Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 151: Landing at Hakata Bay

The banquet was over and it was already three o'clock in the morning. Shimazu Iehisa led Aineng back to his residence with an apologetic look on his face.

The two of them sat cross-legged around a table with some cakes and tea on it.

Picking up the wine bottle and pouring a glass for Ai Neng, Shimazu Iehisa introduced him in detail: "Ai Neng, my three brothers are brothers from the same mother. The eldest brother is kind and loyal, the second brother has a perverse and violent temper, and the third brother is humble and cautious. Among them, the third brother is also good friends with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This time he is the main surrender faction in the clan."

Ai Neng smiled, raised his glass and drank it, then said seriously: "Mr. Jiajiu, we Chinese have an old saying that he who knows the current situation is a hero. You have also seen the soldiers and warships of the Ming Dynasty. You should know that although Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army is good, it is definitely not a match for the Ming army."

"Rather than surrendering to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and being defeated by the Ming Dynasty, it is better to cooperate with us directly."

"I understand this, but I don't know when your army will arrive?" asked Shimazu Iehisa.

"By the end of this month at the latest." Aineng pondered for a moment and replied in a low voice.

Shimazu Iehisa weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and finally nodded slightly, accepting the result.

For the next five days, Shimazu Iehisa and Shimazu Toshihisa each used all their skills and frantically poured out their thoughts to the family head.

Shimazu Yoshihisa felt that the Ming army had come from afar and must be short of manpower. In addition, this was an internal affair of Kyushu Island. If they cooperated with them, it would be tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very powerful, and temporarily submitting to him was the only choice.

Shimazu Iehisa smiled coldly and immediately refuted him, saying, "Toyotomi Hideyoshi is so ambitious that he even spared the son of his own head of the family. Third brother, do you think he will let us go even if we surrender to him?"

"I'm afraid that once he has time, he will start to reduce our fiefdom."

At this point, he paused, and two cold rays of light suddenly shot out from his dark eyes: "By then, will we resist, or let the Toyotomi family divide and eat my Shimazu family?"

"Iehisa, is it possible that the Ming Dynasty will not divide me, Shimazu, and eat me?" Shimazu Yoshihisa asked.

"Didn't Third Brother just say that the Ming Dynasty came all the way here? They came here just to get one thing. They are not very interested in the rest of the territory."

"What is that?" asked Shimazu Yoshihiro.

"Iwami Ginzan."

The three of them immediately exclaimed: "You are crazy! That is the largest silver mine on the island, and you are actually going to give it to the Ming people?! The Shimazu family will become a laughing stock in the world!"

"My three brothers, when did I say I gave it to them?" Shimazu Iehisa was stunned and asked, "The Iwami Silver Mine is now the lifeblood of the Mori family. How can I give it away for nothing?"

"Drive out the wolf and swallow the tiger?" Shimazu Yoshihisa came to his senses at this time.

Shimazu Iehisa nodded.

The Mori family was a powerful daimyo in the central and western regions, with a total of 1.2 million koku. In addition, they also had an elite navy and two branches, Kobayakawa Takakage and Yoshikawa Motoharu.

Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not dare to underestimate the Mori family.

If the Ming army could unite with them and swallow the Mori family, even if the silver mountain was lost, the territory of the Shimazu family would increase several times.

By then, the Shimazu family will no longer be limited to a corner of Kyushu Island.

But it is a name that is famous all over the world!
The other three looked at each other, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, which was considered as their tacit agreement.

A few days later in the early morning.

The fiery red sun climbed out from the clouds, casting a golden glow that fell on the sea that had just awakened, reflecting a clear color.

In the sky above, seagulls are flying and circling, sometimes soaring high, sometimes swooping down, cheering as if they are celebrating the arrival of a new day.

The rolling waves, one after another, swirl and hit the gravel on the shore, making a rapid sound.

Hundreds of warships loaded with soldiers, ignoring the wind and waves, slowly sailed into Hakata Bay in the northwest of Kyushu Island.

