"Good! As expected of a Marine, he is indeed an elite soldier!"
When Li Yuanyin, the commander of the Army's First Division who was standing on the Fuqing with Zheng Jiangong and supervising the battle, saw the Japanese army being repelled cleanly by the Marines, he smiled with satisfaction, put down the telescope in his hand, and said: "Great, it's over already Seize the beachhead...so that my army can go up! As long as 5,000 people land on Sakurajima, Satsuma Domain's Sakurajima Fort will be able to defeat it, and we will win!"
"I'm afraid the Sakurajima Fort is not that easy to defeat, right? The Satsuma clan's samurai army should be very tenacious. They will not hand over the Sakurajima Fort until the last man is beaten.
In addition... I don't know where the Spanish fleet is yet? "
Zheng Jiangong is not as optimistic as Li Yuanyin. He is a true Japan-knowledge faction...and knows the stubbornness of Sazhou warriors!
In fact, they fought bravely on Sakurajima Beach. Even though they were severely wounded and killed by the Ming army's flintlock rifles, they still did not lose their fighting spirit. Facing the Ming army's bayonet charge, there were still many samurai fighting desperately with their samurai swords.
The battle on the beach... got pretty bloody, full of dead and dying people!
Of course, no matter how tenacious the Japanese army is, they are still at an extreme disadvantage - the Ming army's marines are only the first wave, and the two army battalions of the second wave have already begun to rush to the beach in sampans.
The third wave of landing troops are now transferring (they will board the sampans used by the first wave of landing troops) and will soon launch an attack.
If nothing else happens, the login has been successful...
But victory may not be so easy!
Officers at Zheng Jiangong's level saw more of the overall situation of this war.
In his opinion, what is going on now is not a war against the Satsuma Domain, nor a war to conquer Japan, but a Pacific War!
The small Sakurajima is actually the balance point of offense and defense on the Pacific Ocean!
Once Sakurajima falls into the hands of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, Kagoshima Bay can no longer be a shelter for the Spanish Eastern Armada.
Without the stronghold of Kagoshima Bay, it will be difficult for the Spanish Eastern Armada to gain a foothold on the coast of Japan.
Because most of Japan's land is still under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, it is impossible to lend it to the Spanish Eastern Armada.
As for the other important port currently controlled by the Satsuma Domain, Fuuchi Bay in Bungo Kingdom, although it can also be used as an anchorage for the large fleet. However, the entrance to Fu Nei Bay is too wide, more than 20 miles wide, and it is too easy for the fleet to be parked in it and be attacked by surprise. Especially when North Goto Bay, Kaurshima Bay, and Tanegashima are all controlled by the Eight-Nation Allied Forces, the Eight-Nation Fleet can completely reach the entrance of Fuuchi Bay without anyone noticing...
With Fuuchi Bay unavailable and Kagoshima Bay controlled by the Eight-Power Allied Forces, the Spanish Eastern Armada could only leave Japan's territorial waters and either go to Vladivostok or Busanura to station, or simply leave and go to the New World!
No matter which option is chosen, Ming Dynasty has obtained a springboard to use the Kuroshio (North Pacific Warm Current) to move eastward, and can also obtain resources from Japan to move eastward to North America.
With the three key strongholds of North Goto Bay, Kagoshima Bay and Tanegashima located at the starting point of the Kuroshio Current, the Ming Dynasty was able to transport a large number of people and materials to the American Prefecture at a lower cost!
Therefore, the next war between the Ming Dynasty and Spain is likely to take place on the American continent!
Zheng Jiangong knew this, and so did Admiral Garcia.
Therefore, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces attacked Sakurajima, Admiral Garcia led 22 armed Galen ships of the Spanish Eastern Armada and hid in Uchinoura Bay on the east side of Osumi Peninsula.
Uchinoura Bay is surrounded by the Kansuke family's territory, and the entrance to the bay is relatively narrow, less than seven miles away. And except for a small piece of flat land at the bottom of the bay, the rest of the place is covered with hills, and the seaside is surrounded by continuous cliffs, which are very dangerous.
