prosperous age

"Your Excellency, a large Ming army has been discovered in Baichuan Township, a hundred miles to the northwest, and is attacking our Datian City."

Motosuke, the garrison commander of Ōta-sō, was the most loyal retainer of the Mōri clan. However, he was now quite old, so the clan head, Mōri Terumoto, did not send him to the front lines of Bitchu to resist the Oda clan's army. Instead, he was stationed at Ōta-sō as a second line of defense and was also responsible for transporting provisions to the front-line army.

The eighty-year-old Minister of State, Gensho, joined the Mori Army in his twenties and fought in countless battles.

When Amago Arashihisa led a large army to attack the Mori clan's territory and besieged Yoshida-Koriyama Castle, in what is known as the "Battle of Yoshida-Koriyama Castle," Motosō fought bravely at the Aoyama Tsuchitsu-ba, and single-handedly killed 34 Amago clan generals, making a great contribution to defeating the Amago forces.

"how many people?"

The Grand Chancellor was startled and immediately pressed for an answer.

"About three or four thousand people, and they were accompanied by a massive collapse."

The scout hurriedly replied.

After the loss of Tsuda, the governor of the province, Gensho, had a premonition that the Ming army might also come to Ota Village. However, he did not expect it to happen so quickly. In the afternoon, Katsura Gensuke led more than 4,000 defeated soldiers to escape into Ota Village, and his scouts discovered the Ming army's belongings.

"How fast are they advancing? How long will it take them to reach the city?"

The Grand Chancellor continued to press for answers.

"The Ming army is not slow; they should be able to arrive in about three or four days."

The scout thought for a moment before answering.

This can only be speculated. Their group followed the Ming army for half a day and made a rough judgment on the Ming army's speed of advance.

It should be said that it was very fast, especially those large collapses, which were placed on horse-drawn carriages and moved extremely quickly.

And because of this, they were unable to determine exactly how many cannons the Ming army had brought.

So, when the Minister of State pressed him for the number of cannons, he hesitated for a long time before finally telling the truth: he couldn't tell because the Ming army's cannons were laid flat on more than ten horse-drawn carts and covered with canvas.

It was only when they discovered that two of the cannons were quite long and not fully covered by the canvas that they realized they were the Great Collapse.

"Was the collapse of the Ming army's fortress larger than the one at Daejeon Castle?"

Ota Castle was the Mori clan's most important supply depot on the eastern front. To guard against a surprise attack by the Oda clan's army, a large number of troops were always stationed there. In addition, Mori Terumoto specially allocated two large siege engines to be placed on the castle walls as a show of force.

At the same time, in order to prevent the Oda clan from sending spies, the inspection of people entering and leaving the castle was extremely strict.

This is also why the Embroidered Uniform Guard dared not station spies in such an important city; it was simply too difficult for them to stay for long, and they would be easily discovered by the Japanese.

Soon after learning that the Ming army's cannons were larger, the Grand Chancellor fell silent.

In this era, larger cannons meant greater power, so they were clearly at a disadvantage in a battle between the two sides.

Just as the Grand Chancellor was frowning and pondering how to defend against the Ming army's attack, his subordinate came in and bowed, saying, "Grand Chancellor, Lord Kozao has entered the city."

"Kobayakawa Takakage?"

Guo Siyuan frowned slightly. Why was he not in Beizhong commanding the army at this time? What was he doing at his large estate?
How many men did he bring?

The Grand Chancellor then asked.

There were only a dozen or so guards.

Report from my subordinates.

Just a moment later, someone came in to report: "Lord Kokushi, Lord Kobayashi is outside and wants to see you."

"Please."

At this point, even the Grand Chancellor had to stop thinking and deal with the immediate situation.

He and Kobayakawa Takakage were not on good terms. He looked down on this young and rapidly rising Mōri clan nobleman, even though outsiders said he was the Mōri clan's strategist. It is said that when Oda Nobunaga was alive, he regarded Kobayakawa Takakage as a major enemy.

As a samurai, he actually looked down on people like Kobayakawa Takakage who only knew how to use "schemes and tricks," believing that they were not worthy of being called samurai.

However, since he was valued by the family head, he had nothing to say.

"Go and tell Katsura Motosumi that Kobayakawa Takakage has arrived."

Katsura Gensuke was the garrison commander of Tsuda Village. Now that he had fled to Ota Village, he naturally had no choice but to obey his orders.

Fortunately, he did not come alone; he had gathered more than four thousand men, enough to lead an army to participate in the defense of Datianzhuang.

Before long, in the main hall of the mansion, the Prime Minister saw Kobayakawa Takakage, and Katsura Motosumi had also come out by then.

After two days on the run, I just had a decent meal and a shower in Daejeon. I was planning to rest, but I had no choice but to come after receiving the news.

Having just suffered a defeat, and with his status below that of Kobayakawa Takakage, he naturally dared not be negligent.

Having lost Tsuda Castle, it's unclear how the head of the clan will punish him. If he can befriend Kobayashi, perhaps she can put in a good word for him and the matter can be resolved.

