Chapter 150: Conquer Japan, and the ministers are terrified!
"Tsk, these Japanese actually concentrated their forces in one place!" On the sea, Yu Dayou, who was beside Qi Jiguang, put away the monocular telescope in his hand and said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Qi Jiguang also put down the telescope in his hand, "It seems that these Japanese also know a little bit about military tactics. They know that it is not feasible to compete with our Ming Dynasty with military strength, so they simply gather together."
"I hope Tang Shunzhi and his men can attack the east smoothly." After that, Qi Jiguang said directly to Yu Dayou: "General Yu, follow Hu Butang's deployment. I will give you another 10,000 elite troops."
"You take your deputy generals, a total of 20,000 people, charge from the left and right sides and tear open the Japanese lines. I will lead the rest of the people to charge head-on and strangle the enemy in three sections!"
"Okay!" Yu Dayou was not arrogant.
To deal with these Japanese people, he really wanted to say that he didn't need so many troops, and only needed 5,000 elite soldiers on each wing. However, considering the great significance of this battle, he could not afford to be careless.
After all, this is the first national war of the Ming Dynasty, so everything must be done in a safe way!
This battle was more about the Ming Dynasty's first war of annihilation overseas. Only victory was required, and no mistakes were allowed.
"Fire!" Almost as soon as the Ming warships approached the coast, Oda Nobunaga gave the order to fire.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Long black flames shot up into the sky, streaking across the sky and whistling towards the sea where the Ming warships were located. Qi Jiguang had naturally anticipated this.
After approaching to a certain distance, he immediately gave an order, and the horn sounded, followed by the cannons on the Ming warships firing.
In the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign, compared with the artillery technology of the Ming Dynasty, Japan was far behind.
The most important reason, of course, was that along the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty, as the national policy of replacing rice with mulberry trees was implemented, the prices of silk, tea and other commodities sold to overseas merchants also increased.
This made it increasingly difficult for Ming Dynasty to trade with overseas countries. As a result, in order to facilitate trade, both sides began to adopt some technologies to convert transactions.
Among them were more advanced artillery technologies from the Netherlands and Portugal. When Hu Zongxian saw the powerful artillery technology brought by Portuguese and Dutch merchants, he immediately wrote a letter to Yan Song.
It can only be said that Hu Zongxian was worthy of his name, as he recognized the military advantages of these overseas countries early on.
"So," Yan Song, who was watching the artillery battle between the two sides from above the sky, said in a gentle voice, "Ruzhen suggested that we could use some firearms smelting technology to exchange for it."
After saying this, Yan Song bowed to Jiajing and said, "The emperor was in seclusion at the time, so I will suppress it for the time being."
"But later, the Oda and Takeda families of Japan sent people to us, hoping to get support from our Ming Dynasty. I realized that if the firearms technology of overseas countries continued to flow into Japan, it might be detrimental to our dynasty, so I agreed..."
Yan Song paused for a moment, then continued, "The Ming Dynasty can make concessions to overseas countries and lower the price of silk, but there is an additional condition, which is to prohibit the sale of technology to Japan."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for making the decision on my own."
Yan Song's words were very subtle and beautiful. He said that it would be disadvantageous to the Ming Dynasty, but in fact he wanted to plot against Japan and was worried that there would be casualties in the future war between the Ming Dynasty and Japan.
It would be fine if he could really conquer a country's territory for the Ming Dynasty, but if he failed and caused the Ming Dynasty to suffer losses as a result, he would be held responsible.
However, some things do not need to be said too clearly, as long as the meaning is clear, Jiajing will naturally not blame Yan Song.
"Get up," Jiajing waved his hand. "Now it seems that it is because of Lord Yan's foresight that Qi Jiguang and his men can be so relaxed. Lord Yan is not only innocent, but also meritorious."
"I am your old minister, thank you, Your Majesty." Yan Song bowed again.
Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and others were too lazy to watch Yan Song's show, and instead turned their eyes to the water tank in front of them.
