Di Ming

Chapter 330 The entire hall was filled with actors, but she was the only audience member!
Early the next morning, Ning Caiwei led her fleet back to Osaka Bay. The Japanese were once again facing a nightmarish bombardment.

Osaka Castle is the largest stone castle in Japan, with its highest stone wall reaching ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). But now its fate is in the hands of this girl from the future.

"Boom-!" Amidst the roar of naval cannons, Osaka Castle was once again engulfed in flames and blood.

The fortifications reinforced overnight were destroyed like paper, and the sturdy city walls trembled under the iron fist of heavy artillery, teetering on the brink of collapse.

The Japanese artillery and arquebusiers offered feeble counterattacks. The sound of their firearms, compared to the roar of naval guns, was like the bleating of a sheep amidst the roar of a lion or tiger.

Even worse, the Japanese firearms couldn't reach the fleet two miles away, so they could only waste ammunition and offer a token retaliation.

They couldn't kill an enemy soldier, yet they themselves were constantly suffering enormous casualties.

Even the seasoned Toyotomi samurai were stunned by this kind of war.

The Toyotomi family crest banner atop the city wall transformed into fluttering butterflies, the Japanese soldiers defending the city were torn to pieces, and the samurai's hysterical roars turned into terrified screams.

"what--"

"Okami Hachiman!"

"He died like a wild dog!"

Even the fiercest samurai are still made of flesh and blood. After several rounds of artillery fire, the morale of the heavily damaged Japanese troops collapsed, and many foot soldiers couldn't help but try to escape, only to be slaughtered by the samurai with roars.

Hundreds of samurai, leading over a thousand foot soldiers, rushed towards the riverbank like moths to a flame, clutching canisters of gunpowder, intending to launch a desperate fire attack.

"Seven lives for the country!"

"Block the building!"

"I will die for the Taiko!"

"The Divine Kingdom is invincible!"

But before they could even get close to the riverbank, they were mowed down by hundreds of agile cannons on the warships, subjected to a devastating barrage of bullets.

The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties under the baptism of artillery fire, yet they could not kill a single enemy soldier or burn a single enemy ship. They were slaughtered on the riverbank.

Rather than withering like cherry blossoms, they died like wild dogs.

Faced with firearms that were more than a century ahead of their time, what was the power of Bushido?
Ning Caiwei, on the flagship's deck, put down her monocular telescope, and a military term from later generations came to mind: "dimensional reduction attack."

This bombardment of Osaka can no longer be called a war, but rather a severely asymmetrical and devastating attack.

But she was also very clear-headed. She knew that this kind of dimensional reduction attack could only be achieved by bombarding coastal cities with warships, which had great limitations and was nothing to be proud of.

If Osaka were an inland city far from the coast, then such a dimensional reduction attack would not be possible.

Once the heavy naval guns are transported to land, their mobility is extremely poor and their maintenance is extremely difficult. Not only will they be unable to play such a great role, but they may also be captured by the enemy and become their spoils of war.

If artillery were truly that effective, the Ming army in history would not have lost to the Later Jin.

For the overseas Eight Banners to become a truly powerful army, they cannot rely solely on advanced firearms; they must also rely on leading organizational management, education and training, martial spirit, and institutional guarantees. It requires the construction of a complete and comprehensive system.

Thinking of this, Ning Caiwei said to Zhang Cha beside her, "General Zhang, shall we prepare to land and attack the city?"

Zhang Cha said, "The city wall is about to collapse. I think we can land now. Besides, our artillery shells can't withstand this kind of attrition."

Ning Caiwei nodded. "Pass on the order to log in!"

As soon as the flag signal was given, a mournful horn call echoed. At the same time, the booming sound of war drums resounded.

On the troop transport ships protected by the fleet, squads of native warriors marched onto the deck, clad in armor and carrying swords and shields.

The local soldiers numbered as many as five thousand. They were servants whom Xu Wei had painstakingly selected and trained when he was the governor of Jingzhou, in order to make up for the shortage of Han soldiers.

