NCCnovel Chapter 419 The Nature of the Japanese Pirates
Chapter 419 The Nature of the Japanese Pirates
Just as the Ming army was stunned, nearly two thousand samurai rushed down the hillside and plunged into the chaotic melee. Shimazu Mitsuhisa took the lead, wielding his katana, slashing left and right, dealing with the Ming soldiers as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.
The Ming army couldn't even defeat a hundred Japanese pirates, let alone several thousand. The addition of these fresh troops became the last straw that broke the Ming army's back.
Tan Zheng was the first to break down. He screamed and turned to run away. To make it easier to run, he took off his heavy armor as he ran and threw it on the side of the road. In the end, he even threw away the knife in his hand.
Seeing that their commander had fled, the remaining soldiers and civilians lost their last shred of fighting spirit, abandoning corpses as they hastily fled. The Japanese pirates, of course, were not about to let such a golden opportunity slip by, and brandishing their samurai swords, gave chase.
On the city wall, Feng Su stared in disbelief at the dramatic reversal of the battle. The turn of events was too sudden for him to accept. They were clearly outnumbered, so how did countless Japanese pirates suddenly appear?
Min Yong, who was standing nearby, reminded him, "Your Excellency, the Japanese pirates have been chasing Commander Tan and his men all the way here. Shouldn't we close the city gates immediately?"
Feng Su hesitated. Although it was an undeniable fact that Tan Zheng was cowardly and afraid of battle, the ambush was largely due to his urging and instigation. If they had followed Tan Zheng's strategy and held the county town, at least they wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat. If they closed the city gates at this critical moment and refused entry to the soldiers and civilians who came out to meet the enemy, he would feel guilty and would be punished by his superiors afterward. He couldn't do that, neither for public nor private reasons.
"We cannot close the city gates! Commander Tan and his men are the main force defending the city. If we lock them all outside the city gates and let the Japanese pirates slaughter them all, who will defend the city?"
As the crowd drew ever closer, the militiamen anxiously pleaded, "Your Excellency, if the city gates are wide open, and the Japanese pirates follow us all the way in, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Feng Su picked up a waist knife with some difficulty and said in a deep voice, "What's the panic? Come with me to the city gate to meet Commander Tan. We can close the city gate after the main force enters the city. Even if a few Japanese pirates sneak in, we can kill them together."
With Tan Zheng absent, the command of the city's defenses naturally shifted to Feng Su. Seeing his insistence and his leading by example as a civil official, the others dared not argue further, picked up their weapons, and followed him down the city wall.
Tan Zheng charged ahead, his hair disheveled and looking utterly disheveled. His biggest fear was that the city gates would close too soon, leaving him to die at the hands of the Japanese pirates. Fortunately, when he was just an arrow's throw away, the gates were still open, and Feng and his men poured out, seemingly to meet him. Seeing this, Tan Zheng almost cried. Although the magistrate was bookish and often stood on moral high ground to criticize him, he hadn't taken advantage of his misfortune at this crucial moment, demonstrating his upright character. The unpleasantness of their earlier argument was now completely forgotten.
However, the reality is cruel and won't change because of an individual's character. The Japanese pirates ran incredibly fast, leaping forward like fleas, far more agile than the soldiers who hadn't been trained in a long time. While slashing their opponents, their pursuit speed didn't slow down at all; they even rushed into the middle of the soldiers, walking side by side. When Feng Su, dragging his sword, led his men to the city gate, what he saw was the bizarre sight of his own men and the Japanese pirates walking side by side.
He was taken aback. Were these Japanese pirates transformed from monkeys? How could they be so agile, killing people while running faster than their opponents? Originally, he planned to let his own men into the city, then intercept the pirates, fighting and retreating, waiting for an opportunity to close the city gates. Now the pirates were almost ahead of his men. How could he possibly intercept them?
Feng Su was, after all, a civil official. He could write eloquent articles, but wielding swords and spears was beyond his capabilities, and battlefield maneuvering was even more of a luxury. Just as he was at a loss for what to do, a warrior running ahead abandoned his attack on the fleeing Ming soldiers and charged straight at the bewildered official in his robes. With a shout, he swung his sword and beheaded Feng Su.
Tan Zheng watched helplessly as Feng Su's head, streaked with blood, tumbled through the air several times before falling to the ground. Suddenly, everything went black: the city gate was lost, and Linhai County was doomed!
The once peaceful Linhai County was plunged into unprecedented darkness and panic: the city, which had never been breached for hundreds of years, had fallen, and Taizhou Prefecture, which even the Japanese pirates at their peak had never set foot in, had now fallen into the hands of thousands of Japanese pirates.
During the pursuit and the brief skirmish at the city gates, the defending forces had been completely slaughtered. Linhai County was like a woman stripped naked; the Japanese pirates could attack at will, and the city was utterly defenseless. The pirates, who had never breached a Ming Dynasty city before, saw the panicked civilians running through the streets and the wide-open mansions. Greed overwhelmed all reason, and their long-suppressed lust was unleashed. The samurai of the Satsuma Domain were somewhat restrained, but the ronin (masterless samurai) were far more forgiving. Ignoring Shimazu Mitsuhisa's orders, they grinned maliciously and went off to plunder and rape. The streets and alleys echoed with the screams of women and the cries of the people; flames and thick smoke rose everywhere—chaos had broken out.
The Qiongzhou soldiers responsible for monitoring them caught up from the rear, and the leading officer shouted sternly: "Shimazu Mitsuhisa, do you remember our three-point agreement? If you do not restrain the misdeeds of your subordinates, you will pay the price!"
Shimazu Mitsuhisa also longed to join the ronin's activities. The wanton abuse of women from the Celestial Empire and the plundering of wealthy families were incredibly pleasurable; the women of the Ming Dynasty, with their fair, smooth skin and tall, graceful figures, were far superior to the short, dark-skinned women of his own country. The only reason he hadn't openly ordered the burning, killing, and looting was because of the intimidation posed by the Qiongzhou Camp.
Hearing the accusations, Shimazu Mitsuhisa remained silent, only quietly reaching for his sword hilt. The near-one-sided slaughter in the battle against the Ming army had inflated his confidence. While the Qiongzhou camp was formidable, their strength lay only in their ships and cannons; they had no experience in land warfare. Even if they were slightly stronger than these Ming soldiers, they couldn't be that much better. His initial subservient attitude had subtly shifted.
The victor should not be blamed or humiliated. It is only right to enjoy the benefits of the battle. As the head of the Satsuma Domain, why should I be scolded like this by a lowly Ming Dynasty foot soldier? Shimazu Mitsuhisa thought indignantly.
Seeing that he did not answer for a long time, the officer took a step back warily, and the soldiers moved closer to him in tacit agreement, gathered together, and took out the rifles wrapped in tarpaulins. In order not to reveal their identities, the soldiers were all dressed as Japanese samurai, and their weapons and equipment were never taken out.