Chapter 1 The Flags

Mōri Terumoto on the castle tower, upon seeing the flags that belonged solely to the Japanese army, had a drastic change in expression.

"Impossible! This must be a trick by the Ming! They've seized these flags and donned our armor to create the false impression of local commanders betraying us and attacking the castle, all in an attempt to undermine our morale!"

"Don't be fooled by the Ming's deceit!"

"Stay calm, don't panic!"

Mōri Terumoto, upon seeing those flags, immediately issued orders to stabilize his commanders and maintain morale! At this moment, regardless of whether the flags ahead belonged to the enemy or their own, regardless of who appeared before them, they were all impersonated by Ming soldiers, a trick of the Ming army!

"Anyone coming from the front, no matter who they are, is the enemy!"

"Don't waver! Stop them here!"

At this time, if morale faltered, even a certain victory could turn into defeat. A single warrior defeating a thousand, or winning with fewer soldiers, was not uncommon throughout history. Besides the army's inherent combat power and quality, the most crucial factor was morale.

Of course, it would be impossible to say that he wasn't shocked!

It's just that Mōri Terumoto was unwilling to believe that the commanders of his own camp would suddenly rebel and join the Ming army.

However...

"Will they really not betray us? Or have they already betrayed us?"

Kuroda Nagamasa's voice rang out beside Mōri Terumoto, sending a chill down his spine as he turned his head.

"Isn't that right? The Shimazu and Kobayakawa incidents already happened. The generals of the eastern line and the western line betrayed us at the same time, and the other generals, Date and Uesugi, were said to have been captured... But in fact, we haven't seen the Ming army bring them to the front line to humiliate us. Perhaps they've been imprisoned in Pyongyang, or perhaps..."

"They also have ulterior motives."

Kuroda Nagamasa coldly analyzed, "To be honest, I accused Ieyasu in the heat of the moment, but now that I think about it, Ieyasu isn't a traitor. If he were to betray us, he wouldn't have only left a single army to the Ming, and he also told us that he wanted to cooperate. There's no need to put on this act for a partner, unless he doesn't trust us."

"But can trust be given the moment you meet someone? Naturally, there has to be a process."

"So I'm wondering if Hideyoshi-sama sent Ieyasu, the commander of the eastern countries, to be the new supreme commander, does that mean that a large number of western country armies already harbor ulterior motives, and have long been colluding with the Ming?"

"So far, we know for sure that only Kongō Daizō and Oni Mori Takajuji, two immortals, have been killed. These two were sent by Emperor Jinmu, and there's no way they would betray us. There's also Onmyō no Suke Yukiidetomo Kage, his yin-yang soul lamp has been extinguished, which means he's really dead."

"The Sword Saint Yagyū Munenori, a large number of his swords have fallen into the hands of the enemy, so he's also dead. The demonic aura of the two great yokai, Kyodai Kai and Bakurei-ō, has also dissipated, which means they were also killed. Finally, there's Katō Kiyomasa and Tachibana Muneshige, these are the confirmed first and second generals to be killed, their deaths are certain."

"But what about the others? Are they really dead? Apart from Shimazu and Hideaki, many army commanders are missing. Although it was reported that they were dead, the Ming army's message was 'captured'..."

The doubts in Kuroda Nagamasa's heart grew larger and larger, and Mōri Terumoto's face also showed a look of horror.

"In other words, these people have been waiting for an opportunity?"

This time's attack on Ulsan, was it not a desperate resistance followed by surrender, but rather opening the gates early to welcome the king's army?

Looking at Mōri Terumoto's horrified expression, Kuroda Nagamasa suddenly sighed, "Actually, I had a premonition that this day would come, but I didn't expect them to blatantly defect to the Ming and turn against us."

"Are they completely abandoning their dependents and families at home? Such a firm defection, if it were just one or two generals, I wouldn't find it strange, but now that there's a large-scale defection of generals, who exactly is leading this? Is it really the Shimazu and Kobayakawa families?"

"It's already the sixth year since Kanpaku-sama launched this war against Joseon and the Ming! We're still here in Joseon, and we can't even secure half of the country. Many people are already complaining and don't want to fight anymore."

"So, as long as someone with a strong identity raises the call, it's entirely possible for a large number of generals to defect to the other side on the spot."

"Ieyasu just arrived here, so it can't be him."

"Mōri-kyōdai (brother), don't you think it's Uesugi Kagekatsu's betrayal that led to the large-scale defection?"

