The moonlight was like mist and muslin. The army came to the vicinity of Shiwa Village. There was an undulating slope on the right side of the road. The short tea trees were mottled with color. The wind that blew was soft and carried a slight fragrance.
The tea trees stretched along the slope into the distance. On the left side of the road was a dense patch of reeds. The new reeds had just sprouted. Because it was only the beginning of spring, there was not much rain. The reeds were very dry. As the wind blew, the reeds that had survived the winter would occasionally snap.
"General's orders, move faster!" Someone shouted back and forth on horseback. The military order traveled far in the silent night. The army suddenly increased their speed, wanting to quickly pass through this area that was suitable for setting up an ambush.
There was a "clang clang clang" of gongs from the tea trees on the slope. A wave of arrows shot down, followed by shouts. Many Wokou pirates with swords and spears emerged from the tea trees, screaming as they leapt towards the official road.
On the right flank were the saber and shield soldiers. When the gong sounded, they naturally stood up and raised their shields. There were only a few wounded, but all the soldiers were extremely calm. Not a single one of them panicked or screamed.
Their calmness affected the soldiers in the group. The slight commotion quickly calmed down. Hong Peng used his dantian power. With a loud shout, the soldiers began to quickly set up a defensive formation. The doors of the Quansheng Chariots and Thunderbolt Chariots were erected. The archers, musketeers, and swordsmen all took their positions.
On the other side, when the soldiers on the tea mountain heard an enemy attack, City Secretary Luo Yi shouted, "Release the arrows!"
Under his command, ten thousand specks of starlight flew up into the sky, covering the sky and covering the earth as they fell on that patch of reeds. With a "peng" sound, the dry, withered reeds caught fire as soon as they came into contact with the fire. Raging flames immediately soared into the sky, and countless figures immediately leapt out of the reeds, screaming miserably to the sky.
Yang Ling stood solemnly on the center chariot. He was so nervous that his palms were sweaty. Only now did he relax.
As the army advanced, he had ordered the archers to tie strips of cloth soaked in oil to their arrows. He ordered the generals to pass on a message to the three armies: When the army reaches Shiwa Village, they will encounter an enemy attack. The Governor-General already has a foolproof plan. He ordered the three armies to act according to his orders and not to panic.
This was a game of chess. If he guessed correctly, against the Ming army who were mentally and physically prepared, a sneak attack would be completely ineffective. Moreover, it could give the soldiers the feeling that the commander-in-chief was meticulous.
Establishing this kind of belief in the army could definitely turn it into a huge destructive force. What these soldiers, who were afraid of the enemy and afraid of battle, lacked was trust in their commander and the conviction to win. As long as this successful counter-ambush gave them this conviction, these 20,000 soldiers could be reborn overnight and become a force to be reckoned with.
However, if his prediction was wrong and there was no foreshadowing on either side of this big movement, then it would really be suspicious of him being overly paranoid. It would definitely be a big blow to the morale that had just been boosted. Now, it seemed that he had won the gamble.
Yang Ling guessed that if the Wokou pirates were to set up an ambush, they would definitely set up ambushes in the tea bushes. If they also set up ambushes in the reed marshes, although they would be in danger, if they planned it well, they could turn this dangerous place into a safe place.
The army did not have ready-made fire arrows. Usually, they only made them with normal arrows when needed in battle. If the Wokou pirates suddenly attacked at night and used the tea bushes on the left to attract the attention of the Ming army, the Ming army would not have enough time to ignite the reed marshes. The reed marshes were only a dozen or so feet away from the official road. At this time, the Wokou ambushes would arrive in an instant and kill their way into the Ming army.
Because of this, Yang Ling ordered all the archers in Luo Yi's command to prepare fire arrows. As soon as the Wokou ambushes appear, they would immediately ignite the reed marshes. It would be best if there were Wokou pirates inside. Even if there weren't, the flames would be so big that it would be as bright as day. The Wokou ambushes would have nowhere to hide and could only change from a sneak attack to a direct battle.
The good fortune of the nine generations of kind-hearted people was not to be underestimated. As tens of thousands of sparks fell down, the entire length of the Changyang Tree turned red. Countless Wokou pirates jumped up from the reed marshes, crying out strangely. The smoke from the fire was thick and the sound of the reed burning could be heard. The fire was extremely fierce. The soldiers who were a dozen or so feet away could still feel the heat from the fire.
