Tokugawa Mitsuhiro and Tokugawa Tsunashige met again in the camp of the Datong Army.
One commanded the land battle and was captured, and the other commanded the naval battle and was captured. When they met, they looked at each other speechlessly, with only sadness and loneliness on their faces.
Huang Fei took the letter sent from Kyoto, pretended to read it for a long time, and handed it out with a smile: "You two, take a look at it too."
Tokugawa Mitsuki, who was of higher seniority, took the letter with both hands. His Chinese character literacy was so high that he could read ten lines at a glance, and his expression changed drastically after just two glances.
Han Shouxin's handwritten letter contained vulgar language, and it was obvious at first glance that he had not read the book for several days, but this frightened Tokugawa Mitsuhiro even more.
He was afraid that all the Chinese generals were rough and ignorant of politics, because Han Shouxin said in his letter: "I have captured Kyoto and captured two Japanese kings. One is the Supreme King, the Monk King, and the other is the Queen. The Monk King."
He was quite sensible and obedient, so he simply killed all the Tokugawa family and let the monk king rule Japan."
"What was written in the letter?" Tokugawa Tsusushige asked in a low voice.
Tokugawa Mitsuru said solemnly: "See for yourself."
Tokugawa Tsusushige received the letter with the same solemn expression. If the Chinese army really supported the emperor, Japan would inevitably have another civil war. Daimyo who dissatisfied with the rule of the Tokugawa family would rely on the power of the Chinese army to defect to the emperor.
.
This is not the end of the Tokugawa period. Even the Choshu clan was loyal to the shogunate. At this time, the Choshu clan still remembered hatred.
Huang Fei smiled grimly and said: "You two, take the letter and go to the city. Tell the shogun that if you don't open the city and surrender, I will flatten Edo, kill all the descendants of the Tokugawa family, and support the monk king to rule Japan!"
The two were surprised and happy. They were surprised that the emperor was in the hands of the Chinese army, and happy that they were actually released.
Regardless of their appearance, the two Tokugawa feudal lords walked quickly toward the city wall. After giving their names, they were immediately welcomed into the city.
Sakai Tadayoshi came over after hearing the news, but before he could say anything, Tokugawa Mitsuhiro handed over the letter.
"How... how could this happen? Damn it!" Sakai Tadaki was confused after reading the letter.
Although Tokugawa Mitsuki was not good at fighting, he also knew politics. He said: "This matter must not be publicized and cannot be known to the daimyo and samurai in the city."
The three of them immediately went to see the shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna, and Sakai Tadakiyoshi also called his trusted aide.
Tokugawa Ietsuna was so frightened that he was trembling when he spoke: "No...it's better to surrender and agree to the conditions proposed by the Tang army. No matter how much the compensation is, it can be paid off slowly. If the Tang army supports the emperor, everything I have been waiting for will be over."
It’s over.”
Inaba Masanori asked: "How strong is the Tang army?"
Tokugawa Mitsuaki answered truthfully: "I brought tens of thousands of Kwantung troops to the rescue, and met the Tang army's scouts in the afternoon. The Tang army returned to Edo in the middle of the afternoon to report the news, and marched more than 30 miles in a hurry at night. They raided the camp and half of our army collapsed.
One afternoon, one night, seventy miles round trip, can our flag do it?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Sakai Tadakiyoshi is still unwilling to give up. Once he surrenders, the shogunate will definitely be able to survive, but he, the elder, will become a scapegoat. He has too many political enemies in the past, and they will definitely attack them in groups. Commitment of seppuku is even lighter, and he may even
Reduce his family fiefdom.
"Edo Castle is strong. As long as we work together, the Tang army will definitely not be able to defeat it." Sakai Tadakiyoshi said.
The few senior middlemen who relied on Sakai Tadakiyoshi were also afraid of being besieged by political opponents. However, they were divided into two factions. The Daimyos knew that they belonged to the basic base of the Tokugawa family, and even if they were held accountable, they would definitely be given a lighter sentence.
