He squinted at the ship, then shook his head after a moment, muttering to himself, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Kiyota Yoshinobu was a formidable figure among the Japanese pirates, known for his cunning and suspicion. How could he risk his life like this? It must be a bait ship. Even if there are men on board who look like him, they are just shadow warriors from Japanese legends." Thinking of Kiyota Yoshinobu's cunning and suspicion, Ren Qian suddenly had a thought, remembering something. A look of joy flashed across his face, but it disappeared in an instant.
"Mr. Ren, the Dragon-Slaying Commander! The Dragon-Slaying Commander is here!" As the two sides drew closer again, and the archers began to attack each other with fire arrows, the lookout on the mast, observing through a telescope, exclaimed with delight. But an arrow pierced his body, and he cried out in agony as he fell from the mast and landed on the deck.
"What!" Ren Qian hurriedly looked south and saw Tu Long Ziyun approaching with only five small boats. He was both happy and angry. He was happy because Tu Long Ziyun must have already seen the dire situation through the telescope but still came to the rescue. He was angry because such a rescue would be futile and would only lead to Tu Long Ziyun's own demise. Fortunately, not all of Tu Long Ziyun's ships had come. Presumably, the remaining three large ships and several small boats had been ordered to escape by Tu Long Ziyun.
"Quickly contact Commander Tulong and tell him to leave immediately!" Ren Qian ordered.
Soon, a signal came from the other ship: "Live together, die together." Ren Qian's eyes filled with tears in an instant. He finally felt that he had truly become a member of the Peace Army. Not only had others accepted him, but he had also accepted himself.
"Ziyun, attack the fourth Japanese ship that's closest in pursuit, and I'll draw away the surrounding ships!" Since that's the case, then let's have a great battle. Ren Qian decisively gave the order.
Chapter Four: Counter-Espionage
one,
When Tu Longziyun received the flag signal and learned that Ren Qian had ordered him to attack the most ornately decorated warship, he was taken aback for a moment and said, "That ship cannot be the ship of the enemy's commander. To be so ostentatious is tantamount to setting up a target for attack, especially since it is being pursued so closely."
"What should we do?" the helmsman asked.
"Since Mr. Ren ordered me to attack him, let's take the gamble!" Tu Longziyun's eyes flashed coldly as he gritted his teeth and ordered, "Order my ships to launch a full-speed assault on the fourth enemy ship, ignoring the enemy's arrows!"
The Haikuo, like a dagger, stabbed at the magnificent Japanese ship at full speed. The Japanese ship sidestepped the Haikuo's ram, and the two ships collided with a bang. Sailors from both sides shouted and rushed to the boarding point.
Tu Longziyun used the Fulong Saber to knock a Japanese pirate who was swinging a sail rope into the water. At the same time, the Tulong Saber cleaved out like a rainbow, beheading a warrior in golden armor. Blood and shouts of battle surged up in an instant.
Seeing the enemy ships closing in, the Peace Army warships were already half-encircled. Tu Longziyun and the Peace Army soldiers knew they were doomed. Remembering Ren Qian's massacre of Japanese prisoners, they knew they would suffer greatly in the hands of the Japanese pirates. Therefore, they became even more ferocious, ignoring the other enemy ships and charging towards the deck of the magnificent warship with all their might.
Tu Longziyun became the spearhead of this assault force. He was already highly skilled in martial arts and had served as the commander-in-chief in Li Jun's battle against the dragon. Few Japanese pirates could withstand three blows from him. The Japanese pirates converging from both sides were slashed by his alternating strikes with the Dragon-Slaying Blade and the Dragon-Subduing Shield, splitting apart like waves crashing against rocks.
Seeing that the Peace Army and the Japanese pirates were mingling together on the magnificent warship, with the Peace Army seemingly having a slight advantage, Ren Qian suddenly ordered the soldiers around him to shout in Japanese.