Liu Da Bang Chui laughed loudly and shouted, "I've told you before that Marshal has a divine foresight. Do you believe me now? Shoot every single one that crawls out from the sea of fire. Don't leave a single one alive! "
In reality, there was no need for him to say this. The morale of the entire army had been greatly boosted. At that time, most of the soldiers had not been educated. Nowadays, people often criticized them for blindly worshiping authority. At that time, it was a powerful method for a high-ranking military officer to control his subordinates. Even Qi Jiguang, who later managed the army very well, also practiced feudal superstition within the army. This was the reason why.
Today, they saw that the Governor Marshal had a divine foresight. There were no less than a thousand Wokou pirates caught in the fire. Unexpectedly, he didn't even injure a single soldier and was going to burn them all to death. The soldiers' trust and support for Yang Ling immediately reached a peak. They saw that some of the Wokou pirates near the reed bushes were covered in flames as they screamed and ran out. Immediately, some of the soldiers raised their swords and spears and rushed forward.
These Wokou pirates who rushed out were covered in flames. The swords and spears in their hands had long been thrown away. They only cared about patting the flames on their bodies and heads in a sorry state. The awe-inspiring aura of the past had completely disappeared. How could they even retaliate? They had only managed to parry a few blows before they were pushed to the ground by the soldiers.
Although these soldiers were suspected of beating the drowning dogs, Yang Ling did not stop them. What he needed now was to restore the morale of the army. If he could let these Jiangnan soldiers, who had been frightened by the name of the Wokou pirates, personally see the sorry state of the Wokou pirates and kill a few of them with his own hands, the morale of the entire army would definitely increase.
Yang Ling swept his gaze across the reeds that were ablaze with flames. The ashes of the reeds danced in the air due to the heat waves, like a swarm of wasps. Below them, there was still a raging fire. After a short while, he could no longer see the figures of the struggling people. The raging flames had merged into one, and all that was reflected in his eyes was a sea of fire.
Yang Ling slowly turned around and stared at the tea tree hillside. Kimura Nakahara, one of Naomi Masayoshi's subordinates, led thousands of Wokou pirates, brandishing their Wokou swords and vermillion spears as they charged down. The Ming army's camp was ready for battle. All the soldiers stood solemnly in their positions, not moving at all.
Kimura Nakahara did not expect that his lord's plan to launch a surprise attack on Wujiang City, to lure the Suzhou garrison to help, and then to ambush and annihilate them in one fell swoop would be seen through by the Ming general. In his surprise, the indescribable misery of his thousands of brothers caught in the sea of fire aroused his boundless murderous spirit.
Even if the Ming army had one or two intelligent generals who saw through the plan, what could they do? He had once led three hundred troops to fight a decisive battle against four thousand guards. The Ming army was routed in one battle. He led three hundred warriors to attack from behind, chasing and killing five hundred Ming soldiers, and only sixteen of his own died. His warriors were undefeatable. Even if the Ming generals had brains, when they led a group of soldiers who were as cowardly as mice, wouldn't they scatter as soon as they charged and reenact the scene of the slaughter in the past?
Furthermore, his lord had already abandoned Wujiang and led the army to circle behind the Ming army. One group would launch a sneak attack on Suzhou, the other group would steal the cannons in the Ming army's supply stores. With the two combined, they could slaughter the entire Ming army and avenge their brothers.
The Ming army opened fire. The guns banged, the bowstrings noisily pulled. The Wokou pirates who were waving their five-foot long swords fell in droves. But the fearless Wokou did not stop for a moment. They continued to howl and charge forward. They knew that as long as they got close to the Ming army, according to convention, it would be a one-sided slaughter. One wolf charged into a troop of ten thousand sheep, what was there to fear?
The Ming army quietly changed their formation. The soldiers who had lowered their shields and crouched down before the guns and crossbows fired stood up. They did not raise their shields that were half the height of a person. Instead, they all gripped the hilts of their long podaos that were wrapped in fine hemp.
On the side of the road near the tea mountain, the soldiers who had abandoned their shields and picked up their swords stood five feet apart from each other. They crossed each other in three rows, forming a long horizontal line. They calmly watched the Wokou charging at them. Inch by inch, they unsheathed their swords, making a horrifying grinding sound. However, the sound was completely drowned out by the shouts of the Wokou pirates.
This team was made up of the elites that Yang Ling had selected from the Inner and Four Outer Armies. Some of them were veterans who had fought against the Tartar cavalry for years, and had climbed out from piles of corpses countless times. Some of them were new elite warriors who had killed countless Wokou pirates before the Qiantang Tide, and had been baptized by the battles at the frontier fortress.
