Chapter 918 [Second Sekigahara Battle], start the battle! [5200]
In addition to 100 musketeers and sufficient weapons and equipment, Boss Kiryu also brought 4 strong generals from Calabash House - "Little Dragon" Makimura Taichi, "Thunder Slash" Shimada Kanichi, and "Potake Red Tiger"
Tokawa Toranobu, "Blood Spear of Immortality" Katakura Takanobu.
All of them were faces that Qingdeng had seen before.
I remember that when Aoto went to Osaka for the first time and met with Kinoshita Rin, he learned the skills of the heroes of Calabash House.
Therefore, Qingdeng naturally would not doubt the talents of these people.
Qingdeng was moved by Huluwu's timely reinforcements, but also secretly breathed a sigh of relief - in this critical moment of time, the more powerful reinforcements, the better!
After reuniting with Kiryu's boss, Aoshinobu succinctly and concisely revealed important information such as "Changshu and the Hoshi Party have joined forces" and "the Hoshi Party has formed a 'Slavic Army'" - of course, from what channel?
After obtaining this information, he only made vague statements.
Miss Sumire had made it clear beforehand: Try to reduce the presence of the Great Salt Party as much as possible, and do not let outsiders know that this information was provided by the Great Salt Party.
Keeping a low profile - this must be one of the survival philosophies of the Great Salt Party.
Since the other party made such a request, Qingdeng would naturally respect his opinion and keep the source of the information strictly confidential.
Ever since he formed an alliance with Calabash House, Qingdeng has gradually seen through its strengths and weaknesses.
Although Calabash House has astonishing financial resources, they also have obvious shortcomings, that is, their espionage capabilities are lackluster.
Maybe it’s because of the lack of corresponding talents, or there are institutional flaws.
In short, after learning this shocking piece of information, especially after learning that Changshu was in cahoots with the Pazhu Party, Boss Kiryu couldn't hide his surprise.
Later, he expressed the same emotion as Qingdeng: "Trouble" and "thorny" are combined together, which is really terrible.
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While waiting for the army to be assembled, Aoto, Kondo Isamu, Shannan Keisuke and others repeatedly conducted war games in the commander's tent and formulated a battle plan.
Finally... this evening, the last unit - the remnants of the Sixth Division - arrived at the front line!
So far, no one from the Shinsengumi divisions has been late, and they all arrived at Sekigahara as scheduled!
On the night when the generals gathered together, Qingdeng immediately held a military meeting and conveyed to everyone the results of his recent work - careful position deployment and detailed combat plan!
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This formation, the handsome tent——
The slightly swaying candlelight lengthened the shadows of everyone present, making the interior of the tent blurry.
Qingdeng Dama was sitting in the first place with a golden sword.
The rest of the people sat on the left and right sides in front of him in order according to their status.
Boss Kiryu, who represents the power of the Calabash House, sits directly opposite Shannan Keisuke - in the past, this was the position of Hijikata Toshizo.
Sagawa Kanbei, who represented Aizu's power, sat directly opposite Kondo Isamu.
Nervous, anxious, excited, impatient...all kinds of emotions are floating in the air.
Although some people turned pale and showed negative emotions, the vast majority of people looked excited, excited, and ready to move.
There are not many newly elected groups, but there are many militants.
After a long and anxious preparation, this war destined to go down in history is finally about to begin... How can they not be excited? How can they not be proud?
Seeing everyone gathered together, Qingdeng went straight to the point without any courtesy:
"Everyone, please look at this picture!"
After hearing this, everyone leaned forward and looked at the Sekihara topographic map on the table in front of them.
The location of Mount Tenman on the Qingto finger map.
"Standing on the top of Mount Tenman and looking eastward - from this perspective, Mount Sasao to the north becomes the left wing of our army, and Mount Matsuo to the south becomes the right wing of our army."
"Our strategy is simple - deploy the main force on the left and right, and attack Nangong Mountain with a powerful pincer offensive!"
Speaking of this, Qingdeng bent down and placed the war chess on the map while saying slowly:
"The Second Division, the Fourth Division, and the Sixth Division are deployed on Mount Sasao on the left."
"The First Division, the Third Division, the Fifth Division, the Eighth Division and the reinforcements from Calabash House are deployed on Matsuo Mountain on the right wing."
