Bronze cannons have many advantages, but apart from being expensive, they also have a shortcoming: they are not durable and easily become soft and can no longer be fired.

The battle lasted for three hours in the afternoon, and the artillery never stopped. It was winter, and it was raining, which delayed the battle for so long. If it was a different season, the artillery would have stopped firing halfway through the battle...

As for why half of the artillery was still intact, it was because only one side was firing throughout the battle, and the artillery on the other side was never used.

"We still have enough ammunition in our fleet. Let's distribute it after daybreak." Jin Ke said to Ma Yinglong. He directly pulled ten supply ships over and installed cannons on them, pretending to be large warships...

"That's great. At least we don't have to worry about self-defense now." Ma Yinglong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "But we can't take the initiative to attack anymore."

"It seems that we have to go back even if we don't want to." Gao Jie said gloomily. The Raishima navy was destroyed, but the Noishima and Inishima families are still there. The old Zhongcheng has not won enough.

"Haha, the old chancellor is getting impatient," Zheng Ruozeng said with a smile, "Japan is not a small country, how can we possibly subdue them in one go? Besides, it is not in our interest to destroy all the navy of the Mori family."

Zhao Hao also nodded. In his plan, the war would be fine if it reached this level. How did that saying come about? War is for the benefit of the people.

Fighting to this extent is in the best interests of the group. Otherwise, he could have launched the war earlier and left all 50,000 Mori troops on Kyushu Island. But that would have had a huge impact on the situation in Kyushu. Without the Mori family, Oda Nobunaga might have unified Japan as long as he was alive. He was a man of great talent and strategy, and he particularly liked new things. Young Master Zhao must not help him take the throne.

Who knows, Mr. Zhao may have to send a fleet to help the Mori family destroy the Oda family's ironclad ships. Saving the monk is an obligation.

That's why Zhao Hao deliberately let the Maori army return home intact. Unexpectedly, the two big guys, Yoshikawa and Kobayakawa, were trapped in Kyushu...

Haha, let's see how Maori Moto will react. I believe that the Japanese Zhuge Liang will not get too angry again, right?

~~

On the other side of the strait, the Suobocho Palace.

Mori Motonari was awakened from his sleep again, and this time the ninja brought him news that was ten times worse than the last time.

"The Noshima navy fled from the battlefield, and the Mori navy was completely annihilated!"

"The Kanmon Strait has been blocked by the Otomo Army, and Tachibana Dosetsu has besieged Moji Castle!"

"Lord Yoshikawa and Lord Kobayakawa have retreated to Moji Castle..."

“…”

Maori Motonari didn't hear the rest of the words clearly. After a dizzy spell, he fainted.

"Lord! Lord!" The retainers rushed up and skillfully rescued Lord Mori.

After a long while, Mao Li Yuanjian finally woke up. When he opened his eyes, turbid tears rolled down...

It doesn't matter that his reputation is ruined and his myth of being invincible is shattered. He is worried about the future of his son and the Mori family!

"My Lord, don't be too sad. The main force of our army has been safely withdrawn, and the rebellion will be quelled in no time!"

"Yes, my lord. Moji Castle is impregnable and has sufficient supplies. Mori Ryokawa is a benevolent, wise, and brave general. He will definitely lead everyone who is besieged until our army comes to rescue them!"

"Did the Ming Dynasty lose a warship?" Maori Motonari asked in a hoarse voice.

"No." Although the ninja who reported the news had received professional training, he still couldn't hide his shock and said, "They were like tigers entering a pack of wolves. In the heavy rain, they fired guns and cannons, causing endless casualties to us. Moreover, they are all strong and skilled in martial arts. Our warriors are as weak as children in front of them..."

"The Kanmon Strait is controlled by the Ming Dynasty. What can we do to take it back?" Maori Moto had already experienced the pain of losing his son once. He could not bear the blow twice. Not only he, but also the Maori family, would die!

"The Inishima navy suffered almost no losses, and the Noishima navy..." the retainers said before falling silent. The Noishima navy had fled from the battlefront, needless to say, they had already turned to the Otomo army.

"We, the Mori family, have eleven countries. If a million people work together and give it our all, we can restore the strength of our navy in half a year!" A retainer shouted with red eyes.

"No chance. This time I had planned to completely wipe out Kyushu's Sorin, and then concentrate on dealing with Oda Nobunaga who was like a tiger coming down from the mountain." But Mori Motonari shook his head dejectedly and said, "Now it is us who have failed. The Oda family and the Otomo family will not give us a chance. And the Ming Dynasty people are eyeing us covetously. We will not be able to restore our navy within a few years."

The expressions of all the retainers immediately became gloomy, because what Lord Mori said could not be wrong, so once Lord Mori had said it, it was over, and even Amaterasu could not pull it back.

"Then we..." Everyone looked at Lord Maori.

"Ask for peace. Let Yoshikawa and Kobayakawa return as soon as possible to stabilize the current situation." Mori Motonari sighed desolately, "But the more anxious we are, the more we need to be methodical. Don't rush to talk to the Otomo family. Talk to the Ming Dynasty people first. Don't be afraid that they will ask for too much - no matter how much they want, they will not take our land and people. Send them away, and it will be much easier for us to talk to the Otomo family."

