From the Ming Dynasty, we will conquer the world

Chapter 19: Attack and counterattack!

As he listened, Xu Xing began to analyze.

Zhu Tiandu stayed at Xiangshan and did not take any action, but only ordered Zhu Polong to hunt down Qi Jiguang. There were probably two reasons for this.

First, although Zhu Tiandu killed Lu Bing, he was also injured and needed time to recover.

Secondly, although Zhu Polong and others successfully attacked Xiangshan, they did not have enough troops after all, and they had to wait for the main force of the 36 ships to land before they could continue to plot against Taizhou.

The defeat at Xiangshan was not only due to Zhu Tiandu's boxing skills, but also due to the continuous heavy rain.

After the rain stopped, even though Zhu Polong was a master, it would be almost impossible for him to imitate his adoptive father and carry out another decapitation operation against the more heavily guarded Taizhou City.

That's why he personally led the team to hunt down Qi Jiguang and put his strengths as a master of boxing to use.

Zhu Polong had a plan in mind. He divided his men into a dozen small teams led by big boxers and searched lightly.

On the other hand, he spread the news that Qi Jiguang had fled to the mountains, inducing the garrisons to send troops deep into the mountains to provide assistance.

As long as the Ming army entered the mountainous and forested areas, their numerical advantage would be reduced to the extreme, and it would be difficult to defeat the elusive big boxers.

There is no shortage of masters at the level of Grand Masters in the Southeast, but the situation here is really mixed, with undercurrents surging. Grand Masters are also human beings, with backgrounds, so they will naturally be affected.

Because of the "maritime ban", wealthy merchants along the coast often colluded with pirates. Even among the thirty-six ship owners, there were several who were sea merchants and came to surrender with their families.

The boxing schools headed by Southern Shaolin have an ambiguous attitude due to the "Wuzhilu" incident in which Emperor Jiajing surveyed the martial arts world.

After all the calculations, it turned out that the only people who could work together with the government troops to fight against the Japanese pirates were some folk masters with a sense of justice.

But the government troops also have their own problems, that is, they have no money.

In recent years, the imperial court has fought a series of wars with the Mongols in the north. Due to the tragedy of the Gengshi Incident, military expenditures in the capital and the various forts along the Great Wall have increased dramatically.

The national treasury was already empty, and with such a large expenditure, the military expenditure available for the southeast to wipe out the Japanese pirates was naturally not sufficient, and there was even less to support the experts.

You know, the medicinal materials, food supplies, and even daily food needed for a great boxer's practice are all a considerable expense.

This is also why, after Xu Xing returned to Chun'an and took over Xianchaoguan, he often went out to sea alone to rob pirates.

——He really doesn’t have that much money.

These complex interests were woven into a huge web that hindered each other. Even figures like Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang were deeply trapped in it and found it difficult to act freely.

But it was different on the sea. Zhu Tiandu had been traveling across the southeast for decades and had always controlled the maritime trade routes. His wealth was incalculable, and his boxing skills were almost the best in the world. He also had a group of great boxers that he had trained personally.

With plenty of money, a strong fist, and great power, it is natural that he has the final say among the pirates and no one can disobey him.

Even if the big boxers on land offended Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang, as long as they had decent connections and power behind them and did not do things too excessively, basically nothing would happen to them.

Because these two people are officials, various factors have to be taken into consideration.

But if the big boxer among the pirates offends Zhu Tiandu, he will end up being beaten to death on the spot by Zhu Polong, without exception.

Therefore, it would be difficult for these masters in the southeast, each with their own status and power, to be unified and dispatched in a short period of time like the "Ten Shark Generals".

This is why Zhu Polong made a plan to launch a surprise attack on Xiangshan. Although this plan is risky, the expected returns are also very considerable.

Once they succeed, they will be able to firmly grasp the rhythm of the war and, relying on the time difference, always create opportunities to defeat the enemy with more numbers.

While Xu Xing was thinking, Xiyu arrived with a sword in hand, followed by Qi Dazhu, the four guard coaches, and more than thirty martial arts apprentices.

Everyone was used to the bloody scene beside Xu Xing. They were only surprised by one thing.

——The owner of the hall took action, but only killed a dozen people?
Some sharp-eyed people looked around and found the bodies of the Ming soldiers killed by Inoue Jusanlang and others, so they naturally put the blame on Xu Xing.

——No wonder, this is reasonable.

Seeing that everyone was present, Xu Xing informed them of the whole situation, along with his own analysis and thoughts.

Although Qi Dazhu had only met Qi Jiguang once, he was already impressed by the general's demeanor. Upon hearing about the outcome of the Battle of Xiangshan, he could not help but worry:
"General Qi is a man of high regard in the southeast. Now that he has been attacked, I'm afraid..."

Xiyu noticed another detail in the conversation. She looked up at Xu Xing, and even her usually cold and calm tone became excited and high-pitched.

"He was the one who rescued Qi Jiguang?"

Xu Xing looked nostalgic and nodded:
"It's not surprising that he is someone who can do such a thing."

Xiyu pursed her lips, was silent for a while, and suddenly said:
"I'm going to help him."

