The azure firmament of Liyue has long been the dancing ground of seagulls and auspicious clouds, while the shallow waters of Yaoguang Shoal have always mirrored only fishing lanterns and starlight. Yet on this fateful day, the sky is rent by eerie thick smoke, and the sea torn asunder by ploughs of steel. More than one hundred and thirty massive warships, clad entirely in somber iron armor, loom like demonic isles risen from the abyss. Propelled by an uncanny power unbound by sails—one never witnessed by the people of Liyue—they belch plumes of black smoke and surge across the waves. Their bows are reinforced with stout ramming spurs, and within the gun slits lining their hulls glints the menacing flash of gunpowder. This is the ironclad fleet of Oda Nobunaga, come from the distant Eastern Realm.

 

On the bridge of the flagship stands Oda Nobunaga, donning Nanban armor and draped in a black battle surcoat embroidered with golden patterns. Leaning against the rail, his gaze sharp as the edge of his treasured sword Kirisaki, sweeps coldly over the silvery-white sands of Yaoguang Shoal and the faint silhouette of Liyue Harbor beyond. The sea wind, thick with salt and gunpowder, stirs his unruly sideburns. A nearly cruel smirk tugs at the corner of his lips.

"Foreign gods and boundless gold… all shall tremble beneath my banner of Tenka Fubu."

His low murmur carries the latent fury of a thunderstorm.

 

On Liyue’s side, a fleet of seventy vessels—led by a detached squadron of the Crux, supplemented by temporarily requisitioned merchant ships and escort craft—stands ready for battle. With Beidou, the Crux’s captain, absent on other affairs, command falls to several seasoned shipmasters. Liyue’s warships are light and nimble, her sailors masters of sail and rudder. Many tower ships are even fitted with modified Guizhong Ballistae. Bound by resolve to defend their homeland, they shoot forth like loosened arrows, charging headlong into the steel jungle of the enemy fleet.

 

"Fire!"

The commander of the ironclad fleet—whether Shibata Katsuie or Takigawa Kazumasu—barks a cold order. In an instant, thunderous cannon fire shatters the calm sea and sky. Black iron cannonballs streak across the air on a path of death, crashing relentlessly into Liyue’s wooden fleet. Liyue’s ballistae retaliate fiercely; arrows imbued with elemental power—enchanted with Electro or Pyro—dart like falling stars toward the ironclads. Yet they burst into brilliant sparks against the thick steel plating, leaving charred scars but failing to land fatal piercing blows.

 

To the horror of Liyue’s sailors, the ironclads utterly negate their tried-and-true tactics of ramming and boarding. When Liyue’s swift skiffs draw near to grapple and climb aboard, countless firing ports suddenly gape open along the ironclads’ hulls. Ashigaru arquebusiers line up in ranks, unleashing volleys of gunfire in relentless succession. Smoke billows thick, leaden bullets pouring down like a rainstorm. Liyue warriors attempting to board are cut down like ripe grain, plunging one after another into the frigid sea, staining the blue waves a haunting crimson.

 

One Liyue tower ship attempts to target the enemy flagship directly with its colossal fore-mounted Guizhong Ballista, only to be engulfed by crossfire from two ironclads in an instant. Splinters fly, masts snap, and the vessel soon sinks into the ocean alongside its undaunted crew. The naval battle devolves into a one-sided slaughter. Against an insurmountable technological gap and an impenetrable wall of steel, the courage and seafaring skill of Liyue’s sailors become nothing but tragic futility. In less than half a day, seventy Liyue ships are sunk or ablaze, wreckage littering the offshore waters of Yaoguang Shoal. Only a handful of vessels, relying on their agility and intimate knowledge of hidden reefs, narrowly escape the battlefield, bearing grim tidings back to Liyue Harbor.

 

By afternoon, blazing sunlight bathes the sea steeped in gunpowder and blood. Oda’s ironclads glide unimpeded toward the shore, lowering countless small landing boats. Enormous Atakebune warships even beach directly, deploying gangplanks. Samurai of the Eastern Realm surge ashore like an endless black tide onto Yaoguang Shoal. Ashigaru march forward bearing battle standards emblazoned with the Oda clan’s five-petal quince crest and wielding long spears, while arquebus formations lock into vigilant ranks. Samurai generals clad in ornate full armor stride onto this fabled land of wealth and prosperity, brimming with pride and triumph.

 

The landing unfolds with improbable ease. Before long, a massive military camp rises at astonishing speed, anchored at Yaoguang Shoal. Banners flutter in the wind, war horns echoing ceaselessly. An army of over eight hundred thousand (Note: This is artistic exaggeration; actual large-scale mobilization during the Sengoku period was far smaller) advances like an unstemmed black flood along the road to Liyue Harbor. Impeccably drilled and disciplined, they crush all sporadic resistance and Milleliri outposts in their path as effortlessly as breaking an arm against a chariot. Smoke signals rise from villages, commoners flee in panic, and for the first time, the stench of war hangs heavy over the land of Liyue.

 

Days later, the army’s advance reaches Guili Plains. This vast expanse of flat land was once the cradle of prosperity forged jointly by Guizhong, Lord of Dust, and Morax, the Geo Archon—now it plays host to uninvited conquerors. Oda Nobunaga sets up his main camp on a high slope, overlooking this fertile land steeped in ancient history.

 

It is here that another formidable force arrives as promised. On the horizon, dust billows high; legions bearing countless banners inscribed with Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain advance like marching mountains, their formation rigid and footsteps heavy. Crimson armor glows like burning flames beneath the setting sun. At their head sits the Tiger of Kai—Takeda Shingen—perched atop his camp stool, clad in scarlet-laced grand armor, his presence as immovable as a mountain.

 

Nobunaga rides out of camp in person to greet him. The two overlords of a turbulent era meet upon the open fields of Guili Plains.

 

"Lord Shingen, you have come right on schedule. A man of your word indeed," Nobunaga declares with a loud laugh, yet his eyes glint with scrutiny and ambition.

 

"Lord Nobunaga’s might is unmatched—vanquishing foes at sea in a single day, then marching unimpeded to this strategic stronghold in mere days. Truly a thunderous advance," Takeda Shingen replies in a steady tone. His gaze sweeps over Oda’s sprawling camp and finely forged armaments, his deep eyes betraying neither joy nor anger. "Now Liyue Harbor lies within reach. What is your next move?"

 

Nobunaga waves a hand toward the south, where Liyue Harbor lies, his tone resolute and unyielding:

"March straight for the heart! Let my thunder strike alongside your mountain resolve, and crush all who stand in our way. Let Liyue’s mountains of gold become the cornerstone of our conquests. Let the gods of this realm witness the true power of mortals!"

 

Two colossal military forces converge upon this ancient plain: Oda’s army, swift and cunning; Takeda’s host, steadfast and unbreakable. Camps of the black-clad Oda forces and crimson Takeda legions stretch connected for dozens of li, banners blotting out the sky, spears and blades standing dense as a forest. The shadow of war looms heavier than ever, descending upon Liyue Harbor—the city famed across the world for contracts and commerce. The tranquility of Guili Plains is shattered forever, leaving only the neigh of warhorses, the clank of armor, and the prelude to a Sengoku storm poised to engulf all in its path.

This chapter is based on real historical events. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, in an attempt to cut off China’s maritime supply lines, the Japanese Navy dispatched fleets to seize all coastal waters and sea areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong, Hainan, Shanghai and Jiangsu. This left the Chinese military facing severe difficulties in logistical support and material resupply.