1635 Han style rises again

September 1674, 9, Edo.

The Japanese samurai and the traditional weapons they used are very famous, which can be said to be the only case among the soldiers of all countries and nationalities in the history of the world.The Gurkhas were famous for their kukri and the Vikings for their glaives, but there was never a military group and their weapons as famous as the samurai and the katana.

Forged by highly skilled blacksmiths using specific metallurgical techniques, the katana was a deadly weapon and the samurai's most valuable possession, the "soul of the samurai," in the words of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

But in fact, the Japanese samurai sword has not received much attention in history.All samurai were equipped with katana swords and were able to wield them proficiently, but when it came to war, no one used the katana as a single weapon.Instead, the use of the katana in combat is a phased affair, starting with the bow and arrow, then switching to the katana, then the dagger, and finally, usually unarmed combat.

During the formative years of the Japanese samurai tradition, the most important weapon was the bow and arrow.In the earliest war chronicles and epics describing the life of the samurai, the katana sword is never mentioned.Instead, it is often referred to as "bow horse riding and shooting".

As time passed and the size of the army grew, the ashigaru had to be armed with the best weapons the daimyo could afford.A large amount of equipment inevitably reduces the quality of weapons. If you can buy a thousand spears for the price of a high-end samurai sword, then you should equip the ashigaru with spears.

In the Warring States period, warriors who participated in the war as cavalry archers were limited to those sharpshooters who were skilled in riding and arching on horseback.Because the matchlock gun, a shooting weapon that can be used to replace bows and arrows, was introduced to Japan in the middle of the 16th century.However, the scope of use is still very limited.

After the Battle of Nagashino (1575), the heavy use of arquebuses in warfare became common in Japan, but artillery, or any other form of heavy artillery, was rarely used.Despite their decisive contribution to warfare, firearms were seen in Japan as something of a mixed bag.Gein, the samurai's honor, self-confidence and personal exploits are all threatened by these new weapons.In the eyes of noble warriors, this diabolical weapon was usually wielded by the lowest classes of society.

Takei Kensuke held the samurai sword handle under his waist in his right hand, and looked contemptuously at the hundreds of ashigaru teams holding matchlock guns on the side of the pier. Under the sunlight, they began to show signs of being scattered.Many soldiers put their heavy matchlock guns on the ground, whispered to each other, and looked out to sea from time to time, without discipline at all.

On the other hand, Kensuke Takei's samurai lineup, although the long wait made people feel a little tired and mentally exhausted, but the morale of each samurai was still very high, and there was a trace of perseverance and belief in victory in their eyes.For decades, Japan has not experienced war, which makes countless samurai eager to make contributions very regrettable.Everyone can only look for and imagine the loyalty and illustrious military exploits of the senior warriors in the pages of literati and scholars.

A novice samurai's first entry into battle signifies an important stage in his life for which his whole life and previous training have been prepared.Whether it is a warrior or a coward should not only be based on theory, but must also be tested in practice.

Kensuke Takei had heard many stories about how his ancestors performed bravely in the war. At this moment, he also looked forward to the early arrival of the war.Burning within, many a samurai kept their eyes fixed on the place where the largest banner of their army flew, the banner of the Tokugawa family in mighty armor and holding aloft the katana sword, to whom they had sworn allegiance main house.

The warriors are eager to release the pressure and fierce fighting spirit in their hearts. At that time, will they behead an enemy, or is today the day of death?When Takei Kensuke entered the battlefield, the main idea that occupied his spiritual world was the desire to realize the former situation.This is the basis of strength on which he built his exploits as a samurai, which has been verified by countless legends and anecdotes of his predecessors.

Everyone knows that in the depths of the sea, countless gunboats from Qi State have gathered. That country located in the Nanban area brazenly wants to launch a war against Japan.In the early morning, they sent envoys to land, handed over the letter of war to the general, and announced that they would launch a formal attack from noon.

In fact, as early as a few months ago, Qi's gunboats were swimming outside the harbor, and no ships were allowed to enter or leave Edo Port.It is said that dozens of fishing boats that ventured to fish by the sea were all detained by the gunboats of the Qi State, and all the fishermen were also taken away, and their lives and deaths are unknown.But they were very cowardly, and they dared not go ashore for fear of being attacked by warriors.

