On the afternoon of April 22, the ninth year of Tensho (1581), Dabira, Shimabara Peninsula, Hizen Province.
"We're finally here." Yu Qiuping couldn't wait to climb over the side of the boat and jumped onto the ground on the shore. "It's been a long time since I've been on a bumpy and slow boat. I'm almost getting seasick from the torment."
On the Ariake Sea behind Yu Qiupei, there are a large number of Awaji Navy and Mishima Navy ships. They carried Rakihara Bei, Fushu Bei and Wanjun Bei and finally arrived at Kyushu Island after a ten-day long voyage.
west end.
When the combined fleet entered the Ariake Sea, they could already see the flag of the Shimazu Maru cross flying on Hinoe Castle. The Shimazu navy did not choose to confront the Mishima navy and the Awaji navy, but honestly hid.
He entered the river mouth to avoid the attack.
"To be honest, I think the Shimadzu family's actions are a bit stupid." Umei Qiupei joked to Amano Keitoku who was following him, "Even if the Hongye fleet is not here, at most we will lose the ability to land on the beach, suppress the coast, and maneuver quickly.
That's all. With only the Awaji Navy and the Mishima Navy, I still have control of the sea along the coast of Kyushu. The Shimadzu Army can obviously attack Higo Kingdom from the road, so why do they have to cross the sea to attack the Amakusa Islands and then cross the sea?
What about attacking the Shimabara Peninsula? After we take control of the Ariake Sea, the Shimazu Army is alone on the Shimabara Peninsula, which faces the sea on three sides. It has no way to retreat. It faces the enemy who firmly controls the sea in the coastal area.
, no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like something the wise Shimadzu family should do.”
"What the Shimazu Army did means something in itself." Amano Keitoku squinted his eyes as he looked at the Miyoshi Army and the Nagasoga Army who were waiting for the arrival of the Momiji Army at the camp not far away.
"Does it mean that I, who have mastered the Awaji Navy and the Mishima Navy, can't actually control the sea? Or, in their eyes, I can't control the sea? Or, they want to make me realize that in their eyes, I can't control the sea.
Or is it that they deliberately exposed that point to make me suspicious, and what they did was actually a big gamble? A bet that they could defeat us on the road who were at odds with each other because of the alienation plan? Or, they
Are we sure of victory in the land battle?" Yu Qiuping casually reported a series of conspiracies, "Is the Shimazu army on the first floor or the fifth floor?"
"That's what a conspiracy is. You never know who plotted against whom until it's revealed." Amano Jingtoku didn't feel as confused as Yu Qiuping at all. Instead, he said very plainly, "And..."
"And it's very likely that it's a two-way exchange. After all, the opponent is not a fledgling, so it can't be completely counted." Yu Qiuping smiled and added what Amano Jingde left unfinished, and then stretched out comfortably and relaxed.
After a moment of fatigue, Tide said, "So a good conspiracy must be paired with a conspiracy."
"This expedition always feels weird." Seeing that Amano Jingtoku ignored him, Yu Qiuping muttered to himself again, "Although I usually use some strategies when I go on an expedition, I think in my mind
They always defeat the opponent on the battlefield. Only this time is completely different, completely different... Most of the energy is put on the strategy, and there is not much consideration on the battlefield."
"The first is to attack the enemy, then the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and then the third is to attack the city." Amano Kyoutori raised his hand, arranging the crow's feathers on his shoulders, but ignored his messy gray hair.
"If you achieve a complete victory strategically, there will be no need for weapons." Yu Qiuping nodded slightly in agreement, and then took his stretched hands back to his waist, "Let's go, His Highness Mihao and His Highness Changzong are ready.
You must be very thoughtful and set up a camp for 30,000 people in advance, which saves us trouble."
"Kwon Bingwei, are you going to blame me for being too arrogant again?" Yu Qiuping stepped out and looked back at Amano Kagetoku.
·
On the evening of April 22, the ninth year of Tensho (1581), the Oda army was in Dobira's camp.
"Did Hinoe Castle fall early yesterday morning?" Yu Qiuping asked with some concern after receiving confirmation from Chosogabu Motochin and Miyoshi Yoshihiro, "Where is His Highness Arima and the governor? Is there any news?
"
"His Majesty Arima ran away a long time ago and has already gone back to Omura Castle. He claimed that he was going to guide the Ryuzoji family's reinforcements. In fact, he just wanted to abandon the city and escape." Genchanchi of the Chosougabu Department was quite contemptuous.
He narrated what happened before, "Lord Konishi has always been responsible for the defense of Hinoe City. The young man whom His Highness Jibu is interested in has performed quite well."
"What about the president?" Chang Zonggabu Yuanqin's words did not contain the news that Yu Qiuping wanted to hear most, so Yu Qiuping continued to ask.
"The whereabouts are unknown, but it seems that he has not been captured." Miyoshi Yoshihiro said uncertainly, "The mountains around Hinoe Castle are densely covered, so it should not be difficult to escape from the castle town at night. Moreover, our ninjas have discovered that the Japanese
Before the fall of Zhijiang City, there seemed to be a loud noise of exploding a large cylinder in the city. It should be the preparations made by Mr. Xiaoxi before escaping."
