Following the sound of a cannon, the Wokou pirates who tried to sneak into the city were scattered by the dense rain of bullets. Following that, the shouts of killing shook the heavens. The Ming army, who had been waiting for a long time, came out in full force. They quickly formed a concentrated attack on the empty field outside the city gates. They completely abandoned the rear line of defense.
The city gate behind them closed with a bang. Following that, the chains creaked and the drawbridge slowly rose.
Bai Zhongzan stood in the middle of the formation and shouted, "Under the orders of the imperial envoy, Mr. Yang Yang Ling, the Governor of the six provinces, we are to destroy the Wokou in front of us! The Wokou are not clean and the city gates are not open. Life and death will be decided in this battle. Mr. Yang will return with reinforcements in a moment. Soldiers, charge! "
Bai Zhongzan brought out eight thousand men and left behind seven thousand to defend the city. Even if the entire army was destroyed, it would be enough to last until Yang Ling returned. But if the army held the city and waited for Yang Ling to return before sending out troops, they could reduce casualties and use the city walls and cannons to kill more Wokou. However, when Yang Ling returned, he would not be able to quickly surround the city and the Wokou would have the opportunity to escape.
Also, the main reason Yang Ling used this battle with the back of the city and had Bai Zhongzan send out troops first was to incite the determination of the entire army to fight without fear. At that time, the army did not have weapons that could absolutely penetrate plate armor and did not have armor that could absolutely defend against muskets. They did not have cannons that could definitely break through the walls and did not have cannons that could completely defend against cannon fire.
It could be said that the main reason for the huge difference between the two armies was morale. The other reason was the intensity of the daily training and the leadership of the generals. The Ming army suffered defeat after defeat. There was even a situation where thousands of soldiers were chased around by hundreds of Wokou. It was not that the difference in weapons and martial strength was too great, but that the army had no fighting spirit.
Yang Ling didn't have the time, nor did he have enough military funds to support him in recruiting new soldiers to replace this rotten army. He could only use a ruthless move and hope that they could perform like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
If a structure can't be broken from the inside, and can't be replaced by another model, then we can only count on external forces to change it.
The Wokou pirates in front of them began to emerge from the shadows. The Ming army had no path of retreat and the Wokou pirates in front of them. After a short moment of panic, they finally understood that there was no other option for them to escape. If they wanted to live, they could only fight to the death with the pirates in front of them.
Yang Ling's military orders had already been sent back. Even the Law Enforcers were restraining each other, and no one dared to show any intention of escaping to the flanks. Moreover, the law enforcers had already quietly spread out to the flanks.
The Fish Scale Formation was suited for concentrated attacks. Its greatest weakness was that it only required a small number of surprise troops to attack from the back to destroy the formation. However, the Ming army had a sturdy city wall behind them and did not need to worry about their rear defense.
Furthermore, the combination of long and short range weapons and close-range weapons allowed them to surround and protect each other. This had a stabilizing effect on the morale of the soldiers. After a short period of commotion, the fish scale formation finally stabilized. Under the supervision of the major, they charged towards the Wokou pirates. At first, they were hesitant and took small steps forward. As the Wokou got closer and closer, the Ming army, who had nowhere else to retreat, finally charged forward with bloodshot eyes and curses.
When fear reaches a peak, it will produce a crazed desire and courage to destroy. Yang Ling's psychology finally had a use. The terrified Ming army finally exploded. Their shouts were shrill and filled with fear and hopelessness. However, their actions and actions became even crazier than the bravest of soldiers. "Kill! Only by killing these people in front of me can I live! "
"Woo ~" There was a low groan. The archers in the middle of the army used all their strength and shot out the first row of arrows. They flew over the heads of the crazily charging Ming army. "Pu, pu, pu …" There was a series of muffled sounds. That was the sound of the arrowheads piercing into flesh.
The Ming army's arrows were light, but most of the Wokou pirates did not have armor. Although the arrows were not fatal, they caused the injured Wokou pirates to stumble and fall to the ground. In this kind of chaotic charge formation, falling meant death. The Wokou pirates who could not stop their advance quickly stepped on them.
"Peng, peng, peng." The gunners only fired one shot before stopping. They dodged to the gaps between the "fish scales" to avoid obstructing the advance of the Ming army. At the same time, a large number of short javelins were thrown out by the soldiers as they ran.
