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

In Naniwa Bay (Osaka Bay) of Japan, the Ming Dynasty fleet, with its flags fluttering, was scattered across the sea in an offensive formation.

On the land beside Naniwa Bay, ten thousand Ming soldiers stood in an attack formation, with banners flying everywhere and cannons gleaming coldly. Musketeers and crossbowmen were positioned on both sides of the central army, with the main force guarding the flanks, and another five hundred cavalrymen scattered between the flanks and the central army.

Zhu Gaochi was dressed in armor and wearing a helmet, followed by his personal guards and a hundred cavalrymen.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the densely packed Japanese army, which had no formation whatsoever, from afar, and sneered.

He had never seen so many, so densely packed, and so neatly arranged targets since he went to the battlefield.

In particular, all you could see were people dressed in rags, carrying farm tools and wooden sticks, heading to the battlefield.

Zhu Gaoxu knew that the Japanese army also had a well-trained force, but it was obvious that Ashikaga Yoshimochi had placed them in the innermost core area, while the outside was full of cannon fodder.

After a short while, Zhu Gaoxu slowly spoke.

"Order the artillery to fire explosive shells in rapid succession!"

"Order all troops to launch an attack after three artillery shots!"

"yes!"

The messenger immediately went down, while on the high platform in the center, the flag bearer waved the flag in his hand, and the flag bearers of each army began to follow.

The messengers from each army immediately relayed the orders to their respective commanders.

Behind them, the Ming soldiers at the artillery positions began loading shells.

As for the cannons, they had already been aimed. The densely packed Japanese soldiers didn't even need to be aimed precisely; as long as they were pointed in that direction, they could kill people.

However, at this moment, the Japanese army launched the first attack.

Looking around, a dense crowd began to charge towards the Ming army, howling incessantly.

At the crossbow positions ahead, the leading Ming soldiers, seeing the Japanese troops approaching, immediately gave orders.

"Archers! Ready!"

Bows were drawn and arrows were nocked; crossbows were strung and everyone was ready.

As the cannons roared first, the crossbow positions immediately ceased their hesitation.

"Release the arrows!"

The charging, no, the running Japanese soldiers were first hit by exploding bullets, and large numbers of them fell. Then, a hail of arrows fell, and the Japanese soldiers, who had no protective gear, fell again in droves.

Before the cannonballs could even land for the second volley, a second volley of arrows had already appeared above the Japanese soldiers' heads.

The sky above the Japanese army was filled with a dense barrage of arrows, turning it into a dark, oppressive black as they waited in despair for the arrows to fall.

On the sea, the Japanese navy launched the first attack, and the Ming army also began a full-scale offensive.

After three rounds of artillery bombardment, the Ming generals issued orders.

"kill!"

Ten thousand Ming soldiers launched a full-scale attack against one hundred thousand Japanese soldiers.

The four hundred cavalrymen on the flanks and between the central army and the flanks, led by Jin Rong and Sheng Jian, were the first to charge into the Japanese army.

As the cavalry charged in, the already routed Japanese army fled in disarray.

At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshimochi finally dispatched his only few hundred cavalrymen, but these warhorses looked significantly smaller than those of the Ming army.

Zhu Gaoxu then issued another order.

"Order Sheng Jian to bypass the Japanese troops ahead and eliminate their cavalry!"

"Order Qian Xun and Zhou Ping to lead three thousand troops to attack the Japanese army in the rear!"

"Niucheng! And you all, follow me, and trample the Japanese pirates!"

"kill!"

Zhu Gaoxu took the lead and charged out, followed by Niu Cheng and the others with burning eyes.

The situation on the battlefield was one-sided, and the Japanese army had absolutely no ability to retaliate.

Even Ashikaga Yoshimochi's only 10,000 elite troops began to crumble under the personal charge of Zhu Gaochi and the attack led by Qian Xun and Zhou Ping.

On the battlefield, Zhu Gaoxu wielded his long spear with sweeping, powerful strokes, constantly striking the Japanese soldiers.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu felt exceptionally happy.

After so many years, the feeling of charging into battle during the Jingnan Rebellion has finally returned.

Zhu Gaochi was actually somewhat grateful to Ashikaga Yoshimochi. If Ashikaga Yoshimochi hadn't come to deliver the supplies, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to deal with these Japanese troops.

