In the middle of the Japanese army, Liang Hai was ambushed, and Hideyoshi suddenly ordered the troops to withdraw from the south

Yi Sunsin was reinstated as the commander of the Korean Sandao Naval Army, but the Korean naval army was almost wiped out after the Battle of Chicheon-Yang, and Yi Sunsin retrained, rushed to build armaments, recruited brave soldiers, and trained himself to fight a battle, but it was still too early to confront the Japanese navy head-on. At this time, the Japanese army had already advanced to Gyeonggi from the land, Jeolla Province had almost been occupied, and the Japanese navy was also advancing along the coast.

For this reason, Li Sunsin pondered for two days, convened his generals and said: "After Qi Chuanliang, the morale is not strong, the arrogance of the enemy is increasing, Wang Jing is in danger, and the Japanese are fighting with the Ming army. The Japanese navy will also take advantage of our weakness and weakness to advance along the coast, and we must not allow the Japanese to act recklessly and gallop along the sea routes. Therefore, it is necessary to take them by surprise and dampen their spirits, and the Japanese waterway offensive will be slowed down, and we will retreat north in preparation for another battle. ”

Adjutant General Song Xili asked, "Your Excellency has ordered, and the navy will follow you to the death." It's just that the warship that is being rebuilt will take a lot of time to complete, and according to the order of the adults, only two turtle ships are currently prioritized for rebuilding, and they have not yet been tested after they are built. The enemy is strong, covered with iron armor, and artillery is added, and it is difficult for tortoiseshell ships to have miraculous effects. We only have twelve ships now, and our strength is weak, how can we replenish our combat strength? And where to meet the enemy? ”

Yi Sunsin replied: "There is a huge disparity in troops, and it is true that the existing warships are by no means the enemy of the Japanese invaders, and it is necessary to levy another 100 civilian ships for urgent refitting for military use." This time, our army did not fight with strength, but only set up ambushes to block the enemy's offensive. I pondered for days and decided to ambush in the Mingliang Strait. Located between Jindo Island and the mainland, Mingliang is extremely narrow and the current is fast, and the direction of the current reverses every hour and a half, making it an excellent place to set up an ambush. Attracting the Japanese to this place, there are traps all over the place, and the Japanese ships are mostly pointed bottoms, and there will be chaos in the rapids, and if the tactics are right, we will win. ”

Song Xili was taught: "It is true, our warships are all flat-bottomed, stable and heavy, and the rapids are conducive to our army's fighting. Then we need to go to the Mingliang Strait in advance and arrange more wooden stakes and iron cables in the shallow water. The confidence of the people was increased by this.

Yi Sunsin ordered: "You and Kwon Jun should quickly prepare for this matter, and in addition, there should be many ships in the Mingliang Strait that can be covered, so that our artillery can fire, all of them are marked, and we can arrange the formation." The requisition and modification of civilian ships must be completed within two days, and sufficient shells must be prepared, and I would like to remind you once again that this sortie is only to block the enemy's offensive, not to completely annihilate the enemy, and it cannot be done. After the victory, the fleet immediately turned to the north and retreated, abandoning the camp and the southern strongholds, taking all the supplies, ordnance and rations with them as much as possible, resting and preparing for battle, and waiting for the support of the imperial court and the Ming Dynasty. "The people took the command.

After the meeting ended, Song Xili prepared wooden stakes and iron cables to prepare for Mingliang, and Li Sunsin repeatedly admonished. Song Xili asked: "My lord, you have been reinstated, and I don't know if I know about this matter." When you seduce the Japanese Invaders, do you want to set up your banner? Yi Sunsin said: "I have also thought about this matter, but it is still inappropriate. At this time, the Japanese were immersed in the joy of the almost total annihilation of the Korean naval army, and they thought that the sea route would be unimpeded, although it was also true, but it was also the time of arrogance. At this time, if we set up our banner, we will inevitably have the risk of making the Japanese invaders act cautiously, and if we fail to lure the enemy, we will fall short. ”

Song Xili said: "Your Excellency, you are thoughtful, and your subordinates admire you. I will take my advice to heart, so please rest assured. If this battle is won, the whole court will be pleased, even if you retreat north after the battle, there are leaders and adults in the court who speak to His Royal Highness, and His Royal Highness will not blame you. ”

Yi Sunsin couldn't help but sigh: "I'm just making the choice I think I should make, I can't control what His Royal Highness thinks, if the court has a crime, I can only bear it alone, and it is difficult for the prime minister to speak for the navy every time." There is a collar, and the court is hopeful. We don't have to think about it, we just think about how to win the next battle. You go and prepare. Song Xili took the order. Song Hee-ri and Kwon Jun each led several boats to secretly go to the Myeongliang Strait to set traps, the Korean naval army stepped up preparations for the Battle of Myeongyang, and Yi Sunsin also sent a reconnaissance ship to investigate the movements of the Japanese army.

