Cutting 1719

Chapter 425 The last blow

Compared with the duel between the Fuhan army and the Qing army, when the Fuhan army fought against the Satsuma army, both sides were more or less cautious, but after all, they had never really fought against each other, so it is naturally impossible to say that they are absolutely sure.

However, judging from the scene alone, compared with the 4000 men of the Fuhan Army, the Satsuma Army with more than 7000 people seems to be more advantageous, so the Satsuma Army began to take the initiative to advance.

In the combat method of the Satsuma army, its tactical level will not be much behind that of the Eurasian continent. Usually, the iron artillery and archers are placed first, followed by the spear ashigaru, and the two wings are [-] Satsuma cavalry. Get ready for a sidekick.

However, this tactic, which has won many victories, did not have much effect on Ning Chu, because the gap in gun technology and the number of artillery pieces between the two sides was enough to make the Satsuma army suffer a lot.

Sure enough, when the distance between the Satsuma Army and the Fuhan Army gradually approached two miles, the artillery positions of the Fuhan Army were also ready. The artillery officer had already demarcated the shooting area, and the hands that had raised the red flag all waved down. , and all the gunners who saw the flag information put torches in front of the gun door one after another, and ignited the standard-length fuses.

"Boom—"

More than forty cannons of different calibers roared, and more than 40 flowering shells were fired into the air, and along with arcs, they hit the land where the Satsuma army was marching, making a huge explosion.

With the mud splashed by the explosion, wrapped in the broken limbs of the Satsuma soldiers, a puff of blood mist was sprayed in the air, and the corpses that fell everywhere, like harvested wheat, fell on the ground. on the ground.

Seeing this scene, Xue Qing Cangjiu couldn't help but pinch the binoculars tightly, his heart sank directly to the bottom of the valley - this means that his previous prediction was correct. Judging from the strength of the navy's firepower, the Chu army's artillery on the opposite side It will never be bad!Not to mention the 'Shenhuo Crow' they brought out in the naval battle at the end!

Thinking of this, Xueqing Cangjiu glanced at Shimadzu Jifeng who was watching the battle from the side, and saw that his face had turned pale. I believe he also understood the strength of the opposite Chu army.

Indeed, just this round of bombardment has already made Shimadzu Jifeng feel regretful. The Ningchu army he is facing is by no means something that he, a small Satsuma clan, can deal with, and he was lucky from the beginning Because of this, the current losses are so heavy that we can no longer fight
Thinking of this, Tsuguru Shimadzu looked at Yukiharu Canghisa expectantly, and his voice became extremely difficult, "Kangjiu-kun, I think this battle can only end here, I want to send you to be an envoy. Ning Chu strikes down and makes peace. As long as I can keep Ryukyu, I am willing to pay any price!"

Xue Qingcang couldn't help but sighed lowly for a long time, and the frown on his face became more and more severe. Seeing that Shimadzu Jifeng was still holding on to the idea of ​​keeping Ryukyu, he knew that the negotiation would not be successful.

What else in the Shimadzu family is worth Ning Chu's shot?It is nothing more than a Ryukyu. If the Ryukyu is not returned, how can the opponent stop fighting?As for inviting other daimyos to send troops to defend Ryukyu, that is even more impossible.

In fact, the messengers sent by the Shimadzu family were shut down by most of the daimyo. On the one hand, they used to have bad relations, so naturally they would not go through fire and water for the Shimadzu family. Second, this time the Shimadzu family offended the shogunate at the same time. And Ning Chu, any troops sent will take into account offending the two, and the last reason is Ryukyu.

You know, among the only [-] daimyos in the Edo shogunate, the Shimadzu family occupied the Ryukyu area and obtained a lot of benefits from the tribute trade. The wealth is all owned by the Shimadzu family alone, and how long have they enjoyed the wealth for this.

I usually eat meat and drink and don't think about my brother, but now that someone is beating you, I think of my brother, do our other names owe you the Shimadzu family or what?

This is the true inner thoughts of the other daimyos. Naturally, they don't want to join in. On the contrary, many nearby daimyos turned their heads and started thinking about the Shimadzu family. After all, everyone pushed the wall down!
Therefore, Xueqing Cangjiu is really helpless at the moment. If she still holds the fantasy of keeping Ryukyu, she is afraid that she will be swallowed into her stomach with bones and flesh. Whispered reminder.

