Liang Xiao, currently in the capital, received an urgent report from the western frontier, learning that the Xiongnu Empire seemed to be preparing for war in the west. He immediately ordered the Ministry of War to dispatch a hundred thousand troops from the northern border to reinforce the west, stating that he would participate himself if necessary.
On the East Sea front, the naval forces suitable for combat had been expanded to one hundred and fifty thousand, with complete armaments and sufficient troops and provisions.
As the horns sounded, Qin Feng led the one hundred and fifty thousand naval forces out of the East Sea.
The one hundred and fifty thousand troops moved with discipline, their sails and oars in perfect formation, the entire army acting as one, advancing like the wind. They were a magnificent sight, like a colossal warship stretching for over a dozen li, truly breathtaking.
"With the Vice Marshal here, this battle is sure to expel the Wako pirates and expand our territory!"
Witnessing the powerful military display, even stronger than before, the soldiers' morale soared, and their confidence grew.
Qin Feng, the Vice Marshal for Eastern Campaigns, had only been here for a few months, yet he had organized the navy with remarkable efficiency.
It wasn't that they didn't recognize Mu Hong's capabilities; Mu Hong himself had admitted his inexperience with naval affairs and had specifically recommended Qin Feng to take command.
While achieving victories and earning merits was important, it was also crucial to minimize casualties to the greatest extent possible.
This had become a consensus among all commanders in the Great Qian Kingdom. Only by showing genuine care for their soldiers could they earn the soldiers' respect and command with greater ease.
As the one hundred and fifty thousand naval forces set sail, Qin Feng also dispatched swift ships to hunt down enemy patrol boats and seize various islands and reefs.
Nie Yuan, the Grand Marshal for Eastern Campaigns stationed in Liaodong, also according to plan, gathered a hundred thousand troops and marched out from Xuantu and Lelang, launching a long-distance raid directly towards the Izumo kingdom's army stationed a hundred li away.
"The imperial decree: ten taels of silver for each enemy pirate head, fifty taels for a centurion, four hundred taels for a chiliarch, eight hundred taels for a general, and ten thousand taels for the enemy chieftain Ito Masamune's head. Further review by the Ministry of Personnel will determine promotions!"
Before the battle, Nie Yuan relayed the order to the entire army, and all the soldiers were once again invigorated, their eyes gleaming with excitement!
This time, the rewards seemed even richer!
The Izumo soldiers, who were indulging themselves with tens of thousands of their own country's courtesans, were caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the Liaodong forces.
The Great Qian's frontier guards, clad in plate armor and wielding large shields, rushed to the front lines, braving arrows and stones, and reached the Izumo camp.
Behind them, thousands of crossbows unleashed volleys that darkened the sky, inflicting countless casualties on the enemy!
These one hundred thousand Liaodong soldiers, half from Zhongzhou and Yanzhou, and half local Liaodong troops, each fought with fierce determination, afraid of falling behind their comrades or disgracing their respective legions. In a blink of an eye, they broke through the enemy camp's defenses.
The Great Qian soldiers advanced like a breaking wave. The Izumo soldiers, knowing their defeat was inevitable, did not think of fleeing first.
"These women must not fall into the hands of the enemy! Be loyal to the Emperor!"
Ito Masamune gave the order, and the Izumo soldiers hesitated for a moment, their faces contorted with madness.
News of Great Qian's conquest of Jiaozhou, Xichuan, and Daliang, and its subsequent growth and strength, had already reached the army camps.
They firmly believed that Great Qian must not be given another opportunity to reclaim land and people!
Tens of thousands of courtesans, who had been shamelessly exploited by their own soldiers day and night, had their throats slit on the spot and perished!
The bizarre actions of the enemy brought a brief moment of shock to the Great Qian soldiers.
But after the shock came endless killing intent!
They could even lay hands on their own women?
"Such jackals, how can they be allowed to live! Annihilate them all immediately, leaving not a single soldier behind!"
Nie Yuan roared in anger and led the charge, deflecting an enemy general before pursuing Ito Masamune with his troops.
On this day, the Izumo army, facing the well-rested Great Qian army, collapsed at the first contact and fled day and night.
