The leader was none other than the second-in-command, Jiro Sakai, who had changed his identity.
Compared to his men who were frightened, Sakai Jiro was much calmer. His face was indifferent and he said coldly.
"Hmph, if you want to die early, you can leave now."
"Second Boss, that's not what I meant, I..." His subordinate's expression changed and his voice trembled. Just as he was about to explain something, he was interrupted by Sakai Jiro.
"Okay, I understand your worries. Don't worry, as long as I am here, you can return to Zhoushan Island alive. This is not the time for idle talk. Please retreat quickly."
Under Jiro Sakai's urging, the people hiding in the woods quickly left in the dark.
But if you look carefully, you will find that Sakai Jiro's face is still very solemn, and there is a bit of unwillingness deep in his eyes.
Looking back on it, anyone would be very reluctant to do this to anyone.
It was a good raid, but I didn't expect it to end up in this defeat. Although Jiro Sakai didn't know what the raid team encountered.
But one thing is certain, this raid was definitely a total annihilation of the entire army. Not only that, it also caused the Dongzhou soldiers to fight back.
Judging from the movement behind him and the sudden appearance of search personnel, Sakai Jiro could feel that there was strong hatred in these Toshu soldiers.
The previous disastrous defeat had dealt a big blow to them, and it could be said that their morale had been completely lost, but now, these Dongzhou soldiers were like crazy beasts.
Anyone who saw an escaping Japanese pirate would be ruthless and would kill them all, leaving no one alive.
Their morale is finally back.
On the other hand, Sakai Jiro's side, not only that the raiding team sent out was completely wiped out, but also had no choice but to give up and lose Zuohai County.
Once Zuohai County was lost, and the reinforcements sent from Zhoushan Island were blocked, Qingchong County, which was still struggling to support itself, might be captured soon.
In this battle, it was their turn to be completely defeated, and facing the Dongzhou soldiers who had regained their morale, how many of their remaining troops could return to Zhoushan Island safely.
Jiro Sakai cannot guarantee this. In this battle, even his substitute was destroyed. Now he only has these dozen confidants around him.
Sakai Jiro's only hope is that the base camp can send reinforcements to meet them.
The reason why Jiro Sakai has such strong self-confidence is because of nothing else but the great contributions he has made to the group over the years.
Every time a war came, he never took the lead and rushed to the front, thereby motivating his subordinates. Even if it was his double who appeared a few times, at least his image was established.
There is a conflict between him and Yamashita Isamu, but this is just an internal fight. Once faced with life and death, the two of them are in the same boat after all. If he dies, the loss will still be within the group.
Of course, if Yamashita Isamu is cruel, he can take advantage of this opportunity to refuse to save him and watch him die in the hands of the pursuing Dongzhou soldiers, thereby completely taking over the power.
Jiro Sakai has also considered this. If Yamashita Isamu sits back and does nothing, don't blame him for being cruel. Jiro Sakai has already made arrangements for him to die.
In the future, the story about him inspiring his group's subordinates to become substitutes, as well as Yamashita's various major incidents of using power for personal gain, will be completely spread.
It can be said that among the senior leaders, no one is clean, and no one can control the other.
Once this matter spreads, the pirate group will definitely be turbulent and even disintegrate, which is what the Fuso royal family does not want to see.
Therefore, whether to save or not to save, which is more important, Sakai Jiro believes that Yamashita Isamu will make the right judgment.
Along the way, everyone escaped from being hunted by the Dongzhou soldiers many times. Similarly, along the way, they also saw that other detachments that had scattered and fled were discovered by the Dongzhou soldiers and annihilated in one fell swoop.
Sakai Jiro and the others were lucky enough to hide all the way without being discovered by the Toshu soldiers. However, as the searches became more frequent, Sakai Jiro and his subordinates became worried again.
Seeing these crazy Dongzhou soldiers along the way, everyone felt happy in their hearts. Sakai
Jiro did not wait for help.
It stands to reason that the best way to save one's life is to take advantage of the terrain advantage of Zuohai County, which can also delay time to the greatest extent.
It's not that they haven't thought about this idea, but the Dongzhou soldiers they faced this time were not as demoralized as before, and basically had no aggression at all.
Instead, the anger in his heart was completely ignited, and the Dongzhou soldiers had a murderous mentality.
Not to mention anything else, more than a thousand people who stayed in Zuohai County to buy time for them were defeated in less than two quarters of an hour.
Later they learned that there were at least 20,000 people attacking the city this time, and everyone was killing them like crazy. They didn't care about casualties at all, they just pushed forward by force.
Under such a fierce and fearless attack, even if there were all three or four thousand of them in the city, they could not withstand these crazy Dongzhou soldiers.
Fortunately, they escaped in time. If they really had to hold on, they would have been wiped out in less than half an hour at most.
Now, although they are scattered and their strength seems to be divided, these crazy Dongzhou soldiers are also divided together. Under the cover of night, they can gain greater opportunities for their survival.
