Chapter 223: No Time to Dodge
The battle situation was critical, and Masamune Tokitada, making a desperate gamble, directly ordered the Satomi Water Bandits to launch an incendiary ship attack.
Soon, seven kobaya ships upwind of the “Chita” were directly ignited. Carrying raging flames, steered by a few daredevils, and using their last bit of sail power, they headed straight for the “Chita.”
However, now was not the best time to execute a fire attack tactic.
The firepower possessed by the “Chita” far surpassed that of Japanese medieval period warships. Its matchlock guns and falconets made it impossible for anyone to stand on the surrounding kobaya ships. Even if surrounded, with their movement somewhat restricted, their oars were largely undamaged, and they still retained a degree of maneuverability.
Under these circumstances, it was difficult for the incendiary ships to get close enough to quickly ignite it.
Moreover, the “Chita” was covered with a thin layer of copper sheeting, which, compared to wooden ships, increased its fire resistance by at least 500%. In the end, three of the seven fire attack ships were shaken off by the “Chita” bumping and nudging them, while the four that collided only managed to destroy a dozen or so oars of the “Chita” and ignite some of its externally hung bamboo curtains for fire arrows.
As for the copper sheeting splashed with oil, it simply wouldn’t catch fire. Even with the help of oil, the flames could not spread upwards to damage the hull. This small fire was quickly extinguished by the sailors on the “Chita” with seawater.
The “fire arrow” and “fire pot” that were supposed to cooperate with the incendiary ship attack were also ineffective. These two primitive gunpowder weapons, improved from the “fire-iron cone” （ prototype from the Northern Song Dynasty’s 《 Military Treatise 》）, were essentially ceramic pots filled with gunpowder.
The former were mostly thrown by hand, with a maximum range of only a few dozen meters. Those who dared to throw them had to be prepared to be killed.
Although the latter could be launched using devices like catapults, with a range of several hundred meters, their accuracy was extremely poor, and their explosive power was not high. Even if they landed on the “Chita,” they would not cause significant damage—the Wanjin Navy also had strict military discipline and was well-trained. A few small fires could not cause any major disturbance, and the flames were extinguished before they could spread.
At the same time, any ship that dared to fire “fire arrows” in retaliation would immediately be spotted by Wanjin junior officers and non-commissioned officers, and would be subjected to concentrated fire. Even if they were at a considerable distance and lacked a direct line of fire, experienced NCOs skilled in using matchlock guns would organize several or even a dozen matchlock gunners to launch a flanking attack for suppression.
Well, matchlock guns are also cannons, capable of firing in arcs for indirect attacks, although accuracy and power would be reduced by one level. However, this could be compensated for with experience, and it was more than enough to deal with unarmored water bandits.
As for the hull-boring attacks launched by the “Satomi Water Ghost Team”…
The “Chita” could still move, making it unsuitable for underwater hull boring. Furthermore, the “Chita,” as the first experimental “large atakebune copper-plated ship,” spared no expense, even its hull bottom was covered with copper sheeting （ to ensure the hull’s lifespan and prevent corrosion ）. Several water bandits, who had lived by the sea since childhood and were astonishing swimmers, after painstakingly cleaning off the barnacles and shellfish from the “Chita’s” hull bottom, were stunned to see a bottom that was far from wooden. One of them immediately burst his lungs, choked on water, and exhaled a stream of bubbles before sinking, effectively suffocating himself.
It’s not that copper-plated hulls can’t be bored, but it’s very difficult to dive in the sea and keep up with the ship, let alone rip off the copper plating on the hull and then bore a large hole through the thick hull…
If they were each given a set of scuba gear, it might be possible, but relying solely on lung capacity is pushing the limits of human endurance.
There was no further movement from the “Satomi Water Ghost Team” after they entered the water. The “Chita” didn’t even detect that the enemy had employed such tactics. Organized, segmented firefighting efforts were underway, and under the organization of junior officers and NCOs, continuous firepower was unleashed.
For a time, the “Chita,” with residual flames on its hull, appeared even more imposing, charging through the Satomi Navy’s fleet as if it were a divine being descending, unstoppable.
