The Shimadzu Army was very unfavorable about the Chinese's field combat capabilities. The biggest headache for the Japanese army on the Korean battlefield was when they faced off against the Ming Dynasty's Liaodong cavalry in the field battle - they were real iron cavalry. Many of the Ming cavalry were Mongolian men and Japanese. The inferior horse and bamboo armor cavalry are not qualified to compare.
Compared with the regular army of the Ming Dynasty, these armies of the Chinese merchants arrayed on the Kagoshima Plain did not have cavalry, and the battle line was very long and thin in depth. So Shimazu Tadahashi thought of using his precious cavalry to attack. They may not be able to break through in one battle. If that doesn't work, they can use cavalry to lure the enemy out of the wooden fence. Then the Shimazu army will use a two-wing assault to penetrate the opponent's array.
Shinna Gento, with a white cloth belt tightly tied around his head, rushed out of the central main formation of the Shimazu Army first. He led 200 horseback samurai directly under Shimazu Tadahashi and 100 samurai from the Shinna family. A total of 300 cavalry rushed straight into the distance. The central array of the Chinese Army 700 steps (about 1000 meters) away.
A series of conch horns of different lengths sounded. The Chinese army's array began to move forward behind the wooden fence. The fusiliers in the first row placed their guns on the fence and aimed forward. The grenadiers moved forward to 20 steps in front of the wooden fence. Outside. Prepare to meet the enemy.
The sound of horse hooves rolled in. Yin Feng, who was watching from the high platform, saw that the Shimazu cavalry vanguard had entered the 500-meter range of the artillery fire. He quickly signaled the messenger to blow the conch horn.
The commander of the Chinese Army Formation, Yang Dacheng, loudly ordered: "Cannon fire." The fuses of the five field guns in front of the Chinese Army Formation were lit.
The artillery battalion commander Li Kuiqi shouted an order: "Fire." Then Li Kuiqi personally lit the fuse of a 24-pound cannon.
"boom."
More cannon shots rang out one after another. They quickly rang out. White and gray smoke rushed out of the muzzle. Then they gathered into a ball more than ten meters in front of the cannon. Before the smoke dispersed, the second bombardment started. It started again. More gunpowder smoke joined the clouds of smoke. It gradually spread in front of the entire artillery position, and then spread to the entire Chinese Army's central military position.
The field artillery fired rapidly at a rate of two rounds per minute. The shells fired by 45 cannons of various calibers shattered the triangular impact formation of 300 Shimadzu Army cavalry troops. As the shells flew horizontally, many war horses were killed. Beat it into meat paste. It rained lightly in the morning on this plain. Now the accumulated water has been dried by the July sun. The solid artillery shells fired by the Chinese can fly very far on the hard ground and interrupt many horses. The legs caused the horse and knight to fall to the ground together.
The Shimadzu Army had never encountered so many artillery bombardments in a plain field battle. Not to mention the Shimadzu Army. During the entire Warring States Period in Japan, so many artillery had never been used in a single battle.
The horses of the Shimazu Army had never encountered such a thunderous bombardment. They were very unaccustomed to the rumbling sound of the artillery. They automatically slowed down the speed of the impact. Some horses screamed and ran around.
A distance of 700 steps. In this era, it was impossible for a Japanese horse to carry a man and sprint at full speed from the beginning. The Japanese horse could not bear to do this. Therefore, when Shinna Gento entered the range of the opponent's artillery, he still moved forward at a slow canter. As a result, before he could launch a sprint, raindrops of shells had already fallen on his front, back, left and right. The young man was a little panicked for a moment. He spun in circles for about half a minute. The desire for revenge immediately overwhelmed everything. He activated his On the war horse, he waved his long sword and immediately entered the sprint. The Xinna family warriors beside him also urged the war horse to launch the final sprint. At this time, they were far away from the artillery and grenadiers on the front line of the Chinese army's formation. There are still 300 steps to go.
They encountered more oncoming artillery shells. Gendo Shinna's left horse was decapitated by a cannonball. Blood splashed everywhere. The headless corpse was still charging on the horse.
Within 150 steps, the Chinese army's front artillery and grenadiers all fell to the ground. The 600 musketeers in the first line opened fire behind the wooden fence. Then the 600 musketeers in the second row opened fire. The musketeers in the third row opened fire. .
In the last 100 steps, the Shimazu family's cavalry who could continue to charge fell to the ground one after another in the hail of bullets. But they still insisted on rushing forward. Even those whose horses were startled by the shelling just now controlled their mounts and continued to charge forward, completely ignoring them. life and death.