And now, they have issued a letter of war, presumably they have raised enough soldiers to prepare to attack Edo Castle.Whether they will come 5 people or 10 people, Takei Kensuke doesn't want to care.In the entire Edo city, tens of thousands of loyal and brave warriors have gathered, and reinforcements from all over the country are also constantly gathering in Edo. Every warrior who arrives can fight ten against one.

Moreover, under the threat of being fully attacked by us, the people of Qi State sailed to the shore from the sea, and then climbed ashore clumsily like ducks.Takei Kensuke believed that all their warriors would kill the Qi people who landed on the shore one by one, like chickens and ducks, killing them with their necks open.

"...Here we come!" Someone suddenly shouted before the formation.

Kensuke Takei immediately raised his head and looked towards the sea, only to see countless sail shadows gradually approaching under the sun, covering the sky and covering the sun, with a huge coercion.

"Prepare!"

"Challenge!"

"..."

Many Banner warriors shouted loudly, and began to arrange and restore their respective arrays. The only dozen or so bronze artillery pieces in the Edo Fort were immediately ready for firing.Three thousand archers took off the longbows on their backs, and then took out several feathered arrows from the quiver, and stuck them on the ground one by one.

Takei Kensuke swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and held the samurai sword tightly in his right hand so that he could pull it out at any time when the battle broke out, and then, under Banamoto's order, he slashed at the enemy.

"Boom! Boom!" The fort fired two shells, instantly stirring up two huge waves on the sea.

"Onboard!"

"Onboard!"

"..."

Although the shells missed the approaching Qi gunboat, the Japanese warriors watching the battle still cheered and celebrated excitedly.The artillery equipped with the Edo Wharf Fort was imported from the Dutch decades ago, and the gunners often maintain and maintain them.Unexpectedly, after so many years, the first cannon fire still has such great power.The sound shook the whole field, showing a power to destroy the world!

Qi's gunboat did not fire back, but continued to approach the shore firmly.

"Boom! Boom!..." More artillery fired on the shore, stirring up countless waves on the sea, but unfortunately, none of the targets were hit.

The batch of artillery imported from the Dutch back then may be regarded as a powerful "magic weapon" in the eyes of the shogunate, but in fact, the largest specification of these artillery is no more than 8-pound guns, most of which are 3-pound and 4-pound guns. A pound of small cannon, facing the Qi warship that is still far away, naturally it is not a threat.

In the eyes of Takei Kensuke and other samurai, bombarding the enemy gunboat with artillery on the shore is a very cowardly act, which means that all our samurai on the shore are afraid of the enemy approaching the shore and afraid of them landing on the shore.

As an upright warrior, you should face the enemy's attack directly, put all the Qi gunboats close to the shore, let their troops land on the shore, and then we will have a fair contest between the two sides.The sharp samurai sword, superb swordsmanship, and fearless courage will surely make all enemies prostrate at the feet of all our samurai.

"Boom!" Suddenly there was a loud noise, and a cannon filled with excessive gunpowder exploded. casualties.

The other gunners on the turret were obviously affected by this. They dared not increase the amount of gunpowder, and their movements were a bit slower, and the frequency of firing was also longer.

"Onboard!"

As the gunboat of Qi State approached, a few shells finally hit the ship, causing the gunners and ashigaru warriors on the shore to cheer.

"Boom! Boom!"

The Qi Guo gunboat finally counterattacked. Two shells hit one after another. One shell lacked potential energy and fell on the sea surface, causing a wave of waves. The other shell flew over the pier and flew to an open space behind, bouncing a few times , and then quickly rolled up, and the general will pass the edge of a team of ashigaru, causing a burst of exclamation.

Takei Kensuke turned his head to look at the somewhat chaotic ashigaru formation over there, and looked around at the more than [-] troops piled up on the pier, suddenly a bad thought came to his mind.

After only a few breaths of time, I suddenly heard a series of earth-shattering roars from the sea, and huge projectiles smashed over like meteorites, and dozens of shells fell straight into the queues waiting in full force. Then, driven by strong kinetic energy, bloody roads were waded out. Wherever they passed, stumped limbs and arms, blood mist splashed, cries, roars, screams and groans of dying... one after another, wailing everywhere.

