Di Ming

Chapter 387 The Kappa was swept away by the flood!

Zhu Yin certainly knew about this Zangba Khan.

The Tsangpa Khanate was the last secular monarchy in Tibetan history. After the fall of the Tsangpa Khanate, Tibet became a theocratic world with a supreme Living Buddha.

The current Tsangpa Khan, named Tudo Namgyal, is the second Tsangpa Khan. He has been in power for over a decade and is currently ambitious and dedicated to governing. He is a capable man and certainly not incompetent.

At this point in history, Tudonanjie was actually stronger than Nurhaci.

Around the 20th year of the Wanli reign, the Wild Boar Skin region had not yet fully unified the Jianzhou capital, and its population was less than 100,000.

However, during the same period, Tudo Namgyal had already occupied half of Tibet, and his population was several times that of Nurhaci. His army consisted entirely of cavalry, because Tibet was famous for its fine horses.

Historically, when Nurhaci established the Later Jin dynasty, Tudo Namgyal's son had also occupied most of Tibet, and was only one step away from unifying the entire plateau.

Unfortunately, the Tsangpa Khanate failed to resolve the sectarian conflict, and the brief unity was once again broken by the combined opposition of the Gelugpa sect and the Mongols.

If history had a few more chances, Tibet would have become a unified secular kingdom. Once Tibet regained its unified secular regime, it would certainly not have been content to remain on the plateau, and its eastward expansion into Sichuan and Shaanxi would have been almost certain.

Now? With the help of a traitor, Zangba Khan has unified the plateau more than 20 years ahead of schedule and resolved the sectarian conflict, becoming a second Nurhaci.

Traitors pose a greater threat to the Han people than foreign tribes.

Zhu Yin thought for a moment and immediately wrote an encrypted letter, instructing Huya to immediately improve its intelligence organization on the plateau, to spy on the Great Tubo Kingdom, and to report back in a timely manner.

He also ordered Huya to eliminate the notorious traitor Gu Bingqian and his son if the opportunity arose. However, the condition was that there could be no possibility of exposure.

With the Jurchens severely weakened, the greatest danger has shifted from the northeast to the southwest and northwest.

There were the Great Tubo Kingdom, Ximing, the Yang family of Bozhou, the Hui tribe, and powerful chieftains such as She Chongming and An Bangyan who intended to rebel against the Ming Dynasty.

A whole bunch of traitors!

There is an even more formidable rival: the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma!

……

Just after Konishi Yukinaga surrendered, a fierce battle broke out again in Anzhou, where Qin Liangyu and others were stationed.

The last major force of the Japanese army in Goryeo, consisting of more than 80,000 Japanese troops led by Ukita Hideie and Kuroda Nagamasa, and more than 20,000 Goryeo puppet troops, totaling about 110,000 troops, launched a series of fierce attacks on Anju City, which had only about 10,000 Ming troops.

Anju Castle suddenly became the only place of fierce fighting in the entire Goryeo Kingdom at this time.

Ukita Hideie and Kuroda Nagamasa had received news of Konishi Yukinaga's victory, saying that he had captured Anju. So the two came to Anju to meet up, planning to pass through Anju and head north to Yiju together.

With Anzhou now captured, there was no need for their army to attack Shuozhou and Guicheng. After all, siege warfare was not their forte, the losses would be considerable, and it would be difficult to capture them within a few days.

However, when they led their troops hundreds of miles to Anzhou, they found that the city walls were actually flying Ming army flags!
Only then did they realize that after Konishi Yukinaga led his army north, he left only a few thousand men to guard Anju, but they were captured by the Ming army that attacked from the mountains, cutting off Konishi Yukinaga's retreat.

Ukita Hideie, Kuroda Nagamasa, Tachibana Muneshige, and others were not stupid. They knew that this was a trap set by the Ming army and that Konishi Yukinaga had already fallen for it.

However, by this time, Konishi Yukinaga had already been heading north for several days, and it was simply too late.

Ukita Hideie and his men were left with only two options: either launch a fierce attack on Anju, capture Anju, and then march the entire army north to support Konishi Yukinaga.

The second option is to abandon the attack on Anzhou and go to Shuozhou and Guicheng again, but that would take several days to travel, which would be a lot of running back and forth and would be very detrimental to morale. Moreover, the journey would be longer, and there would be no time to rescue Xiaoxi.

After discussing it, the group decided to attack Anzhou immediately and try to capture it within two days.

