Dragon Sea Empire

Tachibana Zongshige also defeated the Ming army in the first battle of Ulsan. At that time, Ming general Gao Ce took advantage of the fact that most of the Japanese army left Busan to rescue Ulsan. He led the Ming army with 1598 troops and the Korean army with 1 troops to attack Busan. The main Japanese army marched to Bandan as a restraint of the rescue operation of Ulsan by the Japanese army. On January 2, 8, Zongmo received an urgent order from Ukita Hideka and selected 800 elite troops from the Ulsan City rescue force. , This battle was marched in severe cold and rainy weather and with poor visibility. It fought against the 3 troops of Gao Ce of the Ming Army. However, Zong Mao said: "Only a small number of soldiers can win the battle at night. If we let the enemy know that our army's major generals have no chance of winning," Zong Mao arrived in Bandan in the middle of the night to carry out reconnaissance. , led 300 people from the downwind to attack the Ming army at night, beheaded more than [-] prisoners and more than [-] people. At the same time, Gao Ce led the coalition army back to Ulsan because the main force of the Japanese army had arrived in Ulsan. The pressure of being captured is the battle for Bandan.

In the second battle of Ulsan, Tachibana Zongshige led 1000 people to aid Ulsan, harassing the back of the Ming army, and made great efforts in defeating the Ming army. Recruited, on the one hand, assembled a total of [-] troops from his younger brothers Takahashi Tozeng, Kobayakawa Hidebo, and Terasawa Hirodaka in Goseong; Five hundred ships accompanied the Tachibana Army to rescue Konishi Xingchang, who was besieged by sea and land in Suncheon City. On the way, he fought fiercely with Yi Sun-shin and Chen Lin of the Ming and Joseon naval forces in the Luliang naval battle. Tachibana vassal Ikebe Sadamasa sets out to board Chen Lin's warship, but is assassinated instead and dies in battle.

The Japanese army succeeded in this battle and made Chief Konishi out of the siege. At this time, the Tachibana Army served as the rear of the Japanese army, so that the main warship returned to Busan, and the other Japanese troops returned to China first.

Finally, on November 11 at the end of the year, Munemo and Hidebo Kobayakawa broke through the naval blockade of the Ming and Korean armies and became the last army to return to Japan. Because of Munemo Tachibana's integrity and bravery, he was highly regarded among Japanese celebrities during the Warring States Period. , although he stood on the wrong team during the Battle of Sekigahara and was changed into a ronin, but he was welcomed and recruited by all the big names. Facing the persuasion of Kato Kiyomasa and Maeda Toshinaga's officials who admired Zong Mao's strength, they were all persuaded by Zong Mao Refused, Muneshige was kindly offered by Kato Kiyomasa to serve as a diner for a while at Kiyonji Temple in Takase, Tamana County, Higo. After the beginning of autumn in July of the 26th year of Keicho (6), Munemo took a total of about 1601 retainers to Kyoto. Wandering in Edo again, Honda Tadakatsu arranged for him to temporarily live in Takada Hoshoji Temple because he was appreciated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

对其才能感到可惜的德川家康于庆长9年﹝1604年﹞2月透过本多忠胜招唤宗茂，立花宗茂于7月25日觐见家康受任将军幕府的御书院大番头(将军的亲卫队长)领5千石，庆长11年（1606年）1月3日家康打算给宗茂陆奥棚仓的领地，但因将军之位已让于德川秀忠，因此于9月上旬宗茂会见秀忠后，于11月11日正式给予陆奥棚仓一万石复归大名身分，更于庆长15年（1610年）7月25日加增至三万石。

Tachibana Zongshige, who had just regained his status as a daimyo, heard of the defeat of the Satsuma domain, and did not gloat because the Shimadzu family of the Satsuma domain was his old enemy. Instead, he took the initiative to lead the warriors directly under him across the sea to join the Kyushu coalition. Because of his reputation, he was elected as a vanguard general by the allied forces of Kyushu.

More than 1000 Shimadzu soldiers led by Tadashi Shimadzu and his vassal Yamada Minbe voluntarily obeyed the command of Muneshige Tachibana.

Now, under the inspiration of Tachibana Muneshige's personality strength, thanks to Zongshige's leadership, the Kyushu Allied Forces finally began to march south. The deputy generals gathered 15000 people from the Nabeshima Katsushige Army of the Kashima Clan, 1500 from the Arima Toyoshi of Chikugo Kurume, 10000 from Hosokawa Tadori from Kokura Castle, 7000 from Terasawa Kentaka from the Karatsu Clan, and Kuroda Tadayuki, The troops sent by ten daimyos, including Ogasawara Tadama and Matsudaira Shigenao, had a total strength of more than 50000. When they entered Satsuma, Shimadzu Tadani led more than 1500 troops from Hinata, Okino and other places to join them. The more than 1000 people from Kamijimazu Tadasada and Yamada Minbu are all the soldiers that the Shimadzu family can recruit now.

Yin Feng has obtained a lot of relevant information through his own investigators and the Japanese spies he bought. However, after all, the Chinese army is fighting in a foreign country, and the sources of information are very limited. Therefore, Yin Feng decided to stick to Kagoshima Castle with the whole army, and fight a decisive battle with the Kyushu Allied Forces under Kagoshima Castle.

