Ukita Hideie's arrangement seemed very suitable, but Fukushima Masanori suddenly appeared and asked with some displeasure: "Wait a minute, Hideie, why don't you let Kato and I go into battle? If the second team and the fifth team
When the team goes out, not only Xingzhou, but also Kaesong can be captured again in one day!"
Fukushima Masanori's words may seem loud, but in fact there is a premise. There is no Ming army stationed in Kaesong now, and the Korean army is nothing more than a chicken and a dog in the eyes of the Japanese army. The second squad and the fifth squad will go up together.
It's really nothing unusual to break it.
But Ukita Hideie replied: "I have not personally captured the city since I landed in North Korea. Although as a general, I do not necessarily have to perform military exploits personally, but after all, I also have the desire to break the city and kill the enemy. Of course, even so, I will not
Only after monopolizing this power did all the divisions mobilize their troops to jointly attack Xingzhou.
As for the Second Division and the Fifth Division, you are all well-known elites. Therefore, in order to prevent the Ming army from suddenly attacking with the superiority of cavalry, it is better to ask the Fifth Division to guard the main road and the Second Division to guard against Hanyang. These two
This matter is more important than attacking Xingzhou."
These words gave Fukushima Masanori and Kato Kiyomasa enough credit. Although Fukushima Masanori took credit for himself, but with Ukita Hideie's attitude, he was willing to give up and agreed to take on the task of guarding against the Ming army. Of course, this was also because Fukushima
Zhengze was actually very much looking forward to fighting the Ming army.
Kato Kiyomasa still mocked Konishi Yukinaga and said with a sneer: "Konishi, you'd better pray that the Ming army will not come to rescue Xingzhou, otherwise you will be so ashamed after we repel the Ming army, right?"
Governor Konishi knew that although Ukita Hideie was the general, his attitude was more or less in favor of Kato Kiyomasa, so he did not say much this time, but looked at him coldly and said nothing angrily.
At this time, Xingzhou was also preparing for the Japanese attack. Chu Ying, the second disciple of Master Xiujing, heard that the Japanese army was about to attack Xingzhou, and he also led hundreds of monks and soldiers to come to support.
Quan Li was very grateful for Chuying's arrival. He greeted him personally and expressed his gratitude, saying: "I heard that the Japanese army was wiping out rebels and monk soldiers in Gyeonggi Province. I was worried about this. Seeing that the masters are fine now, it is really God's blessing."
Chu Ying clasped his hands and thanked him: "Thank you so much, General, for your concern. Monks all over the world have responded. How could the Buddha be killed by evil spirits when he is at ease in his heart? This time, I have been ordered by Master to help General defend Xingzhou." Quan Li thanked him again.
Please come into the city.
After entering the city, Quan Li summoned the generals and said: "Xingzhou is located in a dangerous place, the throat between the north and the south, and it affects the overall situation. Because it is such a key place, the Japanese army will attack sooner or later, and now it seems that it is true. Everyone,
Our army must hold on despite the danger. In the future, Xingzhou can also be used as a frontline station before regaining Wangjing, and we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."
General Zhao Jing looked worried and said hesitantly: "General, Xingzhou has less than three thousand troops. If the Japanese pirate army comes to attack, how can we defend Xingzhou? Is it possible to consider...asking the Ming army for rescue?"
Quan Li had already expected this question from one of his subordinates, and was not surprised when he heard it. He replied: "I am fortunate to have a favorable geographical location in the state. This place is located on Deyang Mountain, with Hanjiang River in the south, Changnyeongcheon in the east, and between the two rivers.
The swamp is densely covered, and only the northwest road can be accessed.
As long as our army takes advantage of this narrow situation and arranges it well, the Japanese pirates will be unable to spread out no matter how large their forces are. They can only break into small groups and attack in batches. This will be more convenient for our army's defense.
