Daming: My boss Zhu Yuanzhang

Dazaifu and the Nagawa Floating Bridge are more than 70 miles apart. It takes less than two days for infantry to reach them. If it is cavalry, it is faster and can be reached in one day.

However, these armies of Li Wei had already experienced a forced march before attacking Dazaifu, and then a fierce siege battle. They were now exhausted. Although Li Wei urged them one after another, the army still moved slowly, especially in the siege battle. The soldiers who exerted the most force could hardly even lift their legs.

In the army, some soldiers were hunched over and struggling to move forward, as if they were about to fall down at any time.

Finally, a weak person fell to the ground. Xiao Qi, who was leading the team next to him, quickly called for someone to pull him up. Several people helped each other and continued to march.

This situation was relatively rare on the first day, but on the second day, soldiers who could not hold on fell to the ground everywhere, and groups of soldiers helped each other move forward.

Li Wei looked anxious. He had also seen the situation in the army, but time was urgent now. If it was a step too late and Tang and the others had been wiped out, then their escape would be in vain, and without Tang and those people, they would face each other alone. Against the Japanese army of 100,000, even if they could win with the help of firearms, they would suffer heavy losses.

"Master Marquis, we can no longer march in such a hurry. The soldiers are too exhausted. Even if they reach the pontoon bridge, the army will have no fighting power!"

Lu Tang spoke out to persuade.

Shi Jun and others also had the same opinion.

Li Wei frowned and finally sighed and said: "Let the army rest on the spot and rest for a while before marching."

"Yes!"

Lu Tang respectfully accepted the order and quickly sent someone to pass on the order. The army immediately stopped and many soldiers lay down on the spot without caring about anything else.

Li Wei summoned Lu Tang, Shi Jun and others over, and said in a deep voice: "Continuing like this is not an option. Tang and the others are attacked by the Japanese and they will definitely not be able to survive for such a long time. We must arrive as soon as possible. What can you do?"

Lu Tang, Shi Jun and others looked at each other and understood each other tacitly.

In fact, they all know that Tang He's army may have been wiped out now. Even if they arrive now, it will not help. Everyone goes to support them with a just-in-case mentality.

And from another point of view, the advantages of Tang He being destroyed outweigh the disadvantages for them. Without Tang He and others in the way, Li Wei will naturally take over the post of general. With the combat power of their firearms army, losing Tang He and those people will The impact of tens of thousands of troops will not be too great. Even if they face the Japanese army of 100,000 alone, they are confident of defeating them.

Of course, the losses will definitely be larger, but relatively speaking, this may not be a better result.

"Master Hou, destiny cannot be violated, we have tried our best!" Shi Jun said with cupped hands.

He was promoted to his current position by Li Wei, so he naturally put Li Wei's interests first.

Li Wei frowned and said nothing. War casualties are inevitable, but he could never ignore the lives of ordinary soldiers. They were all living people. It would be sad and sad to just become a number in the battle report. .

Li Wei's mind was racing, and he was thinking hard about the best solution. Finally, he had an idea and said, "This way, Shi Jun, you lead three thousand cavalry first. When you get to the pontoon bridge, if the general and the others are still there, you can beat the drums and play in the rear." Guns, by the way, bring a few explosive bags, in short, it’s just a feint to harass, let Tang and them know that we are coming soon!”

When Lu Tang, Shi Jun and others heard this, their eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea. This would not only force the Japanese to divide their forces to deal with the rear, but also boost the morale of the friendly forces.

Li Wei has experienced several wars, and finally he is no longer a novice on the battlefield, and gradually has his own ideas about war, especially since there are so many war experiences that future generations can learn from.

"Also, if the Japanese attack, you will fight while running away. If the Japanese retreat, you will continue to harass. If the Japanese relax their vigilance, you can also seize the opportunity to hit them hard! As the saying goes, the enemy attacks us. Retreat, if the enemy is stationed we will disturb you; if the enemy is tired, we will attack; if the enemy retreats, we will pursue you!"

After a pause, Li Wei continued. At this time, he seemed to have suddenly enlightened and learned the essence of guerrilla warfare.

