Chapter 425
The Terrified Japanese!
On the coast of Ryukyu.
Both sides' soldiers were already bloodthirsty.
Although the Ryukyu soldiers were far inferior to the Southern Court army of Japan in terms of equipment and numbers.
However, the Ryukyu soldiers fought with all their might, risking their lives to protect their families!
Plus.
The kings of the three Ryukyu kingdoms all sent their own royal guards to provide support, which undoubtedly gave the Ryukyu soldiers a great boost!
This unleashed the soldiers' formidable fighting power.
now.
Chadu and the kings of the other two countries also gathered together to oversee the battle at the front!
The look in the eyes of these three kings was enough to show that they were prepared to fight the Southern Court army of Japan with a death wish.
"After our soldiers die in battle, we too will take up arms and use our bodies to stop the Japanese invasion!"
After Chadu finished expressing his thoughts, the other two kings echoed his sentiments.
"That's for sure! Even if only one person is left in Ryukyu, they will die standing!"
"Yes, the people of Ryukyu will never surrender to Japan!"
These three kings had already secretly made up their minds to fight a decisive battle with the Southern Dynasty army of Japan!
And this moment.
On the battlefield by the sea, Kikuchi Takemasa, the commander of the Southern Court of Japan, had also landed.
Obviously.
Kikuchi Takemasa has decided to launch a general offensive.
In his view, the Southern Dynasty's army on the Japanese islands had wasted too much time.
Therefore, Kikuchi Takemasa decided to personally oversee the battle, and he did not rule out the possibility of personally taking to the field.
When Kikuchi Takemasa and his guards arrived at the shore, it undeniably boosted the morale of the Southern Court army on the Japanese islands.
Plus.
Kikuchi Takemasa then sent his personal guards to the scene.
This gave the Southern Court of Japan an overwhelming advantage.
During this period, more and more Ryukyu soldiers began to fall...
The scales of war quietly tipped in favor of the Southern Dynasty army on the Japanese islands.
but.
Just at the critical moment.
On the distant horizon.
Suddenly, a series of enormous warships appeared.
It was a dark, sparsely populated area, like a dark cloud.
and.
These warships were traveling at extremely high speeds and were visibly hurtling towards Ryukyu.
The first to spot these warships was King Sato of Ryukyu.
"Another fleet of warships is approaching in the distance!"
His exclamation immediately attracted the attention of the other two kings.
Immediately, the three Ryukyu kings all turned their attention to the warships rushing towards them from afar.
"These warships look huge! Even the smallest one is several times larger than our Ryukyu warships!"
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! How can there be such a massive warship in the world?"
"The biggest problem now is, which side do these warships belong to?"
"Look! These warships even have smokestacks!"
"How could there be such a huge warship in this world! It really sends chills down my spine."
The three kings of Ryukyu were immediately on edge.
Especially observation.
He kept rubbing his eyes, as if he couldn't believe that such a large warship existed in the world.
This completely shattered his understanding!
at the same time.
On the Japanese side.
One of the generals also saw the group of warships that suddenly appeared on the sea.
Without hesitation, he immediately reported the news to Kikuchi Takemasa, the commander of the Southern Court army on the Japanese islands!
"Report! General Kikuchi Takemasa, a fleet of warships has appeared at sea, and these warships are quite large!"
"I'm afraid they've come with ill intentions!"
When Kikuchi Takemasa heard the news, he immediately turned around and, sure enough, a large fleet of warships was roaring towards him on the distant horizon.
When Kikuchi Takemasa saw it for the first time, he involuntarily took a few steps back.
no doubt.
Kikuchi Takemasa was also deeply shocked by the sudden appearance of the fleet of warships on the sea.
"How can this be??"
"Where did these warships come from?"
Kikuchi Takemasa looked completely bewildered.
He had thought the campaign to attack Ryukyu would be quite easy, but now, with the appearance of the mysterious warship, Kikuchi Takemasa's military rhythm has been completely disrupted.
At that moment, a general from the Southern Court of Japan suddenly said to Kikuchi Takemasa, "General, could this be a warship from the Northern Court?"
"The Northern Dynasty must have learned of our army's attack on Ryukyu, which is why they sent warships to support Ryukyu!"
"That makes sense! Of all the nearby countries, only the Northern Dynasty possesses such capability!"
Another subordinate also suspected that Hokujo of Japan was behind it.
but.
Kikuchi Takemasa knew very well that this was definitely not a Japanese warship.
