Di Ming

Chapter 378 The Enemy is at Heduo Mountain!
The imperial edict stated that Hideyoshi was a traitor who had rebelled against the emperor. Therefore, with the help of the Ming delegation, he led the imperial family and ministers to flee Kyoto and come to the Ming Dynasty, requesting the Ming emperor to punish Hideyoshi and allow the emperor and the court to regain power and restore the monarchy.

He also said that he had deposed Toyotomi Hideyoshi from his position as Taiko and appointed Tokugawa Ieyasu as Shogun.

The imperial edict ordered the Japanese troops in Korea to obey the king's command, surrender to the Ming dynasty, and follow the Ming's orders to serve the king.

The Japanese commander examined the edict closely and found it to be genuine! Not only was the handwriting correct, but the seal was also accurate.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the absurdity in each other's eyes.

As daimyo, they not only had audiences with the Emperor but also received imperial edicts. Although the Emperor no longer held secular power, he was the living deity and the highest priest of Japan.

Japan is a divine country. Most Japanese people still regard the Emperor as the supreme ruler of an unbroken imperial line, a descendant of Amaterasu Omikami.

The high-ranking samurai might not take the Emperor seriously, but could the lower-ranking samurai and foot soldiers do the same?
But now, a man who appears to be the Emperor has issued a seemingly authentic edict, ordering them to surrender!
Kato Kiyomasa, Kobayakawa Kagetaka, and the others looked at each other, momentarily dazed.

Just then, the man resembling the Emperor in front of the Ming army suddenly shouted:

"Warriors of the Divine Kingdom, I am the current Emperor, possessing the Three Sacred Treasures. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a treacherous minister who deceives the Emperor. In order to rid myself of him, I led the Imperial Family and court nobles to the Ming Dynasty with the help of the Ming delegation. You should not obey his chaotic orders to invade Korea and offend the Ming Dynasty!"

"This is a chaotic decree against the will of the gods, which will bring disaster and misfortune! I command you to surrender to the Ming imperial army, and then obey the imperial edict to serve the emperor..."

The Japanese soldiers at the front were stunned when they heard Zhou Ren's shout. Many lower-ranking samurai and foot soldiers looked bewildered.

Kato Kiyomasa could no longer contain himself and shouted sternly, "It's fake! He's fake! This is a conspiracy by the Ming Dynasty, don't believe it!"

He had barely finished speaking when the woman in front of the Ming army also shouted:
"I am Taiko's principal wife, Kita-no-Mandokoro Nene. I regret the chaotic fate of my husband, Hideyoshi! Japan is divided once again. You cannot continue fighting. Surrender, and you can return to Japan alive..."

In the midst of the Japanese ranks, a young samurai couldn't help but widen his eyes, exclaiming, "It's my mother! It really is my mother!"

This young samurai is none other than Nene's adopted son, her sister's son, Kobayakawa Hideaki!
Ningning once wanted her adopted son, Hideaki, to inherit Hideyoshi's power and family name. However, Hideyoshi chose his nephew, Hidetsugu, as his adopted son to become the crown prince.

For Xiuqiu's safety, Ningning sent Xiuqiu to her relative Kobayakawa Kagetaka's army to be his adopted son.

As an adopted son, Xiuqiu was naturally very familiar with Ningning. He immediately realized that the woman was indeed his adoptive mother, Beizhengsuo!

"What?" The samurai around them stared wide-eyed. "Hideaki-sama, is she really Kita-no-Mandokoro-sama?"

Xiuqiu nodded painfully, "It's her, it must be her."

At the same time, Vice Admiral Kobayakawa Kagetaka also recognized the woman as Nene. He and Nene were relatives and had a good personal relationship; how could he mistake her?

Kato Kiyomasa was also very familiar with Nene, and he recognized her as Nene!
It wasn't just a few people who recognized him; many high-ranking Japanese generals recognized him, such as Kiyama Shōtaku, Kakimi Itsuki, and Mōri Katsunobu.

Not many generals knew the Emperor, only about a dozen. But many knew Ningning, at least several hundred.

The truth can no longer be concealed. Many are certain that it was His Majesty the Emperor and Kita-no-Mandokoro who shouted for the Ming army to surrender!