In Ning Caiwei's view, they were what were called cannon fodder troops. However, these cannon fodder troops were well-equipped and quite powerful. Apart from lacking firearms, they were equipped with excellent iron armor, swords, and shields produced in Daishan.

On each warship, five thousand Manchu soldiers clad in iron armor were also lined up on the deck. Their equipment was even better, including three thousand musketeers, one thousand cavalrymen equipped with hand cannons and lances, and one thousand mixed infantrymen in the Mandarin Duck Formation.

The Jinghai Army's musket has been fully finalized. It is not only a flintlock musket, but also uses fixed ammunition. In terms of firing speed, power, range, and moisture-proof technology, it is far superior to the Japanese army's proud iron cannons.

Moreover, this type of musket, which Zhu Yin named the "Guangming" type, was also equipped with a bayonet, allowing it to be used in close combat. For this purpose, musketeers were specially trained in bayonet techniques.

Ning Caiwei did not hold back, deploying 10,000 troops for the landing operation, while the warships only had 3,000 men.

A lion hunts a rabbit!

She wanted to capture Osaka Castle swiftly and decisively before reinforcements from Kyoto arrived!
...

At this moment, on the castle tower of the Honmaru Palace, Nene and Chacha watched this tragic scene with pale faces.

The two women were filled with fear.

From yesterday to today, nearly half of the more than 8,000 defending troops have been killed or wounded, and their morale has collapsed, yet they have not eliminated even a single enemy!
Will Hidetsugu from Kyoto be able to make it in time?

"It'll be several days before we get any news," Chacha clenched her fists. "What should we do in Osaka?"

Ningning didn't speak, she could only recite Buddhist scriptures and move her prayer beads.

With a powerful enemy at the gates, even a fortified city cannot be relied upon. What can they do?

But they were unwilling to commit suicide immediately.

Although the defending troops were still putting up a fight, most of the ordinary people in the outer city had fled.

The wealthy merchants and powerful figures in the inner city couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

With a loud "boom," the eastern city wall, under repeated bombardment by heavy artillery, finally collapsed, with a section more than half a mile wide.

At the same time, the ship carrying the natives also landed.

Five thousand natives calmly disembarked under the cover of warship fire, then formed ranks under the command of Han officers and quickly launched an attack.

"Charge in and we'll raise the flag! Kill!"

"Kill! Earn merit and be promoted!"

Five thousand natives, under the command of Han captains, lieutenants, and camp leaders, fiercely charged toward the breached city wall, scrambling to get to the front.

Four or five thousand surviving Japanese soldiers also rushed out to prevent the natives from entering the city.

A fierce hand-to-hand battle erupted at Osaka Castle.

The shouts of battle were deafening.

The ferocity and fighting prowess of the Japanese army were quickly revealed. Although the natives were well-equipped, they were no match for the Japanese army in terms of fighting spirit.

These natives had been trained by Xu Wei for several years and were definitely elite soldiers among the natives. However, they were somewhat outmatched by the Japanese army.

Their individual combat ability was clearly inferior to that of Japanese samurai.

Fortunately, their discipline had improved, and under the supervision of Han Chinese officers, they fought quite well. Although their performance was not as good as the Japanese army, they still put a lot of pressure on the Japanese.

"Bang bang bang bang—" At this moment, the Japanese arquebus unit finally began to unleash its power. A thousand Japanese arquebusiers stood on the high ground behind the city, using a three-stage firing tactic to shoot the attacking natives at close range.

Bullets whistled out in droves, causing the native soldiers to scream in agony.

Hundreds of native soldiers were killed by the Japanese army's ferocious arquebusiers. Fortunately, they had iron armor and shields, which greatly reduced their casualties. Otherwise, they would have collapsed under such heavy arquebus fire.

Inside and outside the breach in the castle wall, the two armies clashed, turning Osaka Castle into a battlefield. Amidst the distinctive "whooshing" sound of the Japanese conch shells, the great samurai waved his folding fan. With each wave, a burst of cannon fire rang out, and a flash of cold glint appeared from his katana.

The Japanese troops fought with increasing ferocity, especially the samurai who charged recklessly, forcing the native soldiers to retreat and gradually gaining the upper hand.

