The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 817 The Turbulent Times on the Peninsula (Part 2)

Fei Qingnu stood at the bow of the massive ship with a capacity of 20,000 shi, using his all-seeing eye to observe the Japanese warships on the distant sea, which resembled a pack of wolves.

He discovered that one of the warships was significantly larger than the others, probably around 5,000 shi (a unit of weight), but its design was exactly like that of a Sui Dynasty ship. He guessed it was the supply ship that Pei Shiqing had mentioned that had been left behind in Japan. Judging from the battle flag on the warship, it had become the flagship of the Japanese army.

Fei Qingnu ordered, "Pass down the order: in this battle, we must sink the enemy's largest flagship!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of war drums echoed across the sea as the two armies finally drew near. But the Japanese warships and soldiers could never have imagined that they were facing an enemy force so powerful that it filled them with despair and fear.

Three hundred paces away, the Sui army launched their arrow mines first. The greatest advantage of arrow mines was against cavalry and naval warfare, while against infantry they were more of a deterrent. If the infantry were used to arrow mines, they could basically avoid being killed by them by lying down in time.

However, arrows and mines were the bane of warships, especially Japanese warships surrounded by shields. The sharp arrows struck the thousand-stone warships and exploded violently, shattering the shields around the ships. The soldiers on board were caught off guard, and in the chaos, the ships lost their balance and capsized, with all the soldiers falling into the water.

Arrows rained down from above, killing all the Japanese soldiers who had fallen into the water.

On the other side, two arrows struck the ship simultaneously, exploding and blasting two large holes in the hull.

Smoke billowed across the sea, explosions echoed everywhere, and the Sui army's warships were bombed and sunk one after another, with no power to retaliate.

The Japanese commander, Prince Tamura, was dumbfounded. He did not know what kind of weapon the Sui army's warships were firing. It burst into flames upon hitting his ship, and the ship immediately broke into pieces.

"It's a god! It must be divine soldiers! Order the entire army to retreat!"

Prince Tamura was filled with fear and hastily ordered the entire army to retreat.

The main ship raised a black flag of retreat, and the ships turned around one after another. But how could the Sui army let them escape? Before the fierce battle even began, the Sui army deployed a net-like tactic. Hundreds of warships from the north and south rushed to outflank the Japanese fleet and surrounded the entire Japanese warship.

No matter which direction the Japanese warships tried to break through, they would be intercepted and killed.

Even if they tried to escape, there was no way to get away. With only 30% of the Japanese ships remaining, Prince Tamura panicked and shouted, "Abdicate by force!"

"Your Highness, we'll be knocked over!"

"Ignore it, ram that big ship!"

The Japanese flagship prepared to break through the encirclement and rammed into a Sui warship that was blocking their way. Just then, Fei Qingnu's 20,000-stone warship suddenly appeared to its side. The large ship sailed at full speed. With a loud "boom," the huge iron ram of the Sui flagship smashed the enemy warship in two.

Dozens of archers on the Sui army's main ship fired arrows at once, and dozens of gunpowder arrows became embedded in the enemy ship.

The Japanese main ship exploded in succession, blowing open all eight airtight compartments and flooding in seawater. The ship, now broken in two, began to sink rapidly. The huge whirlpool created by the sinking ship sucked dozens of soldiers from the surface to the bottom of the sea. The Japanese prince, wearing a golden armor weighing over ten kilograms, never resurfaced.

The Japanese main ship sank, but the fierce battle on the sea continued.

The Japanese soldiers, in desperation, fired their bows and arrows haphazardly, but their arrows could not reach the enemy ships at all; their range was only seventy or eighty paces, and they could not hit the large enemy ships.

But the enemy's crossbow bolts came with great force, hitting their ship and smoking. Amidst desperate screams, they exploded with a bang, blasting a large hole in the hull. Seawater rushed in, and in just a few moments, the ship sank with dozens of soldiers.

Many Japanese soldiers cried for help after falling into the water, but instead of rescue, they were met with merciless follow-up shots. Arrows mercilessly shot down the Japanese soldiers on the water who were pleading for help.

The same situation occurred everywhere on the sea. The Sui army did not take prisoners of war. Soldiers who fell into the water either drowned or were shot by the Sui army. In this place 150 miles away from the coastline, no one could survive. Even if a Japanese soldier clung to a piece of wood, he would die from the low temperature of the seawater at night.

By noon, the nearly two-hour one-sided massacre at sea finally came to an end, and not a single Japanese warship could be seen on the water.

