Echizen Country, Tsuruga County, port.
The Sea of Japan is not cold in winter, but the cold northwest wind blows across the warm sea surface and is blocked by the mountainous terrain. Water vapor cannot enter the interior of the island country, resulting in heavy snow and road closures.
The Nanman merchant ship that entered Tsuruga Port in the autumn of last year was alone in a corner of the sheltered harbor, and all the expenses required on board were brought up by small boats on the shore.
For half a year, the crew members spent their time doing nothing. With the money given by the Sibo family, they only had to wait.
Being able to get money without having to work is something that everyone likes to see, but this easy money becomes difficult to get after spring comes.
Christina started training the crew like crazy. Although there were few live-fire exercises, the entire gunnery process was locked in the crew's muscle memory through repeated training.
Lilu looked bored into the distance on the upper deck. Her privilege as a captain was that she did not have to participate in military training, and Christina did not expect her, a businessman who was afraid of death, to participate in the battle.
Hearing footsteps coming from the deck behind her, Lilu turned back and smiled.
"Christina, come and see those ships, they are so interesting.
There were idiots on the ship who didn’t know how to swim. They vomited all over the deck. I wonder if the sailors responsible for cleaning the deck would be mad? "
Christina looked at a group of small boats not far away swimming back and forth like a school of fish, transporting the soldiers on the merchant ships ashore.
As Lilu said, these people were so weak from vomiting that some of them were even carried onto the boat.
Christina frowned.
“I heard that Your Excellency the Great Lord’s war was not going well, and his enemies successfully blocked his men from the Eastern Territory.
It seems that the great lord changed his tactics and chose to use ships to transport soldiers across the enemy's defense line. These soldiers should come from the mountainous areas of the island country and have never seen the horror of the sea. "
Lilu shrugged.
"These ignorant islanders will need at least half a month to recover, and most of them will not be willing to get on the ship again even if they are killed.
The sea is a treasure house that belongs to us brave people, and not everyone can reach out and touch it. "
Christina looked at Lilu with a half-smile and said.
"Brave Lilu? So you are ready to join the war with me?"
Lilu turned pale with fright, waved her hands and said.
"I'm just a businessman. The battlefield is of course the domain of the heroic Christina. How can I steal your limelight?"
Christina sighed at Lilu's flattering compliment.
"I have worked hard to train these crew members, but their quality is really not as good as my original soldiers. I hope we can come back alive."
Lilu said helplessly.
“My crew are just a bunch of poor guys trying to claim the riches of the ocean, certainly no match for the well-trained soldiers of the Royal Navy.
Christina, you seem to be very pessimistic? Isn't this just a barbarian war? In front of His Majesty the Great Lord, you look down on the island country's backward war methods.
I believe they will be so frightened that they kneel down and beg for mercy in front of your artillery, and even regard you as a god-like figure, hahaha. "
Christina was not as optimistic as Lilu, she just smiled bitterly.
“Since the Portuguese handed the first matchlock gun to the islanders, the islanders have learned to make and use this gunpowder weapon.
To them, the artillery was just an enlarged version of the matchlock. They may not be able to make one, but that doesn't mean they are afraid of firearms.
Don't underestimate these islanders, Lilu. Maybe their fighting methods are still very backward, but you have to know that the more backward a war is, the more cruel it will be.
While civilized people were considering whether to keep prisoners of war, primitive people had no hesitation in killing and annihilating a race with sticks and stones.
The methods of war are backward and the cruelty is beyond human imagination. "
Lilu looked at Christina, a trace of fear gradually revealed in her eyes, which was the fear of losing Christina.
"I'm sorry, Christina, you were dragged into this war because of me.
If I hadn't done that thing because of my lust, you wouldn't have to take the risk to join the war. "
Christina shook her head.
"We committed the crime together, it was not your fault alone."
Lilu bit her lower lip and whispered.
"Maybe we can leave, leave this island country and never come back. The war between these islanders has nothing to do with us. We were coerced into participating in the war, which is unreasonable in itself.
I can’t imagine how those Liberians would view me and my ship when the Portuguese and Spanish knew that we used four cannons to help the island nation’s great lords in the war.
