Time goes back to 3 days ago, October 4, the seventh year of Tensho (1579), outside Fukuoka Castle.
"Your Highness, it is too dangerous for you to come to a place like this in person." Several of Shimazu Noiku's followers have been persuading Shimazu Noiku to go back, but Shimazu Noiku remained unmoved and leaned against the wall.
Behind the haystack, I counted the total number of cannon shots fired by the Red Leaf Fleet towards Fukuoka Castle.
"Your Highness, what's the use of counting these? Is it more important than your safety? Such a giant armored ship cannot be defeated no matter what. If you have another accident, how will we go back and explain!" Shimazu Sui
The captain of the long-awaited guard was already jumping up and down with anxiety, "What if the Red Leaf Fleet misses a shot and hits here?"
"They won't miss it, it's very accurate." Shimazu shook his head nonchalantly for a long time. After the gunfire of Hongye Fleet gradually stopped, he quickly wrote down a number in his notebook, then stood up and left.
Outside Fukuoka City.
"It's nearly half less than yesterday, and the number of shelling yesterday was only half of the day before yesterday." Shimazu looked at the numbers in the notebook and was calculating quickly in his mind, "If you calculate it like this..."
"Let me check all the places selling gunpowder nearby to see what big trends have happened recently!" Shimazu Nobuyuki immediately ordered his followers. The next day, Shimazu Nobuyuki followed the steps of the Momiji Fleet and arrived at Tachibana.
When they were outside the mountain city, the followers who were responsible for investigating came back one after another.
"I heard from merchants that all the gunpowder in Kitakyushu has been sold out recently. There are also merchants who keep coming to ask if there is new gunpowder, but every shop has sold out." The entourage reported to Shimazu Toshihisa.
road.
Shimazu put his finger in front of his lips and made a quiet gesture to his followers - he was still listening to the Momiji Fleet's bombardment of Tachibanayama Castle. It was not until the bombardment came to an end that Shimazu took down the numbers and then followed.
They asked: "Who are the buyers?"
"There are all kinds of people, from all over the world." The attendant asked without knowing why.
"As expected of the Red Leaf Army." Shimazu glanced at the numbers on the notebook, stood up, and closed the notebook with a "snap", "Send someone to Satsuma quickly and ask clearly, what happened these days?"
Oh my god, how many ships of the Yuqiu family have bypassed the southern part of Kyushu Island and then headed north. Send someone to Seisaku in Hirado Port to ask if there are any ships that have bypassed Kyushu Island to chase the Hongye Fleet."
On October 6, the seventh year of Tensho (1579), Shimazu was hiding outside Tachibanayama Castle and continued to listen to the cannon fire of the Red Leaf Fleet. Today, the number of artillery bombardments was significantly reduced, still half of yesterday's
The envoys who rushed to Satsuma and Hirado also returned the next afternoon. They informed Shimazu that the ship passing through southern Kyushu had sailed the farthest, that is, to the Amakusa Islands, and had not continued northward.
On the afternoon of October 7, Shimazu, dressed in casual clothes, once again came to a hill next to the beach to observe the situation of the Red Leaf Fleet. However, to his surprise, he saw a strange scene on the beach.
Many scavengers dressed in casual clothes were wandering on the beach. However, they were not scavenging. Instead, they were picking up cannonballs fired by the Red Leaf Fleet.
Shimazu's eyes gradually narrowed over time, staring intently at the seemingly invincible fleet in the distance.
·
On the evening of October 7, Shimazu found Takeyoshi Murakami.
"That's what happened, Your Highness Murakami." Shimazu Noihisa looked at Murakami Takeyoshi confidently, and the latter's expression also became excited because of Shimazu Noihisa's words, "The Red Leaf Fleet went on an expedition and fought from the east of Kyushu all the way around Kyushu.
After a round, the cannonballs have long been used up. Yes, if you think about it carefully, how many cannonballs do they have to bring to be so squandered? The gunpowder and cannonballs they used in Higo were already more than what they used to bombard the Shimadzu family's inner city.
There was a lot less time. After the Battle of Higo, they had very few artillery shells left. When bombarding the territory of the Otomo family, they had begun to refrain from using artillery shells, and at the same time searched Kitakyushu on a large scale for gunpowder. However, despite this,
Their stocks of gunpowder and shells still couldn't keep up, and they even had to go to the beach to pick up spent shells."
"I have investigated the entire Kyushu waters. The Hongye Fleet does not have any supply ships to keep up with the fleet. All ships coming from the east can only sail as far as the Amakusa Islands. In other words, the Hongye Fleet has been sailing from beginning to end for a month.
I haven't been able to replenish the cannonballs and gunpowder, and now they are all out."
"If what I predict is correct, the remaining ammunition of the Red Leaf Fleet at this moment can last for at least half an hour of naval battle." Shimazu Noihisa sneered, with a hint of anger in his eyes, "The reason why they dare to come and attack us
, they just took advantage of our fear of their strong ships and powerful guns, and decided that we didn't dare. Little did we know that they were just paper tigers. Once the invincible fleet had no cannonballs, it would be as vulnerable as a tiger without teeth.
"
"The day the Red Leaf Fleet breaks through the barrier is the day they underestimate the enemy and are destroyed."
·
In the early morning of October 8, the seventh year of Tensho (1579), after the morning fog dissipated, the Momiji Fleet marched towards the Shimonoseki Strait. In order to prevent fire attacks, walking at the front of the array was the ironclad Suruga Maru of the Momiji Fleet.
Akihira's maple bird horse seal was also flying high on it. However, as the commander of the Momiji Fleet, it was Itami Yasuki's flagship Kawachi Maru. Kawachi Maru did not rush in front, but commanded from behind.