You must remember that bows, crossbows, fire arrows, rockets and stones, caltrops, artillery and other items need to be checked again to see if they are available. In addition, the Xingzhou defense fortifications must be reinforced again, trenches dug, and two more fences and forts built to delay the Japanese pirates' attack. Reinforcements? You can still send people to the court to request Ming army for rescue."
Judging from Quan Li's words, he is obviously more inclined to do his best on his own side. As for the Ming army's rescue, it is "it's better if you can come, it's better if you don't come." In fact, there is nothing he can do about his attitude. After all, the imperial court had just had a quarrel with the Ming army. It was hard to say whether they would be willing to ask for help from the Ming army. It was also hard to say whether the Ming army would be willing to help when they heard the request for help.
However, for Zhao Zhen and other Quan Li's subordinates, being able to ask for help must be a hundred times better than not being able to ask for help. Therefore, they immediately accepted the order and prayed in their hearts that the request for help would go well. After all, in their eyes, they were definitely not the ones who could stop the Japanese army. It could be the Ming army.
It was dawn on February 12th. The sky was just breaking, and the morning mist was thick. In the cold wind, the Japanese troops had already gathered and set up formations outside Xingzhou. Seeing that the Japanese troops had arrived, Quan Li ordered not to cook porridge today, so that the whole army would have a full meal during the war. Hardcore, determined to fight to the end.
Quan Li personally encouraged the whole army and said loudly: "Soldiers, I, Quan Li, am already fifty-five years old, but I don't have much time left. Although I have served in the army for many years and was promoted to general, I have always been in a meager position. I am always extremely ashamed of this! At this time of national crisis, At this time, it has become my lifelong wish to fight against the Japanese pirates and protect my country. But I still have an even bigger wish, which is to personally lead the army and drive the Japanese pirates completely into the sea!
Since the Japanese invaders invaded Korea, they have killed the people, plundered money and food, occupied our mountains and rivers, and destroyed our ancestral temples. Our ancestors have not been able to rest in peace, and their parents, wives, concubines, and children from the same hometown have all been displaced, and their lives and deaths are unknown!
Everyone, if we don’t stand up and fight to the death today, Korea will surely perish, our country will be shattered, and all of us will die without a burial place. How can we have the face to face our ancestors, relatives, and fellow villagers under the Nine Springs!
Look, everyone, the Japanese pirates are outside the city now, showing off their power, thinking that they will be able to drive us all away! All officers and soldiers, follow me to kill the Japanese pirates, and swear to coexist with Xingzhou!" All the soldiers in Xingzhou were deeply inspired and kept shouting, The murderous spirit was high. Seeing that Quan Li's morale was greatly improved, he immediately ordered all his troops to enter the city defense position and wait for the Japanese army to attack.
At this time, the rising sun was rising in the east and the sky was breaking through the clouds. The 30,000 Japanese troops were all carrying various daimyo battle flags. Many warriors even wore monster masks on their faces and were fully armed. They shouted in unison and marched forward under the orders of the generals and leaders. The North Korean defenders were filled with murderous intent. When they saw this formation and compared it with the noisy chaos during their own training, they could not help but feel fear and even tremble with fear. Quan Li encouraged him repeatedly and personally stabilized the morale of the troops. It was not easy to calm the entire army and only waited for military orders. .
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The road to attack Xingzhou is indeed very narrow, and now it is covered with Korean army fortifications, so the Japanese army can only be divided into more than ten teams to attack in turns.
Under the command of Governor Konishi, the first Japanese army charged towards Xingzhou. Quan Li strictly ordered the entire army not to fight back and to wait for military orders with peace of mind. When most of the Japanese first army had entered the range of North Korean firepower, Quan Li personally beat the drum three times.
, ordered the entire army to counterattack. For a moment, rolling wood, stones, rockets and arrows came down, and sporadic artillery fire everywhere also sounded at the same time.
At this time, the Japanese army was not only caught off guard, but also had a dense formation due to the small area. There was no way to escape from the sudden attack, and casualties gradually increased.
