Chapter 161: Feigning Weakness

Just as the battle for Xiaocang City fell into a stalemate, Zhang Yunxiu arrived with his massive warships and sailed into the territory of the Mori Clan.

At this moment, Mori Terumoto was playing a game of Go with Kobayakawa Takakage in a small pavilion in his backyard, when he suddenly heard a servant come to report.

The report stated that a massive warship had sailed into their territory.

Mori Terumoto raised an eyebrow, placed his piece into the bowl, turned to look at Kobayakawa Takakage, and said, "Uncle, this Ming Army fleet has arrived a bit too quickly, hasn't it?"

"I told you long ago that the foundation of the Great Ming is beyond what you or I can imagine." Kobayakawa Takakage smiled and shook his head, stood up from his cushion, walked to the window, and muttered to himself, "However, since they have come knocking at our door, we must naturally fight them and see who is stronger."

"What if we lose?" Mori Terumoto asked nervously.

Kobayakawa Takakage did not speak.

Seeing this, Mori Terumoto became even more nervous.

His own ability was far inferior to his two uncles; he was only able to become the Clan Head of the Mori Clan because of the support of his two uncles.

It could be concluded that if not for his two uncles, he would have long ago been at a loss as to how to handle himself.

Glancing at his nephew from the corner of his eye, Kobayakawa Takakage sighed repeatedly in his heart.

His nephew had lived in a honey pot since childhood, and because his elder brother had passed away early, his father had groomed him as the successor from a young age.

Along the way, this nephew of his had had it too easy.

So easy that everything had been planned out for him in advance by others.

The Clan Head of the Mori Clan must never be such a person without his own opinions! Clenching his fist, Kobayakawa Takakage turned around, looked at Mori Terumoto, and said, "Terumoto, you are the Clan Head; some things should be decided by you personally. Since things have reached this point, make your decision boldly."

"Uncle... I..." Mori Terumoto's face showed worry.

"Terumoto, you are the Clan Head!" Kobayakawa Takakage looked at his appearance, and anger flared in his heart; his tone became heavier: "Show the spirit of a Clan Head. No matter what you do, I will support you."

Stung by this reprimand, Mori Terumoto turned red and looked ashamed.

He knew that his uncle would not offer any more ideas this time; everything had to be judged by himself.

Currently, Uncle Kikkawa had taken half of the clan's samurai away, and the defenses of the entire San'in and Sanyo regions were weak.

Shimane City was the foundation of the Mori Clan, so this place must not be lost.

After pondering in his heart, Mori Terumoto raised his head, stared at his uncle, and stated his thoughts: "Uncle, since the Ming Army fleet is coming aggressively, I think we should focus on defending Shimane City."

"If the Ming Army comes ashore to attack, we can also dispatch our fleet to circle behind them and destroy their ships."

"Hmm, that sounds good." Kobayakawa Takakage nodded and added, "But what if the Ming Army doesn't come ashore? Their warships are even larger than ours."

"Not come ashore?" Mori Terumoto was completely confused.

Those coastal cities, while decent, were far inferior to Silver Mountain. Would the Ming Army be content to just occupy these few cities and then sail away?

He did not believe anyone could resist the temptation of Silver Mountain.

However, since his uncle had mentioned this possibility, Mori Terumoto could only reply half-heartedly and half-seriously: "If the Ming Army does not come ashore, then I will first transport the wealth of the coastal cities back..."

"And then?" Kobayakawa Takakage interrupted. Just as Mori Terumoto was about to answer, Kobayakawa Takakage suddenly sneered and questioned him: "And then, are you prepared to hand over those coastal cities to the Ming Army on a silver platter?"

For a moment, the temperature in the small pavilion plummeted.

Quiet.

A deathly silence spread through the pavilion.

After a few seconds of silence, Mori Terumoto finally gathered his courage, looked directly at Kobayakawa Takakage, and replied: "Yes. Since Uncle says the Ming Army fleet is incredibly powerful, I must naturally avoid their edge and wait until they come ashore before engaging them in a decisive battle."

"Very good."

Kobayakawa Takakage felt relieved and gave his nephew an appreciative smile.

This was the dignity of a Clan Head; even if one is wrong, one must persist and not change one's mind just because others question it.

Seeing his nephew had the courage to refute him, Kobayakawa Takakage felt comforted in his heart. Thinking this, Kobayakawa Takakage stepped up to Mori Terumoto, and Mori Terumoto hurriedly stood up.

The two looked at each other, and Kobayakawa Takakage said respectfully: "Terumoto, since you have already decided, then go ahead and do it. No matter what you do, I will support you."

"Yes."

The sun hung in the center of the sky; the sea surface shimmered with golden light, and boats departed like birds in flight.

Massive warships carrying the Ming Army rode the wind and waves, arriving directly at a coastal city of the Mori Clan.

That city leaned right against the seaside.

Standing at the bow of the ship and glancing inward, one could vaguely see figures moving inside the square-shaped city.

It looked like there were not many people.

For the soldiers on the ships, using such massive warships to deal with a city like this was simply effortless.

Consequently, everyone on the ships began to rub their hands, swearing to claim the first merit.

Zhang Yunxiu stood on the largest flagship, took a look inside, and felt eight parts confident in his heart.

He waved his hand, summoned Han San, and ordered: "Han San, go tell the signalman to pass the order: thirty warships from the First Fleet are to outflank from the left wing, and twenty warships from the Second Fleet are to outflank from the right."

"After two rounds of artillery fire, the swordsmen and shield-bearers are to storm the city."

"Yes!"

The warships quickly approached the city.

The cannons turned their muzzles and aimed at the city walls.

Only a few "Boom, boom, boom" roars were heard, and the sea area where the warships were located was immediately filled with pungent white smoke, which was then rapidly torn to shreds by the sea breeze.

Solid cannonballs were spat out from the barrels, tracing a beautiful parabola in the air before crashing heavily onto the gates of the Japanese pirates city.

In an instant, thick smoke rose on the city walls, and rubble flew everywhere.

After a round of artillery fire crushed them, the city walls were already in ruins.

To be safe, Zhang Yunxiu did not immediately let the soldiers charge, but chose to let the cannons rake it once more. After all, cannonballs could be replenished, but if a man was lost, he was truly gone.

Two rounds of volley fire were completed.

The warships responsible for the attack also moved to the edge of the city, and the soldiers on the warships poured off like mercury spilling onto the ground, roaring as they charged toward the city.

This city was not large in scale, and in just half an hour, the attacking fleet had taken it.

Before Zhang Yunxiu could be happy for long, a piece of bad news struck him like a blow to the head.

There were neither treasures nor many garrison troops in the city.

Nothing at all?

Interesting, very interesting.

Rubbing his chin and pondering for a moment, Zhang Yunxiu called over the signalman and ordered the fleet to return.

These people of the Mori Clan are truly cunning; knowing this city could not be held, they proactively withdrew their forces, preparing to find a strategic location to engage in a decisive battle.

Thinking about it, that place is most likely Shimane City.

While Zhang Yunxiu was lost in thought, Han San suddenly asked, "Young Master, what shall we do now?"

"First, clear out the surrounding cities so that no one can cut off our retreat."

(End of this chapter)