prosperous age

"Dividing our forces will allow the Ming army to defeat them one by one. Only by concentrating our forces can we have a chance to defeat them head-on. What do you think?"

The Ming army's tight defenses made things difficult for the Japanese. Hideyoshi Hashiba looked at the others and asked.

"Originally, I wanted to make a move in Hōki and then cross the border into Iwami."

However, based on current intelligence, the Ming people's overall defenses are very tight, as can be seen from this large estate alone.

With the aid of firearms, we will find it very difficult to make any progress.

At this moment, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had been relatively quiet, finally spoke.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's childhood name was Takechiyo. He was a daimyo and ruler of Japan from the Sengoku period to the Edo period, and the first shogun of the Edo shogunate.

One of the three great unifiers of Japan's Sengoku period, the other two being Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was an outstanding politician and military strategist in Japanese history.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was born in Okazaki Castle, Mikawa Prefecture. His original surname was Matsudaira, but he was ordered to change it to Tokugawa in the tenth year of Eiroku.

His father was Matsudaira Hirotada, the lord of Okazaki Castle, and his mother was Hirotada's principal wife, Oo no Kata.

After the Battle of Okehazama, he formed the Kiyosu Alliance with Oda Nobunaga, and cooperated with the Oda army to defeat powerful enemies on many occasions. He also worked with the Takeda clan to gradually encroach on the territory of the Imagawa clan.

After the Honnoji Incident, he confronted Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, and later, due to circumstances, he submitted to him.

After the Battle of Odawara, he was transferred to the Kanto region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Although he lost his long-standing base, he received the largest territory among the outlying daimyo under the Toyotomi regime and served as the head of the Five Elders.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, he led the Eastern Army to victory over the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, thus establishing his hegemony.

In the eighth year of the Keicho era, he was appointed Shogun and established the shogunate in Edo.

From the nineteenth to the twentieth year of Keicho, the Toyotomi clan was destroyed in the Siege of Osaka in winter and summer. From then on, the Edo Shogunate's rule became as solid as a rock, and Japan entered a period of peace.

At this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was only forty years old, in the prime of his life, which is why he was able to outlast Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

He was younger than all of them.

However, at this point, the Tokugawa family was only a senior retainer of the Oda clan. They had considerable power, but they were not independent and had always been gathered within the Oda clan as vassals.

It wasn't until Toyotomi Hideyoshi replaced the Oda clan and became the ruler of the land that he truly broke away from the Oda clan and became a powerful daimyo in Wa (Japan).

Afterwards, they remained subordinate to Toyotomi Hideyoshi until his death, when they finally eliminated the Toyotomi clan with absolute power and completed the unification of Japan.

Therefore, at this time, as a member of the Oda clan, his status was after that of Hashiba Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide.

At this point, Tokugawa Ieyasu spoke, and one important reason was that, according to the established order, he was to immediately send 20,000 light infantrymen to join the battle to attack Ōta-sō.

By continuously launching sieges, depleting the Ming army's war resources, and wearing down their morale, this was one of the ways to win a war.

What sets Tokugawa Ieyasu apart from others is that he was unwilling to easily waste the light infantry that they considered insignificant.

Preserving strength has been Tokugawa Ieyasu's consistent approach in the wars between the Oda clan and Tokugawa over the years.

In such a chaotic situation, as long as he has the strength, he is confident that he can move freely among the powerful.

After all, no matter who ultimately wins the world, he can submit to them as long as he preserves his own power.

In order to avoid triggering a larger war, the strong sometimes have to compromise with the weak and give them greater convenience.

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not want to lose his own men, so the best option was to find a way to bring in other troops and disrupt the previous order of deployment.

After all, if they could capture Datianzhuang, the spoils would be divided according to the number of troops deployed.

Even if he doesn't send a single soldier to the battlefield, he might not take any spoils, but his strength will be preserved.

Even if other families gained significant strength as a result, all of them would die, making such an increase in strength utterly unattractive to him.

Moreover, the most important reason was that, based on his observation, the Japanese army's chances of winning by continuing to fight the Ming army seemed slim, and the possibility of capturing Datianzhuang was extremely low.

At this point, he had actually reconsidered the possibility that someone had mentioned earlier, such as granting territory to the Ming Dynasty and dividing the western part of Honshu Island.

Although he was worried about whether the Ming Dynasty would annex the entire country of Japan, he actually knew some information, especially about Luzon. The Ming Dynasty was living peacefully with the Western barbarians and had no intention of annexing them.

Following the example of Luzon could be a way to preserve Japan.

After everyone else fell silent, Tokugawa Ieyasu continued, "Transfer our troops here and launch a full-scale attack on Ota-sou. Let's go all out and gamble that the Ming army's gunpowder at Ota-sou is almost exhausted."