"That's good. Let's send ninjas to continue searching in the mountains. Maybe the president is trapped in the mountains." Yu Qiuping nodded, and then moved his eyes to the map on the desk, "Where are the movements of the Shimadzu army?
?”
"Sorry, Your Highness, we don't know very well. We don't have many ninjas, and the terrain is unfamiliar. We originally wanted to rely on the ninjas of the Arima family, but His Highness Arima has already hid in the rear, and communication back and forth is not smooth.
." Miyoshi Yoshihiro bowed slightly to Yu Qiuping very apologetically, "But one thing is certain, the Shimadzu army should have marched from the east coast, and no enemy has been found on the west side roads. If the Shimazu army marched from the west
If we had gone north, we should have seen it long ago."
"The road to the east..." Yu Qiuping followed the light of the fire and began to look at the map carefully. If you start from Hinoe Castle and take the east coastal road to Dabira, you will first go back through Fukae, and then Moridake Castle, which has been abandoned by the Arima family.
And then——
"Okita Wan." Yu Qiuping muttered the name of the place, and then asked to himself, "Where is His Highness Ryuzoji Temple?"
"We should be able to reach Dobira in two days." Miyoshi Yoshihiro answered truthfully.
"Ah, it's a bit unlucky, for those who believe in fate." Yu Qiuping's expression suddenly became extremely weird, which frightened Miyoshi Yoshihiro, Chosonggabu Motochin, and even Amano Keitoku.
One jump.
"No matter how hard you try, sometimes you can't change some things. It would be weird if you were dragged down here because of fate or something like that." Yu Qiuping laughed twice, then shook his head.
He shook his head and collected his emotions, "Your Highness Chosou and His Highness Miyoshi, please send an envoy to the south immediately to investigate. See where the Shimazu army has progressed. I will also arrange for the joint fleet to arrive.
Cooperate with the investigation in coastal areas.”
·
Mitsui Yataro is a Jonin of the Miyoshi family. His father has served the Miyoshi family since the Miyoshi Gencho era. Mitsui Yataro also inherited his father's mantle and continued to be loyal to the Miyoshi family. Even though the Miyoshi family has been transferred to Iyo, Mitsui Yataro still moved here with the families of the ninjas who were willing to follow Ninja Sataka.
At this moment, as an elite ninja of the Miyoshi family, he was assigned a more difficult and dangerous task as usual - to go south to detect the specific movements of the Shimadzu army. The terrain of Kyushu was completely unfamiliar to Mitsui Yataro, and military maps were not meticulous enough to mark it. There are bushes, hills and gravel - these are what ninjas must be familiar with. And his opponents are the Satsuma ninjas who have always been famous for their ferocity. It is said that they will not only use a large number of iron cannons in their operations , and unlike the ninjas in the Kinki area who pay more attention to mission completion and concealment, Satsuma ninjas prefer to kill opponents in missions - even at the risk of being exposed.
In the unknown terrain, he was reconnaissance and infiltration towards the location of the local army. Facing powerful ninjas who were extremely eager to kill, Mitsui Yataro felt that the pressure on him was very high. Simply, the ninjas of the Choso Gabe family were also included in the mission this time. Although Mitsui Yataro does not believe that two ninjas that have always been hostile to each other can cooperate sincerely, it is still possible to take care of each other in times of trouble.
The sky was getting a little dark, and Yataro Mitsui led his troops quickly through the dense forests and shrubs. To his left, you could see the swampy Okitamons depicted on the map. It was not wide at all. There are two large sections of mud fields on the road. The weedy ridges indicate that this place has been abandoned for a long time, but the fields are still muddy. And around the mud fields, there are wet swamps that are visibly impassable to the naked eye. Between the mud fields and swamps During this period, the road that could be used by the army was winding and narrow, and it was really a bad road.
After crossing Okita Tatero, Mitsui Yataro felt that the tension in the air had become denser, and it was even a little difficult to breathe. The further south you go, the closer you are to the Shimadzu Army. And the Shimadzu Army's ninjas must be lurking there. An intelligence barrier is formed around the army to prevent the traces of the army from being discovered. In other words, the further south you go, the greater the probability of encountering Shimadzu Army ninjas. And what is even more desperate is that as long as you keep going south, If you leave, the moment of unexpected encounter will definitely come - at that time, the Shimadzu Army ninjas who are waiting for work may use iron cannons to attack the intruder, taking away his life or the lives of several of his subordinates in an instant.
This is not the first time he has experienced walking on the edge of life and death. Mitsui Yataro will not lose his energy because of this kind of pressure. He is not a fledgling who will fail a mission out of fear, but "enemies may appear at any time." "The oppressive feeling still made him a little uneasy. He even looked forward to the roar of the iron cannon being heard soon, so that this long and torturous wait could be ended.
Chapter completed!