"Although the enemy's cannons are formidable, they are no match for the warriors of the Divine Kingdom in close combat!"

"The enemy's strength is only in their large cannons; their actual combat power is quite weak!"

"The divine kingdom will surely prevail! The enemy is nothing but a paper tiger! Their true military strength is nothing more than this."

On the castle tower, shrine maidens, like priestesses, were shaking their Kagura bells and dancing a ritual dance to pray for the protection of Hachiman Okami.

Seeing the warriors fight bravely and fiercely, gradually suppressing the attacking enemy army, Ningning, Chacha, and the others couldn't help but smile with relief.

"Lord Kita-no-Mandokoro!" said Nakamura Kazuji, the Osaka Castle Resident, "The enemy forces, apart from their warships and cannons, are nothing to fear!"

"In my opinion, the enemy's fighting strength is limited, and Osaka Castle will be safe without serious danger."

Masuda Nagamori, one of the Five Commissioners, also smiled, "Please rest assured, Lord Kita-no-Mandokoro and Lord Yodo-dono! The cowardly enemy can only act fiercely at sea, but once they are on land, they will show their true colors and be easily defeated!"

"The warriors are fearless in the face of death, their martial spirit is as firm as iron, their katanas are sharp enough to cut through the wind and clouds, and their cannons are powerful enough to shatter iron and stone! There must be no army on land that can defeat the warriors of the Divine Kingdom."

The powerful and wealthy merchants who remained in Osaka had also calmed down somewhat. Many even began to feel contempt for the enemy.

It turns out that the pirate army, with its towering warships and formidable firearms, was nothing special in actual combat and was no match for the warriors of the Divine Kingdom.

So what is there to fear?
Ningning's beautiful, dignified, and elegant face finally revealed the confidence she had shown before as she smiled.

"With the samurai's unparalleled bravery, Osaka Castle can be saved from danger. On behalf of His Highness the Taiko, I will reward the samurai handsomely."

"Please, everyone, do your best. I'm counting on you."

"Hai!"

...

At this point, the native soldiers, unable to withstand the attack, retreated, only to be regrouped by Han Chinese officers and continue their assault.

"Don't mess up!"

"The lady is watching you! Those who retreat will die!"

"Get the hell out of here! Don't you want to raise the flag anymore?!"

"kill!"

Under the supervision of Han Chinese officers, the native soldiers rallied and fought the Japanese samurai to the death.

"Kill! Earn merit and be promoted!"

The battle became deadlocked once again.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, both sides had suffered two to three thousand casualties. While the indigenous soldiers attacking the city had suffered heavy losses, the Japanese army had also suffered nearly a thousand casualties and was exhausted.

Ning Caiwei stood on the deck watching the battle, her expression hidden behind a mask. But Zhang Cha knew she was somewhat unhappy.

It was obvious to everyone that the indigenous soldiers were significantly less capable than the Japanese soldiers.

It's not a problem with the equipment; it's entirely a difference in fighting spirit and will to fight.

“Madam, there’s no need to be upset,” Zhang Jia said with a smile. “These natives of Luzon have never been good at fighting. The fact that they managed to fight like this is already quite impressive.”

"In Mr. Xu's words, Jingzhou is full of natives and barbarians who want to be raised to the Manchu banner and receive pay. It's no big deal if they die." "In a little while, when the Japanese soldiers have almost bled dry, we'll let them withdraw to rest, and then our Eight Banners army will move in."

Ning Caiwei nodded: "Let's withdraw them about now. Although the natives' lives are not precious, training them is not an easy task. After all, they are Mr. Xu's hard work, and we can't afford to lose too much. Otherwise, the natives will not be willing to serve us in the future."

Just as the native soldiers were about to collapse again, the long-awaited war drums finally sounded.

Following the movements they had practiced many times before, they moved to both sides in time with the drumbeats, clearing out a large area of ​​space.

Almost simultaneously, three thousand Eight Banner musketeers finally stepped forward and took over the fighting positions from the native soldiers, operating their muskets with perfect uniformity and skill.