Considering that their sea routes had been cut off and that no news had come from the mainland for months, the Japanese army, which already had a premonition of something bad, now knew that all of this was not a rumor, but the truth.

Instantly, the Japanese army's originally strong fighting spirit, like a blown-up bubble suddenly punctured by a fishbone, withered away.

An uncontrollable commotion and panic spread, and many warriors with iron wills felt their legs tremble, their bodies grow cold, and their hands holding their swords began to shake.

This is such terrible news, it's like a nightmare!

Zhu Yin, Qi Jiguang, and others in the Ming army were very satisfied. The reason why the Japanese army was so powerful was that they had the way of the samurai, a tenacious fighting spirit, and a strong morale, which often made up for their lack of height and physical strength.

To put it bluntly, the strength of the Japanese army lay primarily in its morale and fighting spirit, not in its superior weaponry or sheer physical strength.

But today, their most relied-upon morale and fighting spirit will suffer a severe blow!

"Good!" Zhu Yin laughed. "Let the Japanese king and Hideyoshi's wife return and tell them that as long as they continue to cooperate, I will never go back on my word."

"Although the Japanese pirates were fierce, they would never recover once their faith crumbled."

Qi Jiguang stroked his beard and said, "The Japanese army has no choice but to accept this open strategy, whether they want to or not. Once their morale starts to waver, it will only get worse. Therefore, their best course of action is to take the initiative and win the first round while their morale is still high."

Zhu Yin and the others laughed as well. Originally, this open strategy was not only intended to demoralize the Japanese army, but also to force them to take the initiative to attack.

Li Rusong said, "The wives of the Japanese king and Hideyoshi are worth tens of thousands of soldiers."

Ma Gui grinned, "More than tens of thousands of troops! When the Japanese rear guard sees this, it will be greatly affected as well, equivalent to at least 100,000 troops!"

Sun Chengzong and Gao Panlong, who had just joined the shogunate as clerks, were also amazed by what they saw. They never expected to witness such a spectacle on the battlefield!
Mr. Zhihu's psychological warfare tactic was extremely ruthless.

Sun Chengzong observed the Japanese and Ming army formations very carefully, clearly showing his interest in military affairs and even his eagerness to try his hand at it himself.

Seeing this, the morale of the Ming soldiers soared even higher. With this shift in momentum, the Japanese army's morale was immediately suppressed.

"This is a rumor!" Kato Kiyomasa shouted sternly. "Anyone who dares to spread rumors is a shameless coward!"

Although he spoke sternly, his own eyelids twitched.

Kobayakawa Kagetaka gritted his teeth and said, "Commander-in-Chief, the most urgent task is to launch an attack before morale is completely breached. As long as we win one battle, we can restore the army's morale. We might even be able to... retrieve those two people!"

Kato Kiyomasa nodded; this was also his thought. Given the magnitude of the event, they had to act immediately; otherwise, the longer they delayed, the more detrimental it would be to morale.

Kato Kiyomasa swung his quiver down suddenly, and the Japanese troops, whose morale had been wavering, immediately straightened up and began to press forward.

Foot soldiers pushed bamboo-bundled shield carts in front, followed closely by foot soldiers wielding arquebuses. The entire army advanced slowly to the sound of taiko drums, surging towards the Ming army like a reddish-black tide.

"Thump-thump—thump-thump—"

Qi Jiguang kept a close eye on the distance to the Japanese troops. Three hundred paces, two hundred paces… then the red flag suddenly fell!
"Ready—Ignition!"

"Boom boom boom—" The Ming army fired all kinds of cannons at once.

Solid shot from the General's cannon whistled through the air, crashing into the Japanese front lines, shattering shield carts and sending limbs flying. Gravel from the breech-loading cannons rained down, felling hordes of Japanese soldiers in the front ranks. Amidst the billowing smoke, hundreds of Japanese soldiers were killed.

However, the artillery's loading speed was too slow, and it could not continue firing after a burst; it would take a while before it could fire again.

The Japanese drums beat urgently, and the commander swung his katana.

"Bang bang bang—" The Japanese musketeers launched their three-stage volley at the same time, and the dense lead oxide was like a metal rainstorm that swept over.

