Emperor Ming's grandson

Chapter 303: Battle of the Osumi Islands
As the first day of the shogunate army's attack ended in failure, thunderous cheers broke out in the Southern Dynasty army as they watched the enemy retreat in a panic.

Kitabatake Manya stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the devastated battlefield and the soldiers who were exhausted but had spirit in their eyes, and a sense of confidence surged in his heart.

He knew very well that the significance of this first day's battle was not to defend Takatori Castle, but to defend the hope of the Southern Dynasty.

However, there was a lot of luck involved in today's battle, and the power comparison between the enemy and us was still very uneven. If Gaoqu City and the surrounding passes were not too dangerous, then if there was another decisive battle on flat ground, the Southern Dynasty army, whose strength was already much weaker than before, would definitely not be able to hold out.

In fact, the Battle of Kofuku-ji was the true result of the collision of power between the two sides. Even though Kitabatake Manmasa carefully planned and strategized, he could not win.

The battle report was sent to Yoshino in the south overnight.

As night fell, the Yoshino Palace was brightly lit, and Emperor Go-Kameyama and his important ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the next countermeasures.

"Although our army won today's battle, the Shogunate army still has strength and the Ming fleet has not arrived yet. We still need to respond with caution." Rokujo Tokihiro said earnestly.

Emperor Go-Kameyama nodded in approval: "Shi Xiqing's words make sense. Although the Ming envoys have promised to help, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. We must first rely on our own strength."

Ano Minoru took over the conversation: "The shogunate army is likely to return tomorrow. We must strengthen the defense line and quickly provide sufficient arrows, gunpowder and food to the front line. At the same time, we need to send an envoy to the Ming fleet to urge them to speed up."

"I am still worried about one thing." Rokujo Tokihiro added, "We still need to strengthen our ties with the local nobles and get more support. I am afraid that under such heavy pressure, these nobles will rebel and join the shogunate."

This is indeed very likely to happen. After all, the shogunate army is now approaching, and the Southern Dynasty only has Yoshino counties in the southern part of Yamato Province and a small piece of land in Kii Province on Kyushu Island. It is human nature to change with the wind, and the Southern Dynasty has to be on guard.

As for the logistics issue, in order to support the 30,000-strong army, the Southern Dynasty can be said to have done its best. It could be said that "men fight and women transport troops", but that was almost the case.

The people's manpower has been exhausted, and the transportation of supplies is even more difficult.

Fortunately, several shugo daimyo who remained loyal to the Southern Dynasty on the western island of Shikoku were able to provide some support, preventing the country from completely collapsing.

Without their support, the Southern Dynasty would not be able to support an army of 30,000 people with only the Yoshino counties in the southern part of Yamato Province and the territory around Kii Province.

The meeting lasted until late at night, and various measures and follow-up plans were finalized one by one.

Inside and outside Yoshino, civilian workers were busy moving back and forth, transporting supplies to the front line in preparation for the upcoming new round of battles.

After all, the roads from Yoshino to the north are all mountainous, which are actually very difficult to travel on, and a lot of supplies are consumed during transportation.

At the same time, in the shogunate army camp, the atmosphere was extremely heavy.

The commander of the central army, Yoshimasa Sasaki, was seriously injured and in a coma, and his life or death was uncertain. The remaining commanders of the left and right armies, Yoshinori Akamatsu and Mitsuru Hosokawa, were under unprecedented pressure. They knew very well that if they could not capture Yoshino within ten days, their personal lives would be in danger, but the efforts of the shogunate over the years would certainly be in vain.

"We have to readjust our tactics. We can't just attack head-on like we did today." Akamatsu Yoshinori paced back and forth in the tent with a frown on his face.

Hosokawa Mitsuru nodded in agreement: "We should now send spies to the narrow passes on both sides to learn more about the defensive layout of Takatori Castle. At the same time, we should mobilize more siege equipment and make sure that we hit the target with one strike."

A samurai hurried into the tent at this time and brought bad news: "General, according to reliable intelligence, the Ming fleet is setting sail from Jeju Island and approaching our Kyushu Island waters. It is expected to reach Honshu Island in a few days."

