prosperous age

The next day, the sunlight broke the silence of the Ming army camp, and soon the camp became noisy.

After the soldiers dressed and washed up, ate breakfast, and then broke camp and set up camp.

As arranged yesterday, the scouts had already set off with their rations before the Ming army departed, proceeding along the mountainous terrain on both sides of the official road to avoid being ambushed by Japanese pirates.

The Ming army's forward outpost consisted of a battalion of 500 men. In addition to the original three tiger-squatting cannons, Liu Ting dispatched a team of gunners, who moved together with three medium-sized breech-loading cannons and three tiger-squatting cannons.

This battalion originally had one hundred musketeers and more than twenty archers. With the help of artillery, they were able to hold out for a while in skirmishes or ambushes, waiting for reinforcements from the central army.

In addition, the rear guard also sent an extra gunnery team and added some artillery, unlike the previous two days when most of the artillery, except for the tiger crouching guns of the main force, was concentrated in the central army for unified action.

However, after being scouted by Ming scouts yesterday, Kobayakawa Takakage and Kunisaki Gensho knew that the ambush was no longer possible.

Given Ming's cautious nature, their scheme failed.

Unless the ambush is changed to luring the enemy deep into the territory, using a portion of the troops to launch a surprise attack, attracting the Ming army's vanguard to penetrate deep into the territory, and conducting a small-scale ambush, there might be some success.

However, this approach is not very effective and can easily lead to a loss of momentum.

Yes, a successful decoy tactic can indeed boost morale.

However, if they fail to stop the Ming army's reinforcements and the entire army retreats, the morale of their men will be low.

Without absolute certainty, Takakage Kobayakawa was unwilling to take the risk.

Therefore, it would be better to stick to the original plan and use the hilltops to form a defensive line to block the Ming army's attack on Daejeon City layer by layer.

By the time the Ming army reached that location, they were exhausted and their horses were worn out. Perhaps they even had the chance to raid the camp.

Throughout the morning, the Ming army advanced rapidly, and by noon they had covered more than ten miles and were close to the encampment location chosen by the scouts.

"Have the scouts still not found any trace of the Japanese pirates?"

Riding on his tall horse, Liu Ting asked with some surprise.

Such terrain is actually very suitable for setting up an ambush.

Even if their scouts discovered their trail yesterday, they could easily change the ambush location and move the ambush position forward.

Looking at the rolling hills all around, Liu Ting was still thinking to himself.

Qi Jiguang pushed the defense line to Beihou because he knew the terrain there.

Even if a city is unable to withstand the swarming attacks of Japanese pirates, the retreating Ming army can still rely on the terrain to put up a slow resistance while waiting for reinforcements.

Ultimately, he didn't believe that tens of thousands of people could withstand an attack by hundreds of thousands of Japanese pirates.

The only way is to avoid the enemy's strength and attack their weakness. It's impossible for the Japanese pirates to launch a full-scale attack with hundreds of thousands of troops; they will definitely have to divide their forces.

The Ming army could only maneuver and put up a desperate resistance in other directions, while concentrating its superior forces to defeat the enemy one by one.

Once the Japanese pirates' attack is stopped in one battle, negotiations can begin to gain control of the "China region".

What the Ming Dynasty actually wanted was Shi Jian, not anything else.

Acquiring more land will allow us to use it as leverage in future negotiations.

Once the Japanese pirates could not quickly defeat the Ming army, they naturally knew that they were powerless to drive them out, and could only accept it.

This was the result that Qi Jiguang arrived at after receiving intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and conducting a secret investigation with Wang Xijue, and it was also the most favorable result for the Ming Dynasty.

It can only be said that the current national conditions of the Ming Dynasty simply cannot support a cross-sea expedition of more than 100,000 people; the cost would be too great.

Before the Ming Dynasty, all dynasties, except for wars that threatened the entire nation, could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops for battles in peacetime. In the early Ming Dynasty, when the country was strong, it was still able to barely muster an army of two or three hundred thousand to launch a northern expedition.

However, in the later stages, this could only be achieved on paper, with only tens of thousands of people mobilized. This actually involves the evolution of the military service system and the huge changes in the form of warfare.

During the Warring States period, a system of universal conscription was implemented, where men served as civilians in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime. Even women were required to participate in certain battles, such as the Battle of Changping, where the Qin state mobilized males aged 15 and above.

This system of conscription ensured the rapid formation of large-scale armies during wartime, but afterwards, it was necessary to incentivize the public to participate in the war by awarding titles based on military merit.

After the Tang Dynasty, conscription gradually shifted to a recruitment system, with professional soldiers becoming the main body of the army, and the willingness of non-professional citizens to join the army declined.

Although the Ming Dynasty's garrison system could quickly assemble a million-strong army, its actual combat power was concentrated in a small number of elite troops. Furthermore, daily training was lax and equipment maintenance was difficult, which meant that even if a large number of troops were assembled with money, the actual combat power would not improve much, and it would only be a waste of national funds.

