South of Huating City,
Zui Bai Pond, Japanese Pirate Camp.
Omura Sumitada, clad in a bizarre red bull-horn armor and holding a whip, paced back and forth in the tent, his mind wavering on whether to concentrate heavy troops on the southwestern approaches to Huating.
Mendōrang, Wu Ping, Mao Lie, and seven or eight other deputy generals and奉行 (staff officers) were present. Also there was the Portuguese pirate Torres, leading Spanish and Portuguese mercenaries, who had joined the campaign at Souza's behest, specifically to counter Zhu Mo's artillery corps.
The movements of the Ming army were unclear, and the commander-in-chief was hesitant, creating a tense atmosphere where everyone remained silent.
Omura had originally been a daimyo of Hizen Province, but three years prior, he had been defeated by Ōtomo Sōrin. Under the mediation of the Portuguese, they formed an alliance, with Ōtomo Sōrin as the leader. Hizen Province ceded the ports of Hirado and Yokose and adopted a policy of full openness, and Omura himself converted to Christianity.
This time, Ōtomo Sōrin had appointed him as the overall commander of the expeditionary force, both to show sincerity and to recognize his military talent.
Although this man had no extraordinary battle record, he was resourceful and decisive, and his gentle disposition made him adept at coordinating various factions. It was known that this expeditionary force comprised various elements, including Japanese, Koreans, pirates, and Portuguese. Any misstep could lead to internal friction. If a more forceful personality had been chosen, it would have been more likely to cause trouble.
Omura, true to expectations, had been extremely cautious, delaying his landing until the last day of the last high tide of spring. In a situation that was already considered a foregone conclusion, he had managed to achieve an element of surprise. After landing, he advanced rapidly and quickly established a position below Huating City.
Originally, according to Sōrin's initial prediction, Qi Jiguang's unit was likely to appear east of Huating. However, several hours had passed, and there had been no movement from Qi Jiguang's unit. After landing, they had learned through informants that Zhu Mo's artillery corps was in the Pinghu area.
Therefore, the situation had deviated from the original forecast. For the safety of the entire army and to achieve tactical effectiveness, he decided to postpone the assault on the city. Instead, he established several encampments below the city, encircling Huating from all directions.
At this very moment,
he decided to go all out, concentrating heavy troops in the southwest of Huating. Once Qi Jiguang's unit moved south from the vicinity of Dianshan Lake, they would be immediately intercepted.
"Mendōrang, while I do not believe everything you say, the examination of the injuries of Wu Ping's soldiers leads me to believe that your words may have some merit... Therefore, I order you, Mendōrang, to personally go to Fengjing, supervise the progress of the fortifications, and ensure that Zhu Mo is blocked at Fengjing for at least two hours!"
Mendōrang bowed and said, "Hai!"
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Wu Ping, having suffered a significant defeat in Taizhou last time, was still trembling with fear. He recalled the incident and stammered, "General Omura, Zhu Mo's firearms are ten times more powerful than those of the Franks! Mendōrang-dono may not be able to hold out for two hours. We need to send more troops..."
Wu Ping was merely a mountain bandit, but Mao Lie was different. He was the adopted son of Wang Zhi and was treated with respect by Ōtomo Sōrin in their usual interactions. At this moment, he completely dismissed Wu Ping's ramblings and directly berated him:
"Wu Ping! Stop talking nonsense! How can the Ming Dynasty have such powerful firearms? Our objective in this campaign is to annihilate Qi Jiguang's unit. Once the Qi family army is destroyed, the hearts of the Ming soldiers and civilians will immediately collapse, and Lord Yan Song can ascend to the throne. Then, the country's gates will be fully opened, thus fulfilling the commission from Lord Sōrin and General Souza. Your incessant chatter and delay in military matters could cost you your head!"
Wu Ping immediately became disheartened, quietly retreated a step, and lowered his head in silence.
Omura smiled and said,
"Ship master Haifeng, your country's Zhuge Liang once said, 'In my life, I only value caution...' 'A careful boat travels for ten thousand years.' General Wu Ping is loyal and upright, and what he says is likely not false. Mendōrang, you may go!"
