BSI Chapter 15: The Immortal Points the Way, Yu Dayou Makes a Comeback from the Brink!
Chapter 15: The Immortal Points the Way, Yu Dayou Makes a Comeback from the Brink!
Just as the capital was executing Yan's faction and implementing new policies,
Southeast coast, thousands of miles away
Blackwater Ditch, off the coast of the Zhoushan Islands, Zhejiang.
The main fleet of the Ming Dynasty navy was tightly surrounded in a narrow sea area by a Japanese pirate fleet that was several times larger than itself.
On the flagship, General Yu Dayou of the Ming Dynasty had half his body stained red with blood. He leaned on his long sword, knelt on one knee on the deck, and gasped for breath.
Several guards were fighting desperately to protect him, but the shouts and screams of battle were getting closer and closer.
"General! We can't hold on! The Japanese pirates have too many ships, and their muskets are more powerful than ours!" a wounded lieutenant shouted hoarsely.
Yu Dayou raised his head and looked at the particularly tall Atakebune in the distant Japanese pirate fleet, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.
He didn't understand.
He had received intelligence that a small group of Japanese pirates were operating in the area, which is why he personally led the main force to encircle and suppress them.
But who would have thought that this was actually an elaborate trap!
As soon as they entered this sea area, hundreds of Japanese pirate warships appeared from all directions, surrounding them completely.
What terrified him even more was that his most trusted deputy, a pawn planted by Yan's faction, betrayed him at the crucial moment, severely damaging him and causing the command system to collapse instantly.
This is no ordinary pirate.
Their warships were sturdy, their firearms were excellent, and their tactics were cunning; they were clearly a well-trained naval force!
"Am I, Yu Dayou, destined to die here today?" Yu Dayou smiled bitterly, gripping the knife tightly in his hand, preparing for a final, desperate struggle.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
Without warning, a voice, like a thunderclap from the heavens, boomed across the entire fleet!
"Yu Dayou, heed my command!"
The voice was loud and majestic, devoid of any emotion, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Ming soldier.
Everyone on the flagship was stunned by the sudden "heavenly sound," and even the fighting paused for a moment.
Yu Dayou was startled and suddenly looked up at the sky.
The sky was empty, save for the somber clouds.
"A southwest wind is blowing; a downpour is coming in a moment!"
"Order! All troops shall consolidate their formation and feign a breakout towards the southeast reefs, luring the enemy into the main channel of the Blackwater Trench!"
"Ships No. 3 and No. 7 on the left flank, advance to draw enemy fire! All fire ships, prepare to charge straight at the enemy's flagship, Ataku!"
A series of military orders, crystal clear and precise, pointed out every detail of the battlefield, even taking into account changes in wind direction and weather.
Yu Dayou and all his soldiers were completely stunned by this miracle.
Is this... a deity descending to earth to guide us?
After a brief moment of shock came the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and endless hope!
"Did you hear that?!" Yu Dayou mustered all his strength, leaning on his sword as he stood up, and roared at the entire army, "This is Heaven's help for our Great Ming! Everyone, act according to the will of the gods! Now!"
The Ming soldiers, on the verge of despair, suddenly unleashed astonishing fighting power.
They no longer fought individually, but instead followed the instructions of the "heavenly voice" in a strict manner, and began to systematically contract, change direction, and launch feint attacks.
The Japanese pirate leader outside the encirclement, seeing the Ming army's strange behavior, couldn't help but burst into laughter: "These Ming dogs, trying to escape? Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"
The Japanese pirates' fleet immediately followed, relentlessly pursuing the Ming army from behind, and together they sailed into the Blackwater Trench, known for its swift currents and numerous hidden reefs.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
A strong wind blew, and large raindrops poured down!
On the sea, towering waves instantly surged!
Although the Japanese pirates had many ships, most of them were small and medium-sized warships. In such terrible sea conditions, their formation was thrown into chaos, and they collided with each other, creating a complete mess.
The Ming army's Fujian ships were taller and more sturdier, making them far more stable in wind and waves than their opponents.
"Now!"
The "heavenly sound" rang in Yu Dayou's ears again.
"Fire ships! Launch them!"
More than a dozen fire ships that had been prepared beforehand rushed straight toward the huge Atake flagship in the center of the Japanese pirate fleet, following the wind and the undercurrent!
When the pirate leaders realized this in horror, it was too late for them to turn around!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out, and the huge Atakebune was instantly engulfed in flames.
With the main ship destroyed, the Japanese pirates' command system was completely paralyzed.
"All troops! Counterattack!"
Yu Dayou let out a triumphant roar.
Amidst the wind and waves, the Ming fleet formed small "nine-palace linked formations," like mobile fortresses at sea, and began to ruthlessly annihilate the chaotic Japanese pirates.
……
The capital city, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Zhu Zaiyi slowly put down the slightly warm jade talisman in his hand, his face only a little paler than usual.
For someone at his current Golden Core stage cultivation level, transmitting a message over a thousand miles doesn't require much effort.
But the civil and military officials standing below looked at him with their mouths agape and eyes wide open, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
What just happened?
His Highness the Regent simply spoke a few words to a piece of jade, and he reversed a battle that was destined to be lost thousands of miles away.
This...this is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
If the burning of Xiyuan and the suppression of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had only instilled fear and awe in them, then...
So now, all that remains for them of this method of strategizing and winning battles from afar is the purest form of worship, like looking up to a god.
Zhu Di watched from the sidelines, secretly alarmed. He knew his grandson was capable, but he hadn't expected him to be this capable.
He never even dared to imagine commanding a battle from thousands of miles away.
Zhu Zaiyi ignored the shock of the crowd and simply said to Yang Bo, the Minister of War:
"The minor trouble at sea has been resolved."
"Order Qi Jiguang to immediately transfer 10,000 elite troops from the nine border defense lines to the south to form the 'Divine Machine Navy'."
"Also allocate three million taels of silver from the national treasury and order the Longjiang Shipyard to build me a thousand-ton warship capable of carrying red-coated cannons within a month!"
"If we don't have enough money, we'll raid the homes of those gentry who refuse to cooperate with the new policies!"
When the Minister of Revenue heard that money was going to be spent again, he was about to plead poverty, but when he thought of the unpredictable methods the Regent had just used, he swallowed his words.
Zhu Zaiyi seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled faintly.
"This isn't spending money, this is investing."
"Once the new navy is built and the Maritime Trade Office is opened, the annual customs revenue will be a hundred or a thousand times greater than this amount."
He stood up, his gaze passing over the main hall and looking towards the distant north.
"The situation at sea has been temporarily resolved."
"That Anda Khan in the north, having suffered such a great loss, must be getting restless by now, right?"