Chapter 2112
When the main force of the coalition forces had arrived at Hirado Island, the battle on Fukue Island more than a hundred miles away was still continuing. As the largest and most livable island among the Goto Islands, the population of Fukue Island is probably larger than expected by the coalition forces, and the number of armed personnel deployed by the Hirado Domain on the island is far greater than when the Ming army first landed on the island. Just the group of people I met.
Although the Ming army was far more powerful than its opponents, fighting in unfamiliar territory still greatly limited their performance. The several coastal plains where people live on the island are far away from each other, and the Ming army can only reach the follow-up action locations by boat. This makes their combat efficiency seriously lower than the action plan. The area cleared in this day Less than half of what was expected.
The armed resisters on the island did not leave the Ming army a chance for a head-on confrontation. They often retreated quickly after engaging in probing battles and evacuated to inland areas. The Ming army did not dare to advance rashly in this environment. They could only clear out the villages and towns on the island one by one, but the results were not ideal. The militants will not stay in the villages and towns to fight with the Ming army, and capturing a group of old, weak, women and children is of little value to the Ming army.
They interrogated some people, and some insiders said that the armed personnel currently operating on the island were recently transferred from Hirado, while most of the young men who were born in Fukue Island had been transferred a few days ago. local.
It seems that the Hirado clan also knew that it could not provide reliable shelter to the people on the island during war, so it simply transferred the young people away from here to avoid being easily wiped out when attacks from other places occurred. The armed personnel transferred to Fujiang Island from other places do not need to worry about the life and death of the people on the island and property losses during wartime. They can use all means to delay the actions of foreign enemies on Fujiang Island. If they cannot defeat them, they will run into the mountains and forests. Consider the life and death of the people on the island after they were captured by the enemy.
This made the Ming army's idea of using the people on the island as hostages to coerce the resisters to surrender come to nothing. Even if they were ruthless enough to kill all the islanders, those hiding in the mountains and forests would still not come out to surrender.
Of course, fortifying walls and clearing fields is also an option, but this measure may not have a significant effect in the short term. According to accounts from the public, these armed men began to carry various survival materials, including food, into the mountains a few days ago. Even if the Ming army could immediately impose a blockade on the populated areas on the island, it is unlikely that those armed men would be able to do so within ten days. He starved to death in the mountains within half a month.
Because they have been unable to engage in a head-on fight with the armed personnel on the island, the Ming army that landed on the island killed less than fifty enemies that day. The commander conducted a surprise interrogation of several armed personnel captured during the battle and learned that there were at least three to four hundred armed personnel lurking on the island.
If it were on a frontal battlefield, a stick of incense would be enough to deal with this enemy. But the problem is that the Ming army cannot catch the opponent hiding in Tibet, and there is no good means to force the opponent to show up. If you go into the mountains and forests to follow, you run the risk of being ambushed.
The opponents are not indigenous islanders with no fighting ability, but armed personnel who have received formal military training and are equipped with a certain number of muskets. These people have very clear combat objectives and targeted strategies. They are not easy enemies to deal with. Before the war, the Ming army wanted to quickly deal with the enemies on Fukue Island, but now it seems that the battle on the island will not end in a short time, and it is not even clear whether they can rush to Hirado Island to participate in subsequent combat operations. That’s easy to say.
The coalition forces believed in advance that there would be no problem if the Ming army was responsible for clearing Fujiang Island. Therefore, the Haihan Army did not deploy a limited radio station on Fujiang Island, and it was difficult to convey the battle situation on the island to the coalition headquarters in the first time. The commander of the Ming army could only inform the Haihan reconnaissance ship accompanying them of the current progress before dark, and he would send the news to Hirado Island tomorrow morning.
Of course, the message sent to Hirado Island was not a request for help from the headquarters, but a normal battle situation report. But it is not difficult to imagine how Xu Yuzhuo felt after receiving the news. He originally wanted to get a good start to prove his strength to his allies, but the current progress on Fujiang Island is obviously not enough to play such a role.
The only good news is probably that the main ports on Fukue Island are currently controlled by coalition warships. For the time being, no ships can go out to sea from these small ports. This is equivalent to cutting off the two battlefields of Fukue Island and Hirado Island. The enemy It is difficult for the military to continue to exchange information in a convenient way, and then they can only fight on their own.
