For Zhu Mo, war was secondary; the primary concern was domestic affairs. This time, the Japanese pirates invaded, and many elite main forces landed, disregarding everything and driving the populace, which naturally made the people suffer greatly.
Just now,
He saw many villagers watching from the ridges behind. Everyone stared at the cannons, their faces showing a mysterious awe. Thinking this was the perfect time to appease the people, he immediately walked to the front of the crowd and said loudly:
"Who is the Lizheng?"
A middle-aged gentleman replied, "I am Li Jiayu, the Lizheng of this village... May I ask who General is...?"
Zhu Mo smiled and said, "My name is Zhu Mo."
Huala!
Boom!
The villagers suddenly erupted in thunderous applause, shouting—
"It really is him!"
"I said it could only be him!"
"Those red-haired devils are the worst! They're finished now!"
"Wow! Scholar Zhu, truly a prodigy among men!"
"Is this the Iron Bodhisattva?"
"Simply a divine artifact!"
"..."
Zhu Mo was pleasantly surprised to hear someone knew about the Iron Bodhisattva. He thought to himself: It seems a good name travels fast. After this battle, the name Iron Bodhisattva is bound to become the most talked-about phrase among the people of the Great Ming...
He said to the Lizheng, "You lead the villagers back to the village and also make some preparations. I worry about the defeated pirate soldiers returning to raid..."
This Lizheng had family members who had served as officials. Although in a small village, he had always considered himself a gentry. During this time, he had also heard about the undercurrents and guessed that this was a grand chess game. Naturally, he wanted to stand with the Yan family, believing he could gain great benefits. Although Zhu Mo was pressuring him, he was not afraid and twisted his head, pretending to be deaf and mute.
Zhu Mo snorted through his nose, knowing his mentality. He didn't show a good expression and instead said loudly to the assembled villagers: httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"This campaign against the Japanese pirates is a major war. As subjects of the Great Ming, although you have suffered greatly from the Japanese pirates, you must also show some spirit! I order that your Li family village must provide one hundred laborers to follow me in battle! Are you willing?"
Many young and strong villagers were naturally very willing, but they secretly glanced at the Lizheng, looking hesitant.
Zhu Mo snorted and said:
"Li Jiayu, what do you say?"
Li Jiayu had always feared this major figure of reform. Seeing that his firearms division was indeed like heavenly soldiers and generals, and with Zhu Mo's displeased expression, and the young men looking at him with anger, his Li family, though a significant clan, could not withstand the entire village. If he didn't change his ways, he would likely face dire consequences. He stammered:
"Uh... alright, this village, this village will provide one hundred young men... You, you go if you want to go..."
Huala!
A group of young men immediately stepped forward, looking at the young Zhu Mo as if he were a celestial being.
Zhu Mo had originally just wanted to temper them. Seeing how influential even the Lizheng was, he deeply felt that grassroots governance in the future would also be a significant problem. He needed to find a way that allowed for village autonomy yet still obeyed the county magistrate. This presented a considerable challenge.
But no matter how it was done in the future, it had to start with changing mindsets. For now, having the young men participate in the logistics of the campaign against the Japanese pirates was a form of training. When word spread, the villagers would have a foundation and could then dismantle the power of these figures. For now, he didn't want to trouble this person.
He immediately ordered these young men to wait at the bridgehead, protected by two riflemen, to be incorporated into the team once Yin Xiaohu finished clearing the battlefield.
...
Crossing the river,
Zheng Qin had already gathered intelligence.
The Japanese pirate encampment was in the area of Zuibai Pond. The fortifications were vast, and the Japanese pirates had raised a very strange military flag, with a five-petal gourd pattern. At the same time, the encampment's troop strength was not large, clearly indicating that the main force had already moved out.
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App - Free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with fellow book readers.
When Zhu Mo heard about the strange flag, he immediately stiffened: That was a family crest! This indicated someone of Daimyo rank had arrived!
Who could it be?
It couldn't be Otomo Sorin, could it?
At this moment, the dog system came into play again. A brief check revealed—
The gourd pattern belonged to the Omura clan of Hizen Province. The Omura clan originated from the Fujiwara clan. Although not a strong force during the Sengoku period, their influence was considerable. From this, it could be understood: Otomo Sorin had sent Omura Sumitada to oversee the campaign.
