The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 262

Seeing the Japanese pirates charging out, Zhou Chu ordered two more salvos from the cannons before commanding the Tiger Legion to engage them.

The Japanese pirates under Liu Chao's command were far superior to those under Inoue Saburo. Inoue Saburo and his men were essentially kept by the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce and had little actual combat experience. However, Liu Chao's group of Japanese pirates completely overwhelmed Inoue Saburo in terms of both combat experience and numbers.

Even so, when these Japanese pirates clashed with the Tiger Legion, the difference in skill was immediately apparent. The Tiger Legion, clad in heavy armor, were like tigers among wolves, and began to slaughter indiscriminately.

Beside Zhou Chu, Yun Jin and Fang Hong were prominently displayed, both observing the Tiger Legion's tactics in order to learn from their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

What are the differences in tactics between the Xuanwu Army and the Tiger Warrior Army?

Zhou Chu looked at Yun Jin and smiled.

"The Tiger Legion is heavily armored and is engaged in street fighting, so their tactics are more suited to positional warfare. The Black Tortoise Army is primarily engaged in naval warfare, so their tactics are slightly different."

Yun Jin said earnestly.

Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this, without refuting it.

These pirates were indeed ruthless men who lived on the edge of a knife. Even though they suffered heavy casualties from the initial bombardment, they remained fearless until nearly 30% of them were killed by the Tiger Army before they began to scatter.

The Tiger Warriors split up to pursue the enemy, while the main force, which had been prepared on the perimeter, began to encircle them to ensure that none of the Japanese pirates could escape.

Liu Chao led his men in an attempt to break through the encirclement, only to find in despair that they were already surrounded by a large army and had no way to escape.

"Brothers, we're going to die anyway, let's fight them!"

Liu Chao's eyes were bloodshot.

At this point, there were very few pirates left following Liu Chao; less than a hundred remained.

Zhou Chu wasn't afraid of them resorting to desperate measures. There was no need to leave one side open when surrounding them. He simply ordered the Tiger Legion to encircle them and quickly killed the Japanese pirates. As for Liu Chao and Watanabe Juro, they were captured alive.

By this time, more than 3,000 Japanese pirates had either died in battle or been captured alive.

After ordering Liu Chao and the others to be escorted back, Zhou Chu led his men to Chunfeng Tower in a grand procession. If it were just a matter of personal grudges, Zhou Chu would naturally be too lazy to bother with the madam of Chunfeng Tower.

However, since the madam informed the Japanese pirates, she couldn't escape the charge of colluding with them.

Zhou Chu led hundreds of men to Chunfeng Tower in a grand procession. When the madam of Chunfeng Tower saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to come out.

"Gentlemen, what's going on?"

"Madam, do you still remember me?"

Zhou Chu approached the madam and said.

When the madam saw Zhou Chu, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. In her mind, Zhou Chu should be entangled with those pirates right now, so how could he be here?

"The madam of Chunfeng Tower is guilty of an unforgivable crime of colluding with Japanese pirates. Chunfeng Tower shall be raided."

Zhou Chu naturally didn't bother arguing with her and immediately changed his expression.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards behind Zhou Chu rushed into Chunfeng Tower. Only then did the madam realize that Zhou Chu's identity was far more than just extraordinary, and she immediately collapsed to the ground.

"Didn't you say that your Chunfeng Pavilion was some kind of extraordinary place? Tell me properly, who is behind your Chunfeng Pavilion?"

Zhou Chu glanced at the madam and said.

Upon hearing this, the madam immediately tilted her head to the side and pretended to faint.

Zhou Chu was not surprised by the madam's reaction. He simply ordered the Imperial Guards to take her away. Once she was in their hands, it would be difficult for the madam not to confess.

Soon, news of Zhou Chu leading his troops to wipe out the Japanese pirates on Chongming Island spread throughout the Jiangnan region. This made the wealthy gentry who had connections with Liu Chao restless, knowing that Liu Chao and Watanabe Juro were both in Zhou Chu's hands at this time.

As for Liu Chao and Watanabe Juro, Zhou Chu handed them over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for interrogation, eventually obtaining a list of more than a dozen gentry families who had colluded with them.

