Uesugi Kagekatsu's expression changed, and the other legion commanders looked on in horror!
While they were here employing a strategy of wearing down the enemy at Kaesong, their homeland, Wangjing, had been raided!
A feigned retreat.
An ambush!
"Baka! It's not that we are using stratagems against the Ming army, but that the Ming army has used stratagems to lure us!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu finally understood the source of his unease.
It wasn't entirely due to his apprehension of the hidden Ming immortal, but also his worry about the insufficient defenses of Joseon's Wangjing!
But, was it truly lost due to insufficient defenses?
There were thousands of troops at Suwon Port. The Ming army's land route could not bypass Biyeti Pass; this stronghold, straddling Kaesong and Wangjing, was an extremely important strategic location. Cities, some are not attacked, and some must be attacked! Biyeti Pass was a city that must be attacked!
And whether by land or sea, even if the Ming army's entire navy of thirty thousand set sail, they could not possibly capture Suwon Port instantly. Thousands of troops, even thousands of pigs, would take an hour to round up if they were running around everywhere! Wangjing would surely receive news and prepare to defend the city!
Moreover, the naval forces' combat focus was on naval warfare. For sieges, they lacked large siege equipment. At most, they could dismantle ship cannons for use, but this was limited. And if the naval forces' siege combat power was higher than the land forces, what would be the purpose of the land forces?
Therefore, there was only one truth!
"There's a mole! Halt the attack!"
The entire army retreated!
Uesugi Kagekatsu and the other legion commanders reached a consensus immediately! The fall of Wangjing was a catastrophe of immense proportions. It meant that the Joseon national prestige, which they had been exploiting as a resource, could now be mobilized. If it slipped from their grasp, Japan's national prestige would significantly decline, putting them at a disadvantage in direct confrontation with the Ming dynasty's national prestige!
And it would affect the soldiers' resistance to spells!
A large number of soldiers retreated in haste and panic. The legion commanders sounded the retreat gongs. They were now extremely anxious. The most urgent matter at the moment was to return and rescue Wangjing. The Ming army's surprise attack must not have been too large, at most ten thousand. There were still seven thousand troops at Biyeti Pass. With this fresh force, combined with tens of thousands of troops, they would be enough to recapture Wangjing!
But someone disagreed!
"Baka! Who told you to retreat!"
Date Masamune walked up to those legion commanders, furious!
"Even if we know Wangjing has fallen, it's too late to rescue it if we go back now! Are you all idiots! Our morale is already at rock bottom from this long march, while the Ming army's morale is high. Moreover, they can fight and withdraw at will!"
"Once we withdraw now, the Ming army at Kaesong will directly sortie and attack Biyeti Pass! Even if we recapture Wangjing, our front-line positions will be lost. With the Ming army stationed at Biyeti Pass, it would be like placing an axe at our throats. With a slight swing, they can kill us whenever they please!"
"Man is the knife, and we are the fish! Don't you understand this at all! Our only way out is to capture Kaesong!"
In his rage, Date Masamune almost drew his two swords and killed several legion commanders on the spot!
The other legion commanders, threatened by him like this, could no longer tolerate it, no matter how good their temper. The two sides were on the verge of drawing swords. Uesugi Kagekatsu looked at Date Masamune, whose arrogance slightly subsided, but he still sharply and dissatisfiedly questioned:
"Mr. Uesugi, did you issue the retreat order! Even if you are the front-line supervisor, you cannot arbitrarily issue such an order!"
"This will cause our morale to collapse completely! If we retreat now, what will happen if the Ming army from Kaesong charges out? In a complete rout, even a hundred thousand men might not be able to defeat ten thousand! Don't you understand this principle!"
Morale on the battlefield is a crucial factor in victory and defeat. With full morale, Xiang Yu with thirty thousand men dared to fight Liu Bang with five hundred thousand. The more soldiers there are, once morale collapses, there is no way to save them. The people in front flee, the people in the middle follow suit, and finally, the people in the back who know nothing, seeing that the people in front and middle are running, they will also run.
This is what it means to be defeated like a mountain collapsing!
In such a complete rout, even hundreds of thousands of men would be pursued for tens of miles by tens of thousands, or even thousands, of men! The casualties would be horrific, with even more than half of them caused by friendly fire and trampling!
