Chapter 901 A sudden turn of events! A surprise cross-sea attack on Owari Domain! 【5500】
Hearing the name of the 8th Division was called by Aoshito, Toudo Heisuke immediately cheered up, stood up and walked out of the formation, said "Yes" in a loud voice and quickly left the formation.
In fact, after the indiscriminate bombardment by Squadron 11, the remaining battle time was just boring "garbage time".
Although more than 80% of the shells missed, the remaining shells were enough to destroy the Changzhou camp.
How could a camp built of wood withstand the intensive bombardment of artillery?
I saw that the huge camp turned into ruins filled with smoke.
The lookout was interrupted.
The tent was blown away.
The rejection of the horse was shattered.
This camp, which was expected to "stop the shogunate army", was abandoned in an instant.
Even from a long distance, one could smell the pungent smell of burning and hear the cries of Changzhou generals.
Of course, this is just the beginning.
For the Changzhou Army, the bigger nightmare is yet to come.
At the front of the shogunate's position, the soldiers of the eighth division, arranged in a matrix, were ready to go.
As soon as the shelling of the 11th Squadron stopped, Todo Heisuke, who was behind the matrix, immediately drew his sword out of its sheath and shouted loudly:
"go ahead!"
As soon as this order came out, the Eighth Division suddenly turned from silence to movement! Walking in uniform steps, they slowly walked towards the ruins of Changzhou Camp!
Seeing the Tokugawa army launching a ground offensive, the Choshu Army immediately launched a response.
However... they encountered a night attack last night, and just experienced an extremely brutal bombing... the morale of the Changzhou Army has dropped to freezing point.
Now, even the most important camp has been blown up, how can we resist the Tokugawa army?
"Follow me!"
"Hold Yishukou! Never let the shogunate pass by!"
"I want to fuck you! I won't accompany you anymore!"
"Kitaro! Why are you so stunned! You really don't want to risk your life here, do you?! Xiaohua is still waiting for you at home!"
Facing the Eighth Division that was attacking directly, the Changzhou Army divided into two distinct groups.
Some people fought bravely.
Others fled in panic.
The dense rain of shells not only destroyed the camp, but also brought unspeakable fear.
From just now, the fear of "not knowing when the shells will fall on their heads" has always lingered in the hearts of the Changzhou generals, giving them tremendous psychological pressure.
The whistling sound of the shells and the horrifying sound of the shells exploding only deepened their fear.
At this moment, most of the people in the Changzhou Army had their heads blown off and lost basic order.
They didn't even bother to stop the deserters, and just rushed forward to meet the Eighth Division in such a chaotic state.
There are several trenches that look like they were recently dug across the perimeter of the camp.
Because the camp had been destroyed, the Changzhou generals could only abandon the camp and move to the trenches in front of the camp, relying on the remaining fortifications to launch defense.
Probably to make up for the lack of long-range attack methods, many generals were armed with simple slings.
Don't underestimate the sling.
Because it is simple to make, extremely low cost, and has considerable lethality, "slingers" can often be seen on the battlefields of ancient Japan.
The famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once had a dark history of "entering the battlefield with full confidence, but was knocked unconscious by a flying stone before he even saw the enemy's face."
Miyamoto Musashi remembered this matter all his life.
In his later years, he specifically told people in letters: Now I will no longer be hit by stones!
These generals, armed with bows, arrows, muskets, slings and other long-range weapons, got into the trenches one after another and poured pellets, arrows and stones at the approaching Eighth Division.
As for the generals holding long guns, knives and other melee weapons, they also got into the trenches, but because they lacked attack methods, they could only act in a hurry.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!
The sound of firing, the sound of arrows, and the sound of stones were all heard together.
Due to the long distance, the hit rate is not ideal.
However, with so many bullets, arrows, and stones, it is possible to hit a few.
Within a few moments, some unlucky guys in the eighth division fell to the ground wailing because they were hit.
The Changshu generals fully expected that their offensive would be able to stop the advance of the Eighth Division.
Obviously, their expectations were destined to fail.
No matter how many people fall down, the soldiers in the next row will immediately take two steps to fill the gap.
No matter how the Changzhou Army attacked, the Eighth Division had no intention of stopping.
Just like that, he moved forward despite the attack. After closing to a certain distance, Toudoheisuke raised his sword and issued a new order that made the Choshu generals on the opposite side feel frightened:
In an instant, rows of barrages enveloped the Changzhou generals hiding in the trenches like dark clouds.
