Everyone else was on foot, but he was the only one on horseback.
But he was still wearing gorgeous armor, with several colorful flags on his back.
He was afraid that others would not notice him.
So Yuan Shengsheng thoughtfully arranged ten artillery pieces for him.
The 20,000 Gyeonggi troops he led also met a miserable end.
In the end, less than a thousand people escaped. The rest were chased and killed all the way, and they all died in the hands of the Shimabara rebels.
This is an unprecedented victory.
Amakusa Tokisada and others were overjoyed and commanded all their troops to pursue them wildly, even all the way into the territory of the Saga Domain.
News of the defeat of the shogunate's army spread quickly throughout Kyushu, causing a violent chain reaction.
The oppressed farmers and people everywhere were inspired, and more and more people rose up to resist. Almost overnight, the island of Kyushu was covered with flames of war, showing the potential of a prairie fire.
"Everyone who resists the rule of the shogunate is our friend and our strength. We must unite them to fight against those evil daimyo."
Seeing that the Shimabara rebels were quite complacent, Yuan Shengsheng immediately reminded them.
Defeating Itakura Shigemasa is nothing.
Yuan Shengsheng has received intelligence and knows that larger shogunate troops are coming from all directions.
Especially since the leading general has been replaced by Matsudaira Nobutsuna, a veteran of the shogunate.
This person's ability is completely incomparable to Itakura Shigemasa.
In addition, Tokugawa Iemitsu has strictly ordered various daimyo to send troops to support.
This time, the number of troops dispatched by the shogunate has reached an astonishing 130,000.
Such a powerful force is definitely not something that the current Shimabara Rebel Army can contend with.
The only solution is to expand our strength as quickly as possible. Only by occupying key terrain can we have hope of survival.
When he reported the information to Amakusa Tokisada and others, the little pride and complacency that had just arisen in the Shimabara rebel army instantly dissipated.
Under the command of Yuan Shengsheng again, they rushed into Zuohe Fan.
The lord of the Saga Domain is Nabeshima Katsushige. He became a shameful traitor during the Sekigahara War, so he managed to preserve his glory and wealth.
After becoming the lord of the Saga Domain, Nabeshima Katsushige made great efforts in construction and built three castles in total. He sent his sons to entrust and garrison each of them, which is the Nabeshima Gosan family passed down from later generations.
At the same time, since Nabeshima Katsushige is still the imperial guard (guard) of Nagasaki, he has relatively strong power at hand.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
If it were the original Shimabara rebels, not to mention attacking the Saga Domain, even Matsukura Katsuie's Karatsu Domain would be helpless.
But now the Shimabara rebels have sufficient muskets and artillery, and they have surpassed the Saga Domain in terms of strength.
The three fortified cities of Xiaocheng, Kashima, and Lotusike were captured one by one. The Shimabara rebel army was overwhelming and it took only seven days to reach the foot of Zuohe Castle.
Nabeshima Katsushige was frightened, and letters asking for help were sent to the shogunate one after another. He just asked for reinforcements to come faster.
At this time, Matsudaira Nobutsuna was still far away in Osaka collecting ships, intending to reach Kyushu by water via the Seto Inland Sea.
One daimyo has already died in the riots. If another daimyo is killed by untouchables, this will undoubtedly be a huge blow to the ruling order of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Tokugawa Iemitsu was extremely annoyed and quickly issued strict orders to several daimyo on Kyushu Island, asking them to take the lead in sending troops.
At this time, Satsuma Domain responded the fastest.
Five thousand men led by Yamada Ariei quickly dispatched and attacked Amakusa Island.
Tadayuki Kuroda of the Fukuoka Domain even led 18,000 people to travel through the starry night to rescue Saga Castle.
Hosokawa Tadayoshi of Kumamoto Domain also led 23,500 men to attack from the south.
"There are too many enemies, and we are no match at all. It is best to retreat to Shimabara and rely on the superior terrain to defend, so as to have a chance of victory."
Facing the overwhelming enemy, some among the Shimabara rebels were frightened.
"No retreat."
Yuan Shengsheng firmly opposed this opinion.
"The Shimabara Peninsula has a narrow terrain, limited products, and no room for maneuver. Once it is surrounded by enemies from all sides, it will become a dead place."
It's not that everyone doesn't understand his analysis, but facing tens of thousands of enemy troops, no one is not afraid.
"We simply cannot defeat so many enemies."
Facing the atmosphere of defeatism, Yuan Shengsheng was very tenacious.
"Everything depends on human effort. You have to give it a try to know the result."
After this period of fighting and studying, the young and energetic Amakusa Tokisada has completely become a fan of Yuan Shengsheng.
"Instructor, what do you think we should do?"
With such a leader who fully supported him, Yuan Shengsheng knew that there was still hope.
"Are you afraid?"
Amakusa Tokisada's handsome face.
"I'm not even afraid of death, so what else should I be afraid of?"
Yuan Shengsheng began to deploy the battle plan.
"The enemies of Fukuoka Domain and Kumamoto Domain are coming in a hurry, and there is definitely no way to conduct detailed reconnaissance. As long as we deploy properly, we have a chance to turn defeat into victory."
He first targeted the Fukuoka Domain.
"Tendou, you lead the newly joined farmers here to block the Fukuoka Domain's advance. Be sure to prepare as many flags as possible, and build as many camps as possible."
Amakusa Tokisada understood it as soon as he heard it.
"I will prepare well and I will definitely scare Fukuoka Domain."
Yuan Shengsheng looked at Youemon again.
"Starting from tomorrow, you will put on Tendo's clothes and walk back and forth outside Zuohe Castle from time to time. You must let people in the city see you, and you must not let the city discover that our main army is missing."
Another deception.
Eemon is still competent for such a task.
"Leave this to me and look forward to news of your victory."
The matter was urgent, and Yuan Shengsheng was no longer humble.
"I will lead the main army to go south quickly. As long as we defeat the Kumamoto clan, our situation will be open."
After the Satsuma clan's vitality was greatly damaged, the most powerful daimyo on Kyushu was the Kumamoto clan.
And Hosokawa Tadori was also the main force in putting down the Shimabara Rebellion.
If the Kumamoto clan can be defeated first, then the other armies will definitely be afraid and hesitate to move forward.
This will allow the Shimabara rebels to have sufficient space to fight and establish more advantages.
Yuan Shengsheng's style of play is not unusual at all.
You can come any way to Nurhaci, I will only go all the way.
Of course.
The prerequisite is that the powerful Kumamoto clan must be defeated.
Do the Shimabara Rebels have a chance?
After studying the terrain, Yuan Shengsheng knew that although the Kumamoto clan was the strongest, it was also the easiest to deal with.
If you want to get to Saga Domain from Kumamoto Domain, the shortest way is to march along the seaside.
However, in the Omuta area, the sea and mountains have narrowed the road into a narrow area, which is very suitable for ambushes and can give full play to the performance of the rebel artillery.
