Chapter 153: Breaking the City

While the Ming Army was slaughtering within the city, the garrison commander of Liuchuan City, Kameda Taro, patted his head and opened his eyes with an impatient expression.

Listening to the commotion outside, he couldn't help but frown, and in a tipsy voice said, "Baka yaro, are you all dead? Why is it so noisy outside? Murakami, Murakami, go see what is happening outside."

Having said that, he swayed as he stood up and took steps toward the doorway.

Pushing the door open to look, the sky outside was already filled with soaring flames, dyeing the pitch-black night as vivid as blood. At this moment, no matter how stupid Kameda Taro was, he realized that the Ming Army was attacking the city.

It turned out that the vibration just now was not an earthquake, but the sound of the Ming Army attacking the city.

Before he could react, more than thirty soldiers of the Qi Family Army had already charged into his courtyard.

Kameda Taro's knees went soft, his body bent downward, and with a "thump" he knelt on the floor, begging for mercy: "Don't kill me, don't kill me, I am willing to submit to the Heavenly Army, I am willing to submit to the Heavenly Army."

Gao Yu, walking at the very front, heard him jabbering and, with an irritated look, aimed at a companion beside him and asked, "This guy is blabbering, what is he saying?"

"Seems like he's begging us not to kill him," a sharp-witted man answered timidly.

"You can speak the Japanese language?"

"No, but looking at his cowardly appearance and expression, I guessed it."

Gao Yu suddenly realized, then turned ruthless, kicked Kameda Taro over, pointed at him and barked: "You, prove your value, otherwise you will die, die, understand?"

Kameda Taro didn't understand either, but he grasped something from his expression, so he nodded repeatedly. "I have a lot of money, I will take you to get it, don't kill me, don't kill me."

After the two had a cross-language chat, using both hands and mouths, Kameda Taro finally led Gao Yu to a treasure room.

Pushing the door open to look, the inside was packed full, with a room piled high with silver and rare treasures.

Gold, jade, agate, jade... the deep night still could not conceal the faint glow upon them.

"Gulp." Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Gao Yu slowly turned his head to look at his men.

At this moment, they were also dumbfounded, standing in place like wooden stakes.

After being stunned for a good while, Gao Yu pointed at one person and ordered: "Wang Xishun, you take seven people to stand guard here, the rest follow me; there must be many more wealthy households in this city."

"Yes." The seven men stepped out of the ranks to protect the treasury, and the remaining men followed Gao Yu as they hurried out of the mansion.

After exiting Kameda Taro's residence, Gao Yu's group ran head-on into a squad of Japanese pirates in the street. Enemies meeting face-to-face were exceptionally jealous; the opposing side shouted, gripped their Samurai Swords with both hands, and charged over with a roar.

Gao Yu grinned and set up a formation.

He stood at the very front holding a Long Spear, with the remaining two sword-and-shield soldiers guarding his left and right. The fast-charging samurai soon reached Gao Yu, and with a ferocious grin, he swung his sword directly at Gao Yu's face.

Gao Yu raised his Long Spear to block, then kicked the Japanese pirate samurai; the man let out a "wa" cry and fell to the ground, clutching his chest and vomiting blood.

Gao Yu took advantage of the momentum to step forward and thrust his spear into the Japanese pirate's belly.

The Japanese pirate's eyes widened, his legs twitched, and then he went still.

Immediately after, the two groups of men collided like a flood.

For a time, the sounds of slaughter filled the fields, shouts shook the sky, and the sound of metal clashing mixed with wails and pleas for mercy, resounding through the quiet night sky.

Gao Yu took the lead, his Long Spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, his moves ruthless and decisive; almost every thrust brought forth a scream.

He sank his stance, thrust his Long Spear forward, and struck a Japanese pirate right in the heart.

The Japanese pirate's features shifted in pain instantly, his mouth wide open as he shouted; Gao Yu gave a cold, sharp smile and grabbed the spear handle to twist it within the wound.

The Japanese pirate gripped the spear tip tightly, trying to pull the Long Spear out.

However, he soon lost all his strength as if it had been drained away, his eyes dimmed, and his body collapsed to the ground like mud.

Gao Yu pulled out the Long Spear, held it high above his head, and shouted: "Those who kneel will not be killed, those who kneel will not be killed!"

Most of these Japanese pirates could not understand the Han language; when Gao Yu shouted this, they thought it was some kind of charge slogan.

With this, their bloodlust was also ignited.

"Long live the Clan Head, long live the Clan Head, kill, for the Clan Head!"

"Drive the Ming people out, drive them out!"

"Defend our city and our women, drive the Ming Army out!"

"..."

Gao Yu shook his head, gripped his Long Spear tightly, and with the cover of the sword-and-shield soldiers and spear-wielders, charged into the enemy formation.

The soldiers behind him, seeing their officer so valiant, gritted their teeth, their eyes bloodshot, and followed closely behind with roars.

Truly, one inch longer is one inch stronger.

When they engaged the enemy from afar, the Long Spear soldiers were like drills in a lathe, rhythmically thrusting forward.

The flesh and blood in front wailed repeatedly, skin and flesh flew, and pungent watermelon juice flowed all over the ground.

Gao Yu took down three Japanese pirates in a row, consuming much of his stamina, with sweat beads the size of beans seeping from his forehead. However, he felt no fear at all; instead, there was a sense of gratification, the gratification of a hearty, unbridled slaughter.

