"General, I understand what you mean. Please believe that if your country is at war with other countries, I, as a Dutchman, have no intention of intervening, nor will I stand next to any Japanese to confront your army." Gozer

Te first expressed his neutral position, and then put forward his own conditions, "But... I believe you also know that our country and Japan have always had close commercial contacts. We still have a business store in the Hirado Domain, where

Many of our people have been living here for decades, and I...can I take the liberty of asking you to order your soldiers not to threaten our property there?"

"We have no intention of destroying the property of your merchants." Zhao Song replied immediately after listening to the translation, "But a war is a war. If we have to fight in the Hirado Domain, then we cannot guarantee that we will not harm your merchants.

Therefore, for the sake of everyone’s benefit, I suggest that you discuss with the Lord of Hirado after you return, and advise him to remain neutral during the war like your merchants, and do not have to fight for the shogunate."

"Well...it's not good for us to interfere in Japan's internal affairs." Gozette felt a little embarrassed, "The decision of the feudal lord is beyond our control."

"Then please work hard, otherwise we can't guarantee how the situation will develop." Zhao Song waved his hand impatiently, "Okay, do you have any other requests? I am very pressed for time."

"I already understand the general's request... We will work hard to preserve our property." After Gozette frowned and thought for a while, he bowed and saluted him, "At this moment, I ask you to show mercy.

, allowing us to send a few ships to return the merchants who are unwilling to stay to Batavia, and report the news to the top of our company."

Zhao Song did not answer, but looked at Cai De, who nodded lightly.

"Okay, then I promise you, we can allow you to leave Japan, but we must raise the flag." Cai De immediately said to Gozette. "By the way, I have another request. Now that we are at war with the shogunate, we don't want to

You can provide any help to the shogunate, including selling arms. During the war, if we find a merchant ship coming to Japan, we will warn it. If the warning is not heeded, we will treat it as an enemy ship and attack it if necessary.

Shen. So you people who are going back to Batavia had better tell them about this, so as not to cause innocent merchant ships to suffer!"

Such an arrogant request made Gozette's face suddenly turn pale.

"This request... is too difficult for us. Two generals, I believe you all know that our company has always had a long-term and stable trade relationship with Japan..."

"Now that the two countries are at war, the shogunate is already in a state of distress. How can I still find time to buy things from your country? What's the use even if they are sent over?" Zhao Song frowned, "This is not our request, this is our order. This

Within a period of time, if your country needs anything, you can purchase it from us. Our country has a vast territory and rich products, so I think we can meet your country's needs."

Such strict requirements made Gozette feel very embarrassed, but he also knew that he did not have any chance to refuse the other party's conditions now. He could only find a way to return to Batavia first and then see what the company's senior management thought about it.

"Okay, I will convey your country's request to the company." He looked at Zhao Song carefully, "Then, I would like to ask you again... After the war is over, we can resume trade with Japan.

?”

"After the war is over, everything can return to normal. We just want to punish the shogunate for being too disrespectful to us." Zhao Song replied very seriously.

However, these words were actually completely untrue, because at the state council meeting he participated in at the time, it had been decided to engage in exclusive trade to monopolize Japan's trade routes after the war.

"I understand what you mean, thank you, General." Gozette thanked him again.

"Okay, my time here is limited and I have to continue the attack. If there are no other requirements, then you can go back." Zhao Song was a little impatient.

"Okay, general, I won't waste your precious time. Goodbye." Gozette saw that the general no longer wanted to talk to him anymore, so he had to interrupt the meeting and left Songshan with his entourage.

The ship sailed back to the Dutch merchant ship. They would immediately rush back to the merchant house and tell the merchants in the merchant house and the lord of Hirado the terrible news.

After abandoning the Dutch, the ship resumed its approach to Nagasaki at full speed. When they gathered off the coast of Nagasaki, it was already evening.

At this time, both Naito Tadashige and Soga Kosuke had received news that the Han army had attacked Kyushu and landed in Hakata Bay.

The report was made by Kuroda Tadayuki, the feudal lord of the Fukuoka Domain. Perhaps because he was scared out of his wits, he wrote very fierce words in the report. Xuancheng Han sent an unprecedented naval fleet, and the artillery fire was too fierce.

