1635 Han style rises again

On October 1674, 10, Omi (Shiga Prefecture), the southwest coast of Dankai (now Lake Biwa, Japan).

Jing Yi Naoxing is dressed in black armor, and the helmet is tightly tied to his head with a thin rope. Although the horse under his crotch is not very strong, it can be called a "tall horse" in front of samurai and ashigaru who are generally short in height.In front of and behind him is a long line of samurai, ashigaru, and a large number of servants.

Ii Naoxing is the successor of the Hikone clan of the Omi Kingdom. Half a month ago, he received a military call-up order from the shogunate, requesting the mobilization of the samurai and ashigaru belonging to the clan.Because his father was old and sick, he was unable to lead the troops in person. As the next heir to the feudal lord, out of the honor and duty of a samurai, Ii Naoxing gladly took on the important task of this "conference of soldiers".

In the past month, the country of Qi from the southern barbarians brazenly launched an invasion of Japan because of the death of its own sailors by the shogunate.They first shelled Edo, causing hundreds of casualties to the shogunate army, and destroyed a facility at the Edo Wharf.Then, they landed in Osaka City, and within a short period of time, they captured the most developed commercial center in Japan.

What's more terrible is that shortly after the people of Qi State captured Daban City, they assembled more than ten thousand troops, marched along the Yodogawa River by water and land, rushed to Kyoto City where the emperor lived, and quickly captured it.

So far, Osaka and Kyoto, which are known as the three capitals of Japan, fell to the hands of the enemy for the first time.

Isn't the state of Qi a small state of Quer located in the Nanman region?Moreover, it is still a country established by a group of exiled people from the Ming Dynasty, with a population of only a few million and an army of no more than [-]. It relies on various ingenious goods to trade with Japan in Nagasaki.

How could they have such combat power, even conquering important towns such as Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, forcing the shogunate to issue a third military call-up order to gather troops from various feudal vassals and go to the Gyeonggi area to recover lost land and expel the Qi people.

Hikone Fan is a daimyo of 20 shi. According to the size of the domain it belongs to, it needs to provide 860 soldiers in the war against Qi.But in fact, after some mobilization, the Hikone Domain finally sent only [-].

Among the more than 800 soldiers, there were 8 pursuers (commanders in the army), 6 sentry officers, 5 inspectors, 15 cavalry warriors, 61 infantry warriors, 60 armed entourages of warriors, 140 foot light soldiers, and monks. There are 565 people, doctors, clerks, and handymen.

That number includes 295 combatants and nearly twice that number of non-combatants in support roles.

Although the Hikone Fan only mobilized less than 1000 troops, it consumed all the financial resources of the entire fan. It takes ten years to recover.

In the entire Kansai and Gyeonggi regions, there are as many as 20 small feudal clans like the Hikone clan with more than a dozen and 60 shi, but it is estimated that less than [-]% of the feudal states that really did their best to send troops to help the shogunate.

And Ii Naotaka, the second-generation feudal lord of the Ii family, was the first shogunate in Japanese history. Terumiya Festival has also been monopolized by the Ii family since Naotaka.

By the way, the origin of the "lucky cat" in Japan was also born from the allusion of Naotaka Ii, which was later widely spread to other countries.

Therefore, as a genealogical daimyo under the shogunate system, although the Ii family was small and weak, they still exhausted their financial resources and sent more than [-] troops to join forces in Otsu City to attack Qi.

"My lord, there are several unidentified cavalry ahead." A cavalry sentry rushed to report the situation of the enemy ahead, "Looking at the dress of the other party, I am afraid it is a ranger sent by Qi."

"Huh?" Jing Yi Zhixing reined in the horse's reins, with an eager expression on his face, "Have you ever fought?"

"Never engaged in battle." The sentry said: "After the other party found us, they stopped advancing."

"Young lord, since there are cavalry from the Qi army in front of you, the large group of troops must be hidden nearby. So, please order the whole army to retreat immediately and return to Jinjiang, waiting for more troops from the vassal state to gather." Yu Caution immediately persuaded Jing Yi Zhixing to retreat and take refuge for a while.

"The Nanman Qi State has stolen Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto, and is wreaking havoc on the entire Gyeonggi region. Don't they still have the strength to send a large group of troops to the near river to intercept and kill the armies of the various vassal states?" Jing Yi Naoxing was a little unbelievable, "The rangers of the Qi State in front of us are afraid. They are scattered soldiers who have been plundered here. We can immediately send troops to respond, capture and kill Qi people, so as to build warrior merits!"

"My lord, the soldiers are fierce and the battle is dangerous, so you need to be careful!" the name Feng Xing continued to advise.