We broke the rules, Christina, and I don't know what's going to happen next. "
Christina's eyes looked at Lilu, burning like her fiery red hair.
"So? You are going to break your promise, and you are going to abandon the Great Lord?"
Lilu was taken aback for a moment and muttered.
“That’s not what I meant, of course I want to keep my promise.
But don't you think the chance of both of us making this mistake at the same time is almost zero?
After I came back, I thought about it for a long time. I felt that the matter itself was not simple. We might have been framed. "
Christina looked at the sea in the distance and said lightly.
"I know, of course I know.
Maybe it's witchcraft, maybe it's other ways. There are always some magical means in the East that we don't understand that can make us both lose our minds at the same time and do this kind of thing. "
Lilu almost jumped up.
"Yes, we are victims, maybe... maybe it is the best choice for us to leave now."
Christina asked.
"Lilu, do you think the Great Lord is a bad person?"
Lilu said hesitantly as she recalled Qi Qiyin's mesmerizingly handsome face.
"He...should be a good person, right?"
Christina sighed and said.
"While being escorted here by those Ji warriors, I have been collecting information on him and learning about his past.
Lilu, I really want to know him, and the man who I have madly possessed.
Maybe we are right, and he did use some means we didn't understand to lure us into making mistakes we shouldn't have made.
However, he is indeed an amazing man.
His family was massacred, and he spent seven years rebuilding it with his own strength, and made it the most prestigious family in the island country, if not one of them.
God, his experience was just like what the knight described, a magnificent epic.
Now, he is facing the most powerful enemy, whose strength is ten times more than his.
Only by uniting all the people he can unite and winning over all the forces he can win over can he compete with the other side.
And our experience may be only a small part of the price he paid.
He is pure, noble, kind, merciful, and has the character of a saint, but he uses special means to let us stain his innocent body.
Lilu, I can’t imagine it.
What kind of predicament would make him make such a choice, let him take off his clothes and let us taste his sweetness to us two aliens who are considered barbarians by the islanders.
Do you think we are at a disadvantage in this matter?
He did not pursue our sins afterwards, but gave us a lot of money and honors. He even promised you to be the general agent of Nanman.
This is his compensation and his sincerity to us.
God, I can't imagine that if he wins this battle, the future Nanman trade will be in the hands of a greedy and timid businessman like you. It's really a terrible thing.
But this at least shows that he has no ill intentions towards us. He is using his body to plead for our help. "
Lilu curled her lips.
"Why am I so cowardly?"
Christina smiled slightly and did not talk about Lilu's attempt to break her promise and encourage her to run away. Instead, she looked at Lilu seriously and spoke slowly.
“I have read about many knights, and I was immersed in those fantasies, dreaming of saving the prince, and using the sword in my hand to save one kingdom after another that was about to be destroyed.
Lilu, I never thought that one day, my dream would come true.
Do you know what I'm thinking about right now?
I thought that I should ride a white horse to save my Snow White Prince. He would look at me with grateful eyes and greet me with the most passionate kiss. "
Lilu looked at Christina with complicated eyes and said.
"I think you should find a Nanman priest to check your brain and sprinkle some holy water on your head to see if you are bewitched."
Christina asked with a smile.
"Maybe, what about your choice?"
Lilu frowned.
"Do I have a choice?
You hurry up and train our crew well, then bring all our cannons and muskets to save your Snow Prince.
I will be here waiting for you to come back and cheer for your victory!
Fuck the Liberian rules, screw it for Christina’s Snow Prince! "
———
North Omi, Changbin Castle.
After the Oda family's large force entered Kitaomi, this new castle built by Hideyoshi Hashiba after he demolished Otani Castle has become Oda Nobunaga's residence and military station in this battle.
In the meeting hall at this time, Oda Nobunaga was pacing back and forth with a dark face.
All the concubines below are sitting attentively, waiting with bated breath, fearing that if they are not careful, the angry palace will vent its temper on themselves.
Oda Nobunaga cursed loudly as he walked away.
"Gonroku this idiot! What the hell is she doing in Echizen Country!
