The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 277 The counterattack begins

Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong heard Li Jingxiao's laughter.

She knew then that her man had successfully broken through.

Moreover, the joy in his laughter let the two female demons know that Li Jingxiao's breakthrough this time must have been very fruitful.

He hurriedly pushed open the door and saw that Li Jingxiao looked radiant, as if he were an immortal.

She felt both envious and happy for Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao laughed heartily, grabbed the two female demons, and flew straight out of the house.

It soared into the sky and landed on a mountain peak in Nanshan.

With a wave of his hand, a military tent was neatly placed on the mountain peak from the inventory.

Seeing this, Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong knew exactly what Li Jingxiao was planning.

When the two female demons were being carried by Li Jingxiao, they noticed that he exuded a very pleasant fragrance and pure yang energy.

This is Li Jingxiao's physical body, which has just absorbed a large amount of pure yang energy.

Therefore, it is inevitable that some yang energy will dissipate.

It had no side effects on Li Jingxiao, but it did have an effect on the two female demons.

It's like the most delicious elixir.

Just smelling it made them both blush.

She longed to pounce on Li Jingxiao and play a duet with him.

Li Jingxiao was also in a very good mood.

Of course, I also wanted to vent my anger.
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the next morning.

When the two female demons awoke.

Looking at Li Jingxiao, who was still fast asleep.

His gaze was so gentle.

Lee Kyung-hyo also accompanied them, and they spent three days sightseeing around the Goryeo capital.

Only then did he return to the military camp and begin preparations for marching south.

More than ten days later.

Lee Kyung-hyo led a force of 10 men southwards without hindrance, advancing towards Busan.

Busan at this time was just like the cities they encountered on their southward journey.

The vast majority of the Japanese pirates had already fled.

The army besieged Busan, and within just two days, Japanese pirates came out of the city and presented a letter of surrender.

Incidentally, I've also included a letter of reconciliation written by the monkey.

After reading the letter, Li Jingxiao scoffed at the monkey's idea of ​​wanting to stop the war without paying any price.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao is not stupid; he knows that his claim of seeking peace is most likely just a delaying tactic.

Whether it's continuing to send troops to invade Goryeo.

Whether it's consolidating Japan's rule or not, the monkeys need time to prepare.

Lee Kyung-hyo then sent someone to deliver the letter to the King of Goryeo.

He ordered two separate journeys, one by fast horse and the other by boat, to report to the imperial court.

As for why he didn't fly directly back to the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He was merely worried that the emperor, the retired emperor, and the ministers would not agree to his attack on Japan.

I'd rather not go back.

He was stationed in Goryeo, commanding the army and Goryeo people, preparing for an attack on Japan.

Regardless of whether the imperial court agrees or not, as long as the necessary preparations are made.

Li Jingxiao will then directly lead the expedition.

During the waiting period, a large number of Goryeo shipbuilders and boatmen were conscripted to build ships and train sailors.

And his orders, once issued, are valid.

Whether they were from the Zhou Dynasty, the Koreans, or the Jurchens.

Do everything honestly, on time, and in the required quantity.

Otherwise, Li Jingxiao would never hesitate to kill Japanese pirates, nor would he hesitate to kill Koreans, Jurchens, or Zhou people who disobeyed orders.

Of course, the most important factor is his high prestige.

The King of Goryeo even handed over command of the Goryeo army entirely to him.

This made Lee Kyung-hyo the de facto commander-in-chief of the Goryeo army.

It can be said that this King of Goryeo was indeed a fanatical and staunch supporter of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Li Jingxiao was becoming increasingly satisfied with him.

He specially instructed Kwon Ji-ri to send over a hundred jars of Dukang wine produced by the game.

Four small jars of monkey wine.

Ten catties each of famous Central Plains teas, such as West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Huangshan Maofeng, and Liuan Guapian, were given to the King of Goryeo.

Near the capital, a total of 5 mu of unclaimed land was designated and given to the King of Goryeo.

This reward was a timely help for the King of Goryeo.

Lee Kyung-hyo thus gained the right to command the entire Goryeo army.

From now on, both the land and naval forces of Goryeo will be under his command.

Yi Gyeong-hyo also met Yi Sun-sin, who at that time was only the Left Governor of Jeolla Province and the Commander of the Navy.

This hero, who would later become a Korean, now stood in the commander's tent, as insignificant as a lackey.

However, Yi Sun-sin was indeed an expert in naval warfare, though his actual battle record is hard to say.

He's at least better than Li Jingxiao.

During the time when Yi Gyeong-hyo captured Yongsan Warehouse, only Yi Sun-sin led his men and warships to win three consecutive battles and burn more than sixty Japanese ships.

Moreover, this man's extremely hostile attitude towards the Japanese pirates reassured Li Jingxiao that he could entrust the Goryeo navy to him.

He not only appointed Yi Sun-sin as his naval deputy, but also placed him under his direct command from then on.

He was also appointed as the commander of the naval forces of Jeolla Left Province, Jeolla Right Province, and Gyeongsang Left Province.