Moreover, during the Ming Dynasty, after the transition from the era of cold weapons to the era of firearms, the level of professionalism of the army increased.

Before the Tang Dynasty, the Fubing system was essentially a conscription system, which selected a large number of able-bodied men from the people to join the army. After receiving simple training, they still undertook agricultural and military tasks.

However, the final outcome of the Ming Dynasty's garrison system was the same as that of the Tang Dynasty's military system: after the military farming system and the equal-field system were destroyed, the army's combat effectiveness declined sharply.

Indeed, the country was forced to turn to a more costly conscription system, recruiting young men into the army to improve its combat effectiveness.

The elite troops of the Liaodong army, which are the men Liu Ting is currently leading, are actually camp soldiers recruited from Liaodong, not garrison soldiers.

The garrison troops are now the guard forces of camps and forts in various parts of Liaodong. They can only undertake the tasks of local security forces and have little ability to undertake combat missions.

Although it was already noon, the Ming army did not have the tradition of preparing lunch. They usually did not set up camp until the beginning of the late afternoon.

Since the camp was not far away and they would arrive by noon, Liu Ting only let the soldiers rest for a while before they got up and continued their advance.

Not long after the army began to move slowly forward again, the news he had been waiting for finally arrived.

The Japanese pirates did not change their ambush location, but they set up defensive lines on the hills near the depression and even modified some of the hillsides.

Clearly, they had prepared weapons such as logs and rocks on the mountain.

On the main road below, some obstacles had already piled up, preventing the army from continuing to advance along the official road.

Upon hearing the scout's report, Liu Ting's fist clenched involuntarily.

If they occupy the hilltops to block the enemy, and the enemy does this to every single hilltop, when will they ever reach the walls of Daejeon?

How far is the Japanese pirates' defensive line from their camp?

Liu Ting immediately pressed for an answer.

“It’s about six or seven li along the main road.”

"That's what the scout captain replied."

"Understood. Continue to monitor the area, including the surroundings, to prevent the Japanese pirates from hiding on the outer hills and launching a pincer attack on us."

Liu Ting thought about it and realized that his troops were ultimately too few.

He wasn't afraid of facing off against each other.

But if the other party uses the terrain to trap him, then things could get complicated.

Actually, Kokushi Gensho had considered this approach, but it was rejected by Kobayakawa Takakage.

To besiege the Ming army, their large army needed to be stationed in the field.

If the battle goes poorly, it could lead to a complete rout, resulting in the loss of Daejeon Castle's defensive capabilities.

A siege would require the Japanese army to at least be able to fight the Ming army to a standstill.

However, once the Ming army sets up cannons and launches a fierce attack in one direction, it becomes very difficult for them to surround them.

Therefore, Kobayakawa Takakage's initial intention was simply to use the terrain to strike the Ming army once before retreating to Daejeon Castle.

At mid-afternoon, the Ming army's vanguard had arrived at the grove of trees. After checking that there was nothing unusual, they began to form ranks two miles ahead, waiting for the main force to arrive and set up camp.

Soon, Liu Ting arrived with his large team.

After surveying the surrounding environment, Liu Ting was quite satisfied.

A stream flows about half a mile from the woods. Sending a detachment of Ming soldiers to the upper reaches of the stream to keep watch would ensure the safety of the Ming army's water supply. So he waved his hand and ordered, "Set up camp here and establish watch posts along the hills upstream of the stream to prevent the Japanese pirates from playing any tricks."

"Sir, there is another stream to the left front, but the water flow is a bit small. Should we send someone to monitor it as well?"

The scouts asked in a low voice.

"Arranging for two teams to take turns guarding this position is a good idea."

I see the terrain slopes downhill ahead; is that the valley you mentioned?

Liu Ting raised his riding whip, pointed ahead, and asked.

"The land has sunken down; it is indeed a depression."

The team leader hurriedly replied.

"It seems they originally intended to surround us there and ambush us from a high vantage point."

Liu Ting nodded slightly. After arranging for people to set up camp, he led a dozen guards on horseback forward. They passed the outpost and continued for another three miles before stopping.

After dismounting and climbing a nearby hill, I immediately saw that the official road ahead was blocked by two or three trees, while Japanese pirate flags were flying on the two hills in front and behind.

With a flick of his left hand, a guard behind him immediately handed him a telescope.

Liu Ting held up his telescope and observed the mountain peaks in front and behind him carefully.

Although the mountains behind were far away and obstructed the view, one could still vaguely see shadows of people moving about.

"trouble."

He muttered something under his breath, then asked the scout captain, "Are there any other roads leading to Datian Village?"

I see that the Japanese pirates have probably also deployed defensive troops on the hills beyond the main road, making further advances quite difficult.

If we had two thousand more men, we could take turns attacking the mountain, and it wouldn't be surprising if we captured two or three peaks in a day.

However, the Ming army is currently facing a shortage of troops, and in fact, the entire Ming army is experiencing a shortage of troops.

