"Baka!"
Seeing the overwhelming rain of arrows washing over the ground, Takemoto Ichiro's face turned extremely grim. He gritted his teeth and said, "We've really messed up this time. Do these Great Liang crossbows have no money? We can't even get close!"
Our own samurai are skilled in close-quarters combat, but now they can't even get close enough to fight!
The dense rain of arrows came wave after wave, leaving them completely passive targets. This caused immense damage to their wandering warrior legion. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had lost more than half of their 40,000 men.
If we continue fighting like this, even if our entire army is wiped out, we probably won't be able to reach the Great Liang army.
I was too hasty this time!
"Father-in-law, we've met our match. We have to retreat, or we'll be wiped out!" Tamura Tamako said through gritted teeth, looking at the horrific battlefield ahead.
This kind of loss was a completely one-sided massacre, and it was their own side that was being slaughtered; it was simply terrifying.
"Boss, we can't hold on!"
"They're incredibly fierce, they're a bunch of lunatics, they're more like pirates than we are!"
"This is a group of killing gods!"
After hearing Tamura Tamako's words, even Takemoto Ichiro's brothers couldn't help but back down.
Normally, they might have wanted to give it their all, but the gap is too big now. Charging forward now wouldn't be reckless; it would be suicide.
"This..."
Takemoto Ichiro took a deep breath, watching his men being slaughtered one after another. His heart sank to the bottom. In this situation, there was probably no way to turn the tide.
The opponent's advantage was so great that the previously aggressive wanderers on their side no longer dared to charge forward and hesitated in place.
Just as he was about to speak, his pupils suddenly contracted!
"Not good!"
A huge arrow suddenly shot through the air from afar. He instinctively rolled to the side, dodging the terrifying arrow, but the people behind him were not so lucky.
A dull thud of flesh being pierced rang out, followed by a heart-wrenching scream. Looking up, he saw his son-in-law clutching his severed arm and wailing. His right arm had just been ripped apart by the giant crossbow.
"Ah... ah."
Tamura Tamako was writhing in pain, large beads of cold sweat sliding down her forehead, and her face was gradually losing its color.
Tear!
He tore off his sleeve and used it to bandage his wound, gritting his teeth as he said, "Father-in-law, we can't hesitate any longer, or all the brothers will die!"
Continuing to fight like this is pointless; the two sides are simply not on the same level.
To put it bluntly, these wandering vagrants and seafarers were just a bunch of lowly thieves; the gap between them and a well-equipped army was simply too vast.
Of the more than 40,000 men, less than one-tenth remain. If this continues, they may all be wiped out.
Then it's completely gone.
Upon hearing his words, a flicker of struggle crossed Takemoto Ichiro's eyes.
This was a hard-won opportunity, and if he retreated now, he might never have another chance like it. But the huge gap in skill forced him to back down.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, prepare to retreat!"
Takayama Ichizawa went to find reinforcements. As long as he brings his men over, we should be able to stop Great Liang by joining forces with him.
Ran Min, seeing the enemy's attempt to escape, couldn't help but sneer and said in a low voice, "Trying to retreat now? You're being far too naive. This general will not give you that chance!"
The battle has reached this stage; there's no way we'd give them a chance to escape—that would be wishful thinking.
"Kill!"
Just as Takemoto Ichiro was preparing to escape and search for Takayama Ichizawa, he suddenly heard a dense cacophony of shouts of battle behind him, which immediately caught his eye.
What's going on?
Could it be that Takayama Ichizawa has arrived? That's fantastic! This is like a timely rain!
However, when he saw the flag behind him, his face turned extremely grim, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "How is this possible? How did the enemy attack from behind?"
They're from Great Liang!
Pfft!
The enemy forces behind them advanced with unstoppable momentum. Takemoto Ichiro's men were already demoralized from the fighting, and now, with this attack from behind, they were completely routed.
The army collapsed like a house of cards. Under the attack from both sides, Takemoto Ichiro's 40,000-strong army gradually fell to the ground. In the end, only a few people around Takemoto Ichiro were still putting up a fight, while the rest had all died under the blades of Great Liang.
Ahhh!
Seeing the Great Liang army gradually closing in, Takemoto Ichiro's face turned ashen, and he couldn't help but roar, "Why is this happening? Where are our reinforcements? Aren't our men still here?"
Weren't our own people out recruiting? How come it's the enemy attacking?
"Hmph, of course all your men are dead!"
Upon hearing his words, Xie Hui, the leader of the Qihuo Army, couldn't help but sneer. Wasn't that obvious?
With a wave of his hand, several heads were thrown over. They were the men that Takemoto Ichiro had sent to recruit people, but at this moment, they all died with their eyes wide open, their eyes still showing fear.
Takemoto Ichiro's face stiffened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You went around to the back! How do you know the terrain here so well? Even ordinary people from Yamata Nation don't know this place!"
Eight Gods Island is an irregularly shaped island, making it impossible for them to reach it quickly if they were to attempt a flanking maneuver.
"Hahaha!"
A hearty laugh came from not far away, and then Ran Min slowly walked over, saying quietly, "Ordinary people naturally wouldn't know, but we have a guide, so it's different!"
Guide?
Takemoto Ichiro frowned slightly, glanced at Ran Min, and his expression immediately turned angry.
"Baka! It's you?"
"You bastard, the son of a great general? You're a disgrace! You actually led the Great Liang to destroy Eight Gods Island! You are a sinner of my Yamata Nation!"
"You bastard, I'll never let you go, even if it kills me!"
He never expected that the other party would be Kusakawa Saemon!
This guy was the former overlord of Eight Gods Island, and now he's so spineless, it's a disgrace to our ancestors.
"Forehead..."
Seeing the disdain and anger in the other person's eyes, Kusakawa Saemon's face stiffened, and he couldn't help but shout angrily, "Are you blind? Can't you see what's in the sky? Do I need to show you the way?"
He pointed to the sky, where several huge hot air balloons were flying overhead, searching around Eight Gods Island.
This bastard actually dared to curse me! Now you're a prisoner too, I'll see how tough you really are.
"In the sky?"
Takemoto Ichiro glanced over instinctively and his expression changed drastically. Not far above his head, there was a strange object floating around, with figures moving about on it.