Ming East India Company

The fierce artillery fire caused the Japanese ships in the entire fleet to scatter and flee, and the once stable fleet gradually disintegrated.

At the same time, the flexibility of the galleys was also demonstrated, allowing them to maneuver among the ships and continuously attack lone Japanese vessels.

In the distance, Kato Kiyomasa stared intently at Konishi Yukinaga, who had fallen into madness, and was extremely angry at his comrade's behavior.

However, at this moment, they were hundreds of feet apart on the sea, and he was powerless to do anything about the other party's actions.

With no other choice, Kato Kiyomasa made the only decision he could make—to disband the fleet.

Kato Kiyomasa's sealed boat was the first to signal a retreat, and then he took the initiative to run towards the outer circle.

Seeing their clan leader's banner disappear into the distance, Kato Kiyomasa's private soldiers, who were already tormented by the firepower in the fleet, turned around and fled.

In an instant, the massive Japanese fleet completely disintegrated. The ships in the fleet fled in their own way, while the remaining small boats either chased after their patriarchs or formed small groups of three to five, drifting aimlessly on the vast ocean.

During this process, countless Japanese ships sank to the bottom of the sea in collisions with each other, and the rest could only drift with the current.

At this moment, on the distant sealed boat, Kato Kiyomasa's heart was filled with bitterness.

Since receiving the order to withdraw their troops, the Japanese daimyo in Korea have been living in constant fear.

On the one hand, the relentless offensive by the combined forces of the Ming Dynasty and Korea on land was giving them a headache.

On the other hand, the blockade by the Ryukyuans completely cut off their way back, and several small groups of soldiers who tried to sneak across the border suffered more defeats than victories.

In this desperate situation, Kato Kiyomasa, Konishi Yukinaga, Shimazu Yoshihiro, and others discussed and decided on a plan for collective escape, using the few remaining sealed ships to cover the gate ships and the Atakebune.

Unexpectedly, due to Konishi Yukinaga's recklessness and rashness, the situation became completely irreversible.

Honestly, even if a single Ming Dynasty galley charged into the enemy formation and used up all its cannonballs, how many Japanese ships could it possibly destroy?

But because of Konishi Yukinaga's series of missteps...

"Have you tallied up the losses?" Kato Kiyomasa asked the maid beside him.

"When we set out, there was one sealed ship, seven Atate ships, and more than fifty Seki ships. Now, following behind us, there are probably two Atate ships and more than ten Seki ships..."

The losses reported by the junior staff member were causing Kiyomasa Kato's heart to bleed.

These were his most trusted samurai and retainers, the very foundation upon which the Kaga family had stood in the chaotic world.

"My lord, there's no need to be sad. Those who didn't follow may not have been sunk by the Ryukyu people. Perhaps they broke through from another direction..."

"What do you know?" Kato Kiyomasa said angrily.

"We have a lot of ships this time, but not enough sailors. Many famous ships don't even have people to read compasses or use acupuncture needles. If we disband the fleet, even if we don't encounter the Ming Dynasty's navy, few of us will be able to return to the East alive..."

"Now that things have come to this, sir, please calm down and then consider this carefully!" The servant began to offer a placebo.

"That's all we can do..." Kato Kiyomasa sighed.

Then, he turned his gaze to the direction where Konishi Yukinaga had disappeared, and said viciously:

"That despicable Konishi Yukinaga, I'll settle this score with you sooner or later."

……

Wang Sanshi was awakened by the cool sea breeze after sleeping for an unknown amount of time. Looking around, he saw Zhang Chun leading a group of soldiers surrounding him.

Recalling the events before he lost consciousness, Wang Sanshi disregarded the pain all over his body and quickly got up to look around. However, after only a few seconds, a huge wave of dizziness pulled him back onto the deck.

"Minister, stop looking, we won! We scattered the Japanese fleet."

Wang Sanshi was startled, and seeing that the sounds of battle had ceased, he assumed they had successfully escaped danger.

After all, if this desperate assault had failed, he would already be reporting to the King of Hell by now.

"How much did we lose?" Wang Sanshi asked anxiously.

Zhang Chun sighed deeply:

"A total of 56 oar blades were destroyed, 29 of which were broken. The two supply ships have completely lost contact with us. They were hit by two cannonballs from the Japanese, but fortunately they were both above the waterline."

Moreover, after the battle just now, we have run out of shells, and the breech-loading cannons are also almost empty.

