Di Ming

Chapter 381 The Great Victory at Yizhou!

It turned out that the Ming army had long ago laid a feint to mislead the Japanese scouts. Only 10,000 men remained in the city as a smokescreen. The main force, however, left the city at night through the Linjiang Gate in the north and lay in ambush on Moshan Mountain, waiting for the Japanese army to come to them.

The Ming army arrived at the battlefield ahead of time and had already made preparations.

Not only did they build artillery emplacements on high ground, but they also cleared passages through the forest for cavalry attacks. Even more ruthless, Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang preemptively requisitioned river defense warships, temporarily forming a fleet of 3,000 men to attack the Japanese army from the rear, putting them in a pincer movement.

At this moment, not only did the Ming army ambush troops appear, but a makeshift fleet also appeared on the river. A hundred tiger-squatting cannons and breech-loading cannons were mounted on oars, their muzzles menacingly pointed at the Japanese army.

The battlefield, chosen by the Japanese themselves, was now extremely disadvantageous to them. The Ming army had effectively surrounded the Japanese, but deliberately left a gap on the south side.

The morning mist over the Yalu River carried the smell of rust. The cold glint of the armor of 80,000 Ming soldiers pierced the mist, their imposing presence like a vast expanse of dark clouds stretching across the mountains, creating a steel jungle in front of the 50,000 Japanese troops on the riverbank.

Kato Kiyomasa's white flag with the character "無" (meaning "nothingness") fluttered wildly in the river wind, like a funeral banner for the dead. The samurai's katana under the flag reflected the rising sun, creating a chilling atmosphere.

The two armies faced off, and the difference in their morale was immediately apparent.

Looking at the densely packed Ming troops covering the hillsides, and then at the fleet in the river, the Japanese soldiers' initial morale deflated instantly. A sense of fatalistic defeat rose in many of their hearts.

"Baka!" Kato Kiyomasa roared, brandishing his sword. "This is a trap! That bearded bastard knew exactly what we were planning!"

"Your Excellency!" Kobayakawa Takakage shouted, "Our army is attacked from both sides and is in an extremely unfavorable situation. Today, we have no choice but to fight the bearded barbarians to the death!"

He raised his hand and pointed to the Ming army's banner, saying, "The only chance of victory is to strike the Ming army's central camp with fearless courage, the iron will of a warrior, and the determination to die, without hesitation, to take the enemy general's head and capture the king!"

Kato Kiyomasa nodded, his face ashen. "That's right, this is our only chance of winning. And..."

He pointed with his fan to the increasing number of Ming cavalry on the gentle slopes on both sides, "The enemy cavalry is too much of a threat. In addition to taking the initiative to attack the Ming army's central force, we must also take the initiative to attack their cavalry and prevent them from having the opportunity to accelerate and dive!"

"Your Excellency Longjing, there is no point in deploying troops for battle now. Our gunpowder is running low and cannot be used up. The only option is to launch a desperate attack, with everyone fighting on horseback!"

"I urge Your Excellency Jinglong to personally lead the warriors to attack the cavalry on the left slope, force the Ming soldiers to dismount, and seize their warhorses! I will personally fight to the death against the Ming army commander!"

"Then let's meet again in the next life, and I will serve my country for seven lifetimes!"

"Let us meet again in the next life, and I will serve my country for seven lifetimes!"

The Japanese army employed two main tactics. One was to fight in formation, with various branches of the armed forces coordinating their attacks and defenses. The other was a chaotic, impulsive charge, where soldiers abandoned formations and defenses, relying instead on sheer individual courage and suicidal attacks.

Often, when faced with dire straits, the Japanese army would do this. It might seem like a chaotic attack, but after their formation broke down, they would automatically regroup and were not easily routed. Moreover, once the scattered soldiers regrouped, they would willingly obey the command of one of them, forming a new unit.

Therefore, the characteristic of the Japanese pirates was that they would often be defeated but not dispersed, dispersed but then regrouped, and rarely truly collapsed. They had become accustomed to this tactic after so many years of civil war in Japan.

Among the Ming army, Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang were the ones who understood the characteristics of the Japanese pirates best.

Even if Kato Kiyomasa and Kobayakawa Takakage were to adopt this tactic, it would be within the expectations of the Ming army commanders.

On the hillside, Zhu Yin sat upright in his chariot, his gaze indifferently fixed on the Japanese pirate army. In his hand lay a scroll of military treatise, the very book written by his adoptive father, Qi Jiguang, titled *Jixiao Xinshu* (New Book of Military Tactics), its characters bold and incisive, etched into the back of the paper.

