The walls of Fort Zeelandia had already collapsed in several places, and once those walls went down, the entire structure of resistance inside the city began to unravel in a way that was almost embarrassing to watch.
The Dutch soldiers who had once relied on those thick red walls were now wandering in confusion, their formation gone, their courage scattered, and their minds still ringing from the endless bombardment that had just shaken the entire fortress from top to bottom.
This kind of situation was not unfamiliar to anyone who had seen large-scale warfare before, because once artillery fire crushed both defenses and morale at the same time, even a well-trained army could quickly degrade into chaos.
If one had to compare, this scene was very similar to what happened in Dalinghe City back then, except there was one very important difference.
Peter was not Ajige.
Not even remotely close.
---
Zheng Zhihu, who everyone called Mang Er, was the first to rush toward the breach in the wall, his blade already drawn as he moved with the kind of decisiveness that only came from years of life-and-death fighting at sea.
However, just as he reached the opening, his body reacted faster than his thoughts, and he suddenly shifted his position to the side without any hesitation at all.
Gunfire erupted from inside the broken wall at that exact moment, and several musket shots tore through the air where he had just been standing a heartbeat earlier, which made it very clear that charging in blindly would have been nothing more than a quick way to die.
Mang Er clicked his tongue, not in fear but in mild annoyance, because this kind of trick was something he had already experienced many times when dealing with Western enemies, and there was nothing particularly impressive about it.
He leaned slightly against the broken wall and spoke with a grin that carried both confidence and impatience.
"So they still like hiding in the dark and shooting people who walk in straight lines. Nothing new."
At that moment, Yao Xingjuan approached from behind and casually handed him a small object without any unnecessary explanation, because there was no need to explain something that had already proven its usefulness countless times before.
Mang Er looked down, and the moment he recognized what it was, his expression brightened in a way that made him look less like a hardened pirate and more like someone who had just been given a particularly entertaining toy.
"The palm thunder. I have been wanting to try this properly for a long time."
Without wasting any time, he lit the fuse and tossed the grenade into the darkness beyond the broken wall, his movement smooth and practiced despite the fact that he had only recently gotten used to using this kind of weapon.
The explosion that followed was accompanied by several cries of pain, and although the smoke inside made it difficult to see clearly, it was obvious that the ambush waiting inside had been disrupted.
Mang Er did not pause to admire the result, because in a chaotic battlefield like this, hesitation was often more dangerous than recklessness, and so he immediately stepped forward and rushed through the breach.
---
Inside the fortress, visibility was extremely poor, and the combination of smoke, dust, and echoing footsteps made it difficult to distinguish friend from foe at a glance, but Mang Er did not rely on sight alone.
Years of fighting in cramped ship cabins had already taught him how to react to movement, sound, and intent rather than clear visual information, and so the moment he sensed someone in front of him, he swung his blade without hesitation.
The strike landed cleanly, and a Dutch soldier fell before even having the chance to properly react, but at the same time, Mang Er also felt a sharp shift in the air behind him.
He moved instinctively, twisting his body just enough to avoid the incoming attack, and a blade passed through the space where his torso had been a moment earlier.
When he turned to face his attacker, what he saw made him narrow his eyes slightly, not out of fear but out of interest.
The man standing in front of him was a Black warrior with a compact but powerful build, his muscles tightly coiled and his stance steady, clearly someone who had been through many battles and survived them through skill rather than luck.
Mang Er's lips curved into a grin.
"Now this is more like it."
The warrior did not respond with words, but the tension in his posture and the sharpness of his gaze made his intent very clear.
They moved at the same time.
Their blades collided with a sharp metallic sound that cut through the surrounding chaos, and from that point onward, the fight between them became a rapid exchange of strikes and counters, each trying to find an opening in the other's defense.
Around them, the rest of the battlefield continued to expand into chaos, as more Zheng pirates poured into the fortress and clashed with the remaining defenders in the narrow corridors.
---
The interior of the fortress was not well suited for conventional battlefield tactics, because the tight stone corridors made it difficult to use long weapons effectively, and the Dutch soldiers were also making use of the environment by setting up small musket squads at corners to fire in volleys at anyone who rushed forward without caution.
However, this kind of environment was actually very familiar to the pirates, because boarding actions on ships often forced them to fight in spaces that were even more cramped and chaotic than this.
As a result, they adapted quickly, relying on short blades and aggressive movement, using walls, corners, and even the limited space itself as part of their fighting style.
To an outsider, it might have looked like disorder, but to those involved, it was a form of controlled chaos that favored those who were willing to take risks and act decisively.
---
At this point, Ganza Xia Alami entered the battlefield with his warriors from the Dadu Kingdom, their arrival marked by loud shouts and an almost overwhelming enthusiasm that did not quite match their understanding of siege warfare.
For them, identifying enemies was simple to the point of being crude, because anyone who looked clearly different from them was treated as an opponent without further consideration.
As Alami rushed forward with his staff in hand, he quickly noticed the intense duel taking place between Mang Er and the Black warrior, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he chose the safest option.
"Go around them."
His warriors immediately followed the instruction, moving along the sides to avoid getting caught in the clash, while Alami himself attempted to pass behind them with a level of caution that did not quite match the boldness he had shown earlier.
Unfortunately for him, the timing was not in his favor.
The Black warrior stepped backward during the fight, and without realizing it, collided directly into Alami, sending him to the ground in an instant.
Startled and annoyed, Alami reacted instinctively, swinging his staff upward in a reflexive motion that connected with the warrior's leg.
It was not a powerful strike, but it was enough to disrupt his balance for a brief moment.
That brief moment was all Mang Er needed.
He stepped forward and drove his blade straight into the warrior's chest, ending the fight decisively.
The body fell backward and landed squarely on top of Alami, who found himself pinned beneath it in a situation that was both awkward and undignified.
Mang Er laughed.
"That worked out nicely."
Alami looked up at him and spoke in his broken Mandarin, but the two of them quickly realized that neither could properly understand the other, which created a brief and rather absurd pause in the middle of an ongoing battle.
A gunshot in the distance finally snapped them out of it, and Mang Er kicked the body aside before helping Alami up.
Alami immediately regained his composure and raised his staff again.
"Charge. Do not leave your Sun King behind."
Mang Er watched him go and shook his head with a faint smile.
"These people are quite something."
---
Not long after, Zheng Sen appeared through the smoke, and Mang Er recognized him immediately.
"So you came too."
Zheng Sen nodded and then corrected him.
"I am called Zheng Chenggong now."
Mang Er raised an eyebrow slightly, then laughed.
"That is a good name. Then you should make sure it becomes true."
He pulled Zheng Chenggong slightly behind him out of habit, but the latter resisted.
"I can fight at the front now."
Mang Er snorted.
"You grew up studying books. Use your head. I will handle the dangerous part."
At that very moment, another enemy rushed out from the side, aiming directly at Zheng Chenggong, whose reaction was just a fraction too slow to counter immediately.
Mang Er stepped in without hesitation and intercepted the attack, his blade moving in a series of quick, efficient strikes that ended the confrontation in a matter of seconds.
Zheng Chenggong exhaled and admitted honestly.
"You are still stronger."
Mang Er laughed, clearly pleased with the acknowledgment.
"That is only natural. Back in the day, I boarded Liu Xiang's flagship alone and cut my way from one end to the other, then turned around and did it again."
He stopped there, choosing not to mention the less glorious part of that story, because some details were better left unspoken.