The Ming army, having narrowly avoided defeat, retreated to the port on the shore, their hearts still pounding. Though they didn't know how Todo Takatora had disappeared, the immense tidal wave had left many shaken. However, once they regained their composure, some began to voice their doubts.
The King of Joseon, through a summoned divine talisman, inquired about the situation. After a brief explanation of the events, he was initially overjoyed, but then immediately began to reprimand Yi Sun-sin, even going so far as to blame the Ming generals.
"What kind of monstrous tidal wave was that? You first spoke of the enemy possessing a divine artifact for prosperous sea currents, and then immediately claimed the sea was calm and the sky cloudless. Such a rapid change from one statement to the next, how could it be the truth?"
"You are all valiant generals, bearing divine positions from the heavens, as majestic as stars descended to earth, yet you cannot see through a mere illusion cast by a Japanese pirate? I understand now, I truly do, and I see through it all."
"This is clearly an illusion. You all believed you saw a towering tidal wave and the sea churning. In reality, the sea was perfectly calm. The Japanese general merely employed a small trick to deceive your eyes, and you were all so easily fooled, retreating in disarray and losing a prime opportunity for pursuit!"
As the King of Joseon spoke, his expression was one of disappointment. Though the generals in Sizhou City could not see his face through the divine talisman, they could easily imagine his expression from his tone. Immediately, some became enraged.
The old general Deng Zilong was the first to step forward and curse loudly,
"What do you know, you vassal king! That great wave killed thousands of our soldiers. The waterspout sucked water into the sky, the wind howled, and the waves surged. Are you saying these men were all under an illusion and threw themselves into the sea?"
"Of course, that's how it was!"
The King of Joseon's tone was filled with bewilderment, as if asking, "How could you ask such a foolish question?" This tone infuriated Deng Zilong. Yi Sun-sin's expression also soured. Under the angry gazes of the surrounding generals, he dared to respond to the King of Joseon,
"Your Majesty, regarding this matter, I believe the Japanese might not have used any illusion. Those ships were also damaged. If it were an illusion, there would be no large ships attacking each other, nor would there be surging waves. How do you explain the damage to the ships?"
The King of Joseon immediately retorted, "For you to be the commander of the navy, I released you from prison and pardoned your crimes. You should be immensely grateful to me, yet you dare to argue and offend your sovereign. This is utterly disrespectful!"
Yi Sun-sin was left speechless.
Joseon, with its emphasis on civil over military affairs, was no different for its monarch. Military officials were only to obey orders and were forbidden from questioning or acting independently, lest they offend their superiors. Thus, the King of Joseon believed that granting Yi Sun-sin such great authority was more than enough to make the general weep with gratitude. For him to dare to question his monarch at this moment, without considering his own humble position, was beyond comprehension!
"Enough! I shall not stoop to argue with a mere soldier! The damage to the ships was naturally caused by the enemy's warships. Is there any need to overthink this? You were trapped in an illusion, and the enemy warships unleashed their firearms. You mistook those firearms for sea waves and desperately dodged them, and these firearms damaged the ships. It now appears that the thousand or so fallen soldiers were likely also killed by firearms."
"However, you all have made great contributions. I thank you all for helping me restore my kingdom."
"The seven-year war is finally over. I have many other important matters to attend to... Rest for a few days, and then return to report your mission. After all, Joseon has suffered severe damage and truly has no surplus provisions to support you!"
The King of Joseon offered his "explanation" verbally, even making it sound somewhat reasonable. He had even made Deng Zilong begin to doubt himself. Following this, the King of Joseon thanked everyone, though his sincerity was questionable.
After the light of the divine talisman faded, a Ming general flew into a rage and smashed the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces!
"What do you mean, 'no surplus provisions'! This vassal king is truly infuriating! In the seven-year war, when did Joseon ever supply even half a grain of rice! Our provisions were all transported from our homeland. We never received any sustenance from here!"
"Now that the war is over, he comes out with such words, as if our every day in Joseon were draining his nation's fortune! What a shameless monarch there is in this world!"
The Ming generals were furious. The only Joseon general, Yi Sun-sin, could only remain silent. Deng Zilong approached him, intending to persuade him to serve the Ming Dynasty, using the incident where the Japanese used a counter-espionage ploy to make the Joseon King act rashly, leading to his imprisonment and near-death as an example.