Uesugi Kagekatsu deliberated before speaking, "What if we capture Kaesong? There is no port here, and our navy cannot enter. Kaesong is surrounded by Ming army strongholds on three sides. They will immediately encircle and annihilate us!"
"Moreover, the outside world is unlikely to know our current situation. I suspect there is a mole in Wangjing!"
Date Masamune was stunned for a moment, then cursed several times: "It must be Kobayakawa Hideaki! Only he has the ability to lure the Ming army into Wangjing without anyone knowing!"
It's quite ironic. In the past, they invited "Taigun" (Japanese generals), but now it's "Mingjun" (Ming generals)!
Uesugi Kagekatsu continued, "Furthermore, if we cannot capture Kaesong, what then?"
"Will those who captured Wangjing, led by the mole, directly capture Biyeti Pass?"
Date Masamune was startled.
Uesugi Kagekatsu sighed heavily, his complexion slightly pale, "If you attack Kaesong and capture it, it will indeed give us some breathing room, but only for a limited time. However, Kaesong is surrounded by Ming army strongholds on three sides, with only Biyeti Pass behind. Our supply lines will be directly cut off by Wangjing and Suwon Port..."
"Gaining temporary respite, and then being surrounded due to lack of supplies, and then tens of thousands of people starving to death here?"
"If the Ming army sets up those large cannons around Kaesong, will we still have a chance to go out? We can only break through then, so why not leave now? Must we wait until we are at our wit's end?"
"Moreover, Biyeti Pass is a defensible location. The Ming army will not use ten thousand men to attack Biyeti Pass. This is where Li Rusong was defeated back then! The Ming army is wary of this city. Moreover, we who are entrenched at Biyeti Pass can always regroup and launch a surprise attack on Wangjing. As long as Wangjing can be recaptured, supplies will be replenished. As for whether to fight or retreat... we will see then."
Date Masamune's expression was grim, but he also knew that what Uesugi Kagekatsu said made sense. Capturing Kaesong now would only yield a "slim chance of survival," and the subsequent situation would be even more dire. When surrounded, the most taboo thing is to put oneself in a passive position.
And this is even if they manage to capture it.
Date Masamune looked up and could vaguely see Ma Gui's military banner. That Ming general stood on the city wall, seemingly still taunting them loudly.
"You Japanese dogs, why aren't you continuing the attack? Has your mother's grave been dug up or something!"
Ma Gui shouted loudly from the city wall.
"Don't pay attention to his provocation! He's stalling for time! Let's retreat quickly, they definitely won't pursue us!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu calmly issued orders: "The retreat now is in some order. If the Ming army dares to pursue, they will once again face our counterattack, and it will be a repeat of the Battle of Biyeti Pass! This time it's at night, and they definitely won't dare to pursue!"
As expected, according to Uesugi Kagekatsu's instructions, although the Japanese army experienced a certain degree of disarray, their overall formation was still preserved. Even though it was loose, it still possessed a certain counter-attack capability. The Ming army remained within Kaesong, only firing a few long-range shots, and then there was no further movement.
Seeing this, the other legion commanders were all convinced by Uesugi Kagekatsu's command. Date Masamune felt uneasy, but he had to admit that retreating at this time was indeed wise. During the march, the army's defeated state had gradually subsided, and the morale had stabilized. With this posture, they could rendezvous at Biyeti Pass around dawn, and by the evening of the next day, they could dispatch the seven thousand fresh troops from Biyeti Pass as the vanguard to counterattack Wangjing.
The most important thing is to secure their supply lines! The fate of the Empire hinges on this!
As dawn approached, the belly of the sky in the east turned white. The morale of the Japanese army had slightly recovered. This was because the feigned retreat was part of the plan, but now it had turned into a real retreat. Although the news of Wangjing's fall initially shocked many, after recovering, they could understand upon careful consideration that a surprise attack, by its nature, would not involve a large number of troops.
The light from the east began to illuminate the mountains and rivers.
Uesugi Kagekatsu's sense of foreboding rose again!
"Halt the entire army!"
His sense of unease grew stronger. This time, he was certain it was the scent of death!