The ship can only anchor on this barren beach now; we don't know where we are."

In the battle just now, although Konishi Yukinaga's final madness was utter nonsense, it did indeed achieve some degree of damage and injury to the Sea Falcon No. 7.

In the chaos of battle, planks flew from Japanese warships that were hit, Japanese warships crashed into them, and Japanese cannonballs came flying in by sheer luck...

This can be considered the first fatal blow dealt by the Japanese army to galley ships in more than a year.

What are the personnel losses?

"More than twenty slaves died or fell into the water, and seven crew members were lost."

"Can the boat still move?" Wang Sanshi asked the most important question.

One of the biggest problems with oar-powered sailboats is their very low endurance.

Due to their low freeboard and small cargo hold, galleys have difficulty carrying much cargo.

Unfortunately, the number of people working on the oarsmen was terrifying; the hundreds of oarsmen alone consumed an unknown amount of supplies every day.

In Europe, galleys were generally used for coastal and Mediterranean warfare, where ports were plentiful and supplies were readily available.

In Shirayuki, the oar-powered sailing ships were maintained by using Fujian-style ships for supplies. However, now that the Fujian-style ship fleet has been scattered and the oar-powered sailing ships are unable to move on their own, the problem of feeding them has become very serious.

Zhang Chun looked at Wang Sanshi and shook his head.

Wang Sanshi was greatly alarmed. He quickly pressed for an answer:

"So, where are we right now? Do you know?"

"I just went out to take a look. It's an unknown deserted island, not marked on any sea charts. There's no food or fresh water..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sanshi collapsed to the ground:

"If we can't contact the Fujian ship in time, we're afraid we'll lose our lives here."

"Light a cigarette. If any ships happen to pass by, they'll most likely be able to rescue us."

"Minister, we've done everything you asked, but the outcome... I'm afraid we'll have to leave it to fate..."

After listening, Wang Sanshi fell silent. He knew that this time he was truly on the verge of life and death.

Zhang Chun's expression was very complicated. He glanced at the rowing slaves resting on the distant beach.

Several times I wanted to speak but hesitated and stopped.

Finally, with a heavy heart, he said:

"Minister, why don't we abandon them and run away on our own?"

Wang Sanshi was very surprised:

"You mean...?"

"That's right. Among the people stranded on the beach now, all the rowing slaves are Japanese, while our crew members are all Ming Dynasty people and Ryukyu Han Chinese. As long as we coordinate in time, those slaves won't know."

I just checked, and although our oars are broken, the sails are still there. If we discard the oar blades and the cannon at the bow, and take advantage of the nighttime wind to fill the sails, we should be able to successfully sail out.

Although there wasn't much fresh water and food left on board, it shouldn't be difficult to supply the few dozen crew members and gunners.

Wang Sanshi's eyes revealed disbelief:

"But have you considered what this means for these rowing slaves? We've taken all the supplies from the ship, which is tantamount to putting them all to death. Unless a ship passes through here within three days, they are doomed."

A hint of shame appeared on Zhang Chun's face:

"I know how vicious this plan is, but if we don't do it this way, how will the brothers survive? Anyway, these people are just Japanese slaves. Even if we die here, the master won't punish us."

Wang Sanshi was caught in a huge dilemma. On the one hand, he felt extremely reluctant to do something that would cost him his own life by betraying others.

But on the other hand, he also understood how much food those hundreds of mouths would consume every day...

Seeing this, Zhang Chun hurriedly whispered a plea:

"Minister, I know you feel bad, but now it's either them or we all die."

I've seen this place; it's just a desolate little island. There's absolutely no supplies on it to sustain us. If it hadn't rained a bit earlier, we probably would have died of thirst in a couple of days.

Wang Sanshi still felt somewhat reluctant:

"I know what you're thinking, but these Japanese slaves have risked their lives with us. Without them, we would never have won this battle."

They knew perfectly well that the other side was also Japanese, yet they were still willing to help us. How many of the garrison soldiers who fought alongside their master could be so loyal?

They are our comrades and brothers-in-arms. Such behavior is utterly devoid of conscience and moral principles. How are they any different from beasts?

Wang Sanshi's eyes were filled with grief and indignation.

Zhang Chun's younger brother, Zhang Zheng, also jumped in to advise:

"Minister, we understand that you want to be a good person, but who among us doesn't have parents? Who doesn't have a wife and children?"