However, President Konishi firmly believed that facing the North Korean army, he could break through with just one go. At this time, he only needed to take advantage of the Japanese army's light firepower to knock down the North Korean army's arrogance. Therefore, Governor Konishi ordered the formation to reorganize and assemble the matchlock guns to fight back.
However, unexpectedly, under North Korea's fierce counterattack, even if Commander Konishi gave several orders, the Japanese first formation was unable to immediately form an effective counterattack force and could never break through the first fence. Commander Konishi's hard attacks were fruitless.
The First Army Corps, which had already lost more than half, suffered further casualties, so it had to order a retreat and replace it with the Second Army.
Seeing that Governor Konishi was defeated, Ishida Mitsunari hurriedly stepped forward to ask. Governor Konishi said: "North Korea has carefully built fortifications outside Xingzhou City. Xingzhou occupies a favorable location and is difficult to capture. Moreover, the North Korean counterattack was fierce this time. I was caught off guard and found it hard to
Reorganize immediately. Even if you try hard to make a breakthrough, you can only retreat... What a shame. I really want to kill all the Koreans in Xingzhou!"
Ishida Mitsunari comforted him: "Don't be angry, Mr. Konishi. It's justifiable to retreat. It's not that your command was wrong. You can just capture Xingzhou and then massacre it. I think the Korean army can only show off its bloody bravery for a while. The so-called strong crossbow is at the end of its life."
The force cannot penetrate Lu Gu. Xingzhou cannot hold out for too long. If I attack again, I will definitely be able to scale the tower."
Governor Konishi advised him to be cautious. After saying goodbye, Ishida Mitsunari went into battle and took over the attack. At this time, Ishida Mitsunari still did not take the Korean army seriously, but believed that the reason why Governor Konishi was defeated was because of the huge losses in the previous battle at Pyongyang.
This is because the army lost its core elite and lost its vigor when charging into battle.
So Ishida Mitsunari led the second formation to attack Xingzhou again, but the Japanese second formation was defended by the Korean army and the battle situation was exactly the same as the first formation. In anger, Ishida Mitsunari personally risked the target and took the lead, but unexpectedly he was hit
The head of the arrow was also injured by the scattered rocks. If it weren't for the protection of the hood, his head might have been opened.
As a result, it was obviously difficult for the second formation to break through the fence in a short period of time. Instead, the formation was in chaos because Ishida Mitsunari himself was injured. Ishida Mitsunari was quickly rescued to the rear of the formation, and as a result, people in the second formation continued to retreat.
However, Ishida was helpless when he saw this and had no choice but to order a retreat.
The third formation was led by Kuroda Nagamasa. Kuroda Nagamasa learned the lessons of the first two formations and ordered to keep a distance to prevent anyone from launching an unauthorized charge outside the range of North Korea. He ordered the iron artillery team to concentrate in front of the army to shoot at the fence and hide behind the troops.
North Korean soldiers.
Kuroda Nagamasa was quite confident in his own tactics and hummed: "This guy Konishi was so frightened by the Ming army that he couldn't even defeat the Korean army. As for Ishida, he has never been worthy of the name of a samurai and is not qualified to fight.
talents...
However, this North Korean army has spent a lot of effort in Xingzhou, but it doesn't matter. As long as it can make steady progress and wait until the advantage of our army can be used, no one can stop it."
However, the two fences and fortresses in North Korea were really carefully built. The so-called iron cannons of the Japanese army were just matchlock guns, which were difficult to cause serious damage to the fences. The Japanese army also discovered this, so they raised their iron cannons at a higher angle and fired upwards, hoping that Shoot projectiles into the city.
However, the Japanese army was far away from the Xingzhou Castle Tower. Although the projectiles were barely ejected into the city, the power was greatly reduced after that, and the Korean army suffered almost no casualties. Kurodabe fired randomly for a long time, but to no avail. Kuroda Nagamasa continued to suffer losses, and Had to retreat in embarrassment.
