Rise From the Humble

“South of the mountain” and “north of the water” are yang, and “north of the mountain” and “south of the water” are yin.

Jiangyin is the south of the Yangtze River. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the fief of Huang Xie, the Lord of Spring and Autumn, was in Jiangyin County, known as the “Old Fief of Spring and Autumn”. It was a rich land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, a state bordering the Three Wus, and a meeting place for boats and cars of the Baiyue.

At this time, the city of Jiangyin was decorated with lights and colors inside and outside, immersed in a cheerful atmosphere of faith.

"Boss Wu, I wish you a prosperous business, a healthy family, and a happy New Year."

"Haha, Boss Liu, I wish you great success in the new year and a prosperous business."

"Haha, Boss Wu, we are rivals. You wish me prosperity, so I am not afraid that one will win while the other loses. My business will be taken away from yours."

"Boss Li, are you taking my business away, or am I taking your business away? It depends on your ability."

"Haha, good, well said, let's rely on our ability."

People on the street wear new clothes and carry gifts to visit relatives and friends. When they meet on the street, they greet each other and say auspicious words to wish each other a happy New Year. Even if they meet old rivals, they smile and say Happy New Year.

Children run out in groups of three or five on the streets and alleys, showing off their new clothes to each other, taking out snacks such as honey money, preserved fruits, melon seeds, and candies that they don't usually eat from their pockets, and eating them proudly and exaggeratedly.

There are also many naughty children holding a stick of incense in their hands, taking out firecrackers from their pockets, putting them on the ground, or in strange places, covering their ears with one hand, and trembling with fear and excitement with the other hand to hold out the incense, and use the sparks to light the fuse of the firecrackers.

"Pop" "Bang"

In the sound of firecrackers, the naughty children shouted and laughed happily, especially when they scared passers-by and chased them and scolded them, they were even more happy.

Laughter came from any yard, and the aroma of wine, meat and vegetables wafted from any yard.

It's the New Year.

Every household, men, women, old and young were immersed in the joy of the New Year. No one would have thought that a few miles away, dozens of Japanese ships were cutting through the wind and waves, going up the river, and heading straight for Jiangyin County.

"Paddle at full speed! The leader said that speed is the essence of war! Kill him by surprise!" The pirate leader held a whip to supervise his pirates paddling desperately. If he saw any of them not using all their strength, he would whip them.

"Rush into the county, pick any woman inside, and have sex with any of them!! The leader said, rush into the county, except for the gentry, merchants and wealthy families inside, you can burn, kill and rob the rest! Whatever you rob is yours!"

The pirate leader said to everyone while waving the whip.

Under the effect of carrots and whips, the pirates paddled the boats and the Japanese ships flew forward like arrows.

After a while, the Japanese ships rushed to the moat outside Jiangyin County.

"We're here, we're here."

Amid a clamor, Ryuzoji Shingen and Matsuura Shimosaburo walked out of the cabin and came to the deck.

Jiangyin County was in sight.

The endless city wall is eight meters high. The foundation is made of five layers of large stones and the walls are made of large blue bricks. There are four sub-cities, three city shops, more than twenty enemy towers and nests. There is a horse racing track on the city, which is enough for horses to gallop. There is also a moat outside the city, which leads directly to the mighty river. It is simply a huge city.

"Oh my God, what a huge city, Xu Jun, Ma Jun, we are not going to attack Jiangyin, why are we attacking such a huge city? This, this, this must be the capital of the Ming Dynasty in Jiangnan, Yingtian?!"

Matsuura Shimosaburo saw Jiangyin County and exclaimed immediately. He thought Xu Hai and Ma Ye brought them to attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Yingtian, and was shocked.

Although they are proud of their bravery and look down on the combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers, they are not so confident that they can lead a few thousand people to attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty! In their country of Japan, even if they want to attack the small towns of other daimyo, they need more than 10,000 people!

"Ahem, Xu Jun, Ma Jun, the work of attacking the capital of the Ming Dynasty should wait until the army sent by the family head arrives."

Ryuzoji Shingen also coughed and repeated it.

"Hahahaha, General Ryuzoji, General Matsuura, this is not Yingtian, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, this is Jiangyin County."

Ma Ye couldn't help laughing.

These Japanese are really frogs in the well, without any knowledge at all, just a county town, but they actually thought it was the capital! How small must Japan be! How poor must it be! To think a small county town is a city! No wonder the Japanese warriors are so good at fighting, poor mountains and bad waters produce stubborn people, poor people can't even open the pot, so they have to fight to the point of brains to grab some food, how normal.

"What?! This is not the capital Yingtian, but Jiangyin County?"

"County?! A small county is so huge?! How big must the real capital Yingtian be?! What about the current capital of the Ming Dynasty?! I can't even imagine how magnificent the capital must be!"

When Matsuura Shimosaburo and Ryuzoji Shingen heard that this was actually Jiangyin County, they opened their mouths in surprise.

Unbelievable!

Unimaginable!

In their eyes, such a huge city is actually just the most basic unit of power in the Ming Dynasty - the county!

The county is so huge, they can't imagine how magnificent the prefectural city, the capital, and the capital of the daimyo must be!

"Quick, quick, guys, get off the boat quickly and rush to grab the door before the gatekeepers react!"

According to the orders of Xu Hai and others, the Japanese pirate leader kicked and stomped his pirates off the ship as soon as the ship docked and rushed straight to the county town!

The officers and soldiers guarding the county town were not stupid. Although they drank a lot of wine and ate four dishes and one soup at the city gate, they did not find the Japanese ship at the first time, but the movement of the Japanese pirates getting off the ship and the screams of the people outside the city gate still made them realize it later.

"Oh no, Japanese pirates! The Japanese pirates are coming!"

"Quick, stop drinking, close the city gate quickly, don't let the Japanese pirates enter the city, if the Japanese pirates enter the city, we will all be finished!"

"Close the gate, close the gate, close the gate quickly!"

The gatekeepers screamed in panic, got down from the wine table in a hurry, and rushed to close the city gate.

The officers and soldiers closed the city gate in a hurry, and finally closed the city gate one second before the Japanese pirates rushed in.

"Thank God, we finally closed the city gate before these killers came in! I tell you, we have done a great job this time! If the Japanese pirates enter the city, our county will not celebrate the Spring Festival, but the Ghost Festival."

An old soldier with gray hair and a mouth full of alcohol breathed a sigh of relief after closing the city gate, and said with a surviving life.

"We know this. The Japanese pirates have burned, killed and looted so many places during this period. It is incalculable. Whenever the Japanese pirates break through the village, village, fortress and county town, it is not a river of blood and hell on earth!"

"If the Japanese pirates enter the city, not to mention my wife and mother, even our sows will suffer!"

A group of gatekeepers sat behind the city gate after surviving the disaster and denounced the Japanese pirates.