Once the strength of the two sides in a war is too disparate, the battlefield situation will often be very boring. The so-called worm's arm refuses to follow the rules, and its worthless body accepts the fist, which is nothing to show.
Kuwaname Jisei quickly abandoned Jinzhou under the powerful artillery offensive of Liu Wei's tribe and fled eastward towards Busan. The only good thing along the way was that the Ming army seemed to have no interest in annihilating him.
As a Japanese army in this era, Yoshinari Kuwana and his troops had some advantages, that is, they had excellent footwork. Even though this was caused by Japan's lack of war horses and years of melee, it objectively accelerated his escape to Busan.
After Liu Wei captured Jinzhou, he ordered his subordinates to clean the battlefield and study the problem of city defense repair. At the same time, he sent someone to inform Gao Pangshi, and expressed his hope that the military route would be moved from Sichuan north to Jinzhou to ensure that the military route was safer.
After receiving the news, Gao Jingshi encouraged Liu Wei's troops, but rejected the proposal to transfer the military headquarters and asked Liu Wei to start conducting fire reconnaissance eastward according to the planned plan to put pressure on Pusan.
At the same time, he boldly divided his troops and mobilized three chieftain troops from Youyang, Wumeng, and Dongchuan to march westward, with the goal of capturing Shuntian, Guangzhou, and Tanyang respectively. Judging from this approach, he planned to use these thousands of people to capture half of Jeolla Province, or to be precise, the southern part of Jeolla Province.
The Japanese troops were concentrated on the northern front, and the defenses in the south were extremely empty. Since even Jinzhou only had a garrison of about a thousand people, the relatively less important places such as Suncheon, Gwangju, and Damyang would naturally have fewer troops.
However, considering that the chieftains' soldiers were not capable of attacking tough targets, Gao Pragmatic ordered Gao Shengyi to mobilize 30 land artillery pieces brought by the Beiyang Fleet and originally prepared to replenish battle damage and distribute them to the chieftains in the three places.
Unexpectedly, the three chieftains all said that no one under their command knew how to use them, so Gao Pragmatic ordered Gao Shengyi to mobilize the Marine artillery crews in the fleet and formed thirty artillery crews to help operate these artillery pieces. After the three chieftains thanked them, they went to their respective places. Head west.
Of the 15,000-strong chieftain army, only 6,000 were left in Sichuan. Including Gao Pragmatic's personal soldiers and followers, the number was roughly 7,000. It seems that the power around Gao Pragmatic has been weakened a lot, but in fact, for a small town like Sichuan, an army of 7,000 people crowded here is still a bit too much.
After Liu Wei learned the news, he did not worry about the decrease in the number of troops around Gao Pragmatic. Instead, he felt relieved. The reason he was worried before was not so much that Gao Pragmatic did not have enough power around him, but that he only controlled Sichuan and Jinju after landing. As a commander, his "vision" was not wide enough and he was in the "fog of war", so he would Worried that Sichuan would be attacked by the Japanese army.
It is true that the chieftains' soldiers and horses are relatively brave, but the strictness of military discipline is uneven. If they are attacked by a stronger Japanese army, Liu Wei cannot guarantee whether something will happen. This is what he was worried about before. point.
It's different now. He himself is based in Jinzhou, not far to the north of Sichuan. He is also responsible for reconnaissance to the east, that is, he is about to grasp the battlefield situation in the east. In addition, nearly 10,000 chieftain soldiers marched westward to capture the southern half of Jeolla Province, which meant that they could cover the western front for Jinju and Sichuan. In this case, the Japanese army would be discovered as long as they got close, and they would have time to deal with it. Being highly pragmatic naturally means there is no danger.
Of course, strictly speaking, there are dangers from the sea further south, but Liu Wei can't care about this and doesn't need to worry about it. If the Japanese army can break through the defense lines of the front and rear fleets of the Japanese fleet and land under Gao Pragmatic's nose, then this It was a battle he deserved to lose.