At this moment, Liu Chenglong received Quan Li's request for help from the Ming army. Regardless of the disagreement between the two sides that had just occurred not long ago, Liu Chenglong immediately asked to see Song Yingchang, the Ming Dynasty imperial war officer.
Liu Chenglong seemed to be less arrogant this time, and said respectfully: "Jingtai, the front line is in danger, please send troops immediately! With the strength of the heavenly soldiers, even if Wang Jing is recaptured, the victory is guaranteed, and the Japanese army is currently attacking Xingzhou in a large scale , General Quan Li, the defender of Xingzhou, is in great need of rescue, or the heavenly troops sending troops to Wang Jing at this moment can also relieve the danger of Xingzhou."
However, it is meaningless just for him to be anxious. Since Li Rusong withdrew his troops and returned to Pyongyang, his relationship with Song Yingchang has been in a delicate state. Both sides know what the other is waiting for now - Gao Pragmatic's instructions for the current situation.
To put it simply, before Mr. Gao Ge's reply arrives, unless there is an urgent situation, neither Song Yingchang nor Li Rusong will probably make any big move.
Therefore, Song Yingchang declined politely: "The losses and impacts caused by the Battle of Bitiguan were much more serious than expected. Now our army needs some time to deal with some problems. In addition, I have already made my words in advance, requesting that the Korean army be under the unified command of the Ming Dynasty. , North Korean ministries are not allowed to go to war without authorization.
I don’t know who started this battle in Heungju, but I know that the North Korean army has always wanted to fight independently, and I have made it clear to the king that if the Korean army wants to fight independently, North Korea must show corresponding strength. Then Isn't this an opportunity for North Korea to demonstrate its independent combat capabilities?"
As the saying goes, people under the roof have to bow their heads. At this time, Liu Chenglong could no longer maintain his toughness not long ago, and could only persuade again: "Jingtai, I can guarantee that the North Korean military and civilians will fight to the end and defend Xingzhou. However, the current situation of the war is It is important to note that Xingzhou is an important choke point between the north and the south. Once it is lost, the Japanese pirates will gradually be in a favorable situation. By then, whether they are marching towards Wangjing or defending Kaesong, Pyongyang will face strategic oppression by the Japanese army. Therefore, please be magnanimous. Never mind the past grudges before lending a helping hand."
After all, Song Yingchang was in charge of war against Japan. If the war situation against Japan turned serious, he would be directly responsible. Therefore, Liu Chenglong thought there was some truth to what he said, so he mused: "What the commander said makes sense, but even if In this way, there is no need for our army to spend a lot of time attacking Wangjing...the time has not yet come to recover Wangjing. The reasons are all understood and there is no need to ask in detail.
As for rescuing Xingzhou, it is a piece of cake. After the battle at Bi Ti Guan, the Japanese pirates were afraid of the strength of our heavenly troops. At the moment, they only needed to send out a partial division to launch a feint attack in the direction of Wang Jing with a bluff. By doing so, they avoided the reality and turned the corner. They encircled Wei and rescued Zhao. If they attacked, they would save them. This strategy can break the siege of Xingzhou. I predict that if the Japanese pirates know that the Ming army is coming to attack in large numbers, they will withdraw from Xingzhou and return to Wangjing. In this way, Xingzhou can be protected."
Song Yingchang's decision was not the strongest support for the Korean army in Liu Chenglong's view, but it was a great favor after all. Liu Chenglong still expressed his sincere gratitude. So Song Yingchang sent an order to Cha Damou and Mao Guoqi, ordering them to lead the three troops.
Qian, carrying artillery and flags, pretended to attack Wang Jing.
This order is quite particular: Mao Guoqi is a general of the Southern Army. Song Yingchang is not worried that he will not accept the transfer order, but Zha Damhou is a direct descendant of the Li family army. When Song Yingchang and Li Rusong are in a Cold War-like situation, it can probably be judged from his reaction
Guess Li Rusong's thoughts.
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