Chapter 152: Liuchuan City, Advance

Xiaocang City is located at the border of Chikuzen-no-kuni and Buzen-no-kuni.

Turning south leads to Higo-no-kuni, heading east reaches the Otomo-shi's Bungo-no-kuni, and the southwest direction is the Ryuzoji-ke's Chikuzen-no-kuni.

As soon as Li Rusong's army occupied Xiaocang City, the Otomo Clan's Clan Head, Otomo Sorin, immediately became alert.

He did not expect that the Great Ming's army would be so fierce, taking Xiaocang City in just one day.

As of now, among the three hegemons of Kyushu Island, his Otomo Clan was the weakest.

If he were the commander of the Ming Army, he would definitely choose to take a knife to himself.

And so, upon hearing that the Ming Army was attacking, he immediately summoned his son and the clan elders to discuss the matter.

A group of people sat cross-legged, forming a square, with Otomo Sorin sitting at the head; he scanned the circle and then said with no small amount of worry: "Everyone, the Ming Army's arrival is fierce; it seems our Otomo Clan must fight a battle this time."

A gray-haired clan elder furrowed his brows into a knot and said cautiously: "Clan Head, there is an old saying in the Middle Kingdom: 'The world bustles for profit, and the world scurries for profit.' Why don't we send them some wealth and have them stop the troops there?"

A man in his thirties was immediately displeased and retorted in a deep voice: "Clan Elder! The enemy hasn't even reached our door yet, and you are already clamoring to surrender. If this gets out, what face will our Otomo Clan have to stand in the land of Kyushu?"

"Young Clan Head, this old man is not surrendering, but thinking for our Otomo-shi."

"Hmph, I think you are thinking for yourself."

"You—"

The old man was so angry his face turned red; he pointed a finger at the young man and could not speak for a long time.

Otomo Sorin glared at the young man and shouted: "Yoshimune, mind your status! Clan Elder Kuroda is a person of high virtue and prestige in the clan. You, a junior, are refuting a clan elder—what kind of behavior is this?!"

The young man was none other than Otomo Sorin's eldest legitimate son, Otomo Yoshimune.

Reprimanded by his father, although Otomo Yoshimune was unconvinced in his heart, he could only soften his tone and say: "Father's lesson is correct; it was the child who was a bit uncomposed just now. I ask Father and the Clan Elder to forgive my sin."

The clan elder also took the opportunity to step down and steered the topic back to sending gifts: "Clan Head, the Great Ming nation lacks silver; they must have come here for silver. Since that is the case, why don't we just send them 200,000 in silver to exchange for peace?"

"I fear the Ming Army's appetite is not small." Otomo Sorin shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"Clan Head, to subdue the enemy without fighting is the best strategy. The Ming Army commander fights for money too; since we can give him money, why must he fight us to the death?" The clan elder leaned forward, spitting as he spoke, "Could it be that they are born with a thirst for killing?!"

"Fine, then the Clan Elder can go and make contact first. If they agree, I will treat it as losing wealth to avoid disaster." Otomo Sorin nodded and agreed reluctantly.

At the same time, he also sent orders to Takahashi Shoun at Iwatoge-jo and Tachibana Dosetsu at Tachibanayama-jo, telling them to hold their positions and wait.

On the other side, Qi Guozuo led his army to march southwest, clearing the way as they went, and finally arrived at Liuchuan City in Zhugo Province.

This place was a grand city of the Ryuzoji-ke in Zhugo Province.

It had always been known as the Impregnable City of Kyushu.

Qi Guozuo stood on the hillside outside the city, placing one hand before his brow to gaze into the distance.

He saw that the city walls were five zhang high, with blockhouses standing thick at the four corners, and long spears and hidden crossbows bristling; under the scorching sun, it emitted waves of cold air.

Below the city, there was also a bottomless trench protecting the fortress.

Layer upon layer of defense, the ramparts were strict and severe.

"This city is not small; this is going to be a bit troublesome." Rubbing his chin, Qi Guozuo was secretly alarmed.

This city was actually not considered large in the Great Ming, but they had traveled across the vast ocean, and the siege equipment they carried was scarce.