After these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the tent became even more tense.

Akamatsu Yoshinori and Hosokawa Mitsuru looked at each other and saw the worry in each other's eyes. Time is running out, and Yoshino must be taken as soon as possible, otherwise the situation will become more complicated once the Ming Dynasty intervenes.

"The entire army will rest for one night, and tomorrow morning, we will continue to attack the city with all our strength!"

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds and shone on the land of Yoshino, the tense atmosphere between the two armies had reached its peak. The soldiers in the shogunate army's camp had tense faces, and the weapons in their hands flashed cold light in the morning light. They silently sorted out their equipment.

Soon, the shogunate army assembled again and prepared to launch a new round of attacks. The Southern Dynasty army was also on high alert in Takatori Castle. In the arrow tower on the city wall, archers adjusted their bowstrings. The sharp arrows gleamed coldly in the sun, pointing directly at the enemy formation. The musketeers nervously loaded ammunition, ready to deal a fatal blow to the enemy. The samurai stood behind the city wall, holding naginata and spears, as the main force of the counterattack.

Both sides knew that if the first day's attack could barely be called an exploratory attack, then today's attack would be a decisive battle for life and death.

As war drums beat and trumpets blew, the shogunate army surged towards Takatori Castle like a tide, while the Southern Dynasty army relied on its solid city defenses and ample preparations to resist the enemy's attack.

As the shogunate army approached, the battle finally broke out.

Arrows poured down like dense raindrops, cutting through the air with sharp whistling sounds. Although the foot soldiers of the shogunate army were wearing bamboo armor, they had to seek cover to avoid such a dense rain of arrows.

At the same time, the Southern Dynasty army's musket team also began to show its power. Rows of lead bullets whizzed out, instantly exploding into blood flowers among the enemy group.

The shogunate army did not retreat. Relying on their numerical advantage, they quickly built ladders and prepared to attack Takatori Castle. The foot soldiers clung to the ladders like ants, climbing up desperately. The arrows and lead bullets of the Southern Dynasty army fell like raindrops, but the shogunate army's offensive did not diminish in the slightest.

On the city wall, the foot soldiers of both sides soon started a fierce hand-to-hand fight. The swords collided with each other, making a harsh metal collision sound, accompanied by the roars and wails of the soldiers. The whole battlefield seemed to be shrouded in a thick bloody atmosphere.

At this critical moment, the shogunate army demonstrated excellent tactical adjustment capabilities.

They did not concentrate all their forces on a strong attack on the frontal city wall, but quietly divided their troops into three routes. Two of them attacked Yoshinoguchi directly, while the other went around to Tsubosakaguchi, intending to catch the Southern Dynasty army by surprise from the flank and rear.

Yoshinoguchi is in a dangerous terrain, but the elite troops of the shogunate army, led by the samurai, quietly passed through the dense forest like cheetahs and quickly approached the outer defense line of the Southern Dynasty army. When they suddenly appeared in front of the Southern Dynasty soldiers, the Southern Dynasty army stationed here had not yet recovered from the fierce fighting on the front battlefield and suddenly fell into panic.

Many foot soldiers of the shogunate army had already climbed up the cliffs along the vines and quickly broke through several weak defense points. The defense line of the Southern Dynasty army at Yoshinoguchi began to crumble.

At the same time, the shogunate army also launched a fierce offensive in the direction of Tsubosakaguchi, which was not as steep as Yoshinoguchi.

They used bows and crossbows to suppress and coordinate the infantry charge. After paying a large number of lives, they broke through the Southern Dynasty army's defense in that direction in one fell swoop. Upon seeing this, the commander of the Southern Dynasty army hurriedly mobilized troops to reinforce, but the shogunate army's offensive was too fierce, and cracks eventually appeared in the defense line of Tsubosakaguchi.

As the two flanks were in danger one after another, the pressure on the Southern Dynasty army in the front suddenly increased.

Kitabatake Manya stood on the city wall. He could feel the despair in the air, but he knew that if he gave up at this moment, he would be doomed. Only by fighting to the death could he have a chance of survival.

"Pass the order down, abandon the outer defense line, and retreat to Sannomaru with the entire army!"

