Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Under the cover of night, the piercing cold wind cut to the bone as a thick layer of ice formed on the Datong River. Konishi Yukinaga’s horse hooves tapped on the ice, scrutinizing his own disheveled soldiers before lifting his gaze to the moonlight, falling silent.

While stationed in Pyongyang, Konishi Yukinaga commanded over fifteen thousand men, along with those on Peony Peak, totaling seventeen thousand. But in just a few days, his most esteemed general, Goto Kagi, perished at Peony Peak, and three thousand of the elite musketeer troops suffered heavy losses, with countless soldiers wounded or dead. By the time Konishi Yukinaga fled Pyongyang, including the injured and disabled, he was left with fewer than eight thousand men.

“Old Konishi, cheer up, at least we’re still alive, aren’t we?”

Hidetada, dressed in a monk’s robe with only a black sword at his waist and bearing no other weapons, had not taken a single step out of the Ming Army’s tent. He, too, had ultimately found no opportunity to strike.

Konishi Yukinaga’s face was grim as he reined in his horse, suddenly wheeling around to face thousands of bewildered Japanese soldiers on the river, shouting loudly:

“Today, we have indeed suffered a defeat, but it won’t be long before we roll back the soil and return…”

The rumbling of cannon fire cut off Konishi Yukinaga’s impassioned speech, as continuous bursts of orange flames exploded on the river!

At that moment, the stark contrast between the billowing black smoke and the pristine white snow was so vivid.

Hidetada’s head buzzed, and he slapped the back of his horse with his scabbard, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Quick, cross the river!”

The Japanese pirates immediately fell into chaos, scrambling to cross the river, disintegrating into disarray.

Dense cannonballs crashed into the ranks of the Japanese pirates. The clear ice cracked open with gaping fissures, and large chunks of ice collapsed, with horses panicking and neighing loudly, their hooves flailing uselessly until, along with their Japanese riders, they plunged into the icy abyss!

“Despicable, shameless!”

Konishi Yukinaga stamped his foot and beat his chest, his eyes almost bursting with fury.

On the opposite bank of the Datong River.

Shenji Camp Deputy General Luo Shangzhi’s eyes fastened on Konishi Yukinaga, who was standing erect with a peach-shaped helmet, and cried out, “The one with twin rabbit ears on his head is Konishi. Don’t let the bandit chief get away!”

The cannons continued to roar. Japanese pirates who had made it halfway across the river wanted to turn back, but the fierce cannonballs smashed down, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. Many Japanese pirates fell hopelessly into the river where the icy, rushing waters immediately swept them away before they could cry for help. Others, struck directly by the cannonballs, met a gruesome end.

Some lucky few managed to climb back to shore, where they exchanged bewildered looks with Japanese pirates who hadn’t had the chance to cross the river, not knowing what to do as the sounds of battle cries approached from behind.

Their thousands of torches illuminated the Datong River as if it were broad daylight, with Shen Heyan clad in heavy armor, his dark great spear aimed directly at the Konishi troops. Behind him, a tidal wave of cavalry surged forward, all bearing long spears, and without engaging in close combat, the cavalry formations pushed straight through, forcing the Japanese pirates crowded by the Datong River into the waters!

Endo Kenjiro, captain of Konishi’s musketeers, was leading over a thousand matchlock gun-wielding soldiers, fearlessly exchanging fire with the ambushing Ming Army in an attempt to buy time for Konishi and the others.

“Are we going to die?”

In his despair, Endo Kenjiro felt a sense of detachment bubble up. “Forty-nine years of life but a dream, one’s glory and a cup of wine…”

“Bang.”

Hidetada Osho struck him on the helmet with the back of his sword, his handsome face contorted with such ferocity that it seemed filled with malice.

“You fool! Trying to match Muskets against Ming cannons? Have all soldiers drop their firearms and take up swords, charge through!”

Snapping out of it, Endo Kenjiro immediately ordered his men to abandon their guns and break through.

Hidetada Osho let out a fierce howl, his neck veins bulging like writhing snakes, with his eyes and mouth gaping open as three black holes. Under the night sky, on the river surface, a vast black shadow flashed by.

With Hidetada at the center, the frost-white ice suddenly turned pitch black and rapidly began to spread. The shattered ice quickly stabilized.

Perhaps it was Hidetada’s illusion, but as he looked up, he seemed to see a dark figure circling in the sky…

The commotion he was making on the river did not go unnoticed by Luo Shangzhi on the opposite shore.

“Bring me my bow.”

Luo Shangzhi took the horn bow and fitted an iron thumb ring, his brawny arms pulling the bowstring taut. A long arrow screeched toward Hidetada.

The arrow passed through, and Hidetada abruptly turned his head as the spreading black ice momentarily halted.

“Hit?”

Luo Shangzhi was uncertain.

The monk swiftly turned around, a dense black aura spewing from his eyes, a long arrow clenched between his teeth.

Before Luo Shangzhi on the river, everything went dark; it seemed as if a serpent’s head was charging directly at him. He let out a startled cry, reeling backward on his horse, feeling a sudden pang in his heart.

“General!”

Those beside him were shocked, trying to support Luo Shangzhi, but he suddenly righted himself, firmly sitting back in the saddle.

“I’m fine!”

As Luo Shangzhi spoke, a chill ran down his spine.

“Where did this unspeakable monk come from?”

Behind him, the once majestic dappled leopard was now whimpering quietly, with strands of blood in its eyes.

Hidetada had a faint black aura streaming from his seven orifices, making him seem like a demon.

Konishi Yukinaga spurred his horse into a gallop, ordering the troops behind him to block the cavalry of Shen Heyan, while he led the elite soldiers in an attempt to carve a bloody path to escape.