If they were to launch a frontal assault, although the Qi Family Army had strict discipline, they were, after all, flesh and blood.

This battle would not be easy.

Soon after reaching a conclusion in his heart, Qi Guozuo descended the hillside and arrived at an open space five miles from the city to set up camp.

After raising the main tent, Qi Guozuo immediately summoned the generals in the army to discuss the matter.

He sat in the commander's seat, displaying the aura of a commander-in-chief, and said with great dignity: "Everyone has seen it; this city has high walls and is strong. If we launch a frontal assault, our army will suffer significant losses. The ancients said: 'The best warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy; the next is to attack their alliances; the next is to attack their soldiers; the worst is to attack their walled cities.'"

"General, I have taken a look at this city. The city is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, and the east side is an open area. This subordinate suggests a main attack on the southeast, using the Great General Cannon to open the way. I am willing to serve as the vanguard to open the city gates for the main army."

The one speaking was a forty-year-old military man, the original commander of this unit, Wu Hai.

Although Qi Guozuo had the status of being Qi Jiguang's son, he dared not neglect these old subordinates. Hearing him suggest a frontal assault, Qi Guozuo kindly advised: "General Wu, a frontal assault is by no means a brilliant plan. Please calm your impatience for now."

Another general also voiced a suggestion: "I see that the soil on the east side of the city is loose. Why not send a suicide squad at night to dig a large hole, place explosives, and blow up the city wall, then have the main army charge in?"

"Is there enough gunpowder?" Qi Guozuo asked him with a worried expression.

"It should be enough. If the General is worried it is not enough, we can send someone to ask General Li Rusong for more gunpowder." The man was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at Qi Guozuo and reported.

"That won't be necessary." Qi Guozuo waved his hand quickly, knitted his brows, and said sternly, "General Li's side is no easier than ours. If we can solve it ourselves, we solve it ourselves. Even if we can't blow up the wall, we will take this city even if we have to grit our teeth."

Although he had ceded the command to Li Rusong, he did not want to be looked down upon.

The generals in the room also understood the commander's mood; they nodded and immediately cupped their fists, shouting: "General, rest assured! We will surely fight to be the first, and swear to take this city, never tarnishing the prestige of the Qi Family Army."

Qi Guozuo stood up and bumped fists with everyone, then ordered them to rest in place, while he sent scouts to circle the city and probe the reality of the situation.

Three or four days passed, and the Ming Army showed no intention of attacking.

At this point, the defenders on the city walls could not help but let their spirits slacken.

One Samurai-taisho gave a disdainful laugh, crossed his arms, and boasted to his companion: "It's a good thing these Ming soldiers are sensible and didn't come to attack Liuchuan City, otherwise I would definitely let them know the power of our Ryuzoji warriors."

"Kameda-kun, don't be careless. These Ming people are the most cunning; who knows what kind of underhanded tricks they might use." The companion beside him advised in a soft voice.

The man called Kameda touched the mustache before his nose and shook his head: "Kato-kun, you are too cautious. This Liuchuan City is known as the Impregnable City; unless the Ming Army grows wings, it is impossible for them to fly over."

Having said that, he pointed toward the distant Ming Army camp. Kato smiled and stopped wasting words with him, only gripping the long sword in his hand, his eyes narrowed into slits.

In the dead of night.

The moon hung in the center of the sky, and the entire Liuchuan City was shrouded in the hazy moonlight.

The cold wind blew, stirring the few withered trees outside the city, causing the old ravens on the trees to flap their wings and let out a hair-raising cry.

Because it was already late at night, and coupled with the fact that the Ming Army had made no moves for several days, the defenders on the city walls had almost forgotten that there was such a force of Ming soldiers outside the city.

The defenders on the city wall glanced down at the foot of the wall, saw no one raiding, shook their heads, and finally retreated back into the fortress.

In groups of three or five, they began to talk nonsense.

Just at this moment, a squad of guards dressed in black below the city suppressed their footsteps, carrying gunpowder on their bodies, and ran toward Liuchuan City like ghosts.

Taking long ladders to cross the trench, more than thirty people quietly arrived beneath the wall bricks.

Upon reaching the foot of the wall, the team leader immediately pressed his ear against the wall, gently tapping the bricks to find a weak spot.

