Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannons opened fire.
Shell after shell landed among the gathered Japanese pirates, blasting them into disarray. Jiang Hao spared no ammunition, bombarding the area several times before sending men ashore to clear the battlefield.
They killed the Japanese pirates, gathered supplies, and rescued the Great Ming civilians the pirates had kidnapped, completing the entire operation in one smooth sweep.
In just five days, Jiang Hao led his men in raiding four Japanese pirate strongholds, killing over a thousand people, including more than two hundred actual Japanese. They seized gold, silver, and valuables worth five to six thousand taels, along with goods from two ships worth no less than six or seven thousand taels.
They had gone out with two ships and returned with six. The raid had gained them four three-masted warships, and those ships alone would sell for several thousand taels.
They returned fully laden!
The ships docked at the pier, and Jiang Hao ordered the cargo unloaded. Crate after crate and load after load were carried down. Watching the endless supplies fill the warehouses, Yuan De grinned from ear to ear. "So my lord truly meant it when you said you would fill these warehouses."
Now that they had money, the next step was naturally to divide it.
At Jiang Hao's order, they distributed everything according to the rules they had established beforehand. Once the accounts were settled, every Company Commander, Squad Leader, and soldier received his share. Clutching their allotted gold and silver, the men were overwhelmed with joy.
When had they ever seen so much money? They had truly struck it rich this time.
At the same time, they trusted Jiang Hao even more. They had not expected Lord Jiang to truly keep his word—he did exactly as he said he would.