They actually allowed the Kwantung Allied Forces to occupy Sankoku Minato, and even gave up the north bank of the Kuzuryu River, allowing the enemy to easily reach the upstream Kuzuryu Lake and open up the Mino Pass!
While the Kwantung Allied Forces gathered shipping forces from the Three Kingdoms and entered Tsuruga Port and headed south to Omi Country, they also sent people to attack Mino Country from Minoguchi. Her Shibata defense line was full of loopholes and was a joke! "
After venting his emotions, Oda Nobunaga pointed at the warrior Hime sitting down and ordered.
"Inaba Ryoshichi!"
"Hi!"
"You immediately take your troops back to the North City and arrange defenses. You must block the Kwantung Allied Forces north of Wenjian Pass and do not allow an enemy to appear on the plains of West Meinong!"
"Hi!"
"Sakuma Nobumori!"
"Hi!"
"Take your troops and go south immediately, and secure Suzuka Pass for me! Minamiomi and Kitaiise must ensure that nothing goes wrong. If anything goes wrong, please come and see us!"
"Hi!"
Sending out the two generals once again diluted the troops in his hands, and Oda Nobunaga became increasingly unhappy.
Of course she knew that Shibata Katsuie had tried his best. With more than 10,000 people to block the 50,000 to 60,000 elite troops of the Kwantung Allied Forces, Shibata Katsuie could not possibly cover everything.
Oda Nobunaga had read the detailed report of Shibata's three lines of defense and was full of praise at the time. Only then did he fully support the supplies and complete the establishment of the defense line.
Shibata Katsuie dared to give up half of the Fukui Plain and relied on the mountains of Echizen Province to build three lines of defense in only one winter. He had already tried his best.
Oda Nobunaga, who was quite proud at first, did not expect that the legendary Kanto warriors who were reckless and rude could be so cunning.
They did not choose to attack by force, but divided their troops into three groups. They rushed to support the nearby coalition forces by water transport, and threatened Simino through the mountains. The remaining troops spread out and pulled out the nails of Shibata's defense line one by one.
The detours and encroachments of the Kwantung Allied Forces were completely unexpected by Shibata Katsuie, and also caused a chill in Oda Nobunaga's back.
On the other side, Shiba Yiyin led several coalition forces and began to advance tentatively from Takashima County.
Otani Yoshitsugi, who stayed behind in Iga country, was also restless and frequently harassed Suzuka Pass, causing panic in the people of Minamiomi and Kitaise.
Coupled with the raging Maeda Toshiie and Baba Nobbo in the Higashi Mino Mountains, the Noo Plains have never been peaceful.
Oda Nobunaga had to put out the fire on all sides, and the troops gathered in his hands were dispersed bit by bit.
She knew in her heart that the commotion everywhere was just scabies, but in order to maintain the morale of the army, she had to take action.
This situation of being passive and being beaten everywhere made Oda Nobunaga very unhappy. When and where had she experienced such idleness?
Because of her fear of Shiba Yiyin, she couldn't let go and took a chance, but instead fell into an even more troublesome situation.
We must act now, no more hesitation!
Oda Nobunaga stood up suddenly, glanced at the whole place, and said.
"You all go back and prepare. The army enters Yixiang County and assembles towards Yu Wu!"
Most of the plains of Kita Omi are in the southern part of the east, which is the prosperous area where the Rokkaku family and the Asai family were founded.
Ixiang County, located in the northern part of Omi Province, is mostly mountainous, and the Yuwu area is the only way from the mountains to the plains.
The area is mountainous, has Yuwu Lake, and a small plain that is conducive to joint battles. The terrain is complex and can be defended or fought.
As long as the Oda family keeps an eye on Yu Wu, they are protecting the plain area behind them. With the continuous support from the Omi Basin and the Nobi Plain behind them, they are in an invincible position.
Oda Nobunaga understood that other aspects of the Shiba army were harassing by partial divisions, and the real trump card of the Shiba family was Yoshihiro Shiba of Takashima County.
Oda Nobunaga, who had already deployed a large number of troops, was determined to confront Yoshihiro Shiba in the Yugo Lake area, looking for fighter opportunities.
Her eyes scanned the map, and finally nailed it on one place, Jianyue, south of Yuwu Lake.
(End of chapter)
