Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 352: The Japanese country~destroyed its country!
"Victory or defeat is standard issue."

Lin Dao stepped forward and reached out to help up the group of surrendered Goryeo generals.

"No need to worry about it, just fight back."

"Get up, everyone. Let's drink some wine to calm our nerves."

The surrendered generals breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Lin Dao was not angry and would not punish them.

They had been living in constant fear, dreading that the emperor might kill them in his anger.

"Come, come, come~"

Holding a wine glass, Lin Dao once again invited, "Let's drink!"

After a few drinks, everyone's emotions calmed down.

"Tell me."

Lin Dao put down his wine glass and looked at his generals. "How did we lose this battle?"

The surrendered Goryeo generals all habitually looked at Yi Seong-gye.

This young man, because of Lin Dao's special regard for him, has now become the leader of the surrendered generals' group.

"His Majesty the Great Emperor~"

Yi Seong-gye stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "We were defeated by an arrogant army."

This was different from the story they had agreed on beforehand, and the surrendered generals' expressions immediately turned ugly.

This kid is really bold, repeatedly going against everyone's plans.

"Our campaign of conquering cities and seizing territories proceeded smoothly until we encountered a slight setback at the foot of a fortified city."

"When besieging the city, they also allowed their troops to plunder everywhere."

Yi Seong-gye, who was bowing deeply with his hands on the ground, did not dare to raise his head. "Unexpectedly, the Japanese army arrived in a hurry and, together with the soldiers guarding the city, defeated our besieging army."

"The rest of the troops were routed."

"We, your subjects, deserve death!"

The surrendered generals, no longer relaxed as before, cursed Yi Seong-gye under their breath, stepped forward to pay their respects, and said they deserved to die.

Lin Dao, with a calm expression, asked, "How much was lost?"

"There are approximately six thousand who have failed to return to the team."

Lin Dao's role for this cannon fodder legion was to wear them down and do the dirty work.

Losing 10% of their forces in the first battle was undoubtedly a major defeat.

If this were a Ming army attack that resulted in a 10% loss, the commander would certainly not have survived to see Lin Dao again.

The puppet troops were different.

"Hmm~ Get up."

"From now on, you must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and carefully assess the situation."

After giving his instructions, Lin Dao added, "In a few days, recruit a batch of replacement soldiers from Goryeo Province to replenish the losses in battle."

The generals were overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed in respect.

Despite suffering a major defeat, they were not only not punished, but their losses were even recovered.

The Emperor's opinion of us is surprisingly high!
Among the surrendered Goryeo generals, only Yi Seong-gye, with his head bowed, wore a bitter smile.

The Emperor doesn't treat them like his own people at all!

He desperately hoped that the emperor would punish them as he would the regular Ming army.

Only in this way will people truly consider you one of their own.

These people are nothing more than cannon fodder that can be discarded at any time!
This is the difference between people and consumable goods.

Of course he wants to be a human being.

"Take a good rest."

Lin Dao instructed, "Now that the main force of the Japanese army has arrived, it is time for the Ming army to take the stage."

As is well known, ancient Japan was famous for its short stature.

Actually, the period when they were really short was after the meat ban.

Before that, the Japanese, especially the samurai, ate a lot of meat, and the Chinese people who came across the sea during the Tang and Song dynasties helped improve their genes.

Although his height is still short compared to that of the Central Plains, it is not as exaggerated as one might imagine.

After arriving on the battlefield, Lin Dao observed and compared the situation before drawing his conclusions.

"Farmers won't do it."

“The average Japanese samurai was about the same height as a Ming soldier’s shoulder.”

"But what about those?"

He pointed to the Japanese army opposite him, at the figures whose height was comparable to that of the Ming soldiers. "I can understand genetic mutation, but so many people mutating at the same time?"

"His Majesty the Great Emperor."

Yi Seong-gye seized the opportunity to lean closer and show off his knowledge, saying, "Most of them are descendants of the Song people."

"After the fall of the Song Dynasty, many Song people fled to Japan by boat."

"You can tell just by looking at its head."

Lin Dao countered with, "Are there any mixed-race individuals?"

This question immediately took Yi Seong-gye by surprise.

How would he know?

"Pass the order."

Lin Dao instructed, "If any descendants of Song people surrender, they can be incorporated into the security army."

"If any mixed-race individuals surrender, they can be accepted and transferred to labor camps to mine, build roads, and construct ports."

Although going to the labor camp was tough, at least you could survive.

Throughout history, dynasties have generally had a poor attitude towards overseas immigrants.

They viewed them as fugitives and, since they couldn't collect taxes from them, naturally had little affection for them.

Lin Dao is different; he accepts anyone with blood from the Central Plains.

He dismounted and went to the viewing platform.

He gave Xu Da, who had come to ask for instructions, a slight nod and said, "I authorize you to command the operation, with the primary objective of killing or inflicting casualties on the enemy."

"Wei Chen takes orders!"

Using Xu Da to deal with the Japanese is a sign of respect for them.

This is a rare large, flat area in the western part of the island, close to the sea.

Upon learning of the massive attack by the Central Plains army, Ashikaga Takauji, fully aware of the gravity of the situation, personally went to Yoshino to meet with the Southern Court Emperor.

The Northern and Southern Dynasties temporarily ceased hostilities and formed a joint army to attack the enemy.

The successful defeat of the unprepared Koreans greatly boosted the morale of the Japanese army.

When they faced the Ming army again, they charged forward bravely without the slightest fear.