"Great!" Gao Gong couldn't help but shout as he looked down and saw the Ming soldiers landing on the island under artillery fire.
Dense and powerful artillery fire soon covered the sky.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The artillery fired, and the Japanese artillery was immediately suppressed, and many people died instantly.
"We were deceived by the Ming Dynasty!" After seeing the Ming Dynasty directly and forcefully use the power of artillery to tear open their artillery defense line, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's eyes were gloomy and he said: "The artillery that the Ming Dynasty gave us is not the same as the one they use themselves!"
"This kind of artillery is more advanced than the ones we use!"
"It's useless to say this now," Oda Nobunaga looked at the fierce Ming army that had already rushed ashore in the distance, and drew the long sword from his waist, "Even if the artillery is advanced enough, it can't stop them!"
"Lord Toyotomi, let's fight!" After saying that, Oda Nobunaga shouted, "Kill!" As he spoke, he took the lead and rushed forward.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu looked at each other, and then began to rush towards the beach!
Soon, the two sides rushed into each other!
Yu Dayou led 20,000 elite troops to charge from the left and right wings, breaking the enemy's line in an instant. The main force in the middle collided head-on with the elite troops led by Qi Jiguang.
"Puchi!" A long spear directly pierced through a Japanese man wearing armor. The armor that seemed to protect his chest was as fragile as a piece of paper in front of the spear.
"Bah!" This was a rough soldier with a face full of flesh. He looked at the dwarf in front of him, kicked him out, and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm, "Kid, what are you playing with a knife for!"
After saying that, he turned around and rushed towards another Japanese.
"Brothers, kill all the bandits, wipe out the Japanese, and vent the anger for our people!" A centurion held a red knife in his arm and wiped off the blood, shouting loudly: "If you kill ten people, you will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver. If you kill a hundred people, you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"
"Kill a thousand people, be promoted to a higher position, and be rewarded with a thousand gold coins!"
"Kill!" There was a huge gap in strength between the two sides. Facing the Ming elite who were as powerful as tigers and wolves, the Japanese were no match at all.
In the blink of an eye, heads rolled down and blood flowed like a river. Faced with the Ming elite who were already blood-thirsty, the Japanese were terrified.
"Clang!" A long sword collided with the Japanese's long sword. The slanted sword was broken in an instant. A cold light flashed, and the Japanese's neck was instantly chopped off.
"The tenth one!" The young man with a scar on his face swung his long sword lightly, and his left ear flew up into the sky and fell into his hand. He coldly put it into his waist pocket.
"Little sister has money to see a doctor now!" After saying that, the young man picked up the long knife and continued to rush to the next one.
"I, surrender..." A Japanese leader opened his mouth and wanted to surrender in poor official language, but what greeted him was a cold spear piercing his throat.
Surrender, you won't stand a chance!
This time, the soldiers mobilized by Ningbo Prefecture were all from coastal areas. They had heard about the Japanese pirates invading the coastal areas, burning, killing and looting the people since childhood, and hatred was engraved in their bones.
Once the killing starts, these Japanese will not be given any chance.
Moreover, every Japanese on the battlefield at this moment has military merit. The superiors have long heard rumors that in the future Ming Dynasty, military merit is extremely important. Not only can one change the military household registration, but also gain fame for the family.
No one knows who spread these messages or where they came from, but everyone knows that these messages have not been banned. What does this mean? It means that Shangguan has acquiesced.
Therefore, every soldier cherishes this opportunity very much.
Let’s not talk about the various benefits that may be brought by military merit in the future. Just in the present, killing ten people can be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver, which is real money. Who wouldn’t want military merit and money?
"Kill!" The long sword cut the throat of a Japanese soldier. This was a white-haired old soldier. He turned around and rushed towards the three Japanese soldiers who surrounded him, killing them without fear.
"Give me back the lives of my people!" The old man jumped and hacked one of them to death. "Puchi!" At this time, a long spear shot out from behind him and directly stabbed the Japanese pirate to death.
