prosperous age

The Tiger Crouching Cannon was actually a rudimentary weapon that was largely ignored by the Ming army, with its range and shooting technique being criticized. However, in close combat, the Tiger Crouching Cannon's power was perfectly demonstrated at the Sado Island pier.

A dozen or so tiger-squatting cannons can unleash a barrage of bullets that sweeps across all standing people within range, ensuring they can no longer stand and can only fall down.

Just like before, the effects of this weapon of mass destruction instantly shocked the group of miners.

They might be able to bear the sight of their coworkers and partners falling one by one.

That was just bad luck; they were hit by enemy gunfire.

However, when such weapons that indiscriminately wipe out entire groups appear, it's no longer a matter of luck; whoever rushes to the front becomes the next "unlucky one."

"Keep charging forward, and if you make it through, everyone will get five thousand coins."

Having learned their lesson, the samurai mixed in with the miners immediately shouted loudly after seeing the miners in front of them stunned.

This was also what the garrison commander had thought of. He instructed the soldiers mixed in with the miners not to rush to the front, but to have the soldiers operating the firearms stay in the middle of the crowd and fire at the Ming army's positions to cover the miners' charge.

The samurai leading the group also huddled at the back, terrified by the power of the Tiger Crouching Cannon and unwilling to throw their lives away.

Even so, these warriors knew that firearms of this era had a relatively slow rate of fire.

They only knew about the breech-loading cannons, assuming that the Ming army had brought many cannons ashore, which was why the artillery fire was so intense.

Didn't you see that after each cannon shot was fired in the harbor, there was a waiting period before the cannon could be fired again?

Japan's monetary system was actually modeled after the Tang Dynasty and was similar to that of later China, at least in terms of the underlying circulating currency.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Chinese square-holed coins were brought to Japan and quickly became the main circulating currency.

By the Ming Dynasty, Japanese currency was very similar to that of the Ming Dynasty in earlier years, namely, the proliferation of privately funded currency.

Japan produces gold, silver, and copper, so it has no shortage of materials for minting coins.

Unfortunately, the casting technology was terrible. Even the finely crafted coins were considered crudely made private coins by the standards of the Ming Dynasty.

During this period, the highest quality copper coins circulating in Japan were Chinese official coins such as the Yongle Tongbao, which could then be exchanged for their own minted coins at a certain exchange rate.

Because Japan had no shortage of gold and silver, it had long ago issued a clear order that large transactions must be conducted using gold and silver, and not copper coins.

This order was issued to prevent a shortage of copper coins in the private sector from affecting people's lives.

In Japan, one thousand copper coins could be exchanged for one silver coin or bean silver, roughly equivalent to one tael (approximately 50 grams), which was consistent with the monetary system established by the Ming Dynasty. However, the exchange of gold and silver in Japan was vastly different from that in the Ming Dynasty.

Japan had abundant gold production and no shortage of gold, so for a long time, the official domestic price of gold and silver in Japan was four taels of silver to one tael of gold.

In the Ming Dynasty, the price of gold had already approached eight taels. It can be said that due to the court's large-scale hoarding of gold, the price of gold in the Ming Dynasty rose significantly, rapidly appreciating from more than six taels in the mid-to-late Jiajing period.

Drawing on the experience of later generations, Wei Guangde did not set a fixed gold-silver exchange rate, but instead adopted a floating price, which would make it easier for the market to regulate itself.

However, there were specific requirements for the exchange of copper coins and silver coins. This was influenced by the fact that China in later periods did not lack silver but rather copper coins and gold, and small-denomination silver coins were minted to make up for the shortage of copper coins.

One qian of silver coin was equivalent to seventy wen of copper coins, which made it possible for ordinary people to own silver coins and store them conveniently.

For ordinary people, the opportunities to use silver coins were actually not many.

Thus, the five thousand coins promised to the miners by the garrison commander were actually equivalent to five taels of silver or a little over one tael of gold, enough to drive the lower-level miners in Japan crazy.

Although Japan is wealthy, this has nothing to do with ordinary people. They have to work hard to make ends meet, and the surplus value becomes the capital for the daimyo's armed forces.

Sure enough, after the warriors shouted loudly, the miners, who had been somewhat hesitant, began to advance again. They stepped over their fallen and groaning fellow miners and continued their charge toward the Ming army's position.

Their initial fear was quickly overcome by the lure of money, and they were still willing to gamble their lives to get that money.

"bang bang bang"

However, as they moved forward again, advancing only a few feet, wisps of smoke rose again from the Ming army's front lines, and the second group of tiger-squatting cannons opened fire.

