We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

It was late at night, but Kaibu Munezane couldn't sleep.

It was not only Kaibu Munezane who couldn't sleep. Many people in Shimonoseki City were destined to suffer from insomnia tonight.

Simply because the news of the defeat has arrived.

The defeated soldiers began to run back to the city one after another.

More than 20,000 defenders were defeated in an instant, and it is said that the defeat was extremely tragic.

The sea breeze blew on Haibu Zongzhen's iron-hard face. He stood alone behind the battlements, staring at the brightly lit Fengtian Army camp in the distance.

The fire in the camp was like a red-hot iron rod, stinging his eyes fiercely.

That's not just 25,000 soldiers.

That was the iron army that his Hai family had built over generations with countless efforts.

It was he who followed him into Kyoto, purged the imperial court, and stained the imperial palace with blood, laying the foundation for his current powerful position in the court.

There were countless familiar faces, loyal retainers, some warriors who could be called by name, and even the old soldiers who had watched him grow up...

Now, they have all become cold corpses on the beach or humiliated prisoners in Fengtian army camps.

Kaibu Munemasa's fingers dug deep into the cracks of the cold stone battlements, and he was unaware that his nails were cracking and bleeding.

His Kaifu family has no shortage of soldiers, and he holds great power in Japan. The emperor is just his puppet.

Every day, new soldiers recruited from all over the country swarmed into Xiaguan City like ants.

But these new recruits were nothing more than farmers and ronin who were forcibly conscripted. They had numbers but no bravery. How could they compare with the elite soldiers of the Kaibe family who had experienced hundreds of battles and were loyal to him?

The blood of those veterans was shed too quickly and it was so worthless!

The advanced firearms of the Fengtian Army, the excellent armor, the bravery and fearlessness of the soldiers... all far exceeded his initial expectations.

That crazy King Feng!

Kaifu Munemasa was not one to be blinded by anger, and he knew that dwelling on the past was pointless.

The Fengtian Army has already gained a firm foothold. After resting, a thunderous attack on the city will inevitably follow.

Shimonoseki Castle will become a meat grinder that determines the fate of Japan.

He had to do something! Whatever it took!

Kaibu Munezana turned around, and his wide samurai robe rolled into a sharp arc in the night wind.

He no longer looked at the Fengtian Army campfire that symbolized shame, but strode down the city wall with big strides.

He did not return to his residence, nor did he summon his generals to discuss matters.

Instead, he dismissed all his followers and walked alone through the quiet alleys of the city to a remote corner behind the city.

There is a low wooden building here with closed doors and windows, emitting a faint musty smell.

This is his last resort.

Kaibu Munemasa pushed open the wooden door, and a sweet and fishy smell mixed with incense ash and herbs hit him in the face.

The light in the hall was extremely dim, with only a few eternally burning lamps with bean-sized flames flickering, barely outlining the blurry and distorted outline of the statue on the shrine.

In the open space in front of the shrine, a figure in a plain white dress was sitting cross-legged quietly on an old cushion.

Kaibu Munezana's voice echoed in the empty and silent hall: "Can you give me what I want?"

The sitting witch slowly raised her head, and the shadow of the hood receded slightly, revealing a young but unusually pale face.

"What Lord Haibu seeks requires bridging heaven and earth, and mobilizing the mighty power of wind and clouds. This is beyond the power of one person alone."

"The ritual...needs the assistance of more psychic priestesses, requires purer spiritual guidance, and even more..."

She paused, her hollow eyes staring directly at Kaibu Munezana, and uttered a few words clearly:

"More sacrifices."

Kaibu Munezana's pupils shrank slightly, but there was no expression of surprise on his face.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Okay."

"Sacrifices... I will give you as many as you want, whether it's cattle, sheep, livestock, or... human sacrifices!"

There was no emotion in the words, as if they were just talking about the ordinary daily necessities rather than real life.

For victory and for the survival of the Kaibe family, he is willing to pay any price!

Sacrifice is the ladder to the pinnacle of power.

However, just after Kaibe Munemasa readily agreed to the miko's conditions, he took another step forward.

Kaibu Munemasa leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent and lust for power fixed on the shrine maiden.

An icy murderous intent spread out like a substance, instantly filling the entire dim space.

"But..." Kaibu Munezana's voice sounded faintly, "Miko, remember my words."

"If, in the end, I can't get what I want...if the gates of Xiaguan City are blown open by the Fengtian Army's cannons..."

"Then, not only you... all the priestesses who participated in the ceremony, all the ancient gods enshrined here... you..."