Neither the Southern Dynasty nor the Northern Dynasty of Japan had the capability to build such a massive warship.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"The warships of the Northern Dynasty in Japan are not much different in level from those of our Southern Dynasty."
"The Northern Court of Japan could never have built such a huge warship!"
Kikuchi Takemasa immediately denied it.
When Kikuchi Takemasa denied it, the other generals of the Southern Court on the Japanese islands looked even more puzzled.
They simply couldn't imagine any other country possessing so many warships!
As the fleet drew ever closer to the coastline of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the warships began to move.
The generals and soldiers of the Southern Dynasty on the Japanese islands began to tense up.
After all, they didn't know the true purpose of these warships.
"General Kikuchi Takemasa, what should we do now?" his subordinates kept asking.
At this moment, Kikuchi Takemasa was also extremely nervous.
He wasn't sure whether it would be war or peace.
Just as Kikuchi Takemasa was becoming extremely anxious, he suddenly remembered a sentence he had said during his previous negotiations with Chado.
"When I was negotiating with the King of Ryukyu just now, he said that Ryukyu had already submitted to the Ming Dynasty."
"Could it be... that these warships are the navy of the Ming Dynasty?"
Kikuchi Takemasa did possess a certain level of intelligence.
In his view, only the Ming Dynasty had the capability to build such a powerful warship.
Furthermore, Ryukyu is now a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore... these mysterious warships are very likely naval vessels sent by the Ming Dynasty to provide support.
When Kikuchi Takemasa uttered the words "Great Ming," the expressions on the faces of the generals around him immediately turned panicked.
They were well aware of just how terrifying the Ming Dynasty's strength was.
If it were truly the arrival of Ming warships, then the current strength of the Southern Court of Japan would be no match for the Ming.
"General, what should we do? If these mysterious warships are indeed the Ming Dynasty navy, we will surely perish!"
"Yes, yes, General, I suggest we withdraw our troops immediately and stop attacking Ryukyu."
"The Ming Dynasty is extremely powerful, almost the most powerful country in the world, and it also possesses gunpowder technology. If a war were to break out, we would be no match for it."
Several generals requested Kikuchi Takemasa to withdraw his troops.
Clearly, these Japanese generals were terrified upon hearing the words "Great Ming Dynasty".
Their reactions are enough to show just how terrifying the Ming Dynasty's deterrent power is over the surrounding countries.
No neighboring country dared to clash with the Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, the pressure undoubtedly fell on Kikuchi Takemasa. He paced back and forth, trying his best to calm himself down.
After a while.
Kikuchi Takemasa finally spoke.
"The Ming fleet is now very close to the coast. If we withdraw now, we will not be able to escape the Ming navy's grasp."
"Don't forget, the Ming Dynasty's warships are far superior to ours in both quantity and speed."
As soon as Kikuchi Takemasa finished speaking, one of his subordinates immediately said, "General, do you mean... to seize Ryukyu before the Ming navy arrives? And then rely on Ryukyu's coastline for defense?"
"No!"
Kikuchi Takemasa immediately said, "Ryukyu is a tiny island nation. Even if we were to take it, it would be no match for the Ming navy."
"At this point, the only option is to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty."
Kikuchi Takemasa ultimately chose the same strategy as the Ryukyu king, Sato.
When faced with a powerful opponent, the weak can only seek peace talks in order to preserve their own strength.
Although the success rate of peace talks was extremely low, it was Kikuchi Takemasa's last resort at the time.
"Pass on my orders!"
"Cease the attack immediately!"
"Don't fight again!"
"A total ceasefire!"
Kikuchi Takemasa sighed helplessly.
He knew that continuing the war with Ryukyu would not have any impact on the overall war situation.
Therefore, he immediately ordered a ceasefire.
to be frank.
Kikuchi Takemasa felt a deep sense of regret.
After all, he was just one step away from taking over the entire Ryukyu Islands.
But now, forced by the powerful navy of the Ming Dynasty, he has no choice but to cease hostilities!
soon.
The messenger immediately ordered the flags to be lowered and the drums to be silenced, and the soldiers who were fighting with the Ryukyu Kingdom withdrew one after another.
after that.
Kikuchi Takemasa glanced at all his subordinates, and then designated a general.
"you!"
"Go and negotiate with the Ming navy! Explain the specific situation to them!"
"Strive to force the Ming Dynasty's navy to withdraw!"
