Chapter 8: The Japanese Pirates (1)

  From Yangzhou dock, boarded the ship, overlooking the Yangtze River, the distant view is vast and misty, making one feel carefree and relaxed. Looking down, the clear water reveals happy fish swimming below, leisurely and contentedly. In my original time and space, the river was murky and heavily polluted, with a pungent smell that assaulted the nostrils instead of fresh air. The price of human progress is destroying the environment they depend on for survival. I wonder if this progress is right or wrong, whether humans are building their own tomb or if the earth itself is a graveyard for civilizations. Zhu Yinglong stood at the bow of the ship, his heart filled with infinite emotions.

  "Husband, it's very windy on the boat, why don't you come inside the cabin?" Behind Zhu Yinglong, the canvas door of the rear cabin was lifted, and a stunning young woman walked out, quietly standing beside Zhu Yinglong and speaking softly.

  Zhu Yinglong reached out and stroked his wife's hair, jokingly saying: "You know I'm not skilled in chess, painting or calligraphy, but you still insist on me playing chess with you. Are you really trying to make a fool of me?"

  Xu Ruyin slowly rested her head on Zhu Yinglong's shoulder, whispering: "You're really a strange person, one that Ruyin will never be able to figure out in this lifetime!"

  Two people hugged each other tightly, facing the river wind, their hair flying, as if they were a pair of divine lovers. Zhu Yinglong heard Xu Ruyin's evaluation of him and couldn't help but laugh and ask: "What's wrong with me?"

  Xu Ruyin raised her head to glance at Zhu Yinglong, then put it back down, closed her eyes and pouted: "You're weird, the way you do things is weird, what you say is also weird, in short, you're a freak!"

  "So you married a monster, aren't you afraid? What if one night I suddenly open my bloody mouth and eat you up?" Zhu Yinglong joked with her, carefree.

  Xu Ruyin shot him a white glance, her face rising with two red clouds, and asked tenderly: "Wasn't I already eaten by you until nothing was left?"

  Once this woman became a lady, the reserve she had as a young girl slowly disappeared. Previously, Xu Ruyin would never have said something like that. Zhu Yinglong couldn't help but feel smug and say: "There are still people who proactively deliver themselves to my doorstep!"

  Xu Ruying was extremely embarrassed, the night she actively dedicated herself, she had **too much**, and it took her a day to rest before she could get up and walk, almost unable to set out with them. How could she possibly say such an embarrassing thing to Zhu Yinglong?

  The surface of the river was calm and peaceful, with the boat moving steadily. Xu Ruyin thought back to her life over the past few days, feeling as if she were in a dream - peaceful, happy, and with a man who loved her. All of this was what she had always longed for, and she feared that one day she would lose it all. So, without thinking, she reached out with both arms to hug Zhu Yinglong's waist tightly, looking at him with longing eyes and asking: "Will you always be this good to me?"

  Living in an uncertain environment for a long time, Xu Ruyin inevitably developed this kind of anxious mentality, afraid of losing what she couldn't have again, and fearing that what she had would be lost. Zhu Yinglong understood her mentality very well, so he held Xu Ruyin's delicate body close to his own and said seriously: "Although I may not only have you as my woman, I am not a man who gets tired of the old and likes the new; you can rest assured about this."

  Something beautiful will always be ruined by someone, just as Zhu Yinglong and Xu Ruyin were about to take their emotional exchange to the next level, a spoiler appeared, and the boat that Zhu Yinglong and others were sitting on actually lost its tail.

  "Your Excellency, I have discovered a large ship at the rear of our vessel that appears to be following us. It is only about three miles away by water route. Upon observing it with my telescope, I found that the ship does not seem to be one from our Great Ming, but the people on board are dressed in attire similar to ours. However, their personal blades appear to be Japanese-made wakizashi. I estimate that they may be merchants or traders from Japan who have come to our Great Ming."

  "Since that's the case, be vigilant and keep a close watch." Zhu Yinglong had a faint feeling that something was going to come knocking on their door. In his eyes, there wasn't a single good thing about the Japanese, so he ordered, "Also, pass down my orders: except for the sailors and boatmen, everyone else is to go below deck, and the guards are to enter battle readiness." There were a hundred elite warriors from the "Holy Maiden" guard on board, and unless they encountered a large army, their defensive strength was still quite sufficient.

  Xu Ruyin insisted on staying outside with Zhu Yinglong, considering her martial arts skills, the problem of self-defense was not great. After thinking about it, Zhu Yinglong agreed. Just as everything was arranged, Zhu Yinglong heard some bad news: the large ship carrying the Japanese pirates was speeding towards their own ship.

  As the boat drew closer, Zhu Yinglong saw the scene on that ship more clearly through the telescope. When he saw those Japanese wearing Ming Dynasty costumes outside, but inside were black samurai clothes, and looking at their murderous appearance, the sinister eyes of the leader at the bow, he was suddenly shocked. This was absolutely not some kind of Japanese merchant or traveler, they were pirates, they were Wokou.

  Zhu Yinglong handed the telescope to Xu Ruyin, who was curious beside him, and urgently said to Xiong Tingbi: "General Xiong, quickly give orders, prepare for battle. Those following us are not Japanese merchant travelers, they are pirates, they are Japanese bandits!"

  Xiong Tingbi was also shocked, and there was no time to understand why the Japanese pirate ship suddenly appeared on the Yangtze River. He quickly organized his guards to prepare for battle. Xiong Tingbi was indeed a famous general, and in an instant, he had set up the defensive system on the ship without any chaos or confusion. Watching Xiong Tingbi command calmly and deploy defenses, he couldn't help but feel that if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to build such a defense system in such a short time, and he felt inferior in this regard.

  "Damn it, these Japanese pirates are too arrogant, they actually dare to come to our Yangtze River to rob us, it's as if they think the great Ming dynasty is powerless!" The sailors on the boat were outraged when they heard this news, their eyes blazing with anger, and they cursed loudly, pulling out their defensive weapons, preparing to kill the Japanese pirates along with Zhu Yinglong's men.

  The Ming dynasty used to be closed off and isolated from the world, but now its naval forces are just a tool for officials to bully ordinary people, existing in name only. As soon as they see Japanese pirates, they flee in all directions, not even as brave as ordinary civilians. The coastal residents have suffered greatly at the hands of the Japanese pirates, who are their sworn enemies. More than half of the sailors on Zhu Yinglong's ship came from the coast and were forced to flee inland to make a living after being driven out by the Japanese pirates. As soon as they hear about the Japanese pirates, even the toughest men among them can't help but shed tears, filled with hatred and a desire for revenge against these enemies of their people.

  Zhu Yinglong used to be a bit of an "angry youth" in his younger days, with strong anti-Japanese sentiments. Today, he's run into them, and it just so happens that the Japanese ship is unlucky. He quietly tells Xiong Tingbi, "Later on, as soon as the Japanese ship enters our bow and arrow range, don't bother with courtesy or formalities, just strike first. Their ship is bigger than ours, and they probably have more men, so if we clash head-on, we'll be at a disadvantage. Let's catch them off guard and kill half of them before they even know what's happening. One thing, no fire arrows allowed - this ship is worth a lot of money, and although I'm not short on cash, it's mine now, and one should take care of their own belongings!"

  Xiong Tingbi was taken aback. How did this person's things suddenly become his own? But there was no time for Xiong Tingbi to discuss this issue, so he nodded hastily and went to pass on the orders.

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