Masamune Ito climbed to a high point and looked out, seeing the northeastern warships stretching endlessly like a great wall on the water, and despair immediately fell upon him.
It was said that in those days, Qin Feng had annihilated the Izumo pirates effortlessly by luring the enemy deep and then using fire to destroy them en masse.
To force a breakthrough into the northeast and establish such a tight naval blockade in such a short time was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary naval commander.
"This treasure is truly useful."
In the northeast, at the center of the Great Qian fleet, Qin Feng and his generals and scouts, each holding a telescope, observed the enemy situation and praised its effectiveness.
The glass craftsmanship of the Great Qian was constantly improving, making telescopes better and allowing them to see further and clearer, greatly aiding naval warfare, especially in windy and rough seas.
The navy did not immediately land. Instead, they waited for Nie Yuan to break through the city and drive the enemy into a desperate situation, cutting off their retreat.
"Marshal! The Imperial City has fallen! We are being attacked from both sides and are surrounded!"
Masamune Ito, still shaken from the sight of the great wall of ships, heard that the Imperial City had fallen and could only grit his teeth and say, "Break through!"
"But how can we possibly break through with so many women and laborers?" The Izumo soldiers grew anxious.
Masamune Ito's eyes sharpened. "Move!"
At this moment, panic spread through the camp. Fifty thousand laborers and thirty thousand military prostitutes had been stationed in the northeast military camp.
It was not until Masamune Ito entered the military camp that everyone prostrated themselves before him.
"Marshal, I still have some beauty. Take me with you when you break through!"
"Marshal, I still have five taels of gold at home. I'll give it all to you. Take me with you..."
Masamune Ito signaled for everyone to quiet down, then said, "Great Qian is a land ravaged by evil gods, and our people cannot be enslaved by them!"
The crowd involuntarily showed respect and echoed his words, but Ito Masamune suddenly changed his tone and said gravely, "Therefore, according to the Great Qian saying of preferring to die as jade rather than remain whole as pottery, you should refuse to surrender even at the cost of your lives! However, the swords of Izumo warriors can no longer be used to slaughter our own people. Thus, you shall drown yourselves!"
As soon as the words fell, a cloud of gloom descended upon the entire camp. Everyone prostrated themselves and begged for mercy, but Masamune Ito remained unmoved.
"My Lord General! Save us!" People could only turn their pleading gazes to the other Izumo generals.
The generals shook their heads one after another. "Do not forget, if you are enslaved by Great Qian, and Great Qian grows ever stronger, they will even invade the homeland of Izumo, and your families will suffer."
The crowd was instantly plunged into despair.
Everyone knew this was merely an excuse. In reality, these soldiers were worried about being burdened.
"For the Emperor! This sacrifice is necessary!"
After Masamune Ito roared at the sky, he gave the order. The Izumo army immediately forced these unarmed Izumo people into the water.
Some attempted to climb ashore, only to have their hands severed by the glinting samurai swords, and fall back into the water.
In a short span of time, the shore was stained red with blood.
"Vice Marshal! I hear crying in the distance! The enemy is breaking out from the north!"
Qin Feng received the urgent report and immediately sent men to investigate, while also dispatching troops to intercept Ito Masamune's breakout fleet.
Another encirclement battle unfolded in the northeast of the peninsula.
At the same time, Nie Yuan also arrived with a contingent of Liaodong cavalry. Upon seeing the scene on the shore, he was both shocked and enraged.
"They can brutally slaughter their own people. How can we show mercy to such jackals!"
With a roar, the Liaodong army was dispatched to clear out all those who did not have time to retreat.
"Why is their ship speed so fast!!"
A strong southeast wind prevailed, drastically reducing the speed of the Izumo breakout fleet. However, the Great Qian ships, relying on their tacking techniques against the wind, maintained a relatively faster speed and rapidly pursued.
The Izumo soldiers paddled with all their might, but were eventually caught up by the Great Qian fleet.