"The soldiers are fierce and the battle is dangerous? Back then, my grandfather, as a vanguard, successively defeated several powerful enemies in the battle of Osaka in winter and in the battle of summer, among more than [-] troops, and won the red cow of 'Jingyi' "The name' has since established the name of my Jingyi's martial arts. "Ii Naoxing pulled out his samurai sword, and his eyes showed incomparable enthusiasm, "Now, the time to continue to carry forward my Ii's reputation is coming.For the glory of the warriors and to maintain our dignity, gentlemen, please charge with me! "

Saying that, Jing Yi Naoxing brandished a long knife and charged forward on his horse.The fifteen cavalry warriors who accompanied them also shouted loudly, and followed behind their lord, walking in a surge.The infantry warriors, samurai attendants, and ashigaru, under the guidance of several Fengxing, also held spears and brandished long knives, and killed in the direction of the enemy.
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November 11st, Kyoto, Nijo Castle.

Built in 1603 A.D., the shogun's palace is the symbol of Tokugawa's power in Kyoto.Around the entire mansion, there is a tall fence with a length of 500 meters from east to west and a width of about 400 meters from north to south, and a trench with a depth of two to four meters was dug.There are many luxurious rooms inside, and the paintings of many famous Japanese masters are hung in the rooms, which are plated with gold leaf.

However, during the looting that lasted for more than a month, all the rooms in Erjo City were looted by the coalition forces, whether it was calligraphy and paintings, or exquisite Tang colored porcelain, and even many Buddha statues inlaid with gold and silver, and foil. Packing, through a galley, all the way to Osaka Castle.

Of course, the entire city of Kyoto was not limited to the shogunate—the Nijo Castle was systematically looted, and even the emperor's palace, the mansion of the ministers, the mansion of the courtiers, and countless mansions of the gentry were also patronized by teams of rough coalition soldiers.

From Kyoto to Yodo Castle, and then to Osaka, on the Takase River Canal and the Yodo River, countless Qi State ships and Japanese merchant ships confiscated on the spot continued, transporting all the wealth accumulated in the Kyoto area for hundreds of years to Osaka, and then flowed into Qi mainland, Yunzhou, Luzon, Annan, Borneo and other places.

The cities and feudal cities occupied by the coalition forces such as Nara, Osaka, and Hyogotsu (now Kobe) all suffered the same fate as Kyoto.

In the Ninomaru Palace full of Tang style and ancient charm, Su Zhongfu, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army and General Guangwei (Major General) of the army, is hosting a military deployment meeting. Commentary by Ren Maoyong, Chief of Staff and Lieutenant Zhaoxin (Colonel).

"...There are more than 200 vassal states in Japan, large and small. Except for Kaga, Satsuma, Sendai, Kumamoto and other large vassal states that exceed 50 koku, the rest of the vassal states are all small and medium-sized vassal states ranging from tens of thousands to 40 koku. In name, each vassal had to obey the general, follow the shogunate’s military conscripts, and crusade against dissidents. According to the size of the territory of each vassal state, the Tokugawa shogunate could gather about 40 to 50 troops from the vassal state on the surface.”

Speaking, Ren Maoyong looked at the leading generals of the vassal states sitting on both sides, and saw that they were not intimidated by the huge scale of troops, and their faces still had a relaxed expression.

It is no wonder that for more than a month, the coalition forces have successively conquered several important towns in Japan, and also occupied Kyoto, the capital of Japan, defeating the shogunate army and tens of thousands of reinforcements from various domains, while their own casualties were only hundreds of people, and the losses were almost negligible. .However, in this more than a month, all the ministries of the coalition army have gained a lot, and naturally they fought this battle with more confidence and calmness.

In addition, the coalition forces control the absolute command of the sea along the coast of Japan. Even if Japan really has an army of 50 million and pushes over with the momentum of Mount Tai, the big deal is that we pat our buttocks and leave here by boat.Is it possible that the Japanese shogunate can still catch up to the sea?

"However, the Tokugawa shogunate roughly divided the more than 200 vassal states into three categories according to their closeness and estrangement. Controls nearly 20% of the land and taxes in Japan, and nearly [-]% of the population and military resources. That is to say, if the Tokugawa family wants to fight against our country, they can mobilize up to [-] troops."

"Of course, with the current financial and material resources of the Tokugawa Clan, it is impossible to accumulate so many troops. According to preliminary estimates, the limit of troops that can directly fight us will be between 12 and [-]. After all, They dare not spend all their capital, otherwise, foreign daimyos such as Satsuma, Changzhou, Kaga, and Sendai will definitely have different ideas based on their powerful strength."

"In the past ten days, armies from Omi, Echizen, Ise, Meinong, Sanhe and other places began to gather in the Gyeonggi area one after another. In the battle, more than a thousand soldiers were defeated and scattered, which greatly deterred the daimyo army who came to aid, forcing the opponent to slow down their advance speed, gather together, and advance slowly."

