Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Inner city.

The city was covered with scars, artillery fire was everywhere, and the smoke of gunpowder was endless.

Outside the city, corpses were everywhere and blood was flowing like a river.

The flames caused by the burning shells slowly burned on the pile of corpses, and billowing black smoke seeped out from the pile of corpses and slowly rose into the sky.

It is boundless, like a black curtain that stretches endlessly to the sky, completely blocking the blood-red sunset.

The pungent burnt smell spread in the wind, irritating the nerves of the soldiers on both sides that had not yet completely numbed.

Miserable. So miserable.

As the last stronghold of the Otomo family, Otomo Sorin placed almost all his bets on it. The tall Funai Castle was like a giant meat grinder in a factory in later times, roaring every day.

He opened his bloody mouth and crushed the enemies who tried to attack him.

For half a month.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's subordinates took turns to fight, but they could only barely create a gap in the city wall on the west side that was only wide enough for two people to pass through.

But he had already paid the price of at least 10,000 deaths.

Such war damage was so severe that even though Toyotomi Hideyoshi was used to seeing big scenes, his heart still trembled with pain.

The lights flickered inside Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tent.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his generals gathered together, including Mori Terumoto's uncle Kobayakawa Takakage.

He was about 47 or 48 years old, of medium height, with a small black mustache in front of his nose, a scorching gaze, and a tight black samurai uniform, which added a bit of majesty to him.

However, he was a little absent-minded at the moment, and looked outside the tent from time to time.

"Damn it, Otomo Sorin, that old stubborn man, a running dog of the Ming army. Now he wants to fight me to the death. I'm so mad!" In front, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's cheeks flushed red, and he yelled like a monkey whose things had been robbed.

Everyone lowered their heads and dared not speak.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still furious and waved his fists in the air and stomped his feet.

His eyes fell on Kobayakawa Takakage, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked, "Kobayakawa-kun, our attack has been frustrated. If you have any good ideas, just tell me."

Hearing the voice, everyone looked at Kobayakawa Takakage.

Kobayakawa Takakage seemed not to have heard it. His eyes were blurred and there was a hint of sadness between his brows.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was slightly angry, so he raised his voice and shouted, "Kobayakawa-kun, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah?!" Kobayakawa Takakage woke up as if from a dream. He looked up and saw that everyone was looking at him, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi was even more furious.

He asked hurriedly, "What is the matter that the Chancellor is asking about?"

Rolling his eyes at Kobayakawa Takakage in annoyance, Toyotomi Hideyoshi repeated the previous question.

Upon hearing this, Kobayakawa Takakage smiled bitterly and kicked the ball: "Funai Castle is extremely strong. If Otomo Sorin insists on defending it, we can't do anything to him."

"If only we had the Portuguese cannon."

"Yes." Toyotomi Hideyoshi nodded, and was also fascinated by Kobayakawa Takakage's vision.

Their cannons were small in caliber and short in range, making them of little help in sieges. The Portuguese cannons were different, not only large in caliber but also long in range.

If an artillery bomb were to explode, the bricks in the city would most likely become loose.

This is also why Toyotomi Hideyoshi and others respected the Portuguese so much.

There is no way, I can’t make it myself.

Shaking his head bitterly, Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked at Kobayakawa Takakage, remembering that he hadn't seen Mori Terumoto for a few days, so he asked, "By the way, Kobayakawa-kun, I haven't seen Mori-kun for so long, where has he been?"

Kobayakawa Takakage's body stiffened, and a hint of unnaturalness appeared on his face.

But it soon dissipated.

Without any pause, Kobayakawa Takakage smiled and explained, "Terumoto will go to command the navy, help the regent transport food and grass, and block the road for the Ming army to provide support."

Upon hearing this, Toyotomi Hideyoshi remembered that he had sent Mori Terumoto out a few days ago.

Slapping his forehead, Toyotomi Hideyoshi smiled awkwardly: "Oh, I remember now, Mori-kun went to command the Mori family's warships. Hahaha, my memory is getting worse and worse, it seems that I am getting old."

"The Kanpaku is in his prime and doesn't look old at all." Kobayakawa Takakage bowed and said respectfully with a smile.

"Yes, the Kanpaku is in his prime, and it is a good age for him to achieve great things!" The others quickly agreed.

After receiving all the flattery, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was in a good mood, and even his impatience from the failure of the battle was somewhat dissipated.

The joyful laughter lasted for a while, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi put on a stern face again and got into the mood: "Gentlemen, now is not the time to talk about this. According to the information sent by Kato-kun, we not only have to face the Otomo family, but also have to guard against the Ming army's surprise attack."

