Chapter 1635: Attacking the City

Matsuura Takanobu still did not know that the Great Han already regarded Nagasaki as its future territory and planned to carve it away from Japan, but from the fervent reconstruction happening everywhere, he understood that among these invaders who had come from afar, Nagasaki would continue to play an important role.

As the lord of Hirado Domain, he had actually always harbored misgivings about Nagasaki, but seeing Nagasaki reduced to such a state, he could not help feeling a sense of shared sorrow, like the fox grieving at the hare's death.

But those fierce and menacing Great Han soldiers paid no heed to such things. They escorted Matsuura Takanobu and his party through the ruined streets of Nagasaki, finally stopping outside a house that was still relatively intact.

"This is where our general resides, so watch yourselves!" After throwing down this threatening remark, the soldiers departed, and Matsuura Takanobu and the others continued inside, their hearts filled with anxiety.

There were many guards inside. After they stated their purpose, the guards led them to the innermost part of the residence, and then before a large hall.

At the open doorway of the great hall, Matsuura Takanobu looked up and saw a tall, broad-shouldered man with a stern expression sitting upright in the center of the main room. He wore a crimson military uniform, impeccably pressed, and on his chest was pinned a silver ornament that glittered under the lamplight.

Unlike ordinary Japanese, he did not sit on tatami but sat upright on a chair. This chair had been specially ordered and hastily made by Zhao Song for his own comfort. Although it seemed somewhat incongruous in such a room, it also demonstrated his status to do as he pleased here.

As Matsuura Takanobu studied this man, the man seemed to notice him as well and looked up at him. The moment their eyes met, Matsuura Takanobu shuddered. The man's gaze was sharp and overwhelmingly oppressive, truly frightening him.

Zhao Song had fought wars for so many years that, not to mention his subordinates, even he himself did not know how many men he had personally slain. Over the years, he had long since acquired the killing aura of a veteran commander. It was tolerable normally, but when he turned stern, even old soldiers would feel fear, let alone Matsuura Takanobu, who had never set foot on a battlefield and was still very young.

At the first glance, he hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to reveal any trace of his thoughts.

Even though no one had introduced him yet, he could now figure it out clearly: this was probably the general of the Great Han army whom he had come to pay respects to today.

Before such a great figure, failing to properly display submission and deference would not do.

He bent at the waist and stepped lightly onto the stairs, then walked into the great hall with the utmost reverence. This submissive demeanor was exactly like when he had gone to Edo years ago to pay his respects to the shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Just as he was about to find a place to kneel and sit, he discovered that several Japanese were already kneeling on both sides of the room, and among them, remarkably, were people he knew.

Ogasawara Nagatsugu, lord of Nakatsu Domain; Kurushima Michiharu, lord of Mori Domain; Matsukura Katsuie, lord of Shimabara Domain — several domain lords were already here.

Even Saeki Domain had sent someone. Although the current family head, Mōri Takanari, was only four years old and could not come in person, the family head's uncle, Mōri Yoshiteru, had come.

These few men were all minor lords from Bungo Province or other provinces in Kyushu. The largest was merely the Ogasawara family's eighty-thousand-koku territory; the rest held twenty or thirty thousand koku, barely qualifying as minor daimyo just like Matsuura Takanobu.

They had all actually come already... Matsuura Takanobu was momentarily stunned.

He had previously thought that since Hirado Domain was so close to Nagasaki, even if he surrendered, he should be able to get ahead of others and leave a good impression with the Great Han army. He had never imagined that so many domain lords had already come to pledge allegiance to the Great Han army.

If I had known, I would have made up my mind earlier. Now I couldn't even be the first to surrender... Such a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Who comes here!" Just as Matsuura Takanobu was lamenting inwardly, an officer standing beside the Great Han general suddenly shouted in Japanese.

This interrogating shout was very loud, meant both to ascertain the visitor's identity and to intimidate him.

"Matsuura Takanobu, lord of Hirado Domain, pays his respects to the General!" Matsuura Takanobu dared not be negligent. He walked reverently to the center of the hall and prostrated himself. "I am late for reasons, and beg Your Excellency's forgiveness!"