Takei Kensuke's eyes widened, he looked at the Ashgaru running around with his head in his arms, and the flustered samurai, his heart was beating fast, his right hand was tightly holding the samurai sword under his waist, biting his lips tightly, his expression was a little dizzy bitter.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..." Another round of neat salvos, this time, as many as a hundred shells smashed over, except for a few shells that landed in the sea, most of the shells fell on the scattered crowd In the midst of the battle, the battle formation, which already appeared to be out of order, became even more chaotic.

Even the ranks of samurai who boasted of being brave began to commotion. The brave ones pulled out their samurai swords and ran towards the beach shouting. Turned around and ran back.More samurai, like Takei Kensuke, were at a loss, either pressing the handles of their swords and looking at each other, or pulling out their samurai swords, looking in amazement at the ashigaru team running around in a panic.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Another round of shelling struck, and while killing countless lives, it also shattered the belief of many samurai in their firm resistance. Kensuke Takei watched helplessly as a shell pierced through the waist of a samurai in front of him, and then brought a group of Bloodstained, knocked down another samurai, and then continued to bounce and fly backwards, causing him to lie prone on the ground in shock.

When Kensuke Takei crawled up in shock, a bloody thigh stood out in front of him. He suddenly drew out the samurai sword at his waist and slashed at the void, trying hard to drive out the fear in his heart.

As the leader of the team, Banner Samurai had already dropped the banner that showed his prominent status, turned his horse's head, ignored his companions' obstruction, and fled in panic.

"Kill!" Takei Kensuke glared at the samurai and ashigaru who kept running away from him.

As a samurai, the vocation is to fight. No matter what dangers and difficulties you face, even if you have fear in your heart, you must calmly accept war and death. This is what every samurai should have thought and faced long ago.And such cowardly leaving the back to the enemy and fleeing in disgrace is the greatest stain on the honor of a samurai.

Therefore, Takei Kensuke ran against the flow of fleeing people, holding a samurai sword, shouting loudly, and rushed towards the seaside with all his strength.He wants to show his loyalty and bravery as a samurai, dedicate his precious life to the head of the Tokugawa family who swore allegiance for life, go to the seaside, and destroy any enemy who dares to invade.

The shells flying from the sea seemed to be endless, overwhelming the sky and covering the ground, and turned upside down the tens of thousands of shogunate troops gathered on the pier, and they were no longer in any formation.Ashigaru dropped the spear in his hand, and fled towards Edo Castle in a swarm. The archers also dragged their longbows, and fled back with Ashigaru in embarrassment.

The samurai were divided into two groups, one wave bravely went upstream like Takei Kensuke, each with a bit of fanaticism and determination on his face, brandishing a samurai sword, screaming and killing towards the sea; Bo, like those fleeing Ashgaru, showed a terrified look, and was swept away by the defeated soldiers in panic.

More than a thousand brave warriors rushed to the shore, brandishing samurai swords, pointing at the gunboats of Qi State in the distance, shouting and cursing loudly, trying to invite the incoming enemies to fight, and everyone came to the shore for a fair battle Showdown to prove who is the real samurai.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

A burst of violent artillery fire came, several shells smashed into the crowd, pulling out long blood paths one after another, and some shells fell into the sea water on the shore, stirring up huge waves, instantly shaking the shore. The samurai were poured into drowned chickens one by one.

Perhaps it was the cold sea water that cooled down the feverish mind, or maybe it was the momentary madness awakened by the tragic scene of the broken leg and disembowell of the companion, or even the sudden realization that the thin samurai sword in his hand could not defeat the ferocity of the opponent artillery.

Many warriors shouted, turned their heads and ran back, leaving this hellish area quickly.

"These Japanese people don't know what to think in their minds. Under the firepower of our naval guns, they even deployed so many troops on the dock." Ryukyu Fleet Commander and General Zhen Guo (Lieutenant General) Wan Changshu put down the binoculars , turned to the signal soldier and ordered: "Order the Yunzhou Squadron to approach the pier and knock down those annoying artillery on the shore. Replace the other ships with flower bombs and clean the pier thoroughly!"