Chapter 370: The Japanese pirates were to be slaves forever, helping the Great Ming mine the mountains

In half a day, the beachhead was cleared.

The main force of the Japanese nation retreated into the mountain city.

It was a city built halfway up the mountain.

The walls were made of stone, with a trench dug around the outside; the terrain was treacherous, easy to defend and hard to attack.

Xu Da lined up the firelock infantry at the foot of the mountain and looked up at the height of the walls.

"Not easy to fight; an uphill attack will cause heavy casualties."

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to speak, Ying Zheng had already ascended into the sky on his sword.

His green sword drew an arc in the air, hovering thirty zhang above the city wall.

Liu Bang followed closely: "Brother Zheng, wait for me!"

Liu Che, Liu Xiu, Li Shimin, and Zhao Kuangyin ascended on their swords one after another.

The six of them lined up over the mountain city like six nails suspended in the sky.

The garrison on the wall looked up, and the swords in their hands dropped.

Ying Zheng raised his hand.

Crimson light condensed in his palm: Fireball Technique.

It was a circle larger than the one used in the Great Song last time.

The crimson fireball dragged a tail of flame as it slammed into the wall; stone fragments flew, and a three-zhang-wide gap was blown into the wall.

Liu Che followed up with a Wind Blade, slicing into the gap, cutting off the flagpole on the wall, and the flag drifted down.

Liu Xiu closed his eyes, using Earth Escape to sink into the wall's foundation—

A few breaths later,

Half of the eastern section of the wall collapsed, rubble rolling into the trench, filling it level.

Liu Bang was throwing fireballs enthusiastically on the side.

"It's finally my turn! Brother Zheng snatched it last time!"

Li Shimin conjured a few small spells in his hands and threw them forward.

His cultivation was slightly weaker, and the spells weren't very powerful, but throwing them from above the wall, he hit whatever he aimed at.

Zhao Kuangyin, having great strength, jumped to the top of the collapsed wall.

He bent down, broke off a hundred-jin stone from the wall, and smashed it toward the gate tower.

The roof of the gate tower collapsed.

With the six of them taking turns above, the firelock infantry on the ground charged in through the gap Liu Xiu had created, unimpeded all the way, with zero casualties.

When Lan Yu charged into the palace, the King of the Japanese nation was kneeling in the main hall.

A letter of surrender was laid out before him, the ink still wet.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked into the hall, not looking at the kneeling Japanese King, and sat down on the main seat.

Ying Zheng stood to his right, Liu Bang to his left, and the other four emperors spread out on both sides of the hall door.

Seven dragon robes, seven spirit swords, seven people standing there, and the air in the hall grew heavy.

Zhu Yuanzhang: "Look up."

The Japanese King looked up.

He saw the person in the bright yellow dragon robe in front of him, then glanced at the other six people in dragon robes—

He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

He had only ever seen one emperor in a dragon robe in his life; with seven emperors standing together, he didn't know whom he should bow to.

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was flat: "From today on, this island is incorporated into the territory of the Great Ming."

"All your people will be conscripted into the mines as laborers."

"The silver and gold mines belong to the Great Ming."

The Japanese King kowtowed.

Zhu Di stood by the palace door, not saying a word the whole time.

But his hand gripping his sword never relaxed, his knuckles turning white.

He looked at the person kowtowing on the ground, his mind filled with the images from the documentary—

Children on bayonets, women falling by the river, white bones piled in mass graves.

……

Three days later, the Iwami Silver Mine began operations.

When the first batch of ore was transported to the port, Xu Da squatted by the ore pile, picked up a piece, and weighed it: "Your Majesty, this piece of silver is enough to buy a thousand shi of rice."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood at the mine entrance, watching those Japanese miners being escorted into the shafts by Lan Yu's men, and was silent for a quarter of an hour.

Then he turned and left.

On the way back to the ship, he glanced at Ying Zheng,

"Brother Zheng, do you think what I did was right or wrong?"

Ying Zheng: "You are attacking the enemies who slaughtered your descendants."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "I know."

Ying Zheng: "Then why do you ask?"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't speak again.

……

Two months and three days after the expedition, the fleet returned to Tianjin Port.

The port was a sea of people.

The news had arrived half a month ago—

The Great Ming fleet had conquered the Japanese island nation, returning in total victory, and the island nation had been incorporated as an overseas province of the Great Ming.

The commoners spontaneously flocked to the port, not to see the spoils of war, but to see the emperors who had led the expedition in person.

Zhu Biao stood at the very front of the port, with Empress Ma and Empress Changsun beside him.

The clothes of the three fluttered in the sea breeze.

The Hongwu docked.

The boarding ramp was lowered, and Zhu Yuanzhang was the first to disembark.

He was still wearing his dragon robe, the sword Gu Shanhe had given him at his waist, his steps steady, the boarding ramp creaking under his weight.

Zhu Biao went up to meet him, bowing: "Your child welcomes Father Emperor's triumphant return!"

Zhu Yuanzhang patted his shoulder: "Biao'er, is the victory banquet prepared in the palace?"

Zhu Biao looked up, the corners of his mouth curling: "It is prepared."

"The entire civil and military court is waiting."

The victory banquet was held in the Fengtian Hall.

The civil and military officials were seated, with military generals like Xu Da and Lan Yu in the front row, and civil officials like Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen sitting opposite.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his cup, toasting Gu Shanhe first: "Without the Immortal Master, there would be no today."

Gu Shanhe raised his cup, took a sip, and set it down.

The second cup was for Ying Zheng: "Brother Zheng, I am convinced by that fireball of yours today."

Ying Zheng touched his cup to his and drank.

The third cup was for Liu Bang: "Your Majesty, the Han King, that fireball of yours today..."

Liu Bang waved his hand: "I only threw one, and Brother Zheng snatched it all."

The hall erupted in laughter.

Halfway through the banquet, Zhu Di took his wine bowl and leaned over to Zhao Kuangyin,

"Emperor Zhao, how did you throw that hundred-jin stone up there? Teach me."

Zhao Kuangyin: "When you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, your strength will naturally increase."

Zhu Di: "How long does Foundation Establishment take?"

Zhao Kuangyin gave Zhu Di a big picture: "Your talent is good, half a year."

Zhu Di's eyes lit up.

……

An hour later, the banquet dispersed.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on a stone bench in the Imperial Garden, holding a bunch of grapes, but not eating them.

Ying Zheng walked over and sat beside him: "Old Zhu, what are you thinking about?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "I'm thinking, if my descendants could see that scene, would it be different?"

Ying Zheng was silent for a while: "No."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at him.

Ying Zheng: "Because they haven't seen how the empire you conquered came to be."

"They only saw the lingering warmth you left on the dragon throne."

The two were silent.

Gu Shanhe walked over from the end of the corridor.

"Old Zhu, the Japanese pirates of the Hongwu dynasty have been resolved."

"I plan to go to the next dynasty to take a look; are you coming?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up: "I'm going."

Ying Zheng also stood up: "I'm going too."

Liu Bang's voice came from afar: "I've been ready for a long time! Let's go, let's go!"

They were all looking forward to the next stop; which dynasty would it be? ===== CHAPTER 371 =====