Chu Lingguang and his men ran all the way to the port.
By the time he arrived, Zhang Baofu and Xuanyuan Jinkang were already attending to the wounded.
He saw Zhang Long and Zhao Hu drenched in blood. Their bodies were covered in numerous wounds, as if they had been repeatedly slashed. The cuts were clean and orderly, with blood streaming from them.
Zhao Hu’s injuries were more severe; his gaze was unfocused, and he had to be held up by his men.
Many soldiers lay wailing on stretchers, and the medics were frantically busy.
"Lord Chu."
When everyone saw Chu Lingguang approach, they quickly made way for him.
"Who did this?" Chu Lingguang asked.
There were many pirate gangs in these waters, but few dared to attack the ships of Black Bear Island.
"It was the pirates from Xiazigou," Zhang Long said.
"They said that from now on, all merchant ships in these waters will have to give them half their cargo," Zhao Hu added.
"Tend to our brothers’ wounds first. Take Lord Zhang and Lord Zhao to recover, and see that they are well cared for. Rest assured, everyone. I will see that justice is done for you," Chu Lingguang promised.
Since taking office, in addition to training his troops and patrolling the island and its shipping lanes, he had also gained a preliminary understanding of the pirate factions in the waters around Black Bear Island, as well as the neighboring small nations.
Xiazigou was an island nearly a day’s voyage from Black Bear Island.
The island was named Xiazigou, or "Shrimp Gully," because it resembled a lobster rising from the sea, and the only approach was through a single sea trench, which was necessary to navigate to avoid the treacherous underwater coral reefs.
The pirates of Xiazigou numbered around a thousand.
They were all utterly ruthless villains. Any merchant ship that crossed their path during one of their raids was almost certain to be destroyed, its crew slaughtered, unless it had formidable defenses.
In these waters, their reputation was infamous, and the mere mention of their name made people’s blood run cold.
Previous Island Masters of Black Bear Island had tried to attack the pirates of Xiazigou. After becoming Governor, Liu Ziyun had gone so far as to assemble a five-thousand-man fleet and personally lead an assault on the island.
Unfortunately, Xiazigou was easy to defend and hard to attack. It was surrounded by coral reefs that could easily ground any ship, leaving only the single sea trench as a viable approach.
Furthermore, the waves there were violent, and the waters were almost never calm, no matter the season.
Usually, before an attacking fleet could even get close to Xiazigou, the pirates on the island would be fully prepared, having even laid numerous traps within the sea trench.
Any unfamiliar ship that entered the trench without a guide would easily fall prey to hidden traps and sink into its depths.
In the end, even Liu Ziyun’s campaign had ended in failure.
After taking office and learning of Xiazigou, the young and ambitious Chu Lingguang had discussed with Xuanyuan Jinkang and Eunuch Liu his plan to eliminate the pirates during his term.
To this end, he had tightened military discipline and trained his troops, personally leading the soldiers in practicing their Spear Technique and guiding them in the art of Breathing and Exhaling every day. And yet, it was his own men who had been attacked first by the pirates of Xiazigou.
He knew this was a warning from the pirates of Xiazigou.
He had to respond. Otherwise, no one would believe he could properly govern these waters and protect the shipping lanes.
"Chu Lingguang, if you’re going to attack Xiazigou, I can lead the charge."
Xuanyuan Jinkang was seething with frustration. For the past three months, day after day, Chu Lingguang had either led the soldiers in practicing their Spear Technique at the Martial Arts Arena or taken them on patrols around the island. Chu Lingguang could endure such a routine, but Xuanyuan Jinkang was losing his patience.
’Finally, an opportunity has arrived.’
"We need to plan this carefully."
Chu Lingguang knew this was no time for haste. He turned to Zhang Baofu and said, "Lord Zhang, you’ve been stationed on Black Bear Island for many years. You know more about the Xiazigou pirates than anyone. I’d like to hear your advice."
"They’re targeting you, my lord. They want you to stop interfering with their income, and they want to provoke you into attacking them right now. If you do that, you’ll be walking right into their trap."
"But if you do nothing, they’ll only grow more brazen. Other pirates will start to see you as a pushover, and soon these waters will be infested with them, just like before. You’ll be so busy dealing with them that you’ll never have time to handle the pirates of Xiazigou, who will be free to plunder every ship they please," Zhang Baofu sighed.
He was a jaded veteran now, but he had once been a hot-blooded youth. When he first took his post on Black Bear Island, he had been as full of fighting spirit as Chu Lingguang, vowing to wipe out all the pirates and bring peace to the seas. But after a few bitter defeats, his spirit had been broken, and he’d slowly become the cynic he was today.
Right now, more than the pirates of Xiazigou, Zhang Baofu was concerned with what Chu Lingguang would do.
’Will this young man lose his fighting spirit, just as I did? Or will he remain as unyielding as ever?’
"Lord Zhang’s analysis is spot-on. If we don’t handle this correctly, the authority we’ve worked so hard to establish will collapse in an instant."
"And that’s exactly the outcome the pirates of Xiazigou are hoping for," Chu Lingguang nodded in full agreement.
"Then what’s your plan?" Xuanyuan Jinkang asked, growing impatient. "We can’t just sit here and do nothing, can we?"
"Of course we’re going to act," Chu Lingguang said, his voice firm. "And we’re going to finish this in one decisive blow, ensuring the pirates of Xiazigou never recover."
"Lord Chu, with only the men we have on this island, we don’t stand a chance of taking Xiazigou," Zhang Baofu warned.
He was worried that Chu Lingguang, in a fit of passion, would impulsively lead all the island’s soldiers to attack Xiazigou. Such a reckless move would be even more disastrous than just suffering the humiliation in silence.
"I am well aware of the situation. If even the Lord Governor couldn’t defeat them with five thousand men, what chance would we have?"