"Fire!"
Kaicheng was shrouded in smoke, arrows and gunpowder exchanged fire. The first wave of attacking Japanese soldiers had begun to set up siege ladders and battering rams. Tens of thousands of them, with a suicidal frenzy, launched a fierce assault on the royal capital, which had changed hands several times!
Ma Gui, the General-in-Chief of the Border Defense, held a Xunlei Musket. The six iron barrels of the firearm were already emitting smoke, and the muzzle was burning hot, as if it were about to melt.
The Xunlei Musket, being a new weapon, was not widely deployed. Only a dozen experimental models existed, mostly in the hands of divine generals and officers, each inscribed with the Five Thunder God's Curse or the Great Bear God's Curse.
Ma Gui watched as a batch of Japanese soldiers was blasted off the city walls, and those who hadn't even approached were struck down, their souls scattered. The armor on his head was covered in ash from the gunpowder discharge, and he felt a deep sense of misfortune.
Why, as the General-in-Chief of the Border Defense, alongside Governor-General and Minister of War Xing Jie, and the Governor of Liaodong and Joseon, Yang Hao – all of us being the highest-ranking leaders at the same level – why did he have to take orders from the Naval Commander Chen Lin to defend this city!
It wasn't because he couldn't swallow his pride... well, it was precisely because he couldn't swallow his pride! Nor was it because he feared the Japanese pirates. It was simply that Chen Lin, though one rank lower than him, could allocate command actions for various armies, while he, his direct superior, was stationed at Kaicheng. Chen Lin's absurd reason was that he was "the highest-ranking official"!
Because he was the highest-ranking official, the Japanese army would become excited upon seeing him.
Because they were excited, they would come to confirm his presence. After confirmation, they would launch a fierce charge at him!
It sounded a bit off.
However, in reality, it was precisely to gain the trust of the enemy. After all, with three of the highest-ranking officials appearing in Kaicheng, once this signal was released, the Japanese army would not divert their attention elsewhere but would focus on attacking Kaicheng.
After all, capturing a Ming dynasty's highest-ranking official wasn't just about beheading a general and capturing a banner; it was directly capturing the commander-in-chief. This achievement would be immense!
"So, I'm the bait right now! Damn Chen Lin, treating me like an earthworm to fish with!"
"And wasn't it said that this batch of Japanese pirates was a feint! Why are they fighting so desperately!"
Ma Gui reloaded his firearm while firing at the advancing enemy.
Looking at their fearless appearance, and then at the siege ladders, battering rams, and siege hammers below! This was no feint; they were well-prepared!
Rumble!
Suddenly, four strange carts, resembling turtle shells, charged towards the city walls. These were the Wunlun carts that the Japanese army had imitated during previous engagements!
The Wunlun carts, under a barrage of gunpowder and arrows, reached the base of the city and then dropped gunpowder packets. This was also something imitated from Ming dynasty battles. During the time of Li Rusong's campaign a few years prior, these gunpowder packets, known as Zhen Tian Lei, could kill thirty Japanese soldiers with a single detonation, striking fear into the hearts of the Japanese army. The Koreans also had a similar technology called Po Lie Dan. However, despite their good equipment, Joseon fell in all its three capitals and eight provinces within a month, with the king fleeing all the way to Shun天 in the Ming dynasty. This corresponding technological knowledge was then plundered by Japan.
"Damn it!"
Ma Gui felt a chill run down his spine, as he saw even more Wunlun carts charging towards them!
To be honest, these Wunlun carts weren't exactly high-tech...
But besides the gunpowder packets, there seemed to be something else inside!
Inside the Wunlun carts, two soldiers worked together to lift a massive firearm. It wasn't a cannon, but when stood upright, it was as tall as two adult men. It resembled a giant bird gun, and this type of weapon was called a Sihai Bo, essentially something between a gun and a cannon. The Japanese called them Da Tie Pao or Da Tong.
Seeing that contraption, Ma Gui felt a sense of foreboding. Although not as powerful as a cannon, its destructive force was still considerable. Coupled with the blessing of national prestige and incantations from the enemy, continuous bombardment of the city would surely be dangerous. Thus, he roared twice, ordering the参将 to bring over the good stuff.
On the battlements of Kaicheng, four massive black barrels suddenly appeared.
"Hongyi Cannons! Fire, shoot for me!"
BOOM—!
A cannonball landed precisely on a Wunlun cart.
Seeing a wisp of smoke, the few were instantly annihilated!
The Japanese suffered countless casualties, and the shockwave instilled terror and panic!