If you are not a daimyo, you want to follow Sakai Tadaki to the dark side of an alley.
Tokugawa Ietsuna was extremely frightened. He was the shogun and just wanted to enjoy peace and security. No matter how much compensation he paid, it didn't matter. Seeing that Sakai Tadaki wanted to hold on to the city, he quickly said: "Surrender quickly, I give the order to surrender!"
Sakai Tadakiyoshi was already crazy. He would definitely die if he surrendered anyway, instead of taking a chance.
If he can defend Edo, his disrespectful behavior at this time can be treated as if it never happened, and he can gain unprecedented prestige. Sakai Tadaki shouted: "Shogun, you are tired, please go in and rest."
Sakai Tadaki's confidant who was present immediately understood and stepped forward to surround Tokugawa Ietsuna.
The Daimyo Daimyo were stunned. Although they were also Daimyos, their ancestors were retainers of the Tokugawa family. At the same time, they were also attached to Sakai Tadakiyoshi. What choice should they make now?
Masanori Inaba still chose to be loyal to the shogunate. He pushed an old man away and scolded: "Don't disturb the general!"
"Someone is coming!"
Sakai Tadakiyo gave an order, and a dozen Hatamoto samurai suddenly rushed in.
Tokugawa Ietsuna, Tokugawa Mitsuharu, Tokugawa Tsunajuge, and the several Daimyos were all confused by this battle.
Tokugawa Mitsuaki angrily shouted: "Do you want to rebel?"
Sakai Tadakiyoshi said: "I am protecting the foundation of the shogunate, the fortified city is still there, and the army is still there, how can I surrender easily?"
This group of people were all placed under house arrest.
Since Inaba Masanori was also imprisoned, Sakai Tadakiyoshi was replaced by a new general. It was claimed that the shogun's condition had worsened, and the daimyo who was under house arrest guarded him at his bedside. At the same time, he used money to reward the three armies, and vowed to live and die with Edo Castle.
At first, all the famous people believed it.
But after two or three days, everyone gradually came to their senses, and one after another requested to see and serve Tokugawa Tsunashige on the pretext of visiting a patient.
However, Sakai Tadakiyoshi said: "The general is seriously ill and cannot be disturbed. All you have to do is survive and defend the city."
The more this happened, the more suspicious the daimyo became, and they even speculated that the shogun had been killed.
"Boom boom boom!"
The people inside the city were dilly-dallying, but outside the city they couldn't wait any longer. Huang Fei had already ordered a general attack.
Several loud noises were heard, and the outermost wall of Edo Castle was directly blown down by the explosives in the tunnel.
Dozens of artillery pieces and twelve hot-air balloons bombarded the southeastern city wall. The southeastern city wall was very high and belonged to the third city wall, which could attack the troops entering the city from a high position.
Countless artillery shells and tens of thousands of enemies fell on the southeastern city wall. The fierce and sudden firepower caused the defenders there to panic.
The soldiers of Datong took the opportunity to push a simple cart and rushed towards the gap in the outer city wall.
Rushing into the outer city, you will immediately be covered by arrows.
It was the defenders hiding on the west side of the third city wall in the city who were shooting. Fortunately, Japanese craftsmen made the carriages, otherwise the Datong army would have suffered heavy losses.
The defenders were too close and could only use muskets and bows, but could not use artillery to bombard the Datong Army. With the defensive power of the carriages, the muskets and bows and arrows were effectively blocked, and the Datong Army who entered the city quickly gained a foothold.
Some Datong soldiers, under the cover of friendly forces, climbed up the outer city wall from the ramp inside the city.
Then, on the outer city wall, they exchanged musketry with the defenders on the third wall opposite. The shogunate army only had a small number of muskets, but the Datong soldiers had only one musket, and they quickly formed a fire suppression.
The hot air balloon floating outside was quickly taken down.