With just one salvo, the Changzhou people who couldn't get back up were far better than the Eighth Division soldiers who had just fallen to the ground!
Anyone can see that with this terrifying killing efficiency, at most 2 or 3 more rounds of volleys will completely collapse the Changzhou Army.
Perhaps they couldn't stand this depressing and desperate atmosphere, so the Changzhou generals who were also hiding in the trenches, holding long guns, knives and other melee weapons, became ruthless one after another.
"Damn it! Fight with them!"
I don't know who shouted such a voice. They raised their spears and struck knives, and like ants coming out of their holes, they rushed towards the Eighth Division.
Indeed, their courage is commendable.
What a pity that their heroic charge was destined to be in vain.
"Wait! Don't be impulsive! Come back quickly!"
Someone immediately spoke up to try to stop this unintended tactic.
In the turbulent smoke caused by the explosion of gunpowder, the Choshu generals who left the trenches and charged the Eighth Division head-on fell to the ground like mowing grass.
No matter how fast they accelerated, no matter how much they prayed, no one succeeded in getting within ten steps of the Eighth Division.
It has to be said that although the strategy of "after the artillery bombards the infantry, rush forward, and after the infantry rushes forward the artillery bombardment" has no military technology at all, it is indeed effective!
Qingdeng only sent out the Eighth Division and the Eleventh Division, and defeated the Changzhou Army on the opposite side, leaving no chance of a comeback!
…
…
This formation——
Qingdeng looked at the battlefield where the overall situation had been decided and said calmly:
"Matsuhara-kun, Miss Nakazawa."
Matsubara Chuji (deputy captain of the 10th Division) and Nakazawa Qin (deputy captain of the 7th Division) were slightly startled, and then hurriedly stood up and went out.
"Each of you will lead 300 cavalry to pursue the remaining enemy. Don't come back to see me before you run out of horse power."
This kind of one-sided battle did not require Aoto or Harada Sanosuke to personally take action.
Therefore, Qingdeng decided to take this opportunity to train the newcomers.
Seeing Aoden entrusting them with this important task, Matsubara Chuji and Nakazawa Qin both looked excited.
The two of them solemnly accepted this task, then left the formation in three steps and two steps at a time, and each went down to order troops and lead the team.
After seeing that the Choshu Army on the opposite side was doomed to defeat, as expected, some of the feudal lords and generals in this formation - most of them came from small feudal clans with weak national power - smiled ingratiatingly and rushed to flatter Qingteng.
.
Their vassal state was too weak, so in order to survive, they unconsciously developed the habit of "flattering more" and "flattering more".
"General Tachibana, the Shinsengumi are truly a powerful force in the world!"
"Yes! With such a strong army here, why worry about Changzhou not being destroyed and the world being unjust!"
"General Orange, today's battle really opened my eyes!"
Of course, these words are not all false flattery.
The Shinsengumi's fierce combat power, especially the dense rain of artillery shells and the wall-like advance of the musketeers, gave them a great shock.
Following the "Kyoto Summer Formation", many feudal lords and feudal generals were shocked beyond words by witnessing the terrifying combat power of the Shinsengumi.
Qingdeng was already used to these disgusting flatteries.
Now, after listening to these flattery, he not only doesn't feel happy, but also feels a little funny.
Of course, since someone takes the initiative to show kindness, he will not fail to give him face.
He skillfully showed a polite and decent smile, and responded to everyone one by one.
While socializing, his attention was always on the distant battlefield.
His facial expression did not relax at all as he defeated the Changshu Army on the opposite side.
…
…
The pursuit of Matsubara Chuji and Nakazawa Qin is nothing worth writing about.
When they led the cavalry out into battle, the Changzhou Army on the opposite side was on the verge of collapse and had only one breath left. The arrival of the cavalry directly snuffed out this last breath.
Charging, slashing, assaulting... the Changzhou Army was defeated across the board without any surprise, and their fighting spirit was completely lost.
Under the intensified pursuit of the cavalry, they either died or fled, and were almost completely wiped out.
At this point, it only took less than an hour before and after, this pass that was crucial to Changzhou was completely declared to have fallen!
Qingdeng's goal was to break through Yizhoukou in half a day - it turned out that "half a day" was too much time!
Capturing Yizhoukou was equivalent to opening the door to Zhou Fangguo.
