Chapter 160 The whole country’s efforts
After thinking about it for thirteen days, a fast horse finally ran into Chen Cao's Dingwu Army camp.
The knight is dressed as a Japanese warrior, but he speaks fluent Ming Dynasty dialect. Needless to say, he is the spies of Jinyiwei who have penetrated into the Japanese country.
"This time the Tokugawa shogunate is headed by the second generation Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. The general selection is Sakai Ietsuji, the son of Sakai Tadashi, known as the leader of the four Tokugawa kings. The deputy generals are Honda Tadamasa, the son of Honda Tadakatsu, and Tadashi Sakakihara, the grandson of Yasumasa Sakakihara, Naotaka Ii, the son of Naomasa Ii, and Naokatsu Ii, all of them are descendants of the four Tokugawa kings;
Among them, Sakai Tadashi and Honda Tadamasa were the most brave, followed by the descendants of the Twelve Tokugawa generals and Japanese generals who directly led troops to participate;
The three imperial daimyo of the Tokugawa clan, the thirty-six daimyo of the feudal lords, and the fourteen daimyo of the foreign clan have mobilized a total of 570,000 troops. The 400,000 troops from the surrounding areas of Edo and Hokkaido have been assembled in Edo...
In addition, Mito Domain Tokugawa Yorifusa in Osaka among the three Goshu clan was the former general of the army. He led the Daimyos in Honshu and a total of 170,000 troops in Osaka to complete their assembly in Osaka and are now on their way to the Choshu Domain. "
There was silence in the tent, and no one spoke except for the sound of breathing. Sun Chuanting broke the silence and said: "The Marquis is really right, but the number of people on the other side is 70,000 more than previously estimated."
"That's not all..." the spy continued: "Because of the letter of Hizen Kingdom and the Toyotomi clan's large naval force, Tokugawa Hidetada made a concerted effort to commandeer all the sea ships gathering in the waterways of Edo and Osaka, and We have mobilized the ronin ships around Iyo Kingdom, and now there are a total of 300 warships and sea ships of various types. This is also the total number of available ships in the Japanese country except Satsuma Domain."
Chen Cao knocked on the table and said coldly: "They are coming from the whole country... How is Edo's defense?"
"Your Majesty, among the twelve great names of the feudal lord, the closest one to Edo City is ten miles away, and the farthest one is thirty miles away," the spy said.
Sun Chuanting quickly looked at the map, then raised his head to look at Chen Cao: "Master Marquis, we can reach Edo City in half an hour at the fastest. I want to ask you, which one of them is ten miles away, and what is the defense strength?"
The spy said: "The Sakakihara clan was granted the title of Tatebayashi Castle. This time, the family governor Sakakihara Tadatsuki led the troops as the deputy general and took away more than 11,000 feudal soldiers. There are still about 8,000 people in Tatebayashi Castle;
The remaining eleven clan daimyo were all over thirty miles away, and it would take at least two hours or more to lead the army to Edo Castle. "
"Is there any route for the Japanese navy?" Sun Chuanting continued to ask.
"Yes," the spy took out a secret letter and handed it to Liao Yaowen beside him: "This letter is from the brothers in Shikoku Island. I heard that the Japanese navy will use the waterway of the Seto Inland Sea this time and go directly to Hizen. country, and then lead the army of Hizen Kingdom as an internal response."
"Yes..." Chen Cao knocked on the table: "In other words, you don't know exactly where they will go?"
The spy nodded: "He is humble and incompetent. Although he has penetrated into the Tokugawa Shogunate, there is indeed no specific information."
After hearing this, Song Che turned to look at Chen Cao: "Master Hou, if we attack their naval forces on the sea route, will it delay our march to Edo?"
"Three hundred ships, even if our army is victorious, it will take at least two days," Chen Cao shook his body: "Tokihide means to abandon the Japanese navy, and then take a detour to the outer sea and approach Edo Castle."
"That's exactly what it means."
Chen Cao thought about it carefully and felt that this method was feasible, so he asked again: "How long will it take to reach Edo City after landing in Musashi Country?"
The spy carefully tried this route for a long time: "There is an official road, and the horse can travel for up to two hours to arrive, and it can take at least a day to walk;
In addition, Oyama Castle, which has veteran Naoji Ando among its lords, is located behind the port. If our army disembarks by sea, Oyama Castle must be pulled out. "
"How strong is it?" Chen Cao asked.
"Ando Naoji's health is not as good as before. He did not personally lead the troops this time. Moreover, as the only surviving member of the thirty-six generals of the Tokugawa clan, the Tokugawa clan respects him, and the Ando family also respects him. The next family governor has been sent to accompany the army to join the battle, and the number of troops left in the city will not exceed 3,000."
Chen Cao nodded with satisfaction after hearing this. After landing, he only needed to quickly clear the way with artillery, and he could capture the under-strength Oyama Castle in the shortest time, and then attack Edo Castle behind it.
"I have one last question for you..."
"Please give me your instructions, Lord Marquis."
"How long is the journey from Musashi Province to Heian-kyo?"
The spy was stunned for a moment, then took out the route map in his arms and looked at it carefully: "Master Qi, if the horse is fast, it will take about three days..."
Chen Cao nodded thoughtfully, and then ordered: "If you are familiar with the Japanese language, immediately report the news of the Tokugawa clan's dispatch of troops to Toyotomi Hideyori in Kumamoto Castle."
