When Ida Village Chang heard that there were 20,000 people, he said to Zhao Xin: "The enemy army is more than 20,000, I'm afraid it's 40,000."
The reason why he made this judgment was based on the military service system of the Edo period.
The so-called battle must first determine the scale of the battle and the terrain along the way in order to mobilize troops flexibly. A battle that only requires 500 people has to mobilize 2,000 people, which is purely a waste of people and money.
However, since the ancient island nation separated soldiers from peasants, and samurai lived concentratedly in castle towns, the shogunate and the daimyo could only use the military service system to establish rigid regulations in order to ensure their military strength.
It is said that there were no regulations on military service before the Second Tokugawa came to power. However, because of the tense relationship between the Tokugawa family and Osaka Daimyo and Toyotomi Hideyori at that time, military service regulations were formulated.
The earliest military service was set up on the banner of Tomokyo Five Hundred Stones ~ Five Thousand Stones. Nine years later, in the 19th year of Keicho (1614), in order to cope with the Osaka Winter Formation, the Samurai of Tomoyo One Thousand Stones were equipped with five spears. The number of soldiers was changed to ten.
At the time of the Osaka Summer Formation (1615), the military service requirement of Zhixing 10,000 shi was added again.
During this period, the number requirements for spearmen, archers, cavalry, and flag bearers remained unchanged. However, considering the issue of combat flexibility, the number of spearmen was reduced by nearly half.
In the 10th year of Kanei, when the third generation of the Tokugawa family came to power, the military service standards for hatamoto, genealogy and daimyō were stipulated. The military service regulations also stipulate the requirements from two hundred to nine hundred stone (in fact, the "Qing'an Military Service Order" is basically the same as the Kanyei 10th year, but the regulations are more detailed.)
After the "Shimabara Rebellion", the island country began to enter the era of peace, so military service standards were directly reflected in the duty transfer and general invitation. Whether it is a duty report, a general request (for projects), or sending troops, whether the number of military service dispatched by the daimyo is in compliance with the regulations will be directly linked to whether the daimyo is loyal to the shogunate.
If the standard is not met, the family leader will step down to take the blame, or the title will be reduced; in history, there are many feudal lords who committed suicide because they failed to complete the task.
The reason why Date Muracao said there would be 40,000 enemy troops was because according to the requirements of the military service system, ten spearmen are not just ten people, but also have to have the same number of followers; the same is true for other arms.
Zhao Xin nodded after hearing this, thinking that people are so kind and easy to do things with, so he just did it all at once. At present, there are only 17 foreign daimyo with a net worth of more than 100,000 koku. Kill them one by one.
"I wonder if Edo will thank me?" Zhao Xinru thought.
Fighting against an island country is different from fighting against an island country. After fighting against an island country, you can slap your ass and leave, but after the war against an island country is finished, you still have to send people to govern it. The system in Beihai Town does not use the methods of scholars, so it is because of this that we have not occupied Ninggu Pagoda until now.
After sending away the spies, the first problem now is to choose the battlefield.
The place Zhao Xin chose was the Kokubu Plain in Kuwahara County. It is six kilometers wide from east to west and seven kilometers long from north to south. It covers an area of about 15 square kilometers and is enough for more than 10,000 people.
So the coalition forces that had already marched to the foot of Yokogawa began to withdraw southward, and three days later they returned to the foot of Mount Hidō in the eastern part of the Kokubu Plain. When he captured this place before, Zhao Xin set up a military station here, and the small house on the edge of the field and the surrounding yards were converted into warehouses to store grain.
The next step is to dig out fortifications and wait for the arrival of reinforcements from all over Southern Kyushu.
The Kokubu Plains were covered with large areas of cultivated land, and the news that the coalition troops were occupying the cultivated land to dig trenches made all the farmers dumbfounded. Just when these people were in a raging mood and preparing to make a collective petition to beg the coalition forces for mercy, Zhao Xin had people post notices in the surrounding villages.
Who will help dig trenches? Give me a bucket of rice every day!
On the first day after the notice was issued, only a dozen farmers came to the construction site, and they all came with the attitude of giving it a try. As a result, at noon, not only were they given a large bowl of rice to eat, but in the afternoon each person actually received a cloth bag containing a bucket of rice. When I opened it, I saw that it was full of polished rice.
The surrounding farmers from all over the country heard about this the next day, and everyone was stunned.
Normally, when people go to work in the town, they are given a ration of five tons of rice every day; now these foreigners are actually given a bucket plus eight tons of ration! Are they out of their minds?
Two days later, only about thirty farmers came to work, and others were still waiting and watching. Many people felt that the Beihai Navy was just trying to show off dozens of people. When there were more people, they would not provide food like this.
Don't blame the farmers for being insensitive and not believing the Beihai Navy's announcement. It's really because they have been squeezed too hard.
Although the disaster of Tianming's famine did not affect Kyushu, the annual tribute collected by the Satsuma Domain was too high. The 80% land rent kept the farmers struggling on the line of hunger. Not starving to death, not having enough to eat, and always giving hope like a castle in the air. It always makes people feel that it is not the feudal government that receives too much annual tribute, but the farmers who do not work hard enough. As long as you work harder and harder, life will get better.