At this time, in the bay called Shiki Bay at the southern end of Hirado Island, the coalition fleet had set up a large military tent on the coast as a temporary headquarters. Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen were hosting a war preparation meeting to discuss the details of tomorrow's operation.
Although the attack on Hirado Port had to be postponed for one night due to objective reasons, the command headquarters believed that there was no need to make major changes to the original action plan and would still act according to the original plan tomorrow.
"The East Route Army is commanded by me and is responsible for attacking Hirado Port and blocking the Hirado Strait. The West Route Army is jointly commanded by General Qian and General Xu, and the Fujian Navy covers General Qian's troops landing at Boxiang Bay on the west side. Ships must be sent to check all the bays along the coast to ensure that nothing is missed. If the main force of the opponent's fleet is found, the opponent will be eliminated at sea first. "
Shi Diwen compared the map of Hirado Island and briefly explained tomorrow's combat arrangements to the generals and officers present, and then began to explain the details of the operation and answer questions from commanders at all levels.
The missions of the east and west routes have different priorities. The east route army is responsible for attacking Hirado Port to attract the enemy's attention, but the actual landing troops are placed on the west coast. After landing, the special forces will cut off the Hirado Port area to the south. route, and then combine with the fleet at sea to clear the key areas at the northern end of the island.
What currently worries the generals a little is the extent of the opponent's shore defense firepower, because the existing intelligence clearly indicates that the opponent already has a certain number of artillery. Especially for the Western Front troops that need to carry out amphibious landing operations, some officers believe that if they are hit by enemy shore defense artillery, a troop transport ship full of soldiers from the special operations regiment can be really dangerous.
Regarding how to achieve landing in the face of fierce enemy resistance, Takahashi Minami stood up and elaborated on his thoughts: "Shore defense firepower is dead, and the key is to deal with the opponent's armed ships. Since the plan is to let the eastern front attract firepower, Then the eastern front will take action first, put pressure on Hirado Port, and the western front will wait and see. If the opponent deploys warships in Boxiang Bay, the eastern front will probably not be able to stay after the emergency. As long as he dares to show up, General Xu will The naval fleet is fighting. After the surface armament is solved, even if the shore defense firepower is deployed locally, it will be of little use. At most, we can slightly adjust the landing location to avoid the shore defense firepower range."
Gao Qiaonan's opinion was also supported by Qian Tiandun: "Landing battles and anti-landing battles are the strengths of the special operations group. I believe that as long as General Xu's fleet can provide cover, we can proceed in Boxiang Bay as planned according to the original plan. There will be no big problem if you log in. ”
Xu Yuzhuo immediately responded: "Don't worry, General Qian. I will risk my life to protect the friendly troops and get them ashore. This will not affect the battle plan!"
After the big plan is finalized, the next step is for the commanders of each department to return to the camp to deploy the details of the operation to their officers. None of the people involved in this operation were novices, and they did not need the generals to guide them on how to do it. They just took orders and prepared for the battle tomorrow. The only thing that worries the coalition command is that the search of the Goto Islands and the southern area of Hirado Island did not find any trace of the enemy's armed fleet. The two warships sunk on the Goto Islands were obviously not the main force, but passed by After this night, the possibility that the enemy fleet will continue to stay in the port is actually very small. Tomorrow's search of ports on the coast of Hirado Island may not be able to find the target.
An armed fleet operating at sea with unknown whereabouts poses a far greater threat to the coalition forces than the so-called shore defense firepower. Because there are dozens of troop transports and supply ships behind the warships, these ships have limited self-defense capabilities at sea. Before the opponent's armed fleet can be eliminated, the coalition must dedicate a part of the warships to protect them. OK.
In the early morning of the next day, before dawn, all coalition forces had already begun to raise sails and anchors. The Eastern Route Army set off first, and the warships successively left Shiki Bay and headed north along the east coast of Hirado Island from the southern end of the island.
Of course, Shi Diwen also knew the importance of finding the enemy fleet, so he also observed the coast near the coast very carefully during the journey north. Although the fleet had sent a group of reconnaissance ships to search the coastline after arriving at Hirado Island yesterday, the East China Sea Fleet still conducted a second inspection very cautiously to prevent the enemy from deploying the fleet under the cover of darkness last night. to the nearest place.
But his opponent seemed to be more cautious than he expected. He walked twenty or thirty miles north, and not even a fishing boat appeared along the way, let alone a warship.
