“Maocai.” Chris Bolton was not leading the troops, but followed beside Robert Bennett.

“Just watch and stay calm.” Robert Bennett frowned at him. “Don’t shake the army’s morale!”

If the main general of an army didn’t charge at the front at a time like this, if Robert Bennett were the commander, he would definitely have executed Chris Bolton to set an example for his subordinates.

“Fire the arrows!” The wokou had lost more than a dozen men to a previous volley of arrows, and now they launched a counterattack.

The shield bearers at the front protected the langxian wielders behind them.

“The Ming army came prepared,” cursed a wokou nearby. “But our warriors can take on ten, even twenty, in close combat.”

John Adams nodded, pain stabbing at the sole of his foot. He frowned and sneered, “Just one strike, and the Ming army will be routed.”

The Ming soldiers were timid; if the first wave of attack succeeded, their morale would quickly collapse.

John Adams had never failed with this tactic.

“After defeating the Ming army, remember to pursue and kill them while the momentum lasts,” John Adams instructed casually.

“Yes, huh!” his subordinate suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“What?” John Adams, who had been looking down at the wound on his foot, looked up at the sound.

He saw the wokou ahead leap up and swing their blades.

The Japanese swords were extremely sharp; whenever the Ming soldiers tried to block, their weapons were often cut in two.

The shield bearers moved up.

Behind the Ming shield bearers, strange objects with branches suddenly extended out.

“What are those things?”

John Adams stood on one foot, stunned.

“Kill!”

This was the first time the langxian appeared on the battlefield, and everyone was waiting to see the result.

The shields blocked the first wave of attacks, and then the langxian wielders thrust forward with all their might.

The sharp tips of the old bamboo spears pierced into the bodies of the wokou, then were forcefully withdrawn.

Amid screams, some wokou managed to chop off the langxian, and John Adams was overjoyed. “Charge!”

But even the severed tips of the langxian remained sharp.

“Kill!”

The previously triumphant wokou fell in disbelief.

This wave of attack brought down more than a dozen of the rampaging wokou.

This!

Who could have imagined such a result before the battle?

“Even pigs are smarter than you lot! Why aren’t you firing your arrows yet?” Robert Bennett cursed as he passed Chris Bolton.

The archers were stunned, but at his words, they instinctively released their arrows.

After another volley, Robert Bennett shouted, “Charge!”

The success of the first attack greatly boosted the Ming army’s morale. Hearing the clear, youthful voice calling out, they all shouted in unison, “Charge!”

This was also the first time in years that this group of wokou had suffered a setback, and with heavy casualties.

As the Ming army launched their assault, the wokou instinctively looked back at John Adams.

“Counterattack!” John Adams’s face was ashen.

“Order the ambush troops to attack and send them on their way!” Robert Bennett laughed heartily.

The sound of horns rang out, and suddenly a force charged at the wokou from behind.

If the wokou had the initiative, John Adams wouldn’t care about being attacked from both front and rear—he’d just fight his way out.

But now, the wokou’s morale was in chaos. For the first time in years, they were at a loss.

The timing of the ambush was perfect... Brian Walker couldn’t help but glance at Robert Bennett, wondering if this youth was a military genius.

It seems... I picked the wrong side.

“Run!”

The first wokou to rout appeared.

“Full assault!” Robert Bennett unceremoniously took over command.

“Kill!” Chris Bolton also instinctively followed orders, leading his trusted men into the fray.

“Young master, what about me? What about me!” George Foster stomped his foot impatiently.

“Go, go!”

Robert Bennett kicked him. “Kill a few more wokou.”

“Understood!”

There were still five soldiers left by David Brooks’s side, so Robert Bennett was in no danger.

“Chief!” The second-in-command had his right hand chopped off by George Foster as he charged forward, howling in pain for help.

A flash of the blade, and a head fell. George Foster’s face was splattered with blood. After picking up the head, he looked up, eyes full of murderous intent, and stared at John Adams, “Are you the chief?”

“Run back, let’s go back!”

The second-in-command couldn’t even block a single strike from this youth... John Adams turned and fled without hesitation.

As long as he escaped back to the sea, he’d have a chance to make a comeback.

“Blow the horn,” Robert Bennett ordered, ignoring the admiring looks from the five soldiers beside him, and yawned unceremoniously. “This is way too easy.”

As the horn sounded, David Brooks led his men to charge toward the fleet.

For Maocai... David Brooks’s eyes were full of determination as he shouted, “Charge!”

Before long, fireworks rose by the sea.

The escape route—

Was gone!

……

Chapter 10: A Toast to Brothers, A Toast to the Ming

John Adams believed he had the makings of a famous general; this was one of the reasons he had taken to the sea in the first place.

In the nearly chaotic Wokou country, a leader who didn’t understand military strategy was like a child with money walking through a bustling market.

If he wanted his future father-in-law to entrust him with his forces, he had to show that he could take charge and was skilled in the art of war.

For three years, he had been undefeated. If he hadn’t fallen ill last year and rested until the end of the year, causing his food stores to run low, John Adams wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to raid.