Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 282 This is the maritime frontier of my Great Ming Dynasty! Oda Sankichiro's grand ambition?

There are certainly no shortage of telescopes in Xishan right now.

However, to prevent it from being stolen by malicious individuals, it was still supplied on a small scale, and only core members of the army, such as Qi Jiguang and Zhang Rong, could access it.

"The Japanese probably didn't have any sense of vigilance."

"There are about five enemy ships: two escort ships and three cargo ships. This route seems to be relatively safe, so even the Japanese are not afraid of pirates."

"There are more than a dozen Japanese samurai. Keep a close watch on them. Do not engage them in close combat. If they get close, kill them one by one in three-on-one combat. You may also use your muskets."

Using the moonlight, Qi Jiguang marked the locations of the Japanese samurai and ronin.

The two used very simple blueprints to make some battle plans.

This had clearly become a habit of Qi Jiguang's army.

“The soldiers of my Qi Family Army are all precious treasures. Losing even one would be a great loss. In this battle, we have the advantage of timing, location, and popular support. We will strive to avoid any casualties.”

Qi Jiguang would sometimes raise his telescope to look into the distance, and sometimes give instructions to Hu Shouren beside him.

It wasn't that he looked down on these Japanese, but rather that his side was in the shadows while the enemy was in the open, and they were completely unprepared.

Our side comes from the military camp, obeys orders without question, and has a huge advantage in numbers and weapons.

Facing this small group of Japanese merchants, Qi Jiguang naturally had great confidence.

"Hey~ We can't underestimate these Japanese. There's a sentry with a musket by the rocks on that island. Luckily, we have this telescope."

Qi Jiguang was clearly very familiar with how to use a telescope.

He put the telescope down again and looked at Hu Shouren beside him, reminding him.

"Send out a few more skilled brothers to scout the area. If there are any hidden sentries, eliminate them all!"
If we alarm the Japanese, it's easy to handle; we can just board the ship and open fire, turning them to smithereens!

Under normal circumstances, Qi Jiguang would have ordered the fleet to quietly approach and open fire, unleashing a volley that would have annihilated the Japanese fleet.

However, Qi Jiguang did not forget Zhang Yunxiu's instructions. This time, they came to rob, intimidate, and force the Japanese to compromise. It would be wonderful to kill them all, but who would be sent to deliver the message?
After all, they came to plunder as "sea pirates," not to sweep through enemy territory. If they caused too much trouble and attracted the Portuguese fleet, things would become complicated.

Qi Jiguang was talking eloquently, but Hu Shouren's attention was not on it at all; he was staring intently at the telescope in Qi Jiguang's hand.

With a "gulp," Hu Shouren's throat bobbed, and he pointed to the telescope and said.

"Lord Qi, do you think this telescope is really useful? It can see things dozens of miles away, and even people clearly."

Qi Jiguang described the situation of the Japanese merchant fleet in great detail through the telescope, which made even Hu Shouren, who was originally skeptical, have some doubts.

Qi Jiguang shouldn't have lied to himself about this. Could there really be a miracle in this world that allows one to see things thousands of miles away?
Seeing the reaction on the other person's face, Qi Jiguang seemed very pleased and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hahaha~ Zian~ Your reaction is exactly the same as when I first saw this thing a few days ago!"

Putting aside everything else, when it comes to tinkering with good gadgets, I don't think anyone in history can surpass him!

This young man is Gongshu Ban of our Great Ming Dynasty. All the things he has invented are incredibly ingenious, just like this telescope.”

Listening to Qi Jiguang's boasting, Hu Shouren became increasingly eager and couldn't help but reach out to take it.

"Lord Qi, let me take a look. If we could have this in the future, it would be of great benefit to our military campaigns!"

Any military general with even a little strategy would find it impossible to suppress their excitement upon seeing this telescope.

Everyone understood just how important this thing, capable of detecting movements over dozens of miles, was militarily.

Seeing more is like being the Emperor of Heaven looking down on the battlefield. The enemy is deaf and blind, but we can see everything. How can we not win the war?

Not only on land, but also at sea, this is absolutely something that can change the course of a battlefield.

Just as Hu Shouren was about to touch the telescope, Qi Jiguang pushed him away.

Qi Jiguang glared at him and said, "You unruly thing! I cherish this telescope dearly, and I've been afraid of bumping into it along the way. I only dare to use it now. What if you break it?"

He was like a big kid protecting his toy.

Hu Shouren had long forgotten about the superior-subordinate relationship at this moment, and said with a fawning expression.

"Lord Qi! Lord Qi! I have served you for many years. You should know the limits of my abilities. How could I possibly break this?"

He quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am so eager to do this, I beg Lord Qi to grant my request."

Qi Jiguang looked at the other party suspiciously, and after a long while reluctantly handed over the telescope, muttering to himself.

