Just like during the Battle of Sekigahara, the entire Shimadzu Army shouted "Satsuma Samurai's strength is clear," and began the final decisive battle - the front attack. The so-called front attack of the Shimadzu Army is exactly that: Light up a batch of spears (the longest in the Warring States Period), cooperate with the iron artillery troops on both sides, and add cavalry troops in front or on both wings. The main force is assembled in the center, and the forward opens in an arrow shape and then rushes forward.
At the same time as the Shimazu Army's forward formation was launched, the three battalions commanded by Mai De, commander of the second regiment on the right wing of the Chinese Army, began to turn the entire array to the left with the flag of the battalion commander on the far left as the center. In fact, Yin Feng simultaneously The left wing troops also began to turn to the right after the order was given. However, the miscellaneous Yiwu soldiers and foreign mercenaries lacked the formation change training of the Chinese army, and their tactical movements were chaotic from the beginning, and they were unable to keep up with the pace of the right wing's actions.
The 100 Shimadzu cavalry at the front of the Front Arrow Formation formed and charged 50 steps in front of the main team. After all, the infantry with spears several meters long in their hands could not run as fast as empty-handed, and they soon separated from the front team's cavalry. distance.
Yin Feng's troops went step by step. First, the grenadiers returned to their own formation, and then 35 cannons fired a round of cannonballs at the enemy cavalry who entered the range. Then the musketeers on the central front stepped forward ten steps and surpassed the artillery position. There was basically no There was chaos in the formation, followed by a volley of 2,000 muskets, and the last 100 cavalrymen of Shimadzu's army were wiped out.
This happened in just half a minute.
The battle formation has been launched, and Shimazu Tadahashi on horseback can no longer gather his troops.
The Chinese army has proven that it is a strong army with its strict formation, good discipline, and skilled tactical movements. Shimazu Tadahashi saw this, but his only choice now was to charge forward.
Originally, the entire Chinese army should have formed an inverted figure-eight formation, allowing the Shimazu Army to be attacked from three sides. However, the Sailor Musketeers, Yiwu soldiers, and foreign mercenaries on the left wing failed to keep up with the rhythm of the entire army. As a result, the Chinese army formed an inverted figure-eight formation. The left side was temporarily missing, but the salvo of 4,000 flintlock muskets dealt a major blow to the Shimadzu army's front line.
The 1,000 Tanegashima iron cannons of the Satsuma Iron Artillery Corps are still old matchlock guns, and the new automatic fire iron cannons are all in the troops of Kutaka Kaguyama in Ryukyu. Moreover, although these thousand matchlock guns are concentrated in the front of the team, the iron gunners They had not received training in concentrated fire shooting. They were originally owned by retainers of each Shimazu family, and there were only 400 people directly under Shimazu Tadahashi. Therefore, the iron artillery team was unable to suppress the Chinese musket fire.
Yin Feng silently listened to the deafening sound of shooting in front, and made a rough estimate: after five rounds of bullets were fired by one's side, the enemy would have a chance to fire one. He ordered: "Lin Yue, take the guards up and strengthen the frontal firepower." ,"
Lin Yue looked at him hesitantly, and then cast a look at Colonel Coutre, the staff officer of the temporary operations department. The old soldier nodded and said: "There are also the fourth battalion of the second regiment and the black guard here, so there should be no problem."
Lin Yue nodded, waved his hand and shouted: "Kill Shi Manzi,"
He led the brothers in the Guards to rush forward. The soldiers in the Guards had already been itching unbearably, and now they all rushed to the battlefield with joy.
The slogan "Kill Shi Manzi," suddenly spread across the battlefield. The Chinese soldiers stood firmly, facing the enemy's bullets and arrows, calmly loading ammunition, tamping the purge, pulling out the purge, and firing... Under the attack of bullets from two directions on the left front, the impact speed of the entire frontal array became slower and slower, and finally came to a standstill after entering the range of the Shimadzu army's iron artillery.
The iron gunners of the Shimazu Army were forced into a stand-alone exchange of fire with the enemy 100 steps away from the Chinese army's position. The most courageous Satsuma spearmen began to surpass the iron gunners and directly attack the Chinese army's central line directly ahead.
The Chinese army's frontline artillery was no longer able to fire, but the heavy artillery from the Li Kuiqi artillery position in the rear could still greet them. At the same time, as the gunners got closer and closer to the Chinese army's position, the explosive bombs of the sky-blasting cannon and the grenade grenades of the grenadiers fired more and more. fall around them.
There were very few Satsuma spearmen who were able to rush through the exploding shrapnel and came to the front of the Chinese army. They posed no threat at all. They broke through several gaps in the central line. After a brief hand-to-hand fight, they were immediately stabbed to death by countless bayonets. The gaps were immediately closed. In addition, no matter how long their spears are, a few sparse spears cannot create an impact.