"Dang, dang, dang."

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the team leader suddenly smiled, took out a tinderbox to light it, pointed to the spot he had tapped, and ordered: "It's right here, start working!"

The group heard the order and immediately took out their tools, carefully prying at the wall bricks.

One brick, two bricks, three bricks, four bricks—the night grew deeper, the moonlight retreated into the clouds, and in this time, over fifty bricks had already been laid out on the ground.

The once neat and imposing city wall now had a large hole three or four feet wide that had appeared out of thin air.

"Boss, is this enough?" one person asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Not enough, keep digging. If this city wall doesn't collapse from the blast, my lifelong reputation will be completely ruined," the leader replied, though his hands never stopped pulling at the bricks.

The group worked hard and fast, only stopping once the hole was completely packed with gunpowder.

Glancing at his masterpiece, the leader clapped his hands, left two men to light the fuse, and ordered everyone else to retreat.

The group waited for their companions for a moment, when suddenly they heard footsteps ahead and two shouts of "Run!" rang out, causing everyone to scramble away into the distance.

Under the night sky, thirty men sprinted rapidly.

In front of the city wall behind them, the flickering fuse raced toward the explosives.

With a "Bang!", the group looked back to see a brilliant spark, mixed with flying bricks, shooting into the night sky.

"It worked!" someone shouted.

At this moment, Qi Guozuo also led his troops charging out from the camp.

"It worked!" The leader reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his face full of excitement.

Before the group could be stunned, the sound of "tap-tap" footsteps rang out from afar, and the man in the lead roared in a deep voice: "Gao Yu! Take your men back to the main force and follow us to charge!"

"Yes."

Gao Yu received his weapon and squeezed into the ranks.

The army held their torches high, like a long, fiery dragon, charging heroically toward the East Gate of Liuchuan.

The earlier explosion had also awakened the defenders in the city; they looked toward the East Gate. Everywhere there were severed limbs and legs, blood overflowing, forming a deep pool of blood in the trench at the foot of the wall.

A large hole over a zhang high appeared nakedly before their eyes.

They were shocked; was this an earthquake? They were no strangers to this; Kyushu Island was often hit by tsunamis and earthquakes, so they were long accustomed to it.

But why was this earthquake different from the ones they had seen before? At this moment, a great general caught sight of the torches in the distance, and he immediately understood, roaring at the top of his lungs: "It's the Ming Army, it's the Ming Army! The Ming Army has come to attack the city, quickly return to your positions!"

"Quick, quick, quick, go to the East Gate! Archers, prepare! Archers, prepare! You must not let the Ming Army get in!"

The city wall was already in chaos, and the generals were busy directing their troops to rush toward the East Gate.

Before the defenders in the city could reorganize their offensive, the sword-and-shield soldiers of the Qi Family Army had already squeezed into the city through the broken walls and ruins.

"Brothers, slaughter these dog bastards!" The School Officer at the very front held his long saber high above his head and shouted! The Qi Family Army behind him shouted in unison, then formed into squads of eleven to set up the Mandarin Duck Formation to engage the enemy.

This formation was created by Qi Jiguang, with the squad leader at the very front acting as the commander.

Next were two men, one holding a long saber and one holding a rattan shield as sword-and-shield soldiers to cover the squad's advance.

Then two men were Wolf Brush wielders holding Wolf Brushes.

There were also four men holding Long Spears, two on each side.

Finally, there were two Dangpa wielders holding "Dangpa", responsible for the entire squad's security.

This formation was capable of both offense and defense, with weapons of varying lengths, and could change formation on the left and right sides.

The Qi Family Army knew this formation by heart, and as soon as the vanguard engaged the enemy, they immediately set it up as if by muscle memory.

Two Japanese pirates stepped forward quickly and slashed their sabers violently at the soldiers in front.

The sword-and-shield soldiers blocked with their rattan shields, and the spearmen behind them thrust forward; the two men let out a "wa" cry of agony, and liquid like watermelon juice flowed from their bodies.

The sword-and-shield soldiers then swept their long sabers forward, and the two men fell to the ground, bleeding to death.

(End of chapter)