Soza was furious and said,
"Mao Longxuan! How can my Great Franji submit to the ridiculous Ming Dynasty? I tell you, your Ryukyu Kingdom has no choice but to declare war! I will immediately order the fleet to hoist Ryukyu's national flag and then fire upon Zhu Mo!"
"Damn it!"
"You?"
Mao Longxuan slammed the table and stood up angrily, roaring,
"Soza, you are pushing me too far!"
Soza knew that there was no turning back today. Since Zhu Mo had spoken those words, there was no room for negotiation. If he didn't act, Zhu Mo would force Mao Longxuan to arrest him, and Zhu Mo would likely spare him if Mao Longxuan arrested Soza.
With this thought, how could he hesitate any longer?
"Guards! By order of King Shangyuan, Mao Longxuan has colluded with foreign enemies and attempted to annex Ryukyu! Arrest him!"
With a rustle!
Over a dozen red-haired soldiers entered and quickly seized Mao Longxuan.
Soza commanded,
"Hoist the Ryukyu national flag on the fleet and bring Mao Longxuan aboard the flagship! We will fight the Ming Dynasty to the death today!"
The red-haired soldiers on the island had never witnessed the Ming army's firearms. They were arrogant and led Mao Longxuan out. Mao Longxuan's personal guards also arrived quickly, and with a flurry of movements, both sides' matchlock guns were raised in a standoff.
Mao Longxuan's intestines turned green with regret. He deeply felt that he should not have come out to meet Soza today. If he had remained in the palace, none of this would have happened. He had dealt with the Franji people for more than ten years and knew them to be most vicious. Now that they had fallen out, he had no way out. Why should he sacrifice himself further?
He immediately shouted,
"Retreat! All of you, retreat!"
The Ryukyu soldiers reluctantly backed away. Everyone saw their Chancellor composed and fearless, and they could not help but admire him, thinking that Mao Longxuan, who had governed Ryukyu for decades, was indeed no ordinary person.
...
An hour later,
Seeing the slow movement of ships from the direction of the water village, Zhu Mo cautiously said,
"Old Yu, is Soza perhaps going to fight to the death?"
Yu Dayou nodded, "Yes, look. Their dozens of ships are lined up, not emerging one by one. They intend to destroy the water village proactively, and they are already in a wedge formation as they come out."
Zhu Mo, knowing that Yu Dayou was considered the foremost naval commander in the Great Ming, did not ask further. He simply smiled and said,
"Then let's fight. Everything is up to General Yu's command."
"Good!"
Yu Dayou's spirit immediately surged in the face of a major battle. He said sternly, "He is destroying his own water village to gain the upper hand. We cannot wait. Minister of State, we should press forward with the entire fleet. Concentrate the artillery on the port side and unleash a barrage of fire! However..."
He then saw the enemy ships suddenly lower the Franji flag and hoist the Ryukyu flag of a tributary state of the Great Ming (a small sun and moon flag, with the sun and moon in the upper right corner, unlike the Ming flag where the sun and moon are in the center). A hint of hesitation crossed his face, and he thought, "If I open fire on a tributary state, will those in the imperial court blame me again?"
Zhu Mo, understanding his thoughts, smiled and said,
"Fire away! After the battle, I will interfere in Ryukyu's internal affairs. Why worry about this? Rest assured, I've got this!"
"Good!"
Yu Dayou had always fought the Japanese pirates with trepidation. He feared even after winning and feared even more after losing. He had never experienced such straightforwardness. He immediately ordered the entire army to advance with signal flags, ordering the port side artillery to fire freely.
With a swish!
The large ships filled their sails, and the waves quickly rose. The fleet slid on the crest of the waves and soon approached the water village. At about two li away, Yu Dayou ordered them to fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Franji ships were just then destroying the water gate and emerging in a wedge formation. They met the Ming army's artillery head-on. The leading five or six ships were immediately hit, bursting into flames. Two were pierced by solid shot, their hulls quickly listing, and the soldiers descended into chaos, many jumping into the sea.
Soza's flagship was behind. At this moment, he stood at the bow with Mao Longxuan under guard and ordered the entire formation to return fire quickly.
He had always heard that Ming firearms had a long range but did not truly believe it. Seeing it firsthand now, he was filled with rage and shouted,
"Return fire! Return fire!"
The red-haired soldiers immediately lit their fuses. Amidst the booming sounds, water splashes continuously erupted on the sea, but they were still more than a li away from the enemy ships.
Mao Longxuan burst into laughter. Knowing that he could not escape the vicious Franji people today, he let go of all restraint and roared with laughter,
"Hahaha, Great Franji cannons! Hahaha, fire away! Hahaha..."
Soza saw that the range of his cannons was indeed far inferior to the Ming army's. A sense of despair washed over him. In his terror, rage surged. With a clang, he drew his saber and roared,
"Mao Longxuan, you dare to laugh? I'll kill you!"
Mao Longxuan's expression was firm, and he said calmly,
"I have relied on the Franji people my entire life, yet I hate you Franji people the most! Hahaha, I have lived a life of glory and wealth, and I am tired of it! Kill me or cut me down as you please!"
"Fuck!"
Soza spat out a curse and roared in anger,
"Tie him up and throw him into the sea to feed the fish!"
Four red-haired soldiers immediately rushed forward, tied up Mao Longxuan in a few movements, lifted him by his limbs, swung him a few times, and then tossed him into the surging waves.
Soza stood at the bow of the ship. He saw that half of the thirty or forty Franji ships had been damaged. The enemy's cannon fire not only had a longer range but also an outrageously fast rate of fire, almost without intervals. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
It should be known that,
He was an adventurer by origin, with three generations of his family being pirates. He was later recruited by the Portuguese royal family, and thus went legitimate, becoming the commander of the Far East Fleet. Now, facing certain doom, a fierce spirit mixed with his blood surged forth. He muttered, "I will return, I will return... iwillreturn... iwillreturn..."
His personal guards, knowing his extreme cunning, quickly gathered around him.
Soza snorted and whispered, "You, don't make a sound. Go from the rear..."
The dozen or so personal guards, worried about being punished by the royal family after a defeat, asked in panic, "Count, where are we going?"
Soza said sternly, "To Burma... Rest assured, I am a good friend of King Mang Yinglong. We cannot return home, but we can still enjoy the life of nobles in Burma!"
The personal guards immediately turned the rudder. While the front was engaged in a bloody battle amidst the cannon fire, the flagship headed towards the gap behind the water village and soon disappeared from sight.
...
This battle was faster than anyone could have imagined. Out of forty-two ships, thirteen were sunk, sixteen were heavily damaged, and apart from three that escaped, all the rest surrendered. A total of one thousand one hundred and twenty Franji soldiers were captured.
The Ryukyu people on shore witnessed the entire event. They also saw Mao Longxuan being thrown into the sea. At this moment, King Shangyuan, leading his ministers and the officials Ge Meizi and Ge Kechang, knelt at the port to personally welcome Zhu Mo and Yu Dayou.