, immediately destroyed their fort in Hakata Bay, and defeated the feudal soldiers ambushing inland, leaving them unable to resist. Now that Hakata Bay has fallen, the Han army has also occupied the previous fort, relying solely on the feudal forces.

The military might no longer be able to resist their continued push toward Fukuoka, so he asked Nagasaki to send a large army to reinforce the Fukuoka Domain. His panic and fear were evident in his words.

After reading this memorial, both of them were speechless for a while.

They really hope to reinforce the Fukuoka Domain, but the defense of Nagasaki is a bit tight now, so how can they send a large army to reinforce it?

Nagasaki is a very important port and the city they are currently defending, so they cannot relax at all.

"I didn't expect the big man to attack so easily." After a while, Soga Koyu sighed and said something meaningless.

"This is expected." Tadashige Naito seemed much calmer, "The big man's ship is strong and powerful, and as expected, with their naval gunboats and such sharp artillery support, we can't fight them on the coastline.

Those who fight cannot be beaten at all. The feudal vassals have been at peace for a long time, and their armaments have become decadent. How can they withstand such artillery fire?"

When he said 'completely unbeatable', he felt slightly bitter in his heart. It was precisely because the shogunate restricted the power of each vassal so severely that the shogunate's defense force in Kyushu became so weak... If he had known it at that time

Just don't do it so cruelly.

But now what's the use of saying I knew it earlier.

"Nagasaki is also on the open sea." Koyu Soga said nonchalantly.

"Then we can only act according to the previous plan." Naito Tadashige frowned, "Are you ready to set fires everywhere?"

According to the previous discussion between the two of them, both of them had no confidence in the Han army that had the upper hand in blocking the land and sea in Nagasaki Port. They believed that it would be unwise to fight against the Han army at the seaside, so they decided to only conduct a certain degree of war in Nagasaki.

To resist, the Kurume Domain retreated into the interior when the situation was bad and relied on the feudal castle to carry out resistance. At the same time, in order to prevent the Han from taking over Nagasaki easily and turning it into a base for further invasion, we had to fight against the Han.

Nagasaki was burned to the ground and all port facilities were destroyed.

"We've almost done it." Koyu Soga's face was still very gloomy, "There are still some stubborn people left, and we can't take care of them."

They had spent several days expelling the civilians of Nagasaki. Even if most of the civilians were unwilling, they were still driven away by them into the wilderness outside Nagasaki. There were also some civilians who were really unwilling to do so.

They were reluctant to part with their family business, so they stayed in Nagasaki Castle and hid in the hope of luck. Since they had to pay attention to the defense at all times, Soga Koyu and his subordinates did not bother to search for this group of people.

Once they start setting fires all over Nagasaki, they will probably have a hard time surviving.

"Although we will evacuate Nagasaki sooner or later, the resistance here cannot be relaxed and we must go all out." Naito Tadashige did not think about the remaining civilians at all. "The big man's ships are strong and powerful, and we are beyond our capabilities."

, but the bravery and will of our warriors are hard to match. In the urban area, the streets are narrow and there are residential buildings. The terrain is very conducive to us, and we cannot use their sharp guns and artillery, so we must fight hard here.

The more people you kill and injure, the better.”

"That's of course...I will stay here and lead everyone to fight, to live up to my family's name, and to live up to the trust of the general." Soga Koyu raised his head, his face full of excitement, "But Laozhong-sama, you...

...You should go back to Kurume first, set up defenses there, and prepare military supplies for us."

"No!" Naito Tadashige directly rejected Soga Kosuke's advice, "I am the highest official of the shogunate in Kyushu. The two armies have not yet fought. How can I escape alone?! I want to stay here to personally supervise the battle.

Wait until everyone can no longer support us and then retreat together."

While they were still talking secretly, a servant came in and reported to them that the Han Dynasty's maritime fleet had arrived to assemble off the coast of Nagasaki.

"Is it finally here..." Naito Tadashige looked up blankly at the void outside the window.