"The Seventh Division, the Tenth Division and the Aizu Cavalry are staying at the Tenmanzan main formation as a reserve force."
"The Ninth Division continues to serve as a liaison force, traveling on various battlefields."
"The 11th Squadron is divided into two parts, commanded by Abe-kun (Abe Juro, captain of the 11th Squadron) and Nomura-kun (Nomura Risaburo, deputy captain of the 11th Squadron). They are deployed on the left and right wings respectively."
"Yong Lai will be the commander of the left wing."
"The troops on the right wing will be commanded by me and Keisuke."
"When the battle begins, as usual, the artillery will go first!"
"The 11th Squadron does not need to be pity on the ammunition, spare no effort to bomb Nangong Mountain!"
"Don't stop the bombardment until you receive my signal!"
"Nangong Mountain is covered with fortifications carefully laid out by the enemy."
"No matter how strong their fences and watchtowers are, they cannot withstand cannonballs."
"The longer the 11th Division's shelling lasts and the more intense the shelling, the more it will weaken the enemy's defense capabilities."
"As you all know, Nangong Mountain is a large mountain covering a very large area."
"With our small strength, if we divide our troops without scruples, it will be like a flat cake - full of loopholes."
"Therefore, when attacking, we must always maintain the concentration of our forces."
"Like a sharp needle, piercing the enemy's defense line!"
"Everyone, please look at this mound."
Having said this, Qingden winked at Shannan Keisuke beside him.
Shannan Keisuke nodded understandingly, then leaned over and took out something at his feet - a half-meter-high mound.
At a glance, this seems to be just an ordinary big dumpling.
But after looking carefully, you can find that this mound is full of large and small ravines.
This thing is more like a model of a mountain than a big dumpling!
At this moment when everyone's attention was attracted by this "mini hill", Qingdeng said calmly:
"This is my hard work in recent days."
"Based on naked eye observation and introductions from nearby villagers, I restored the general shape of Nangong Mountain with soil - the mound in front of you is the carefully reshaped 'Nangong Mountain'!"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone at the scene looked shocked.
Using soil to restore the general appearance of Nangong Mountain... How much work is this?
Before everyone could recover from the shock, Qingdeng continued speaking on his own:
"Although it's still very rough, there are signs on it where you should pay attention."
"There are gentle slopes on both the north and south sides of Nangong Mountain, making it easier to advance."
"Yong, your left wing army is going to attack along this line -"
Aoto took great pains to explain to Kondo Isamu the most advantageous offensive route for the left wing.
Isamu Kondo listened carefully and nodded from time to time.
After explaining the offensive line of the left wing, Qingden began to explain the offensive line of the right wing.
The generals deployed on the right wing - the General Director, Saito and others - listened carefully and did not dare to be distracted at all.
With the blessing of talents such as "photographic memory" and "fiery eyes + 5", Qingdeng has put all the features of Nangong Mountain that he can observe with the naked eye into his mind, and he knows them by heart.
The explanation of the appearance of Nangong Mountain and the attack routes of the left and right wings lasted for about half an hour.
After the explanation, Qingdeng scanned the audience with sharp eyes:
"After the bombardment is over, all the troops on the left and right wings, except the artillery, will launch an attack!"
"The terrain on the mountain is too complex, with old trees and huge rocks everywhere."
"In such complex terrain, it is difficult for the musketeers to form formations, and their combat effectiveness is greatly reduced."
"However, from another perspective, personal bravery can be greatly displayed!"
"In this case, it is the turn of the swords on our waists to appear!"
Having said this, Aoden raised his hand and patted the Bizen Nagabune on his waist.
"There are trees and rocks everywhere. If you are not careful, you will collide with the enemy. The environment is perfect for us to draw our swords and attack!"
"In other words, the activity of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th divisions will largely determine the outcome and loss of this battle!"
"The above is our army's battle plan!"
"Do you have any questions?"
After saying that, Qingdeng rolled his eyes again, his gaze passing over the faces of everyone present.
In just a moment, someone raised a question.
Toudo Heisuke stared at the Sekihara map and the "Nangong Mountain Model" and pursed his lips:
"...Mr. Ju, Nangong Mountain is a big mountain. No matter how powerful our artillery team is, it is impossible to accurately clear all the fortifications on the mountain."
