Ukita Hideie's arrangement seemed very suitable, but Fukushima Masanori suddenly appeared and asked with some displeasure: "Wait, Hideie, why don't you let me and Kato go out? If the second team and the fifth team When the team goes out, not only Xingzhou, but also Kaesong can be captured again in one day!"
Fukushima Masanori's words may seem loud, but in fact there are preconditions. There is no Ming army stationed in Kaesong now, and the Korean army is nothing more than a chicken and a dog in the eyes of the Japanese army. The second division and the fifth division will go up together. It's really nothing unusual to break it.
But Ukita Hideie replied: "I have not personally captured the city since I landed in North Korea. Although as a general, I do not necessarily have to perform military exploits personally, after all, I also have the desire to break the city and kill the enemy. Of course, even so, I will not Only after monopolizing this power did all the divisions mobilize their troops to jointly attack Xingzhou.
As for the Second Division and the Fifth Division, you are both well-known elites. Therefore, in order to prevent the Ming army from suddenly attacking with the superiority of cavalry, it is better to ask the Fifth Division to guard the main road and the Second Division to guard against Hanyang. These two This matter is more important than attacking Xingzhou. "
These words gave Fukushima Masanori and Kato Kiyoshi a good reputation. Although Fukushima Masanori took credit for himself, but with Ukita Hideie's attitude, he was willing to give up and agreed to take on the task of defending against the Ming army. Of course, this is also because Fukushima Masanori is actually very much looking forward to fighting the Ming army.
Kato Kiyomasa still mocked Konishi Yukinaga and said with a sneer: "Konishi, you'd better pray that the Ming army will not come to rescue Xingzhou, otherwise you will be so ashamed after we repel the Ming army, right?"
Governor Konishi knew that although Ukita Hideie was the general, his attitude was still more or less biased towards Kato Kiyomasa, so he didn't say much this time, he just looked at him coldly and said nothing angrily.
At this time, Xingzhou was also preparing for the Japanese attack. Chu Ying, the second disciple of Master Xiujing, heard that the Japanese army was about to attack Xingzhou, and he also led hundreds of monks and soldiers to come to support.
Quan Li was very grateful for Chuying's arrival. He greeted him personally and expressed his gratitude, saying: "I heard that the Japanese army was clearing out the rebels and monk soldiers in Gyeonggi Province. I was worried about this. Seeing that the masters are fine now, it is really God's blessing."
Chu Ying clasped his hands and thanked him: "Thank you so much, General, for your concern. Monks all over the world have responded. How could the Buddha be killed by evil spirits when he is at ease in his heart? This time, I have been ordered by Master to help General defend Xingzhou." Quan Li thanked him again. Please come into the city.
After entering the city, Quan Li summoned the generals and said: "Xingzhou is located in a dangerous place, the throat between the north and the south, and it affects the overall situation. Because it is such a key place, the Japanese army will attack sooner or later, and now it seems that it is true. Everyone, Our army must hold on despite the danger. In the future, Xingzhou can also be used as a frontline station before regaining Wangjing, and we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."
General Zhao Wen looked worried and said hesitantly: "General, Xingzhou has less than three thousand troops. If a large Japanese pirate army comes to attack, how can we defend Xingzhou? Is it possible to consider...asking the Ming army for rescue?"
Quan Li had expected this question from one of his subordinates, and was not surprised when he heard the words. He replied: "I am fortunate to have good geographical location in the state. This place is located on Deyang Mountain, with Han River in the south, Changnyeong River in the east, and between the two rivers. The swamp is densely covered, and only the northwest road can be accessed.
As long as our army takes advantage of this narrow situation and arranges it well, the Japanese pirates will be unable to spread out no matter how large their forces are. They can only turn into small groups and attack in batches. This will be more conducive to our army's defense.
