Chapter 32: The Flames of the Counterattack

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Under cover of darkness, the fishermen’s fleet slowly approached the coastline near the pirates’ stronghold. The island was dimly lit, with only a few scattered patrols wandering along the beach.

Li Chuan stood at the bow and said quietly, “Remember this: the moment we land, split up and move at once. Do not alert the enemy.”

“Yes, Brother Chuan!” Liu Hao replied in a lowered voice. He was the leader of the assault squad responsible for making the first landing.

The sea wind howled, masking the sound of the boats reaching shore. The fishermen leapt overboard, concealed their torches and weapons, and quickly dispersed among the trees and rocks.

Breaking Through the Beach Defenses

“Stop! Who goes there?” A pirate sentry heard the commotion and shouted.

Before he could say another word, Liu Hao slit his throat with a single stroke. His companion was just about to raise the alarm when another fisherman struck him down with a stone.

“Well done. Keep moving forward!” Liu Hao waved his men onward.

Not far away, another group of pirate soldiers sat around a bonfire, drinking. Li Chuan watched them for a moment, then made a hand signal. The ambushing fishermen immediately rushed out from different directions, and the two sides clashed at close quarters.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

The pirate soldiers drew their blades in panic, but the alcohol in their veins and their loose formation made them slow to react. Within a few short minutes, the patrol was completely wiped out.

Striking Directly at the Camp

After clearing the outer defenses, the fishermen’s assault force quickly advanced toward the pirate camp. Standing on high ground, Li Chuan gazed at the brightly lit encampment and said in a deep voice, “The main force will lie in ambush here. Liu Hao, take your men around to the east and draw their attention. Chen Dahai, lead your people around from the south and cut off their escape route. The rest of you will follow me in a frontal assault!”

The Groups Split Up

“Understood!” everyone answered softly before moving into position.

At the camp entrance, a squad of pirate soldiers stood guard, dozing on their feet. Liu Hao’s diversionary force deliberately made noise, drawing the guards toward the east.

“Go and see what’s happening over there!” one of them shouted hurriedly.

At the same time, Li Chuan led the main force quietly toward the front. With a slight wave of his hand, several fishermen used hemp ropes to pull down the sentry tower, creating a tremendous crash and drawing the enemy’s attention completely away.

“Now!” Li Chuan ordered.

The fishermen stormed into the camp and engaged the remaining pirate soldiers in close combat.

The Fierce Battle in the Camp

“The enemy has broken in from the front!” one pirate soldier shouted, trying to summon reinforcements. But the soldiers inside the camp were already mired in chaos.

“Split them apart! Do not let them form ranks!” Li Chuan commanded.

Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and their flexible formations, the fishermen divided the pirates into several small groups and destroyed them one by one.

Li Chuan personally confronted a pirate commander. The man was tall and wielded a long saber, each strike vicious and merciless. But Li Chuan moved with agility, dodging every attack by the narrowest margin and countering with a slash that wounded the enemy’s shoulder.

“Is that all you can do?” Li Chuan sneered.

The instant his opponent’s momentum faltered, Li Chuan brought his blade down and struck him to the ground.

Searching for the Imprisoned Villagers

The fighting temporarily subsided. Most of the pirate soldiers in the camp had been killed or had fled. Li Chuan immediately gathered his men and ordered, “There must be villagers imprisoned here. Search separately. Quickly!”

“Brother Chuan, there are locked sheds over here!”

At the center of the camp, a fisherman had discovered a row of wooden cages.

Li Chuan hurried over and hacked through the chains with his blade. Inside were more than a dozen villagers, all dressed in rags and wearing terrified expressions.

“Do not be afraid. We are here to rescue you,” Li Chuan reassured them. He helped an elderly man to his feet and handed him over to a nearby fighter for care.

“Thank you… thank you…”

The villagers were so moved that they could barely speak through their tears. But Li Chuan had no time to offer further comfort. He immediately ordered, “Take them to the safe area in the rear. Protect them well.”

Just as the villagers were being evacuated one after another, hurried footsteps and shouts of battle came from the woods. Li Chuan frowned.

“The enemy has reinforcements. Quickly, prepare the defenses!”

Sure enough, a group of pirate soldiers charged out from the depths of the camp. At their head was Xie Tonghai. He sneered and said, “Did you really think it would be this easy? Not one of you will leave here alive!”

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“Everyone, be careful! It is an ambush!” Liu Hao shouted as he quickly organized a defensive line.

But the pirates were numerous, and their fighting strength was far greater than that of the scattered remnants they had faced earlier. For a time, the battle reached a stalemate.

Li Chuan’s Reversal Strategy

“Hold steady! Do not panic!” Li Chuan shouted to raise his men’s morale while studying the battlefield.

He noticed that Xie Tonghai’s forces were attempting to circle around behind the fishermen and cut off their retreat.

“Liu Hao, hold them off from the front and draw their attention. Chen Dahai, circle around behind the enemy and strike directly at their commander!”

“Understood!” Chen Dahai nodded and accepted the order before quietly leading a squad around to the rear of the woods.

Several minutes later, a tremendous explosion rang out. Chen Dahai and his ambush force had successfully launched a surprise attack, splitting Xie Tonghai’s troops into two.

Furious, Xie Tonghai charged into the battle himself. But Li Chuan intercepted him. Their blades met, and the two men fought at close quarters.

After a fierce exchange, Li Chuan used his agile tactics and exceptional reflexes to cut Xie Tonghai’s long saber in two, forcing him to drop to his knees.

