480: Deceiving the gate

The fleshy Takahashi Tokki had originally wanted to claim this credit, but upon seeing Koyama Hanako and Ingen Takashige colluding, he had no choice but to give up. Instead, he laughed heartily and said, "Since Koyama is going, I will stay here and await the good news! Rest assured, when the time comes, I will definitely bring the Sea Clan to support you and leave none of them alive!"

"Hee hee, then I won't trouble you, Takahashi-kun! As for the Sea Clan, we will bring them along with us..." After saying this, Koyama Hanako glanced at the group of burly men and fierce women behind her and waved her hand at them, saying, "My friends, follow behind us shortly. But you must pretend to be in a disheveled and defeated state to help us trick open Shanhai Pass. Only once the gate is opened will you make your move. Any problems?"

The group behind her exchanged glances and nodded slightly. One of the leading burly men, with a ferocious gaze and a mouth that took up nearly a third of his face, spoke in a muffled, guttural voice, "I see it as just a pass; is it really as difficult to attack as you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ingen Takashige quickly said, "Brother Nian, we speak no lies! This Shanhai Pass is a mighty fortress of the Great Ming, built over a thousand years ago, with the highest point exceeding twenty zhang. Even if your Catfish Clan has the strength to take it down, I fear you would have to pay a significant price. It is better to use strategy to attack; this can reduce many casualties, so why not?"

"Hmph, you had better be telling the truth, otherwise I will certainly not forgive you!" Nian Kuo said with a look of disdain.

"Rest assured, Brother Nian! We of Fusang have long wanted to annex the Great Ming, so our understanding of the Great Ming is incredibly deep. It is impossible for us to provide you with false information! Believe me, with the cooperation of us Fusang, your grand plan of conquest will be incredibly smooth. By then, the entire Great Ming will be the domain of our two families!" Ingen Takashige said with certainty.

"You are wrong! The Great Ming is the domain of our Catfish Clan; you Fusang are nothing but dogs under our command!" Nian Kuo sneered.

"Ah... yes, yes, yes, I spoke too quickly just now. The Catfish Clan will surely become the masters of the Great Ming. We of Fusang will certainly manage the Great Ming well for our masters and provide you with a constant supply of resources and beauties!" Ingen Takashige bowed obsequiously, his face full of flattery.

When Yokota Ichiro saw his demeanor, his face immediately turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, but he did not interject. There was no helping it; Fusang could be considered a destroyed nation now, and his so-called title of sovereign was only temporarily conferred because the original sovereign had already been eliminated by the Catfish Clan. These people had only saved their lives by defecting to the Catfish Clan at the last moment, so they had no standing to negotiate with Nian Kuo and his group.

This is the outcome when one's skills are inferior; there is nothing to lament...

"Hahahaha... speed it up for me! I can already smell the fragrance of beauties. If you don't capture one hundred beauties to serve me tonight, there will be no need for you captives to exist!" Nian Kuo laughed loudly.

The other members of the Catfish Clan, as well as the other Sea Clan powerhouses who were vassals to the Catfish Clan, also laughed along. For a moment, the laughter was so loud that it made the towering ship tremble slightly...

"Yes! Full speed ahead!" Ingen Takashige shouted loudly.

The towering ship immediately accelerated, leading the fleet as it sailed toward Shanhai Pass...

Half an hour later, the fleet had approached the coastline. Because the towering ship had too deep a draft, it could not proceed in the waters ahead. Consequently, Koyama Hanako and Ingen Takashige, along with Nian Kuo and a group of experts, as well as countless subordinates, transferred to small boats and approached the coastline...

Once the small boats rushed onto the beach, countless people began to march toward Shanhai Pass. They were a dark, dense mass, and their speed was not very fast; it looked like large groups of crabs crawling along...

In order to trick Shanhai Pass into opening, these people had gone to great pains. They each pretended to be in a miserable state as defeated soldiers. Some had faces covered in blood, with broken hands and legs; some had disheveled hair and tattered armor; others were carrying stretchers with wounded soldiers whose heads were wrapped in blood-stained cloth—though, of course, they were also hiding various Profound Weapons inside...

From the beach to the pass was about forty li. They encountered no obstacles along the way. Before long, the people in the front arrived at the foot of Shanhai Pass, while Fusang People were still landing in succession behind them. However, there were very few members of the Sea Clan, with only a small number of experts mixed in among them...

Koyama Hanako took the lead and arrived at the foot of Shanhai Pass. At this moment, her robes were damaged, faintly revealing the white skin beneath. Her hair was loosely tied and draped over her shoulders, and her pale complexion was tinged with a hint of a flush. She did not look miserable at all; instead, she appeared even more alluring. Looking up at the defenders on the city wall, she waved her slender hands and called out in a sweet, delicate voice, "Brothers of the Great Ming on the wall, we are refugees from Fusang. We were recently attacked by the Sea Clan and forced to flee our homeland to come here. We beg the Great Ming to shelter us! We are willing to pay any price for this; please, you must take us in..."

"We beg you!"

"Please save us poor people..."

"We haven't eaten for three days and three nights..."

"We beg the brothers and sisters of the Great Ming to lend a hand. If this continues, we will die of thirst before we even starve to death; that seawater is simply undrinkable..."

"Open the gate quickly! The Sea Clan will likely catch up within a day; by then, we won't even have a chance to hide..."

"The Great Ming is known as a heavenly land, a nation of etiquette; surely you won't watch us refugees die miserably at the hands of the Sea Clan?"

"That's right, every nation is watching; we will broadcast this scene to the international community..."

"Exactly, exactly, we are all live-streaming; friends from all nations are watching..."

"..."

With Koyama Hanako leading the way, Ingen Takashige and the others behind her wailed and begged Shanhai Pass to open the gate and let them in immediately. For a time, the crowd outside the pass was filled with righteous indignation. Many people even held up their phones to broadcast the scene, intending to morally blackmail the Great Ming defenders while simultaneously using international public opinion to pressure the Great Ming...

It must be said that these tactics by Ingen Takashige and Koyama Hanako were quite effective. If the Great Ming had not received any prior warning, they would likely have opened the gate and let them in naturally. After all, at a glance, this looked like nothing more than a group of defeated soldiers leading countless refugees, possessing no combat capability. At the same time, if they did not handle this matter well, they would likely face pressure from international public opinion, putting them in an unfavorable position in international affairs.

Just as Ingen Takashige had shouted, the persona the Great Ming had built internationally was that of a nation of etiquette, friendly diplomacy, and a community with a shared future for the Blue Planet. If such a civilized nation were unwilling to even help a group of refugees, wouldn't that make their own persona a huge joke?

The defenders on the city wall saw the chaotic scene below, yet their expressions remained as calm as ever. One person shouted loudly, "You claim to be refugees from Fusang; what evidence can you provide? For example, documents such as a customs clearance permit?"

"..."