Good morning Daming

Chapter 1113: A Battle Between Grandfather and Grandson

For the Japanese, the island where they have lived for generations is like a cage. Earthquakes, volcanoes, poor land, and limited farming capacity made even the daimyo very stingy with food. If they could have a full meal of white rice and two salted fish as a side dish, they would be as happy as the New Year.

On that day, Ashikaga Yoshiteru ordered the army to slaughter pigs and sheep... There were no sheep, only pigs, and he also took out 30% of the salted fish that were with the army.

"Eat as much as you want." Ashikaga Yoshiteru led the daimyo to inspect the camp. Seeing the soldiers eating voraciously, he couldn't help but laugh, "Let's go back to Daming to eat white rice and mutton."

"mutton?"

Most of the people present had never eaten it.

“It’s said to be delicious.”

"Yes! There are records in the books of the pre-Song Dynasty that mutton was the staple food of the nobles at that time."

Thinking back to the early Song Dynasty when it was a land of rich natural resources and outstanding people, everyone could not help but sigh.

After returning to his tent, Ashikaga Yoshiteru showed signs of fatigue. He took a sip of tea and said, "Jiang Qingzhi is a guest soldier, and his men need to rest. The navy was defeated, and he has no worries about food. I'm sure he will take advantage of the situation to rest."

"My lord, that's right." Ono Jun'ichi knelt down on the left side of his subordinate and said, "My lord, the war is imminent, and what we need now is to work together."

"Huh? What do you want to say?" Ashikaga Yoshiteru said coldly.

Ono Junichi bowed his head. "Previously, the alliance was for the sake of the lord's cause. Now that the morale of the Ming army is high, there must be less quarreling within the coalition. I think the lord should lead by example."

"what for?"

"My Lord, you may announce publicly that in the decisive battle, all the elite troops of the shogunate will go into battle."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru remained silent.

"Lord!"

Ono Junichi leaned forward and said, "After the defeat in the naval battle, I asked those who escaped and they said that the weapons were very powerful and our warships were powerless to fight back. I carefully considered the weapons and found that they were more like muskets."

"We also have iron cannons." Ashikaga Yoshiteru said calmly: "In terms of firearms, we are not inferior to the Ming people."

"No, the people who escaped from the navy said that the big guns can sink our warships with one shot. My lord, how big will the big guns be?"

"What's the use of a big gun? Can it be pulled ashore? Besides, a big gun is useful, but it takes a long time to fire a shot."

Japan also had artillery, namely the Portuguese blunderbuss.

After obtaining the blunderbuss, the Japanese tried to imitate it. However, compared to the smooth imitation of the musket, the imitation of the blunderbuss encountered difficulties.

The materials were not up to standard, resulting in a short range and pitifully small power. In addition, the firing procedure of the big gun was very complicated, and it took a long time to fire a shot.

"Our warriors will use their flesh and blood to tell the people that the only thing that can be relied on in battle is flesh and blood and courage, not those useless things."

At this time, the shogunate had been in decline for many years. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and his ministers had become disheartened and indifferent to the outside world during their constant escape and migration. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were clinging to their old ways.

The attack of the Ming army gave the shogunate an opportunity to integrate Japan. At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshiteru only wanted to expand his own strength. As for other things... such as the great victory in this battle, to be honest, Ashikaga Yoshiteru still had the same idea.

"What I want is a tragic victory!" Ashikaga Yoshiteru said in a deep voice: "Only a tragic victory can weaken those daimyo. When they are weak and we are strong, we can unify the world!"

"But... I think this battle should not be underestimated." Ono Junyi said, "From the perspective of naval battles, it is true that Jiang Qingzhi was praised by the Ming people as a famous general of the Ming Dynasty. There is no false reputation. Jiang Qingzhi is best at land warfare. My lord, this man once defeated the grassland foreign army. Those grassland foreigners... were iron cavalry. All we have is a pair of iron feet."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru said coldly: "I have made up my mind!"

