The rise of the poor

Chapter 2184 Comparison

The moment the gates of Yuedao were breached, the annihilation of the Yuedao pirates was an irreversible trend.

Even after the gates of the stronghold were breached, Xu San, the leader of the Japanese pirates on Moon Island, still did not step forward to organize his men to resist.

As the groom and the leader of Tsukishima Island, he had been toasted and forced to drink far too much. He was already completely drunk, unable to even consummate the marriage, lying on the bed snoring loudly, and impossible to wake up.

Zhang Mazi was also quite unlucky. During the round of artillery fire from the Zhejiang army, he was hit on the forehead by flying wood fragments, screamed in pain, and fainted. The eighteen-foot spear in his hand crashed heavily to the ground along with his body, and he never got up again.

The unorganized Japanese pirates of Tsukishima Island scattered and fled like a flock of panicked lambs after the gates of their stronghold were breached.

When Mao Haifeng's Japanese pirates were winning, they were incredibly brutal. Wielding their katana, they would chase after the fleeing Tsukishima pirates, howling and hacking away until blood flowed like a river and heads rolled everywhere.

It wasn't that the Tsukishima pirates didn't retaliate, but their forces were utterly outnumbered by the combined forces of Mao Haifeng and Zhu Ping'an—like an arm trying to twist a leg. Moreover, many of the Tsukishima pirates were still hungover, further exacerbating their already inferior numbers.

Those Japanese pirates from Tsukishima who dared to fight back were targeted by the allied forces, who outnumbered them several times over, and were quickly hacked to pieces and left to rot on the ground.

After all the Japanese pirates who dared to fight back were killed, the remaining Tsukishima pirates ran away as fast as they could.

The allied forces won a great victory.

At this point, they should have pressed their advantage, but the Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng stopped their pursuit and instead began to ransack the houses along the way, turning everything upside down and scavenging for valuables.

They were so skilled at looting that before the Zhejiang soldiers could react, the Japanese pirates rushed into the house. After a series of clanging noises, they emerged with several necklaces around their necks, a bundle on their backs, colorful clothes peeking out from the bundle, and a string of jingling copper coins hanging from their waists, grinning from ear to ear.

They all looked alike.

Every single one of Mao Haifeng's Japanese pirates was like that; even if they were being chased, they would eventually rush into a house and ransack it to steal things.

In contrast, the Zhejiang soldiers were strictly disciplined. Not a single one deserted to loot. They all followed the lead of their squad leaders and platoon leaders, carrying bayonets-fixed muskets, and pursued the fleeing Japanese pirates from Yuedao Island.

The lower-ranking officers of the Zhejiang army were very experienced. They deliberately drove the fleeing Tsukishima pirates forward, towards the Tsukishima pirates who were coming to their aid. They used the fleeing soldiers to disrupt the Tsukishima reinforcements and drag them along in a retreat.

Under the pursuit of the Zhejiang army, the Japanese pirates on Yuedao Island were unable to mount a proper counterattack and could only flee in repeated routs.

Seeing such a stark contrast, Mao Haifeng couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't help but step forward and kick a snarling Japanese pirate who was laden with spoils, yelling as he kicked, "Chase him! Chase him! Who told you to steal our stuff? After we deal with Xu San, everything on the island will be ours! Do you think they can grow legs and run away?!"

"You guys are hopeless! You've really disgraced me! Look at the Zhejiang Army, you deserved your defeat, you're far inferior! You should learn from the Zhejiang Army! Charge forward, all of you, don't stop!"

Mao Haifeng kicked several of his Japanese pirate subordinates who had reaped a great harvest, and ordered them to quickly pursue the defeated Japanese pirates from Yuedao Island.

"What we snatch is mine. After we deal with Xu San, who knows who will get these things? How could we possibly get any of them!"

"That's right, either someone else will take it away, or the leader will take it."

Those Japanese pirates who were kicked didn't dare to say anything to his face, but they kept their heads down and muttered complaints.

"What are you muttering about?!" Mao Haifeng cursed angrily.

The Japanese pirates, who had been angrily scolded by Mao Haifeng, reluctantly jogged forward. However, they hadn't gone far before they reverted to their old ways. Under the pretext of chasing the Japanese pirates, they rushed into a house and ransacked it. When they came out, their mouths were grinning even wider, and they were carrying even more things on their bodies, so much that they could barely walk.

There were even instances of Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng's command fighting each other over the same item, arguing about who got there first and who owned it.

Zhu Pingan frowned upon seeing this scene; the Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng's command were truly failing him at crucial moments.

Discipline simply doesn't exist!

No wonder there are so many examples of turning defeat into victory in history. The defeated side would scatter gold, silver, jewelry and valuables on the ground while fleeing, attracting the pursuers to dismount and pick up the valuables. The defeated side would then turn around and attack, and the pursuers, because they were scattered picking up valuables, would be killed in a counterattack, and the defeated side would win.

Judging from today's events, if it weren't for the Zhejiang army, and if the Japanese pirates on Tsukishima Island had organized a counterattack at this time, it would have been very possible for them to turn defeat into victory.

Seeing Zhu Ping'an frown, Mao Haifeng felt extremely ashamed, his face turning red. At this moment, they should have pressed their advantage and not given the Moon Island pirates a chance to counterattack. However, their side was too incompetent, each of them only caring about looting and plundering valuables, and had forgotten the order to pursue.

"Damn it! Everyone, now, give chase! Anyone who dares to stop looting will be killed without mercy!" Mao Haifeng shouted.

After giving the order, Mao Haifeng drew his Japanese sword, rushed into a house without saying a word, grabbed a Japanese pirate, shoved him forward, and then beheaded him with a backhand stroke. He then bent down to pick up the head that had rolled off the ground, held it up high, and said menacingly, "Anyone who loots again and fails to pursue the enemy will suffer the same fate!"

Mao Haifeng's murderous appearance greatly intimidated his group of Japanese pirates.

Now, they dared not search the house for valuables anymore. No matter how much wealth they had, they needed to be alive to spend it.

Under Mao Haifeng's menacing threat and inspired by his bloody example, the Japanese pirates under his command finally began to pursue the fleeing pirates from Yuedao Island.

"Personnel guards, go forward and supervise the battle! Anyone who loots property and fails to pursue the enemy will be killed without mercy!"

To further supervise the battle, Mao Haifeng ordered his personal guards to advance and gave them the authority to kill without mercy.

"As ordered!"

Mao Haifeng's personal guards received the order and stepped forward to supervise the battle, carrying Japanese swords.

With the supervisory team in place, the Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng no longer dared to plunder the valuables, and they didn't even dare to fish. Instead, they bravely pursued the fleeing Tsukishima pirates.

Now, things were finally on track. Zhu Ping'an and Mao Haifeng's allied forces fought side by side again, pursuing the fleeing Japanese pirates all the way to the core building of Moon Island, the Heroes' Pavilion. (End of Chapter)