"Captain, the west gate of the harbor has been breached!"
"Defend the granary!"
Kim Sang-won shouted.
"The granary cannot be lost; there are still people in the city. If the granary is lost, Busan cannot be defended."
But the defending troops were already in disarray.
Before the beacon fire on the south wall could be lit, the west port gate was forced open by hundreds of Wa soldiers. The porters responsible for carrying goods, the patrol officers, and the merchants who came and went fled in all directions. Bamboo baskets filled with salt were overturned, and white salt grains were scattered all over the ground.
A Goryeo soldier raised his sword to block the warehouse door. He had just cut down two people when a third man pounced on him from the side and knocked him into the pile of grain sacks.
The Wa infantrymen stormed into the granary like mad dogs, first grabbing rice bags, then water jars. They cut the bags open with knives, letting the rice grains spill onto the muddy ground.
Tanaka squeezed in from behind, paused at the entrance of the granary, looked at the white rice scattered at his feet, and a memory of his dead wife flashed in his eyes.
Three days ago, he was kneeling outside the Daming granary begging for grain.
The granary was piled high with rice, but the samurai at the gate said they were lowly people and unworthy to eat what was inside.
Now, he finally got the grain.
But this is robbing Goryeo.
Someone pushed him from behind.
" Tanaka, hurry inside! There are still many more!"
Tanaka gripped his short sword tightly and stepped over the rice on the ground.
"Move everything out, take as much as you can."
The foot soldier beside him grinned as he looked at the sacks of grain piled high in the granary.
" Goryeo is only focused on defending against Great Yan, and has no defenses against us at all. How stupid."
Tanaka remained silent.
After all, stealing grain from one's brother's family is not a respectable thing to do.
But what can be done?
They had to survive.
Ōtanigi Akahisamitsu people to tell them that the Goryeo had used evil magic to cause earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions in Wa, and that only by seizing the Goryeo grain could Wa be restored to peace.
This claim was so absurd that even Tanaka himself didn't believe it, but his subordinates were willing to believe it.
"The granary garrison has retreated into the city!"
Someone is calling from outside the door.
Tanaka walked out of the granary carrying a sword and saw Kim Sang-won leading the remaining garrison troops to retreat along the street.
Kim Sang-won's left arm was grazed by an arrow, his sword was gone, and all that remained of him was a broken spear.
He glanced back at the harbor; the embankment was littered with fallen people, half of the beacon tower had collapsed, and Wa ships were still crowding into the harbor.
"Retreat to the inner city and close the gates!"
Wa infantry rushed out of the granary and began hacking at anyone they saw.
Kim Sang-won ran to the street corner, but eventually ran out of strength. He heard footsteps behind him, and before he could turn around, he was hit on the back of the neck by a wooden stick.
As he fell forward, he took one last look at the Goryeo flag on the side of the street.
The flag was being torn apart by the sea breeze, and the corners were covered in mud. Several Wa infantrymen passed by the flagpole and burned it.
Kim Sang-won collapsed in the muddy water.
The south gate of Busanpo was guarded for less than half an hour.
The port, granaries, and city walls all fell into the hands of the Japanese army. The people in the city fled in all directions, many shops were smashed open, and salt, rice, cloth, and pickled fish were all looted.
Tanaka and his men stood guard at the entrance of the granary, ordering the soldiers to load all edible items onto the ships.
A Wa samurai rode up on horseback and pointed at Tanaka.
"The general has ordered that the grain be sent to the ships first, and all the Goryeo people in this city be killed."
Tanaka watched as the people were driven to the side of the street, his grip on the knife slowly tightening.
"Kill civilians? They're unarmed, yet we still kill them?"
The samurai glanced at him.
"That's not your question. Just kill them, eliminate the threat forever. Of course, if you see any pretty girls before you kill them, don't hold back. Hehe..."
In an overseas shop, Park Roejang had just received a secret report.
The secret report contained only a few lines of text.
Busanpo has fallen.
Seven southern counties were attacked.
Contact has been lost with the southern coast of Goryeo.
Park Roejang stared at the paper, looking at it more than ten times, still unable to believe it.
The wine glass in his hand was crushed bit by bit, shards of porcelain piercing his palm, and wine flowing down his wrist to his sleeve.
Inukami Jusaburo, who was sitting opposite him and had been drinking, quickly asked when he saw him like this.
"Brother Park, you look so pale, is something wrong?"
Park Roejang raised his head.
Why did your Wa ships enter our Busanpo?
Inukami Jusaburo frowned.
"Perhaps they encountered rough seas and were simply using the port for supplies."
"Borrowing Hong Kong for supplies?"
Park Roejang pushed the secret report onto the table.
"Supply them until the garrison is wiped out, the granaries are emptied, and then they want to massacre the city?"
Inukami Jusaburo picked up the secret report, his gaze sweeping over the words, and his expression gradually changed.
He had not expected the Wa Emperor to make such a decision.
After all, according to the agreement between the two countries, Wa was responsible for providing weapons and warships, Goryeo was responsible for providing ports and provisions. The two sides would jointly establish the Republican Co-Prosperity Sphere along the coast of Great Yan.
But now, the Wa soldiers have already defeated Goryeo.
"No... no, there might be a misunderstanding."
Inukami Jusaburo put the secret report back on the table.
"The generals on the coast don't understand the bigger picture; their looting of grain was just a temporary loss of control. The Emperor will not allow such a thing to affect cooperation between the two countries."
Upon hearing this...
Park Roejang slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"You lack food, so you steal my food; your army causes trouble, so you send them to my Goryeo territory to kill people. What kind of overall situation is this?"
Inukami Jusaburo was a little flustered, but he still tried to argue his point.
"Brother Park, our Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is not just empty talk. Right now, we are only borrowing passage and supplies. Once Wa recovers, it will naturally compensate Goryeo."
"Compensate?"
Park Roejang looked at him.
"You've occupied our Goryeo ports, killed our garrison, and looted our granaries. Tell me, what compensation will you offer?"
Inukami Jusaburo fell silent.
The charcoal fire inside was burning brightly, and the aroma of alcohol mixed with the stench of blood, making one feel nauseous.
Park Roejang crumpled the secret report into a ball and threw it in front of Inukami Jusaburo.
"You Japanese dogs are treacherous bastards."
"Brother Park, please don't be angry, I really didn't know."
Park Roejang drew his curved sword and slashed it at the table.
The table split in the middle, the wine pot rolled to the ground, and the wine flowed through the gaps in the wooden planks into the stone bricks of the dark room.
Inukami Jusaburo stood up and retreated, the long sword grazing his shoulder and cutting a gash in his clothes.
"Are you crazy?"
"Who's crazy? You're the crazy ones, you bunch of mad dogs! You're all hitting your brothers? You bastards!"
Park Roejang brandished his knife and approached.
"You Wa treat your allies like food supplies and your alliance agreements like worthless paper. You still want to trick me into continuing to work for you?"
Inukami Jusaburo drew his sword to block the slash; the blades collided, and sparks fell along the broken edge of the table.
What good will it do you to turn against me now?
"We, Goryeo and Wa, are sworn enemies!"
Park Roejang pressed the knife down, and with his other hand grabbed the wine pot on the table and smashed it at Inukami Jusaburo.
Inukami Jusaburo dodged to the side, the sake bottle hit the wall, and shards flew to his side, cutting a bloody gash.