"Even if the artillery team shoots all the artillery shells in stock, it may not allow us to attack the mountain with peace of mind."
"In this case, if the enemy's defenses have not been completely cleared and the mountain is forcibly attacked... wouldn't it lead to heavy casualties?"
As soon as Toudo Heisuke finished speaking, Aoto nodded vigorously without hesitation:
"Yes, that's right!"
"No matter how hard the 11th Squadron fires artillery, it is impossible to completely clear the enemy fortifications on Nangong Mountain."
"That is to say...this is a veritable bloody battle!"
"From the moment we start attacking the mountain, our companions will continue to fall and sleep forever."
"I hope you will be mentally prepared."
Suddenly, the atmosphere at the scene became extremely solemn.
Even those militants who were looking forward to "Let's start the fight quickly" all looked serious and solemn at this time.
Qingdeng paused briefly, then changed into a deep tone:
"Although it is extremely difficult, we have no choice but to bite the bullet."
"This is a battle that can only be done quickly, not slowly."
"Speaking of which, many of you probably still don't know the current situation in Edo."
Aomori cleared his throat, and then spoke briefly and concisely about the current situation in Edo.
After learning that General Tokugawa Iemo and Odaisho Tenjoin would defend Edo and never evacuate, many people were affected by this and their emotions became impassioned:
"here you go!"
Harada Sanosuke slapped his thigh and said excitedly:
"This is the responsibility that a leader of the martial arts family should have! With the courage of the shogun, I, Sanosuke Harada, will rescue the shogun no matter what!"
Superior leaders... and even immediate superiors, personally charge into battle - this is a very inspiring thing no matter what era or where.
Since Tokugawa Ieyasu, generals of all dynasties generally lacked martial arts and martial ethics.
Especially the "mentally retarded general" (Tokugawa Iadasa) who had a brain problem not long ago and stayed by the wet nurse's side every day, which made everyone forget that General Zhengyi was the supreme leader of the samurai family.
Tokugawa Iemo showed his demeanor as a great general who conquered the barbarians with great responsibility... Qingnobo doesn't know what happened to other troops, but the morale of the Shinsengumi was indeed effectively boosted.
"Does anyone else have questions?"
Qingdeng asked.
After a moment, Nagakura Shinpachi raised his hand:
"Mr. Tachibana, you will personally be stationed on the right wing. Not only that, the most powerful unit will also be deployed on the right wing... Does this mean that the right wing is the main direction of our army's attack?"
Qingdeng immediately replied:
"To be precise, the left and right wings are the main direction of attack, and there is no distinction between main attack, secondary attack and feint attack."
"There is no particular reason why I chose to sit on the right wing."
"Whether it is the left wing or the right wing, no matter where I am, I will personally fight!"
"So... everyone on the right wing, please keep up with the speed of my attack and don't fall behind."
After hearing this, the generals on the right wing suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.
Everyone is already not surprised by Qingdeng's "personal participation".
If Qingdeng stayed behind, they would be surprised.
"Does anyone else have questions?"
Qingdeng scanned the audience again.
This time, it was extremely quiet inside the tent.
Everyone stared directly at Qingdeng, their eyes burning with surging fighting spirit.
Even those who looked nervous and apprehensive beforehand suppressed their fear and uneasiness at this time.
Seeing that no one asked questions, Qingdeng stood upright, put his hand on his saber, and said calmly:
"Since no one has any doubts, let's adjourn the meeting!"
"Everyone go down and rest."
"Start the attack at five o'clock tomorrow morning (8 a.m.)!"
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It's night——
Nanjo Akizaburo, the head of the Shinsengumi medical team, carried his medical kit and strode towards the headquarters' tent.
During the day today, he was entrusted by Qingteng, who said that the director was ill and had been coughing, so he was asked to see a doctor and get some medicine.
Since it was an order from his superior, Nanjo Akizaburo naturally did not dare to disobey it.
So, after learning that Aoto's military meeting had ended and the generals had gone back to their respective tents, Nanjo Akizaburo immediately packed up his medicine box and ran straight to the headquarters' camp.
He fully thought that the General Secretary had not rested yet.
Unexpectedly... when he arrived at his destination, he found that the headquarters' camp was completely dark.