The rapidly advancing Wokou pirates were like a broken lotus in the rain. Seeing this, Naomi Masashi's heart ached. These were his most trusted soldiers. He never would have thought that the Ming army would not fall for his trap. Instead, they had the courage to charge out of the city to fight with him. Right now, he could only fight. He firmly believed that if they fought in close quarters, his soldiers would not be able to resist the Ming army. The courage that the Ming army had mustered to fight with the back of the city would vanish in the face of this cruel slaughter.
The weapons clashed and the sound was as dense as rain. The two sides finally clashed and for a moment, blood rained down …
* * *
Yang Ling arrived fifteen minutes later than he had predicted.
There were a thousand Wokou pirates lying in ambush on Tea Mountain. In terms of individual strength, they could not compare to his three thousand elite guards. Not to mention that their sneak attack was ineffective. In a situation where they were outnumbered, under the fire of the reeds, the entire battle became a performance of the Ming army's killing techniques.
The twenty thousand Ming soldiers could clearly see their comrades brandishing their podaos. In groups of three, they advanced and retreated, taking turns to attack. One by one, the fierce and valiant Wokou pirates were turned into blood-spattered corpses by the steel knives in their hands.
Witnessing the slaughter of the Wokou pirates with their own eyes, the Wokou pirates were also made of flesh and blood. The knowledge that they could also be defeated by the valiant Ming army caused them to go from shock to excitement to eagerness to try.
Yang Ling, who had been observing the movements of his army, suddenly had an idea. When Min Wenjian excitedly rushed over and reported that there were only two hundred or so Wokou pirates who had fled in all directions, the remaining six hundred were killed, and two hundred wounded soldiers were captured alive, he immediately gave the order for his bodyguards to retreat. He sent the twenty thousand soldiers with high morale into the battlefield and used the remaining three hundred Wokou pirates to test their courage.
The three hundred or so Wokou pirates who had lost all their courage were chased around Tea Mountain. But Tea Mountain was just a gentle slope. How could there be any place to hide or defend? The twenty thousand Ming soldiers' stamina and morale were at their peak, but they were so tired that their legs were cramping. How could they fight this battle?
In the history of the Wokou invasions, the most shameless battle began. Seventy to eighty men fought against one. Many of the Wokou pirates were beaten to death. Even so, there were still more than twenty Wokou pirates who were on the verge of death. Their faces were scratched by the tea leaves and they were dragged down the hill by the Ming army.
Yang Ling ordered General Luo to keep an eye on the disarmed Wokou pirates. At the same time, he escorted the cannon back to Suzhou slowly, while he led the group back to Suzhou City.
Naomi Masaichi's most elite troops were indeed extraordinary. Once the two armies of the Ming Army engaged in a tangled battle, the originally orderly formation was completely destroyed. If it wasn't for the fact that there was no way out, and the army was crammed together and could not break through the mountains of blades and seas of swords to the flanks, charging out of the area controlled by the law enforcement troops to escape, it would be hard to avoid a portion of the soldiers fleeing. As long as a portion of the soldiers fled, then it would be like a broken dam, and the scene of the entire army fleeing would repeat itself.
More than ten thousand soldiers were crammed together on the narrow battlefield. There were people in front and behind them. They could only swing their swords, continuously swing their swords, using chopping motions to reap human lives and also to bury human lives. When the Wokou pirates had lost almost a thousand people, the Ming army had lost almost three thousand people.
Bai Zhongzan could afford this, but Naomi Masaichi could not. Even if he completely destroyed this all-out Ming army, there would not be many of his own people left. Who knew how many more soldiers were left in the city? Since the plan to take over the city had been seen through, the ambush at Shiwa Stockade would not be effective. What if the Ming army returned to reinforce them?
Naomi Masaichi was about to order the army to retreat when the battle behind them shook the heavens. Yang Ling's army had returned.
Yang Ling used the same method as the Wokou pirates and the Ming army. He placed the most elite soldiers at the very front to charge. It had the effect of gaining the upper hand by a show of strength. The three thousand elite soldiers waved their bloodied long-handled podaos and ferociously charged into the chaotic battlefield. Like a lawnmower, they cut through. Behind them, the Suzhou garrison followed to take advantage of the situation.
