Gun smoke and war flames rose everywhere from the sea. The living people were flopping on the water and calling for help, floating with the waves together with the corpses of those who died in battle.
In the fierce battle, the Tang navy had completed the encirclement of more than a thousand Japanese warships.
It is unbelievable but has to be believed. More than a hundred large ships surrounded more than a thousand small ships, and the encirclement was getting smaller and smaller.
Sun Renshi's last right force, more than 20 warships, decisively entered the scene, rushed into the center of the encirclement, lined up, and cut more than a thousand warships into two pieces.
On the decks on both sides of the ship, the soldiers held three-eyed muskets and fired frantically at the Japanese boat in the center of the encirclement.
Seeing the densely packed Japanese boats, it was as if a big piece of cake had been bitten hard, with a blank space appearing in the middle, and then more and more blank spaces.
On the flagship, Master Sun Renshi squinted as he watched the Tang army's warship complete the final cut, slammed the railing of the building, looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Victory!"
Yes, the battle is coming to an end. A layman can clearly tell at a glance that the Japanese fleet is helpless.
Li Qinzai was also watching this scene quietly from the side of the flagship, with a strange smile on his lips.
He did not like war, but the war against Japan was an exception.
Having lived for two lifetimes, he still had clear memories of the history books. He knew that this battle was the first time that the Japanese invaded the Central Plains Dynasty, and it ended in a disastrous defeat.
However, Li Qinzai stood from the perspective of a thousand-year time traveler. Although this naval battle was a victory, it was not enough.
How can you remember it deeply if you haven't really been beaten in pain?
If you want to win a thousand years of peace with one battle, this great victory in front of you is not enough.
…………
There were more than a thousand warships, but only a few dozen escaped from the naval battle. The Japanese were heartbroken, and only a few thousand people survived.
After the war, the Tang army cleaned up the battlefield. The Japanese who were struggling and calling for help on the sea waved their arms, but were mercilessly shot by the Tang army soldiers on the battleship.
There is no Geneva Convention these days. Whether prisoners of war are kept or killed depends entirely on the mood of the soldiers.
It was too laborious to retrieve a prisoner of war from the sea, and the cost of time and energy was too high. In the eyes of the Tang army, the Japanese were just a group of uncivilized dwarf monkeys. There was no great need to retrieve them. It would be easier to kill them with one arrow.
.
After the war, Li Qinzai was also busy counting the battle losses and gains.
In fact, the losses in this naval battle outweighed the profits, because a poor country like Japan had no military profits left at all, and the cost paid by the Tang army was much higher than that of Japan.
The final accounts were written down and Li Qinzai sent them to Sun Renshi's cabin.
Sun Renshi casually flipped through a few pages and closed it, saying: "I can trust the account recorded by Li Changshi, so please report it to Chang'an accordingly."
"yes."
After the victory, Master Sun Ren was obviously in a very good mood. He stroked his beard with a smile and said: "I will write down my merits when I look back. Jingchu's contribution will be at the top of the list. Your Majesty will rarely praise you when you return to Chang'an. I would like to congratulate you in advance."
Li Qinzai said hurriedly: "The general manager is the commander-in-chief of the first army. You have the greatest contribution. Without your arrangement of troops and strategic planning, how could our army have achieved such a great victory?"
Master Sun Ren laughed proudly, and this mutual complimenting atmosphere was very pleasant.
"Does Jingchu have any suggestions for those Japanese prisoners of war?"
Li Qinzai thought for a while and said: "A group of hozens have turned into wild animals. I thought they should make the best use of them."
"Oh? How to make the best use of everything?"
"We have copper and iron mines in the Tang Dynasty. If there is a shortage of labor in the mines, it is better to let these prisoners of war do it, or build roads, repair bridges. The prisoners of war do not need wages, and they do not even need to eat too much. I guarantee that
They don’t need to starve to death, and it’s very cost-effective to use.”
Master Sun Renshi glared at him: "You are so young, but you are so vicious. Do you really treat prisoners of war like livestock?"
Li Qinzai smiled and said: "The lower official is just a suggestion. It doesn't matter if the chief manager doesn't accept it."
Sun Renshi snorted, then touched his chin and murmured: "But what you said makes sense. Including Baekje, there are a lot of prisoners of war, estimated at ten or twenty thousand. These people can't do nothing."
, but they want us, the Tang Dynasty, to provide them with food and drink? There is no reason why the world is so beautiful."
Li Qinzai said hurriedly: "Yes, prisoners of war don't look like prisoners of war. Is it possible that they were captured alive and enjoyed the blessings? They must be treated like animals."
