Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 445 Justice comes from heaven!

Then, *splat*!
An iron arrow as long as a harpoon fell from the sky, easily piercing the bodies of two Japanese soldiers, making a crisp sound as bones broke.

Two Japanese men, like pieces of roasted meat, were pinned to the ground by huge "iron skewers," their eyes wide with bewilderment and terror.

Although they hadn't died immediately, their chest and abdominal cavities were as thin as paper, easily torn open by the iron arrows, leaving horrifying gashes and entrails spilling out onto the ground.

Before everyone's eyes, the two unfortunate men didn't even have time to utter a cry before their breaths grew weaker and weaker. It was clear that they wouldn't be able to struggle for much longer, and there was no point in trying to save them.

"what?"

The Japanese people nearby were also completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.

They were originally tribespeople from various scattered clans in Japan, but recently their patriarchs packaged them as "Yamato samurai" or "Musashi warriors" and sent them to the battlefields of Silla and Baekje.

Aside from following the most primitive instinct of "burning, killing, looting," they had no tactical skills whatsoever, let alone the ability to perform difficult maneuvers such as dispersing or hiding on the spot.

Their officers had no time to deal with them.

These nobles, who were tribal chiefs just last month, didn't even know that two of their cannon fodder had been skewered and roasted.

They're still arguing fiercely about whether to move forward, retreat, or stay put.

"This... fell from the sky?"

The Japanese soldiers gathered around the "skewers of grilled meat," staring blankly at the sky.

As it turned out, they actually saw something.

In the twilight, under the last rays of the setting sun, they seemed to see a large flock of black dots, like birds, flying across the Paesui River toward the Japanese army's positions on the south bank.

The flight path of the "flock of birds" was quite peculiar. After crossing the river, they plummeted violently, drawing a perfect parabola in mid-air, and swooped straight down towards the heads of the Japanese soldiers.

Upon closer inspection, it was also discovered that the heads of those "birds" seemed to have a metallic sheen.

"That is……"

Before the Japanese could see clearly, they heard a mournful wail, like a hellish demon demanding their lives.

Before they even realized what it was.

Whoosh whoosh!
Countless iron arrows rained down from the sky, like a fierce iron rain!
At that time, the Japanese army was scattered and huddled together, with no time or space to hide, and was hit one by one by the dense rain of arrows!

Pfft!

The sound of flesh and bone being torn apart could be heard everywhere.

The enormous, heavy iron arrows, carrying an unstoppable impact, easily tore at the limbs of the Japanese soldiers as if snapping twigs.

In an instant, severed limbs flew alongside sand and gravel, and blood mingled with the fading sunset.

After a volley of heavy crossbow bolts, the Japanese army was routed.

Within the camp, screams, wails, and groans of the dying could be heard everywhere. The stench of blood was overwhelming.

"My grandfather was a retainer of the Yamato Kingdom, and his lineage is the same as that of His Majesty the Emperor! His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for our actions at Naniwa Palace! We should listen to me, cross the river in victory, and massacre Pyongyang..."

"what?"

The Japanese chieftains, who were arguing fiercely, gradually realized that something seemed a little off.

Why is there no sound from my own troops?
When they finally turned their attention to the soldiers who had been ignored, they suddenly realized...

The army that was just moments ago so majestic and arrogant.

In just a short moment, without any warning, a large number of people collapsed!

They were firmly impaled on the ground by iron skewers that appeared out of nowhere. Many of them were still standing, even though they had actually been gone for a while.

The situation wasn't much better for the soldiers who hadn't died immediately.

Many people have had their intestines pierced by iron skewers, leaving only their throats gurgling as they breathe; they are beyond saving.

Those who were lucky enough to be missing an arm or a leg would have blood gushing out of their horrifying wounds like a burst dam.

"How is this going?"

None of the chiefs had ever encountered such a situation. Staring at the tragic scene, they were all dumbfounded.

It only took a turn of the head.

The troops who were just now showing off their power and looking so imposing.

How did they become a defeated army, either dead or wounded, in such an instant?
Everyone says the battlefield is ever-changing, but it can't change this fast!

"What exactly happened? What should we do?"

"Let's...let's retreat first! It's too dangerous to stay here."

"But what about His Majesty the Emperor's decree?"

