Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 459 The Final Cleanup of the War

Changmen Port, where dreams begin.

This is where the Ming army landed, and it was also the first place on the Japanese island to be influenced by the Ming dynasty's "royal rule".

Therefore, the harbor here was the largest, serving as the main rear base for the Ming Dynasty's operations on the Japanese islands.

The bay was filled with ships and boats, and the shore was teeming with people.

Large numbers of Japanese were gathered at Changmen Port, waiting to be loaded onto ships and transported to the mainland.

For a pioneering server where the population of the New World would be passively reconfigured a thousand years later, the spirit of these Japanese people was quite good.

The vast majority of people voluntarily became "Japanese slaves".

This is not because they were fooled or blindly followed the crowd.

There are also practical considerations behind this.

After all, even if you were to work like a slave in the Ming Dynasty, at least you could still earn a living.

Objectively, their standard of living far exceeds what they could earn by struggling to make a living on this ghost island.

Besides, what does it matter if I'm captured and enslaved by Lord Hua?

Wasn't I originally the lord's slave?
From being a dog of the Japanese to being a dog of the Chinese, this is definitely a case of raising the flag!
Wherever the Ming Dynasty overseer's whip pointed, the Japanese followed, gathering from all over the island to major ports like Nagato, waiting for transshipment.

Even though the journey was filled with snow and wind, and many people froze and starved to death, they still enjoyed it immensely.

These are all necessary costs for the divine kingdom to reach the earth.

Among these "Runren" (people who benefit from the Ming Dynasty's cultural influence), there were those who lived in plains and coastal areas and were given priority in "enjoying" the Ming Dynasty's cultural influence.

Many of them also come from remote mountainous areas.

Their intelligence was poor, and the Ming army's iron hooves had not even set foot on their land.

However, these Japanese people living in remote areas seemed to have suddenly gained supernatural insight; no one came looking for them, but they came to us on their own initiative.

"Are there really that many people on the Japanese islands?"

Inside the temporary camp by the port.

Grand Steward Li Shiji held in one hand the roster of Japanese registered at the port and in the other hand the household register compiled by the Japanese themselves, comparing the two.

The numbers simply didn't match.

Wherever the Ming army went, they habitually burned the local Japanese government offices to the ground.

However, they were very particular about burning documents; before taking action, they would first collect valuable documents such as household registration and financial records.

The Ming army's thorough raid on all of Japan's administrative regions meant that Li Shiji had obtained the national census data for Japan, giving him a better understanding of the country's overall situation than even the Emperor himself.

However, this is theoretically the most authoritative and accurate household registration figure.

The number was actually less than the number of Japanese people shipped to the mainland.

Moreover, it's not just a little less, but far less.

Putting aside everything else, the number of Japanese people transshipped through Nagato Port alone may be greater than the official population of the entire country of Japan.

"Yes, there are stewards, yes," Xue Rengui said.

As a young general who went deep into the front lines, he had a better understanding of the situation at the grassroots level in Japan.

"Although the Japanese islands are islands, they are also covered with mountains and forests, and have a complex terrain."

"Many Japanese living deep in the mountains and forests were not included in their government's statistics."

Li Shiji knew that the Japanese centralized system was a joke, but he didn't expect that the local lords and chieftains were no less powerful. Their control over the grassroots was even less than that of the landlords and wealthy people on the mainland... Li Shiji wanted to facepalm.

Living on the same planet as these insects is truly an incongruity.

"How did these mountain people, who can't even find their own rulers, learn of this news and travel all this way to seek refuge with us?"

Li Shiji asked, quite puzzled.

Yes, he used the word "seek refuge".

These Japanese, who had been abducted and treated as second-class citizens, all looked eager to get started, making Li Shiji feel like he had been taken advantage of.

"Oh, you'll have to ask Minister Xue about that."

Xiao Xue stepped aside, giving way to Lao Xue, who was completely oblivious to the situation.

Finding that everyone's eyes were on him, Xue Wanche scratched his head in confusion:
"I don't know either. I just find it too troublesome to notify the Japanese villages one by one to relocate. It's better to spend a little money to let the Japanese notify them for me."

"For every person you recruit, you'll get a bag of millet as a reward."

"And that's how it is."

His words left his colleagues speechless.

Old Xue, by a twist of fate, has become a bounty hunter whose profession is hunting "slaves" and recruiting people.

Whenever it comes to fighting or dust battles, this guy's amazing thought process always produces miraculous results...

"Hahaha...that's perfect."

Old Xue's old friend, Qibi Heli, tried to save face for him, saying:
"Fortunately, these Japanese hiding in the mountains have been found. If they had remained on the island, they might have hindered His Majesty's plan to completely destroy Japanese agriculture."

This makes sense, because Li Ming's plan is not complicated: to use seawater to salinize Japan's agricultural land.

And what people do can also be deciphered.

Life always finds a way. As long as there are enough people remaining on the Japanese islands, they will eventually work together to solve the problem of soil salinization.

This is why Li Ming wants to promote population migration and soil degradation simultaneously.

The population of the Japanese islands could not support the land's salinization, and the salinized land could not support a large population, thus trapping the island in a vicious cycle from which civilization was completely locked away.