You must remember that bows, crossbows, fire arrows, rockets, caltrops, artillery and other items need to be checked again to see if they are available. In addition, the Xingzhou defense fortifications must be reinforced again, trenches dug, and two more fences and forts built to delay the Japanese pirates' attack. As for reinforcements... you can still send people to the court to request the Ming army for rescue. "
Judging from Quan Li's words, he is obviously more inclined to do his best on his own side. As for the Ming army's rescue, it is "it is better to come, it is better not to come". In fact, there was nothing he could do about his attitude. After all, the imperial court had just had a quarrel with the Ming army. It was hard to say whether the Ming army was willing to ask for help. It was also hard to say whether the Ming army was willing to help after hearing the request for help.
However, for Zhao Zhen and other Quan Li's subordinates, being able to ask for help must be a hundred times better than not being able to ask for help, so they immediately accepted the order and prayed in their hearts that the request for help would go well. After all, in their eyes, they were definitely not the ones who could stop the Japanese army. It could be the Ming army.
Dawn on February twelfth. The sky is just beginning to break, and the morning fog is gathering. In the cold wind, the Japanese troops had already formed formations outside Xingzhou. Seeing that the Japanese army had arrived, Quan Li ordered no gruel to be cooked today. The entire army was fed on wartime hard food and was determined to fight to the end.
Quan Li personally encouraged the whole army and said loudly: "Soldiers, I, Quan Li, am already fifty-five years old, but I don't have much time left. Although I have been in the army for many years and have been promoted to general, I have always been in a meager position. I am always extremely ashamed of this! At this time of national crisis, At this time, it has become my lifelong wish to fight against the Japanese pirates and protect my country. But I still have an even bigger wish, which is to personally lead the army and drive the Japanese pirates completely into the sea!
Since the Japanese invaders invaded Korea, they have killed the people, plundered money and food, occupied our mountains and rivers, and destroyed our ancestral temples. The ancestors of the past generations cannot rest in peace, their parents, wives, concubines, children and fellow villagers are all displaced, and their lives and deaths are unknown!
Everyone, if we don’t stand up and fight to the death today, North Korea will be destroyed, our country will be shattered, and all of us will die without a burial place. How can we face our ancestors, relatives, and fellow villagers under the Nine Springs!
Look, everyone, the Japanese pirates are outside the city now, showing off their power, thinking they will be able to drive us all away! All officers and men, follow me to kill the Japanese pirates, and vow to coexist with Xingzhou! "The officers and soldiers of Xingzhou were deeply inspired, and they kept shouting and were full of murderous intent. Seeing that their morale was greatly boosted, Quan Li ordered all his troops to enter the city defense position and wait for the Japanese army to attack.
At this time, the rising sun was rising in the east and the sky was breaking through the clouds. The 30,000 Japanese troops were all carrying various battle flags of various daimyo. Many warriors even wore monster masks on their faces and were fully armed. They shouted in unison and marched forward under the orders of the generals and leaders. Murderous and wild. When the North Korean defenders saw this formation and compared it with the noisy chaos during their own training, they couldn't help but feel fearful and even terrified. Quan Li repeatedly encouraged and personally stabilized the morale of the army, and finally calmed the entire army, waiting for military orders.
The road to Xingzhou was indeed very narrow, and now it was covered with North Korean defenses, so the Japanese army could only be divided into more than ten teams to attack in turns.
The first Japanese army launched an attack on Xingzhou under the command of Governor Konishi. Quan Li strictly ordered the entire army not to fight back and to wait for military orders with peace of mind. When most of the Japanese first formation had entered the range of North Korea's firepower, Quan Li personally beat the drum three times and ordered the entire army to counterattack. Suddenly, rolling logs, rocks, rockets and arrows came down, and scattered artillery fire everywhere.
At this time, the Japanese army was not only caught off guard, but also had a dense formation due to the small area. There was no way to dodge under the sudden attack, and casualties gradually increased.
