The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Outside the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Gaochi led his army eastward out of the port and began sailing towards the location of Japan.

On the sea, hundreds of large ships are covered with flags, seemingly stretching as far as the eye can see.

Following the hundreds of large ships, dozens more followed at a distance, also with their flags waving.

Ahead was the main army, and behind them was a small fleet of warships carrying supplies.

In the center of the army, the Ming and Han banners fluttered in the wind, and Zhu Gaochi was inside this huge warship.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu stood on the deck, looking at the vast sea in front of him and the Japanese island that looked like a small dot in the distance.

"Your Highness, the best place to land is Kii."

Kyoto, the capital of Japan, is located here. The map indicates that we will land at Niejin. Once we capture Niejin, we can directly attack Kyoto, the capital of Japan.

To reach Niejin, one must enter this strait.

There is an even smaller island in the middle, called Awaji Island, which lies across the middle.

If we go directly there, we will be surrounded and attacked by Japanese pirates from both sides and Awaji Island, which will be extremely disadvantageous for us.

Beside Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Huan held the map and news that Luo Li had brought back from Japan, discussing the advantages and disadvantages and analyzing the best landing point.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the map and nodded slowly.

"Indeed, Kii is a very good choice. After a successful landing, we can extend northward, take Izumi and Kawachi, and then reach Kyoto, the capital of Japan."

They could also slowly advance towards Yamato and Iga, preventing the Japanese pirates from the west from attacking them. This strait was perfect for defense.

However, Kyoto of Japan can be disregarded for the time being. The most important thing this time is to land and capture Kii.

According to Raleigh's information, Kii was appointed as the so-called guardian by the Hatakeyama clan, one of the three Kanrei families of the so-called Japanese shogunate.

A few months ago, Kitabatake Mitsumasa of the Hatakeyama clan launched a rebellion, which displeased Ashikaga Yoshimochi. Now, all we have to face is the Hatakeyama clan's army.

Besides Kii, the governor of Kawachi was also from the Hatakeyama clan, and Etchu and Noto were far from here.

However, it is still uncertain whether the Hatakeyama clan only controls these two areas or whether they control other places, and Raleigh has not been able to find out.

But one thing is clear: the troop strength here is around 10,000.

This is what Raleigh found out after losing two men.

At this point, Zhu Gaoxu looked at the generals around him, including Wei Da, Sheng Jian, and Jin Rong.

"The Hatakeyama clan had about 10,000 men in Kii and Kawachi. That was their military strength. They could probably mobilize another 20,000 to 30,000 men."

However, very few of these people wore iron armor; even those who did wear armor mostly wore leather armor, and the vast majority did not wear any armor at all.

However, Kii has little arable land, high mountains and dense forests, and only a small part of the western area is suitable for habitation.

With so many of us, and with more people to be relocated, we must take over Izumi to ensure our basic survival.

We now have 13,000 troops at our disposal. After the naval battle, Kii will launch an attack from here and here as landing points.

Qian Xun, Chen Da, Zhou Ping, and Sheng Jian, the four of you are responsible for leading the troops to launch an attack from here. After successfully landing, launch a direct attack on the surrounding cities without stopping.

The westward route is easier; we should move towards Izumi.

"Wei Da and Jin Rong, you two will lead the troops to launch a landing at Wakayama."

The landing here is relatively gentle. I will give you five thousand troops. Within half a month, you will capture Izumi, thus connecting the areas conquered by Kii into one contiguous region!

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the group with a solemn expression. This was their first battle invading Japan, and Zhu Gaoxu maintained absolute seriousness and restraint.

Zhu Gaochi never even considered the idea of ​​directly attacking Kyoto, the capital of Japan.

His current goal is to establish a foothold here first, to ensure that at least some of the people he has brought can be settled down.

These two areas, where the terrain is relatively flat, are very limited and not many.

It will be difficult to resettle everyone, let alone the population that will need to be relocated later.