This iron army of three thousand men did not even fear the Mongolian cavaliers who swept through the world, so there was no way they would care about these Wokou pirates who did not have any formation when they charged forward. They were short, but they held long sabers that were disproportionately long, and they looked a little ridiculous.
Kimura Nakahara led the pirates to charge in front of them. They suddenly discovered that these Han people, who had their backs to the fire and their faces hidden in the darkness, were different from the guards they were familiar with. These people's figures and clothing were no different from the Ming soldiers who were used to running away. But these people's actions, their steps, their straight backs, and the confidence and calmness they displayed all clearly told their opponents: they were not to be underestimated!
But, it was too late!
The Wokou pirates were still charging forward. The Ming army's swordsmen who were standing solemnly in front of them suddenly walked forward with light footsteps. They roared in unison, "Kill!" As the words fell, the swords fell.
The meat grinder in the inner faction had already been activated …
※ ※ ※
The other group of Wokou pirates who had already arrived at a ditch three li away from the Ming army's rear route only sent a few clever men to hide in the knee-high crop fields to listen for news. When the Ming vanguard passed by, they quietly retreated and ran back to report to their leader, Watanabe Shizushi.
When Watanabe Shizushi heard that the Ming army had fallen for their trap and had already rushed to Wujiang overnight, he couldn't help but laugh to the sky. As he sent someone to inform Naomi Masaichi, he led his one thousand soldiers to attack the rear of the Ming army.
When the Ming army marched, the front was usually archers and light cavalry, the middle was the main general and heavy infantry, and the back was supplies, rations, and military supplies. The roads in Jiangnan were mostly narrow. Although this road was an official road, it was not very wide. Since the Ming army wanted to rush to Wujiang, they had to move in the fastest line formation.
Watanabe's mission was to attack the enemy's rear and disrupt their formation. He had to help his comrades who were attacking from the two flanks to destroy the Ming army. Another important mission was to steal the Ming army's cannons.
Naomi Masaichi had great ambitions. Since he was determined to be the strongest pirate on the sea, having super strong cannons was a must. Stealing the Ming cannons could be used to blast open the city gates if the surprise attack on Suzhou was blocked. Also, it could be transported to the ship and slightly modified to become the capital to dominate the sea in the future.
Watanabe Shizushi took advantage of the darkness to sneak into the rear of the Ming army. He was about to attack when the ambush point several li away suddenly burst into flames. The fire was clearly visible from here. Watanabe Shizushi was confused but he couldn't care anymore. His troops that had charged over had already been discovered by the Ming army.
As expected, the Ming army was as defenseless as the other guards, especially these soldiers who couldn't withstand a single blow. They were still a hundred or so zhang away when the Ming army threw down their cannons and supplies and started to run, shouting, "Wokou ambush!" as they ran, they shouted, "Wokou ambush!"
Watanabe Shizushi, who led his troops to charge forward, raised his katana and chased after them for a while. Finally, he stopped and shouted, "Skeleton, escort the cannon to the Lord immediately. Leave this to me!"
Skeleton's name was Kuroda Taro. He was Watanabe Shizushi's right-hand man. This cruel pirate's hobby was to collect the skulls of beautiful women and use them to make ornaments. Thus, his comrades gave him the nickname "Skeleton."
He was at the front and only came back when he heard Watanabe calling him. Skeleton tore open the cloth covering a cannon and immediately shouted, "Leader Watanabe, this cannon is fake!"
"What?" Watanabe Shizushi was shocked and hurried to the side of the cannon. He saw that it was a cannon carriage under the cloth. Watanabe hesitated and said, "Check all the cannon carriages."
Before Skeleton could respond, the gunpowder in the hidden compartment of the cannon carriage had burned out. With a loud bang, the cannon carriage was blown to pieces. The huge impact sent Watanabe and Skeleton flying into the air.
Watanabe died on the spot. The last thing Skeleton saw in midair was the rapidly spinning carriage wheels sweeping towards the troops. Following that, the surrounding supply wagons exploded one after another ….
The Ming army that pretended to escape started to counterattack. The person at the front was General Min.
Yang Ling's most trusted 3,000 elite soldiers were all left in the center of the army. If there wasn't a reliable general at the rear, he wouldn't be able to rest easy. Thus, after becoming suspicious of the Wokou's intentions, he immediately moved Min Wenjian, who was at the front of the army, to the rear. He strictly ordered him to use the Goose Formation to prevent the enemy from escaping and to kill as many Wokou as possible with arrows.
