Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Yang Ling's heart started beating fast, and he asked quickly, "What's the enemy situation like? Are there any injuries?"

The postman replied: "It is said that the Japanese have already withdrawn."

"Leave?" Yang Ling's eyes widened. "Why would the Japanese suddenly withdraw?"

"The Japanese have indeed withdrawn!"

"So where is their target?"

The postman shrugged and spread his hands: "I don't know!"

Yang Ling's mind was spinning rapidly, and he couldn't figure out the purpose of the Japanese withdrawal. But since the Japanese had withdrawn, he could breathe a sigh of relief for the time being. Yang Ling immediately ordered the postman to close the post station, and then summoned all the generals to discuss the matter.

This matter revealed something strange, but Yang Ling had no way to deal with it. The Japanese's purpose was unclear, so they dared not leave the city without permission. He decided to leave 200 elite soldiers to guard the post station, and the rest of the troops immediately withdrew from the post station and gathered in the west of the city, facing the city wall across the water.

At midnight, the Japanese pirates outside the city launched an attack. The Japanese attacked fiercely and tried to climb the city wall by force. However, this behavior was doomed to be futile. The Japanese paid the price of more than 300 lives, and finally gave up reluctantly and withdrew.

After the Japanese retreated, Yang Ling immediately ordered his troops to quickly occupy the city wall to defend against the enemy's counterattack.

The next morning, the Japanese came to retaliate, and the two sides engaged in street fighting. Yang Ling's troops suffered more than 200 casualties, and the Japanese pirates were completely wiped out. The Japanese pirates had a complete range of weapons and equipment, including gunpowder, catapults, crossbows, and even crossbows and bed boards. If it weren't for the well-trained and strong fighting power of Yang Ling's soldiers, they would have been killed last night. Even now, they have more than 30 injured, which is a loss that Yang Ling has never suffered before.

After the Japanese retreated, Yang Ling sent people to search for traces of their retreat, but found that the route of their retreat was completely different from what he had expected. According to the clues along the way, Yang Ling speculated that the Japanese retreat route was different from his own. It was obvious that the Japanese pirates' marching ideas were similar to his own, and they all thought that their targets were in the villages or fields outside the city. Who would have thought that the Japanese army would choose to outflank the city from inside in an attempt to capture the city.

Yang Ling suddenly found it incredible, and he couldn't help wondering if the Japanese pirates had let him go on purpose, setting up a maze to attract his attention and create a good opportunity for them to seize the city. However, this guess was quickly rejected, and Yang Ling believed that the Japanese pirates chose to take a detour for the sake of safety.

Under such circumstances, the Japanese pirates' choice to seize the city was like throwing an egg against a stone, which was just asking for trouble.

"These bastards, aren't they afraid that I will take the opportunity to chase them?" Yang Ling sneered.

Although the Japanese retreat route was completely different from his own, Yang Ling believed that the Japanese would repeat the same mistake sooner or later, so he was too lazy to chase them.

However, Yang Ling still had doubts about the reason why the Japanese withdrew. He believed that the Japanese pirates must have some conspiracy and tricks hidden, so they must be extra cautious.

After thinking this through, Yang Ling ordered his men to seal the city gates tightly and sent scouts to conduct reconnaissance.

The Japanese pirates were indeed cunning. Soon after they evacuated, they quietly hid in the nearby woods. The scouts found traces of the Japanese in the dense trees and hurried back to report. When Yang Ling heard that the Japanese had indeed returned, he immediately led his men to the woods to kill them.

Yang Ling arrived at the woods and saw from afar hundreds of Japanese pirates hiding in the dense forest, shooting with bows and arrows and blades at the officers and soldiers who came forward to stop them.

Seeing this, Yang Ling shouted, "Kill!" and then rushed into the woods with a knife in hand.

The Japanese pirates' bows and arrows and hidden weapons posed too great a threat. In order to avoid accidentally hurting his own people, Yang Ling led his soldiers to charge forward with swords.

Yang Ling led his men to charge, but the Japanese pirates' bows and arrows and hidden weapons were not very effective. In their panic, they did not take into account the range limit and were rushed into the woods by Yang Ling's men. Yang Ling's men charged among the Japanese pirates, blood spurted wherever they passed, and broken limbs flew everywhere. The scene was very terrifying.

Yang Ling hacked and killed the Japanese left and right among the Japanese, like a tiger among a flock of sheep. After a short while, he killed more than 30 people and frightened many Japanese soldiers.

The remaining Japanese soldiers turned and ran away when they saw the situation was not good. Yang Ling would not let them escape, and chased them bravely with his long-handled sword in hand. Yang Ling kept beheading the Japanese soldiers and soon killed them all, with only 60 to 70 officers and soldiers killed.

Yang Ling led his men to support the trapped soldiers and found that the Japanese did not take the opportunity to seize the city wall, but were just burning, killing and looting outside the city.

However, the city wall had been breached by the Japanese, and the defenders could only retreat inside the city wall and endure the attack. The situation was extremely critical. Yang Ling did not dare to delay and immediately led 500 men to reinforce the city. At the same time, he ordered the county lieutenant Wang Yuanbao to lead 500 men to guard the east of the city to ensure the safety of the north.