However, the two armies joined forces, with more than 100,000 Japanese and Korean puppet troops launching a fierce attack for three days and two nights. The Korean army suffered heavy casualties, and the Japanese army also suffered six or seven thousand casualties, but they still could not capture Anju!
The Ming army was very good at defending and had strong fighting capabilities. The estimated casualties were less than 5,000. There were at least 8,000 or 9,000 soldiers in the city, and their cannons were very powerful.

It seems that it will take the Divine Kingdom's army at least several more days to capture Anzhou, and they will suffer at least 20,000 casualties.

Is it worth it?

Just when the Japanese generals were in a dilemma and had no way out, they finally received the devastating news that the entire vanguard had been wiped out.

The vanguard is finished! Kato Kiyomasa, Kobayakawa Takakage, and others have been captured.

The Ming army beheaded tens of thousands of brave warriors of the Divine Kingdom and piled their heads into a mound of skulls on the banks of the Yalu River!
Along with the annihilation of the vanguard army, news arrived that the Emperor and Nene had been taken into custody by the Ming army, and that Japan was divided. These terrible tragedies struck Ukita Hideie and his companions as if a nightmare had descended upon them.

Is this true? This is terrifying. How can we possibly fight this war? It's not just about losing battles anymore; it's a massive crisis for all of Japan!

They all knew very well that although there was still no news of Konishi Yukinaga, his fate was certainly grim. Since this was a grand trap set by the Ming army, how could they possibly let Konishi Yukinaga escape unscathed?
If Konishi Yukinaga also perishes, then the Divine Kingdom's army in Goryeo will only consist of 80,000 men in Anju, plus more than 10,000 men from Fukushima Masanori stationed in Seoul.

The total number is less than 100,000. As for those Goryeo slave soldiers who sold themselves into servitude, once they see the Divine Kingdom's army showing signs of defeat, they'll be lucky if they don't turn against them; how can you expect them to obey?

Why did the Ming army, which was originally unstoppable and invincible, fall into a disadvantageous position in less than a month simply by changing its commander?

The tide of battle turned so quickly; the offensive and defensive positions had shifted in such a short time. They found it hard to accept, as if they were dreaming.

As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army in Korea, Ukita Hideie sensed for the first time the terrible consequences of defeat in the war.

This is absolutely a disaster for the Divine Kingdom and the Taiko!

Upon receiving intelligence from Yoshinobu, Ukita Hideie immediately ordered a halt to the attack on Anju Castle and convened a military council to discuss countermeasures.

Inside the military tent, Ukita Hideie sat on a military stool, his expression extremely solemn, and said:

"Gentlemen, you've all heard the news. What do you all think we should do?"

He was a young man in his early twenties who became commander-in-chief only because he was Hideyoshi's adopted son.

"Your Excellency," General Kuroda Nagamasa, commander-in-chief of the Third Army, spoke first, "the vanguard is finished, and Konishi Yukinaga is most likely doomed as well. Is it really necessary for us to head north to provide reinforcements?"

"I believe we should immediately abandon the attack on Anju, send the entire army south, and rely on key locations such as Pyongyang and Kaesong to defend the Taedong River line to the death. As long as we occupy most of Goryeo, the Divine Kingdom will not have lost out."

"There is no hope of marching north to conquer the Ming Dynasty. Preserving our strength is the most important thing to do, and we should withdraw when necessary."

Just a few days ago, Kuroda Nagamasa still held the belief that he could cross the Yalu River and conquer the Ming Dynasty. But now, his attitude has changed so drastically that even he himself finds it hard to believe.

"I object!" Tachibana Muneshige said. "Konishi Yukinaga has more than 40,000 men. Are we really not going to help? Our allies are in trouble, yet we remain unmoved? Wasn't our army's attack on Anju for several days a complete waste?"

"Morale is currently severely damaged. If we abandon the attack on Anju and retreat south to Pyongyang, what will become of our army's morale? If the Ming army then defeats Konishi Yukinaga and marches south with the momentum of their great victory, can we really hold Pyongyang?"

"Furthermore, our army is currently in dire need of warships. Without the support of warships, how can we have a defense line along the Daedong River? We won't even have a defense line along the Han River! If our army retreats, not only will we be unable to hold Pyongyang, but we will also have difficulty holding Seoul. It may result in a complete rout!"

