The city was breached! As a large number of Japanese troops withdrew from Ulsan, a massive conflagration erupted atop the city walls shortly after their departure, a continuous expanse of moving flames accompanied by deafening shouts!
The Ming army's entry and conquest of Ulsan were undoubtedly a crucial turning point in the Korean War, signifying the near-complete recapture of eastern Korea. Only the western half of Jeolla Province, a surrounded and starving remnant of an army in the far north, and a cluster of coastal cities in the far south remained.
"All the gains of the past six months have vanished into nothing."
Even though Mori Terumoto and Kuroda Nagamasa harbored rebellious intentions, witnessing this scene of utter collapse left them sighing with a heavy heart. Unbeknownst to them, Tokugawa Ieyasu observed their expressions and began calculating whether these two could be swayed.
Ieyasu had, of course, agreed to "Hideaki's" proposal.
He had rebelled.
However, it was as the greatest mole.
Compared to outright traitors, moles were better at disguise and appeared more loyal than loyal subjects. While the devastating defeat at Ulsan was the result of Ieyasu's own retreat order, the "reality" he would present to Toyotomi Hideyoshi would be entirely fabricated.
It was Hideaki who assassinated him; it wasn't that he himself was unwilling to fight.
No one understood the consequences of being struck by the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi better than Toyotomi Hideyoshi, for the true Three Sacred Treasures were in his hands.
Becoming the King of Japan, or even Emperor, was something Ieyasu himself had once desired but failed to achieve, and thus he was unwilling to accept it.
He was unwilling to be subservient to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but Hideyoshi was supported by Emperor Jinmu.
Ieyasu understood that without being chosen, killing Hideyoshi would be futile. If he dared to do so, Emperor Jinmu would never let him off the hook. This was not out of any desire to avenge Hideyoshi, but because if he dared to kill Hideyoshi, he would also dare to kill Emperor Jinmu, and such a person would never be tolerated by Jinmu.
"Therefore, in normal times, while I displayed ambition, it was limited to after Hideyoshi ascended to immortality, and then I would become Kampaku. Emperor Jinmu favored me because of this, and Hideyoshi also believed that displayed ambition was better than hidden ambition... That's why I am the head of the Five Elders, because he knew what I sought, and thus he did not fear me."
Ieyasu pondered many things in his heart.
If a subject tells the emperor that he has no desires, the emperor would be terrified and extremely wary.
However, if a subject asks the emperor for favors, as long as it is not the throne itself, everything can be discussed.
Like Wang Jian of Qin, or Xiao He of Han.
And Kampaku was not the throne; it was merely equivalent to a Prime Minister. Therefore, Hideyoshi would not object to him requesting the position of the next Kampaku.
However, the so-called "Emperor" in Japan was Emperor Jinmu himself. If one pointed at Emperor Jinmu, one would absolutely not be spared.
But!
What if, behind him, there was also an "Emperor" to support him?
Although the emperors of the Central Plains constantly changed with the dynasties, unlike Japan's unbroken imperial line, the condition of sharing the same fate as the nation was still very tempting.
No matter how many more years the Ming Dynasty existed, it currently ruled the entire Central Plains and had several True Immortals. Even if most of those True Immortals did not obey orders, the court itself had two Immortal-level combat powers, which were by no means ordinary existences.
Moreover, Hideaki said that a great upheaval would occur in twenty years, and there would be no shortage of people who wanted to kill Emperor Jinmu. This was one of the reasons he launched a fierce attack on Korea and subsequently a war to seize the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty.
Without a powerful national destiny as a trump card, he would be very afraid. This indirectly indicated that the people who would arrive in the world in twenty years would certainly include a considerable number of True Immortals.
Therefore, at least for the next twenty years, the Ming Dynasty would not perish.
As for what would happen in twenty years, whom he would join or rely on, that would be decided then.
No one could foresee the direction of the world in twenty years. It might become better, or it might become worse, but Ieyasu did not want his ambitions to be unfulfilled, only to be dragged into a suicidal war chariot by Hideyoshi and Jinmu!
To take a gamble, how could a true man languish under others for long!
With this thought, a smile couldn't help but appear on Ieyasu's face. Kuroda Nagamasa, catching this smile, immediately asked with suspicion:
"Our army suffered a great defeat at Ulsan, and at this time of dejection, why does Lord Ieyasu smile?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu heard this and laughed, "When defeated, crying is useless; it cannot turn the tide. It's better to smile."
"We must look on the bright side. At least we still have a group of large cities along the southern coast, cities we developed earliest, which will not be easily captured. However, Lord Kampaku may be troubled. Given the current situation, even if he pulled all the troops and able-bodied men from the mainland, he might not win this war.
"The result would be that we all perish on the battlefield, Korea is completely devastated, and the Ming country is also exhausted, resulting in a three-way loss."
