Chapter 369: Seven emperors set out simultaneously to attack the Japanese pirates!

Zhu Yuanzhang handled military affairs during the day—

The progress of warships, the allocation of provisions, and the casting of firelocks; he had to personally oversee every single matter.

At night, he practiced until the Yin hour (3:00–5:00 AM), slept for two double-hours, and continued to attend court at daybreak.

The dawn of the seventh day.

Zhu Yuanzhang was meditating in the villa courtyard when his dantian suddenly contracted violently, and a surge of heat rushed out from the dantian, traveling along his meridians to his limbs and bones.

After the heat completed one cycle, he opened his eyes; his entire spine felt as if it had been straightened from the back of his head to his coccyx, feeling both loose and upright.

He stood up, glanced at the bowl-thick pagoda tree in the courtyard, and pushed out a palm.

There was no sound.

Half the leaves fell with a rustle, as if blown by a gust of wind, yet there was no wind that day.

Zhu Biao ran out from behind: "Father Emperor?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his own palm, a trace of warmth still lingering in the center.

He was silent for two seconds: "I have succeeded."

On the ninth day, Empress Ma made a breakthrough.

Zhu Biao also made a breakthrough on the same day.

Zhu Di was one double-hour behind them.

When he made his breakthrough, he couldn't hold back and punched the wooden training post, causing it to crack with a 'Crack!'.

Zhu Di looked at the crack, the corners of his mouth curling up.

……

Three months later.

At a port on the coast of the Great Ming, an army of one hundred thousand had finished assembling.

One thousand warships of various sizes filled the docks; the largest warship had ten red-clothed cannons lined up on its deck.

Xu Da stood on a high platform at the port, looking at the dense ranks, and turned to say to Lan Yu beside him: "Count them, how many men."

Lan Yu glanced over: "Exactly one hundred thousand, not one less."

The firelock infantry marched past the port in formation, ten thousand firelocks slung across their shoulders, muzzles pointing to the sky, their steps uniform.

The target range had been tested yesterday; the human-shaped target at one hundred and fifty paces had been pierced with six holes by lead bullets.

There were twenty red-clothed cannons, each equipped with two hundred explosive shells, wrapped in waterproof oilcloth and stacked in the hold.

The commoners crowded the perimeter of the port, standing on tiptoe to look at those iron ships.

Someone pointed at a steamship and asked the person next to them: "That ship has no sails? How does it move?"

The person next to them couldn't answer, but that didn't stop them from watching.

That largest ship was named "Hongwu".

On the bow deck, seven people stood in a row—Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Che, Liu Xiu, Li Shimin, Zhao Kuangyin, and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Each wore a sword, and besides the different styles of their swords, their standing postures were also different.

Ying Zheng stood the steadiest, his feet motionless, as if nailed to the deck.

Liu Bang stood the most casually, one hand resting on his sword hilt, the other on his waist.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu stood side by side, whispering to each other from time to time.

Li Shimin stood upright, tilting his head slightly to check the direction.

Zhao Kuangyin walked with his hands behind his back, as if he were here for a tour.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood at the very front, facing the sea, his knuckles white as he gripped the ship's railing.

Gu Shanhe leaned against the mast, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

Zhu Biao saw this scene from the shore.

Seven emperors on the same ship heading out to sea; this scene was unprecedented, and likely would never be seen again.

He turned to the attendant beside him and said: "With so many emperors present, the Japanese pirates are finished this time."

……

On the fifth day of the fleet's voyage, the shore could no longer be seen on the East Sea.

The sea was boundless, the sky meeting the horizon.

The wind was light, the waves were low, the steamship's chimney spat black smoke, and the propellers churned the spray.

Liu Bang had been idle for four days and really couldn't hold back anymore.

He walked to the bow and threw a Fireball Technique into the sea—

A fist-sized crimson fireball drew an arc, slammed into the water, and exploded into a water column three zhang high.

The spray splashed onto the deck, drenching Liu Che beside him.

"Gaozu!"

Liu Che wiped the seawater from his face.

"Could you give a warning next time?"

Liu Bang laughed heartily: "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you!"

Ying Zheng wasn't idle either.

He flew his sword out past the ship's railing, flying ten li along the surface of the sea, startling the seagulls into scattering.

He returned over the sea, his clothes not even wet, and landed steadily on the deck.

Liu Che threw out a Wind Blade; the blade sliced along the sea surface, cutting the wave crests clean off, the edges as smooth as tofu cut by a knife.

He nodded, quite satisfied.

Liu Xiu was the quietest, sitting at the stern meditating.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt his hands itching.

He was only at the first level of Qi Refining and couldn't fly, but he stood on the deck clenching his fists, saying to Gu Shanhe beside him: "When I reach Foundation Establishment, I will fly too."

Gu Shanhe leaned against the railing drinking tea: "Your progress isn't slow; you should be able to reach Foundation Establishment in a year."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Ying Zheng flying back on his sword in the sky, then at the spray exploded by Liu Bang's fireball, and took a deep breath.

He walked over and sat on a wooden barrel next to Gu Shanhe: "Immortal Master, is this battle easy to fight?"

Gu Shanhe took a sip of tea: "Your ships are three times faster than theirs, your cannons have five times the range, and you have ten times the men."

"And with you cultivators, tell me, how could this battle be lost?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"That's true."

……

The dawn of the twelfth day.

A black line appeared on the sea surface, growing thicker and larger.

That was land.

The island nation of the Japanese pirates had arrived.

The garrison on the island saw the dense mass of warships on the sea.

Then the cannons roared.

The first volley of red-clothed cannons fired simultaneously; the shells landed on the shore, snapping the watchtowers in half.

Wood chips flew, and the soldiers guarding the towers fell out, only to be blown away by the second wave of shells before they hit the ground.

The garrison didn't react.

They had never seen such a formation before.

After the third volley, the boarding ramps were lowered.

The firelock infantry marched off the ships, their feet hitting the sand, forming three rows.

The first row knelt, the second stood, and the third leveled their guns.

The indigenous people on the island charged over waving samurai swords, only to be mowed down by the first row of firelocks from fifty paces away.

The second row fired to cover, and the third row followed up.

There was no cavalry, no heavy armor; the pure infantry charge was like paper before the firelocks.

Xu Da stood by the railing, watching the battle on the shore, and nodded: "Easier than expected."

Lan Yu led the charge at the very front.

He didn't use a firelock, but a long spear, taking one down with each thrust.

Seeing him charge over, the Japanese pirate soldiers turned and ran. ===== CHAPTER 370 =====