"The skills of the Japanese pirates lie in three things: the ferocity of their guns, the ruthlessness of their swords, and their absolute determination to kill. Those who defeat them..."

The young strategist, clad in magnificent armor, slowly revealed a cold and sinister smile.

Today, this is the place where tens of thousands of Japanese pirates were annihilated!

The towering Qi Jiguang stood like a stone sculpture on the high platform of the Commander's Pavilion, his white beard fluttering in the wind, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over the Japanese pirate army on the riverbank.

The rattan shields of Qi Jiguang's army formed a wall, and the wolf-tooth rakes pointed diagonally like a forest. The Jurchen cavalry stood still, reins in their horses, their iron hooves pawing restlessly. The wagon camp surrounded them like a mountain wall. The fuses of the artillerymen, musketeers, and three-eyed musketeers were ready to be lit at any moment.

The scene before the decisive battle seemed to freeze the heavens and earth.

It was already 7:45 AM when suddenly a shrill conch shell sounded, signaling the desperate Japanese army to launch a last-ditch attack!
In the Japanese army's ranks, more than 10,000 arquebusiers huddled behind bamboo shields. The arquebus troops pressed forward to the frenzied rhythm of the taiko drums, with gaps opening in the shield carts, revealing the dark muzzles of their guns.

The thin smoke from the burning match hissed in the mist, and the dwindling gunpowder was being used up. "Bang bang bang—!"

The conch shell let out a mournful cry, and ten white banners bearing the words "Death is certain" written in blood were suddenly raised, appearing particularly eerie in the river mist.

"Kill the chicken, give it your all—seven lives for the country!"

A large contingent of Japanese samurai, wielding sharp katana, spearheaded the attack, launching a frenzied, uphill assault on the Ming troops on the hillside. The remaining five thousand cavalry also dismounted and began their own uphill assault.

The spear-wielding foot soldiers charged forward behind the samurai, while the arquebus-wielding foot soldiers charged after them, loading explosives as they went.

Forget formations, forget teamwork, it's all about one word: Charge!

The most ferocious attacks came from the Ming army's main banner, where Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang were stationed, as well as the Jurchen cavalry led by Nurhaci, Buzhai, and others.

The Japanese army, determined to fight to the death, believed that if they could eliminate either the Ming commander or the cavalry, they would still have a chance to turn the tide of the battle.

Nurhaci and Buzhai, along with other Jurchen generals, never imagined that they would become the target of the Japanese army's fiercest attacks.

The Japanese army's tactics surprised many Ming generals. Could they really fight so haphazardly? Even musketeers were charging into battle?

At the same time, the Ming army's general offensive also began.

The red flag in Qi Jiguang's hand finally fell with a sudden slap!

"Boom boom boom—" The earth trembled violently, as if a sea of ​​thunder had poured down. The breech-loading cannons and tiger-squatting cannons on the hillside and in the riverboats roared with flames, the Japanese soldiers' bamboo shields were torn apart like paper, and the Japanese pirates were snapped like straws.

The solid shot from the breech-loading cannons roared into the Japanese troops, each shot tearing a bloody path through the air, severing limbs and fragments of armor flying several feet into the air, and smoke mixed with blood mist engulfing the riverbank.

"Ah—" The Japanese soldiers killed by cannon fire and the Ming soldiers killed by lead bullets, there were thousands of them in a single encounter!

However, the Japanese army suffered far greater casualties than the Ming army.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" The Ming army's fierce arrow rain also poured down, and countless Japanese soldiers were shot to death.

"Boom!" The Jurchen cavalry on both sides of the hillside also swooped down, fiercely colliding with the Japanese samurai who were actively attacking from below.

"Seven lives for the country! The martial spirit will never perish!"

"Koulou Sai!"

More than 10,000 fierce warriors, wielding their katanas like madmen, rushed towards the Jurchen cavalry charging down like moths to a flame, fearless of death!

Their bodies and sharp swords met the Jurchen cavalry's horses head-on, as if they were going to die together, preventing the horses from accelerating.

Instantly, large numbers of Japanese samurai were trampled and crushed by the Ming army's warhorses. In a short time, more than a thousand people died under the horses' hooves. However, many Jurchen cavalrymen also fell off their horses.

Under the samurai's suicidal uphill attack, the Jurchen cavalry, who were charging downhill, were actually slowed down and blocked on the hillside by the dense Japanese troops.

At this moment, the Japanese samurai truly lived up to their reputation for bravery, appearing to the Japanese army as completely fearless in the face of death.