These soldiers couldn't understand Japanese and didn't know that the phrase they had just learned meant "Kiyota Yoshinobu has been killed." They just shouted it out in a roundabout way. At that moment, both sides were exchanging fire, so all sorts of strange shouts came out.
"Kiyoshi Kiyota was killed... Damn it, who shot me with an arrow?"
"Kiyoshi Kiyota... Damn it, he hit one... and he's dead!"
The Japanese pirates could understand the Japanese language mixed with seasoning. They saw the Peace Army attacking the warship that represented the flagship, so they all rushed to rescue it. But when they heard that Kiyota Yoshinobu had been killed, although they only believed it to a very small extent, they couldn't help but have some doubts.
"Kiyoshi Kiyota has been killed! Run! Kiyoshi Kiyota has been killed!"
Peace Army added that at this moment, Tu Longziyun had cut the rope that was raising the huge banner with three arrows and a flower. The commander's flag fell down, and the Japanese pirates behind him were even more confused. Although Kiyota Yoshiki himself was hiding far away on a warship, he was cunning and suspicious by nature. Apart from a very few close confidants, no one knew that this ship was used as bait to lure the enemy.
Moreover, the seemingly massive Japanese pirate warships and soldiers did not originate from his own forces; several daimyo forced to submit to him had also sent warships, and these daimyo were more than happy that he was truly dead. Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as his troops began to fall into chaos.
Just then, ten more warships appeared in front of the Peace Army. They were the Peace Army's navy that Tu Longziyun had sent away. It turned out that they were worried about their commander and had disobeyed orders to return to the battlefield! This made the already demoralized Japanese pirates even more confused, thinking that they had fallen into an ambush.
"Pass down the order, let's go." The Japanese chieftain on a large pirate ship looked at the chaotic fleet and smiled coldly: "My chance has come."
"Your Highness, General Kiyota is not on that ship."
“I know, but let’s just pretend he’s on that ship.” The Japanese chieftain chuckled and said, “Kiyota Yoshinobu has mostly sent troops from various daimyo this time, but he hasn’t sent his own elite troops. It’s obvious that he wants us to perish together with the daimyo of Sekigahara Yasuyoshi. Since that’s the case, I don’t need to tolerate it any longer.”
"But after Prince Kiyota returned..."
"He can't go back, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
Although the Japanese pirates outnumbered the rest of the ships, they were unaware of the true situation and lacked effective command, so they began to retreat. If they had retreated a little and regrouped to fight again, they would still have a chance of winning. However, during the retreat, several Japanese ships collided, and the pirates on board began to kill each other.
Even if the Japanese pirates didn't fight amongst themselves, Ren Qian knew his adventure had succeeded, because Tu Longziyun had already stormed into the cabin of the Japanese pirate ship. A moment later, the body of a Japanese pirate warrior wearing expensive barrel armor was hung up in place of the three arrows and one flag.
"Kiyota Yoshinobu is dead! Kiyota Yoshinobu is dead!" the Peace Army shouted hoarsely, and now everyone understood what it meant. The Japanese pirates, seeing the corpse indeed resembling Kiyota Yoshinobu, were unaware that it was merely a body double, and began to scatter. This force, originally united by Kiyota Yoshinobu's military might, crumbled after his "death." And the generals under Kiyota Yoshinobu all coveted his "legacy."
"Leave here! I'm going to plant my flag in Kyoto!" shouted a Japanese chieftain. His ship began to leave, and once the first one appeared, another followed. In almost an instant, the fleet of hundreds of ships had dispersed.
Ren Qian saw the infighting among the Japanese pirates through his telescope and couldn't help but smile coldly. The truth he had gathered from the Japanese pirates over the years had finally saved his life at this last moment. Regardless of whether Kiyota Yoshinobu was truly dead, the Japanese pirates would once again be plunged into a large-scale civil war, and China would have at least ten years of peace.
