My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 126 Catching a turtle in a urn
With a 'swish', he almost severed the neck of a Japanese pirate, and then kicked his corpse off the wooden wall.

Geng Tianbi was panting heavily; the fighting strength of this group of Japanese pirates was somewhat unexpected.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood and considered himself to be quite skilled, but he almost lost to this Japanese pirate in a one-on-one fight just now.

Then he looked at the thin knife in his hand and was astonished to find that it only had a few small nicks the size of grains of rice.

I had only heard that the Japanese pirates had excellent knives that could cut through Ming Dynasty weapons.

He didn't believe it, thinking it was too exaggerated.

He didn't deny that they had powerful weapons, but they were just a bunch of bandits; where would they get so many sophisticated weapons?

Moreover, the weapons of the Japanese pirates were so narrow that they would break easily in a head-on collision.

I only realized today how shallow my knowledge was.

These narrow knives were designed specifically for killing, sacrificing overall blade strength for sharpness.

Coupled with its excellent casting process, it can be described as a formidable weapon.

It is indeed easy to break when it collides with heavy objects, but it is really useful for cutting people, easily severing hands and feet.

Fortunately, they were defending their stronghold, giving them a commanding advantage.

Otherwise, if caught off guard and attacked by these Japanese pirates, their formation might really be disrupted.

Even so, the sudden charge of the Japanese pirates over the wooden wall still caused considerable damage to the defending troops.

Geng Tianbi personally led his guards to the rescue, and they managed to drive the other side away.

During this time, he keenly noticed that the weapons in the hands of these Japanese pirates were somewhat unusual.

They snatched one and found that it was indeed much better than the standard weapons in the hands of the Ming army.

No wonder I had heard that the Japanese pirates loved to charge into battle, often daring to charge against Ming troops several times their size with only a few men.

Their reliance is on these sharp knives.

After today's battle, we must report this matter to Marquis Deqing and ask him to give his opinion to the higher-ups.

My glorious Ming Dynasty cannot be outdone by a bunch of bandits in terms of weaponry.

Liao Yongzhong, the Marquis of Deqing, is currently in charge of military affairs in Lingnan and is his immediate superior.

What Geng Tianbi didn't know was that Mutō Hideta, who was on the ship, also looked grim when he saw the samurai squad being driven off the city wall.

These samurai are true samurai, not just self-proclaimed ones.

He received Bushido training from a young age and is highly skilled in martial arts and exceptionally brave.

The knives they carried were also crafted by master artisans.

He only had a little over six hundred of these warriors under his command.

He assigned half of them to lower-level officers.

The remaining half were organized into elite squads to carry out the charge.

It can often inflict huge damage on the enemy and destroy their morale.

The other Japanese pirates then swarmed in and completely routed the enemy forces.

It was precisely through this tactic that the Ming Dynasty was left with the misconception that the Japanese pirates were fierce and good at fighting.

This illusion is very effective on the battlefield, making the Ming army hesitant and timid.

In order to achieve a swift victory today, he immediately dispatched the samurai squad, intending to seize the water fortress in one fell swoop.

Muto Hideta originally thought that most of the Ming soldiers on the water fortress had been poisoned by Wan Baoquan and had lost their fighting ability.

The samurai squad can succeed with a single charge.

But things took him by surprise from the very beginning.

The defenders of the water fortress were exceptionally tenacious, inflicting considerable damage on the warrior squad, with over forty men killed or wounded.

Fortunately, they managed to breach the city wall.

Just when he thought the situation was settled, a Ming army suddenly attacked and drove all the people who had rushed onto the city wall down.

Although the number of casualties has not yet been counted, it is estimated that about a hundred people have died.

It's equivalent to losing half of his elite squad; how could he not be heartbroken?

Sun Yunzhong's expression was equally unpleasant.

The Japanese pirates were the main force attacking the city, while he sent his men to launch a feint attack to draw fire.

This wave also resulted in the loss of three to four hundred people.

Wanbaoquan Wogan Ni Wine, didn't you say you poisoned the guards? How come they're still so lively and energetic?

Fujiwara Hideta and Sun Yunzhong carefully observed the wooden fortress walls and quickly discovered something amiss.

A general clad in iron armor and wearing a red-tasseled helmet led the charge.

There weren't many people following him, probably only three to five hundred.

Sun Yunzhong analyzed, "He must be Geng Tianbi. He is indeed brave and skilled in battle."