Just as the Japanese troops were about to charge, a sharp whistle rang out, and then they saw the command flag on the opposite side... being swung down fiercely!
Immediately afterwards, a burst of fire and smoke rose up, followed by a deafening roar of muskets.

"Boom boom boom—"

Large swarms of bullets swept across the area like a metallic rainstorm, seemingly tearing the entire space apart.

The Japanese troops, preparing to counterattack, collapsed in large swathes like wheat fields swept by a strong wind!
Countless Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded by this sudden and fierce volley of fire.

The bullets pierced their frail bodies, penetrated their flesh, and tore through their muscles and internal organs.

"Ah—Ouch—"

The agonizing screams were chilling, as if the gates of hell had suddenly opened.

What?! The Japanese nobles on the castle tower were suddenly shocked and stood there dumbfounded.

Could the enemy's arquebuses really fire that far? And be that fierce?
They hadn't expected that the enemy's arquebuses could fire from a hundred paces away with such power.

But before they could recover from their shock, they felt the ground tremble. A cavalry unit charged out from the enemy ranks like an iron torrent, rushing towards the Japanese troops who were suffering heavy casualties under the bombardment of muskets.

The remaining two thousand-plus Japanese soldiers were torn apart by the enemy's iron cavalry like a tattered rag, facing annihilation and complete collapse.

Osaka Castle was completely exposed.

Only then did the Japanese nobles on the castle tower suddenly awaken.

Where was the enemy's land force weak? It was weak in the very first wave of dark-skinned Nanyang soldiers who led the charge. The enemy troops behind them were nothing short of ferocious beasts!
Even the samurai were no match for them!

But what's the use of understanding this? Osaka Castle has already fallen!

As the cavalry crushed the last resistance of the Japanese army, the Jinghai Navy swarmed in and surrounded the Honmaru Palace.

The entire Osaka Castle was quickly brought under control.

The Japanese prisoners of war were all slaughtered by the vengeful natives. Ningning, Chacha, and others were among those captured.

The wealthy merchants' gold and silver were all looted.

The more than two million taels of silver, 100,000 catties of gunpowder, and 300,000 shi of grain that Hideyoshi had hidden in Osaka Castle all fell into Ning Caiwei's hands!

They'd struck it rich overnight. Ning Caiwei was quite emotional. She'd worked so hard in business, and now the Zhu family only had a million taels of silver in savings. Robbing money was definitely the fastest way.

At this time, it was only three quarters past the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

By noon, Toyotomi Hidetsugu finally arrived at Osaka Castle with 10,000 reinforcements.

But he received news that Osaka Castle had already fallen.

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was both shocked and furious, knowing the terrible consequences of losing Osaka Castle. In order to recapture Osaka Castle as soon as possible, he launched an attack without taking any time to prepare.

At noon, the two sides engaged in fierce fighting outside Osaka Castle. Both sides possessed muskets, cannons, and cavalry; on the surface, neither side seemed to lack anything.

The battle lasted for more than an hour, resulting in a major defeat for Toyotomi Hidetsugu. The Japanese army suffered 6,000 casualties, while the Jinghai Army suffered only a little over 1,000 casualties.

Having lost all courage, Toyotomi Hidetsugu no longer cared about Osaka Castle and led several thousand remaining soldiers in a hasty northward escape.

In a single day, the Jinghai Army achieved two major victories, annihilating 14,000 Japanese soldiers. The Eight Banners Army suffered only 1,500 casualties, while the native soldiers suffered more than 2,000 casualties.

However, the Jinghai Army had also used up most of its ammunition.

Having dealt with Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Ning Caiwei, stepping on the Toyotomi family crest and horse mark, swaggered into the Honmaru Palace's keep, took over Hideyoshi's outer palace (regimental hall), and sat on Hideyoshi's private kimono.

He then summoned his generals to a military council and interrogated the captured Japanese nobles, acting as if he were the ruler of Osaka.

However, she wore a mask the entire time, making her face impossible to see, which made her seem very mysterious to the Japanese.

...

Less than two hours after the Ming Dynasty delegation's ship left the capital, it encountered a dozen or so small warships sent by Ning Caiwei to provide support.

