296: Chapter 297 Gods can't be relied on anymore, bastard!

However, in the next second, Wang Baobao caught a glimpse of the sides from the corner of his eye. Something was wrong. It was too fast!

On the left and right flanks, the swarming Goryeo Vanguard Army soldiers were like a flood from a broken dam, moving even faster than him and his personal guards!

They were howling, their eyes flashing with an inhuman, fanatical light, as if they didn't know the meaning of fatigue or fear at all!

That speed, that Aura—how could they still be the same Auxiliary Army that had been scared weak in the knees before?

They were simply starving ghosts crawled out of Hell, unable to wait to tear into living souls!

"Holy crap!" Wang Baobao was almost pushed to the back by his own men.

He looked back and saw that on the bridge, more Goryeo Vanguard Army soldiers were pouring down like dumplings being dropped into a pot, rushing forward wave after wave. Many stumbled and fell because they were running too fast, but they immediately scrambled back up and kept running frantically, letting out incoherent roars.

That scene was less of a charge and more of an out-of-control stampede!

Chaotic! It was damn chaotic!

But Wang Baobao was a veteran of many battles with a sharp eye, and he quickly discovered something was off.

Although this group of Goryeo soldiers looked insane and were charging in a scattered mess, after rushing off the bridge, they didn't run around like headless flies.

They naturally split up into units of a hundred or several dozen, spreading out in different directions.

Some headed straight for the nearest coastal villages, some infiltrated inland along rough dirt roads, and others dashed toward the high ground in the nearby forests.

It appeared chaotic, but in reality, their targets were clear and they were well-organized! Chaotic, but not scattered!

This was exactly the infiltration tactic he had drilled them on repeatedly!

He hadn't expected that with the blessing of the "Oracle," these Goryeo soldiers would perform so extraordinarily, executing this tactic so... wildly!

"Damn it, my men still know the way even when they've gone mad!"

Wang Baobao spat, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction toward this Auxiliary Army for the first time.

He swung his saber fiercely: "Personal guards! Hold the formation! Let the Goryeo Vanguard Army charge first; their morale is usable, give them a chance to earn merit."

Following closely behind the Goryeo Vanguard Army across the bridge were the Mongol elites led by the Marquis of Ruyang, who also issued an order: "According to the plan, disperse and set up the formation!"

Once the order was given, the Mongol cavalry immediately split off, set up their battle formation, and cast their net to catch the fish!

… The coastline of Honshu Island welcomed a commotion like never before.

The first to suffer were the scattered fishing villages and small shrines.

"Boom!" A squad of Goryeo soldiers rushed into a small shrine dedicated to an unknown sea god, and the squad leader, without a word, kicked over the altar.

"I don't care what god you are! You dare to oppose the Heavenly Emperor? Burn it!"

The soldiers grinned ferociously, throwing torches at the wooden structures and straw offerings. The flames spread rapidly, crackling loudly, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.

"Pah! What kind of bullshit god is this! It's nothing a fire can't fix!"

A soldier spat at the burning shrine.

"That big guy in the sky earlier, that was their god, right? He was poked to death by our Emperor with just one finger!"

"That's right! Your Majesty has invincible Divine Might! We'll trample this wretched island flat!"

"Burn! Burn it all! Leaving these broken temples is bad luck!"

Fanatical emotions spread like a plague. Driven by the "Oracle," these Goryeo soldiers had only one thought in their minds: execute the Heavenly Mandate and destroy all heresy!

Wherever the Goryeo Vanguard Army went, any building with religious significance was spared nothing. Shrines and temples, both big and small, ignited fires one after another across the land of Honshu Island.

Occasionally, a few bold Japanese priests tried to stop them, but the result was always the same—they were hacked to the ground by a flurry of blades.

"Boss, there seem to be some grave mounds behind this temple. They look pretty fancy. Should we dig them up and take a look?" A soldier pointed to the backyard of a burning temple.