Mendōrang bowed and accepted the order, then departed.
Mao Lie no longer pursued the topic and, also worried about Qi Jiguang, gave an awkward laugh, "General Omura, how do you judge that Qi Jiguang will bypass via Dianshan Lake?"
Omura smiled and said,
"We have already surrounded Huating. If Qi Jiguang does not come to its rescue, the Ming court will certainly blame him... I have sent patrols to the northeastern areas, but there has been no sign of Qi Jiguang. And now it is daylight, where could he be? Therefore, I have brought heavy troops to this Xinbin Town. From this location, we can immediately move north to surround Qi's unit east of Dianshan Lake, and also move south to reinforce Fengjing at any time... Ship master Haifeng, land combat is different from naval warfare; one must adapt to the enemy and not be rigid."
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Mao Lie, who had initially held little regard for Omura, now understood and could not help but admire him, praising,
"General Omura is truly a master of warfare! You even consider the political situation of the Ming Dynasty. No wonder Lord Sōrin could entrust everything to you."
Omura smiled faintly and said, "The outcome is not yet decided... Ship master Haifeng, I have an order for you as well..."
"Hai!"
"General Mao Lie, you will immediately lead your unit to defend the Xiangyang River area, preventing Zhu Mo from bypassing Fengjing and attacking us directly."
"Hai!"
At this moment,
only Torres, the pirate and bandit leaders like Wu Ping, and Omura's own deputy generals and staff officers remained in the tent.
Omura asked a few more questions about the engagement with Zhu Mo's artillery that day, and Wu Ping answered truthfully.
Torres, having heard the account several times, could not help but ask again,
"General Wu Ping, you say his cannon fired from a li away? That is truly incredible. My Frankish cannons, capable of hitting a hundred Zhang of our country's dimensions, are already the longest-range in the world. You say a li, which is a hundred and fifty Zhang. I truly find that hard to believe. Was it dark at the time, and were you in a panic, leading to a misjudgment? Hmm?"
Wu Ping had repeated this matter more than a hundred times in the past two months, and he was truly indignant. Seeing the foreigner speaking in such a strange manner, he could not help but reply with anger,
"Lord Torres, you will know soon enough. I have said all I can. Lord Mendōrang was also present that day. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
"Oh?"
Torres waved his hand and shrugged, his face still wearing an expression of disbelief.
Omura, being cautious, took out a small flag from his pocket and said, "General Torres, you must still be careful. As far as I know, the Ming Dynasty has many talented individuals, and we must not underestimate them... I order you, General Torres, to immediately take your arquebusiers to Fengjing and, relying on the fortifications, intercept the Ming's Zhu corps' artillery!"
"Hai~"
Torres also followed suit, bowing and accepting the order.
...
Northeast of Dianshan Lake,
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Zhu Jiajiao Camp.
Qi Jiguang was deeply worried, while Hu Shouren, Wang Rulong, and Chen Ziluan stood by his side, also wearing grave expressions.
This battle,
for Qi Jiguang, was a battle of helplessness and despair. This was because no one was overseeing the overall anti-piracy efforts, and the Japanese pirates, who had been dormant for more than two months, had landed during the last high tide, which was quite unexpected. It indicated that the commander of the Japanese pirates was no longer someone like Wang Zhi or Mendōrang, but a general skilled in warfare.
Although he already knew Zhu Mo's strategy and that ten thousand volunteers had entered Huating City in advance, he had a premonition that this battle would not go well. Furthermore, after the defeat in Taizhou, more than three thousand conscripts had been killed or wounded, and the remaining elite troops were few. If there were any more mishaps, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.
His journey from Qingpu to Zhu Jiajiao at dawn was arguably the most perilous of his life, but he saw no other way.
Thinking this,
he took a long breath and said, "What do you all think?"
Throughout his life in warfare, he had never made decisions unilaterally. He always made sure his subordinates fully understood his intentions. Therefore, on the eve of a major battle, he still habitually asked for their opinions.