Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 109 The Japanese Pirates Invade
The Japanese pirates' strange cries and foul language were carried away by the sea breeze, mixed with their greedy and cruel grins.

They clearly didn't take the small fishing boat seriously, seeing it as easy prey, and even plotted to capture the fishermen for a reward or to enslave them.

However, the captain of the fishing boat, Chen Ahai, who spoke Japanese, did not back down. Instead, he straightened his back, his dark face appearing even more resolute in the face of his anger. He suddenly grabbed the oar and slammed it hard against the gunwale, making a loud "bang" that drowned out the clamor of the Japanese pirates.

With all his might, he roared his bloodthirsty declaration, a fusion of Chinese and Japanese, with a thunderous roar: "This is the waters of Xunzhou, Ming Dynasty! We are subjects of the Ming Dynasty! We guard the maritime gates for the Emperor! You Japanese pirates who dare to invade! You shall be punished even if you die!"

Behind him stood seven or eight equally robust fishermen, their clothes tattered and their faces weathered, yet their eyes showed no fear. Some gripped their harpoons tightly, some picked up the heavy anchor chains, and some even raised the earthenware jars they used to pickle fish, roaring in unison, "We will kill them even if they die!"

The roar converged into an indomitable torrent, briefly drowning out the roar of the waves.

The captain of the Japanese pirate ship was clearly not expected that these "peasants" would be so tough. He was stunned for a moment, then became furious and shouted orders for his men to fire arrows and throw grappling hooks.

In an instant, arrows rained down on the small boat like locusts, and barbed iron hooks also came whistling through the air.

"Heads down! Protect your vitals!" Chen Ahai, experienced as he was, roared his commands. The fishermen either lowered their bodies or raised their simple wooden shields, the clanging sounds of which filled the air.

Someone groaned, his arm grazed by an arrow, blood gushing out, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

The small boat was violently tossed about by the giant waves and the surging currents created by the large ship, facing numerous dangers. A grappling hook caught on the gunwale, and several Japanese pirates grinned as they struggled to pull the small boat closer.

"Cut it!" Chen Ahai's eyes were bloodshot as he swung his wood-chopping knife and slashed fiercely at the tough rope. Two other men rushed to help, and the rope creaked taut under the pull of the sharp blade and brute force.

At this critical moment, Chen Ahai caught a glimpse of several huge, sharp-edged oyster shells floating on the sea.

Those were the waste they salvaged from the pearl farms during their cleanup efforts. A crazy idea flashed through my mind in an instant.

"Ah Niu! Throw those big clam shells over there! Smash those sons of bitches!" he shouted hoarsely.

The burly man named A Niu reacted extremely quickly. He immediately grabbed two heavy oyster shells with knife-like edges and the size of millstones, and with all his might, he used the rocking of the ship to throw them onto the deck of the Japanese pirate ship.

The heavy clam shell whistled through the air! The Japanese pirates were focused on pulling the rope and were caught off guard.

With a few muffled thuds and screams, a clam shell smashed into the head of a Japanese pirate, instantly turning him into a bloody mess.

Another shell struck the edge of the ship's gunwale, its sharp edge instantly severing the wrist of a Japanese pirate who was struggling to pull the rope. The severed hand and the rope fell into the sea, staining the water red with blood.

This sudden, primal, and bloody counterattack threw the Japanese pirates' deck into chaos.

Screams rose and fell, and the force pulling on the rope suddenly loosened.

"Good opportunity! Chop!" Chen Ahai seized the fleeting opening and chopped down with his machete again! With a "bang," the tough hook was finally severed.

The small boat lurched backward, escaping the danger of being dragged. "Use pearls! Smash them in the eyes with pearls!" Another clever fisherman, Xiao Liuzi, seeing the chaos among the Japanese pirates, remembered the few small but irregularly shaped "defective" pearls he had tucked in his pocket, which he had intended to exchange for salt in the city.

He quickly took out and distributed several round but hard pearls to his companions, who then used slingshots or their arms to throw them with all their might.

Although small, the pearls, carrying the fishermen's deep hatred, were precisely aimed at the faces of the Japanese pirates at close range.

"Ah! My eyes!" a Japanese pirate screamed, clutching his eyes.

While a pearl is not fatal, the pain and momentary blurred vision caused by it hitting a delicate eyelid can create much greater chaos.

The Japanese pirate leader roared in anger and ordered his men to row faster, trying to ram the stubborn little boat directly. The large ship, like a ferocious sea beast, charged towards them with crushing force.

The small boat was like a fallen leaf amidst the raging waves. Chen Ahai knew that a direct confrontation would mean certain death. He stared intently at the approaching Japanese ship, a resolute madness flashing in his eyes.

He slammed the rudder around, yelling, "Brothers! Hold on to the mast! Hold on tight to the gunwale! Fight them! Ram them!"

To the disbelief of the Japanese pirates, the battered and seemingly doomed fishing boat did not flee. Instead, it turned around and, with its last bit of strength turned into the courage to rush toward death, resolutely and with the spirit of mutual destruction, deliberately rammed into the Japanese pirate ship, which was ten times its size!

"BOOM!!!" A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth! Wood chips flew everywhere, and the sea surged!
The small boat's bow shattered instantly upon impact, and seawater rushed in. The Japanese pirates' large ship also rocked violently, with a huge hole punched in its bow. Several Japanese pirates near the point of impact screamed as they fell into the sea.

The enormous impact caused the Japanese pirates who had lost their footing on the deck to stumble and fall.

The scene on the screen freezes on the moment when the fishing boat breaks apart and sinks, the Japanese pirate ship has a hole in its bow and is flooded, and there is a scene of utter devastation. The tragedy and devastation are breathtaking.

Jingtai Temple, Layman's Residence, Buddhist Hall.

The tragic and heroic naval battle scene against the backdrop of the sky plunged the small Buddhist hall into a deathly silence.

The fragrant incense seemed to have solidified, with only the faint sound of chanting from the Buddhist assembly outside the window reminding us of the passage of time.

Zhang Xiuping's face was deathly pale, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her knuckles turning white from the force. Although she was the daughter of a military family and had heard her father and brothers recount the horrors of the battlefield, witnessing firsthand the fishermen fighting against the brutal Japanese pirates with their bare hands and the simplest weapons, their fearless courage in the face of death and their tragic end, had an unprecedented and immense impact on her.

Her chest heaved violently, and her eyes burned with anger, deep compassion, and a strong urge to do something.

Zhu Gaoshuo's expression was equally grave. The dire situation along the Xunzhou coast, and the sacrifices of those fishermen who spontaneously defended their homes, could have been avoided.

"Did you see that?" Zhu Gaoshuo broke the silence, looking intently at Zhang Xiuping. He had thought of a few words to encourage her.

"Your pearls have brought not only gold and silver for military expenses, but also the security and courage of countless coastal people to make a living and protect their homes. Without the pearl industry you pioneered, without the opportunity to come ashore and the unity of the people you brought, these fishermen might still be drifting at sea, or they might have already been plundered and killed by Japanese pirates. They would never have had the courage and ability to shout, 'We will guard the sea gate for the emperor, even if we die, we will be punished.' In that case, there would have been no such destructive collision."

(End of this chapter)