The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 116 Lin Yue possesses the courage of ten thousand men.

After reading the confession, Zheng He bent down to compare it with the map of the sea frontier on the table, carefully examining the route from Wusongkou to Chongming Sandbar, the ports and harbors, and checking all the Japanese pirate dens, the deserted islands where the stolen goods were hidden, and the rendezvous points. Then he looked up at Lin Yue and asked him in a deep voice about the key details.

"How many passes were there in the Japanese pirate stronghold on Chongming Sandbar? How many ships and how many firearms did the pirates have in the stronghold? Were the daily troop rotations and sentry deployments clearly reported?"

"Where does Shen Bing, the powerful figure on land who colludes with the Japanese pirates, reside? How many men does he privately employ? Which officials in the garrisons and government offices are he connected with? Is all this clearly stated?"

"Were any of the routes the Japanese pirates took when they landed to plunder, or the waterways they used to escape to the open ocean, overlooked?"

Lin Yue-man is likely to answer truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Zheng He called out to the guards outside the door: "Bring Zhou Xian up; I want to question him personally."

The guards obeyed the order and left. A moment later, they dragged Zhou Xian, who was covered in wounds and staggering, inside.

Zheng He, with his keen eyes, repeatedly questioned and verified the key points in the confession.

Zhou Xian had long been worn down by torture, and answered each question with perfect accuracy, his words matching his confession perfectly.

Zheng He repeatedly confirmed that there were no falsehoods or concealments before coldly waving his hand and ordering his personal guards to escort the person back to the lower deck for strict surveillance.

Once only the two of them remained in the cabin, Zheng He turned around and looked at Lin Yue.

"His Majesty issued an edict before his departure, ordering us to immediately go to Korea. However, things have come to this point. As the Imperial Envoy and Commander of the Navy, I should work with you to first eliminate this coastal pirate threat, and then we can discuss other matters."

On a fast boat on the side of the dock, Lin Yue was fully armored, with a sword at his waist. In front of him were sixty personal guards dressed in black short-sleeved shirts, with bows and crossbows cocked and steel swords drawn.

He glanced at everyone and loudly commanded, "Zhao Hu! You take thirty elite men and follow me straight to Shen Bing Manor in Taicang County. We'll feign an attack on the main gate, then seal off both the front and back gates. No one is allowed to escape!"

The primary objective is to capture Shen Bing alive; the secondary objective is to seize all secret letters colluding with the Japanese pirates, ledgers detailing the distribution of spoils, and looted goods.

Zhao Hu clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply, his voice booming like thunder: "Your subordinate understands!"

"Li Wei!" Lin Yue turned to the naval infantry commander standing to the side. "Take my gold token, lead a hundred infantrymen, and head straight for the Wusong River Garrison Command to take over the men."

According to the list in the confession, first arrest twelve military officers involved in the case, including the commander of the garrison and the garrison commander, and take control of the garrison gates, artillery positions, and other key locations.

Anyone who resists arrest in the barracks will be killed on sight!

Li Wei, sword in hand, clasped his hands and said, "As you command!"

"Move quickly!" Lin Yue's gaze swept over everyone. "After dealing with Shen Bing, return to the fleet immediately to regroup."

Everyone echoed in agreement.

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone mounted their horses and rode off in different directions.

Outside Shen Bing Manor, the manor's vermilion gate was tightly closed.

Lin Yue pulled on the reins, and his chestnut warhorse reared up, neighing loudly.

Lin Yue's original intention was to stop the warhorse, but the chestnut horse seemed to have its own ideas. It continued to charge forward and kicked the gate twice.

With several loud crashes, the two vermilion gates were kicked open by warhorses.

Lin Yue was caught off guard and was carried straight into the hospital by the chestnut horse. Fortunately, he had a steady footing and was not thrown off the horse.

He steadied himself, casually swung his longsword, and as the blade swept across, two guards wielding clubs who rushed towards him screamed and were instantly cut down to the ground.

