The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 693 Honshu Island

On November 18, the fourth year of Guangde, the Sixth Corps attacked Nagasaki, killed more than 20,000 Japanese pirates, and captured the magistrate Baba Toshishige alive. At this point, the various feudal domains in Kyushu were completely pacified, and the retired emperor's "great purge" of Japan achieved initial results.

Fifteen years ago, Yuan Chonghuan was defeated in Kyushu, and Nagasaki Bugyuki Baba Toshishige made a great contribution.

Therefore, after Zhao Lujiao captured this man, he also imitated the emperor and cut off Mr. Ma Chang's head, made it into a wine vessel, and inlaid it with gold.

The relevant craftsmanship is said to be based on the techniques of Oda Nobunaga, the Sixth Heavenly Demon King (meaning the worst of evil).

Oda Nobunaga possessed the island nation's traditional craftsmanship in making human bone wine vessels. It is said that he even did not spare his brother-in-law and had a wine cup made from him.

Of course, these are just rumors among the Japanese people and may not be true.

On November 28, the fourth year of Guangde, after ten days of large-scale "cleaning", the Nagasaki battle finally came to an end, and only one in ten of the city's population remained.

After this battle, the once bustling and noisy Nagasaki Port was left with only three to five thousand people alive.

Even though blood flowed like a river in Nagasaki, Zhao Lujiao still felt it was not enough, because according to his original idea, he should actually massacre the entire city.

However, the retired emperor repeatedly ordered the Sixth Corps to preserve a "relatively complete port."

Now, the port has been saved, but the people are gone.

On November 29th, the Sixth Corps wore mourning clothes at the port of Nagasaki, with more than 20,000 soldiers wearing hemp cloth.

Eight hundred samurai and ronin were tied up and knelt down facing Yuan Chonghuan's memorial tablet on the west side of the harbor, with rows of executioners standing behind them.

Flocks of white seagulls and black crows were circling in the harbor sky, the birds were anxiously waiting for the feast to begin.

At three quarters past noon, Zhao Lujiao, dressed in linen clothes, climbed onto the altar with the help of his general He Longzhou.

Zhao Lujiao took the memorial from the guard and looked back at the devastated Nagasaki City. His eyes flushed slightly. In front of the Sixth Corps, he slowly unfolded the memorial and read aloud:
Kunlun Mountains are vast, the East China Sea is boundless. It was the Jiawu War, the time of national mourning for the Great Qi.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Japanese pirates were rampant. I pity my elders who left their homes.

During the Imjin War, the Japanese invaded and invaded, and the horses were in disorder and the soldiers were in great distress.

The patriots of the Ming army fought bravely on the battlefield. The soldiers and civilians were united in their efforts and shared the same food and drink.

The old and the young sharpened their swords and wiped their spears. Men and women supported each other and rushed into the army.

The front is weak, the enemy is rampant, the Jiangnan Coast Guard, Qilu is in panic.

When the holy dynasty came, God sent down punishment, killed a small army, and caused chaos in Fusang.

Yuan Gong Chonghuan, a famous general who fought in hundreds of battles, marched across the nine provinces and stabilized the country.

The bloody battle of Saga frightened the Japanese pirates, and the envoys had not yet returned, and their ferocity returned.

Relying on the Holy Emperor, we can sweep away the holes and plow the courtyard, wear armor and hold sharp weapons, and be unstoppable.

The common evil was annihilated, and the chiefs fled at night. With swords and arrows clashing, the Japanese chiefs fled.

A hundred years of bandits were wiped out in one fell swoop. Xiongbi revitalized the army, and the virtue of Han flourished.

Three thousand soldiers shed their blood in Fusang, may their loyal souls rest in peace, and may the green mountains and fertile land remain.

The rest of my life is filled with sadness. The world is solemn, but the universe is bright.

I would like to express my condolences and hope you will enjoy it!
After Zhao Lujiao finished reading the memorial, the battalion commander He Longzhou waved his hand fiercely, and the Qi army raised their swords and chopped off the heads of more than 800 captured Japanese pirates to the ground as a sacrifice to the dead.
After the sacrifice, the generals dispersed one after another. Zhao Lushio knelt alone in front of Yuan Chonghuan's spirit and cried again.

He filled his old boss's glass with wine, took a sip himself, and when no one was around, he said:

"Old Yuan, look, Kyushu has finally been conquered. This has been the lair of Japanese pirates since the Yuan Dynasty, and now their lair has been eradicated. From now on, no more Japanese pirates will invade Da Qi. I took the head of that old thief, the Nagasaki Bugyo, and made it into a wine vessel. This is it."