Of course, if the Satomi Navy were willing to sacrifice thousands of lives and desperately destroy all of the “Chita’s” oars, they might have been able to trap the “Chita” at sea. However, the Satomi Navy was composed of four major factions and dozens of smaller water bandit groups. They were capable of fighting favorable battles or evenly matched contests, but fighting against the tide…
They were not like the heavily armored samurai of the Imagawa Family and Matsudaira Family back then; they lacked the courage for a desperate final charge. Moreover, the “Chita” was not alone. The twenty-odd warships of the Wanjin Navy, which had initially avoided combat to guard against fire attacks, returned after making a wide loop, and began attacking the Satomi Water Bandits from the periphery.
In particular, the kan-sen ship where Masamune Tokitada was located was immediately chosen as the primary target. After all, this ship had fired signal flares and used flag signals, clearly indicating it was the new flagship. To capture the king, one must first capture the leader.
At this stage, all ships in the Wanjin Navy except for the “Chita” were ordinary wooden sailing and rowing warships, and their naval combat experience was somewhat lacking. However, in line with the Wanjin Army’s consistent practice since its establishment, their long-range firepower was always excessive. As soon as they approached the kan-sen ship where Masamune Tokitada was located, they began to concentrate fire with matchlock guns and falconets. Within tens of seconds, that kan-sen ship was riddled with wood splinters, full of holes, and several fires broke out.
The water bandits on that kan-sen ship did not hesitate. Those who were not killed by direct hits immediately jumped into the sea like dumplings, showing no intention of resisting.
Masamune Tokitada, worthy of being a veteran water bandit, had excellent survival skills. He dove into the sea before anyone else and, in less than two minutes, resurfaced on another ship, escaping danger once more.
“Your Highness, let’s retreat! Let’s retreat quickly!” As soon as he climbed onto the ship from the stern of the kan-sen ship, a petty officer from the Hyakushu Water Bandits shouted at him anxiously. Judging by his voice, it felt like he was about to cry.
Masamune Tokitada also felt a pang of sympathy. Although this fellow’s status was not particularly high, he was a veteran water bandit who liked to randomly kill people to establish his authority when robbing merchant ships, and often raped the female relatives of travelers. He was a renowned tough guy among the Hyakushu Water Bandits, yet now his lips were trembling. He wasn’t completely stunned, but he had completely lost his will to fight.
In the past, Masamune Tokitada would likely have immediately executed him to establish authority and prevent him from demoralizing the troops. But now, he completely understood this feeling and instinctively comforted him, saying, “Don’t panic. The enemy’s ‘golden ship’ is very clumsy. As long as we disengage, they won’t be able to catch us. Go send a signal now, and first stop the encirclement of the enemy…”
He felt that even if they couldn’t win, a calm retreat should be fine. The “Chita” was very clumsy and couldn’t move fast at all, and the remaining warships of the Wanjin Navy were limited in number, making it impossible to intercept them all.
“No, Your Highness, look over there!” The veteran water bandit was also getting anxious now. He disregarded the difference in status and directly interrupted him, grabbing him and making him look towards Shimoda Port. In that direction, a sea of sails indicated that a large number of merchant ships had taken advantage of their entanglement with the “Chita” and their significantly reduced speed to approach. They could even see the decks of those merchant ships crowded with armed sailors, shouting fanatically and waiting to board.
Masamune Tokitada’s eyes widened in fury.
He would normally not pay attention to these merchant ships. He had dozens of ways to deal with them all. After all, merchant ships were just merchant ships, and ordinary sailors could not defeat water bandits in a one-on-one fight. But now, with a “sea fortress” in their midst and the Wanjin Navy on their flanks, they were, in a sense, surrounded. If they were then hit by such a large fleet of merchant ships with the wind at their backs, causing chaos and a full-blown melee…
These merchant ships would not fare well; they would lose several hundred lives at least, but the Satomi Navy would also be finished, with more than half of them left behind.
But there was no time to dodge. In order to attack the “Chita” from behind, Masamune Tokitada and the Hyakushu Water Bandits had positioned themselves downwind. They had successfully intercepted the “Chita” and engaged in battle. Fragile items like hard sails had been mostly furled. Now, these merchant ships, with sails unfurled and oars rowing desperately, were charging like mad dogs. They had no way to avoid or escape, and could only wait to be rammed.
In a sense, they had dug their own graves.