"Either he must come here to fight personally, or... we continue to negotiate..."
Mori Terumoto and Kuroda Nagamasa exchanged glances, their eyes also showing fatigue.
"I think it's likely they'll continue fighting."
"Indeed, such great gains lost in just two months. If I were Kampaku, I wouldn't be able to swallow this."
"If we fight to the death, the chances of victory are not high... Should we bet on whether the Ming country will fight us with all its might?"
At this time, within the Ming Dynasty, another war was unfolding simultaneously. Yang Yinglong of Bozhou in the southwest had fiercely rebelled, and the Ming court was unable to pay attention to the southern half of its territory. However, none of the people on the Korean battlefield knew about this.
From the twentieth year of Wanli to the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, from the Ningxia Campaign to the Korean War and then the Bozhou Rebellion, three consecutive wars followed. Among them, the Korean War, which began in the twentieth year, had lasted for six years. Both sides mobilized chariots, cavalry, and armor, with several garrisons perishing; money, grain, and provisions, tens of thousands of accumulated stores, all filled the ditches.
"Lord Ieyasu, what do you think of Kampaku?"
Kuroda Nagamasa still took the initiative to bring up the topic.
Ieyasu narrowed his eyes and looked at Kuroda Nagamasa with a scrutinizing gaze, which was, of course, also an act.
"Kuroda, what do you mean?"
Ieyasu deliberately asked in a tone of authority and doubt. Kuroda Nagamasa remained silent. The atmosphere between them was tense. Ieyasu sized up Kuroda Nagamasa, knowing that this fellow was casting a lure, and this tone seemed to indicate...
He just didn't know if Kuroda was speaking now to test his intentions or if he had genuinely developed a rebellious heart.
He couldn't answer incorrectly. As a mole, he had to constantly maintain his outward stance as a "loyal subject." Thus, after a brief silence, Ieyasu earnestly cautioned:
"Kuroda, I must remind you that you are currently a corps commander of our country, and obeying orders is your primary duty. Even if Kampaku's subsequent arrangements do not align with your wishes, you can passively avoid battle, but you must not disobey Kampaku's orders."
"You are a general, he is the commander. Do you want to be a general outside the command who disobeys orders? Do you think your status is higher than the commander? Can you truly and decisively abandon your relatives and family in your homeland like Shimazu or Kobayakawa?"
"There are some things I cannot say too clearly. I only hope that you will not speak such words openly in the future. If it were someone else, they might have already drawn their sword to warn you."
Kuroda seized the opportunity to dismount and immediately bowed his head, "Yes, I was a bit impulsive. I am simply deeply concerned about Kampaku's excessive military spending."
But he harbored doubts in his heart.
Would Ieyasu truly execute Hideyoshi's orders faithfully?
...
Osaka Castle, Kansai, Honshu Island, Japan.
"Yao Bikuni is dead."
"How can this be? How was she killed? It's incomprehensible!"
A man with a pale face, but dressed in luxurious robes embroidered with giant pythons, stood before a pile of dust, his eyes filled with uncontrollable astonishment and rage.
This ancient immortal, who had been worshipped for eight hundred years, was his most capable Buddhist disciple, yet she could not even resist much. The entire shrine did not shatter in an orderly fashion but instantly turned to dust.
Turned to ashes, nothing remained.
Was there such a powerful being in this world?
Even if a True Immortal descended, they could not erase her. Unless the person who acted against Yao Bikuni had the power to erase the divine treasure she had consumed, they should have been powerless against her.
It should not have reached such a severe state.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi fell into silence for a moment, looking at the other shrines around him.
The shattered shrines were more than just one. As many shattered shrines as there were meant as many immortals had died. Yao Bikuni's death made it impossible for him to remain calm, as it meant the opponent's strength exceeded his imagination.
"Hmm... Yao Bikuni is dead too? I underestimated the situation."
Someone else walked in, but their clothes appeared shabby, at least compared to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's magnificent crimson robes bestowed by the Ming Dynasty; they were like those of commoners. However, upon seeing this person enter, Toyotomi Hideyoshi showed extreme reverence.
The most noble attire worn by the Japanese Emperor was the yellow-dyed imperial robe. However, Xu Fu was wearing ordinary cloth robes and straw sandals, with only a yellow silk cord with double tassels tied around his waist.
This was the attire of a sorcerer from the pre-Qin era.
For Xu Fu, the only thing that could evoke memories of that era was the set of clothes he wore.
Among the people of the pre-Qin era, apart from some who still lived in Lishanhe, the rest had long since passed away. Having not returned to that land for two thousand years, Xu Fu had long forgotten the appearance of the mountains and rivers of the Central Plains, his memories were very vague. When he saw the python robes on Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he could recall a little of his past memories.