The ten tiger-squatting cannons fired another barrage, covering the previous area.

Although there are fewer cannons than before, their lethality has not been reduced in the current environment.

The miners who had previously charged forward with courage were once again knocked down in droves. Like those who had fallen earlier, many of them were covered in wounds, their bodies covered in blood as they wailed in pain.

They were still more than ten zhang away from the Ming army's formation.

Although they could see the faces of the Ming soldiers, the distance was so great that it seemed like an insurmountable barrier, preventing them from advancing any further.

Everyone knows that if they keep charging forward, the Ming army's unparalleled weapons will open fire again, knocking down those at the forefront.

Those in front hesitated and dared not move forward, and even the warriors who were shouting loudly did not advance, so it seemed that a stalemate had broken out.

"clap clap"

After the new squad of musketeers finished loading their ammunition and stood in the first row, they raised their guns and fired at the command of their squad leader. More than a hundred muskets fired, and more than twenty miners fell to the ground screaming in agony.

"Charge forward quickly! Once you get past them, the Ming firearms will be useless, and you can kill them and collect the reward."

The samurai in the group were anxious. If they were to suffer another defeat like before after charging here, they would not fare well when they returned.

But they didn't dare to lead the charge against the Ming army.

The soldiers knew the power of firearms; being hit by one meant certain death or serious injury.

The assistant commander of the breech-loading cannon was also busy loading the cartridges. The few cartridges prepared for each cannon had long been used up, which was a limitation of firearms in this era.

Even the fastest-firing breech-loading cannon, the Franconian cannon, struggled to maintain a stable and rapid rate of fire due to its slow cartridge loading.

Of course, this was necessary, as the barrel of the breech-loading cannon could not withstand rapid firing of more than twenty rounds.

If used like that, the craftsman couldn't guarantee that the cannon would still function properly.

This is why the Ming army did not prepare more cartridges for each breech-loading cannon, as it greatly affected the lifespan of the firearm.

A group of untrained Japanese miners were stuck in front of the Ming army's position, constantly enduring the enemy's firepower, and one after another they fell to the ground.

Now, all that's needed is a trigger, the first person to lead the way back, and then his actions will spread like a plague throughout the army, causing everyone to flee for their lives.

As the saying goes, those who are least afraid of death are always the ones who charge ahead.

However, they are now either lying on the ground as corpses, or still wailing in agony, either because they were hit by Ming soldiers' bullets or because they were trampled by their coworkers.

In the distant harbor, two warships completed another round of cannon loading, the cannons were pushed back out of their ports, and the gunners began to aim at the enemy.

"Move forward slightly. The commander has ordered us to aim at the center-forward position; there are Japanese arquebusiers there."

Messengers ran back and forth on the gun deck, relaying orders from the officers upstairs; the gunners simply had to carry them out faithfully.

This isn't a naval battle where gunners need to be constantly on guard against enemy shells, allowing them to aim at targets with peace of mind.

Besides, the warships were now almost completely stationary; if they missed their target, it would be too embarrassing. Finally, once all the gun positions were ready, the gunners gave the order to fire, and the cannons quickly opened fire.

"Boom boom boom"

A series of cannon shots came from the distant port, and almost simultaneously, more than a dozen blood-soaked alleys appeared in the Japanese miners' ranks, and dozens or even hundreds of men once again sounded the anguished bugle call.

Many people only had time to let out a scream before it was all over; only the miners with missing arms and legs lay on the ground, writhing in agony.

This series of cannon shots finally broke the deadlock. The miners who had been hesitant to move forward finally started to push their way into the crowd, but not forward; they were running back.

Their actions quickly infected others, and so most of the people in front chose the same action: to run back and leave the area.

There was no thinking, nothing at all; it was just following other people's actions.

If someone had stepped forward and led them forward beforehand, they might have blindly followed.

However, at this point, they chose to run back.

Another collapse occurred at the edge of the range of the Ming army's tiger-squatting cannons.

At the front of the Ming army's formation, there was still one group of tiger crouching cannons that had not yet been fired, while the first group, which was the first to fire the tiger crouching cannons, was almost finished loading ammunition when the enemy had already run out of range.

"We won again!"

One of the Ming soldiers said in disbelief.

Looking at the Japanese pirates exposing their backs in the distance, he muttered to his companion, "How come they're not as terrifying as the old soldier said? We defeated them so easily."

"Perhaps it's because the Southern soldiers are too incompetent. I heard that many of them rarely pick up a sword or gun for training, and their vegetable-growing skills are better than their fighting skills."