“Xie Tonghai, your end has come,” Li Chuan said coldly.

With their commander defeated, the pirates quickly lost the will to fight. The battle soon ended. Cheering, the fishermen escorted the rescued villagers away along with the supplies they had seized.

Li Chuan gazed at the burning camp and drew a deep breath.

“This is only the beginning. Our next step is to destroy their stronghold completely!”

Mobilizing Before Dawn

The smoke over the camp had not yet cleared when Li Chuan stood on high ground and surveyed the surroundings. A pale light had already begun to spread along the horizon.

He knew that the pirates’ main stronghold lay at the opposite end of the island: a fortified stone castle. It contained vast stores of supplies, held even more villagers prisoner, and served as the pirates’ final bastion of resistance.

“Everyone, the battle ahead will be the most difficult one yet.” Li Chuan turned to face the others, his voice low but firm. “They know we are here, and they know they have nowhere left to retreat. Our only choice is to crush them completely and ensure they can never threaten our homes again!”

“Crush them!” the fishermen shouted, their morale surging.

Li Chuan nodded and continued outlining the plan.

“According to our reconnaissance, the castle relies on its outer walls and a single drawbridge for defense. Their armory and granary are concentrated at the center of the castle. Our objective is to destroy those facilities and deprive the enemy of the ability to resist.”

“How do we get inside?” Liu Hao asked with a frown.

“We will divide into two groups. One will launch a feint against the drawbridge and lure the enemy out. The other will circle around to the rear hills, enter through a hidden passage, and cut off their supplies from behind.” Li Chuan looked at them with unwavering determination. “I will lead the infiltration team. The main assault will be yours.”

Feint at the Drawbridge: Trapped in the Enemy Formation

At dawn, the main body of the fishermen’s fleet quietly approached the front of the castle. Liu Hao led a small squad in several modified light boats toward the drawbridge, deliberately making as much noise as possible.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

The pirate sentries spotted them and sounded the alarm. The enemy on the walls quickly assembled, aiming bows and matchlock guns at the fishermen’s boats.

“Loose the arrows!” a pirate commander ordered.

A storm of arrows filled the sky.

“Turn quickly!” Liu Hao shouted, directing the boats to weave through the water and evade the barrage as best they could.

At the same time, the fishermen returned fire with crossbows and crude matchlock guns, doing everything possible to hold the enemy’s attention.

“Hold on a little longer! Make them send all their troops over here!”

Liu Hao gripped his weapon tightly, silently praying that Li Chuan’s side was proceeding smoothly.

The Perilous Infiltration

Meanwhile, Li Chuan led the infiltration team through a hidden passage in the rear hills. Fully armed, they moved with extraordinary care, placing each footstep as lightly as possible in case the enemy detected them.

“The air in here is terrible,” Chen Dahai muttered.

“Quiet. There may be an ambush,” Li Chuan warned coldly.

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The passage was narrow and dark, forcing the men to rely on torches for light. The farther they went, the more uneasy Li Chuan became.

Sure enough, a mechanism had been set at the end of the passage. Several massive logs hung suspended overhead. The moment anyone touched the ropes, they would come crashing down.

“A trap!” the scout at the front exclaimed, stopping just in time.

“Who has rope?”

Li Chuan looked around and accepted the tools handed to him by one of the men. Using the rope and a spear, he carefully secured the logs, then signaled for the group to continue.

At last, they passed through the hidden passage and reached the storage area behind the castle.

“This is where they keep their supplies!” one of the men whispered, pointing toward mountains of grain sacks and crates of weapons.

Li Chuan’s expression hardened.

“Douse everything with oil. Burn it all.”

The fishermen moved swiftly, pouring the prepared oil into every corner of the storehouses before setting it alight with their torches. Flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke surged upward.

“They have discovered us!”

A clamor of footsteps came from the far end of the warehouse. The pirate patrol was rushing toward them.

“Cover me!” Li Chuan shouted as he charged forward to meet the enemy.

Wielding his long saber, he plunged into the opposing ranks with swift, decisive movements. The men behind him immediately joined the battle, driving the pirates back with bows and spears.

When the fighting was over, Li Chuan gasped, “Go and seize control of the drawbridge mechanism!”

As the warehouses inside the castle burst into flames, the pirate headquarters descended into complete chaos. At the drawbridge, Liu Hao’s diversionary force saw the enemy formation begin to collapse and immediately launched a counterattack.

“They are in disarray! Attack now!”

Liu Hao led the fishermen onto the drawbridge, using crude matchlock guns to drive back the enemy defenses.

Inside the castle, Li Chuan and his men seized control of the drawbridge mechanism and quickly lowered the bridge. The main force surged forward, attacking from both sides and surrounding the remaining pirate soldiers in the center of the castle.

Seeing that all was lost, the pirate commander attempted to flee, but Li Chuan blocked his path.

“Xie Tonghai is dead. You will not escape either!” Li Chuan shouted. “Surrender or die!”

The pirate soldiers erupted in confusion. In the end, they threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The Final Step in Destroying the Stronghold

After the battle ended, Li Chuan led the fishermen in loading the castle’s grain, weapons, and other valuable supplies onto their boats. Everything they could not carry away was set ablaze and destroyed.

Standing before the castle ruins, engulfed in roaring flames, Liu Hao asked, “Brother Chuan, does this mean we have won?”

Li Chuan drew a deep breath and nodded.

“We have won only one battle. The struggle at sea is not over yet. Greater challenges still await us.”

The fishermen fell silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers. They knew that this night would change their fate forever.

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