When the three met, Xiaozhao directly stated her purpose.

He mobilized a battalion of 4,000 men from the front lines to support Datianzhuang, since the logistics and supplies for tens of thousands of troops at the front were all located here.

Moreover, on the way here, we heard that Tsuda Township had been lost, resulting in the loss of a lot of supplies.

"My men should arrive in Daejeon in about three or four days. I wonder how many men are guarding the city now?"

Xiaozhao asked directly.

Upon hearing this, the Minister of State Yuan slowly replied, "There are more than 13,000 people in the city. Apart from General Gui Yuan's more than 4,000 men, there were originally 3,000 of my men in the city, as well as 6,000 men from Gao Li and Jing Shang, making a total of 9,000."

If we include the men brought by Lord Kobayashi, there are over 17,000 men, which should be enough to defend Ōta Castle.

Just now, the scouts I sent out reported back that Ming troops, about three or four thousand strong, have been spotted in the northwest, and they are leading a large force towards my Daejeon city.

"So fast? Didn't they start from Tsuda?"

Kobayakawa Takakage frowned slightly and said.

Guo Siyuan shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be. It came in from a side road in Liyuan Township."

They must have split their forces there, with one part launching a surprise attack on Tsuda and the other preparing to attack Ōta.

Upon hearing this, Gui Yuancheng lowered his head.

It was all his negligence that led to the easy loss of Tsuda Castle, and he didn't even have the courage to organize troops to counterattack.

He was so terrified by the sneak attack that he was filled with rage.

Yes, after rallying his defeated troops, he was somewhat afraid upon hearing of the Ming army's formidable fighting power.

In reality, the Japanese of this era were not as brave and fearless as they appeared; they still felt considerable pressure from the Celestial Empire.

In particular, since the Ming army landed, the Japanese had not received the protection of the "divine wind," which undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to their confidence.

"Only three or four thousand people?"

Kobayakawa Takakage stroked his chin and said.

“The Ming army of three or four thousand men often defeated our army of several thousand on the battlefield, and they caused many major collapses. This battle was not easy to win.”

Kuniji Yuanxiang responded.

"No, no, no, I don't want to fight the Ming army to the death under the city walls. I'm considering whether to take the initiative and find a favorable terrain to set up an ambush. Maybe it will have unexpected results."

Kobayakawa Takakage lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "According to the battle reports I received, the Ming army's victory lies in their powerful artillery. They have both large cannons with a range and power far exceeding ours, as well as firearms with an extremely fast rate of fire but much greater power than large cannons. They often defeat our army with concentrated firepower even outside the range of our iron cannons."

"If we set an ambush, all of the Ming army's firearms will be useless." "An ambush?"

Although Kokushi Gensho looked down on Kobayakawa Takakage, upon hearing his suggestion to set up an ambush, it seemed that the Ming army would not have time to prepare for a major rout and defeat his troops.

"But how many people are needed to win?"

This is Daejeon, where large quantities of grain, fodder, and supplies are piled up. If we fail, Daejeon City may be lost.

The Grand Chancellor said with some concern.

"Don't worry, we'll deploy 15,000 men, leave 2,000 in the city for defense, and 4,000 reinforcements will arrive soon."

Even if they fail, the retreating army and the six thousand men in the city will bring their total strength to over ten thousand.

After silently calculating for a moment, Kobayakawa Takakage said to the Minister of State, "It is up to you, Minister of State, to consider where to launch an ambush, since I am not familiar with the surrounding terrain."

In just a few words, Kobayakawa Takakage successfully persuaded the Prime Minister to send a large army to ambush the Ming army.

Of course, this is actually the best tactic the Japanese army currently employs.

In the absence of sufficient firepower, ambushes and other surprise attacks can indeed throw the Ming army into disarray and even force them to retreat.

"This matter must be decided as soon as possible, otherwise the Ming army will be at the city gates."

Kobayakawa Takakage further provoked him, but what he said was also the truth.

Hesitation when a decision is made will inevitably lead to chaos; indecisiveness will inevitably result in future troubles.

"Alright, on the way from the west of the city, there's a depression about thirty li away; that's where the Ming army is."

Guo Siyuan was not one to procrastinate. The Ming army was now less than a hundred miles from Daejeon City, so naturally they could only look for ambush sites around Daejeon City.

As the Ming army marched along the main road, the Grand Secretary naturally recalled the route they had taken and easily deduced the ambush location.

"Mobilize the troops immediately. Let's go and survey the site first, so we can make arrangements."

So, Kobayakawa Takakage, who had just arrived at Ota Castle, and the provincial governor, Motosho, led their guards out of the city on horseback to quickly survey the terrain and set up an ambush plan.

Meanwhile, the garrison in Daejeon Castle began to scramble to assemble, preparing to leave the city and ambush the Ming army.

Liu Ting and his hundred-odd guards finally caught up with the Ming army when they were more than fifty miles away from Datian City. They then inquired about the situation of the commander-in-chief in charge over the past few days.

