Chapter 487: The Soul of a Nation

“Fire!”

On the wide open plain, the Great Yu Empire’s army and the Wokou soldiers were steadily closing in on each other.

Lu Fei’s expression was serious and calm as he commanded the troops to carry out the second round of firing. Once again, the Wokou soldiers in the front line fell, but the ones behind immediately moved up to fill the gaps.

At the artillery position, Xiao Ming watched coldly as the Wokou ranks held firm. Now on the vast open ground, the two armies faced off like two vertical lines.

After Luo Xin had almost completely destroyed the Wokou artillery, his own artillery began fiercely shelling the Wokou lines. After every bombardment, gaps opened in the Wokou ranks, but these soldiers were very tenacious and quickly filled every gap.

This scene made the generals of the Qingzhou army stop underestimating the enemy, and Xiao Ming himself no longer took them lightly.

According to intelligence from Wang Xuan, a samurai spirit was currently being promoted throughout Wokou territory. From the technology crystal data, Xiao Ming learned that this samurai spirit had existed since ancient times, but later it had been exploited by those with ulterior motives.

Even today, Yamada Nobunaga promoted this spirit vigorously so his samurai and soldiers would sacrifice themselves for him.

So in Xiao Ming’s view, what made Wokou dangerous now was not their matchlock guns, but this aggressive and dangerous ideology.

This kind of thinking could turn a flock of sheep into fierce beasts. In fact, the Wokou were developing in exactly that direction.

Enduring round after round of attacks, Sakai led three ranks of soldiers advancing into matchlock firing range. Then he shouted, “Fire!”

Suddenly, he was filled with confidence. He believed that if the Great Yu Empire suffered the same losses, their army would collapse. In fact, during coastal raids, the Great Yu army usually fled after losing a tenth of their troops.

Bang bang…

Flames and white smoke rose. The Qingzhou soldiers at the front bore the brunt of the Wokou’s first volley. Bullets exploded on flesh, spraying blood, and many soldiers groaned and fell.

Soldiers behind immediately stepped forward to fill the gaps. Others did not forget to reload their guns.

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

…

On the battlefield, the two armies exchanged fire nonstop. Cannons roared without pause. Lu Fei’s eyes reddened as he watched soldiers fall, but he knew they could not retreat. This was the spirit of the Qingzhou army — the dignity of a nation.

When these soldiers raised their steel rifles, they knew what they were fighting for.

The Qingzhou soldiers did not panic. Death was an honor for them. The Hall of Heroes outside the city gate constantly reminded them of the soldier’s rightful place.

Bang bang…

Gunshots continued. The advantage of the flintlock was clear now. The Qingzhou army fired more often and with greater power than the Wokou soldiers.

At the same time, the Qingzhou troops maintained tight formations and orderly commands. Artillery support inflicted constant casualties on the Wokou, whose rank replenishment began to falter.

Seizing this opportunity, after another volley of coordinated fire, Lu Fei suddenly drew his saber and shouted, “Charge!”

With his roar, a charge sounded through the ranks. Qingzhou soldiers fixed bayonets and collectively charged the Wokou.

“How is this possible!”

Sakai stared in disbelief at the Great Yu soldiers charging like a flood. Weren’t Great Yu soldiers supposed to be numb and indifferent? Weren’t they cowards? Weren’t they supposed to break at the slightest touch?

Why were these soldiers so fearless? Why was their morale so high?

But there was no time for such thoughts. He shouted sharply, and the samurai hiding behind the lines surged forward. These samurai were all well-versed in philosophy and spirit. Their katanas cut through the swords and blades of the Great Yu soldiers.

With the sharpness of their katanas and their skill, these samurai became a terror for the coastal troops.

On the high ground, Luo Xin aimed the artillery at the Wokou rear ranks and continued shelling. Watching the whole battle, he said, “Your Highness, these Wokou are indeed tough fighters. No wonder the Chu and Wei princes are so troubled by them.”

“That’s true. Despite such heavy losses, they have not broken. The Wokou are truly difficult to deal with,” Xiao Ming mused.

However, he was not worried about samurai spirit or militarism. Experience showed that technological superiority could not be overcome by spirit alone.

In this battle, the Wokou’s weapons, training, and formations were all inferior to the Qingzhou army.

If the Qingzhou troops were as solid as rock in a shootout, the Wokou soldiers could only be as steady as pine trees. But pine trees were no match for rocks.

The many Wokou corpses on the field proved that the Wokou had lost the firefight. Now, what held them up was only their confidence in their samurai.

But that confidence quickly vanished when faced with the Qingzhou army’s bayonet charge.

When a samurai swung his katana with all his might against a Qingzhou bayonet, he found it did not cut the thin weapon in two.

This stunned him. Before he could react, the dense Qingzhou bayonets thrust forward simultaneously, piercing his body.

At the same time, many samurai had no chance to show their skill before being killed by the bayonets.

The Qingzhou soldiers were bloodthirsty now. Watching their comrades fall around them, their hatred for the enemy burned into rage.

They had long suffered from northern barbarian oppression. Now, these small barbarian states on the eastern sea raised their slaughter knives against them. Under the guidance of the chancellor, they had come to understand what a country and a nation really meant.

Now, they were no longer ignorant or numb in the face of national crisis. They would say “No” to foreign insults against their people.

“Kill!”

The Qingzhou soldiers’ morale was still high. They surged forward continuously against the already collapsing Wokou ranks.

At this moment, the Wokou samurai broke under heavy casualties, and right after, the musketeers collapsed and fled.

“No retreat! No retreat!” Sakai’s face twisted. He swung his katana wildly, killing fleeing soldiers, but he still could not stop the rout.

Seeing more and more soldiers flee, Sakai grew desperate. Ignoring the artillery position on the high ground, he mixed into the fleeing soldiers and escaped.

Watching the battlefield through his telescope, Xiao Ming felt a weight lifted from his heart. But he was not proud, because in his eyes, these Wokou were nothing but irregular troops.