Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1024
"The Tennoji position was breached head-on by Shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa. Our general Hachisuka Tadaei was shot by a musket and was seriously injured!"

The Xiaoshan position defended by Lu Xiangsheng received the news from the front line, and Tachibana Tadamo informed Lu Xiangsheng with the information sent back by the scouts.

"Okayama fell yesterday. Why did Tennoji Temple fall so quickly? How did you block the shogunate's attack with such defensive determination?" Lu Xiangsheng didn't expect the shogunate's army to break through before entering the plain south of Osaka City. The first line of defense of the allied forces.

"In the past, our front line was originally in the Musashi country, but was driven to the Owari country by the shogunate, and then retreated to Kyoto and Osaka. Basically, we retreated again and again. This time the shogunate army came out in full force, and they broke through the position within three days. It's expected." Tadao Tachibana didn't take it seriously.

Lu Xiangsheng realized that the situation was more dangerous than he had imagined. He did not expect the morale of the defeated coalition forces to be so low.It is not without reason that Tokugawa Iemitsu chose to launch the unification war at this time.

"East Route Army Mizuno Katsunari is a veteran of the shogunate. He participated in the battle of Osaka 20 years ago. The troops he led have advanced to Kino Village and will soon be close to our Xiaoshan. The various names in Xiaoshan are already discussing whether to abandon Xiaoshan. The position has shrunk to Osaka Castle and Sanada Maruchi." Tachibana Tadamo said.

"Once Tennoji and Okayama are lost, Xiaoshan will become the last highland in the south of Osaka Castle. Occupying this place can be attacked or defended. As long as the will is firm, Xiaoshan is not easy to be conquered. There is no need to retreat to Osaka Castle without resistance." Lu Xiangsheng frown.

"But you should have seen that the defense line consisting of 3000 defenders in front was easily defeated by the shogunate army. We only have 20 defenders in the Xiaoshan position. How can we stop the shogunate army? The Toyotomi family abandoned Sasayama [-] years ago and fled to Osaka City, right? It's unreasonable, no one has the courage to fight alone outside Osaka Castle." Seeing that Lu Xiangsheng was still determined to stick to Xiaoshan at this time, Tachibana Tadamo couldn't help but said anxiously.

He never thought that he would really stick to Xiaoshan with Lu Xiangsheng.

"It is my military order to assist you in defending Osaka Castle before the spring of next year. I must try my best to delay the offensive of the shogunate army. We can gather the remnants of the defeated frontline and make each other horns in Xiaoshan and Osaka Castle." Lu Xiangsheng Said.

"Such a strategy is not bad, but..." Tachibana Tadamo hesitated in his tone.

The news of the defeat of the Tennoji garrison spread to the rear, and the 3000 garrison of Sasayama began to waver, and many samurai fled into Osaka Castle with their subordinates.Except for Sasayama's lone army in the southern plain of Osaka Castle, all the defenders fled into Osaka Castle.

What Tachibana Tadamo was worried about still happened. The allied forces seemed not to be so determined. Of the 500 defenders in Xiaoshan, only Lu Xiangsheng and Tachibana Tadamo's 300 troops remained, and more than [-] people led by several warriors stayed behind to follow Lu Xiangsheng.They don't want to be broken, but they want to have a chance to contact the Kyushu Army, or they want to use this opportunity to show their loyalty in front of their future backers.

"Most people entered Osaka Castle, including the defeated soldiers who escaped from Okayama. We only have more than 1000 people left in Xiaoshan, and the shogunate's army has 10 people. Can we really hold Xiaoshan?"

Tachibana Tadamo, wearing a red armor, watched Lu Xiangsheng still inspecting Xiaoshan's position.

"Soldiers are expensive and elites are not expensive. I am more worried about the insufficient quantity of gunpowder and ammunition brought." Lu Xiangsheng was not worried about the lack of numbers, but was holding a list of supplies allocated to him by the Military Supply Department.

This list records in detail how many taels of black powder, how many rounds of bullets, solid bullets, shotguns, and how many muskets.Lu Xiangsheng has already planned how long he will hold on with this batch of gunpowder.He is not a stubborn person, as long as the gunpowder is almost consumed, he will naturally give up the Xiaoshan position.

"It's terrible, just a few dozen soldiers came, and they brought a large ship of gunpowder."

Tachibana Tadamo followed Lu Xiangsheng to check the material preparations before the war, and couldn't help but marvel at the wealth of the Kyushu Army.According to the current configuration of the Fallen Allied Forces, the amount of ammunition Lu Xiangsheng brought is the amount currently used by tens of thousands of Fallen Allied Forces soldiers.

"Is your domestic army all this extravagant? I mean that the army will carry so many firearms when it goes out." Tadamo Tachibana secretly wiped off his cold sweat, wanting to know whether the Kyushu Army generally has such a configuration.

"It is of course impossible for dozens of soldiers to use a large ship's artillery... But when a corps is dispatched, at least ten supply ships follow. Our combat philosophy is that we would rather use more gunpowder than casualties of some soldiers, so many The common people are willing to join our army. Our regiment is a standing army with military pay." Lu Xiangsheng explained to Tachibana Tadamo while counting the supplies.

"A corps has 1000 soldiers, that is, there is at least one large supply ship for every 1 people to provide ammunition supplies. Even this is terrible. One of your supply ships is enough for 10 of us, and the gunpowder of a corps is equivalent to ours. The consumption of 10 people. This is still on the premise that our [-] people are the iron artillery team. In fact, we still have many soldiers who use long knives and spears." Tachibana Tadamo is still envious of Lu Xiangsheng, not to mention the Kyushu Army Tadamo Tachibana feels very refreshed just because he can use gunpowder wantonly.

Most of the soldiers on the outskirts of Osaka Castle have already fled into Osaka Castle, only Lu Xiangsheng from Xiaoshan, Tadamo Tachibana and his party are left.

The shogunate army is coming, making the war atmosphere in Xiaoshan more tense.What they are about to face is the East Route Army led by Mizuno Katsunari.

"The army of the shogunate has appeared!"

On the temporary Xiaoshan position, a soldier shouted.

Lu Xiangsheng stood on the high ground of Xiaoshan, and through the binoculars, he could see the banners of the shogunate on the horizon. There were hundreds of them, shaking up and down as the flag bearers moved.

"Mizuno Katsushige is a famous general who came all the way at the end of the Warring States Period. He has participated in large and small wars and has very rich command experience." Tachibana Tadamo introduced the enemy general to Lu Xiangsheng.

"The current war mode has changed a lot from the Warring States period you mentioned, and his previous war experience may not be applicable." Lu Xiangsheng was still observing the formation of the shogunate army with a telescope, "Their vanguard troops are all Pikemen, and they don't seem to have much sophisticated armor, and they have a variety of costumes."

"Pikes are the cheapest cold weapons, and it is also the easiest to train pikemen. They must be used by the shogunate as cannon fodder to test the opponent." Tachibana Tadamo held another telescope that Lu Xiangsheng handed him, and he could see the shogunate more clearly Silhouettes of the army.

After Tachibana Tadashige finished speaking, he couldn't put it down to the monocular telescope used by the officers of the Kyushu Army: "This telescope is really amazing. I wonder if it can be given as a gift?"

(End of this chapter)