This time, it was Li Shiji's turn to scratch his head.

"That's true, but such a huge population number far exceeds the court's expectations."

"Won't it cause trouble to transport so many people to China all at once?"

Xue Wanche, on the other hand, seemed completely indifferent.
"What are you afraid of? If you think there are too many, just throw them back into the sea."

Li Shiji thought about it and agreed:
"That's true. In front of the strong, the Japanese are very docile and won't cause any trouble."

"Alright, let His Majesty decide this matter. We will simply state the facts."

He steered the conversation back to his subordinate generals and said:
"The war against the Japanese is almost coming to an end."

To call the conquest of the Japanese pirates a "war" is actually a bit of a stretch.

It was more like a "special military operation".

Not much time and energy is actually spent on the front lines.

Apart from the initial special razing operation targeting the capital city of Namba, the Daemian army acted more like a security force, covering the laborers' work on the island's "de-agriculturalization" project.

As the characteristics of the Japanese were further developed, they no longer needed security guards; the Japanese managed themselves.

In order to save military expenditures and share the burden with His Majesty and the court, it is time to withdraw the main force ahead of schedule.

As I said before, as long as they don't have to worry about future governance, and simply beat people up, the Central Plains dynasties can easily and happily fight against the barbarians.

"Minister Xue, how is the project progressing?"

Li Shiji asked in a serious tone.

Xue Wanche answered in a very serious manner:

"The main tasks are basically completed, with only some minor details remaining."

“Those Japanese were working quite hard.”

Li Shiji nodded:

"Then there's no point in us staying on this island any longer."

"Leave a portion of the army and laborers to clean up the mess, and the main force should withdraw in batches."

No one had any objection.

…………

"Heh, I just didn't expect that."

"Such a beautiful warship has actually become a slave ship for transporting Japanese slaves, and I, the naval admiral, have become a cargo carrier. Tsk!"

At the Changmen Port, Admiral Yuchi Jingde of the Navy smiled wryly and mocked himself.

Throughout the entire war against the Japanese, if we were to name someone who was most dissatisfied with the course of the war, it would undoubtedly be him.

Sink enemy ships! Sweep across the battlefield! Combine land and sea forces!

None of the aforementioned glorious achievements occurred.

The Japanese were far too backward in terms of productivity. They couldn't even muster a decent number of warships, let alone fight the Ming army. They were simply not up to the task of leading a navy.

This resulted in the Ming navy only doing two things: transporting Ming troops to the island and transporting Japanese soldiers back to the mainland.

The idea of ​​a general commanding an invincible naval fleet was nothing more than a fantasy of Yuchi Jingde before he fell asleep during the transport mission.

"Tsk tsk, sigh, having such a deep-water harbor, yet unable to build a decent dock, I had to find someone to expand it."

"The Japanese are really wasteful of precious things!"

Beside the old black-faced man, the "civil official" Xue Wanche once again complained about the Japanese people's infrastructure level.

"..." Yuchi Jingde suppressed his urge to criticize the Minister's lack of cultural knowledge and changed the subject:
"Your Majesty is too merciful. Why go through all the trouble of transporting the Japanese back to their country?"
"We wouldn't even trust them to be our servants; we might as well just throw them into the sea."

Xue Wanche shook his head repeatedly:
"No, no! These are such useful beasts of burden. We should at least squeeze them dry and make them compensate us with their bodies first."

Hmph... Old Blackie curled his lip.

He went to the battlefield for nothing, without even managing to kill a few Japanese soldiers to add to the festivities. Wasn't his trip a complete waste?

"But——"

Old Xue mentioned it casually, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

"If you want to throw a few Japanese people into the sea for fun, that's not out of the question."

"Oh?" Yuchi Jingde raised an eyebrow, then seemed to realize something and turned his gaze to a corner of the port.

"Is Minister Xue referring to 'them'?"

…………

Aside from the throngs of Japanese civilians eagerly queuing to board the ships, there was a peculiar corner in the port.

The Ming soldiers stood guard, maintaining a strict and tense atmosphere, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere elsewhere.

Inside the Ming army's fortified camp, a large group of Japanese soldiers sat obediently on the ground, waiting for their hands to be tied behind their backs one by one by the Ming soldiers.

Most of these people had blank expressions and were covered in bruises; some were even missing limbs.

They were Japanese soldiers captured in the battle.

Some were directly under the Emperor, while others were private armies belonging to local lords.

They were deeply shocked after being completely crushed by the Ming army, which seemed like gods.

Not only were they stripped of their so-called "dignity as Japanese samurai," but many also suffered psychological trauma.

However, regardless of whether they regretted being enemies of the Ming Dynasty, or who they belonged to,

Since these people dared to turn their swords against the Ming army, they must bear the consequences.

They simply didn't know what the consequences would be.

"Everyone, stand up!"

After all the Japanese soldiers were taken prisoner, their hands were tied behind their backs. The local Japanese man who was acting as their interpreter shouted at them rudely.

The Japanese soldiers, who usually bossed around the civilians, were now as obedient as lambs, getting up obediently at the command of their compatriots.

