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After the navy commanders left, Zheng Zhilong took a bundle of bamboo slips from his personal guards and unfolded them on the table. It was a city defense reconstruction map drawn by the engineering battalion overnight.

"Commander Chen, how is the progress of raising the city wall by three feet?"

Chen Hong, who was in charge of the city defense, stepped forward and said, "My Lord, we have already recruited 800 prisoners, and the quarry is working day and night. However... the transportation of stone materials is slow, and I am afraid that it will not be completed as scheduled..."

"madness!"

Zheng Zhilong suddenly stood up and slammed the table. He strode out of the tent and pointed at the winding mountain road in the distance:
"See those bamboo forests? Cut the bamboo and weave baskets, and use soil instead of stone! Dispatch two hundred war horses for transportation, set up five transit grain stations along the way, and station fifty soldiers at each grain station."

He leaned over and grabbed a handful of soil from the ground, rubbing it in his palms and sneering, "Satsuma's clay is most suitable for tamping. Send an order to each camp that all males over the age of fifteen must complete three cubic meters of earthwork every day."

As he spoke, he took out a book from his bosom and threw it to the clerk: "According to this regulation, for every ten feet of the city wall completed, three rice bowls will be rewarded; those who delay will be punished together with their group."

After a pause, he continued, "Tomorrow, take the prisoners sent by the West Factory to the mine. Remember to let them mine with shackles on... After all, the warriors of the Shimazu family are tougher than civilians."

"Yes!"

Chen Hong hurriedly bowed and said yes.

"All of Satsuma's ports must be controlled."

Zheng Zhilong pointed to the map and said to his generals: "Especially Kagoshima Bay. If we can take it, our army can directly threaten the Shimazu family's nest."

Li Kui clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have already sent warships to block the coast. No ships are allowed to enter or leave."

Zheng Zhilong's eyes were as sharp as a knife. He swept across the winding coastline of Satsuma on the sea map, and finally nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned to the military officer Wang Yue and said in a steady voice with unquestionable weight: "Food and fodder are the lifeblood of the entire army. We must ensure that they are safe. Not a grain of rice or a bundle of grass can be lacking. If there is a shortage, there is no need to ask for permission. Immediately activate the Korean reserve grain route and transport it as soon as possible."

Wang Yue straightened his back, clasped his fists and promised, his tone firm: "Don't worry, sir! I have made careful arrangements. Fifteen ships with 400 grains are responsible for the round trip, six are loading in Busan, six are unloading in Tsushima, and three are rotating on the way. Two batches of grain and fodder must arrive on time every ten days, and we will never dare to delay the army's progress!"

"very good."

Zheng Zhilong pointed his finger at the sea chart again, his nails scratching the rough paper: "But this is just a common practice. To be on the safe side, I have decided to add three more special lines, running in parallel."

He dipped his fingertips in cinnabar and drew three clear paths on the sea chart:

"The first one is the bulk grain and fodder line."

The Vermilion Line runs from Busan to a marked small port at the northern end of Tsushima Island: "The cargo will be unloaded at this port and then transported to this city by land. Ten ships will be dispatched every ten days to transport rice, beans, and dried vegetables. The ships will be staffed with double the number of sailors, who will take turns manning the boats day and night to shorten the voyage by two days."

"The second one is the ordnance powder line."

The second cinnabar line is close to the first one, but slightly off to the open sea: "This line is used to transport gunpowder barrels, lead bullets, arrows, matchlocks, and replacement parts for damaged guns and cannons. Li Kui's navy will assign two Fu ships equipped with twelve Portuguese cannons and four Cangshan warships to escort the entire journey. All military equipment ships are not allowed to anchor at the same port as grain ships to prevent accidents."

"The third one is the conveyor line for craftsmen."

The third route is the most secretive, winding around to an inconspicuous anchorage on the south side of Tsushima Island: "This is a hidden route. Three hundred craftsmen skilled in iron smelting and weapon making and their families transferred from Shandong Denglaiwei are transported in five merchant-style fast sailing ships through this route. Only light weapons are equipped on the ship for guard, and they must disguise themselves as ordinary merchants to avoid all possible maritime spies. After the craftsmen arrive on shore, they will be immediately placed in the newly built craftsman camp in the valley behind the city, and the news will be strictly blocked."