"Patriarch, now that the war has just started, it is not suitable to ask for peace. If you do not ask for peace, I am afraid that you will be treated as if you were defeated."

Shimadzu Jifeng was also in a mess just now, after hearing Xueqing Cangjiu's reminder, he immediately reacted, no matter what, this battle must be over, otherwise, with the current situation, Ning Chu How could the army give itself a generous peace treaty?
In fact, anyone with a clear mind knows that what cannot be obtained on the battlefield is even more difficult to obtain on the negotiating table.If you want a decent contract, you have to fight a decent victory.

"In that case, let's fight them!"

Gritting his teeth, Shimadzu Jifeng had already made up his mind and began to give orders.

"Yinzhai-kun, I entrust you with the iron cannon of the former army, you must fight to the death and shoot at close range!"

"Yes, Lord Patriarch."

"Fujiwara-kun, the spear ashigaru of the rear army must follow the iron cannon ashigaru, and charge when the distance is enough!"

"Yes, Lord Patriarch."

Speaking of this, Shimadzu Jifeng looked at the general servant Tao Zhengfang who he had pulled up with one hand, and the other party was holding the most elite [-] cavalry warriors of the Satsuma army, which can be called a sharp knife at the moment of the Satsuma army.

"Yi Fang-kun, after the front army meets the enemy, you will lead the cavalry warriors and destroy the enemy's artillery positions at all costs!"

Tao Zhengfang had a serious face on his face. He could naturally understand what the Patriarch meant. The so-called "at all costs" included Tao Zhengfang himself. !

"Yes, Patriarch, I will definitely complete the mission of Patriarch, and I will plant the flag of the Shimadzu family on the opponent's artillery position at the end!"

Following some orders, the soldiers of Satsuma Fan who were being bombarded indiscriminately on the battlefield also changed their previous pace and began to stride towards the Ningchu Army. As for the damage, the damage was naturally getting bigger and bigger, but morale It didn't fall too much, and it has always maintained a very strong atmosphere.

Deng Ziyi, who was watching the battle, couldn't help but nodded, and sighed: "The Satsuma clan is worthy of being a strong clan in Japan. It may be difficult for ordinary Qing troops to compare with such combat power and morale. Perhaps only the Eight Banners of the Beijing Camp and the Tiger Clothes Rattan soldiers can compete with one of them."

Xu Youjie, the chief of staff of the division at the side, smiled slightly, "But even the Eight Banners of the Beijing Camp and the Tiger Yiteng soldiers are already lagging behind. If they don't improve in other places, no matter how high their morale is, they will only collapse later. Their artillery will be destroyed by the navy." Completely unplugged, don't know what about muskets?"

"Then take a look first, take a look first."

Although Deng Ziyi's tone was dignified, his expression was very relaxed. Now that the battle has come to this point, in fact, it is very obvious what tricks the opponent will have. Strength, who is the Fuhan army afraid of?

During the roar of artillery fire, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer. When the Satsuma army reached a distance of about a hundred paces, the muskets of the Fuhan army also started firing salvos. They can still fight, but the Satsuma army can't. They still need to advance about [-] steps.

"Onboard! For the master, onboard!"

A trace of madness flashed across the face of Yin Zhai under the mountain in the rear. He shouted frantically and drove the soldiers to charge to the death. At this time, the soldiers of the Iron Pao had gone through repeated shelling in front and a round of muskets from the Fuhan army. After the salvo, more than 1000 or [-] people have fallen, and the rest are trembling.

"Bang-bang-bang-"

No matter what choice the Satsuma soldiers make, for the soldiers of the Fuhan Army who are firing salvos, all this is the same as in the past. They load the ammunition, and then raise the gun to pull the trigger-just like doing farm work in the crop field Usually methodical, this kind of bloody killing actually has a bit of uniform beauty.

Since the Satsuma army did not have artillery cover, when the iron cannons of the Satsuma army reached a distance of 500 steps, there were only 800 people left. They were divided into a classic three-horizontal team, each with about [-] people. , Holding the iron cannon in his hand, first pour a little gunpowder into the medicine pool, then pour some gunpowder into the muzzle, then insert the bullet, and press the trigger, and the trigger drives the connecting rod holding the matchlock, smoldering The match was slowly lowered, and the medicine primer in the medicine pool was lit like a chicken pecking at rice.

