Ch.231The Fire of Urus (1)

“I never expected the Japanese navy to be this strong.”

Irin murmured quietly as he recalled the battle.

Then he looked at his right arm, which still ached.

“It’s just a small scratch, but…”

The large-bodied Japanese warrior he had faced possessed tremendous strength.

If the waves hadn’t been crashing violently at that moment, his arm might have been severed.

“Not only was his individual combat prowess exceptional, but his tactical and strategic abilities were impressive as well.”

Irin’s assessment of Benkei was high.

This was because Benkei’s sudden leap onto the deck had initially seemed like a tactically stupid move.

For a naval admiral to board an enemy ship was essentially a suicidal act.

That’s why Irin had unconsciously dismissed Benkei as just a reckless fool.

But this was his misconception.

“Using himself as bait to deploy an encirclement strategy.”

While Irin and Benkei were engaged in close combat, the Japanese navy had been moving busily.

The Goryeo-Mongol-Liaodong allied fleet was unaware of this, mesmerized by Benkei’s overwhelming combat power.

They didn’t even realize they were being surrounded.

If Irin hadn’t come to his senses and ordered a retreat, they would have certainly suffered a major defeat.

Had they lost then, Irin and the Mongol and Liaodong fleets would have all become fish food.

“To face them, we need overwhelming firepower.”

Irin said this while reviewing the battle in his mind.

To reiterate, the Japanese navy was truly exceptional.

They moved across the sea as if it were land.

This meant that in the hand-to-hand combat that inevitably occurred during naval battles, they couldn’t help but lose to the Japanese navy.

There was only one solution to this problem.

They needed weapons that could project firepower while preventing the Japanese navy from approaching.

“If only we had such weapons…”

Currently, Goryeo’s only long-range weapon was the bow.

Gunpowder weapons were completely controlled by the Song Dynasty.

As Irin was pondering this, a messenger suddenly approached.

When the messenger arrived, Irin stopped his soliloquy and looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Weapons have arrived from Gaesong.”

“Weapons?”

“Yes. They say they’re weapons made based on manufacturing methods sent by our ally, the Mongols.”

Weapons sent by the Mongols?

Irin couldn’t help but look puzzled.

“Let’s go check them out.”

Irin and the messenger moved to another location.

In the large open space they arrived at, several weapons with long barrels, similar to Song Dynasty gunpowder weapons, were laid out.

“Have you arrived, General?”

“You! It’s been a long time!”

Irin greeted his subordinate, who had been his successor in Gaesong, with obvious delight.

His subordinate returned the greeting with an equally pleased expression.

“Have you been well?”

“I’ve been fine. I only regret not being able to stand by the general’s side at the front lines, leading the army.”

“Nonsense. More importantly, what is this?”

“Ah, this is a weapon called ‘Ulus’s Fire,’ made based on manufacturing methods sent by the Mongols.”

“Ulus’s Fire?”

“Yes. Hey! Set it up here!”

At this, soldiers quickly set up the Ulus’s Fire in the field.

A unique-looking weapon with a large barrel attached to a long pole revealed itself.

The soldiers then filled the barrel with something and placed their hands on the handle attached to the back.

“Fire!”

With a loud noise, something exploded inside the barrel.

Then an enormous amount of flame poured out from the front of the barrel.

Irin couldn’t hide his surprised expression at the majestic sight, like a dragon breathing fire.

“Haha! Did you see that?”

“It’s like a dragon’s breath from a fantasy. Projecting flames.”

“That’s why the Mongols apparently call it ‘Dragon’s Breath’ or ‘Flame Thrower.'”

“I see. But… I wonder if this will be useful in naval battles.”

At Irin’s words, his subordinate nodded as if he understood.

It was because the flames could be extinguished by seawater.

“You don’t need to worry. Ulus’s Fire spews such a massive amount of flame at once that enemy soldiers whose ships catch fire will find it hard to keep their wits. Moreover…”

The subordinate gestured to his soldiers.

The soldiers, as if they had been waiting for this, poured water onto the flames on the ground.

“It doesn’t go out but grows larger?”

“Haha, that’s right!”

When water was poured on the flames, they grew more intense.

This meant that if the Japanese navy tried to extinguish the fierce flames by pouring water, it would become even harder to put out.

“Then does this fire never go out?”

“Not quite. Pour soil on it.”

When the soldiers poured soil, the flames that had grown as tall as a person quickly disappeared.

Seeing this, Irin nodded.

“So it can be extinguished with soil.”

“Yes. Since soil can’t be obtained during naval battles, this will be a great help.”

Wooden ships had a limit to the weight they could carry.