"Hey," said the black-faced young man with blood all over his face, "Soldier, I saved you, this ear belongs to me!" After saying that, he poked the corpse with his spear and cut off its left ear.
"Young man, I have killed a thousand men!" After saying that, the old soldier shook the cloth bag around his waist and strode towards the other man.
The young man looked at the cloth bag with only ten ears on his waist, and was immediately inspired with endless fighting spirit.
"Boom!" The sky, which was originally clear, suddenly became covered with dark clouds and soon it started to rain heavily.
The heavy rain washed down, stirring up the bloody smell, and a faint scent of blood floated in the air.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!" Seeing the Ming soldiers acting like wolves and tigers, Oda Nobunaga took a thousand-householder's long sword and escaped with his life under the cover of several Japanese.
"Everyone, follow the plan, retreat inland, and lead them into the forest!" Oda Nobunaga almost roared, "I'm going to kill them all here!"
As Oda Nobunaga's order was issued, all the Japanese troops began to retreat towards the dense forests inland.
He plans to use the terrain to deal with the Ming Dynasty again!
However, as soon as they retreated into the dense forest, Oda Nobunaga pulled Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was also seriously injured, and said, "Take everyone and evacuate, and let the Tokugawa and Takeda families hold us back!"
"General!?" Hearing Oda Nobunaga's words, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was stunned, and then a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He nodded heavily and said, "I understand!"
"Listen to me, Hideyoshi!" Oda Nobunaga came to an open space, leaned against a big tree, gasped and said:
"The Ming army is ambitious. Once they invade Japan, they will not leave easily. What's next..." As he spoke, he looked down at the bleeding chest. Only then did Toyotomi Hideyoshi discover that a bloody hole had been stabbed in Oda Nobunaga's back.
Such a serious injury is beyond cure!
"After I die, the Oda family will be up to you. Gather as much strength as possible and then submit to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is after those silver mines. Just give them to them."
"The people of the Central Plains have always claimed to be the Celestial Empire, educating the barbarians with the Way of the King. They will definitely not commit acts of extermination."
"This is our chance!"
"When I was weak, even if it meant being a dog for the Ming Dynasty, I could endure the humiliation and wait for my chance silently!"
"I believe that one day, no matter how big a tiger is, it will grow old, get sick and die. That will be the time for us to replace it!" Oda Nobunaga's eyes sparkled with hope. "Oda-kun, have you always thought so?" Looking at Oda Nobunaga, who was breathing out more than breathing in, Toyotomi Hideyoshi admired him.
"Oh," Oda Nobunaga smiled weakly, "It's too late to say this now."
"I originally wanted to unify the world, recuperate in the future, and then swallow up the vast and fertile land of the Central Plains to create unprecedented achievements for my clan!"
"What a pity," Oda Nobunaga said as he struggled to kneel on the ground. He drew out the long sword from his waist, tore open his clothes, and turned his head to look at Toyotomi Hideyoshi beside him. "I will not die at the hands of the people of the Ming Dynasty. Even if I die, I will die in my own hands."
"Lord Toyotomi, I'm asking you to be my kaishakunin!" Hearing this, Toyotomi Hideyoshi nodded without saying anything, drew out the long sword from his waist, and raised it high, "Lord Oda, please!"
(Note: During the Japanese Warring States Period, kaishakunin could refer to relatives, friends, subordinates, or even opponents of the person who committed seppuku. They were invited to assist the person and perform the beheading task at a critical moment to alleviate the person's pain.)
"Puchi!" The long knife slashed across his abdomen, blood flowed, Oda Nobunaga's eyes bulged with anger and he looked up at the sky.
After about a few breaths, when the pain spread, Toyotomi Hideyoshi raised his knife and chopped it down like cutting a carrot, and the huge head rolled down like a dung ball pushed by a dung beetle.
The great hero, Oda Nobunaga, died here.
