Chapter 706: Royal City

"Hand Grenade!" "Boom!"

Along the Zhongdao Pier, the Eastern Japanese had built thirty-six forts here.

With the Eastern Japanese Army annihilated, only a small number of Eastern Japanese soldiers remained to guard the forts.

Because the Eastern Japanese soldiers were hiding inside the forts, using the sandbags around the forts as cover to resist their fire.

Pan Zhang immediately ordered the skirmishers to capture these forts.

Taking hand grenades from their waists, the skirmishers crept toward the forts in groups of three.

Two soldiers provided covering fire, while the third soldier threw a hand grenade into the fort.

After a roar, the Eastern Japanese soldiers inside the fort were silent.

In the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, the entire pier was taken by the Marine soldiers.

At this moment, Pan Zhang ordered the flag language operator to signal to the sea.

Before long, the warships anchored opposite the pier slowly approached and docked at the pier.

The soldiers on the troop transport ships landed one after another.

Zhou Yi and Shang Bin also came down from the flagship.

"Not bad, we didn't miss our time for dinner." Zhou Yi took out his pocket watch and said to Pan Zhang with a smile.

Shang Bin flattered him, "The General is truly formidable; you defeated the Eastern Japanese Army on the island so quickly, and there were over twelve thousand Eastern Japanese soldiers on Zhongdao."

He paused and said, "And these Eastern Japanese soldiers are all fierce and ruthless, and they don't fear death when they fight."

"That is true, but in front of us, they are just this." Pan Zhang held up his little finger.

"Oh, hahaha..." Shang Bin laughed; naturally, the more formidable the Yan Wang's soldiers were, the better.

In this way, with Ryukyu retaken this time, the Eastern Japanese would never be able to take it back.

His throne would also be guaranteed.

"There is still one hour until dark; should we camp here for the night, or go to the Ryukyu Royal City for dinner? What do you think?" Zhou Yi looked toward the generals.

With the Eastern Japanese Army on the island annihilated, the remaining matters were very simple, and his mood naturally lightened.

Shang Bin was somewhat impatient to return to the Royal City, and he said, "Zhongdao is two hundred li long from south to north, but from east to west, the widest point is no more than fifty li, and it is only twenty li from the pier to the Royal City. The Ryukyu people make their living by fishing and planting rice, and one can eat the most delicious seafood in the Royal City."

Pan Zhang's eyes lit up instantly, "What are we waiting for? A moment ago, a Ryukyu army was beaten by this general until they were scurrying like rats; I reckon they have already been scared out of their wits. Perhaps if we just scare them a little, we can take the Royal City."

"General Pan, how many men does this army have?" Shang Bin asked.

"Three thousand or so, I suppose." Pan Zhang said casually.

Nodding, Shang Bin said to Zhou Yi, "General Zhou, after the Eastern Japanese occupied Ryukyu, they did not allow the Ryukyu Kingdom to maintain too many troops; there are only four thousand Ryukyu soldiers on Zhongdao. General Pan defeated three thousand of them, so the Ryukyu Royal City must be like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow."

Zhou Yi looked toward the east, where the Ryukyu Royal City was located.

Compared to camping at the pier, he naturally preferred to camp in the Royal City.

So he said, "The whole army, advance,"

"to the Ryukyu Royal City."

This time, he had brought a total of six thousand Marine soldiers.

Under his command, the Marine soldiers carried all the field artillery and advanced toward the east.

From the pier, a wide dirt road extended to the east.

On both sides of the road were nothing but rice paddies, lakes, and forests.

One hour later, they saw a city standing on the plain.

The city walls of this city were not made of blue bricks, but were built from crushed stones gathered from the mountains.

At this moment, the city walls were filled with vigilant Ryukyu soldiers.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to order an attack, Shang Bin suddenly grabbed his hand, his eyes brimming with tears, and said, "General, let me try."

Having said that, he led the Ryukyu officials following behind him and walked forward.

Looking at the Ryukyu soldiers on the city wall, Shang Bin shouted, "I am Shang Bin, son of the King of Ryukyu, Shang Mu. Having received the grace of the Great Song Dynasty Imperial Court, I lead six thousand heavenly troops to restore the throne. If you lay down your swords and blades, I will let bygones be bygones; if you remain obsessed and refuse to repent, there will be no mercy."

As his voice fell, the Ryukyu soldiers on the city wall immediately began to whisper to each other.

A Ryukyu soldier ran down and led an old man up the city wall.

The old man looked at Shang Bin, examined him carefully, and suddenly became excited, "His Highness the Heir Apparent, it is him, he is His Highness the Heir Apparent, His Highness the Heir Apparent has returned."

But just at this moment, a general suddenly rushed onto the city wall, drew his sword, and hacked the old man and the soldier who had helped the old man up to death.

Seeing this, Shang Bin was furious; he said to Zhou Yi, "General, if these lackeys of the Eastern Japanese are not killed, Ryukyu will never have peace."

Zhou Yi understood Shang Bin's meaning, and he waved his hand.

"Boom, boom, boom..." Forty-eight field artillery pieces roared simultaneously.

In an instant, the gate tower on the Ryukyu Royal City was blasted into powder.

The Ryukyu general who killed the old man and the soldier died without a whole corpse.

"Kill!"

At this moment, the Marine soldiers charged toward the Royal City walls.

Below the city wall, they threw hand grenades up, and the top of the wall instantly turned into a sea of fire.

After one round of artillery and one round of hand grenades, there was no movement left on the city wall.

The Marine soldiers took the opportunity to climb the city wall.

Looking down below the wall, they did not see any other Ryukyu soldiers.

Immediately, they opened the city gates.

The Marine soldiers swarmed in, and under Shang Bin's guidance, they charged directly toward the palace of the King of Ryukyu.

Along the way, the Ryukyu commoners hid in the shops and residences along the street, peeking at them through the cracks in the doors and windows.

One hour later, the Marine soldiers arrived at the Royal Palace.

Having easily dealt with the thousand-plus Ryukyu soldiers guarding the Imperial Palace, they charged into the Imperial Palace.

At this moment, inside the Ryukyu Imperial Palace, palace maids and eunuchs were fleeing in all directions out of panic.

Shang Bin led the Marine Corps directly, charging toward the Imperial Palace's sleeping quarters.

They dragged out a corpulent middle-aged man from the sleeping quarters; he was precisely the King of Ryukyu supported by Dongying, Shang Bin's seventh younger half-brother.

Having seized control of the Imperial Palace, Zhou Yi ordered the Marine Corps soldiers to take over the royal city and control all key thoroughfares.

At the same time, he had all the Ryukyu ministers gathered in the Imperial Palace.

Upon seeing Shang Bin, some of the old ministers immediately threw themselves down before him, wailing loudly.

Shang Bin looked at them with a blank expression; these ministers were nothing more than fence-sitters.

The ministers who were truly loyal to him had all fled with him to Great Song.

"Your Highness, you must cut the Gordian knot; in accordance with your orders, I will help you re-select officials and train the Ryukyu army," Zhou Yi said at this moment.

He could not be bothered with the personal grievances and grudges within Ryukyu.

Moreover, it had been thirty years, and most of the Ryukyu commoners who remembered Shang Bin were already old.

The young and able-bodied of Ryukyu likely had little memory of Shang Bin.

Under these circumstances, they could only sweep away all of Ryukyu's former officials and generals in one go and establish a new system to avoid leaving behind any lingering poison.

And by personally creating this system, they could also ensure Ryukyu's future loyalty to Great Song.

After all, this was, from the start, a deal between Shang Bin and their Yan Wang.

It also served as preparation for Ryukyu's future annexation into Great Song.