Each of these five words was decisive and full of resolution and sharpness, making people suddenly realize that although this little girl was slender and looked weak, she was also an extremely outstanding swordsman.

Xu Xing knew about the entanglement between her and Lu Zhu, so he was not surprised and just smiled:

"Qi Yuanjing is the pillar of the southeast, and the little monk saved me before. For both public and private reasons, there is no reason for me to stand by and watch."

Hearing what Xu Xing said, the apprentices were not afraid at all. Instead, they were eager to try. Qi Dazhu's former cellmate Li Dingyuan took the lead and shouted:
"Master, we have to kill the enemy too!"

"Yes, yes!"

"General Qi is a good man. We can't let him be harmed by the Japanese pirates!"

Although these apprentices were extremely disgusted with and even hated the high-ranking officials because of a prison incident, they were still full of respect when talking about Qi Jiguang.

After all, everyone knows that the southeast has been able to survive these years mostly thanks to Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang, one a civil official and the other a military commander.

Therefore, when it comes to rescuing General Qi and fighting the Japanese pirates, these apprentices become excited and full of fighting spirit.

Seeing that these apprentices knew they were going to fight with the grandmaster but showed no fear, Xu Xing could not help but nod his head, knowing that they had made great progress in their "stealing heaven's secrets" training and would not be easily swayed by external things.

But what Xu Xing didn't know was that at least half of the apprentices were thinking the same thing.

With the owner of the museum here, what does a Zhu Po Long matter?
If the opponent was Zhu Tiandu, no matter how confident these apprentices were in Xu Xing, they would inevitably feel uneasy.

After all, they were all eyewitnesses of the sea disaster six years ago, and their awe of the "Dragon King" was engraved in their bones.

But Zhu Polong...

Although the "Crocodile God of the Four Seas" is famous, is our museum owner's performance of bathing in the thunder without being hurt so bad?
Xu Xing bowed to the four coaches again and said sincerely:
"If a fight breaks out later, please take good care of these disciples. Thank you very much."

Among the four, the middle-aged man with the most experience said generously:

"Boss Shen has instructed that if any of us dies in battle, he will help take care of our families.

We don’t have to worry about anything, and we can fight side by side with a master like Master Xu. For those of us who are just practicing martial arts, we will die without regrets!"

The other three also laughed, and they were obviously prepared to risk their lives. Although these four had not yet practiced physical training, they had all mastered their own boxing techniques and were already very powerful martial artists.

The most rare thing is that each of them has superb fighting skills and tacit cooperation. When they work together, it would take a lot of effort for an ordinary boxer who has practiced physical training to defeat them. On the battlefield, they are considered to be an extremely impressive fighting force.

Seeing everyone's attitude, Xu Xing recalled the happy time when he laughed and talked about drinking the blood of the Xiongnu outside the Great Wall. He suddenly felt heroic and laughed loudly, "You four are very courageous. Let's go!"

Before setting off, Xu Xing thought to himself that with a master like him leading the team, and Xiyu, a second-level master boxer, they shouldn't encounter too much trouble on the way to Taizhou.

So they did not carry any weapons, but only some dry food and medicinal herbs needed for practicing, and left Xianchao Hall.

Fortunately, there are ready-made weapons to pick up on the battlefield. After picking up swords, spears, swords and halberds, the apprentices are even more excited.

As the saying goes, if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. They have just finished the "stealing secrets" training and are now full of energy. Naturally, they are eager to find a target to verify what they have learned.

Xu Xing naturally led the way in front, with his skin refining at full strength. He could even capture the subtle touch of every wisp of air passing over his skin. It was no exaggeration to say that his whole body was full of eyes.

The information collected by all the senses is compiled into pictures and emerges in Xu Xing's sea of ​​consciousness.

The reason why Zhu Polong let the big boxer be the vanguard was because in the mountainous area, these masters with keen five senses could even detect the slightest movement a hundred steps away, and their search ability far exceeded that of ordinary people.

A dozen great boxers spread out like a net that was tight but not leaking, aiming to capture Qi Jiguang and others.

But compared to Xu Xing, a master who has achieved the ultimate level of skin refining and can sense murderous intent within several miles, the great boxer's perception is not worth mentioning at all.

Qi Dazhu and the others had just walked two miles when they saw Xu Xing return gracefully, popping his head out from the treetops and giving instructions to those below:

"There is another group ahead, seventeen in total. Let me kill the big boxer who leads them first, and then you can follow up to wipe out the rest of the pirates.

There are three masters of Tong Jin among them, one is Crane Fist, one is Tiger Fist and one is Plum Fist.

The one who uses the Crane Fist has not trained the muscles and bones in his hands well enough and is most afraid of horizontal training. The one who uses the Tiger Fist is too fierce but not delicate enough, and his posture has big flaws, so he cannot cope with the siege.

That Meiquan guy has good leg skills, Dazhu, remember to use your kicking skills to kick him to death first, don't give him room to maneuver."

After listening to Xu Xing's detailed instructions, even though they had not yet seen the enemy's appearance, everyone already had confidence in victory.

