The news from Spice Island was confirmed, as was the spice output, and Han Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After five days of preparation, Han Shizhong and Yue Fei each led four thousand soldiers, setting off mightily for Muzhou.
Ten days after the army's departure, after nearly a month of sailing, Yuan Xingchi and his entourage finally saw the coastline of Wa (Japan).
"Sir, that's Hakata Port ahead. However, this is not within the Hei family's sphere of influence. If you stop here, it might cause some unnecessary misunderstandings!"
Looking at the distant horizon, Ping Zheng Sheng, for reasons unknown, suddenly approached Yuan Xingchi.
"It's alright. This place will soon become your Hei family's new sphere of influence!"
Looking at Ping Zheng Sheng standing before him, Yuan Xingchi suddenly smiled.
"Sir, you are, after all, foreigners. Although Tsukushi Island is divided into several provinces, if there's any conflict with you, they will surely unite against you!"
"Isn't that exactly what you want to see? Ping Zheng Sheng, don't play your pathetic little games with me. Remember, this is the first and last time. If you try to be clever in front of me again, I'll have you thrown into the sea to feed the sharks. You know, without you, we can still do what we want to do, but without our support, you're nothing more than a stray dog!"
Before Ping Zheng Sheng could finish speaking, Yuan Xingchi coldly interrupted him.
Although the army under his command numbered only five thousand, with many new recruits among them, their ships and personal equipment were far superior to those of the Wa people.
Whether in naval or land combat, he was fully confident of completely crushing these Wa people.
"I... I understand..."
Seeing the murderous intent flashing in Yuan Xingchi's eyes, Ping Zheng Sheng, who had just looked worried, suddenly turned pale.
Although he felt deeply humiliated, looking at Li Bao, who had already placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
"According to our Great Song's customs, at this time, you should refer to yourself as a subordinate and perform a half-kneel. Remember, this is the last time. If such a thing happens again, I'll have General Li teach you properly how to salute!"
Looking at Ping Zheng Sheng's grim expression, Yuan Xingchi added with a cold smile.
"Sub... subordinate obeys!"
Though his teeth were gritted, Ping Zheng Sheng still knelt on one knee and paid his respects to Yuan Xingchi.
"That's more like it. Now you can go back and rest. From now on, it's General Li's show. Oh, and this is already your Wa territory, so you can prepare to send word back to your Hei clan."
Looking at Ping Zheng Sheng's face, which quickly resumed its smile, Yuan Xingchi nodded with satisfaction.
This fellow was indeed cunning, but Yuan Xingchi didn't take him too seriously.
After all, in the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy or trickery was futile!
The reason he chose this place as his first stop was entirely due to its advantageous geographical location.
This island, known in later generations as Kyushu, was now called Tsukushi Island. With their powerful navy, they could cut off the strait in the middle.
After cutting off their reinforcements, with the infantry he had, he could quickly conquer all the powers on the island.
This indeed sounded incredible, but in a place like Wa, especially in this era, it all became logical.
It was known that in ancient Wa, their so-called epic battles could not be compared to the wars between the Song and Liao dynasties.
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the Song and Liao had been in constant rivalry. Each time they went to war, the numbers involved ranged from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands.
Such scale of warfare had basically become the norm. In contrast, the Battle of Ino, praised by later generations of Wa people as an epic battle, involved Oda Nobunaga, called the "Sixth Heavenly Demon King" by the Wa people, and his brother Oda Nobukatsu.
The number of participants even reached an astonishing thousand people...
Such a war, if it were to occur between the Song and Liao, would at best be considered a minor skirmish.
Yet in Wa, it was considered an epic battle. Under such circumstances, it seemed not difficult for Yuan Xingchi, with his five thousand troops, to unify Tsukushi Island...
"Sir, that seems to be our navy!"
While they were talking, Li Bao, with his sharp eyes, pointed to a sail silhouette on the horizon and said.
"Since they've come, they're not leaving. We've been sailing for so long; it's time for the soldiers to stretch their legs!"
With just a glance at the Wa navy on the sea, Yuan Xingchi lost interest in fighting.
Those so-called warships, even three or five combined, were not as large as a single merchant ship. It would be more like a one-sided massacre of the Wa navy rather than a battle...
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, Li Bao immediately became excited.
He had been personally chosen by Han Mo and sent here from afar. If he didn't achieve some merit, it would truly be a disservice to himself.
He was in charge of training new recruits in Quanzhou City every day, and seeing the increasing number of weapons equipped on the ships, yet having no opportunity to use them, he felt an immense itch.
The genuine Bajiu crossbows were one thing; he had seen them frequently on land. They were nothing more than siege giant crossbows moved onto ships.
However, the Fire Oil Cabinets and a series of gunpowder weapons that followed had never been used in actual combat.
Finally seeing so many fearless individuals, he naturally welcomed these self-delivered opponents with open arms.
"Pass down the order, prepare to meet the enemy!"
Seeing the Wa warships heading straight towards them, Li Bao rubbed his hands excitedly.
"Prepare to meet the enemy!"
Upon receiving his order, the warships in the fleet immediately moved forward one by one, blocking the merchant ships.
After leaving ten ships for contingency, all the remaining warships, led by Li Bao, headed straight for the Wa warships.