At this time, the Satsuma iron gunners had never experienced this kind of battle in which they stood at attention and shot each other, and they could no longer form a formation.
"The enemy has lost the momentum to attack. Okay, we have a sure chance of victory. Let's blow the marching horn," Yin Feng looked overjoyed from behind and could hardly help but wanted to rush forward and fire a few shots, but Kuterei Keeping calm: "Your Excellency, Captain, the Japanese still have a large number of troops behind them, so they cannot..."
Yin Feng picked up the telescope and looked at it, then thought for a while and said, "Okay, wait a minute, how did Luo Quanxiu do it, why haven't the troops on the left wing been transferred over?"
Luo Quanxiu was sweating profusely at this moment and desperately urged his men to form a team. Dutchman Andre was also very anxious. Out of the professional ethics of a mercenary, he did not want to watch the battle. He desperately commanded his troops to rush towards the enemy's front line. He hit the waist of the left wing of the Yazhen, and his impulse drove the charge of the Sailor Musketeers. As a result, the left wing of the Chinese Army ignored the formation and launched a charge against the Shimadzu Army. Only Luo Quanxiu's Yiwu Bird Gunslingers could maintain discipline and In the formation, Luo himself jumped in the queue anxiously: "Wait a minute, wait a minute..."
Shimazu Tadahashi saw that his troops were getting fewer and fewer, and he was anxious. The iron gun leader Yingwa Jiutora of the formation rushed over, covering the wound on his left arm: "Lord, please leave quickly, we are about to be surrounded,"
At this moment, the Chinese army's right wing has pressed forward across the entire line, and part of its force has extended to the back of the Shimadzu army's left wing, approaching the Kotsuki River.
Shimazu Tadahashi waved his sword in his hand: "What the hell, we still have a chance to win. The Uishinsai Yoshihiroden has faced more enemies on the Sekigahara battlefield."
"But the Eastern Army does not have so many iron cannons and explosive firearms," the iron cannon leader Yingwa Jiuhu was too anxious to be polite: "Let's leave quickly, it's still too late to leave now,"
"The enemy has launched a sudden attack on our right wing," a guard shouted.
Andrea's mercenaries and sailors were already engaged in a melee with Shimazu's right wing.
At this time, Yin Feng noticed that there was chaos in the south of the Shimazu army's position. He knew that Luo Quanxiu's troops must have started to attack. He felt that the time had come and issued an order to advance. The entire Chinese army line began to advance slowly, shooting as it advanced. , the Satsuma Iron Artillery team in front couldn't stand the straight-and-shooting tactics. It had collapsed and was retreating sparsely.
Kendo master Togo Shigeki returned from the front and said anxiously: "Lord, this is an opportunity. We assault southward and break through the enemy on the right wing. The enemy there seems to lack iron artillery fire support. After breaking through the enemy, we retreat from the coastline to the Kabutushi River. Go, I will lead the team to attack the enemy's main formation to attract the enemy's attention. Yingwa-jun, you lead the iron artillery team to cover the lord's move in,"
Several important ministers came to persuade Shimazu to retreat temporarily, but Shimazu nodded helplessly.
Yin Feng's central line was only 50 steps away from Shimazu's army. Thousands of muskets were firing continuously. The formation was generally still neat. Occasionally it was disrupted by the Satsuma samurai who desperately attacked, but it was always possible to Recovery in a short time.
Suddenly, 500 Satsuma warriors holding high the cross pattern, shouting "Satsuma warriors are strong enough," rushed out of their formation and rushed towards the central line.
The soldiers of the Chinese Army did not expect that the Shimadzu Army could launch a charge. They were caught off guard and failed to switch to the "rapid shooting" mode in time. The five hundred Satsuma warriors rushed forward and rushed through the flames of the bombs of the Sky Cannon. The grenade barrage and the blockage of musket bullets were overcome. Because the distance between the two sides was now too close, 400 of the 500 Satsuma warriors broke into the Chinese Army's central front alive. The Chinese Army's central front, which was caught off guard, suddenly fell into In the melee.
Yin Feng was shocked, but he calmed down immediately. Kutre jumped to his feet and shouted: "Quick, dispatch the reserve team,"
"No," Yin Feng stopped him and said to the commander of the fourth battalion of the second regiment: "Line up on the spot, fix your bayonets, and prepare to fire a volley."
"Brother Magaro, take the black brothers and line up behind the brothers of the fourth battalion, all with bayonets fixed." He turned to Coutre and said: "The central front is in chaos, and if the reserve team goes up, it can only be a melee."
Ahead, the central front has been penetrated.
The cross-striped flag appeared behind the Chinese army's line, but the Chinese army's shape did not collapse. The soldiers who were disrupted by the line fought desperately with their own sentry, team, and even units. Although their martial arts were not as good as those of the warriors, they were not able to fight in hand-to-hand combat. It's not a big disadvantage; because they don't fight alone, they often fight in groups of three or five. Each Satsuma warrior almost has to deal with three or five Chinese warriors at the same time.
