Hu Shouren said with worry,
"My Lord, the Wokou seem determined to lay siege perpetually, deliberately creating a living hell... We should preserve our strength and return to Qingpu. Qingpu is backed by Suzhou, with ample forces in the Southern Zhili region. Lord Zhao Zhenji is also preparing for battle... Since the current situation is so difficult to resolve, why not postpone the decision?"
Qi Jiguang shook his head and sighed,
"Zian, Huating is of critical importance. If the imperial forces suffer a setback, it will immediately trigger a political upheaval. Where would we find the opportunity to regroup? We would be sent to the capital... Furthermore, I believe Zhujiajiao has likely already fallen to the Wokou..."
A heavy silence fell upon the tent.
Wang Rulong cursed,
"Damn it! Then we fight again! My Lord, grant me a moment's rest, and I will lead my contingent north to attack the Wokou's outer stockade. If the defenders in the city cooperate, the tide of battle could turn. What do you think?"
Qi Jiguang also shook his head and said,
"Our only option now is to retreat west. Find some guides and travel along the western side of Dianshan Lake to the Wujiang area for rest... From there, we can advance or retreat as needed. The court will not be able to accuse us of cowardice, and if an opportunity arises, we can advance east at any time."
The four men discussed the map again and made the most ignominious decision of their lives.
Half an hour later, the entire army set off.
Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren brought up the rear. Standing on a small mound, they saw figures moving on the eastern horizon, dense as ants. The Wokou had caught up.
"My Lord, let's go, the Wokou are here again..."
Hu Shouren urged him.
Qi Jiguang nodded and murmured,
"In this battle, our army lacked a unified command, acting independently without overall planning, and was overly cautious. Moreover, the Wokou's firearms were formidable, leading to this crushing defeat... Zian, you must remember today's situation and vindicate the soldiers in the future..."
Hu Shouren said tearfully, "My Lord, let's go..."
Qi Jiguang sighed and turned his horse, preparing to gallop away.
But at that moment,
Several soldiers suddenly shouted—
"My Lord, the Wokou are in disarray!"
"Yes, the Wokou are retreating!"
"What's going on?"
Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren climbed a slightly higher hill. They could see clearly that the Wokou formations were in chaos, most of them running back, while another group was moving from south to north, breaking through the Wokou's main formation.
Hu Shouren's eyes were sharp, and he blurted out,
"My Lord, those are routed troops!"
"Indeed! Routed troops, likely fleeing north from the Fengjing area, trying to return to their camp..."
Qi Jiguang continued, "Could it be that Zhu Mo won at Fengjing?"
It must be known that
Fighting in Jiangnan was extremely difficult. The land was flat everywhere, and the hills were no more than ten zhang high, offering no natural defenses. Anyone using troops had to rely on cities, or build their own fortifications like the Wokou, otherwise, they could not hold their ground. Fengjing had a small city, naturally becoming a crucial point of contention for both armies in the outer areas. Since the routed troops were coming from the south, this was the only logical conclusion.
Qi Jiguang, a military strategist of the dynasty, peered intently for a moment, then suddenly recalled something and shouted,
"Zian, go tell them to turn back! Attack! Now!"
Hu Shouren also reacted,
"Right! We'll pursue them and launch a pincer attack with Scholar Zhu!"
Qi Jiguang, however, shook his head and calmly said,
"No, do not pursue them relentlessly. We only need to fully attack the nearest stockade at Xiaokunshan. If we do that, the defenders will dare to sally forth from the city, and then the situation will be different..."
Not long after,
Wang Rulong and Chen Ziluan had returned. The soldiers also saw the Wokou in a state of rout and panic, their morale soaring.
Qi Jiguang took the lead, cracking his whip and shouting,
"All soldiers, follow me to capture the Xiaokunshan stockade!"
Hoo!
Hoo la!
Like a surging tide, the Qi family army advanced rapidly towards the northeast.
...
At this time,
The Wokou central army was in Jinjia Village.
This place was six or seven li east of Xiaokunshan, and less than ten li further east was the Grand Camp at Zuibaichi. These interconnected stockades were a formidable weapon for the Wokou in their siege operations, and had never failed for years.
But today,
Omura Sumitada was truly bewildered—
Everything was going well. They were about to catch up with Qi Jiguang, and even if he fled into the wetlands near Dianshan Lake, they could annihilate most of his forces. But precisely at this critical juncture, Fengjing had fallen.
The routed troops, in a state of panic, surged into the main formation like a flood, causing immediate chaos. The main army, startled, also began to retreat towards Zuibaichi.
"How could Mendōrō be so incompetent... No, that's not right..."
It must be known that
This was his first time fighting in the Ming Kingdom under the banner of Da Ming. General Sōsa had assigned him four Franque companies, each with three hundred matchlock guns and fifty cannons, a mobilization of forces unprecedented since his arrival in the Far East.
Omura Sumitada had given one company to Mendōrō, Torres led one company, and the two outer patrolling detachments each had one company. This tactic was very reasonable. In the recent battle at Miaomiao, just one Franque company had routed Qi Jiguang, demonstrating its extraordinary power. How could Mendōrō, relying on fortifications, have been defeated?
But at this moment, amidst the chaos, where could he find this man?
Being resourceful and decisive, he immediately raised his family crest flag, gathered his domain's elite troops, stopped a dozen or so retreating soldiers, and reprimanded them,
"What happened? Where is Lord Mendōrō?"
A ronin, still in a state of shock, trembled and said,
"Lord Sumitada, the Ming army also has firearms! They are possessed by demons!"
Omura Sumitada flew into a rage, drew his sword with a clang, and roared,
"Eight! Nonsense!"
The ronin insisted in a hoarse voice, "The Ming army's cannonballs explode, killing twenty or thirty men at a time! Lord, we cannot fight! They are demons!"
Another ronin, with a look of terror on his face, shouted, "Lord Sumitada, the Ming army's cannons fire ten times for every one shot of the Franque cannons!"
The Japanese always shouted when they spoke, and at this moment their voices were shrill and their expressions horrifying. Omura Sumitada couldn't help but feel a chill, and he asked again,
"Where is Lord Mendōrō?"
The previous ronin replied, "We were flanked by the Ming army and split into two groups. Lord Mendōrō retreated south!"
Oh...
South of Fengjing is Pinghu. Mendōrō had been fighting in the Ming Dynasty for many years and should know that the closer he got to Hangzhou, the more dangerous it would be. As long as his mind was not completely deranged, he would try to head north and return to the Zuibaichi area.
Therefore,
At this moment, he could only return to Zuibaichi to regroup, then concentrate the four Franque companies and fight Zhu Mo to the death. If that failed, he would return to Zhoushan...
Thinking of this, he had to lay the groundwork and issued a clear order: "Sukeharō, take our contingent to Turtle Mountain and have Mao Lie's fleet provide support at all times!"
With a shout!
He took out his command flag and cried out,
"All troops! Retreat to the Grand Camp at Zuibaichi!"
At this time,
Whether it was the main formation or the defeated soldiers from Fengjing, their hearts were all in turmoil. Seeing that their commander was still calm, they finally quieted down slightly. The ranks reassembled and returned towards Zuibaichi.
But after only a little more than a li,
Several ronin on fast horses caught up in a desperate manner, crying out in pain, "Lord Sumitada! General Mendōrō has fallen..."
Ah?
This was a shock of considerable magnitude.
It must be known that
Mendōrō was not only a valiant warrior but also the Japanese samurai most familiar with the terrain and customs of the Ming Dynasty. His loss meant the severing of a vital limb, and the subsequent fighting would be truly difficult.