When Ukita Hideie's military order was conveyed to the Second Army of Japan's Imperial Conquest in Hamgyeong Province, Kato Kiyomasa was personally leading the troops across the border between Ming and North Korea, crossed the Tumen River, and broke into the Hercynian Jurchen territory in Liaodong.
There is no doubt that although this place is Jurchen territory, it is also nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. Kato Kiyomasa could not conceal his excitement and joy because he was the first among the Japanese generals to invade the Ming Dynasty territory.
Kato Kiyomasa led the team to search everywhere and finally found the location of the local Jurchen camp. According to his intelligence, this place is a five-camp chain of villages, but the strange thing is that the tribes and soldiers here are being ordered to go out to fight. There is only one chief named Bu Zhantai in the camp who is guarding the camp with a few warriors. The rest are For women, children, old and young.
Kato Kiyomasa was overjoyed and immediately assembled the vanguard team to launch a surprise attack. With the advantage of surprise attacks and matchlock guns, the Japanese army captured five camps of the Jurchen coalition one after another. The Jurchen coalition was not only caught off guard but also weak. It quickly fell into a bitter battle and was eventually defeated.
When Chief Bu Zhantai saw that his camp was being attacked, he hurriedly went out of his tent to inspect, only to see that his tribe was scattered. The invading enemy was not other Jurchen tribesmen, but a short man wearing strange armor, holding multiple muskets, and speaking with an exotic accent. Crazy people.
Unprepared for the surprise attack, and suddenly remembering the writings of the Ming Dynasty a month ago, Bu Zhantai immediately understood who was coming - he expected that it must be the Japanese army that swept across Korea within a few months, because he did not know whether the Japanese army still had a large group. The men and horses arrived immediately, and Bu Zhantai also quickly grabbed the horse and fled.
The coalition chief Bu Zhantai was defeated, and Kato Kiyomasa's victory was almost complete. In this battle, more than 2,000 Jurchen tribesmen were defeated and dispersed, and 900 of them were beheaded, both soldiers and civilians. They looted and looted to the edge of Jianzhou, plundering They slaughtered cattle and sheep, slaughtered the Jurchen tribe, and then occupied this border area. They sent people to report back to the country and report the great victory to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Bu Zhantai was the younger brother of Ula Belle Mantai, and the area where he camped was the border between Ula tribe, Jianzhou Zuowei and North Korea. In fact, he came to camp here on his brother's order to guard against Nurhaci, the left guard of Jianzhou. When he arrived, he discovered that some local small tribes that originally belonged to the Ula tribe had almost left Ula under Nurhachi's coercion and inducement, so he first The tribes loyal to Ula gathered together and sent troops to force other small tribes one by one to return to the rule of the Ula tribe.
At this time, he received news from his brother that the Japanese army had invaded North Korea. The General and Deputy General Soldiers of Liaodong of the Ming Dynasty issued orders to each Jurchen branch to guard the border to prevent Japan from continuing to move north. At the same time, there were reinforcements from Ye He, Hada and other troops. Reinforcements are being assembled and prepared.
Bu Zhantai did not take this news too seriously. In his opinion, the Ula tribe was so remote that even if the Japanese invasion of Korea went smoothly, they would not have much interest in the Ula tribe. They should go straight to the three capitals of Korea. Yizhou, and then enter the "rich land" of Liaodong in one fell swoop. How come you come to a place like Ulabu to eat snow in the middle of winter?
In fact, this mistake may not necessarily be blamed on Bu Zhantai. If it weren't for the fact that the tasks of several Japanese legions were determined based on factions, then Bu Zhantai's prediction was actually quite reasonable. It's a pity that the Japanese army is a group of weirdos. It is natural that Bu Zhantai made mistakes based on common sense judgment.