Mōri Terumoto was taken aback and quickly said, "How is that possible! Uesugi Kagekatsu and I are both members of the Five Bugyō (Five Commissioners), and we also have the Ama no Sakaeroku no Yumi (Heavenly Deer Fawn Bow) and Ama no Hahaya (Heavenly Feathered Arrow) bestowed by His Majesty Emperor Jinmu. Are you trying to say that he's not controlled by His Majesty Emperor Jinmu, killed the two accompanying immortals, and then defected to the Ming?"

Kuroda Nagamasa said decisively, "That's not necessarily impossible!"

"It's precisely because he holds divine artifacts that he has the ability to kill immortals, and may even pose a threat to Kanpaku-sama! You know how powerful these two artifacts are, right? They're weapons specifically used to slay immortals and gods!"

"If he uses these two divine artifacts as a bargaining chip, and Uesugi Kagekatsu defects to that Ming immortal, and then offers to assassinate His Majesty Emperor Jinmu as a condition, do you think that Ming immortal would help him?"

"And you may not know... Uesugi, that guy, is no longer human."

Kuroda Nagamasa said something Mōri Terumoto didn't know. Mōri Terumoto listened with a surprised expression, his face full of disbelief, and then his face became extremely ugly.

"How could this happen... Is this our final destination?"

"They actually refined people into this kind of vengeful spirit monster! Abandoning the flesh and blood body of a human, isn't this even more bizarre than a demon!"

"This will affect future generations!"

Mōri Terumoto's expression twisted, extremely angry. His gaze towards Kuroda Nagamasa was filled with mixed feelings, "It seems that you already had rebellious intentions when you found out about this? Could it be that you led this Ming army here?"

Kuroda Nagamasa chuckled, "I just had this thought! But I didn't do anything! You know me, if I opened the door for these Ming troops, more than just one army would have come in!"

"Don't slander my innocence."

Mōri Terumoto thought for a while and said, "I heard that the immortals in Zhongtu (Central Earth, China) are not fake immortals like ours! They are truly remnants of immortals who once reached the heavens and then fell. If Uesugi Kagekatsu betrayed us, he must want to ask them to help him restore his human form."

"There are still some, right! Didn't His Majesty Emperor Jinmu tell us that a few true immortals have appeared in Zhongtu in recent years!"

With greater ambitions, he naturally wouldn't focus on small interests.

Kuroda Nagamasa nodded in agreement.

After this analysis, Mōri Terumoto felt extremely worried.

The two retreated from the city wall. Mōri Terumoto whispered:

"The war that Kanpaku launched has indeed lasted too long. There's no way to obtain Joseon's national fortune. As long as there's interference from the Ming Dynasty, this matter is impossible to complete."

"If we continue to fight, there really won't be any men left in our country. A world without people, even if we rule it, is meaningless. Without anyone producing, working, fishing, or trading, the scholar class is just an empty shell and also loses its practical meaning."

"Are we going to live in a world full of demons?"

"It's better to rebel against him!"

Kuroda Nagamasa's spirit was lifted, and he tentatively asked, "Are you saying that we should rebel directly and surrender to the Ming?"

Mōri Terumoto's anger surged in his heart, but after his expression changed several times, the redness of his anger subsided, and his face turned pale. After two or three breaths of silence, he shook his head bitterly, "No... Rebellion is a must, but we can't do it so openly."

"I don't have the courage of those people to rebel so brazenly. I'm just saying that we can... withdraw."

"My family has a large estate, and the territory I control is the largest among the daimyo (feudal lords) in the country. If I abandon it just like that, my family members in the homeland will be implicated, and future generations will be affected."

"Even if we rebel against Kanpaku and surrender to the Ming, we should at least relocate all the members of our family overseas first... And if we surrender now, I'm afraid we won't get too many benefits. Isn't there a saying that it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to deliver charcoal in the snow?"

Kuroda Nagamasa said, "Surrendering now might not be adding flowers to brocade. There are 100,000 troops here. This group of Ming soldiers, plus that group of rebel troops, it won't be easy to take Ulsan Castle. In order to take it, many people will inevitably die. If we surrender, that kind of loss can be avoided."

"But what you said is also right. There are still so many people in the family, and so many properties. We can't give them up easily. Although those who accomplish great things don't care about minor details, what we're doing this time is too big. This isn't an assassination or a rebellion against a certain daimyo, but a real exchange of interests between countries. The price of this exchange is huge..."

The pledge of allegiance is not so easy to make.

"This matter must be done secretly. I don't want my descendants to become resentful spirit monsters like Uesugi! And maybe Kanpaku himself is no longer human! He even wants to turn us into inhuman beings!"

Mōri Terumoto gritted his teeth and then mentioned an incident from the year before.