"You discovered Japanese spies?"

After learning about the situation, Liu Ting quickly discovered that the Ming army had discovered Japanese scouts.

Although these scouts are very well concealed, they can still make mistakes sometimes.

When the Ming army was on campaign, they would also deploy scouts to investigate from all sides. They were afraid of being ambushed, even though they had been through many battles and their courage had been honed.

"Yes, just this morning, before our troops broke camp, we received news that a scout team had encountered our scouts a few miles ahead."

The Japanese scouts would conceal themselves, as would the Ming army, and then the two sides would meet in a very concealed manner, immediately engaging in close combat.

Fortunately, the Ming soldiers who dared to act as scouts were all desperate men with good skills. Even the Japanese soldiers were formidable, and the two sides fought evenly in close combat.

After suffering losses on both sides, they withdrew.

"How many people were on each side, and what were the casualties?"

Liu Ting frowned and asked.

"We have ten scouts, and the enemy has about the same number. One of our soldiers was killed and two were wounded."

The Japanese pirates suffered between three and four casualties, but they took the bodies with them, so they didn't achieve any significant kills.

Upon hearing that they had not made any gains, Liu Ting knew that the enemy's retreat was likely true, since they were not far from the Ming army's camp and dared not linger.

However, in close combat, even valiant scouts couldn't suppress their opponents, demonstrating that the Japanese were quite capable in close combat, which explains why they were able to wreak havoc in the southeast for so many years.

"During this period of fighting, you should have realized that although the Japanese are short in stature, they fight with a fearless spirit and their fighting style often counters our army."

In fact, Liu Ting was being very polite in saying this. In close combat, the Ming army basically did not fare well against the Japanese army.

Despite their short stature, the Japanese pirates seemed to have excellent jumping ability. Those who used long swords often launched sudden attacks to kill, leaping and lunging at the Ming soldiers, slashing at their necks with their swords.

However, the Japanese soldiers were too weak and could not withstand the firepower of the Ming army, and were often defeated at the first contact.

How far are we from Daejeon now?

Liu Ting asked.

"It's about 60 or 70 li. If you're traveling fast, you can get there in two days."

"I'm sorry," Qian Zong said hurriedly.

At this moment, the centurion in charge of the vanguard also rushed over, bowed to Liu Ting, and stepped aside.

This Ming army force of three thousand men consisted of two commanders, each leading over a thousand soldiers, and a battalion commander of the artillery battalion with several hundred men under his command.

"The Japanese pirates in Daejeon probably discovered you a few days ago."

At this moment, Liu Ting's mind was also racing. Although he had been promoted rapidly among the Ming army generals thanks to his father's influence, he wouldn't have been valued by Qi Jiguang if he didn't have some real ability.

At least, back in Sichuan, he had followed his father in the campaign against the Jiusi barbarians and participated in several counter-rebellion wars in the southwest.

The terrain in the southwest has been the site of numerous skirmishes and ambushes.

"If the Japanese pirates discover us from a hundred miles away, will they defend the city to the death or what?"

Liu Ting asked himself this question in his heart, his gaze involuntarily turning to the distant mountains.

The mountains are not high, but they are layered upon each other, stretching endlessly, much like the terrain of the southwest, except that they are slightly shorter.

However, if they had good terrain, they could set up an ambush and the Japanese army could hide in the mountains and attack the Ming army with muskets and arrows.
"hiss."

Liu Ting's heart skipped a beat. Regardless of whether the Japanese commander-in-chief had such intentions, he had to be on guard.

"Send more scouts to investigate ahead, and advance twenty miles."

The daily marching distance is reduced to twenty li. Scouts must determine the campsite location in advance and search the surrounding area, especially the surrounding hills. A captain must be dispatched with troops to the mountains.

With his forces already insufficient, and the addition of two thousand men left to guard Tsuda, he is now in an even more precarious situation.

If we suffer further losses at this point, there's no point in going to Datian; it's better to wait for General Qi's reinforcements.

They originally planned a surprise attack, but the Japanese pirates already knew about it, so rushing there was pointless.

To be on the safe side, Liu Ting planned to postpone the two-day journey to three or four days, so that the soldiers could rest and not be too exhausted to resist if they encountered a night attack or ambush.

The news that the Ming army's advance had suddenly slowed down quickly reached the ears of Kobayakawa Takakage and Kunisaki Gensho.

"This general is extraordinary; we must be careful in dealing with him."

They led their troops out of the city and arrived at the ambush point in half a day. They originally thought they could complete the battle in one or two days, but it seems that it will be difficult.

"Don't worry, even if the ambush doesn't work, at least our army can deploy cannons, firearms, and archers on the mountaintop to block the Ming army and slow down their advance."

They were ultimately outnumbered. Although our army could not launch a proactive attack, we could still stop them.

Kobayakawa Takakage had already planned how to fight the Ming army. Holding the city and defending it to the death was a poor strategy; it would be better to use the terrain to delay the Ming army's advance and wait for them to arrive from all directions. (End of Chapter)