"Da Qian dare to attack and penetrate our sea territory?"
Ito Masamune, who was playing with the courtesans of Izumo, was both surprised and delighted.
"Our soldiers have been holding back for half a year, stalemated with Da Qian. If we can break through this opportunity in one battle and deter the enemy, Liaodong and the East Sea will be within our grasp!"
Ito Masamune made a decisive move, dispatching a hundred thousand soldiers to set sail.
The Izumo forces were indeed restless.
Facing Da Qian's heavily fortified coastal defenses, they dared not land and fight.
Da Qian had never shown strong naval capabilities. In contrast, Izumo had trained day and night and even defeated the Taiji Kingdom's forces at sea, boosting their confidence.
Eight hundred thousand East Sea soldiers on the sea, united in their hatred, drew their bows.
Hundreds of giant warships and thousands of smaller vessels, with trebuchets, triple-bow ballistas, and Shenbi crossbows on the large ships. Five of the large ships were equipped with two Shenwu cannons.
Mu Hong commanded from the center, gazing northeast, his heart surging.
The East Sea soldiers had endured until now and finally received Xiao Qing's decree to attack!
Unlike the northern frontier soldiers, the East Sea soldiers' last chance to prove themselves was when Liang Xiao led troops to suppress the Japanese pirates. However, that battle paled in comparison to Liang Xiao's victory against the barbarians.
The East Sea soldiers also wanted to prove themselves and bring glory to their ancestors!
The sea had been calm during this period. Mu Hong specifically chose this timing, assembled his forces, and brought strong bows and crossbows. Generals like Li Mou assisted in commanding the naval battle.
Ito Masamune's fleet set sail from the southern coast to engage the East Sea forces.
The Izumo warships, though slightly inferior in luxury to those of the East Sea navy, were undoubtedly top-tier in the world.
These warships were equipped with defensive fortifications resembling crenellations along their edges, capable of withstanding crossbow bolts.
After occupying the Taiji Kingdom, Izumo had heavily logged its forests and produced bows imitating Da Qian's longbows. While not as effective as the real Da Qian longbows, they were superior to Izumo's own arrows and bows.
After the Taiji Kingdom was destroyed and its people annihilated, the confidence of the Izumo soldiers soared to unprecedented heights.
Ito Masamune, stationed at the center, received intelligence through fast ships plying the sea.
"The enemy's forces are vast, their warships are sturdy, and they possess numerous crossbows!"
Ito Masamune sneered, "Can mere crossbow bolts penetrate warships? Moreover, Izumo also possesses crossbows to suppress the enemy!"
The Izumo soldiers set out with full confidence, and the two sides began the largest naval battle in their history.
Before the warships could get close, thousands of Da Qian and Izumo arrows initiated the first round of long-range suppression.
However, as both sides had prepared shelters along the edges of their ships and soldiers were equipped with shields, these arrows caused minimal initial casualties.
Only Da Qian's Shenbi crossbows and triple-bow ballistas penetrated some of the shelters, causing over a hundred casualties in the first volley.
"Da Qian's crossbows are indeed superior to ours, but their threat is limited! The enemy has traveled a long distance and must be fatigued. Our forces are well-rested. After several hours of fierce fighting, our army will surely win!" Ito Masamune sneered.
Just then, a thunderous roar erupted from the front lines, followed by screams.
The Shenwu cannons and trebuchets on Da Qian's warships finally unleashed their fury. Several specially made stone projectiles whizzed towards the Izumo warships, smashing through the shelters. Longbowmen and Shenbi crossbowmen followed up with volleys.
The first Izumo warship was routed!
"What kind of weapon is that? Send the fleet out to capture or destroy it!"
The surrounding Izumo ships were shocked and enraged, rushing to seize it. However, facing Da Qian's crossbows and the spearmen on their ships, they were temporarily helpless.
It was difficult for the giant warships of both sides to approach each other without unleashing a barrage of crossbow bolts.
Smaller vessels dared not venture deep alone for fear of being surrounded.
As soon as the two sides engaged, they became entangled in a fierce battle, but Da Qian held the advantage in long-range firepower in the initial stages.
