Gu Moran didn't give Zhou Yanru a chance to argue. She gathered her qi and channeled her Second Rank pure yang internal energy, her voice instantly resounding throughout the entire Tsukushi Port:
"Listen up, soldiers of the Great Yan Army on board!"
Zhou Yanru and Shuangxi colluded with Japanese pirates and falsely conveyed imperial edicts; the evidence against them is irrefutable!
But I know that you are all unfortunate men following orders, with wives and children to support!
Gu Moran with his right hand to the mountain of wooden barrels piled up on the dock behind him.
"Now, I'm giving you two choices!"
First, join Zhou Yanru in feeding the fish! My three hundred repeating crossbows and newly acquired three-barreled guns on the shore will surely turn you all into sieves within a quarter of an hour!
"Secondly, lay down your weapons, jump ship and swim over, or tie up that traitorous bastard Zhou Yanru and bring him up to me!"
As long as you abandon darkness and embrace the light, past transgressions will be forgiven!
Once ashore, each person will be rewarded with a bowl of hot soup and two steamed buns. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to capture the Iwami Silver Mine, and each person will receive an additional twenty taels of silver!
Twenty taels of silver! Plus hot soup and steamed buns!
The Ministry of War soaking in the icy seawater, and the oarsmen and infantrymen shivering on the broken deck, all breathed heavily upon hearing these words.
They had been adrift at sea with Zhou Yanru for so many days, eating moldy coarse rice cakes every day, drinking fresh water with a rusty taste, and being beaten with military sticks at the drop of a hat.
That underwater fire bomb just now completely terrified them.
A dark mass of crossbows and three-barreled guns were pointing at them from just a few dozen paces away. No one wanted to risk their life in this foreign bay for Zhou Yanru's official hat.
"Don't move!"
Anyone who dares to abandon ship will have their entire family executed!
Zhou Yanru noticed the strange looks from the guards around him, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and he hurriedly drew his sword from his waist.
He slashed down a rower who was trying to jump into the sea with a single sword stroke.
Gu Moran is bluffing you!
"What three-barreled gun? Never even heard of such a fancy weapon! As long as we storm the dock..."
He hadn't even finished speaking.
Gu Moran stood on the stone platform of the dock, not even glancing at him, but simply pressed her left hand down slightly.
Tuoba Mang, standing in the front row, grinned, hoisted his heavy three-barreled musket, aimed it at the deputy general next to Zhou Yanru who was holding the command flag, and pulled the trigger!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three deafening explosions of gunpowder rang out in succession, followed by a plume of white smoke.
Three lead bullets, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, traversed dozens of steps across the sea and pierced directly through the fine iron breastplate worn by the adjutant!
The lieutenant didn't even utter a sound before three bloody holes exploded in his chest, and he fell backward into the sea.
Gu Moran blew away the wisps of smoke that drifted in front of him, pointed at Zhou Yanru's head with his riding whip, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were chatting about everyday matters:
What did Lord Zhou just say? That I only know how to put on airs?
Master Craftsman Zhen just made five thousand lead bullets for me. How about I have them all fired at you to see if that's enough to turn you into mincemeat?
Zhou Yanru looked at the pool of blood left by the adjutant at his feet, his legs went weak, his sword clattered to the deck, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, a foul odor instantly emanating from his crotch.
"Don't fire! We surrender! We surrender!"
Someone on the boat behind shouted something.
Clang! Clang!
Hundreds of longswords and spears were thrown into the sea. On the dozen or so surviving warships, thousands of Ministry of War knelt on the deck, raising their hands and shouting surrender.
The four bodyguards standing behind Zhou Yanru exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, pounced on him and pinned Zhou Yanru down as he continued to tremble.
They tore off the hemp rope from the sail, quickly tied the Vice Minister of Ministry of War up like a big dumpling, and carried him to the bow of the ship.
"Your Highness, spare us! We've brought Zhou Yanru here! Please, Your Highness, grant us a drink of hot soup!"