Fujiwara Shuta's face darkened even more; he had misunderstood.

We should have sent Sun Yunzhong's men to test the waters first; the sacrifice of these hundred-plus elite troops was in vain.

He certainly wouldn't admit the failure of his tactics, and said in a thick Shandong accent:
"But the commander-in-chief personally went into battle, and he only brought three to five hundred men with him, which shows that he doesn't have many men left."

"We can launch another fierce attack and break through the water fortress in one fell swoop."

Sun Yunzhong nodded and said, "Your men will lead the attack, and our army will provide support?"

Muto Shuta's face darkened even more: "Sun-san, my elite troops have suffered heavy losses and need to rest."

"The next task is now in your hands."

Sun Yunzhong nodded, then suddenly said, "According to the agreement, our army should get a larger share of the spoils after capturing the water fortress."

Shuta Muto's breath hitched, and after a long pause, he managed to utter a single word through clenched teeth:

"it is good."

Sun Yunzhong's lips curled up. The Japanese pirates' elite troops had tested the defenders' trump cards. All I had to do now was send men to launch a fierce attack.

Geng Tianbi only had seven or eight hundred men left, which was no match for my tens of thousands of troops' fierce attack.

This is a steal!

So he gave the order, and the army set out to attack.

However, the defenders on the city wall were surprisingly tenacious, launching a fierce attack for more than an hour, but still failed to take it down.

Several times they climbed onto the city wall, only to be chased down by Geng Tianbi and his men.

Sun Yunzhong was both angry and puzzled. Was Geng Tianbi made of iron?

They fought for half an hour in armor without resting, and they didn't even feel tired?
Fujiwara Hideta was equally puzzled. After fighting for more than half an hour, the number of soldiers guarding the city walls did not seem to have decreased.
Even if Sun Yunzhong's men were all incompetent, they should have inflicted some casualties on the Ming army by now, after such a long period of time.
However, he did not make a fuss about it, but instead kept a watchful eye and sent a few people to approach the water fortress to observe the situation above.

Another half hour passed, and those people reported an anomaly.

Sun Yunzhong's men fought very bravely, inflicting considerable casualties on the Ming army on the city walls.

But for some reason, the total number of Ming soldiers on the city wall remained at around seven or eight hundred.

Fujiwara Hideta immediately realized he had been tricked.

Wan Baoquan's plan must have been discovered, as the Ming army was prepared.

Don't be fooled by the mere seven or eight hundred people on the city wall; there are definitely many more hiding behind it.

If one is sacrificed, another will be sent in to replace them.

Only in this way can the number of people be kept at around seven or eight hundred.

And that Geng Tianbi, it's very likely that several people were wearing the same set of armor just for show.

Otherwise, after more than an hour, even someone made of iron would be exhausted.

But if it is really as I suspect, why would the Ming army do this?
The answer is ready to come out.

They were deliberately kept here.

In other words, this could very well be a trap.

Thinking of this, Muto Hideta felt a chill run down his spine and quickly told Sun Yunzhong his guess.

Sun Yunzhong was initially skeptical, but the harbor was engulfed in thick smoke and chaos.

This indicates that Wanbaoquan has already launched an internal attack.

Moreover, the nearest Ming navy is located in Quanzhou, which is more than a thousand miles away.

Even if they flew, they couldn't possibly fly over so quickly.

What did the Ming army use to ambush them?

Army?
Do not make jokes.

But after listening to Muto Hideta's analysis and observing the situation on the city wall, he also noticed something unusual.

Could it be that we've really fallen for a trap?
Shuta Muto had lost his patience and said:
"The reason we've survived until now is because we're not greedy; we take a bite and leave immediately."

"The situation is strange right now, and I can't risk my life."

"No matter what you choose, I'm leaving."

Although Sun Yunzhong was unwilling, he did not want to take the risk, mainly because he was not qualified to take the risk.

He cursed Wan Baoquan a few more times, then sounded the retreat and turned the ship around to leave.

On the city wall, Geng Tianbi, clad in full armor, was resting to one side, with two officers in identical armor sitting beside him.

As Hideta Fujiwara said, it was all about tactics from the very beginning.

Seven or eight hundred men was the minimum number needed to defend the water fortress, and he always maintained that many men on the city wall.

One dies and another is put in place.

Its purpose, of course, is to keep the enemy here.