Ito Masamune, sensing the increasing losses of his fleet, furiously ordered, "All forces, charge!"
According to his calculations, Da Qian's fleet must have expended considerable effort to reach the southern coast of Taiji Kingdom. If his fleet pursued relentlessly, Da Qian soldiers would be the first to be exhausted. At that point, they could defeat Da Qian's army through boarding battles, even capturing ships and securing victory!
As the two sides were locked in combat, over a thousand small ships suddenly emerged from the rear of the East Sea fleet, riding the wind. They moved faster and turned more nimbly than Izumo's large ships.
Each small boat carried twenty armored warriors, ten operating the vessel, five holding large shields for defense, and five holding various types of pottery jars.
"Lord Ito! The enemy has suddenly dispatched a large number of small boats towards our army!"
Upon receiving the urgent report, Ito Masamune's brows furrowed. "Are they sending small boats to their deaths? Annihilate these small boats first!"
Izumo's medium-sized vessels, which normally required the protection of larger ships, quickly mobilized. However, by the time they broke formation, these small boats had already approached hundreds of their large ships.
Thousands of pottery jars of various sizes were hurled at the Izumo vessels in each volley. They shattered upon impact, leaving large patches of oil on most of Izumo's medium and large warships, and even some soldiers were splattered with oil.
After emptying their jars, these small boats quickly retreated behind their shields, evading pursuit.
Da Qian had deployed millions of pounds of oil in this battle, and the sea was covered with a vast amount of it.
"What is this stuff?" "Whatever trick it is, my Izumo is protected by Amaterasu, and we will surely win this battle. Seize the ships quickly!"
The Izumo soldiers smelled the pungent odor, their hearts filled with doubt. Under the urging of their generals, they pursued relentlessly.
"Lord Ito, the enemy's small boats have thrown a pile of viscous oily substances at our warships, their purpose unknown!"
Upon receiving the urgent report, Ito Masamune's brows furrowed, then his pupils contracted. "Oily substances? Have the fleet retreat and clean up the oil!"
Before Ito Masamune's order could be relayed, Da Qian's forces in the distance suddenly fired a barrage of fire arrows...
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!"
In an instant, the Izumo fleet turned into a sea of flames, with continuous screams.
A large number of Izumo soldiers caught fire, screaming in terror. In desperation, they leaped into the water, only to find that the surface of the water was also ablaze.
Da Qian soldiers in the distance watched the inferno, marveling, "Is this the fire attack proposed by our Marquis of Anguo??"
Such terrifying fire-starting capabilities far exceeded their understanding of fire attacks in naval warfare throughout history.
Didn't fire attacks in the past rely on flammable materials like firewood, sulfur, and grease?
"Lord Ito! The enemy is using fire attacks against our army, and our army is suddenly collapsing on a large scale!!"
Moments later, Ito Masamune received an urgent report, his face aghast.
"Impossible! Our warships' surfaces were rained on yesterday!!"
"It's a real collapse! Lord Ito!" the messenger's desperate cry echoed from afar.
After only an hour of naval combat, more than half of Izumo's warships were burned, and the army was in disarray.
Da Qian's heavenly fire became famous in one battle!
Mu Hong immediately ordered Da Qian soldiers to pursue the victory, annihilating tens of thousands of enemies and occupying the southern coast of Taiji Kingdom.
However, the resources in this area had already been plundered by Izumo, and there were no civilians to be found. Mu Hong considered the difficulty of supplying the army here and finally retreated to the East Sea with the wreckage of enemy warships, captured banners, the heads of Japanese pirates, and a large amount of spoils.
As for the "jerky" made from Taiji Kingdom's civilians by the captured Izumo forces, their quantities were recorded, and they were then buried on the spot.
The naval battle dealt a heavy blow to Izumo's morale. The Izumo forces east of Liaodong were forced to abandon their offensive on Liaodong and reinforce the southern coast of Taiji Kingdom.
A few days later, Liang Xiao and Gongsun Ye also successfully rendezvoused at Yuzhang to discuss a counter-offensive.