The Southern Dynasty army began to retreat in an orderly manner. They fought and retreated at the same time, trying to delay the shogunate army as much as possible. The musketeers kept looking back and shooting during the retreat, creating trouble for the pursuing enemy. The samurai led their own teams, using the terrain to block the enemy and buy time for retreat.

Finally, the Southern Dynasty army successfully retreated to the Sannomaru Castle.

There is also Ninomaru Castle and Honmaru inside, which are somewhat similar to the multi-story castle structures in Europe. The area they cover is far smaller than the cities in China, but they have many layers, and the deeper you go, the harder it is to conquer.

The city walls here are stronger and the defensive facilities are more complete, but at the same time, abandoning the outer defense line means that this place has become an isolated island and can no longer serve the purpose of connecting the entire defense line.

Kitabatake Manmasa stood on the wall of Sannomaru, looking at the shogunate army pouring in like a tide, with both sadness and determination in his heart. He knew very well that the next battle would be even more brutal, but the Southern Dynasty army had no way to retreat and could only fight to the end.

The shogunate army followed closely and quickly surrounded Sannomaru.

They began to set up ladders and prepare siege equipment. As the shogunate army surrounded the city, the sounds of war drums, shouts, and weapons clashing inside and outside the Sannomaru Castle intertwined as if to tear the sky apart. Although the Southern Dynasty army was at a disadvantage, the soldiers did not despair, because this battle was not only for survival, but also to protect their homes and loved ones behind them.

Kitabatake Manmasa stood on the city wall, holding a sword, and personally supervised the battle.

He shuttled between sections of the city wall, boosting morale and directing the defense. Whenever morale was low, he would raise his arms and shout.

"Although we are in a desperate situation, our will is unbreakable! For the sake of our homeland, we will never retreat!"

The musketeers of the Southern Dynasty played a huge role at this time. They took advantage of the favorable terrain of the Sannomaru inner castle and set up multiple lines of defense. Behind each line of defense were several teams of musketeers. Whenever the shogunate army approached, a dense rain of lead bullets would reap lives like the scythe of the god of death, forcing the enemy to temporarily retreat and regroup. Taking advantage of this gap, the Southern Dynasty soldiers would quickly move boulders and wooden planks to prepare for the next round of defense.

However, the shogunate army was no pushover.

Seeing that a frontal attack was unlikely to be effective, they began to try to dig tunnels in an attempt to break through the Southern Dynasty's defense line from underground.

However, this is a mountain castle with large rocks underneath. After several attempts to dig, they all ended in failure, so the shogunate army gave up.

The battle entered a white-hot stage. Both sides were exhausted, but no one had the idea of ​​giving up. The Southern Dynasty army relied on its tenacious will and reasonable tactical arrangements to repel the attacks of the shogunate army time and time again. The shogunate army relied on its absolute advantage in numbers to continuously put pressure on the Southern Dynasty army, trying to exhaust their physical strength and will.

At this critical moment, the sky suddenly changed, dark clouds covered it, and a sudden rainstorm poured down.

The rain blurred the vision, soaked the armor and weapons, and the bows, crossbows and gunpowder began to become ineffective.

In the rain, the battle between the two sides became even more brutal.

The Southern Dynasty army took advantage of the cover of heavy rain and quietly organized a counterattack. They selected elite samurai and foot soldiers to form a commando team. Taking advantage of the cover of the dark rain, they launched a surprise attack on the weak links of the shogunate army. The shogunate army was caught off guard and a hole was torn in the defense line. The Southern Dynasty army took the opportunity to rush out and engaged in a fierce melee with the shogunate army.

The battle lasted until late at night and both sides were exhausted.

In the end, after paying a huge price, the Southern Dynasty army barely managed to stabilize its defense line, but the Sannomaru inner castle was already riddled with holes.

Although the shogunate army failed to capture Sannomaru, it inflicted unprecedented damage on the Southern Dynasty army.

Kitabatake Manya stood on the city wall, looking at the corpses all over the ground and the battlefield filled with smoke, and felt a little desperate in his heart. The current situation could no longer be changed by human power.

