I formed the strongest swordsman group

Hearing Qing Deng calling the name of the 8th Division, Fujido Heisuke immediately perked up, stood up, answered loudly "yes" and quickly left the main camp.

In fact, after the 11th Division's bombardment, the remaining battle time was just boring "garbage time".

Although more than 80% of the shells missed, the remaining shells were enough to blow up the Choshu camp.

How could a camp built with wood withstand the intensive bombardment of cannons?

The huge camp turned into a broken wall filled with smoke.

The lookout tower was broken.

The tent was blown away.

The chevaux de frise was smashed.

This camp, which was expected to "stop the shogunate army", was scrapped in an instant.

Even from a long distance, the pungent smell of burning could be smelled and the cries of the Choshu soldiers could be heard.

Of course, this was just the beginning.

For the Choshu army, a bigger nightmare was still to come.

At the front of the shogunate's position, the soldiers of the Eighth Division, arranged in a matrix, were ready to go.

As soon as the bombardment of the 11th Division stopped, Fujido Heisuke, who was behind the matrix, immediately drew his sword and shouted loudly:

"Forward!"

As soon as this order came out, the Eighth Division suddenly turned from stillness to movement! Stepping in a uniform pace, they slowly walked towards the ruined Choshu camp!

Seeing that the shogunate launched a ground offensive, the Choshu army immediately responded.

However... after the night attack last night and the extremely tragic bombing just now... the morale of the Choshu army has dropped to the freezing point.

Now, even the most relied-on camp has been destroyed, how can it resist the shogunate?

"Follow me!"

"Defend the entrance to the Eishu Pass! We must not let the shogunate pass!"

"If you want to, go ahead! I won't accompany you anymore!"

"Kichitaro! What are you doing? You don't really want to die here, do you?! Xiaohua is still waiting for you at home!"

Facing the Eighth Division that was attacking directly, the Choshu Army divided into two distinct groups.

One group bravely went into battle.

The other group fled in panic.

The dense rain of shells not only destroyed the camp, but also brought unspeakable fear.

From just now, the fear of "not knowing when the shells will fall on their heads" has always been in the hearts of the Choshu soldiers, giving them great psychological pressure.

The whistling sound of the shells and the terrifying sound of the shells exploding have deepened their fear.

At this moment, the heads of most of the Choshu Army were blown up and lost basic order.

They did not bother to stop the deserters, and just went forward to meet the Eighth Division in such a chaotic manner.

There were several trenches outside the camp that were dug recently.

Because the camp had been occupied, the Choshu soldiers had to abandon the camp and move to the trenches in front of the camp to defend with the remaining fortifications.

Probably to make up for the lack of long-range attack methods, many soldiers held simple slings.

Don't underestimate the slings.

Because they are simple to make, extremely low cost, and have considerable lethality, "slingers" can often be seen on the battlefields of ancient Japan.

The famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once had a dark history of "going to the battlefield with full confidence, but before he even saw the enemy's face, he was knocked unconscious by the oncoming stones."

Miyamoto Musashi remembered this for his whole life.

In his later years, he even wrote to people in a letter: Now I will not be hit by stones anymore!

These soldiers holding long-range weapons such as bows and arrows, muskets, and slingshots went into the trenches one after another, pouring bullets, arrows, and stones at the approaching Eighth Division.

As for those soldiers holding long spears, katana and other close-range weapons, they also went into the trenches, but because they lacked means of attack, they could only worry.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

The sounds of shooting, shooting, and throwing stones rang out.

Due to the long distance, the hit rate was not ideal.

However, with so many bullets, arrows, and stones, a few could be hit.

In a short while, some unlucky people in the Eighth Division fell to the ground wailing because of being hit.

The Choshu soldiers were hoping that their offensive could stop the advance of the Eighth Division.

Obviously, their hopes were doomed to fail.

No matter how many people fell, the soldiers in the back row would immediately take two quick steps to fill the gap.

No matter how the Choshu army attacked, the Eighth Division had no intention of stopping.

They advanced under the attack, and after closing to a certain distance, Fujido Heizu raised his sword and issued a new order that frightened the Choshu soldiers on the opposite side:

"Stop! Raise your guns!"

The Eighth Division paused.

Then, the sound of "click", "click", "click" of raising guns sounded immediately!

There is no need to say more about what happened next.

Raise your guns, aim, and shoot!

