Win the Ding 1617

Let's turn the camera back to the night when Hua Yu discussed with several leading figures of the Tokugawa shogunate.

When Hua Yu came up with a plan to attack Kagoshima Castle with a fleet, Matsudaira Nobuzuna and others were so shocked that their jaws almost fell to their feet.

If such a plan was proposed by the lieutenant general of the shogunate army, it would definitely be severely laughed at by his colleagues and officers. However, it was proposed by His Royal Highness of the Li family, so the effect would naturally be different.

"One day, my father sent a fleet of ships transporting grain and grass to send a letter, suggesting that our army might as well use the fleet to transport troops to Kagoshima. Our Nanzhong Army is responsible for opening the city wall, and your army is responsible for breaking into the city."

Therefore, the commander of the First Army, Tadano Kuroda, as the commander of the Raiders, led the Tokugawa family's [-] elite bannermen and his own [-] female clothes, boarded the Nanzhong Army's fleet and set off for Kagoshima.

Relying on the accumulation of trade with Japan over the years, the fleet is well aware of the hydrology, currents, reefs, and wind directions along the coast of Japan.Along the coastlines of islands such as Amakusa and Xiazheng Island, we went around far away.

Riding a night of north wind, the fleet arrived at Kagoshima Bay at dawn and anchored off the coast of Taniyama Township, seven kilometers south of Kagoshima Castle Town.After a short rest, the shogunate officers and soldiers who were seasick and vomited slowly continued to advance, and anchored about one kilometer from the "Maenohama" near Kagoshima Castle Town.

A castle close to the coastline in the city of Kagoshima. In 1601, Tadahei Shimadzu (Iehisa) started the castle building plan.Prior to this, the Shimadzu family was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, and his father Shimadzu Yoshihiro took full responsibility.From Zhongheng to become the new master.The construction of Tsurumaru Castle, which replaced the inner city, began and was completed in 1604.

Zhongheng's father, Yoshihiro, thinks there is a problem with building a city near the coast.It has been opposed to the fortification plan until it was completed.In the original history, Kagoshima Castle was engulfed by fire twice, one was burned down in 1693, and the other was burned down again in 1874. It can be seen that this castle seems to have a relationship with God of Fire Not very good.

In this era, because of the earliest trade with Nanzhong, the scale of Kagoshima Castle was more than double that of the castle built by Shimadzu Tadatsuru.The towns and cities outside the city are huge in scale, with row upon row of street shops, and have become a prosperous commercial center and trading port in Southern Kyushu and even the entire Kansai region, with hundreds of ships coming and going every day.He brought countless wealth to the Shimadzu family.

"Enemy attack!"

It was originally thought that the dozen or so ships that came were ships that came to Kagoshima for trade.However, when the people in the city saw the emblem of the Tokugawa family hanging on the mast, they suddenly panicked.

"Don't panic! Panic now, what will you do later?!"

With the help of a telescope.The commander of the four rocket ships is Mo Da.I saw the panic of merchants, citizens, farmers, and ashigaru samurai in the town.People yelled and ran back and forth, bumping around like headless flies.He sneered and laughed.

"Attention all ships! Anchor! Steady the rudder! Check the wind direction and wind force!"

"Commander Mo, are you sure about this distance?"

Li Huayu deliberately ran from his own ship to the huge rocket ship to ask.

"Young Commander. Don't worry! Our rockets can hit boats and villages within a few miles, not to mention that such a big city can't move or run!"

As the first group of people to use rockets in naval warfare, the gunner Mo Da has accumulated rich experience in rocket launching.He raised his head to look at the yellow and red flags on the mast for measuring wind direction and force, and shouted to the signalmen beside him: "Northeast wind is about force four, and the distance is [-] steps! Load up the ships! Oil up!" arrow!"

Under the mobilization of the semaphore soldiers commanding the ship, the four rocket ships lined up in a row under the cover of the gunboat, with an interval of more than [-] meters between the ships, and they undulated slightly under the caress of the sea wind and waves.

The sailors on the ship quickly removed the tarpaulin on the wooden frame of the bow, revealing the covered wooden frame, and then quickly moved out wooden boxes from the cabin, and removed a wooden box more than one foot from the box. It is a long pole, and one end of the pole is conical. It looks a bit like the fireworks that are set off during the Chinese New Year, but it is a bit bigger.

"Didn't the Nanzhong Army want to use these fireworks to deal with us?" The defenders on Kagoshima Castle were a little puzzled, and suddenly, an old Banner roared heartbreakingly, "Rocket! Nanzhong Army rockets!"