Even if we were to die here with you, General, what would be the point?

Our Haijun No. 7, with the strength of a single ship, fought against more than a hundred enemy warships, annihilating countless enemies. Its seven entries and exits were comparable to Zhao Zilong of Changshan.

Who will know about such meritorious service? In the end, all the owner will see is a cold, hard record of the disappearance of the Sea Falcon 7. Do you think it's worth it?

No one will remember our achievements, and no one will provide compensation or condolences to our families and parents.

We might even be recorded as the only warship lost in this operation. The other galleys will laugh at our incompetence. The brothers aren't afraid to die, they just don't want to die such a pathetic death!

At least someone will go back and report our success...

Wang Sanshi stared blankly at the Zhang brothers in front of him, knowing that Zhang Zheng's words made sense.

At this moment, Zhang Zheng even knelt down:

"Minister, if you can't live with yourself, pretend that nothing happened tonight, and that it was all our doing."

All you need to do is pretend to be asleep, and we'll take care of everything else. You don't need to worry about anything; just follow the boat at daybreak.

Wang Sanshi's eyes were still filled with reluctance. Although he was also a garrison soldier, he had followed Bai Ye for many years. How could he bear to do such a thing?

However, one has to admit that the Zhang brothers' words made sense...

Wang Sanshi nodded slowly, and the Zhang brothers then turned around to prepare for action.

Just as Wang Sanshi was about to turn over and go to sleep to avoid witnessing this disgraceful scene, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and his mind cleared up:

"This is absolutely unacceptable."

He then stood up and called the Zhang brothers back, saying solemnly:

"I'm stopping you not because of my own conscience, but for the sake of my Ryukyu dynasty."

He pointed to the rowing slaves on the beach:

"Like them, rowing slaves were found throughout the Ryukyu army, and the entire fleet of rowing ships was driven by them."

We can abandon a group of slaves and flee for our lives today, but what about in the future?

"When the slaves on the other galleys see that all the crew members of our Sea Falcon VII have returned safely, and that all the slaves are dead, will they become suspicious? Will they still row obediently in the future? And if we encounter another battle like this where lives are at stake, will they still be willing to fight alongside us to the death?"

Wang Sanshi became more and more excited as he spoke, and he simply stood up despite his injuries:

"Slaves may have a low status, but they are still human beings. They are not stupid. Just because we don't say something doesn't mean they won't guess. Humans are afraid of death, and they will learn from their mistakes."

If we leave today, it will damage the reputation of our entire Ryukyu galley fleet and harm the combat power of our entire navy.

I, Wang Sanshi, would rather die of thirst and hunger on this desolate island than fail to preserve the foundation of my Ryukyu navy for generations to come.

Wang Sanshi became more and more excited as he spoke, leaving Zhang Chun and Zhang Zheng, who were standing beside him, at a loss for words.

"Listen up, if you really wanted to do this, I, Wang Sanshi, wouldn't be dragging my brothers here to erect a chastity arch."

"You two can make a decision at any time, I won't stop you, but this time I, Wang Sanshi, am determined to live and die with these slaves."

Under the cover of night, Wang Sanshi stood on the beach like a statue, his expression unusually firm, leaving no room for compromise.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Chun and Zhang Zheng had no choice but to back down.

After all, they knew that if they abandoned the Navy Minister on this deserted island and escaped back alone, Shirano would surely cut off their heads.

The next day, Wang Sanshi, who got up early, took the lead and jumped into the sea to spearfish and catch fish.

Fortunately, the fish in this area seemed to have never seen humans before, so they were slow to react, and many were quickly caught.

Wang Sanshi led everyone to eat raw fish and shrimp to fill their stomachs. He had heard Bai Ye mention before when he was with Bai Ye that in an emergency, one could eat raw fish and shrimp.

It can save fuel and reduce food loss during cooking.

This difficult situation lasted for a full twenty-seven days. Perhaps even God was moved by Wang Sanshi's actions, for it rained twice in a row, providing the stranded people on the deserted island with much-needed fresh water.

On the morning of the twenty-eighth day, Wang Sanshi was suddenly awakened by a commotion.

"Minister, a ship has arrived; it's our great fortune ship."

Wang Sanshi quickly got up and saw a tall Fujian ship slowly approaching in the distance, with the iconic black flag of Ryukyu on the bow being very eye-catching...

"It's the master's ship, the master's ship has arrived."