In an instant, rows of bullets covered the Choshu soldiers hiding in the trenches like a dark cloud.

With just one round of volleys, the Choshu people who could not get up again far outperformed the Eighth Division soldiers who had just fallen to the ground!

Anyone could see that with this terrifying killing efficiency, the Choshu army would completely collapse after two or three more rounds of volleys.

Perhaps they could not stand this depressing and desperate atmosphere, so the Choshu generals and soldiers who were also hiding in the trenches, holding long spears, katana and other close combat weapons, became ruthless.

"Damn it! Fight with them!"

I don't know who shouted such a voice. They raised their spears and knives in their hands, and like ants coming out of their holes, they rushed towards the Eighth Division.

Indeed, their courage is commendable.

What a pity, their heroic charge was destined to be in vain.

"Wait! Don't be impulsive! Come back quickly!"

Someone immediately spoke up to try to stop this unintended tactic.

But it's too late.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the turbulent smoke caused by the explosion of gunpowder, these Choshu generals who left the trenches and charged the Eighth Division head-on fell to the ground like mowing grass.

No matter how fast they accelerated, no matter how much they prayed, no one succeeded in getting within ten steps of the Eighth Division.

It has to be said that although the strategy of "after the artillery bombards the infantry, charge forward, and after the infantry charges the artillery bombardment" has no military technology at all, it is really effective!

Qingteng only sent out the Eighth Division and the Eleventh Division, and defeated the Changzhou Army on the opposite side. There was no chance of a comeback!

…

…

This formation——

Qingdeng looked at the battlefield where the overall situation had been decided and said calmly:

"Matsuhara-kun, Miss Nakazawa."

Matsubara Chuji (deputy captain of the 10th Division) and Nakazawa Qin (deputy captain of the 7th Division) were slightly startled, and then hurriedly stood up and went out.

"You each lead 300 cavalry to pursue the remaining enemy. Don't come back to see me before you run out of horsepower."

This kind of one-sided battle does not require Aomori and Harada Sanosuke to personally take action at all.

Therefore, Qingdeng decided to take this opportunity to train the newcomers.

Seeing Aoden entrusting them with this important task, Matsubara Chuji and Nakazawa Qin both looked excited.

The two of them solemnly accepted this task, then left the formation in three steps and two steps at a time, and each went down to order troops and lead the team.

After seeing that the Choshu Army on the opposite side was doomed to be defeated, as expected, some of the feudal lords and generals in this formation—most of them came from small feudal states with weak national power—squeezed out flattering smiles and rushed to flatter Qingteng. .

Their vassal state was too weak, so in order to survive, they unconsciously developed the habit of "flattering more" and "flattering more".

"General Tachibana, the Shinsengumi are truly a powerful force in the world!"

"Yes! With such a strong army here, why worry about Changzhou being destroyed and the world being unjust!"

"General Orange, today's battle really opened my eyes!"

Of course, these words are not all false flattery.

The Shinsengumi's fierce combat power, especially the dense rain of artillery shells and the wall-like advancing musketeers, gave them a great shock.

Following the "Kyoto Summer Formation", many feudal lords and feudal generals were shocked beyond words by witnessing the terrifying combat power of the Shinsengumi.

Qingdeng was already used to these disgusting flatteries.

Now, after listening to these flattery, he not only doesn't feel happy, but also feels a little funny.

Of course, since someone takes the initiative to show kindness, he will not fail to give him face.

He skillfully showed a polite and appropriate smile, and responded to each of them in a polite and non-complex manner.

While socializing, his attention remained on the distant battlefield.

His facial expression did not relax at all as he defeated the Choshu Army on the opposite side.

…

…

The pursuit by Matsubara Chuji and Nakazawa Qin is nothing to write home about.

When they led the cavalry into battle, the Changzhou Army on the opposite side was on the verge of collapse and had only one breath left. The arrival of the cavalry directly snuffed out this last breath.

Charging, slashing, assaulting... the Changzhou Army was defeated across the board without any surprise, and their fighting spirit was completely lost.

Under the intensified pursuit of the cavalry, they either died or fled, and were almost wiped out.

At this point, it only took less than an hour before and after, this pass that was crucial to Changzhou was completely declared to have fallen!

Qingdeng's goal was to break through Yizhoukou in half a day - it turned out that "half a day" was too much time!