Xiyu and the four coaches were also broadened their horizons. Although they were all experienced men, they had never fought a battle like this where "others don't know me, but I know others."

Xiyu even thought to herself that with this information, even if she acted alone, given more time, she would be able to kill all of them.

After understanding this, the female swordsman realized Xu Xing's strength from another perspective, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

Is the Grandmaster's power really this great?
The battle was indeed as easy as everyone expected.

Although the big boxer who led this team was proficient in boxing, he was only at the second level of training. His actual combat skills were not as good as Lei Bin and Xiyu. Naturally, he was defeated at the first touch of Xu Xing.

Seeing Xu Xing so brave, the pirates were immediately in an uproar. They were shocked and saw Qi Dazhu leading more than 30 people to rush forward.

Although these pirates were a small group of elite troops who came ashore after the rain stopped, except for the three Tongjin masters, their martial arts skills were at most slightly better than those apprentices who had experienced the "Stealing Heaven's Secrets".

It was impossible for the pirates to make up for the difference of more than twice their numbers by relying on this slight advantage, not to mention that their morale had been shaken by witnessing Xu Xing's brutal ferocity.

Half an incense stick later, there was no living pirate left there.

After simply cleaning up the battlefield, the people in Xianchao Pavilion did not hide their route and continued to rush towards the next target under the leadership of Xu Xing.

Xu Xing just wanted to let Zhu Polon know where they were!
-

On a wild hillside.

Zhu Polong stood proudly, with his chest and arms exposed. The muscles on his chest, abdomen, shoulders and back were clearly visible, like rocks that had been washed by the waves for a long time.

He glanced at the forest and said in a deep voice:
"It's been five days, and thirteen great boxers have led the team, but they haven't found any clues. Could it be that Qi Jiguang is really a winged tiger that flew into Taizhou?"

Behind Zhu Polong, there were four kneeling figures. Although they were all great boxers, they couldn't help but break out in cold sweats when they heard these questions. They lowered their heads and remained silent.

Beside Zhu Tiandu, Zhu Polong always kept a low profile, like a servant.

But once he left the "Dragon King", Zhu Po Long's edge and courage as the "Crocodile God of the Four Seas" were fully revealed. Every word he said was more important than a thousand pounds, almost suffocating people.

Zhu Polong turned around, revealing the tattoo on his back. It was a tattoo of a ferocious beast with a crocodile head and a human body, with round eyes, a gaping bloody mouth and a sharp sharp pupil.

As his muscles squirmed and his bones undulated, the beast would reveal different forms, angry, ferocious, resentful, terrifying and chilling.

Suddenly, Zhu Polong frowned again:
"Why hasn't Blood Shark given the signal yet? Didn't I tell you to be on time and not to rush ahead? What has he been doing now?!"

When Zhu Polong assigned the task, he had instructed the thirteen great boxers not to rush for quick success during the search and to report back at all times to avoid being caught and killed by Qi Jiguang.

After all, a seriously injured master is still a master.

Compared to the great boxers on land, although these masters at sea can work together as one, they are not without flaws.

Because they are doing life-threatening work and they don't know when they might lose their life, these people develop the habit of indulging in sensual pleasures, accumulating wealth, and venting all their desires in their limited life.

This is especially true for the big pirates among the thirty-six ship owners who have their own family backgrounds. They have long been accustomed to this style of doing things.

Fierce as a tiger, cruel as a sheep, greedy as a wolf, this is what it means.

Therefore, Zhu Polong's command of this group of pirates was just like driving wild beasts and luring them with blood for food.

It is completely impossible to expect this group of people to be strictly disciplined and follow orders.

The desire of "Blood Shark General" Inoue Jusanro is to torture his opponents to death and enjoy watching them gradually collapse when they are about to die.

Although Zhu Polong has emphasized many times that his subordinates should not indulge themselves, the big boxers are always a little willful and willfully obey his orders in both open and covert ways.

Inoue Jusanro is a typical example.

On weekdays, Zhu Polong doesn't bother to pay attention.

However, the situation now is different from the past. Hunting Qi Jiguang is related to the plans of his adoptive father. Naturally, he has to take the most stringent attitude and cannot tolerate any sand in his eyes.

"Go and see what he is doing!"

At this moment, a figure came flying out of the forest, shouting loudly as he ran:

"Blood Shark General, Blood Shark General is dead!"

Upon hearing that his general had died in battle, Zhu Polong opened his eyes wide suddenly, but he did not feel sad at all. He was only shocked by one thing.

——How could a seriously injured Qi Jiguang kill a top-notch boxer who had mastered all four skills?
This is also why, when Zhu Polong saw that Inoue Jusanro did not report the news, his first reaction was that he had neglected his duty again.

After all, even at his current state, it would take him three moves to defeat Inoue Jusanlang. Could a dying Qi Lao Hu really have such a method? !

Could it be that the imperial court has sent another expert to help the southeast? !

Thinking of Lu Bing who suddenly appeared and almost ruined his plan, Zhu Polong's mouth curled up and smiled extremely ferociously, with a cold and murderous light in his eyes.

——If so, that’s exactly what I want!
(End of this chapter)