Naomi Masaichi sighed sorrowfully. The sound of a clapper rang in the midst of the chaos, passing on their unique message. This adventure was a complete failure. In this battle, Naomi Masaichi slipped from the position of one of the four great Japanese pirates to a second-rate team. If he wanted to make a comeback, he did not know how many more twists and turns he would have to go through.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Ming army had not closed in, the Wokou pirates gathered their remnants and fled southwest in a panic. In this short period of time, they left behind hundreds of corpses. The reinforcements arrived and the Wokou pirates were defeated. The morale of Bai Chongzan's troops was greatly boosted. The two troops joined together and followed the Wokou pirates southwest.
The Lu Family Warehouse, Zhang Family Bridge, Shiqutou … the Wokou ran madly the entire way, passing through villages and towns, not daring to stop for even a moment. Behind them, the Ming army chased closely. Following the different physiques of the soldiers, the entire Ming army lined up in a long snake formation and chased majestically from behind. But regardless of whether they were slow or fast, all of the Ming army felt a sense of pride.
In the past when fighting with the Wokou pirates, they had experienced the feeling of being out of breath many times. But what kind of feeling was that? They had to constantly worry that the Wokou pirates would catch up and stab them in the head. But now, the Wokou that constantly ran out of strength and were left alone were quickly killed by them like ants. This battle was fought with their heads held high.
Naomi Masaichi rode on a mule and led the deserters through a patch of forest in front of him. He had just run half a mile when under the moonlight, he suddenly saw three armies heading towards him. Looking at the long line of fire dragons, there were at least five thousand men and horses. Naomi Masaichi was shocked and hurriedly reined in the mule. His face was ashen as he said, "Could the Ming army's commander be the reincarnation of Zhuge Wu Hou? He actually set up an ambush here? "
The army at the front stopped advancing. Someone shouted, "Who are you people?"
Kimo Koshiro waved his sword and shouted, "Master, I will bring people to stop them. You quickly head east and quickly return to the island. As long as you are here, we still have hope!"
With that said, he called out and led more than two hundred men of sacrifice to charge forward while shouting and yelling.
Naomi Masaichi's subordinate Yu Wenming anxiously said, "Master, there is a lake to the east. Only Liu Jia Tan and Yao Wan have boats that can cross. Each boat can only carry seven people. There is no way for the entire army to cross."
When Naomi Masaichi heard this, his heart sank.
At this time, Kimo Koshiro waved his sword and rushed towards the army in the middle. A man ran out from the front and shouted, "Stop, don't go forward. Report your name!"
Guimao Koshiro didn't answer. He rushed forward and slashed with his sword. The opponent's reaction was extremely agile. He leaped away and immediately raised his gun to meet the attack. Two of Guimao's men rushed forward to attack. They shouted loudly in Japanese, and three swords slashed down like a gust of wind.
The man was thrown into confusion; he saw he was surrounded by three long sabers. He roared in a stern voice, and spoke in a language that the Japanese people did not understand. In that split second, Kimo Koshiro slashed his saber across the waist and killed him.
Following that person's roar, a young girl's voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the formation. Even the Wokou pirates who were fluent in Chinese couldn't understand what she was saying. As soon as the young girl's voice fell, the three orderly groups of people suddenly fell into chaos and charged forward to fight their own battles.
In the distance, Naomi Masaichi was riding on his mule. When he saw the Ming army's formation, he was overjoyed. He laughed and said, "The heavens are helping me! This Ming army has no tactics and their fighting ability is definitely not strong. Quickly charge forward and disrupt their formation. With their disorderly troops, they can still stop our pursuers. We have a chance to escape! "
When the Japanese pirates heard this, they were overjoyed. They immediately brandished their weapons and rushed forward. Naomi Masaichi also pulled out his sword and slapped the mule's rump. With the pirates surrounding him, he rushed forward.
But the two hundred Wokou pirates who had just come into contact with this Ming army had a completely different feeling. From afar, this crazily charging Ming army seemed like a motley crew. But right in front of them, they felt as though they were in a mess and unable to fend off the Ming army.
When they got closer, they discovered that this seemed to be a group of civilian soldiers. They were not wearing military uniforms. These 'citizens' were divided into teams of seven people. The one in front was holding a long scythe spear, the other was holding an eight feet long tung oil wooden stick, the other two were holding a short crossbow, and the three at the back were all holding bright short knives.