Capturing Yizhoukou was equivalent to opening the door to Zhou Fangguo.

In Qingdeng's plan, after breaking through Yizhoukou, the legion would march straight in, marching southwestward, and invade the hinterland of Zhou Fangguo.

First occupy Shishibaban and Iwakuni, and then attack Zhounan in one go.

Zhou Nan is the important town of Zhou Fangguo.

Winning Zhou Nan is equivalent to winning half of Zhou Fangguo.

Then, with Zhounan as the fulcrum, the legion circled northwest, pointing directly at the mountain pass.

Yamaguchi is not only the important town of Zhou Fang Kingdom, but also the gateway to Nagato Kingdom.

In other words, as long as we capture Yamaguchi, we can march into Nagato Country and capture Hagi Castle!

If Hagi Castle is destroyed, Choshu will be destroyed!

Simple and clear route of entry.

If everything goes well, according to Aonto's expectation, the legion will be able to reach Hagi Castle in just half a month!

Of course, whether his expectation can be realized must be based on the premise of "smoothness".

After a short rest, Qingdeng left 3,000 troops to guard Yizhoukou, and then led the remaining troops to break camp in the afternoon of the same day and invade the hinterland of Changzhou.

The reason for advancing in such a hurry is that on the one hand, they adhere to the combat concept of "soldiers are more valuable and faster". Taking advantage of the Changzhou Army's new defeat and before it has time to integrate the remaining troops, they can advance the front line in one go and expand the results.

On the other hand, it is also to find the main force of the Changzhou Army as soon as possible...that is, the Qi soldiers.

On the day after Yizhoukou was captured, the two legions responsible for launching feint attacks at Shizhoukou and Xiaocangkou coincidentally sent battle reports to Qingdeng.

According to their report, they followed Qing Deng's instructions and spared no effort to attack the pass (Shizhoukou and Xiaocangkou). All three armies fought hard, but the Choshu army was too cunning and did not make any substantial progress.

It is easy to imagine that their "relentless attack" must be "relentless fishing".

It is really difficult for them to make up an excuse that "the Choshu army is too cunning".

The poor performance of these two legions was completely within Qing Deng's expectations.

Because there was no expectation for them, there was naturally no disappointment.

If you say that they did not make any contribution, that is not the case.

At the very least, they completed the task of "containing Choshu" well, and also helped Qing Deng confirm that the special forces were neither in Shizhoukou nor in Xiaocangkou.

Where did the special forces go?

This question was like a huge stone, filling Qing Deng's chest.

The lingering uneasiness always lingered in his heart.

Only by sending troops to advance to the hinterland of Choshu and gradually approaching Hagi Castle can this cramped situation be slightly alleviated.

…

…

Two days later, the army arrived in Shunan as scheduled.

Under the restriction of the "One Country, One City Order", Shunan had neither city walls nor camps, it was just a "bare" city town.

When the army was at the gates of the city, there were no defenders inside or outside Shunan, and only some old, young, women and children who did not have time to escape or were unable to escape were left in the town.

In this way, Qing Deng received the city town without injury.

When sending troops to check the warehouse of Shunan, as expected, the warehouse had been emptied long ago, not even a grain of rice was left, and the rats wanted to commit suicide when they went in.

"Emptying supplies" is a basic operation of war, so there is no surprise or regret.

Compared with the failure to obtain supplies, "still not finding the special forces" made Qing Deng feel more regretful.

In recent days, he has sent the maximum number of scouts and ninjas to various places in Choshu to search for and find out the traces of the special forces.

Although he has tried his best, there is no result.

The special forces seemed to have disappeared out of thin air, and no news about them could be collected.

In this way, the uneasiness and crampedness in Qing Deng's heart, which he had suppressed with great difficulty, swelled up again, and gradually turned into an ominous premonition...

...

...

Nobi Plain, Owari Domain--

In Japan, there is a classic saying called "He who controls Mino controls the world."

The Nobi Plain includes Mino Province and Owari Province, so it is called "Nobi".

As one of the three major plains in Japan, the Nobi Plain with flat terrain and fertile soil is a well-deserved "granary".

The outstanding grain production makes the Nobi Plain one of the richest regions in Japan.

Not only that, Mino happens to be located in the narrowest area of ​​Honshu Oshima, separating East Japan and West Japan.

In other words, if Mino is used as the starting point, going eastwards, you can attack East Japan, and going westwards, you can march into West Japan.

