In ancient cold-weapon warfare, it was perfectly normal for troop morale to decline after losing ten percent of their forces, and a loss of twenty or thirty percent usually led to a major rout.
Unfortunately, such advantages did not apply to the noble clans’ armies.
After all, Wu Ming’s main force remained unmoved, with 3,000 soldiers, including the arquebus and heavy cannon units, watching closely from behind.
“Fine then! Let’s capture Guangli Castle today!”
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered with realization that suffering fifty percent casualties was indeed a very dangerous threshold. He stood up and said, “After breaching the walls, allow them to sack the city and plunder freely; that should quell their anger, right?”
“Hmm? Capture the city today?”
Ghost One Yoshitsune expressed surprise.
“Exactly!”
Wu Ming rose and smiled toward Guangli Castle: “We’ve besieged the city for three days, while my main force has remained steadfast, resting and preparing. The noble clans’ armies have already lost a thousand men, while the defenders, despite having arquebuses and siege equipment, have suffered at least eight hundred casualties and are quite exhausted. Now, with my 3,000 elite troops pressing forward, we will surely capture the fourth bailey. Issue the order: full-scale assault!”
“Hai!”
Yamanaka Katsunaga solemnly accepted the command. After issuing the order, the 3,000 strong main force of Ghost One’s army, which had remained still until now, slowly advanced.
Witnessing this, cries of shock and fury erupted from the walls of Guangli Castle.
“Charge!”
These 3,000 men had followed Wu Ming through countless battles and were now at their peak in terms of battle spirit and morale. With their large numbers, their entry into the battlefield immediately changed the tide of battle.
Half a day later.
A breach opened in the city wall, and Ghost One’s soldiers poured in, cutting down the defenders.
“Report!”
A messenger from Ghost One’s cavalry unit quickly approached: “General Yoshitsune has captured the fourth bailey; the enemy has retreated to the third bailey!”
“Excellent! Order the troops to consolidate their positions and cease further attacks. As for those thirteen daimyo clans… let them handle the battlefield cleanup and outer city operations. After all, we should give them some consolation, shouldn’t we?”
Wu Ming stood up: “Let’s go take a look!”
“Lord!”
Arriving at the city wall, they saw breaches everywhere, evidence of blood and fire. Ghost One Yoshitsune, covered in blood, hurried over: “Why not continue the pursuit? The enemy just suffered a major rout—we should seize the third bailey immediately!”
“Now, there are still at least a thousand enemy ashigaru inside the city. Taking each of the three walls one by one would cost us many more lives, wouldn’t it?”
Wu Ming looked toward the third bailey with a cold smile: “However, the fourth bailey is made of stone and cannot be burned. But the third, second, and even the final keep are mostly wooden structures. We can simply burn them all down!”
“Pass my command: all units hold their positions, and dispatch the fire unit of ninja!”
“Burn it? Burn it all down?”
Yamanaka Katsunaga opened his mouth wide: “My lord! Guangli Castle is even larger than Numata Castle. The keep especially houses the accumulated wealth of the Ikeda family over many generations!”
“Compared to the losses of our samurai and ashigaru, this is still worth it!”
Wu Ming waved his hand: “No more discussion—I’ve made my decision!”
When the trebuchets arrived, cries of despair echoed throughout the third bailey.
The name of Ghost One’s fire unit of ninja had clearly become synonymous with destruction and death.
“Charge!”
A group of brave warriors rushed out from the gate of the third bailey, trying to destroy the trebuchets.
“Fire!”
But how could Wu Ming allow them that chance?
As soon as the trebuchets arrived, he had already positioned the arquebus unit and Ghost One’s squad nearby. Now, they immediately came into play.
“The narrow gate restricted our entry before, but now it restricts their sortie as well… limited to coming out one by one, they can only become human pillars (sacrifices) under the fire of my arquebusiers…”
Wu Ming smiled as he spoke to the nearby samurai.
In that wave of attack, there were even several swordsmen hidden among them, one of whom seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough, nearly reaching the level of a swordsman master.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain. After being engaged by Ghost One’s squad and then targeted by concentrated fire, they still met a gruesome end.
“Order! Burn them all!”
Bang! Bang!
The trebuchets roared terrifyingly, launching flaming oil bombs into the third bailey.
The flames, meeting wood, quickly spread. The little water prepared was utterly useless in stopping the disaster. Soon, screams emerged, mingled with the smell of burnt flesh, and then gradually fell silent.
The fire spread, finally engulfing the entire keep, causing the grand and magnificent tower to slowly collapse.
Boom!
At this moment, Wu Ming withdrew his army outside the city walls, and even the thirteen noble clans, ordered to loot and plunder, dared not stay long.
“Sigh… The Ikeda family was also a prestigious clan in Izumo Province. I have long heard of Lord Ikeda Masayoshi’s name. Who would have thought that the Ikeda family would perish like this today…”
Seeing this scene, Yamanaka Katsunaga’s face showed a trace of sigh.
Not only him, but others as well—whether they were originally from Iizaka District or recently defected from the Oohara noble clans—all looked toward Wu Ming with deep reverence.
…
With the reputation of burning Guangli Castle to the ground and the infamy of slaughtering the entire Ikeda clan, it was only natural for Wu Ming to summon all the noble clans of Oohara District to pay homage.