"His Majesty and Shi Yuan have repeatedly instructed me not to let the news of the telescope leak out. I dared not take it out along the way for fear of attracting too many eyes. Now you are only allowed to look at it. Do not have any other thoughts. If you ruin my treasure, I will twist your head off and use it as a football."

"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"

When Hu Shouren's fingers touched the telescope, he felt his whole body trembling. He barely managed to calm himself down and picked up the telescope with both hands.

"Look at you, acting like a soldier." Qi Jiguang chuckled and helped the clumsy Hu Shouren adjust the telescope and place it in front of him.

Following Qi Jiguang's example, Hu Shouren pointed his telescope at the Japanese fleet not far away. He stared wide-eyed, trying to see what was in the telescope, but he couldn't see anything.

"No, Lord Qi, why is everything so blurry?"

Qi Jiguang looked at the other person as if he were a bumpkin, and helped him adjust the rollers on the telescope with an annoyance.

"Take a look at this tune, and you'll understand it perfectly."

As Qi Jiguang made his adjustment, Hu Shouren's eyes widened, almost shoving his binoculars into his eye sockets, and he shouted excitedly.

"Lord Qi! I saw it! I saw it!"

Qi Jiguang was annoyed. He covered the other person's mouth with one hand and gripped the telescope tightly with the other to prevent it from falling.

He said, his eyes wide.

"What are you shouting for! Do you want everyone to hear you?"

Hu Shouren then seemed to wake up from a dream, and he touched his head with some shame and said.

"This humble servant has lost his composure; I couldn't help myself, I couldn't help myself."

Hu Shouren was always an extremely steady military general, so the fact that he could lose his composure like this was enough to demonstrate the wonder of the telescope.

With the aid of the telescope, Qi Jiguang's soldiers were able to get a clear picture of the situation.

Led by Qi Jiguang, they used telescopes to eliminate the hidden sentries around the Japanese caravan one by one.

Things were going extremely smoothly; these samurai from the Japanese merchant caravan never expected to be attacked in Penghu.

Some people were even drinking heavily down their throats before their necks were slit open.

The wine mingled with the blood, and the Japanese samurai, with his bewildered and terrified expression, collapsed amidst hoarse sobs.

Qi Jiguang still smelled of blood on his hands. He pulled one of his scouts over and said in a low voice.

"Have all four sentries been eliminated?"

The scout nodded, a hint of excitement on his face.

"Don't worry, Commander Qi. These Japanese pirates are not very vigilant. We didn't even need to use our muskets; we finished them off with just our knives."

"good."

Qi Jiguang praised it.

"But remember, we will not spare a single samurai or ronin with shaved heads. As for the other merchants, if they do not resist, we will spare their lives. I want them alive!"

The scout didn't understand what Qi Jiguang was up to, but he still nodded without hesitation.

"Understood!" Under the cover of night, about two hundred soldiers from the Qi family army stealthily headed towards the Japanese merchant caravan.

Penghu Island is quite large, with many reefs and vegetation. In addition, the Japanese were not wary at all, so they could travel smoothly without any obstacles.

However, Qi Jiguang was always cautious on the battlefield, even when facing a group of Japanese merchants.

He ordered Qi Jiguang's army to stop and summoned Hu Shouren, asking him questions.

"Zi'an, could there be a trap on this trip? Although this sea route is safe, we are still overseas. Judging from these Japanese, they all reek of alcohol and are so lax."

Hu Shouren immediately understood the commander's concerns, and he sighed helplessly.

"Has Lord Qi forgotten? I mentioned before that although there is a patrol office in Penghu, it is practically useless, with only a dozen or so officers and soldiers stationed there."

These Portuguese at sea are known for their arrogance, and given the blessings of our Great Ming Dynasty's previous suppression of Japanese pirates, it's not surprising that the Japanese feel at ease.

Qi Jiguang frowned deeply, seemingly displeased, and asked.

"Where is the patrol station located?"

Hu Shouren pointed in a direction: "A scout just spotted it. Lord Qi can use the telescope to take a look."

Qi Jiguang naturally carried such an important item with him. He took out his telescope and saw that there were several dilapidated villages standing alone on the island.

In the darkness, the lights in the small village were dim and flickering, appearing very weak.

It's hard to imagine that this is a patrol station in the Ming Dynasty.

"Damn it."

Qi Jiguang cursed under his breath, and he began to understand why the Japanese were so fearless.

There are few pirates at sea, and if there are, they are most likely Japanese. The patrol offices on the Penghu Islands are practically useless.

Is there any need to be careful?
After pondering for a while, Qi Jiguang gave his instructions.

"Send a team to assess the situation. If they remain loyal to the Great Ming, tell them that the ships of the Great Ming have arrived, and from now on, no one will dare to bully them here!"

Hu Shouren paused for a moment, his eyes flickering, and then nodded vigorously.

"I'll take care of it right away!"

Qi Jiguang looked up at the Japanese ships just a few hundred meters away, his gaze hardening.

Candlelight flickered inside the cabin.

The air was filled with the aroma of meat and wine.