In the base camp of the Japanese army in Busanpo, the general of the navy, the Nine Ghosts Yoshitaka, was holding a big banquet, and Fujido Takatora, Kato Yoshiaki, Wakisaka Yasuji, and Kurojima Tsuto were drinking with the Nine Ghosts Yoshitaka. Mr. Kurishima asked the Nine Ghosts Yoshitaka: "His Royal Highness Taiko is looking forward to hearing the news of the occupation of the entire territory of Korea day and night, and the front is still marching, is it not appropriate for us to feast here?" If His Highness Taiko learns about it, I'm afraid he will condemn us. Once His Highness Taige is angry, his anger is unbearable. ”

Nine Ghosts Jialong replied with a smile: "Come to the island, you don't have to worry about it. The Korean navy is almost completely wiped out, weak and powerless, and Yi Sunsin is not there, even if he is there, what can he do? There is no rival in the waterway, you are very hard, at this time if you don't treat the whole army, when will you wait? The Ukita Hideya have not yet captured Hanyang, and the Ming army is coming to the aid of Korea, so in my opinion, it will be at least a few months before they occupy Hachido in Korea. After the feast, you can go and occupy all the strongholds along the Korean coast. Kato, Wakiban, why don't you two continue north and return to Busan after you follow the Ukita Hideya to capture Namwon? ”

Kato Yoshiaki replied: "I haven't participated in a land war for a long time, and I have an addiction in my heart, and I really want to be in the bloody battle to harvest the first level. I wanted to continue to go north with the army, but Wakisaka Yasuharu still insisted, and he had to take me back to Busan, and I lost several of the heads I organized, and I suffered a loss in this post-war argument! Not only that, but the day before yesterday, I threatened to attack Hanyang with the Ukita Hideya before Kato Kiyomasa, and now I was brought back by Yasuharu Wakisaka, so I don't know how the Ukita Hideya will laugh at me? Everyone clapped their hands and laughed.

Yasuharu Wakisaka said: "Kato, you really exaggerate the facts, how can you say that the sin I said is unforgivable. You and I were appointed by His Royal Highness Taige to serve in the naval army, this is where our merits lie, and we are just distracted by attacking Nanyuan. Continue to go north, not to mention whether you can beat them in the competition for the first rank, there is Kato Kiyomasa and will never let you steal the merit, but he wants to maintain the reputation of the first general in front of His Royal Highness Taiko, I advise you not to provoke him in the competition for merit. Now that the DPRK naval army is in vain, we can easily dominate the coastal areas, and such feats are effortless, and they are far greater than Kato Kiyomasa and others, so naturally we will return to Busan. ”

Fujido Takahu was full of interest, and asked one after another: "I have long heard that the Ming army is extremely strong in battle, and I have heard them mention many times after the Battle of Wenroku that Konishi Yukinaga could not hold Pyongyang under the strong attack of the Ming army, and Lord Kobayakawa Takakei also failed to annihilate the main force of the Ming army. You also met the Ming army in Nanyuan, right? ”

Kato Yoshiaki said: "The Ming army in Nanyuan is only 3,000, but it should not be underestimated. It was not easy to capture Nanyuan, the Ming army fought to the death and did not retreat, although it was completely destroyed, our army also suffered huge casualties. Their artillery was amazingly powerful, their firearms were also very strange, and the armor of the Ming army was extremely hard, and they fought hard to win. ”

Wakisaka Yasuharu was complacent because of drunkenness, so he said to the Nine Ghosts Kataka: "But the iron cannon of the Ming army is not as good as ours, our army has the advantage of strength, and it is easy for the iron cannon to penetrate the armor of the Ming army." We have an absolute advantage this time, and even if the Ming army is as strong as a ghost, it can't stop us. I think we should first destroy the camps of the Korean navy, collect their supplies, money and food, and then go north along the coast, clear the remnants, attack the occupied points, build and repair the cities, and facilitate the delivery of troops and food to the Korean provinces. ”

Fujitang Gaohu petitioned for the vanguard of the outpost, and the general of the island hurriedly scrambled: "How many times have you been a pioneer, now it is just to patrol the sea route and plunder the grain, it is better to let my village water army." My Murakami Navy has rarely participated in the war since the time of Moonrok, and most of them are responsible for transportation, so I have been able to clean up the remnants of the Korean Navy and explore the coastal waters, and we have to be given a chance to make meritorious contributions when the war is almost over. ”

Fujido Takatora was reluctant to give credit: "Murakami's navy is famous all over the world, it's too aggrieved to only be an outpost, you are from the four Izumo Mori, why should you compete with me for this kind of unworthy credit." In the coming day, when His Royal Highness Taiko ordered to attack the Ming Kingdom again, thousands of miles of coast, ten thousand taels of gold, that is the time to come to the island Izumo to show his might. ”