"Stop the ship!" The Jinghai naval commander on the warship signaled with flags, "Surrender!"

Although these warships were small and could only navigate waterways, they were all equipped with light cannons, enough to sink several of the Ming Dynasty's envoy's ships.

Since the Ming Dynasty envoy's ships did not have cannons, they certainly had no chance of winning in a fight.

Upon seeing the cannons mounted on the warships, Zheng Guowang and the other officials of the mission turned pale.

These people aren't Japanese. Could they be pirates attacking Osaka? They actually sent men upstream to Kyoto? Are they going to take advantage of the situation and attack Kyoto?

Zhu Yin loudly proclaimed, "You are not Japanese! May I ask who you are? I am an envoy of the Great Ming Dynasty, and this is the Great Ming Envoy Mission to Japan!"

The Jinghai general leading the team only had one arm. He was a familiar subordinate of Zhu Yin, Cao Xin, the flag commander of the Bordered Black Banner and the commander of the Jiedushi's guards!
Seeing that Zhu Yin was unharmed, Cao Xin felt a great sense of relief and was filled with admiration. "My lord is truly a divine being!"
Cao Xin led 500 men to meet Zhu Yin, and of course, he had been instructed by Ning Caiwei beforehand. Even if his acting skills were average, he would not let Zheng Guowang and other members of the delegation see through his act.

"An envoy from the Ming Dynasty?" Cao Xin chuckled. "So what if you're an envoy from the Ming Dynasty? Osaka Castle is now ours. If you want peace and quiet, you'd better behave yourselves."

"Give the order! Seize their ships; if they dare to escape, open fire!"

Zhu Yin said sternly, "Your Excellency is surely involved in major maritime affairs, isn't you? I've heard that a fleet attacked Osaka Castle with great fanfare, which shows that Your Excellency also considers Japan an enemy and should share the same hatred as the Ming Dynasty..."

"Haha!" Cao Xin laughed. "That's right, it was my wife, Hai Mingyue, who attacked Osaka Castle! Whether you Ming Dynasty envoys have any weight depends on whether my wife will give you a chance."

"Unexpectedly, while going to Kyoto to gather information, we captured some Ming Dynasty envoy!"

Zheng Guowang couldn't help but say, "I wish to see your wife, Hai Mingyue, as I have important matters to discuss. General, we represent the Ming Dynasty, and the Emperor..."

Cao Xin sneered, "So you want to negotiate with my wife? Then let's see how much you're worth."

……

The southward journey was smooth sailing, and the fleet moved quickly. As darkness fell, they finally reached Osaka Bay.

At this point, the Ming Dynasty delegation had "lost" their freedom and was being escorted by "pirate" warships, unable to escape.

Then, Zheng Guowang and Xu Wei followed Cao Xin into Osaka Castle, which had become a pirate stronghold, to negotiate.

Zheng Guowang was unaware of the fierce battle that took place in Osaka Castle during the day, but she could sense that many people had died during the day.

How powerful were the pirates? How could they possibly capture the seemingly impregnable Osaka Castle?
Zheng Guowang and Xu Wei did not immediately meet the pirate leader. Instead, they were separated and left to stand in the side hall for more than an hour, cold and hungry, until the fourth quarter of the 7th hour of the 9th lunar month before they were finally summoned.

Unbeknownst to her, Xu Wei was in another room, drinking, eating meat, and warming himself by the fire. She was the only one suffering.

Zheng Guowang arrived at the Honmaru Palace with trepidation, entered Toyotomi Hideyoshi's outer palace, and saw that the palace was full of pirate leaders with a cold aura.

The group of people sitting at the head of the table were all foreigners with high noses and deep-set eyes.

However, these foreign pirates were clearly not yet the leaders.

The pirate leader sitting in the very center was a woman dressed in black armor and wearing a mask; she must be Hai Mingyue.

Even Zheng Guowang, an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, was trembling at this moment, fearing that the pirates would be unreasonable and disrespectful of the Ming Dynasty's majesty.

Xu Wei was soon brought along as well.

