Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

The sun is shining and the sea breeze is blowing gently.

On a slope ten miles away from the port of Hakata Bay, Kato Kiyomasa, dressed in armor, stood on the hillside with his arms around his shoulders.

Below, thousands of Japanese soldiers were on the alert, looking straight up at their commander.

White clouds were floating, and the golden warm sun was pouring down from the dome without reservation. The anxious sea breeze was blowing past, and everyone could smell a faint fishy smell.

Everyone under the warm sun felt relaxed all over.

Compared to the brutal battlefield on the front line, basking in the sun and letting the sea breeze blow on your face is simply a paradise on earth.

Kato flexed his wrists, feeling the warmth coming from his body, and couldn't help but grin. Because he had a fierce face, it would have been better if he didn't smile, but this smile made people feel creepy.

The followers around him tightened their crotches, too frightened to answer.

"Damn Portuguese, I thought they were so powerful, but I didn't expect they were just paper tigers." Pursing his lips, Kato Kiyomasa took two steps forward, came to the edge of the hillside and looked forward.

In the distance, the Hakata Bay Pier is faintly visible.

Under the blue dome, ships come in and out, and the sound of breaking waves can be heard from afar.

This time when he went back, he not only completed Konishi Yukinaga's mission, but also saw the true faces of these Portuguese - they were nothing more than some tall lambs with strange faces.

The weaker you are, the more aggressive they will be.

If you are tough, they will be like sheep seeing a tiger, or mice seeing a cat.

"Hmph, wait until the Kanpaku unifies Kyushu Island, and then we'll see how long you Portuguese can continue to be so arrogant in Hakata Bay."

As long as the internal disputes are resolved first, not to mention the Portuguese on Kyushu Island, even the Portuguese in Ming Dynasty and even the whole world will be defeated.

They need not be afraid at all.

Thinking of this, Kato Kiyomasa smiled coldly, his profile still radiating chill in the sunlight.

The silence lasted for a moment.

The sun was getting higher and higher, and in a blink of an eye it was above the treetops.

The sun was high in the sky and the sea breeze stopped suddenly at an inopportune time. The waiting Japanese pirates felt hot all over.

Among the people behind Kato, an attendant wiped the sweat from his forehead, stepped forward, and asked carefully: "Mr. Kato, the sun has already gone down above the treetops, and there is no sign of the Portuguese. Should we send someone to urge them to come?"

Kato Kiyomasa's cheeks were red and he was sweating, but he was still confident and said, "Those two guys don't dare to deceive me. Wait a little longer, wait another half an hour. If they don't come, I will lead my troops to attack them."

The attendant's eyelids jumped with fear, and he advised: "Kato-kun, don't forget what Konishi-kun asked you to do."

When Kato Kiyomasa heard people mention "Konishi Yukinaga", his face turned serious and he waved his hands impatiently: "Alright, alright, I know everything. You are so long-winded. How could I not know the interests involved?"

Everyone smiled awkwardly, their eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, there was still no sign of the Portuguese. The pale sun was hanging high in the sky, and the clouds could not block it, and the scorching sun poured down without reservation.

There are few trees in this place and the sky is cloudless today.

After sunbathing for a whole morning, the group was already sweating and feeling weak all over.

Kato Kiyomasa wiped the sweat from his forehead, unbuttoned his shirt, fanned his hands, and greedily absorbed the last bit of coolness.

The armor he was wearing was now red hot.

Being inside it is like being in a big steamer.

Kato Kiyomasa licked his dry lips, turned around and looked at the soldiers staggering down the hillside, and said with a listless look: "Kameda-kun, go down and pass on my military order, and have them take off their armor."

"Yes." Immediately a general stood up and ran down the hillside.

Soon, the Japanese pirates waiting at the foot of the mountain took off their clothes, naked from the waist up, and lay on the ground in all directions. Kato Kiyomasa wanted to stop them, but just as he was about to shout, he felt his whole body go limp, as if a piece of charcoal was stuck in his throat.

As soon as I swallowed, a faint taste of blood rolled in my throat.

"Damn Portuguese, didn't we agree to come today? Why haven't you come yet?"

After waiting for a long time, Kato Kiyomasa did not see the Portuguese and became anxious.

Suddenly, a general shouted, "Kato-kun, Kato-kun, here they come, here they come, the Portuguese are coming!!"

Kato and others wiped the sweat from their foreheads and looked in the direction of the man's finger.

Sure enough, I saw the distant horizon become rough.

A black torrent of troops emerged from afar, filling everyone's sight. The flags of the troops were flying, and the swords and spears were everywhere, shining brightly under the blazing sun.

Behind the queue, a cannon with wheels installed slowly moved forward.

