Chapter 966: Long-term Tug-of-War

The tragic situation on the first day exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Over here, over here!"

"Is there still room to put them down?"

"Squeeze in a bit over here!"

By nightfall, the gongs sounded to withdraw the troops. Li Zhenzhu was already panting with exhaustion. The situation on the Li Dynasty side had also begun to descend into chaos; the entire camp was overcrowded. Because it was already night, the camp was filled with all sorts of lights. There were too many wounded—one after another, they were missing arms or legs. The smell of blood was incredibly pungent. The military physicians were all exhausted, but there were too many of them, and they simply couldn't attend to everyone. A bandage would just be tied on one side, and someone would already be screaming on the other.

Miserable.

Too miserable.

Chaotic.

Too chaotic.

However, in this kind of decisive battle, there was no other way.

Both sides had no fortifications to defend; to put it bluntly, it was just one word: fight!

:

Xiao Qian's complexion was not very good either.

He had not expected the Wa army's combat effectiveness to be so fierce. It was only the first day, and the Li Dynasty side had already lost twenty thousand men! Furthermore, the number of wounded was countless.

And Li Zhenzhu had to be responsible for all of this.

Therefore, at this moment, he was already wearing a look of weariness, sitting on the ground nearby, watching all of this, his tears flowing once again.

It was either you die, or I live!

The war was taking place almost entirely on a plain! Fighting on a plain was almost entirely hand-to-hand combat; it was a contest of strength, a contest of numbers! Of course, whenever there is war, it involves too many things. The outcome of a war is not determined solely by these combatants. Things like grain transport, logistical support, the provision of military physicians, living conditions, and so on—every detail, no matter how small, directly affects the outcome of a war!

It must be said that the song "Fierce Look Back" did indeed boost morale significantly, but it was precisely because morale was boosted that they were barely able to trade the lives of twenty thousand soldiers for ten thousand of the enemy's!

Twenty thousand for ten thousand—in other words, if not for the boost in morale, they would have been defeated even more miserably!

He felt that he had grown old.

He was truly old.

Yet, the facts were just like this. Willing but unable, willing but unable! Li Zhenzhu wished he could roar at the heavens: why did the Li Dynasty have such a vacuum in terms of military talent? If General Li were still here, why would there be any worry about not annihilating these Wa pirates?

The other generals were also watching with great sorrow and frustration.

Come to think of it,

it was a tremendous humiliation!

Seeing that Xiao Qian had also arrived, Li Zhenzhu couldn't help but mumble, wanting to say something, but he didn't say it.

He had no face to speak.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

However, when they woke up tomorrow, they would once again face a massive offensive from the Wa army.

Xiao Qian sighed and came over to help Li Zhenzhu up.

Li Zhenzhu didn't even know what to say anymore.

Because it was he who had issued the Military Order, swearing that they would drag it out and wait for reinforcements, but now, in this situation...

"Old General, please get up first; the ground is damp and cold."

"Great General."

"General Xiao."

"Tomorrow, I will take command!"

Xiao Qian suddenly smiled.

Xiao Qian immediately convened a military meeting.

Qinghe Town was actually already a symbolic defensive zone. There was almost no terrain to defend, but they had nowhere left to retreat. In plain warfare, it entirely depended on how the commander arranged the troops: left formation, right formation, central Square Formation, reserves, cavalry on the left and right wings, and so on.

The group was overjoyed; they had actually wanted to propose this condition long ago, but having made big promises beforehand, they naturally had no face to say it.

Since Xiao Qian took the initiative to propose it, they were naturally delighted.

In the Korean War of Liu Zheng's previous life, why were many great powers able to be thwarted there? It was because the terrain was too complex, making it difficult for their sophisticated Weaponry and Equipment to be effective.

This is called a strategic buffer zone!

In reality.

The Li Dynasty did have complex terrain that could be utilized.

What troubled Xiao Qian at the moment was that these Li Dynasty troops were simply too weak.

They were simply weaklings!

Of course.

We won't talk about that.

That goes without saying. In the history of the world Liu Zheng came from, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, he dared to lead Wa Samurai to clash head-on with the Ming Dynasty army. The Wa expeditionary force at that time could be called the strongest army in Wa history. Korea, meanwhile, had long been in a state of "people not knowing of soldiers for over two hundred years." The Korea of that time was exactly the same as the Li Dynasty at this moment. Toyotomi Hideyoshi used a strategy of "bullying the weak with strength and seeking a quick decision," fiercely attacking Korea. The Korean army was routed, losing many important cities, including the capital, in just over a month, and the King even fled to the border between China and Korea.

This world was the same.

Whether in terms of individual combat effectiveness or overall strength, they were far behind the Wa army.

Look again at the Wa Samurai.

Although Longyan eventually won, it lost many elite units.

The reason was that the Wa Infantry and Musketeers were too strong.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, Longyan sent reinforcements.

But even as strong as Longyan was, the generals at the time suffered several heavy losses at the hands of the Wa army.

The Wa also had their drawbacks.

That is, Samurai in the Wa nation belonged to the elite of the elite; in reality, their status was similar to that of Knights in Europe, and the cost of cultivating a Wa Samurai was very high. Therefore, don't look at the Wa army as having fifty thousand troops at every turn; in reality, the majority of those doing the main fighting were still "Foot Soldiers," which were just ordinary conscripts. This time, in order to conquer the Li Dynasty, the Wa nation recruited heavily, mobilizing a large number of civilians into the army. This was a point Xiao Qian could exploit.