Kikuchi Takemasa spoke nervously to his subordinate.
However, when the subordinate heard that he was going to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty navy, he panicked.
He hurriedly waved his hand at Kikuchi Takemasa and said, "General, I only know how to fight on the battlefield. As for negotiation, I know absolutely nothing about it."
"I request that General Kikuchi Takemasa select someone else to fill the position!"
When Kikuchi Takemasa saw that his subordinate was unwilling to go, he didn't waste any words, but directly took out his weapon from his waist.
He immediately pointed at this subordinate.
"You have to go even if you don't want to!"
"Get out of here!"
"If you don't go, I will cut off your head right now!"
Thus, under Kikuchi Takemasa's military threat, this subordinate had no choice but to bite the bullet and head towards the Ming navy in a small boat.
at the same time.
On the Ryukyu side, the Ryukyu soldiers who were fighting a bloody battle had faces full of doubt after seeing the Japanese troops withdraw.
among them.
Chadu was most surprised.
In his view, the Ryukyu army had already suffered heavy losses, and the Southern Court army of Japan could easily break through the enemy lines with a few more fierce attacks.
But now, they have chosen to withdraw their troops, and the entire army has retreated to the vicinity of the coastline.
This was something Chadu found incredible.
But no matter what.
This was naturally an exciting thing for the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Ryukyu soldiers will no longer suffer casualties, and the people of the country will be free from invasion.
At this moment, the soldiers of Ryukyu also cheered.
Just as if they had won a battle.
However, Chadu did not celebrate with the soldiers because the Southern Court of Japan's army had only temporarily ceased hostilities and had not completely left!
In other words, this could be a temporary ceasefire by the Southern Court's army on the Japanese islands, but it does not rule out the possibility of another attack on Ryukyu.
"Look! Those mysterious warships on the sea are getting closer and closer to our Ryukyu Kingdom."
"Could it be... that these mysterious warships are reinforcements from the Japanese?"
Another king of Ryukyu suddenly spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Chadu immediately turned his gaze to the distant sea horizon.
At that very moment, Chadu seemed to have thought of something important!
Suddenly, Chadu exclaimed excitedly, "So that's how it is!"
"The Japanese retreat must be because of the arrival of these mysterious warships!"
"If I'm not mistaken, this group of mysterious warships is very likely the navy of the Ming Dynasty!"
As soon as Chadu finished speaking, the other two kings of Ryukyu were also immediately excited.
"That makes sense! Only the Ming Dynasty navy has the capability to force the Japanese to retreat!"
"Great! It's the Ming Dynasty navy! Our Ryukyu Kingdom is saved!"
Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation.
in fact.
Since the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Southern Court of Japan began their battle, Chadu's gaze has been fixed not only on the battlefield but also on the sea from time to time.
According to Chadu, the only way for Ryukyu to avoid being destroyed was to hope for the arrival of the Ming Dynasty's navy.
And this moment.
When Chadu saw a group of huge warships appear on the distant sea, and after the Japanese troops withdrew.
Chadu was absolutely certain that the warships rushing towards them from afar were definitely from the Ming Dynasty's navy.
"Long live the Ming Dynasty!!"
"Thank you, Great Ming! Ryukyu will forever submit to Great Ming!"
"The Ming navy is invincible! We will surely be able to wipe out these Japanese!"
"The Ming navy has arrived! Ryukyu is saved!"
Soon, all the Ryukyu soldiers cheered wildly.
at this moment.
The Ming Dynasty's navy was the savior of Ryukyu.
Meanwhile, near the coastline, the soldiers of the Southern Court on the Japanese islands, after seeing the Ryukyu soldiers cheering, became even more convinced that the mysterious warships in the distance were the Ming Dynasty navy.
Therefore, every soldier from the Southern Dynasty on the Japanese islands had fear and bewilderment written on their face.
This contrasted sharply with the Ryukyu soldiers.
……
And this moment.
On the decks of Ming Dynasty warships and large treasure ships.
Zhu Ying stood at the bow of the boat, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Your Highness, it seems the Japanese have retreated, and Ryukyu is safe for the time being."
As a naval admiral, Feng Sheng took the initiative to report to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying nodded slightly, clearly indicating that all of this was within his expectations.
"By my order, warships, advance at full speed!"
"Kill them all!" Zhu Ying coldly ordered.
"Your subject obeys!" Feng Sheng replied.
...(End of chapter)