"Mr. Oda, I will complete your unfulfilled wish for you," Toyotomi Hideyoshi shook off the blood on his long sword and took over the long sword that Oda Nobunaga used to commit seppuku. "One day, I will invade the Ming Dynasty!"
"Put that fertile land under your feet..."
"Hehe..." However, before Toyotomi Hideyoshi could finish his words, he heard a crisp laugh from the tree branch behind him, "Who is it?!"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi turned around suddenly and pointed his long sword behind him.
I saw a young man wearing a black gown and a ponytail standing on the tree behind me, and two pretty girls wearing loose white clothes standing under the tree.
The one who laughed just now was one of the round-faced girls.
The average age of these three young men seemed to be no more than twelve years old, but each of them had a very unique temperament. On their chests, their clothes were all embroidered with the word "Xian" in a flamboyant style.
"This man killed his companion. He's a bad guy." Another stern-looking girl with an oval face said bluntly.
"I heard from you that it's called seppuku, and it's unique to Japan. Uh, what's it called..." The round-faced girl said, putting her finger on her chin as if thinking, "Oh, the samurai spirit!"
"Warriors?" At this time, the unruly young man in black on the tree branch showed disdain on his face, "Are they qualified to talk about martial arts?"
"Sixth Brother, go kill him." After saying that, the young man in black raised his hand and pointed at the girl with a stern face below.
"Hmph." The girl called Lao Liu snorted and took a step forward. The next moment, Toyotomi Hideyoshi felt a flash before his eyes. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then a huge force hit him, and the whole person flew backwards.
"Puff!" Toyotomi Hideyoshi bumped into a tree trunk and spat out a blood mist with some internal organs in it.
"How is this possible?!" Toyotomi Hideyoshi stared with wide eyes at the girl in white standing in his original position. He felt that his worldview collapsed at this moment.
He couldn't understand how a teenage girl could have such powerful strength and such ghostly speed.
At this moment, before his death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had only one thought: Is this still the world he was familiar with? However, he would never have the chance to know the answer.
After a while, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died of suffocation!
"Cut off his ears." The young man in black said this and took a step forward. When he appeared again, he had already arrived at another tree several meters away and disappeared in a few flashes.
"Hmph, it's just the second level of acquired realm, what's so great about that!" The girl with a stern face snorted in dissatisfaction, picked up Toyotomi Hideyoshi's long sword, cut off her left ear and put it in a leather bag.
"Hey, let's go!" After greeting the round-faced girl, he quickly ran into the forest.
These three young men and women were not others. They were the Immortal Guards who had come ashore with the army.
A year ago, when the decision was made to wipe out Japan, Jiajing asked Lu Bing whether the Xianwu Guards could take part.
The 1,000 members of the Xianwu Guard were trained personally by Lu Bing, and a lot of elixirs and spiritual resources were used.
In order to allow the Xianwu Guard to catch up with this national war, Jiajing even allocated a piece of spiritual farmland outside the capital to the Xianwu Guard, so that they could grow as quickly as possible.
Lu Bing did not disappoint Jiajing. Before the war, this group of Immortal Guards finally succeeded in training all the people to the first level of acquired realm.
A person at the first level of the acquired realm can fight ten enemies at once, and a thousand immortal warriors can rival ten thousand elite soldiers!
With the pursuit of a thousand Xianwu Guards, a large number of elite Japanese troops began to be killed soon. Leaders such as Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu were all killed, and their ears were cut off as a tribute to the Xianwu Guards' military exploits.
The army was approaching, and with tens of thousands of elite Ming troops pushing forward, the battle was officially declared over, and the Japanese side was completely defeated!
However, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou did not rush to advance, but temporarily rested and waited for Hu Zongxian to land on the island.
As for the battle in eastern Japan, the one Tang Shunzhi was in charge of was extremely easy, and there wasn't even much fighting.
Because the one in charge of fighting against the Ming Dynasty in the west was a traitor who colluded with the Ming Dynasty from both inside and outside, Imagawa Ujizane.