As soon as the ship docked, 500 soldiers of the Qi family immediately disembarked, seized the beach, and then picked up their weapons and quickly stood guard on the spot.

Zhang Yunxiu stood on the main ship, holding the side of the ship with both hands, and looked into the distance. In the distance, he saw green water, green forests, white clouds, and a small city standing on the coast.

This is a natural naval port.

The era of great navigation had begun, and the Portuguese, Spanish, smuggled Ming people, and Japanese gathered together.

When the warships of Zhang Yunxiu and others sailed in, the merchants who had just woken up raised their heads and looked at the magnificent warships and the neat military formations.

"It's the Ming Dynasty's fleet! It's the Ming Dynasty's fleet." A Ming Dynasty merchant exclaimed proudly.

"Keep your voice down! You want to die, don't you? If they catch us doing business, will we still be able to survive?" His companions at the side quickly covered his mouth and shouted coldly.

The blond-haired and blue-eyed Spaniards and Portuguese also looked terrified.

They didn't know why such a huge fleet suddenly appeared in Hakata Bay.

Could it be that the Ming Dynasty is planning to colonize this place?
After the Age of Exploration, Spain and Portugal expanded frantically. Almost all the island countries in East and South Asia became their colonies. They were also interested in Japan.

When the decent people were scouting the area, the Ming army arrived.

Without paying any attention to the people's discussions, Zhang Yunxiu tightened his robe and turned to ask Han San: "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, the Shimazu family is willing to cooperate with us." Han San immediately stepped forward and answered.

"Okay, since we want to cooperate, let's let him see our strength first." Zhang Yunxiu smiled, then quickly got off the warship and ran straight to Li Rusong. He frowned and said, "General Li, I am an amateur in marching and fighting. I will not give random orders on how to fight and where to fight."

Li Rusong nodded and said anxiously, "Zhang Sicheng, swords have no eyes. You should return to the warship."

"Okay, you just go forward, and I will bring some soldiers from Tianjin to guard here." Zhang Yunxiu was naturally happy to see someone willing to work hard.

He only had to ensure the logistics, and the rest of the siege and capture of cities could be left to Li Rusong and Qi Guozuo.

Li Rusong gave a few brief instructions and led his troops forward slowly.

He knew that he was the protagonist in this battle. As long as he fought well, fame, wealth and honor would be within his reach.

At noon that day, Li Rusong did not rush to attack, but as usual, he sent people to provoke a fight. In this war, there must be a legitimate reason for the war.

Li Rusong's trusted confidant, Li Kui, was the most knowledgeable about this matter. He grinned and led the guide and his men to a nearby village.

The village is not very big, with only a few hundred people. Because it is close to Hakata Bay, the residents are a mixed crowd.

Fortunately, the Japanese pirates are easy to identify. They have bow legs and are short in stature, so you can easily spot them at a glance.

Walking into the village, Li Kui came to a grocery store on the street. Looking inside, he saw a plump Japanese young woman looking outside with a smile.

Li Kui ignored the provocation and pointed at the young woman. He looked at the translator and said, "Translator, how much does it cost to sleep with this woman?"

The translator smiled knowingly, a smile that all men understand, and ran inside happily.

After the conversation was passed, the translator came running out, looked at Li Kui and replied, "She doesn't want money, she only wants 20 kilograms of food."

"She really agreed?" Li Kui was stunned. Obviously he did not expect this result.

"Yes." The guide nodded and pointed to the bungalow in front and said, "If you don't like her, there is a place over there that specializes in serving men."

Hakata Bay was originally a port, and the people who came here were merchants.

Merchants are wandering around, unable to see their families, yet with money in their hands, so naturally they have to find ways to eliminate loneliness.

Li Kui thought, although this Japanese woman is petite, she has a good figure, so he might as well give it a try.

Li Kui licked his lips, turned around and looked at the people behind him, and said, "Don't forget your mission, gather here in half an hour!"

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

Everyone laughed lewdly and turned around to have fun.