"Go find your Emperor, I have my own patriarch!"

The Japanese officers were arguing incessantly.

Then, countless tiny black dots, resembling flying birds, appeared in the sky, tracing perfect parabolas.

shhhhhh!
As if justice had descended from the heavens, the second volley of iron arrows reached the Japanese army camp!

This time, the target changed, extending further south into the interior, aiming at other still intact Japanese military trains.

This time, the Japanese finally saw things clearly.

What came down from the sky were thick, long crossbow bolts!
"By Amaterasu Omikami! What is that? What is that?!"

"They look like arrows?"

"But where can you find an arrow that's so thick, so big, and made entirely of iron? What kind of giant could shoot such an arrow? Arrows shouldn't be small..."

"Stop talking nonsense and run!"

After witnessing the tragic fate of their comrades, the Japanese army, now subjected to a sudden and overwhelming act of justice, finally learned to run away.

Even though we don't know what fell from the sky, it's definitely not some Korean civilian they can bully, so we should just run!

The already loosely organized Japanese ranks immediately disintegrated, scattering and fleeing in all directions like a flock of sheep being chased by a lion.

The more chaotic the situation, the more severe the casualties become.

Unlucky souls were constantly being shot down by the dense rain of arrows and fell to the ground.

Ordinary Japanese soldiers wore no armor, so arrows could pierce their bodies without any hindrance.

Honestly, wearing armor wouldn't help.

Because their officers were only wearing primitive wooden and rattan armor.

The arrows pierced the wooden armor like shredded paper, then passed through the Japanese corpses without any resistance.

Soon, the legion behind them repeated the scene from before.

Everywhere there were shattered limbs and meat skewers pierced with iron arrows.

Moreover, because this wave of Japanese people reacted and caused chaos, the resulting losses were actually greater.

Compared to being directly hit by arrows, the casualties caused by trampling each other were far more severe.

To make matters worse, the officers did not maintain order, nor did they even attempt to do so.

The Japanese nobles, who were just moments before dreaming of conquering the other side of the river and drinking from the waters of Pyongyang, all abandoned their posts and fled in panic.

Although they fought quite a few battles on their own island, they were at most minor skirmishes between village-level tribes.

Where have you ever seen China's high-tech crossbows?

Or is it a full-metal heavy crossbow that has been modified by the black technology of the Ming Dynasty?
Let alone the lowly soldiers.

Even the officers, who were nobles, had never seen such a spectacle!

They had no idea where these life-reaping iron arrows came from.

It's hard to imagine that this army, dragging bamboo spears and wearing wooden armor, could come out to fight an invasion war. It's something that humans could create and throw.

Could this be divine punishment from the gods in heaven?

It's divine punishment; how can a mortal resist it?

Of course it’s running away!

"What should we do with the wounded? They'll die if we leave them here."

"They're dead, so be it. They're no longer capable of fighting, no longer loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. They're just useless people; keeping them alive would only waste food." "That makes sense. Let's go!"

The Japanese abandoned their comrades without any psychological pressure.

Without unified leadership, the fleeing army was like a herd of wild boars, running around in all directions without any order.

The turmoil at the front was quickly relayed to the rear of the military train by the panicked and fleeing soldiers.

This is where the main force of the Japanese army is located.

They didn't know what was happening at the front, but from the deserters' disheveled appearance, they could read the word "fear".

This is bad, run!
Fear is contagious, and the Japanese troops behind them also began to flee.

The entire battle line collapsed, everyone trampled each other, and everyone rushed to escape, resulting in complete chaos.

The main force of the Japanese army collapsed just like that.

"Stop! Don't run! Anyone who moves will be executed!"

The officers at the rear, unaware of what was happening ahead, attempted to restore order.

However, the defeat was swift and devastating.

To stop the retreating soldiers is like trying to block a flood with your bare hands.

It's not entirely useless, but it's definitely like casting pearls before swine.

"What on earth happened? How did the army suddenly collapse!"

The Japanese chieftain in the rear was greatly puzzled.

They're not deaf or blind, they're just not on the front lines.

They saw neither the enemy nor heard any sounds of fighting.

How could the army just collapse so suddenly and inexplicably?

They didn't even know whether their enemy was human or ghost!

However, their questions did not last long.