Zhou Chu naturally showed no mercy to these gentry, ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard to raid their homes and investigate those who were not.

Colluding with Japanese pirates is a serious crime. Regardless of whether one gains money, anyone who conspires with Japanese pirates will be executed. They can even be executed on the spot without the approval of their superiors, and their families will be exiled to the frontier and never be employed again.

At this moment, Zhou Chu, who was in the eye of the storm, was in the mansion discussing future plans at sea with Yun Jin, including a series of plans such as helping Wang Zhi recruit soldiers and then going to Japan to establish a foothold.

"Second Brother's plans are truly far-sighted, but can Wang Zhi really be trusted?"

Yun Jin said with some concern.

“Wang Zhi came from the Xuanwu Army, so he naturally knows the Xuanwu Army’s combat power. Even if he wanted to replicate the Xuanwu Army’s tactics, he couldn’t do it. Military strategy is not something that can be mastered overnight, not to mention the greater gap between armor and artillery.”

Zhou Chu said all this only to dispel Yun Jin's doubts. In fact, Zhou Chu knew very well that whether out of respect for the Xuanwu Army or because of Wang Zhi's own nature, he would never really rebel.

"Moreover, Wang Zhi will definitely have our own people around him. We'll send some of the first batch of veterans from the Xuanwu Army there, and also send Lin Zhi. Wang Zhi's every move will be under our watchful eyes. I doubt he can cause any trouble."

Zhou Chu smiled.

Upon hearing this, Yun Jin's doubts vanished.

"It's been a long time since I've tested your military strategy. Today I'll give you a good test. Tell me, how good was Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, at leading troops into battle?"

Zhou Chu looked at Yun Jin and asked.

Upon hearing this, Yun Jin immediately became serious.

"Emperor Gao was extremely skilled in leading troops and fighting battles, ranking among the top three in his time, second only to Xiang Yu and Han Xin."

Zhou Chu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

"Please elaborate."

"Emperor Gao started his rebellion at the age of forty-eight and fought his way to Xianyang. He won the battle through hard-fought battles. Many people believe that the main force of the Qin Dynasty was defeated by Xiang Yu at Julu, but Emperor Gao did not face a rabble. Instead, he faced Yang Xiong, a general of the Qin Dynasty who was as famous as Zhang Han."

Yun Jin spoke eloquently.

"The Records of the Grand Historian states that Emperor Gao defeated him decisively, and Yang Xiong was subsequently executed by the Qin Dynasty. This was only the beginning of Emperor Gao's reign, when he had just learned how to fight."

"Emperor Gao's golden age was during the Chu-Han Contention, because his opponent changed to Xiang Yu. People only saw Xiang Yu leading 30,000 troops to defeat Emperor Gao's 560,000-strong allied army, but they overlooked the fact that Emperor Gao led an army of more than 500,000 from Xianyang, a super-large army, and advanced 1,500 li to attack Pengcheng. What kind of military ability did this show? The various issues involved, such as supply lines, are terrifying to think about."

"Moreover, after the defeat at Pengcheng, Emperor Gaozu quickly retreated 600 li and organized the first line of defense in Xingyang. He confronted Xiang Yu in the plains and did not retreat back to Guanzhong. From then on, he began a year-long standoff with Xiang Yu. The frequency of the wars during this year was unprecedented in history. More than 100 battles were fought in one year, including more than 70 major battles and more than 40 minor battles. Xiang Yu did not gain any advantage."

"Moreover, Emperor Gao's greatest strength was his strategy. From pacifying the Three Qin regions to later having Han Xin take a roundabout route to defeat Xiang Yu's vassal states one by one, with the balance of power shifting, Emperor Gao's military strength and other aspects in the later period were far superior to Xiang Yu's."

"At the strategic level, Emperor Gao was the number one person at the time, unmatched by anyone."

After Yun Jin finished speaking, she took a sip of tea.

"Good, a very good summary."

Zhou Chu was satisfied with Yun Jin's answer. However, Zhou Chu knew that Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was not only strong in military ability, but also ridiculously strong in other aspects. He was a complete all-rounder and the strongest all-rounder in history.