Just then, an amber-hued colossal figure plummeted into the battlefield like a meteorite.

Niutou Chantan!

He had a Ming Army black Dragon Flag stuck in his neck, nonchalantly knocking aside dozens of arrows with a thunderous voice.

“I am Niutou Chantan, under the command of Liaodong Town General Flag Li Yan, here by the order of the Joseon king and the Ming Country Governor to provide support!”

The soldiers of the Shenji Camp looked at each other with uncertainty in their hearts, but the Great Ming Dragon Flag could not be faked.

Three furry balls charged into the river, their hair sharp as spikes, like three unstoppable chariots plowing into the crowd. A guileless voice came from within the fluff:

“I am Liang Yina, Gao Yina, and Fu Yina, under the command of Liaodong Town General Flag Li Yan, here by the order of the Joseon king and the Ming Country Governor to provide support!”

Tigers, magpies, and Wolfmen arrived in quick succession.

A storm of black feathers mixed with flames and shards of ice boomed into the ranks of the Japanese pirates, as Nine-Winged Sudu danced in midair, her figure graceful.

“I am Nine-Winged Sudu, under the command of Liaodong Town General Flag Li Yan, here by the order of the Joseon king and the Ming Country Governor to provide support!”

…

Li Rusong gazed at the Datong River, turned red by fire. The faint sound of the tumult of battle came bubbling up; the ice held firm under Hidetada Osho, but that did not keep Konishi’s soldiers from being scattered and sliced apart. The battlefield by the Datong River suddenly plunged into chaos – Ming Army, Japanese pirates, Joseon troops, and even Volunteer Army groups all joined the fray, clashing together. Victory in this battle was undeniable; the only question now was whether they could succeed in slaying Konishi Yukinaga, inflict heavy casualties on the Japanese troops, or possibly, annihilate them.

“It won’t be easy…”

Li Rusong sighed, the battlefield growing increasingly chaotic while the terrain on the opposite side of the Datong River was distinctly open.

The Japanese pirates could be considered valiant; with more than half dying violent deaths since the fighting started, their will to resist still proved astonishingly strong. Luo Shangzhi did not have many men on hand: intercepting was possible, but if Konishi Yukinaga managed to cross the river, breaking through under the protection of his troops would not be difficult.

“Besides…”

“The Lord Minister has said that a dying wolf may still run wild, but the tiger’s head must not be lost, hoping your lordship will plan before acting.”

Li Yan knelt on one knee, holding in his hand the makeshift seal of Song Yingchang.

The duck that’s been cooked could still fly away…, Li Rusong’s expression darkened.

Li Yan’s face was expressionless. Although Song Yingchang’s words implied that he was advising Li Rusong to retreat, Li Yan felt that Li Rusong would not just let Konishi go. If it were him, he wouldn’t let him go either!

Your butt decides your brain, the perspectives of the pen and the gun are different, and Li Yan believed that he understood Li Rusong better than Song Yingchang did.

“Within Joseon territory, our Great Ming has eight hundred Tiqi Tiger Scouts, and you claim that the Ende Magpie saw the Japanese pirates, but the Tiger Scouts have not reported back; there’s doubt about the truth in this, that’s the first point.”

“Even if what you’re saying is true and Japanese reinforcements are on the way, I captured Pyongyang just at dawn yesterday. The reinforcements couldn’t possibly know that; the closer they get to Pyongyang, the more cautious and probing they would be, they certainly wouldn’t rush in blindly, that’s the second point.”

“The Toyotomi Army has more than a hundred thousand troops; hearing that the celestial soldiers have entered Joseon, all have gone to guard the Joseon capital (Hanyang), where their main stronghold lies. At Jade Terrace, Joseon’s Li Suncheng cut off two of the Japanese pirates’ supply lines — the Japanese are short on provisions, and after such a long trek, how many can their reinforcements possibly be? Eight thousand? Ten thousand? We have forty thousand men. That’s the third point.”

A smile played at the corners of Li Yan’s mouth, though he kept his head lowered.

He knew that if Konishi were killed, there would still be a chance for him.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After thinking it over, Li Rusong decided to give it a try. As the flags signaled back and forth, he said, “Pass on my command, order the Guerilla General Shen Heyan to lead four thousand light cavalry to chase down Konishi. Even if it proves impossible, bite down on them and don’t let go. The main force will cross the river to pursue immediately. After crossing the river, command the Joseon troops and Wu Weizhong’s troops to disperse like a net; on one hand to slaughter any isolated Japanese pirates, and on the other, to scout for military intelligence. If they encounter any trace of Japanese reinforcements, they are to report back immediately.”

As he spoke, he looked toward Li Yan.

“How about your troops? Have they been gathered?”

“They are currently in front of the Datong River,”

Li Yan replied respectfully.

“Then you shouldn’t be idle either. Cross the Datong River and kill Japanese pirates,”

Li Rusong laughed heartily.

“Your subordinate obeys the command,”

Li Yan turned, mounted his horse, and grabbed the Raw Iron Hook-Scythe Spear to head towards the Datong River.

…

By the shore of the Datong River, the flames were as red as blood; all sorts of Joseon Wild Gods stormed the lines at will, while Shen Heyan chased relentlessly across the river, his horse’s hooves trampling over countless corpses of Japanese pirates.

Konishi Yukinaga’s troops were fleeing in a sorry state, while Hidetada’s torn monastic robe fluttered wildly. He turned his head to look back at the fluttering Great Ming Dragon Flag; a mighty warrior, unstoppable with the Profound Edge Great Spear in hand, with a flash of crazed red sweeping across the bottom of his eyes…