"It is expected that the shogunate army will arrive at Otsu City in the next ten days, and arrive at Kyoto within half a month. Considering the weak strength of our coalition forces, we must also guard against possible arrivals from China (referring to the western part of Honshu Island) and Shikoku from the west. As well as the help of the various vassals in the Kyushu area, I am afraid that they will not be able to catch them. Therefore, our coalition forces will withdraw from the capital city and return to Osaka. Then, wait for the shogunate army to arrive, and fight a strategic decisive battle with it under the Osaka castle, severely defeating the main force of the shogunate .”

"However, before withdrawing from the Gyeonggi area, the ministries will carry out operations to fortify the occupied towns and cities, as well as Kyoto City, so as not to allow the shogunate army to obtain any supplies, so as to increase and extend the supply line of the shogunate army."

The eyes of the leading generals of the vassal states sitting on both sides lit up when they heard the words.To fortify the wall and clear the wilderness, isn't this just an act of looting in the occupied area openly and aboveboard.Previously, the targets of looting were mainly ministers, courtiers, samurai, and many wealthy businessmen. Those urban residents and rural farmers who were suffering were basically not doing much.

But now that the commander of the coalition forces has demanded to fortify the walls and clear the fields, it means that officers and soldiers of various ministries can carry out indiscriminate looting.That's why you're being polite. Although the people at the bottom are poor, they can't stand the large number of people. They can always plunder some melons and dates, which is more or less a kind of welfare for the soldiers under their command.
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November 11rd, Jiahe.

Kensuke Takei sat paralyzed in the camp, his samurai sword was within reach, and his helmet was taken off.Although it was late autumn and the temperature was getting colder, the long-distance march and the heavy burden still made him sweat through his heavy clothes, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat.

Gently rubbed my sore legs to relieve the fatigue after marching.He opened the long thin bag on his back, took out a brown rice ball that he had made when he set off, and swallowed it in a few mouthfuls.Afterwards, he opened the water bag, took a few big sips of water, and sent the dry and hard rice ball deeper into the esophagus.

Due to the mountainous nature of the Japanese archipelago, wagons, carts, and other wheeled vehicles are practically uncommon outside of urban villages.The task of transporting the army's luggage and combat equipment generally fell on a large number of pack horses and warriors.

A samurai who goes to war must carry many things besides the weapons he is equipped with.Usually, they have to carry their own food, clothes, armor, tools and a small amount of medicine, as well as other supplies shared by the entire army as human "tools".

Kensuke Takei used a long thin bag to carry the emergency rations he ate on the battlefield.Put a meal-sized rice ball in your pocket and tie it in a knot.Then install a certain amount, and then tie a knot.The whole bag of emergency rations is about 15 rice balls.After the end is tied tightly, the bag is carried on the shoulder.

More than a month ago, Takei Kensuke witnessed the shelling incident of Qi State ships at the Edo Wharf. He watched helplessly that many warriors with excellent martial arts skills were pierced by solid shells and blown to pieces by flowering shells. , At that moment, he felt cowardice and fear that he had never felt before.

Flesh and blood can't compete with artillery at all. Every warrior is so fragile and vulnerable in front of firearms.

After the war, Takei Kensuke maintained the pride and dignity of a samurai despite his superficial self-confidence.But deep down, he was full of frustration and anxiety.

This time, more than 30 troops set off from Edo to Gyeonggi to attack the incoming Qi army there.The shogunate brought all the accumulated iron guns and large barrels, although most of those firearms were accumulated more than 8000 years ago, many of which were rusted and covered with dust.However, the shogunate still used these old firearms to form an iron artillery team of [-] people to fight against the firearms of the Qi army.

In the military call-up order, the general also specifically asked all the vassal states to send as many footgaru troops equipped with iron guns as possible, preparing to annihilate the landing Qi army in the Gyeonggi area with absolute numerical superiority and overwhelming momentum.

However, a strong and uneasy intuition told Takei Kensuke that all the situations would not develop as the general envisioned.These Qi people may be the most powerful and vicious enemy that Japan has faced for hundreds of years.

A few days ago, he had inadvertently overheard several bannermen discussing in low voices that the armies of the three vassal states from the regions of Omi and Meinong were attacked by cavalry infantry from the state of Qi on the southwestern coast of Danhai, and lost more than [-] soldiers. So much so that those vassal states with weak troops were terrified, and chose to hesitate, waiting for more vassal states to gather soldiers and horses, and then slowly advance.

Moreover, there was news from the front that the Qi State was looting wantonly in the mountain city of Kinei and around Kyoto, and the land it occupied was turned into a piece of white land, causing hundreds of thousands of civilians to be displaced. The supply of tens of thousands of troops in the Shogunate was difficult.

Takei Kensuke Qi Jun's behavior, in addition to having teeth-gnashing hatred, is more about feeling uneasy and a kind of inexplicable throbbing.

Perhaps, in front of the army, there is a ferocious beast that is opening its mouth wide, waiting for their arrival.