As for finding four or five doubles for himself, it was also to confuse the enemy.

This makes the other party feel that he has no one left to rely on and has to take matters into his own hands.

It seems this tactic was indeed very effective; the enemy was held up here for more than an hour.

I suppose Marquis Jinghai will be arriving soon.

Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of the retreat signal. Peeking out, he saw the enemy adjusting the bow of their ship, trying to leave.

He immediately realized that his tactics had been exposed.

But he was still somewhat surprised that they were so decisive.
No wonder they could roam the seas so freely; even the Marquis of Jinghai failed to catch them on several voyages. But it's too late to leave now.

With a navy of over 20,000 men, just turning the ships around is a troublesome matter.

However, this also shows the enemy's superior skill; so many people turning around at the same time did not cause any disturbance.

pity……

He looked up and happened to see a tall mast come into view.

"The Marquis of Jinghai's arrival is truly timely."

It was quite a coincidence that when Muto Hideta and Sun Yunzhong saw the Ming warships, their faces instantly turned pale.

The army, which had been turning around in an orderly fashion, began to stir, and the commotion led to chaos.

The two immediately ordered the entire army to maintain their formation and not to panic.

However, in ancient times, the transmission of orders relied mainly on manual labor, and it took time to get the orders through.

As a seasoned general, Wu Zhen certainly knew how to seize opportunities in battle.

He was overjoyed when the lookout on the mast relayed the enemy's situation to him.

It is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

Today, it is my turn to perform this monumental feat.

He immediately ordered the entire army to attack.

The warship took the lead and charged straight into the enemy lines.

Muto Hideta and Sun Yunzhong could only watch in despair as their own army descended into complete chaos.

Beforehand, in order to make it easier to supervise the battle, they placed their flagship very close to the water fortress, which was at the very front of the formation.

When the entire army turned around, they became the last to arrive.

The chaos ahead has blocked their escape route.

They couldn't even issue battle orders. They tried to use flags to command the army, but the formation was so chaotic that they couldn't be commanded at all.

The warships fought like headless flies, relying on instinct.

As is well known, once an army's formation is disrupted, it loses unified command.

Even with 100% combat power, we can't unleash 30% of it; that's how it is right now.

In contrast, Wu Zhen personally climbed the mast and used the military flag to direct the entire army in coordination.

Relentlessly attack the enemy's weak points.

The Ming navy, through coordinated efforts, easily killed one enemy after another.

However, it wasn't without its obstacles.

As the saying goes, a desperate army is doomed to defeat. When they realized there was no way to escape, the Japanese pirates and Sun Yunzhong's troops also unleashed their formidable fighting power.

It caused considerable losses to the Ming navy.

However, individual bravery can never stand against an army formation, and their resistance cannot change the overall situation.

Watching enemy ships being sunk one after another, Wu Zhen felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

Let you play hide-and-seek with us.

Above the wooden stockade, Geng Tianbi watched with envy as the fighting below... no, to be precise, the massacre.

They wished they could jump off the wooden fortress and join the battle.

But he knew his own mission and could only look on with envy.

Then he ordered that a battalion of soldiers be left to guard the water fortress.

He then led the remaining combat-capable personnel to besiege Wanbaoquan's men who were causing trouble inside the harbor.

At this time, the inner harbor was in complete chaos, with countless people scattering and fleeing to avoid being killed by bandits.

Many people, unable to escape in time, jumped directly into the sea.

These troublemakers are all pirates kept by countless families.

They had not received any professional training and had no discipline whatsoever.

At first, they were able to band together and create chaos everywhere.

Later they gradually dispersed, killing and plundering gold and silver treasures everywhere.

At this moment, everyone's clothes were stuffed full, and some beads were hanging directly around their necks.

Upon seeing this situation, Geng Tianbi immediately ordered a dispersed operation.

Organized into units of 50 men, the bandits were wiped out.

These bandits might be able to bully merchant ships on ordinary days, but when they actually encounter a regular army, they are basically powerless to fight back.

At first, they were blinded by rage and even tried to come up and fight the Ming army, only to be slaughtered like vegetables.

The remaining people were terrified and began to flee in all directions, scattering their jewels everywhere.

The pursuing Ming soldiers also secretly picked up a lot and stuffed them into their pockets.

Geng Tianbi turned a blind eye to this.

Brothers, we're risking our lives to kill the enemy, so what's wrong with making a little money? As long as it doesn't interfere with killing the enemy, it's fine.

