I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

Two days later, the legion arrived in Zhou Nan as scheduled.

Under the "one country, one city" rule, Zhou Nan had neither city walls nor military camps; it was just a "bare" town.

When the legion besieged the city, there were no defenders inside or outside Zhou Nan. Only the elderly, women, and children who had not been able to escape or were unable to escape remained in the town.

And so, Qing Deng took over the town without injury.

When troops were sent to inspect Zhou Nan's warehouse, as expected, the warehouse had long been emptied, not even a single grain of rice was left; even rats would want to commit suicide if they went in.

"Clearing out supplies" is a basic operation in war, so there's nothing surprising or regrettable about it.

Compared to failing to obtain supplies, Qing Deng was more disappointed that "the surprise force has not yet been found".

In recent days, he has dispatched the maximum number of scouts and ninjas to various parts of Choshu to search for and investigate the whereabouts of the Special Forces.

Despite our best efforts, nothing has been achieved.

The special forces team seemed to have vanished into thin air, and no information about them could be gathered.

Thus, the unease and anxiety that Qingdeng had managed to suppress began to swell again, gradually transforming into an ominous premonition...

……

……

Nobi Plain, Owari Domain —

In Japan, there is a classic saying: "Whoever controls Mino controls the world."

The Nobi Plain encompasses both Mino and Owari provinces, hence the name "Nobi".

As one of Japan's three major plains, the Nobi Plain, with its flat terrain and fertile soil, is undoubtedly a "granary".

Its exceptional grain production made the Nobi Plain one of the most prosperous regions in Japan.

Moreover, Mino is located in the narrowest part of Oshima Island, separating eastern and western Japan.

In other words, if Mino is taken as the starting point, one can attack eastern Japan to the east and advance into western Japan to the west.

Such a treasure land is truly the foundation of a king!

Because this place has both abundant resources and a unique geographical advantage, there is a saying that "whoever controls Meinong controls the world".

Three hundred years ago, during the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga, after gaining control of Mino and Owari provinces, immediately rose to become a great daimyo with a staggering million koku of rice.

Based in Noo and Hirao, he launched attacks in all directions, and under the "snowball effect," he annexed half of Japan in the blink of an eye.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, gained control of the country, he deeply felt the importance of the Nobi Plain. Therefore, he established the Owari Domain and enfeoffed his relatives there.

The Nowei Plain is of considerable importance.

Unexpectedly, after the "Black Ships Incident," its status rose significantly!

If you look closely at the map, you'll see that Owari resembles a small knife, piercing into the Pacific Ocean, forming a triangular shape with Ise Province on the opposite shore, together creating a harbor.

This terrain is ideal for opening up ports and building harbors.

The so-called "being blessed by God" is nothing more than this.

It is not hard to imagine that after the port was established, the economy of the Owari Domain would take off with the help of maritime transport.

Unfortunately, although the Owari Domain was a powerful domain with a yield of 62 koku, after more than two hundred years, it was like the shogunate, with decay and corruption within the domain and countless problems to be solved. It simply did not have the spare capacity to build any port.

It is currently nighttime.

Low-hanging dark clouds covered the sky, with only a faint glimmer of moonlight visible in the southeast corner.

Under the cover of night, the sea became pitch black and deep, like an abyss.

The waves rolled and churned, their monotonous sound much like the whispers of the sea.

After the Western powers invaded, "coastal defense" became a popular term among the various vassal states.

Every coastal vassal state had this phrase on its lips and elevated it to a national policy, as if failing to develop coastal defense would make them fall behind the world and be ridiculed.

In order not to fall behind the trend, the Owari Domain also rushed to build some coastal defenses.

Needless to say, with their perpetually depleted national treasury, it would be a miracle if they could pull off anything.

The coastal defense implemented by the Owari Domain consisted of only setting up a few symbolic outposts along the coast to constantly monitor the sea and report any unidentified vessels immediately.

There wasn't even a trace of real coastal defense equipment like shore artillery or warships.

To say that it was "all show and no substance" would be to give the Owari Domain too much credit.