When Nanjo Akizaburo saw this, he immediately frowned and cautiously shouted into the tent:
"Captain! Captain Okita! I am the medical chief, Nanjo Akizaburo! I have been entrusted by the general to treat you!"
Soon, the general manager's response came from the account:
"Well...it's Mr. Nanjo...Sorry, tomorrow is the day of the war. I'm a little tired, so I went to bed first. You can come back later."
It's all a waste of time... No one will be happy if this is left to them.
However, Nanjo Akizaburo quickly calmed down.
Captain Okita is right! Tomorrow is the day when the war starts. As the captain of the first team, I naturally need to rest early and recharge my batteries!
No matter what, it is always inappropriate to force someone to get up when they have already gone to bed.
So, after a slight hesitation, Nanjo Akizaburo responded loudly:
"Okay...I'll come back later! Captain Okita, I'm sorry to disturb your rest. I'll come back later! I wish you good luck in martial arts!"
"Well... I'm sorry... I made your trip in vain..."
"It's okay, it's not far. You can continue to rest! I'll go first!"
After that, Nanjo Akizaburo carried the medicine box and returned along the original route.
Shortly after he left, bursts of rapid and vague coughing came from the general accountant...
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The next day, early morning, at five o'clock (8 a.m.)——
Sekigahara, Mt. Matsuo——
The pale yellow morning sun rises slowly from behind the mountains in the east.
The dawn penetrated the clouds, illuminated the sky, illuminated the mountains, and illuminated the rows of cannons on Matsuo Mountain!
The Shinsengumi's cannons, as well as the cannons supported by Gourdiya, were arranged in a tight formation!
The ferocious muzzles of the black holes all pointed diagonally at Nangong Mountain in the distance.
Each muzzle has been finely adjusted to ensure that the shells can accurately fall into Nangong Mountain after firing.
In fact, such a big goal does not require careful adjustment.
Any gunner who has received certain training can hit the target accurately!
With such a large-scale artillery formation, it is not difficult to imagine that as soon as the order is given, a torrential rain of artillery shells will fall straight towards Nangong Mountain!
Qingdeng stood on the mountainside of Matsuo Mountain. While staring at Nangong Mountain in the distance, he lowered his head to check the pocket watch in his hand from time to time.
Juro Abe stood beside him, waiting quietly.
Soon... the hour hand in the pocket watch points to "8" and the minute hand points to "12"...
Looking at the time displayed on the pocket watch, Qingto silently closed the watch cover, then turned his head and signaled Abe Juro with his eyes.
This was the look Juro Abe had been waiting for for a long time... He immediately stood up straight, and then raised the flag in his hand high——
"fire!"
The next moment, a deafening roar dominated the entire Matsuo Mountain!
The artillery array roared, shaking the whole mountain!
The light balls that were difficult to distinguish with the naked eye rose high, drew beautiful parabolas in mid-air, and hit Nangong Mountain heavily!
Almost at the same time that Mount Matsuo roared, Mount Sasao to the north also erupted with an incomparable roar!
The artillery array on Mount Sasao is showing off its power!
Countless balls of light poured down from two directions like raindrops!
In just a blink of an eye, waves of flames bloomed on Nangong Mountain! The flames jumped up like a fountain!
The trees disappeared.
The stone shattered.
They were smashed, crushed and torn into pieces by the shells!
"Cannonballs! Give me cannonballs quickly!"
"Run! Run for me! Quickly bring me the cannonballs!"
"The rain of bombardment cannot stop!"
Whether it was the artillery array at Sasao Mountain or the artillery array at Matsuo Mountain, the soldiers of the 11th Squadron were all busy.
The person responsible for firing the cannon fired the cannon continuously.
The person responsible for transporting the cannonballs carried the cannonballs without their feet touching the ground.
Qingdeng watched all this coldly, letting Nangong Mountain be submerged by the rain of bullets and the sea of flames.
The continuous rain of artillery fire seemed to be a signal: it symbolized the official start of a war that attracted worldwide attention!
In the first year of Yuanji (1864), the second Sekigahara War began!
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There are a lot of things to do today, so the number of words is a little short. Even so, Leopard Leopard still wants a monthly pass! (Leopard Leopard Head crying) Please give me a monthly pass! Please recommend a vote! (Leopard Head crying)
The long preparation is finally over, and I can finally write exciting content! (Leopard Hi)