Half an hour later, Li Kui looked at the sweaty Japanese woman lying on the ground gasping for breath, pulled up his pants, and walked out.

Walking out of the bedroom, a short man walked in from the corridor.

The two looked at each other, and Li Kui kicked him without saying a word.

"Bah, look at your bitch, she's made my legs weak."

The Japanese man got kicked and let out a strange cry, "Wow!", and his body quickly retreated backwards until he hit a beam and stopped.

He glared at Li Kui fiercely and punched him immediately.

Li Kui did not dodge and was hit directly by the punch. He grinned, then lay on the ground and shouted loudly: "Murder, murder, the Japanese killed people, ouch. ouch."

Now, the Japanese were confused.

You look so big and strong, how can I kill you?
At this time, the soldiers outside the house also rushed in. When they saw the boss lying on the ground, one of them yelled with a purple face: "Great, great, this is a trap for your general! Brothers, what do you say we should do?!"

"Fuck him!" Several people immediately rushed forward, pinned the Japanese pirate to the ground and beat him.

Soon, the Japanese who were patrolling the streets rushed in, and seeing their own people being beaten and wailing, they immediately joined the battle.

In the end, three Ming soldiers were seriously injured.

Li Rusong immediately flew into a rage and plowed all the Japanese in the village.

All the men were killed and all the women were sent to the big ship.

He then led his troops towards Kokura Castle. It was effortless and in half an hour, Li Rusong entered the city by stepping on the corpses of the Japanese pirates.

After entering the city, he set up his headquarters in the city lord's mansion.

It is called the City Lord's Mansion, but in fact it is just a few tall brick houses.

Passing the entrance hall, Li Rusong led the way to the inner hall.

There was a low dark wooden table in the middle, and nothing else on the red lacquered wooden floor except for a few soft white cushions.

Glancing at the decorations, the generals under Li Rusong followed their commander inside, cursing: "Damn it, it's bad enough that the Japanese pirates are short, but the table and stools are also damn short."

"A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse gives birth to a son who digs holes in the ground."

"Okay, all of you stop talking and let the general speak. We are still looking forward to going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year."

"."

Everyone chatted and laughed, sat down, and turned their attention to Li Rusong who sat in the main seat.

Facing everyone's gaze, Li Rusong nodded and smiled, and ordered someone to take out the map drawn in advance by the Jinyiwei.

He pointed to the northwest corner and said, "Look, this is where we are, Chikuzen Province, which is the territory of the Ryuzoji family. Further to the right is Buzen Province, Higo Province, and Bungo Province, which is the territory of the Otomo family."

"Further south is the Satsuma Shimazu clan, which should be considered our ally for the time being."

"General, who should we attack first?" a lieutenant general asked anxiously.

"The superiors said that in terms of strength, the Otomo family is weaker than the Ryuzoji family. However, if we want to fight, we should attack the Ryuzoji family first." Li Rusong said, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

Qi Guozuo, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted and said, "General, please give your orders."

He is in his thirties this year, dark, thin, and serious. He wears a mighty silver armor specially made for the Ming army and has a sword at his waist.

Just sitting there in this outfit makes people feel depressed.

Although both of them were commanders in chief in name, Qi Guozuo knew very well that an army could only have one commander, and he was a taciturn person, so he took the initiative to give the command of the army to Li Rusong.

Li Rusong was also extremely grateful for this. Seeing Qi Guozuo speak, he smiled at him and complimented him, "Brother Guozuo is well versed in military tactics and has the same resourcefulness and adaptability as our father. I am now shamelessly serving as the commander-in-chief."

"General Li, stop giving us these empty flattering words and just give the orders!" Qi Guozuo's face was still dark and he clasped his fists and asked for orders.

"Okay." Li Rusong saw that he really wanted to be the vanguard, so he stopped being polite and just ordered: "Qi Guozuo, listen to my order! I order you to lead 3,000 Qi family soldiers to open the way for the army, and go south to build the country first!"

"Yes, sir!" Qi Guozuo immediately clasped his hands and bowed, then stepped out.

(End of this chapter)