The rise of the poor

Chapter 2194 The Greatsword Returns

Without comparison, there is no harm; but once the comparison is made, Mao Haifeng can't help but feel ashamed and sighs again, no wonder they were defeated by Zhu Ping'an.

Today they are fighting together. Zhu Pingan is leading the Zhejiang army to attack the Japanese pirates east of Meiling, while Mao Haifeng and his men are attacking the Japanese pirates west of Meilin.

Both attacks were surprise attacks, and the Japanese pirates on the east and west sides of Meiling were roughly equal in strength, so they were essentially starting from the same point. However, the casualty ratio they suffered made Mao Haifeng feel extremely ashamed.

Zhu Ping'an's Zhejiang army suffered only a few casualties and a dozen wounded, yet they achieved a great victory by killing the Japanese chieftain and his 389 subordinates east of Meiling and capturing 523 Japanese pirates.

But Mao Haifeng and his men suffered over two hundred casualties and over two hundred wounded, a hundred times more than the Zhejiang army. Yet their results were worse than the Zhejiang army's. They killed over five hundred Japanese pirates west of Meiling, captured over two hundred, and allowed the Japanese chieftain and over two hundred pirates west of Meilin to escape in the chaos.

Mao Haifeng originally thought they had done a pretty good job, achieving a casualty ratio of nearly one to three, and was even a little smug. He eagerly came over to Zhu Pingan to show off their achievements. However, when he compared the casualties and gains of the Zhejiang army, Mao Haifeng was ashamed. Their own fighting was simply a pile of shit!

"Lord Zhu, compared to this, your battles are simply divine!" Mao Haifeng couldn't help but exclaim to Zhu Ping'an after the comparison.

"General Mao, you flatter me. It's all thanks to the hard work of my men." Zhu Pingan smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Lord Zhu is too modest. I benefited greatly from your presence during the Battle of Moon Island the day before yesterday. Let's join forces and attack Yoshiya Village together tomorrow. I want to learn more from you, Lord Zhu."

Mao Haifeng clasped his hands in a fist and asked to join forces to attack Yoshiya Village tomorrow.

"General Mao is too kind. Let's learn from each other. Tomorrow, we will join forces to attack and eliminate the Japanese pirate stronghold in Yoshiya Village."

Zhu Pingan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Zhu Pingan had no reason to object to the joint attack on Yoshiya Village.

In today's battle, more than two hundred Japanese pirates escaped from west of Meilin. With so many escaping, news naturally leaked that Mao Haifeng was leading the Japanese pirates in cooperation with the Zhejiang army to eliminate coastal strongholds.

People aren't stupid.

The Japanese pirates on Tsukishima Island were wiped out, and the two groups of Japanese pirates in Merlin were also wiped out. It is easy to guess that the Allied Forces were targeting the Japanese pirate strongholds along the coast.

It's highly likely that the Japanese pirates in Yoshiya Village have already received the news. Once they do, they will certainly take precautions.

Therefore, it is entirely foreseeable that tomorrow's attack to eliminate the Japanese pirates in Yoshiya Village will be a tough battle.

A tough battle means sacrifice.

Mao Haifeng volunteered to join forces, which was exactly what Zhu Ping'an wanted.

After the battle, it took about an hour to clean up the battlefield, collect the spoils of war, and burn down the Japanese pirates' stronghold.

This time, the two armies split up and attacked one place at a time. All the spoils were kept by their respective armies, and both armies returned laden with spoils.

Back at the fishing village stronghold, the allied forces set up cooking stations and prepared meals. The Zhejiang army's cooks showed off their skills, preparing large pots of stewed meat and vegetables with high-quality ingredients. The fragrant aroma of the meat made the Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng's command drool.

Bowl after bowl of stewed meat and vegetables were served, and the Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng's command ate so much they almost swallowed their tongues.

"It smells so good, it tastes so good! No wonder the Zhejiang army was able to defeat us. Look at their food. This isn't just food; it's fighting power!"

"Exactly! After eating this meal, I feel like I could kill a wild boar!"

"Although we eat meat and drink wine in large quantities every time we return to our stronghold after a robbery, compared to others, we've wasted our food. Our army should also set up a cookhouse."

While eating heartily, Mao Haifeng's Japanese pirates chatted enthusiastically with the surrounding pirates.

"Go to hell! Is it the food's fault?!" Mao Haifeng yelled at them angrily after hearing this. "You're all useless and you blame the food?! Does the food determine victory or defeat?! Are you all gluttons?!"

"These days, you're following the Zhejiang army around, so you'd better learn from them. Learn their troop deployment, learn their obedience to orders, learn their fighting spirit to the death, learn their coordinated operations, learn from them."

"You guys are so stupid you can't even climb a tree."

Taking this opportunity, Mao Haifeng gave them a thorough and satisfying dressing-down.

The Japanese pirates under Mao Haifeng's command dared not speak out against their anger.

"You should learn from Lord Zhu's command of battles. Look at the battle on Moon Island the other day. When difficulties arose, Lord Zhu's command solved them all."

"And today, it wasn't that we fought recklessly; we didn't retreat a single step, did we?! Lord Zhu commanded the killing and arson simultaneously, while you commanded the setting of fires to create chaos before killing. As a result, the fires drove those damned Japanese pirates of Meilin to desperation, causing us to fight back desperately and suffer heavy casualties."

"that is."

As soon as Mao Haifeng left, the Japanese pirates below couldn't help but gossip and criticize him behind his back.

As soon as Mao Haifeng turned his head, the Japanese pirates below fell silent and buried their heads in their food.

Just as everyone was eating, they heard a commotion and heard people shouting, "General Da Dao is back!" Then they saw a rider galloping quickly into the fishing village stronghold.

"Holy crap, Liu Dadao? How come you're back so soon? Didn't you go to Yingtian? Judging by the distance, Yingtian is over a thousand miles away from here. You shouldn't have arrived until tomorrow. Could it be that something happened before you even got to Yingtian and you had to come back?"

Seeing Liu Dadao rushing towards him, Mao Haifeng asked in confusion, wondering if Liu Dadao had returned before even reaching Yingtian.

Liu Dadao was covered in dust and his eyes were bloodshot, but he looked extremely smug.

As Liu Dadao dismounted, he said smugly, "Chief Mao, I not only made it to Yingtian, but I also completed the task my master assigned me and returned overnight. As for why I came back so quickly, it's because I rode at full speed all the way. When my body couldn't take it anymore, I rented a boat to continue my journey. That way, I could sleep and keep going, which is why I was able to get back so quickly."

"Awesome, you're amazing." Mao Haifeng couldn't help but give Liu Dadao a thumbs up after hearing this.

Zhu Ping'an truly possesses personal charisma, managing to inspire such loyalty in his subordinates. His methods of governing are truly admirable.

It seems I still have a lot to learn from Zhu Pingan.

"Chief Mao, I'll stop chatting with you now. I need to go report to our superior," Liu Dadao said, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Mao Haifeng.

"Alright, go ahead and get busy. We'll have a drink together when you have time." Mao Haifeng waved his hand, signaling Liu Dadao to report back. (End of Chapter)