"Onryo Samurai! Draw your swords!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu gave orders to his forty personal guards. These forty samurai, clad in black armor, drew their tachi, and were enveloped by the dense chilling air of the underworld and the aura of vengeful spirits. A pale color began to cover their armor.
"Why stop? Biyeti Pass is just ahead!"
Date Masamune rode his horse forward, once again questioning with great dissatisfaction, pointing towards the sturdy mountain fortress that was now visible: "There is no sign of Biyeti Pass being breached. Look, our flags are still flying on it!"
"Are you saying the Ming army has an ambush in the city! This is impossible. Even if Kobayakawa Hideaki is indeed a mole, he couldn't have opened the gates of Biyeti. That is something only our vanguard has the authority to order opened!"
"Are you saying..."
Date Masamune's pupils gradually contracted, while Uesugi Kagekatsu vigilantly directed his gaze towards the surrounding legion commanders!
Who is it? Which person is it!
"There are spies in the vanguard as well!"
Uesugi Kagekatsu was about to curse. What the hell is going on, there are moles everywhere! For spies to infiltrate, they must have minimal contact with people. And to obtain high-level information, they cannot get close in a short time. Therefore, the answer is that this spy has been by their side from the beginning!
And in recent times, the legion commanders who had retreated in defeat during the war or came to reinforce, who gathered in Wangjing for meetings, along with their retainers and generals, including himself and the two pseudo-immortals, were all suspects!
However, there are too many spies. Are so many people dissatisfied with the Grand Minister and defecting to the Ming army?
What benefits did the Ming dynasty offer them to make them so infatuated? Their families, relatives, and clans were all still in Japan! Were they truly so heartless as to abandon everything for their own future and go to the Ming dynasty?
The Ming dynasty is not the Tang dynasty, is it worth all this!
The faces of the legion commanders also changed, clearly they had realized the problem, but someone still said, "Even if there are spies, it doesn't affect us entering the city now, right? We have to enter sooner or later.... Why are you all looking at me like that! I'm not a spy!"
The legion commander who spoke was immediately flustered as everyone stared at him.
Uesugi Kagekatsu immediately stopped them, "Including myself and the two immortals, we are all suspects. Do not panic!"
"However, I'm afraid we won't be able to enter the city. I have a premonition that once we get close to that city, we will be shot..."
"This is the chilling energy of the underworld, you should all know my divine position."
The deity Daidojin, who blocks the exit of the underworld, possesses the power to sense and bestow death.
"I'll go! In any case, the one occupying that city now is not the Ming army, nor is it our demon, right?"
Date Masamune could not hold back, "Regardless of what's happening, I have the divine position of Kurikara Great Dragon King. All poisons, curses, and assassination tricks are ineffective against me. If the opponent is a demon, even better!"
"I can't hold back my four swords anymore!"
"Besides... I seemed to see demonic energy rising over there just now."
Date Masamune stared at Biyeti Pass in the distance, his fighting spirit soaring. He immediately spurred his black horse forward. The other legion commanders did not stop him, and Uesugi Kagekatsu merely nodded.
As Date Masamune approached Biyeti Pass, he saw that the people on the wall were still his own troops. He even recognized some of the commanders. He immediately shouted from below the city for them to open the gates, but these people turned a deaf ear. They looked at Date Masamune as if he were already dead.
"Date Masamune, today is your death day!"
Date Masamune was greatly shocked to see the armored samurai, "Hayashi Michitoshi! You scoundrel, what nonsense are you spouting? You are my second-in-command!"
"Are you the spy?"
Hayashi Michitoshi's eyes were boiling with demonic energy, "I am not a spy. I have simply seen the truth of the world. What are we fighting for? For the Grand Minister's ambition? To lose our lives in a foreign land?"
"I don't want to die yet! For such a thing, for someone else's ambition, to give up my life?"
Date Masamune roared, "Then don't you want to achieve merit and establish a career! If we win, won't the Grand Minister reward you upon our return to Japan? To disregard your own life and betray your country, and even disregard the lives of your kin in your own country! Lord Hayashi, you are such a foolish person!"
Hayashi Michitoshi sneered, "You are about to become someone else's achievement, and you are still thinking about rewards, Date Masamune!"