Seeing that all the prisoners of war were standing properly, the interpreter immediately changed his tune, bowing and scraping obsequiously to the Ming army captain:

"Lord Hua! They're all ready, don't you think?"

The captain nodded slightly and said:

"Get aboard."

"Yes...yes!" the interpreter hurriedly agreed, then turned and barked fiercely at the fellow Japanese prisoners of war:

"Keep up! Get ready to board!"

The team slowly started moving.

The Japanese prisoners of war waddled like penguins, dragging their feet as they slowly made their way toward the harbor.

The queue stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Get on the boat! Get on the boat!"

Xue Rengui urged him on with a stern face.

"How many people are there in total?" Yuchi Jingde stroked his beard, which was as stiff as steel needles.

As the chief naval officer, he was very busy today, running from one end of the port to the other.

"Exactly ten thousand people came in. Excluding those who died from their serious injuries, there are about nine thousand five hundred left," Xue Rengui answered truthfully.

Yuchi Jingde shrugged:

"Not many."

Xue Rengui replied:

"This prisoner-of-war camp is just the tip of the iceberg."

“In other corners of Nagato Port, and in other harbors on the Japanese islands, prisoner-of-war camps were built to house the Japanese who were not immediately killed on the battlefield.”

Yes, even on the battlefield, the Ming army did not exterminate the Japanese army; they accepted the enemy's surrender.

Surround it on three sides, leaving one side open.

Even with national and personal grievances, one must still employ strategy in the struggle.

Don't push the other party to the point of mutual hatred and a fight to the death, only to create trouble for yourself.

However, that only means "not killed immediately".

In short, as long as you lure the other party to lay down their weapons, you've already trapped them.

Isn't that just fish on a cutting board?

"When should we make our move?" Xue Rengui's expression became subtle.

Yuchi Jingde nodded slightly:

"I have my own plans."

"Alas... it's such a pity about these ships." Xue Rengui sighed as he looked towards the dock.

The transport ships, lined up end to end, were incredibly tall, resembling man-eating monsters. Their lowered gangways were like tongues, swallowing Japanese prisoners of war one by one.

Yuchi Jingde's lips curled into a wicked smile:
"They're just cheap stuff, there's plenty of them, consider it as them being buried with them."

…………

The Japanese prisoners of war followed the main force and boarded the prisoner transport ship arranged by the Ming army in a daze.

The cabin was like a huge empty box, with no windows, completely empty inside.

The prisoners of war were crammed together like piglets.

The cabin quickly became stuffy, humid, and filled with an unpleasant odor.

The Japanese man sat on the ground, his hands still bound behind his back.

Once the ship was full, it slowly set sail, raising its sails towards the azure sea.

"Sit still and don't move! Anyone who moves will be thrown into the sea!"

After making a threat, the Ming guards and interpreter covered their noses and left the cabin.

At this point, the atmosphere in the cabin became lively again, and people started whispering to each other.

Where are we going?

"Haven't you heard? The Ming people are going to send us to the mainland."

"The mainland? The mainland is great, there's food there."

The Japanese on board had some guesses about the destination of their voyage.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. According to the local villagers, they were apparently kidnapped and taken to the Ming Dynasty as slaves.

Being a slave is good; being a slave to Lord Hua means you get to eat.

"I was really stupid to actually believe the nonsense that Emperor Nanba told me at first."

"They thought the Yamato samurai were invincible, that they could cut through the Koreans, who were armed with full Chinese weapons, like chopping melons and vegetables, and that the Ming people dared not even bother to fight—"

A wounded soldier touched the spot where his right arm should have been—now only an empty wad of burlap—and began to complain.

Then everyone fell silent again.

The Japanese army was initially very confident, believing themselves to be invincible.

Until these silent, armored warriors descended from the sky, giving them a glimpse into the advanced productivity of China.

Now they know they were wrong.

Even if they had a hundred more lives, they wouldn't dare to easily defy Lord Ming.

Fortunately, they were lucky enough to survive.

Those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune later. It wouldn't be a bad thing to spend the rest of my life in the Ming Dynasty; at least I'd have food to eat.

They were infinitely luckier than those unfortunate souls who died on the battlefield.

"Nonsense! You beast, you dare insult His Majesty the Emperor!"

In a corner of the cabin, a loyal follower of the Emperor, speaking with a strong Kyoto accent, angrily rebuked his comrades for their "non-citizen" behavior.

"You're talking nonsense!"

The wounded soldier was also furious, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

At this point, someone joked:

"There's no need to be angry. In fact, the Emperor wasn't wrong. We Japanese samurai are indeed noble."

"Look, we'll kill the Ming people with our knives, and then the Ming people will have to invite us to their hometown to eat rice."

Doesn't this prove our nobility?

This remark immediately drew a burst of laughter from the audience.

Yes, our Japanese army is really too strong. After defeating the Ming people, we can still go to their house and eat their rice like crazy.

But the Japanese didn't realize it when they were winning so badly.

The entire crew, Ming soldiers, and other relevant personnel had already disembarked in small boats.

They were unaware that the "ship" was slowly sinking.

(End of this chapter)