Chapter 625 Iwami Silver Mine
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After spending a day and a night in Ghost Tooth Bay, the fleet led by "Breaking Waves II" finally set off on the third day.
Yamamoto Shun also told Li Shiyue a lot of news about Honshu Island with those "guides". In this way, a clear, bold and ruthless plan instantly took shape in her mind.
"Pass on the order!"
Li Shiyue's voice suddenly rose, becoming resolute and instantly drowning out all other noises: "The entire army should accelerate the clearing of the battlefield, repair any Japanese ships that can be salvaged on the spot, arrange for soldiers to board and steer them, and integrate them into our fleet."
"Breaking Waves," and all other warships in good condition, assemble immediately and await orders!
Li Shiyue's gaze swept over the generals who had gathered around him—the composed Chen Yong, the eager Sun Xiaoliu and Ding Haisheng, the determined Li Qiutian, and Hei Zi and the others standing to the side.
"Target: Honshu Island, Japan!"
We must seize the port and land before they can react!
Once the order was given, the Zhenhai Navy, this highly efficient war machine, immediately began operating at full speed.
In less than two hours, the thirteen "Breaking Waves" warships formed the core, supplemented by more than twenty medium-sized Fujian ships, dozens of small ships, and the remaining Japanese pirate ships in relatively good condition after Hirota Hiroki and his men were defeated.
Thus, a sizable fleet had been assembled.
Except for a few "useful" ones like Yamamoto Shun, the captured Japanese pirate leaders were all executed on the deck and immediately thrown into the sea to prevent them from leaking information.
The fleet braved the winds and waves, heading eastward.
Li Shiyue stood at the bow of the "Breaking Waves No. 2" ship, the sea breeze whipping her blood-stained martial arts uniform.
She didn't need a detailed landing map; Yamamoto Shun and the prisoners who were left behind were her human navigation.
Under the threat of death and the promise of limited benefits, they pointed to a port on the western coast of Honshu Island that was deep enough for large ships to approach and was poorly guarded.
However, Li Shiyue already had a mechanical golden eagle that could scout out their landing point in advance;
In this way, it can be corroborated by what Yamamoto Shun and the others said.
Before news of Hirota Koki's crushing defeat at Oniga Bay reached Japan, Li Shiyue and his group had already arrived in the Seto Inland Sea.
Yamamoto Shun was indeed very familiar with the shipping routes in the Seto Inland Sea, which was a great help to Li Shiyue and his group.
At dawn, a thin mist shrouded a coastline.
Several small Japanese boats were patrolling the nearshore waters. The fishermen and sentries on board were yawning, completely unaware that death was imminent.
When the three "Wavebreaker" warships, which resembled moving castles, broke through the morning mist and their enormous figures pressed down like mountains, the Japanese on Kobayashi's ship were so terrified that they couldn't even row.
“Aim at those small boats, and any structures on the shore that look like outposts.”
Li Shiyue's voice was quickly relayed through flag signals and messengers: "Prepare the artillery, fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The gun ports on the side of the "Breaking Waves" opened, and the dark gun barrels spewed out blazing flames and thick smoke!
Solid iron shells whistled as they hurtled toward the target. The small wooden boat instantly disintegrated into pieces and splinters with a deafening roar. The simple wooden watchtower not far from the shore was also hit directly by a shell and collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
This is a dimensional reduction attack!
The Japanese, who had never experienced such intense artillery fire, either perished at sea or fled in panic, instantly losing any effective ability to resist or send messages.
"Land! Seize the beachhead and establish a defensive line!"
As Li Shiyue gave the order, Ding Haisheng was the first to draw her specially made "Child-Severing Blade." Leading the fierce Zhenhai soldiers, she swarmed down the lowered gangway and "Sea Dragonfly" skiffs, quickly landing and taking control of the beachhead.
The whole process went more smoothly than expected, with almost no significant resistance encountered.
Upon seeing the massive warships and terrifying cannon fire, the Japanese garrison at the port had lost all will to fight; they either fled or knelt down to surrender.
Li Shiyue knew that they had to take advantage of this brief information gap to catch the Japanese off guard.
She led half of the Zhenhai Navy swiftly ashore from the port. Upon reaching land, without any rest, she divided these thousands of men into three groups:
The central route, personally led by her, consisted mainly of elite troops from the Zhenhai Army led by Sun Xiaoliu and the women's battalion led by Ding Haisheng, supplemented by a small number of Japanese pirate prisoners familiar with the route, heading straight for the heart of this area—the Iwami Ginzan in Shimane Prefecture!
Yes, Li Shiyue's destination this time was—a silver mine!
This is still an undeveloped silver mine!
On the left flank, commanded by Chen Yong, the remaining half of the garrison's navy, who were on the "Breaking Waves," continued to sail south along the coast, sweeping through coastal villages and ports, cutting off the possible sea reinforcement routes of the local rulers, the Mori clan, and eliminating the remaining enemy forces.
On the right flank, Li Qiutian led the remaining Zhenhai naval forces on land to advance northward, guarding against potential threats from the direction of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Li Shiyue handed the signal flare she had traded from the system to Chen Yong and Li Qiutian, and instructed them: "If anything happens, pull back the signal flare in the night sky, and Xiao Jin will find you."
After watching both sides leave, Li Shiyue's central force began its operation.
She abandoned all the cumbersome baggage, and the soldiers carried only three days' rations, advancing swiftly and lightly.
As for the small cannons they carried from the "Breaking Waves," Li Shiyue naturally put them into his system backpack.
Along their journey, they encountered villages and fortified villages where anyone dared to resist with weapons, and they gave no time to persuade them to surrender.
"Kill anyone who refuses!"
Li Shiyue's words were cold and ruthless.
In front of a small samurai residence, a dozen or so Mori soldiers, led by a low-ranking samurai, attempted to resist by relying on bamboo fences and earthen walls.
They brandished their katana and howled like wild beasts.
(The longswords used by the Zhenhai Army in the text are the same style as the Tang Dynasty horizontal sword shown in Figure 2. All images are from the internet.)
"Archers, fire a barrage!"
Li Shiyue reined in his warhorse and waved the command flag.
A volley of arrows rained down, and several Japanese soldiers fell to the ground screaming in agony.
Before the enemy could regroup, Ding Haisheng had already led a squad of swordsmen and shieldmen to charge forward like a wedge!
Her swordsmanship was ruthless and cunning, specializing in attacking the lower body. Combined with the soldiers' fearless slashing, the weak defensive line was torn apart in an instant.
The battle ended within 15 minutes. The low-ranking warrior had his testicles chopped off by Ding Haisheng with a single slash, and after falling to the ground, he was hacked to death by the Zhenhai Army. None of the resisters survived.
The mansion was set on fire, billowing thick smoke as a warning to all potential resistance in the surrounding area.
Within ten days, Li Shiyue's ruthless methods after landing in Japan spread like wildfire throughout the countryside of Shimane Prefecture, bringing news of her and the Zhenhai Army to the forefront.
"The terrifying Dalong people have attacked!"
"Their ships are like mountains, their cannons like thunder, their swords like a forest, and their men like ghosts; those who resist will only face death!"
"Run! Run! If you don't run, you won't survive!"
"They even dared to kill members of the Mori family!"
But where could these Japanese people escape to?
Many villages that might have hesitated before, upon seeing the smoke rising in the distance and hearing the faint sounds of cannons and screams, chose to open their village gates, kneel on the ground, and dare not disobey in the slightest.
On the fifteenth day after landing in Japan, Li Shiyue and his group finally arrived in Shimane Prefecture!
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