Tieshan County, Joseon.
The shoreline was thick with banners.
Vast numbers of Eight Banners troops gathered in layered formations, their armor glinting coldly beneath the pale light. Alongside them stood Joseon soldiers, their ranks tense, their spears upright like a forest of iron thorns.
Across the sea lay Pi Island.
On this shore stood Prince Ajige, Beizi Shuo Tuo, Prince Gongshun Kong Youde, Prince Huaishun Geng Zhongming, Prince Zhishun Shang Kexi, and a crowd of Qing generals. They gazed over the waters toward the island, silent, calculating.
Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi were known as the Three Surrendered Kings. Once upon a time, they had been prominent generals under Mao Wenlong. Once upon a time, they had stood on Pi Island as defenders of the Ming.
Now they stood here as invaders.
The sea wind brushed their sleeves.
Memories did not ask permission before resurfacing.
The outline of Pi Island in the distance stirred something heavy inside them. This island had once been their base, their pride, their battlefield. It carried familiarity, shame, and complicated nostalgia all at once.
Ajige frowned.
He was famous for his ferocity, a man who preferred breaking enemies head on. Yet even he did not underestimate what lay ahead.
"Pi Island is surrounded by sea on all sides," he said slowly. "Our cavalry cannot unleash its strength there. Horses cannot gallop across waves."
He narrowed his eyes at the distant shoreline.
"We must attack by ship. During the crossing, our vessels will be exposed. The Ming defenders can use the terrain to their advantage and fire cannons freely at our wooden hulls. Our boats will be slow. The sea offers no cover."
He paused.
"Even if some ships reach the shore, the Ming garrison can counterattack from the beaches. They will use numbers to drive us back into the sea. Once trapped between shore and waves, retreat becomes chaos."
Beizi Shuo Tuo nodded gravely.
"The Ming troops on that island have no retreat," he said. "Behind them is the vast sea. Their warships are few. They cannot escape. A cornered army fights with desperate courage. This battle will not be easy."
Both generals wore troubled expressions.
Ajige turned his gaze toward the Three Surrendered Kings.
"You three once garrisoned Pi Island," he said. "Do you have any clever strategies?"
Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi had been lost in memory. Mao Wenlong's figure lingered faintly in their thoughts, as if the sea mist itself carried his shadow.
Ajige's question pulled them back abruptly.
They barely hesitated before shaking their heads in unison.
"No."
Ajige's brows twitched slightly.
The answer felt perfunctory.
But after a moment, he dismissed the thought. Whether their hearts were complicated or not, this assault could not depend on them. It would depend on his own command.
He immediately dispatched small scouting boats to circle Pi Island at a distance, observing terrain and probing Ming troop deployments.
After careful consideration, he rejected a direct frontal assault.
Instead, he devised a two-pronged sneak attack.
One force would assemble openly at the front. Eight Banners cavalry. Han Banner soldiers, the Wuzhen Chaoha. The troops of the Three Surrendered Kings, known as the Heavenly Blessed and Heavenly Aided Soldiers. Alongside them, Joseon troops.
They would create a grand spectacle of military might, banners raised high, drums beating, forming a massive distraction to draw the Ming army's focus.
The second force would consist of Eight Banners infantry.
Under cover of distraction, they would quietly cross the sea in small boats, attempting a stealth landing.
Once both prongs engaged, Pi Island would be struck from two angles.
With the plan complete, Ajige did not rush into battle.
Instead, he wrote a letter.
The letter was tied to an arrow.
A small boat approached within range and shot the arrow onto Pi Island.
First, attack their morale.
Then, attack the island.
---
The tenth year of Chongzhen. April 6th.
That evening.
On Pi Island, Shen Shikui, Cao Wenzhao, and Chen Hongfan led officers of all ranks on coastal patrol.
They inspected fortifications carefully, checking artillery placements, scanning for weaknesses. Every stone and trench was examined.
A sentry stationed by the sea ran toward them at full speed, holding a letter in both hands.
"Report!" he shouted. "Qing army boats approached earlier and fired this arrow-letter from a distance. Please, General, examine it."