As he spoke, the officer beside him had been quietly translating for the seated Great Han general.

"From Hirado Domain?" The Great Han general's brow furrowed slightly.

"Hirado Domain is right next to Nagasaki. Why have you only come now?"

Though the question was not loud, it carried an inherent murderousness that made Matsuura Takanobu's heart suddenly pound wildly.

He knew in his heart that he was now in grave danger, his life in another's hands. A single careless response could bring disaster, so he dared not be the slightest bit negligent. He touched his head to the floor and answered loudly.

"In reply to the General, although my humble domain is very close to Nagasaki, it hosts a trading post of the Dutch. After the war began, some disturbances arose among the Dutch. To quell these disturbances, I had to first negotiate with the Dutch and stabilize the situation, which took some time..."

After a pause, he felt his current reasoning was not quite persuasive enough, so he added another point. "Furthermore, because of the fierce fighting at both Nagasaki and Fukuoka earlier, a large number of refugees have continuously flooded into my humble domain. For the livelihood of these refugees, my domain had to expend great effort to settle them, which delayed my arrival. I beg the General's leniency!"

After listening to the translation, Zhao Song's brow relaxed slightly.

"That is indeed something that couldn't be helped. Very well, since you have come before the stipulated deadline, I will not pursue the earlier matter. However, from now on, you are subordinate to our Great Han army. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Matsuura Takanobu still kept his head to the floor, never raising it. "Before coming to Nagasaki, I had already informed the senior retainers and people of my domain. The domain's troops have now all been assembled, awaiting the Great Han's takeover."

"The domain troops of the others I will take over, but yours can be kept for now," Zhao Song replied calmly. "Send someone back later to notify your domain. Your domain troops are to continue suppressing the refugees who have come into your domain, and assist the Great Han army in organizing them and sending them to Nagasaki. Understood?"

Zhao Song was currently troubled by the labor shortage in Nagasaki. When he heard Matsuura Takanobu say there were still many refugees who had fled into his domain, he was pleasantly surprised. He therefore decided to use the power of Hirado Domain to send these refugees over for labor service, and for this, it was fine to slightly forgive Matsuura Takanobu's tardiness.

"I understand. I will certainly carry out the General's orders. Please rest assured, Your Excellency." Matsuura Takanobu also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, stop kneeling like that. Raise your head and go to the side," Zhao Song waved his hand.

As if granted a great pardon, Matsuura Takanobu hurriedly raised his head, then shuffled on his knees to the side and knelt in seiza like the others.

Normally, when he saw the domain lords beside him, he would exchange a few pleasantries, but today, not a single one dared to speak. This deathly silence persisted, broken only occasionally when another domain lord arrived to pay respects to the Great Han general.

When different domain lords arrived, the Great Han general would say a few words to each — either questioning, encouraging, or reprimanding. The domain lords who answered him were, like Matsuura Takanobu, all utterly reverent, terrified of showing the slightest disrespect that might provoke this general's wrath.

Gradually, more and more domain lords came. Nearly every Kyushu domain lord Matsuura Takanobu knew had arrived, and the entire hall began to feel cramped.

Although the conditions here were extremely crude, Matsuura Takanobu felt that this was practically... as if a small bakufu had been set up on Kyushu, and the domain lords of the island had come for their sankin-kōtai attendance.

Would he ever have the chance to go to Edo again in this lifetime?

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door. Before Matsuura Takanobu could figure out what was happening, he saw the Great Han general and the Great Han officers beside him all stand up.

"The Great Han Imperial Envoy has arrived!" Another shout came from outside the door.

So that was it! Matsuura Takanobu finally realized.

The Great Han envoy represented the authority of the Great Han Emperor. Today, with the Great Han army's blades sweeping all before them, this also represented an irresistible authority. Matsuura Takanobu was so tense he dared not even breathe loudly. He hurriedly touched his head to the floor again, prostrating himself on the ground.