Just as his mind was racing, he heard a cry of alarm. Startled, he turned away, only to feel a sharp pain in his eyes, and then he knew nothing more.
While Guo Yunfei traveled to the southern state of Huai, and Ma Jiyou was worried about Xue Wenju's unusual behavior, Liu Guang seemed to have vanished from the land of Shenzhou. He could not be found either in Luoyang, the capital of Chen, or on the border between Huai and Chen, where hundreds of thousands of troops were stationed. Almost all of Liu Guang's orders were relayed by the newly appointed Right Chancellor, Ximen Rang, while Gongsun Ming, originally Liu Guang's confidant, remained strangely silent.
Ma Jiyou's memorial and Zhongxing State's letter of appeal arrived in Haiping, the capital of Hong State, almost at the same time. When Qian Sheye presented the two documents to the ministers, they were all filled with fear.
"That old scoundrel Liu Guang actually avoided Wutai City, daring not to engage in a decisive battle with the Grand General, but instead launched a sneak attack on Zhonghang. Now Zhonghang has sent someone to ask for help. What do you all think?"
The ministers in the court fell silent. After all, the matter was of great importance, and no one dared to answer before thinking it over carefully.
"Is it possible that, apart from the Grand General, there is no one else in the entire court whom I can rely on?" Ma Jiyou stood up from the high dragon throne, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, which made his originally dignified face turn gloomy.
"Your Majesty is wise, and this matter is of great importance. We dare not offer any advice without careful consideration." The Prime Minister took the lead in kneeling down, and all the ministers hurriedly followed suit.
Seeing that his slight anger had startled these ministers so much, Qian Sheye relaxed somewhat. He hummed softly, slowly sat down on the dragon throne, and said, "Then I'll let you think it over carefully. If you can't come up with a good plan today, then we'll all wait here for that old scoundrel Liu Guang."
The Qian Yuan Hall was completely silent during the morning court session. Even the ministers in their seventies and eighties suppressed their coughs, fearing they might provoke Qian Sheye's anger. After a full incense stick's time, Yi Tong, the Vice Minister of War, came out and said, "Your Majesty, I have a strategy."
"Speak up, don't beat around the bush."
"In my humble opinion, it is still best to send troops to rescue Zhonghang. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If Zhonghang is defeated, then the old traitor Liu Guang will surely be driven into the territory of our Great Hong and bring disaster to Your Majesty and your people."
"This old minister believes that it is best to hold Chiling and send an urgent message to the General to return and rescue him," said Prime Minister Zong Zhengfang. "Liu Guang only fears the General and dares not confront him in Wutai City. Therefore, he avoids the strong and attacks the weak by turning to the middle. As long as the General returns, the old thief Liu Guang will surely retreat."
"Hmph, does Liu Guang only fear Ma Jiyou?" Qian Sheye's expression changed. He prided himself on his diligence and talent, and now that he heard even the Prime Minister, whom he trusted, thought that Liu Guang only feared Ma Jiyou, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. "What does Yi Qing think of the Prime Minister's opinion?"
"Your humble servant is foolish and incompetent, but I believe the Prime Minister's intention is definitely not advisable. The General is currently stationed at Wutai. If he were to suddenly return to the capital, his troops would be exhausted and his forces would be worn out. Moreover, the territory he has occupied would likely be reclaimed by the Chen Kingdom. Therefore, the General should not return. As for holding Chiling, that would be an even worse strategy. Instead of watching the flames of war engulf us, why not take the initiative to attack and defend our borders? Even if something were to happen to our army and Liu Guang were to escape unscathed, our army could still return to defend Chiling."
Hearing his frank words, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. It turned out that Yi Tong's plan to rescue Zhongxing was not only out of a sense of shared vulnerability, but also a desire to exploit his neighbor and turn Zhongxing into a battlefield. In this way, if the war didn't rage fiercely, it would ultimately be the other side's property that would be destroyed, and after winning, they could even take the opportunity to destroy Zhongxing.