When the news spread, almost all the noble clans of Oohara District rushed to Guangli Castle.
But then, they were shocked by the sight of the heads piled up at the city gate like a mountain.
Layer upon layer of overlapping faces, bleeding from the seven orifices—there were old men, children, even women. Of course, the majority were ashigaru and samurai with shaved foreheads, stacked into a tower-like formation, exuding a stench so strong that several clan lords vomited on the spot.
“A demon! A great calamity!”
More than one clan lord muttered this in his heart. Of course, when they were led into the camp, they outwardly displayed even greater respect.
“Lord summons you, follow me!”
Ghost One Yoshitsune, with a cold face, led these clan leaders to the center.
“…Although Guangli Castle is destroyed, the fourth bailey outside still stands. Rebuilding won’t be too difficult… Has the Kato clan been exterminated? Good. All who supported the Ikeda clan and opposed my family must be completely wiped out, leaving no survivors!”
Upon hearing this voice, many clan lords felt their legs weaken again.
“Ghost One Hall summons!”
Ghost One Yoshitsune stood beside Wu Ming, speaking calmly.
“Ha ha!”
Immediately, all the clan lords of Oohara District knelt on the ground in reverence, with beads of cold sweat trickling down.
“Hmm, rise!”
Only then did they dare to stand up. Some subtly glanced at Ghost One clan’s lord, Ghost One Fagen.
They saw a young man wearing black armor with a blue demon’s head carved on it, sitting on a folding stool. His bearing was calm and heavy, exuding an unshakable majesty.
In fact, just a quick glance made them feel as if they had been discovered, as if a piercing gaze had fallen upon their minds. This unfathomable demeanor made them even more apprehensive.
“Hmm… The Watanabe clan, the Shimazu clan, the Chōsokabe clan… and the Ōkubo clan, you did well this time. Each of you shall be granted a stipend of 500 to 1,000 koku!”
“For the lord’s service to the death!”
Upon hearing Wu Ming’s words, the thirteen clan lords’ faces immediately showed joy, feeling that their early allegiance to Ghost One clan and the heavy losses they suffered in samurai and ashigaru were indeed worthwhile.
“As for the rest of you?”
Under Wu Ming’s gaze, the other clan lords all felt as if struck by an electric current and lowered their heads deeply.
“Those who still dared to resist my clan have already been wiped out by Ghost One’s squad—the mound of skulls is proof enough… Gentlemen, it’s time to make your choice: will you follow the Iyu clan or my Ghost One clan?”
“Of course Ghost One clan!”
At this moment, not a single clan lord was foolish enough to give any other answer.
“Excellent! However, you did not pledge allegiance to me at the first opportunity, and previously even supported the Ikeda clan…”
Wu Ming’s next words nearly made them fall into despair: “Each of your clans will have their domains reduced, and you must offer ashigaru to join my army, earning merit to atone for your previous sins!”
“Hai!”
Many clan leaders felt immense relief and hurriedly agreed, unaware that Wu Ming was secretly smirking, already deciding to relocate them all after pacifying Izumo Province.
“Congratulations, my lord, on gaining full control of Oohara District!”
After these clan leaders departed, Ghost One clan’s retainers knelt down to offer their congratulations.
“Indeed! With Oohara District under our control, the route to the Iyu clan’s stronghold—the Riverflow Castle in Iyu District—now lies open before us…”
Wu Ming’s face showed a pleased expression, but suddenly glanced upward at his own head.
Externally, red qi gathered, transforming into gold, causing the martial clan’s fortune to expand even further, revealing unparalleled dominance and power.
Yet, alongside this surge in fortune, faint threads of gray-black qi also emerged.
“Calamity qi?”
Seeing this, Wu Ming inwardly sneered, knowing this was the calamity brought by his slaughter of over ten thousand and the burning and extermination of entire clans.
For cultivators, this was extremely troublesome. Even if the consequences did not manifest immediately, it was merely a matter of “not yet, but soon to come.”
“I have gained two districts, with human fortune to replenish me. This calamity black qi cannot touch me… However, if I suffer defeat and die, it will be the moment of retribution. If my spiritual essence cannot withstand it at that time, even my true soul may be difficult to preserve…”
“Moreover… Starting a war now and contending for the realm is in line with the great heavenly trend. Once I rule Izumo Province, if I can bring benevolent governance to the people and accumulate merit, I can also transform and eliminate this calamity qi…”
Wu Ming’s current cultivation and insight were incomparable to before. Upon seeing this, rather than fear, he generated many other thoughts.
At this moment, contemplating the fortune, he made another discovery.
“This golden-red fortune is the supplement from the human qi of the two districts. As long as I remain the ruler of these two districts, this fortune will flow endlessly, incomparable to the dragon qi within the Su Hou Pearl, which diminishes with each use.”
“But it seems this fortune also contains great karmic implications… If I use it for cultivation, I must bear the responsibility, making transcendence difficult! Since ancient times, human emperors do not become immortals, and immortals do not become human emperors—there is indeed some truth to that…”
Wu Ming felt he had grasped the balance point between the human path and the immortal path: “Still, I must find a way…”
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