However, Governor Konishi firmly believed that facing the North Korean army, he could break through with just one go. At this time, he only needed to take advantage of the Japanese army's light firepower to knock down the North Korean army's arrogance. Therefore, President Konishi ordered the formation to reorganize and gather matchlocks to fight back.
However, unexpectedly, under North Korea's fierce counterattack, even if Governor Konishi ordered several times, the Japanese first formation was unable to immediately form an effective counterattack force and was never able to break through the first fence. Governor Konishi's hard work failed, which further increased the casualties of the First Army, which had already lost more than half, so he had to order a retreat and replace it with the Second Army.
Seeing that Governor Konishi was defeated, Ishida Mitsunari hurriedly stepped forward to ask. Governor Konishi said: "North Korea has carefully built fortifications outside Xingzhou City. Xingzhou occupies a favorable location and is difficult to capture. Moreover, North Korea's counterattack was fierce this time. I was caught off guard and found it difficult to capture." Reorganize immediately, even if you try hard to make a breakthrough, you can only retreat... What a shame, I really want to kill all the Koreans in Xingzhou!"
Ishida Mitsunari comforted him: "Don't be angry, Konishi-kun. It's justifiable to retreat. It's not that your command was wrong. You can just capture Xingzhou and then massacre it. I think the Korean army can only show off its bloody bravery for a moment. The so-called strong crossbow is at the end of the war. The force cannot penetrate Lu Gu. Xingzhou cannot hold out for too long. If I attack again, I will definitely be able to climb the tower."
Governor Konishi advised to be cautious. Ishida Mitsunari said goodbye and went into battle to take over the attack. At this time, Ishida Mitsunari still didn't take the Korean army seriously, but believed that the reason why Konishi Yukinaga was defeated was because the previous battle in Pyongyang suffered too much, the army lost its core elite, and lost its vigor when charging into the battle.
So Ishida Mitsunari led the second formation to attack Koshu again, but the Japanese second formation's battle situation was exactly the same as the first formation under the defense of the Korean army. Ishida Mitsunari was furious and bravely took the lead, but unexpectedly he was hit by an arrow. His head was also injured by the scattered gravel. If it were not for the protection of his hood, he might have been decapitated.
As a result, it was obviously difficult for the second formation to break through the fence in a short period of time. Instead, the formation was in chaos because Ishida Mimoto himself was injured. Ishida Mitsunari was quickly rescued to the rear of the military formation. As a result, people in the second formation kept retreating. Seeing this, Ishida was helpless and had to order a retreat.
The third formation was led by Kuroda Nagamasa. Kuroda Nagamasa learned the lessons of the first two formations and ordered to keep a distance to prevent anyone from launching an unauthorized charge outside the range of North Korea. He ordered the iron artillery team to concentrate in front of the army to shoot at the fence and hide behind the troops. North Korean soldiers.
Kuroda Nagamasa was quite confident in his own tactics and hummed: "This guy Konishi was so frightened by the Ming army that he couldn't even defeat the Korean army. As for Ishida, he has never been worthy of the name of a samurai and is not qualified to fight." talents...
However, this North Korean army spent a lot of effort in Xingzhou, but it doesn't matter. As long as it can make steady progress and wait for the time when our army's advantages can be used, no one can stop it. "
However, the two fences and fortresses in North Korea were really carefully built. The so-called iron cannons of the Japanese army were just matchlock guns and it was difficult to cause serious damage to the fences. The Japanese army also discovered this, so they raised their iron cannons at a higher angle and fired upwards, hoping to shoot the projectiles into the city.
However, the Japanese army was far away from Xingzhou Castle, and although the projectiles were barely ejected into the city, their power was greatly reduced after that, and the Korean army suffered almost no casualties. Kurodabe fired indiscriminately for a long time, but to no avail. Kuroda Nagamasa would continue to suffer losses and had to retreat in embarrassment.