"Do you remember when Kanpaku 'came back to life'? Although many people said they were mistaken, I think it might really have been him turning into some kind of monster. Looking at it now, he might be a resentful spirit monster like Uesugi."

"It's similar to Emperor Sutoku and those people from ancient times!"

The sound of artillery fire outside gradually weakened. A soldier retreated from the city wall and told Mōri Terumoto and Kuroda Nagamasa that the offensive outside had stopped, the troops were retreating, and the siege equipment set up by the Ming army had been destroyed!

"Good! Good! There's a chance to breathe! The momentum of this Ming army has been thwarted. One effort, then decline, then exhaustion. Their next offensive will definitely not be as fierce as this one! Tell everyone to rest quickly, follow orders, and do not leave their posts without permission! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

After Mōri Terumoto conveyed the order, he immediately went to report to Tokugawa Ieyasu with Kuroda Nagamasa. They were still discussing how to secretly betray the army. Kuroda Nagamasa believed that the Ming had planted Jinyiwei (embroidered uniform guards) in Japan. This was discovered in Wanli 21 (1593) when the war had just begun, so there must still be spies in the homeland. As long as they could get in touch with them, they could obtain a certain unofficial identity and continuously transmit Hideyoshi's intelligence, which could bring huge benefits to the Ming.

This was merit.

Great merit that could be obtained without paying the price of life.

As for assassinating Hideyoshi, if their idea was correct, Hideyoshi was no longer human, and conventional assassination methods would be of no use to him, so they simply shouldn't think about such things, otherwise, they would reveal their flaws.

"In short, we must first return to our country from the Joseon battlefield, in any form... If it really doesn't work, let's cripple our legs..."

The two were having second thoughts and came to Tokugawa Ieyasu's room, only to find that the guards outside had been knocked down. The two were immediately shocked and quickly entered the room. They saw Tokugawa Ieyasu leaning against the screen, barely breathing, with blood all over the floor, and their expressions changed drastically!

"Ieyasu-sama!"

"Supreme commander! Did an assassin sneak in?"

This was a joke! With Ieyasu's divine power, how could he be so badly injured by an ordinary assassin! And there wasn't any sound of fighting coming from here just now!

Tokugawa Ieyasu was pale, grabbed the two who had arrived, and first asked about the battle situation. After learning that the Ming army had retreated, he showed a "gratified" smile on his face, and then coughed and said:

"The person who assassinated me was Hideaki! That guy, he used my Kagemusha (shadow warrior, double) to lead the way, and he had already sneaked into this city. He has the divinity of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, and can summon a counterfeit Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven)! I was injured by the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi."

"But it doesn't matter, I won't die for the time being. I have a secret technique, which is just burning some essence and blood, and doesn't harm my life. But after the secret technique ends, I need some time to recover."

"If you two want to kill me now, then do it now."

Mōri Terumoto was shocked, but his face was anxious, "What are you saying, Ieyasu-sama? We are not spies! Don't test us at this critical moment!"

Kuroda Nagamasa said that he felt the same way. He had only said those angry words before, but now that he saw the adults lying in a pool of blood, he knew that the adults were truly loyal and patriotic people!

"Damn Hideaki! Isn't he afraid that his family will be exterminated in the Japanese homeland! He's doing this to achieve his own glory and wealth! This coward actually dared to take such a risk and sneak in here himself!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu wiped the blood from his mouth and weakly said, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub? Hideaki has grown up by daring to assassinate me, but it's a pity that he betrayed Kanpaku-sama, it's really a sin."

"The shadow warrior told me some news. Tonight, after the Ming army launches an attack, we will begin to transfer from here. We will erect more flags and torches on the city wall, and place straw men wearing armor on the city wall. The others are not allowed to make a sound and will slowly withdraw to Sacheon."

Mōri Terumoto and Kuroda Nagamasa were worried about how to escape, but Tokugawa Ieyasu's order at this time immediately made them feel like timely rain. However, they still had to ask:

"Ieyasu-sama, our army's morale is high, and we just repelled the Ming army and those rebel troops. How can we leave at this time?"

"Reinforcements will arrive in two days, and Ulsan Castle is indestructible. How can we be afraid..."

Tokugawa Ieyasu sighed, "Ah! A Large Number of Swords is coming! I'll tell you two, the immortal sent by the emperor has been defeated! The Ming immortal is coming soon! If we stay here, is it because we've lived too long and want to resist A Large Number of Swords?"

"Although I have a treasure that can resist A Large Number of Swords, which can reverse the nature of national prestige, but in my current state, I really can't face that Ming immortal, and I can't activate the power of the treasure, so I can only retreat to Sacheon and make plans after I recover!"