The Sword of Smiling and Proud

Chapter 166 First information obtained
The last remaining Japanese pirate was lifted to the center of the village by Guan Yuan like a chicken cub and thrown to the ground.

Although he was not tied with a rope, the man's legs and feet were already weak and he could not stand up.The young Ming man in front of him killed several of his companions as easily as he slaughtered chickens and dogs. How could he dare to resist? The Japanese pirates were extremely vicious, but they were not stupid either.

Judging from his timid appearance now, and his arrogance when he first entered the village, there is a sharp contrast and irony.

Chen Lao and Guan Yuan saw that he could still speak some Ming Dynasty Mandarin, so they asked him a few questions. Under great fear, he answered all questions.

It turned out that these Japanese pirates were indeed alone. Previously, a large group of Japanese pirates ran around and looted. They got separated from everyone in a town because of their greed for wine.

Not understanding the language and not knowing the way, they groped for a long time before they found the foot of Yandang Mountain, but the ship waiting for them had already sailed away, leaving them behind.

Unable to bear the hunger, they had no choice but to look for a few more unlucky villages to see if they could find some food.

It happened to hit Guan Yuan's hand. It can only be said that they were unlucky.

I also asked for some information about the large Japanese pirate army, but these people did not have a high status among the Japanese pirates and their understanding was limited.

This group of Japanese pirates is estimated to number less than 400 people, of which only 100 are real Japanese pirates. They are all from the Shimazu clan of the Satsuma Domain on Kyushu Island, the southernmost island of the island country.

The Shimazu family has been running rampant in Kyushu for hundreds of years. Unexpectedly, in recent decades, the clan has become lonely and has become more powerful.Some retainer warriors belonging to the clan lost their land and property and became ronin.

The original leader, the Shimazu clan, surrendered to the powerful branch family and became a wealthy and wealthy individual with no time to take care of his former subordinates.

This group of rogues could only find ways to make ends meet on their own. It happened that the southern Kyushu area had always had close business ties with the Ming Dynasty, so they followed the merchant ships and wanted to make a living on the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty.

They came by boat and needed a place to stay. They were not familiar with the place, and the treacherous Ming guide was also hidden, for fear that these wanderers would become familiar with the terrain and leave them alone.

According to the Japanese pirate who called himself Ichiro Izumi, they first rested on an unknown island on the southeast coast, prepared weapons and supplies, and then, under the guidance of the guide, went ashore to wash and plunder.

Maybe the traitor guides didn't expect it. They originally thought they were just a group of ordinary pirates, but this group of Japanese pirates from Kyushu Island turned out to be very ferocious. When they met the people of the Ming Dynasty, they were like hungry tigers pouncing on prey, causing endless killings.

At that time, there were conflicts between the real Japanese and the fake Japanese.The traitors cursed the real Japanese for robbing everything and killing anyone they met. They were so rampant that if Ming officers and soldiers were attracted, everyone would be dead.The Japanese pirates also looked down on those fake Japanese pirates. They had become bandits and were so particular. If they didn't know the way and couldn't understand the language, they would have killed these noisy guys as well.

When asked again about the whereabouts of the Japanese pirates, Ichiro Izumi hesitated and spoke unclearly. Those traitors before had planned to make such a fortune and sent these Japanese pirates back to Kyushu. He really didn't know where the large force was going at this time.

Back to Kyushu?Guan Yuan didn't believe it. Cat couldn't control himself when he tasted the fishy smell.

This group of wanderers from Kyushu, who suffered from hunger and discrimination at home, suddenly came to Ming Dynasty and saw the wealth here, so they were not willing to leave.In this way, I am afraid that the contradiction between the real Japanese and the fake Japanese will deepen.

Seeing that he could not get any more information, Guan Yuan left Izumi Ichiro to the villagers in Dongshi Village and prepared to leave and return to Taizhou to inquire about the fake Japanese pirates.Being familiar with the terrain and doing business with the island nation of Satsuma, I'm afraid it's not something that a few petty thieves can do.

Before leaving to say goodbye, I saw Mr. Chen summoning the brave men in the village, saying that one of them would give the Japanese pirate a knife to practice his bloody courage.

"Mr. Chen, fellow villagers, we are going to Taizhou Fucheng to join the large force fighting against the Japanese pirates this time. We'll say goodbye." Guan Yuanliangfa gestured to Danian on his horse. "You wait for the next generation to take a step forward. If the Japanese pirates attack again, the local braves around here will not spare them. Just watch." Although Mr. Chen is old, he has a heroic spirit that is admirable.

Hei Wa envied Guan Yuan and others for their martial arts skills, and yearned for them, but was timid at the same time. He could only send him a bag of dry food as a reward for Guan Yuan saving him.

After saying goodbye, within two days, Guan Yuan and others headed north to the Wenling area.

It was noon, and the three of them were resting on the roadside.

It was early spring at this time, and the breeze at the seaside was still a bit cold, mixed with a faint salty smell.Wenling faces the sea to the east. Through the morning fog gradually dissipating on the sea, we can see that the sea is very calm.

This place is only a hundred miles away from the capital city of Taizhou, and is separated from the entrance of Jiaojiang River.

Just as the three of them were eating dry food and admiring the sea view, a sea ship appeared dangling in the sea fog to the east of the estuary.

The ship was unremarkable, but it was a lucky ship that was common along the coast of Fujian. Before the Ming Dynasty, there was a sea ban, and the ships still plying the sea are not very big, and this ship is no exception.

Originally, it was normal for ships to appear at the mouth of the river. Taizhou Prefecture was originally a trading place, with an endless stream of traders coming and going.

However, as the ship approached, Guan Yuan and others who were still resting realized something was wrong.

The ship's draft was extremely shallow, and it was obviously not loaded with any cargo. There were many people on the deck, and it was unknown what they were doing.

Before completely entering the Jiaojiang River, the boat stopped and put down several sampans to transport people to the north bank in a steady stream.

If any merchant ship fails to seize the opportunity to enter the port and instead lets people ashore at the mouth of the river, there must be something wrong if something goes wrong!
Guan Yuan and the other three looked at each other, and Liang Fa spoke first, "Are we, the third brother, not unlucky enough to encounter Japanese pirates?"

"It's not bad luck, it's good luck. When we step forward to see if they are really Japanese pirates, we will kill them!" Xiang Danian didn't take it seriously.

"Go to the shore first and have a look. They fell on the north bank. We can't cross the river on horseback." Guan Yuan decided to explore the reality first.

When the three of them rode horses to the riverside, the people on the boat also got off. There were about 50 people, gathering in a noisy manner on the tidal flat on the north bank of the Jiaojiang River estuary.

Looking at the clothes and flags and slogans of the group of people, there is no doubt that they are Japanese pirates, but the number is smaller.

While Guan Yuan looked at them, the group also saw Guan Yuan on the south bank. Without paying any attention, they gathered up the team and left the shore, seemingly heading north.

"Let's find a ferry to cross the river and catch up!" Guan Yuan flicked his whip and galloped. At the same time, he directed Liang Fa to quickly return to Taizhou Fucheng to report the news, so that the disciples of the Wuyue Sword Sect who were staying in the city could come out to kill the enemy. .

If this group of Japanese pirates continued to plunder north of Taizhou, I don’t know how many innocent people would be displaced.Taking advantage of their unsteady footing, killing them by surprise is the right way to go.

(End of this chapter)