"Now that communication with the country has been cut off, the army is in a state of panic. Every day of delay will cause morale to decline further. The best course of action is to fight a decisive battle with the Ming army in Anzhou!"

Tachibana Muneshige's force numbered only three thousand, seemingly small. However, he commanded the formidable "Tachibana Hundred Riders," the most elite heavy cavalry in the Japanese army. Although the "Tachibana Hundred Riders" comprised only three hundred men, they were truly heavily armored cavalry, riding tall horses and clad in Nanban-do-ku (European plate armor), their horses wearing chainmail and leather double armor. Unlike the semi-heavy cavalry of the Ming army, the "Tachibana Hundred Riders" were fully armored. Each rider required three servants.

Therefore, Tachibana Muneshige's words carry great weight.

Hosokawa Tadaoki also praised Shigeo Katsuhiro's words, saying:

"A retreat to the south may seem safe, but it's actually not feasible. If we retreat hundreds of miles, even the cowardly and incompetent Goryeo people will think we've failed. Can we still control the situation in most of Goryeo? This retreat would be an earthquake. Morale would completely collapse."

"Lord Nagamasa believes that relying on river defenses for defense is a difficult task."

"At sea, the naval forces of Kuki Yoshitaka and Todo Takatora have suffered heavy losses and are currently suppressed by the Ming and Goryeo navies. They can only defend themselves and have no power to assist in the defense of the river."

"In my opinion, the navy is inadequate, and we cannot hold the line."

General Nabeshima Naoshige of the Ninja Army agreed with Tachibana Muneshige's opinion, "To capture Anju, it's too late to head north to rescue Konishi. But morale is already too low, and we can't retreat south. I think we should neither continue attacking Anju nor retreat south, but remain under the walls of Anju and await the arrival of the Ming army, and then..."

Nabeshima Naoshige said this, and then forcefully chopped his folding fan.

Ukita Hideie understood. "You mean, we should fight the Ming army marching south right here at the foot of Anju Castle?"

Nabeshima Naoshige nodded emphatically, "Excellent! Your Excellency, this is the best solution. We have occupied the best terrain outside Anzhou City, and our camp is very well built, which has blocked the Ming army's southward advance."

"The Ming army used Anzhou to block our northward route. We can also use Anzhou to block their southward route. They block us on the first day, we block them on the fifteenth. If the Ming army wants to advance south, they must fight us to the death!"

Kuroda Nagamasa frowned and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense; a decisive battle seems to be the best solution. But what if we lose the decisive battle? I mean, what if?"

"After the Ming army changed its commander, do you still think it's the same Ming army as before? We only have so much left. If we suffer another major defeat, we won't even have the chance to retreat south to protect ourselves. We will die without a burial place."

Tachibana Muneshige sighed, his expression bitter, and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. War is a gamble, and a decisive battle is an all-or-nothing gamble. Our army still has a lot of chips left, and we can still take a big gamble. If we win, we can turn the tide completely. Even if we can't conquer Liaodong, we can at least swallow Goryeo."

"Losing the gamble... wouldn't be much worse than retreating south. What I mean is, while we still have the chance to gamble big, let's take another big gamble. We still have over 80,000 troops in Anju, strong and well-equipped, with countless warriors. The odds of winning are actually quite high!"

Kuroda Nagamasa also sighed deeply, "Gentlemen, although retreating south is humiliating and the samurai and foot soldiers may find it hard to understand, at least we can continue to keep the news of the defeat at Yizhou and the capture of the Emperor a secret. If we stay in Anzhou for the final battle, will we still be able to keep this news a secret once the Ming army arrives?"

Tachibana Muneshige shook his head. "Can you really hide all this bad news about the southward retreat? You can't hide it. You can't hide the truth forever. Once the hidden information is exposed, the blow to morale will only be greater. Right now, how can you convince more than 80,000 brave warriors that nothing major happened during the hundreds of miles southward retreat? They will make all sorts of guesses, and they might guess even more outrageous ones."

Other Japanese generals also spoke out, with most supporting Tachibana Muneshige's decisive battle at Anzhou.

They have always been arrogant and conceited, having won numerous battles since entering Goryeo, and regarded the Goryeo and Ming armies as mere dogs and sheep. The plan to retreat hundreds of miles south was, in their view, an unacceptable act of cowardice and defeat, which was contrary to the code of the warrior.

The decisive battle at Anju is a high-stakes gamble, but it's also exhilarating, and the odds of winning are quite good. Why not take the plunge?
However, there are also many people who support Kuroda Nagamasa's retreat to the south.