Unexpectedly, Min Wenjian was overjoyed to see the enemy and had long forgotten his orders. He led a group of infantry and charged back. The surviving six to seven hundred Wokou were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Taking advantage of this time, Min Wenjian and his bodyguards stepped on the burning wood and fiercely charged into the enemy's formation.
"Ah … Ah!" Amidst the strange cries, two Wokou raised their heavy swords and pounced over. Min Wenjian raised his sword and with a 'keng', two pieces of the sword flew into the air. The forty catty machete swept past the neck of a Wokou without any delay, bringing with it a spray of blood.
Inspired by Min Wenjian and his bodyguards, as well as the company commander's urging, the soldiers gathered their courage and followed behind them.
The Wokou did not use the Han as cannon fodder. Every time there was a battle, the bravest Wokou would charge at the front and destroy the morale of the enemy. The rest of the Wokou would charge again and the Ming army's line of defense would be destroyed at the first blow. Today, the Wokou were still charging at the front. When the explosives on the dozens of supply wagons exploded, these people bore the brunt of the attack. They hadn't even met a single opponent before they met the King of Hell.
When the remaining Wokou saw this situation, they couldn't help but want to retreat. On the battlefield, when one side is afraid, the other side will fight more and more bravely. The Ming army, which was originally a bit afraid, fought more and more fiercely. The fields on both sides were filled with warriors fighting each other, but it was clear that the Ming army had the upper hand …
* * *
On the east side of Suzhou, a group of soldiers on horseback with torches in their hands rode over. They shouted to the top of the city walls, "Quickly open the city gates, we have urgent military news to report to Daren."
Someone on top of the city wall shouted, "Who are you people?"
A person who looked like a baihu shouted, "Don't be so long-winded, quickly open the city gates. Our reinforcements at Wujiang have been ambushed by the Wokou. Quickly ask Daren to send reinforcements, otherwise we will lose!"
"Ah! The reinforcements have been ambushed by the Wokou? Wait a moment, I will immediately open the city gates! "The general on top of the city wall heard this and hurriedly replied. He turned around and left the city wall. The person who disguised himself as the Ming baihu was one of the four generals under Naimi Masaichi, the Ming man Niu Tang. He was from Jiangnan and was familiar with the terrain. It was he who led Naimi Masaichi's army to avoid the Ming guards and take a shortcut to attack Wujiang.
Seeing that the Ming army had fallen for the trap, Niu Tang smiled proudly and quietly made a gesture behind him. One of the Wokou pirates understood and 'inadvertently' waved the torch in his hand a few times. In the distance, Naimi Masaichi, who was lying in ambush, immediately ordered all the Wokou pirates to get ready. They were prepared to wait for Niu Tang to occupy the city gates before immediately charging in.
After he took over Wujiang, he purposely let some of the Ming army escape and pretended to loot the entire city. However, Wujiang's wealth was less than one percent of Suzhou. His real target was Suzhou, so he guessed that the soldiers who escaped to report were about to reach Suzhou. He immediately gathered the entire army and abandoned Wujiang to head straight for Suzhou.
Naimi Masaichi left three thousand troops and horses in ambush at Shiwa Tang and led the other three thousand to charge straight for Suzhou. When the news from Watanabe arrived, he wanted to repeat his old trick of calling for the city gates of Suzhou to be opened.
The city gate opened with a rumble. Niu Yong, who was riding on the gate, revealed a greedy and blazing radiance in his eyes. There were mountains of gold, silver, silk, and beautiful young girls in the prime of their lives. All of these were about to be within his reach.
The drawbridge also creaked as it was lowered. Niu Tang took a deep breath and shouted: "Enter the city!" With that, he kicked his horse's abdomen and took the lead to gallop towards the drawbridge. The thirty horsemen behind him hurriedly followed closely.
A line of dark red flashed in the pitch-black hole of the city gates. Following that, a blazing red light shot out. At the same time, a loud roar exploded. The sound echoed in the hole of the city gates, making it even more deafening.
More than a hundred iron nails and lead pellets shot out from the muzzle of the cannon, raining down on the pirates. In an instant, the thirty Wokou riders who were in a tight formation were turned into sieves. They didn't even have time to cry out in pain before they all fell to the ground like wheat being harvested.
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