On the fourth day, someone finally couldn't bear it anymore and came to the construction site with a hoe from home; the number of people working suddenly increased to one hundred.
Isn’t it just digging a trench? Although these outsiders have strict regulations on the width and depth of ditches, this work is really not a big deal for farmers who can only work hard.
When these people returned home happily with the food, the others who didn't go all believed it. On the second day, almost all the men and women from the surrounding villages came, and the trench digging speed became much faster.
...
"Digging trenches in the Kokubu Plains? Are they planning to hinder the cavalry?" At the coalition command post at Ma Yuelu in Hisikari County, everyone present laughed when they heard the movements of the Northern Navy.
The Hosokawa family of the Kumamoto clan came to Hosokawa Tadora, the first member of the clan. The seventh-generation head of the clan, Hosokawa Ji-nen, was seriously ill and could only breathe his last.
From the Saga Clan came Yadaime Nabeshima Harushige. This man was wounded in the arm by a cannon shot by the Northern Navy in Nagasaki. This time he came with a large army to take revenge.
"Don't take it lightly. I have never seen the fighting methods of that Zhao Wangdian in my life." In just ten days, Shimazu Shigehao's hair turned from completely black to gray at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Haramichi Kuroda, the current head of the Fukuoka Domain, said: "Why should the Chief Marshal have the ambition of others?"
Shimazu Shigehao said with a solemn expression: "Marquis Fukuoka, if I give you three thousand men, how many days will it take you to attack this place?"
"This..." Haruyuki Kuroda thought for a moment and said, "If there are no reinforcements, we can always win it in three to five days."
"That Prince Zhao only needs one day!"
As soon as these words came out, the smiles of everyone in the room froze.
one day?
I only heard Shimazu Shigehao say: "I collected information from all parties, and they only took one day to attack the foreign mountain castles in various places in this domain."
At this time, you could hear needles dropping in the room. After a while, Kuroda Haru said: "Commander, when will the military rations and military pay you promised arrive?"
After hearing this, everyone else in the room looked at Shimazu Shigehao.
No one is stupid these days. Don’t look at the four families here, all of whom are famous people with more than 100,000 dan in the world. In fact, all the poor families are eager to take advantage of them.
Shigehao Shimazu was so cunning that Kumamoto Clan, Fukuoka Clan and Saga Clan did not let go of rabbits. It's not enough to use the uneaten Ryukyu Thirty-Six Islands as carrots. This time, half of the military rations for each family's troops will have to be provided by the Satsuma Domain. At the same time, each family will also have to pay between 150 and 250,000 taels of gold. Military resources.
Shimazu Shigehao swallowed a sip of bitterness and said in a deep voice: "The food will arrive tomorrow, and the military supplies of each family have been prepared. With the seal, people can be sent to Osaka to collect it. When will your troops set off?"
Haruyuki Kuroda and the other two families looked at each other, put his hands on his knees and said with a smile: "As soon as the food arrives, we will set off immediately!"
October 8, the seventh year of Tianming, is an auspicious day.
The crescent moon has set before dawn, and the sky of Kyushu Island is filled with stars. Shimazu Shigehao, who was fully clothed in military uniform, walked out of the rural hut in Magotsuchi, escorted by a group of Satsuma clan warriors and attendants.
Can you come back?
Shimazu Shigehao suddenly thought about this in the dark, and then he was determined not to look back. Even if the Shimazu family fails, the history of the Seven Hundred and Seventy Thousand Stone Daimyo will be remembered forever. Shimazu Shigehao quickened his pace and got on his horse after leaving the yard. More than a hundred feudal lords around him held high torches, dispersing the darkness in Ma Yue Lu.
Every house in the courtyard was silent. In fact, everyone was awake. They could only stand in the yard and pray for those who were about to go on the expedition. When the group of people rode out of Ma Yuelu, the conch horn of the expedition began to sound in the military camps of the various vassals. Amid the roar of the conch horn, Shimazu Shigehao took the lead.
Soon, the sun rose. Forty thousand troops formed a long snake, winding on the road from the foot of Ma Yue to the foot of the city. Shimazu Shigehao looked back and saw that this was the limit of the four major vassals of Kyushu Island who could send troops.
When the sun rose, the army crossed Linggao County. When the sun set to the west, they arrived at the foot of Yokogawa in Kuwahara County, and troops were stationed in various places nearby. The four princes entered the foothills to rest, while the soldiers camped outside.
The next morning, a fast horse galloped into the foothills of Ridang Mountain. The knight on the horse reined in desperately in front of a house, dismounted and ran quickly into the yard.
The headquarters of the coalition forces of the Northern Navy and the Sendai Domain are located here. The knight reported loudly: "The enemy's vanguard has been dispatched from the foot of Yokogawa and is heading towards the foot of the ditch!"
Date Mur often shouted: "I know! Go down."
He turned around and walked into the house and said to Zhao Xin: "Do you want to beat this striker?"
