You have truly caused me great suffering!

Because of their battle robes, the blue and black Jing army's right wing formation was shrouded in dust kicked up by the horses and men, which mingled with the damp morning mist.

When fog rolled in on the river at night, Li Yanqi ordered the construction of a pontoon bridge.

Then something happened that the Japanese never expected.

On the river shrouded in mist, floating bridges appeared one after another.

How exactly did they build the bridge in the dark?
The Japanese couldn't understand it no matter how hard they racked their brains.

Little did they know that all they practiced all day was slashing and hacking, while the Jing army, in addition to horseback archery, archery, and marching, also had training in setting up camp and construction.

To put it bluntly, the Japanese soldiers were merely private soldiers of powerful families operating within their estates; they were just servants guarding the gates and protecting the property.

The Jing army on the opposite side is a regular army that trains every day, studies how to fight, what scale of battle to fight and what methods to use.

The Jing troops who rushed across the bridge did not charge immediately, but instead, under the cover of artillery fire and arrows, built fortifications with wooden shields on the east bank.

Soon, giant shields were piled up on the riverbank, forcing the Japanese soldiers back and protecting the troops crossing the river from attack.

Small boats, built in just three days, carried cannons and gunners across the river.

The gunners closed their eyes and clung tightly to the gun barrels, ignoring everything else, as soldiers rowed them across.

Although there was no actual combat, only exchanging fire, both sides were constantly shouting.

"You damned bastards! These Japanese are so noisy! Bomb them!"

Chen Jun, who was the first to land, directed the artillerymen to point their rifles at the defensive fortifications ahead.

Three bursts of light flashed one after another, just like lightning in the clouds.

Then came the booming sound of cannons. About a mile away, in the Japanese army's formation, a muffled sound came from a rice paddy, water splashed up, and where the green seedlings were overturned, cannonballs were deeply embedded in the mud.

In the blink of an eye, a cloud of dust rose from the open space between the Japanese soldiers' ranks.

A dark, round iron ball rolled on the ground. By the time people saw it, the ball was already far away from where it had landed.

Almost simultaneously, a loud crashing sound suddenly rang out from another location, followed by a chilling scream.

People nearby looked around in response to the sound, but did not see any cannonballs. However, the two rows of chevaux-de-frise in front of the formation had been damaged, and several bamboo and wooden fences behind them had also collapsed, with wooden pieces scattered everywhere.

Several archers died, while the survivors lay on the ground, screaming loudly.

This scene caused many Japanese soldiers to have a mental breakdown. The fear that people can accept is often caused by things they have seen before.

The fog on both banks of the Fuji River had not yet dissipated in the early morning, making visibility already poor. Coupled with the thick smoke of gunpowder, the Japanese soldiers could not see each other at all.

They could only faintly hear the commotion of people and horses about a mile away, as well as various exploding iron balls falling from the sky.

The destructive power of artillery and muskets caused them immense psychological pressure.

Before they could even see the enemy, the horrific sight of Japanese archers dying and being wounded filled the scene, and a terrifying atmosphere quickly descended upon the Japanese crowd.

Many people, their eyes vacant, charged out with swords raised in their hands, screaming wildly, prompting Fujiwara Motohira to curse them from behind.

After personally stabbing one to death, he shouted loudly, telling the Japanese to hide inside the fortifications and wait for the Jing army to rush over before shooting arrows.

In the center of the rear of the army formation, a group of samurai guarded Hatakeyama Yoshi. He sat on a bench, carrying two swords and holding a paper fan, his expression also appearing solemn.

To be fair, these samurai were loyal enough. On other battlefields at the same time, such as the islands of Mayi, Zhenla, and Isagi, the enemy would have long since scattered and fled in this situation.

The biggest problem for Jingjun in the southern wilderness was not defeating the enemy, but that the enemy liked to go into the mountains, making them difficult to search.

But the Japanese continued to resist, and very few surrendered or deserted.

In Japan, samurai and ordinary people are considered two completely different species; they would rather die than abandon their samurai identity, betray their masters, and flee for their lives.

Otherwise, it would be worse than death.

There are many brutal races in this world, such as the Jurchen Tartars who were recently wiped out; their methods were so ruthless that they were not human.

However, in terms of the brutality of their rule over the people and the oppression of their social classes, they actually appeared quite benevolent compared to the Japanese.

At this moment, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in front of the battle lines. The wandering Jing army cavalry chased after the Japanese cavalry while shouting something.

Those loosely organized Jing army scouts were always very bold and capable of anything, yet in the most dangerous place, a small squad of them managed to remain unscathed.

