Chapter 226
Chapter 226
Did he truly believe there was a trap at the bottom of the massive mine?
Absolutely not. He was simply a man of deep suspicion. It was an instinctual defense, much like the maxims in the art of war that warned against entering forests or valleys for fear of ambush.
And so, the thirty thousand strong allied pirate army made camp above the giant mine, encircling the Count of Xuanwu's forces in layer upon layer.
Why not attack with fire from above? It was impossible. The mine was made of rock, with nothing flammable inside, rendering a fire attack useless.
Throwing stones was also out of the question. The entire mine spanned nearly a third of a mile in both length and width; no one could throw a stone that far. Thus, all the allied pirate army could do was maintain their siege from above.
One day passed, then two, then three. As time went on, it was Qiu Tianwei who grew anxious and uneasy.
But the one who found the situation even more unbearable was Tang Zong, the eldest son of the Count of Jinhai's Estate. As a spirited young man, he could not stand such a cowardly method of warfare. Finally, he approached Qiu Tianwei once more and asked with the utmost respect.
“Marquis of Raging Tide, you are a master of the art of war. Have you perhaps gleaned some clue from this situation?”
Qiu Tianwei simply drank his wine, saying nothing.
Tang Zong said, “I, too, am familiar with the saying from the art of war: ‘Do not enter forests or valleys.’ This is because in both woods and mountain valleys, the line of sight is unclear, and one must worry about ambushes. But this giant mine before us is completely visible at a single glance; it is impossible to set an ambush here.”
Qiu Tianwei still said nothing.
Tang Zong continued, “How many soldiers does the Count of Xuanwu even have? He expanded his army to a total of five thousand private soldiers, but he must have left a thousand behind to defend his fiefdom, which means he has about four thousand men here. We can even see them every day. We hold the high ground, not them.”
This was undeniably true. Even the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei did not believe any trap was hidden within this massive mine. So what if their thirty-thousand-strong army descended to the bottom? The Count of Xuanwu had only four thousand men; he couldn't possibly harm them.
Tang Zong said, “If you are not at ease, Marquis, I will lead my family's private soldiers and charge in first to uncover the truth.”
At these words, Qiu Tianwei became furious.
‘Tang Zong, what is the meaning of this? Are you mocking me, calling me as timid as a mouse? Besides, do you have any idea how much gold is at the bottom of that mine? Are you trying to go down alone and hoard it all for yourself?’
Tang Zong said, “Of course, surrounding them and waiting for the Count of Xuanwu’s army to run out of food and water is one way to achieve victory. But with this heavy snow, they won’t have to worry about drinking water. Furthermore, the Count of Xuanwu has surely hidden all his provisions in the houses at the bottom of the mine. He might even have more than we do. We transported all our food by ship, so we may have less than them.”
Qiu Tianwei’s brow furrowed.
“If you disapprove of my methods, you are free to take your army and leave.”
Hearing this, Tang Zong’s expression changed slightly.
‘We're on the verge of seizing an ancient gold mine and slaughtering everyone from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, and you're telling me to leave? If I return empty-handed, wouldn't my father beat me to death? Wouldn't our Tang Clan miss its chance to rise?’
Tang Zong said regretfully, “I will follow all of the Marquis’s commands.”
***
After returning to his own barracks, Tang Zong began to curse.
“What kind of Pirate King is he? He’s more cowardly than a mouse. How on earth did a man with so little courage build Raging Tide City? How foolish must the Count of Jinyu have been twenty years ago to be defeated by a man like that, to have his entire army wiped out? This mine is so vast and empty a ghost couldn't hide in it, so what kind of ambush could there be? He's truly a relic of the past.”
The private soldiers of the Tang Clan all chimed in, voicing their agreement with Tang Zong.
***
Tang Zong was not the only one with complaints; many of the pirate chieftains were grumbling about Qiu Tianwei in their hearts.
“What’s gotten into the King? The gold mine is right below us, with mountains of gold dust. There might be a hundred thousand catties of gold packed into those houses. Why aren't we charging in?”
“Exactly. It’s like having a naked woman, unable to resist, lying right in front of you, and doing nothing.”
“Is that all? This is like being at the peak of climax, holding it right there, and refusing to finish.”
Hearing this, many of the pirate chieftains glanced at the speaker.
‘Your analogy is the most fitting, the most brilliant.’
Wasn’t it true? The giant mine was like a great hole, and they had reached its entrance. Why weren’t they going in? The situation was suffocatingly frustrating.
The man suddenly spoke again in a low voice, “The King must have other plans.”
“What plans?”
“There’s tons of gold dust and bullion down there. The only reason the King is holding back and won't let us go down is because he's afraid we'll take too much of the gold, isn't it? After he starves out the Count of Xuanwu’s army, he’ll secretly send his own trusted men to take all the gold. Then, when we finally go in, the gold will be gone, and the King will claim the Count of Xuanwu moved it long ago.”
Everyone was shocked to hear this. It made sense.
“That can’t happen. Why did we come here? To strike it rich.”
“Right, right. The King is our lord, but he can’t stop everyone from getting rich.”
“With so much gold, he can’t just hoard it all for himself. Plenty of people are already green with envy that the Qiu family controls Raging Tide City. And now he wants to take all the gold, too?”
“Keep it down. If the King hears you, you’re a dead man.”
At that moment, another person whispered, “The She-Devil isn’t here, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
Everyone turned to look at that person again.
They all remembered. Why had they come to fear the Qiu family? It was because of the invincible warrior, Qiu Yao'er. She was a terrifying existence. If you showed the slightest disobedience, she would immediately lead her soldiers to kill you. She had no regard for the so-called honor among pirates. In contrast, the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei was a man who valued oaths and loyalty. Why had they all been so subservient to him recently? It was all because of Qiu Yao'er.
When that she-devil went to war, whether she led ten thousand, three thousand, or even just a thousand, she always won. There were even times she attacked with only a few hundred men and was still unstoppable. Wielding her twin glaives, she was simply unmatched. Any disobedient pirates were invariably minced into meat paste.
“The She-Devil isn’t here, so should we bring it up with our King?”
“Yes. The Count of Xuanwu has four thousand men, and we have thirty thousand. If we don’t fight and don’t charge in, it makes us look too weak.”
Instantly, that same person whispered again, “We can’t just tell the King he’s being too cautious. We have to say that our provisions are about to run out and we can’t last more than a few days. We have to say that if we don’t attack soon, we’ll have to withdraw our troops.”
Everyone looked at him.
Before long, the group of pirates nominated the brilliant chieftain to go negotiate with Qiu Tianwei.
“Brother, you’re the most brilliant one here, so you should do the talking. We’ll back you up from the side!”
***
Dozens of pirate chieftains came before Qiu Tianwei’s large tent. The brilliant pirate chieftain knelt and said:
“Your Majesty, in order to answer your call to annihilate the Qiu clan, we mobilized in great haste and did not bring sufficient provisions. If we do not advance and engage the Count of Xuanwu’s defenders, our food supplies will be exhausted in a few days. At that point, we will have to withdraw our soldiers to retrieve more provisions.”
Qiu Tianwei said nothing.
The brilliant pirate chieftain said, “There is a saying in the art of war: ‘In the first charge, the spirit is keen; in the second, it flags; in the third, it is exhausted.’ Most of the Count of Xuanwu’s four thousand men are new recruits, no better than scarecrows. But Your Majesty’s army is filled with soaring morale, and everyone regards death as nothing, their only desire to avenge the young master. Therefore, in my view, Your Majesty has already secured three victories, while the Count of Xuanwu has suffered three defeats.”
“Hmph. Speak.”
The brilliant pirate chieftain said, “Our grand army outnumbers the Count of Xuanwu’s ten to one; that is the first victory. Your Majesty is far more brilliant and skilled in martial arts than the Count of Xuanwu; that is the second victory. Our army’s morale is sky-high while the Count of Xuanwu’s is low; that is the third victory. Therefore, I believe that with a single command from Your Majesty, we can slaughter all four thousand of the Count of Xuanwu’s worthless soldiers, who are no better than dogs or pigs, in less than two hours.”
Qiu Tianwei said calmly, “Why have I never before noticed such a brilliant talent like you in my army?”
The brilliant pirate said, “Your Majesty is too kind. You hold Gold Mountain Island in your left hand and an ancient gold mine in your right. You are on the verge of achieving supremacy, so how could the talented people of the world not flock to your side? This humble one merely looks up to Your Majesty’s prestige; I am hardly worthy of being called talented.”
“My decision to only surround and not attack is not born from a selfish desire to hoard the gold. And I suppose it was you who said that since the She-Devil Qiu Yao'er isn't here, no one needs to be too afraid of me, the Pirate King.”
Hearing this, the brilliant pirate flinched and looked back.
‘Damn it, which one of you betrayed me? Where is the honor among pirates?’
“Guards! This man has sown discord in the army. Drag him out and behead him!”
“Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me! Argh…!”
A wretched scream echoed at length. The brilliant brother’s head and body were separated. He had been beheaded.
The numerous pirate chieftains all took a step back, drawing a line as if they had nothing to do with him.
“I told you earlier. That man’s ideas were dangerous.”
“That’s right. How dare he question His Majesty’s brilliant judgment? I wouldn’t have let him get away with it either. If His Majesty hadn't killed him, I would have lost my patience and done it myself.”
As the brilliant brother was being beheaded, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
‘I see now. I wasn't the brilliant one—you all were.’
Qiu Tianwei held the blood-soaked head in his hand and said in a cold voice, “From now on, anyone who dares to question my military orders will meet the same end.”
The many pirates shrank back, not daring to utter a single word.