Di Ming

Chapter 65 Backstab
The powerful bow, with its two stones drawn, fired a shot from ten zhang away, the arrow piercing straight into his brain. Matsuura Tadanobu and Da Takao let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, dead.

He died a quick and painless death.

From the moment Qi Jiguang and Lan Cha stepped out of the cabin to shoot arrows, to the moment the two island lords died, it was only a matter of a breath.

Li Dan reacted quickly; he rushed down from the platform the moment he saw the unexpected turn of events.

"Your Mightiness!"

"Island owner!"

The two men's personal guards shouted in unison, their voices filled with anxiety.

The leader is dead, and the group is leaderless!
Chaos erupted around the water platform. Hundreds of guards, like headless flies, were unable to organize a counterattack for a moment.

Just as Qi Jiguang and Lancha launched their attack, the two tiger-squatting cannons that had been prepared on the deck were uncovered, revealing their muzzles.

These two crouching tiger cannons were, of course, captured from Huafo on Yangshan Island. Qi Jiguang had already loaded the ammunition and was just waiting to ignite and fire them.

At this moment, the pirates were in chaos. After Qi Jiguang finished shooting arrows, he picked up a torch and lit the Tiger Crouching Cannon.

Only after the fuse had hissed and lit did he skillfully adjust the firing angle.

With just a glance, he could determine the best shooting position.

The Tiger Crouching Cannon, now ubiquitous throughout the world, was invented by him thirty years ago. Who in the world is more skilled at operating the Tiger Crouching Cannon than him?

That's right, Qi Jiguang was also a master of firearms.

"Boom!" The two tiger-squatting cannons fired preemptively before the Japanese pirates could retaliate.

Although the Tiger Crouching Cannon was a highly mobile light artillery piece, it was still a cannon, not a gun.

At such close range, the two tiger-squatting cannons were practically firing right at the enemy's heads, their fierce shells leaping and crisscrossing through the Japanese pirates, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Qi Jiguang bombarded the area where the Japanese pirates were most concentrated. There was a row of Japanese arquebusiers there, who were just about to light their matchlock guns when they were hit by cannon fire.

Amidst the deafening roar, at least twenty Japanese pirates were either killed or wounded.

The acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air, accompanied by the pitiful screams of the Japanese pirates.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!" At the same time, Lancha and the other two were also shooting arrows, and three more pirates on the shore fell instantly.

"Whoosh!" The twelve-year-old Galo also fired an arrow, which hit the pirate in the face seven or eight zhang away.

She was a woman, and very young, so she could only draw a light bow with a draw weight of five pecks. But her accuracy was perfect; even at such close range, a light bow with a draw weight of five pecks could still kill.

"Swoosh—" The matchlocks of several Japanese pirates' arquebuses were finally lit, but before they could fire, they were each hit in the face by arrows.

The four Jurchens, including Lancha, shot arrows that avoided their armor and aimed directly at their faces, demonstrating extreme cunning.

Several Japanese pirates who had finally managed to light their cannons immediately collapsed, clutching their faces. The cannons fell to the ground with a loud "boom," killing or wounding two pirates.

At this moment, the sand barge finally reached the foot of the platform, and Qi Jiguang rushed ashore with a mace in one hand and a knife in the other.

Lancha and the others also rushed ashore.

The remaining dozens of Japanese pirates were suddenly met with annihilation.

Qi Jiguang and Lancha, like gods of war, led Meh and Niman to slaughter the Japanese pirates as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

Facing the armored warriors among the Japanese pirates and other pirates, Qi Jiguang swung his mace once, breaking the bones and tendons of the heavily armored enemies.

With a knife in one hand and a mace in the other, he relentlessly pursued his prey, reaping lives like a sickle.

Japanese pirates and other piracy were utterly worthless.

"Pfft—Pfft—"

“Click—click—”

Several Japanese samurai attacked together, yelling and screaming, but they were no match for Qi Jiguang.
With a single strike of Qi Jiguang's iron mace, the Japanese sword emitted a mournful cry as if it were about to break.

No matter how they leaped and bounded like monkeys, wielding their katanas and making fancy moves, Qi Jiguang could accurately judge their strengths and weaknesses, blocking and parrying with every move, and killing them with every strike.

Several Japanese samurai could not stop him alone, and they were all killed by Qi Jiguang in a short while.

In Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei's view, their adoptive father killed more than ten enemies in no more than half a minute after rushing ashore.

