Chapter 1

Sanmen Bay, surrounded by mountains on its east, north, and west sides, is a highly convoluted and complex bay along the coast of Zhejiang. However, the deep waters of the beach are very advantageous for warships to dock, making it a natural semi-enclosed bay. The paths on the mountains connect several surrounding villages.

At this moment, dozens of Japanese pirate warships were moored on the sea surface. They had learned from the pirates that the elite troops from the Jiangnan camp, who were sent to suppress them, had been recalled to Jinling. Therefore, they planned to launch a night raid on Ninghai City to give the Ming Emperor a taste of their power.

As the Japanese pirates steered their warships toward the beach, a pair of cold eyes in the forest on the opposite side of the beach were staring at them intently.

Under the moonlight, small boats loaded with Japanese pirates began to row toward the beach. Soon, the beach was crowded with Japanese pirates. Suddenly, a cannon shot rang out from the forest, and a ball of fire lit up the sea, shattering one of the Japanese pirate warships!

The Japanese pirates on the beach immediately fell into chaos. Under the roar of their leader, a large group of Japanese pirates began to retreat to the small boats by the sea. The cannon fire from the forest sounded again, and this time, two warships moored in the bay were sunk, scaring the Japanese pirates on the ships, who began to fire back and quickly retreat.

The cannons in the forest roared, spewing balls of fire, and several small boats of Japanese pirates were blown into the air!

Seeing that they could not retreat to the warships in the bay, countless Japanese pirates brandished their swords and began to charge toward the forest. The cannons in the forest sounded again, and balls of cannon fire fell on the beach, flipping countless Japanese pirates to the ground.

The Japanese pirates who charged through the cannon fire, their eyes red with madness, roared and charged toward the forest where the cannons were firing. Just as they were about to step into the forest, the sound of muskets rang out from the trees, and the charging Japanese pirates fell to the ground under the flashes of light.

Then, a group of armored Ming soldiers charged out, forming small military formations to engage the chaotic Japanese pirates...

The vast mountains were dense with grass and trees. A narrow path led through the forest, and at the end of the path was the official road leading to Ninghai City. Jia Xu, the hundred-house commander of Lingshan Guard, had taken on a task that no other guard was willing to accept, as they believed no Japanese pirates could escape the encirclement of the army. Instead of waiting for a windfall here, they preferred to follow the Jiangnan camp to gain some military merit and wealth.

Under the moonlight, a group of soldiers armed with steel swords and long spears could be seen hiding behind the trees by the mountain path, all staring intently at Sanmen Bay, trying to see the battle situation clearly.

Jia Xu put down the monocular telescope he was holding. After half a year of preparation, whether he could turn the tide depended on whether the big fish he remembered would appear as it did in his memory. If successful, he would rise rapidly; otherwise, he would have to return to the capital in disgrace, facing the ridicule of his stepfather, Jia She.

Yes, our protagonist is a穿越者 (穿越者 means a person who has traveled through time), and he has even traveled to the body of a reborn person, which is very cliché.

This is a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. Jia Xu has traveled to the body of a person who should not exist in the story of "Dream of the Red Chamber," Jia She's illegitimate son, Jia Lian's younger brother, and Jia Yingchun's biological brother. The most bizarre thing is that this person is a reborn person who died on the way to exile after the Jia family was seized in his previous life.

However, even more bizarre things happened. Within half an hour after his rebirth, he died mysteriously, and Jia Xu traveled to this body. Fortunately, he is a VIP user of a certain website, having read many time-travel novels, and quickly calmed down, recalling the fragmented memories of his predecessor and writing them down in a small yellow book. However, his memories only go up to three years later, when the current emperor, Emperor Tianyou, died, Jia Jing died suddenly, and then Yuan Chun was made a concubine by the third prince, Zhu Wuxiang, who had just ascended the throne, while the fifth prince, Zhu Wucheng, supported by the nobility, was stripped of his military power and confined to the Imperial Clan Office.