Because he was kneeling like this, his field of vision was limited. He could only see a few pairs of shoes slowly making their way toward the center of the hall.

Only after a moment did the footsteps finally stop.

Zhou Pu walked to Zhao Song's side, then turned around and swept his gaze over the kneeling domain lords. Under his gaze, Tachibana Muneshige, who had entered with him, also bowed and stepped back, kneeling in seiza among the group of domain lords.

"All of you, raise your heads!" Amid the silence, Zhou Pu shouted in Japanese. "Hear my proclamation!"

Not a single person dared disobey his command. The domain lords raised their heads one after another to look at Zhou Pu, their eyes filled with either fear or panic, all waiting for this Great Han envoy's proclamation.

Isn't that the Great Han merchant who came to our domain? Matsuura Takanobu suddenly realized he seemed to recognize this man, and his heart jolted. But he also knew this was not the time to speak, so he simply kept his mouth shut.

"For many years, the Bakufu has not only acted tyrannically at home but has also been quite disrespectful to our nation. Our nation, out of our status as the superior state, tolerated this repeatedly. But... the Bakufu not only failed to feel the vast heavenly grace, but instead grew worse, committing all manner of disrespectful acts, and even unilaterally cutting off trade between our two countries!" Zhou Pu looked at the group of domain lords and spoke in a calm tone. "The Emperor possesses all within the four seas, his might extending to the eight wildernesses. That the Bakufu dares to do such things means it must be punished!"

Then, his tone grew fierce. "Therefore, the Great Han has dispatched troops for the very purpose of liberating all of you, and your nation's court, from the shackles and oppression of the Bakufu! For the very purpose of setting the diplomatic relations between our two countries on the right track from now on, never again to be held hostage by treacherous ministers and rebellious sons who bully their sovereign!"

As he spoke, he slowly paced through the hall, passing among these kneeling domain lords who dared not even breathe loudly. He knew they certainly disapproved of his words in their hearts, but he did not care — now that he held the sword, whatever he said was justified, whatever he said was right.

"Since you have all come here, you must have made your choice regarding the 'Kyushu Reward and Punishment Decree' I issued. The Great Han Emperor is magnanimous. Since you can recognize the greater justice and abandon darkness for light, then even if you committed some disrespectful acts against the Great Han before, we can let bygones be bygones. But... from this day forward, you must obey the orders of our Great Han army. Otherwise, you will face the punishment of the Great Han's heavenly might. Do you understand?!"

"We understand!"

Under his stern questioning, the domain lords responded one after another.

Since they had come, these domain lords had naturally already made up their minds beforehand to submit to Great Han, so they agreed readily enough.

"Very good." A faint smile appeared on Zhou Pu's face.

Then, he raised his hand and pointed at Zhao Song, who still stood where he was. "From this day forward, on the island of Kyushu there are only generals of Great Han, no generals of Japan! You shall serve Great Han's generals with the same deference you once showed the shogunate's generals, obeying his every order and assignment. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" The domain lords assented once more.

Though his expression remained stern, Zhou Pu was already beside himself with delight.

He had been shuttling all over Japan this whole time, anxious and on edge, treading on thin ice, bearing who knew how much pressure — so today he wanted to use this chance to vent a little in front of these domain lords.

Seeing these domain lords, ordinarily so lofty and aloof, now able only to prostrate themselves at his feet, too frightened to even breathe loudly — he felt that all the toil he had put in was worth it.

But he did not let this feeling cloud his reason. He knew he could not merely strut and bluster before these men by himself; he also had to establish Zhao Song's authority in their eyes and win a favorable impression from the military.

"Deference is not a matter of mere words." He coldly cut short their chorus. "Next, Great Han's general will lead troops to attack Kurume and wipe out all the remaining shogunate forces there. You are to bring your soldiers and horses and join the battle array, to demonstrate your resolve in following Great Han!"

Then, he swept his gaze over each domain lord in turn once more. "If any of you refuses to obey this order, or harbors any thought of slacking off, we can let him go back right now — to take up his blades and arquebuses and fight an open, honorable battle against our Great Han. Is there any such man?"