The gathering consisted of only a dozen or so people, and judging from the lavishness of the meal, it was clearly not something that ordinary crew members of the fleet could afford.

Among the dozen or so people, their clothing styles varied, and only three or four of them sported the chonmage hairstyle that later generations stereotyped.

In fact, not everyone in Japan during this period wore a chonmage hairstyle.

The chonmage hairstyle is generally a samurai's attire. Some daimyo would wear the chonmage, but many daimyo would also wear the sousou hairstyle to show their noble status.

Most of the merchants tied their hair up and imitated the clothing style of the Tang Dynasty, but it was somewhat incongruous with their appearance.

As one of the few samurai in the cabin with a chonmage hairstyle, Matsuura Shigenori knelt beside a richly dressed young man.

He carefully put a grilled, oily fish into his mouth, glanced at the snow-white rice in front of the young master, swallowed, but dared not look at it again.

Matsuura Shigenori picked up the sake bottle, poured a cup of sake for the young man in front of him, and said.

"This is the wine from Kyoto. Our journey at sea has been quite arduous. Please, young master, have a few more drinks."

Beside the young master was a brown-skinned young girl who looked like a native of Luzon.

Upon hearing this, the young master reluctantly withdrew his hand from the girl. He took a sip of the "Zhu Bai" liquor and said with a look of longing on his face.

"I don't know when I'll be able to return to my hometown; this sea voyage is really tough."

Matsuura Shigenori reminded him, "Young master, have you forgotten? Our trip was at the behest of Lord Oda. The Ming people are known for their cunning and are unwilling to sell their pig iron and gunpowder."

At this point, he couldn't help but feel indignant.

“Last year, the Hojo family was short of iron, and their samurai charged with bamboo spears. We were a little better off, but it was not a long-term solution.”

The young master picked up a cross pendant from the table and couldn't help but sigh.

"Father has his own reasons, but these Portuguese are not good people either. They are charging exorbitant prices for cannons and pig iron, as well as raw silk, cloth, and porcelain. If they could be shipped back to China, they would surely make a fortune."

However, the Ming people are narrow-minded; they only opened one port, making our voyage extremely difficult.

His words caused the previously lively atmosphere in the cabin to gradually become somber.

A fanatical look appeared on Matsuura Shigenori's face: "The Ming people think that they can rest easy once the pirate issue is resolved because our country is weak. In the future, when Lord Oda achieves his great cause and unifies the islands of Japan, that will be the time for us to take revenge!"

He set the example, and the warriors and merchants below followed suit.

"The barrels of those Korean muskets are three inches longer than ours. If we had the fine iron of the Ming Dynasty, the Mori and Hojo clans would be nothing."

"If the Ming Dynasty can open its ports and rely on maritime trade, we can also earn more money for Lord Oda."

"Young Master, please lead us to achieve great things!"

The Japanese people inside the cabin all seemed to have suffered a great injustice.

However, Oda Sankichiro knew in his heart that it was all just wishful thinking. Japan did not have ships like the Portuguese, and due to the lack of pig iron and other resources, it was even more difficult to fight against the Ming Dynasty.

Now, the country is beset by crises, not only the Mori and Hojo clans, but also the Uesugi clan in the Hokuriku region, the Iga ninjas, and so on, all of whom are enemies that his father, Oda Nobunaga, must deal with.

Even within the samurai under Oda Nobunaga's command, there are currently many unrest.

Beset by internal and external troubles, his voyage was nominally driven by grand ambitions, but in reality, he was merely seeking to make a living through maritime trade and acquire some resources.

As for Oda Sankichiro, he was the sixth son of Oda Nobunaga, and was only in his early teens. This voyage was merely to add some titles to his resume.

"Let's stop here for today. After we arrive in Luzon and Manila, we will sell all the supplies and try our best to buy some cannons from the Portuguese. Then we can go back and report to Father."

Having grown up in privileged circumstances, Oda Sankichiro was utterly weary of life at sea.

"Little Lord."

Fueled by the alcohol, Matsuura Shigenori, his face flushed, still wanted to express his "grand vision."

Before he could finish speaking, a musket rang out.

Matsuura Shinichi suddenly stood up, looking incredulous, and shouted loudly.

"Who dares to be so bold as to fire a gun at this time!"

He was not only shocked and angry, but also felt a pang of heartache. Gunpowder was scarce in Japan, and someone had just wasted it.

Just as he was thinking about how to deal with this person, he suddenly heard screams one after another.

A samurai suddenly burst open the door, knelt outside, and shouted loudly.

"Lord Matsuura! It's terrible! We've been attacked by pirates!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Matsuura Shigenori looked incredulous. He was about to go up and teach the samurai a lesson when he heard a "bang" of a musket, followed by a barrage of musket fire, like raindrops.

Matsuura Shigenori froze on the spot, almost petrified.

Oda Sankichiro, who had been sitting in the first seat with a somewhat lazy expression, turned pale with fright on his thin face.

(End of this chapter)