The structure of the Shimonoseki Strait is relatively complex. It is not a straight line, but an inverted "n" shape. If you want to pass through the Shimonoseki Strait, you must first go south and bypass the Kushizaki Peninsula protruding from Nagato Country in the north, and then go north.
Bypassing the Moji Peninsula protruding from Bunzen Country in the south, and taking a zigzag route, you can enter the Seto Inland Sea. Moreover, the Shimonoseki Strait is very narrow, with surging undercurrents and dense reefs. On weekdays, merchant ships have to queue up to pass through.
, be careful, not to mention giant ships like the Red Leaf Fleet.
The plan of the Combined Fleet is to let the Hongye Fleet enter the Shimonoseki Strait. In this narrow and complicated strait, the Hongye Fleet cannot form a formation and can only pass through in a formation close to a long snake formation. And the combined fleet's army is all
Waiting at the gate of the strait, give the Hongye fleet a head-on blow. Taking advantage of the fact that the Hongye fleet lacks artillery shells, and the large ship turns to avoid the difficult disadvantages in the Shimonoseki Strait, it quickly approaches and launches a gang-hopping operation, seizes the Hongye army's ship, and then reverses the direction.
Slap back.
Seeing the smoke blazing from the top of Kushizaki Castle, Murakami Takeyoshi couldn't help but tighten the hilt of his katana - that was the signal for the Momiji Fleet to begin sailing into the Shimonoseki Strait. Soon after, the top of Moji Castle also ignited with smoke -
—The vanguard of the Momiji Fleet has crossed the Moji Peninsula. As the smoke signals continued, Murakami Buyoshi knew that the Momiji Fleet was getting closer and closer. When the first giant ship sailed out of the Shimonoseki Strait, Murakami Buyoshi was immediately surprised.
Shocked. Even though he had already known how big the giant ship of Hongye Fleet was, even though he had already heard of the reputation of that invincible iron-clad ship - but when he first saw the black iron-clad gunboat, he was still stunned.
There, this is simply a monster that should not appear on the sea.
However, it is precisely because the Hongye Fleet has such a monster that they underestimate the enemy to the point where they even have to force their way through the Shimonoseki Strait when they don't even have enough ammunition. In their eyes, these small ships of the Western United Nations should not even have the courage to challenge, so why not
Would you expect that they are gathering here to launch a desperate attack?
Murakami Buyoshi gave an order, and various ships of the combined fleet rushed towards Suruga Maru. However, to his surprise, Suruga Maru did not show a panicked expression and tried to retreat - triggering Murakami Buyoshi and Shimazu Sui
I had long imagined that the Red Leaf Fleet would be crowded and chaotic in the Shimonoseki Strait. On the contrary, it moved forward in an open manner.
"You look down on people so much." Murakami Takeyoshi laughed twice, "Even if you are a city, we can climb up it!"
After the combined fleet approached, the Suruga Maru began to open fire. Although the power of the 20 artillery guns on both sides made it almost difficult for the combined fleet to approach and suffered a large number of casualties, Murakami Buki and Shimazu Suiku were not worried - because of the Suruga Maru's
The ammunition won't last long.
Sure enough, as time went on, the frequency of Suruga Maru's firing became less and less, and it focused on rushing forward. The other ships behind it also fired less and less, and even the iron gunners slowly stopped attacking.
, trying to break out with Suruga Maru. As more and more Hongye Fleet ships sail out of Shimonoseki Strait, it has become increasingly difficult to turn around. The only thing they can do is to force their way out.
"It has been prepared for a long time." Murakami Takeyoshi looked back at the iron cable formation in the distance - it was what he learned from Fuyayasu Anzhai. Three rows of anchored iron cable chain ships blocked the retreat. The Red Leaf Fleet was absolutely
Can't get out.
"They don't have much ammunition left, put them all in!" Murakami Takeyoshi issued the order for a general attack. All the ships of the Combined Fleet on the east side of the Shimonoseki Strait swarmed towards the ships of the Hongye Fleet like ants. The Hongye Fleet could not offer any resistance.
, could only watch helplessly as the ships of the United Fleet approached. Hooks were thrown onto the ships of the Red Leaf Fleet, and the pirates of the United Fleet began to try to join forces to fight. The archers, iron gunners and bomb throwers did not stop for a moment.
Use fire support constantly to help your own pirates.
Seeing that the battle was about to be a great success, Murakami Takeyoshi had a bad premonition for no reason. As a person who had been wandering at sea for most of his life, his premonitions at sea were always very accurate.
"Will there be reinforcements?" Takeyoshi Murakami glanced back uneasily. The sea was calm and empty.
"If there are no reinforcements, even a sword fight can severely damage the vitality of the Red Leaf Fleet." Murakami Takeyoshi turned to look at the battlefield again. Many pirates had jumped on the ship and fought with the officers and soldiers of the Red Leaf Fleet.
A large number of ships blocked the Red Leaf Fleet in a traffic jam.
“Too crowded…”
Murakami Takeyoshi turned his head to the east uneasily, but there were still no reinforcements.
The Hongye Fleet's artillery shells must have been almost used up, and Murakami Buyoshi knew the capacity of the ships. Although the loading capacity of the ships of the Hongye Fleet was large, according to the descriptions of those who witnessed the bombardment and Murakami's own observations, the Hongye Fleet seemed to be free of money.
With this way of firing, no amount of ammunition is wasted. They have been fighting for almost a month, and without supplies, the ammunition will definitely be used up.
So what exactly is this bad premonition...
Murakami Takeyoshi slowly turned his head back again. However, when he returned his head to a position of about 90 degrees, he suddenly froze.
To the north is the Kansai Continent...and to the north of the Kansai Continent is the outer sea.
Chapter completed!