"No need. There's no point in hitting them lightly. If you hit them hard, they will retreat." After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he immediately said to the next staff officer: "Pass my order! Let the third regiment send a battalion to carry out the attack within five miles of the battlefield. Cover up and don’t let the enemy get close!”
On the evening of October 10th, the vanguard force of the four vassal coalition forces arrived at the foot of Goudao and faced off against the Beihai Navy's position. Because it was a plain area, the sentinels of the four feudal alliances had no way to rely on them. Several times they tried to get closer to observe, but they were beaten back by the cavalry sent by the Sendai clan.
With the seizures along the way, the Sendai clan now has more than 500 war horses. Date Muracho, who was already considered a "veteran general", organized a cavalry team and appointed his confidants as generals, specifically responsible for the task of covering the battlefield.
On October 12, all 40,000 troops from the four vassal coalition arrived. In the north, the line from Yunluo to Mizodōroku is the 10,000-strong army of the Saga Domain. From the Mizoro-roro to Kajiki is the 20,000-strong army of the Kumamoto Domain and the Fukuoka Domain. Shimazu Shigehao led 10,000 troops and horses to sit in Kajiki and the Hokkai Town. Surrounded from all three directions: north, west and southwest.
It's one thing to hear about it, but it's another thing to see an army of 40,000 with your own eyes. Date Murakusa and Tamura Murata were extremely nervous at this moment. Whether the Sendai Clan could conquer the Satsuma Clan depended on this battle.
On October 15th, mist came over the Kokubu Plain in the early morning and flowed westward. The flag of the Northern Navy fluttered in the wind, as if swimming in the fog.
In the rushing sea of fog, several anti-aircraft guns covered with camouflage nets appeared and disappeared; the North Korean Navy's position was silent, except for the vague sight of soldiers sitting in the trenches, devouring breakfast.
Three miles away, on the Allied Forces' position of the four feudal lords, the generals of each family were shouting loudly to encourage the soldiers.
"Cut off Tang Yi's head and get a reward of five taels for each head!"
"Behead the Sendai rebels Date Murasune and Tamura Murata, and get a bounty of one hundred taels for each head!"
When the soldiers of the four vassal coalition heard about the reward, their fighting spirit suddenly rose.
"Bring in the artillery!" On the western front, Hosokawa Tadora of the Kumamoto clan ordered loudly. The people on the side immediately ran to the rear, and the ashigaru came carrying twenty cannons.
This is a bronze cannon imitated by the Satsuma clan Tanegashima family. It was originally installed on the Shimadzu family's royal ship. It was mainly used to deal with pirates from Ryukyu to Satsuma clan. Now they have all been unloaded and transported from Kagoshima Castle. These cannons have no wheels, and the barrels are fixed on wooden platforms. In terms of performance, they are much better than those with large barrels.
Island countries usually do not use cannons in outdoor battles, and only occasionally use them in sieges or naval battles. Shimazu Shigehao didn't care so much at this time. He moved all the cannons on his royal ship and deployed them on the battlefield in three directions.
"go ahead!"
According to the agreement in the previous military meeting, at the right time, the conch horns on several fronts were blown almost simultaneously. Under the cover of the iron artillery team, archery team and pikemen, various artillery teams followed closely behind.
"I'm coming!"
In the first trench, soldiers from two regiments of the Northern Navy were ready for battle. In the two trenches behind them were the troops of the Sendai clan. The reason why the Sendai Army was not allowed to enter the first trench was because they were afraid that they would be unable to hold on and cause a commotion. Then they would run away like headless chickens and the battle would be impossible to fight.
"Don't worry, get closer and then hit them. Otherwise they will run away as soon as you hit them!" As soon as the company commander's words came out, there was a burst of snickering in the trenches.
"Don't worry, company commander, we won't shoot unless you blow the whistle."
The Allied Forces of the Four Domains arrived a mile away from the first trench, and the Ashigaru began to load gunpowder.
First, put about two liters of gunpowder into the gun, and use a long stick to tamp it into the bottom of the gun. Then other ashigaru loaded the cannonballs weighing about four kilograms into the muskets, and then loaded them with shotshells. It is said that it is shotgun, but it is actually small stones, lead, etc. put into paper bags. The number must be fifty or sixty.
Hosokawa Tadora ordered: "Starting from the left, fire in order! After the last cannon is fired, the iron artillery team approaches 200 steps and fires, and the spear team advances!"
Two minutes later, the defuse hole of the first cannon ignited, and the Ashigaru people covered their ears and fell to the ground.
"Boom!"
Huge cannons sounded, causing sand and dust to fly, grass roots spraying into the sky, and the sound of cannons echoing across the battlefield.
The artillery shells weighing about four kilograms tore through the air and flew in the air; the rain of shotgun shells was like spraying water, fiercely splashing towards the North Korean Navy's position. In an instant, another second artillery fire was fired, and the lineup of the Kumamoto clan's army was densely shrouded in the thick smoke generated by the artillery fire.
Twenty cannons fired continuously and rumbled. After the last cannon roared, white smoke emerged from the iron artillery team responsible for the assault. The group in front held up their oars and shields and walked towards the Northern Navy.
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