However, the Joseon general quickly stopped him, repeatedly declining,
"General Deng's intentions are appreciated, but a loyal subject does not serve two masters. With my humble skills, I fear I cannot meet the expectations of the great nation."
The general meaning was clear: the Joseon King was a complete disaster, the civil officials were all eloquent but useless, and the military officers were almost entirely incompetent. After seven years of war, any capable military officers had already perished. If he were to go to the Ming Dynasty now and abandon his homeland, he feared he would never see his homeland again if the Japanese were to return.
As for loyalty, there was no need to be loyal to a disastrous king, but one must be loyal to the people of this land.
"To be born in this country, no matter how incompetent it may be, one cannot abandon it. It is like old and weak parents and their strong children. Can the children abandon their parents and leave them to fend for themselves?"
After Yi Sun-sin's refusal, Deng Zilong did not press further. The atmosphere between the two became extremely harmonious, and the Ming army did not wish to stay any longer. But had the war truly ended?
"The Japanese have not declared defeat. Can this battle be considered a victory?"
No one could be sure. If they withdrew now, and the Japanese returned after some time, what then? Todo Takatora's words lingered in the minds of some generals, his menacing threats of slaughtering millions the next time they came, chilling their hearts.
The seven-year war had not only reduced Joseon to ruins but had also depleted the Ming Dynasty's strength considerably. After all, Joseon provided no supplies, and a large amount of provisions had to be transported from the homeland, a tremendously arduous task. Even with combined land and sea transport, the consumption was astonishing. Moreover, sea transport of supplies was limited, as the Ming Dynasty did not have its own official merchant fleet and was under a maritime ban.
"No need to wait."
A sudden voice entered the tent. A head rolled in. The generals were startled. Upon seeing the person dressed in black, the highly vigilant atmosphere immediately relaxed!
"Immortal Master! It has been many days! Where have you been? You have surprised us!"
Chen Lin, Ma Gui, and other superiors sheathed their swords and cupped their fists as they greeted Ji Xiang.
"This is Todo Takatora's head. Please confirm it."
"As for the others, I have dealt with them all."
Ji Xiang allowed them to examine the head closely to verify its identity.
Everyone slowly came to their senses. Someone then said, "Indeed, the Joseon King was talking nonsense. This means it was not an illusion, but a real great wave!"
"It was merely eliminated by our Ming Dynasty's immortal!"
Ji Xiang said strangely, "The King of Joseon?"
Chen Lin, standing beside him, explained the Joseon King's recent words to Ji Xiang. Ji Xiang merely smiled, "A monarch abandons his country and flees to another place. Now that the war is about to end, he hears reports from his subordinates and makes assumptions. He clearly witnessed so many divine artifacts from Japan, yet when they fled, he believed it was an illusionary technique..."
"Fighting based on fantasy, dictating the course of events, this will not do. However, he is but a mortal. There is no need to dwell on his words."
While illusionary techniques might be effective, an illusion that could deceive a group of divine generals... If the opponent possessed such a high-level illusion, why would they bother escaping instead of directly attacking?
Using such a powerful move for escape rather than in battle was not the Japanese way. After fighting them for seven years, did they not know their nature? These stubborn fellows would practically wear their underwear on their heads during a fight, aiming for a blind spot and a surprise attack. Could such people use such a powerful move solely for escape?
However, with Japan's withdrawal...
"Sizhou has been recovered, and Joseon's national fortune has become apparent."
Ji Xiang sensed Joseon's national fortune in Sizhou City, and it was growing rapidly. It was true that the land was devastated and in need of rebuilding, but with the destruction gone, as long as repairs began, everything would slowly improve.
As for why Japan had stopped fighting...
"Immortal Master, do you know why the Japanese suddenly withdrew in such haste?"
Chen Lin asked, and then couldn't help but add, "Could it be that Toyotomi Hideyoshi died suddenly?"
Ji Xiang glanced at Chen Lin and shook his head, "If only your mouth were blessed."
"However, unfortunately, the reason for Japan's withdrawal is that they ran out of troops. As for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, I did not manage to kill him; he is still alive and well."
"What? What did you say?"
Chen Lin was taken aback. "You said you didn't kill him? What does that mean? Did you go to Japan?"