What Zhu Gaochi really valued was the Osaka Plain, which stretched out across Wakayama.

The reason for choosing this plain instead of the Nobi Plain or the Kanto Plain is that this is currently the best-developed plain in Japan.

After he arrives, although he will also be involved in development, it will be much easier for him than for the other two.

Only by taking control of this plain could he be able to receive the population that migrated there later.

This was just a preliminary outpost. Besides securing a settlement, it also allowed the army to get used to how to fight the Japanese pirates, making it easier for them to launch another attack later.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, and they each looked at the point where they needed to launch an attack.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Seeing the seriousness and solemnity with which Zhu Gaoxu arranged things, no one underestimated the Japanese pirates in the slightest.

Everyone knew very well that this trip was tantamount to them following Zhu Gaochi to establish a state abroad.

In a war to establish a nation, no one wants to falter.

Although their current status and position have no connection with the Ming Dynasty, they will need to rely on their current military achievements to establish themselves here in the future.

Even after making these arrangements, Zhu Gaoxu was still uneasy.

"I don't want to see anyone showing sentimentality during this military deployment."

Anyone who resists, kill them on sight!

Zhu Gaoxu's deliberate reminder sent a chill down everyone's spine.

This sounds normal; that's how it's done on the battlefield. No one shows mercy; anyone who dares to resist is the enemy and must be killed.

But since Zhu Gaoxu had brought it up, everyone gradually began to have their own ideas, and murderous intent began to emanate from them.

They all fought their way up on the battlefield; who doesn't have a bit of a killer instinct?

"Your Highness, just watch! Your men will show those Japanese pirates what happens if they don't submit!"

Everyone expressed their methods and determination.

It might be difficult to get them to do other things, but this is a perfect match for their expertise.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, said nothing more, and then looked at the other person.

"Li Zhong, you are in charge of transporting grain and supplies, and ensuring the safety of the grain supply route!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

With everything arranged, Zhu Gaoxu immediately began planning the next naval battle.

After all, there is a prerequisite for landing: defeating the Japanese pirates' navy.

But Zhu Gaoxu had no worries about the water aspect.

During the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to the Chuzan Kingdom of the Ryukyu Kingdom to deliver large ship technology, and Japan also obtained large ship technology from the Chuzan Kingdom.

However, the Japanese ships were far inferior to those of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, even among large ships, there are huge differences in size, performance, and other aspects.

As Zhu Gaochi continued to arrange for densely packed warships to approach Japan, news spread to Japan like an earthquake.

The first to receive the news was Shimazu of Hyuga.

Although the Shimazu clan guarded several areas, their strength was simply no match for families like the Three Kanrei or the Four Shinobi.

Upon hearing that the Ming army's warships were overwhelming and boundless, the Shimazu clan was filled with panic.

At this moment, everyone hates one person: Ashikaga Yoshimochi, the current shogun.

In their view, if Ashikaga Yoshimochi hadn't kidnapped the people of the Ming Dynasty, refused the Ming Dynasty's bestowal of titles, and severed ties with the Ming Dynasty, why would the Ming Emperor have sent a large army to attack them?

To the Japanese pirates, the Ming army that had been dispatched was like heavenly soldiers, inspiring no thought of resistance whatsoever.

In the end, he could only curse inwardly while sending a letter of appeal to Ashikaga Yoshimochi and the so-called emperor.

However, as the Ming army approached, they showed no sign of stopping and continued eastward, causing everyone in the Shimazu clan to breathe a sigh of relief.

Those who were so frightened that their genitals became wet cried tears of joy.

The Shimazu clan was originally just a minor local strongman who rose to power after defeating the Ito clan. They had no courage to fight the Ming army.

However, the Shimazu clan's fear did not disappear. As Zhu Gaoxu's fleet continued eastward, the guards of Tosa, Awa, and other places, as well as the Hosokawa clan, who were also one of the three Kanrei, were all shocked and numb for a time.

Fear was evident on the faces of some people.