The fact that the Japanese invaded Jurchen territory and defeated Buzhantai soon spread throughout the Jurchen tribes. Nurhaci, the actual strongest Jurchen in Jianzhou and the commander of the Jianzhou left guard, heard the news and immediately ordered the mobilization of Jianzhou soldiers and horses to prepare for war, and followed the requirements of the Ming Dynasty The Jurchen tribes' "Da Yi" who strictly guarded the border summoned his younger brother Shuerhaqi, who was the commander of the Jianzhou right guard at the time.
Due to Gao Pragmatic's initial operation, Shuerhaqi and Nurhaci were almost on the verge of breaking off relations or even becoming antagonistic. However, there were three reasons why he had to come this time.
One of them is that Nurhaci's banner is "In accordance with the imperial edict of the Ming Emperor and the military orders of the governor of Jiliao, the governor of Liaodong, and the general commander of Liaodong", "all Jurchen ministries must work together and guard the border carefully to prevent Japanese pirates from occupying it." The Jianzhou left guard is not only the strongest among the three Jianzhou guards, but also the one directly facing North Korea. There is no problem in name for him to summon the entire Jianzhou force.
The second reason is that Nurhaci expressed his feelings of despair. Although Shuerhaqi was self-reliant, he still regarded the word "Jianzhou" as his belonging. If both brothers had to face the invasion of the Japanese army, it would be better to join forces to fight against the enemy first—— Japan is not the Ming Dynasty. He Shuerhaqi regards the Ming Dynasty as the main one. This is to follow the will of his ancestors. But who do you think Japan is?
The third reason is that Nurhaci is, after all, the brother of his compatriot, and the two families are separated. The two are just having a power dispute, and their personal relationship has not been as bad as it was in the original history. Therefore, the brother is in trouble now, and it does not violate the Ming Dynasty. If he has strong will, then he is not determined to help.
Driven by these three factors, Shuerhaqi agreed to Nurhaci's request and led two thousand troops to Jianzhou Zuowei to fight against the Japanese invaders.
Nurhaci couldn't help but be overjoyed when he saw that Shuerhaqi had arrived. After a while of greetings, he seriously said to Shuerhaqi: "What happened to the Ula tribe this time was actually an attack by Japanese pirates. Before this, I had also reported that North Korea was being attacked by Japanese pirates." A large-scale invasion was carried out, and a letter was sent to the King of Korea willing to send troops to help. Although the original intention was to use North Korea to attack the Jurchens in Haixi in a roundabout way, North Korea has not been able to reply, and the court (the Ming Dynasty) has also been delayed in replying.
As for the Haixi Jurchens, since they are Jurchens, they are of the same sect as I Aixinjueluo. How can we just sit back and watch the Japanese invaders invade us? Furthermore, my grandfather led 3,000 elite troops to the DPRK and failed in Pyongyang. I was surprised and also curious about the Japanese pirates, so I could take this opportunity to find out. "
Shuerha thought to himself: You really covet all the other tribes, otherwise our Jurchens would be in constant war, and who would remember any of the same sects?
As for my grandfather's defeat in Pyongyang, you may be too late to rejoice. You think that the Liaodong Army has become exhausted, and you want to go to battle with the Japanese pirates, but instead weigh the strength of the Liaodong Army.
But it doesn't matter. Now that the elder (Li Chengliang) has settled in the capital, the younger master (Li Rusong) is about to take action personally. No matter what you think, the military might of the younger master will naturally dispel your delusions.
He was thinking one thing, but what he said was another. He reminded: "The Korean border has always been garrisoned by elite soldiers from six towns, and it has always been a major problem for our Jurchens. Now the Japanese pirates can actually invade Haixi through North Korea." , it can be seen that the soldiers of the six towns must have been defeated by them.