When Japanese people fought, they liked to attack together. They especially liked to shout before they brandished their knives to intimidate the enemy. Who would have thought that these 'civilian soldiers' also liked to shout when they fought. Before Kimo Koshiro could reach the enemy with his knife, the man holding the long sickle spear let out a strange cry and raised his spear to attack from two feet away. The three people standing shoulder to shoulder with him immediately shouted in unison, their shouts like thunder.
Kimo Koshiro was startled by the shout. He dodged the long spear and had just gotten close when the man holding the stick swung it down on his head. He sneered and spun his long knife like a waterfall. Just as he was about to chop down on the man's stick, he suddenly felt his waist go numb. A short arrow had already pierced into his body.
These short crossbows must have been poorly made. The force of the crossbow was extremely small and the arrow was made of hardwood. It was light and difficult to shoot far. It also didn't penetrate deeply into the human body. Kimo Koshiro was about to chop off the man's head with his knife and then remove the arrow from his waist when a numb feeling spread from his waist and his arm felt weak.
The flexible stick soaked in oil fiercely hit his radius. His forearm was fractured and his long knife fell to the ground. The 'civilian soldier' with the sickle spear had already led his four companions who were standing shoulder to shoulder to another Japanese pirate. Behind them, three knife-wielding 'civilian soldiers' rushed over excitedly. Kimo Koshiro noticed that one of them was carrying a sack. Why would they bring this thing to war?
He no longer had the chance to figure it out. Two ferocious' citizens' rushed over and raised their blades without saying a word. The sharp blades cut his neck in an instant, causing blood to gush out. The third 'citizen' swiftly picked up his head and threw it into the sack. After that, the 'beheading trio' followed behind the four people, shouting and cheering loudly.
These 'civilian soldiers' were like little plum blossoms. They were divided into groups of seven. One person attacked, one person defended, two people launched sneak attacks. The three people at the back were responsible for collecting heads and cheering at the same time. Each group had a tacit understanding with each other. If there was a casualty in each group, the next group would immediately have a replacement who was responsible for the same task. The whole battlefield situation seemed chaotic. But in every battle scene, they were all lined up neatly and orderly. Even in the middle of the night, there was no confusion.
Riding on the mule, Naomi Masatoshi felt something was wrong. This Ming army was definitely not a motley crew like he imagined. There was no other way. They could only escape west to Lake Tai. There were many mountains and islands there and the waterways were complicated. Perhaps there would be a chance to find another way out.
Naomi Masatoshi immediately turned his head and ordered his men to gather the whole army and escape to Lake Tai. Just as the horn was blown, he suddenly felt the right side of his neck go numb. Naomi Masatoshi strangely reached out his hand and touched it. His fingers felt a short and hard object with soft feathers. He couldn't feel the wound at all.
He looked to his right in shock. Under the light of the torch, a beautiful girl wearing a blue, narrow sleeved shirt with a white belt around her waist. Her hair was pulled back to the right with a small comb. She wore a silver necklace around her neck. She took a blowpipe from her mouth and put it back at her waist.
Seeing him look over, the young girl provocatively raised her thick black and beautiful eyebrows. Her eyes were as clear as water, pure and innocent with a hint of pink and glossy. Her slender waist and delicate neck, pure and charming gathered in one body, it was really indescribably moving.
Naomi Masatoshi was furious. He pulled out the blowpipe from his neck and threw it to the ground. He raised his long saber towards the girl. Before he could say anything, his numb body fell off the mule. His left and right were shocked and quickly went forward to support him. Someone shouted and brandished his saber towards the girl.
The girl stood under the torch with her hands behind her back. She saw the long saber coming towards her but she was not afraid. Standing on her left and right were six or seven strong men dressed in blue and black buttoned shirts, baggy green and black pants, leggings, straw sandals, and black headscarves. Each of them held a scythe spear or a long-handled broadsword in their hands.
On her left and right were two young girls holding torches. They were wearing blue headscarves and green blouses. They were wearing wide black pants with flower ribbons and aprons. The two of them had sabers at their waists. They stood there with their chests straight and their necks straight. They looked very graceful and beautiful.
Seeing the pirates rushing over, the girl waved her hand and six or seven strong men raised their weapons and shouted as they charged forward. The pirates were already in a chaotic battle. Although they knew that their master was in danger, the pirates nearby wanted to rush over and kill them. But the seven people in a group followed them like a shadow. If they weren't careful, they would either be hooked by spears or struck down by rods. Or they would be shot by arrows from the left and right. There was no way for them to escape.
