"Merlin is right. Persistence is victory! Listen, everyone. As long as you hold on until the reinforcements arrive, I will reward you handsomely! I just said that the reward would be 100 taels of silver, right? Now I have changed it to 200 taels! As long as you hold on until the reinforcements arrive, everyone will get a reward of 200 taels of silver! And everyone will be promoted one level in their original position. A soldier will be promoted to a sergeant, a sergeant will be promoted to a squad leader, a squad leader will be promoted to a sentry leader, and so on. Everyone will be promoted one level in their position. If I go back on any of my promises later, I will be punished by heaven and earth, and abandoned by gods and men, and my whole family will die a miserable death..."
After listening to Hu Zongxian's advice, Zhao Wenhua thought for two seconds, nodded vigorously, and determined to hold on and wait for help. He raised his right hand high and loudly promised to the guards in front of him who were in danger that Shang Yin would be promoted to an official position.
In order to increase the credibility of his promise, Zhao Wenhua even swore a poisonous oath and brought his entire family along.
This was a feudal and superstitious society, where theories of ghosts, gods, and cause and effect were rampant, and people still believed in oaths, especially those that involved the entire family.
After hearing Zhao Wenhua's promise of rewarding them with silver and giving them official titles, and his entire family's solemn oath, the guards became brave as if they had a last burst of energy, and they managed to withstand the increasingly fierce wave after wave of attacks from the Japanese pirates, and even injured two of the reckless pirates.
Of course, the Japanese pirates soon retaliated against them. In one wave of attacks, five of the guards were killed.
However, with the promise of promotion and reward, the guards resisted their inner fear and held out against the attacks of the Japanese pirates.
"Damn it! Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet? They are just trying their best and won't be able to hold out for much longer."
Zhao Wenhua stamped his feet anxiously. He could see that the Royal Guard Battalion could not hold on any longer, and whispered to Hu Zongxian anxiously.
"It will come, it will come..." Although Hu Zongxian looked calm, he had a layer of sweat on his back and was very nervous.
At this moment, one of the guards in front suddenly shouted excitedly, "Look, look ahead, there are torches coming this way, and we can see quite a few people. Reinforcements are coming, our reinforcements are coming."
"Reinforcements are coming, reinforcements are coming." The guards looked up and saw torches coming from afar. A large group of people were rushing towards this side, and they all shouted excitedly.
Zhao Wenhua and Hu Zongxian also saw the team coming from afar, looked at each other, and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Huh... Here they come! The reinforcements are finally here!!"
Zhao Wenhua's brows were filled with joy and he breathed a long sigh of relief. He couldn't suppress his inner excitement.
Hu Zongxian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. That was great. The reinforcements had finally arrived. His gamble of holding on and waiting for help paid off.
After seeing the reinforcements, hope became reality and victory was at hand. The guards became more combat-ready.
Because the Japanese pirates had their backs to the rear, they only noticed people coming from behind when they heard the Ming army shouting excitedly that reinforcements were coming.
"Baka! Which team made such a mistake that the Ming army came to support the central army so quickly?!"
Nakamura Yukiji was about to break through the last line of defense of the Ming people. The highest official of the Ming sea sacrifice and the imperial edict were all within his grasp. However, when he heard the news that the Ming army had reinforcements, he could not help but curse angrily.
After scolding, Nakamura Yukiji pointed to a young Japanese pirate and ordered him, "Oda-kun, take your team of 20 people and block the Ming reinforcements. Don't let them get close. If they break through, you will commit suicide by disembowelment!"
"Hey! We will kill the reinforcements of the Ming people! Send their heads to the Ming dog officials on the opposite side."
Oda Nagaken was very excited and led his Japanese pirates to rush towards the team with torches on the opposite side.
"Everyone, follow me, let's end the battle before the Ming reinforcements arrive!" Nakamura Yukiji shouted loudly, holding a Japanese sword, and bravely rushed towards Zhao Wenhua's bodyguards, unstoppable.
When the other Japanese pirates saw their leader leading the way, they all rushed forward as if they were injected with chicken blood, each one more fearless than the other.
In an instant, more than a dozen Ming soldiers were chopped down by them, and the number of Ming army guards who resisted was less than a hundred.
If they hadn't been stimulated by the news of reinforcements, they would have collapsed at this moment.
Oda Nagaken and his twenty Japanese pirates had only rushed about twenty meters when they heard a shrill whistle and some chattering sounds.
Oda Nagaken hesitated and stopped, then he heard the Japanese pirates beside him shouting excitedly, "Look at their clothes, they are our people, not Ming reinforcements."
Then, Oda Nagaken saw black figures under the torches, they were the people in night clothes.
It turns out that he is one of our own.
"Hahaha, we were worried for nothing." Oda Nagaken's face instantly lit up and he burst into laughter.
"Kill the light dogs, kill them!"
"Kill him!"
The black figure rushing over from the opposite side was whistling shrilly and shouting "Kill!"
Hearing a burst of Japanese language "Sha Ge Ge", Oda Nagaken became even happier. This is our person, there is no doubt about it.
"Kill all the Ming dogs, charge. Brothers on the opposite side, don't accept us, go and support the leader, don't give the Ming dogs a chance to breathe. We will follow closely! On the way here, we saw a camp. The Ming army has quelled the turmoil and is organizing the troops. We don't have much time, we can't waste a moment, you go and support the leader, we will kill them right away."
In the dark, a figure jumped out of the team and ran towards Oda Nagaken from a distance, while shouting at Oda Nagaken and the others, informing them of an urgent military situation and urging Oda Nagaken to turn around and besiege the Ming army without wasting time.
"Hey! What you said makes sense! There are just too many Ming dogs! We can't delay any longer! We'll kill them first, and you guys follow quickly!
”
When Oda Nagaken heard that the Ming army was organizing its troops and was about to support the central army, he suddenly became nervous. When he heard the suggestion of the Japanese pirates on the opposite side, he agreed with it and nodded without hesitation. He turned around and left with the 20 Japanese pirates under his command to support Nakamura Yukiji.
"Baga, why are you back? You're dead!" Nakamura Yukiji became furious when he saw Oda Nagaken returning.
"Lord Nakamura, please calm down. The troops on the other side are not Ming reinforcements, but our reinforcements." Oda Nagaken hurriedly explained.
"Our reinforcements?"
Nakamura Yukiji was stunned for a moment, and the next second he heard a shrill whistle and a group of screams. He squinted his eyes and vaguely saw the black figures under the torches, and was immediately overjoyed.
"Yohoo, yohoo, our reinforcements are here, the Ming army is doomed! Hahahaha..." Nakamura Yukiji laughed triumphantly.
"Hahaha, those Ming dogs are happy for nothing. Our reinforcements have arrived." The Japanese pirates also laughed.