"Dismount! Fight on foot! Kill!" Nurhaci and the Jurchen generals, including Buzhai, had no choice but to order them to dismount and fight on foot.

As the Jurchen warriors dismounted and fought on foot, they once again engaged the Japanese samurai in close combat. For a time, both sides were risking their lives, neither willing to back down. The Japanese samurai were completely fearless, while the Jurchen warriors were tall and strong.

The samurai's katana was very sharp, and many Jurchen warriors were killed by its sharpness. However, the Jurchens preferred to use heavy weapons, which also caused heavy casualties among the Japanese samurai.

The Ming soldiers at the forefront engaged in close-quarters combat, fighting tooth and nail, the battles brutal and gruesome. As soon as someone fell, the gap was immediately filled. Behind them, the Ming soldiers unleashed volleys of arrows, relentlessly bombarding the tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers attacking uphill.

"Ah—" The screams of the Japanese soldiers filled the air, and they were killed or wounded in large numbers.

The Japanese drumbeats behind them grew increasingly urgent, and the arquebusiers, under the cover of samurai and spearmen, launched a "three-stage siege" at close range against the Ming troops on the hillside.

"Bang bang bang!"

Although many lead bullets hit the shields of the Ming army's artillery carts, sending splinters of wood flying, even more bullets struck the front ranks of the Ming army at close range. Those killed on the spot fell headfirst, while those who survived screamed in agony.

"Boom boom—" The Ming army's cannons, which had the advantage, fired off a barrage of shells, which crashed into the densely packed Japanese troops, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere and screams to fill the air.

The Ming army fired their muskets and rockets indiscriminately, reaping a heavy harvest of Japanese lives.

The Japanese army, in an extremely unfavorable situation, was firmly suppressed by the Ming army. Under the powerful blows of the Ming army, even if they fought desperately, it would be to no avail.

The space for tens of thousands of Japanese troops was increasingly compressed, and their ranks became more and more crowded. The more crowded they were, the more lethal the firearms and arrows of the Ming army became.

The warriors who attacked the Ming army's banner and attempted to capture the Ming commander were only a hundred paces away from Zhu Yin's chariot when they were pushed back by the wall-like Ming army. Not only could they not advance any further, but they were also forced to retreat step by step, suffering heavy casualties.

The attempt to capture the Ming army commander and turn the tide of the war completely failed.

Kato Kiyomasa's eyes turned bloodshot as he watched his men die in large numbers every day.

Qi Jiguang's army, with chariots and shield wagons leading the way, swept across the corpse-strewn hillsides on both flanks, squeezing out the Japanese troops in the middle.

Immediately, the most elite infantry force of the Ming army, the Qi Family Army, took over the battle positions from the Jurchen cavalry and fought alongside the Japanese army.

The Japanese troops fought entirely on their own, with no coordination whatsoever. However, Qi Jiguang's army still maintained small-scale teamwork. Rattan shields blocked the samurai's katana, wolf-tooth spears and iron branches coiled around the blades like venomous snakes, and long spears emerged from the gaps in the shields like poisonous dragons, piercing the bodies of samurai clad in red and black kimonos, blood spurting forth.

The warriors roared and chopped off the spear shafts, only to be struck in the throat by a second spear and fall to the ground.

The gunfire from the Japanese arquebusiers grew increasingly sparse. In such a crowded situation, it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to fire at the Ming soldiers, as their vision was blocked by their own men.

"Bang bang blast—" The three thousand Zhejiang soldiers in Qi Jiguang's army were able to fire their arquebusiers from their high position. The bullets pierced through the Japanese soldiers' bodies, making them fall like they were being hit by a giant hammer, like wheat being harvested.

The Japanese soldiers in the back row roared and charged forward, trampling over the corpses, only to be torn apart by artillery fire and arrows, their blood and flesh flying everywhere. The wails on the riverbank were deafening!
Within just over half an hour of the battle beginning, the Japanese army had suffered more than 10,000 casualties. Their desperate, proactive attack was essentially a gamble. The result was a failed attack; they lost the gamble.

It was clear that the Japanese army was about to be slaughtered in one-sided fashion. For every Ming soldier they killed, several more would die.

Kato Kiyomasa was no longer able to command, and could only shout, "Kill the bearded barbarian!" He then roared and personally led his retainers into battle.

But it's no use anymore.

The Japanese army, under attack from three sides by the superior Ming forces on both hillsides and the river fleet, was like prey being slowly strangled by a noose. The Ming army's firearms and arrows, fired from high ground, devoured the Japanese pirates every moment.