Such a precious land is truly the foundation of a king!

It is precisely because this place has both abundant resources and a unique geographical advantage that there is a saying that "whoever controls Mino controls the world".

In the Warring States Period three hundred years ago, after Oda Nobunaga took control of Mino and Owari, he immediately became a daimyo with a million stones.

He used Nobi and Hirao as his base and attacked everywhere. Under the influence of the "snowball effect", he annexed half of Japan in a blink of an eye.

After the first shogun of the Edo Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, gained the world, he felt deeply the importance of the Nobi Plain, so he established a domain in Owari and enfeoffed his relatives here, namely the Owari Domain.

The status of the Nobi Plain was already quite important.

Unexpectedly, after the "Black Ship Incident" occurred, its status rose a lot!

If you look at the map carefully, you can find that Owari is like a knife, inserted into the Pacific Ocean, forming a horn with the Ise Province on the opposite bank, just forming a harbor together.

Such terrain is very suitable for opening a port.

The so-called "God's gift" is nothing more than this.

It is not difficult to imagine that after the establishment of the port, with the convenience of sea transportation, the economy of Owari Domain will usher in a remarkable take-off.

But... unfortunately, although Owari Domain is a powerful domain with 620,000 stones, after more than 200 years of long time, it is like the shogunate. The domain is full of decay and corruption, and countless problems need to be solved. There is really no spare energy to build any port.

It is now night.

Low-hanging dark clouds cover the sky, and only a corner in the southeast can vaguely see some moonlight.

In the dark night, the sea becomes dark and gloomy, like an abyss.

The waves roll, and the monotonous sound of the waves is like the whispers of the sea.

After the Western powers came, "coastal defense" became a hot word among the feudal domains.

Every feudal state near the sea kept this word on its lips and promoted it to a national policy, as if not doing some coastal defense would lag behind the world and be ridiculed.

In order not to be out of touch with the trend, Owari Domain also rushed to do some coastal defense.

Needless to say, with their long-term deficit in the national treasury, it would be a miracle if they could come up with anything.

The coastal defense that Owari Domain built was just a few symbolic sentries built on the coast, constantly monitoring the sea surface, and immediately reporting to the upper level if they saw unidentified ships.

There was no real coastal defense equipment such as coastal artillery and warships.

To say that it was "only for show" was to flatter Owari Domain.

Tonight, the feudal soldiers at the "coastal defense sentry" were slacking off as usual.

Eating, drinking, chatting, so happy.

There won't be any unidentified ships on the sea anyway, so why bother working hard?

If the Western powers came, their first target would definitely be Edo, and they would not pay attention to this place.

Just when the sentries were enjoying themselves, someone suddenly noticed a strange shadow appearing on the sea out of the corner of his eye.

"Eh...? Hey! Look! Is there a boat there?"

"Ship? Are you drunk? It's already this time, how can there be a ship coming?"

"Did you mistake the whale for a boat?"

Although the others were laughing at the man, they still stopped eating, drinking and playing, took out their binoculars and looked towards the sea.

The dark sea surface...they found nothing but deep darkness.

"Where is the boat... You must have drunk too much..."

Wuwuwu——!

In an instant...the unique sharp whistling sound of flying cannonballs dominated the entire coast!

Boom! !

A terrifying explosion sounded immediately.

"What, what's going on!"

"Shellardment! It's artillery fire!"

"Artillery, shelling...? Why is there shelling?"

"Fool! Do you even need to ask? An enemy is coming!"

"Report to the superiors quickly!"

The outpost built on the seaside was immediately in chaos.

"Hey! Look! It's a boat! I saw that right! It really is a boat!"

The first person who noticed something strange pointed toward the sea - and saw that the sea, which had been calm just now, became extremely noisy.

Three steamships cut through the waves and sailed straight to the coast of Owari Domain!

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!

Along with the dull sound, orange-red light repeatedly appeared on the sides of the three warships.

The next breath, raindrops of cannonballs fell towards the coast!

In an instant, the sentry on the shore was engulfed in a sea of ​​fire...

The month is already halfway through. Book friends who have monthly tickets on hand, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: In fact, if any book friends have read Bao Baozi’s debut novel "Military Genius Brings Zizhi Tongjian to Another World", most of them will find the plot of "surprise attack by boat" quite familiar. Yes, this is Leopard's old routine!