Chapter 124 Fearing the Enemy Like a Tiger

"The Japanese pirates are coming! A large number of them are attacking! Run!"

The shouts of the defeated soldiers instantly shattered the tranquility of the riverbank.

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Shi Potian stood at the bow of the ship, gazing into the distance.

The Yangtze River is vast and wide, its surface as expansive as the sea. In the distance, the water and sky merge into one, with only a few fishing boats and merchant ships passing by. Along the banks, apart from the desperate cries of defeated soldiers, there is not a trace of Japanese pirates to be seen.

"Where are the Japanese pirates?" Shi Potian asked in confusion.

Longkui leaned against the ship's railing, her bright red dress fluttering in the wind, and spoke softly, "No Japanese pirates have come to attack?"

Shi Potian shook his head: "No. There's nothing on the river or on the riverbank."

Qu Feiyan scoffed, "Are these soldiers so terrified they ran away at the first sign of trouble?"

Lin Zhennan's expression was grave. He stepped forward and stopped a fleeing soldier at the front. The soldier trembled all over, and when Lin Zhennan grabbed him, he almost cried out, "Let go of me! The Japanese pirates are attacking! If we don't leave now, we'll die!"

Lin Zhennan asked in a deep voice, "Brother, where are the Japanese pirates? How many are there?"

The defeated soldier stammered incoherently, "They're...they're behind us! So many! Thousands! Thousands of Japanese pirates! Anqing Prefecture...Anqing Prefecture is probably going to fall!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Anqing Prefecture is a major town on the Yangtze River. If thousands of Japanese pirates were to attack the city, what would happen? Are we just going to let the Japanese pirates advance so easily into the garrisons thousands of miles downstream as if they were nothing?

But when Shi Potian looked out again, the river was empty, without a single boat in sight.

Lin Zhennan then asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

The defeated soldier nodded frantically: "I see them! I see them! A dark mass, the sounds of battle deafening! Our thousand-household garrison... of our thousand-plus brothers, only these few remain!"

Shi Potian frowned.

His sensory range far exceeds that of ordinary people; if there were truly thousands of Japanese pirates, there is no reason why he would not have discovered them.

He turned to the soldier: "How far behind are those Japanese pirates?"

The soldier couldn't break free and kept shouting, "They're right behind us, almost there! Run! The Japanese pirates are all vicious and ruthless, they kill without blinking an eye, you all better run!"

Longkui made a quick decision: "Get on the boat and head towards Anqing City to take a look."

The group boarded the boat, and the boatman weighed anchor and set sail. The large ship sailed downstream, heading straight for Anqing Prefecture. The boat moved swiftly, the river wind whipping around it, and everyone stood at the bow, their eyes fixed on what lay ahead.

After about a quarter of an hour of sailing, a figure finally appeared on the south bank of the river.

A man dressed as a Japanese pirate was bending over by the riverbank, picking up the swords, spears, and armor discarded by defeated soldiers. He would casually discard the worthless items he found. He had two fine swords tucked into his back, several good helmets hanging from his waist, and a few long spears in his hand, making quite a haul.

He was humming a Japanese folk tune, looking incredibly relaxed.

Everyone looked at each other.

Where are there thousands of Japanese pirates? It's clearly just him alone!

A Japanese pirate was chasing dozens of soldiers at breakneck speed.

Have the imperial officials and soldiers become so cowardly and afraid of the enemy that they are now?

Qu Feiyan's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Just... just one person? This is the thousand Japanese pirates that deserter was talking about?"

Longkui and her maidservant were both ashen-faced. These cowardly soldiers not only fled at the mere sight of the enemy, but were also chased by one person; they deserved to die.

Lin Zhennan sighed, "I never expected that after General Qi's death, the Japanese pirates would come back again."

Hearing the commotion on the ship, the Japanese pirate looked up and saw a large ship approaching with many people on board. Far from being afraid, he pointed at the ship and mumbled a string of Japanese words.

Qu Feiyan didn't understand and looked at Sarutobi Riyue: "What did he say?"

Sarutobi Higetsu's expression was somewhat strange: "He told us to hand over the ship in exchange for our lives."

Qu Feiyan laughed so hard she almost fell over: "This guy must be crazy!"