It wasn't a one-second kill. It was a kill in three seconds.

Lancha was born with superhuman strength. He wielded a spiked club with unstoppable power and was invincible.

He had never practiced martial arts, yet he could overcome all techniques with sheer force, killing people as easily as swatting a mole.

His spiked club weighed twenty pounds and was eight feet long, but he swung it as if it were nothing, requiring no skill whatsoever. He killed almost every person with a single blow; a sweep of it meant certain death, and a mere touch meant certain death.

He killed just as many people as Qi Jiguang, and perhaps even one more.

Meh and Niman, wielding long swords, fought like tigers, leaving heads rolling in the air.

At this moment, the difference in combat strength between the Jurchen warriors and the Japanese samurai becomes apparent.

The Jurchens were significantly taller and stronger than the Japanese, and even more ferocious and savage; the Japanese pirates were no match for them.

Indeed, the most formidable peoples are the fishing and hunting tribes.

At this time, the Japanese pirates and other pirates were scattered and fighting independently, almost facing slaughter, and could only flee in disarray.

At most, only twenty people escaped.

Having escaped with his life, Li Dan saw that he could not resist and could only run towards the mountains of Qushan Island.

How could Qi Jiguang let him escape? He pointed to Li Dan's back, and Lan Cha chased after him.

This Jurchen, a wild woman with superhuman strength, could run faster than a galloping horse and traverse the mountains and forests as if walking on flat ground.

Li Dan hadn't even run a mile before he was about to be caught up by him.

"You're a barbarian!" Li Dan was both shocked and furious. Seeing that he could not escape, he had no choice but to fight back with his sword.

Lancha snatched the knife from him with a swift movement and lifted him up like an eagle grabbing a chick.

Li Dan was by no means a weak scholar, yet he was powerless to resist Lan Cha.

Lancha carried Li Dan back to the shore, where Meh and Niman were beheading Matsuura Tadanobu and Da Takao.

Looking at the two hideous heads, Li Dan felt a pang of fear and couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

Unexpectedly, when the allied forces went to attack Daishan Island, the three island lords, who were stationed in the rear, were raided by a mysterious figure.

What a fool playing chess, utterly neglecting his family!

Too careless.

Wearing a mask, Qi Jiguang slowly asked, "Your name is Li Dan? Where is your ship?"

Li Dan pointed to a large ship flying a sea eagle flag not far away, "There it is."

Qi Jiguang asked, "How many men did you send to attack Daishan Island?"

"Reporting to the general, there are two three-masted warships and five hundred armored soldiers."

"How long have you been there?"

"More than half an hour."

"How many people did each of you send in total?"

"Fourteen hundred armored soldiers."

Qi Jiguang asked many questions, and Li Dan answered them one by one.

Qi Jiguang nodded. "I'm giving you a chance to live. It's up to you whether you can seize it."

"You can guess what I'm going to tell you to do."

Li Dan took a deep breath, his expression extremely bitter.

"The general ordered me to return to the front lines, defect on the front lines, launch a surprise attack, and help Daishan Island annihilate the forces of Matsuura Tadanobu and Da Takao."

Qi Jiguang chuckled: "You're not stupid. This is your only way to survive. You can choose to do it or not."

Without hesitation, Li Dan gritted his teeth and said, "I choose!"

Zhu Yin smiled and said to Ning Caiwei, "It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut for my godfather. As long as Li Dan cooperates, we can wipe out the Japanese pirates in one fell swoop."

"Oh, do you know who this Li Dan is?"

Ning Caiwei shook her head. "I only know Li Dan from the Tang Dynasty, not Li Dan from the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yin said in a low voice, "This Li Dan later had a disciple who inherited his career. His disciple's name was... Zheng Yiguan!"

"Who is Zheng Yiguan?" Ning Caiwei frowned.

Zhu Yin was speechless. "You don't know? It's Zheng Zhilong."

Ning Caiwei thought carefully for a moment and whispered, "Who is Zheng Zhilong? The name sounds familiar. I've heard of him in my history textbook."

Zhu Yin was a little withdrawn, and almost bit her round earlobe as he said, "He is Zheng Chenggong's father."

Ning Caiwei stamped her foot, "So it's his father!"

……

The bright moon has risen high in the sky. The moon on the night of the Ghost Festival is still so round.

Under the moonlight, Daishan Island was already filled with the thunderous roar of cannons and the earth-shaking shouts.