After reinforcing our troops, we can send another 20,000 men to cross the mountains and completely blockade the city. We can then build earthen walls along the official road behind the pass, completely cutting off the Ming army's retreat and trapping them like turtles in a jar.

"But the recent weather is probably not suitable for the army to set off."

A famous person spoke up to analyze the situation.

Their army of over 100,000 suffered heavy losses along the way before finally reaching Datianzhuang.

If we stake all our strength on this, there will truly be no way out.

Leaving half of their troops behind was actually a precautionary measure taken by each side, so that if the war went badly, they would still have enough troops to barely stabilize the situation.

In reality, that army was only deployed when things were going well; it would never be mobilized if the situation turned against it.

Naturally, after Tokugawa Ieyasu proposed increasing the number of troops, some people began to oppose it.

"We can't move any more troops, otherwise there won't be any more troops left on the front lines."

"No one knows how much gunpowder the Ming people have stockpiled in the city. What if they still have a lot? No matter how many troops we send, we may not be able to get close to the city walls."

"Instead of redeploying troops, we should just throw the remaining tens of thousands of men into the battlefield and gamble it out. If we can't win, we can retreat immediately."

If at the beginning everyone assumed that this siege was just about wearing down the enemy's troops, they no longer dared to think that way.

The continuous artillery fire from Daejeon Castle told them that the Ming people were indeed very strong, definitely not the kind they had imagined.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Japan has almost completely severed its cultural contact with China, and has continued to develop the Chinese culture that existed during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Because they believed that after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China could no longer continue to prosper.

However, to their surprise, the Ming people, whom they had looked down upon, were so formidable in combat, especially in firearms, which far surpassed their own—something the Japanese had never imagined.

After all, there were no cannons during the Sui and Tang dynasties. They only came into contact with firearms because of trade with foreign merchants and discovered this powerful military weapon.

Hideyoshi Hashiba watched them quietly; the relaxed atmosphere of a few days ago was gone.

At this moment, almost everyone's face showed a hint of anxiety and worry.

War, in many cases, is a contest of strength between two sides, a test of resilience, and who can hold out the longest.

When the Ming army was in dire straits during the Eastern Expedition, the enemy was not having an easy time either; it was a matter of who could outlast whom in the end.

It's not surprising that many people's confidence wavered, especially when the battlefield situation was beyond their expectations.

Previously, they had not come into contact with the Ming army, and their knowledge of the Ming army's formidable firearms was limited to written descriptions, so they naturally did not take it seriously.

The fact that the Maori army couldn't be fought doesn't mean they were incapable.

However, the Ming army's artillery fire in the Battle of Datianzhuang truly terrified them. It seemed that the firearms of just this one town were comparable to all the firearms in the entire Japanese kingdom. How could they possibly fight back?
If it weren't for the massive explosion outside Kyoto that made them realize they could use their ragtag troops to deplete the Ming army's gunpowder, and then seize a large number of firearms from the Ming army once the gunpowder ran out, some people would have already been considering withdrawing their troops.

How many more people can we organize up ahead?

Hideyoshi Hashiba looked at the generals in front of him and asked, "What are you asking? They didn't dare to breathe loudly before."

The conversation between the lords just now made them understand something, and they wavered.

Some people want to continue sending more troops, but most people are against it.

At this moment, after exchanging glances, one of the people said, "Reporting to Lord Hideyoshi, including those with minor injuries, there should still be more than 20,000 people left, but we can no longer muster 30,000."

"Have you seen any Ming troops interrupting their firepower firing at any point while you are ahead?"

Hideyoshi Hashiba sighed and continued to ask.

The group exchanged glances before continuing, "No, the Ming army's firearms are very powerful; there's no indication that a lack of gunpowder caused the attack to stall."

"Please send reinforcements, Lord Hideyoshi, otherwise the front line may continue to besiege the city."

Finally, the samurai leading the troops spoke up and made his request.

"We've already deployed 130,000 troops to attack the city, and we still have over 20,000 left. Do you think we can take Datianzhuang in one fell swoop if we increase our forces?"

Hideyoshi Hashiba looked at the samurai in front of him and asked seriously.

They were in the rear, while the samurai in front were on the front line and would be more sensitive to changes in the battle situation.

"Lord Hideyoshi."

Just then, a military officer standing to the side, who should be of lower rank, suddenly spoke up: "Although the Ming army seems to have no shortage of gunpowder, with so many firearms firing, the loss of firearms is inevitable."

If they continue their current offensive, I believe most of their firearms will soon be unusable.

"Ok?"

These words immediately startled all the daimyo.

Indeed, his reminder is correct. Firearms wear down with use, and if used too frequently, they will not be able to continue operating, otherwise they may explode.

