Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 350: Destroy the Otomo Family (Thanks to book friend 2021...6054/Jianli crayfish monthly ticket!)
The emperor and his ministers discussed for several days and selected the officials and troops to be sent to Beiming. After a few days of preparation, they immediately set out from Bianliang.

Half a month later, after consultation among the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, the vast land of Beiming was divided into three major regions: Northeast Ming, Central Beiming, and Northwest Ming. At present, there are only a few hundred thousand barbarians in clan tribes in the entire Beiming, and the area is vast and sparsely populated.

Therefore, each region was divided into only twenty states, about ten thousand barbarians, and more than ten tribes.

Hundreds of thousands of exiles who are currently building cities and serving sentences in the Nanbei Ming area that was first conquered in the 25th year of Kaixi will also go to the heart of the Beiming area to build cities and reclaim wasteland.

On June 18th of the 27th year of Kaixi, a secret report from Dai Qi, the governor of Longxiangwei in Fusang, arrived before the Emperor Chai Zongxun of the Great Zhou.

After Dai Qi led a thousand Dragon Guards to land in Arima Domain in Kyushu, Fuso, they had established a firm foothold in more than two years.

In March of this year, the war between the Arima clan and the Otomo clan had lasted for four years. After a long battle, the Arima clan, with its small territory and small population, could no longer fight against the enemy and was defeated step by step, with only 5,000 soldiers left.

At this time, the head of the Arima family, Arima Harumatsu, was in a hurry and thought of Wang Yao (pseudonym of Dai Qi), a wealthy merchant family who had fled from "Goryeo". He knew that the thousands of generals and servants under his command were all elite soldiers.

So he summoned Wang Yao to the Daimyo mansion and made a promise that "if you help the Arima family defeat the Otomo family, you will have to cede one state as compensation."

Dai Qi declined the offer, saying that his own troops were few and could not defeat the Otomo family, which had tens of thousands of soldiers.

Arima Harumatsu knew that the family's survival was at stake, so he asked Dai Qigu for help.

It was not until Arima Harumatsu agreed to the Twenty-One Demands, which could be described as "humiliating and detrimental to the country," and granted Dai Qi and others business and living privileges, that Dai Qi generously agreed and helped the Arima family out of danger.

On March 28th of the 27th year of Kaixi, the head of the Otomo family, Otomo Takenobu, personally led 10,000 soldiers to attack the Torimi Castle, where the Arima family's residence was located, and destroy the Arima family.

When they reached the "Akawei Gorge", Otomo Takenobu sent scouts to explore the way into the gorge, and only led the army forward after confirming it was safe.

When the Otomo army had just marched halfway, they suddenly heard a sudden noise from the rear, and thousands of Arima soldiers poured out from the hillsides on both sides of the gorge.

These Arima soldiers pushed the huge trees and rocks around them, which rolled down from the hillsides on both sides. In an instant, they blocked the gorge, which was only three or four feet wide, to a height of more than ten feet, blocking the retreat of the Otomo army.

Seeing that his soldiers were in a state of panic, Otomo Takenobu of the Central Army shouted:
"Soldiers, the Akao Gorge is one mile wide at both ends. With the pitiful 5,000 men of the Arima clan, even if they cheat, they cannot trap our Otomo army in the gorge!
Soldiers, march forward with all your might for our master, rush through the gorge, and capture Torimi Castle!"

The 8,000 foot soldiers and 2,000 cavalrymen of the Otomo army bravely moved forward. After marching westward for more than ten miles, they reached the exit of the "Akao Gorge" and immediately gasped.

I saw an army of tall men wearing fine armor, each with two to four swords on their waists. Each man held a strange-shaped object that looked like a bow and a crossbow, aiming arrows at the Otomo army two miles away. They formed three rows of troops and tightly blocked a passage about a mile wide.