Kaibu Munemasa pronounced his final verdict word by word:

"All have to die!"

. . . . . .

Dispatching troops is the most adept thing for Li Che now.

It only took three days for all his troops to be sent from Kyushu to the other side.

The next step is to send this huge machine gun across the strait.

Artillery is the Fengtian Army's greatest reliance, and Li Che never shy away from this fact.

Technology is more important than the dedication of soldiers and the wisdom of commanders. Although it is a bit sad, it is a fact.

It was precisely because of this that Li Che found it difficult to accept the huge casualties caused by close combat during the beach landing.

Especially now, there is no telling how many Japanese troops have gathered in Xiaguan City. Their number is definitely greater than that of the Fengtian Army, and artillery is needed to break the situation.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu says: If there are ten of them, surround them; if there are five, attack them.

In this era, the enemy had to have at least five times the number of defenders in a siege, but the Fengtian Army obviously did not need to stick to this method.

Li Che issued a death order that at least half of the Dongfeng Army’s artillery must be seen outside Xiaguan City within seven days.

If the warship cannot land on the shore, then go around to a more distant landing point.

Li Che deployed all his Khitan light cavalry to maintain public order within a radius of 100 miles. The enemy could only hold their position in the city and had no chance of launching a surprise attack.

The Dongfeng Army and logistics forces were also very powerful. It didn't take seven days, but on the sixth day, two-thirds of the artillery had been transported to the Fengtian Army camp.

In addition, except for half of the musketeers assigned to Li Lin, the rest of the musketeers have also completed their assembly.

It's time to put some firepower pressure on the Japanese pirates!

Seven days later, the morning light pierced through the mist on the sea, coating the Fengtian Army's huge camp with a layer of cold and hard gold.

Outside Xiaguan City, the Fengtian Army camp was ready to go, and the murderous atmosphere reached the sky.

Dark cannons were dragged by mules and horses, with their ferocious muzzles raised on the leveled ground.

The infantry formations stood in a forest, and the cavalry cruised on the flanks.

Long spears stood like a forest, and war horses snorted and pawed the ground restlessly, raising clouds of dust.

On the temporary platform, Li Che put on a brand new black armor.

It is less gorgeous than the previous set of scrapped goose feather armor, but has a more restrained and heavy feel.

Li Che stood with his sword in hand, his eyes scanning the Fengtian Army formation with flags fluttering below. Generals such as Wang Sanchun, Yang Xuan, and Xue Wei were standing on both sides.

There was no lengthy mobilization or passionate cheering.

On the platform, there was only a suffocating silence.

Suddenly, the royal flag with a black background and gold edges in the center of the platform was slowly lowered by two strong men.

Then, an equally huge flag, but with a blood-red background, was slowly raised under the gaze of countless people.

In the center of the flag, there was still the domineering word "Feng", which caused all the soldiers to shout in unison:

"Bong!"

"Bong!"

"Bong!"

The scarlet battle flag fluttered in the morning breeze, completely replacing the black royal flag.

Suddenly, a roar like a tsunami erupted from the silent army formation below.

Changing the blood flag represents destruction and revenge. This is the practice of the Fengguo Navy, but the army can also empathize with it at this moment.

Guided by the blood-red flag, the huge army began to move forward slowly like an awakened torrent.

Li Che took a deep breath and was about to step down from the platform.

"Your Highness!" A hurried voice came from behind him.

Li Che paused, his heart inexplicably tightening.

He turned around and saw Qu Jinshan jogging towards him hurriedly with a look of panic on his face.

Qu Jinshan is usually calm and composed. Unless it is an extremely important matter, he would never lose his composure at such a solemn moment.

Li Che looked at his evasive gaze and felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

"What's the matter?"

Qu Jinshan walked quickly to Li Che's side, hesitated for a moment, and finally leaned close to Li Che's ear and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Your Highness, that child... is gone..."

"went?"

Wen Zaiyin, Wang Sanchun and others noticed Li Che's abnormality and looked at him with confusion and worry.

Li Che didn't explain and didn't look at anyone.

He just turned his head slowly, looking across the noisy camp, at the shallow beach that was temporarily designated as a camp for wounded soldiers.

That child...is the last male in his family.

After a few breaths.

Li Che turned around, his movements so fast that they caused a gust of wind to rise.

Choking——

He drew the sword from his waist, and the cold blade reflected a dazzling cold light under the rising sun:

"The entire army is on the move, this battle will massacre the city!!!"