"Dig what, my ass!" The squad leader slapped him on the back of the head. "Why waste the effort? We're here to fight a war, not to rob graves! Just burn it all down! Hurry up! Move to the next one!"

"Yes!"

The Goryeo Vanguard Army was like countless red-hot branding irons, searing fiercely into the body of Honshu Island.

They didn't rush to conquer cities and lands, but instead strictly executed the "Sweeping and Uprooting" tactic formulated by Wang Baobao, clearing out effective forces and symbolic structures near the landing point at an astonishing speed, quickly establishing a relatively stable beachhead.

… The appearance of the Holy Bridge, the defeat of the gods, and the subsequent storm-like landing and destruction by the Goryeo army were like a series of heavy hammers, smashing fiercely into the hearts of the various factions on Honshu Island that were still fighting over territory.

At first, it was disbelief, followed by panic. The fall of Kyushu Island had already made them feel the chill. Now, the enemy had actually crossed the sea directly, and they brought "Divine Might" with them!

Especially after witnessing the defeat of Susanoo's phantom, the morale of many Japanese lords and samurai completely collapsed.

"Our god... was defeated?" "Has Takamagahara... abandoned us?" "That bridge... is it divine punishment?"

The feeling of despair and abandonment hung over Honshu Island like a dark cloud. However, the ferocity and resilience in the bones of the Japanese were also completely ignited under this extreme pressure.

The gods can't be relied on? Then rely on ourselves!

"Baka Yaro!"

At a temporary lords' meeting, a short, stocky daimyo with a face full of flab suddenly drew his katana and slashed it fiercely onto the wooden table in front of him, sending wood chips flying.

"What time is it now! And you're still fighting over those few acres of crappy land!" "The enemy is already at our doorstep! If we don't unite, we'll all become dead fish floating in the sea!"

"The Goryeo people! And that so-called Ming Emperor! They are bullying us too much!"

Another samurai with a topknot had a sinister look in his eyes: "The gods may have left us for now, but the honor of the samurai cannot be tarnished!"

"Assemble! Immediately assemble everyone who can pick up a weapon!" "Let those Goryeo barbarians know whose territory this is!"

Panic and despair quickly transformed into a kind of desperate madness. The various factions that had previously been guarding against each other and calculating their own interests reached a temporary unification at an unprecedented speed in the face of the crisis of national extinction.

Order after order, like the fastest horses, spread to every corner of Honshu Island. The sound of assembly bells rang out in silent villages; dust-covered armories were opened, and rusty swords and spears were polished anew.

Samurai put on tattered armor, thugs picked up crude bamboo spears, and even some strong priests took off their sacred robes and donned armor.

From the mountains to the towns, from the east coast to the west coast. Countless streams of people, like brooks flowing into a river, gathered toward the coastline. Flags stood like a forest, and swords and spears were like a thicket.

In just a few days, a massive army claiming to be 200,000 strong was miraculously organized on the soil of Honshu Island! The swarming army, like a dark cloud, surged back toward the Goryeo Vanguard Army!

The sea breeze blew against countless banners, making them snap and flutter. A bloody battle of unprecedented scale was about to begin on the soil of Honshu Island.

Wang Baobao stood on a temporarily constructed watchtower, looking through high-powered binoculars at the Japanese army surging like a tide on the distant horizon, his brows furrowed.

"They move... damn fast." He lowered the binoculars, his face unreadable.

"Pass the order down: all units are to contract their defensive lines, rely on favorable terrain, and prepare to meet the enemy!" "Tell the brothers, don't be scared!"

Wang Baobao curled his lips into a cold sneer. "A bunch of rabble; they are just right to be used for... training the troops!"

On the horizon, the "dark cloud" formed by the Japanese grew closer and closer, eventually turning into a black tide that surged forward. The shouting was earth-shattering, yet noisy and chaotic, like tens of thousands of ducks quacking at the same time.