……

On the city hill, the earth-stone prismatic fortress newly built by the China United Company looks very rustic. There are no tall buildings such as castle towers, and it is not grand at all. However, this elongated pentagonal fortress has ten 30-pound cannons. The artillery was fired on the castle mountain, and its range covered the entire area from the foot of the castle mountain to the coast of Kagoshima port. The parts above the mouth of the Inari River and the Kotogawa River were all within the range of its firepower. The entire castle mountain fortress also had 30 various caliber cannons, stationed in the first battalion of the first regiment Huanglue's department of more than 1000 people.

At the same time, an earth-stone fortress was also built at the site of the original Shimadzu family fort at the mouth of the Inari River. The first fort is called the South and North Fort, and there are also 10 heavy guns over 30 pounds and 30 various artillery pieces; there are also 10 carts on the fort wall with rainstorm guns, each of which has 100 guns Regardless, there are ten sentry teams of the Feizihao Sailor Musketeers, foreign mercenary sentry teams, and Yiwu Bird Gunner sentry teams, with a total strength of more than 1500 people.

The only way for the Kyushu Allied Forces to go south-Inari River has become a fortification of the Chinese Army. The Chinese Army built two trenches and earth walls on the north bank. On this position, the Chinese Army stationed the first regiment and the second There are more than 3000 people in the two battalions of the regiment, and they have 25 field artillery. On the south bank of the Inari River, a large number of Japanese laborers piled up a small highland, which became the position of Li Kuiqi's artillery battalion. , The south bank also built a simple parapet fortification. Once the north bank can no longer defend, the defenders can retreat to the south bank for defense. There are still 1000 sailors and musketeers as a reserve team.

On the line of defensive positions of Shiroyama-Inari River-Inari River Estuary Fortress, the Chinese Army has stationed a total of 7500 people. The main strongholds are divided into three places. The positions are thin and the front line is too long. The general reserve team in Yin Feng's hands consisted of only 250 of his own guards (half of which were black and Chinese), 150 soldiers of Luo Aquan's special battalion, and 60 cavalry from the cavalry regiment that had just arrived in Kagoshima.

The Chinese fleet is rushing back from Kitakyushu, but typhoons are raging these days, and all parts of Japan are suffering from storms. The Chinese fleet will not be able to return for a while, and the Chinese troops stationed in Satsuma will not be able to return either. All were dispatched, so Yin Feng lacked troops on hand.

However, Yin Feng got intelligence help by accident, which made him not worried about the menacing Kyushu coalition forces.

In the army of Catholic daimyos such as the Arima Toyoshi in the Kyushu Allied Forces, there are a small number of Catholic priests accompanying the army as usual. These people are basically Japanese priests, and there are also a few Jesuit missionaries. The more hostile the Jesuits are, the Japanese diocese of the Jesuits, in addition to desperately doing top-level work, is still planning to find foreign aid nearby. After Yin Feng allowed the Jesuits to preach in Taiwan, the Chinese diocese of the Jesuits has already regarded Yin Feng and the Chinese United Corporation as missions in China. It is an important partner of China United, and clearly instructed the Jesuits in various places to help the China United Company.

Originally, the division of missionary regions of the Jesuits grouped China and Japan together. Now many missionaries of the Jesuits in Japan have also been to China. In view of the hostile policy of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Jesuits are very willing to help Yin Feng’s army. Therefore, the movements and internal information of the Kyushu Allied Forces quickly reached Lu Ruohan through the Western businessmen in Nagasaki and Hirado.

"...the Kyushu Allied Forces have too many internal problems. Except for the Shimadzu family, Tachibana Munemo, and Kumamoto Kato family, the other daimyos have no interest in attacking Kagoshima at all. We publicly stated in the six-nation complaint that we will withdraw our troops once compensation is obtained. The statement seems to have worked," Lu Ruohan accompanied Yin Feng to watch the Sakura Island in the distance from the east gate of the Chengshan Fortress, and at the same time, he was giving Yin Feng the information he had obtained.

"Although we have as many as 5 enemies in front of us, only the Shimadzu family, Tachibana Muneshige's troops, and the Kumamoto Domain have the real desire to fight, and their strength is about 10000."

Yin Feng looked at the lingering smoke from the Sakurajima crater and said with a chuckle, "Yes, as long as the 10000-strong vanguard is defeated, the rest of the Kyushu Allied Forces will retreat without a fight."

Lu Ruohan nodded and said: "It is also mentioned in the intelligence that the Kyushu coalition forces have a total of 3000 iron gunners, but they are all old-fashioned arquebus guns; there are also more than 800 cavalry. Sent out, only got some second-rate samurai ashigaru to deal with the errands, "

Yin Feng smiled, and patted the earth and rock wall he was standing on: "The Japanese killed and wounded us Chinese a lot with their Wacheng in North Korea. Now, it's their turn to taste the power of the Chinese Army Castle."

By noon, the front guard posts of the Chinese Army in Kirishima and other places in northern Satsuma had returned one after another, bringing news from the Kyushu Allied Forces: "The enemy brigade is less than a day's journey away from Inaichuan."

Yin Feng picked up the binoculars and looked to the north, where the valley and the coast were filled with thick smoke and fireworks.

The special battalion of the Chinese Army and a battalion under Med's command, together with the cavalry of the Dutch cavalry officer Andre, with the help of local Chinese and overseas Chinese, have implemented a thorough "three light policy" in the northern part of Satsuma a few days ago; Now the entire northern part of Satsuma is engulfed in flames and gunpowder smoke. A large number of local Japanese people were driven southward, making the Kyushu Allied Forces march into a no-man's land, unable to get any supplies and personnel support.