The battle to capture the island has reached a fever pitch.

The allied forces' seven large warships, armed with dozens of cannons of various sizes, bombarded the coast. Hundreds of muskets and bows rained down bullets and arrows like locusts.

The allied warships continued to shift their sails and move. The Daishan forces, outnumbered, were constantly being moved around by the Japanese pirates; as the enemy ships changed their attack positions, they had to change their defensive positions accordingly. They were utterly exhausted.

Especially the several heavy cannons, which weigh thousands of kilograms each, required constant pulling, putting them in a very passive position.

However, the soldiers of Daishan were well-trained. Although their numbers were less than half that of the enemy, their defenses were very tight and their counterattacks were also very fierce.

The musketeers and gunners were significantly faster at loading and firing than the Allied forces.

The Allied forces fired three times, while the soldiers from Daishan were able to fire more than four times.

The archers of Daishan were clearly better at archery than the archers of the allied forces.

The Daishan soldiers' defensive coordination was also far superior to that of the Allied forces.

This meant that although the Allied forces had more than twice the manpower and firepower of the Daishan troops, they were unable to completely suppress them.

“Boom boom boom—”

"Bang bang bang—"

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

"Kill the Japanese!"

"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"

The entire sea and sky were filled with shouts of battle; every time a cannon fired, the warship trembled.

Near the coast, black smoke obscured the moonlight, making it difficult to open one's eyes.

After a fierce battle lasting more than half an hour, the allied forces had suffered over a hundred casualties, yet still could not land.

Dozens of soldiers from Daishan were also killed or wounded.

Even worse, they were constantly being moved around by enemy ships and led by the nose, which greatly depleted their physical strength.

The Allied forces were on warships, and their artillery was also on board, moving with the wind, which was much less strenuous.

"Uncle Zhang!" Seeing the soldiers exhausted, Ding Hongying gritted her teeth and said, "I think it would be best to abandon the defense and let the Japanese pirates land."

"Then we'll have a decisive battle on land!"

Zhang Cha's expression was extremely solemn. As he gestured with a flag to direct his men's movement, he shook his head and said:

“They have more than twice as many soldiers as we do. If we let them come ashore for a decisive battle, we will be at greater risk. If we lose, we will be doomed.”

"At that time, not only us, but also the people living in the waterways will be at the mercy of others!"

He admitted that Ding Hongying's method, though risky, was still a possibility. But he dared not take the risk!
Because the cost of failure is too high.

The safest strategy is to do everything in our power to prevent the Japanese pirates from landing, even if it means attrition, to make them retreat.

Too many Japanese pirates died, the cost was too high, so they wouldn't bother to desperately attack and capture Daishan Island. It wasn't worth it.

Seeing the critical situation and the passive position on their side, Ding Hongying was extremely anxious when she thought of her father who had been hit by a poisoned arrow.

But there was nothing she could do but peel off the padded armor of a fallen soldier, put it on, and then direct the rescue of the wounded.

Sigh, if only Dad were alright. If it were Dad, he wouldn't be defending the coast; he would have boarded the ship and fought a naval battle!
The expressions of Zhang Cha and other generals grew increasingly solemn. Tonight, the gates of hell will open, and many of their comrades will surely perish.

Even if we manage to hold Daishan in this battle, how many brothers will be left?
……

Just as the two sides were locked in fierce combat, a large ship flying the Sea Eagle flag came crashing through the waves from behind.

On the deck stood Li Dan, the master of Peach Blossom Island.

Several guards stood behind him, surrounding him like stars around the moon.

The moment the ship arrived, it immediately attracted the attention of the pirates from Peach Blossom Island.

The captains of the two Peach Blossom Island warships also knew that the island lord had arrived.

"It's the island lord!" a captain said. "Is the island lord here to oversee the battle because he's worried? If the shells are indiscriminate and injure the island lord, then we'll be in trouble."

He was about to signal the island owner to leave when suddenly the island owner's ship signaled first.

Have the two warships approach the flagship and go aboard to discuss matters.

The two warships immediately drew together, and after the bridge was erected, the two captains instructed their first mates to take command of the battle before boarding the flagship together.

"Island Master, this place is dangerous. Artillery shells don't discriminate. Please leave the battlefield..."

Li Dan glanced at the guards around him out of the corner of his eye, gave the two captains a cryptic smile, and said:

"Brothers, didn't you always refuse to cooperate with the Japanese pirates? Actually, I hate the Japanese pirates even more than you do. This is just a pretense."