Shen Shikui took the letter and unfolded it.
His expression darkened immediately.
Cao Wenzhao and Chen Hongfan leaned in to read.
It was a letter of surrender.
It boasted that one hundred thousand Qing troops had assembled across the sea, ready to invade at any moment. Five thousand Joseon soldiers. Fifty massive turtle ships. Hundreds of smaller vessels.
The letter asked mockingly whether the Ming garrison was afraid.
If they surrendered at once, their lives would be spared. Shen Shikui would even be granted a princely title.
Shen Shikui finished reading.
Then he burst into laughter.
He clenched his fists and tore the letter into shreds.
"I, Shen, may not be a hero," he said firmly, "but I will never surrender and betray my country. This trash does not deserve a reply."
"Well said!" Cao Wenzhao laughed loudly.
They had barely finished laughing when they noticed something strange.
Chen Hongfan was gone.
"Huh? Where is General Chen?"
"Wasn't he just standing here?"
"He is not exactly small. How does a man that size disappear in an instant?"
A soldier rushed forward breathlessly.
"Report! Coastal Regional Commander Chen Hongfan has boarded a ship with his naval contingent and fled!"
"Damn him!" Shen Shikui cursed.
"The scoundrel!" Cao Wenzhao spat.
Just as they were about to unleash a stream of curses, another general rushed over.
It was Jin Riguan, Vice Commander of Laizhou, a subordinate of Chen Hongfan.
His face burned with anger.
"Generals!" he shouted. "That dog-cursed Chen Hongfan has fled! I tried to persuade him to stay, but he insisted on escaping. I refuse to be a deserter. I have remained. Please allow me to fight alongside you!"
Cao Wenzhao let out a low chuckle.
"General Jin, you are a true hero. You chose righteousness over cowardice. After this battle, promotion and reward will be yours."
Shen Shikui spoke gravely.
"The Qing will attack soon. That letter was clearly meant to shake the resolve of men like Chen Hongfan."
"If they want to come, let them come!" Cao Wenzhao declared. "Who among us fears them? Issue the order. Prepare for battle!"
"Prepare for battle!"
The soldiers on Pi Island roared as one. Banners waved. Armor clashed. Determination rose like flame.
They would fight to the death.
---
Meanwhile.
Chen Hongfan frantically directed his men.
Their dilapidated boats moved southwest, paddles splashing desperately.
Those willing to shed blood for their country had remained on Pi Island with Jin Riguan.
Those fleeing with Chen Hongfan were cowards.
A rabble of panic and disorder.
They spared their lives in battle, yet now risked everything in flight.
They rowed furiously, sweating, hearts pounding.
As they gained distance from Pi Island, relief flooded them.
They congratulated themselves secretly.
The Qing assault had not yet begun. They had escaped early.
Their lives were saved.
A profitable decision indeed.
Then the horizon shifted.
A large flotilla appeared.
Strange ships.
They bore no sails.
Their propulsion was unclear.
Yet they moved with astonishing speed, cutting across the sea like blades.
Each vessel left a long, churning wake.
At the forefront sailed an enormous and bizarre flagship.
At its bow stood a young man in chivalrous robes.
His bearing was calm yet commanding, ethereal yet dignified.
Li Daoxuan.
He raised his hand and pointed toward Chen Hongfan's fleeing fleet.
His voice carried clearly across the wind.
"Everyone," he said, "the fleet ahead consists of cowardly deserters. I ask you. Using your pure and straightforward hearts, what fate awaits a soldier who flees before battle?"
The Gao Family Village Navy roared as one.
"Execution by firing squad! Execution by firing squad!"
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly.
"Always the same. The netizens' verdict begins with execution by firing squad."
He looked ahead calmly.
"But desertion in wartime deserves nothing less. This time, you judged correctly."
He swept his hand forward.
"Execute them."
The Gao Family Village Navy accelerated at full combat speed.
They surged toward Chen Hongfan's fleeing fleet like a storm descending upon rotten wood.