The initial engagement of the Hongyi Cannon blew a Wunlun cart to smithereens, along with the Japanese soldiers inside wielding the Da Tie Pao, reducing them to ashes. The blast radius was enormous, turning the surroundings into a sea of fire, with debris and severed limbs flying everywhere! This almost made the eyes of the legion commanders pop out; they thought it was a great cultivator from the Ming army who had broken out of the city!
"Even with the blessing of incantations, the power of these cannons shouldn't be this great!"
"No, it's the weapon itself that is powerful. Powerful weapons, after being enhanced, become unimaginably potent. This thing... we haven't seen it before. Is it newly delivered equipment?"
"That's about enough! Retreat, order them to withdraw!"
Seeing that the casualties were spiraling out of control, the legion commanders immediately ordered a retreat. The first wave of the offensive would end here. Next, they would begin to act... well, it couldn't exactly be called acting, as they had genuinely suffered a defeat. However, they still had to order the abandonment of their weapons and feign a complete rout.
The soldiers, who had turned pale with fear from the might of the giant cannon, now heard the retreat horn. Like Izanagi snatching himself back from the underworld to escape his wife, they immediately discarded all their weapons, leaving behind only their protective armor, and cast everything else aside.
The great rout began, more convincing than the real thing. Ma Gui saw this and a smile tugged at his lips.
If he hadn't known about their plan in advance, he would have truly pursued them in victory.
But now, run as far as you like.
The fleeing soldiers retreated to their main camp, and the legion commanders, seeing that the Ming army had no intention of leaving the city, realized their initial plan had failed. They then praised the Ming officers in the city as steady individuals.
"That is General-in-Chief Ma Gui. If we can capture him alive, it will be a great achievement and a severe blow to the morale of the Ming dynasty."
"I say, since we've already attacked, and the enemy has no intention of advancing, why don't we commit all our forces and launch a fierce assault? As long as we can kill him, any casualties will be worth it."
"The Ming army in the city is estimated to be just over ten thousand, while we have a total of over fifty thousand, nearly sixty thousand troops. We absolutely cannot believe we won't be able to take it!"
In this strategy, seventeen thousand men were sent to attack the supply lines, ten thousand remained to guard the royal capital, and the remaining over fifty thousand were all sent to attack Kaicheng. This army of over eighty thousand, not counting the logistics soldiers, was almost all the available fighting force on the western front!
At this point, many legion commanders were thinking that even if the enemy had cannons, they also had one of the three highest-ranking individuals in this battle for the Ming dynasty. As long as they could capture him, alive or dead, it would be a profit.
First, plant a flag on the spot, then charge blindly. If they win, they'll go home and get married.
"No, wouldn't that just be a blind assault again? That's not intelligent."
"Continue to dispatch small units for continuous probing and harassment, forcing them to expend their arrows and gunpowder. Once they no longer respond to our harassment, we will launch the siege. As soon as they counterattack, we will retreat."
"If they don't come out, we have a second plan. Just before dawn, when people are most exhausted, the general assault will be launched then."
Uesugi Kagekatsu looked at Date Masamune and said, "Mr. Date, I know you are not satisfied with the overall commander's deployment, but in war, changing a predetermined plan, in the absence of unforeseen circumstances, is very dangerous. Therefore, please continue to operate according to the planned strategy."
"Do not miss the opportunity for battle by vying for the head of the Ming general."
Date Masamune looked indignant, "I know, I know..."
Although he agreed verbally, his mind was still calculating how to be the first to snatch the head of that Ming general.
The second round of combat soon began.
The Japanese harassed, the Ming army counterattacked. The Japanese continued to harass, the Ming army held firm and did not come out. The Japanese began the siege, the Ming army counterattacked, the Japanese retreated. In less than half an hour, they harassed again, repeating the previous steps.
The tactic of wearing down the enemy was proving quite effective. The Ming army's counterattacks became increasingly scattered, clearly indicating that orders were not being conveyed accurately.
After all, a thief can steal for a thousand days, but a guard cannot guard for a thousand days!
As long as one is the attacking party, the initiative lies with the attacking party. The defending party, in the final analysis, is forced to defend because they are initially at a disadvantage. Launching an attack to pursue the enemy is often an attempt by the defending party to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. By harassing the attacking party, the city itself becomes a base for attack. This is very detrimental to the attacking party, as once they lose the initiative, the outcome is dire.
Time ticked by, little by little.
Until, a group of defeated and panicked remnants arrived!
...
At Suwon Port, the Ming army disguised themselves as Japanese soldiers. The soldiers discarded their heavy armor and donned simple ashigaru attire. The Ming generals also put on samurai armor. Led by four Shadow Soldier Generals, they used the excuse of returning to defend the port, and easily captured it. Under the chaos of thousands of infiltrators from the navy, the five thousand Japanese naval forces stationed at Suwon Port were annihilated.