Shi Potian shook his head, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his figure leaped off the ship's side. With a turn in the air, he landed steadily on the shore.

The Japanese pirate was taken aback when he saw that someone could jump so far, and hurriedly reached for the knife on his back.

Why would Shi Potian give him a chance?

With a swift movement, he lifted the Japanese pirate up like an eagle catching a chick.

The Japanese pirates yelled and flailed their arms, but they couldn't even touch the hem of Shi Potian's clothes.

Shi Potian grabbed him and leaped back onto the ship, throwing him onto the deck. The Japanese pirate fell face-first into the mud, and as he got up, he tried to draw his sword, but Sarutobi Hiyori stepped on his wrist and shouted at him in Japanese.

Only then did the Japanese pirates realize that there were Japanese people on the ship. They were stunned for a moment, and then started shouting in their own language again.

Shi Potian looked at Sarutobi Higetsu: "What did he say?"

Sarutobi Higetsu said, "He said he was under the command of the Great General, and that this time there were thousands of warriors besieging Anqing Prefecture. He told us to be sensible and let him go, otherwise when the army arrives, not a single chicken or dog will be spared."

Lin Zhennan's face darkened: "Thousands of Japanese pirates besieged Anqing Prefecture? Where are the imperial troops?"

Although the Japanese pirates couldn't understand Chinese, they could see a hint of anger in Lin Zhennan's expression, which only made them more smug, and they started shouting again.

Sarutobi Higetsu translated, "He said that the garrison troops in various places fled at the mere sight of him, and he himself chased after hundreds of soldiers all the way here. He also said... if we release him, he can plead with the general on our behalf to spare our lives."

Qu Feiyan frowned and said, "These Japanese pirates are so arrogant! They dare to be so cocky all by themselves!"

Longkui leaned against the ship's railing, watching the Japanese pirates, and suddenly spoke: "If you really have thousands of Japanese pirates, you'd probably go straight to Nanjing. Why are you targeting Anqing?"

The monkey flies and the sun and moon will translate the words.

The Japanese pirate paused for a moment, then puffed out his chest and launched into another string of gibberish.

Sarutobi Higetsu said, "He said they were the vanguard, and that Nanjing was being attacked personally by the General, who also had tens of thousands of men under his command. He told us to release him immediately, or else..."

Longkui interrupted calmly: "Otherwise what?"

Sarutobi Higetsu said, "Otherwise, we'll be left with no place to be buried."

Longkui suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"To die without a burial place?"

She walked slowly to the Japanese pirate, looked down at him, and spoke in a soft but cold voice:

"Listen up. No matter how many Japanese pirates you have, if you dare to set foot on the land of my Great Ming, don't even think about leaving alive."

As soon as she finished speaking, she flicked her sleeve lightly.

A gentle force swept up the Japanese pirate and threw him straight into the middle of the river.

The Japanese pirate screamed and crashed into the water with a "plop," splashing high into the air. He didn't even struggle on the surface of the river before sinking directly to the bottom.

Clearly, with that one sleeve, he had already conveniently sealed his pressure points.

Qu Feiyan clapped her hands and laughed, "Now, who will die without a burial place?"

Long Kui looked at Shi Potian and said softly, "I'll throw him down to feed the fish. Young Master Escort, you don't have any objections, do you?"

Sarutobi Higetsu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My lord, these people commit all sorts of atrocities, including rape and plunder, and are not worthy of being called warriors. They not only plunder the Ming Dynasty, but also burn, kill, and loot in Japan. Even if Miss Ryu doesn't kill them, I will."

Shi Potian was already familiar with the actions of the Japanese pirates. Such villains deserved to die a hundred times over, so he naturally had no objection.

Lin Zhennan looked at Sarutobi Hiyori: "Brother Sarutobi, do they really have tens of thousands of people?"

"If there were so many people, they would have been fighting for power and profit in their own country long ago. Why would they need to cross the ocean to become pirates?" Sarutobi Higetsu shook his head.

Just then, Shi Potian's brow furrowed: "There are shouts of battle coming from the north bank ahead. There must still be Japanese pirates causing trouble. Brother boatman, let's hurry over and take a look."

The boatman responded, billowed the sails, and the large ship sped along the north bank towards Anqing City.