As soon as Yang Ling and his men arrived at the city wall, they saw raging flames and billowing smoke in the east of the city, and screams and howls were heard. Yang Ling hurriedly urged his men to speed up and came to the east of the city.

Yang Ling led his men to the battlefield and gasped when he saw the scene in the east of the city.

The battlefield was filled with corpses like mountains and blood like rivers. The broken limbs of the Japanese soldiers could be seen everywhere, and the groaning and wailing of the defeated soldiers and the wounded were everywhere.

It turned out that the Japanese raid failed, so they changed their strategy and began burning houses and food supplies to force the defenders to leave the city to fight.

These Japanese were really fierce, not only were their siege weapons sharp, but their tactics were also sophisticated and vicious. As soon as the defending soldiers rushed out of the city, they were hit by the arrows shot by the Japanese.

The officers and soldiers on the top of the city wall fell down one after another, and then the Japanese soldiers rushed into the city and began to slaughter the defending soldiers. Seeing this, the officers and soldiers on the top of the city wall immediately turned back and withdrew into the city. The Japanese soldiers burned, killed and looted in the city, and the officers and soldiers had no time to resist, and the casualties became more and more serious.

When Yang Ling arrived, the defenders were almost all dead or wounded, with only 180 men remaining to resist. Yang Ling knew that the defenders could not stop the Japanese attack, so he commanded his troops to assist the defenders in fighting and desperately prevent the Japanese from taking the city.

The battle intensified. The Japanese used bows and swords in the narrow space and their attack was very fierce. The soldiers on the city wall were defeated one after another.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yang Ling immediately ordered his soldiers to carry wood from the city, set up ladders, and prepare to climb up the city wall.

When the Japanese saw Yang Ling's men preparing to climb the city wall, how could they let them do so easily? They threw away their weapons and rushed towards Yang Ling's troops with swords and axes, trying to block Yang Ling. The result of the Japanese doing so was that they made way for Yang Ling's men, who successfully climbed onto the top of the city wall.

The Japanese archers and swordsmen rushed to the foot of the city and tried to climb the tower, but they were met with stubborn resistance from Yang Ling's generals. Yang Ling personally led his men to climb the tower, and the Japanese failed to land and had to give up landing. After Yang Ling led his men to the top of the city, the Japanese immediately swarmed up and fought with Yang Ling's troops on the top of the city. Although the Japanese were strong, they still collapsed in front of Yang Ling's men. Yang Ling personally led his men to strangle the Japanese, and many Japanese soldiers died under their swords.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Japanese immediately turned around and fled. Yang Ling had no intention of continuing to chase them, so he led his men back to the city to rest.

After a short fierce battle, the Japanese suffered more than a thousand casualties, but the casualties of the defenders on the top of the city were even greater, with more than fifty people killed and almost losing their combat effectiveness. Yang Ling immediately summoned the soldiers of the city defense camp and asked them to be responsible for treating the wounded and cleaning the battlefield.

The fighting inside the city finally stopped, but the shouts and cries of killing were still deafening outside the city. Yang Ling didn't know whether this attack was a feint or a real sneak attack by the Japanese, but he didn't want to wait for bad news, so he immediately led 2,000 cavalry out of the city to reinforce.

The news that the Japanese had captured Linjiang City quickly spread to other counties, and alarms were immediately sounded in other counties, and the Japanese took advantage of the opportunity to attack them.

When Yang Ling arrived at the south of the city, he found that the Japanese were attacking fiercely and had already captured the west of the city and were about to attack the city wall. Yang Ling immediately led his cavalry to make a detour from the flank, preparing to cut off the Japanese retreat.

The Japanese were bombarding fiercely when they suddenly heard the sound of wind whistling behind them and immediately realized that something was wrong.

The Japanese turned their heads and saw countless black spots rising into the sky, then flying across the night sky to their heads, and then falling into the middle of the Japanese with a crackling sound.

The sound of "bang bang bang" like popping beans continued, and the Japanese were immediately thrown to the ground. The Japanese were terrified and looked for cover to hide.

The Japanese arrows and feathers flew towards the enemy in an overwhelming manner, but the enemy was prepared and organized a defense in the air, and quickly blocked the arrows shot by the Japanese in front of them.

The Japanese were horrified when they saw this. At this time, Yang Ling's troops took advantage of the victory and attacked. The Japanese were immediately caught in a situation where they were attacked from both sides. The Japanese were overwhelmed and began to flee in all directions. Yang Ling's men chased them relentlessly and the Japanese were completely defeated.

Yang Ling's men captured nearly a thousand people and seized countless weapons and money.

After the Japanese hastily evacuated Linjiang, Yang Ling left two thousand troops to guard the city gate, sent out scouts to investigate the situation nearby, and led the others to hurriedly return to the capital.

After Yang Ling returned to his mansion, he first sent someone to inform Zhang Zhong and asked him to lead his troops to provide assistance. Then he summoned Li Yu, the head of the General Staff, to his mansion to discuss matters.