A few days ago, news came from Kato Kiyomasa.

It was said that the Ming army's reinforcements had landed in Hakata Bay and had a conflict with him.

This is why Toyotomi Hideyoshi was so anxious to capture Funai Castle. If he delayed any further, more and more Ming troops would land, and by then he would be attacked from both sides.

After hearing this, the most nervous person in the crowd was undoubtedly Kobayakawa Takakage.

He glanced at Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was frowning and concentrating, and saw that he seemed to only know that the Ming army was attacking and nothing else, so he felt a little relieved.

At the same time, I was secretly thinking about comparing the current battle situation.

"The Ming army's warships and cannons are so powerful that our Mori clan warships collapsed at the first blow. I don't think Toyotomi Hideyoshi's navy can resist them. If it drags on, Tokugawa Ieyasu will attack. Hiss."

Suddenly, Kobayakawa Takakage shivered. Even in the middle of summer, he felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

The calm face also became slightly ugly.

Fortunately, everyone in the big tent was looking at Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was only thinking about the Ming army's support, and no one noticed the change in Kobayakawa Takakage's expression.

Kobayakawa Takakage listened to the military meeting in a daze.

All I heard was Toyotomi Hideyoshi's final words: "Starting tomorrow, the army will attack the west city with all their might. Every soldier must take three bricks from under the city wall every day, otherwise they will be severely punished!"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

A moment later, Kobayakawa Takakage followed the crowd, squeezed out of the tent, and walked back to his camp on the hard yellow mud road.

After opening the tent, the one-eyed Kameda stepped forward and warned in a suppressed voice: "General, we can't delay any longer. If we delay any longer, the Ming army will think that you are not sincere, and then the life of the family head will be in danger."

Hearing this, Kobayakawa Takakage glared at Kameda, walked to the main seat with a cold face and sat down.

This guy, from the tone of his voice, doesn't sound like he was forced at all, but rather willing to do it. And the same thing happened to my stupid nephew, who was actually captured alive.

Three hundred warships, that's a fleet of 20,000 people.

Even if there were 20,000 pigs, the Ming army would not be able to catch them all in ten days.

Kameda followed closely behind, and seeing that Kobayakawa Takakage was wavering, he added: "The governor of the Ming army asked me to tell you that as long as you break with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the family heir will be sent back to you immediately."

"Moreover, they are willing to fund our warships and artillery."

Kameda emphasized: "It's from the Ming army."

Anyway, Zhang Yunxiu is not around and Kobayakawa Takakage can't see him, so it's up to me to say whatever I want.

If Zhang Yunxiu asks me further, I will just pretend to be stupid.

Sure enough, when he heard that the Ming army could send ships and cannons, Kobayakawa Takakage's expression eased a lot. But soon, he said with some embarrassment: "My army is at the left rear of the camp, almost surrounded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's confidants. If I leave, it will definitely alarm him."

"Then let's leave while the city is under siege." Kameda suggested with a turn of his eyes.

"Less likely."

"why?"

Kobayakawa Takakage glared at him, looking at him as if he were a fool: "When attacking the city, my army also mixed with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. If they dare to retreat, Toyotomi Hideyoshi will immediately notice it."

Hearing this, Kameda Taro's face twitched and he looked impatient.

This won't work, and that won't work either.

In the final analysis, it was Kobayakawa Takakage who was reluctant to leave these troops. If he was determined to leave with only his absolute confidants, how could Toyotomi Hideyoshi stop him and notice it?

etc.
Why should I run away instead of making a big profit and then leaving?
A bold idea suddenly emerged in Kameda Taro's mind: "Now Toyotomi Hideyoshi must not know the news that the Mori navy has been defeated. If Kobayakawa Takakage launches a surprise attack and controls Toyotomi Hideyoshi, wouldn't that be a great achievement?"

Thinking of this, Taro Kameda's cheeks turned red and his breathing became rapid.

With red eyes, he looked at Kobayakawa Takakage who was lowering his head.

"General, perhaps we don't need to 'escape'."

A quarter of an hour later.

After hearing Kameda's plan, Kobayakawa Takakage widened his eyes in disbelief, opened his mouth and said, "You... you are crazy. You actually want to kidnap him. Don't you know how many samurai are around him?"

This guy must be crazy.

He actually took the initiative to kidnap Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

"That's the Kanpaku, the great general who commands all the daimyo under heaven." Kobayakawa Takakage muttered to himself with a trembling voice, as if he was trying to convince himself in his heart.

