Chapter 159: The Vicious Diao Ye Ambush

Looking far along the road from north to south, you can see endless hills blocking your sight.

The deserted fields are even more desolate and empty due to the war. A few small villages can be vaguely seen in the distance. Everyone has already fled to the mountains with their families, fearing that they will be robbed by the troops of both sides.

Although the mountains are more difficult than home, fortunately it is summer and you can still hunt for a living in the mountains. As long as you can survive, what does it matter if you suffer a little? !

If the war happened in winter, it would be miserable. The severe cold and lack of food and clothing would make it difficult for them to move forward. In the end, less than one in ten people would survive.

After years of "education" in the war environment, the people here have long understood their situation and seen the situation clearly. In the eyes of those foot soldiers who seem to be soldiers but are actually bandits, law-abiding and good people are often their favorite targets for looting.

The reason is also very simple. They can't beat the real mountain bandits, so they have to bully the farmers in the fields.

If you want to avoid being robbed, you have to join them and rob others together.

The sea breeze rolls up the water vapor and blows on people's faces. Standing on the hill beside the road, the flag of the general general was set up, and Han Xian looked at the troops marching down the mountain.

Near Kumamoto Castle, in order to facilitate the generals to pass through, Han Xian asked Qin Hao for instructions and marched the central army with the first army of Shuntian Camp.

On the road, as the large group of people marched, a large amount of smoke and dust rolled up. Countless pairs of feet wearing thousand-layer soles stepped on the ground, and a rhythmic sound sounded.

Along the foot of Kumamoto Castle, there are hundreds of elite cavalry scattered. These cavalry teams are strict and imposing.

The riders are in a row of five, each standing in front of the horse. It seems to be scattered casually, but in fact it is quite regular. Fifteen steps in front and back, five steps in left and right, and twenty steps in the middle.

If there is a whistle at this time, they can mount their horses and prepare for battle, organize a charge, and meet the enemy.

Each rider wears a wide-foreheaded hat and an iron-pointed helmet, with an iron chain veil under the iron helmet. They are all covered with steel breastplates and silk inside. A musket is slung across their backs, and a long steel sword is hung on the saddle.

The warhorse under their crotch is even taller and more burly, majestic and powerful, with the sound of "clack clack" of the horse's hooves.

From time to time, someone in the horse team looks into the distance to see the enemy on Kumamoto Castle.

The sea breeze blows, and the red tassels on the riders' iron helmets and bright red cloaks are constantly dancing, as if a dazzling fiery red color is burning in everyone's eyes, and it looks like a sea of ​​fire.

"The world's strongest army!" A small daimyo couldn't help but admire sincerely.

"Of course! His Majesty the General's troops are naturally mighty and majestic!"

A man next to him also looked at the flags and soldiers on the hill with envy, while intentionally or unintentionally showing off the Qinggang long sword purchased from Keelung on his waist, showing off, "I have a good sword, and I just need this army."

"Hahaha!" Hearing his colleague's unrealistic ideas, Saga Bugyo couldn't help but sneer.

"With you, you are really not afraid of laughing your teeth off."

"What about me, why can't I have it, Baga Yalu, do you look down on me?"

"Humph, what about laughing at you, stop daydreaming all day, get out of here as soon as possible, don't be a fool here."

"Baga Yalu, I'll kill you..."

"Come on, come on, who's afraid of who..."

Seeing the two men draw their swords and are about to chop each other, a group of Kyushu daimyo around them were startled and hurried up to dissuade them.

Although they like to watch the excitement, if they really die here, they will be blamed by the general, and they will be in trouble; if they cause a camp riot, they will not be able to leave even if they want to.

The general's law is no joke, and they don't want to be sacrificed.

Three or four people pulled one, and finally separated the two. After taking the knife, everyone was relieved.

"What are you doing? We are all in the same army, how can we make things awkward?"

"That's right, that's right, live in harmony, live in harmony."

"Yes, I got a rumor before that after this battle, Keelung will open a special port area in Nagasaki. By then, the samurai in the family will be equipped with such armor and swords!"

"Is it true? Where did you get this news?"

"Of course it's true? My daughter works in the Keelung General's Mansion, so it must be right."

"That's great."

At this time, the daimyo present were all looking forward to their own luxurious warriors in the future.

At the same time, after the cavalry camp, there was a large group of Fuso civilians.

This time, it is said that an army of 10,000 people was mobilized, but in fact, nearly 3,000 of them were civilians recruited from all over Kyushu, responsible for transporting food and equipment for the army.

