Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

The sky was a mixture of black and white, and the smoke produced by the burning floated up to the dome, like a layer of black ash on the white cloth.

The scorching sun is like a huge fireball, hanging in the sky, pouring out heat.

It exudes a terrifying temperature.

There was constant sound of fighting and shouting inside and outside the city.

A row of neat musketry sounds rang out, white smoke filled the city, and the gap outside the city was sparked by lead bullets.

The Japanese pirates who were attacking the city had holes shot through their bodies and fell to the ground in pain.

Liquid like watermelon juice flowed out of the holes and dyed the clothes red.

"Baga! Baga! Keep digging, keep digging! The Kanpaku said that after the city is captured, you can choose the women in the city!" The Japanese pirate in charge of guarding the city was covered in dust and struggled to get up from the ground. He put his shield against his chest and roared with gritted teeth!

His roar shocked the Japanese pirates who were groaning on the ground and unwilling to get up. They picked up their shovels and continued to bang on the bricks.

Looking around, the blue and black bricks of the city were filled with Japanese pirates guarded by iron shells, like ants.

Soon, the Japanese pirates' bird guns in the city were fired red, and someone was not paying attention.

With a "bang", the gun barrel exploded.

The exploded iron pieces flew around and penetrated into the cheeks of several Japanese pirates nearby. Blood and flesh flew everywhere and splashed all over the faces of their companions.

The shrill screams, mixed with the smell of burning, quickly echoed in the air.

Some people took off their pants and urinated on the barrels of their guns to cool down.

Some people put the barrels of their guns into the blood next to them, and white smoke rose up with a "puff, puff" sound, and the fishy smell of human blood gushed out particularly violently.

The battle lasted for half an hour.

Seeing that the gap in the west city was getting bigger and bigger, the morale of the Japanese pirates attacking the city was boosted and they all let out a low roar.

It was like the clarion call for a general attack.

"Yoshi, charge in! Charge in! Hahaha, the inner city has been breached."

"Jiro, my brother has avenged you!!"

"Otomo Yoshitsugu, pay for your life!"

A group of Japanese pirates rushed into the city wall and stood at the base of the wall.

He saw a row of archers in the open space inside, with white cloth tied on their heads, staring at him with cold eyes.

His eyes were filled with anger and hatred, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

"Fire arrows!"

The leading officer shouted.

Behind him, the Otomo warriors who had been prepared for this moment let go of the bow.

A rain of black arrows shot out rapidly, making a "buzzing" sound, cutting through the air and shooting towards the direction of the Japanese pirates who first rushed into the city wall.

The arrow pierced into the flesh, and the Japanese pirates in the front fell down in an instant.

The Japanese pirates behind were terrified and rushed out of the city wall quickly.

A passage suddenly opened up in the camp of Otomo's death squad.

A seven-foot-tall general, holding a mountain-splitting axe, roared and rushed towards the retreating Japanese pirates. He moved very fast, and the heavy axe was like a toy in his hand.

In just a few breaths, the general rushed to the front of the Japanese pirates.

He swung the battle axe in his hand in a circle, and several Japanese pirates in front of him immediately flew backwards like kites with broken strings, hitting several fleeing Japanese pirates in the process.

Seeing how brave he was, the Japanese pirates who were nearby dared not stay any longer and rushed out of the city desperately.

The general had a ferocious face, and swung the huge axe in his hand, chopping at the fleeing Japanese pirates. He raised it high, and brought it down from high, and almost every time he brought it down, he could create a bloody mess in the crowd.

At this moment, he was covered in blood and his face could not be seen clearly.

At this moment, suddenly a spear stabbed at his wolf waist from the side, and with a "clang", the spear pierced into his waist.

He was slightly stunned and looked up at the owner of the spear.

It was a young, childish face. He was less than 1.6 meters tall and looked only seventeen or eighteen years old.

The two men looked at each other, and the general saw that the young man's eyes were full of resentment.

For a moment, the general looked a little dazed.

Fresh red blood oozed from his waist. The general suddenly felt a pain and quickly came back to his senses from his trance.

He screamed "Ah" and grabbed the spear. The young man felt a huge force coming at him, and his body flew towards the general uncontrollably.

He was so flustered that he quickly let go of the spear and fell to the ground.

A huge axe suddenly came towards him, and the young man's head flipped and exploded like a watermelon.

The general grabbed the spear, glanced at the enemy who was running away with his back to him, and threw it forward. The spear broke through the air.

Suddenly, three Japanese pirates who were lined up in a straight line were pierced through the body, like a walking candied haws.

Those people vomited blood, struggled in pain for a few times, and then collapsed to the ground powerlessly.

"Kill!"

Seeing their general so brave, the soldiers behind him all rushed forward and chased the enemy like crazy.

The spear in his hand thrust forward, pulling back and forth, like a lathe drill in a modern factory in later generations, bringing up a piece of flesh and blood.