Or rather, the “Chita” and the Wanjin Navy had become the “anvil,” the Wanjin merchant fleet had become the hammer, and they were the pig iron that was to be repeatedly beaten.
Masamune Tokitada, a veteran water bandit, knew at a glance that the Satomi Navy was doomed. The light in his eyes quickly extinguished, and his lips began to tremble. “Give the order, retreat, all retreat. Whoever can escape… escape!”
…
The Izu naval battle lasted less than two hours. Most of the time was spent with both sides maneuvering and circling at sea, competing in sailing skills. However, the pursuit lasted for a day and a night—the Izu naval battle ultimately devolved into a chaotic melee. The Wanjin merchant ships, shouting “Rescue Lord Yuan Ye!” crashed headlong into the Satomi Navy. Fierce boarding battles ensued on dozens of ships. Fortunately, the Satomi Navy had been stunned by the Wanjin Navy, their will to fight severely weakened, with several times more people wanting to flee than to fight. The Wanjin merchant ships basically won all their engagements.
At the same time, it was impossible to completely blockade the sea in this era. Even though the Satomi Navy suffered heavy losses, with their reckless flight, more than sixty ships still managed to escape the battlefield.
The Wanjin Navy naturally would not miss the opportunity to beat a drowning dog. The Wanjin merchant ships were also in a frenzy, throwing another round of cumbersome goods, using both sails and oars, and pursuing with all their might. They chased from the Izu Sea Area all the way into Edo Bay, virtually destroying all of the enemy’s atakebune and kan-sen ships—large ships couldn’t outrun the Wanjin Navy’s kobaya ships. Once entangled by a kobaya ship, with their oars and sails slightly damaged, they were doomed to be surrounded and annihilated by the Wanjin forces.
Kobaya ships only did this: catch up to enemy large ships, destroy their oars and sails with concentrated matchlock fire, and then pursue the next ship. This repeated process resulted in almost all the ships that managed to escape into Edo Bay being kobaya ships. Atakebune and kan-sen ships were coastal vessels, and fleeing into the open sea was a dead end. They could only flee towards their lairs, but most did not make it back.
In a sense, the Satomi Navy could be considered finished. At least until a new batch of atakebune and kan-sen ships were built, they would no longer have the ability to engage in direct combat.
More importantly, their personnel losses were too great. The water bandits on the atakebune and kan-sen ships were numerous, and most of these water bandits did not escape. A small portion were killed, and a large portion were captured. What awaited them was forced labor in Wanjin. Those whose crimes could be reformed would be reformed, and those who could not would be assigned the most dangerous jobs until they died.
Well, the “Chita” was useless during the pursuit, only carrying some damaged ships, trailing behind the main force like a large anchor, constantly receiving prisoners and conducting interrogations.
However, the interrogations revealed a multitude of crimes, including looting merchant ships, indiscriminate killing, robbery, extortion, and rape. It could only be said that pirates were pirates. Even though later comics and movies romanticized these individuals, making the profession seem romantic, in reality, true pirates were no different from beasts in human skin.
Some of the crimes were so heinous that even Yuan Ye, a modern person with extensive experience, felt disgusted. Therefore, he naturally canceled the prisoner-of-war status for these water bandits and treated them as murderers, robbers, and rapists.
According to Wanjin’s current laws, for these three major crimes, most offenders would be sentenced to forced labor until death, considered as waste recycling and utilization.
Masamune Tokitada, the great leader of the water bandits, therefore did not receive dignified treatment. Even though he was now a samurai and the head of the Masamune Family, he received no special favors.
After all, even setting aside his responsibility for all the actions of the Satomi Water Bandits, he himself was scum. The things he did to female travelers who couldn’t pay, especially the fate of a mother and daughter, were so disgusting that Yuan Ye couldn’t even speak of them, and they would be too much for even a novel to pass censorship.
Therefore, Yuan Ye pretended not to see when A Man, acting as a part-time military judge, had him publicly displayed hanging from the ship’s bow.
Wa people should have human rights and basic rights guaranteed, but to treat beasts the same way is to be out of one’s mind.
Thus, after sailing for a day and a night, the “Chita,” with the notorious Masamune Tokitada hanging from its bow, slowly sailed into Edo Bay, beginning its advance towards the Satomi Navy’s core base, Hyakushu Castle.