After narrowly escaping a wave of arrests, Jiro Sakai took the people around him and continued on the road.
At this time, they were only twenty or thirty miles away from the Dongzhou coast. As long as they could persist, they would definitely be able to return to Zhoushan Island alive.
As for the two lost counties and cities, as well as this disastrous defeat, what do they mean to saving one's own life?
This is not the thought of Jiro Sakai alone, but the mood of all his men who have dispersed and fled.
The Dongzhou soldiers who had regained their morale had recaptured Zuohai County and sent 15,000 men to search for these remaining Japanese pirates, and they were bound to be completely annihilated.
However, there were too many forests in Dongzhou and they were spread out over a wide area. Many people were killed during the pursuit, but many people still escaped.
Their goal is very simple, which is the coast of Dongzhou. Once they escape, Zhoushan Island will send people to respond in advance, and maybe some remaining Japanese pirates will escape alive.
Wu Dingguo naturally thought of this, and he issued several orders in a row, ordering troops to be hunted down and intensified efforts to eradicate the remaining Japanese pirates before they fled the Dongzhou coast.
In fact, the best solution is to use naval forces to attack from both front and back. However, once the navy is used, there will be certain problems with the Dongzhou Navy itself.
If they are really dispatched, the Japanese pirates on Zhoushan Island will never sit still and wait for death. They will also dispatch troops. The scale of the war between the two sides will definitely escalate.
This scale of upgrade is what Wu Dingguo has always wanted to see. He wants to wipe out the Japanese pirates entrenched in Zhoushan Island in one fell swoop, but not this time.
This kind of large-scale naval battle requires a lot of preliminary preparations. Unlike the army on the road, it can be quickly dispatched after an order is issued.
And if we are really dispatched, can we achieve annihilation in one fell swoop? How to solve the logistics supply of the navy? How to deal with adverse weather? Communication between the navy and the land army. This series of problems are all very troublesome.
At present, being able to regain the two lost counties and annihilate the enemies who came ashore is already a great effect. If it continues to expand in scale and spread to the sea, at least for now, there is no such preparation.
Wu Dingguo, who was sitting in Zuohai County, stood on the tower with an indifferent expression. He looked at the faint flash of fire in front of him. He was silent, and then said to the men beside him.
"You can send the news to the Supervisory Envoy. Let's say that Zuohai County has been recovered, and the search and rescue troops are organizing to annihilate the remaining bandits. Please ask the Supervisory Envoy for instructions. There may be other actions in the next step."
When the men heard this, they quickly turned around and left.
This battle was basically carried out according to Su Qi'an's steps. When the battle reached this point, he had to report the battle situation to him.
Wu Dingguo's message was sent quickly. Soon, Su Qi'an, who was besieging Qingchong County, received the news.
He nodded slightly and gave the next order he had prepared to his subordinates.
At the same time, looking ahead, Qingchong County City at this time was already crumbling under the powerful offensive of artillery vehicles and rocket vehicles.
Su
Qi'an besieged Qingchong County City with the intention of encircling the area and calling for reinforcements to lure the snake out of its hole.
Now, the snakes that were led out were beaten back and forth, the reinforcements that were fought were temporarily trapped, and Zuohai County was also recovered.
Then, after taking so long, it’s time to make a break.
"Pass this envoy's order to attack with the whole army. Don't save artillery vehicles and rocket vehicles. Use the fastest speed to capture Qingchong County City. Then quickly join up with Brother Xie and eat the reinforcements in one bite."
As Su Qi'an's order was issued, Qingchong County, which was already on the verge of collapse, suffered an even more intense attack.
Huang Er, who wanted to resist, was hit by an arrow under the shocking siege. He was already dead and lost his leader. The pirates in Qingchong County were even more panicked.
After using a stick of incense, the assembled Dongshan Army captured Qingchong County.
Since then, the two counties and cities that had been lost for many days were regained again under Su Qi'an's counterattack.
Shortly after taking Qingchong County, the Dongshan Army did not stay too much, leaving a small number of people behind to wait for the state soldiers sent by Wu Dingguo. The rest of the Dongshan Army, about 6,000 strong, headed non-stop towards the place where Xie Cang blocked the attack.
The recovery of the two counties does not mean that this battle is over, but it has just begun.
The balance between the enemy and ourselves on both sides, at this moment, the balance of victory tilted towards Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo.
Next, it depends on how many pirates and Japanese pirates can be retained in Dongzhou.
On the Dongzhou frontline battlefield, the trend was almost one-sided. The horn of counterattack was blown, and everyone was excited. Only in Zhoushan Island, there was dead silence and a gloomy atmosphere. .
But this depression did not last long, and was soon broken by an angry sound.
"They are all a bunch of useless trash! Trash!"
"They are sorry for His Majesty the Emperor and their status as Fuso warriors. This is a continuation! If they have the nerve to send a letter for help, they will have to commit suicide by disemboweling themselves. They are a bunch of bastards!"
"Throw them all into the sea and feed them to the fish! Useless trash!"
