Inaba Masakichi was not wrong to worry that the Daimyo coalition forces would outflank the shogunate's retreat.
However, the Daimyo coalition did not intend to achieve this tactical goal by land.
After all, the land route is too far and goes deep behind enemy lines. Not only is it difficult to achieve the goal, but it is also easy to be discovered and surrounded by the shogunate.
With the existence of the Satsuma Domain, it is natural that the Daimyo coalition intends to achieve its goal through waterways.
In order to further extend the front line of the shogunate army, the Daimyo coalition forces near Kyoto chose to retreat after capturing Emperor Gomizuo.
Sakai Tadakatsu certainly would not miss this opportunity. He led his troops across the Yodogawa River, further reducing the space for the Daimyo coalition forces.
At this moment, the Samoyed navy was dispatched.
In order to decide the fate of the world in one battle, the Satsuma Domain can be said to have used all its elites.
Led by veteran Nakajima Tsuhisahi himself, the mighty fleet rushed into the Seto Inland Sea.
As long as they cross Awaji Island and complete the landing in the Aichi area, the shogunate's army's retreat will be completely cut off.
Shimazu Hisakei did not find this operation difficult.
But when the Satsuma clan's navy entered the Awaji Island area, he suddenly discovered that something was wrong.
Just to the east of Awaji Island, I saw a mighty navy rushing toward them.
The flag on the ship is particularly bright in the sun, and it is the navy of the shogunate.
What Shimazu Hisakei couldn't believe even more was that the two largest warships in the shogunate navy were also third-class battleships built by the Natsu Kingdom.
The Daimyo coalition forces and the shogunate army actually thought of it together.
When the situation cannot be won on land, the outcome of the war is decided on the water.
Both sides felt that they had an unparalleled advantage by purchasing a powerful third-level battleship from Xia Kingdom.
At this time, they collided head-on. Seeing the condition of their opponents, how could they vomit blood?
Similar to the purpose of the Daimyo coalition, the shogunate's navy was also dispatched to outflank the retreat, hoping to resolve the battle as soon as possible.
As the actual ruler of Japan, the shogunate most hoped for a quick victory.
Because only if the war ends quickly, the shogunate's dominance will not be shaken. Only in this way can the situation in Japan be stabilized faster and the Xia Kingdom not be able to take advantage of it.
Therefore, Tokugawa Iemitsu used all his strength and issued orders, hoping that the war would be completely over within three to five months.
People sent by Japan to Xia Kingdom have passed back information about the situation in China.
The top leaders of the Tokugawa shogunate unanimously concluded that the Xia Kingdom would inevitably transfer most of its power to the country and would not be able to take care of Japan for a long time.
This was the opportunity for the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The person responsible for commanding the shogunate navy was Tokugawa Iemitsu's younger brother, Tokugawa Yorifusa.
As the lord of the Mito Domain, Tokugawa Yorifusa was relatively proficient in water warfare. At this time, he was strengthened by the Xia Kingdom's warships, which greatly increased his confidence.
When he saw that the Satsuma Domain navy also had Xia Kingdom warships, he had a premonition that this would be a bloody battle.
However, adhering to Tokugawa Iemitsu's strict orders, this battle is inevitable.
"All the troops immediately went forward to get into battle formation, and we will have a showdown with the rebels today!"
Tokugawa Yorifu shouted loudly and issued the battle order.
"The Satsuma navy has always been the best in Japan. No one is our opponent in this sea area. The entire army will attack and destroy the enemy!"
As a veteran of Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Hisakei had unparalleled pride in water battles.
Even if the Shogunate Navy also has two third-tier battleships, they will never be a match for the Satsuma Navy.
On the wide water surface of Osaka Bay, the two sides quickly entered a state of combat and began to deploy intensively.
On Awaji Island next to it, at the highest altitude, there were some Xia Kingdom officers holding telescopes to carefully observe the battle situation.
The leader was Huang Fei, deputy commander of the North Sea Fleet.
Their current status is that of battlefield observers.
An important purpose of coming here is to observe the use of third-level battleships by both Japan and Japan.
Whether it is the Shogunate Navy or the Satsuma Navy, the configuration of the third-level battleships they purchase equipment is the same as the configuration of the Xia Navy's visit to Europe.
Through this battle, and after the navy from the mission comes back, a conclusion can be drawn by confirming it from both sides.
How good is the reduced version of the third-tier battleship when facing European battleships?
The fully equipped version of the battleship is indeed invincible, but it can only be equipped for use by the regular army.
However, if you want to open up the world, you cannot completely rely on the military. The power of the civilian population must also be fully mobilized. However, the armed forces that the civilian population can control must be weaker than the military to avoid being overthrown.
Therefore, whether the reduced version of the third-level battleship can be used has become the key.
On the sea, the battle has begun.
The four third-level battleships on both sides took the lead. When they were about to enter the firing range, they began to turn on the sea and aimed their flanks at the enemy.
The rest of the boats began to charge forward crazily, with a will to die.
The battleships hadn't moved into place yet, but the boats on both sides were already fighting together.
Both sides are extremely familiar with this small boat native to Japan, and they can fight with ease.
The brutal fighting quickly turned the sea red.
But when it comes to operating battleships, both sides are novices.
Shimazu Hisakei kept asking questions while nervously observing the situation on the other side.
"Has the formation been set up? How long will it take? Can the cannon be fired?"
The deputy had studied at the Xia Kingdom Military Academy and considered himself an expert, so he quickly reported it.
"It's still a little bit worse. The two warships have not reached parallelism."
On the other side, Tokugawa Yorifusa is similar.
"Why hasn't the other ship arrived yet? What are they doing? If the fighter plane is delayed again, they will be shot to death."
On Awaji Island, seeing the situation on both sides, Huang Fei was so anxious that he spurted out blood.
"Why do we have to wait until both ships are in position before firing? Can't one ship fire? And the boats on both sides, why do they collide with each other and fight each other? Why not take advantage of the chaos of the opponent's main battleship formation?
When is the time to rush over? As long as we rush over and set fire, won’t we win? Are these damn Japanese people all elm-headed? Do they know how to fight?”
Amidst his extremely sad and indignant roar, Xia's officers all saw their blood pressure soaring as they looked at the ugly situation on the sea.
If they could, they would never admit that this was a student they taught.
However, the two warring parties could not hear the instructors' voices at all, and still strictly followed the instructions.
It actually took an hour to complete the deployment of just two battleships.
When the rumble of cannons sounded, Huang Fei finally fell.
The fierce battle between the Shogunate Navy and the Satsuma Navy resulted in heavy casualties.
Among them, the highest-ranking officer injured was Huang Fei, deputy commander of the Xia Kingdom's North Sea Fleet.