Chapter Forty-Seven: Night Raid

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“Big brother, just as you predicted, there really are no navy forces from Shang here!”

A jumble of foreign words echoed as feet pressed onto the sandy shore.

The pale moonlight cloaked their small, dark bodies.

They were pirates from the sea.

Shapes flickered in the night, numbering a little more than a hundred.

“Years ago, I landed here with the chief and plundered countless times! I thought the Shang navy would have sealed this gap, but to my surprise, after all these years, the people of Shang still haven’t learned their lesson!”

Oda Takaya spoke coldly.

“Good, it makes things easier for us! The usual rule: except for women and children, slaughter the rest! Take everything that can be stolen, especially food and valuables—leave nothing behind!”

Though this was not his first time, it was the first time Oda Takaya led a raid himself.

Excitement and nerves mingled within him.

But as he thought of the pale thighs of Shang women, Oda Takaya couldn’t help but tremble.

“Big brother, it’s pitch dark—where should we go?” the split-haired man asked again.

“I remember several villages nearby. Follow me, and tonight you’ll get a taste of Shang women!” Oda Takaya said, leading his men into the woods.

“Oda Captain, when do you think we’ll conquer this land?” asked a boy, barely fourteen or fifteen, thin and underdeveloped, yet his immature eyes burned with fervor and madness. “I want to be like my brother and capture slaves from Shang.”

Shang slaves were the people of Shang, seized by pirates, forced into servitude.

Their fate was tragic—men became beasts, lower than cattle, women were trampled as playthings.

Murata Mimi’s family once had a Shang slave—a woman, rewarded for his brother’s valor. For Murata Mimi’s lowly family, it was unimaginable honor.

It was said his brother had killed over a dozen Shang people before he earned the woman.

She was beautiful and gentle, but sadly, she died.

Since that day, twisted desire burned in his heart. He too wanted a Shang slave of his own, just like his brother.

“The merchants are weak-minded, lowly and unworthy! They don’t deserve to occupy such vast lands!” Oda Takaya slapped Murata Mimi’s shoulder heavily and declared, “One day, the great Emperor will again wage war against the Zhou! And we shall seize this fertile territory from their hands!”

Ambitious dreams swelled within them.

Compared to their earthquake-ridden island, forever threatened by tsunamis, the vast land of Shang had long become their aspiration.

Soon, they reached their first village—barely a dozen people, all gaunt and sickly.

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As they sneaked in, they caught a woman relieving herself; with leering laughter, they dragged her into the woods, her cries echoing through the hills.

Awakened villagers grabbed sticks and stones, rushing out, but before they could see the attackers’ faces, their heads were chopped off.

Blood splattered over their kin, children’s cries and men’s screams were extinguished in the blaze.

Leaving the raging fire behind, Oda Takaya counted the few copper coins he’d stolen with disdain.

“What a wretched place, no food at all! No wonder these Shang people are so scrawny!”

Just then, distant firelight caught their attention.

“Boss, come look! There’s a big village—surrounded by earthen walls. Must be plenty of good stuff inside!”

The distant fishing village looked prosperous. Even if there was no wealth or food, the population alone made the journey worthwhile.

Oda Takaya drew his long blade, grinning savagely. “Brothers, follow me! Let’s seize slaves from Shang!”

The pirates pressed toward the fishing village under cover of darkness, their footsteps and shadows blending silently.

“Damn, autumn’s coming, but there are still so many mosquitoes!”

Li Han cursed, his body covered in bites and his face full of complaint.

Shan Hai suffered the same fate.

“Autumn mosquitoes sting the worst! My ass is swollen from their bites!” The two squatted at the village head, chatting idly, occasionally slapping at the bugs.

“It wasn’t like this before,” Li Han wondered. Last year there weren’t so many mosquitoes; this year, it was as if something was wrong.

“There wasn’t a pond in the village before,” Shan Hai scratched his head, grimacing as if he wanted to dig a hole in his forehead. “Now there’s fish in the pond—of course that attracts mosquitoes.”

Li Han wore a look of sudden understanding.

At that moment, a villager shouted from the watchtower at the village gate.

“Han, come up! Something’s in the woods outside!”

“It’s late—probably rabbits or wild boars. What else could it be? Bandits?” Despite his words, Li Han climbed up, squinting in the direction indicated. He saw dark figures rapidly approaching.

He remembered what Qin Zhen had said earlier that day, instinctively connecting them to bandits.

“What’s wrong?”

Shan Hai climbed up beside him.

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Li Han quickly pointed at the shadows.

“Do you think those are bandits?”

“Bandits aren’t that short! They look like dwarfs—maybe wild animals from the mountains, coming down for food.” Shan Hai picked up the repeating crossbow stored on the tower and fired an arrow at the shadows, yelling, “Hey! Hey!”

Wild creatures are most sensitive to sound, usually fleeing at noise.

But after the shot, a cry of pain rang out.

“Kudou doshi da! (I’m wounded!)”

“Hey, their cries sound different from the wild animals around here!” Shan Hai laughed.

Li Han’s face changed!

That familiar accent reminded him of a rainy night ten years ago!

“Quick!”

His face pale with fear, he grabbed the drum and gong from beside him, and shouted with all his might.

“Pirates! The pirates are here!”

The piercing clang roused the fishing village; every household lit their fires.

“Who would have thought these little merchants were so vigilant! There must be treasure in this village!” Seeing their cover blown, Oda Takaya abandoned stealth. He drew his sword and roared, “Brothers, charge! Banzai!”

Over a hundred pirates, blades in hand, surged out from the darkness!

The glinting blades shone bloodthirstily in the night.

“Quick, block the village gate!” Li Han braced himself and ran to the entrance.

Pirates were fiercer than mountain bandits—if they broke into the village, the consequences would be dire!

The night guards at the gate followed his lead.

As the wooden doors slowly closed, Li Han pressed his back against them. Before he could catch his breath, a violent impact exploded behind him, nearly knocking them down!

Oda Takaya’s voice thundered, “Break the gate!”