In the Great Wa Nation, because the Samurai class is elite, their combat is heroic, their sword techniques are formidable, and their Samurai Swords are exquisitely crafted, they are almost all superior to the Longyan army. Moreover, their main force now consists almost entirely of Li Dynasty soldiers! Furthermore, unlike the Li Dynasty soldiers, due to their Geography and their beliefs, the fighting spirit of these Wa Samurai is also something the people of the Li Dynasty cannot compare to.

Of course.

It is just that

Xiao Qian and a group of people studied it for a long time.

Therefore.

Generally speaking, it is not that pessimistic.

This time, the combat power of the Wa army's Samurai level is at least one hundred thousand!

One hundred thousand!

Reaching a conclusion.

That is.

Hold on.

Xiao Qian recalled the death order Liu Zheng had given him and gave a bitter smile.

That is to say, if one compares it with the combat power of the Li Dynasty, the Wa Nation has an army of one hundred thousand that can fight one against a hundred!

To the people of the Li Dynasty, this is absolutely a desperate number.

"Tomorrow, fifty thousand Longyan troops will be the main force, with thirty thousand Cavalry and twenty thousand Infantry. Fifty thousand from the Li Dynasty, with twenty thousand on the left and right respectively, and ten thousand Archers, will form the Mandarin Duck Formation to meet the enemy!"

Since he had decided, he immediately shouted loudly.

Hold on.

No matter what, you must hold on.

"Thank you, General Xiao! The Li Dynasty will not forget you!"

Li Zhenzhu finally heard what he wanted to hear and was instantly moved to tears.

"Thank you, General Xiao!"

It was the same situation.

It is just that.

And at this moment.

Over at the Wa Nation army camp.

The scene was deathly silent.

It seemed as if some kind of mysterious ritual was being conducted.

The level of tension was much more severe than on the Li Dynasty side.

A group of Wa generals were all kneeling on the ground with their heads lowered, each holding a Samurai Sword; Mizuno Masashige was clearly kneeling in the most important position.

Suddenly, Mizuno Masashige abruptly raised his head, let out a fierce shout, and his Falcon-like eyes swept across the circle.

Everyone could not help but lower their heads.

Several generals were already trembling all over at this moment.

"Baka!"

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

Murderous intent!

At this moment, Mizuno Masashige was filled with murderous intent, staring fixedly at one of the generals: "Trash! Are you trash? What do I keep you for! An army of one hundred thousand, fifty thousand elite Samurai, and this is how you fight? How do you expect us to answer to the citizens of the Wa Nation? How to answer to the Emperor? How to answer to the Great General?"

Mizuno Masashige, lamenting their misfortune and angry at their Bitter Remonstrance, scolded: "Everyone, we do not have much time left! You should know what the situation is like back home! The public is divided into two factions; currently, the Emperor favors peace, while the General favors war! Public opinion is clashing fiercely, and our army is on a long expedition, the Samurai are often homesick, and the supply of grain and fodder is severely insufficient."

A group of generals shamefully lowered their heads one after another.

Two generals lowered their heads at the same time.

These two were both relatively important military officers under Mizuno Masashige. Yet today, they had failed to achieve the results they should have.

However

The resistance of the Li Dynasty this time was truly too intense.

The first day.

According to Mizuno Masashige's plan, with so many elites, they should have at least wiped out at least fifty thousand of the Li Dynasty's army!

"Commit seppuku!"

Mizuno Masashige slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It was more intense than they had imagined.

The two generals were already overcome with shame.

The two generals drew their swords at the same time.

Mizuno Masashige had already slowly stood up, and the others walked out as well.

"Hai!"

Not a single one of these generals raised an objection.

Mizuno Masashige looked far away toward the direction of the Li Dynasty at this moment.

Liu Zheng.

He knew the character of his subordinates.

They could complete the entire process of seppuku without needing any second!

This war was becoming more and more interesting.

But he believed that victory would always belong to their Great Wa Nation!

It really was Liu Zheng.

A single sharp turn of the head was enough to make those feeble Joseon people ruin their own plans.

At the same time.

At this moment.

The time had probably just about passed.

This was a struggle between two Wa pirate groups fighting for territory.

A life-or-death Bitter Remonstrance.

Far away in the East Sea.

Here, a naval battle unknown to the world was taking place, as two Hachiman Ships unique to the Wa pirates were locked in combat. A group of people with Wa pirate hairstyles were shouting and yelling.

Recently, the Longyan Army navy had begun to rapidly compress the living space of these Wa pirates in this sea area.

In the past, although these Wa pirate groups also killed each other, there was rarely such a life-or-death situation. Why? It was very simple; did you think these Wa pirate groups were really just organized by those wandering bandits? If they were at the beginning, later on, as they gradually grew stronger, they all needed to find a backer behind them.

Whoever won would possess the trading rights for this sea area.

There was no Method.

As for those wandering bandits without backers, they had either long since been annexed by others or long since been wiped out by government troops.

Today.

Only in this way could they develop and grow stronger.

Some looked for backers within the Wa state, while others looked for backers in Longyan.

"Kill them!"

"Don't let a single one go!"

It was a life-and-death battle between two relatively large Wa pirate groups.

"Kill!"

Suddenly, a dazzling beam of light illuminated the entire sea area.

"Who is it!"

This battle, which had lasted for half a day, was finally about to be decided.

Just at this moment.

"Who?"

"Run, it's the Longyan Army!"

"No, they have no intention of attacking us!"

"What is the situation?"

A group of people all panicked.