Zhu Mo was a little overjoyed—
If this person could be captured and paraded through the prefectures and counties of Jiangnan, it would completely eliminate the influence of the Japanese pirates on public opinion.
"Zheng Qin, I will personally lead this battle! Take eight cannons, divide half the troops, and head south to Fengjing to attack from the rear!"
Zheng Qin blurted out instinctively, "Isn't that appropriate? Scholar Zhu, the encampment at Zuibai Pond should be where the main force of the Japanese pirates is. Splitting the troops now? There might be an accident?"
Zhu Mo smiled calmly, already having a plan—
This book is first published on Tudou Novel App, welcome to download the App for free reading.
Omura of Zuibai Pond has likely led his clan's main force and another detachment westward!
This news was very timely, indicating that Qi Jiguang had arrived. The two sides would likely come into contact within an hour or two, and during the ensuing fierce battle, Qi Jiguang would likely suffer losses due to the arquebuses and Franquin cannons.
But as previously thought, going to their rescue now would only be following the Japanese pirates' lead. It would be better to launch an overwhelming offensive. If Zheng Qin and he could simultaneously take down both enemy positions, they would naturally be terrified, and would have no courage to continue fighting Qi Jiguang.
What's more, Fengjing and Zuibai Pond precisely blocked the escape route of the Japanese pirates. With Qi Jiguang pressing down from the north, it was effectively a pincer movement. If Omura was lucky, he might escape; if unlucky, he would be captured directly...
Thinking of this,
He felt it was almost certain, and smiled:
"Zheng Qin, don't worry! Take more troops, deploy them in front, with volunteers in the vanguard, firearms in the rear, and then bombard them with cannons. When the enemy presses forward, you slowly retreat, bombarding and withdrawing, all the way towards Zuibai Pond here! Do you understand?"
Zheng Qin pondered for a moment and blurted out:
"Your subordinate understands! The Japanese pirates here have mostly gone west to intercept General Qi's troops. Our simultaneous attack at Zuibai Pond and Fengjing will relieve General Qi's siege!"
Zhu Mo thought: A promising subordinate... However, his perception of the situation is still a bit slow. If it were Yin Xiaohu, a general would likely be superior. But with the overwhelming advantage in weapons for this battle, victory is assured, so there's no need for intricate tactics.
He smiled calmly and said, "Go!"
Zheng Qin, with a face full of excitement, took the command flag and quickly organized his troops to head south.
...
Zhu Mo led his troops forward for less than three miles when he saw the Japanese pirate encampment.
Indeed, there were few people at this time, but the trenches were deep, and the wooden walls were soaring, reaching a full two Zhang (about 6.6 meters) high. It could be seen that the Japanese pirates were truly adept at constructing fortifications. He wondered what tools they used to fell trees and build such tall ramparts in just a few hours.
A rough estimate showed no more than two thousand men inside. However, relying on such sturdy fortifications, even though the main force was empty, the defending troops inside could absolutely not sally forth. Otherwise, instead of open warfare, they would be trapped within the Japanese pirates' heavily fortified encampment. Even riflemen would have a tough time, let alone the startled regular troops and the untested volunteers!
At this moment, if cannons were fired, the encampment could naturally be leveled in an instant. But when talking with Zheng Qin earlier, he had already thought of a better plan—
It would be better not to attack and flatten this encampment.
Why?
As long as the enemy at Fengjing was defeated by Zheng Qin, Omura Sumitada would quickly receive the news. Then, fearing the breach of the Zuibai Pond main camp, he would undoubtedly scramble back. Otherwise, he would have no way to escape... To the north was Qi Jiguang, to the south was Zheng Qin, and only the main camp could be their refuge. If they didn't hold it, they would face certain death.
But at this moment,
If he hid and let Omura enter the camp, and then opened fire, wouldn't he be able to capture them all at once?
After carefully considering it again, he felt that capturing them all at once was better than pursuing them separately. This was because the situation in Jiangnan had to be stabilized first, otherwise, the reforms truly couldn't proceed.
He immediately deployed his teams, hiding them in the woods of a hilly area called Hujiaban. This location was less than two miles from Zuibai Pond, within firing range, and the enemy would never discover them.