By this time, it was completely dark, and the sea breeze whipped up waves that kept crashing against the rocks.

The leader of the Japanese pirates took two thousand men with him to plunder grain, saying he would return before dark, but they have not been seen yet, which has made the other leaders worried.

Currently, there are still more than 2,000 Japanese bandits left in Niuji Town. They are not worried about anything. Based on their experience, no one here can threaten their safety.

It was pitch black all around, and apart from the starry sky, nothing could be seen.

The sentries on the high point of the island have been withdrawn, and there's no point in guarding it on this dark and windy night.

Within this area spanning dozens of miles, only Niuji Town still had a few lights; the rest of the area was deathly silent and lifeless.

Just then, dozens of warships, taking advantage of the sound of the waves, slowly approached the island.

Moreover, on land, a large contingent of troops approached Niuji Town in an encirclement formation.

It was nearly midnight, and most of the Japanese pirates had already gone to bed.

After occupying Niuji Town, the Japanese bandits seized the houses of the local people and lived a very comfortable life there.

On the island in Niuji Town, the warships had already anchored at the shore, and the soldiers quietly disembarked and began to land on the island.

There were Japanese pirates patrolling the island. A dozen or so of them lined up in a row, carrying torches, and patrolled the island.

The Japanese pirates often operated at night, and their eyesight was excellent, allowing them to vaguely see people landing on the island.

The patrolling Japanese bandits quickly stopped to see what was going on. Just then, a burst of crossbow bolts flew towards them, followed by screams of agony.

There were more than a thousand Japanese pirates on the island. Since there were not many houses, most of the pirates lived in the camp. After landing, the thousands of soldiers quickly surrounded the camp.

The Japanese bandits in the camp were all asleep, but some of them were very alert. Hearing something unusual outside, they prepared to go out and investigate.

Just then, more than a dozen bombs were thrown out and exploded in the camp, instantly igniting flames in the Japanese bandits' camp.

A huge explosion ripped through the night sky and carried far. At that moment, the soldiers on the outskirts of Niuji Town immediately shouted and rushed into the town.

The explosions and shouts of battle woke the Japanese bandits from their sleep. Only then did they realize they were under attack. They quickly got up, grabbed their weapons, and prepared to fight back.

The Japanese bandits, still a bit dazed from just waking up, were either shot by crossbow bolts or hacked to death by sharp blades as soon as they came out.

The battles on the island and the mainland began almost simultaneously, with tens of thousands of soldiers joining the fight. At that time, Niuji Town only had more than two thousand Japanese bandits, which were far too few for them to kill. In an instant, most of the Japanese bandits were wiped out.

Some Japanese bandits hid inside the house, too afraid to come out. The soldiers kicked the door open, rushed into the house, and then began a bloody battle.

A few Japanese bandits also managed to escape from Niuji Town amidst the chaos, but were captured by the soldiers waiting outside.

In this battle, the soldiers on both land and sea cooperated to annihilate more than 4,000 Japanese bandits and successfully captured Niuji Town.

The soldiers were overjoyed at their first victory. It seemed that the Japanese pirates were not so scary after all, and that eliminating them was not difficult as long as the right methods were used.

In the following days, the soldiers pressed on and wiped out several Japanese bandit outposts, greatly dampening the bandits' arrogance.

Several months later, the situation in the fight against the Japanese pirates improved, but the battle line was too long, stretching for thousands of miles along the coast, and the number of Japanese pirates was enormous, so the forces to suppress them were far from enough.

Gu Huai knew that the canal would be completed in a few months, and 70,000 troops would come to reinforce it. Even so, the troops would still be insufficient, and he had to think of other ways.

After discussion, Gu Huai and Ding Tong decided to organize local militias through the local government to form a local anti-bandit force. The government would provide weapons, and the soldiers would train these militias to improve their combat capabilities.

This method was very effective. In just six months, more than 300 local militia teams were established along the coast to fight against Japanese pirates, with a total number of more than 100,000 people.

At this time, the irrigation canal in the southern part of Zhengyang County was completed, and 70,000 reinforcements had arrived, and the situation in the fight against the Japanese pirates began to reverse.

The main force of the Japanese pirates suffered heavy losses one after another, leaving them weak and vulnerable. They became like rats crossing the street, constantly being attacked.

Ding Tong deployed the main force of his navy to suppress pirates at sea. Their targets were the pirate outposts at sea, which were usually islands.

One by one, the Japanese pirate outposts were cleared out, and most of the Japanese pirates were killed on the spot. Only a few managed to escape. On the vast sea, without supplies, the Japanese pirates could not hold out for long.

The Great Northern Dynasty's initial success in resisting Japanese pirates greatly encouraged some neighboring countries. These countries adopted the Great Northern Dynasty's approach, which proved highly effective, causing the Japanese pirates entrenched in these countries to flee in disarray.

Of course, completely eliminating the Japanese pirates was no easy task. The vast sea and thousands of miles of coastline provided them with numerous hiding places, and they played a cat-and-mouse game, continuing to harm the local people.

It has been almost three years since the coastal evacuation and sea ban were implemented. Over the past three years, the people in the coastal areas have made enormous sacrifices and made significant contributions to the fight against Japanese pirates.

Nowadays, if Japanese pirates try to rob ashore, they will basically gain nothing and may even be attacked by local militia. Not only will they fail to steal anything, but they will also lose their lives.

Gradually, the number of bandits along the coast decreased. At this time, we entered a critical period in the fight against the Japanese pirates. We could not afford to be complacent. If we relaxed our efforts, the Japanese pirates would make a comeback.

Victory is in sight. In less than a year, the Japanese pirates in the eastern coastal area will be completely eradicated.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. In these three years, Shuixian Village has undergone tremendous changes. For example, Zhao Xian's Marquis's Mansion has become the center of Shuixian Village, and the village area has expanded several times compared to three years ago.

It was no longer Shuixian Village. Two years earlier, Shuixian Village had been upgraded to Shuixian Town, and the former village head, Wang, was now the county magistrate.

The Marquis's mansion was bustling with activity that day. Ouyang Nan had just returned to Narcissus Town from the capital. In the triennial imperial examination, Ouyang Nan had ranked first among the three hundred candidates nationwide, becoming the top scholar in the examination.

The metropolitan examination was a nationwide examination, in which all the successful candidates and students of the Imperial Academy participated. Ouyang Nan won first place, attracting the attention of students from all over the country.

For Ouyang Nan, achieving the top score in the imperial examination was already a double accomplishment. His ambition was to achieve the top score in all three examinations, which was also what Zhao Xian was hoping for.

Zhao Xian was very pleased with Ouyang Nan's success in the provincial examination. He suggested that Ouyang Nan take a position in the Hanlin Academy and participate in the palace examination three years later, striving to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examination.

At this time, Ouyang Nan was already fourteen years old. In the Great Northern Dynasty, fourteen-year-olds could become officials.

Ouyang Nan is already a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and it is not easy for someone with such a status to enter the Hanlin Academy. However, Ouyang Nan achieved the top rank in the provincial examinations, and with Li Guang's recommendation, it is not difficult for him to enter the Hanlin Academy.