Although the Qin Emperor did not have such vibrant attire in that era, it was, after all, something bestowed by a Central Plains dynasty.
The Qin Emperor was the emperor of the human world, and he was the heavenly monarch of the divine realm. It should have been a beautiful thing... Unfortunately, things always go against one's wishes. The appearance of Lishanhe turned his divine realm plan into a clownish farce.
The method of "unity of heaven and man" established by Dong Zhongshu, the Confucian divine realm it created, was a mysterious and transcendent place even within Lishanhe. However, the divine realm he established had degenerated to its current state of decline. In the human world, he could not cultivate into a true god, at best, he could only merge with human souls, and his form would dissipate and rely on matters of ghosts and spirits.
"Your Majesty, since Yao Bikuni is dead, although a large portion of Korea's national destiny has been devoured, they have ultimately recaptured the three capitals. Immortals are dying one after another, and the situation on the Korean battlefield is not optimistic."
"What should we do next? How do we deal with that Ming Dynasty immortal? Do I need to make a trip?"
Xu Fu listened to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's words and chuckled, "You are a bit too confident in your own strength. Do you believe you are superior to Yao Bikuni?"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi: "Possessing the Three Sacred Treasures, I will surely be superior to Bikuni."
Xu Fu shook his head, "Not necessarily superior to True Immortals. I really didn't expect this situation; it has exceeded my expectations. The last time I saw him, he had not recovered to this extent."
"This Heavenly Demon... is difficult to kill. However, if we can lure him to Japan, he can be easily annihilated. But without orders from the Ming Dynasty, how would he, as an immortal, easily enter my domain?"
Although a pseudo-immortal was not a true immortal, they had a significant advantage in fighting on their home turf. Xu Fu was an old ghost from the pre-Qin era. In Ji Xiang's words, he did not follow the methods of the Golden Elixir Dao.
The cultivation path of the pre-Qin era was different from that of later generations. It did not follow the techniques of Golden Elixir and Earth Immortals, but rather had many methods that were unpredictable by heaven and earth.
"Since the end of the Han Dynasty, only a few people have entered the Japanese mainland. Now my strength is even greater than before..."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi listened to Xu Fu's mutterings, his face showing difficulty.
When his strength was far inferior to the opponent's, should he send out all his subordinate immortals to forcibly drag him to Japan to kill him?
That would inevitably result in heavy losses on their side. This was purely a loss-making endeavor. Were there not other immortals in the Ming Dynasty?
Xu Fu glanced at Toyotomi Hideyoshi, stroked his beard, and smiled slightly:
"There's no need to be too hasty."
"Although the losses are great, a large portion of Korea's national destiny has been devoured, and this part cannot be regurgitated. Our national destiny has grown. Unfortunately, after six years of war, we still haven't touched the Ming country's mainland..."
Thinking of the destiny dragon whose horns were broken, Xu Fu couldn't help but feel disappointed. However, the basic objective had been achieved. Apart from national destiny, the destiny dragon's horns were also broken, and more power could be extracted from Da Fuli...
"Originally, Korea was a stepping stone to plot against the Central Plains, but now it's impossible. Since that's the case..."
"Then there's no need to fight anymore."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was stunned, and then his pale face changed several times. He said with some unwillingness, "This... we're not fighting anymore?"
"There are still hundreds of thousands of combat-ready soldiers in my country. If necessary..."
"Hideyoshi! The power you have accumulated for ascension should be enough... so many sacrifices have been made..."
Xu Fu looked at Toyotomi Hideyoshi, "After years of campaigning, I never expected that at the critical moment, the Ming Dynasty would produce combat power at the immortal level. A few years ago, relying on their powerful national prestige and Korea's remaining national destiny, they could contend with our pseudo-immortals. Now that their True Immortals have arrived on the battlefield, our immortals are useless. To forcibly awaken those decaying bones and send them to their deaths is not permissible."
"These people are all strong defensive lines for our country to cope with future changes. As soon as the opportunity for ascension arrives at that time, they will all be able to ascend immediately. They cannot be easily lost here. Therefore, a life-and-death struggle with the Ming Dynasty is unnecessary."
"However, there are still some battles that must be fought. That immortal must be eliminated, as he is indeed a scourge to our country. The Heavenly Demon's abilities are exceptionally powerful and cannot be resisted by human cultivators."
"My killing him is also to pave the way for all beings."
Xu Fu's body manifested the illusory forms of three鬼神 (ghost-gods), and their six gazes fell upon Toyotomi Hideyoshi, making the latter's hair stand on end!
The gaze from the ancient abyss, the eyes of ghosts and gods transcending time, were not to be looked at directly. Emperor Jinmu was skilled in the art of refining ghosts and gods, which originated from pre-Qin methods and had many marvelous uses!
Xu Fu lightly nodded his head, and the middle鬼神 immediately soared into the sky.