Such scouting operations are like dancing on a knife's edge; while impressive, they severely damage the enemy's morale.

Back then, Li Shimin, accompanied by Yuchi Gong, broke through the defenses of Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong's elite troops at Hulao Pass in this very way.

The shouts coming from outside might just be scouts checking whether the shells hit their mark.

The Japanese generals gradually learned about their methods. Although they were furious, they were helpless and simply ordered their men not to pursue them.

Because once you chase after someone, there's often no way they'll come back.

After a while, the artillery battalion was basically in place on the east bank of the river.

As the command flag was waved, a flash of fire appeared on the horizon, and moments later, the booming sound of cannons filled the air.

The hailstones flew diagonally across the ground, and the crowds around them erupted in chaos, with shouts and neighing.

The Japanese soldiers were facing a volley of arrows spread out like an arm, and the barricades and fences were in disarray. Many of them were turning back to retreat.

The shells also landed in the middle of the infantry positions, scattering the crowd in many places. The screams of terror and the groans of pain were like the wailing of ghosts and gods.

As expected, the mobs gathered by the powerful figures of Kanto tried to flee when things turned bad, and the Samurai's faction began to slaughter them.

With a formidable enemy at hand, they were not worried at all about the Jing people coming to kill them; their desire to fight among themselves was burning fiercely.

Slaughtering these rioters gave them a long-lost sense of honor, after all, they had been losing every battle since they started fighting the Jing army.

Now, using weapons to kill these mobs of their own kind makes them feel as if they are killing Jing people.

After a short interval, the second round of shelling, once the reload was complete, began.

Ordinary foot soldiers (foot soldiers were the lowest rank of infantry in ancient Japan, who performed labor in peacetime and became foot soldiers in wartime) carrying spears ran rampant everywhere. Horseback samurai brandished their katana, shouting and cursing from all sides.

Even before the Jing army had arrived, the battlefield was already littered with corpses.

Then, the sound of gunfire finally subsided for a long time.

By this time, the sun had risen, the river mist had dissipated, and the smoke of battle was gradually dissipating.

Li Yanqi held binoculars and observed the situation on the other side.

Seeing the opposing team frantically killing each other, even Li Yanqi, who was a veteran of many battles and had seen many big scenes, was somewhat stunned.

He gasped, hissed, and looked on, completely bewildered.

Zhao Sui, who had been stationed in Japan for a long time, was more experienced than Li Yanqi, since Li Yanqi had never fought in Japan and had always been stationed in Korea.

“Li Shuai, they must be killing deserters,” Zhao Sui said, putting down his binoculars.

"Isn't that a bit too harsh?"

“These Japanese are just like that. Our Emperor is right to scold them. They are not even human. At most, they are short-legged beasts in human skin.”

Li Yanqi chuckled. Since His Majesty has said so, then he must be right.

Their own slaughter might frighten the Japanese civilians, but it meant nothing to the Jing army. This was an army capable of fighting the Red River massacre.
The Japanese soldiers on the other side, seeing that the cannon fire had stopped, all showed expressions of ecstatic joy, and some even raised their swords and shouted.

It was as if they had won.

This scene left Jing Jun speechless. Zhao Sui touched his nose and laughed, "You see, His Majesty is absolutely right."

At this moment, in Fujikawa, a supply corps was transporting new ammunition.

Li An, an official from the engineering institute, stepped forward and said, "General, could we take advantage of this free time to test our flintlock musket?"

Li Yanqi nodded. This was an arrangement made by His Majesty, and could not be neglected.

Besides, we're just waiting for the ammunition to arrive, so we're just sitting around doing nothing anyway.

Li Yanqi immediately ordered the battle line to advance and stop two hundred paces away from the Japanese.

The soldiers worked together, lifting huge shields and shouting as they advanced.

The staff of the engineering college, their hair and faces smudged with smoke and dust behind shields, began to order the musket team to fire.

Several Japanese soldiers who had been provoking the enemy on the fortifications were the first to suffer, their muskets now filled with iron filings.

Although it lacks the power of later guns to pierce the human body, it causes even more pain when it hits a person.

One shot came, and the flesh was mangled and bloody, a gruesome sight.

The key is that it doesn't die.

At this point, the Japanese probably knew about the Jing army's artillery. When they heard the cannon fire, although they were still afraid, they at least knew what it was.

Faced with the new musket, he felt a new fear and quickly ducked away.

Many people stared intently into the distance through the arrow slits, waiting to witness the terrifying flashes of fire and white smoke.

Soon, the second round of shooting began.

