Chapter 3545
Chapter 3545
Chapter 3545
To suddenly order a retreat and leave the battlefield during a battle is an extremely difficult task for the troops on the front line. If they cannot cover each other and evacuate in an orderly manner, they will most likely end up in a rout under the pursuit of the enemy.
When the least mobile artillery is at the forefront, the risk is magnified. Artillery units must rely on the cover of other arms to evacuate the front line with heavy weapons and equipment.
However, at this time, the command system of the shogunate army had been severely damaged due to the bombardment. The troops originally responsible for providing rear-end cover had not received any orders from their direct superiors, which resulted in a part of the artillery having no friendly forces to help them cover their retreat.
The Hai Han military adviser in the Jiuzhou coalition forces keenly noticed the opponent's confusion and immediately suggested that the coalition forces send troops to pursue them.
Although the cavalry of the coalition forces was not much better than that of the shogunate army, cavalry was cavalry after all. At least their speed of advance was far faster than the hastily retreating artillery on the opposite position.
A moment later, the cavalry of the coalition forces had already rushed into the artillery position of the shogunate army. At this time, the shogunate generals realized that the situation was not good and sent troops to rescue, but it was too late.
In a short while, many artillerymen who had no time to escape fell under the enemy's samurai swords. These people were extremely valuable technical soldiers in the shogunate army, and their value was even greater than those artillery pieces abandoned on the battlefield.
Seeing that they had gained the upper hand, the coalition forces' musketeers immediately attacked and killed the few rear guard troops of the shogunate army.
The shogunate commander, Tokugawa Ietsugu, secretly crossed the sea to the front camp last night to personally supervise this decisive battle. However, he did not gather with the commanders of his various forces, but was located farther away from the front line.
Tokugawa Ietsugu was not on guard against the Allied Forces' coastal defense artillery. In fact, he knew nothing about the Allied Forces' firepower deployment and combat plans.
However, he knew that the Hai Han army had a special rifle that could kill people at a distance of a thousand steps. If the coalition forces also got this weapon, he would face great risks if he showed up in front of the battle. So he specially chose a relatively safe position, and this caution did help him avoid the risk of losing his life.
After the coalition forces used coastal artillery to attack the shogunate army headquarters, news of casualties soon reached Tokugawa Ietsugu. The lords of the three major domains who were sent by him to the front line to supervise the battle were killed in the artillery attack, with two killed and one injured.
This news made Tokugawa Ietsugu's eyes go dark. The three branches of the Tokugawa family, known as the Three Great Families, have always been the strongest supporters of the shogunate and the main force of this expedition. If the lords of these families were in trouble, it would mean that the combat effectiveness of the shogunate army would also be greatly affected.
The daimyo of Kishu and Mito died on the spot, and their bodies were incomplete when they were carried down. The lord of the Owari Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa Mitsutomo, survived by chance, but his body was injured by various fragments caused by the bombardment, and he temporarily lost the ability to continue commanding the battle.
In addition to these three big figures, several commanders were also killed or wounded in the shelling, and the front-line command center has fallen into a semi-paralyzed state.
The artillery units on the front line also suffered heavy losses in the artillery battle, and Tokugawa Ietsugu had to order the remaining artillery units to retreat in order to preserve their strength as much as possible.
But bad news came one after another. The front-line troops were in chaos during the retreat, and the coalition forces were chasing them. The artillery troops, which were supposed to be covered by other troops, became the sacrifices of the rear guard and could not be saved. Tokugawa Ietsugu knew that if a defeat occurred at this time, his tens of thousands of troops would soon become a mob. The most urgent task was to stop the coalition forces' pursuit and gather the retreating troops on the front line.
Taking into account that many troops had become headless flies at this time, this task could only be accomplished by the shogunate's direct troops. Tokugawa Iematsu immediately ordered his own troops to be sent to the front line to supervise the battle and take over the command of various departments.
His personal army was considered the elite of the shogunate's army. Many officers had received military training from Portugal and the Netherlands. They were well-equipped and had a stronger fighting spirit. After taking over command, they quickly stopped the chaos and reorganized the defense line outside the range of the Allied forces' artillery fire to resist the Allied forces' pursuit.
Most of the coalition's artillery was deployed in fixed positions, with poor mobility and difficulty in chasing the fleeing shogunate troops. After the infantry and cavalry ran into the shogunate's temporary defense line, they had no better way to break through due to the lack of heavy firepower.
The commander of the coalition forces was afraid that the attacking troops would be surrounded by the shogunate army, which had superior forces, so he did not dare to let them continue to stalemate on the plain. Seeing that there was no hope of a breakthrough, he quickly sounded the call to withdraw his troops and stopped fighting.
This scene slightly disappointed the guests watching the battle on Mount Adachi, because the scene they expected to see of the two armies fighting a life-and-death battle on the plain did not appear.
The Kyushu coalition had the upper hand, but the casualties they inflicted seemed limited. The shogunate army, though defeated, quickly recovered and resisted the enemy's pursuit.
However, in Shi Diwen's view, the current situation is an extremely good result.
The Kyushu coalition forces executed the battle plan perfectly, successfully weakening the enemy's artillery without suffering too many casualties. Although the shogunate army was defeated, the loss of manpower was limited and it still had the strength to fight again.
Shi Diwen does not want either side to achieve a great victory, nor does he want either side to suffer a crushing defeat. The most ideal outcome would be for this civil war to continue for a long time, for both sides to exhaust their resources in constant armed conflicts and have no time to look out for external things.
Although the shogunate army lost a considerable number of artillery units in this battle, Shi Diwen believed that this was at most a serious injury and would not deprive the shogunate army of the ability to fight back.
What is more likely to happen next is that the shogunate will soon come knocking and seek to purchase artillery from Hai Han to make up for the losses in this battle.
Of course, if Shi Diwen knew the actual casualties among the shogunate army at this moment, he probably would not be so optimistic about his situation.
The casualties of the lords of the three major families of the shogunate will have a far more impact on the shogunate's strength than just replacing the lord with a new person. This will involve a series of power changes within the Tokugawa family, and the resulting conflicts of interest may involve a larger scope. If the shogunate handles it improperly, it may even trigger a new round of civil war.
However, it was not the shogunate but some of the guests who were watching the game who first approached Shanghai Han to consult about the purchase of artillery.
The coastal defense artillery used by the coalition forces demonstrated excellent combat performance in the previous battle. Its extremely long range and good shooting accuracy aroused the interest of many foreign dignitaries who saw this scene.