Because Kuroda Nagamasa had the largest and most influential military force, although he did not have many supporters, the two factions were evenly matched.

Hideie Ukita was truly finding it difficult to make a decision.

But right here, the ninja delivered another startling piece of intelligence. This time it was in the south!

Just three days ago, a combined Ming and Goryeo army raided Pyongyang, numbering at least 20,000. The city's garrison was too small, and with an inside agent within the city, it fell within half a day.

The spies within Pyongyang were well-prepared and numerous, making it difficult for the defending troops to defend against them.

All the grain and supplies left by the army in Pyongyang fell into the hands of the enemy coalition forces.

"What?!" Ukita Hideie exclaimed. "It's the enemy forces from Shuozhou? They dared to take the initiative to move south while we were in Anzhou, and together they captured Pyongyang?!"

Ukita Hideie and the others' eyelids twitched, and their faces turned ashen.

We were careless, so careless! Why did we forget the ancient proverb, "Pride comes before a fall"?

idiot!

"Your Excellency, this is a whole conspiracy, a series of traps!" Kuroda Nagamasa's voice trembled, his lips quivering. "The Ming army commander has been calculating every step of the way... no, it should be four steps! Seoul is in danger too! What a vicious scheme!"

"I'm sure Konishi is finished. Knowing his personality, he's probably surrendered. And we even considered going north to rescue him!"

He closed his eyes in anguish, gripping the hilt of his knife tightly. "Why were we so careless? Why? It was our previous victories that blinded us!"

Tachibana Muneshige glared and clenched his fist, angrily slamming it against the platform. "Baka! It was arrogance and stupidity that ruined our victory! The kappa was swept away by the flood!"

"How did Lord Yun Chang fail? He was a powerful figure in China, but he was defeated and killed by villains because of his complacency and arrogance! Why don't we learn from Lord Yun Chang's lesson!"

"Pyongyang has fallen, the granaries have fallen into enemy hands, and the rations our army carries can only last for a month at most! How can we fight this battle?! Baka!"

Ukita Hideie clutched his chest, “Gentlemen, Pyongyang has been captured by the enemy, and our army will hardly have any more supplies. There’s no point in retreating south now. The only option now is to engage the enemy in a decisive battle as soon as possible, even if it means mutual destruction!”

"Your Excellency!" Kuroda Nagamasa almost roared, "Why not retreat south immediately and retake Pyongyang? It's just a siege!"

"Your Excellency!" Tachibana Muneshige was practically roaring at Kuroda Nagamasa, "Taking back Pyongyang is not so easy! The enemy has more than 20,000 troops, and they must have been prepared. How long will it take us to take it? Unlike the enemy, we don't have insiders or outsiders working together!"

"Even if we can retake Pyongyang quickly, can't the enemy just burn our supplies? What's the use of retaking Pyongyang if we don't have supplies?"

"The worst-case scenario is that we've been besieging the city for a long time without success, our warriors are exhausted, and Zhu Yin leads his army south. How do we deal with that?"

Kuroda Nagamasa opened his mouth, but was speechless.

“Then let’s fight to the death in Anju,” Ukita Hideie said through gritted teeth. “This is the last resort. Pyongyang is several days’ journey away, and it’s too late to take it back.”

"Then, let us all work together to prepare!"

Ukita Hideie gripped the katana at his waist. "The fearless warriors of the divine kingdom must never admit defeat lightly! It's nothing more than mutual destruction; the outcome is still uncertain!"

Tachibana Muneshige shouted, "The day is the day to serve the country with our lives!"

The crowd shouted in unison, "Today is the day to serve our country with our lives!"

……

In Anzhou City, Qin Liangyu, clad in red armor and her face covered in dust, stood atop the city wall, watching the Japanese pirate army cease their attack and retreat to their camp like a tide. Her delicate eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing a relieved smile.

Yang Kedong, who was putting on his helmet and armor, asked in confusion, "General Qin, it's only past noon, why aren't the Japanese pirates attacking the city? That's strange, could it be a trap?"

"It's all thanks to the Grand Coordinator's brilliant strategy," Qin Liangyu said confidently. "The Japanese pirates must have received bad news; they're preparing for a decisive battle with the Grand Coordinator!"

P.S.: I'm so tired today, I don't even want to eat, I feel awful. Please vote for me and leave a review. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)