Zhao Li brought three interpreters. Pi Guanglin was a mediocre interpreter. The other two were even less than competent, and one of them stuttered. There was no other way. Trade between Song and Japan was rare, so the Song Dynasty had always sought interpreters from Korea.
However, many Japanese people knew Chinese, including high-ranking geishas. They dabbled in various arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so some of them also knew Chinese. Japan has always been proud of its admiration for the Central Plains, and their translations have been passed down through the generations.
In addition to providing special services, these geishas also gathered intelligence. Following Zhao Li's instructions, the soldiers informed the geishas, who understood Chinese, of the dragon boat's movements.
After returning to Toyama Prefecture, several geishas reported the situation. Torihito and Liu Guisheng were overjoyed after hearing the geishas' intelligence.
"I was wondering how the Song Dynasty could possibly create such a magical weapon. I thought this firearm was like a crossbow with endless arrows. It turns out that these intimidating things can only be fired once a day. Your Majesty, we can gather the guards and start tonight!" Liu Guisheng said from the side.
Niao Ren didn't have any opinions of his own. He just did what Liu Guisheng said: "Since the Grand Marshal said so, then we will listen to him."
Liu Guisheng held great power, almost surpassing Niao Ren in authority. Although Niao Ren was not a puppet, he obeyed Liu Guisheng's orders.
If it were not for the Japanese worship of the emperor and the fact that the local princes still nominally supported this emperor, Liu Guisheng would have rebelled long ago.
Unsurprisingly, everything was as Zhao Li had anticipated. Dragon boats, each equipped with five cannons, were lined up in a row, with nearly a hundred crossbows aimed at the shallows. As for the crossbowmen manning the firing slits in the cabins, they were countless.
Zhao Li was in charge of the dragon boat, but Pan Bufeng was not there. It turned out that Zhao Li had sent him to Fushan.
The Japanese sent geishas aboard, ostensibly to offer condolences but in reality to gather information. Their intention to attack the Dragon Boat was almost obvious. Zhao Li knew that Niao Ren didn't have many men with him. If they stormed the ship, their rear would be left empty; perhaps Toyama had fewer than a thousand men. If Pan Bufeng led a force to infiltrate, he might be able to capture Niao Ren, the dog emperor, alive.
Zhao Li was right. Fushan didn't have many soldiers. There was only one guard battalion, and the rest were sent to attack the dragon boat.
It was a dark, windy night, a murderous night, with both sides on edge. Pan Bufeng led a 3,000-strong navy, bypassing the Japanese forces and infiltrating the eastern side of Mount Toyama. Meanwhile, Torii's guards descended upon the harbor where the dragon boats were stationed.
"Lord Li, Japanese troops appear ahead!" the soldier on the ship reported.
"Don't worry about it, let's explore again!" Zhao Li was drinking tea leisurely in the cabin. Even with the powerful enemy approaching, he was still calm.
The soldiers secretly admired the emperor, believing he had not misjudged the prince. Seeing Prince Li remain so calm, their originally panicked hearts could not help but relax.
Liu Guisheng personally led his troops to attack the dragon boats. The Japanese soldiers were armed only with bows and siege ladders. Their boldness in attacking the Song Dynasty dragon boats was not without reason. Toyama's port was pocket-shaped, with only one outlet to the sea and land on three sides.
This created favorable conditions for the Japanese to attack, and for them, it was almost like catching a turtle in a jar. The ship was full of silk and porcelain, which was a treasure trove for the Japanese.
The Song Dynasty was not easy to provoke, but the treasures were tempting. Liu Guisheng coveted the things on the ship, so he took the risk to rob them.
"Bang, bang, bang! ..." It wasn't until they saw the densely packed Japanese soldiers approaching that the dragon boat finally beat the drum to sound the alarm.
Liu Guisheng, riding on his horse, saw the chaos on the ship. The Song navy soldiers were running around like headless flies, and the situation was in chaos.
It seems my guess was correct. The Song Dynasty dragon boats were a paper tiger. The Japanese attacked so close, yet no one fought back. Seeing as how the boats only had a few cannons, and they were hesitant to fire, it seemed the intelligence I had was correct.
"Your Highness! The enemy is less than two miles away. Are the crossbows ready?" The generals under him were very anxious and came in to ask Zhao Li for instructions.
Zhao Li was very good at pretending when he could. He imitated Zhuge Liang waving a feather fan and poured tea slowly: "What's the hurry? Wait a minute! Order the soldiers on the deck to keep running!"
Without orders, the generals dared not act rashly. Although they were extremely anxious, they could do nothing without the prince's order.
The three thousand men Pan Bufeng led were surprisingly successful, but unfortunately they had no horses. They had come on a long-distance forced march, but the difference was that all the soldiers were equipped with bows and crossbows, the divine weapon of the Song Dynasty, the Shenbi Crossbow.
Since the Qin Dynasty, crossbows have been fired by pedaling a pedal, then pulling the trigger with a mechanism. This eliminates the laborious aiming and arm strain of a bow and arrow. The Song Dynasty's Shenbi crossbow featured a pulley. Simply place the arrow on the crossbow trigger and turn the mechanism, and the bowstring instantly tightens effortlessly. Replacing arrows was also easy, and the bow was incredibly powerful.
The nameless soldier carried two bundles of arrows on his back, like an ancient submachine gun. Fushan Town was high in the east and low in the west, and Pan Bufeng's soldiers were swooping down from the east.
"Kill!" The cry of killing shook the heavens, and the Song soldiers rushed down with bows and crossbows. This Niao Ren was in the mansion, hugging two singing girls, and was confused. Suddenly, the guards came to report: "Your Majesty, it's bad! The Song people are attacking!"
Niao Ren was horrified and fell off his chair. "How, how could this happen? Where did these Song Dynasty soldiers come from?"
Just as he finished speaking, shouts and cries of killing rang out outside. The voices were clearly Chinese, mixed with the cries and struggles of the dying Japanese soldiers.
How could this thousand-man guard battalion be a match for the Song Dynasty's divine arm crossbow? They were holding swords and bows and arrows and were shot to death by the rushing Song Dynasty army before they had time to resist.
The captain of the guards fought and retreated: "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"
Protect his mother, run quickly. Didn’t you see that the brothers in front of you have all fallen? The Japanese guards retreated one after another, turned around and ran. Those who ran slowly were caught up by the Song army and immediately became hedgehogs.
To resist would be to become a sitting duck, to retreat would be to be slaughtered. Some guards ran towards the Emperor's residence, but most fled in all directions. At this moment, saving one's life was paramount, and a few loyal men were willing to risk their lives to save the Emperor.
Pan Bufeng's army stormed the Emperor's residence like a whirlwind. To make people worship him, the Japanese, fearing that others would not know where the Emperor's residence was, covered it with slogans such as "The Emperor shines upon the earth" and "The Emperor benefits all living things."
The Song army easily attacked, the divine crossbow was too terrifying. Although the Song army also suffered casualties, compared with the Japanese army that fell in large numbers, this loss was negligible.
"Your Majesty, run! Run!" A guard rushed into the door of Torihito's residence with a Japanese sword in hand, and with a "whoosh!", an arrow pierced his back and chest.
Niao Ren was so frightened that his face turned pale. As he was panicking, he saw a tall figure standing at the door. It was Pan Bufeng.
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