In Qingdeng's plan, after breaking through Yizhoukou, the legion would march straight in, marching southwestward, and invade the hinterland of Zhou Fangguo.
First occupy the Forty-eight Bans and Iwakuni, and then attack Zhou Nan in one go.
Zhou Nan is the important town of Zhou Defense Kingdom.
Winning Zhou Nan is equivalent to winning half of Zhou Fangguo.
Then, with Zhounan as the fulcrum, the legion circled northwest, with its front pointed directly at the mountain pass.
Yamaguchi is not only an important town of Zhou Fang Kingdom, but also the gateway of Nagato Kingdom.
In other words, as long as you capture Yamaguchi, you can march into Nagato Country and capture Hagi Castle!
If Hagi Castle is destroyed, Choshu will be destroyed!
Simple and clear route of entry.
If everything goes well, according to Qingto's expectation, the legion will be able to reach Hagi Castle in just half a month!
Of course, whether his expectations can be realized must be based on the premise of "smoothness".
After a short rest, Qingdeng left 3,000 troops to guard Yizhoukou, and then led the remaining troops to break camp in the afternoon of the same day and invade the hinterland of Changzhou.
The reason for marching in such a hurry is that on the one hand, we adhere to the combat concept of "soldiers are more valuable and speed is faster". Taking advantage of the Changzhou Army's new defeat and before it has time to integrate the remaining troops, we can advance the front line in one go and expand the results of the battle.
On the other hand, it is also to find the main force of the Changzhou Army as soon as possible...that is, the Qibing Team.
On the day after Yizhoukou was captured, the two legions responsible for launching feint attacks at Shizhoukou and Xiaocangkou coincidentally sent battle reports to Qingdeng.
According to their reports, they followed Qingdeng's instructions and spared no effort to attack the passes (Shizhoukou and Xiaocangkou). All three armies fought hard, but the Changzhou Army was too cunning and did not make any substantial progress.
Think about it and know that their "spare no effort to attack" must be "sparing no effort to fish".
It is really difficult for them to make up the excuse that "the Changzhou Army is too cunning" to excuse them.
The performance of these two legions was completely within Qingdeng's expectations.
Since I had no expectations for them in the first place, there was naturally no disappointment.
To say that they have not contributed anything is not true.
At the very least, they completed the task of "containing Changzhou" well, and at the same time helped Qingdeng confirm that the Qibing Team was neither at Shizhoukou nor Xiaocangkou.
Where did the Raiders go?
This question was like a huge stone filling Qingdeng's chest.
The lingering uneasiness always lingers in his heart.
Only by sending troops to advance into the hinterland of Choshu and gradually approaching Hagi City can this constraint be somewhat alleviated.
…
…
Two days later, the legion arrived in Zhounan as scheduled.
Under the restrictions of the "One Country, One City Order", Zhounan had neither city walls nor camps, and was just a "bare" town.
When the legions came to the city, there were no defenders inside or outside Zhounan. There were only some old, young, women and children left in the town who had not had time to escape, and who were unable to escape.
In this way, Qingdeng Wushang took over this castle.
When troops were sent to inspect Zhou Nan's warehouse, as expected, the warehouse had been emptied out long ago. Not even a grain of rice was left. Rats wanted to commit suicide after entering.
"Emptying supplies" is a basic operation of war, so it is neither a surprise nor a pity.
Compared with the failure to obtain supplies, Qingteng felt more regretful that "the team has not been found yet".
In recent days, he has sent the maximum number of scouts and ninjas to go deep into various parts of Changzhou to search for and explore the traces of the Qi Corps.
Although I tried my best, there was no result...
The Rangers seemed to have disappeared out of thin air, and no information could be collected about them.
In this way, the uneasiness and embarrassment in Qingdeng's heart that he had finally suppressed swelled again, and gradually turned into an ominous premonition...
…
…
Nobi Plain, Owari Domain——
In Japan, there is a classic saying: "Those who win the beauty of beauty will win the world."
The Noo Plain includes Mino Country and Owari Country, so it is called "Noo".
As one of Japan's three major plains, the Noo Plain with flat terrain and fertile soil is a well-deserved "breadbasket."
The extraordinary amount of grain production has made the Nobi Plain one of the richest areas in Japan.
Not only that, Mino happens to be located in the narrowest part of Honshu Island, separating East Japan and West Japan.