Subsequently, the Ming army left four thousand men to guard the port, and the remaining sixteen thousand marched directly towards the royal capital. At the same time, due to the presence of an inside informant in the royal capital, they more easily led the large army into the royal palace.
Then, as the gleaming samurai sword severed the head of the person before him, the general guarding the royal capital finally awoke as if from a dream!
"Katagiri! Kasuya! Ikoma! Nabeshima! You four... have you betrayed us!"
Asano Yoshinaga, the general guarding the city, looked in disbelief at his four betraying colleagues, and what terrified him even more were the Ming soldiers who had entered the city with the four colleagues!
Having been struck fifteen times, yet still full of vigor, this made the four Shadow Soldiers somewhat troubled. They whispered to each other:
"Even with sharp weapons, we still can't inflict effective damage."
As expected, without the aid of Meng Han Yao, these Shadow Soldiers, even with divine artifacts, could not kill an ordinary cultivator. After all, the Shadow Stepping Technique itself was a trick of deception. Shadows themselves were intangible. Even though Ji Xiang had fabricated their forms and spirits, without physical substance, their lethality remained low.
Therefore, if the Shadow Soldiers were not only traceless but also immensely powerful, how could such a technique be lost to time?
Now, even if they were struck fifteen more times, the opponent would likely still be jumping around. This wasn't because their Shadow Soldiers were holding back, but purely because their attack power was insufficient.
However, Asano Yoshinaga did not think so. He merely thought that his four colleagues still had the "Heart of Old Days," and thus had "held back" when striking him fifteen times. Filled with excitement, he rebuked them:
"You didn't cut with all your might, did you! What is it, have you not been eating well after betraying the Ming army, to the point where you have no strength yourselves! Can you people be called loyal subjects!"
"If you consider me an enemy, you should cut with all your might and not hold back! But what are you doing now? Holding back against an enemy, because you feel guilty in your hearts, right?"
"A sword that carries guilt cannot kill!"
The four Shadow Soldiers: "........"
Frankly speaking, despite the passionate words, the four of them truly felt no guilt. The reason they couldn't kill you was purely because Shadow Soldiers had little attack power. When wielding swords, they were merely making the motions of swinging; they didn't actually possess the force to swing down. It was as if the swords, relying on their own sharpness, had merely grazed your skin!
If the four of them had attack power, then you wouldn't be spouting chuunibyo rhetoric right now, but it would be the "Joseon Royal Capital Shadow Killing Incident"...
"Your swords are so weak and powerless!"
"If you've forgotten how to swing them, I'll teach you!"
Asano Yoshinaga raised his katana, then with lightning speed, suddenly drew a firearm from his person and fired, hitting a Shadow Soldier with a bang!
The true art of drawing a sword is used like this!
However... the hit Shadow Soldier was completely unharmed. Although a large hole had been opened in him, he was still as if nothing had happened.
Asano Yoshinaga's pupils contracted violently: "You... why are you unharmed?"
"Ah, saying that a sword with guilt cannot kill, so this guy didn't intend to have a normal duel either."
"Indeed, so those words just now were meant to make us lower our guard."
The other Shadow Soldiers reacted at this point, but it didn't matter much. Since they couldn't be killed anyway, they maintained an attitude of letting things slide, thinking that you couldn't do anything to them.
Asano Yoshinaga was filled with terror: "You four, are you no longer human!"
His divine power surged!
"In that case, I must kill you here even more!"
"Tenyabiko-no-Mikoto!"
The image of a giant god rose from his body!
But the next moment, a black longsword suddenly pierced through the divine body, impaling Asano Yoshinaga's chest!
Blood splattered, and his divine power was instantly disrupted. Asano Yoshinaga turned his head in disbelief, and saw Kobayakawa Hideaki standing in the position of his shadow.
"This is... Ninigi-no-Mikoto..."
"Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!"
Kobayakawa Hideaki smiled, "Ah, it's just a replica... but it still has an effect."
"After all, the genuine article is in the hands of your Kanpaku-sama, so how could it be given to me."
"But even though it's a replica, it still has the effect of breaking divine power, and only the divine position of Ninigi-no-Mikoto can wield it. Otherwise, how could I, as the overall commander of the Western Army, effectively deter those legion commanders? It is precisely because of the existence of this sword."
Asano Yoshinaga looked utterly incredulous.
Could it be that from the very beginning, the overall commander of the Western Army was a spy for the Ming dynasty!
This news was too terrifying...!
"Sorry, Asano-kun, actually... I'm from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Asano Yoshinaga stared blankly and fell to the ground, dead. A divine light escaped his body and shot towards the sky.