"I am Lin Yue, the Imperial Envoy, ordered to arrest the traitor Shen Bing who colluded with the Japanese! Anyone who blocks my way shall die!" Lin Yue roared, his voice echoing through the courtyard.

The remaining guards were wandering knights hired by Shen Bing. Upon hearing the order to arrest, and seeing the official on horseback who was incredibly brave, who would dare to step forward?

It's only a few dollars a month, not worth risking your life for Shen Bing. The guards immediately scattered and fled, not one of them daring to step forward to stop them.

Just as Zhao Hu and his dozens of personal guards rushed to the courtyard gate with their shields raised, they saw the gate being kicked open by warhorses, and their master had already ridden in alone. Zhao Hu was immediately shocked.

Lord Lin is just a scholar; what if something bad happens if he rushes in like this?

He immediately brandished his knife and led his men inside, shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran, "Sir! Sir, slow down! Be careful, there might be an ambush in the courtyard! You must retreat quickly!"

Hearing the shouts, Lin Yue turned around and tried to steer his horse toward the guards' ranks, but the chestnut horse refused to obey. Even though he had almost broken the reins, it still stubbornly kept its neck up and charged straight into the backyard of the house.

The chestnut horse automatically navigated the road, crashing into narrow gates and kicking servants and guards who blocked its way. It rampaged through the area, smashing wooden railings under the eaves and flower trellises in the yard to pieces.

Lin Yue was terrified as the horse sped along at breakneck speed.

The chestnut horse galloped through the front yard without stopping, heading straight for the back house along the covered walkway. Seeing the lights on in the main house in the distance, it spurred its hooves even faster and arrived at the front door of the main house in the blink of an eye.

Inside the room, Shen Bing was embracing his concubine, drinking and chatting. Hearing the noise, he didn't know what was happening and muttered curses under his breath.

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves and the sounds of fighting nearby, his expression suddenly changed. He hurriedly pushed his concubine aside, not even bothering to put on his shoes, and tried to escape through the back window.

But as soon as he moved to the window, he was deeply shocked by what he saw.

The cold moonlight outside the window cast a silvery glow, illuminating the chestnut warhorse clearly.

The chestnut warhorse reared up, its massive body blocking half the window, its red mane blowing wildly in the night wind.

Two iron hooves, each as big as a bowl, were raised high and kicked down hard at the carved window frame!

"Bang! Bang!" Two deafening crashes echoed as the hardwood window frame and its edge were instantly kicked to pieces, splinters of wood raining down on them.

Shen Bingren was dumbfounded, staring blankly as the warhorse demolished the window, then leaped up, carrying Lin Yue on its back, and crashed directly into the house.

Lin Yue was carried by the wild horse through several courtyard gates. He was already out of control, and now it leaped and smashed through a window. He felt the wind blasting in his ears and sawdust hitting him head and head. He was jolted so hard that he felt dizzy.

Unexpectedly, the chestnut horse burst through the window and entered without stopping. It snorted, picked up Shen Bing in its mouth, turned around, smashed open the door on the other side, and rushed out of the courtyard, its hooves flying as it headed straight for the open space in the front yard.

When Lin Yue came to his senses, he found himself standing in the open space of the front yard.

He calmed himself down and realized that the treacherous Shen Bing was half-hanging on the horse's back, not moving at all, and he didn't know if he was dead.

Zhao Hugang, leading his personal guards to clear out the remaining comrades in the front yard, was rushing towards the back courtyard with his sword in hand when he looked up and saw this scene, and froze on the spot.

He looked around and glanced at the backyard, which resembled a parking lot destroyed by a tornado.

Looking at Lin Yue on horseback and Shen Bing, the ringleader who had been captured alive, it took him a while to come to his senses. He quickly stepped forward, his face full of undisguised shock and admiration, and bowed with clasped hands.

Previously, I only thought that you were a scholar-official who cared about the common people and a pillar of the court who planned and strategized.

Only today did I learn of your extraordinary strength and courage. This deep mansion, with its high walls and narrow courtyards, was fraught with obstacles, yet you single-handedly charged straight into the inner quarters and captured the ringleader in an instant. Your horsemanship was truly divine; I am utterly in awe and deeply admire you!

