All warriors must use the right combination to win by surprise.
When he saw the 200,000-strong army on the opposite side, blocked by the wide river, Sakai Tadakatsu never thought of making a breakthrough from the front.
Detours and sneak attacks are the correct solutions.
Since Matsudaira Nobusada volunteered, Sakai Tadakatsu was of course extremely happy.
"I will send you an additional 15,000 troops. I hope you will not live up to Lord Matsudaira's reputation."
Matsudaira Nobusada burst into tears and nodded heavily.
"If your subordinates don't succeed, they will be benevolent."
Sakai Tadakatsu made follow-up arrangements.
"The frontal battlefield will be fully mobilized to cooperate with you. Don't delay, we must attack Buxi Guanyin Temple as quickly as possible."
Matsudaira Nobusada set out with 20,000 troops.
According to the estimated distance and the battles that will be encountered on the way, it will take at least eight days to reach Fuwashi Kannon Temple. And during these eight days, the shogunate army will need to attract the attention of the Daimyo coalition forces from the front.
There must be no false attack or feint attack. There are many famous generals here in the Daimyo Alliance, so they can definitely tell.
Then there is only real fighting.
The next day, Sakai Tadakatsu gave an order, and more than 200,000 shogunate troops were dispatched across the board and began to forcibly cross the river.
Sakai Tadakatsu concentrated more than a hundred artillery pieces and continuously bombarded the Hachido Palace high ground across the river to suppress the artillery fire of the Daimyo coalition.
The shogunate army was divided into three groups, all kinds of long-range weapons were deployed, and they began a desperate assault against the attack of the Daimyo coalition.
The Daimyo coalition did not expect that the shogunate's troops would fight for their lives as soon as they came up.
There were not many troops deployed in front of the river bank. After encountering such a fierce attack, they could not withstand it on the spot.
"General, the position on the right wing has been lost. The shogunate army has landed. I need reinforcements to drive the shogunate army down."
Mouri Xiuyuan's head is full of question marks.
"Sakai Tadakatsu is also a famous general, why did he fight like this?"
No one could answer him. It was because Sakai Tadakatsu's tactics were too contrary to common sense.
However, sending reinforcements to Kato Tadahiro is a top priority.
Mouri Hidemoto dispatched three thousand troops to go there.
Kato Tadahiro received reinforcements and immediately began to counterattack.
However, the shogunate army opened the gap and immediately began to increase troops. The number of troops crossing the river exceeded 20,000.
After receiving the strict order from Sakai Tadakatsu, Date Masamune did not consolidate his position at all, but just led his soldiers and horses to rush forward.
Someone else will take over from behind.
One wrong step, one wrong step.
Kato Tadahiro's counterattack not only failed to achieve results, but was pushed back by Date Masamune, who retreated five miles before he could stabilize his position.
After the shogunate's subsequent troops crossed the river, they attacked all the way north and surrounded Saidai Temple.
Yamada Yuei, who was guarding this place, immediately doubled his pressure. His left side and right side were in dire straits, and the front began to become unstable.
"General, please increase the number of troops."
Yamagata Harufumi, the advisor of Choshu Domain, proposed to Mouri Hidemoto.
However, Maori Xiuyuan stared closely at the battlefield and did not adopt it.
"Order all troops to retreat and guard the second river."
Now that there is a gap in the first line of defense, Mouri Hidemoto understands that adding more troops is just a tactic to add fuel to the fire and may not be able to drive the shogunate's troops back.
Fortunately, there are several rivers in Okayama from east to west that can serve as lines of defense.
Abandon the Yoshii River and retreat to the tributaries of the Hyakumagawa River to redefine the area. Another advantage is that you can take advantage of the commanding position of Mount Akushi to use artillery to bombard the shogunate troops.
When the order to retreat was given, the Daimyo coalition no longer persisted and rushed away according to the established plan.
After all, the strength of the shogunate's army crossing the river was limited, and it could not delay the retreat of the Daimyo coalition forces.
But no matter what, the Yoshiigawa defense line was broken on the first day of the war, which really boosted the morale of the shogunate army.
Even Sakai Tadakatsu has some doubts. Is it possible to defeat the Daimyo coalition from the front without waiting for Matsudaira Shinsada to get around?
The atmosphere here at the Daimyo Allied Forces is somewhat depressing.
"General, our positions were lost too quickly, which seriously affected the morale of the army. We must find a way, otherwise we will be defeated again."
As the representative of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Tadayō was somewhat dissatisfied with Mori Hidemoto's decision.
This is the disadvantage of the coalition.
Everyone has equal status and equal strength, so when they have different opinions, there will be confusion.
Mouri Hidemoto had no way to use his status as general to exert pressure, so he could only explain patiently.
"Let the shogunate's troops cross the Yoshii River, but it will be difficult for them to withdraw back."
Shimazu Tadayō's expression was shocked.
"Does the General have a way to defeat the enemy?"
Mouri Hidemoto looked at his son Mouri Mitsuhiro.
He certainly did not disappoint himself.
"The general didn't know anything. During this period of time, we carefully conducted reconnaissance and found that the shogunate army lacked necessary preparedness for the sea. Therefore, we decided to send elite troops to cross the strait from Sanding Mountain at night and then attack Yuqing Temple."
Shimazu Tadayō was naturally aware of the nearby terrain. When he heard this plan, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The people of the Maori family are indeed extremely courageous.
But once this plan succeeds, it will be a complete victory.
After all, the headquarters of the shogunate army is at Yukeiji Temple, where Sakai Tadakatsu and others are stationed. Once beheaded, more than 200,000 shogunate troops will lose their heads and become a pile of sand.
By then, this battle would not be as simple as a victory, but a complete reversal of the situation in Japan.
"I am superficial, please forgive me, General."
Even if Mouri Hidemoto is angry in his heart, he won't show it on his face.
"We are all united to defeat the shogunate. A little misunderstanding is nothing. We still need the help of the Satsuma clan to sneak across the strait."
Shimazu Tadayō is extremely well-behaved.
"As you command."
"If we want to sneak across the strait smoothly without being discovered by the shogunate's army, we must also ask the Satsuma domain's navy to stop the shogunate's navy in the Shodoshima area. Only in this way can our plan be successful."
"Please don't worry, I will go and deliver the order right away."
The Daimyo Allied Forces also made a response decision.
The Satsuma domain's naval forces quickly stopped in the Shodoshima area and did not retreat. They faced several attacks by the shogunate navy and refused to give in, even if they suffered heavy losses.
On land, the Daimyo coalition forces defended Mustard Seed Mountain, relying on the terrain here to create great trouble for the shogunate army.
Sakai Tadakatsu sent his most elite troops and attacked for five consecutive days, but to no avail.
But he was not in a hurry, because the person who decided the outcome was not here.
On the sixth day, Matsudaira Nobu calmly captured Miaojiao Temple without anyone noticing. Then he stopped no longer and went all the way west to capture Qingyin.
From here to the south, there is a narrow river valley. As long as you pass through it, you will be right in front of Fusha Guanyin Temple.
At the same time, Shimazu Tadayō personally led five thousand troops and crossed the strait in a small boat in the dark night.
They hid in the dense forest in the mountains for a day and completed all the reconnaissance.
As expected, the shogunate army did not think of defending this side.
Shimazu Tadayō was very excited and immediately ordered his troops to advance northward by leaps and bounds.
He seemed to have seen the scene of establishing unparalleled achievements.