Wang Yue carefully noted down the key points of each route. When he heard about the third route involving the cross-border transfer of hundreds of craftsmen, he couldn't help but frown, and obvious worry appeared on his face:

"Your Excellency is far-sighted and I admire you. But... such a large-scale, multi-batch mobilization, especially this third secret line, involves hundreds of craftsmen sneaking into the country. The required customs clearance documents, supplies along the way, and cover arrangements... I'm afraid the Korean side will not easily cooperate, and may even secretly obstruct. Although Gwanghaegun has surrendered on the surface, the pro-Japanese forces in his country are intertwined. If they use this to cause trouble, it may cause more trouble."

"North Korea?"

Zheng Zhilong sneered coldly, and his eyes became extremely sharp in an instant: "He dares to have any objection? My 30,000 Ming soldiers guarded the sea borders for his Lee Dynasty and deterred the Japanese pirates, and the blood stained the waves! Now we are going to expedition to Japan to cut off their minions. It is only natural for Korea to supply food! If Gwanghaejun knows the current situation, he should be grateful and try his best to cooperate. If he dares to pretend to obey but secretly disobey..."

He paused, the chill in his words almost solidified: "I don't mind sending my navy gunboats to the mouth of the Han River to 'remind' him of the duties of a monarch and his subjects!"

As he spoke, he took out a document with a bright red seal from his bosom and slammed it on the table with a bang: "Besides, how could this commander be unprepared? Gwanghaegun has officially written to agree to set up a transit granary and temporary anchorage for our army at the southern end of Geoje Island. Our ships can safely anchor there, replenish fresh water, take shelter and rest. The garrison commander and all officials of Geoje Island are under the control of my military supervisor. This is the king's order, how dare Joseon disobey?"

Zheng Zhilong tapped heavily on the seal of Gwanghaegun at the end of the document. "With this document, if you encounter trouble with local officials of Korea when dispatching the three routes, you can kill them first and report later. Remember, the food route is the bloodline. If the bloodline is blocked, the army will die immediately. Wang Canjun, if there is any mistake in this matter, don't blame the military law for being ruthless!"

Wang Yue looked at Zheng Zhilong's unquestionable eyes, and the hesitation in his heart was instantly crushed. He took a deep breath, without any hesitation, and bowed solemnly: "I obey your order! I will do my best to ensure that the three routes are unobstructed, and that food, fodder, weapons, and skilled craftsmen arrive on schedule! If you fail to make military plans, I will be punished by military law!"

He carefully put away the documents and the copies of the nautical charts recording the three routes, turned around and walked quickly out of the tent, and immediately began to dispatch ships, arrange guards, and contact North Korean officials stationed on Geoje Island.

…………

The border fortress of Satsuma Domain was hoisted with the flag of the Ming army. The dark brown blood stains on the top of the fortress formed a glaring contrast with the brand new Ming army flag.

Zheng Zhilong did not immediately lead his troops to advance deeper into the city. Instead, he stood on the newly reinforced city wall, glanced at the newly built camps outside the city, and issued orders one after another.

"Three thousand musketeers, divided into three shifts to guard the city walls. Each shift will be on duty for four hours, equipped with six Portuguese cannons, with the muzzles pointed at the open fields." He pointed to several high ground outside the city and said, "In those three places, within five days, diamond-shaped forts will be built, with five hundred soldiers stationed in each place. Eight hundred captives will pound the earth day and night without rest."

"Build twelve more watchtowers, using captured Japanese bronze mirrors that reflect light during the day and light up at night. The communication range should cover fifteen miles. Report any unusual movement to me immediately."

The sea breeze blew in with a salty smell. Zheng Zhilong looked at the gray sea.

"Li Kui," he called over the navy commander, "Deploy twelve Fu ships at the entrance of Kagoshima Bay, each with four red cannons. Sink any large ships you see. In the coastal waters, deploy thirty Cangshan ships, each with six bowl-mouthed guns, to attack small boats. In the open sea, deploy ten speedboats with rocket launchers for patrol. If you find enemy reinforcements, give the alarm immediately. Not even a bird is allowed to fly in from the sea."