On the other side, Gao Pragmatic, who has been assigned the task, has been staying in Sicheng, looking quite fishy. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Ma Qiancheng came in person to report a strange thing. He said that a Japanese man came with several followers to ask for an audience with the Marquis, and asked Gao Pragmatically if he had seen him.
Ma Qiancheng also made a special explanation for this, saying that the reason why he came to report such weird things was because the Japanese leader claimed to be holding a token given by Gao Jingshi himself - a gun made by Jinghua Iron and Steel Works. The Tang Hengdao has the region's abbreviated serial number that symbolizes the fine sword bestowed by Jinghua Iron and Steel Works on the blade: Japan·002.
Jinghua Iron and Steel Plant is generally not directly responsible for weapons manufacturing. Jinghua's weapons manufacturing plants are usually separated, such as Jinghua Firearms Factory and Jinghua Artillery Factory in Kaiping.
Therefore, Jinghua actually rarely produces cold weapons. But having said that, Jinghua Iron and Steel Plant is occasionally ordered to produce some cold weapons. These cold weapons basically have special properties. A small part is for gifts, and most of them are for gifts.
Ma Qiancheng also had some personal contacts with the southwestern chieftains, and through the Huang family's relationship, he learned some inside stories. For example, Gao Pingshi had the habit of giving Tang Hengdao to his servants and generals in southern Xinjiang, and occasionally gave it to southern Xinjiang. Some generals from the local area gave him swords.
Ma Qiancheng knew that when Gao Jingshi gave Tang Hengdao to a local general from Southern Xinjiang, there would be an inscription on the blade such as "Southern Xinjiang·001". The number in this inscription was the order in which he gave the sword.
Theoretically speaking, the brighter the number, the higher the person's status in the face of high pragmatism, or the earlier he can make great contributions - here "the sooner he can make great contributions" sometimes means the earlier he can take refuge.
If the same "recipe" were transferred to Japan, wouldn't it mean that the Japanese who came today had made great contributions to Gao Pangshi or had defected to him very early? Then this...should be considered one of our own, right? So although Ma Qiancheng was very confused about the inside story, he immediately came to see Gao Pragmatic in person.
Sure enough, Gao Pingshi was a little lazy at first, but when he heard that the visitor was holding "Japan Zero Two", he immediately became serious, took off his Taoist robe and put on a python suit before going out to meet the guests.
Surprisingly, the Japanese holding the "Japan Zero Two" Tang Hengdao was actually quite young, looking even less than thirty years old. Gao Pingshi couldn't help but be slightly startled when he saw it.
Of course Gao Pangshi knew who the "Japan Zero Two" Tang Hengdao was given to. His owner should be Shimazu Yoshihiro, the commander of the fifth regiment of the Japanese army at this time, and Shimazu Yoshihiro was not young. He was already in his early sixties, which is considered a long life in Japan.
It's easy to see Gao's pragmatic identity. No one in the Ming Dynasty would dare to wear the python robe. Even his demeanor of being in a position of power for a long time is difficult to imitate. Perhaps seeing Gao Pragmatic's unexpected surprise, the young Japanese respectfully stepped forward and knelt down in a clear ceremony, saying: "Shimazu Tadashi, a descendant of Lord Qin Gongyue, pays homage to the Marquis of Nanning on his father's orders. May the Marquis be safe."
Oh, it turned out to be Shimazu Yoshihiro's son.
Gao Pingshi smiled and said gently: "It turns out to be Young Master Shimazu, yes, yes... How are you doing, sir?"
As mentioned before, the current system of the Shimadzu family is unique even in Japan, which is the so-called "Shimadzu two-house system." The general situation is that Shimazu Yoshihiro controls the military power of the Shimadzu family, but the actual power within the territory is It is still controlled by Shimazu Yoshihisa. To put it simply, Shimazu Yoshihisa and Shimazu Yoshihiro brothers are both family governors.