"Fire!!" The semaphore soldiers on the mast of the Huayu ship issued orders to the ships.

The artillery of the five large and small gunboats fired one after another, suppressing the firepower on the city head and nearby artillery positions to buy time for the brothers on the rocket ship.However, there is no need to panic. Shimadzu's artillery basically has no accuracy and power at this distance.

Following the commands on each ship, rockets like fireworks roared like fire dragons towards Kagoshima City, which was [-] steps away, and gray-white arcs immediately appeared in the azure blue sky.Before the arc was within Mo Da's sight, a flame had already appeared on the castle tower of Kagoshima Castle.

The arson rocket with a total weight of more than forty kilograms was called an oil arrow by the soldiers because it was filled with a mixture of more than ten kilograms of fish oil and fierce fire oil.After years of practice and exploration, the inclined rocket launch slot on the rocket ship, the rocket body has changed from a cylinder to a circular platform, the rocket head has retained a conical fairing, and the guide rod is no longer fixed on one side of the rocket body, but Appears on the central axis of the rocket and is fixed to the bottom of the rocket by 3 or 4 claw prongs.This "centerline guide rod" design improves the stability of the rocket and increases the hit rate.In addition, three inclined stabilizing spiral plates are installed at the tail of the rocket. The gunpowder gas ejected from the tail of the rocket makes the rocket spin in flight to achieve stability. This new design greatly improves the accuracy of the rocket.

The castle tower that was hit by the rocket soon became the place where many rockets flocked to. After being hit by several rockets one after another, it became a burning marker that could be seen at a glance on the sea dozens of miles away!Then, dozens of rockets fell into the city, and each rocket was strictly in accordance with the design requirements, forming a sea of ​​flames within ten steps near the impact point.Soon, dozens of fires broke out in the city.With the help of the wind, they quickly joined together.

"Adjust the shooting angle, adjust the secret position, aim at the town outside the city, let it go!"

The second round of rocket launches aimed primarily at the towns and cities outside the city.

Chinese architects mainly use civil, wood and masonry, while Japanese buildings mainly use wood, which gives arsonists the greatest opportunity: the housing is dense and mostly wooden structures, which are easy to catch fire; and the water source Less, poor fire extinguishing ability.In addition, it is adjacent to the sea, and the fire heated the air.The cold air from the sea is attracted to quickly come over to replenish.For a while, the wind borrowed the power of the fire, and the fire helped the wind, and the raging fire soon swept through the entire town.The rocket even had time to land for the future.was ignited by high temperature.A huge fireball exploded in the air, setting nearby buildings and trees on fire.

Everything is set on fire.Trees, houses, and people were all burning, and even metal was molten.on the ground.The fire spread like a flood, and the fleeing crowd ran wildly back and forth.But the flames quickly licked them down and quickly reduced them to burning coke.

Some people jumped into ponds and rivers in order to survive, but the water in the pools and rivers had also boiled at high temperatures, boiling them alive.Countless charred corpses were scattered all over the dry riverbed. The corpses were curled up in various postures, and the air was filled with the stench of charring.

Some townspeople tried to put out the fire. Under the leadership of the townspeople, they filled wooden barrels with water, and rushed to the flames with brooms, hooks, and bamboo spears.However, in the face of the powerful fire, these measures are so pale and powerless, and the fire fighting has no effect at all. The clear water poured on the fire head, not only failed to extinguish the fire, but the fire increased sharply in an instant. objects.In this way, many citizens were surrounded by flames and never came out again.

Facing this sudden fire, fleeing was the only option.Town people call their wives and children, help the old and the young, and run all the way to the beach. There is no combustibles there, and it will be a safe place.The road was full of fire and smoke, and from time to time, flaming charcoal fragments fell from the sky, riding the howling wind and flying everywhere to ignite all combustible objects.

The fire burned more and more vigorously, and strong winds rushed into the fire scene continuously, fueling the flames of the fire.Under the joint action of raging fire and cold air, swirling airflows were formed.Not only were fires scattered everywhere, but even shop signs, doors and windows of houses were blown down, and they were involved in the fire.

"God! Buddha!"

Countless townspeople ran and howled, chanting Buddha's name in their mouths, trying to get the blessing of the gods.

In the thick smoke of the fire, I tried to open my eyes and looked around, and there was a sea of ​​fire everywhere.I really don't know where to escape is the way out.People jumped into the gutters of the past, ignoring the filth and filth, and prepared to take refuge in the gutters.Just when many people rejoiced that they were about to escape catastrophe, several rockets landed near the ditch, and the clothes of several men were ignited by the flying fire, and the scorching flames burned their bodies, excruciating pain. They jumped up and rushed straight forward.At this time, a gust of wind suddenly blew up a tongue of fire, licking the men completely and disappearing without a trace.The rest of the people were too frightened to cry, so they had to stick their bodies close to the ditch to avoid the flames.