The quartermaster came forward with the grain book. Zheng Zhilong did not even look at the book, but ordered directly: "Pu San Port always has 20 ships with 400 grains, which will be dispatched when full. Tsushima Island transit station will build eight granaries with 5,000 dan of grain. Send 200 cavalrymen to form a supply team on the front line, and they must deliver 300 dan of grain every day. If the road is blocked, people will carry it on their backs or on horses, and the grain and fodder will not be cut off."

…………

A new notice was posted at the city gate. Several Ming soldiers who knew Japanese read it aloud:
"Any Satsuma samurai who surrendered by laying down their weapons was spared death, and after surrendering their swords, they received five taels of silver and were assigned to the security team to patrol the streets. A foot soldier who surrendered was registered, issued a waist badge, and received three taels of rice per day to wait for orders. A civilian who could point out where the samurai were hiding was rewarded with two taels of silver."

In front of the notice, some ragged low-level warriors and farmers gathered around with flickering eyes.

At the same time, twelve elite Ming army spies disguised themselves as merchants and infiltrated seven castle towns of Satsuma Domain. A forged document with the seal of Shimazu Iehisa was quietly circulated, which directly pointed out that the lord wanted to cede three border cities in exchange for peace.

Thirty ronin who were bribed by money complained drunkenly in the wine shop and teahouse: "When the war breaks out, aren't we the samurai rushing to the front to die? Who knows what the people above are planning..."

Rumors exploded in Satsuma like water dropped into a frying pan, and suspicion and panic quietly grew. A few days later, sporadic samurai and farmers began to sneak towards the border cities controlled by the Ming army under the cover of night.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the surrenderers who came one after another, and a trace of coldness appeared on the corner of his mouth. People's hearts were in chaos, and the time had come.

The border posts were stable and the food supply was smooth. Zheng Zhilong finally ordered to move forward. His fighting style was very steady, like a rolling stone, slowly and heavily rolling over the land of Satsuma. Every time he captured a city, he would first consolidate it and then move forward.

There are fixed rules for attacking a city. At daybreak, the musketeers lined up a hundred steps in front of the city. The matchlocks were lit, and three rounds of dull volleys were fired. Lead bullets rained down on the top of the city, causing brick and stone debris to fly everywhere, and the defenders could not raise their heads. As soon as the commander looked out from behind the battlements and tried to reorganize, the Ming army crossbowmen who were ambushing on the high ground pulled the trigger of the crossbow, and the specially made heavy arrows whizzed out, accurately nailing the target to the city wall. The defenders were in disarray, and the two teams of cavalry had already broken in from the weak points of the flank gates, with flying sabers, instantly cutting the remaining formation into pieces. Finally, the infantry phalanx advanced steadily, with spears like a forest, clearing out the stubborn remaining enemies. After the city was broken, within two hours, the flag of the temporary command post must be erected, the simple medical station must be set up, and the outer cordon must be set up.

On October 17th, Yi built the city.

Just after the hour of Yin, eight hundred musketeers were already arrayed under the city walls. Three rounds of volleys consumed three hundred kilograms of gunpowder, and the air was filled with gunpowder smoke. Just as the defending archers were about to fight back, several warriors wielding command swords on the top of the city walls had their throats pierced by crossbows. Before the hour of Mao, the east and west gates of the city were breached by cavalry. The shouting and killing continued for an hour. At the exact hour of Chen, the Ming army flag was planted on the main city tower. At the hour of Wei, new gun positions had already begun to be built on the city walls, and the black muzzles of the guns were pointed at the next target. In this battle, 237 defenders were killed and 156 were captured.

As more cities were captured, the number of prisoners and civilians accumulated like a snowball.

Zheng Zhilong's handling was simple and cruel.

