Chapter 30: The Call to Battle

The sea wind carried the damp taste of salt. Li Chuan led several members of the reconnaissance team as they quietly approached the Japanese pirates’ stronghold. Moonlight scattered silver across the water, revealing the faint outline of the pirate camp in the distance. It was a temporary fortress built against the mountain. Cliffs bristled with flags bearing the pirates’ insignia, while their warships lay moored along the shore. From somewhere nearby came the indistinct footsteps of patrolling soldiers.

Li Chuan signaled for his men to spread out and carefully study the terrain. In a low voice, he said, “The armory is over there. The granary is here. Most of the guards are concentrated near the dock…”

After a night of reconnaissance, they drew a detailed map of the stronghold and observed the pattern of the pirates’ nighttime patrols.

When they returned to camp, Li Chuan convened a meeting of the fleet’s senior leaders and spread the intelligence across the table.

“The pirates have roughly one hundred and fifty men, divided among several key positions in the stronghold. We cannot meet them head-on. We must play to our own strengths—mobility and speed.”

Standing before a crude map, Li Chuan’s gaze was resolute.

“First, we use fire to create chaos. Their ships are moored along the shore, and fire-oil boats will be our best weapon. Second, we divide our forces into two groups. One will launch a feint to draw the enemy’s attention, while the main force lies in wait behind the stronghold and seizes the opportunity to raid the granary and armory, cutting off their supplies.”

“The fire-boat crews must withdraw in time and avoid direct confrontation. Once the feinting force has drawn the enemy out, retreat at once and lure them into the ambush.”

Using a branch, Li Chuan traced the battle plan in the sand. Then he looked toward the others.

“Does anyone have anything to add?”

An old fisherman rose to his feet. “Li Chuan, this mission will be dangerous. We old bones are willing to lead the fire boats, but the victory that follows will depend on you young men.”

“We are all in the same boat!” Li Chuan declared, his voice ringing with conviction. “No one is a sacrifice. Our goal is for everyone to return victorious—not a single villager lost, and not one of our brothers left behind!”

The following morning, the villagers gathered in the makeshift square. Li Chuan stood upon a raised platform and surveyed the crowd. Every weather-beaten face bore a trace of unease and anticipation.

“The Japanese pirates have burned, slaughtered, and plundered their way across our land. They have taken our families and destroyed our homes!” Li Chuan said, each word heavy with anger. “But they have underestimated the strength of our fishermen! We know every tide and hidden reef in these waters. Upon this land, our ancestors have lived and thrived for generations!”

He drew the long saber from his waist, its edge flashing in the sunlight.

“Tonight, we will reclaim everything that belongs to us! We will make the pirates understand that they chose the wrong people to provoke!”

A deafening roar erupted from the square. The villagers’ spirits soared, and one after another they declared their willingness to fight. Taking advantage of their fervor, Li Chuan organized them into a force and assigned every person a specific task. Some were responsible for building the fire-oil boats, others for preparing arrows and gunpowder, while still others handled reconnaissance and the delivery of messages.

The villagers set to work. Several strong men smeared fire oil over the wooden boats and packed the decks with straw, ensuring that once the flames were lit, they would be nearly impossible to extinguish. The women quickly braided straw ropes in their homes and tied the fire-oil jars together in strings. The children hurried between the cottages, carrying messages and tools.

Li Chuan inspected every preparation. When he saw Uncle Wu, the old fisherman, trying to move a jar of fire oil, he hurried over to help.

“Uncle, leave this work to the young men.”

Uncle Wu wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled. “Li Chuan, a man my age cannot spend his whole life waiting for others to protect him. If I can do something for the village, I can rest easy.”

All day long, no one in the fishing village stopped working.

When night fell, the fire-oil boats lay quietly along the shore. Arrows and gunpowder were stacked in neat rows, like a fierce tiger poised to spring.

Li Chuan stood by the sea, gazing toward the distant pirate stronghold, and drew a deep breath. He knew that this battle concerned not only the survival of the village, but also whether he could truly earn the people’s trust.

