The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 453: It is easy to conquer the world, but difficult to keep it
Wanli personally led hundreds of thousands of troops to Japan, but it was not to attack Japan!
He actually wanted to lure the Tatars and the Haixi Jurchens to attack!

Even Qi Jiguang didn't expect this.

His tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west to lure the snake out of its hole is really puzzling.

There aren't many wars going on in Japan right now, but the navy's speedboats are still constantly transporting troops and food supplies back and forth between Liaodong and the waters of Japan. It looks as if the war in Japan is in full swing.

Wanli even felt that tens of thousands of naval clippers were not enough, so he transferred all the more than 2,000 naval clippers produced last year.

The navy's fast ships on the west coast of the vassal state of Korea are almost connected in a string. The navy fleets are shuttling back and forth like long dragons. They have been transporting for almost a month and there is no sign of stopping.

So, how did the war in Japan go?
In early July, Wanli finally led an army of 500,000 to Edo Castle.

At this time, not only was there a sea of ​​tents outside Edo Castle, but the harbor to the south was filled with ships like a forest, so densely packed that you couldn't see the end at a glance.

The Ming army besieged the city for several months and dispatched a large number of reinforcements, which was a prelude to launching an attack.

Early in the morning at about 1 a.m., when the sky was just getting light, the Ming army outside the city began to gather.

One neat square after another spread out in the morning light, densely packed and extending outward, as if to the horizon.

On the top floor of the castle tower in the city, Tokugawa Ieyasu couldn't help but reveal a hint of despair in his eyes when he saw this scene.

If he could have surrendered, he would have done so long ago.

The problem is, he can't surrender.

This was a war to annihilate a country. The one in Kyoto and the one in Osaka are both gone.

He knew very well that surrender would also mean death.

It might be okay if other daimyo surrendered, including Mori Terumoto, but the Ming Dynasty would never let this hero, whose prestige was enough to influence the entire Japan, survive.

If he were the commander-in-chief of the Ming army or the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he would definitely kill such a person to eliminate future troubles.

In other words, he would die whether he surrendered or not, he would die anyway.

In this situation, he naturally chose to hold on to the end and hold on as long as he could.

Maybe, if you delay it long enough, a miracle will happen.

He originally thought that the Ming army had chosen the siege tactic, but who knew that early in the morning, the Ming army actually deployed its troops to prepare for an attack on the city.

Can he withstand this overwhelming situation that stretches as far as the eye can see from all directions?

At around noon, the sun was rising, and Wanli, his eldest son Zhu Changluo and others appeared on the hill to the east of Edo Castle, facing the castle tower.

The entire hilltop has been transformed, and the hillside has been dug into steps, layer upon layer. The imperial guards and the Jinyiwei are in circles, almost covering the steps.

A huge platform was built on the top of the mountain. There was even a roof-shaped awning above the platform, and half-person-high guardrails around it, just like a huge pavilion.

Wanli instructed his eldest son, Zhu Changluo, to use a telescope to carefully observe Tokugawa Ieyasu on the top floor of the castle tower. He then asked, "Luo'er, what do you think Tokugawa Ieyasu is thinking at this moment?"

What else could this guy have in mind?

Zhu Changluo pondered, "He looks so desperate, why doesn't he surrender?"

He knew that surrendering would mean death.

Wanli did not answer but asked: "Think about it, if the Ming Dynasty fell, what would happen if the Ming Dynasty's royal family, including the princes, grandsons, princes, and even the lowest-ranking descendants, were demoted?"

That's also a death!
History has proven that after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming royal family seemed to have disappeared. Except for those who hid their identities, no one could survive!
Zhu Changluo was stunned when he heard this, then he slowly nodded and said, "Your Highness understands. Keeping this kind of person around is a huge hidden danger for us. He must die!"

I hope you understand.

Wanli sighed slightly and said, "Yes, he knew he would die, so he refused to surrender. I hope you will remember this day and this man. I don't want the Ming Dynasty royal family to ever reach this point."

Why has Japan come to this point?
The root cause is still civil unrest.

If the Japanese princes united and fought to the death, it is hard to say how this battle would have turned out.

Father hopes that we brothers can unite.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changluo nodded slowly and said, "I understand. I will definitely teach my descendants to prioritize the overall situation and the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty."

Oh, that’s not bad.

You've grown up, kid.

Wanli nodded with satisfaction, then asked again, "The Japanese pirates in the city would rather die than surrender. How do you think we should fight them?"

How do we fight this battle?

Zhu Changluo thought for a moment, then said carefully, "The Art of War by Sun Tzu says, 'To conquer the enemy without fighting is the greatest of all virtues.' I believe that to avoid excessive casualties among the soldiers, siege is the best tactic."

You are right.

Wanli nodded slightly, then patiently taught: "If you encounter such people who would rather die than surrender, siege is indeed the best tactic.

However, other factors must also be considered, such as how long the siege will take to cut off the city's food supply and how much time we have to spend here.

You should have seen the situation around Edo Castle. This is a rare large plain in Japan, with a lot of arable land, and it must produce a lot of grain.

Moreover, Tokugawa Ieyasu has long known that he cannot withstand our attack and will eventually be surrounded in Edo Castle.

In this situation, he would definitely rush to the city to stockpile food.

Yuan Jing had roughly estimated that there were at least tens of millions of acres of arable land in the plain near Edo Castle.