The Japanese arquebuses, like the most advanced matchlock guns in Europe at the time, had a longer range, greater power, and higher accuracy than the Ming army's muskets, and could kill the enemy from a hundred paces away.

Furthermore, the Japanese army also possessed a type of large iron cannon, namely a heavy matchlock musket, which could fire at an even greater distance. Therefore, at this range, the Ming army's muskets were unable to suppress the Japanese matchlock muskets.

The Japanese army had a total of 15,000 arquebusiers. Apart from the 3,000 musketeers defending Kato Kiyomasa's main camp, the remaining 12,000 musketeers were arranged into three units, each with 4,000 men.

The first volley of foot soldiers fired lead bullets at the Ming army's artillery positions and shields. They then crouched down to reload, and the second volley continued, followed by the third... The explosions were continuous and relentless, the bullets hitting the shield carts and sending wood chips flying, the firing rhythmically.

The Japanese lead bullets were so dense that the shrill sound of them tearing through the air filled the air, and the smoke instantly spread like a thick fog, obscuring the vision of both armies. The pungent smell of gunpowder made the Ming army's warhorses snort incessantly.

"Ah—" Many Ming soldiers were shot in the unprotected face, some dying and others wounded. Men continued to fall in the Ming army ranks, and the rear ranks silently filled their positions, the war drums continuing their rhythm.

As Zhu Yin watched this scene, he suddenly thought of the Western-style firing squads in movies, and realized that the Japanese army's tactics were actually somewhat similar.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" The Ming army's archers, who held the advantage, began to fire arrows, and a dense rain of arrows poured down, scorching the Japanese army's formation. Even though the Japanese army was equipped with a large number of shields, many were still shot dead or wounded.

The battle escalated rapidly from the moment the two armies clashed. They engaged in a fierce, head-on assault, both sides enduring a barrage of bullets, cannonballs, and arrows. In this close contest, the brave prevailed.

At this point, the Japanese army could not retreat, and the Ming army certainly could not retreat either. This probing battle had to be fought head-on.

From the air, two massive military formations, like geometric patterns etched into the earth, drew ever closer. Soldiers on both sides suffered casualties every moment, leaving behind corpses and screaming wounded.

The Japanese soldiers ignored the wounded, even stepping over them to advance. Meanwhile, the wounded Ming soldiers were immediately evacuated and sent to the field medical camp behind the main formation for treatment.

There, seven-year-old Ning Yixian was leading a large group of students serving as military doctors, and they were extremely busy.

"Waaaaah—thump thump thump—"

"Change formation—" The order came from the Japanese main camp. The musketeers, who had already fired several rounds, stopped in place. The long spearmen behind them shouted and strode forward. Dense spears, each about 1.5 feet long, emerged from between the large shields, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

Behind them were samurai warriors wielding katanas and shouting hysterically as they supervised the battle.

The Japanese army's formation resembled a giant hedgehog, plunging headlong into the Ming army. This was a common tactic of the Japanese: once the enemy formation was pinned down by their gun muskets, preventing them from advancing or retreating, the musketeers and archers would fire at close range.

Because the distance is close enough to break through armor, a few rounds of attacks can often cause the enemy formation to collapse.

The Qi Family Army of the Ming Dynasty, known as the "Layered Formation," advanced steadily to the beat of drums. Rattan shields advanced like a wall, while long wolf-tooth rakes extended their hooks and sickles.

Soon, the two armies clashed, the contact area stretching for two miles. This kind of close combat was the ultimate test of the fighting strength of both armies. The Japanese foot soldiers thrust their spears, but the tips were mostly blocked by rattan shields or entangled by wolf-tooth rakes. Taking advantage of the openings, the Qi family army's spearmen launched sudden thrusts, killing several foot soldiers instantly.

"Ah—" A sickening sound accompanied by screams filled the air, sounding utterly terrifying. Large numbers of soldiers from both sides were instantly killed or wounded by wolf-tooth rakes and spears.

The Ming army's overlapping formations continued to press forward, squeezing the Japanese left flank inward. This immediately demonstrated the power of Qi Jiguang's military formation; the Qi family troops at the forefront easily overwhelmed the Japanese spear formation.