Naturally, not a single one of these domain lords stepped forward to say such a thing. They all hung their heads, prostrating themselves at the feet of Great Han's envoy.

"Good. Then send men back and muster your troops! Whoever delays will be punished without mercy!" Zhou Pu issued his final command.

"Pass down my military order: all forces in Nagasaki, aside from the troops necessary to maintain public order, shall follow me on the campaign to Kurume!" Zhao Song at that moment also gave the order to the officers beside him.

By now, Great Han's army had, through offensives from several directions, virtually annihilated the shogunate's field forces. The remnants had all turtled up inside Kurume domain castle, where Great Han's troops had them completely surrounded; they had only refrained from storming the castle because they were waiting for the heavy cannons to arrive.

Now, the cannons had reached the front lines, and Zhao Song intended to bring these Kyushu domain lords who had just submitted to them to the walls of Kurume, to let them witness Kurume Castle's fall, witness the might of Great Han's army, and further cement their hearts in submission.

With Zhao Song's order, Great Han's entire army in Nagasaki began to mobilize urgently. Aside from the necessary garrison troops, everyone else packed up and prepared to march, ready to follow Commander Zhao to wipe out the shogunate's last strength.

As Zhao Song advanced with his great army, the domain troops sent by those lords also began to merge into Great Han's battle array, like tributary streams converging into a great river — the army grew larger and larger.

Of course, Zhao Song secretly kept his guard up against all these domain troops — he had broken up their original formations and reorganized them, so that they could hardly coordinate with one another in the short term. Though this would affect the domain troops' combat effectiveness, Zhao Song did not care about that at the moment.

As Great Han's envoy, Zhou Pu also accompanied the army to the castle walls. He intended to witness Great Han's army's final — and most glorious — victory on the island of Kyushu.

Before long, the great army arrived beneath the walls of Kurume Castle. Under Zhao Song's main banner of the Japan-Conquering Army, the flags representing each Great Han unit, the domain army banners of each domain — pennants of every shape and color fluttered in the wind, conveying a silent, oppressive force down into the castle, in every last detail.

The entire great army stood thus in silence beneath the domain castle walls.

And the domain castle — though its walls still stood firm and unmoved — Zhou Pu could feel that behind those walls, the defenders and Kurume's domain lord, the Arima family, were all gripped by fear, all trembling and shivering…

Amid the silence, the artillerymen began deploying the siege cannons that had already reached the front lines into position below the castle walls. These mortars had very short barrels but extremely wide muzzles — just looking at them gave one a heart-palpitating sense of menace.

As the gunners made their adjustments, the muzzles began to elevate bit by bit, pointing toward the castle walls not far away.

All was utterly still, yet everything was already in place.

Under the gaze of nearly everyone, Zhao Song raised his hand, then swept it down heavily.

"Fire!" The artillery officer who received the order immediately commanded the gunners.

With a thunderous roar, the cannons soon rang out.

The whole earth shook, as if an earthquake had struck. Massive iron cannonballs howled as they slammed into the towering castle walls opposite; the deafening crash of bombardment was ceaseless.

Under the relentless pounding of these cannons, the walls swayed on the verge of collapse, and finally multiple sections crumbled. In some places, they became heaps of rubble, amid which lay countless severed limbs and bloodstains; behind the rubble, the dwellings inside the castle were exposed, along with the form of the tenshu in the deepest part.

This castle no longer had any defensive capability.

"Charge!" Sky-covering battle cries resounded across the entire plain. A crimson gale howled as it swept toward the domain castle from several directions.

Great Han's army began its general assault!

"Bursting shells like cascading stars fall; spilled blood scatters and gathers into flowing pools. Heaven-scorching calamity-fire reduces the whole castle to ruin. Blades clash, mountains and rivers shatter — a momentum to add ten thousand ghosts to the netherworld.

Warriors achieve honor as the foe is routed; what need to ask how many shall return? This body and the enemy perish together. Dying for the nation, the heart knows no regret — laughing, we tread the Yellow Springs, where fragrant bones lie emerald."