After completing negotiations with the Ryuzoji family, the Momiji Fleet set sail again on October 2, first occupying many islands such as Tsushima Island, Ichishima Island, and Kamiji Island in the north of Kyushu Island, leaving behind workers and garrison companies to carry out operations.
After a general request, they then headed south again, heading towards the coast of Otomo's Chikuzen Province, intending to attack Fukuoka Castle, Tachibanayama Castle and other important coastal towns of the Otomo family.
"His Highness has only been out for a month, and everyone on Kyushu Island, except for the Shimazu family and the Otomo family, has agreed to trade." Along the way, Imai Muneku and other representatives of the merchants who accompanied the group were in a good mood. "The chambers of commerce that were originally in danger are now in danger.
Things are getting better. Many small and medium-sized chambers of commerce that were originally bankrupt are also borrowing money from banks to start sea trade again. As long as they can sell all the backlog of goods, they can get back on their feet."
"But these two are the most troublesome. They have both strong strength and the ambition to dominate. They will never give in easily." Yu Qiuping looked at the distant sea and sky line with sharp eyes, which is Kyushu Island and China.
The strait facing each other across the sea is the Shimonoseki Strait. If you want to enter the Seto Inland Sea from the northern sea of ​​Kyushu, you can only pass through that narrow strait, which is even narrower than the Naruto Strait and Akashi Strait.
"The main force of the Shimazu and Otomo families' navy is intact, plus the Mishima navy of the Mori family." Yu Qiuping held the side of the ship with both hands and said to the businessmen beside him, "If we don't cripple them,
It is estimated that your ships will still be attacked."
"Then when will His Highness attack them?" Konishi Lonzo asked eagerly.
"We don't need to look for them." Yu Qiuping smiled and pointed in the direction of the Xiaguan Strait with his hand. "They are probably waiting for us behind the Strait."
"But before that, let's go clean up Dayou's house first."
·
Five days later, on October 7, the seventh year of Tensho (1579), Nagato Kuniube Port on the east side of the Shimonoseki Strait. This normally deserted port was already overcrowded. Large numbers of warships were moored here, so many that they could even be lined up.
They formed a row of boats and went directly to Bunzen Kunakatsu Port on Kyushu Island.
Here, the Shimazu Navy, the Otomo Navy and the Mishima Navy of the Mori family were urgently gathered. It was almost the entire Saigoku Navy force after the defeat of the Awaji Navy. Ame Qiupei and the Momiji Fleet were like magic soldiers descending from the sky.
Suddenly arriving at Kyushu from Kishiwada Port, all the daimyo of the Western Kingdom were frightened. As a large number of small daimyo in Kyushu were defeated and forced to cede their territories, the Mori family, Shimazu family and Otomo family also realized the urgency of the situation. The Otomo family
The navy tried to go south to attack Miyazaki Port, which was captured by the Uaki family in Hyuga Kingdom, but was beaten back by the dense forts near the port. The Shimadzu family's navy carrying the Shimazu family's army was also defeated by the Momiji Fleet.
Deterrence did not dare to return directly to Satsuma, but ran to the Shimonoseki Strait to prepare for a detour to return. Upon seeing this, the Maori family also ordered the entire Mishima Navy under their command to go out and join the Shimazu Navy and Otomo Navy in the Shimonoseki Strait.
They met in the east and prepared to face the menacing Hongye Fleet from the west of Shimonoseki Strait.
The war was approaching, and everyone was excitedly and nervously preparing for the war. However, the supreme commander of the entire combined fleet, General Murakami Takeyoshi of the Maori Mishima Navy, was retreating in his heart. Not because of his own cowardice, Murakami
Buji has never been a coward. In the battle of Itsukushima, he dared to lead 300 ships to charge at Taolongfang's 20,000 troops, and he was never afraid. The reason why he was so resistant to this upcoming war was
It was because of Kobayakawa Takakage's advice.
Kobayakawa Takakage is of great significance to Murakami Takeyoshi. It can be said that Murakami Takeyoshi’s second and third lives were given by Kobayakawa Takakage. At that time, Murakami Takeyoshi was a muddle-headed pirate who lived a life of robbing houses and using money to do things. Then
It was a stormy night when Kobayakawa Takakage went to the island alone and persuaded Murakami Takeyoshi to join the Maori side and start a war against the unstoppable Ouchi army. Everyone thought that Murakami Takeyoshi who agreed to Kobayakawa Takakage was crazy, but Murakami Takeyoshi changed from that
The young man saw something sparkling in him. From then on, the Mishima navy was no longer a pirate full of evil, but a famous navy in the entire Seto Inland Sea.
Murakami Takeyoshi's third life was also given by Kobayakawa Takakei. At that time, during the decisive battle between Fuyuyasu Azaya's Awaji Navy and Kobayakawa Takakage's Mishima Navy, Murakami Takeyoshi actually listened to the Mishima Navy's internal contradictions.
Following Miyoshi Yoshihide's lobbying, he defected to the side of the Awaji Navy, causing the Mori family to suffer a huge defeat. However, later on, the Mori family and the Miyoshi family gradually united to fight against the Oda family, and Murakami Buyoshi's situation became embarrassing. Miyoshi's situation became embarrassing.