Lin Dao, who was sitting in a chair watching the battle, looked disdainful as he watched the Japanese surging forward like a tide.

"They didn't even have a proper military formation; they just rushed forward like a swarm of bees. Was this some kind of street brawl?"

"The Koreans can't even beat these trash, they're utterly useless."

He's somewhat wronging the Japanese and Koreans. The main force of the Japanese was actually farmers who were temporarily conscripted.

The untrained farmers knew nothing about military formations; the fact that they kept moving forward instead of turning back was already a great favor.

The number of truly well-trained warriors was small; they were mainly used to guard the farmers.

As for the Koreans, if it weren't for the spoils of war provided by Lin Dao, they would be inferior to the Japanese.

The first thing the Japanese were greeted by was the roar of muskets and cannons.

If Lin Dao hadn't come, the Japanese would have had to wait over a hundred years to come into contact with these high technologies.

The Japanese call it "teppanyaki".

Under the intense gunfire, the Japanese fell in droves, like a field of wheat lying flat.

The shells were even more terrifying; carrying enormous kinetic energy, they crashed into the crowd, tearing a horrific trail of blood.

Whether it's a farmer in plain clothes or a warrior in iron armor.

Whether you bump into it, hit it, or get smashed, the result is the same.

As the shells flew, severed limbs and broken pieces filled the air.

The strong sea breeze dispersed the thick smoke of gunpowder, but it couldn't dispel the pungent smell of blood.

The farmers who were temporarily conscripted had no sense of samurai spirit.

Seeing the tragic state of his companions, his initial surge of bloodlust subsided, and his first instinct was to run away.

The warriors hacked and slashed with all their might, struggling to maintain order.

Just when it seemed they were about to lose control, the Ming army on the other side ceased fire.

Lin Dao looked up and gazed around, but did not say anything to intervene.

Xu Da must have had his reasons for ordering a ceasefire.

The war drums thundered, and numerous flags were waved continuously.

This wasn't for show; it was to convey military orders.

The reason why soldiers on the battlefield are more elite than farmers is mainly because they understand military orders and can concentrate their efforts on doing things.

The armored soldiers formed ranks and advanced step by step in response to the drumbeats.

They surged forward like a sea of ​​metal, crossing the positions of musketeers and artillery.

Every so often, the various military formations, large and small, would stop.

The officers shouted and brandished their weapons, urging the troops to line up neatly.

These are experiences accumulated over thousands of years, through countless lives and bloodshed.

A well-organized formation is more effective than a disorganized one.

Xu Da's thinking was very simple.

The emperor ordered that the enemy be killed, so naturally, they couldn't be scared away by a barrage of fire.

If the Japanese were to hide deep in the mountains, searching for them would be too troublesome.

The most efficient approach is to lure them in for a fight, defeat them, and then pursue and kill them.

There's not much that Japan can do here; they can only keep pushing forward.

They used their numerical superiority to offset the Ming army's advanced equipment and superior tactical formations.

The charging Japanese soldiers were like sewage overflowing a dam, crashing heavily into the armored ranks.

Swords, spears, hammers, axes, steel bars, and icicles flew everywhere.

The unarmored Japanese farmer fell to the ground as soon as he was touched.

Even armored warriors face certain death.

Japan also has iron mines, and its iron armor is also quite numerous.

However, their ironware was of such poor quality that it was no surprise they were hit by axes and hammers.

Even a one-meter-long steel bar can be pierced by a sharp icicle.

"forward!"

The drums beat incessantly, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

The officers at all levels roared repeatedly, "Keep moving forward!"

The armored soldiers fought their way forward.

They stepped over the corpses of the wounded and pushed forward against the surging tide of Japanese soldiers.

This is the view from a drone high in the air.

Under the bright sunlight, the steel Great Wall pressed forward relentlessly, with corpses littering the ground beneath their feet.

The Japanese have never encountered such a formidable opponent.

The battlefield was a complete one-sided rout.

The armored legion on the other side was truly pressing forward.

Even if valiant warriors fight to the death, on a battlefield of this scale, the struggle of a mere individual is meaningless.

Like waves crashing against a dam, they will soon break apart and dissipate.

As expected, the Japanese were in a state of collapse.

The warriors' shouts and hacking could not stop the terrified farmers from fleeing.

"Blow the horn."

Upon observing this scene, Xu Da immediately ordered the cavalry to attack.

The deep, resonant sound of the bull horn echoed across the battlefield.

Tens of thousands of Ming cavalrymen charged out from the flanks of the battlefield, shouting and killing the fleeing soldiers along the way.

The defeated Japanese soldiers were already short-legged; how could they possibly outrun four-legged soldiers?

Wherever the cavalry passed, countless corpses lay on the ground, their backs to the sky, never to rise again.

Lin Dao didn't plan to mechanize the area, so he still had cavalry.

They defeated the Mongol Yuan dynasty and obtained a large number of horses.

Select soldiers and train them to become cavalry.

I didn't intend to train them to be elite; as long as they could ride horses and fight, that was enough.

With sufficient material support, all that's left is time to hone one's skills.

At this moment, these unfinished cavalrymen demonstrated their due combat value.

Like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, it engulfed the fleeing Japanese troops.

Japanese cavalry groups have also launched counterattacks.

However, the horses they rode were too small; in the eyes of the Ming cavalry, they looked like ridiculous big dogs.

With just one charge, these Japanese cavalrymen riding large dogs were completely routed.

Next came the Ming army's pursuit.

On the viewing platform, Lin Dao stood up and stretched.

"Japanese country~"

"May their country perish!"

(End of this chapter)