Although the Japanese army suffered heavy casualties, it still had 30,000 men capable of fighting, making them a large and vulnerable force that could not be easily swallowed.

If it were a different army, they might have already collapsed. But the Japanese army was indeed very resilient; even when they were in dire straits and their morale was severely damaged, they were still able to rally together.

They not only gathered together, but even spontaneously began to form formations in an orderly manner.

This scene sent chills down the spines of the Ming generals. The Japanese pirates were truly a formidable enemy, not to be underestimated; how could they be regarded as something from a small, insignificant country?

As the Japanese troops were compressed into a corner of the riverbank less than a mile away, the Jurchen cavalry, who had suffered heavy casualties, mounted their warhorses once again.

Qi Jiguang's five-colored command flags fluttered and tumbled, and the Ming army's distinctive bugle call sounded, signaling the start of movement for both Jurchen and Han cavalry.

Twenty thousand Ming cavalrymen split into two wings and swooped down along the riverbank highlands, suddenly turning south like two giant axes, fiercely cleaving towards the Japanese central army! The leopard-tail flags of the Jurchen generals flew over, and the sound of their iron hooves pounding the ground was like muffled thunder rolling across the river.

"Rumble--"

The Japanese troops had never seen such a massive cavalry charge before, and were momentarily stunned.

"Gun! Gun!" Kato roared, brandishing his katana, his eyes bloodshot.

The samurai, leading their long-spear foot soldiers, turned hastily, their spears gleaming coldly like a forest. The Jurchen cavalry, shouting in their harsh, barbarian language, swept down like an iron torrent, crashing into the Japanese ranks with a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth had collapsed. Terrified Japanese cries suddenly rang out.

"Sinai!"

"Nani?!"

The warhorses at the very front were pierced in the chest by spears and fell to the ground with mournful cries. The Japanese troops, who had just begun to form ranks, were scattered and broken by the cavalry charge and finally collapsed completely.

Countless samurai and foot soldiers perished instantly beneath the hooves of the Ming army. No matter how sharp the Japanese katana, how could it withstand the thunderous hooves of the Ming army?

For the first time in history, the arrogant and overconfident Japanese suffered a blow from a cavalry force of the Central Plains dynasty.

At the same time, Qi Jiguang's army also rolled in from both flanks like a millstone, and the Ming army fired firearms and arrows at the same time, which was simply a concentrated slaughter of the Japanese pirate army.

With a deafening roar, the remaining 30,000 Japanese pirates could no longer contain themselves and fled south, where there was no longer any resistance.

At this moment, the Japanese army completely lost its command.

Zhu Yin, inside the nest carriage, finally revealed a radiant smile, just like the spring sunshine before him.

"Our army... has defeated the stubborn enemy." Zhu Yin stroked the tiger tooth fossil in his hand. "It's time to pursue the fleeing enemy and reap the rewards of our victory."

"Congratulations, my lord, on your great victory over the Japanese pirates." Sun Chengzong, dressed in armor, laughed. "My lord's military strategy is brilliant; the Japanese pirates are no match for you. I humbly request permission to join the battle as well."

Zhu Yin looked on with admiration, "So Brother Zhisheng has such courage. Excellent!"

"Thank you, my lord!" Sun Chengzong mounted a horse, picked up a gun, and charged towards the fleeing Japanese soldiers.

At this point, the Japanese troops, whose fighting spirit had vanished, only wanted to escape back to their camp, but that was now a pipe dream.

Japanese generals such as Kato Kiyomasa and Kobayakawa Takakage could no longer control their subordinates and could only watch in a daze as the Japanese army fled south.

What exactly happened? Since the Divine Kingdom's army entered Korea, it has been victorious in every battle and invincible. Why has the Ming army become so powerful simply by changing its commander?

The front-line army has suffered repeated defeats in recent days, and today, the 50,000-strong army was completely routed after only one hour of fighting.

The Japanese generals and commanders felt somewhat disillusioned and that the situation was absurd.

So, the Ming Dynasty is still this strong. The Divine Kingdom greatly misjudged the strength of the Ming army.

The reason why some wandering samurai were able to dominate the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty back then was probably because the Ming Dynasty did not really take Japan seriously.

Taiko, oh Taiko, what a laughable dream your grand strategy of conquering Korea and entering Tang Dynasty was!
"My lord! Let's go..." A group of retainers surrounded Kato Kiyomasa and Kobayakawa Takakage, who fled south on horseback.

But the Japanese army was in complete defeat, so how could they possibly escape back to their camp?