It wasn't that Wei Guangde's initial calculations were wrong, but rather that Qi Jiguang chose to expand his territory. His troops had already broken out of Ishigami and expanded around the capital, so his forces were naturally stretched thin.

If it's just for defending the Iwami area, then it's barely enough.

It was also because the main force of the Mori clan was transferred to the eastern front to defend against the Oda clan's attack, leaving the rear vulnerable, that the Ming army was able to break through quickly and occupy a vast area with almost no resistance.

These places are the very foundation of the Mori family.

It can be said that, up to now, among the daimyo of the Japanese pirates, only Mori Terumoto has been continuously harmed, while the other daimyo are constrained by national and ethnic restrictions and have no choice but to send troops to help him drive out the Ming army.

"No, unless we go northeast along the mountain road, there is a road about twenty miles from Tsuda to Ota."

The scouts replied.

"A winding mountain road, twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers)."

Liu Ting shook his head. His central and rear guards had many wagons carrying cannons, provisions, and supplies.

With such a formation winding around the mountain road, not only could the Japanese pirates advance lightly to encircle them, but it would also take us two or three more days to change our route.

It's really not worth it.

"Send out the scouts. I need to know the intelligence on the Japanese pirates on the mountains behind, especially how many of them are in the wild and how many people are still defending Daejeon City."

In an instant, Liu Ting thought of another direction: to lure the main force of the Japanese army to this place for a standoff. He ordered Tsuda Ming's army to send more than a thousand men to launch a surprise attack on Ota Castle.

However, the prerequisite for carrying out this plan is to attract the main force of the Japanese army. If there are too many Japanese pirates in Daejeon Castle, this plan cannot be implemented.

And all of this depends on the reconnaissance of scouts.

The intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were now completely useless; they could only investigate the enemy's situation on their own.

Nevertheless, after Liu Ting and his scouts left, they still arranged for their personal guards to contact the Embroidered Uniform Guard and instruct them to gather as much intelligence as possible about Datianzhuang.

We'll take the plunge, no matter what; we might get some intelligence.

In the following days, the Ming army stationed their main camp here, clearing one hilltop after another with artillery every day, and the outpost camp continued to extend towards Daejeon City.

Only after the Ming army breached five hilltops and thoroughly cleared the mountains near the depression did they break camp and directly cross the depression to establish a new camp.

This result was quickly relayed to the garrison troops in other parts of Japan.

From this point on, the Ming army's unstoppable offensive since the start of the war was clearly hampered, and it could only advance with difficulty, no longer able to make great strides forward.

It wasn't a problem with the ability of the generals at the front, but rather that the Japanese pirates used the terrain to their advantage, preventing the Ming army from completing its battle plan on time.

While reporting the latest situation at the front, Qi Jiguang also began to adjust his deployment.

We underestimated the situation before, and now we have to readjust the defensive formation.

A dozen days later, when the latest battle report reached Wei Guangde, the more than 10,000 reinforcements from Jizhou had already sailed out to sea and arrived at Jeju Island to rest.

Sado Island had by then been completely captured by the Ming army, but the main force of the Kuki navy withdrew without engaging in battle with the Ming army.

This was Kuki Yoshitaka's method of cutting off his tail to survive after receiving a secret letter from Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Unable to defeat them, Hideyoshi Hashiba would naturally not allow the Kuki navy to be completely wiped out on Sado Island.

"Shan Dai, the Eastern Expeditionary Army is short of troops, and Yuan Jing has not set up the defense line according to the original plan."

"Do you think we should send some more troops to help in the battle?"

"In the cabinet office," Zhang Ke said to Wei Guangde.

Upon seeing the battle report, he knew that the frontline troops were stretched thin, so he personally came to the cabinet, firstly to deliver the battle report, and secondly to discuss with Wei Guangde whether to continue sending reinforcements to Japan.

"Where else can we get troops?"

Wei Guangde shook his head with a wry smile. Now, the only fighting force left in the imperial court is the Xuanda Army.

Should we send reinforcements? Should we still defend our base?

As for the other garrison soldiers, going there was as good as not going at all; it was completely meaningless.

"What I mean is, should we recruit the chieftains of the southwest and the Jurchens of Liaodong, just to serve as..."

Zhang Ke didn't utter the last two words, but Wei Guangde could make out his lip movements.

“Recruiting chieftains is not a problem, but will the Jurchens obey orders?”

There were Guangxi soldiers in the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and Zhang Ke clearly intended to continue recruiting local soldiers in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

These people have followed the Ming Dynasty in its campaigns across the country, so the recruits are trustworthy.

However, it seems that this has never happened before for the Jurchens.

"Shall we try recruiting three thousand first?"

Zhang Ke tried to say it.

“Ziyu might not agree. It’s almost the end of the year, and we’re facing financial summaries. Taicang is also a bit tight.”

Wei Guangde hesitated for a moment before speaking.

The Ministry of Revenue was clearly the biggest obstacle to sending troops; a single phrase, "no money," could thwart their plans. (End of Chapter)