Soldiers had three meals a day, and every meal had meat, and even civilians enjoyed a food standard of two meals a day and one pound of rice.

"The morale of each unit is very high!"

Qin Hao was very satisfied to see the large groups of troops marching south like a tide.

The people on the mountain were watching the team on the road, and the team on the road was also observing the central army on the hill.

In Kumamoto Castle.

Looking at the lush and fruit-bearing ginkgo tree in the yard, the two commanders of the Shimazu army sat opposite each other and drank tea, seemingly not caring about the punitive army outside the city at all.

"Have you decided?"

"Good!"

Takamatsu Yorichu, the governor of the Takamatsu family who came from the direction of Kagoshima for reinforcements, gently sipped the tea brewed by Katsuto Yokota.

"It is indeed good tea. Katsuto-kun's tea ceremony skills are becoming more and more exquisite."

"Hahaha, that's ridiculous, it's all thanks to the tea leaves."

"Tea from Hangzhou Prefecture?"

"Lai Zhongjun is indeed a master of tea ceremony. You can taste it with just one bite. This was just born this year and the taste is just right." Yokota Katsuto smiled lightly.

Tea ceremonies are usually held to entertain guests, so the two of them naturally did not mention the situation outside the city at the tea table, so as not to spoil their interest.

About a quarter of an hour later, Katsuki Yokota asked his attendants to remove the tea sets and discussed with Takamatsu Yorichu how to deal with the upcoming war.

According to Yokota Katsuto's idea, Takamatsu Yorichu led troops and horses to defend Kumamoto Castle, and at the same time, he could rest and prepare. He led 5,000 men and horses carrying 1,000 iron cannons and 10 large barrels to Chiba, using Shimazu. The traditional ambush tactics of fishing in the wild (first luring the enemy into an ambush encirclement using pocket formations, and then cooperating with the main force in the rear to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop), where an ambush battle is carried out.

"The Kumamoto Hills are to the southwest of Chiba Castle, and the western foothills of Mount Aso to the east are the most dangerous areas. The enemy has come from afar, and the geography is unknown, so it is easy to enter. In addition, the troops and horses are tired, so they must be unprepared.

When the time comes, I will set up an ambush here relying on the mountainous terrain, and send out some troops and horses to lure the enemy. After the two sides come into contact, I will order the enemy's decoy team to retreat. After the enemy pursues and enters the ambush circle, I will fire a large number of iron cannons and big barrels.

To the east is the enemy's sea of ​​fire from Mount Aso, to the south is our iron artillery team, and to the west is the sea. If they don't want to die or jump into the sea, they can only flee north, and the forward force will inevitably scatter their own troops. ,By the time....."

"Wonderful! Then Lord Shengren can use his troops to cover up the enemy! Let's re-enact the Battle of Feishui!"

"That's right! Even though the enemy has backup troops and it's inconvenient for them to coordinate with each other, our troops dispersed with a single attack and defeated them in one battle!"

"Then I will congratulate Katsuto-kun on Kumamoto Castle for capturing the enemy general and returning with a great victory!"

"Lai Zhongjun is so well-known, I still count on you to guard the city as a backup."

In an instant, the two of them formulated a battle plan and smiled at each other, both recognizing the scheming tactics between them.

If the enemy army did not understand the Shimazu family's tactics this time, they would surely lose their troops and generals, and they would return home in great sorrow.

The one-hundred-man iron artillery team took advantage of the cover of night to hand over the defense with the Takamatsu family's troops. Along the north road of Kumamoto Castle, teams one by one quietly drove out of Kumamoto Castle. The ring-biter went to Chiba to set up an ambush.

Mount Aso is the junction of Kumamoto Domain and Bungo Domain, and Mount Waiwa is adjacent to Chiba. Slightly oval in shape, it is 24 kilometers long from north to south and 18 kilometers wide from east to west. It is surrounded by about 120 kilometers and covers an area of ​​250 square kilometers. It is also famous for its high mountains and dense forests. There are many cliffs and exposed lava on the mountains.

Yokota Katsuto had already chosen a place and settled the five thousand troops, and hurriedly ordered them not to rest without permission. Immediately arrange gun positions for Datong.

Following the order, Kumamoto Ashigaru, who was known for his hard work and hard work, began digging trenches and building fortifications without any complaints.

Regarding these forcibly recruited Kumamoto soldiers, Yokota Katsuto believed that he had made the most correct decision before the war. With them, the Otsutsu position that originally took an hour to set up could now be completed in just half an hour.

Everything was ready, and we were waiting for the enemy's entrance. After a while, a sentinel came from a distance to report, and the flag of the Keelung Army appeared more than ten miles away!

