they?

When the time came, would they lie dead in a foreign land, or be carried home for burial in their native soil?

If they died in a foreign land, would there be someone like Daoist Priest Sanzhu to chant the Salvation Sutra for them and ferry their souls back to their homeland?

The Green-Clad Guards lowered their heads and wiped their eyes, holding back their sobs, squatting on the ground in silence as they thought of the families still on the island.

They wondered if they would ever see them again in this life.

"I miss my mother. I hope she doesn't run around, just surrenders straight away, and insists she was dragged to the island by pirates..."

"They will. What worries me is my younger brother—he's sixteen this year, tall and burly. I don't know if the soldiers will believe him if he says he was dragged to the island..."

Everyone looked at Pan Yun together, wanting to beg her to plead with the soldiers when the time came. They could be dealt with as pirates, but their families...

And the families they were worrying about were at this very moment bound and thrown onto the ship, which was hoisting its sails and heading home.

The ships lying in ambush on the sea saw that the rear guard had finished clearing the battlefield and returned, yet the fleet they were supposed to ambush had still not appeared. The leading officer frowned and said, "No more waiting. Set out at once. If they won't come, we'll go meet them."

"Commander, is it still an ambush then?"

"It's already broad daylight—are they blind or stupid? What ambush? Prepare for battle, meet them head-on. Are we afraid of a pack of Japanese pirates?"

The soldiers immediately answered in a loud chorus.

Master Xuanmiao, standing on another ship, heard this and couldn't help but count on his fingers, then set his mind at ease.

Xue Shao immediately sidled up and asked, "Master, how does it look?"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at him and asked, "What is the good man asking about?"

Xue Shao: "Naturally, whether the people on shore are safe."

Master Xuanmiao: "Doesn't the good man worry about us losing the engagement? This is on the open sea—if the ships capsize, very few will make it back alive."

Xue Shao shook his head. "Since I've come, I naturally don't fear death. Besides, I trust our navy; I don't think they're any worse than a band of Japanese pirates."

"That doesn't match the Young Master Xue I know. I thought you were a man who avoided trouble."

Xue Shao nodded. "I do fear trouble, but trouble comes in kinds. The sort that's trivial and benefits neither myself nor a single soul on this earth—that kind, of course, should be avoided early. I don't love adding trouble for no reason."

"But some trouble cannot be avoided. If it can't be avoided, then one must meet it head-on."

Master Xuanmiao: "When you came to me back then, I told you to leave. You could have turned around and dodged this trouble. Why didn't you?"

Xue Shao: "Because for this student, it was trouble that could not be avoided."

Master Xuanmiao: "Why?"

"For my friends, for the common folk along this coast who have long suffered at the hands of bandits, and for Great Ming."

Someone nearby gave a snort of laughter.

Master Xuanmiao and Xue Shao turned together to look at that person.

He was a man of the jianghu. Seeing the two of them look his way, he didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he lifted his chin and said, "Anyone can talk big—it just comes off as too hypocritical. 'For the common folk, for Great Ming.' I'll be frank: I'm here to make a name for myself."

Master Xuanmiao and Xue Shao withdrew their gazes in unison and continued looking out at the boundless sea.

Qu Le, seeing that neither had paid him any attention, grew angry on his own and said irritably, "You don't think what I said is right? Which one of you isn't here to make a name for yourself?"

Tao Ji, carrying his medicine pouch on his back, walked over with a look of distaste. "You're really something—your own ambitions are small, your insight shallow, why must you say it out loud for everyone to know?"

"Damn you, Tao Ji, stop being so snide here. Dare you say you're not here for..."

"I dare say it," Tao Ji cut him off directly and went on, "—and you people of the Jianghu Alliance dare to believe it. Do you dare to believe it?"

Qu Le looked at Tao Ji's face and suddenly recalled that Tao Ji had in fact had many chances to make a name for himself. The most recent was five years ago, when the Grand Empress Dowager was seriously ill and the palace posted notices seeking a physician—he had entered the palace to treat her.

The common folk only knew that the Grand Empress Dowager had pulled through that time and lived another four years, passing away only last year.

They did not know that the Grand Empress Dowager had survived and gained four more years of life because of a set of acupuncture techniques by Tao Ji.

The palace could not publicize the Grand Empress Dowager's illness, and Tao Ji himself had no wish for fame, keeping a low profile all along.

So apart from the Imperial Medical Bureau, only some well-informed high officials and jianghu people had caught vague hints of the matter.

He knew because the leader of the Jianghu Alliance Alliance was his uncle, who before departure had warned him of people he must not offend.

Master Xuanmiao and Tao Ji were both on that list.

He had already forgotten why Master Xuanmiao was on the list, but he remembered Tao Ji, because the reasons for the others were mostly the same: too fierce, you can't beat him; he won't give your uncle me any face.

Only Tao Ji's was different. His reason was: a Hua Tuo reborn, at a critical moment he can save your life—so don't offend him.

And then Qu Le heard this story known only to a few. Looking at Tao Ji's face, Qu Le for the first time truly realized that there were people in this world who did not want to make a name for themselves.

He couldn't help blurting out, "Every person wants to make a name for themselves, right? Without fame, why enter the jianghu at all?"

