The appearance of Natsu navy ships in Satsuma Domain seemed to be a signal, and the situation in the Tsushima Strait suddenly became tense.
"According to the scout's report, there are at least more than two thousand warships gathered in the Satsuma Domain. Although it is unclear how many troops there are on the land, they are at least tens of thousands."
Bai Dasheng told Zuo Hua the information obtained by the scouts through life and death.
E Honglue was the first to make a judgment.
"The Satsuma clan alone does not have so many troops. It seems that other daimyo have taken action."
During this period, in order to cope with the Japanese war, the navy commanders studied relevant intelligence on a surprise basis.
Zuo Hua asked: "Why not the shogunate?"
"The Tokugawa shogunate has always been committed to seclusion and consolidating its own power. Once it starts a war with other countries, it may repeat the mistakes of Toyotomi Hideyoshi."
Zuo Hua pondered.
"Looking at it this way, these lords probably have ill intentions towards the Tokugawa shogunate."
Zhang Keda looked up from studying the chart.
"Regardless of the intrigues within Japan, after North Korea has been solved, Japan is our next target. We were still looking for excuses, but now that the Satsuma Domain has come to our door, we are welcome."
His words reminded everyone.
Regarding the significance of the first island chain, the navy has already reached a consensus within the navy. In their eyes, Japan should not exist and can only be used as a forward position for China.
Even though the Xia Navy is still very immature, their hearts are higher than the sky.
From the day they were founded, their eyes have been set on the deep blue sea.
"Without the participation of the Tokugawa shogunate, just a few daimyo would not be able to survive for long. I judge that the Japanese attack will definitely start in the next few days."
Zuo Hua is a qualified commander and has always been very decisive when he needs to make decisions.
The war is finally about to begin.
E Hong was gearing up and seemed impatient.
"Then let's go to sea immediately, set up a defensive line, and wait for him to come."
As the chief of staff, Bai Dasheng performed his duties very well at this time.
"Send all the boats out to detect the Japanese advance route."
He just said a gentle word, but what it represented was the cruelest and bloodiest fight on the sea.
On the sea between Busan and Japan, before the main forces of the two sides met, the strangulation of the reconnaissance troops had already dyed the sea red.
On the Xia Navy's side, Cangshan ships and Centipede ships were dispatched, forming small clusters one by one, desperately heading towards Japan.
On the Japanese side, all the small boats set out together with only one purpose, which was to shield the sea and cover the advance of the main force behind them.
There are actually some similarities between combat at sea and on land.
Detect the opponent's position and hide your own position to gain an information advantage and win the battle.
And to do this, killing the opponent's reconnaissance troops is the only option.
On the sea, both sides have no choice but to fight tooth and nail to achieve their respective combat goals.
"Captain, the Japanese pirates are here again!"
On a Cangshan ship, the shouts of soldiers attracted the captain's attention.
The young captain showed no fear and gave decisive orders as he looked at the small morning boat crashing into him like a mad bull in the distance.
"Fire and sink it."
Because the Cangshan ship was too small, it could not be equipped with the Xia army's standard artillery. Therefore, bronze cannons were pushed onto the ship, which was better than useless.
At this time, the sea had already turned into a pot of porridge. The Xia army and the Japanese army were mixed together, and it was difficult to tell the winner for a while.
Following the captain's order, the two bronze cannons turned their muzzles, took aim hastily, and fired one after another.
As a result, one shell missed, and although the other hit the enemy ship, it only opened a large hole in the side and killed many people, but did not cause fatal damage to the ship.
The opportunity was fleeting, and with the reloading speed of the bronze cannon, it was already too late for the second round.
The captain is still like Mount Tai.
"The musketeers came out to shoot, and the others prepared to engage in a broadside battle."
The Xia army soldiers were busy but not in a hurry.
A group of musketeers ran to the side of the ship, raised their percussion guns, and stared at the enemy whose speed was not slowing down.
The Japanese soldiers on the boat in the early morning also raised their muzzles.
The Japanese commander showed a ferocious smile and roared: "Fire!"
Hundreds of firecrackers were fired at the same time, and the round projectiles were thrown high into the sky, and then fell rapidly using inertia.
This is the most common method used by Japanese people in naval battles, which is to use fire blunderbuss to projectile.
During the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, the Ming and Korean armies suffered a lot in this way.
How could Xia Jun not be prepared?
When they saw a cloud of white smoke rising from the ship on the opposite side, the soldiers here raised their shields one after another. Those without shields hurriedly hid behind various bunkers.
Then there was a crackling sound on the deck, accompanied by the screams of two soldiers, and the Japanese attack ended here.
At this time, the small straw boat had already rushed within fifty meters.
The captain quickly shouted: "Fire!"
The flash cap guns here shoot straight, and they are all aimed at the target.
Under the attack that was like the wind blowing wheat, many Japanese people also died on the spot because they could not avoid it.
After Xia Jun's musketeers finished shooting, they all threw their muskets aside and immediately took out their knives.
For cold weapon combat on a ship, a musket and a bayonet are too crowded, and are far less comfortable than using a short knife.
Both ships carried an extremely ferocious aura, and neither of them had any intention of evading, and eventually they collided hard.
As the ground shook and the mountains shook, people on the boats on both sides fell down one after another, but they quickly got up and rushed toward the opposite side with howls.
When we meet on a narrow road, the brave wins.
In a place like this, there is no retreat. Only by killing all opponents can you survive.
The Japanese warriors were like evil wolves, waving their sabers and leaping high, volleying towards the Xia army soldiers.
However, there were waves of bowstrings here, and the crossbow arrows knocked back their bodies that had just jumped up.
The soldiers of the Xia army threw their grappling hooks, causing the two ships to get close to each other, and then they began to join forces to fight.
Both sides were brave warriors who were not afraid of death, making the battle fierce from the beginning.
Although Japanese samurai swords are extremely sharp, they cannot be assembled by everyone because they are difficult to make. In fact, most Japanese soldiers use harpoons.
On the contrary, everyone on Xia Jun's side was equipped with a sword.
Although it is not as long as the samurai sword and harpoon, it is easier to move around on the boat.
In addition, the Xia army's soldiers were taller and stronger, so they gradually gained the upper hand after fighting hard.
The captain of the Xia army also jumped over, swung his sword and rotated, and an enemy's head flew into the sky. He kicked out sideways and kicked another enemy into the sea.
Seeing his soldiers pressing down on the enemy made him particularly satisfied.
"Kill them all, take no prisoners."
He even had the leisure to look at other places on the sea.
At this time, the entire sea was already filled with smoke, and a group of navy broke through the obstruction of the Japanese and headed east.
The captain knew that this team was looking for the main Japanese force.
Seeing the Xia army breaking through the defense, the Japanese in many places rushed over like crazy, trying to block the column.
The less the enemy wants, the more we want to do it.