"Yo, the Portuguese are still trustworthy and work hard." Seeing this, Kato Kiyomasa touched the small black beard under his nose and said proudly, "I was wondering why they took so long, it turns out they prepared so many good things."

"Mr. Kato is indeed as wise as a god." The generals looked at each other and bowed together to congratulate him.

"Hahaha, come with me to welcome these Portuguese people."

On the opposite side, Zhang Yunxiu and Charlie walked side by side behind the team.

Among the three Portuguese, only Charlie was the most steady and profound. He was also the most active in this battle. Zhang Yunxiu suddenly became curious and asked, "Mr. Charlie, do you have any grudges against the Japanese?"

Charlie sighed, a trace of sadness on his handsome face. "When I first crossed the sea and arrived in Malacca, my wife was kidnapped by a group of Japanese. When we found her, she was already..."

At the end of his speech, Charlie's eyes turned red and he spoke with a choked throat.

"I am deeply sorry for your madam."

Zhang Yunxiu comforted him in a low voice.

Charlie nodded in response, stretched out his arm to wipe his eyes, and gritted his teeth and said, "So I won't let any of the Japanese go this time. I'm going to chop them up one by one and throw them into the sea to feed the sharks!"

"as you wish."

As he was talking, the Japanese pirates gradually came into view. They were located at the foot of a hillside directly opposite, with several thousand of them lying on the grass, looking like hooligans.

Dozens of Japanese pirates who looked like leaders walked down the mountain, passed by their subordinates, and rushed to the front of the two armies to greet them.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled coldly and waved his hand to order the army to stop. After a while, the army stopped where it was. A cool sea breeze blew by, and everyone felt relaxed.

Getting closer, getting closer.

Kato Kiyomasa and other leaders quickly arrived within a hundred steps of the formation.

Zhang Yunxiu clearly saw the expressions on these people's faces.

"Gunners, get ready!" Zhang Yunxiu raised his hand high.

"Gunner, load the gun, get ready!"

Officer Han San and others immediately repeated it.

Then, the sound of loading bullets could be heard from the army. The movements were in unison, and within sixty breaths, all the gunners at the front had finished loading their guns and marched out in unison.

He raised his gun and aimed at Kato Kiyomasa and others.

Kato had been very excited before, bragging to his followers, but when he saw the bird gun, he felt a chill in his heart, and he stepped back unconsciously, protecting everyone in front of him.

The Japanese troops paused at the same time, looked at each other, and turned to look at Kato Kiyomasa.

At this moment, they were only sixty steps away from the Ming army camp.

Kato Kiyomasa secretly observed and found that these teams were very mixed, including both Portuguese and Ming people. The equipment was varied, some wore armor, some wore cloth, and it looked like a temporary team. "What kind of team is this? Could it be pirates?" Kato Kiyomasa muttered to himself.

In the past, there was a Ming Dynasty man named Wang Zhi on Kyushu Island. He was extremely powerful and had tens of thousands of people under his command.

This person not only thrived in the Ming Dynasty, but also had close relations with the Portuguese and the people of Kyushu.

When Kato Kiyomasa was a teenager, he was often mentioned by others, and the tone of those people's voices was full of admiration and fear.

"It seems that these people should also be business people."

After guessing in his mind, Kato Kiyomasa swallowed the heart that had risen to his throat. He huddled behind the team, smiling, urging his subordinates to move forward and waving to greet them.

"Bird gunner fire!"

"emission!"

With a "bang", a thick white mist rose in front of Zhang Yunxiu's army.

Flames were flashing in the white mist, and red-hot lead bullets were pushed out with great force, rapidly shooting towards the direction of Kato Kiyomasa and others.

The lead bullets were round and bulky, and there were many of them. From the direction of Kato and others, it was like a huge black net flying in front of them.

Everyone opened their eyes wide and ran away in fear.

It’s a pity that these people with feet can’t outrun the footless lead bullets.

As soon as they turned around, the lead bullets caught up with them, and with a puff, they penetrated into their flesh and blood, causing a heart-wrenching scream.

"Ah? Baka, Baka."

"Hiss, cunning Ming people, cunning Portuguese people."

"Their consciences are seriously damaged."

Screams were heard one after another, and the scene was in chaos. Some people were hit in the heart and died on the spot, while others were hit in the arm and hugged their arms and ran forward frantically.

Others were hit in the thighs and fell to the ground, cursing and groaning.

The bright red and sticky blood dyed the grass red. A gust of wind blew by, and the pungent smell of blood mixed with the fragrance of young grass penetrated into Zhang Yunxiu's nostrils.

Zhang Yunxiu felt nothing in his heart.

He really didn't know where to show sympathy for these Japanese people.

All he wants to do is send these people to hell.