Otomo Yushin looked intently at the thousand-strong enemy force at the gorge, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

Seeing that the enemy soldiers were all wearing fine armor, each equipped with two to four swords or knives, and everyone had a calm and composed demeanor, Otomo Yuxin suddenly realized: this was an elite army that had experienced hundreds of battles, and their combat power was extremely terrifying!
After much thought, Otomo Takenobu finally remembered the "Koryo Merchant Group" which has become famous in Kyushu in recent years.

Seeing that the enemy was small in number but so powerful, Otomo Takenobu decided to send his men to negotiate first, hoping to bribe them.

An elder immediately followed Otomo Takenobu's orders and rode out on horseback, heading for the enemy at the entrance of the gorge. Dai Qi, the governor of the Longxiong Guard, raised his right hand, signaling the entire army to hold back and listen to what the enemy had to say first.

The Otomo family elder rushed to a safe place about 200 meters in front of the Ryujo Guards, where he thought he was out of the reach of arrows, and shouted:
"The opposing army is the Korean merchant group exiled to Kyushu?

This is a war between the Otomo family and the Arima family. It has nothing to do with you! Don't be foolish and get involved in this mess!
My master said that whatever benefits the Arima family can give you, my Otomo family can also give you, and even more!"

Dai Qi smiled slightly and said loudly:
"Listen, Otomo family. If your master can give us two states of land to settle down and allow us to run all kinds of businesses tax-free, then we will not interfere in the war between your two daimyo!"

When the old man heard this, he was stunned for a while and had to ride back to the camp to report to the head of the family, Otomo Takenobu.

When Otomo Takenobu heard this, he was so angry that he was fuming.

The Otomo family only had four states in total, and the Goryeo merchant group actually wanted to give him two states? Even the Emperor of Fuso did not dare to say this.

Otomo Yushin gritted his teeth and said angrily:

"How dare you, the Korean rats, be so rampant! How dare the remnants of a nation destroyed by the Great Zhou Empire run wild in my Fusang Nine Provinces?!"

Although they knew that the enemy was extremely formidable, their retreat was blocked by the Arima army, so the only option now was to fight with all their might.

After hesitating for a moment, Otomo Yushin waved his hand and shouted:

"Soldiers, the enemy has only a thousand men, and our army is ten times larger than the enemy!
Soldiers, rush forward quickly and kill them all! All the spoils will be given to the troops, and this daimyo will not take a single cent! "

When the Otomo soldiers saw that the enemy had bright armor and many weapons, and heard that all the spoils would belong to the soldiers instead of the daimyo as usual, they were greatly encouraged. They immediately rushed towards the Ryujo Guards, whose number was only one-tenth of their own, with 2,000 cavalrymen in the front and 8,000 foot soldiers in the back.

Dai Qi and thousands of other Longxiong Guards watched coldly as the Otomo soldiers rushed forward in a scattered manner, and watched as the enemy cavalry in the front row rushed within a mile.

At Dai Qi's command, all the soldiers drew their bows, and some officers even shot multiple arrows at one go. More than a thousand arrows shot towards the Otomo cavalry.

Under the astonished eyes of the Otomo soldiers, arrows flew through the sky like locusts. With the sound of "bang bang", the Otomo cavalry in the front row had their clothes and armor pierced by the arrows of the Ryujo Army, and they were thrown to the ground.

In front of the Great Zhou's divine arm bow, the Otomo soldiers wearing bamboo and iron armor had no power to resist and were as fragile as Lu silk.

Dai Qi and other thousand Longxiong Guards had an extremely fast shooting speed, almost firing fifteen arrows in a minute. Although the distance of two miles was close, due to the limited width of the gorge, none of the ten thousand Otomo troops who attacked in batches could get within a hundred meters, and they were all shot and fell to the ground.

After about an hour of fierce fighting, the ground at the gorge entrance was filled with Otomo soldiers who had died in the battle. Only 500 personal guards of Otomo Takenobu were left, while the Ryujo Guards guarding the gorge entrance suffered no casualties.

When Otomo Takenobu saw this, his face turned pale as paper, and many of the guards around him were trembling and almost unable to stand.

(End of this chapter)