"Is this the reappearance of Avici Hell?"

On the troop carrier, countless Buddhist shogunate soldiers were so frightened by this scene that they forgot the pain of seasickness. The cries that tore their hearts and lungs from afar, and the wailing when they were dying, made these soldiers who thought they were about to face The elites of the shogunate, who had been fighting hard, had the same physical reaction at the same time.

Wet my pants.

Four rocket ships, four rocket launch slots, fired sixteen rockets at a time, seven salvos fired 110 and two arson rockets, and less than a hundred fell into Kagoshima Castle, successfully transforming Kagoshima Castle It became a sea of ​​fire.

The fleeing citizens in the city and towns and cities had nowhere to go. The people in the city were crowded inside the city gate, choked alive by the thick smoke and the dead blocked the city gate. Countless people were burned to death when their clothes were ignited by the flaming fragments flying down from the air. ; Some people were hit by burning wood and turned into a section of black coke. … Even the citizens who jumped into the ditch are not all lucky. Although some people successfully avoided the flames by being immersed in the water of the ditch, they were suffocated because the smoke and dust in the water entered the esophagus and respiratory tract die.

"Master Kuroda, our army has successfully destroyed Kagoshima Castle, and the rest will be left to your army!"

In the cabin, instead of Li Huayu, Liang Kuan issued an order to Kuroda Tadyuki whose face turned red and turned white.

Originally thought that this raid was playing the role of sending the dead, but.When boarding the ship, he found the figure of His Royal Highness the Li Family, Kuroda Tadano's mind changed, and the son of a daughter could not sit still.His Majesty the Li family would not take the risk lightly, but it was so easy to capture Kagoshima this time!

"Please tell Your Highness, our army will definitely live up to the entrustment!"

Kuroda Tadayuki bowed to Liang Kuan respectfully.

"Do you still remember the mission of your army?"

"Remember! Kill people, arrest people, and steal things!"

A shogunate banner roared loudly.

The words were so vulgar and direct that Lord Kuroda cast a bitter look at him.

"Yes, that's it!"

According to the agreement reached by Li Huayu, Matsudaira, Kuroda and others that day, all adult males from the Shimadzu, Huashan, and Nabeshima families will be executed, and the underage males who did not die in the rebellion will be executed by the shogunate.The women of the three families wanted as many prisoners as possible.Hand it over to the South China Army to reward unmarried and meritorious soldiers.The left-behind members of the non-one sect, the ashigaru, and the peasants and soldiers will be caught alive, as a reward for the Nanzhong Army's help in quelling the chaos.

"All the male members of the three families and one sect who have been conquered by Yuanfu are all executed."

Standing on the bow of the landing boat, Tadyuki Kuroda waved his military fan.I didn't care about the slightly hot sea water splashing on the beautiful haori.Drops of water trickled down from the spotless steel armor that had been wiped.Loudly yelled at the soldiers and warriors of the shogunate army on several nearby boats.

"My lord! How can I tell if I have already taken Yuanfu?"

The flag book on a ship in the distance shouted out his doubts.

"I don't care about that! As long as it is a member of the three families, all men taller than Tai Dao will be executed!"

"Three families and one family, higher than the men of Taisao, kill!"

The shogunate army screaming incessantly.Repeating this order loudly, boarded Kagoshima, and rushed into the surrounded by thick smoke and fire.

. . . . . .

"For 50 years in the world, death seems like a dream. Is there anyone who can live forever in the next world? Looking at the world, dreams are like water, let life go for a while, and die immediately. .You are going to the capital at this moment, if you see the head of Dun Shengqing! Looking at the world, within the sea and sky, is there anyone who can live forever..."

In Kagoshima Castle, in the feudal lord's mansion surrounded by thick smoke and fire, the former Wakadeno and today's Shimadzu Army Commander Shimadzu Mitsuhisa slowly wiped his shiny saber, reciting the words of the old Oda Nobunaga's most beautiful sword. A favorite Japanese song.The inscriptions and faintly visible patterns on the knife body all silently explained the lineage and material of the knife.

"Alright, today I will use the treasured sword produced in Nanzhong to send me off for the last time."

It's like a dream.This is exactly the portrayal of Mitsuhisa Shimadzu's mood at the moment.