So the Japanese navy, to increase combat power, tended not to load anything except essential tools to transport as many soldiers as possible.

This wasn’t unique to the Japanese navy.

Countries like Goryeo, Song Dynasty, and Dai Viet all had similar naval doctrines.

That’s why Irin immediately understood that this Ulus’s Fire would be effective.

“With this, we can avenge our defeat against those Japanese bastards.”

Irin clenched his fist.

He was burning with the desire to take revenge on the Japanese warrior who had handed him defeat.

* * *

“I hope Yoshitsune doesn’t have other ideas.”

Minamoto Yoritomo muttered to himself in a low voice.

This was because he too had heard the news that the Japanese navy had defeated the allied fleet.

Upon hearing this news, Yoritomo had expected his younger brother Yoshitsune to attack the Mongol forces that had landed in Nagasaki.

But contrary to his prediction, Yoshitsune remained unmoved.

This made Yoritomo increasingly anxious.

This was because most of the shogunate’s forces, or more precisely, most of the Minamoto clan’s forces, were under Yoshitsune’s command.

This meant that if Yoshitsune had a change of heart and retreated, Yoritomo could lose his position.

If someone else had glimpsed Yoritomo’s thoughts, they might have said this was excessive thinking.

But before power, there was no family or brotherhood. In fact, after unifying the country and becoming a daimyo, Yoritomo himself had tried to eliminate his brothers who were no different from founding contributors.

The reason was simply that they had the potential to challenge his power.

One might ask why he didn’t just entrust the forces to someone other than his blood relatives.

But entrusting clan forces to someone outside the family was unthinkable.

This was because they could absorb those forces as their own.

In fact, Yoritomo himself had absorbed the private soldiers of other families who had fought alongside him in battles against the Heike as his own private soldiers.

This meant that to avoid losing troops, one had to use people from one’s own family.

Anyway, as Minamoto Yoritomo was suffering from these paranoid delusions, one of his advisors approached.

“Shogun! We’ve received word that a large force led by the Fujiwara clan from Oshu Province is heading this way.”

“What!”

The shogun was greatly surprised and widened his eyes.

He couldn’t help but be shocked that Oshu Province, which had been an ally during the Heike subjugation, was on the move.

“Have they raised the banner of rebellion?”

“Well…”

“Speak clearly!”

“The Emperor has bestowed the title of Eastern Expedition General on Lord Fujiwara Yasuhira. With this title, General Fujiwara has gathered troops and says he will punish the shogunate for not following the heavenly command…”

“Huh.”

Yoritomo exhaled with a dejected expression.

This was because he had been so preoccupied with the Mongol invasion that he had neglected to keep an eye on the Emperor.

The Emperor, not missing this opportunity, had granted the title of Eastern Expedition General to Fujiwara, a potential enemy of the shogun, and ordered him to attack the shogunate.

It was such an exquisite exploitation of a weakness that Yoritomo couldn’t help but feel a chill.

“Summon Yoshitsune immediately. We must save the shogunate.”

The advisors were flustered at this.

The most senior advisor cautioned the shogun.

“Shogun, as you know, it’s not good to recall a general who has gone to the battlefield.”

Other advisors added their opinions.

“That’s right, Shogun. It would be better to receive troops from the local Onushi and defend ourselves.”

“Additionally, the distance between Oshu Province and the shogunate is far. It’s not too late to summon him when they are closer.”

“The Mongol forces are more dangerous than the Fujiwara clan.”

BANG!

“Didn’t I say the shogunate is in danger!”

Yoritomo angrily rejected his advisors’ counsel.

In truth, Yoritomo also knew that recalling Yoshitsune from the battlefield was not a good move.

As his advisors said, the Mongol forces were more dangerous than the Oshu army. If they lost to the Mongols, all of Japan would fall under Ulus’s rule.

The shogun knew these facts but had to make a different decision.

This was because deep in his heart, he feared that Yoshitsune might betray him.

So he wanted to recall him to confirm that Yoshitsune’s loyalty remained unchanged.

Keeping him close and confirming his loyalty.

Yoritomo believed this was the most important thing in protecting his power.

So he was following his emotions rather than reason.

“The shogunate must stand firm for Japan to stand firm. We must survive for Japan to survive!”

The advisors could say nothing in response to the shogun’s words.

“Tell Yoshitsune to return immediately.”

“Understood, Your Excellency.”

One advisor bowed and backed out of the room.

After the advisor left, the shogun raised his hand, instructing everyone to leave.

All the advisors and officials bowed and departed.

Left alone, Yoritomo silently stared at the wall.