Countless Great Qian sky-fire projectiles rained down from the sky, ignited by rockets, and the sea was once again ablaze.
Great Qian crossbow bolts shot horizontally, drawing countless gouts of blood and reaping the lives of the Izumo soldiers.
In less than an hour, the entire Izumo army was annihilated. Ito Masamune and three other great generals grabbed a piece of wood and jumped into the water, only to be surrounded by the Great Qian navy and captured.
Qin Feng and Nie Yuan met and looked at the corpses floating on the shore, their faces extremely grim.
"Marshal! Vice Marshal! We found a pile of corpses of former Taiji Kingdom soldiers in the city, as well as several hundred severed heads that have been made into wine vessels. One of them is labeled 'Yi Sun-shin'!"
Nie Yuan cast a questioning glance at Qin Feng. Qin Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Bury them with full honors."
A general stepped forward and reminded him, "Vice Marshal, the Taiji Kingdom was arrogant and brought about its own destruction. They deserved their fate. Currently, this place is in ruins and needs rebuilding. We can simply bury them in a mass grave..."
Qin Feng shook his head. "They are all soldiers who died for their country and did not invade our Great Qian. They deserve respect."
Everyone agreed and proceeded to bury the bodies of all the Taiji Kingdom soldiers who had been desecrated.
"Our country has no intention of offending Great Qian. We are willing to pledge allegiance for generations, pay tribute regularly, and only ask for leniency!"
Ito Masamune knelt before the two marshals, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Nie Yuan, with a somber expression, stepped forward and struck Ito Masamune so hard that stars danced before his eyes.
Qin Feng also gave Ito Masamune a disdainful look. After gathering his generals and discussing the matter in detail, he ordered Ito Masamune and the others to be sent to the Imperial City and executed by slow slicing, to appease the people and soldiers of the Taiji Kingdom who had died under the blades of the Izumo soldiers.
The Great Qian nation had eradicated the border threat and finally had the army to expel Izumo, seize the peninsula, and incorporate it into its territory.
However, the peninsula was strewn with corpses and devastated. Most of the captured military rations were dried meat made from human flesh, which the Great Qian soldiers also buried.
Furthermore, the logistical support for the Liaodong soldiers was extremely limited, insufficient to sustain twenty-five thousand men in this place for long.
The significance of this peninsula to the Great Qian nation, besides its mineral and marine resources, was as a stepping stone for a future expedition to Izumo, and as the first line of maritime defense, allowing the East Sea fishermen to fish further afield with peace of mind.
Nie Yuan left five thousand naval troops and three thousand infantry to personally guard the area. The remaining forces returned to the East Sea and Liaodong, and a report of victory was sent to the central government.
A few days later, a carrier pigeon's message first reached the capital, bringing great joy to the entire nation!
Liang Xiao immediately mobilized the Ministry of Revenue and recruited people from all over the country willing to develop the peninsula, offering them preferential treatment and subsidies, in order to quickly exploit Izumo's mineral resources and meet domestic demand.
The people of Great Qian lived in peace and contentment. Most of them were naturally unwilling to leave their homes and families, but there were also those with an adventurous spirit who registered with the government. Some of the people of Liaodong, being closest to the peninsula, became the first to take the plunge.
Xiao Qing nestled in Liang Xiao's arms and sighed after closing the memorial. "We must accelerate the construction of the blast furnaces. This matter is of utmost importance, otherwise, we will not be able to produce enough steel to build railways to Liaodong and the Taiji Kingdom peninsula..."
She had also learned some of the scientific knowledge promoted by Liang Xiao in her spare time and roughly understood the importance of blast furnace iron smelting.
The Great Qian had the "controlled steel" method, but research into blast furnace iron smelting was almost starting from scratch.
Meanwhile, in the western regions, the Xiongnu Empire had joined forces with the Tianri tribe, preparing to stake everything on forcing Great Qian to continuously build railways towards the western territories...