Thinking that he could only live for a few more years, he felt very unwilling. As for running away, it was not even an option. Once the Jia family was charged with a crime, the Jinyiwei and Dongchang agents could find him anywhere.

Not wanting to die, he had to uncover the truth. To uncover the truth, he needed power. He had also considered the imperial examinations, but as a military family's son, he would never be accepted by the civil officials. Jia Zheng, for example, had been in the Ministry of Works for seven or eight years without any achievements, only advancing one rank through the emperor's favor.

Fortunately, he remembered the information recorded in the small yellow book. In his predecessor's previous life, he met a general of the Beijing camp through the introduction of Wang Xifeng's brother, Wang Ren. This person was originally a hundred-house commander of a Zhejiang guard, but he gained military merit by chance, not only advancing to a thousand-house commander but also being recognized by the commander of the Jiangnan camp, who was sent to suppress the Japanese pirates, and was transferred to the Jiangnan camp as a thousand-house commander.

In this life, that military merit is his. As for that person, he can only apologize.

Perhaps, when he becomes successful, he can give him some compensation.

"Third Master, this time the Japanese pirates won't escape!"

The one speaking was his foster brother, Jia Fu, who had come with him to fight for their lives.

Jia Xu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded heavily.

The soldiers fighting the Japanese pirates were not the weak guard soldiers but ten thousand fully armed elite soldiers from the Jiangnan camp. To suppress these Japanese pirates, the entire Zhejiang guard was cooperating, and even Jia Xu's Lingshan Guard was called in.

As for why the Jiangnan camp's troops were in Zhejiang, it goes back to three months ago. In the eleventh month of the thirty-ninth year of Emperor Tianyou, the Japanese pirates took advantage of the main force of the Zhejiang guard being in Ninghai to suppress the smugglers, besieging Songmen Guard, and breaking through and massacring Chumen Guard and Aiwang Guard.

Since the third year of Emperor Tianyou, the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang had been plagued by Japanese pirates and smugglers. Even Suzhou had been attacked. In the fourth year of Emperor Tianyou, the emperor, who began to rule personally, ordered the establishment of the Jiangnan camp in the Southern Capital to train a new army. This five-thousand-strong elite force was led by the Duke of Dongping, Xu Pengju, who was stationed in Jinling.

Speaking of the Duke of Dongping, Xu Pengju, one cannot help but mention the battle that changed the fate of the royal family and the four dukes and eight marquises, the "Tumu Fort Incident." This battle led to the loss of the main northern Ming army, with all the six ministries and nine secretaries who accompanied the expedition dying in battle, allowing the Wala to easily break through the capital, and the royal family left in the capital all dying in the defense.

When the news reached Jinling, the fifth-generation Duke of Wei, Xu Chengzong, brought out the second son of the Jianwen Emperor, "Jian Shuren" Zhu Wengui, who was imprisoned in the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum, and together with the six ministries and nine secretaries left in Jinling, made Zhu Wengui the emperor, known as the "Restoration of the Holy Ancestor." At the time, the Holy Ancestor Emperor Zhu Wengui was already 47 years old. To reclaim the capital, the Duke of Wei found the support of the wealthy families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and after five years, successfully reclaimed the capital. After returning to Beijing, Zhu Wengui renamed Beijing as the Divine Capital and rewarded his supporters, forming a military aristocracy led by the Duke of Dongping, with the Duke of Dongping's family stationed in Jinling and the Duke of Nan'an's family stationed in the southern border.

The moonlight quietly spilled onto the narrow path in the forest.

At this moment, a series of chaotic footsteps could be heard from the other end of the mountain path. Soon, a group of black shadows appeared on the path, followed by a group of Japanese pirates with shiny heads, about thirty in number, which matched the records in the small yellow book.

Jia Xu, wearing his helmet and armor, holding a goose feather knife, stood behind a large tree. Seeing the Japanese pirates arrive as expected, even after two lifetimes, his face turned red, and his heart was filled with excitement, as if the approaching Japanese pirates were not fierce killers but opportunities for promotion and wealth.

