Chapter 142 Where the Cherry Blossoms Bloom
Lu Xiangsheng was lucky enough to be the detour general. He took a brigade of soldiers and horses to detour from the left side of Pingyuan River. According to the plan, they would go straight to the inner city of Kagoshima. He had only one mission, to attract the Satsuma Domain's attention as much as possible. Reduce the pressure on the frontal battlefield.
The dispatch of all troops and horses would frighten the Japanese country and let them mobilize the whole country to deal with Chen Cao from the beginning. Even if Chen Cao was all firearms troops, if the opponent summoned 300,000 troops as he did when he conquered Korea, he believed that he would be able to His current strength of 50,000 people may not be his opponent.
"The news we got from the Ryugu is that our army has landed more than 10,000 people this time, and they are mainly trying to cause trouble for the Satsuma Domain and have nothing to do with the shogunate."
Liao Yaowen was riding on a war horse, walking beside Zhao Xin and talking to Chen Cao.
"It's their problem if they like fighting among themselves. As long as they raise the banner of the Toyotomi family, hehe..."
Chen Cao gave a bad laugh, then looked at the team behind him: "To be honest, so many war horses are just walking money. Our appearance in the eyes of our opponents is also walking gold and silver. I heard that the Japanese country is jealous of ours." War Horse is a long time coming.”
Liao Yaowen replied: "What the Marquis said is true, but their financial resources cannot support our war horses. Now even the Tokugawa clan only has 800 cavalry."
Huang Degong, the leader of the backward guard regiment, smiled and said: "Old Lou, not to mention these five thousand people against the Tatars, this kind of cavalry overwhelmingly overwhelms them, it is like mowing grass."
Lou Xingye laughed and clapped the Qi Dao in his hand: "Old Huang, you really underestimated the Japanese. Their warriors are extraordinary. Please hold on to them for the last time. The warriors are not comparable to this group of slaves."
Huang Degong knew it well. When he fought against the gang of warriors in Ryukyu, he could clearly feel that the fighting power of these people was indeed not comparable to that of the gang of warriors in Liaodong: "Knowing this, after I break into one of their castle towers, I will The fire was set for them.”
"Report...
Lord Marquis, there is Pingyuanchuan in front of you. "
"Report...
Report to the Marquis that there is a Satsuma army arrayed in Pingyuan River, and they have placed horses and caltrops. "
Chen Cao reined in his horse, then took out his telescope and looked. Sure enough, there were long fences and many horses placed in the hinterland of Pingyuan River two miles away, and many vassal soldiers wearing bamboo hats were going back and forth. Running, it seems that he is forming a formation.
"Such arrangements should be attacked with artillery..."
Chen Cao felt that Sun Chuanting's character coincided with history. The origin of this fight was basically the same as that of Yuan Chonghuan, which was to focus on artillery. Perhaps it was exaggerated by Sun Chengzong. If the artillery and muskets were missing, he would not be able to fight. Maybe not that handy.
"How can you kill a chicken with a bull's knife?"
Tang Kainian rode his horse to the side and raised his hand towards Chen Cao: "Master Marquis, I will see that their troops are only five hundred at most. I will personally lead the troops and kill them all."
The supply of artillery will be insufficient in the later stage, and those who can save in the early stage must save. For a city like theirs that does not have a formal wall like Edo Osaka, using artillery to attack is simply a waste of shells.
"Dismount, follow the training drill, and push across. We have many soldiers, so don't worry about them."
Tang Kainian cupped his fists towards Chen Cao: "Yes..."
Feng Zhongping, commander of the second brigade of the first division, led a battalion in person. Next to him was Tang Kainian. This decisive commander became even more courageous after becoming the division commander.
"Commander, hit him with a thunder can?" Feng Zhongping asked.
Tang Kainian couldn't help but hit the brim of his hat: "You bastard, didn't you see that this group of people in front of you only has muskets and bows and arrows? The Marquis said, push it flatly, their fence and the horse are useless;
Muskets ready..."
"Yes..." Feng Zhongping immediately spoke up, then drew his knife and shouted: "Three-stage shooting, prepare..."
The Satsuma army behind Juma saw that their opponent was approaching, and when they were about to meet the enemy with muskets, they were hit head-on.
Under the attack of all firearms troops, after the first three-stage attack ended, not a single Satsuma army was left behind.
The captains who led the team were shot to pieces.
As the brigade commander, Feng Zhongping personally led the way forward, sent people to remove all obstacles blocking the road, and then removed more than a hundred Satsuma army corpses.
There were more than 300 Satsuma troops behind Juma. Seeing this, none of them could stand. The iron artillery team they relied on for courage was killed without a single shot being fired.
"Are they pirates from Toban Island or pirates from Ryukyu?"
The farmer had just been recruited to guard, and he couldn't hold the bamboo spear in his hand.
Another teammate holding a bamboo gun cursed: "Assholes, they are not pirates, they are the army of the Ming Dynasty..."
Tang Kainian and Feng Zhongping walked to the front hand in hand. At this moment, the bows and arrows in the hands of the Satsuma army could not reach the killing range of shooting, and they were just a pile of useless firewood.