The staff of the engineering college were all lying on the shields, their backsides sticking out and their eyes wide as they began to take notes, looking as if they really wanted to run to the other side to check their wounds.
A Japanese foot soldier wearing a pointed bamboo hat hunched over, his head tucked in and his body bent, gripping the wooden shaft of a long spear tightly with both hands.

He watched helplessly as his comrades, their heads shattered and their flesh mangled, lay not far away. Those nearby who hadn't been hit by the shells were also terrified and fled in all directions.

The soldier also wanted to run away, but the shells did not hit his unit. Everyone was terrified, but no one dared to run away on their own.

They had just witnessed the fate of those who ran away without permission.

Once everyone had taken cover, the muskets were basically useless, as the ammunition had already been delivered.

The firearms battalion, replacing their colleagues from the engineering college, began firing cannons again.

The thunderous roar of cannons rang out again, and the soldiers even felt the ground seem to tremble.

The Japanese foot soldier holding the spear didn't see clearly at all, only feeling a cannonball land nearby in an instant. Sure enough, a deafening shout followed. The soldiers in the crowd didn't even understand where the cannonball had landed. Chaos erupted around them. In this situation, he couldn't care less about anything else. He threw down his spear and turned to run without hesitation.

"Damn it!" someone suddenly yelled. "Don't run, line up!"

It turned out that Fujiwara no Motohira, seeing that he could not hold out, also began to order a retreat.

At this point, it was natural to let one's own warriors go first.

A terrified scream came from the front of the chaotic crowd, followed by a faint "snap" sound of a knife striking bamboo or wood, and then silence.

The chaotic crowd gradually came to a stop, and as more people surged forward, it became extremely crowded.

Several samurai rode up on horseback, brandishing their long swords and continuing to shout, "Line up before you go!"

The cannon fire had stopped, and the Japanese troops in various places had begun to retreat eastward.

Countless people are evacuating from the ravaged battlefield.

Although it's unknown where they can escape to next time, it's clear that this defensive line cannot be held.

A mounted warrior emerged from the main camp.

As he walked, he loudly proclaimed, "By order of Commander Hatakeyama, all units are to temporarily retreat to the east and await orders to counterattack. Anyone who deserts without authorization will be executed!"

After walking more than a hundred paces, the group saw countless chevaux-de-frise and arrow formations made of wooden stakes and bamboo to the east.

The fleeing Japanese felt somewhat relieved.

This time, their will to resist was very strong, perhaps because they had seen the tragic state of the Emperor and the Kanpaku family, which made them realize the purpose of the Jing army.

Jing Jun didn't care about their lives at all.

This race, when faced with complete conquest, will go completely insane.

Their depth is great; even after Fujiwara Motohira, who was on the front line, retreated, there were still positions behind him.

Just as Fujiwara no Motohira was about to lead the main force eastward, he suddenly spotted several Jing army scouts spying on the camp.

His heart sank.
Since their plan to withdraw has been discovered, they can forget about withdrawing most of their troops.

Because Jingjun's horses were faster and his cavalry was more numerous, the foot soldiers simply couldn't outrun them.

Fujiwara no Motohira immediately ordered that all foot soldiers be abandoned and that the mounted samurai flee eastward with all their might.

Just then, the sound of cannon fire rang out again in the distance.

"This is never going to end!"

At that moment, only these three words were on Fujiwara Motohira's mind.

He even longed to engage Jing Jun in close combat, even knowing he was no match for him, rather than remaining like a frightened bird.

The mental torment inflicted on him by Jing Jun's artillery exceeded the physical damage, pushing him to the brink of collapse.

Sure enough, once the scouts discovered their retreat, someone immediately set off a signal flare.

The others caught up and fired arrows at them.

Soon, the cavalry on Jingjun's flank caught up.

In this war, the Jing army basically stopped attacking cities and instead bombarded fortifications with artillery.

When you retreated on your own after the bombardment, the cavalry began their pursuit.

In open field cavalry battles, the Jing army's casualty ratio had become so low that it was almost negligible.

The Fuji River defense line was already an excellent natural barrier, and with the Hatakeyama clan having started building it long ago, it still only held off the Kage army for five days.

Many Japanese realized that this might be a war they simply couldn't win.

An atmosphere of despair hung over everyone.

At this moment, the Jing army's cavalry had caught up, and although Fujiwara no Motohira was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to abandon the foot soldiers.

He left nearly two thousand foot soldiers behind to slow down the enemy's pursuit.

However, Jing Jun completely ignored these horseless cannon fodder and instead pursued Fujiwara Motohira's cavalry samurai relentlessly. (End of Chapter)