At this moment, Liu Chenglong received Quan Li's request for help from the Ming army. Regardless of the discord that had just occurred between the two sides, he immediately asked to see Song Yingchang, the imperial Japanese military officer of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Chenglong seemed to be less arrogant this time, and said respectfully: "Jingtai, the front line is in danger, please send troops immediately! With the combat power of the heavenly soldiers, even if Wang Jing is recaptured, it is a sure win, and the Japanese army is currently attacking Xingzhou , General Quan Li, the defender of Xingzhou, is in great need of rescue, or the heavenly troops sending troops to Wang Jing at this moment can also relieve the danger of Xingzhou."
However, it is meaningless just because he is anxious. Since Li Rusong withdrew his troops and returned to Pyongyang, his relationship with Song Yingchang has been in a delicate state. Both sides know what the other is waiting for now - Gao Pragmatic's instructions for the current situation.
To put it simply, before Mr. Gao Ge's reply arrived, neither Song Yingchang nor Li Rusong would probably make any big move unless there was an emergency.
Therefore, Song Yingchang declined politely: "The losses and impacts caused by the Battle of Bitiguan were much more serious than expected. Now our army needs some time to deal with some problems. In addition, I have already spoken in advance, requesting that the Korean army be under the unified command of the Ming Dynasty. , North Korean ministries are not allowed to go to war without authorization.
I don’t know who started this war in Heungju, but I know that the North Korean army has always wanted to fight independently, and I have made it clear to the king that if the Korean army wants to fight independently, North Korea must show corresponding strength, then Isn't this an opportunity for North Korea to demonstrate its independent combat capabilities? "
As the saying goes, people under the roof have to bow their heads. At this time, Liu Chenglong could no longer maintain his toughness not long ago. He could only persuade again: "Jingtai, I can guarantee that the North Korean soldiers and civilians will fight to the end and defend Xingzhou. However, the current situation of the war is, after all, It is important to note that Xingzhou is an important choke point between the north and the south. Once it is lost, the Japanese pirates will gradually be in a favorable situation. By then, whether they are marching to Wangjing or defending Kaesong and Pyongyang, they will face strategic oppression by the Japanese army. Therefore, please be magnanimous. Never mind the past grievances before lending a helping hand."
After all, Song Yingchang was in charge of the war against Japan. If the war situation against Japan turned serious, he would be directly responsible. Therefore, Liu Chenglong thought there was some truth to what he said, so he mused: "What the commander said makes sense, but even if In this way, there is no need for our army to spend a lot of time attacking Wang Jing... The time has not come to recover Wang Jing. The reasons are all understood and there is no need to ask in detail.
As for rescuing Xingzhou, it was a piece of cake. After the battle at Bi Ti Guan, the Japanese pirates were afraid of the strength of our heavenly troops. At present, they only needed to send out a partial division and launch a feint attack in the direction of Wang Jing with bluff. This was to avoid the real situation, encircle Wei and rescue Zhao, and attack Wei to rescue Zhao. This was the only way to break the siege of Xingzhou. I predict that if the Japanese pirates know that the Ming army is attacking in large numbers, they will withdraw from Xingzhou and return to Wangjing. In this way, Xingzhou can be protected. "
Song Yingchang's decision was not the strongest support for the Korean army in Liu Chenglong's view, but it was a great favor after all, and Liu Chenglong sincerely expressed his gratitude. So Song Yingchang sent an order to Cha Dashou and Mao Guoqi, ordering them to lead three thousand troops and carry artillery and flags to pretend to attack Wangjing.
This order is quite particular: Mao Guoqi is a general of the Southern Army. Song Yingchang is not worried that he will not accept the transfer order, but Zha Damhou is a direct descendant of the Li family army. When Song Yingchang and Li Rusong are in a Cold War-like situation, it can be roughly judged from his reaction Guess Li Rusong's thoughts.
----------
Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "The Sun and the Moon Never Set in Hawaii", "Dr. Xu Jiahui", "Yun Covers the Moon and Rain", "Cao Mianzi", and "Ride Alone to Shine the Blue Heart" for their monthly support, thank you!