Gu Moran nodded in satisfaction and turned his head slightly towards Murong Xue behind him:
"Go, take control of the ship, and have the cooks bring up the ginger soup and steamed buns. Anyone who surrenders their weapons will be rewarded according to the rules I just mentioned!"
As for that Vice Minister Zhou...
Go down and put them in the same cage as Eunuch Shuangxi, so they can keep each other company.
"Yes!"
Murong Xue responded and led her personal guards forward to gather the surrendered soldiers.
Without firing a single shot, relying solely on three hundred mines and his words, he not only annihilated the power-seizing fleet sent by the capital.
They also swallowed nearly five thousand elite sailors and twelve intact five-toothed ships for nothing!
Lin Qingdai walked to Gu Moran's side, looking at the five thousand surrendered soldiers obediently lining up to receive steamed buns below, her eyes filled with admiration:
"Your Highness, if these men from the Ministry of War really fight back with their lives, we will lose at least several hundred brothers."
"You managed to trick them into betraying you and kidnapping their commander with just a few words, haha."
"Soldiers receive a paycheck; who would turn down money and a hot meal?"
Gu Moran patted the crumbs off his hands and turned to look in the direction of the east gate of Tsukushi City.
On the training ground at the East Gate, Tuoba Mang had already assembled three thousand iron cavalry and two thousand Goryeo infantry.
Kim Seon-a changed back into her close-fitting silver-scale armor, with a long sword at her waist, and was riding a tall white horse awaiting orders.
At the very front of the army, on two four-wheeled flatbed carts, were tied two rough wooden cages that emitted a foul stench.
In the cage on the left Gu Debai, the former deputy commander of the Qi and Lu Guard, whose leg has been cut off, and Inukami Jusaburo, whose teeth have been broken.
In the wooden cage on the right, filled with rotten salted fish, was Takaichi Nanako, dressed in a tattered green silk skirt and reeking of fish.
And then there Eunuch Shuangxi and Zhou Yanru, who had just been stuffed in.
Gu Moran the black horse led by his personal guard and trotted to the front of the army.
Kim Seon-a -ah rode forward two steps, glanced at Takashi Nanako, who was disheveled and glaring venomously Takaichi Nanako Gu Moran in the wooden cage, and lowered her voice:
"Your Highness, General Pu Yunshan sent back an urgent report half an hour ago, saying that his three thousand light cavalry have completely sealed off the three mountain passes of Iwami Silver Mine."
However, Shōni Sukemoto, along with tens of thousands of remaining soldiers, remained holed up in the main mine shaft of Yinshan and refused to come out.
The cave entrance was completely blocked with massive boulders weighing tens of thousands of pounds, leaving only the drainage ditch filled with mercury. A direct assault would likely result in heavy casualties.
"Who said I was going to launch a direct attack? I have a brilliant plan."
Gu Moran in his horse, glanced at the rising sun overhead, and a smile played on his lips.
"Does Shōni Sukemoto think he can negotiate with me by hiding in his tortoise shell and relying on the mercury flipper and three million taels of silver?"
He raised his whip and pointed to the wooden cage in the carriage ahead, where Takaichi Nanako and Zhou Yanru were imprisoned.
"I accepted the bribe he used to bribe his way into the capital; I also brought him the prince and the imperial envoy he sent out."
"Order the entire army to break camp and depart. Target: Iwami Silver Mine!"
"Once we reach the mountain pass, there's no need to fire a single arrow. First, push these two cages of 'distinguished guests' to the front of the mine to bask in the sun."
[Thanks to: Chuanfanmanju, Xiaozhu's "Completion 666", Xiaorao, Liu Hao's "Update Urging Charm", Meiyue's "Love Letter + Like", Lucky, Aichi, Maocao, Diandao's Like, Baixiong, Huangchao's Milk Tea, Cangshan, Gongzi, Liujiao's Flower, Maoxiong's Flower x3, Tianliang's Flower x5, and everyone else for their love and support~~~]