Chapter 3545
To suddenly order a retreat and leave the battlefield in a combat situation is an extremely difficult task for the men and horses on the line of fire. If they cannot cover each other and evacuate in an orderly manner, they are likely to be pursued by the enemy. Become a retreat.
When the artillery with the least mobility is at the front, this risk will be multiplied. Artillery units must rely on the cover of other arms to carry heavy weapons and equipment away from the firing line.
However, at this time, the command system of the shogunate army had been seriously damaged due to the shelling. The troops originally responsible for covering the rear did not receive instructions from their immediate superiors. This resulted in some artillery units having no friendly forces to assist them in breaking up the rear.
The Haihan military adviser in the Kyushu Allied Forces formation keenly discovered the opponent's confusion, and immediately suggested that the coalition forces immediately send troops to pursue.
Although the cavalry troops of the coalition forces were not much better than the shogunate army, the cavalry was still cavalry after all. At least the speed of the advance was far better than the hasty retreat of the artillery on the opposite position.
So a moment later, the coalition cavalry troops rushed into the artillery position of the shogunate army. At this time, the shogunate generals who realized that the situation was not good were too late to send troops to rescue.
Within a moment, many artillerymen who had no time to escape had fallen to their opponents' samurai swords. These people were extremely valuable technical arms in the shogunate army, and their value even exceeded those of the artillery abandoned on the position.
Seeing that they had taken advantage, the coalition's musketeers immediately attacked and killed the few rear troops of the shogunate army.
The commander-in-chief of the shogunate, Tokugawa Ietsuna, secretly crossed the sea last night and came to the frontline camp to personally supervise the decisive battle. However, he was not gathered together with the commanders of his various troops, but was located further away from the line of fire.
Tokugawa Ietsuna was not preparing for the coastal defense artillery in the coalition's formation. He actually knew nothing about the coalition's firepower deployment and combat plan.
However, he knew that there was a special rifle in the Haihan Army that could kill a person at a thousand steps away. If the coalition forces also obtained this weapon, it would be very risky to show their face in front of the battle. So he deliberately chose a relatively safe location, and this caution indeed allowed him to avoid the risk of losing his life.
After the coalition forces used coastal defense artillery to hit the shogunate army headquarters, news of casualties soon reached Tokugawa Ietsuna. The Lord of the Gosan family who was sent to the front line to supervise the battle actually suffered two deaths and one injury in the bombardment.
This news made Tokugawa Ietsuna's eyes darken. The three major branches of the Tokugawa family, known as the Gosan family, have always been the strongest supporters of the shogunate and the main force of this expedition. If something happens to the heads of these feudal families, it means that the combat effectiveness of the shogunate army will also be greatly affected.
The daimyo of Kishu and Mito died on the spot, and the bodies that were brought down were all missing. Tokugawa Mitsutomo, the lord of the Owari Tokugawa family, survived by chance, but was injured in many places by various debris caused by the bombardment, and temporarily lost the ability to continue commanding operations.
In addition to these three big shots, several commanders were also killed or wounded in the shelling, and the frontline command headquarters was semi-paralyzed.
The artillery units on the front line also suffered heavy losses in the artillery battle. Tokugawa Ietsuna 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 frontline troops were in chaos when they retreated, and the coalition forces pursued them one after another. The artillery units that were supposed to be covered by other troops retreating became sacrifices to the rear, and they could not save it. . Tokugawa Ietsuna knew that if a defeat occurred at this time, his tens of thousands of troops would soon turn into a mob. The top priority was to block the pursuit of the coalition forces and gather the retreating troops on the front line.
Considering that many people had become headless flies at this time, this task could only be completed by the direct troops of the shogunate. Tokugawa Ietsuna immediately ordered that his own troops be sent to the front line to supervise the battle and take over the command of various ministries.
His direct line of soldiers can be regarded as the elite of the shogunate army. Many officers have received military training provided by Portugal and the Netherlands. They are well-equipped and have stronger fighting will. After taking over the command, the chaos was quickly stopped. , and reorganized the defense line beyond the range of the coalition artillery fire to resist the pursuit of the coalition forces.
Most of the coalition's artillery was deployed in fixed gun positions, which had poor mobility and was not easy to pursue the defeated troops of the shogunate. After the chasing infantry and cavalry hit the temporary defense line of the shogunate army, they had no good way to continue to break through due to the lack of heavy firepower.
The coalition commander was afraid that the attacking troops would be counter-surrounded by the superior shogunate army, and did not dare to allow them to continue the stalemate on the plain. Seeing that there was no hope of a breakthrough, they quickly paid for their troops and stopped fighting.
This scene made the spectators on Mount Adachi slightly disappointed, because the scene of a life-and-death battle between the two armies on the plain that they expected to see did not appear.
The Kyushu Allied Forces had the upper hand, but the damage they achieved seemed to be very limited. The shogunate army seemed to be defeated, but they quickly stopped their decline and withstood the opponent's pursuit.
However, in Shi Diwen's view, the situation in front of him was an excellent result.
The Kyushu Allied Forces executed the combat plan perfectly and successfully weakened the enemy's artillery force without suffering too many casualties. Although the shogunate army was defeated, the loss of troops was limited and they still had the strength to fight again.
Shi Diwen does not want either party to achieve a great victory, nor does he want any party to be defeated, so that this civil war will continue for a long time. The most ideal trend is for both sides to exhaust their resources in the constant armed conflict and have no time to look outside.
Although the shogunate army lost a considerable number of artillery units in this battle, in Shi Diwen's view, this was at most a bruised and broken body, and it would not make the shogunate army lose the ability to fight back.
What is more likely to happen next is that the shogunate will soon come looking for artillery to purchase from Haihan to supplement 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 still have such an optimistic view of his situation.
The casualties of the three feudal lords of the shogunate will have an impact on the strength of the shogunate beyond just replacing someone as the feudal lord. This will involve a series of power changes within the Tokugawa family, and the resulting interest disputes may involve more... On a large scale, if the shogunate handles it improperly, it may even trigger a new round of civil war.
However, it was not the shogunate who first approached Shanghai Han to inquire about the purchase of artillery, but some of the guests watching the battle.
The coastal defense artillery used by the coalition forces showed excellent combat performance in the battle just now. Its ultra-long range and good shooting accuracy made many foreign dignitaries who saw this scene become interested.