Many generals were shocked when they heard this sentence. Li Wei's simple sentence clearly explained the essence of guerrilla warfare. Although guerrilla tactics have existed since ancient times, he can understand them so thoroughly. , still very admirable!

"My lord, this is a wonderful plan. The general will count his troops and go to support him first!"

Shi Jun couldn't help but feel deep admiration at this time, and so did the other generals.

In the past, they only knew that Li Wei was powerful in the government, won the trust of His Majesty, and made so many powerful firearms. However, most of these were civil affairs. In marching and fighting, the Marquis was still just a immature novice, and even had some indecisive.

But at this time, they did not dare to think that way anymore. This Marquis was simply capable of literary and military skills, which was beyond anyone's reach!

As the saying goes, literature can bring peace to the world with pen, and martial arts can make peace with horses. It's nothing more than this!
Of course, those guard generals who were originally craftsmen did not have so many thoughts. In their view, this was a matter of course. The Marquis was a god-like figure in their hearts.

When Shi Jun led the troops to leave first, Li Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief and allowed the army to rest and recuperate before continuing to march.

On the Nagawa Floating Bridge, both Tang He and Shao Er Puteng had their own thoughts and tacitly agreed not to destroy the floating bridge. The two armies fought back and forth on the bridge. Countless soldiers fell directly into the river after their death and were killed. The raging river washed away.

The shouts of killing are occasionally mixed with the sound of falling water, as if the drums from hell are calling these heroic warriors.

The river was dyed red over and over again and washed clean again.

Sheng Yong, covered in blood and with an extremely ferocious face, retreated from the pontoon bridge again, came to Tang He and shouted loudly: "General, the two days are up, destroy the bridge!"

Tang He sighed in his heart. After all, he failed to defeat the Japanese in one fell swoop this time. It seems that this battle will be difficult to fight in the future!

"Retreat." After a moment of silence, Tang He said helplessly.

Hu Hai gritted his teeth and argued: "General, I will resist for a while. If Jiang Duhou has not arrived for reinforcements before dark, we will withdraw!"

"No! I can't wait any longer! If it weren't for his firearm, that good-for-nothing wouldn't even be able to carry our shoes. Let alone today, he won't be able to come in ten days!"

Sheng Yong's eyes widened with anger. He had endured it for a long time. They were here fighting for blood and surrendering their lives to the traitor who relied on the emperor's favor to become a marquis. Isn't that making fun of their lives?
Not only Sheng Yong, but many other generals present also thought the same. They were all veterans who had been on the battlefield for more than ten or even decades, and they simply looked down on Li Wei, who had only gone on two expeditions. Newcomer.

Although Tang He believed in the power of firearms, he was unsure of Li Wei's commanding ability. Seeing the excitement of the crowd, he no longer hesitated and said directly: "No need to say more, destroy the bridge and retreat immediately..."

boom!
Before Tang He finished speaking, there was a sudden explosion in the direction of the Japanese army, and everyone turned their heads and looked over in surprise.

"It's Marquis Jiangdu, they're coming to support!"

Hu Hai said in surprise.

Everyone else was also surprised. They all knew that the Japanese had no firearms, and the explosion could only be caused by Li Wei's army!
Sheng Yong and others saw this and stopped shouting about destroying the bridge.

"Great! The generals obey the order and cooperate with Jiangdu Marquis to contain the Japanese!" Tang He shouted excitedly.

The generals shouted in response, all excited and their morale soared!

Here at the Japanese, Shaoer Puteng and others also heard the explosion, and they all looked behind in panic.

"What's going on behind the scenes? Come on, come and have a look!"

Shao Er Puteng shouted hastily.

A warrior from the Shaoer clan immediately took orders to check.

But before he could check clearly, there was another bang of gunfire immediately after the explosion, and then there was the scream of the Japanese after being shot.

Obviously, this is the Ming army that attacked Dazaifu and rushed over to support it!

"This...this is impossible!"

Shao Er Puteng said in disbelief.

There are 30,000 garrison troops left in Dazaifu. Could it be that these Ming people gave up attacking Dazaifu and came directly to support them?
No, if that's the case, then Dazaifu's army can attack from behind again and destroy them too.