"My lord!" Ono Jun'ichi almost prostrated himself on the ground, wailing, "This battle is not only a battle for the shogunate to turn the tables, but also a battle for our country's survival. Only when everyone is united can we have a chance of defeating Jiang Qingzhi!"

"I understand." Ashikaga Yoshiteru waved his hand, and two guards came in and stared at Ono Jun'ichi with a fierce look.

Ono Junichi walked out of the tent, looked at the sunset, and said with a wry smile: "He hasn't unified the world yet, but he's already dreaming about it. Whose fault is it? Is it me who bewitched him, or is it the gods?"

In the tent, the gods closed their eyes, clasped their hands together, and prayed devoutly: "The Ashikaga clan will soon turn the tide, please protect me, my ancestors..."

While the Japanese were preparing for war, the Ming army was exceptionally quiet.

At the same evening, Jiang Qingzhi and Xu Jie were taking a walk.

"The war is not far away, and it seems that Chang Wei Bo is a wise man." Xu Jie said with a smile.

"I'm not worried about conquering Japan," Jiang Qingzhi told the truth. "What I'm worried about is the aftermath of the war."

"That's right." Xu Jie said, "The Former Tang Dynasty may seem to have a vast territory, but foreigners are still foreigners after all. Once the situation changes, the Western Regions will be in turmoil. What a pity."

Jiang Qingzhi thought of the Parthian Protectorate.

"Japan, the Ming Dynasty must keep it firmly under control." Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke, "What does Lord Xu think about this matter?"

Xu Jie knew that Jiang Qingzhi was asking about his attitude.

The Ming Dynasty should occupy Japan permanently. Do you agree or disagree?
Xu Jie barely hesitated, "What Lord Chang Wei said is very true. I will write a memorial when I return."

"Okay!" Jiang Qingzhi patted Xu Jie's shoulder. He was much younger than Xu Jie, but this action came naturally.

Once Xu Jie mentions this matter in his memorial, he will completely become a member of Chiang's faction.

Jiang Qingzhi said, "Old Xu, don't think this is a trivial matter. Japan has more than just silver mountains. Have you seen the map?"

"I have seen it, what's wrong?"

"You can tell from the map that the Ming Dynasty has too few routes to the sea. If we go south, we can take the Malacca route, but now Malacca is in the hands of the Portuguese. If we go east, there are a string of Japanese islands ahead. If we don't control Japan, the Ming Dynasty's routes will encounter great trouble in the future."

"So, this is the reason why Lord Chang Wei proposed to conquer Japan?" Xu Jie was an old fox and felt that this reason was not sufficient.

"There are some other reasons." Jiang Qingzhi smiled but didn't say anything.

Xu Jie watched him slowly walk towards the camp gate and suddenly smiled.

Now the status between Jiang Qingzhi and him is reversed, and Jiang Qingzhi does not need to give him any explanation.

I say, Japan deserves to be fought!

Then you should say that Long Wilbur is right.

That's it.

Du He is here.

"My Lord, the scouts reported that the smoke from cooking fires on the other side is heavier than usual and lasts longer." "This is a reward for the three armies." King Jing followed and said, "It is the same in ancient and modern times to use delicious food to boost morale before a battle."

"Our army is a guest army, and we are exhausted after traveling so far. The enemy will think that our army will avoid fighting." Jiang Qingzhi saw Ashikaga Miko, "So, we will attack tomorrow!"

"Take the enemy by surprise." King Jing said.

"What do you think?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.

King Jing said: "Winning this battle is a piece of cake, but how to clean up and govern after the war is a big problem."

"The majority of people in Japan right now are farmers. They are being squeezed to the point of moaning and are extremely ignorant. This is the best time." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Purge and appease, Lord Xu."

"Lord Wei." Xu Jie came over, and Jiang Qingzhi said, "When you submit your memorial, you can mention one thing."

Xu Jie nodded, indicating that he was listening.

Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of the medicinal smoke. At this time, Ashikaga Miko wanted to come over, but was stopped by the soldiers on guard outside. She raised her hand to Jiang Qingzhi.

