On January 8, the twelfth year of Kanei, Edo Castle was besieged by a foreign army for the first time since it was built.
The night before, General Tokugawa Iemitsu had received news that nearly 20,000 Ming army cavalry had arrived at the boundary seven or eight miles south of Sakurada Gate in the southwest of Edo Castle.
However, the Ming army did not continue to move forward.
Start setting up camp.
At this time, Tokugawa Iemitsu felt much more at ease.
In the past few days, Sakai Tadashi and Matsudaira Nobutsuna commanded a group of serving generals, Ashigaru General, to organize more than 15,000 young people in the city, and prepared enough rolling logs and stones.
Two temples and some private houses were even demolished for stone and wood.
Now these young men are in good shape after several days of training.
At the same time, the supplies for defending the city are well prepared, and Ieguang has a lot of confidence.
However, after first hearing that the Ming army had arrived in Edo, Iemitsu still only slept for more than an hour that night.
It was not that he couldn't sleep because of fear, but that he couldn't sleep because of the humiliation, grief and anger.
Since his grandfather Ieyasu rebuilt Edo Castle more than thirty years ago and made it the town of the Tokugawa family and later the residence of the Tokugawa shogunate, this was the first time that a foreign enemy attacked Edo Castle, but it was at this time that Iemitsu The shogunate was extremely humiliated.
All the 20,000 standing warriors and more than 1,000 banner warriors were lost.
They were defeated at the hands of the more cowardly Akito in the past.
The prestige accumulated by his grandfather and father for two generations was lost in his hands.
The only way to regain his face now is to defeat the Ming army.
If the Ming army is completely annihilated under Edo Castle, then not only will his humiliation be wiped out, but his prestige will be greatly increased, showing that his family is not just a shady family.
Dandy.
Iemitsu welcomed the morning sun the next day anxiously.
As soon as he had eaten breakfast, someone reported that the Ming army was approaching the Sakurada Gate.
After Iemitsu waited for the arrival of Matsudaira Nobutsuna and Sakai Tadashi, he went to the Sakurada Gate surrounded by hundreds of guards to have a look.
After all, this was the first time he had seen Akito's army, and he must see Akito with his own eyes. soldiers.
What kind of Ming army could defeat his elite standing troops in one fell swoop and be defeated so easily that he would never be convinced until he saw it with his own eyes.
For this reason, he ignored the advice of the two elders and insisted on going to Sakurada Gate to have a look.
When Iemitsu climbed onto the tall Sakurada Gate.
All the standing warriors and young common people above and below the city knelt down and bowed respectfully to Iaguang.
His Highness's voice came from all directions.
This made Iemitsu clearly realize that he was still the shogunate general appointed by the emperor, and the actual first person in Japan.
Iemitsu straightened his back.
Climbing to the top of the city, he held the crenel and looked south.
He saw several Ming army formations neatly arranged several miles away.
Red and black battle armors covered the southern wilderness, and red and black battle flags were fluttering in the northwest wind, which surprised the Japanese.
It is simply unimaginable why the Ming army, which is all cavalry, can be arranged as neatly as an infantry formation.
Iemitsu, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, and Sakai Tadashi looked at each other suspiciously, and they were all extremely puzzled.
If he had not gone through the Yokohama War, Iemitsu would have thought that these were just fakes.
Such military strength was not only found in the Ming Dynasty, but also in the Japanese country.
It was all for the purpose of ordering troops to look good.
There were five in the Uchimaru of Edo.
There is no other use for such soldiers than to show the majesty of a great general to the samurai people when Iemitsu goes out on patrol.
But after the First World War in Yokohama, when they saw the neat formation of the Ming army with swords and axes, all they felt was coercion.
It is the ferocity of a lion who has fought a hundred battles, and the fearlessness of an eagle in the sky.
Iemitsu raised his hand, and the young man on the side handed over the monocular telescope with understanding.
This was a gorgeously decorated high-quality product donated by the Portuguese.
The lens was made of expensive crystal.
This can be regarded as a product of the close contacts between the shogunate and the Portuguese.
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Of course, as the Portuguese and Spanish spread their missionary work in Japan, the conflicts between the two sides intensified, and all of this has been wiped out by wind and rain.
Iemitsu picked up the telescope and looked at the Ming army three or four miles away.
He couldn't see the faces of the Ming army clearly in the telescope, but he could see the Ming army sitting on their horses with their chests and bellies folded.
At first glance, they looked like elite soldiers who had experienced hundreds of battles, not just miscellaneous soldiers.
The nonsense uttered by the old people is so unreliable.
Why is it that the Ming army cannot fight in close combat and collapse in bloody battles?
If it weren't for these slanders, how could the 20,000 standing soldiers be completely defeated?
He saw in front of the Ming army formation surrounded by hundreds of attendants and several Ming generals wearing bright white Nanban uniforms, looking at Edo Castle.
Some of them also held monocular binoculars.
It seemed that the general of the Ming army was among them.
Iemitsu couldn't help but look at it carefully.
Unfortunately, the telescope at this time could only see from a distance.
It was really difficult to see clearly from such a distance.
Tokugawa Iemitsu's guess was correct.
Not only Zhao Lie, but also Li Lu, Han Jian, Guan Ming, Wang Haizhou and others were looking at Edo Castle.
"Sir, the height of Edo Castle is probably four feet, and the moat is estimated to be more than three feet.
If the outer city of Edo Castle is like this, it can be regarded as a strong city.
Even in the Ming Dynasty, there are not many such strong cities. ” Li Lu put down the telescope and looked at Zhao Lie.
"This city cannot be attacked even if there are 100,000 elite soldiers.
Even if it is captured, more than half of it will be destroyed.
Of course, if such a big city is without food for a year, it will open its gates and surrender."