Among the three important nodes on the defense line, Takatori Castle where he was guarding had been surrounded, and Tsubosakaguchi had also been captured. Only Yoshinoguchi was still struggling to hold on, but it was likely that it would not be able to hold on for much longer.

At this moment, the Ming fleet became the only hope of the Southern Dynasty.

Kitabatake Manmasa looked up into the distance. Although he could not see the dark sea, he was silently praying for the early arrival of the Ming fleet. Given the current desperate situation of the Southern Dynasty, only by relying on the aid and support of the Ming Dynasty could it be possible to completely reverse the situation and regain its strength.

At this time, the Ming fleet also encountered a little trouble.
The guardian daimyo of Kyushu Island have been doing business with the Ming Dynasty for many years, so they are well-informed about the news.

The departure of the Ming advance fleet could not be concealed at all, after all, its scale was there.

Therefore, on Kyushu Island, where the Northern Dynasty had an absolute advantage, the daimyo wanted to unite and dispatch the navy to try to stop the Ming fleet on Jeju Island, bypass the long "Yuan invaders fortress" defense line built along the coastline from the south of Kyushu Island and Shikoku Island, and directly support the Southern Dynasty's only two remaining territories on Honshu Island, namely Yoshino and other counties in the southern part of Yamato Province, and Kii Province.

After all, the Ming Dynasty was not stupid. Seeing that the war against Japan could be fought from west to east, that would be the dumbest method. They had to push forward all the way from the territories of the guardian daimyo of the Northern Dynasties.

Since the Ming Dynasty is on the side of the Southern Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty still has some remnants in Kyushu Island and the southern part of Shikoku Island, so it is entirely possible to bypass from the south and directly reach Honshu Island. As long as the Ming army can land in Kii Province, the next thing will actually be much easier. As long as they go north to Yoshino County, they can form a strategic stalemate.

With the national strength of the Ming Dynasty and the current capacity of the ocean-going fleet, the rest of the things don't matter, even if there are no special tricks. Keep increasing the troops and supplies, and when a certain amount is stockpiled, you can have a decisive battle with the shogunate army, and then go north along the Nara Basin all the way to Kyoto.

Kyoto was the ruling core of the Muromachi shogunate. As long as it was occupied, the Northern Court would lose its political center. At that time, even if the power of the shogunate was not completely eliminated, it would no longer be able to maintain its rule.

The reason is very simple. The ruling power of the shogunate ultimately comes from tyrannical military force rather than any commonly recognized ideas. Once this absolutely superior military force is lost, the guardian daimyo below will immediately fall apart and even raise the banner of rebellion. There are many daimyo who have been tortured to death by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu over the years.

What's more, the Kamakura Shogunate, which ruled over ten countries in the fertile Kanto Plain, coveted the position of Shogun.

Three generations ago, the Muromachi shogunate and the Kamakura kubō were brothers, but decades later, due to different interests, both sides had long regarded each other as their biggest enemy.

It can even be said that the Muromachi shogunate's biggest rival was never the Southern Dynasty, which it was certain to destroy, but the Kanto lords who had more than 100,000 troops and thousands of miles of fertile land.

At this time, the situation on Kyushu Island was also very complicated.

The three largest forces were the Otomo clan and the Ouchi clan of the Northern Court, and the Shimazu clan of the Southern Court.

The Otomo clan occupied most of the four provinces of Chikugo, Higo, Buzen, and Bungo. The area they ruled was located in the central part of Kyushu Island, and their overall sphere of influence covered an area of ​​approximately three and a half countries.

The Ouchi clan completely occupied Chikugo Province in the northeast of Kyushu Island, and owned parts of Buzen Province, bordering the Otomo clan.

Of course, if the Ouchi clan only had a territory of one and a half countries, then it would naturally not be considered a powerful force. The real ruling core of the Ouchi clan was in the Honshu Island area bordering Kyushu Island. In the western part of Honshu Island, it owned the four provinces of Nagato, Suo, Iwami, and Aki. Therefore, its overall strength added up to the territory of five and a half countries.

The pillar of the Southern Dynasty on Kyushu Island was the Shimazu clan.