Tonight, the coastal guards are slacking off as usual.

They ate, drank, and chatted, having a wonderful time.

Since no unidentified ships are actually going to appear on the sea, why bother working so hard?

If the Western powers were to attack, their primary target would certainly be Edo, and they would not pay any attention to this place.

Just as the sentries were enjoying themselves, someone suddenly noticed a strange shadow on the sea out of the corner of their eye.

"Huh...? Hey! Look over there! Isn't there a boat over there?"

"A boat? Are you drunk? It's already this late, how come a boat is coming?"

"You didn't mistake a whale for a ship, did you?"

Although the others were laughing at the man, they stopped eating, drinking, and having fun, took out their binoculars, and looked out at the sea.

The sea was as black as ink... They found nothing but the deep darkness.

"Where's the boat... You've definitely had too much to drink..."

Waaaaah—!

In an instant... the sharp whistling sound unique to flying shells dominated the entire coastline!

Boom!!

A terrifying explosion rang out immediately.

"W-What's going on?!"

"Artillery fire! It's artillery fire!"

"Cannon fire...? Why is there artillery fire?"

"Fool! Is that even a question? The enemy is attacking!"

"Report this to your superiors immediately!"

The outpost built by the sea was immediately thrown into chaos.

"Hey! Look! It's a boat! I'm not mistaken! It really is a boat!"

The first person to notice something amiss pointed to the sea—and the once calm sea had become unusually noisy.

Three steamships cut through the waves and headed straight for the coast of the Owari Domain!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Accompanied by a dull thud, orange-red lights repeatedly flashed from the hulls of the three warships.

The next instant, a hail of shells rained down on the shore!

In an instant, the outpost on the shore was engulfed in flames...

*******

*******

Half the month is already over! Readers who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: Actually, if any readers have read Leopard's debut novel, *Military Genius Brings the Zizhi Tongjian to Another World*, they'll likely find the "surprise attack by ship" plot quite familiar. That's right, it's one of Leopard's old tricks!

Chapter 902 A Master of All Tactics! Attack Nagoya Castle! [5500]

With a rumble, the steam-powered warship pushed through the seawater and crashed against the waves, resembling an indescribable, terrifying behemoth.

Dark, murky smoke billowed through the chimney and drifted into the distant sky.

The Yamata no Orochi stood at the bow of the flagship, gripping the railings tightly with both hands, leaning forward, and sticking its head out of the ship's side, laughing loudly as it looked at the approaching shore.

"Excellent! Excellent! That's it! Head straight for the shore! Faster! Faster!"

Standing beside him, Mael de Orléans quietly reminded him:

"This is already the fastest speed we can go; it's impossible to increase it any further."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a huge wave crashed down from the seabed, striking the hull of the flagship squarely.

No matter how huge or powerful a ship is, it is as small as a sesame seed compared to the vast and boundless ocean.

In an instant, the warship that was directly hit by the huge wave began to shake violently.

Fortunately, Orochi and Mael held on tightly to the railing, otherwise they would have been thrown off.

Faced with this perilous situation, the Yamata no Orochi not only showed no fear, but instead burst into laughter:

"Hahahaha! Oh ocean! Is that all you've got? These little waves can't kill me!"

Upon hearing this, Mael's expression changed drastically, and his face darkened.

"Hey! Big snake! Don't say such unlucky things on the high seas! They really will come true!"

It is well known that those who make a living by the sea, or those who frequently go to sea, often show a superstitious side. For example, when eating fish, one should not say "turn the fish over," but rather "turn the fish around."

These are not absurd superstitions, but rather the result of experience.

The ocean is so mysterious and terrifying that going out to sea by boat is often accompanied by inexplicable metaphysics.

Over time, various seemingly superstitious rules have been passed down.

As an arms dealer who frequently travels overseas, Mael is practically a sailor.

Therefore, he was particularly averse to such ominous words, especially those that directly provoked the sea.

At that moment, the wet woman, carrying a haori (a type of traditional Japanese garment), hurriedly ran out of the cabin and rushed towards the Yamata no Orochi (a large, powerful serpent).