Moonlight shimmered across the rippling sea. Each small vessel in the fishermen’s fleet had been coated with a thick layer of mud to conceal the gleam of its wooden hull. The fire-oil jars were stacked in orderly rows, their fuses already connected. Several fishermen were pushing the boats toward the water.

Li Chuan stood at the head of the group, inspecting each fisherman taking part in the operation.

“Remember,” he warned in a low voice, “withdraw immediately after lighting the fuses. Do not linger in battle. Without your lives, even the finest strategy is worthless.”

He turned toward the squad assigned to the feint and quietly instructed them, “Your task is to draw the enemy’s attention. Do not try to fight to the death. Lead them into the ambush. Is that clear?”

“Understood!” everyone answered in unison.

The entire fishing village fell silent. Every person understood that this battle would determine their fate.

At midnight, the pirate stronghold remained brightly lit. Patrols wandered around the camp, completely unaware that danger was quietly drawing near.

Under cover of darkness, the fire-oil boats approached the pirate warships without a sound. The fishermen aboard held their breath, moving with utmost care, afraid that the slightest noise would reveal them.

“Now!” Li Chuan gave the order in a hushed voice.

The fishermen swiftly lit the fuses and pushed the fire-oil boats toward the pirate warships. Once the flames caught, the straw and oil aboard the vessels erupted into a roaring blaze.

“Enemy attack!”

The pirate camp was instantly illuminated by firelight, and the guards cried out in terror. They tried to put out the flames, but the fire spread with astonishing speed. Then, with a thunderous blast, a pirate warship loaded with gunpowder was blown to pieces.

Flames soared into the sky, and chaos engulfed the pirate camp.

While the pirates struggled to contain the fire, the fishermen assigned to the feint launched their attack. They fired arrows and hurled stones at the enemy, creating even greater confusion.

“After them! Capture them!” one pirate commander roared, leading a large force in pursuit of the decoy unit.

Li Chuan’s plan was unfolding exactly as intended. The pirates were being drawn straight into the ambush.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, Li Chuan led the main force quietly around the enemy encampment and infiltrated the heart of the stronghold. This was where the pirates stored their vast supplies of grain and weapons—the lifeblood of the entire base.

“Now!”

At Li Chuan’s command, the fishermen quickly lit their torches and set the granary and armory ablaze. The flames roared upward, and the food and weapons stored by the pirates were reduced to ashes in moments.

“Enemies! Someone get over here—”

A pirate discovered what was happening and tried to summon reinforcements. But Li Chuan had anticipated this. The fishermen inside the ambush launched a fierce assault, intercepting the enemy one by one as they rushed in.

“Keep advancing! Give them no chance to catch their breath!”

Leading the main force, Li Chuan stormed toward the pirates’ command post. Their goal was to destroy the stronghold completely.

The pirate soldiers were already exhausted. With their supplies burned and their retreat cut off, they lost the will to fight. In panic, they fled toward the dock, hoping to board their ships and escape.

But the harbor was already engulfed in flames. There was nowhere left to run.

“We won! We won!” a fisherman shouted excitedly, raising his weapon high.

Li Chuan stood at the center of the burning stronghold, gazing at the horizon reddened by the flames. He knew this was more than a victory. It was an important first step for the fishing village toward unity and resistance.

After the battle, the fishermen quickly inventoried the spoils amid the joy of victory. They seized a large quantity of weapons abandoned by the pirates and rescued several villagers who had been taken prisoner.

Li Chuan summoned a village assembly and thanked everyone who had taken part in the battle. Standing upon the raised platform, he said, “We have won this battle, but the threat from the pirates has not been completely eliminated. For the sake of our homes, we must continue to stand together and build a stronger system of defense.”

The villagers applauded enthusiastically, their morale higher than ever. One after another, they declared their willingness to follow Li Chuan and crush the remaining pirate forces once and for all.