The two met again, their eyes brimming with tears.
Yu Da You gazed at the scattered Japanese ships, recalling how for twenty years he had never truly won, and often was relentlessly pursued by these vessels, forced to hide without refuge. Now, the formidable enemy was annihilated. The seemingly invincible Japanese fleet, which had been arrogant and powerful for decades, was effectively finished.
Overwhelmed with emotion,
He tightly gripped Zhu Mo's right arm and sighed,
"By chance, by sheer chance..."
"Scholar Zhu, you mustn't fight battles like this anymore..."
Reflecting now,
He was truly still in shock; the entire process had been fraught with peril. He had waited for a long time in the Dai Shan area, and when the Japanese ships still did not appear to rescue them, he had seriously considered retreating several times. Fortunately, he was a man of his word his entire life, knowing that if he abandoned the mission now, Zhu Mo would likely perish in the Lì Gǎng waterway.
And when Da Cun finally appeared, he was struck with a throbbing headache –
There were too many,
Simply too many!
Let alone the Iron Bodhisattva cannons, even if they had divine cannons, facing three times the enemy, there would be no solution. He made a firm decision, abandoning the landing fleet and fleeing for his life. Fortunately, he had run fast; the Japanese ships pursued him for nearly an hour before catching up at Ma Cao Shan.
At that moment,
He thought their plan had gone awry; he hadn't given up, and perhaps Zhu Mo had given up first. And because of his nephew's abandonment, he would have to fight the Japanese to the death on the waters of Ma Cao Shan today. Although the Iron Bodhisattva might not lose, the sheer number of enemy ships meant that even if they escaped, the Min Hai navy would surely be finished.
But at this moment of despair, the Japanese suddenly turned away.
He immediately deduced: Zhu Mo had succeeded! If Lì Gǎng had not been thoroughly devastated, Da Cun would never have abandoned the opportunity to annihilate the Min Hai navy. Thus, he secretly pursued them later, all the way to the outside of Cai Hua Shan, where this miraculous annihilation battle was finally triggered.
...
At this very moment,
Yu Da You thought that Zhu Mo had actually stopped fighting. While he could understand the intention, he ultimately felt unwilling and a little fearful. So he advised,
"Scholar Zhu, to encounter such a victorious battle in one's lifetime is not by human effort, but by heaven's grace... There are still some Japanese ships left in the stockade, and I think it would be best to eliminate them, otherwise, they will always be a threat! Think about it, people cannot be lucky their entire lives; you have immense fortune this time, but it might be different next time."
Zhu Mo naturally understood his thoughts –
This battle was indeed fortunate; any single mistake in any step would have led to the ruin of all their efforts. Moreover, the Min Hai navy had used their entire army as bait in this battle. If the Japanese were not completely annihilated, they would naturally not be satisfied.
But they did not understand the true meaning of this battle, which was to "long-term humiliate the bandits." This was a political battle, and the issue of Japanese pirates was, in essence, a multilateral political problem. Simply annihilating the Japanese ships physically was not the best strategy. Sooner or later, Soza, Sorin, and others would be able to recruit another batch.
He sighed and said slowly,
"Commander Yu, you need to explain it clearly to the brothers, talk to them more. If you want to completely resolve the issue of Japanese pirates, keeping them is the most labor-saving method..."
Yu Da You remained silent for a good while, then sighed,
"Yes, I understand... Keeping them, confining them to the Lì Gǎng waterway, perhaps that is your strategy. Even as a soldier, I can't quite comprehend it... Everything is up to you..."
Seeing his deep reluctance, Zhu Mo couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy –
The Min Hai navy had fought the Japanese pirates for over a decade, and Yu Da You had fought for twenty years. How many brothers had died? Asking them not to seek revenge at this moment was indeed a very difficult thing.
He didn't want to say more and changed the subject,
"Commander Yu, do you think Da Cun will commit seppuku?"