"Humph, so what if he's a Kanpaku!" Kameda Taro was born a pirate, and his job was to put his head on the belt. "He was just a pawn of Oda Nobunaga, a monkey. Why are you afraid of him?"

"Besides, if we get the Ming army's warships and cannons, we won't even be afraid of the Ming army!"

Kobayakawa Takakage still felt that this was too crazy, but the desire in his heart began to stir.

Four points of it were out of concern for his nephew's safety, and six points were out of his own ambition as a man.

He paused, his eyes fixed, and he looked at Kameda Taro with a cold light flashing, and said: "This matter still needs to be carefully considered, and we must not act rashly. Once Toyotomi Hideyoshi finds out, both your lives and mine will be in danger."

"Hahaha, as long as you are willing to work hard."

Kameda agreed with a smile, his fat face trembling slightly.

Early the next morning.

The rising east sun filled the sky and spread across the rugged and undulating land.

Fierce war drums mixed with charge roars suddenly sounded, shaking the clouds in the sky slightly.

Inside and outside the city, thousands of Japanese pirates, armed with weapons and with ferocious faces, rushed straight towards the city gate.

It was a huge crowd, like ants looking for food.

A rain of arrows whizzed across the sky, and after reaching its highest point, they fell down with a buzzing sound, embedding into the cheeks, necks, faces, and chests of the charging Japanese pirates.

The shrill screams immediately echoed across the battlefield.

"Kill!!"

The Japanese pirates had received death orders, so this round of arrow rain did not stop them. Stepping on the fallen companions in front of them, the Japanese pirates behind them were fearless and braved the rolling stones and arrow rain to the west city.

"Shield Bearer!"

A Japanese pirate general roared, and immediately fifty shieldmen came forward and formed a circle like a turtle shell. The bottom was empty, leaving room for their own troops to move forward.

The Japanese pirates ignored the rain of arrows, squeezed in, took out the small iron shovel in their hands, and hit the wall bricks heavily.

"Clang. Clang."

A series of harsh sounds were heard, and the wall tiles began to loosen at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, the Japanese pirates in charge of guarding were overjoyed and hurriedly urged: "Hurry up, at least three pieces per person, and you can go back and rest after completing the task!"

Upon hearing this, all the Japanese pirates were shocked and their movements became extremely fast.

Looking from the city wall, all you could see were turtle shells surrounding the city walls, and a series of ear-piercing clanging sounds could be heard.

Then, the Japanese pirates came with smiles on their faces, holding bricks in their hands like treasures, and strode out of the battlefield.

Seeing this, Otomo Yoshitsugu, whose face was covered in blood, thought it was not good and shouted at the top of his voice: "Shoot, shoot quickly, we must not let the enemy tear down our city wall."

"Head of the family, the enemy's shield is too thick. Our arrows can't hurt them at all." The deputy general on the side reminded.

"Then use the rolling stones."

"The Rolling Stones were exhausted yesterday."

After hearing the bad news, Otomo Yoshitsugu's legs became weak and he staggered, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, the two deputy generals supported him, so he didn't fall directly to the ground.

"Hurry up and tear down the houses in the city to use as siege weapons." Otomo Yoshitsugu seemed to have thought of something, stretched out his hand to push away the crowd, and shouted, "Tell them that the city has been broken, Toyotomi Hideyoshi will massacre the city and leave no one alive."

"If they defeat Toyotomi Hideyoshi, I, Otomo Yoshitsugu, will personally build them a new house!"

"Hey!"

Everyone immediately bowed and agreed.

They were all absolutely loyal to the Otomo family, and now they had no way to retreat. Moreover, Otomo Yoshitsugu's words were not lies. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi broke into the city, the city would definitely be in turmoil.

Regardless of the considerations, no one has a way out.

The bricks below the city were knocked so hard that they shook the mountains, and the people inside the city also quickly removed the stones, and the two sides chased each other. However, the people outside the city were attacking the city, while the Otomo defenders inside the city were defending the city.

Soon, the hole under the west city expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From the perspective of the Japanese pirates outside the city, they saw rows and rows of ferocious Otomo defenders, holding muskets and pointing them at them.

The pitch-black muzzle of the gun locked onto his side like a poisonous snake.

"put!"

"bang bang bang"

Suddenly, a cloud of white mist floated in the city.

In the white fog, flames were everywhere, and then black iron bullets made a buzzing sound and shot towards the Japanese pirates outside the city like lightning.

They saw a dark shadow floating before them.

A moment later, shrill screams echoed throughout the wilderness.

"Ah, my eyes."

"My face, my face."

"Baga. Baga, rush in and fight them!" (End of this chapter)