Zhao Lujiao pointed to the terrifying human bone wine vessel in his hand.

"Back then, Baba Toshishige colluded with the rebels and killed countless of our soldiers. Now he has come to this day! This is just the first step. Tokugawa Iemitsu is not dead yet. This bastard is just like his father. He has repeatedly invaded Da Qi and slaughtered the people of Qi. The Japanese pirates are all the same, so none of them can be spared. In your spirit in heaven, please bless the Sixth Corps to win the first battle and massacre Edo..."

Zhao Lujiao tilted his head back and gulped down two mouthfuls of wine. His eyes turned red, and he fell to the ground in front of Yuan Chonghuan's memorial tablet with a thud.

"The Emperor said that the Japanese pirates are descendants of evil gods and must be killed. But, Old Yuan, the Emperor is now devoted to seeking immortality and rarely cares about government affairs. He has handed many things over to Dongfang Zhu Lu Xiangsheng and others. The young emperor's foundation is unstable. Without the assistance of us old ministers, what will he do in the future... After defeating Japan, the Emperor said he would retire, and he hasn't said where he is going. What kind of thing is it for him to abandon us old ministers..."

As Zhao Lujiao spoke, he wiped away his tears and straightened his robes. The guards came forward and filled the skull with wine again.

"Old Yuan, the situation is complicated now. The three major military corps are stationed in Saga Domain, but have yet to advance into Edo. The retired emperor only sent Wu Xiao and a few others to assassinate Tokugawa Iemitsu. I'm afraid Wu Xiao is in great danger this time. You know, the evil monk Hui Ran who was poisoned by you, he also has an illegitimate son, who is not a good person either."

"There are rumors everywhere that the day the Japanese pirates are wiped out will be the day the Emperor ascends to heaven. If that's the case, why is the Emperor so reluctant to send troops to Edo? Doesn't the Emperor want to become an immortal anymore?"

The guards stepped back a few steps and ignored these outrageous words.

Zhao Lujiao continued to talk while drunk:

"Old Yuan, you don't know, the original Kaiyuan elders are now dead or retired, and the guards around the emperor are almost all dead, only Pei Dahu and Wu Xiao are left. The civil officials are even dead... After avenging you this time, I don't know how I will live in the future. After all the ups and downs over the years, only revenge for you can support me to live a few more years... Well, let's not talk about these bad things. I'm going to Saga Castle and persuade the emperor to send troops to Edo as soon as possible to completely destroy Wa and eliminate future troubles."

After saying that, he struggled to stand up. The guards came forward to support him, but Zhao Lujiao pushed them away and stood up with difficulty, leaning on his sword.

"Marshal, the warships heading to Saga will depart in half an hour. Would you like to prepare?"

The personal guards put a cloak on Zhao Lujiao.

The biting sea breeze passed over the bloody Nagasaki City, sweeping up a sky full of crows, which fluttered against the incense table and the memorial tablets.

The spirit tablet made an unsettling rustling sound.

Dense numbers of Japanese pirate corpses were floating on the sea near the harbor.

Zhao Lujiao looked past the corpses and glanced at the ships preparing to set sail, and was about to ask about the latest battle situation of the Northern Legion.

Suddenly, Yuan Chonghuan's spirit tablet was blown off the incense table by the wind.

The guards hurried forward, picked up the spirit tablet, and handed it to the commander-in-chief with both hands. Zhao Lujiao held Yuan Chonghuan's spirit tablet in his hands, and wiped the dust off the wooden board with his robe. Looking at the three words "Yuan Shaobao" written on the spirit tablet, he smiled slightly and said:

"Old Yuan, don't worry, I'll be down with you soon."

~~~~
On the sixth day of December, two days before the birthday of the retired emperor, Zhao Lujiao traveled day and night and finally arrived at Saga Castle.

In Saga City, lights and decorations are hung as preparations are being made for the Emperor's birthday.

Zhao Lujiao ignored everything else and rushed into the palace to confront him:

"Your Majesty, the army has been stationed in Kyushu for over two months, and the Japanese pirates are terrified. Crossing the sea to attack Choshu Domain now would be a piece of cake. The soldiers of the Sixth Corps are eagerly waiting to annihilate Japan! Why haven't you sent troops yet?"

(End of this chapter)