The gap was quickly blocked.

The general led his men to the gap and quickly ordered them to repair the city wall.

At the same time, the stones on the castle were ready. The rolling stones fell into the dense crowd like a giant bomb, smashing the Japanese pirates below and making them bleed.

Finally, the Japanese pirates outside the city could no longer resist. They screamed "Ah" and ran back desperately.

The earth was shaking like a group of frightened wild boars.

Seeing this scene, Otomo Yoshitsugu let out a long sigh, a layer of steam rose from his strong body, and his whole body was covered with sweat after the fierce battle.

But fortunately, he won in the end.

He held on for another day.

"Head of the family!"

A muffled sound was heard and Otomo Yoshitsugu turned around to look.

The young general who had been in charge of the charge walked up to the city wall. His face was revealed at this time. His features were distinct and his expression was firm. The strong bloody smell between his brows added a bit of majesty to him.

"Tachibana-kun, thanks to you this time, otherwise this city would not be able to bear it." Otomo Yoshitsugu grinned, walked quickly forward, and patted the young man's shoulder enthusiastically.

The young man was called Tachibana Muneshige.

He was originally the son of Takahashi Shaoyun, a retainer of the Otomo family. Because he married the daughter of Tachibana Muneyuki and inherited the lord of Tachibanayama Castle, he changed his name to Tachibana Muneshige.

Hearing what the head of the family said, Tachibana Muneshige did not show much arrogance, but instead said with worry: "Head of the family, we can't be so passive and take the beating anymore. If we keep defending like this, our city will surely be conquered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi within a month."

Upon hearing this, Otomo Yoshitsugu frowned. Although he was unwilling to admit it, what Tachibana Muneshige said was the truth.

Before this, he had underestimated Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

How can a regent who can command the whole world be a good-for-nothing?

After pondering for a moment, Otomo Yoshitsugu raised his sweaty cheeks, looked at Tachibana Muneshige and asked, "Then what do you say we should do?" "Starting tomorrow, my troops will rest for five days and recuperate. I will personally lead the troops to launch a surprise attack on Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tent. If this succeeds, the crisis of my Otomo family will be resolved in an instant." Tachibana Muneshige said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Hearing him say this, not only Otomo Yoshitsugu, but also the other generals were secretly frightened.

You know, they were able to compete with Toyotomi Hideyoshi because of the advantage of the city. If they left Funai Castle and the two sides fought on the plains, the Otomo family would definitely not be a match for the Toyotomi family.

Everyone was silent.

After a long while, a short general asked, "Tachibana-kun, how many people do you plan to bring to attack the camp? If the number is too small, it will not work at all. If the number is too large, they will rest, and the pressure on us to defend the city during the day will be great."

"Three thousand!" Tachibana Muneshige gritted his teeth and said a number.

"Five thousand!" Otomo Yoshitsu stamped his feet, as if he had made up his mind, and shouted while holding up five fingers.

"Family head." Everyone exclaimed in unison.

Otomo Yoshitsugu ignored everyone under his command, his face solemn, his eyes scorching as he looked at Tachibana Muneshige: "Tachibana-kun, your father is known as the 'Thunder God' of Kyushu, and he once helped my Otomo family resist the invasion of the Mori family. Today, I'm counting on you!"

After saying this, Otomo Yoshitsugu bowed deeply to Tachibana Muneshige.

Tachibana Muneshige was terrified and reached out his hand to help Otomo Yoshitsugu up from his fall. He vowed, "It is my duty to serve the head of the family. Please rest assured, I will live up to your expectations!"

"Okay, take your people down to rest. You don't need to worry about the rest of the things." Nodding, Otomo Yoshitsugu smiled faintly and waved at Tachibana Muneshige.

"Hi." Tachibana Muneshige didn't act pretentiously. He returned the greeting and turned to leave.

Otomo Yoshitsugu watched the tall figure of Tachibana Muneshige leave for a long time, then he clenched his fists, and a hint of ferocity suddenly flashed between his brows.

The war has reached this point, and as the head of the Otomo family, he cannot retreat.

For him, even if he had to die, he had to die on the battlefield.

Suddenly, he thought of something and murmured, "I wonder how Chiyoko and Kenta are doing. If everything goes well, they should have almost arrived in Ming Dynasty by now."

"It's a vast land with abundant resources and a suitable climate. It's much better than here."

The blood-red sunset shone on Otomo Yoshitsugu's face. In a trance, the generals around him saw that this iron-blooded daimyo unconsciously revealed a bit of a little woman's demeanor.

For the next three days, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued to attack fiercely, and Otomo Yoshitsugu also showed his desperate spirit and resisted Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attacks with all his might.

It was dusk again. Otomo Yoshitsugu looked at the grim battlefield under the setting sun, and smiled slightly on his blood-stained cheeks.