Most of the soldiers in Qi Jiguang's army today are from the north. Those who came from Zhejiang to follow Qi Jiguang have either retired or become generals responsible for training them. There are no more people from Zhejiang among the rank-and-file soldiers.

Their impressions of the Japanese pirates were based on rumors.

Meanwhile, in the distant town fortress, Commander Ōtake and Garrison Commander Aruma were both quite frustrated.

It was always the same. They would rush to within a dozen or twenty feet of the Ming army, and once the Ming army opened fire with their powerful weapons, the miners would freeze in place and dare not charge forward.

Indeed, they also acknowledged that this weapon was very powerful, capable of taking down large groups of people at once, and no one could withstand it.

But the more this was the case, the less willing they were to send their men to their deaths.

They initially thought that if they could charge a couple more times and take advantage of the time while the firearms were being reloaded, they might be able to break through the Ming army's defenses. However, once the second round of fighting began, they dared not attempt it again.

Clearly, the Ming army also used this weapon in a three-stage attack.

"Let's defend. Fortunately, we still have the city walls for protection."

As long as we hold out until Commander Kuki arrives with his troops to rescue us, victory will still be ours.

This is why they were unwilling to commit a large number of troops to the battle for the docks. By using the fortified towns nestled among the mountains, they could delay the Ming army's capture of Sado Island until reinforcements arrived.

If all the living people are thrown to the docks, and if all the soldiers die, leaving the fortress to be defended by miners, it will only make them more desperate.

"dong dong dong"

At this time, a large number of wooden boats successfully docked. The soldiers, carrying long swords, shields and spears, disembarked and quickly formed five small square teams of 100 men each in front of the battle lines, protecting the entire Ming army's position completely.

As for the gaps between the formations, those were for the firearmsmen. All the firearmsmen consciously gathered there, and the officers began to rearrange the formations.

No one knew when the next attack by the Japanese pirates would begin, but by this time, the number of Ming soldiers who had landed had exceeded a thousand, and they already possessed considerable fighting strength.

"It should be done. Now I need to send the supply troops up to repair the dock and then let the ships dock."

Ma Qianzong began to speak.

He was quite startled when the Japanese pirates charged close to the army. A few hundred men facing a charge of thousands was practically impossible to retreat, and the close-combat gunners and shieldmen were still on the ship.

If he failed because of this, he couldn't even imagine his fate, whether he would be arrested and punished by the governor.

"Ah."

Commander Sun nodded and then loudly ordered, "Send flag signals to have the fleet return immediately to load materials and equipment ashore."

Although they were a navy, they actually longed to stand on land, rather than on warships floating on the sea.

The Ming army that landed reorganized its formation, but they did not see the Japanese pirates launch a third attack.

However, they dared not let their guard down and could only remain on high alert.

As the supply troops arrived, they brought equipment and materials to repair the dock and pier, allowing the Ming army's defensive positions to expand outwards and advance several feet.

There are many enemies on the island, and it is unknown whether they have abandoned the place.

After clearing space for the dock repairs, orders came from the sea for Commander Ma to dispatch a small team to search the surrounding area.

Finally, after more than a dozen squads searched repeatedly, they confirmed that the Japanese army had retreated to a town a few miles away and there were no more Japanese pirates hiding in the vicinity. After another adjustment, the Ming army began to improve the defensive fortifications of the dock area by making use of the ruins in the dock area.

This involved the soldiers stationed in different areas finding materials and building defensive fortifications based on local conditions.

The rubble was piled up to form a simple city wall, and the roof beams were simply used to build a fence. Many good materials were requisitioned from the dock. However, the pier has been repaired to some extent, and the first small Fujian boat can now dock here and drop off a lot of food and ammunition.

"I'm going ashore now. When will your men arrive?"

Now that they know the Japanese pirates have organized the miners, their surprise attack has failed, and they have no choice but to fight them head-on.

Two thousand troops would be a very tight supply.

There are tens of thousands of Japanese on the island. If they are all armed, this war will be difficult to fight.

"In addition to the patrol fleet, I will organize personnel to go ashore as soon as possible for your command."

However, my men are not skilled in land warfare and can only be tasked with guarding the docks.

Commander Sun said to Captain Ma with a wry smile.

"That's fine too, at least I can mobilize more people."

Ma Qianzong also smiled wryly, "Let's send someone to Tsushima Island to ask for help. Hopefully, more reinforcements will come."

Furthermore, the news of the failed raid must be relayed back as soon as possible; I am worried that the Japanese pirates may have reinforcements.

"Alright, I'll send a ship back tonight to deliver the intelligence."

Commander Sun replied. (End of Chapter)