As for Gao Pingshi calling Shimazu Tadahashi "Shimadzu Young Master", this needs a brief explanation. Since Shimazu Yoshihisa had no children, he initially married his third daughter, Kame Shouhime, to Shimazu Yoshihiro's second son, Shimazu Kubo, and designated Kubo as his heir.
But then the situation changed. In the second year of the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, that is, the second year of Bunroku in Japan, Shimazu Yoshihiro went to Korea and Shimazu Kubo died of illness in Korea. The designated heir of the Shimadzu family was gone. .
What will happen if the person who is the juncture of the "Two Palaces System" is gone? So Shimazu Yoshihisa ordered his daughter Kamejuhime to marry again, and there was no need to think too much about the candidate. It was Shimazu Tadashi, the third son of Shimazu Yoshihiro, and Tadashi was designated as his heir.
Tadashi Shimazu is not tall - he may not be considered short among Japanese people, but he is a head shorter in front of Gao Pragmatism. He also looks different from his father's later nicknames "Onishi Manko" and "Oni Shimazu". "The impression given to people is that he does not look fierce, with a long face and narrow eyes, and a certain handsomeness between his eyebrows. If it were not for his hairstyle, he would probably look like an ordinary Ming Dynasty scholar if he changed his clothes.
This image surprised Gao Pragmatic. After all, the Shimadzu family has always been known in Japan for its ability to fight, and its ability to fight is often inseparable from the leader taking the lead in the charge. Therefore, Gao Pragmatic originally thought that the Shimadzu family's words Regardless of his appearance, he should be strong and fierce. Who knows that the old saying is true, you should not be judged by appearance, this Shimazu Tadahashi actually has a bit of a scholarly look.
After listening to Gao Pragmatic's question, Shimazu Zhongheng still bowed to the ground obediently and replied: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Marquis. My father is in Hanyang at this time. I'm afraid the current situation may not be very good... After all, the heavenly soldiers are already under the leadership of Admiral Ma." We are moving southward in a big way, and we have already advanced to the vicinity of Kaicheng."
"Oh?" Gao Jingshi raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Since your father is in Hanyang, why can you come to Sichuan to see me today?"
"Your Majesty," Shimazu Tadahashi said, "This junior came to the court under the orders and arrangements of my father, and was left in Busan as the deputy general of the garrison. Two days ago, the Marquis captured Sichuan in one fell swoop. Although the battle was destructive, However, there were still Japanese soldiers who realized that the situation was not good. They watched the flag before the war started and then went to Busan to report the news. Therefore, the younger generation already knew that the Marquis was coming to Sichuan that night.
That night, an emergency military meeting was held in Busan. The juniors volunteered and led some of Shimadzu's elite troops to come to the west to conduct reconnaissance. Therefore, the juniors arrived at Masan yesterday and were able to meet the Marquis today. "
Gao Pingshi was slightly surprised and asked: "Have you ever encountered the Ming army's sentries here?"
Shimazu Tadahashi's answer was very clever. He said: "Reporting to the Marquis, as late as yesterday, there were sky soldiers riding in the area of Mashan. However, I did not lead many people here. There were only more than 300 people in total. When I arrived at Ma The Queen of the Mountain was broken into pieces again, so the younger generation personally led only about twenty people, and they pretended to be Korean refugees...
From the younger generation's point of view, the Heavenly Soldiers' eastward reconnaissance was probably to check the movements of the Japanese army, or to intimidate Busan. However, since this is the case, it is natural for the younger generation not to pay attention to the small group of Korean refugees. This is human nature. . "
Gao Pangshi secretly praised Shimazu Tadahashi's words. Firstly, he showed his wisdom. He could not only guess the Ming army's intentions, but also be able to adapt to tactical penetration. Secondly, he did not forget to give Liu Wei's sentry a ride. Under the steps, in order to avoid offending Liu Wei, the Ming army general, before the two parties interacted.