At this moment, countless eyes were fixed on him. Jia Xu tightly gripped the hilt of his knife, staring intently at the approaching Japanese pirates, motionless.

Jia Fu crawled to his side and whispered, "Third Master, act now. Any closer, and we won't be a match for these Japanese pirates!"

Jia Xu did not look at him and said in a low voice, "Wait a bit longer."

There was no way around it; the ferocity of the Japanese pirates had long been ingrained in the hearts of the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Although only thirty Japanese pirates had come, Jia Xu's over a hundred men were not sure they could defeat them. However, Jia Xu had not been unprepared. He had pawned the jade pendant he received from Jia She on his fifteenth birthday, using the 120 taels of silver to buy ten muskets from his superior, Li Qianhu, hoping to take down five or six Japanese pirates in the first round, making it easier.

After confirming that only this group of Japanese pirates had come, Jia Xu did not hesitate. He waved his hand and ordered, "Fire the muskets!"

The ten musketeers, who had been prepared for a long time, lit their muskets and fired at the approaching Japanese pirates.

In the firelight, the bodies of the leading Japanese pirates flew backward, landing heavily on the ones behind them.

"Fire the arrows!"

Following Jia Xu's order, the guard soldiers shot their arrows. Unfortunately, the Japanese pirates reacted quickly, and the guard soldiers were weak. Only one old Japanese pirate was hit in the neck, and the rest were unharmed. Fortunately, Jia Xu fired three arrows, killing two and wounding one.

With a "swish," Jia Xu drew his goose feather knife and shouted, "Kill the enemy!"

The soldiers in the forest were greatly encouraged and drew their knives, charging out to fight the approaching Japanese pirates.

Compared to the fierce cries of the Japanese pirates, the guard soldiers remained silent, following Jia Xu's instructions to form groups of three to five to fight the Japanese pirates. At first, the effect was good, but the Japanese pirates quickly reacted and began to form groups, leading to casualties among the guard soldiers. However, the number of Japanese pirates was small, and the cries of the Japanese pirates and the sounds of battle echoed through the forest path.

On the mountain path, the number of Japanese pirates decreased, but Jia Xu's soldiers also fell one after another. His attention was drawn to a Japanese pirate who was leaping and slashing on the path, letting out a fierce cry with each leap, making the already timid soldiers even more afraid. As the Japanese pirate's sword flashed, the heads of the Ming soldiers, along with their helmets, flew into the air, and the Japanese pirate's sword remained bloodless.

Jia Xu's eyes met the Japanese pirate's, and neither spoke, but their eyes were filled with fire.

With a fierce cry, the Japanese pirate raised his sword and leaped toward Jia Xu!

Jia Xu rolled on the ground, turning and slashing behind him. With a "clang," a spark flew as the Japanese pirate's eyes showed surprise, but he quickly became fierce again, letting out another cry and leaping toward Jia Xu.

After a few moves, Jia Xu had a good grasp of the Japanese pirate's pattern: a fierce cry, a leap, and a downward slash. Jia Xu no longer hesitated, keeping his upper body still and moving his feet to change position, easily dodging the Japanese pirate's sword.

The Japanese pirate's eyes showed panic, and he began to swing his sword wildly, losing his rhythm and struggling to chase Jia Xu.

Seeing this, Jia Xu lost his playful mood. He crouched down, and his goose feather knife sliced across the Japanese pirate's right arm, then turned and sliced across his left arm, and finally, his neck.

Someone among Jia Xu's men let out a cry of surprise!

Jia Fu also looked in surprise at the scene, seeing the Japanese pirate, now without arms, slowly fall backward, his hands still tightly gripping the sword.

The forest path was silent.

The sounds of battle in the distant bay had also stopped, and the battlefield was littered with the bodies of Japanese pirates and Jiangnan camp soldiers. The surviving guard soldiers, led by their officers, began to clean up the battlefield, the most important task being to ensure no Japanese pirates were feigning death.

In the distance, a few Japanese pirate ships fled southeast, gradually becoming black dots on the sea.