"There are only two days left, success or failure depends on this one!"

the other side.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tent.

Inside the big tent, the lights were flickering and there was constant laughter and joy.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his advisers gathered together. He was seen walking back and forth in front of everyone, with a smile on his thin face: "Yoshi, Yoshi, the defense of the Otomo family has obviously slackened a lot in the past three days. In my opinion, the Otomo family will not be able to resist in three days at most."

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, laughed and agreed with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Among the crowd, only Kobayakawa Takakage frowned slightly. He looked at everyone and thought: What's wrong with the Otomo family recently? Their defense is obviously much laxer than before. If this continues, the city may be breached within five days.

"What exactly went wrong?" Thinking about the changes in the Otomo family, Kobayakawa Takakage's beard in front of his nose ruffled slightly, his mind was as tangled as silk threads, and he couldn't figure out which side was the head.

Of course, he was not feeling sorry for the Otomo family, but was afraid that his plan would be difficult to implement.

Just as he was in a daze, Kobayakawa Takakage suddenly heard Toyotomi Hideyoshi say, "Pass the order down, the army will rest for a day tomorrow, and after tomorrow, we will make a concerted effort to capture Funai Castle, and then we will go in and taste the women of the Otomo family."

"Ah? Hahaha" everyone laughed, with obscene smiles on their faces.

The party ended amid laughter and joy.

Kobayakawa Takakage returned to his tent with a heavy heart.

In the tent, Kameda Taro, who was sitting and checking the route, saw the person coming and immediately stood up and urged: "General, so many days have passed, it's time to take action."

These days, he has been studying the layout of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tent, and finally gained some insights.

From their position, which was behind the camp, there was a steep mountain behind them. In front of them was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, on the left was Todo Takatora, and on the right was Kuroda Nagamasa.

It took about a quarter of an hour from here to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's camp.

The guards changed shifts every half an hour, and each shift took more than a quarter of an hour. But most of the patrolling soldiers would leave earlier and return later.

In other words, if they timed it correctly, it would be almost quarter of an hour.

That's why he was eager to try and urged Kobayakawa Takakage to act quickly.

Glancing at the one-eyed dragon Kameda, Kobayakawa Takakage walked straight to the main seat and sat down: "The Otomo family can no longer resist. The army can quietly withdraw while they are in the city reveling."

"Not taking action anymore?" Taro Kameda felt a little regretful.

"Let's take less risk if we can." On the way back, Kobayakawa Takakage thought a lot and felt that kidnapping Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still too risky.

One mistake and everything will be lost.

"Okay." Taro Kameda nodded in agreement, and his still bright eye moved slightly, flashing a cold light.

The night is deep.

In the waters around the Otomo family, on the Ming army's main ship, Otomo Chiyoko stood on the side of the deck, her eyes burning, looking straight in the direction of her home.

The delicate and fair little face was filled with sorrow, which made people feel distressed.

"Are you homesick again?"

A soft voice was heard, and Chiyo Otomo quickly turned sideways to look back.

Zhang Yunxiu, wearing a brocade robe and smiling, walked forward quickly.

Nodding slightly, Otomo Chiyoko took a quick step and threw herself into Zhang Yunxiu's arms, raising her head and looking into his eyes: "Brother Yunxiu, Chiyoko is scared."

As she spoke, Zhang Yunxiu clearly felt the beauty's slender waist stiffen.

"afraid of what?"

"I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll never see my father and brother again." Chiyoko's body was trembling, and her watery eyes were filled with mist, as if she was about to burst into tears at the slightest disagreement.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but feel his heart tighten, and he hugged the beauty's waist even tighter.

Holding the beautiful woman's jade-like body in his arms, Zhang Yunxiu comforted her, "No, you are so well behaved, your father and brother will definitely be fine."

"But I'm afraid."

"I'm here. I'll take care of you."

Hearing this, Otomo Chiyoko felt a little sweet in her heart, and she buried her head in the man's arms, moving her nose and greedily absorbing the reassuring scent from the man.

"Brother Yunxiu, if there were no father and brother, Chiyoko would only have you."

Hearing the beauty's words of dependence, Zhang Yunxiu's heart warmed, and his eyes looked at the beauty more and more gentle. The two of them hugged each other quietly, smelling each other's scent.

The bright moonlight shone on her body, and Zhang Yunxiu saw that the skin behind the beauty's neck was glowing with a jade-like luster.

My heart was slightly moved.

Chiyoko also noticed Zhang Yunxiu's change at the first moment. She moved her body, raised her flushed cheeks, and looked at her lover affectionately.

"Sir, battle report from the front!"

A shrill sound was heard.

Otomo Chiyoko screamed, broke free from Zhang Yunxiu's arms, and ran quickly into her cabin like a frightened rabbit.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu's cold face, Han San scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "Well, you said it yourself last time, important military information must not be delayed." (End of this chapter)