Samurai above the middle level had heavy wooden shackles put around their necks, and their ankles were locked with thick iron chains for every ten people. They were escorted by soldiers and sent to the silver mines in the deep mountains behind. Lower-level samurai had iron shackles on their feet and were incorporated into engineering teams to build roads and reinforce city walls. The surrendered foot soldiers were driven to carry supplies, with a limit of 30 kilograms per person, in groups of five. If one person resisted or escaped, the whole group would be punished. Young and middle-aged civilians in the city were also conscripted to dig trenches and build camps, and were rationed with four liters of brown rice every day, which was barely enough to fill their stomachs. Women, children, the elderly and the weak were driven to temporary camps on the outskirts of the city, with 500 people crammed into each camp and guarded by soldiers to prevent them from colluding to cause trouble or informing the resistance.

A civilian official who was accompanying the army looked at the emaciated women and children in the camp and could not help but advise: "Sir, if you treat them so harshly, if there are starving people everywhere, you will lose the support of the people, which will be detrimental to your future rule..."

Zheng Zhilong didn't even raise his eyelids, looking at the prisoners working in the distance: "You won't starve to death. If you work, you will have food to eat. If you don't work, you may dare to cause trouble."

After a pause, his voice remained calm, "The people from the West Factory will take care of it."

Within a few days, seven riots attempting to resist had just broken out, but they were quickly put out by scarlet figures that appeared out of nowhere, leaving only a few corners splattered with blood.

After successively conquering several cities, Kagoshima Castle, the core of Satsuma Domain, was finally exposed to the Ming army.

It was early November. Shimazu Iehisa was trapped in an isolated city. The morale of the samurai in the city was low. Rumors and successive defeats had already disintegrated their fighting spirit. He tried to organize a final resistance, but looking at the dark array of Ming troops under the city, despair was like a poisonous snake entwined in his heart.

On the third day of November, Zheng Zhilong completed the encirclement of Kagoshima. On the front, 8,000 infantrymen were arranged in a strict square formation, and six huge battering rams were pushed to the front. On the left wing, the gunpowder barrels piled up next to the 3,000 musketeers weighed 5,000 kilograms. On the right wing, the saddles of the 2,000 cavalry were hung with loaded rockets. On the sea, the Ming army warships were densely packed, and several dilapidated merchant ships filled with stones were sunk at the entrance of the main channel, completely blocking the port.

Yinshi is the darkest hour before dawn.

In the Ming army, the heavy red cannon roared first, and the shells concentrated on the wall of the southwest corner of Kagoshima Castle. There were loud noises and bricks and stones broke apart.

At the beginning of the morning hour, the sky was slightly bright, and the musketeers began to take turns shooting forward. The barrage of lead bullets continued to suppress any defenders who dared to show their heads. A gap of more than ten feet wide was blasted open in the city wall. The death squad carried ladders and sparse arrows, roaring as they climbed up the broken city walls, and soon occupied four key watchtowers. A brief riot suddenly broke out in the core area of ​​the city. When the riot subsided, Shimazu Iehisa had been escorted by several ghostly scarlet figures and appeared on the top of the city. The remaining will of the defenders to resist collapsed instantly, their weapons were thrown down, and the city gates slowly opened.

The post-war inventory lasted for several days. The 1,582 swords, 3,407 spears, and 623 Japanese iron cannons (matchlock guns) confiscated filled several warehouses. The captured samurai and above, a total of 837 people, were all put in heavy shackles and taken to ships, with the destination being the distant Sado Gold Mine. The Ming army quickly set up a military control office in Kagoshima, stationed 3,000 soldiers, and the translation office began to operate. Notices of grain tax collection were posted all over the streets.

The battle ended after thirty-seven days, with nine cities captured and the Ming army suffering less than a thousand casualties, but Zheng Zhilong did not stop.

In the valley behind, 300 craftsmen transferred from Shandong hammered day and night in the newly built craftsman camp, producing 3,000 arrows and repairing hundreds of muskets every day. The surrendered Satsuma soldiers were screened, and 800 of the more obedient ones were separately organized into a security army, directly commanded by the centurion of the Ming army, to help maintain local order.

Sixty Ming army spies who are proficient in Japanese have quietly sneaked into the neighboring Higo Domain under the cover of the interpretation office. A larger network is being spread on Kyushu Island.

The entire territory of Satsuma has become the frontier fortress for the Ming Dynasty's attack on Kyushu.

(End of this chapter)