When Garcia first arrived in Satsuma Domain, he once wanted to choose Uchinoura as his stronghold. However, he gave up Uchinoura after discovering Uchi-Kagoshima Bay with a more favorable terrain.
However, he is still very familiar with the terrain of Uchinoura.
That's why after the Eight-Nation Allied Forces fleet entered Kagoshima Bay, it quietly entered Uchinoura.
"Admiral!" Colonel Barbosa, the captain of the New Spain, quickly walked into the command room and gave Garcia a military salute. "The Ming army has landed on Sakurajima!"
"Wind direction?" Garcia asked immediately.
"Southeast wind," Barbossa answered.
"That's right... we just took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack! We'll attack tonight! Their landing operation shouldn't end so soon!" Garcia took a breath and added: "Order all ships to use up all the excess gunpowder. Transport it to Uchinoura Port by sampan...just keep enough for one engagement!"
"Admiral," Barbossa hesitated, "What if..."
Garcia waved his hand, "If anything happens, the Satsuma clan will need the gunpowder more than we do...and carrying so much gunpowder would be too easy to die!"
The Battle of Dinghai Anchorage taught us a profound lesson! Now the Spaniards have no way to restrain the explosive bullets. The only thing they can do is to remove the gunpowder to avoid being killed.
Garcia paused, "Let de Bescola's Pacific Star leave the team and take the samples of Ming Dynasty explosive bombs to New Spain... I think Spain will need them!"
"As you command, I will make arrangements right away!"
Garcia's order did not keep the Spanish fleet busy for too long. In the afternoon of that day, a San Andre flag was raised on the mast of the New Spain.
Admiral Garcia officially issued his combat order: "The Spanish Navy will fight to the end!"
22 Spanish armed galenic ships flying the San Andre flag, then slowly sailed out of Uchinoura Bay under the leadership of the New Spain, then turned a bay in the sea and formed two columns. The thrust of the southeasterly wind quickly moved towards the Osumi Strait.
As long as they pass through the Osumi Strait, Kagoshima Bay will be right in front of them...
The first gunshot of the naval battle that determined the offensive and defensive transition of the Pacific War, known as the "Battle of Sakurajima" by later generations, started in the Osumi Strait.
At dusk on February 18th, an armed Galen ship of the Dutch East India Company spotted the approaching Spanish fleet. It immediately fired an early warning rocket into the air, then turned the ship, thinking of Luer. Fleeing in the direction of the island bay, while escaping, he used a 24-pound bombardment gun installed on the stern of the ship to fire explosive shells at the pursuing Spanish fleet.
However, the fleet led by Garcia did not pursue it with all its strength. It just hung behind the 200-ton clipper and rushed towards Kagoshima Bay.
When Zheng Jiangong received the report of the Spanish fleet's incoming attack, he was planning to use the big bird ship to rush into the Sakurajima Strait - although the strait was narrow, it was still worth rushing. Because when his 45 Otori ships pass through in formation, 180 bombardment guns can exert their firepower, which may completely destroy the Kagoshima Fort and Sakurajima Fort... Of course, the battle to hit the strait will not happen immediately. You have to wait until the login is complete before doing it.
"What?" Zheng Jiangong was still a little surprised by the sudden appearance of the Spanish fleet. He didn't expect the Spaniards to come so quickly... Doesn't this mean that the Spaniards have always been near Kagoshima Bay?
"Admiral," suggested Shi Lang, who had just been transferred to Zheng Jiangong as a staff officer, "we should stop the landing now, and then immediately carry out the operation to attack the strait!"
"Immediately execute the attack on the strait?" Zheng Jiangong was stunned. "Are you worried that the fleet commanded by David Jones cannot defeat the Spanish?"
"No," Shi Lang said, "The presence of the Spanish in the Osumi Strait means that the inner Kagoshima Bay is empty. The northeastern side of Sakurajima has better terrain and is more suitable for landing... And as long as we enter the inner Kagoshima Bay can prevent the Spanish fleet from entering, so that no matter what happens in the battle outside Kagoshima Bay, we will be invincible!"
"But what about fleet supplies?" Zheng Jiangong asked.
Shi Lang smiled: "Go ashore and grab it!"