Yang Ling paced back and forth anxiously in the living room and said to the chief of the General Staff: "Li Siye, you have seen today how powerful the Japanese are. The Japanese warships are loaded with a large number of catapults and crossbows, and the number of artillery is not less than ours. If we continue to fight like this, we will definitely suffer. I would like to ask you to immediately organize craftsmen to manufacture catapults and build a water fort."

"Make a catapult?" Li Yu asked puzzledly.

"That's right. I'm worried that the Japanese will attack again tonight because we don't have enough defenders on the city walls. If the Japanese attack again tonight, we won't be able to resist at all and can only rely on catapults and chevaux de frise to delay time. So I decided to start building fortifications tomorrow and set up a defense line at the port terminal to ensure that everything is safe." Yang Ling said in a deep voice.

Li Yu frowned and said, "Sir, building fortifications requires a large amount of money. We don't have enough money now, and I'm afraid we can't afford to build fortifications."

Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said, "Of course I know that building fortifications will cost a huge amount of money, but unless we give up Linjiang City, we have to defend this city. I want to borrow money to build fortifications just to be on the safe side. I hope Li Siye can understand!"

Li Yu nodded in agreement, and then said: "Sir, the food we have stored in Linjiang City is only enough to support us for about half a year. If we continue to hold on, we can only hold on for another three months at most. If we give up Linjiang City now, how will we live?"

Yang Ling sighed and said, "I never expected this situation. I have already written to the capital, asking for support. I believe that the capital will be able to send reinforcements to help us soon."

Li Yu relaxed a lot and said with a smile: "With the reinforcements from the capital, we don't have to be afraid of the Japanese anymore. We will immediately arrange for people to build fortifications and strive to restore defense as soon as possible!"

"Well, thank you, Siye Li!" Yang Ling bowed in thanks.

Yang Ling walked out of the General Staff Office and looked up at the dark night, feeling oppressed. The Japanese invasion made the situation extremely dangerous. It has only been a few days, and the Japanese dared to invade. No wonder the Japanese monarch and ministers are so rampant. However, Yang Ling had no doubt that as long as he continued to garrison Linjiang City, the Japanese would be driven away sooner or later.

However, this stalemate cannot last too long. After all, the Japanese are pirates and will not give up easily. The only thing Yang Ling can rely on now is the reinforcements sent by the capital.

Thinking of reinforcements, the names of Yuan Zongdi and Liu Fangliang suddenly came to Yang Ling's mind. He couldn't help but secretly shook his head. These two guys are probably too busy to take care of themselves now. Since the failure of the Northern Expedition, the two were exiled to Liaodong. Yuan Zongdi was better, but Liu Fangliang was miserable. He should have become a prisoner now.

Yang Ling put aside his distracting thoughts and went back to his house to wash up and rest. The next morning, after breakfast, Yang Ling went to see the governor Hu Zongxian to report the Japanese invasion.

Hu Zongxian didn't sleep well last night, and he looked very sluggish when he woke up in the morning. Hearing Yang Ling's report on the Japanese invasion, Hu Zongxian couldn't help but feel sad and sighed, "The Japanese pirates are cruel and cunning, and they are the strongest enemy I have ever encountered in my life. If the Marshal hadn't discovered the traces of the Japanese pirates in time and raised his vigilance, I'm afraid that the people of Zhejiang would have lost many lives again."

"Your Excellency is seriously wrong. I believe that the main reason why the Japanese pirates have been able to repeatedly harass the people along the Zhejiang coast is that the Marshal is wise and brave and has seen through the pirates' conspiracies and tricks. Otherwise, how would the Japanese have a chance?" Yang Ling flattered him.

Hu Zongxian felt comfortable with Yang Ling's compliment. He stroked his beard and nodded slightly, but soon his expression became solemn again.

"The Japanese will certainly not give up after being defeated in Linjiang City. I don't know when they will come back. I believe that the next attack by the Japanese will most likely be at midnight or early morning today. Marshal, I think we should immediately dispatch soldiers from the water camp to guard Linjiang City, and we must not allow the Japanese to take even a single step beyond Linjiang City." Hu Zongxian said firmly.

Although Hu Zongxian was upright and hated evil, he was not a reckless person. He knew very well that the Japanese were not easy to deal with because of their strong fighting power. If he really fought with the Japanese, even if he won, there would be heavy casualties.

More importantly, the Japanese pirates would harass the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian every year. If they were not eliminated in time, the Japanese pirates would invade again this year, and the people of Zhejiang and Fujian would be in big trouble.

Yang Ling snorted in his heart. If the Japanese really dared to attack Linjiang at night, the only outcome waiting for them would be death.

The Japanese didn't know that Yang Ling had a special ability, that he could see at night. Their purpose of attacking Linjiang during the day was to take advantage of the chaos to plunder, and then quickly leave the battlefield, otherwise they would be in big trouble if they were caught by Yang Ling. However, the Japanese pirates didn't expect that Yang Ling's night vision ability was beyond ordinary people, and they failed to sneak attack during the day and were beaten and retreated in embarrassment. (End of this chapter)