Even the arquebusiers behind them became disorganized. The entire Japanese formation suddenly became somewhat distorted.

At the same time, the two flanks also began to engage in battle.

Qi Jiguang pointed his command flag to the left flank. Amidst the roar of the signal cannons, tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalrymen sprang into action.

The Jurchen cavalry advanced from a slow pace to a rapid one, the sound of their hooves transforming from muffled thunder to a roar, charging straight at the Japanese right flank, which was somewhat weakened due to the pressure on the left flank!

"Boom!" As the Jurchen cavalry charged, the braids behind their helmets flew up.

Kato Kiyomasa shouted, "Spears! Stand!" The Japanese right-wing samurai and foot soldiers roared in unison, their spears pointing diagonally forward, their gleaming katanas raised high like a forest, and the sound of killing chickens was deafening.

"Woo-woo—" The eerie conch shell also shrieked.

Instead of directly charging into the Japanese gun emplacements, the Jurchen cavalry used their mobility to shoot arrows at the Japanese flanks, which were the most vulnerable, and gradually weakened the Japanese formation.

Once a gap appeared in the gun formation, the Jurchen cavalry would use their horses' strength to charge with their lances, piercing through the bamboo armor and killing the enemy.

In a short time, the Japanese army's flanks were increasingly thrown into chaos by the Jurchen cavalry, and even Kato Kiyomasa's main camp was affected.

"Kill the chickens! We'll fight to the death for our country!" Many Japanese samurai charged out of the formation, slashing at their horses' legs with their swords. But the Jurchen cavalry, dismounted after their horses fell, fought on foot, still as fierce as wolves and tigers, their shouts thunderous as they battled the samurai.

Those arrogant and skilled warriors never expected that they would be at a disadvantage in close combat!

Many Jurchen cavalry even dismounted and began hacking and slashing on foot. They were either killed by a hail of spears or slaughtered Japanese soldiers one by one.

The Japanese gun emplacements were severely damaged, and the casualties were heavy, but they still managed to hold off the cavalry charge.

On the front lines, both sides were locked in a fierce and chaotic battle. The Japanese army's advantage with matchlock muskets was surprisingly rendered ineffective.

At this distance, the power of the Ming army's muskets and arrows effectively offset the advantage of the Japanese musketeers. However, the Ming army's superior artillery relentlessly reaped Japanese lives, leaving the Japanese formation battered and bruised.

"Bang bang bang—"

"Boom boom—"

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

Both sides were essentially lined up for execution. The Qi Family Army, the strongest infantry force in the Ming army, acted as a pillar, firmly holding the vanguard of the Ming army's main formation and engaging the Japanese army in head-on confrontations and annihilation.

Qi Jiguang and Kato Kiyomasa constantly changed their command flags and adjusted their battle formations. Each time the formation was changed, a large number of generals and samurai would shout and wave their flags to supervise the soldiers' change of formation.

Both sides' formations were like modular combinations, maneuvering within the limited battlefield space.

Therefore, the battle between the two sides slowed down, with most of the time spent constantly changing formations. Often, each change in formation required about 15 minutes of adjustment.

Every time Qi Jiguang changed his tactics, it was to prevent the Japanese musketeers from exerting their advantage and to highlight the superiority of the Ming cavalry and artillery. Kato Kiyomasa, on the other hand, did the exact opposite.

Although the fighting slowed down, casualties were still heavy. In less than an hour of combat, both sides had suffered four to five thousand dead or wounded combined. The Japanese suffered even greater casualties.

The first major battle between the two sides in Uiju was so bloody!
...

As the sun began to set, the shadows of the cranes on the mountains grew longer.

The battlefield was shrouded in smoke. The Ming army's artillery fire gradually decreased as the barrels overheated. The Japanese army's volleys of fire became sparse.

Qi Jiguang's army advanced deep into the Japanese lines in layers, but with difficulty. The Jurchen cavalry on both flanks were engaged in close combat and their momentum was exhausted.

However, to the Japanese army's utter dismay, although the Ming army's attack was at its last gasp and they managed to stabilize their formation, their casualties were too great.

The Japanese army had suffered 6,000 casualties, a full 10% loss. The Ming army, on the other hand, had only suffered 4,000 casualties.