This statement, while seemingly giving all the daimyo hope for victory, was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for those who had initially committed troops to the siege, hoping to divide up the firearms after the war.

Those firearms that would increase their strength might very well turn into fire sticks once they get their hands on them, all show and no substance.

Meanwhile, the daimyo who had not yet committed a large number of troops began to back down. What good would it do to capture the territory? They wouldn't get any good loot.

"Go back immediately to reorganize your troops and prepare to continue the siege. Await my orders."

Hideyoshi Hashiba's expression had already changed, and he immediately gave the order to summon several officers away.

He ordered them to form ranks, but insisted on waiting for their orders before attacking the city, his purpose being to reach a consensus.

He could already imagine that the daimyo who had previously committed troops would definitely encourage continued attacks on the city in order to deplete the forces of others.

Those daimyo who have not invested or have invested very little will choose to oppose the attack at this time.

"We need to discuss this matter carefully."

Hideyoshi Hashiba began to speak.

Before he could take the lead, a daimyo had already turned and walked towards the wooden house behind him.

On the city wall, Liu Ting held up his binoculars and kept observing the Japanese army regrouping in the distant jungle.

It was obvious that they had already regrouped, but this time they were nowhere to be seen emerging from the jungle to launch another attack on Datian Village.

How much time has passed?

Liu Ting turned around and asked the guards behind him.

"It's been about half an hour. The Japanese pirates have already formed their ranks, but they haven't come over yet."

The guard stepped forward and whispered, "I don't know what they're dawdling about. They've never done this before."

"Immediately issue an order: send one troop of soldiers from the north and south city walls to support the north and south of the east city, and send one troop of soldiers from the west gate to reinforce the city gate immediately."

With the enemy showing no sign of activity, Liu Ting had a bad feeling.

Despite the Ming army's absolute advantage on the battlefield for the past two weeks, the disparity in troop strength is evident.

Apart from the initial three-pronged attack by the Japanese pirates, which was met with a fierce counterattack from the Ming army's firearms and they began to retreat, the continuous offensive has never been interrupted like it is today.

Liu Ting is not afraid of the current fighting style. He just received dozens of cartloads of firearms and gunpowder to replenish the Ming army, which can hold out for another half a month or so.

In fact, what he feared most was the first few days of the siege, when the Japanese pirates besieged the city walls relentlessly; that was the most terrifying kind of battle.

The city walls were covered with the dark heads of Japanese pirates. If it weren't for the use of nearly a hundred thunderbolts, I don't know if we could have stopped the Japanese army below the city.

A weapon frequently used in ancient China for city defense warfare, similar to a combination of a hand grenade and an explosive charge in later times. It had tremendous explosive power and was commonly used on city gates and important defensive walls.

However, because the outer shell of this weapon was made of cast iron, its workmanship was very advanced for that era, and the Ming army did not have many of them.

In reality, there are only about thirty Thunderclap Bombs left in Datian City, and thirty of them were just transferred by Commander Qi from nearby towns and fortresses.

Although they didn't have any detonating grenades, they made quite a few simple ones, which were basically explosive packs with broken weapon fragments inserted into the outside to increase their power.

Meanwhile, the debate in the wooden house outside the city was nearing its end, and after careful consideration, Hideyoshi Hashiba made his decision.

"Gentlemen, please do not forget our purpose for this trip. The most important thing is to take over Datianzhuang."

Even if we can't get anything from the Ming people, just taking this place would be the biggest blow to them.

Now that things have come to this, I've decided to immediately reorganize the army and begin a full-scale attack on the city this afternoon.

Distribute rice balls to the soldiers. Even if it's a night battle, we must capture Daejeon overnight. We can't afford to continue this attrition. The Ming people are stronger than we expected.

I know what you're trying to say, but all I want to say is that they will only agree to negotiate with us if we occupy Daejeon.

Faced with overwhelming superiority, do you think the Ming people would engage in dialogue with us?

At this point, Hideyoshi Hashiba looked around at everyone and said, "Our country is currently experiencing a calamity that is unprecedented in a thousand years. If you gentlemen cannot unite sincerely, then we may face the fate of national destruction."

Hideyoshi Hashiba had already realized that if he could not defeat the Ming army and recapture Ota-sou, then the true strength and weakness of Japan would be completely exposed to the Ming people.

It is likely that more Ming Dynasty troops will follow, gradually eroding the entire Japanese territory.

This was the result of his putting himself in the other person's shoes; if he were the ruler of the Ming Dynasty, he would definitely do the same.

"We don't have much time left. Once the weather warms up, Ming Dynasty's support will probably arrive soon."

Hideyoshi Hashiba continued to offer reminders. (End of Chapter)