Jiang Qingzhi said: "There are many down-and-out scholars in the Ming Dynasty. Tell the court to recruit a group of them and have them come to Japan."

"What's the purpose?"

"The purpose..." Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes, "The purpose is to educate the Japanese. This place has been the Central Plains since ancient times, and they have been the people of the Central Plains dynasty since ancient times. As for the Japanese emperor, he is just stealing the throne."

"Twenty years." Jiang Qingzhi said confidently: "Twenty years later, the entire Japanese nation will only remember that they are Ming people. If anyone dares to say that they are Japanese, they will fight to the death with that person."

"Good trick!" Xu Jie praised, "Is there any explanation for this trick?"

"brainwashing!"

Jiang Qingzhi walked over after he finished speaking, "What's the matter?"

The soldier then let Ashikaga Miko come over. Ashikaga Miko bowed awkwardly and said, "Master, I heard that my brother is leading the army. I'm worried that he might be coerced..."

"I know." Jiang Qingzhi said gently, "Your brother has no one to rely on. He must have been elected as the leader by those people. He can't refuse... Don't worry."

Ashikaga Miko looked up. "My Lord, you are wise. Is the war about to begin now?"

Jiang Qingzhi said nonchalantly: "It will probably start in a few days!"

"Yes."

Ashikaga Miko was relieved. After Jiang Qingzhi left, she returned to her and Matsuki Yoshiko's tent and found a short knife in the bedding.

In the dim light, she whispered, "This is my brother's chance, but I don't think this battle is a good one. The only way is to... kill Jiang Qingzhi!"

The next day, Ashikaga Yoshiteru had just finished breakfast and was about to patrol the camp when he heard hurried footsteps.

The tent was roughly opened and someone rushed in. It was Junichi Ono.

"Disrespectful!" the servant shouted.

Ono Jun's face turned pale, "My lord, the Ming army has been dispatched."

According to their judgment, the Ming army would choose to avoid fighting in order to conserve their strength.

"Jiang Qingzhi is... taking us by surprise!" Ashikaga Yoshiteru was startled, then stood up, "Why are you panicking? This is perfect."

"We are waiting for the enemy to tire out. What are we afraid of?"

"This battle must be won!"

The daimyo were full of confidence and had ambitions to go to that continent and run wild.

"Assemble the army!" Ashikaga Yoshiteru came out in armor.

It took a lot of time to assemble an army of more than 100,000.

"The Ming army is coming."

The scout fled back, "The Ming army's scouts are getting more ferocious, especially the enemy general, my lord, the enemy general's stature is as tall as a god."

"Shut up!" Ashikaga Yoshiteru shouted at the scout. At this time, someone in front shouted, "Enemy scouts are approaching."

When everyone looked, they saw hundreds of cavalry charging in front of the army that had just assembled, with smoke and dust billowing.

The enemy general leading the charge... God forbid, he was incredibly tall and burly.

There were hundreds of cavalrymen, but no one could defeat them.

Seeing the enemy scouts killing their way back and forth in front of the army and then retreating calmly, the confident daimyos turned pale.

"Grandpa Sun Chonglou, you little dwarfs, get ready to be stabbed!"

The enemy general laughed and left.

Then, smoke and dust billowed, and the main force of the Ming army arrived.

"Gentlemen, today we will fight. If you don't win, you will die!"

Ashikaga Yoshiteru drew his sword and shouted, "Where are my elite troops?"

At the last moment, Ashikaga Yoshiteru chose to follow the advice of Ono Jun'ichi.

Sure enough, when hundreds of Ashikaga Yoshiteru's confidants arrived, the morale of the army was temporarily stabilized.

"Look, what is the Ming army pushing over here?" someone said, pointing to the front.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru looked up and saw hundreds of large guns pushed out from deep within the Ming army.

"It's a cannon." Someone said, "We have one too."

Everyone looked at the iron cannon team. The so-called iron cannon was a bird gun, or a matchlock gun.

Look at those big guns!
Damn it!

One is a grandfather and the other is a grandson!

(End of this chapter)