The Great Qian soldiers pursued relentlessly. Despite the difficult terrain, they covered two hundred li in ten days, beheading over sixty thousand. The blood of the Izumo soldiers even stained the clear river water!
"Why is our army so vulnerable!!"
Ito Masamune, leading his remaining defeated troops, fled back to the former imperial city of the Taiji Kingdom. Still in shock, he was preparing to defend the city when a flying horse arrived with an urgent report from the southwest.
"Marshal! The Great Qian navy has also arrived!!"
"What? Order the navy to retreat!" Ito Masamune exclaimed in dismay, immediately ordering his troops to defend the city.
At this very moment, Qin Feng's navy had arrived before the Izumo navy.
The Great Qian army unleashed volleys of arrows, with their three-stringed repeating crossbows, Shenbi bows, Huihui cannons, and improved Shenwu great cannons firing in rapid succession, destroying countless warships.
The Izumo navy was forced to scatter their fleet, using smaller and medium-sized vessels to harass the Great Qian forces, while using larger ships as cover, attempting to force the Great Qian into close-quarters combat.
As these ships approached the Great Qian warships, sailors who were prepared brought out their Zhuge repeating crossbows and unleashed another barrage, inflicting heavy casualties on the Izumo fleet!
The Great Qian's "Heavenly Fire" had also been improved, packed in ceramic jars and hurled by Huihui cannons onto the enemy warships, then ignited by flaming arrows.
In an instant, the sea was engulfed in thick smoke, flames soaring into the sky. The Izumo soldiers wailed endlessly, their ranks in disarray!
Qin Feng did not launch a full-scale assault. Instead, he dispatched thirty thousand troops to pursue the retreating enemy, while he led the remaining one hundred and twenty thousand troops along the peninsula's coastline, turning towards the eastern and northern directions to establish a naval blockade!
Mo Hongming of Liaodong dispatched another twenty thousand troops to clear the battlefield. After a brief rest outside the city, Nie Yuan's hundred thousand troops launched a fierce assault on the northwestern sector of the Taiji Kingdom's imperial city.
The Great Qian Kingdom was reinforcing its city walls, and the Izumo Kingdom was not idle either, but their walls were at most two zhang thick.
Facing the sustained bombardment of Huihui cannons and Shenwu great cannons, the Izumo city walls crumbled in sections!
The Great Qian soldiers did not immediately storm the walls. Instead, they used old-fashioned trebuchets that had been retired for many years, loaded with small gunpowder barrels, and hurled them into the city from a distance of one hundred and fifty zhang.
Instantly, the sound of explosions echoed from afar, detonating everywhere.
The already precarious northwestern city wall finally collapsed with a thunderous roar, leaving only scattered ruins!
The Shenbi bows and three-stringed repeating crossbows unleashed another barrage from the heights. The forward troops, covered by long-range firepower, charged into the city, their war cries echoing to the heavens!
Facing the fully armed Great Qian soldiers, the Izumo infantry proved as fragile as paper, unable to easily penetrate their armor. Within an hour of engagement, they were cornered by the Great Qian soldiers!
On this day, the sun and moon of Taiji Kingdom rose again, but its people were gone.
In the chaos, Ito Masamune ordered a suicide squad to cover their retreat, then led his troops out of the imperial city, heading northeast.
"Marshal! Our navy has been almost wiped out, and the northeastern sea is also blockaded by the enemy!"
Ito Masamune was aghast. "Who is leading the troops with such swiftness?"
Having commanded a navy himself, he knew how troublesome the deployment and movement of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of naval forces were.
How could the enemy so quickly crush their blockade and then mysteriously bypass it to blockade the coast? It was unbelievable!
"The general's banner bears the character 'Qin'!" the messenger reported urgently.
Ito Masamune's expression changed, and a sudden realization struck him, making his blood run cold.
The person who had annihilated thirty thousand of the Izumo Kingdom's "pirates" in their prime in the northeastern sea of Daliang years ago had also joined Great Qian?
"Retreat! Immediately order the remnants of the navy to gather warships and return to the Izumo Kingdom!"
The Izumo soldiers, escorting over fifty thousand laborers and thirty thousand courtesans, fled from the east of the imperial city. Upon reaching the shore, they saw the sea filled with banners, all belonging to the Great Qian army.