Soon, they also saw flocks of "birds" suddenly appear in the sky, swooping down towards them.

"That is……"

The next second, an iron arrow rained down from the sky.

The same tragic scene and chaos at the front were repeated in the rear.

And so, after several volleys of fire from the Ming Dynasty's crossbows.

The tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers who had been mobilized were routed and almost lost their fighting capacity.

However, their movement trajectories are not random.

The rain of arrows was like an invisible hand, consciously guiding them toward the riverbank.

The routed Japanese army was like a docile flock of sheep; wherever the arrows were shot, the men ran.

They were eventually driven to a corner of the Pae River bank.

The Pae River makes a sharp northward bend here, forming a yoke shape that encircles the Japanese army like a pocket.

Tens of thousands of troops were thus passively gathered in this perilous place surrounded by water on three sides.

The Japanese soldiers gathered in a corner of this chaotic battlefield, filled with fear, confusion, unease, and restlessness.

"Is this an arrow? Is someone shooting arrows at us?"
"Could they be Ming Chinese? Or Ming soldiers?"

The Japanese officers who had not yet been shot or trampled to death tried their best to understand the situation and finally got a little closer to the reality.

However, it was too late.

Click click click.

From outside the battlefield, urgent sounds could be heard.

"Is that the sound of a river?"

The Japanese were like frightened birds, nervously peering into the darkness around them.

Behind and to their left and right, the dark, unfathomable Pae River flowed silently.

The officers on the perimeter pricked up their ears, listened quietly for a while, and murmured:
"It could be the sound of horses' hooves, but that's unlikely. There are just too many. Who could have so many horses? Could the Ming army have them...?"

Before he finished speaking, a fire dragon suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead.

Those were countless torches.

An unprecedented cavalry force, carrying torches, is rapidly advancing towards the Japanese army's positions!
The cavalrymen leading the charge carried large banners that gleamed in the flames.

A large character "明" (Ming) was prominently displayed above it!

It's the Ming army, the heavenly army of the Great Ming!
The Ming Dynasty really could muster such a massive cavalry force!

Not only that, but this cavalry was armed to the teeth!

Not only were all the riders fully armored, but even their warhorses were covered in thick, all-metal armor, with only their eyes showing!
These are heavily armored cavalry!
The Japanese soldiers stared in disbelief at the scene.

Compared to the incomprehensible divine intervention, the visible cavalry unit had a greater impact on their psyches.

However, the ignorant Japanese might understand cavalry, but they could not fully comprehend a cavalry force of "such size".

They had never seen so many horses in their entire lives!

It just lunged straight at me!

After ravaging the peninsula for months, they finally witnessed the Ming Dynasty soldiers for the first time.

We are simply not on the same level as them!

After experiencing that inexplicable rout, the soldiers were completely stunned, standing there dumbfounded.

"Idiot... idiot! Shoot the arrow! Shoot the arrow!"

The officers desperately tried to organize a counterattack.

Only a few scattered arrows were shot out.

The Japanese army didn't have many decent weapons to begin with, and they lost most of them in the recent rout.

The few remaining Japanese bows fired arrows that bounced off the Ming soldiers' large, hard armor like water guns.

This is why the Ming army dared to carry torches.

True apex predators are not afraid of being used as targets.

Their only fear was falling behind, being unable to kill the prey themselves, and letting others steal the military credit!

In the blink of an eye, the Ming army's vanguard had already reached the Japanese lines.

"This is impossible……"

The Japanese officer stared blankly up at his enemy.

It wasn't until they faced each other that they were surprised to discover that there was a difference between cavalrymen and "cavalrymen".

The burly Ming soldiers, riding tall horses clad in full armor, resembled steel giants!
This had a tremendous deterrent effect on the Japanese army, which resembled dwarfs riding dogs.

"This is the real Ming army?..."

This was the last thought of the Japanese man in his life.

The next second, a sharp flash passed by.

He was already decapitated.

……

The Ming army's first encounter with the Japanese—or more accurately, its first one-sided massacre—lasted only one night.

That night, the main force of the Japanese army was annihilated.

Surrounded by water, the Japanese had nowhere to escape and were all slaughtered.

More than 10,000 heads were beheaded, and not a single person was spared. Blood flowed like water, and the water turned color.

(End of this chapter)