Master Sun Ren glanced at him: "The truth is, it is such a truth, but when it comes out of your mouth, it doesn't feel like human words."
"Can you please explain it differently?"
"What do you mean?"
"The lower official believes that these uncivilized wild hozens must undergo labor reform, use heavy labor to transform them into kings, accept the courtesy of the superior state, appreciate the virtues of the heaven, increase their spiritual intelligence, and be virtuous."
Master Sun Ren smiled and said, "Hey, this sounds much more pleasant. I'll do as you say. All those hozens will be sent back to Datang to mine."
Li Qinzai looked at Sun Renshi's happy face and said cautiously: "I have another suggestion."
"explain."
"With the power of a great victory and the advantage of the three-eyed blunderbuss, the navy of the Tang Dynasty might as well... take advantage of the victory and go east, land on the mainland of the Japanese island, give the Japanese country a thunderous blow, and use this battle to teach the Japanese country a lesson and make it
I will never dare to covet the Tang Dynasty again for thousands of years."
Master Sun Ren frowned, his expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "No!"
Li Qinzai continued without giving up: "General manager, the navy has come, the victory has been won, and the New Year's Eve..."
Master Sun Ren interrupted him and said more and more seriously: "No!"
Li Qinzai saw Master Sun Ren's resolute expression and immediately realized that he could not persuade him about this matter, so he could only smile bitterly.
Sun Renshi said solemnly: "The order received by the Tang Dynasty Navy is to annihilate the Japanese fleet, which is a shame at the mouth of the Snow White River. Your Majesty has not authorized landing on the Japanese mainland. You will be out on thin ice with military power. Do not do anything that is not in compliance with the rules.
Understand?"
Li Qinzai lowered his head and sighed: "Yes, I understand."
Master Sun Ren's tone softened and he said softly: "You are the one who contributed the most to this battle. Return to Chang'an safely. There will be a reward waiting for you. Don't do anything extraordinary, otherwise all your achievements will be ruined and you will be held accountable.
Even your grandfather couldn't protect you then."
Li Qinzai nodded hurriedly and said sincerely: "Xiaoguan has always been an honest man and will never do anything outrageous. Don't worry, Chief Manager."
Master Sun Ren smacked his lips. He didn't think much about it at first, but he actually said that he was an honest person. Now Master Sun Ren was really worried.
"Now that this battle has been won, Baekje has no more urgent matters. You... take a group of soldiers back to the Tang Dynasty. You are no longer needed here." Sun Renshi waved his hand.
"General Manager, the people of Baekje need me..."
"No, they don't need to."
"The general manager is amiable and approachable, and I can't bear to leave you."
"No, you are willing to give up."
…………
It has been three days since a thorough inventory of battle damage was completed.
Sun Renshi suddenly issued a transfer order and ordered Li Qinzai to lead half of the navy back to Dengzhou in the Tang Dynasty.
The Japanese fleet has been destroyed, and the remnants of the Baekje Kingdom have been retreating steadily under Liu Ingui's sweep, and have fled to the north near the border of Goguryeo.
To be honest, the war in Baekje has basically come to an end, whether on water or land.
This time, the Baijiangkou was raided by the Japanese. Many Tang Dynasty soldiers formed an army in a hurry. Many soldiers and navy soldiers were already farmers. Now that the war is over, those temporarily transferred veterans will naturally return to their hometowns.
Especially now that it is the beginning of spring, spring sowing is a busy time, and Datang's labor is indispensable.
After the great victory, Master Sun Ren immediately ordered half of the navy to be transferred back to Dengzhou, and the first person on the transfer order was Li Qinzai.
There was no way, Li Qinzai's expression and eyes were too scary. Sun Renshi felt that this guy seemed to be planning to cause trouble, and he didn't know why he hated the Japanese country so much. A naval battle was not enough, and he actually wanted to land on the Japanese mainland.
We must drive this guy back to Datang as soon as possible, otherwise I don't know what big trouble he will cause.
Under the constant urging of Sun Renshi's generals, Li Qinzai reluctantly boarded the battleship and bid farewell affectionately to Sun Renshi who was seeing him off on the shore.
The main sails of dozens of warships disappeared on the horizon, and Sun Renshi breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, this timed bomb was sent away. As long as the navy carried him back to the Tang Dynasty, no matter what kind of trouble this guy caused, it was none of his business as the commander of the navy.
It's great that the Baekje Kingdom has been peaceful since then. In two months, when Liu Rengui has completely cleared the land route, Sun Renshi can return to Chang'an in glory and enjoy the joy and glory of returning from victory.