It is absolutely impossible for a ragtag rebel army to fight a tough battle, but if they want to escape, there is still no problem.
After retreating from Sendai, the rebel army continued to rush northward.
Date Masamune became fierce and pursued desperately, but he could only bite the tail of the rebels, always missing a breath.
After chasing and escaping, he ran more than three hundred miles.
Ahead is a mountainous area with complex terrain.
Passing through this mountainous area all the way to Morioka, a long and narrow valley with a length of about 400 miles is formed.
This valley is also one of the most important agricultural producing areas in northeastern Japan.
This made it impossible for Date Masamune to stop and must continue to pursue.
Only by taking back this valley and managing it properly can the Date family regain its strength.
However, it was too hard to cross the mountains. The rebel army had disappeared, and the shogunate's army was still trekking hard.
Of course the rebels were not running blindly, they had already received instructions.
A village called Beishang had already been occupied by the 12th Division at this time, and the headquarters was located here.
The leaders of the rebel army were brought here, and they were received by Sun Yunliang, commander of the Third Front Army.
"Mr. Genshinjiro and Mr. Totoku Hidetake, thank you very much for your efforts. This battle can be won because of you."
Genshinjiro and Toyonoku Hidetake were originally farmers in Yokote, but because of the excessive taxation imposed by the Tokugawa shogunate, they could no longer survive. So they took a desperate risk and led the local farmers to launch a riot.
Soon after, people from the Empire found them and provided support.
These farmers had little knowledge to begin with and did not understand the difference between home and country. In addition, the Tokugawa shogunate went too far, which completely alienated them.
The farmers in Japan were originally honest and content with the status quo. But once it broke out, they were like mad cows that couldn't be pulled back and didn't care about the consequences at all.
With the support of the empire, Moto Shinjiro and Toyode Hidetake happily offered their loyalty and were willing to serve the empire.
Of course, the empire did not treat them badly.
Their families were all brought to Sapporo by the empire, and not only were they assigned new homes, but they were also given good jobs.
Their children also entered school and received a good education.
All this made the rebels more loyal to the Empire.
After the 12th Division secretly landed in Japan, no trace was ever exposed. Date Masamune didn't know that he was in danger.
Seeing this situation, Sun Yunliang immediately made a plan to invite you to the urn.
Let the rebels serve as bait and lead the shogunate troops to the plains near Oshu and into the encirclement of the 12th Division.
As long as this is done, the northeastern part of Japan can decide the outcome in one battle.
At present, it seems that the plan is very likely to succeed. The scouts have reported that Date Masamune is leading 30,000 shogunate troops across the mountains.
The 48th Regiment of the 12th Division was actually lying in ambush next to the shogunate army, just waiting for Date Masamune to climb over the top of the mountain and finish closing the door and beating the dogs.
The deployment of the 12th Division is as follows:
The 45th Regiment, together with the divisional artillery regiment, moved from the north to the south and blocked the front;
The 46th Regiment is hidden at the foot of the mountain on the west side, and the 47th Regiment is ambushed on the mountain on the east side;
Together with the 48th Regiment, which was cut off from the rear, Date Masamune could be completely surrounded.
Although one infantry regiment in each direction seemed to dilute the strength, both Sun Yunliang and the generals of the 12th Division were all confident in the combat effectiveness of the National Defense Forces.
Most of the shogunate troops still use cold weapons and are definitely no match for the all-firearms National Defense Forces.
At this moment, everyone is most worried about whether Date Masamune will stop?
Throughout the night, no one in the headquarters could sleep, and they were always paying attention to the movements of the shogunate's troops.
At dawn, the scouts sent the latest information.
Date Masamune actually wanted to carry out a night attack, so he crossed the mountains overnight.
In his opinion, the rebels were all a mob with no tactical skills. They must be exhausted after crossing the mountains and should rest on the spot.
The shogunate's army took advantage of the dawn to launch a surprise attack, and the gains were sure to be huge.
He had no idea that his opponent had been replaced by the 12th Division of the National Defense Forces.
The rebels were originally resting, but received the warning an hour in advance and immediately broke camp and retreated.
Although he left a lot of things behind in his haste, this actually misled Date Masamune.
It made him mistakenly believe that the rebels had not escaped too far and should be able to catch up.
So Date Masamune ignored the fatigue of the army and strictly ordered the pursuit.
When the shogunate army rushed to Oshu, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
Outside the city of Oshu, I saw that the National Defense Forces were already in full formation.
There was no gap in the dense musket array, and hundreds of cannons shone coldly in the early morning sunlight.
After receiving the report from the vanguard, Date Masamune instinctively felt that something was wrong.
He rushed to the front of the formation and saw that the National Defense Forces had begun to press forward, and finally realized that he had fallen into a trap.
"General, there are enemies in the west!"
"There are enemies in the east too!"
The 46th and 47th regiments also pressed forward simultaneously and began to narrow the encirclement.
All the shogunate troops were panicked and looked at Date Masamune, waiting for his orders.
Date Masamune observed the battlefield and knew that there was absolutely no possibility of victory in this battle.
In his eyes, both sides had equal strength. But he had already experienced the combat effectiveness of the National Defense Forces.
Not to mention facing three infantry regiments, even one infantry regiment could not be defeated by the exhausted shogunate army.
"Withdraw your troops immediately, send people to Edo, and report to the General for help."
The shogunate's army retreated as quickly as it came.
Seeing the unhurried pace of the 12th Division, Date Masamune was a little lucky and felt that he should be able to run away.
But at noon, bad news came.
The messenger who was sent out fled back covered in wounds.
"General, there are enemies in the rear and we can't go back."
After the wailing, the messenger was seriously injured and died, which cast a shadow over the shogunate's army.
Everyone looked at the terrain around them and couldn't help but feel cold all over.
The terrain in the mountains and valleys is narrow, but it is surrounded by the National Defense Forces from all directions.
Date Masamune was so frightened that he completely lost his sense of proportion.
"Attack backwards! We must open the way home. As long as we retreat to Sendai, we will have a way."
Needless to say, the shogunate's army had no choice but to return the same way they came.
At least there are still some supplies stored in Sendai.
As for the other directions, they are either poor and desolate, or there are vast mountains. Even if they break through the siege of the National Defense Forces, the shogunate troops will starve to death and die of exhaustion.
In order to escape, the shogunate army ignored hunger and exhaustion and mustered up their last courage to launch a desperate attack on the 48th Regiment, which was waiting for work.