It's a bit interesting. The Shimazu family does seem to have something extraordinary. At least Shimazu Tadashi, although young, must be somewhat capable. But it just so happened that if he was a useless person with no ability, he would have to worry about the subsequent chess moves being difficult to play.
Gao pragmatically nodded with satisfaction and said: "I am very happy that Young Master Shimazu is both wise and brave. However, it is dangerous for you to come to see me here. I don't know why you have to come?" At this time, Gao pragmatically seemed to have discovered Dao Dazu. Jin Zhongheng continued to prostrate himself on the ground, but he interrupted after realizing it: "Hey, why are you still kneeling? Someone, give Young Master Shimazu a seat."
Shimazu Tadahashi said hurriedly: "How can I have a seat for the juniors in front of the Marquis? I can just stand here."
"I'm a guest from afar. There's no point in standing. Sit down and answer the question." Gao pragmatically waved his hand and said, but although his words were polite, his tone was unquestionable.
Shimazu Tadahashi had no choice but to follow the host's wishes, and sat down on the brocade stool sent by the highly pragmatic servant. Then he said: "Junior, I am here mainly to ask the Marquis for instructions. This time the Marquis landed in Sichuan, Is the purpose of conquering Jinzhou to seize Pusan? If the Marquis has this intention, although I am only the second general of Pusan and do not have many troops, I still ask myself that I can still play some role in this battle."
Gao pragmatic smiled slightly and said: "You think I am here to raid Busan, what is the reason?"
"Cut off the connection between the Japanese army and the mainland, and treat the current Japanese army in Korea as a turtle in a urn." Shimazu Tadahashi became serious and said in a deep voice: "Once this operation is completed, the number of troops available to the Toyotomi clan will be reduced to 10 to 67. The Marquis completely pacified Korea, crossed the sea and landed in Japan, who else can resist him?"
Gao pragmatic smiled, shook his head and said: "Your father is still in Hanyang. If I capture Busan as you said and cut off the connection between the Japanese army in Korea and the mainland, your father will be intercepted in North Korea."
Shimazu Tadahashi still had a serious look on his face and said: "So what? After the junior raised the flag to help the heavenly soldiers, my father naturally knew that the time had come. If he had the chance, he would immediately launch a mutiny in Hanyang. If there is no chance, then I will definitely take the opportunity to go out of the city to find Admiral Ma and surrender."
"Aren't you worried about your father's safety?" Gao Pragmatic still had a gentle smile on his face.
He originally thought that Shimazu Tadahashi would be more or less worried after he asked this question. Unexpectedly, this was not the case at all. Shimazu Tadahashi said without hesitation: "With my father's ability, no matter how bad he is, there will be no danger." , even if he can't help the heavenly soldiers to conquer Hanyang immediately, it can still cause a lot of chaos. Even if the situation is worse later, he will have no problem leading his troops out of Hanyang and finding Admiral Ma to surrender.
After Admiral Ma and his father joined forces, taking advantage of the chaos and emptiness of Hanyang, as long as they went south immediately - even if they bypassed Kaicheng and went south - they would definitely be able to scare away the Japanese army in Hanyang. By then Hanyang had been lost, and Kaicheng was surrounded by enemies from the north and south, so he could only abandon his defense and flee. Under such a situation, it was time for the Heavenly Soldiers and Cavalry to flex their muscles, and the subsequent great victory was completely conceivable. "
After saying these words, Gao Pragmatic admired Shimazu Tadahashi even more. If he hadn't had deeper considerations, his plan would really work.
"So, what if I want you to continue to be Toyotomi Hideyoshi's loyal minister?" Gao pragmatically asked with a smile.
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Lao Xi of Altay", "Cao Mianzi", and "book friend 160811143715636" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
ps: I fell asleep again in the first half of the night. I woke up at two in the morning. I got up and planned to code quickly. Unexpectedly, I only coded a thousand words and fell asleep again. I woke up at six o'clock and continued to code... Fortunately, it is Saturday. , there shouldn’t be anything else going on at the moment, so I’ll also push out today’s chapter in the morning.