Heh heh,
Yu Da You let out a scoff and said, "Most likely... He is the daimyo. If he commits seppuku, it will be a great shame when it reaches Japan. I think the Japanese pirates will come again..."
Zhu Mo disagreed and smiled,
"Have you forgotten? I said that the Oda of the Japanese pirates should make a move these days. I believe the Japanese problem is truly nearing its end. Even if one wants to find more Japanese pirates to fight in the future, it won't be that easy..."
Seeing Yu Da You's utterly exhausted expression despite his victory, he knew he had not slept for several nights. He couldn't help but say,
"Brother Yu, I'll have to entrust this situation to you from now on... I need to rush back to Hangzhou; the reforms have also reached a critical juncture..."
Yu Da You examined his nephew at this moment, thinking that at such a young age, he had to bear the heavy responsibility of the nation. Although his spirit was still strong now, a hint of weariness could be faintly seen. He said with heartache,
"Zhu Mo, you must be extra careful... Yan Song and his son, after this great defeat, will surely be driven to desperation... Be wary of those around you, and... and..."
He held back several times, finally lowering his voice, "And don't trust the Emperor too much..."
Zhu Mo smiled faintly and nodded.
...
At this time,
Da Cun Chun Zhong had made up his mind to die, and his state of mind had consequently calmed down. Seeing the frenzied Japanese pirates boarding their warships and preparing to set sail, he suddenly reacted and shouted,
"Return! Return!"
"Do not head north! Head south, south!"
He thought of seppuku, and his courage was restored. He thought: Even if I die, I must take more people with me to escape. The northern water stronghold must surely be surrounded by Yu Da You by now. Only by escaping south through the水口 could he, at least, preserve the more than thirty Portuguese warships and nearly two thousand samurai of his domain once they passed Dao Chui Shan.
He hurried onto a ship and sailed directly with the wind again.
But as soon as he saw Dao Chui Shan outside the水口, he heard the loud "bang bang bang" sounds. Several ships behind him had been hit by cannonballs. Tracing the sound, he could clearly see bursts of fire flashing halfway up Dao Chui Shan.
A sense of despair suddenly swept over him –
So that's how it is,
So that's how it is,
The enemy has set up artillery on the island...
"In all my battles, I prided myself on being resourceful and decisive. This time, was there truly no mistake..."
Cornered,
His mind became a blank slate. He recalled the decisions made in the past few hours. If there was a mistake, it was in not moving the entire fleet away...
However,
Dai Shan reported that Yu Da You's fleet had as many as one hundred and forty to fifty vessels. If that wasn't the main force, what was it? And how could they not go all out? If they didn't commit all their forces, how could they annihilate the enemy ships?
Moreover,
Even if half were left in the water stronghold, when the Ming army came up the waterway, the narrow水口 would prevent any interception. At the very least, Lì Gǎng was lost...
Upon thinking of this,
He felt it was entirely the will of heaven, the will of heaven that made him suffer defeat here.
At this point, his emotions had stabilized. He ordered the ships to dock, walked alone onto the tidal flats, and once more gazed at Lì Gǎng, which had become scorched earth. Then, he sat down, took out the short knife at his waist, and said in a deep voice,
"Shiro!"
Omura Shiro, his personal guard and a member of his domain, responded with a "Yes!"
With a swift motion, he drew his sabre and raised it high.
Da Cun Chun Zhong's eyes widened, staring intently at Dao Chui Shan ahead. He pointed his short knife at his own abdomen and shouted hoarsely,
"Avenge our shame...!"
As he shouted, he was about to commit seppuku.
At this moment,
Torres and Mao Lie, panting, had just climbed up the hillside. Seeing Da Cun about to commit suicide, Mao Lie cried out in alarm, scrambling down the slope and desperately hugging Da Cun's arms, yelling heartbreakingly, "Lord Chun Zhong! No! You must not! The Ming army has ceased fire! Ceased fire! The battle isn't over yet! You cannot die!"