Five huge black iron balls fell in front of Shinna Gento. They rolled and smoked on the ground. Behind Shinna Gento, there were only a handful of subordinates who could still charge with him. He was desperate and didn't know the black color. What is that smoking thing for? I bent my body and picked up the reins, ready to ride the horse across.
"Boom." A huge black smoke mixed with flames rose more than ten meters high from the ground. Shinna Gento and his horse disappeared into the black smoke.
Shimazu family's main formation. General Shimazu Tadatsune had been standing since the sound of the cannon. At this moment, he sat back heavily on his horse.
Boom boom boom. A series of explosions knocked dozens of Shimadzu cavalry rushing to the front to the ground.
Suddenly, the Chinese fusiliers stopped shooting.
The thick smoke after the explosion of the sky-blasting cannon dissipated a little. Dozens of Shimadzu cavalry rushed out of the smoke and continued to charge forward.
In the end, more than 60 cavalrymen rushed to a place 30 steps away from the Chinese army's central formation. What greeted them were shotgun shells fired from five field guns---tens of thousands of iron flakes, covering more than 60 Shimadzu soldiers with a fan. House cavalry. At the same time, the grenades of the grenadiers also fell among them.
The last Shimadzu cavalryman who participated in this fatal charge fell in front of a Chinese cannon.
Within a few minutes, the Chinese army fired more than 250 artillery shells of various sizes, five explosive shells, countless bullets and grenades. There were no casualties among them. And none of the 300 Shimadzu cavalry survived.
"This...this...did they use the 'Flying Sky Thunder' just now?" Shimazu Tadahashi was in a daze for a moment. Is everything in front of him real?
The leader of this formation, Yamada Yuei, piled up with Shimazu Tadahashi with an ugly face and said: "The letter sent back by Kaguyama Kutaka-kun Yu Ryukyu also mentioned that the Chinese maritime merchants used this kind of explosive weapon. However, its power and explosion The range far exceeds that of the Koreans' flying thunderbolts.
The "Flying Sky Thunder" was invented by the Korean craftsman Li Changsun during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea. It is said to have been inspired by the "Thunderbolt Artillery" from the Ming Dynasty. It is regarded as the earliest delayed bomb in the world. This bomb can also be made by A kind of mortar device called "Big Bowl Kou" is fired. It is said that the distance can reach 500 steps. It is very powerful. However, according to the gunpowder formula and the amount of charge, when it is actually used, the effect of combustion and deflagration may be greater than the explosion. .
The long sound of the conch trumpet came from the Chinese position more than 1,000 meters away. The distant tone continued. The flags behind the Chinese army position were waving and they shouted in unison. Then the entire Chinese army line of more than 1,000 steps (about 1,500 meters) simultaneously Moved forward.,
Yamada Yuei bowed and said: "Lord, it seems that the enemy is going to attack on all fronts. I will go to the front line to fight. Please take care of yourself."
Most of the Shimazu family samurai were shocked by the heavy rain of artillery shells and the intensive firepower of the Chinese army.
Seeing that the enemy was about to attack, they were ready to go into battle with a fatal determination. The tenacious spirit of the Sama people to fight to the death began to be reflected.
Shimazu Tadahashi got on his horse. He looked up and saw the ruins of Tsurumaru Castle's castle tower, which was still covered in smoke. He suddenly became furious. He put aside the shock and frustration just now and said to the generals around him: "Everyone. Jun. The fate of the Satsuma Kingdom is at stake here. I will fight with you to the end."
Kawakami Hisao, Yingwa Kutora and others beside him were all in their forties and fifties and had experienced many years of fighting. They had rich combat experience. However, they were helpless against the Chinese army in front of them who fought with the power of firearms. Kawakami Hisao asked: "My lord. Should we hold our position or launch another assault? We only have 100 cavalry left."
Suddenly there was a boom. A flag soldier at the rear of the formation screamed and fell to the ground; a shell came out of nowhere and broke his legs.
Li Kuiqi commanded his men to raise the muzzles of ten 30-pound guns and carry out long-range bombardment. At the artillery school where the Dutch taught, he learned the basic principles of ballistics and knew that the muzzles fired upwards at a forty-five-degree angle. farthest.
There was a burst of volley fire. Ten solid iron bullets weighing more than 30 kilograms. Five of them reached the Shimadzu army's main position 1,200 meters away. They injured a flag bearer and killed Shimazu Tadahashi. A guard.
The master of swordsmanship Dongxiang took his position and drew his long sword: "Lord, let's attack with the whole army. The enemy's big iron cannon is too powerful. If we keep fighting like this, won't we just be beaten and not be able to fight back?"
At this time, Yamada Masaru, who was the first to discover the Chinese company's fleet, suddenly appeared.