The girl in blue saw six or seven of her men fighting with the pirates. She suddenly pulled out a saber from her waist. With a shout, she charged forward. Behind her were ten or so girls in blue. They all held long sabers in their hands. Their movements were strong and their bravery was no less than that of the men.
With the addition of this new force, the tide of battle suddenly turned in their favor. The pirates that were shot down by hooked spears or arrows were immediately beheaded by the 'Beheading Trio'. The girl in blue's killing intent was aroused. She led her army of women forward to kill.
Nami Masashi, who was shot down by her, was riding on a mule. She guessed that he was one of the leaders of the pirates. But she didn't realize that this person was the leader of this group of pirates. So when she rushed past him, she didn't care.
His guards were all killed. The poison quickly spread throughout his body. Nami Masashi could only watch as a group of beautiful tigresses rushed past him. But he couldn't move.
His neck was also so stiff that he could not move it. As his eyes moved, he saw three very simple and honest faces appear in front of him with smiles on their faces. One of them was carrying a heavy sack, another was holding a torch, and the third … was reaching for his neck with a shining steel knife …
* * *
Although Nami Masashi's life and death were unknown, the well-trained pirates didn't panic just because they lost their leader. The vice leader, Akimoto Akira, immediately took up the responsibility of leading the pirates. He commanded them to fight as they escaped to the west.
The Ming army's vanguard arrived. This was a group of light cavalry. It was completely made up of Yang Ling's personal guards. Wu Hanchao took the lead and rushed forward. When he saw the chaotic situation in front of him, he couldn't help but rein in his horse. He waved his hand to stop the entire army from moving forward.
Wu Hanchao knew for sure that Yang Ling didn't arrange an ambush here. Where did this army come from? Using the light from their torches, Wu Hanchao realized: their clothing was clearly that of the 'Blue Clothes Zhuang' of the Guangxi region. This must be the Wolf Soldiers that the court had ordered to recruit.
With such a strange army blocking the Wokou's path, Wu Hanchao was overjoyed. But in this kind of chaotic situation, and also in the middle of the night, the two sides didn't have any prior communication. If he rashly led the army to charge in, it would be easier for the Wokou to escape. Wu Hanchao hurriedly ordered the pursuing knights to stand by and monitor the situation. He himself jumped off his horse and boldly charged into the battlefield.
Wu Hanchao held a long sword in his hand and used his nimble and nimble martial arts to move freely through the battlefield. From time to time, he would raise his sword and stab at the Wokou who were fighting. He grabbed the Zhuang warriors and asked, "Where is your leader?"
The Zhuang warriors naturally recognized the uniform of a soldier. They also saw that he had helped them kill the Wokou, so naturally he was one of their own. But most of them didn't understand Chinese and could only smile at him in a friendly manner. They didn't know how to respond to his questions.
Wu Hanchao stamped his feet and continued to search. Occasionally, he met a Zhuang who could speak Chinese. Unfortunately, he couldn't find his leader.
Just as he was walking through the battlefield, he suddenly discovered a group of female Zhuang soldiers in front of him. They were waving their swords and fighting with the Wokou pirates. The Wokou pirates surrounded the female soldiers and the Zhuang soldiers surrounded them on the outside. Although the female soldiers in the center were brave and courageous, they were already running out of energy. He was afraid that before the Zhuang soldiers could finish off the Wokou pirates, they would all be wiped out.
Wu Hanchao panicked and hurriedly flew over. With a loud shout, he jumped over the heads of the Zhuang soldiers and landed in the middle of the battlefield. In front of him, a young girl in blue had just killed a Wokou pirate. Because she was exhausted, her knees gave way and she fell forward.
Wu Hanchao hurriedly reached out to grab her and stabbed out with the sword in his right hand. In front of him, a Wokou who was trying to take advantage of the situation had only managed to slash down halfway when Wu Hanchao's sword had already pierced through the man's throat.
Wu Hanchao waved his sword and knocked back two Wokou pirates. He hurriedly asked, "Miss, do you understand Chinese? Who is your leader? Where is he? "
The young girl in blue panted and straightened her back. She reached out and brushed aside the hair that was covering her eyes and loudly said, "I am their leader, Xiao Ai. Are you an official of the court?"
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