Tao Ji said irritably, "I'm a Daoist Priest. Although I too am in the jianghu, I'm not one of you Jianghu Alliance people."

"Stop measuring others' hearts by your own," said Tao Ji. "Do you know what 'how can sparrows know the ambition of the swan goose' means? If you don't, read more books."

Qu Le flushed and pointed at Xue Shao, who was even younger than him. "You two are Daoist Priests, you can be indifferent. But him—a scholar—if not to make a name and seek office, why risk his life to come suppress bandits?"

Xue Shao sighed and said, "Friend, I don't want to be an official."

"Bah! Hypocrite!"

Xue Shao wasn't angry at all; a hint of amusement even flashed in his eyes. He said to Qu Le, "In this world, there are always some things one must do even without a reason."

Master Xuanmiao said, "They're coming."

At his words, everyone immediately looked ahead and saw on the open sea first two small black dots appear. Slowly the dots grew larger until the outlines of ships could be made out, and then two more black dots appeared behind them...

Six ships, lined up in two rows, were sailing out toward the open sea.

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Master Xuanmiao: "You've got so much energy — save it up. In a bit we're going to go kill some Japanese pirates. Didn't you want to make a name for yourself? This is your last chance."

Qu Le's attention was immediately diverted. He stared fixedly at the little black speck ahead and said, "Just wait. I won't be any worse than the navy soldiers."

The soldiers on watch and at the helm nearby overheard him and glanced at him on the sly, a flash of contempt in their eyes.

They thought: just because he beat them in sparring Wu Gong, does he think he'll beat them on the battlefield?

Dream on.

Fighting a war and fighting a brawl aren't the same thing.

The Japanese pirates sailing on the sea watched the warships drawing closer, hearts full of hatred and fury.

They had waited on the beach first one whole night, then another whole day, and no one had come. Then at night Songpu had led a squad of men inside.

The result was, the moment they went in, all news of them vanished.

They had also tried sneaking close to that little path, but before they even walked in, they heard the faint screams coming from inside.

Because Kikuchi Wu Bei had vanished without a trace, and Songpu's trail had disappeared completely, the remaining leader Zhang Guanshi was afraid of total annihilation, so after full daylight he still decided to retreat.

If Lord Songpu and the others had fallen into the hands of the Great Ming soldiers, didn't that mean that after defeating Lord Songpu, those people would come to attack them too?

The news here had to be sent back to Hirado, so he made a snap decision and led the remaining men to take all the ships and flee back to Hirado.

So fast was their speed, so decisive their attitude, that even their dear, beloved Third Young Master they left behind without a second thought.

Only he hadn't expected to run into the Great Ming navy on the sea.

The Japanese pirates let loose a string of filthy curses, then ordered the helmsman to turn the rudder and steer around the Great Ming warships.

But the Great Ming navy wasn't pushover either. They had spotted them from far off and already laid out a formation, and now were closing in around them in a pincer.

Trying to dodge them completely was simply impossible.

The ships drew closer, and closer.

The Japanese pirates began hollering at them in a great racket, warning them not to come too close, and at the same time took up their bows and fired at them.

Thousand-Household Commander Chen Wen watched coldly. He had the signalman fly the flags ordering Ships Three and Four to keep closing in, while Ships One and Two opened a gap to give them a direction to flee toward; the other ships circled around behind to wrap them up completely.

Because the distance was still far, and the sea wind was strong, most of the arrows flew wide — either splashing into the water or veering off course.

Chen Wen carefully gauged the wind direction and speed. When the helmsman brought his ship to the upwind side and one of the enemy's ships happened to be on the downwind side, he said at once, "Bring the gunpowder barrels."

A soldier answered and relayed the order down the line in good order. Soon a soldier came up pushing a catapult along with three gunpowder barrels.

One soldier loaded a gunpowder barrel onto the catapult, another adjusted the direction and elevation a bit, and then lit the fuse.

Chen Wen silently counted in his heart, and when the moment came, said, "Loose!"

The soldier let go without hesitation. The gunpowder barrel arced out. The Japanese pirates on the enemy ship saw it coming and screamed in panic, running about the deck trying to dodge the attack.

The barrel hit the deck one second, and the next second went off with a bang.

The ship rocked violently at once; the men on board were thrown every which way, and two were blasted unconscious, their flesh a bloody mess — whether they were still alive was anyone's guess.

The Japanese pirates' Zhang Guanshi saw it and flew into a rage, shouting, "Bring out the flying fire-spouts! Bring them now!"

Someone immediately went to fetch the flying fire-spouts.

The Ming soldiers saw it, and someone immediately called out to the Thousand-Household Commander.

Chen Wen saw it and shouted, "Brothers, get ready — kill them!"

The ships had drawn even closer, and the soldiers had all crowded to the front, ready to attack.

Did they think naval battles were fought at range?

No — naval battles were fought at close quarters.

And faster, more eager than those soldiers were the allies following along with the ships.

The men of the Jianghu Alliance and the Celestial Master Mansion all had weapons in hand. Before the ships had fully closed, they had already sprung into the air, leaping straight across the stretch of open sea between them and landing on the enemy ships.

(End of chapter)