"It's finally here! Get ready!"

Yokota Katsuto raised the telescope in his hand and looked into the distance with great interest.

"The decoy team, let's go!"

At the same time, in front of the Chiba River, the forwards of the Second Army, who were advancing mightily, suddenly issued an order, "Stop the advance!". After a flash of flags, the large group of people stopped by the river.

"There is a report from the sentries ahead, and the Shimazu family's vanguard is blocking the way in Chiba!"

"Hurry and report to Lord Saga, the commander of my second army!"

The forward was passed to the feudal lord, and Saga Chaoichi was also worried. He deliberately planned to cross the Chiba River to attack, but he was afraid of being plotted by the Shimadzu family.

For many years, the Shimazu family has been truly the number one fighting force in the Kyushu region.

Their tactics are also well known to everyone, and they are difficult to guard against. His troops suffered a lot when they captured Fukuoka Castle, and they must not suffer any more losses now.

Soon, the enemy situation in front of Qianye River was conveyed to General Han Xian.

"If you want to ambush our soldiers and horses by fishing for wild ambushes, wouldn't it be that our army is overly simplistic!"

Han Xian cursed loudly, but there was still a sentence he didn't curse in his heart.

"This group of guys from the Fuso Second Army are more ferocious than the others when it comes to grabbing credit, property, and territory, but when it comes time to fight, they all shrink back. They are absolutely useless!"

Han Xian then found an exquisite black and gray cowhide map tube in the big tent, pulled out a map from it, spread it on a straw mat made of rushes, and carefully observed and analyzed it.

After a while, he led the officers to the Chinese army's tent and reported the news from the front line to Qin Hao.

"The commander of the Second Army, Saga Toichi, reported that Shimazu Yokota Katsuto's troops appeared in the Chiba area, with about 2,000 troops. Chiba is less than ten miles away from our army and is the only way to Kumamoto Castle. A decision needs to be made early.”

"What's the decision? Just fight, don't worry about them!"

"Yes, if those dwarfs can't do it, let us go over with a pair of volleys to see if anyone can still stand."

The Keelung army disagreed.

Han Xian saw that the generals were eager to fight, and was afraid that Qin Hao would send out the army, so he hurried forward: "My lord, this is a trick used by the Shimazu family! It is called fishing in the wild!

This plan is to first use a small group of bait, and then ambush with a large number of troops and horses. When our army pursues into the hub, the ambush troops will immediately set up a large-scale siege. The bait will also turn around and kill back, and besiege from several sides. It is very vicious and must be prevented.

Now our army has high mountains in the east and the sea in the west. This kind of people ambushing here and using this trick is the most vicious!

I dare to assert that the 2,000 enemy troops on the front line are the opponent's bait, and there must be a large army ambushing later!"

So that's it!

Qin Hao nodded frequently after hearing this. The Shimazu family still has talents, and they can even use tricks.

However, it is a bit simple, and it can be summarized in just eight words "luring the enemy deep into the depths, ambushing everywhere"!

In Keelung, these are all tricks used by children playing war!

For this tactic highly praised by General Shimazu, not only Zhang Hu, an old hand, sneered, but also Zhao Dahai, a new officer, laughed.

"Not worth mentioning."

Han Xian walked to Qin Hao's side and whispered a few words in his ear: "Lord, it's better to be careful!"

Seeing him so serious, Qin Hao realized that he and other generals seemed to be trapped in a confused victory.

The army has been fighting all the way and has never been defeated. The desire for victory has controlled the cautious heart.

I have been complacent these days and lost my original intention.

No!

I can't capsize in the gutter.

With a long sigh, Qin Hao sat upright and looked at the people under the table. The generals also saw that Qin Hao was going to make a big move. They put aside what they were doing, straightened their backs, and were solemn and silent.

"I want to apologize to you all here." Qin Hao stood up and bowed deeply, then continued, "I have been arrogant these days and thought that the battle against the Shimazu family would win. I am fully responsible for this failure."

The generals were confused by Qin Hao's words. The battle has not yet been fought, so how can the lord conclude that they will definitely lose.

Only Han Xian and Zhao Chang saw what Qin Hao meant, and they kept silent and waited to see what would happen next.

"Lord, our Keelung Army is invincible in the world. The small Shimazu family and Kumamoto Castle are not easy to capture." Zhao Dahai stood up carelessly, not noticing the look given to him by the adjutant beside him.

You stupid melon thief, who else should I punish if not you?

The adjutant was helpless in his heart. Why did he follow such a stupid fool?

"Zhao Dahai, do you think..."