"Bang, bang, bang." The sound of bird guns continued, and a cloud of white mist was floating in front of Zhang Yunxiu's army.

Up ahead, Kato Kiyomasa's team looked toward the source of the gunshot.

But he saw his own leader lying on the ground groaning after being ruthlessly slaughtered.

They were shocked and panicked. Someone in the queue was panicking and shouted loudly: "There is an ambush, Kato is dead, Kato is dead, run!"

"Kato-kun is dead?"

"Hurry up and run! The red-haired devil has set an ambush. If you don't run now, it will be too late!"

The defeat was disastrous and the generals were wiped out. How could these soldiers still have the desire to fight?

In the army, except for Kato's diehard followers, all the Japanese soldiers were in chaos, shouting and running away.

Fear spread like a plague on the battlefield.

Once the soldiers become fearful, it will be difficult to control them unless the general has extraordinary prestige.

Looking at the chaotic and scattered Japanese pirates, Zhang Yunxiu did not intend to let them go. With a wave of the red flag, the Ming army and Charlie's troops moved forward together to chase and kill the scattered Japanese pirates.

It was supposed to be an encounter, but it ended up happening because of Kato's carelessness.

It turned into a one-sided war of annihilation.

From the beginning, the battle was one-sided. Everywhere there were screams of the pirates, sounds of fighting, and the sound of waves on the shore as a faint accompaniment.

A beautiful piece of music played between heaven and earth.

The seagulls in the sky were circling continuously, acting as the audience for the concert.

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the battlefield indifferently. The grass was stained red with blood. The corpses were piled up on the ground, densely packed like zombies piled up on top of each other. Maybe there were two thousand people, maybe three thousand.

But to him, it's just a number.

"Sir, are you still chasing?" Han San asked in a low voice, pointing at the Japanese who were running away.

Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand and said, "Forget it. We won't chase them anymore. Tell the brothers to leave some of them in Hakata Bay as decoys, and the rest will follow me to attack Toyotomi Hideyoshi from behind. I want to see how powerful their navy is."

"Yes!" Han San nodded in agreement, turned and left.

Philip and Carl came up to him and said flatteringly, "Sir, your musketeers are really powerful. With our cannons and warships, their navy will surely not be able to withstand them."

They had been paying attention to the war situation.

They were stunned to find that the musketeers under Zhang Yunxiu were well-disciplined and their muskets performed well.

Looking at Charlie again, I don't know when he was instigated by this guy.

The two were not optimistic about Zhang Yunxiu's fight, but now it seems that if they fight seriously, they will definitely gain greater benefits. After thinking it over, the two smiled and decided to establish a good relationship with the young noble.

"Haha. The troops under the two gentlemen's command are also very powerful." Zhang Yunxiu smiled coldly and used words to stab the two men, "Even when the fight just now started, the troops under the two gentlemen's command seemed to have the ability to turn invisible. Not a single one of them could be seen."

"Now that we are chasing them, they are full of energy."

The two smiled awkwardly, looked at each other, and said nothing.

Zhang Yunxiu did not pursue the matter and ordered his men to gather their troops and march from Hakata Bay to the rear of China Island.

Xiaori was heavily influenced by the Tang Dynasty, which stipulated that "all names of counties and villages in the country must use two characters and must be good names." This Chinese island is an island located in the central region.

It is only separated from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Gyeonggi region by a sea.

Most of the Japanese pirates' supply lines in this battle entered Higo Province from here.

After a short rest, Zhang Yunxiu did not stay for too long. He left behind some decoy troops and set sail towards Toyotomi Hideyoshi's supply line.

Konishi Yukigo set up a large camp.

Looking at Kato Kiyomasa, whose face was covered in blood and in a state of disgrace, Konishi Yukinaga frowned. "You mean, the Ming army's reinforcements have arrived, and most of your troops have been killed?"

Kato Kiyomasa nodded and suddenly burst into tears: "It's so tragic, there are screams everywhere, and the Ming army is everywhere. They are simply not human. If I hadn't retreated quickly, I wouldn't be able to come back now."

"How many people are there?" Konishi Yukinaga asked again.

"There are a huge number of them, at least 70,000 or 80,000, and they are all elite troops. Otherwise, how could my troops have been defeated so badly?" In order to get away with the crime, Kato Kiyomasa was bragging wildly about the combat effectiveness of the Ming army.

"Seventy or eighty thousand?" Konishi Yukinaga was surprised.

"Yes." Kato Kiyomasa nodded seriously, fearing that Konishi Yukinaga would not believe him, and described it vividly.

"Then go and inform the Chancellor that the Ming army reinforcements have arrived, and ask him to send more men."

"Okay, I'll go right away." (End of chapter)