The Shimazu clan completely owned the two countries of Satsuma and Ōsumi, as well as half of Hyuga, a total of two and a half countries.

The Ito clan was another southern dynasty power on Kyushu Island, owning the other half of the Hyuga Province.

In fact, from the comparison of strength, it can be seen that the Southern Dynasty was at an absolute disadvantage.

Other forces that own one country or less include the Matsuura, Arima, Kikuchi, Sagara, Hata, Goto, and Munesada families on Kyushu Island, but they are all small forces.

The territories owned by so many families are crowded in Hizen Province, Higo Province, oh, and the two small islands of Tsushima Province and Iki Province.

So, they are all the ones who are just beating drums and gongs on the sidelines.

However, because these small forces are all located on the coast and rely on maritime trade, looting, and fishing as their main economic sources, they attach great importance to the construction and development of the navy. From the perspective of naval strength, they cannot be ignored.

Soon, the navies of the nine Northern Dynasty daimyo on Kyushu Island were assembled, including the Otomo, Ouchi, Matsuura, Arima, Kikuchi, Sagara, Hata, Goto, and Munesada families. They assembled thousands of large and small warships, with Otomo Yoshiyoshi, the head of the Otomo clan, as the commander-in-chief.

The commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty's advance fleet was Duke Zheng Chang Mao himself.

A large-scale naval battle broke out between the two sides in the waters north of the Osumi Islands south of Kyushu Island.

The sea was covered with dark clouds and the waves were rolling.

The Northern Dynasty fleet, which assembled the navies of various major names on Kyushu Island, was slowly approaching the Ming fleet from the northwest of the Osumi Islands with densely packed warships and flags flying.

They were catching up from behind.

"Duke, the Northern Dynasty's fleet is catching up."

Chang Mao was standing in the command room of the sailing battleship and didn't seem to be surprised at all.

He gently stroked the nautical chart spread out on the table, his eyes calm.

"Pass the order down, all ships maintain formation and prepare for battle, and have the gunners check the ammunition."

As Chang Mao's order was issued, the Ming fleet quickly entered combat readiness.

The guns on each warship were polished to a shine, and the gunners were busy in a tense and orderly manner, adjusting the muzzle angles to ensure maximum firepower coverage. The sails were filled to the brim by the sea breeze, pushing these steel behemoths through the waves.

"Duke, the enemy's number far exceeds ours. Should we consider adopting a strategy of luring the enemy deep into our territory?" A deputy general approached Chang Mao and suggested in a low voice.

"No need, face the enemy head-on."

Chang Mao said confidently: "Order all ships to assist the battleships' battle line and suppress the enemy with firepower advantage. Remember, our goal is not only to defeat them, but also to let them know that the Ming Navy cannot be insulted!"

The battle line is a line of one or two lines formed by the fleet, which travels in the same direction without interfering with the firepower output of friendly forces. The flagship leads the team, and the main firepower output follows closely. The guerrilla fleet interferes with the enemy in the outer or inner circle.

And now this advance fleet has four sailing battleships, plus twelve treasure ships as support. The firepower cannot be made up for by the enemy's small boats alone.

As the distance between the two fleets continued to shorten, the atmosphere on the sea became increasingly tense.

In the Northern Dynasty fleet, Otomo Chikayo stood on the deck of the flagship, looking at the Ming fleet in front of him, and looking at those tall ships, he couldn't help but feel a little daunted, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and encouraged morale loudly: "Gentlemen, this is a battle to defend our country! Let us face the strong enemy with a fearless attitude, just like the story of the Yuan invaders back then! Let Kyushu Island witness our glory!"

The battle horn sounded in the sea breeze, the Ming fleet formed a battle line and began the first round of test firing.

The Ming fleet suddenly burst into a deafening burst of artillery fire, and hundreds of cannons fired at the same time. The shells cut through the sky and headed straight for the Northern Dynasty fleet with destructive power.

The sea surface was instantly covered with smoke and flames, explosions rang out one after another, and many warships of the Northern Dynasty fleet instantly disintegrated under the sudden artillery fire, wood chips and debris splattered everywhere, and the sea water was dyed red with blood.