Tsushima Yoshihisa, Otomo Sobayashi and others were also surprised. They also did not believe that the Ming army would abandon Dazaifu and come directly. Doing so would be suicidal. "Why don't we send fast horses to Dazaifu to check the situation. If they really gave up the siege and came here, we will let Dazaifu's garrison come out of the city to help in the battle!"

Otomo Sobayashi said.

Shaoer Puteng thought for a while and nodded in agreement, and immediately sent someone to check the situation.

The army is moving slowly, but if it is just to detect and send messages, it will be back in less than half a day.

Behind the Japanese, Shi Jun put down his telescope, feeling quite surprised.

He had clearly seen the situation of the pontoon bridge in the distance. The Ming army had already crossed the pontoon bridge, and there was no danger of the entire army being annihilated for the time being. This surprised him.

In this case, he did not hesitate anymore and immediately ordered someone to light an explosive pack. First, he sent a message to the Ming army on the opposite side, and then led his people to attack the Japanese rear army.

After a burst of gunfire, the cavalry led by Shi Jun fired all the four or five muskets they carried, killing hundreds of Japanese in one wave. The Japanese were already alert after hearing the sound. They immediately sent cavalry to catch up.

Shi Jun remembered Li Wei's instructions before setting off and retreated after the fight.

The two parties chased each other and quickly moved away from the battlefield.

The Japanese cavalry chased for a long time before slapping their horses back cursingly, and then reported the situation to Shaoer Puteng and others.

Upon hearing that the opponent only had a few thousand cavalry, many of the guardian daimyo present breathed a sigh of relief.

Although thousands of cavalry can cause some trouble, they will not affect the overall situation. However, Shao Er Puteng still ordered the rear army to take strict precautions.

After a long time, after Shi Jun and others finished reloading their ammunition, they rushed forward and started beating them again. The Japanese cavalry had no choice but to chase them out again.

But Shi Jun didn't fight them at all. After firing his gun, he didn't care whether he hit or not, and turned around and left. The Japanese were so angry that they screamed.

Shi Jun led the cavalry in guerrilla warfare, attacking here and there, and then leaving without stopping. Repeatedly, the Japanese were very angry. The Japanese cavalry had to follow them everywhere, and they were so confused that they slipped away.

The Japanese would inevitably let down their guard after too many times. Shi Jun would seize the opportunity and lead his troops to rush into the Japanese formation and chop wildly, causing far more casualties than harassing them with muskets.

Seeing this, Shaoer Pu Teng had to mobilize some of his troops and turn back. The pressure on the Ming army, which was closely guarding these annoying guys from the pontoon bridges in front, suddenly eased slightly.

At the pontoon, Hu Hai led the Ming army to fight hard. When everyone heard that reinforcements had arrived, their morale was greatly boosted, and the Japanese were defeated step by step.

However, this situation did not last long. As time went by, everyone gradually discovered that although there was indeed a Ming army behind the Japanese, it was not the large army they imagined, and its impact on the Japanese was very limited.

The soldiers of the Ming army once again showed signs of fatigue and were pushed back by the Japanese. However, this time no one, including Sheng Yong, mentioned the retreat. They were experienced in fighting and after a little thought, they understood the meaning of Li Wei's move. , now that the advance cavalry has arrived, the army should not be far away. Now is the most critical time!
While Shi Jun and others were restraining the Japanese, Li Wei's army also came with all their strength. After two hours of rest, they finally arrived nearby just after noon!

When Li Wei's army approached, the Japanese scouts immediately discovered them, and the panicked general found Shaoer Puteng.

"Report! Lord Tanti, there are thirty to forty thousand Ming troops behind us!"

"What?" Shao Er Puteng opened his eyes in shock, "How dare they be so unwise?"

Shimazu, Otomo, Ouchi and other great Mings also had faces full of disbelief.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter. The Ming army here on the pontoon has been crippled by us, so it's nothing to worry about. The Ming army behind them is only 40,000. It's easy for our army of 100,000 to destroy them! In addition, we have already sent people to Dazaifu. A message has been sent there. When the 30,000 soldiers and horses arrive, this Ming army will have no way to escape. We will just annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

Ouchi Yoshihiro said coldly.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They have a strength advantage, and even if there are Ming troops at the head and tail, it is not a cause for concern.