"Hi!" The retainers responded respectfully, and seeing that Lord Mori was exhausted, they all left.

When they came out, they saw snowflakes all over the courtyard, which made them feel sad.

How many years had it been since the Mori family suffered a defeat? This time they were defeated so badly, and the head of the family was old and no longer as brave as he used to be.

Alas, the good days of the Maori family’s rapid development are probably coming to an end.

~~

That night, Master Zhao fell asleep in Sister Qiaoqiao's arms on the pretext of feeling dizzy, and slept soundly.

After daybreak, the guards reported that Otomo Sorin and Tachibana Dosetsu wanted to see him... The latter was the person that Master Zhao specifically asked to see.

After all, such a middle school military god is rarer than a giant panda. Speaking of giant pandas, it seems that people can get a few from Sichuan and bring them back to raise for fun...

Young Master Zhao sat upright in the main seat, looking at Tachibana Doxue with bulging eyes, bulbous nose, toad mouth, and bald head with the same eyes as looking at a panda, and couldn't help but sighed: "No wonder the enemy is so frightened when they see Master Doxue, and loses all fighting spirit."

"You are too kind, sir." Although Tachibana Dosetsu was old and ugly, he could speak fluent Chinese and behaved elegantly. "I was ugly to begin with, and I look even worse after being struck by lightning."

His original name was Toji Kanren. When Otomo Yoshitsugu was defeated by Mori Motonari, he became a monk out of shame and anger, and was given the Buddhist name Sorin. The loyal Toji Kanren also followed his master and became a monk, and was given the Buddhist name Dosetsu. Later, the Tachibana family of Tachibana Castle was taken over by Mori Motonari, and Sorin ordered the head of the family to commit suicide, and let Dosetsu inherit this long-standing family, so he changed his name to Tachibana Dosetsu.

"Have you really," Zhao Hao asked curiously, "used a knife to strike lightning?"

"Hi."

"What do you feel?"

"Numb." Daoxue answered honestly: "Then I passed out."

"What are you thinking?" Zhao Hao asked.

"I have practiced the 'Shadow Flow' sword technique that I created to the point where I can use it naturally when I encounter a threat. When I felt the lightning suddenly coming towards me, I naturally split it in half with one sword. Of course, the wrath of the gods is not something that ordinary people can withstand, and I was also injured." Dao Xue answered proudly.

"Speak human language." Young Master Zhao looked at him with a smile.

"Uh... I was hiding from the rain under a tree when I was struck by lightning." Daoxue was honest and straightforward, so he said helplessly: "So, young master, you must not hide under a tree when it rains."

"Thank you for the reminder." Young Master Zhao nodded with a smile, and suddenly asked, "Your daughter should be over 100 years old, right?"

"Sir, you even know this?" When he mentioned his precious daughter, Tachibana Dosetsu became excited and immediately said with saliva flying, "Don't look at me like this, my precious daughter Chiyo is very beautiful. She has fair skin and bright eyes. She is the most beautiful girl in the world."

Young Master Zhao listened to him chattering about his daughter, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at Zong Lin... Tachibana Dosetsu was fifty-six years old this year, and had no children until this year, when his wife gave birth to 'Chikuzen's White Plum' Tsukiyo.

Lao Wang is a handsome man, and he is fair-skinned, really damn fair-skinned.

Mr. Zhao stopped thinking about it immediately. After all, he really liked Chiyoko Tsuyo, the future female daimyo.

Zhao Hao took off his white jade Guanyin amulet, handed it to Tachibana Dosetsu and said, "Give this to your daughter. Don't paint her teeth black or pluck her eyebrows in the future."

"Thank you for the reward, sir." Tachibana Dosetsu took the amulet with both hands and said calmly, "Black teeth are the style of noble women. How can the daughter of a samurai family pretend to be so? As for eyebrows, it's up to Chiyo to decide for herself when she grows up."

Although he was very grateful for the other party's love for his daughter, it was absolutely unacceptable for him to interfere in his daughter's future.

Raikiri!

"How can you talk like that, Doxue!" Otomo Sorin glared at him.

"Hahaha, it doesn't matter. I like to make friends with straightforward people. Master Daoxue, when your daughter grows up, you are welcome to bring her to visit Daming." Zhao Hao's tolerance towards Tachibana Daoxue made Otomo Sorin very jealous. He thought, why are you so rude to me? I am so handsome...

After chatting for a while, he let Dao Xue leave first, then respectfully thanked Zhao Hao again and said that he would strictly abide by the Oita Treaty.

"Okay, good." Zhao Hao really didn't look at him well, and said indifferently: "If you have anything else to say, just say it directly, don't beat around the bush."

"Nothing can be hidden from you, sir. I would like to ask you if you can send warships to help attack Monji Castle?" In fact, when Zong Lin saw his aloof look, he knew that there might be no hope.

"No, the main city is nearly two hundred feet away from the coast and is located on the top of a mountain. Our artillery cannot reach it." As expected, Zhao Hao refused without even thinking.

Are you kidding me? If Yoshikawa and Kobayakawa were killed, wouldn't Owari, the big fool, die of happiness?

ps. Second update, I will write one more chapter, but it may not be posted too early. Please read it tomorrow.