Zhao Hu's praise was heartfelt. If Lin Yue hadn't looked so imposing, he would have said something like "Xiang Yu reborn" or "Overlord in the world."

Hearing this, Lin Yue looked at the chestnut warhorse beneath him that was munching on Shen Bing's hair, and had a thousand complaints in his mind but didn't know who to tell.

What superb riding skills and extraordinary bravery? It's clearly the horse that's the real expert; he's just an accessory.

But Lin Yue didn't know how to explain it, so she could only remain silent.

Seeing this, Zhao Hu admired him even more. As expected of Lord Lin, he was so composed!

In less than half an hour, Lin Yue had escorted Shen Bing and his group of prisoners, along with the secret letters, account books, and stolen goods that had been found, and rode back to Wusongkou Wharf at full speed.

Without pausing for a moment, he led Shen Bing straight to the main ship's council chamber.

After a brief interrogation and comparison of the information, Lin Yue looked up at Zheng He and said.

"Eunuch Zheng, the information has been confirmed repeatedly and there are no errors or omissions. We should act swiftly, or things may change."

The Japanese pirates are unaware that Zhou Xian and Shen Bing have been captured. Now is the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. If we send out our troops immediately, we will surely achieve victory in one battle!

Inside the main ship's cabin, giant tallow candles crackled and popped as they burned.

Zheng He was dressed in a black military uniform with gold embroidery, and a royal-bestowed goose-feather knife hung at his waist.

"Summon Wang Jinghong, Deputy General of the Left Army; Zhu Zhen, Commander of the Right Army; Tang Jing, Commander of the Vanguard Camp; and Zhang Da, Commander of the Sentry Ships, to enter the tent immediately and await orders!"

As soon as the order was given, the guards outside the tent shouted the message aloud. In an instant, four fully armored naval commanders strode in, knelt on one knee in unison, and shouted in booming voices, "We await the General's command!"

Zheng He spoke quickly and forcefully, each word resounding: "Tonight we will encircle and annihilate the Japanese pirates. We will divide our forces into three routes and complete the encirclement before 1 AM. At midnight, we will launch a full-scale attack with the signal cannon as the order!"

Wang Jinghong!

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall lead five warships and twenty sentry boats of the left flank, weigh anchor immediately, and take advantage of the night to circle around to the outer sea east of the sandbar. First, send out scouts and sentry boats to take out the Japanese pirates' lookout posts in the outer sea. Do not let any news leak out!"

Anyone who dares to send a pirate ship out to sea will have to answer to me with their head!

"Your humble servant obeys! I will not fail the General's trust!" Wang Jinghong clasped his hands in a fist salute, stood up, turned around, and strode out of the tent.

"Zhu Zhen!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead ten warships and four fire ships of the right battalion straight to the shallows on the west side of the sandbar, blocking all the waterways leading to Wusongkou and Liujiagang!"

Equip them with enough rockets and oil, and if a pirate ship tries to escape, burn it on the spot without asking for orders!

"Any Japanese pirates who swim ashore must be captured and killed without exception; not a single one shall escape!"

"Tang Jing!"

"You will follow me to lead the main force of the central army to blockade the main channel of the sandbar. All warships, cannons, and mortars will be loaded. When the third watch fires, we will first bombard the enemy's earthen fortifications with artillery fire, and then lead the infantry ashore to mop up and annihilate them!"

"Zhang Da!"

"You shall lead all the patrol boats to deploy along both banks of the Wusong Estuary, blockade the river, and forbid any civilian or fishing boats from passing through to deliver messages. Any fast boats found to be colluding with the Japanese pirates shall be seized, and any that dare to resist shall be sunk on the spot!"

With the four military orders issued, the four generals went to their respective camps.

Zheng He had already prepared the navy, so he immediately nodded and gave the order in a stern voice.

"Weigh anchor! All troops, move out of port and encircle Chongming Sandbar!"