Shimazu Tadahashi left his general's flag in the center of the formation, and under the cover of Ewa Kutora, rushed into the melee battlefield on the right wing. Both the Sailor Musketeers and the foreign mercenaries were already caught in the melee and could not care to observe the battlefield. Therefore, Shimazu Tadahashi successfully broke through from the Chinese army's front to the seaside.
However, the Satsuma samurai ignored a serious problem: the Chinese United Company fleet on the sea.
A total of 150 cannons from three giant ships and more than a dozen three-masted gunboats opened fire at the same time. A dense rain of shells fell on Shimazu Tadashi's team. His horse was knocked down in the first round of bombardment. Fortunately, The guards on the left and right caught him; Ewa Kutora, who was rushing at the front, was directly hit by a solid iron bullet and went to see Amaterasu to pieces.
At this time, the Yiwu gunmen, who had always maintained discipline on the coast, led by Luo Quanxiu, shouted "Kill Shi Manzi," and rushed towards Shimazu Tadahashi's remaining 100 or so men.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Satsuma warriors who broke through the central front rushed towards the reserve position where Yin Feng was located. The kendo master Togo Shigeki hacked to death at least twenty Chinese soldiers and was rushing to the front, leading the last 100 warriors. Shouting: "Tōgo Tōhei is here to demand the heads of the leaders of the sea merchants,"
Yin Feng waited until they were only fifty steps away from his own team before giving the order: "Everyone fire quickly."
"Bah bah bah, bah bah,"
Five hundred fusiliers fired bullets as fast as they could, and the black guards threw out countless grenades. The front of the position was immediately drowned by screams and explosions.
Yin Feng turned around and asked the nervous missionary Lu Ruohan: "What was the leading warrior shouting just now?"
"He said he wanted to chop off your head, that's what he meant," Lu Ruohan saw that the enemy had been submerged in smoke and fire, and he breathed a long sigh of relief: "He seems to call himself Togo Togobei, I am in Tokugawa I have heard this name when I was around you, he must be a swordsman master,"
"Master of swordsmanship," Yin Feng sneered: "So what, now is the age of firearms,"
Togo Shigeki, also known as Shigeharu, is the founder of the Kenshu school Kegenryu. He is a branch of the Togo family, a local tycoon in Northern Satsuma. His old surname is Setoguchi. He appears in historical materials as Setoguchi Fujibei. The so-called Satsuma Kegenryu is said to have It is a unique swordsmanship school in both Eastern and Western history. Satsuma's current fighting method is to hold the sword high above his right shoulder when fighting with the enemy, and then swing it violently downward to the left, completely ignoring how the opponent attacks. ; If they attack each other, the display force has overwhelming power and speed; if they are separated, the display force will knock down the opponent's weapon in one go! In fact, in the melee on the central front just now, many soldiers of the Chinese Army had Many of them were defeated because they were unable to withstand Togo's heavy blow, and their bayoneted muskets were bounced to the head by the opponent's attack. However, no matter what, kendo masters could not resist bullets.
By the time Lin Yue and his men rushed back from the front line, the front of the reserve line was littered with corpses. Not a single Satsuma warrior was still standing. Dozens of bullets were found on Dong Xiang's corpse.
At this moment, Medei's troops on the right wing had already launched a bayonet charge, shouting "Kill Shi Manzi," and rushed towards the Shimadzu Army, which was already in complete chaos, and completely defeated the Shimadzu Army's forward formation in one fell swoop. In the final charge, The black guards also joined in, and the plains west of Kagoshima City were filled with shouts of "Kill Ishimanko!"
The Chinese army launched a full-scale attack, and the Shimadzu army completely collapsed.
Under the desperate cover of his guards, Shimazu Tadahashi brought only three people back to the right bank of the Kobutsu River. Among his main formation, members of the "Small Return of the Five Guns" Kawakami Shirobei and Kubo Shichibei followed Togo to regain their positions. Launched the final assault, all of them were killed. The commander, Hisaro Kawakami, was stabbed to death by a bayonet during the charge of Mai De's troops.
Shimazu's army killed a total of 2,000 people, injured, and captured 800 people. Only 300 people successfully escaped from the battlefield and fled back to the right bank of the Kobutsu River. Shimazu Yoshihisa's retainer Saruwatari Motomitsu, and Shimazu Tadahashi's general Ijichi Dahei died in the battle, but his retainers Dogou Ryan, Kanfu Kanaki and others escaped. They ignored Shimazu Tadahashi and returned to their home city with their remaining subordinates.
Kaguyama Kume, Kitago Hisamoto and others were the vanguard of the vanguard formation. They were killed by Li Kuiqi's cannon at the beginning of the charge. However, Shimazu Tadashi and his son, whom Shimazu Tadashi hated, managed to escape. This Shimadzu family really deserves to be remembered. Known as the "famous escapee",