"boom--"

Different from the crisp gunshots of the Fuhan army, the sound of the muskets used by the Satsuma army is slightly dull. Although this kind of matchlock gun introduced from the West is stronger than the Qing army's bird guns, it is also reflected in the places where it is not easy to explode. , its power and range are still not as good as the flintlock guns of the Fuhan Army, and the rate of fire is far worse.

But after all, they were already approaching to shoot, so the Fuhan army also fell 40 people. It was a certain result, but compared to Ning Chu's results of knocking down hundreds of people each time, it seemed a little bit Unbearable.

If war can be simplified into a mathematical problem, then anyone can get the answer to this war through the current casualty exchange ratio, that is, the Satsuma army will definitely lose.

But this point is also well known to the other generals of the Satsuma army, and naturally they will no longer put the hope of victory on the iron cannon ashigaru, and they blew the horn of the general attack.

"Onboard!"

The [-] spears led by Fujiwara Jiro were light enough, and they charged with the sound of the horn. Their task was very simple, that is to rush into the formation of muskets on the opposite side, disrupt their formation, and it is best to completely change the situation of the battle. Into hand-to-hand combat, defeat the musketeers on the opposite side.

At the same time, the [-] cavalry led by General Tao Zhengfang also maintained a wedge formation to attack the artillery positions of the Fuhan Army. Undoubtedly, his task was more difficult because the artillery positions were located at the rear. It is necessary to break through the many obstacles laid down by the Fuhan army.

"Onboard! Onboard!"

Hearing the voices of the Satsuma soldiers roaring in unison, Deng Ziyi also understood in his heart that the Satsuma clan's final blow was about to come, and if this blow did not succeed, they might think about retreating to Tsurumaru The city stood firm, waiting for reinforcements to come.

But for Deng Ziyi, this is absolutely unacceptable. After all, once this step is reached, it will become impossible to completely end the war against Satsuma.Therefore, Deng Ziyi's biggest goal is to completely cut off their illusions in the First World War.

"Pass down the order, let them in, and prepare to encircle them!"

This is an extremely bold decision, because once the battle line is moved away, it is true that it can outflank the two wings and obtain the greatest results, but once the defensive line inside is broken, the encirclement of the Fuhan army will no longer be meaningful, but will be destroyed. suffered a fiasco.

Both sides are betting that in this hammer-and-anvil tactic, whether the piece of iron used as the anvil is that hard, and whether it will be stabbed by Satsuma's spear.

"Boom—"

On the route of Satsuma's charge, the artillery of the Fuhan army continued to roar, and the speed of the rear artillery position almost reached a peak, but this would not completely stop the progress of Satsuma. The position of the Han army is also getting closer.

When the spear ashigaru and the cavalry warriors gradually approached to a distance of fifty steps, the mortars of the Fuhan army also began to show their power. A large number of iron pieces were fired by the mortars, creating a puff of blood among the soldiers of the Satsuma army. Fog, its killing efficiency is much higher than that of flowering ammunition, and I saw that the Satsuma soldiers almost fell down in groups.

The remaining Satsuma soldiers almost reached a critical point. At first, some people wanted to escape, but they were driven by the rest of the attacking people, and they stepped on their feet directly, turning into bloody mud. It's not that they didn't want to retreat, but At this point, there is no going back.

For General Fujiwara Jiro and General Attendant Tao Zhengfang, they were even more unable to retreat. They had no choice but to defeat the soldiers of the Fuhan Army who were pouring their firepower wildly on the opposite side.

Especially General Tao Zhengfang, the cavalry he led was close to 500 cavalry, and the artillery position on the opposite side was already in sight, they had no reason to retreat. Some had hammers and nails hanging from their horses, which were used to nail down the doors of cannons.

However, it was not other people who guarded the artillery position, but the only grenadier battalion in the whole division. The grenadier battalion was full of 500 people. They were all tall and tall, with four to six grenades hanging from their waists. With a fire pocket in his mouth and a long saber on his back, he looked at the cavalry in front of him with dead eyes.

Battalion Commander Han Dingwu sneered. Compared to the Mongolian horses, these Japanese horses in front of them are like toys. Even children are taller than these horses, not to mention the number of them is only a few hundred. Such cavalry is very important to them , It is simply a feat that fell from the sky.

"The grenadier battalion, there is death but there is no life!"

(End of this chapter)