When Otomo Chikayoshi saw this, his face turned pale. He did not expect that the firepower of the Ming fleet would be so fierce.

Immediately afterwards, the artillery shells that received the shooting information fired more accurately. The artillery roared, and the shells cut through the sky and landed in the middle of the Northern Dynasty fleet, causing a large number of casualties in an instant.

At this distance, the Northern Dynasty fleet could only continue to move forward. Their long-range means were simply unable to reach the Ming Dynasty's advance fleet.

The sea was filled with smoke, cannons roared, and flames shot into the sky.

Relying on its powerful firepower advantage and sophisticated tactical arrangements, the Ming fleet gradually gained the initiative on the battlefield.

The Northern Dynasty fleet suffered heavy losses and low morale under continuous artillery fire.

After all, this was a beyond-visual-range attack, and it was continuous. The distance between the two sides was not shortened much, but our side was constantly suffering casualties. Anyone would despair.

Seeing this, Otomo Chikayoshi became extremely anxious. He knew very well that if the situation could not be reversed quickly, today's battle would end in a disastrous defeat.

So he ordered the fleet to disperse, trying to use flexible and changeable small fleet group tactics to evade the firepower coverage of the Ming fleet, while sending fast warships to approach the Ming fleet in an attempt to engage in boarding battle.

However, Chang Mao had already anticipated this move.

He quickly adjusted his tactics, ordered the fleet to change its formation, and suppressed the Northern Dynasty fleet's fast warships with dense artillery fire. At the same time, he dispatched several well-equipped small warships, which took advantage of their speed to go around the enemy and form a pincer attack on the Northern Dynasty fleet.

Under Chang Mao's careful planning, the Northern Dynasty fleet gradually fell into a dilemma.

Although the scattered small fleets were flexible, they were like candles swaying in the wind and could be extinguished at any time in the face of the Ming fleet's powerful firepower network.

The fast warships attempted to break through the encirclement and approach the Ming fleet for a boarding battle, but they were intercepted by intensive artillery fire and sank one after another.

On the sea, fire and smoke intertwined to create a doomsday scene, with the wailing of the Northern Dynasty soldiers and the firing of the Ming fleet rising one after another.

Otomo Chikayo stood on the flagship, looking at the chaos in front of him, his heart was in turmoil. This battle was beyond his control.

"Gentlemen, don't be discouraged! In order to protect this land, we must fight to the last moment!" Otomo Chikayo's voice inspired the remaining Northern Dynasty soldiers.

However, Chang Mao's command was calmer and more deadly.

He was well aware that the outcome of a naval battle often depended on a split-second judgment and adjustment. He kept his eyes on the sea, constantly adjusting the fleet's formation and firepower distribution according to the battlefield situation to ensure that each round of shelling could cause maximum damage.

"Continue to suppress the enemy ships, while remaining vigilant to prevent sneak attacks from the enemy."

As the battle progressed, the resistance of the Northern Dynasty fleet became increasingly weak. The Ming Dynasty fleet, relying on its powerful firepower and superb tactical qualities, gradually forced the enemy into a desperate situation. More and more corpses were floating on the sea, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and burnt things. This naval battle was drawing to a close.

At this moment, Otomo Chikayo made a bold decision.

He ordered all the remaining fast warships to concentrate and launch a final charge against the Ming fleet.

It was a desperate gamble, but he had no way out.

"charge!"

Inspired by Otomo Chikayoshi, the remaining Northern Dynasty ships seemed to be injected with new strength. They responded to the call and drove their warships to launch a final attack on the Ming fleet.

However, Chang Mao had already seen through this plan.

He quickly adjusted his tactics and ordered several well-equipped treasure ships to move forward, easily resisting the charge of the Northern Dynasty fleet with dense artillery and strong defense.

At the same time, other warships spread out from both wings and formed an arc, continuing to suppress the rest of the Northern Dynasty fleet with firepower to ensure that the enemy could not launch an effective counterattack.

Finally, under a fierce bombardment, Otomo Chikayoshi's flagship was also sunk.

The Northern Dynasty fleet completely collapsed, and the remaining warships surrendered or fled. The Ming fleet won a decisive victory in this naval battle.

(End of this chapter)