The East China Sea Fleet advanced smoothly to the narrowest part of the Hirado Strait. There is only one mile wide between here and Kyushu to the east. After passing this narrowest place, you can see the Hirado Port.
"General, a signal has been sent from the front, but no trace of the enemy fleet has been found."
After hearing the report, Shi Diwen nodded and said: "Since the opponent has not shown his face, then we will still act according to the original plan! The fleet will block Hirado Port first. If there is resistance, open fire directly without asking for instructions and resolutely attack!" < br>
Given the size of Hirado Port, the East China Sea Fleet only needed two or three warships to block the entry and exit channels. Shi Diwen did not want to waste any more time playing the trick of "courtesy first and then attack" with the opponent, and directly used strong ships and cannons as a declaration of war.
At this time, Qian Tiandun also received news from the reconnaissance ship from Fujiang Island. He was actually not too surprised by the progress of the Ming Army's operations on the island. After all, given the local environment, as long as the opponent was willing to fight guerrilla warfare on the island, it would be difficult for the Ming Army's landing troops to complete the clearing in a short time. The action is also reasonable.
What really caught Qian Tiandun's attention was another news. According to the confessions of prisoners captured on the island, the Hirado Domain had undergone a major change a few days ago. The feudal lord, the Matsuura clan, was attacked by foreign assassins, and the entire family was killed in a sea of fire. After the Matsuura clan was killed, the Tagawa clan, the most powerful retainer in the domain, immediately took over the power and reorganized and expanded the domain army.
Qian Tiandun didn't quite believe in the idea of being attacked by assassins. He intuitively believed that the Tagawa family was behind this abnormal power transition. It was even because he sensed Haihan's arrival that he rushed to seize power and used various means to seize power. Conspired to murder the Matsuura clan.
The change of power in the Hirado Domain originally had little direct relationship with Haihan, but according to the information previously obtained, it was the Tagawa clan who provided direct shelter for the Eighteen Shiba Yu Party, and the descendants of Zheng Zhilong were adopted by the Tagawa clan. , was designated as the next head of the family. Now that the Tagawa family has succeeded in seizing power, the next head of the clan will be promoted to the next lord of the domain. When the Eighteen Shiba Yu Party uses some tricks to change the name of Odagawa back to Zheng, the Hirado clan will become the domain of the Zheng family.
Qian Tiandun quickly figured out the cause and effect. Although he came to the conclusion half-guessed, it was not far from the truth.
As for whether such a change of power can block the military attack launched by the coalition forces, Qian Tiandun believes that the answer is no. Although the Tagawa clan succeeded in seizing power, the time they took control of the Hirado Domain was still too short, and they did not have time to integrate various resources, leaving them even more limited time to prepare for war. Even if they will make some targeted arrangements for Haihan's arrival, Qian Tiandun believes that the strength of the two sides is too different. No matter how hard the Hirado clan struggles, it will be difficult to change the final outcome of the battle.
Two hours after the East Route Army took the lead in setting off, the West Route Fleet with the Fujian Navy as the main force also left Zhiqi Bay one after another. This delay is the buffer time for the West Route Army. When the East Route Army starts at Hirado Port, enough time is left for the Hirado clan to respond. The West Route Army can then strike preemptively and choose the opportunity to land on the west coast.
What surprised Shi Diwen a little was that when the two warships of the East China Sea Fleet tentatively docked at Toto Port, it was the defender who opened fire first. However, the shelling from the shore was more like a warning. The two shells one after the other landed on the sea about a hundred feet away from the Haihan warship.
In the small Hirado Port, all the ships can be seen at a glance. There is no enemy fleet here that the East China Sea Fleet is looking forward to. The few sparse sailing ships can be seen at a glance as ordinary merchant ships without heavy weapons.
Since Shi Diwen had previously issued an order to engage in battle freely, even though the shelling from the shore had not yet posed a real threat, the two warships that arrived at Hirado Port immediately opened fire in response.
The response from Haihan was not so subtle. Several shells flew in the direction where the cannon was fired, and hit the port pier without any mercy. After observing the deck with a telescope, the captain found several artillery pieces lined up on the pier. Judging from the emplacements of these artillery pieces, the defenders should have made a lot of preparations for this exchange of fire.
(End of chapter)