"I only know that empty promises cannot save a life. The war has reached a stalemate. We have been fighting this battle for several years, and there is no hope of victory. You led tens of thousands of men to attack Kaesong, and this is the result of your embarrassing return!"
"To mobilize the entire nation's army, we only have this much combat power. And yet you still think of achieving merit and becoming a general or marquis! Without the wish-transformed demons to assist us, we would have probably been defeated long ago!"
"It's not that I don't want to achieve merit and establish a career, but I don't want to bear the consequences of failure! I have neither succeeded nor failed. The war was not initiated by me, nor were the promises of merit given by myself, but by the Grand Minister. If successful, the immense profits will ultimately go to you legion commanders, and I am merely your second-in-command."
"And if the war fails, whose judgment will our lives be subject to? Will it be the Grand Minister? No, he will just sit in his homeland, listening to the news of our deaths, and sigh softly. He might not even remember my humble and lowly relatives! Because I am not a daimyo, I am just a lowly, masterless, and deceased warrior!"
"I don't fight for anyone. I just want to know, if this is a war that is inherently unwinnable, and we are brought here under the slogan of achieving merit and establishing a career, then what have I been fighting for until now!"
Hayashi Michitoshi's demonic energy surged, and his inner demons flared up. On the city wall, another figure appeared.
Shimazu Tadatsune, clad in samurai armor, stood on the city wall with his head lowered, revealing a playful smile.
Date Masamune's expression shook violently:
"It's... you, kid! You are from the Shimazu family... How is this possible? What benefit do you get from doing this! Are you a spy?"
"Your father is a legion commander of the Eastern Army, guarding Gensan Castle. How could you do such a rebellious and treasonous thing!"
"Wait! If you are a spy, was Tachibana Muneshige also harmed by you! Did you reveal his whereabouts to the Ming immortals?"
Date Masamune said incredulously, while also thinking of another contradiction: he had just seen Shimazu Tadatsune by Uesugi Kagekatsu's side.
What exactly is going on!
"How did you suddenly appear in front of me from behind?"
Date Masamune asked vigilantly and with great confusion.
Shimazu Tadatsune smiled slightly, half his face darkened by the reflection of his samurai helmet, hidden in the shadows:
"Mr. Tachibana had his own way of seeking death. He killed too many Thunder Sorcerers, so it's normal for him to be targeted, and that matter has nothing to do with me."
"And... when did you get the illusion that I was still by Mr. Uesugi's side?"
"That was just a shadow."
Date Masamune was now furious!
"A shadow? Do you mean a kagemusha? Are you kidding me! Do you think I'm an idiot!"
"You little bastard of the Shimazu family! I'll clean up your house for you! I'll kill you here!"
Three of the four swords were demonic swords of the great yokai Otake Maru, and the remaining one was his own treasured sword Kagehide. Now, the shadow of a black dragon ascended around him, his arms turned into four, and all four swords were wrapped with white cloth, erupting with fierce flames, accompanied by the hissing of dragons and snakes!
Kurikara Great Dragon King!
The black dragon encircles the sword, dwelling in the Samadhi of fire!
"Little bastard, the national prestige of Biyeti Pass is still Japanese. Do you want to stop me by relying on this broken city! Attacking your own city, national prestige will not have any effect! Let's see where you can escape!"
Date Masamune raised his four swords!
Shimazu Tadatsune gave another strange smile:
"Indeed, you are absolutely right. The national prestige of one's own country will not harm one's own generals."
"Therefore, conversely, the national prestige will also not have any effect when one attacks one's own base city or soldiers."
"And you, who possess the power to slay demons and monsters and suppress the demonic energy of the world, this divine position is too dangerous, so I have been waiting for you here, deliberately letting you come here. When did you get the illusion that you were coming to kill me?"
"It's clearly me who let you come to kill me."
Date Masamune was stunned for a moment.
Then, in the sky above the rear main camp, a divine sword suddenly appeared.
A black-clothed youth held the divine sword in the sky, suddenly manifesting from the void.
A large number of swords were swung down from the sky!
In an instant, heaven and earth collapsed, and all ten directions were annihilated!