Taking advantage of suppressing the firepower of the defenders, the hot air balloon was dropped to the outer city wall and lifted into the air. Unfortunately, the wind direction was a bit wrong. The defenders of the third city wall were on the east side. At this time, the southeast wind was blowing again, so they could only fly inside and outside the blocked wall.
The city wall rises at the passage.
And it cannot be raised too high, otherwise it will be further away from the target.
"Hit it on top!"
A shogunate officer pointed to the hot air balloon in the sky and said.
Countless arrows and muskets were fired at the hot air balloon. The bows and arrows would definitely not be able to hit it, but the muskets could, and several holes were made in the hot air balloon.
The people in the hot air balloon were all grenadiers. They were tall and powerful, and they were throwing tens of thousands of enemies toward the east.
"Boom boom boom boom!"
Thousands of people threw several missiles, half of which landed on the city wall and half of which fell outside the city wall.
A grenadier was hit by a musket. Before he fell, he pushed ten thousand enemies out to avoid exploding in the vine basket of the hot air balloon.
More and more soldiers from Datong entered the city pushing carts and ladders.
Artillery also came in, using the Japanese artillery on the outer city wall to turn their muzzles and bombard the defenders.
"Boom boom boom!"
Not only the artillerymen of the Datong Army were firing, but the Japanese artillerymen in the inner city also responded. It was the commanding heights of the city, and the artillery fired at the outer city wall occupied by the Datong Army.
It's too difficult. A standard fortress-type castle has four walls. If you don't break one, you have to pay a price.
Huang Fei laid siege to the city for more than a month and was fully prepared before launching the attack. However, "huge casualties" still occurred at this time. The Datong army had already suffered more than 40 casualties.
The shogunate defenders on the third city wall were attacked by muskets, artillery, and thousands of enemies, and there was already a defensive gap. The division commander Hong Lei, who personally climbed up the outer city wall, immediately ordered: "Blow the trumpet and attack the city!"
The soldiers of Datong, who had already entered the city and were waiting for orders, were now hiding behind the carriages and ladder baffles. When they heard the sound of the trumpet, they immediately pushed the siege equipment to the wall. The hot-air balloons and artillery also stopped to prevent accidental damage to friendly troops attacking the city.
Only the soldiers on the outer city wall were still providing fire cover.
"Go and hold on over there!" the Japanese officer shouted hurriedly.
There were very few defenders left at the city wall that had been blown out of the defensive gap. Most of them were not killed by the bombing, but they were unable to withstand the artillery and thousands of enemies and took the initiative to withdraw towards the nearby city wall.
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Taking advantage of the gap when the shogunate army returned to defend, more than a dozen Datong troops successfully boarded the city. The shogunate army rushed to defend and fired muskets and bows at the Datong army. Half of the Datong army that climbed first fell instantly.
It was enough. The muskets of the shogunate army were still being reloaded. The second batch of Datong soldiers had already come up and fired at the enemies on both sides with arrows missing.
"kill!"
When a bullet is fired, the bayonet is immediately drawn out and the bayonet is placed on the muzzle of the gun while charging.
There were obviously only thirty or forty Datong troops, but the charging formation with bayonets in hand was like thousands of troops galloping. The Hatamoto warriors on both sides were so frightened that they turned around and fled. They were besieged for more than a month and suffered repeated setbacks, which affected their morale.
It has hit rock bottom long ago.
After a chase, the third city wall was occupied by the Datong Army.
Next, there is the second and first city wall, each one more dangerous than the other.
So far, the Datong Army has killed and injured more than 80 people!
Fortunately, there is a plug-in like hot air balloon bombing, otherwise the number of casualties would have doubled.
At this time, civil strife broke out in Edo City.
Abe Tadaki led a group of daimyo and Hatamoto and rushed towards the shogun's castle. They suspected that Tokugawa Ietsuna had been murdered or was under house arrest, so they rushed in to take a look no matter what.