Control all of Goryeo's naval forces during the war.

This instantly made the naval commander so excited that he knelt down before Li Jingxiao.

With Yi Sun-sin in charge of the navy, Yi Gyeong-hyo only provided money and personnel, and didn't concern himself with anything else.

And as it turns out, Li Jingxiao has a good eye for people.

Although Yi Sun-sin had both victories and defeats in naval battles, he could not be considered an invincible general.

But he was indeed quite capable in managing the navy and building ships, as well as in training sailors.

With the support of Yi Kyung-hyo, Yi Sun-sin, along with his confidants and subordinates, went all out and worked with great enthusiasm.

As for promoting his confidants and friends and excluding his former rivals, Li Jingxiao didn't care at all.

To get things done, sometimes you have to rely on people you can trust.

Such people will most likely only choose from their confidants and friends.

And it will inevitably suppress competitors.

Otherwise, the people who hold you back can make your efforts twice as hard for half the results.

They might even achieve nothing.

Two weeks later, on this day, there was a gentle breeze at sea.

It was still a westerly wind.

Before dawn, Lee Kyung-hyo arrived alone at the Busan seaside pier.

Take a deep breath, use the "Mist Formation" technique, and blow out.

A weak westerly wind blew a large amount of fog eastward.

In just half an hour, the entire narrow Tsushima Strait was shrouded in thick fog.

The fog even spread to Kyushu Island, which is only 200 kilometers away from Busan.

Yi Kyung-hyo personally boarded Yi Sun-sin's flagship.

He led 50 warships and hundreds of Fujian ships, along with 1 surrendered Japanese soldiers and officers from the Left Garrison Command.

They crossed the Tsushima Strait and attacked Tsushima Island, which is only 50 kilometers from Busan.

Yi Gyeong-hyo's decision was opposed not only by Yi Sun-sin, but also by the civil and military officials of Daeju and Goryeo.

They were afraid that something might go wrong with Li Jingxiao.

The situation in Goryeo would collapse again. But Niu Zhanpeng and the other generals of the Tiger-like Battalion of the Palace Guard were not worried at all.

Although his father had no experience in naval battles, if the battle turned against him, it would be easy for him to leave alone.

The foggy weather was conducive to a surprise attack, given Li Jingxiao's habit of launching surprise attacks.

The odds of winning this battle are actually quite high.

Moreover, for Li Jingxiao, sailing at sea in foggy weather is much more dangerous.

I really can't feel at ease unless I keep a close eye on things myself.

Moreover, the first battle in the attack on Japan must not only be won.

We also need to win decisively and beautifully.

Capturing Tsushima Island would be tantamount to establishing a forward base between Kyushu, Japan, and Korea.

While we're at it, we'll also take down Japan's naval supply base on Tsushima Island.
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After the fleet set sail, taking advantage of the fog and Li Jingxiao's keen eyesight, they made their way to safety.

Neither the Japanese pirate fleet at sea nor the situation on Tsushima Island was a secret to him.

Li Jingxiao's flagship led the way, guiding these 150 ships and avoiding Japanese patrol boats.

They easily reached the southern pier of Tsushima Island, and the army easily landed on Tsushima Island.

The morale of the 10,000 surrendered Japanese soldiers soared as they saw how easily they had landed.

Taking advantage of the fog, Erfu and the others used their light-footed skills to ascend to Jintian City.

After a fierce battle, the city gates were opened.

Tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers swarmed in, killing anyone they saw in exchange for heads and rewards.

In just half an hour, tens of thousands of surrendered Japanese soldiers slaughtered everyone in Kaneda Castle.

After capturing Kaneda Castle, another 10,000 Japanese soldiers and 5,000 of Kwon Ji-rye's men landed on Tsushima Island the following day.

In just three days, all the forces on the island were wiped out by 2 bloodthirsty Japanese soldiers.

Seeing that morale and the army's spirits were high, Li Jingxiao was also worried that Emperor Longde and the retired emperor in the capital were unwilling to expand the war.

He decided to take advantage of the lull before the imperial decree reached him.

He directly granted all the land of 2.5 koku of the other three castles on the island to those who had distinguished themselves in this battle, right there in Kinda Castle.

Not only were three Japanese samurai directly appointed as acting lords of the castle.

140 foot soldiers and samurai were also appointed as lords of the village.

As for Jintian City, it directly became Li Jingxiao's private territory.

However, Li Jingxiao also spoke with the Japanese samurai.

Once they have conquered Kyushu, Shikoku, and the main island, those who have already been granted titles can be transferred to even more prosperous regions if they continue to perform meritorious service.

Moreover, fighting alongside Li Jingxiao was not only easier, but also resulted in fewer casualties.

The spoils of war were distributed immediately after the war, and land was also acquired.

This instantly boosted the morale of the 2 Japanese soldiers once again.

Moreover, although Li Shunchen and his sailors did not receive any land, they still received money on the spot.