What's even harder to accept is that the Ming army firmly controlled the initiative on the battlefield and suppressed them.

Lost.

Every Japanese general understood that they had lost the first major battle in Yizhou.

Not only did it fail to restore morale, it actually made it even lower. Only the victors have the chance to clean up the battlefield.

The Japanese generals were all ashen-faced and their eyes were grim. They hadn't expected the Ming army to suddenly become so strong! Qi Jiguang, indeed, was the mortal enemy of the Divine Kingdom's warriors!

"Retreat! Back to camp!" Kato Kiyomasa's eyelids twitched, and he was so frustrated he almost vomited blood, but at this moment he could only reluctantly retreat first.

As soon as the Japanese troops sounded the retreat signal, the entire army retreated slowly and orderly. Although they had been defeated, they had not collapsed, and their retreat remained disciplined and orderly.

Once the Japanese troops withdrew, Qi Jiguang also issued a military order to cease the attack.

We won. Now all that's left is for the Japanese army's morale to completely collapse.

At this moment, it is not advisable to continue fighting.

The soldiers on both sides ceased fighting and disengaged. Exhausted soldiers helped the wounded and silently retreated slowly back to their respective camps.

On the plains, tattered flags and broken spears lay scattered, and corpses littered the ground. A tremendous stench of blood and gunpowder permeated the entire area.

As the Japanese army retreated, many seriously wounded soldiers were killed by their comrades. Some even committed suicide. It seems that even they themselves didn't feel there was anything wrong with being killed and abandoned.

Before each strike of their swords, the samurai who had slain the wounded would bow and solemnly declare, "I will serve my country with my life! See you in the next!"

The critically wounded soldier, before dying, cried out, "I will serve my country with seven lives! See you in the next life! Please begin!"

This scene was nothing new to the Ming soldiers. They had long been accustomed to the Japanese army's ruthlessness and brutality.

Ning Qingchen, however, was displeased. Clenching her little fists, she shouted, "The Japanese pirates are worse than beasts! They killed the wounded and didn't even leave me any. What a waste! They're wasting our lab rats!"

In contrast, the seriously wounded soldiers of the Ming army, as long as they were not dead, would be carried back. They would receive the best possible treatment from the field medical battalion.

After the Japanese army retreated to their camp to lick their wounds, the Ming army began to clean up the battlefield and collect the spoils the Japanese had not taken, including matchlock muskets, armor, katanas, and cannons.

Having won this battle, the Ming army's morale soared even higher.

Generals Qi Jiguang and Zhu Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The battle had gone well, as expected. The battles to come would become increasingly easier.

Zhu Yin looked at the West Peak not far away and thought to himself, "Will Mao Wenlong's cannons be transported to the West Peak tonight?"

……

A setting sun, stained with blood, sank silently into the Heduo Mountain.

Night fell over the Yizhou Plain. The battlefield, bustling during the day, fell silent. The thick stench of blood and gunpowder lingered in the air.

Inside the Japanese army camp, Kato Kiyomasa's tent was brightly lit.

The generals successively reported the casualties.

The left-wing pikemen suffered the heaviest losses, their formation decimated. The right-wing pikemen, fighting against the cavalry, inflicted heavy casualties on both samurai and foot soldiers. The arquebusiers also suffered heavy losses due to the initial Ming artillery barrage and continued fighting.

One-tenth of our fighting strength has been lost!

The camp was filled with wails, and the monks acting as healers were busy moving between the camps, sweating profusely.

Kato ordered: "Each unit should replenish its supplies on the spot, and inventory the remaining bamboo bundles, shields, and ammunition. The arquebus units should prioritize replenishing gunpowder and lead pellets; reorganize the reserve forces. Strengthen nighttime vigilance and guard against Ming army attacks on the camp..."

"More importantly, to prevent morale from declining further, the spread of 'rumors' must be strictly prohibited."

Before Kato Kiyomasa could finish giving his orders, the camp suddenly trembled slightly, followed almost simultaneously by a thunderous roar.

"Rumble--"

The Japanese generals' expressions changed drastically. Artillery fire? Could Ming cannons really fire that far?
No, it's the cannons on the mountain behind the camp!

The enemy is at Heduo Mountain!
(End of this chapter)