After all, the Japanese pirates were also human; they could run away, and they were also familiar with the terrain.

If he were to launch an attack, it would take a considerable amount of time, and the situation wouldn't be resolved as thoroughly as it has been.

Moreover, if the Japanese army were to set up an ambush, their tens of thousands of elite troops would be enough to give him a headache.

But now Ashikaga Yoshimochi has brought them all out, and they're actually going to fight a positional war against him.

Neither the Oirats nor the Tatars dared to say they would concentrate all their forces to fight the Ming army in full battle.

But Ashikaga Yoshimochi did just that.

How could Zhu Gaoxu not be grateful for Ashikaga Yoshimochi's help?

One hundred thousand people stood there, densely packed, waiting to die. They had never encountered such a good thing before, but they had actually encountered it here.

However, the more excited Zhu Gaochi was at this moment, the uglier Ashikaga Yoshimochi's face became.

They had a full army of 100,000, which was a large army that had gathered most of the clans and the capital region. Each clan had mobilized and conscripted a large number of people.

They came full of confidence, determined to capture Zhu Gaochi alive, to teach the Ming emperor a lesson, and to instill fear in the surrounding countries—the first step in the rise of a great power.

The reality proved far too harsh. The 100,000-strong army was routed and suffered heavy losses by such a small Ming force, unable to inflict any damage on the Ming army at all.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi was extremely unwilling to see this outcome, but he had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.

What made Ashikaga Yoshimochi even more desperate was that Zhu Gaochi, with several hundred men—no, several hundred cavalrymen—was charging towards him and getting closer and closer.

His proud and well-equipped guards of the capital were utterly vulnerable in the face of these Ming soldiers.

Meanwhile, the clans that served as the three kanrei and four jury members around Ashikaga Yoshimochi were even more restless and kept urging Ashikaga Yoshimochi to surrender.

In the midst of the battle, Zhu Gaoxu, seeing Ashikaga Yoshimochi getting closer and closer, had a flash in his eyes, began to slow down, and also began to change direction.

The battle lasted for two hours before it ended. The Japanese army surrendered completely, and Ashikaga Yoshimochi escaped back with several thousand remaining soldiers.

Those clans were not so lucky; some were killed and others were captured.

"Your Highness, should we send men to give chase and rip Ashikaga Yoshimochi's head off?"

Looking at Niu Cheng beside him, who was covered in blood and exuded a murderous aura, Zhu Gaoxu shook his head.

"We've captured quite a few Japanese soldiers this time, so let's clean up the battlefield first."

"His army has been completely lost; what can he do if he returns?"

Zhu Gaoxu did not pursue them; even when Ashikaga Yoshimochi escaped, it was because he deliberately let him go.

It is precisely because Ashikaga Yoshimochi is no longer a threat that he is releasing this person.

If Ashikaga Yoshimochi's head had been given to Zhu Di so early on, what would Zhu Di have thought of him? Would he have tried to restrict him later?

Moreover, he intends to take over the entire country of Japan, which is not yet well-developed.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi fled back, and he will definitely run away, abandoning Kyoto and fleeing to other places.

Regardless of where Ashikaga Yoshimochi fled to, is it necessary to rebuild Kyoto? To redevelop it?

This requires city building and development.

Once Ashikaga Yoshimochi has developed a portion of the area and established a firm foothold there, then when he sends troops out, isn't Ashikaga Yoshimochi essentially helping him develop those areas?

Why kill such a good tool now?

Killing Ashikaga Yoshimochi yielded nothing but a head.

Moreover, with Ashikaga Yoshimochi around, he can gather a group of Japanese clans who won't wander off, making them easier to deal with later.

Zhu Gaoxu wasn't afraid of these people banding together, but he was afraid that they would start to roam freely, which would be difficult for him to control and would also consume time, manpower, money, and supplies.

A living Ashikaga Yoshimochi would be most useful to him.

Regaining his composure, Zhu Gaoxu ordered Sheng Jian, Wei Da, Jin Rong, Qian Xun, and others to continue the attack.

The battle lasted two hours, though the actual fighting time was less than that; the Ming army still had plenty of energy.

This is the easiest time to conquer cities and seize territory.

This also put pressure on Ashikaga Yoshimochi, letting him know that he couldn't stay there any longer and should go somewhere else.

This battle also marked the imminent incorporation of the area surrounding this plain into the domain.