However, the Sui fleet did not turn back to the peninsula, but continued to sail. The next day, they arrived at Tsushima Island, where 20,000 Sui soldiers began to land. Tsushima Island was a notorious pirate stronghold and a transit point for pirates from all over Japan. Hundreds of pirate families lived there and would launch raids on the coast of Silla every year, plundering property and young women, killing people indiscriminately, and committing all kinds of evil deeds.

After landing, the Sui army searched the two islands, killing all the men and sending the women and children to the Andong Peninsula. The Sui army occupied the two islands, stationing a thousand soldiers and dozens of warships. After a day of rest, the navy returned to the Andong Peninsula. At the same time, Luo Shixin led an army of 30,000 into Baekje.

The initial plan considered by the court was to give Baekje an opportunity to invade the east, to evacuate the troops stationed on the border of Silla, and to lure Baekje into attacking Silla, so that the Sui army would have a legitimate reason to launch an attack.

But now there's no need for that. If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. When the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty ascended the throne, Baekje did not send envoys to pay homage or send a prince to meet him. That would make Baekje an enemy of the Sui Dynasty.

Baekje was also well-prepared, having amassed an army of 80,000 in the east. The two sides deployed their forces in a large open field forty li east of the Baekje capital, Sabi.

King Mu of Baekje, Buyeo Jang, personally led the army. Buyeo Jang knew very well that the fate of Baekje rested on this battle. He concentrated the entire nation's army, ready to fight to the death.

General Kim Seo-hyeon said to Buyeo Jang, "Your Majesty, our advantage lies in having three times the number of troops as the enemy. We must make full use of this numerical advantage, boost morale to defend our homeland, and take the initiative to attack!"

Fu Yuzhang nodded slowly. "This suggestion is exactly what I wanted to hear. Order the army to prepare for attack!"

"Woo——"

The Baekje army sounded their bugles, signaling their readiness to attack.

Fu Yuzhang raised his sword and shouted, "Slaughter the Sui army to the last man! Attack!"

"Woo——"

The bugle sounded again, and the 80,000-strong Baekje army roared and charged towards the Sui army two miles away, attempting to defeat them with their numerical superiority.

Luo Shixin stared coldly at his opponent, then raised his hand and ordered, "Retreat three hundred paces!"

The yellow command flag was raised high, and the Sui army began to retreat rapidly. Retreating before or after battle is an extremely dangerous thing. If you are not careful, it will lead to a complete rout. However, if an army is very elite and obeys orders immediately, or if every soldier knows why they are retreating, then there is not much of a problem.

The Sui army belonged to the second type. Every soldier knew why they had to retreat. The 30,000 Sui soldiers quickly retreated 300 paces. A large, slightly dark open space appeared in front of them, and the hastily buried iron mines were clearly visible on the open space.

Luo Shixin shouted, "Prepare the rockets!"

A row of crossbowmen raised their bolts. The Baekje army drew ever closer, having already advanced more than three hundred paces. Just then, thousands of gunpowder arrows soared into the air, igniting in mid-air and transforming into fireballs that hurtled towards the enemy. The Baekje soldiers dodged hastily. Few of the fireballs hit the enemy, but suddenly a great fire broke out on the ground. The flames spread rapidly, becoming a raging inferno a mile long and a hundred paces wide. The tens of thousands of soldiers caught in the fire were thrown into chaos, screaming and crying as they desperately fled.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

More than a hundred fire mines buried underground exploded in succession, not only within the fire zone but also outside of it. The violent explosions filled the air with smoke and blood, and the Baekje army was thrown into chaos, with men and horses falling and horses crashing down.

Luo Shixin shouted, "Fire the arrows and thunderbolts!"

Two thousand soldiers who had been waiting for a long time launched their arrows and grenades at the same time. One thousand arrows and grenades hit the chaotic enemy troops, causing them to cry out and wail.

Fire, explosions, and thunder terrified the Baekje soldiers. Tens of thousands of troops turned tail and fled, their defeat like a landslide. Luo Shixin seized the opportunity and shouted, "All troops, attack!"

"Woo——"

As the bugle sounded, 30,000 Sui soldiers charged forward with shouts, with 3,000 cavalrymen leading the charge. In a moment, they caught up with the fleeing enemy, their swords slashing down heads, leaving the Baekje soldiers with heads rolling and corpses strewn all over the ground.

In this battle, the Sui army killed more than 30,000 enemy soldiers and captured nearly 10,000. King Mu of Baekje, Buyeo Jang, fled back to the capital with 40,000 defeated soldiers.

The Sui army then approached the city of Sicheng.

(End of this chapter)