"yes..."
As soon as the spy left, Chen Cao stood up and stared at the map. After a long time, he said: "If I were Tokugawa Hidetada, I would mobilize all the troops and directly bulldoze Kyushu Island with the human sea tactic. At that time, even if it is our decision The military force will all die under their hands."
Sun Chuanting raised his eyebrows: "Master Hou, you mean they can summon more troops?"
"At least half a million more people will come..."
Sun Chuanting took a deep breath. He always thought that only the Ming Dynasty could have this kind of military strength. How could this small Japanese country have such strength?
"Master Marquis, when shall we set off?" Lu Xiangsheng asked eagerly.
After Chen Cao stood still, he immediately made arrangements: "We must take them by surprise, but the war here is really to provide them with assistance. In this battle on Kyushu Island, I decided to make Sun Chuanting the commander-in-chief, and Lu Xiang was promoted to deputy general, leading the third division to assist Toyotomi Hideyori won the battle of Kamiyagawa;
You two must remember that if there is any disharmony, the purpose must be to protect Fangjin Village, do you understand? "
Sun Chuanting was stunned. Of course he knew what Chen Cao meant. If the Toyotomi clan lost the battle at Kamiyagawa, there would be no room for change. It would be more than worth the loss to protect them anymore. All they could do was to minimize the maximum loss. Protect Fangjin Village, the largest port in the Japanese country.
"The lower official (last general) takes the order..."
As he spoke, Chen Cao looked at Song Che: "You and I will join forces and lead the first and second divisions to Edo..."
Song Che nodded calmly.
"Send the order, the army will prepare immediately, and leave for Fangjin Village to board the ship at midnight tomorrow..."
"yes..."
..
The night before Chen Cao's departure, everyone loyal to the Toyotomi family had gathered in the castle tower of Kumamoto Castle. Although the candlelight was dim, with the help of a large amount of fish oil, the castle tower was already brightly lit.
Toyotomi Hideyori just ordered people to send the spies away. After the palace door was closed, the palace was so quiet that you could hear the sound of a pin dropping on the floor.
"Five hundred and seventy thousand people...the Tokugawa family is already so powerful..."
I don’t know how much time passed before Ukita Hideie was the first to sigh.
"Tokugawa Mitsusada, one of the three imperial families, led a total of 170,000 people from the 14 foreign daimyo families to gather in Osaka. According to the journey of the Bunroku Battle, it would take at least ten years for them to drag food and grass to the Choshu Domain. In five days, it will take about twenty days to reach Kamiya River." Shimazu Tadahashi said in a deep voice.
"When my father conquered the country, only more than 300,000 troops were mobilized across the country. Now that Japan has been cultivating its country for more than 20 years, it has developed so well..." Toyotomi Hideyori sighed.
Sanada Yukimura laughed, and everyone in the palace looked over. Hideie asked with a smile: "Is it possible that Yukimura-sama already has a good plan?"
Yukimura nodded after laughing: "Sir Nobunaga won the battle with less in Okezama. It seems that I have a chance to become that person in Japanese history."
Everyone felt that Sanada Yukimura was too optimistic. There were only 100,000 people out of 570,000 people. How could they survive?
After Yukimura finished speaking, he regained his previous calmness. He looked at Hideyori very seriously and said, "My lord, after the Tokugawa army is deployed on the plains of Kamiya River, once the enemy's army collapses, what will happen will be huge." chain reaction..."
Hideie Ukita and Tadashi Shimazu were shocked because they had already thought about what Yukimura Sanada might do?
"Master Yukimura, are you going to be like before?" Hideyori asked.
Sanada Yukimura looked at Masayasu Miyoshi next to him, and then raised the corner of his mouth: "I gave up the general to Hideie-sama to command, and then he and Masayasu led 10,000 people into two surprise troops, from the valleys on both sides of the Kamiya River. Intersperse and kill directly towards the main camp of Tokugawa Hidetada's main formation. Once chaos occurs in this formation, the Tokugawa former army troops fighting fiercely with our army in front will definitely be in chaos. At that time, everything will depend on Hidetada commanding from the center. I’m an adult..."
"The surprise attack force is extremely dangerous. Back then, Yukimura-sama, you had to kill three Kagemusha to get the chance to get close to Ieyasu's main formation. Now..." Ukita Hideie couldn't help but worry.
Sanada Yukimura said proudly: "Today is different from the past. At that time, there were only ten Sanada warriors..."
Also, when Sanada Yukimura entered Osaka Castle, his entire army was only 600 men, and he was able to break into Ieyasu's main formation, but now he has a surprise attack force of 10,000 people. In comparison, the situation now is better than then. A lot.
What's more, this battle is supported by the Ming army. After thinking about it, even if the battle starts, it can end in the fastest time.
"Our army cannot afford a war of attrition." Shimazu Tadahashi immediately raised the most acute question: "The Ming Dynasty's grain transport ships are not enough for 100,000 people. Although I have mobilized all the grain in Kyushu, It can only support the army for one month at most, and then it will be very difficult.”
The three armies went ahead without moving their food and grass, and everyone fell silent again.
"Hizen country is close to the sea. They should have a lot of food. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain an army of 50,000 people. By the time the Tokugawa army arrived, they would have already starved to death."
Onoji said.