He hurried on without sleep for three consecutive days and nights. At this moment, he was extremely exhausted. When he felt the head of Nishida Bridge, he had fainted. Fortunately, Shimazu Tadahashi's bodyguard recognized him and brought him over.
Shimazu Tadahashi and others were riding on their horses with pale faces.
The news brought by Yamada Masa made them feel that there was a crisis; there was also a Chinese army in the south heading north. It may now be only a dozen miles away from the mouth of the Kobutsu River. Shimazu Tadatsu of Isuzu Castle in the southern part of the Satsuma Peninsula. Shimazu Tadashi of Kawauchi There is no hope for the long-awaited troops.
"Gentlemen, prepare for a sharp attack. The general should regard death as normal. I will live and die with you."
Shimazu Tadahashi had no choice; Shinna Gento's cavalry assault was originally intended to test the opponent's strength and attack the enemy's main formation. If there was no result, he would lure the opponent into fighting. Then he would use the iron artillery teams on the left and right flanks of Shimadzu's army to shoot forward. The Chinese army used fishing and wild cutting tactics to defeat the enemy. However, the firepower of the Chinese army was too strong. When the Satsuma Army Assault Cavalry failed to make any tactical changes, the entire force was wiped out.
Now, in the south, behind the Shimadzu Army, there is a Chinese army heading north. The Shimadzu Army has no room for maneuver. In addition to defeating the enemy in a battle on the Kagoshima Plain, the only option is to hide in the Tsurumaru Castle Cage Castle. They were guarding one road. Without the castle tower, Tsurumaru Castle had no chance in front of the enemy's numerous large iron cannons.
In addition to the front attack, Shimazu Tadahashi really has no choice. Of course, the concept of "surrender" is not within the scope of consideration.
The Chinese army advanced slowly. In the process of advancing, it formed a three-row array of sentries. Each sentry array was a few steps apart. Each team had a flag to indicate the position of its own team. There were four to five sentries. The formation was formed into a battalion-level array. Flags were used to indicate the location of the camp. The long marching array moved forward slowly. Every twenty steps forward, it would stop to form a team. Each soldier aligned his position with his comrades on the left, right, and front. Continue to advance under the command of the officer. Every once in a while, the conch trumpet will blow a rapid rhythm in the formation. The entire Chinese army array that is advancing like a wall will stop. The whole team will be organized. Then they will gather together amidst the sound of the conch trumpet. Forward.
There were 500 grenadiers in front of the column as guerrillas. They moved sparsely and chaotically to cover the advance of the artillery team.
The artillery team in front of the array was joined by ten light field guns from the artillery battalion. There were already fifteen artillery carriages pushing forward.
The Chinese army advanced very slowly, which gave the Shimadzu army time to form their formation.
The generals of the Shimazu family, as well as the Hatamoto samurai, the mother-in-law warriors, the first-class lower-level samurai of the Ashigaru-gumi, the iron artillery team, archers, spearmen and other soldiers struggled to arrange their troops under the harassment of Chinese long-range heavy artillery.
Near noon, the Chinese army's long array finally reached a place 400 steps away from the Shimadzu family's main formation. The entire Chinese army array suddenly stopped. The artillery began to fire at the Shimadzu army's position within the range. At a distance of 500-600 meters Outside, the Shimadzu army did not have any weapons that could hit the enemy. However, the Chinese could fire artillery bombardments at their leisure.
The fifteen light field cannons use fixed powder packages. They can fire more than five times faster than the cannons of the Ming Dynasty government forces on the Korean battlefield. They can fire three times on average within two minutes. The continuous shells will be fired with great difficulty. The good Shimadzu Army's military formation had holes one after another, causing the sharp arrow array to fall into pieces. The veterans of the Shimazu Army were constantly cursing the enemy's despicableness while doing their best to mobilize their troops to make up for the gaps in the position. gap.
Kendo master Togo Shigeki squeezed through the closely arranged Shimazu Tadahashi bodyguards. He was sweating profusely and said: "My lord, we can't wait any longer. We have no power to fight back now. We were beaten in vain in front of the enemy's big iron cannon." Die. This is meaningless. Launch a pig attack. I am willing to be the vanguard."
Yin Feng led 500 musketeers and his own bodyguard as a reserve team, walking slowly 200 steps behind the front formation.
He was accompanied by missionary Lu Ruohan, veteran Chen Di, guard captain Lin Yue, deputy captain Black Magaro and others. Luo Quanxiu, the sentry commander of the Yiwu Bird Gun Guards, has returned to his unit to command operations.
Lu Ruohan, who was tall and sharp-sighted, suddenly shouted: "The enemy has begun to charge."
A uniform roar was heard from the Shimazu army's position. The densely packed Shimazu Iemaru cross flags moved at the same time.