In other words, even if Tokugawa Ieyasu only brought 10% of the grain into the city, that would still be over 2 million koku. The key point is that he also dismissed the civilians in the city. Now, including the garrison, there are probably less than 100,000 people in the city.

In other words, as long as they eat sparingly, they can last us for at least two to three years, and this is based on more than two million dan of grain.

We don’t know how much food there is in the city. If we adopt siege tactics, it may take two or three years, or it may take four or five years or even longer.

We certainly can't waste so much time here, so we must storm and capture this last fortress of Japan."

Oh, it also depends on the area of ​​arable land outside the city.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changluo nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Highness understands."

You still don't understand how to fight.

Forget it, there is no corresponding military book for this, so I’ll just teach it on the spot.

Wanli nodded slightly, then explained in detail: "The way of fighting nowadays is different from the past. Although Yuan Jing and his men have published several military books on muskets and artillery, they are far from enough.

You have to remember that this is an era that emphasizes range. No matter whether it is a musket or a cannon, as long as there is an advantage in range, it will be a crushing victory.

Therefore, there is a saying that the truth is only within range. As long as you have the advantage in range, you can control the truth, or in other words, what you say is the truth and others must listen.

It is obvious that we have the advantage in range when facing the Japanese pirates, so when we fight, we must try our best to consider how to utilize this advantage in range.

Now, the battle formation has been set up, and the morale of the army is at its peak. I won't go into details with you, but watch carefully while your father demonstrates it to you live."

After that, he announced loudly, "Order all Fukufu warships to aim their main guns at the outermost southern wall of Edo Castle and fire ten rounds at a volley."

With the waving of command flags, thousands of huge ships on the distant sea began to move slowly.

Immediately afterwards, there was a burst of intense artillery roars, and the dense artillery shells whizzed in, and the city walls were suddenly covered with rubble. There were constant screams and chaos.

Wanli raised his telescope to observe the effect of the volley, then announced loudly, "Order the Shenjiying artillery carts to fire ten volleys at the outermost walls of Edo Castle on the east, west, and north."

A burst of command flags were waved, followed by a more intense roar of artillery.

Although the artillery of the Shenjiying is not as large in caliber as the main guns of the Fuchuan warships, the number is quite terrifying.

At this moment, the Shenji Battalion is equipped with a standard of one thousand artillery pieces for every ten thousand troops. Although only 160,000 soldiers from the Shenji Battalion were mobilized this time, there are still 16,000 artillery pieces!

Thousands of cannons were fired at the same time, and the shells were really like rain.

The Japanese pirates on the city wall quickly retreated under the arrow embrasures and did not dare to stick their heads out.

Wanli raised his telescope again and scanned the area carefully. He then announced, "Orders, the Shenshu Battalion's chariots will be in the front, followed by the musketeers. Advance to two hundred paces in front of the city wall, aim at the gaps between the arrow crenels, and prepare to fire."

With the waving of command flags, the chariots of the Shenshu Camp pushed towards the city wall like a torrent of steel.

Wanli did not forget to explain: "This is fire suppression. Artillery is not very accurate now, so we have to use muskets to suppress it.

The purpose of fire suppression is to prevent the defenders on the city walls from raising their heads, throwing rocks and logs down the wall, or even raining arrows or pouring boiling oil or water.

Zhu Changluo's face was flushed with excitement at this moment, and his fingers were clenched into fists.

Is this how muskets and cannons are used?

The Ming Dynasty had a huge advantage in range, and the Japanese pirates had no ability to fight back.

What a spectacular scene!

Wanli then said loudly, "Send an order. Order the 12th Battalion of the vassal state of Korea to push the well fences forward to a hundred paces in front of the city wall and prepare to charge. As soon as the artillery bombardment stops, immediately charge and seize the city wall."

With the waving of command flags, rows of huge well curbs moved.

The well curb was filled with martial arts candidates holding strong bows of one stone and their sword and shield men, densely packed and in an orderly manner.

As soon as the artillery bombardment stopped, rows of huge well curbs advanced rapidly towards the city wall. The martial arts candidates shot a volley of arrows and immediately switched to thunder bombs. After another throwing of thunder bombs, the city wall was right in front of them.

This time they besieged the city for several months, and the well guards they built were not only numerous but also high, even a little higher than the arrow battlements on the city walls.

When Jinglan rushed to the city wall, those martial arts candidates immediately drew their weapons and led their men to jump onto the city wall like dumplings.

The outer walls of Edo Castle were taken in this way.

Zhu Changluo was so excited that his blood boiled.

This is not over yet.

Edo Castle also had three walls and two moats, but its terrain was not as dangerous as Osaka Castle.

Next we will transfer to the navy warships.

There were no Sichuan Army soldiers this time, so they couldn't use grapples to climb, but it didn't matter much. The navy warships could do the same thing by approaching and setting up ladders.

Anyway, they had plenty of muskets and bombs. Not only could the Japanese pirates defending the city not peek out, they also had to be careful not to be blown all over by the rain of bombs.

The Battle of Edo Castle did not take them long. The Ming Dynasty's advantage in weapons and equipment was overwhelming, and it was so easy to capture the city and even conquer the world of Japan.

If it weren't for the heavy casualties, Japan would have been conquered long ago.

Now that Edo Castle has been captured, Japan has almost been conquered as well.

The next thing to consider is the issue of defending the world.

How to defend Japan?
(End of this chapter)