Ji Xiang nodded in confirmation, which greatly astonished Chen Lin, and indeed, all the other generals were equally shocked!
"How did Senior enter? It is said that the seas surrounding Japan are filled with evil winds, and ordinary people cannot pass through them. The previous Yuan Dynasty's expedition to Japan was destroyed by these evil winds..."
Now, it wasn't just the military officers; even the other sorcerers in the tent widened their eyes.
Old Sword Immortal Wang inquired of Ji Xiang, as the evil winds surrounding Japan had existed for a long time, and Ji Xiang seemed somewhat bewildered, "Wind? I did not detect any wind. I directly opened a heavenly gate and charged in."
Old Sword Immortal Wang: "Ah, this...!"
Well, if everyone had to break through from the outside, and you had the ability to open your own heavenly gate and charge in, then there was no reason to complain!
But this speed was too much!
"Although Japan's interior cannot be described as an impregnable fortress, there are people there who are difficult for us to deal with, and our dynasty does not have a very strong navy. Therefore, I believe you will not, and are not capable of, imitating the previous dynasty's expedition."
Ji Xiang glanced at the other generals. What he said was the truth, so no one refuted it. The Ming Dynasty's navy was indeed limited, especially in the past few decades, where it experienced occasional increases and regular reductions. If not for this seven-year war, so many naval forces would not have been mobilized, and so many warships would not have been built successively.
"People who are difficult to deal with? Stronger than false immortals... are there true immortals?"
"They are similar to true immortals, but they cannot leave Japan. They are called pseudo-immortals, and true immortals entering Japanese territory will be suppressed. Their recovery rate is not as good as pseudo-immortals. They call their country a divine land and aim to create human myths."
"It sounds like... they want to create their own 'inner landscape'."
Ji Xiang's voice was soft, but to the ears of the few sorcerers, it was like thunder.
"How is such a thing possible!"
Immediately, a sorcerer exclaimed in disbelief. Creating a world, shaping a divine land, while Old Sword Immortal Wang pondered, he asked Ji Xiang again, "So, this immortal is indeed... Xu Fu."
"Besides this ancient person, who else could it be? It is extraordinary inside. For two thousand years, everything produced within the country has been offered to him alone."
Ji Xiang let out a laugh. "This is the foremost pseudo-immortal in the world. I also fought him to a draw. Unable to defeat him, I retreated. I only destroyed a few of his strongholds, razed Osaka and Izumo provinces, and burned Honnō-ji Temple and Heian Shrine, without causing any greater disturbance."
"Wh...???"
These words struck like lightning from a clear sky, and everyone's faces were filled with shock!
This was called "no greater disturbance"?
This disturbance was too great!
"Immortal Master? You destroyed Osaka Castle?! That is where Toyotomi Hideyoshi resided...!"
"Hideyoshi is not important."
Ji Xiang interrupted the generals' and sorcerers' exclamations and told them sternly, "Xu Fu is important."
"If a pseudo-immortal does not exist, destroying their country and their people is as easy as lifting a finger!"
"But!"
"If it were the other way around, it would be the same! If one day, Xu Fu could emerge from Japan... If our Great Ming had no immortals..."
Ji Xiang recalled some illusions he had seen in his future sight. One scene depicted Xu Fu surrounded by several true immortals, and he himself could leave Japan and appear on the land of the Central Plains.
This was a dire future. It might not happen, but it might also happen. In any case, if the Golden Crow Jade Rabbit Collection was not retrieved, this illusion had the possibility of becoming reality.
"Therefore, conquering Japan is a long-term plan that can be considered for the future. Rather than passively enduring attacks, it is better to take the initiative."
"Returning to the country, the Great Ming needs to open its seas."
Ji Xiang cautioned these generals. Of course, telling them would not be of much use; it was merely to inform them, so they would understand that the war had not ended. On the contrary, a war of national destruction could erupt at any moment!
"Currently, Japan has few civilians, but they have demons. When the demons accumulate to a certain extent, they will return."
"And..."
Although Ji Xiang had returned from Japan, one thing bothered him greatly: the immense commotion caused by the destruction of Izumo, yet Xu Fu showed no reaction.
It was as if he didn't care at all.
"In this battle, Japan actually profited."
"It's just that what they gained was not material wealth, but the permanent loss of their national fortune."