Back then, when he accompanied Master Meinong Shou to march south, he happened to meet Li Shouhan and the Ruan family in a sea battle at that time. The South China Army used the power of rockets to turn the Ruan family's navy into ashes.Immediately, Master Meinongshou changed the direction of the wind, and turned the original help of the Ruan family into the end of the Ruan family. After that, he traded with Nanzhong, and exchanged various products and women from Kyushu for countless rice. And cotton knives and guns, also gave the Shimadzu family unprecedented glory and glory.

Unexpectedly, the rockets of the South China Army fell on his head today.Kagoshima Castle, which was built with the painstaking efforts of generations, turned into a sea of ​​​​purgatory.

"Start with a rocket and end with a rocket. The world is like a dream."

After reciting these waka lines, Shimadzu Mitsuhisa stabbed the treasured sword in his hand towards the abdomen of the **, and drew a cross on the soft abdomen.

In the sea of ​​fire in Kagoshima, the shogunate troops rushed, looted, and slaughtered. Outside the city, the Nanzhong Army blocked all escape routes and turned countless crying residents into their own captives.

Kuroda Tadyuki kept sending people to send bloody heads to Li Huayu's boat, and registered them according to the genealogy of the Shimadzu, Huashan, and Nabeshima families, indicating that this person was one of the three families who must be killed. So-and-so, and has the identification and confession of the servants around him.

"I don't know how the Shimadzu family offended Marshal Li and suffered such a tragic disaster." While wielding a sharp sword and beheading one by one, the soldiers of the shogunate were all surprised.It's just that there is a warning in my heart, "No matter what, the people of the Celestial Dynasty cannot be offended! Once offended, it will be a catastrophe!"

. . . . . .

Sakurajima, opposite Kagoshima, became a temporary berth.From time to time, the Nanzhong Army and the shogunate military used ships to transport the captives and seized ships one by one.

Gun shafts, whips and scabbards have become very good instruments of torture. During the continuous beating, the prisoners of the brigade were tied up in a string and knelt on the ground. No matter men, women, old or young, they all looked dull and dull, with fear that could not be concealed in their eyes. with worry.What a disaster!Originally thought that the battlefield was still far away in Kumamoto Castle. The shogunate army was fighting desperately with the two governors of the Huashan family and the Nabeshima family. They didn’t want the troops to come to the city overnight. This was beyond everyone’s expectations. Move out of warehouse.

Amid the unconcealable fear and faint sobs of the captives, the soldiers of the shogunate army were triumphant, waving their whips, and walking back and forth among the crowd.

From time to time, some of the captives stood up and shouted at the shogunate army or the Nanzhong army beside them, pointing out the officials at all levels or the Shimadzu Kawayama Nabeshima family hiding in the crowd, in exchange for their own treatment improve.

For these people, they were often killed with a single knife. However, there were also some lucky ones who were forgiven because of their humble official positions and not being in the same sect, and became servants to assist the shogunate army in handling daily affairs.

"My lord! I am a relative of a resident of Nanzhong!"

"My lord! My daughter is married to Nanzhong!"

From time to time, someone held a letter sent from Nanzhong to prove their identity.

The island is full of piles of gold and silver dollars, Tongbao, and all kinds of valuables looted.

The accumulation of the Shimadzu family for hundreds of years was gradually carried over by people and piled up in front of Huayu and Kuroda Tadyuki.

"Hey! This guy is really rich!"

Looking at the baskets and carts of silver dollars, gold coins, Tongbao, and cotton cloth and porcelain covered with black smoke and dust, Kuroda couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"Most of these are just the wealth accumulated by these thieves over the past ten years of trading with us!"

Liang Kuan on the side was somewhat disapproving.

He patted Lord Kuroda on the shoulder, "Old Kuroda, don't worry, for your contribution this time, General Tokugawa will probably reward you with two ports. If you manage well, you may not be poorer than his Shimadzu family!"

"Thank you, General, for your care! Thank you, Your Highness, for your care!"

Kuroda Tadanobu has already decided in his heart that this life, and even generations of descendants will hug the thick legs of the Nanzhong Army to death.

"This expedition not only destroyed the Shimadzu family's lair in one fell swoop, but our army gained a lot!"

A shogunate bannerman tries to avert his eyes from the ever-growing pile of money and goods.

"It is conceivable to reward the soldiers generously."

"Of course. However, gentlemen, don't forget about the soldiers in the same robes who fought bloodily in Kumamoto Castle, and quickly report the situation here to Mr. Matsudaira and the generals of the armies."

"Hi Yi! His Highness reminded you!" (To be continued...)