"Otherwise, how could we gain the trust of the Japanese pirates?"

"The reason I didn't tell you before wasn't because I didn't trust you, but because I was afraid you might inadvertently leak it and arouse Matsuura Tadanobu's suspicion..."

“Island Lord, you…” The two subordinates seemed to understand.

Li Dan nodded. "That's right, you guessed it! My joining this damned coalition to attack Daishan Island was actually part of my plan!"

"This is a plan that Ding Huogen and I discussed beforehand. It's called 'coordination from within and without, turning the tables, luring the enemy into a trap, and hiding a dagger in a smile'!"

"Four strategies combined into one, a sure-kill move!"

Li Dan gritted his teeth, his expression righteous and awe-inspiring. "After all, I am a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. How could I really collude with the Japanese pirates? I am merely enduring humiliation and serving in Cao Cao's camp."

He gazed at the bright moon in the sky, "My heart is at peace, only the bright moon can soothe my soul!"

"Tonight is the time to reveal our true colors and launch a counterattack!"

The two boat owners looked at each other, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

Unexpectedly, the island owner was playing a grand strategy!
Such methods and such cunning are truly unfathomable.

"The island lord is wise!" a captain exclaimed. "Your subordinate is foolish and ignorant of the island lord's brilliant strategies. I am ashamed, truly ashamed!"

Another captain was also full of admiration, saying, "The island lord's brilliant plan to secure Zhoushan is as easy as turning clouds and rain. He can settle major events in a short time. He is truly a hero!"

Li Dan suddenly clapped his hands, and a "guard" stepped forward, carrying two bloody heads.

Upon closer inspection, the two captains realized that the heads were those of the two island lords, Matsuura Tadanobu and Tadashi Takao.

"I have already killed them." Li Dan stood tall and proud, his white robes fluttering gracefully. "Killing them was as easy as killing chickens for me."

"You will display their heads later, so that the Japanese pirates and the people of Qushan Island will know that the two traitors are dead!"

He nodded confidently, "We can make our move now! While the three Japanese pirate warships are distracted, turn their cannons around and bombard them suddenly!"

"The real enemy... is the Japanese pirates!"

"Yes, sir!" The two captains immediately obeyed and returned to their ship with the severed head.

After saying this, Li Dan suddenly felt a little strange.

Why was it so quick?
It's as if I myself want to give this order?
"Your Excellency, I have done as you instructed. What do you think?"

Qi Jiguang, who was behind him, nodded. "Very good, you're quite sensible. If you wipe out the Japanese pirates, I can spare your life."

Before long, all the cannons on the two Peach Blossom Island warships were pointed at the Japanese pirates in the middle.

"Nani?!"

The captains of the three Japanese pirate ships could not believe what they were seeing.

But it was too late for them to react.

The warships had no time to turn around, nor to adjust their cannons.

"Boom! Rumble!"

Two Peach Blossom Island warships launched a close-range attack on the Japanese ships that had been fighting side by side, a solid backstab and sneak attack.

The distance was only a dozen or so feet.

"idiot!"

"Sina!"

Amidst the shouts and screams of the Japanese pirates, blood and flesh flew everywhere on the decks of the two Japanese ships. Not only were there heavy casualties, but more importantly, the gunpowder canisters also exploded.

The two large ships caught fire, and their huge white sails began to burn.

"Boom!"

The shells came again, and two large holes appeared near the waterline of the two three-masted Japanese ships.

Seawater poured in frantically.

At the same time, the muskets and arrows of Peach Blossom Island were also fired, reaping the lives of the Japanese pirates one by one.

In the blink of an eye, the two Japanese pirate warships suffered a devastating blow!

"Matsuura Tadanobu is dead! This is his dog's head!" a group of people shouted in unison.

But then they saw a bloody head being lifted up on the boat from Peach Blossom Island.

The chonmage hairstyle is clearly visible.

Lord Matsuura has dedicated seven lives to the country!
When the Japanese pirates saw Matsuura Tadanobu's head, they felt a chill run down their spines!

Finished!

P.S.: Some things came up today, so the update is late. I can only combine two chapters into one long chapter. Good night!
　I recommend a friend's book, *Shenzhou 1855*. It's quite well-written, a rare find among late Qing dynasty novels. Those interested can check it out.
　　

(End of this chapter)