In a short while, the quiet river surface began to move.

Under the cover of night and with the help of the tide, more than a hundred warships silently sailed out of Wusongkou and slowly converged on Chongming Sandbar.

Wang Jinghong and Zhu Zhen led two separate naval forces, following the pre-arranged strategy to encircle and block the escape route to the outer sea. Before dawn, the three naval forces had completely surrounded Chongming Sandbar.

Zheng He stood on the observation deck of the main ship, observing carefully with a telescope.

Once he confirmed that all the ships were in the correct positions and the encirclement was complete, he shouted, "Fire!"

In an instant, the sound of cannons shook the sea and sky.

The small, dilapidated fishing boats that the Japanese pirates relied on for plunder were utterly insignificant in the face of the Ming Dynasty's heavy cannons; they would shatter at the slightest touch.

In fact, firearms were already widely used in China during the Song Dynasty. For example, in the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu Yuanzhang's army "first used firearms, then bows and crossbows, and when they reached the boats, they used short weapons to attack them." At this time, firearms were still auxiliary weapons, mainly used to kill people and disrupt the enemy's formation.

During the Yongle period, the Ming Dynasty navy had specialized standard firearms. The standard firearms for naval battles were the bowl-shaped and hand-held firearms, but their power and range were not particularly outstanding, and they were considered close-combat firearms.

Zheng He's fleet was equipped with a small number of large cannons, but as mentioned before, firearms in the early Ming Dynasty were not very sophisticated, and the main naval tactics still had to end with boarding maneuvers. However, we can say that the naval firepower of the early Ming Dynasty was more than a century ahead of the rest of the world.

The Japanese pirates were caught completely off guard by the sudden arrival of the Ming army. They were awakened by the sound of cannons and were thrown into chaos. They didn't even have time to organize a resistance or escape by boat.

Occasionally, when Japanese pirates attempted to retaliate by ship, they were either ignited by the fire ships' burning oil or brutally beaten by the Ming army in boarding battles.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the Japanese pirate ships on the sea were wiped out.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yue immediately clasped his hands and volunteered for battle: "Eunuch Zheng, I request permission to lead the vanguard to seize the beach and wipe out the remaining Japanese pirates in the stronghold!"

Zheng He frowned and immediately waved his hand: "Absolutely not! Fighting on land is the duty of soldiers. You are a Grand Secretary of the court; how can you personally go to such a dangerous place?"

Zheng He was somewhat exasperated with Lin Yue, who was always causing trouble, and he missed the days when he could work with normal Ming Dynasty officials.

Lin Yue, however, refused to give up and insisted.

His thinking was simple: now that he had the chance to personally kill the Japanese pirates, he had to go and kill two of them. That way, his life wouldn't have been in vain.

As the two were locked in a stalemate, Zhao Hu immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed, and said loudly.

"General! Scholar Lin may appear weak, but he is actually proficient in riding, archery and martial arts, and possesses the courage of ten thousand men!"

Today, Scholar Lin single-handedly stormed Shen Bing Manor, and within the deep courtyard, he captured the ringleader alive on horseback. His bravery is unmatched!

"If this landing at the ferry is left to my master, he will surely succeed without fail. I, your subordinate, am willing to pledge my life to accompany Scholar Lin on the landing!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng He looked at Zhao Hu with a face full of astonishment.

What does this mean? Aren't you Lin Yue's personal guard? Why are you so eager to have the patriarch be the vanguard?

Zheng He didn't believe Zhao Hu's statement at all, maybe even nine-tenths. Lin Yue was a civil official in the Hanlin Academy. Although he was decisive and resolute, he didn't seem like someone who could go into battle.

However, the war was at its most intense at the moment, and Lin Yue was determined to fight, while Zhao Hu spoke with absolute certainty.

As the commander-in-chief, he couldn't stop them any longer. Considering the short stature and vulnerability of the Japanese pirates, he immediately nodded.

"Lin Yue, you are granted permission to lead the vanguard ashore. Be extremely careful!"