Even if Lee Kyung-hyo were to step forward and declare that he wanted to become king in Goryeo at this point...

Or perhaps conquer Kyushu and become king.

2 Japanese soldiers who surrendered and Korean sailors.

They would probably drape a dragon robe over him immediately.

After capturing Tsushima Island, Li Jingxiao did not rush to attack Japan.

Instead, they set their sights on the Japanese fleet.

Only by destroying Japan's main fleet on Kyushu Island can we achieve this.

From now on, ships from Da Zhou and Goryeo will be able to freely travel through the Tsushima Strait.

After waiting for a full five days on Tsushima Island, the entire Korean navy was mobilized.

Under Li Jingxiao's command, 90 warships set off at 3 a.m., taking advantage of the fog.

At dawn, they launched a surprise attack on Hakata Port in Chikuzen Province, Kyushu.

Moreover, the Kuroda family of Chikuzen Province was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of the monkey's invasion of Goryeo.

Not only did they send 5 soldiers, led by Kuroda Nagamasa himself, to invade Goryeo.

He was still the commander of the left flank of the three armies, but unfortunately he was blocked by Li Jingxiao north of the Goryeo capital.

Before surrendering, in order to preserve the Kuroda family's name and land, he and more than a dozen Japanese pirate generals committed suicide.

With the head of the family gone and five thousand soldiers lost, the Kuroda family was still embroiled in internal strife and chaos.

Although the Japanese pirates in Kyushu knew they had to guard against a counterattack from Goryeo and Da Zhou, let alone the Kuroda family.

Even a monkey would think that the Great Zhou and Goryeo didn't have the guts or the ability to launch a counterattack against Japan.

Furthermore, taking advantage of the fog to launch a surprise attack, 90 Goryeo warships easily burned down hundreds of warships in Hakata Harbor.

To encourage Goryeo sailors to fight bravely, Lee Kyung-hyo directly calculated battle merits based on 100 men per warship.

Therefore, the morale of the Goryeo navy was indeed extremely high in this battle.

This means that Yi Sun-sin and his sailors earned the merit of 9 kills.

After 20,000 Japanese soldiers surrendered and landed, they were initially hesitant to attack the Kuroda clan's Tachibana Castle.

Although the productivity of the Japanese was not very high at this time.

However, because the war had lasted for more than a hundred years, the cities that were built, though small, generally had excellent terrain and defenses.

Besides being built on a mountain, 'Tachibana Castle' is also...

The mountain has seven peaks, forming a multi-layered defense system.

To conquer this mountain city, one must rely on sheer numbers of lives.

The only option was to besiege the city and deplete its food supplies.

Alternatively, efforts could be made to improve the water source.

But Li Jingxiao naturally didn't have the time to waste with the people in the city.

However, once the water source is destroyed, it means that after conquering this mountain city, we will also have to abandon this fortified city.

Moreover, this is the first battle after entering Japan, and too many deaths would shake the morale of the Japanese soldiers.

Li Jingxiao observed the entire mountain town for an entire afternoon using his telescope.

Fortunately, the main peak is only 369 meters high, and the seven mountain towns are actually not very big.

After all, the size of the mountain limits the size of the mountain town.

Li Jingxiao directly ordered the construction of siege weapons.

At the same time, the surrendered Japanese soldiers were ordered to take over the town of Tachibana Castle.

In other words, the commercial and residential centers that had been formed were taken over.

Before the battle, they killed soldiers and then gave them money. Sure enough, the 2 surrendered soldiers were all very enthusiastic when they heard that there was going to be a war.

Li Jingxiao also ordered that whoever was the first to climb the city wall would be rewarded with 500 shi (a unit of dry measure).

Moreover, Tachibana Castle has 7 mountain castles, which means there are 7 chances.

Li Jingxiao then divided the 20,000 surrendered soldiers into five teams, launching three attacks in rotation, morning, noon, and evening.

The surrendered soldiers were very enthusiastic after a day of fighting, but unfortunately they were repelled every time.

Li Jingxiao wasn't in a hurry, and that night the fourth team launched a large-scale night raid.

But it was all bark and no bite.

The purpose was to prevent the garrison in the mountain city from getting a good night's sleep.

Four thousand men marched up the mountain with torches, and the commotion didn't end until midnight before they returned to camp.

Around two or three in the morning, most of the soldiers guarding the mountain were indeed exhausted and fast asleep.

Li Jingxiao smiled and took out the Jade Flute from Bibo Tan to play.

The soldiers guarding the mountain were quickly alerted when they heard the flute.

They stared at the mountain path for a long time but didn't notice any enemy attack.

Only then did I gradually relax.

After a while, the eyelids of both the garrison on the mountain and the 2 Japanese surrendered soldiers and 5000 Korean soldiers below began to squint.

As sleepiness grew stronger, many people simply ignored the whistle and actually fell asleep.

Through his telescope, Li Jingxiao saw that on the walls of the seven mountain cities, most of the garrison soldiers were either leaning against the walls or lying down and asleep.

A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

(End of this chapter)