“Madam!” Cao Xin bowed and said, “These two men claim to be the deputy envoy and advisor of the Ming Dynasty, named Zheng Guowang and Xu Wei. They say they request an audience with you, Madam…”

"The Deputy Envoy of the Ming Dynasty?" Hai Mingyue's tone was icy, and her voice was somewhat strange. "I just received news that the King of Japan has been captured by the Ming Dynasty delegation, and they even robbed Hideyoshi's Jurakudai in Kyoto. Was it you who did this?"

Zheng Guowang calmed himself, took a deep breath, and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting:
"Madam is indeed well-informed. Indeed, it was us who did it. The Japanese court has rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and must be severely punished, no matter how far away they are."

After saying that, he took out the mission's seal from his bosom, "This is the mission's official document, and you will know it at a glance, Madam."

"What a 'though far away, we will surely punish them' attitude." Hai Mingyue said sarcastically. She took the document and looked at it. "Indeed, they are envoys from the Ming Dynasty. Heh, sent to Japan by imperial decree, yet they have committed the despicable acts of kidnapping Japanese emperors and ministers and robbing them of their property. Tsk tsk."

At this point, her eyes, shining behind her mask, fixed intently on Zheng Guowang. "I brought over ten thousand people, traveling thousands of miles from Southeast Asia to Japan, all for gold and silver. I heard that Juledi has ten million taels of silver, is that true? Did you take it all?"

Zheng Guowang's face turned green. What? Ten million taels of silver? Where would that be?! Even the Ming Dynasty's national treasury didn't have that much!
"Madam is joking," Xu Wei said with a wry smile. "We did indeed seize valuables from Jule Mansion. Madam is well-informed, and we had no intention of hiding anything. But the ten million taels of silver you mentioned is absolutely impossible."

"Oh?" Hai Mingyue sneered. "Don't tell me you don't even have three million. That's the Juroku Mansion in Kyoto! Who doesn't know that the Taiko of Japan had mountains of gold and silver?"

"Where's the silver? Is it on your ship?"

Zheng Guowang was on the verge of tears. "There really isn't that much. Let alone ten million, we don't even have three million."

She was really heartbroken.

Originally, there were more than a million taels of silver. Half of it could be divided among everyone, and the other half could be taken back to the Emperor. That would be a great achievement.

But little did they know, the silver was about to fall into the hands of pirates before they could even enjoy it.

Cao Xin quickly said, "Madam, it must be on their ship. They have a very heavy ship!"

"Guards!" Hai Mingyue shouted, "Take their money!"

Xu Wei quickly said, "Madam! We can give you the silver, but... could you escort us back to the Ming Dynasty? Our ship is not a seagoing vessel and cannot withstand the rough seas..."

"Sending you back to the Ming Dynasty? That's not impossible," Hai Mingyue sneered, "but what benefit would I get?"

"Want more benefits?" Zheng Guo, observing the aura, paled.

You want to take away our gold and silver treasures, and you also want extra benefits?

Zheng Guowang tried hard to suppress his anger and said:
“Madam, I am still the brother-in-law of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If you would be so kind as to grant me this favor, I can represent the court and the Emperor to do my best to provide assistance in the future…”

Suddenly Cao Xin said, "Madam, since this man is the Emperor's brother-in-law, why don't we detain him and demand a ransom from the Emperor!"

"And the Japanese emperor and his officials have also been detained, and their money will be exchanged for silver from the Japanese! Perhaps they will demand ransom from the Ming Dynasty!"

But Hai Mingyue nodded and said, "Good! Detain them, and then seize the Japanese emperor and his ministers as well!"

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will not release them unless he offers one million taels of silver in exchange!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Guowang felt a chill run through his body. The pirates had not only robbed the delegation of their gold and silver, but were also demanding an additional million taels!
Xu Wei suddenly smiled calmly and confidently, saying, "Madam, please wait, I have something to say."

Zheng Guowang was immediately filled with anticipation.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that the entire hall was full of actors, and she was the only audience member!
P.S.: Can anyone guess the plot of the next chapter? Please vote with your monthly tickets! Everyone should leave more comments so this book can gain wider recognition and earn me a fan title.

(End of this chapter)