"These people are obviously just remnants of the army." Feng Zhongping glanced at the Satsuma army a hundred steps away.
Tang Kainian said: "The Marquis said that the Japanese have very few troops stationed all year round. Once a war breaks out, the people around the city will be equipped with weapons. This system is no different from the guard system of our dynasty...
Their combat effectiveness is said to be very low. Once the situation goes against them, these people will be the first to flee. "
Feng Zhongping's eyelids twitched, and then he looked at these so-called 'remnants of the army' with a hint of ridicule. When he thought about it carefully, their behavior was no different from that of the guardsmen.
"Each company prepares and fires in sequence. After the three-stage shooting, follow the sentry order and fire freely..."
"preparation..."
"put..."
"Bang bang bang...bang bang bang...bang bang bang..."
"Bang bang bang...bang bang bang...bang bang bang..."
"Bang bang bang...bang bang bang...bang bang bang..."
The intensity of the gunfire was like thunder on a sunny day, and the fired lead bullets were more like heavy rain falling on the bodies of the Satsuma soldiers.
The Sakura City army, which had been transferred from farmers to soldiers, suffered such a blow and was completely unable to withstand it. After leaving behind the corpses of more than two hundred of their comrades, they quickly turned around and fled.
As Chen Cao said, when the battle situation is unfavorable, these Satsuma troops who are remnants of the army will be the first to flee, but the Sakura City samurai who are responsible for holding down the formation cannot suppress these soldiers who have lost their fighting spirit.
"Master Marquis, our army won the first battle."
Chen Cao has clearly seen the gains and losses of the battle situation from the telescope. Of course, if he can't win even the battle with absolute superior firepower commanded by Tang Kainian himself, then he has to consider whether Tang Kainian is qualified to be the commander of the First Division. position.
"Let's go, let's go to the Sakura City and see if there are really cherry blossoms to see..."
Liao Yaowen said ignorantly: "There are no cherry blossoms in this season."
But he was hit by Zhao Xinxin's scabbard on the side.
Even Hirata Masugao had never experienced defeat before. When he learned at the castle tower that only less than 200 of the 500 pioneers had returned, he felt that it was impossible to take the initiative again.
After all, even in the Warring States Period, five hundred men were the troops mobilized by a daimyo with more than 10,000 koku. Even Ishida Mitsunari, the daimyo castle lord with nearly 200,000 koku, mobilized only 4,000 troops in the Battle of Sekigahara.
"Send someone to the city again to ask for help. Recruit all the soldiers around the city into the city. They must hold on until the rescue of our team."
Hirata Masugao was a little disappointed. He didn't know if he could hold on until Shimadzu's troops came to rescue him.
.
"When Keicho created the world with war, the conquest of Kyushu took the longest time, and the Shimadzu family resisted the most violently."
Hirata Shoichi, who has already taken refuge, feels that the lord from the Ming Dynasty is much more reliable than his previous lord: "When the Toyotomi family came to recruit, they only sent 1,500 people to participate in the Sekigahara War. "
Chen Cao called Hirata Zhaoyi to ask clearly about the internal situation of Sakura City: "Well, I want to ask you, how many troops are there in this city?"
"The Hirata family is Shimazu's generational retainer. Their status is second only to the Kalashani family. After the enfeoffment, they became the lord of Sakura City. The stone height is 37,600. There are more than 150 samurai in the city who can be mobilized. There are about 700 troops in the army.”
The reason why Hirata Shoichi is so clear is that he was once a middle-ranking samurai of the Shimazu family, and his status was not low.
Chen Cao looked at the towering castle tower of Sakura City in the distance from the countryside, and then smacked his lips: "After entering the city, each of you will be rewarded with a beautiful Japanese singer."
The people behind him were already exhausted on the boat. After hearing what Chen Cao said, no one was gearing up. Only Sun Chuanting frowned slightly: "Is there something wrong with Mr. Hou's method?"
Chen Cao squinted at him: "Zhao Xin, let Master Sun come and observe your work tonight."
"ah..."
"I want to see if he can sit still and be pregnant like Liu Xiahui."
Xin Zhao smiled evilly: "I know this."
"The Marquis is really insulting to gentlemen..."
Sun Chuanting was a little angry, but he didn't know that Chen Cao had come up with a new idea: "When Emperor Taizu Gao established the Jiaofang Division, it was not just to give you, the literary men, something to rely on when visiting prostitutes..."
As soon as these words came out, Sun Chuanting's face turned green and red.
"It is to allow the soldiers in the army to follow orders more effectively after venting their personal feelings//desires, and then infinitely expand the combat effectiveness of the soldiers."
"This move has advantages and disadvantages." Sun Chuanting retorted.
Chen Cao nodded, and then said solemnly: "You are right. Soldiers doing this during times of war may strengthen the control of the army, but if they do it during peacetime, it will only reduce the army's combat effectiveness and morale. This is also the case in Jiaofang The main reason why Si’s official prostitutes were unable to enter the military camp in the later period;
But you also have to think about it, I am not an ordinary person. This method can be implemented in the future, but it does not use the women of my Ming Dynasty, not even the family members of criminal officials;
It’s too early to talk to you now because I’m afraid you’ll be confused, but I’ll talk to you in detail later. "