Taking advantage of the situation, the Ming army's iron cavalry swept through the enemy lines, leaving behind a trail of Japanese pirate corpses and rivers of blood, staining the entire riverbank red.

Tens of thousands of Ming soldiers pursued and besieged the Japanese, with Ming cavalry relentlessly chasing down fleeing soldiers, leaving corpses strewn across the fields. The Japanese soldiers tried desperately to escape, but they could not escape the hooves of the Ming army.

Leading the pack was none other than Cao Wenzhao.

Cao Wenzhao led three thousand cavalrymen, riding a black-maned horse given to him by Zhu Yin, holding a long spear and galloping across the land as if it were empty.

He kept his eyes fixed on the wildly fluttering banner bearing the character "無" (meaning "nothingness"), relentlessly pursuing it. How could Kato Kiyomasa's retainers possibly stop him? Truly, those who blocked his way would die, and those who obstructed him would perish.

The samurai guarding Kato Kiyomasa were wiped out in a single charge by Cao Wenzhao's cavalry.

Just as Kato Kiyomasa had cut down a pursuing Ming soldier, Cao Wenzhao suddenly flicked his long spear, sending Kato Kiyomasa's samurai sword flying from his hand and causing him to fall off his horse.

Kato Kiyomasa staggered and fell to his knees, blood spurting from between his teeth as he said, "I will give my life for my country!"

As he spoke, he drew his wakizashi short sword from his waist.

With a lightning-fast flick of his long spear, Cao Wenzhao once again sent Kato Kiyomasa flying from his ribs. Then, he spurred his horse forward, lunged forward, and with a powerful grip on the back of Kato's neck, he shouted, "Hah!" Using the momentum of the horse, he easily pulled Kato Kiyomasa onto his horse's back, yelling:

"The Japanese chieftain has been captured!"

Kato Kiyomasa was pinned to the ground by the neck, unable to move, like a snake being squeezed at its vital spot; he was furious.

He didn't even have a chance to commit suicide! How despicable!

His white flag with the character "无" (meaning "nothing") crashed to the ground, stained with blood, like a piece of blood-soaked silk.

Not far away, Japanese deputy commander Kobayakawa Takakage was also captured by Nurhaci himself.

With the Ming army relentlessly pursuing them, the Japanese soldiers had nowhere to escape and were slaughtered one after another. They were chased and driven back like butter, cutting melons and vegetables in the process.

Many Japanese pirates had nowhere to escape and had no choice but to surrender in order to survive. Their samurai code, once their beliefs crumbled, was nothing more than this.

A full hour later, the Ming army finally ended the pursuit and tallied the results.

By noon, the results were finally tallied: over 7,400 prisoners were captured, and 40,732 were beheaded. At most, 2,000 Japanese pirates managed to escape.

More than 10,000 matchlock guns and more than 4,000 warhorses were captured.

Kato Kiyomasa and Kobayakawa Takakage were both captured alive.

As for the Ming army's losses, only over four thousand were killed in action and over three thousand were seriously wounded. The total loss was eight thousand. Of these, over three thousand were Jurchens, and over a thousand of Nurhaci's Jianzhou troops were lost, leaving less than five thousand capable fighters. The Yehe Jurchens of Buzhai also had less than five thousand capable fighters.

Since the beginning of the Korean War, there has never been such a great victory! The victory at Uiju was not only a victory, but also a rare battle of annihilation.

Such a large-scale annihilation battle is a rare occurrence in the more than two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang came to Yizhou to replace Hao Jie and Gao Huai. In just over half a month, they annihilated the Japanese vanguard, killed 70,000 Japanese soldiers, and captured three daimyo: Shimazu Yoshihiro, Kato Kiyomasa, and Kobayakawa Takakage.

The soldiers were all completely convinced!
Zhu Yin ordered the heads of the Japanese pirates to be cut off and piled up into a mound. The battlefield was not cleared until sunset in the afternoon.

Beneath the Commander's Pavilion, tens of thousands of heads were piled up on the riverbank, forming a gruesome mound of skulls, the blood staining the riverbank red for miles. The setting sun, like blood, slanted its light onto the rows of Japanese armor, making them look like shattered cherry blossoms.

Many Koreans came upon hearing the news to see the Japanese invaders' mound of heads, and many wept bitterly, bowing repeatedly before the Ming army's banner.

The Ming army also rescued more than 3,000 Korean women who had been subjected to humiliation from the Japanese army camp.

That very night, the victory report of the great victory at Yizhou was sent across the Yalu River and delivered to Beijing by fast horse!

P.S.: A report on the great victory at Yizhou is presented; please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)