To be honest, Imagawa Ujizane is a fool. He still thinks that the Ming Dynasty is here to help him.
Wang Chonggu and Ma Fang, who had landed on the island, naturally didn't waste any time talking to him. They just ordered their men to tie him up. Both of them were very angry.
Why? The reason is simple, it’s military merit, the brothers under his command are all crying out for food!
Although the future benefits of the military exploits have not yet been specifically announced, these are the news coming from the capital.
But they do know that without the approval of the cabinet, who would dare to spread such rumors in the army?
Therefore, Tang Shunzhi naturally did not control the various uses of military merit in the army, as well as the soldiers' fantasies about the future.
But what was the result? They thought that after landing on the island, Imagawa Ujizane would find out that he had been deceived and start a war in anger, and then they would kill as many people as possible, but it turned out that this guy was a coward and knelt down to greet them.
In addition, they didn't even see a decent soldier, which made the two of them very angry, as if they had punched cotton.
"How should I explain to the soldiers!" Wang Chonggu looked at Ma Fang, who also had a bad look on his face.
Wang Chonggu felt that he had not had a smooth life since he was framed by the villain Chen Hong and transferred out of the capital.
The last time when Yinshan was buried and the immortal appeared, he was warned by the cabinet with his mouth covered, and he had to give an explanation to the historian afterwards.
Afterwards, he was regarded as a lucky general of the Ming Dynasty. The old historian even took a pen and recorded a sentence in front of him: A lucky general of the Ming Dynasty, blessed by heaven in every battle. In the battle of Yinshan, auspicious signs descended from heaven!
It seems like his victory was all due to luck?
This makes future generations see that when others say that fighting depends on luck, what kind of talk is this? Do I, Wang Chonggu, rely on luck? I, Wang Chonggu, am definitely a powerful person!
Now, a war to destroy a nation is destined to be recorded in history, and the other side just kneels down like that? When we go back, those bastard historians will not know how to record it.
The famous general Ma Fang, looking at Wang Chonggu's depressed look, couldn't help but grin and said, "Brother Wang, fighting is bloody, and the soldiers are eager to follow the lucky general!"
"Lucky general?" Wang Chonggu sneered, "Do you want this blessing? I don't want to be said by future generations that fighting a war is all about luck. How many battles have I, Wang Chonggu, experienced?"
"Which war wasn't won by skill?"
"No, I don't deserve this blessing." Ma Fang smiled and waved her hands repeatedly.
Well, this group of literati and historians are really frustrating. A famous general was recorded as a lucky general. This is a humiliation for any capable general.
"Old fox!" Wang Chonggu rolled his eyes in annoyance, waved his hand, turned around and walked away.
The sight slowly rises.
On the shuttle, everyone was not surprised by the victories achieved by Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou as well as Wang Chonggu and Ma Fang.
After all, there is a huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, and with the help of internal and external forces, it is difficult not to win.
However, what really shocked Prince Yu, Prince Jing, the cabinet, and the people in the Imperial Household Department were those young men who looked like ghosts, had infinite strength, and were quickly reaping the lives of the Japanese.
"Father, are these young men also members of my Ming army?" Prince Yu asked in surprise, looking at these young men.
Upon hearing this, the others looked towards Jiajing.
They were very concerned about these young men who looked like ghosts, moved with ease and could take people's lives in an instant.
Before this, all officials were afraid of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot because these people were omnipresent and extremely ferocious.
Although the power of the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang has declined with the passage of time, everyone knows that there are hidden Jinyiwei in every household.
These Jinyiwei exist openly and covertly, and they cannot defend themselves against them. What if these young men lurk around them in the future?
For a moment, everyone felt their scalp tingling.
Even though Yan Song knew some inside information and guessed that these children might be the ones trained by Lu Bing, his pupils couldn't help but shrink after seeing the abilities of these children.
Looking at Jiajing who had a calm expression, there was fear in his eyes.
"..."
Remember the shame!
(End of this chapter)