Although this move has eliminated my serious trouble, it also shows that the Japanese pirates are more powerful than the six towns. My brother must not underestimate the enemy. Once they suffer heavy losses, Jianzhou will be in danger. "
Nurhachi saw that he didn't say anything else, but only reminded himself to be careful in using troops. He was both relieved and justified. The strongest man in Jianzhou lightly cut his braid and looked at the dark clouds in the sky. He nodded and said: "You should be cautious. After all, it is a taboo for military strategists to underestimate the enemy and rush forward. However, you cannot compare our Jianzhou with the six towns. If Jianzhou's strength cannot Above the six towns, what is the use even if my brother unifies the Jurchens in the future? This time to suppress the Japanese pirates is just to compare the gap between us and the six towns of North Korea. "
"Unify the Jurchens?" Shuerhaqi narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled: "My brother wants to unify the Jurchens, is it possible that the imperial court will turn a blind eye to this?"
Nurhaci said sternly: "If a person has no will, success or failure depends on heaven. I have always believed that as long as you and I can work together and find a suitable opportunity, unifying the Jurchens is not a wishful thinking."
Shuerhaqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled again and asked: "What about after reunification?"
Nurha Chidao: "I think Ye He's method of using things like Baylor's is quite reasonable. What do you think?"
Shuerhaqi was silent for a moment again, and then replied expressionlessly: "It's too early to say this now, let's just focus on the present... We should be cautious when sending troops, and I will prepare first." With that, he turned and left. go.
Nurhaci was slightly disappointed, but soon regained his energy and said to himself: Since you did not refute it immediately, there is still a chance. Just wait, the great cause of unifying the Jurchens will definitely be realized in my hands!
So two days later, the Nurhaci brothers jointly sent troops, and with Shuerhaci came 300 people supported by the Jianzhou Guards. Since the Jianzhou Guards were weak, under the leadership of Gao Pragmatic, they had almost always been "affiliated" under the name of the Jianzhou Right Guards. Therefore, these 300 people were directly handed over to the command of Shuerhaqi this time.
To be on the safe side, Nurhachi was unwilling to risk a direct battle with the Japanese army in daylight. Although troops were about to be dispatched, he still insisted on sending the most elite detective horses to collect intelligence first. During this period, there were some unexpected situations that strengthened his strength, especially the Ye He reinforcements led by Fei Yingdong.
It turned out that Ye He's reinforcements were originally intended to support the Ula tribe. Unexpectedly, Bu Zhantai, the frontline commander of the Ula tribe, did not take the Ming Dynasty's warning to heart at all, and returned inexplicably defeated. This led to Ye He's loss in the southeast. If we reach the fulcrum, we must either go deep alone or withdraw altogether.
With Zu Chengxun having suffered a defeat, Fei Yingdong did not consider going deep alone, but it would be difficult to withdraw the entire army. At this time, he heard that Shuerhaqi actually went to join forces with Nurhaci. With a thought in his heart, he also led his troops there, saying that we were all Jurchens and should fight the enemy together.
In fact, Fei Yingdong's visit was both a joint effort and a kind of surveillance. Not only was he monitoring Nurhaci's movements, but he was also monitoring Shuerhaqi. Fei Yingdong and his father Sorguo both defected to Meng Guzhezhe. Even if you have taken refuge in Gao Pragmatism, you will naturally have to stand in the right position and do the right thing. Fei Yingdong grasped this very accurately.
As for Nurhaci, he could also guess Fei Yingdong's intentions, but he was extremely confident. Not only was he not worried about what Fei Yingdong would find, but he also believed that he should exude a domineering spirit and try to make Fei Yingdong surrender. Therefore, He did not refuse at all, but instead welcomed Fei Yingdong's arrival with great fanfare.
After some enrichment, Nurhachi's detective horse also found Kato Kiyomasa's residence. Nurhachi then ordered his troops and horses, led Shuerhaqi, Fei Yingdong, He Heli, Huerhan, Eyidu, Anfei Yanggu, Mulhaqi and other generals who established the state. He led seven thousand elite troops to rush forward, taking advantage of the heavy snow. Night Raid Kato Kiyomasa.
