Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).
It was the middle of the night, a time that should have been quiet and peaceful, but it was unusually noisy, even more so than during the day.
The night was as white as frost, and on the open field, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves was deafening, making the ground seem to tremble slightly.
Xu Da and Chang Yuchun led their army toward the Japanese forces, while Qin Ze, who was close behind, had just exchanged for another army.
After receiving the message from the scouts, Murata Kosuke did not choose to withdraw his troops, but instead held his ground.
Although Yamanaka Takuma had repeatedly emphasized to him before leaving that they should never easily engage in war with the Yan Kingdom, that was on the premise that the Yan Kingdom's army would not continue its advance.
They are currently traversing Akihara Prefecture. If they choose to retreat now, the Kyoto Imperial Palace will be in grave danger!
It should be noted that the Kyoto Imperial Palace is not far from Akihara. The Yan Kingdom has only just landed in Japan today, and they have already fought their way to the capital. That would be an utter disgrace.
Therefore, Kosuke Murata decided to stay here and fight them on the battlefield, no matter who the enemy was.
At that moment, the sound of bugles resounded through the night sky, and the approaching troops possessed an aura that no one dared to underestimate.
Even after twenty years of military campaigns, Murata Kosuke couldn't help but break out in a sweat.
Just as the scouts had said, the enemy forces were numerous and included cavalry. Looking at this army, Murata Kosuke felt a sense of foreboding.
Not only him, but Yoshino Chido, who was standing to the side, although he had wanted to fight and defeat the enemy, felt an overwhelming fear when he saw these people coming at him.
These enemies appeared out of nowhere in Japan and attacked under the cover of night, reminding Yoshino Chido of a long-standing legend in Japan.
The legend is called "A hundred ghosts roam at night, and idlers should retreat."
Legend has it that the places where humans live are the same as the places where monsters live, the difference being that humans appear during the day, while monsters appear at night.
Therefore, although they are in the same place, people cannot see the monsters. However, just because they cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist.
On a certain special day, strange and monstrous creatures would travel at night, gathering in large groups and marching in a mighty procession along the road.
If anyone encounters them on the road at night, even just by glancing at them, they will suffer misfortune.
This is precisely why the saying "a hundred ghosts roam at night, and idlers should retreat" came about.
The demons choose to travel on this night, supposedly because they harbor great resentment and want to punish those who "break the rules."
Where does the resentment of demons originate? It is because they have been treated unfairly, which causes their resentment to fester and transform them into demons.
On the day of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, people stay at home. They can simply sleep peacefully in bed and ignore the demons that are parading around, and they will not encounter any disasters.
After one night, these demons will disperse.
But if someone insists on going out at night and encounters these demons, the only thing they can do is take off their straw sandals, place them on their head, lie on the ground, and pray that these demons will not see them. Only in this way can they have a chance of survival.
The straw sandal must have had some use, otherwise this legend wouldn't have existed.
But at this moment, listening to the thunderous sound of horses' hooves and watching the thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers approaching, they were filled with a sense of awe and wonder.
Yoshino Chido knew that this wasn't a legend becoming reality, but rather that the legend couldn't compare to reality.
If one were to encounter a horde of demons, placing straw sandals on top might save them from certain death, but this formidable and imposing enemy army would undoubtedly kill every single one of them.
"Prepare for battle! Kill them!"
A roar erupted from beside Yoshino Chido, as Murata Kosuke yelled.
Kosuke Yamanaka did not forget what Takuma Murata had said before he left: to defeat the enemy, one needs overwhelming force.
The overwhelming force was gone, and reinforcements had not yet arrived.
But the battle had to be fought, and as the commander of this army, he had long been determined to defend Qiuyuan to the death!
Takuma Yamanaka, mounted on his warhorse, drew his katana from his waist!
With the commander-in-chief already fighting alongside the army, Yoshino Chido naturally followed suit, though his mind was in turmoil and his eyes still held a hint of fear.
"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"
As the desperate roars rang out, the Japanese soldiers drew their bows and fired arrows into the distance.
It wasn't that they didn't use matchlock guns, but rather that firearms, being valuable items, were few in number, with the majority being deployed to the navy.
However, of the three reformist generals, Ito Sumiyoshi, who was the first to cross the sea to Yan Kingdom, had been completely wiped out, and the entire musketeer squad had died in the East China Sea. Meanwhile, the navy led by Saigo Jun had also sunk to the bottom of the sea.
The only musketeer unit that can still be considered well-trained and ready for battle is the one commanded by Naoto Sakamoto, who is stationed on Iwo Jima.
Of course, at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Akihito's personal guards were also equipped with matchlock muskets, but their numbers were not large, since Akihito's rule was unshakeable within the country.
Aside from some conflicts between conservatives and reformers, Japan is a united front, and no one can shake Emperor Akihito's position.
In addition, Nobuo Sakamoto's troops were also equipped with matchlock muskets, but they were not yet a significant force.
Now, as arrows soar through the air, they are met with even faster and denser barrages of lead bullets!
"Bang bang bang!"
Amidst a series of crackling sounds, smoke filled the open field.
Among the cavalry, several men held three-barreled guns and fired forward, unleashing a storm of lead bullets that hurtled straight toward the Japanese army!
This was no ordinary cavalry unit.
This cavalry force was summoned by Qin Ze not long ago, and it is none other than the famous "Guan Ning Iron Cavalry"!
This was not a cavalry force in the traditional sense; in addition to using the most common weapons on the battlefield, they were also equipped with firearms.
Of course, not all the troops on the battlefield at this moment are Guan Ning cavalry; most are still traditional cavalry. However, the participation of this "special cavalry" will greatly enhance the overall combat strength.
As for the person who commanded the Guan Ning cavalry, he was a figure of much debate and mixed reputation.
But it cannot be denied that he was one of the top generals of the Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, after the three-barreled gun and the musket were fired, the lead bullets were superior to the arrows fired by the Japanese soldiers in both accuracy and lethality.
Then, a series of screams rang out. In just a short while, the Japanese archers suffered heavy losses, with many wounded and unable to shoot anymore.
Seeing this, Murata Kosuke gritted his teeth and ordered a charge. Under these circumstances, only close combat offered a chance of victory.
He and Yoshino Chido each led a cavalry unit to attack the opposite side from the left and right flanks.
On the opposite side, seeing the Japanese army attacking from the left and right flanks, seemingly intending to break into their side, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun roared in anger:
"kill!"
——
"call--"
Akihito suddenly sat up in bed, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat. He was gasping for air as if he were drowning.
He was still shaken by the nightmare he had just had.
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