Zhao Lie put down the telescope and took a good look at this majestic city in the distance.
Later Edo had been destroyed in the war, and only some places in Uchimaru remained.
Most of the essence of history was destroyed by the war.
This is a bumpy and unbreakable truth.
Of course, he, Zhao Lie, came here this time to explain this truth.
In his opinion, Japanese religion has a bloodthirsty wolf nature, and it would be best for these temples to be burned down.
"It's still the enemy of the strategy formulated by the adults.
This fortified city can only be besieged but not attacked."
Guan Ming said in a small flattery.
"Hey, when did Guan Laohei learn to flatter others?"
Han Jian laughed loudly.
Guan Ming's face turned red and he glared at Han Jian.
Damn it, this old Han is such a nuisance.
Is it so easy for him to find the right moment to hold back this sentence?
"Okay, stop joking, take the cavalry, and I'll take a walk around Edo Castle."
Zhao Lie said with a smile.
Several people hurriedly bowed to accept the order.
Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was standing on the city at this time, felt heavy in his heart.
With such elite soldiers stationed outside the city, he was naturally under great pressure as a defender.
"This is the strongest cavalry equipment I have ever seen."
Sakai Tadayo's old voice sounded from the side.
Tokugawa Iemitsu suddenly looked at Sakai Tadayo.
This was the biggest thing the cautious Sakai Tadayo had ever said, and he made a judgment without any concealment.
"His Majesty the General, listen to the Ming army's formation.
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What did you hear besides the neighing of the horses."
Sakai Tadashi bowed deeply to Iemitsu.
Tokugawa Iemitsu and Matsudaira Nobutsuna heard the words and listened carefully.
Apart from the occasional horse neighing, they heard nothing in the fields outside.
Only the whispers of standing officials and people could be heard faintly from the city walls.
Tokugawa Iemitsu seemed to have caught something, but also seemed to have caught nothing.
He was stunned on the spot for a moment.
"Sakai-sama said that there was no noise from the Ming army, right?"
Matsudaira Nobutsuna hesitated and asked.
"Yes, I have experienced hundreds of battles.
Whenever there is a military force of more than a thousand people, unless it is a battle, many ashigaru will talk to each other below.
The military force is noisy for a while, but there is no voice among the nearly 20,000 cavalry troops. came," Sakai Tadashi shook his head in fear, "This is definitely the strongest cavalry equipment I have ever encountered."
Hearing this, Iemitsu immediately realized that something was wrong.
It was strange that there was no loud noise from such a large army.
It showed that these soldiers were elite troops who had experienced blood and fire.
At this moment, as if to prove what Sakai Tadayo said, a rapid horn sounded, and several Han shouts floated in the distance.
I saw more than a thousand cavalry trotting up one after another.
Iemitsu paid special attention.
Yes, they were started one after another.
What kind of cruel training was it to train such cavalry equipment?
Their war horses were not soldiers, so It starts up one after another obediently, without any confusion when starting other riding equipment.
Iemitsu's whole body was cold, and he felt extremely frightened, because he had no way of judging the details of the enemy, and these unknown things were far beyond his knowledge.
At this moment, a warning cannon came from the north of Edo Castle, and Tokugawa Iemitsu, Sakai Tadayo, and Matsudaira Nobutsuna looked at each other in surprise.
"Matsudaira Nobutsuna, you stay here and monitor the situation of Akito's formation.
I and Sakai-sama will go to the North City to observe."
Iemitsu quickly made a decision at this time.
Matsudaira Nobutsuna hurriedly bowed and accepted the order.
Iemitsu and Sakai Tadashi hurried down to the city.
They did not take a car this time, but rode horses with their guards towards the north city.
Along the way, they saw that the streets in the city were deserted.
The shadow of war shrouded the whole city.
Edo had lost its usual bustle and was like an empty city.
To this end, hundreds of riders arrived at Pingchuan Gate in Beicheng in just one stick of incense.
When they started to climb the city, the general guarding the North City had already come down to greet them.
"What's the military situation of firing artillery here?"
Sakai Tadayo asked as he walked.
"His Royal Highness General Bing, Lord Sakai, a large group of Ming army cavalry appeared a few miles north of the city."
General Shi bowed as he walked and replied.
It was difficult for him.
He had been bending and bending since he was a child.
To be able to bow while walking was really a challenge. .
After hearing this, Iemitsu and Sakai Tadashi stepped up to the top of the city.
They held on to the crenels and looked out.
They saw many Ming army cavalry resting on the ground six or seven miles away.
But the strange thing was that even though these Ming soldiers were wearing armor, they were not wearing armor.
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It's black, but the style of the helmet is very different, with a tall lightning rod and a flat helmet like a dome.
Iemitsu and Sakai Tadashi looked at each other.
These Ming troops were not as well-organized as the Ming troops just now, and their uniforms were also different.
They were both Ming troops, so why were they so different?
"General Bing, these are probably their barbarian cavalry."
General Shi bowed.
"Oh, how do you say it?"
Iemitsu asked curiously.
"My minister once garrisoned the Nagasaki military office, where I was familiar with Ming merchants.
I knew from their mouths that in the north of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Emperor hired some northern barbarians to fight as his cavalry.
These people were barbaric and bloody, killing and looting at every turn, but they were skilled with bows and horses. , the Ming Dynasty cavalry cannot match it.”
General Shi exercised his psoas muscles again.
Tokugawa Iemitsu and Sakai Tadashi suddenly realized that they looked at the Ming army with telescopes again.
Sure enough, some Ming soldiers who took off their helmets had completely different hair styles from what they knew Ming people had.
There was actually a thick braid at the back. , Well, it is indeed Mandi. s: Please subscribe and recommend, thank you: