Chapter 242
Chapter 242
In truth, Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, hadn't been dead set on capturing Gold Mountain Island. This was because if they won the battle on Sorrow's End Island and took Raging Tide City, Gold Mountain Island wasn't an absolute necessity. He was a cautious man and didn't underestimate his enemies just because they had won the battle on Sorrow's End Island. The commander defending Gold Mountain Island was Qiu Tianwei's adopted son, Qiu Hu. While not a renowned general, Jin Zhuo knew he would be no pushover. Moreover, Gold Mountain Island was defended by a garrison of five thousand men.
Count Xuanwu had about a hundred pirate ships and four thousand soldiers under his command, but only five hundred of them were veterans; the rest were new recruits or militiamen. Adhering to his cautious principle of also needing to defend the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, he had even ordered over a thousand soldiers to take dozens of pirate warships and return to the Jin Clan's docks. In the end, fewer than three thousand men were heading for Gold Mountain Island.
However, he was fairly confident that he wouldn't have to fight a battle on Gold Mountain Island. With Tang Lun in his hands, all they had to do was disguise themselves as pirates.
On the deck of the flagship, Tang Lun asked Count Xuanwu.
"Brother Jin Zhuo, you've already won a great victory. Why is there not a hint of a smile on your face?"
Count Xuanwu was more concerned about Shen Lang's safety than the immediate victory. The battle to be fought at Raging Tide City was the most crucial one for the Jin Clan's future. If they lost that battle, their victory at Sorrow's End Island would be of little help. But there was no need to say such things to Tang Lun.
Tang Lun asked him again.
"Brother Jin Zhuo, why is there no trace of resentment in your eyes when you look at me?"
"The grudge between you and me was passed down from our ancestors; it is not one we forged ourselves. So how could I resent you?"
Hearing this, Tang Lun was taken aback. All this time, he had harbored a deep resentment for Jin Zhuo. Was it possible that the man before him truly held no grudge against him?
In fact, there were few people Jin Zhuo resented. He didn't even hold much of a grudge against Prefect Zhang Chong, who had driven the Jin Clan into a corner. He resented only two families: the Marquis of Su Nan's estate and the Xue Clan of the Count of Wu'an's estate. One was family by marriage, the other a sworn ally. Yet, in the end, they were the ones who had betrayed the Jin Clan most severely, pushing them to the brink of death.
Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, had always been a gentleman who treated others with sincerity. Years ago, when the Su Clan sought to align with Prince Ning Yuanwu, Marquis Su had written a secret letter to Jin Zhuo's father, Count Jin Yu, urging the Jin Clan to join them. After Ning Yuanxian ascended the throne, that secret letter became the Su Clan's most feared weakness. The Jin Clan could have used it to control the Su Clan as they pleased, but Count Jin Zhuo did not.
As soon as Su Peipei married him and brought up the letter, Jin Zhuo immediately burned it in front of his wife, showing that he had no intention of ever using it to blackmail anyone in the Su Clan. But his magnanimous act only emboldened the Su Clan to act without fear. When the king showed his intention to move against the Jin Clan, the Su Clan unhesitatingly drew a line between themselves and the Jin Clan, broke off the engagement between their families, and thereafter sought to harm the Jin Clan with even greater impunity.
Every time his wife, Su Peipei, brought up the incident, she would punch Count Xuanwu twice, chiding him for being so foolish as to burn the letter back then. If he hadn't, he could have held the Su Clan in the palm of his hand. Of course, the Su Peipei of the past had mentioned the letter with the intention of having it destroyed, which was why Jin Zhuo had burned it in her presence. But women, as they often are, didn't concern themselves with reason. Though she knew the truth deep down, she would still argue stubbornly. The reason Su Peipei berated Jin Zhuo was that she regretted her own actions.
Years ago, not long after she had married into the Jin Clan, she had prioritized her own family. But as time passed and the true colors of both families became clearer, she finally realized where she truly belonged. She came to see herself as a member of the Jin Clan and grew increasingly estranged from her birth family. Later, Su Peipei came to regret the matter so much that she mentioned it to Shen Lang several times. That was why Shen Lang had contrived to forge a copy of the old letter. After all, the two families were related by marriage, so the Jin Clan had many letters in Marquis Su Dian's own hand. Of course, Shen Lang had no intention of using the letter as a major weapon; he had simply prepared it as a precaution.
Jin Zhong spoke to Count Xuanwu.
"My lord, we are about to reach Gold Mountain Island."
"Let's scout out the situation first. There's no need to fight if we don't have to."
"Yes, my lord!"
The fleet had not even approached the docks of Gold Mountain Island when the pirates there began to cheer at the sight of them. This was because the warships carrying Count Xuanwu and his party belonged to the fleet of the Great King, Qiu Tianwei.
"The Great King's fleet is back! Brothers, is the battle on Sorrow's End Island over? How'd it go?"
"Yeah. Why did it take so long for thirty thousand men to deal with just a few thousand?"
"Is the gold mine big?"
The pirates on Gold Mountain Island swarmed forward like bees as the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, revealed his face and landed on the island. Tang Lun asked them in a puzzled tone.
"Why are there so few people? Where's Qiu Hu? And the warships that were at the docks?"
A minor pirate chieftain on the island started to speak, then stopped. It was difficult to say that Qiu Hu had taken the fleet and left on his own accord. The Great King had ordered Qiu Hu to defend Gold Mountain Island, but he had ended up taking the main pirate force and leaving.
"Great Chieftain Qiu Hu is unwell. He's suffering from a fever and has isolated himself in a cave to avoid infecting others."
One of the pirate chieftains quickly said. Great Chieftain Qiu Hu had clearly disobeyed the Great King's orders and left without permission. However, he thought the Great Chieftain had done the right thing. This Gold Mountain Island was perfectly safe, with nothing going on. He believed that five thousand men were unnecessary for its defense; a thousand would have been plenty.
Tang Lun said loudly.
"No need to deceive me. Your Great King isn't here, so you might as well tell me the truth."
After speaking, Tang Lun tossed a purse of gold coins to him. The pirate chieftain confessed.
"For some reason, Great Chieftain Qiu Hu decided that Raging Tide City was in danger and took the fleet there. Even if someone were to attack Raging Tide City, the invincible she-devil is there, isn't she?"
"Cut the nonsense and get to the point. How many troops are left on Gold Mountain Island right now?"
"A thousand."
A jolt went through Tang Lun's head.
*'O-only a thousand? Qiu Hu took four thousand men back to Raging Tide City? Should I call Jin Zhuo's luck good or bad? With only a thousand men on Gold Mountain Island, it will be much easier to capture. But Shen Lang went to attack Raging Tide City, which means he'll be facing Qiu Yao'er from the front and Qiu Hu from the back. But that Shen Lang has the face of a pretty boy. What if... what if he and Qiu Yao'er have that kind of relationship? I know she supposedly hates men, but who can say for sure when it comes to matters between a man and a woman? Besides, Shen Lang is no ordinary man.'*
Now that none of this was his concern, Tang Lun's imagination grew bolder. His thoughts were wild, yet for that very reason, they were closer to the truth, though not entirely accurate.
Tang Lun reprimanded him angrily.
"Only a thousand? Are you all mad? How can you defend Gold Mountain Island with a thousand men? There are several thousand miners here alone."
"Those miners are all from the Tang Clan, so what's the problem? There are also one or two thousand prisoners from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate here, but you should see how docile they are. We have seven hundred of our men supervising them in the mines, which should be more than enough."
*'Seven hundred pirates in the mines? Does that mean only three hundred pirates are guarding the docks? Then Jin Zhuo can take Gold Mountain Island with ease, can't he?'*
If Jin Zhuo reclaimed Gold Mountain Island, he could return home. Tang Lun had absolutely no faith in Shen Lang's character, but he firmly believed in Jin Zhuo's. If he said he would let him go, he would surely keep his promise. At last, Tang Lun put on a stern face and rebuked the pirates.
"You are all too reckless. I came this time to bring you provisions. I never expected to find only a thousand men on the island. I'll have to arrange for reinforcements to bolster your defenses."
The pirate chieftain didn't agree with Tang Lun's assessment, but upon hearing about the provisions, he was overjoyed and replied agreeably.
"Then we'll be counting on you, Count of Jinhai."
* * *
After returning to the cabin, Tang Lun said to Jin Zhuo.
"Brother Jin Zhuo, I don't know how to describe your luck. Right now, there are only a thousand pirates on Gold Mountain Island. What's more, they're split into two groups: three hundred at the docks and seven hundred in the mines."
Jin Zhuo showed no sign of joy; instead, he grew tense.
"Where did Qiu Hu and the other four thousand pirates go?"
Tang Lun looked slightly surprised by his reaction before answering.
"Qiu Hu has gone to Raging Tide City."
The moment he heard this, the color drained from Jin Zhuo's face.
"Brother Jin Zhuo, with my help, you can take Gold Mountain Island with ease. But you must also keep your promise and send my son and me home."
Jin Zhuo shook his head.
"No. I will not attack Gold Mountain Island. Everyone, prepare! The entire fleet will head for Raging Tide City at full speed."
Tang Lun was stunned.
"You're on the verge of taking Gold Mountain Island. Why are you giving up?"
Jin Zhuo's voice was hoarse.
"My son-in-law's life is more important than Gold Mountain Island."
A short while later, fifty thousand catties of provisions were unloaded onto the docks of Gold Mountain Island. There was, of course, no poison. Then, the sails of the entire fleet were unfurled, and the ships set off for Raging Tide City at full speed. With Shen Lang in danger, Count Jin Zhuo had abandoned the easily attainable Gold Mountain Island. Tang Lun was silent.
*'Is this the charm of a man like Jin Zhuo?'*
Count Jin Zhuo felt a fire of anxiety burning within him. The return of Qiu Hu's four thousand pirates to Raging Tide City meant their plan had been discovered, putting Shen Lang in grave danger.
*'Lang, you must be safe! Hold on. I... your father is coming!'*
* * *
Inside Raging Tide City.
Six thousand of Zhang Jin's elite soldiers charged toward the main keep of the city lord's manor like a surging tide. From above, they looked like an advancing wave of iron armor. They were official troops, and though not on par with the main forces defending the border regions, they were more elite than the private armies of most noble families. Mounted on his warhorse, Zhang Jin felt the blood boil in his veins.