There should be nothing.

Chapter 283 That Zhu Mo Is Indeed Not Human!

Several days later,

In the capital, within the Yan mansion, late at night.

Almost all the retainers were present, yet the atmosphere remained strangely awkward.

Regarding this matter, if it were a complete loss, there were still over a hundred warships and three to four thousand Japanese pirates. If it could still be fought, they were surrounded. But why did Zhu Mo stop fighting? What was he thinking? Several attempts to probe his intentions yielded no information. What should be done next? The assembled officials had been sitting for over half an hour with no clear direction.

The elder Yan Song had some understanding of land warfare but was completely ignorant of naval combat. He couldn't fathom the current situation or its strategic intentions.

At this moment, he had scribbled several drafts but was unsatisfied with all of them. He finally put down his brush and sat slumped on the couch, closing his eyes to rest.

Seeing his father in no mood, Yan Shifan spoke up.

"You all have been sitting here for a long time without speaking… I think this battle is lost, and it’s not a big deal if we lost. Since we lost, we should be thinking about how to recover. Standing around doing nothing is not a solution. You all need to speak your minds! Tingyi, you have witnessed naval battles, so you speak first! I see many people are still confused!"

Zhang Jing, who had rushed back from Fujian, understood that this battle should have been an assured victory. The subsequent defeat was due to firearms and surprise attacks, which ultimately were largely coincidental. He immediately replied,

"Esteemed Elder, Junior Elder, your subordinate believes this battle was definitely a loss! But we were not completely annihilated! Currently, at Zhoushan Lihang Port, there are still over a hundred warships and three to four thousand Japanese pirates. Additionally, there are twenty to thirty thousand merchants and residents. The camp has been rebuilt, and damaged ships are being repaired…

Many of you may not know that the commander sent by the Japanese pirates this time, Omura Sumitada, is a regional lord. According to the Japanese custom, if it were a total defeat, he would have committed ritual suicide. But now, he is safely in command at the port. This indicates that there is still room for maneuver! This battle was largely due to chance… there are still variables ahead…"

Mmm, mmm,

Right, right,

What you say makes sense.

Everyone nodded, and even Yan Song gave a slight nod.

Yan Shifan said,

"Good! Tingyi, tell them again, explain clearly to them, where was the chance involved in this battle, and why did that Omura not kill himself?"

Zhang Jing cleared his throat, coughed, and continued,

"I learned from the pirates that Zhu Mo and Yu Dayou played a trick this time. They had about a hundred and fifty ships to surround the Japanese pirates' three hundred or so. It was a feint. Yu Dayou feigned an attack at Daishan, while Zhu Mo secretly entered the naval base, bombed the port, and then set up cannons on a small island next to the naval base, supported by arquebusiers. When the Japanese ships rushed back, they couldn't get close. The Franjipani cannons couldn't reach, which led to their defeat…

Everyone says that Omura underestimated the enemy, but according to my information, he kept over a hundred ships outside the base awaiting orders. Only when he was certain that Yu Dayou's main force was attacking Daishan did he order a full encirclement. In this situation, who could have predicted that Zhu Mo would enter Lihang Port with only about ten pirate ships? The dozens of ships defending the base were no match, and naturally, they were defeated.

After that, Zhu Mo also set up an ambush on the small islands next to the naval base… Therefore, your subordinate believes that Zhu Mo doesn't know how to fight; it was all due to luck! As for why Zhu Mo didn't pursue them to annihilation, it's because Omura had solidified his position, and Zhu Mo had no further opportunity."

Although everyone had read the reports from the Ministry of War, they were not as detailed as his account. Listening to him now, they finally understood that victory was indeed achieved through clever tactics, and calling it chance was not wrong.

Zhao Wenhua had served in the Ministry of War for a period and had jointly managed the Fujian naval forces with Zhang Jing. The previous impeachment of Yu Dayou was their doing. At this moment, he felt the matter was not that simple, so he cleared his throat and said,

"Esteemed Elder, Junior Elder, Brother Tingyi, in my opinion, Zhu Mo's failure to pursue them to annihilation is likely because he did not dare to offend the Franjipani! Everyone, think about it. Lihang Port already had many Franjipani merchants, as well as merchants from the South Seas and the Hui people. Zhu Mo, Zhang Juzheng, and others were waiting for them to buy silk, so how could they pursue them to annihilation? If they offended the Franjipani, the entire South Seas maritime route would become difficult to navigate."

Clap, clap, clap,

Clap,

The elder Yan Song clapped his hands and said,

"Good! Good! Wenhua has hit the nail on the head… Warfare is indeed a matter of chance. To say Zhu Mo doesn't understand military strategy would be to underestimate him greatly… Since we lost, we lost, so don't be stubborn. Understand the reasons, and you won't suffer losses in the future! This old man believes that Wenhua's point is correct; this stalemate can still be maintained, and the Franjipani still carry weight… You all should think more and see if you can make something out of this…"

Yan Shifan also chimed in,

"Tingyi, I've also figured it out… This Zhu Mo is truly ruthless! Think about it, his victory this time, and his ability to trick that Omura, meant he treated the entire Fujian naval forces as bait! Ruthless, so ruthless! Ask yourselves, would you dare to do this?"

Upon his saying this,

Everyone finally understood—

This Zhu Mo was indeed not human!

The only naval force of the Great Ming, over a hundred and fifty warships considered their backbone, was thrown away by him like this! Anyone else truly wouldn't dare to do it…

When faced with someone like that, no matter how formidable Omura was, he was bound to fall for it. No matter who it was, seeing an opportunity to steadily annihilate the Fujian naval forces, they would naturally order a full encirclement. In this regard, Omura made no mistake. What he did wrong was not to stay and annihilate Yu Dayou before returning.

However, everyone then thought: Omura was merely a subordinate; he wouldn't dare to let Lihang Port be destroyed. Moreover, in warfare, there are never guarantees. If they had continued to fight Yu Dayou, no one could claim they would surely annihilate him. Besides, Zhu Mo and Yu Dayou wouldn't have done this entirely by gambling; at least, those Iron Buddhas and cannons were truly formidable…

Thinking of these things, Omura decided to preserve his strength and wait for another opportunity, which was indeed the most prudent choice. One truly couldn't blame him for this…

Alas,

Everyone sighed in unison, utterly unable to comprehend whether it was luck, or if Zhu Mo was too formidable and had accurately gauged Omura's thoughts!

At this moment,

Luo Longwen suddenly said,

"Esteemed Elder, Junior Elder, your subordinate believes that discussing who is right and who is wrong is meaningless now. Wenhua is correct; this stalemate can still be maintained. The most pressing matter now is that we can twist the narrative—"

Oh?

Twist the narrative?

Everyone looked on expectantly.

Luo Longwen smiled faintly and said,

"Everyone, imagine this: Zhu Mo won this time, and achieved great results, but why did he stop fighting? What was he trying to do? According to the military laws of the Great Ming, he should have continued fighting, he should have pursued them to annihilation! His failure to continue fighting is a dereliction of duty! Your subordinate has heard that Lihang Port is still open for smuggling, and Zhu Mo allows merchant ships to pass freely. This is his weakness!

Instead of questioning his dereliction of duty or holding him accountable, we should praise his military achievements, urge him to press his advantage, stop the smuggling business in Lihang Port, and then also attack Zheng Jian and Mang Yinglong. If we say it this way, there will be no fault! He is so capable, the Iron Buddhas are so powerful, and the firearms corps have ascended to the heavens, so he must bring peace to the world! Remaining in this stalemate, however, is problematic!"