Until he saw a soldier wearing a string of beads around his neck, he got so angry that he kicked him.
"Idiot, do you want to die?"

The soldier looked bewildered. Everyone else was picking things up, so why did you kick me?
An old soldier next to him almost covered his eyes; he simply couldn't bear to look.

Seeing that the soldier hadn't reacted yet, he went up and slapped him as well.

"Haowazi, you're such an idiot."

Then he reached out and broke the string of beads.

Unidentified jade beads were scattered all over the ground, making a crackling sound.

"Commander, please don't be angry. I'll teach him a lesson right away."

Geng Tianbi snorted coldly and said, "Teach them properly, or you'll all get yourself killed."

The veteran quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I understand."

After Geng Tianbi walked away, the old soldier slapped him again and said:

"Pick the small, valuable ones, and hide them well so no one can see them, otherwise we'll all be in big trouble."

Haowazi asked, puzzled, "Weren't we allowed to loot the spoils of war after we captured the city?"

The old soldier cursed, "You're really stupid! That's the enemy's city; we're robbing the enemy's wealth."

"This is Guangzhou Port, our garrison."

"How can you compare it to robbing the people of their money in your own territory?"

"If this gets out, we'll all be court-martialed, do you understand?"

The soldier finally realized what was happening, his dark face turning pale, but he still asked in confusion:
"But everyone's grabbing it..."

The veteran interrupted him, shouting angrily, "Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! Do you understand what picking it up is?"

"Even if the general comes, we'll still pick it up. If we get caught, we can just return it."

"And didn't I tell you, when you pick up those valuable little items, hide them well so no one can see them?"

"We've just fought and distinguished ourselves; who would dare search us?"

"You idiot, you're making me so angry."

The soldier finally understood and quickly smiled apologetically:
"I understand, I understand. Don't worry, Brother Yan, I promise I won't make this mistake again."

Yan Dapao rolled his eyes, and was about to say a few more words of reprimand when he noticed a piece of gold on the ground not far away.

He rushed over, picked it up, wiped the blood off with his sleeve, and put it in his mouth, biting it with his teeth.

Yes, it's real gold, I've struck it rich.

Then, after checking the size of the gold bar, he simply stuffed it into his boot.

Then, seeing that Haowazi was still standing there, he cursed again:
"What are you standing there for? Go fight the enemy!"

With the Ming army surrounding them from all sides, the bandits raised by Wan Jia were soon trapped in one place.

As the cry of "Don't kill me if you kneel down!" rang out, they immediately chose to surrender.
-
Wan Baoquan, who was hiding in a safe place and waiting for good news, gradually realized that something was wrong.

Until a servant covered in blood came to report that the Ming navy had arrived and blocked the entrance to Guangzhou Bay.

Only after Geng Tianbi led the defending troops back in a counterattack did he finally realize what had happened.

The Ming navy couldn't have provided support so quickly, so there's only one possibility: they had made preparations in advance.

In other words, this is a trap.

I was used.

Having figured all this out, he suddenly turned to look at Wantong:
Why did you betray me?

Throughout this operation, Vantone acted as the liaison, and only he could have orchestrated such a scheme so that none of the three parties noticed the problem.

Wantong did not try to argue, but simply sighed, "My ancestors' roots are in this land. Going to Southeast Asia would be like being a rootless duckweed."

"I don't want my descendants to degenerate into barbarians."

Wan Baoquan's eyes turned red, and he drew his decorative sword and stabbed at Wantong:
"I'll kill you, you lowly slave."

However, Wan Tong did not dodge, allowing the sword to pierce his chest:

"I'm returning this life to you. From now on, I owe you nothing."

Wan Baoquan had completely lost his mind and stabbed him several more times:
"You ungrateful, despicable slave, you've ruined my empire..."

However, Wantong had already collapsed to the ground and could no longer hear anything.

Wan Baoquan was still not satisfied and slashed more than a dozen times until the blade got stuck in his bone and he couldn't pull it out.

Wantong's chest and abdomen were already a bloody mess.

Wan Baoquan kicked him hard again, finally regaining some of his senses, and immediately tried to escape.

However, before he could even step outside, a group of burly men rushed over and quickly surrounded him.

One of the burly men said with a friendly smile:

"Is this the head of the Wan family? I've long admired your name."

"I am Mao Xiang, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Greetings."

(End of this chapter)