The Japanese were not used to the severe cold in the Northeast, but the Jurchen elite fought entirely at home. As a result, Kato's army was suddenly shot by thousands of arrows on a snowy night, and then its tents and wooden houses were baptized by rockets, causing the entire army to be in chaos.
In the shining fire, Jurchen elites clad in white furs roared out and the Japanese iron artillery team reluctantly formed a formation. However, since the two armies were already very close to each other, even if the Japanese army tried their best to concentrate their firepower, they could only kill more than 200 Jurchens. Then it turned into a melee.
Shuerhaqi led one unit to cover from the left, and Hu Erhan's other unit encircled from the right. He Heli led his troops to concentrate on shooting the Japanese iron artillery team. The Japanese army was surrounded by Jurchens on three sides in the rain of arrows, and the iron artillery team was defeated.
Next, the Japanese army did not gain the upper hand in close combat with the Jurchens. These Jianzhou Jurchens were almost a head taller than the Japanese army. Their instinctive reactions tempered by war and hunting made them even more alert. Soon, Kato Kiyomasa had to draw his sword to fight in person. With the sword's speed, he killed four Jurchens in a row to boost the morale of the army.
Fortunately, although Kato Kiyomasa was a little arrogant after the victory, he still maintained the Japanese army's tradition of attaching importance to the camp. The temporary mountain city built on the rugged and winding road made it difficult to deploy a large force and lead the troops to resist with all their strength. The victory or defeat was determined. Although the Jurchen armies were brave, the various fortifications in the Japanese mountain city were extremely tricky, resulting in about 500 casualties among the Jurchen troops.
After another period of time, the mountain city was finally defeated, and the Japanese army retreated. This was the opportunity that Nurhachi had been waiting for. The Jurchen cavalry, with the Yehe cavalry as the core, all came out at once. Nurhachi himself also led Fei Yingdong, Shuerhaqi, Mulhaqi, Anfei Yanggu, Eyidu, etc. to attack on horseback. For a time, the Japanese army was overwhelming. Collapse.
Nurhaci led the troops in pursuit and ordered to maintain the impact, making it difficult for the Japanese army to stop and form formations, let alone to meet the enemy with iron artillery units. Kato Kiyomasa's 3,000 troops were severely damaged to the point where only nearly 1,000 men were left, and the casualties were extremely heavy. Fortunately, 5,000 troops led by Nabeshima Naoshima, his general, came to rescue him, and Kato Kiyomasa was able to return to North Korea safely.
When Nurhaci saw the Japanese troops coming to respond, considering that the Jurchens had a precious population and had already lost nearly a thousand, they stopped pursuing them. They just collected the Japanese weapons and knives and returned to Jianzhou.
As soon as Kato Kiyomasa returned to North Korea, he received a military order to withdraw from Hamgyeong Province. He was even more angry. He immediately tore up the military order and refused to execute it, intending to organize his army and invade the Jurchens again to avenge them.
However, at this time, the Ula tribe also came to their senses, invited reinforcements from Huifa and other tribes, gathered a large number of tribesmen, and began to attack in all directions to seek revenge from Kato Kiyomasa.
Although Nurhachi was not attacking, he did not withdraw his troops. Instead, he raided the border areas and imitated the Ming army's previous methods of teaching the Jurchens to remove the Japanese strongholds one by one with large armies. The Japanese army was always at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength. , even if there is an iron artillery team, it will not have much effect. Today we will lose twenty or thirty, and tomorrow we will lose thirty or forty, and there is no source of supplementation. Naturally, we will become weaker and weaker as we fight, and our morale will gradually decline.
As a result, under the harassment and attack of the two Jurchen armies, although there were still five or six thousand Japanese troops, they were always tired of running around and fought hard to no avail. Kato Kiyomasa finally recognized the reality and admitted that he could not cope with the current military strength, so he had no choice but to "obey the order" and withdraw the entire army to North Korea. ,
----------
Thanks to book friends "Yilu Seyou", "KeyNg", "Cao Mianzi", and "Yun Fuyue Yu" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