In other words, if you take Mino as the starting point, you can attack East Japan by going east, and you can attack Western Japan by going west.
Such a treasure land is truly the foundation of the King’s Domination!
It is precisely because this place has abundant resources and occupies a unique geographical advantage that there is a saying that "whoever gets Meinong will get the world."
During the Warring States Period three hundred years ago, Oda Nobunaga took control of Mino and Owari Kingdom, and immediately became a great daimyo with a height of one million koku.
He used Noubi Hirao as his base and attacked in all directions. Under the influence of the "snowball effect", he annexed half of Japan in the blink of an eye.
After Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, gained control of the country, he was deeply aware of the importance of the Noo Plain, so he established a feudal lord in Owari and enfeoffed his relatives here, which became the Owari Domain.
The status of Nongwei Plain is quite important.
Unexpectedly, after the "Black Ship Incident", its status has risen a lot!
If you open the map and take a closer look, you can see that Owari is like a knife, inserted into the Pacific Ocean, forming a horn with Ise Country on the other side, and together they form a harbor.
This kind of terrain is very suitable for opening a port and building a port.
The so-called "God rewards you with food" is nothing more than this.
It is not difficult to imagine that after the establishment of the port, Owari Domain's economy will usher in an impressive boom with the help of maritime transportation.
It's just... It's a pity that although the Owari Domain is a powerful domain with a height of 620,000 stone, after more than two hundred years, it has become like the shogunate. The domain is full of decay, corruption, and countless
The problem needs to be solved urgently, and there is really no time left to build any port.
It's dark now.
Low-hanging dark clouds covered the sky, with only a hint of moonlight visible in the southeast corner.
Under the dark night, the sea becomes dark and dark, like an abyss.
The waves rolled, and the monotonous sound of the waves was like the whisper of the sea.
After the Western powers came over, "coastal defense" became a hot word among the vassals.
Every vassal state that borders the sea talks about this word and promotes it as a national policy, as if if they don't do some coastal defense, they will fall behind the world and be ridiculed.
In order not to lose touch with the trend, the Owari clan also rushed to build some coastal defenses.
Needless to say, considering their long-term treasury deficit, it would be crazy if they could do something famous.
The coastal defense established by the Owari Domain was nothing more than setting up a few symbolic sentries along the coast to monitor the sea surface at all times and report immediately if an unknown ship was sighted.
There is not even a trace of real coastal defense equipment such as shore guns and battleships.
To say that it is "just an appearance" is to praise the Owari Clan.
Tonight, the vassal soldiers at the "Coastal Defense Post" were fishing as usual.
Eat, drink, chat, and have a great time.
There won’t be any unidentified ships on the sea anyway, so why bother working hard?
If the Western powers came, their first target would definitely be Edo, and they would not pay any attention to this place.
Just when the sentries were enjoying themselves, someone suddenly spotted a strange shadow appearing on the sea out of the corner of his eye.
"Eh...? Hey! Look! Is there a boat there?"
"Ship? Are you drunk? It's already this time, how can there be a ship coming?"
"Did you mistake the whale for a boat?"
Although the others were laughing at the man, they still stopped eating, drinking and playing, took out their binoculars and looked towards the sea.
The dark sea surface...they found nothing but deep darkness.
"Where is the boat... You must have drunk too much..."
Wuwuwu——!
In an instant...the unique sharp whistling sound of flying cannonballs dominated the entire coast!
Boom!!
A terrifying explosion sounded immediately.
"What, what's going on!"
"Bombardment! It's shelling!"
"Artillery, shelling...? Why is there shelling?"
"Fool! Do you even need to ask? An enemy is coming!"
"Report to the superiors quickly!"
The sentry post built on the seaside suddenly became chaotic.
"Hey! Look! It's a boat! I saw that right! It really is a boat!"
The first person who noticed something strange pointed toward the sea - and saw that the sea, which had been calm just now, became extremely noisy.
The three steamships cut through the waves and sailed straight to the coast of Owari Domain!
Along with the dull sound, orange-red light repeatedly appeared on the sides of the three warships.
The next breath, raindrops of cannonballs fell towards the coast!
In an instant, the sentry on the shore was engulfed in a sea of fire...
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PS: In fact, if any book friends have read Bao Baozi's debut novel "Military Genius Brings Zizhi Tongjian to Another World", most of them will find the plot of "Surprise Attack by Boat" quite familiar. Yes, this is Bao Baozi's