After Yoshihide finished using him, he stopped paying attention to him and cast him aside as an abandoned son. When the Maori navy came to Noshima to raise troops to question the crime, Murakami knew that he was finished and made plans to commit seppuku. However, in such a situation,
On a similar rainy night, the middle-aged Kobayakawa Takakage once again went to the island alone and persuaded Murakami to surrender. He allowed Murakami to return to the Mishima Navy, and against all objections, he became the navy general again. Kobayakawa
Murakami Takeyoshi asked himself that he would never be able to change this kind of kindness in his lifetime. From then on, he was loyal to the Maori family and made great achievements in fighting against the Oda Navy and Otomo Navy. After every victory, he
Everyone will look at the back of Kobayakawa Takakage - what a respectable man he is.
However, before this expedition, Kobayakawa Takakage, who was unable to come to command the navy at the Sanyo Road front, said this to him when he saw him off.
"Buji, if possible, try not to fight the Red Leaf Fleet."
"His Royal Highness Anzai is ten times as talented as you and me, and the combat power of the Awaji Navy is twice that of the Mishima Navy. Even if the Shimazu Navy and Otomo Navy are added, they cannot reach the combat power of the Awaji Navy.
His Highness Anzai led the Awaji navy, and after a successful surprise attack, he forced the Red Leaves Army to fight decisively when they didn't want to. They fought in the waters of Awaji Island, where he was most familiar with the hydrology and geography, and took advantage of countercurrents and cunning iron cable formations that were rare in hundreds of years.
Ignite half of the ships and launch a desperate attack, but in the end they were defeated by the Hongye Fleet. His Highness Anzhai took advantage of the right time, place and people, but it was difficult to win. He has done the limit of what he can do, and there will be no one in the world.
The samurai can do better than him, but they still can't defeat the Hongye Fleet. In front of that ironclad ship, all resistance is in vain. If His Highness Anzai is not good enough, how can we, a ragtag group of three naval forces, win?"
"I know what His Highness Anzhai is thinking. He is worried that if this continues, the Hongye Fleet will only become stronger and stronger. How can I not understand this truth? But right now, even if the Hongye Fleet does not continue to become stronger, we are no match.
Instead of pinning your hopes on a desperate fight, it is better to wait for the future to turn around."
Murakami Takeyoshi sighed, the candlelight inside the ship was swaying. How could he not know that relying on the current combined fleet to fight the Red Leaf Fleet in a decisive battle would be an egg against a rock? However, the Red Leaf Fleet is about to break into the Shimonoseki Strait. This
The narrow terrain may be the last chance for the combined fleet. Once they reach the open sea, they have almost no chance of winning.
To fight or not to fight.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the cabin door. The guard led in was Shimazu Hisashi, the general in charge of the Shimazu family's reinforcements. Because the road back to Satsuma was blocked, both the Shimazu navy and the army came.
Arrive at Shimonoseki Strait.
"Your Highness." Murakami Takeyoshi bowed to Shimazu Noihisa. In terms of status, Shimazu Noihisa is higher than himself as a pirate. But the main force at the moment is the Mishima navy, so Murakami Takeyoshi is appointed as the general. Shimazu.
Takeshi Murakami didn't dare to neglect what Tsusuki said.
"Your Highness Murakami." Shimazu lowered his voice, and Murakami immediately realized that he was going to say something important.
"I have a plan to defeat Hongye Fleet."
Everyone in Kyushu knows about Shimazu Nizhisa's accomplishments in strategy, and Murakami Bukichi has heard about it for a long time. However, he is still not too interested in the suggestion Shimazu Nizhisa is about to put forward - he is a man at sea.
Having been a seafarer for half his life, he knows that the samurai's cunning plots are often useless once they reach the sea. Naval battles have far fewer variables than land battles, and rely more on absolute strength. Anzhai Fuyasu was previously in Naruto
In naval battles, tactics have been pushed to the extreme. What can Shimazu, a man who has not been at sea for long, come up with?
"The Shimonoseki Strait is narrow, and it will be difficult for the big ships of the Momiji Fleet to move in. As long as we let the ships swarm up, multiple ships surround one ship, and think of ways to join forces to fight like a siege, we will have a chance of victory. We rush to the ship.
, seize the battleships of Hongye Fleet, and then control them to fight against Hongye Fleet, everything will be promising."
Sure enough, Murakami Takeyoshi secretly said in his heart that Shimazu's suggestion was something that everyone knew, but at first glance it looked like someone with no experience in water fighting would come up with it. However, Murakami Takeyoshi was hampered by
Shimazu's age-old identity made it difficult for him to refuse directly, so he tried his best to say as tactfully as possible: "What His Highness Shimazu said is true! I have been thinking about it before, and tried to find a way to seize it from the Red Leaf Fleet in a boarding battle.
We disembarked the ship for our own use. It’s just that His Highness Shimazu didn’t know that the firepower of the Red Leaf Fleet was too powerful. It was so powerful, there were so many large cannons, and there were dozens or hundreds of iron cannons on each ship. We really
It’s hard to get close. Even if he tried to join the gang, he would be beaten down before he even got close.”
After Murakami Takeyoshi said these words, he immediately looked at Shimazu Suiku with calm eyes, trying hard to hide the ridicule in his heart - if he went to engage in a battle with the Red Leaf Fleet with such strong firepower, he would probably be killed before he even touched the enemy's side.
Break it into pieces. The samurai is truly whimsical.
However, to Murakami Takeyoshi's surprise, Shimazu Noihisa showed a strange smile.
Chapter completed!