Shimazu Yoshihisa snorted coldly: "Huh, this general of the Ming army is really a fool, okay, let us teach him a lesson!"

After some discussion, everyone immediately ordered most of their troops to turn back, leaving only a small half to deal with the remaining Ming troops on the floating bridge.

After arriving, Li Wei did not rush to attack, but arranged his troops first.

It also took time for the Japanese to change direction, so they did not take the lead.

The position chosen by Li Wei was at a distance of 800 steps. At this distance, the artillery could exert its power, but the Japanese were far out of reach.

After both sides formed their formations and after a brief confrontation, Li Wei ordered the artillery fire.

The roaring artillery sounded, and first a wave of solid shells fell on the Japanese army. Dozens of shells smashed all the enemies along the way, and bounced out dozens of blood marks!
Shaoer Puteng and others were shocked!

This is the first time they have seen the artillery of the Ming army. Although there was intelligence that the artillery of the Ming army was very powerful, they thought it was just a little more powerful than those of the Yuan people. However, now, the two armies are more than a mile apart. The artillery has already been fired, and its power is so terrifying!

"Attack quickly!" Shao Er Puteng shouted eagerly.

Before, they thought of waiting for the Ming army to attack first. After all, they still had to deal with the remaining Ming army at the floating bridge. Separating the head and tail would be very detrimental to the army.

But it didn't work now. The Ming Dynasty's artillery came at them from such a distance, but their bows and arrows couldn't reach them at all. The only way was to rush up and get closer, otherwise they would have to be beaten passively!
Many famous Japanese people also understood this truth, and without any time to think about it, they quickly ordered their soldiers and horses to charge.

But after the sound of the cannon started, it never stopped, and when they got closer, they even used explosive shells, killing a large number of people with one shot.

The cavalry led by Shi Jun also joined the army at this time and fought with the Japanese cavalry. The musket array in the army also fired, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese.

As the two sides officially fought, the situation of the Japanese army took a turn for the worse. The faces of Shaoer Puteng, Shimazu Yoshihisa and others who were originally full of confidence changed.

"Da...Da Ming's firearms are so powerful!"

Takagi Takanobu's voice was a little trembling. According to the current situation, their army of 100,000 people may not be able to defeat the 30,000 to 40,000 Ming army!
More importantly, with such powerful firearms, did the Ming army really abandon Dazaifu? Or did he return to attack them after he had already conquered Dazaifu?

Thinking of this, Gao Mulong's confidence became even colder.

Everyone else had also thought of this, and they all looked ugly and remained silent, but they didn't mention it clearly.

Now they can only pray that the 30,000 defenders of Dazaifu are still there, so that they can be more certain of winning by attacking from both front and back.

As the sound of artillery sounded continuously in Li Wei's place, the Ming army at the pontoon could also hear it clearly. Tang, Hu Hai and others breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Our reinforcements are already fighting the Japanese. Let's work harder and kill these Japanese together to avenge our dead brothers!"

Hu Hai yelled at the top of his lungs, and Sheng Yong and others also shouted. The soldiers passing by them followed suit. The Ming army officers and soldiers were morale boosted again, and they shouted for revenge and attacked the Japanese.

The fierce counterattack by Hu Hai and others contained some of the Japanese, but Li Wei still faced an enemy force twice as large as his own. Muskets and artillery exploded continuously, and the Japanese who rushed up fell like wheat. Wave, but there are still enemies rushing up from behind.

As the two armies approached, Li Wei had ordered a change of formation. In addition to the difficulty of changing the artillery formation, the musket formations were transformed into a solid square formation. Compared with the hollow square formation, the solid square formation had faster formation changes, stronger defense, and lower firepower. More dense.

Of course, there are also disadvantages, that is, poor mobility, and it can easily cause collapse once it is breached.

Both formations have their own advantages and disadvantages, so you can only play by ear.

The Japanese first experienced the baptism of artillery fire, and now they faced a tightly defended musket phalanx. Whether they used bows and arrows or cavalry charges, they suffered heavy casualties. It was difficult to break through these phalanxes of the Ming army even at a huge cost. (End of chapter)