At this time, he was covered in blood, and the blood flowed down the bottom of his battle robe, forming a pillar of blood on the ground.

He bared his blood-covered face ferociously and stepped forward with his Long Spear. The Japanese pirates still charging saw this and were instantly terrified to the point of losing their wits, hurriedly retreating back into the alley.

The Japanese pirates behind could not see the front and were still surging forward.

The two groups of men collided, and the scene became extremely chaotic.

"Baka, those in the back, go back!" "Cowards go back, don't block our path, cowards!"

"Ouch, which bastard is stabbing my butt with a sword?"

"Quickly move aside, otherwise you will all die, die!"

"..."

The Qi Family Army soldiers on the side watched, stunned.

What kind of trash is this? They can even start fighting among themselves? However, they did not show mercy because of the enemy's chaos; at Gao Yu's order, the Qi Family Army pressed forward together. The alley was not wide, and there was only one main road in front; the Japanese pirates in the middle were now suffering greatly.

Those behind them could not see the battle situation in front and kept pressing forward.

And behind them were Qi Jiguang's group of tigers and leopards, sharpening their blades.

Their eyes were just like a butcher on a holiday looking at the fat pigs in a pigpen, glowing with a greedy green light.

As the two sides touched, pig-like wails resounded.

In just a few short breaths, the Woguo pirates in the middle fell to the ground.

Now the Woguo pirates behind them began to face Gao Yu and the others directly; looking at this group of blood-soaked Ming Army soldiers, they could no longer hold on.

With a loud "Ah!", they turned tail and ran.

Gao Yu did not pursue them deep; after successive battles, he was also at the end of his strength. Just now, because he was still in the midst of battle, his adrenaline had surged, allowing him to force out that last bit of energy with sheer willpower.

Now that the crisis had passed, he could no longer support himself; his legs went weak, and he staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

A soldier at his side hurriedly steadied him.

The team rested on the spot for a moment, then went to the mansions in the city to loot silver and money.

The battle lasted until noon the next day before the resistance in the city slightly diminished. After Qi Guozuo took the city, he immediately sent men to count the battle losses and the stores in the city's treasury.

At the same time, while repairing the city walls, he sent men to report the victory to Li Rusong.

Thus, in Liuchuan City, one could see such a scene: the sounds of killing in the city appeared and disappeared, and there were still troops fighting.

At the city gate, the surrendered Woguo pirates picked up masonry tools to help the Ming Army repair the city walls.

The speed of repairing the city walls was very fast; in just two short days, the gaps in the east wall of Liuchuan City were plugged.

Qi Guozuo was not in a hurry to push forward, but instead took root in Liuchuan City.

After this battle, he had a relatively clear understanding of the combat power of both the enemy and his own side.

Although the Qi Family Army was fierce in battle, their numbers were ultimately small, and the Ryuzoji Clan was, after all, one of the three overlords of Kyushu Island.

They had nearly twenty thousand Battle Soldiers under their command.

Moreover, this was their home turf; his own soldiers would be one fewer for every one that died, so he could not act recklessly.

That evening, Qi Guozuo summoned his generals in the Japanese-style room of the city lord's mansion.

Once they sat down and looked at each other, several high-ranking officers were wounded. Fortunately, none were serious; at most, they had been slashed by a blade, not suffering any piercing wounds, so they would recover quickly.

Sweeping his gaze over everyone, Qi Guozuo took a deep breath and said with a sorrowful face, "Gentlemen, this battle was not easy to fight; over thirty men were killed in action, and over sixty were wounded."

"General, how can there be no deaths in war? We have suffered heavy casualties, but these Woguo pirates haven't had it easy either," Wu Hai replied, slapping the table. "I wish we could wipe out this Woguo island right now."

"That's right, there are three hundred thousand taels of silver in this city alone, plus gold; this Woguo island is truly damn rich. If we take the entire Woguo island, who knows how much money that would be," another person chimed in.

"You two had better be careful; the combat power of these Woguo pirates is not as pathetic as we thought," a cautious one reminded them.

"What are you afraid of? Since we've come all this way, we have to at least make enough to break even, right?"

"Exactly, exactly! Only by risking one's life can one pull the emperor of this Woguo off his horse!"

The crowd discussed and argued noisily.

Qi Guozuo narrowed his eyes to signal for silence, then said, "Gentlemen, General Li's follow-up troops have not yet arrived; it would be best for everyone to remain calm and patient."

"Then when will General Li's reinforcements arrive?" Wu Hai asked curiously.

"I do not know, but we are not in a hurry; it is these Woguo people who are," Qi Guozuo shook his head and continued, "It is just as well; the main force has come from afar and has been fighting for days, so it is time to rest a while before marching on Saga City."

The generals looked at one another and finally nodded in agreement.

On the other side, Zhang Yunxiu also received the news immediately.

He was overjoyed and ordered someone to call Han San over.

A personal attendant took the order and left; before long, the attendant returned, leading Han San as they hurried from the shore onto the deck.

Upon seeing each other, Zhang Yunxiu immediately got straight to the point: "Qi Guozuo has already taken Liuchuan City; this is the Ryuzoji Clan's bridgehead in Zhugo Province, so the Shimazu Clan should also make a move now."

"Good, then I will send men to urge Ai Neng to incite the Shimazu Clan to send troops," Han San cupped his hands and replied respectfully.

"Be careful with the Otomo Clan as well; don't look at how they have temporarily yielded; there is no telling when they might stab us in the back."

"Understood."

(End of this chapter)