She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Chapter 397 Attacking by Surprise

After a flurry of activity, half an hour later, Tang Yu led two large boats filled with people and slowly set off back to Rongzhou.

The people stood on the boat, waving goodbye to Chu Zhiyi, Shen Man, and the others, their eyes filled with gratitude.

After they had gone some distance, Chu Zhiyi arranged for a team to take turns on duty, while the rest of the people took the opportunity to rest and recover their energy to deal with the next wave of attacks from the Japanese.

While Shen Man and the others were resting on the ship, an urgent meeting with a tense atmosphere was being held at the residence of Shizuo Yamaguchi in Ohon Province.

The flickering candlelight inside illuminated the somber faces of the people, like a tense prelude to an impending storm.

Standing in the main seat, Yamaguchi Shizuo's face was ashen. He glared at the officers in the room and roared, "A bunch of useless trash! You let those Crimson Flame people kidnap so many people right under our noses, set fire to the Spring Breeze Pavilion, and suffered such heavy losses. What is your punishment?"

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

Seeing this, Yamaguchi Shizuo became even angrier. "Are you all mute? Speak up!"

One of the officers stepped forward tremblingly, his voice shaking: "My lord, you are unaware of the truth. These Crimson Flame people act strangely, especially the woman in charge; she is extremely difficult to deal with. Moreover, they came prepared this time, and they have mysterious firearms to aid them. We are truly no match for them..."

"Enough!" Yamaguchi Shizuo interrupted him. "Now is not the time to make excuses. The key is to quickly find a way to get rid of them!"

“Damage, it seems they’re targeting the male slaves we captured from Chiyan. Apart from Chunfeng Pavilion and the residence where Chief Kuroki is holding the Chiyan people, no other places have been attacked by them!” another official said.

Yamaguchi Shizuo nodded slightly after hearing his words: "The only place where the Red Flame Male Slaves still exist is the Hokkaido Mine. The Hokkaido Mine is not only the foundation of my Great Honshu, but also the economic lifeline of the entire Yamato people. You must defend it for me no matter what, and not let them succeed again."

At this moment, Sato, the officer who had just retreated from the city gate, spoke up: "Daimyo, their firearms are extremely powerful. After a burst of fire, we had no chance to fight back at all."

If we can destroy their weapons and ammunition, we might still have a chance of winning; otherwise, it will be very difficult.

After a moment of contemplation, Yamaguchi Shizuo said, "Sakuragi, you will lead a special task force to secretly approach the docks, find out their strength and weaknesses, and create chaos when the opportunity arises to destroy their supplies and ammunition."

The young officer named Sakuragi immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

"The rest of you, listen to my orders," Yamaguchi Shizuo continued, "set up an ambush near the Kitagawa mine. If you find anyone of unknown origin, kill them immediately."

In addition, strengthen the control over mine workers, especially the newly sent batch, and prevent them from having any opportunity to escape or pass on information to the outside world.

Everyone responded in unison.

After the meeting, the officers hurriedly left to go about their respective missions.

Standing alone by the window, gazing at the pitch-black night outside, Shizuo Yamaguchi pondered to himself, "Who on earth could possibly defeat the most valiant samurai of my Yamato people..."

Meanwhile, at the Great Honshu Dock, soldiers on night duty patrolled the surroundings vigilantly, and a few gas lamps swayed in the night wind.

Shen Man woke up from her sleep and found that Chu Zhiyi was not beside her.

She got up and walked out of the cabin, only to see Chu Zhiyi standing at the bow, gazing into the distance with a solemn expression.

"Your Highness, why aren't you asleep?" Shen Man asked softly.

Chu Zhiyi turned around, saw Shen Man, and his expression softened: "Man'er, I'm thinking about the upcoming battle. The Japanese will definitely lay a trap at the Beihe mine. How should we break through..."

Shen Man walked to his side and they looked at the distant sea together: "This is indeed a thorny problem."

Just then, Cui Jinrong rushed over: "Your Highness, City Lord, the soldiers on duty just now spotted ships moving in the distance and suspect they are Japanese reconnaissance vessels."

Chu Zhiyi's eyes narrowed: "They've arrived so quickly. Pass on my order: kill them as soon as they enter firing range, don't give them any chance to get close to our fleet."

Cui Jinrong accepted the order and left.

Not long after, several gunshots rang out. All the Japanese soldiers sent to scout were killed, and the ship was punctured and slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.

Over the next two days, both sides were secretly vying for dominance.

On the one hand, Chu Zhiyi arranged for soldiers to strengthen the defense of the dock, and on the other hand, he sent people to continue to collect intelligence on the Beihe Mine.

Meanwhile, Shizuo Yamaguchi continued to deploy troops, laying a tight net around the mine, while urging Sakuragi's special forces to take action again.

By the third day, Shen Man and the others had rested and their strength had almost fully recovered.

She knew that continuing to fight the Japanese would bring no benefit, so she discussed with Chu Zhiyi the idea of ​​taking the initiative to attack.

"Your Highness, the Japanese have now deployed all their troops to the vicinity of the Hokkaido mine, leaving the city vulnerable. Why don't we first capture the stronghold of that old thief Yamaguchi and catch them off guard!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiyi's starry eyes flickered slightly, and then he nodded gently: "Man'er, your idea is quite novel. However, attacking Yamaguchi Shizuo's residence is no easy task. We are not familiar with the surrounding environment, nor do we know how heavily guarded it is or whether any traps have been set."

However, if we can successfully destroy his stronghold, it will not only disrupt the Japanese plans but also greatly boost our morale.

Shen Man's gaze was firm as she added, "Your Highness, we can first send a small elite squad disguised as Japanese soldiers to infiltrate the city and ascertain the defenses around the mansion. Then, the main force can move out at night and attack from both inside and outside."

In addition, we can spread the word in the city beforehand that Shizuo Yamaguchi has suffered a defeat in the battle outside the city and is about to abandon the city and flee.

This would create panic within the city and distract the Japanese soldiers.

Chu Zhiyi's lips curled up slightly, revealing an approving smile: "Man'er, this plan is excellent. Then let's do as you say and begin preparations immediately."

At that moment, Chu Zhiyi summoned Cui Jinrong and other generals and explained the plan to them in detail.

Upon hearing this, everyone rubbed their hands together, eager to try it out.

Cui Jinrong volunteered to lead the elite team that had infiltrated the area in disguise.

Shen Man, on the other hand, planned to sneak into the city ahead of them to spread the news.

Because she was the only one who knew the Japanese language, no one else could do this job.

After careful preparation, at dusk, Cui Jinrong led twenty agile soldiers, dressed in Japanese soldiers' uniforms, and armed themselves. Under the cover of night, they quietly made their way towards the city of Ohonshu.