At this moment, with a loud bang, the rumbling sound of cannons sounded again, and then there was the sound of the wall house collapsing, which shook the ground so much that it seemed like it was shaking.

"Master Lao Zhong, please supervise the battle outside the city. I will lead my own army and fight to the death with the Han thieves!" Zengga Guyou suddenly stood up and rushed outside. He shouted loudly, and the attendants led the horse for him.

Then he disappeared into the streets of the city with his attendants.

Compared to him, Tadashi Naito seemed much calmer. He drank the tea on the table calmly and then stood up amidst the constant rumblings.

Then, he also walked out of the door, then mounted the horse led by the attendants, and galloped away in the opposite direction to the direction Soga Koyu left.

According to the scheduled plan, Koyu Soga will be responsible for commanding the soldiers in the city to resist the Han army, while Tadashige Naito will supervise the battle outside the city and be responsible for the transportation of supplies from the rear. They do not expect to be able to resist for a long time, but they will ensure more casualties.

There were so many Han soldiers that the port could no longer be used by the Han people.

He led his attendants on horseback and galloped, and soon arrived at a hill outside the city. This hill guarded the communication road between Nagasaki Castle and the Kurume Domain, and it attracted great attention from the beginning.

It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and the golden light dyed the earth with an illusory color. Naito Tadashige went to the top of the mountain and picked up a telescope.

This telescope is very exquisitely made, carved and gilded, and is worth a lot of money. It was made by Dahan's special craftsmanship. It was originally Naito Tadashige's favorite thing. However, when he was playing with this telescope now, Naito Tadashige smiled bitterly.

One sound.

Guns, telescopes, battleships, it would be great if Japan could also make these things.

This thought did not last long. He immediately interrupted his thoughts, raised his telescope, and looked at the distant coast.

The sky was already very dark, and the golden ocean surface and golden sky were mixed together. In the blurry ocean, some blurry black outlines appeared in front of him, like monsters that had just been released from a devil's cave.

These monsters roared from time to time, and then burst out with brilliance. Countless cannonballs roared towards Nagasaki Port. When they hit the ground, they made even more terrifying noises, which made people's hearts palpitate.

The Nagasaki fort was also firing back, but their artillery fire was very weak, and the range could not be compared with the Han warships, so they could not bring much hindrance to the Han navy's artillery fire. Instead, they became the bombardment target of the Han navy and were bombarded all the time.

, under the repeated ravages of artillery fire, it became so miserable that its original appearance can no longer be seen.

Seeing this scene, although Naito Tadashige had been mentally prepared for it, his heart still felt a little tight, and the hand holding the telescope turned white.

If we also had cannons as good as them, how could such a result happen? His heart was filled with deep sorrow.

As an old middle-aged man, he originally thought that even if he was not perfect, he could at least do a good job in governing the country. He maintained the rule of the shogunate, weakened the rebellious feudal lords, and brought peace to the world that bid farewell to the Warring States Period. As a result,

Looking at it now, there are too many things that were not done well, too many...

Because of shame and anger, he felt blocked in his heart, his eyes went dark, and he almost fainted. Finally, he stabilized his steps with the help of his attendants.

The messenger to report to the shogunate has been sent out. I wonder what the shogun will think after seeing his report?

At this moment, the sky was getting darker and darker, and the sun finally set on the western ocean in front of him. As the golden light finally disappeared, everyone was hidden in the darkness. The Han ships on the ocean could no longer be seen.

It was unclear, just darkness.

However, during each round of bombardment by these ships, with the light emitted by the gunpowder, these ships were clearly visible, as if they were alternating between day and night.

"It's already evening. Send the order and let the troops rest for the time being." Zhao Song, who was standing on the deck of the Songshan, put away his telescope. "Everyone, prepare to eat, but the cannons still have to be fired. We can't

stop."

In his opinion, this afternoon's bombardment was quite satisfactory. It basically destroyed the forts that were still fighting back. Now Nagasaki Port has no room to fight back in front of them.

After suffering rounds of shelling, Nagasaki's coast also suffered serious damage. Most of the Japanese and Western-style buildings on the coast were destroyed by the bombardment, and due to the heat of the shells,
To be continued...