Nine Ghost Jialong said: "Okay, you don't have to fight, it's better to be the vanguard and lead the outpost fleet." Now that our army is high and unshaken, and the ironclad ships are invincible, I also intend to let the "Nippon Maru" sail all over the coast of Korea. If you see any of the remaining Korean warships, sink them immediately, clear the clear waterway, and no more Korean warships will sail on the sea. Every time you pass a stronghold, you must immediately land and plunder, and you must remember that His Royal Highness Taige strictly ordered that all craftsmen, Confucian scholars, and healers should be captured, and the rest would be executed, and their noses should be cut off and their heads should be cut. Everyone received the order, and the Japanese army returned to the feast, feasted and drank, and set out from Pusanpo in the early morning of the next day.

The Japanese troops in Busan were soon informed of the Korean exploration ship and immediately reported back to Yi Sunsin, who immediately ordered the existing 12 banya ships, 2 tortoiseshell ships, and 100 converted civilian ships to set up an ambush in the Mingliang Strait, and dispatched 14 converted civilian ships to lure the Japanese naval forces.

Soon after, the Japanese naval outpost fleet saw more than a dozen Korean warships approaching from a distance and then turned around again, Fujido Takatora ordered the whole team to pursue immediately, and the Japanese army was gradually led to the Mingliang Strait. After chasing to Mingliang and seeing the Korean warship deep into the strait, Fujitang Gaohu smiled and said: "This place is narrow, this North Korean is really troublesome, want to use the strait to get rid of us, I want to see how far you can escape." Fujido Gaohu ordered to continue the pursuit, but Laijima Tong was suspicious, and signaled that Fujitang Gaohu could be chased by him first, and he would follow up later, just in case. Fujido Takatora chuckled at the timidity of Tsuri Shima and continued the pursuit.

When almost all the Japanese troops entered the Myeongliang Strait, Yi Sunsin ordered an attack, and the 12 banya ships of the Korean Navy were arranged on both sides to fire artillery at the Japanese army under the cover of the mountain.

When the Japanese army was ambushed, they couldn't help but feel afraid, and when they saw the banner of Yi Sunsin in Korea, Fujitang Gaohu was incredulous, and even called Yi Sunsin's name and ordered a breakthrough, but all the Japanese detachments were congested in the strait, and their movements were inconvenient, and they were repeatedly attacked by artillery fire. Toju suggested a counterattack, but Mr. Kurishima said: "This place is narrow, the fleet is crowded and cannot be deployed, and the attack is limited. I don't know if they have any other traps, and it is not advisable to stay in this ambush place for a long time, lest there be any more accidents. In this regard, the general manager of the island is on the bow of the ship, and the horn is signaled to encourage the morale of the army, and the armor style of the general is similar to that of the famous Japanese general Takeda Shingen, with bear hair fluttering on the pocket, majestic and majestic, and the armor is bright, which is extremely eye-catching. Mr. Kuraishima personally calmed down the morale of the army, and the fighting spirit of the whole team increased greatly.

The elder brother of the general manager of the island was worried about the danger, and urged the general manager of the island to enter the cabin to hide, and the general manager of the island said: "Do you know why the armor I am wearing is similar to that of the prince of Shinxuan? Shingengong was the first soldier, and the name of the tiger of Kai shook the world, and every battle was won, and when Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu united against him, they were still defeated. Xin Xuangong is a role model for my generation, and he is also the person I want to be all my life. For this reason, I imitated this pair of armor, and I hope that Xuan Gong will protect me in heaven! It's just an ambush, and there are some despicable methods, and I can't imagine that Yi Sunsin is still there, which really makes me look forward to it. These abilities can't stop us from coming out of the beam, and after regrouping the queue, it will be time for them to be wiped out. ”

The general of Kurishima ordered the whole team to use arquebuses to return fire in an orderly manner, the ironclad ships equipped with artillery to save ammunition, and the uncovered ironclad Xiaozaifan and the customs ships relied on the ironclad ships to cover them, and the ships took alternate cover, and the batch protruded from the Mingliang Strait to reorganize the queue. Come to the island and signal Fujido Gaohu to implement it together, Fujitang Gaohu will understand.

Song Xili saw that the Japanese army began to move in an orderly manner, and reported to Yi Sunsin with anxiety, and Li Sunsin ordered: "Don't act rashly, our army's victory is all in the sea current, and we must hold on until then, and we must not let the Japanese army stand out from the encirclement." Summoned Kwon Jun, ordered the turtle ships to break into the enemy line to attract firepower, and converted 30 civilian ships to attack and harass the Japanese invaders. The rest of the ships were used as cover for the attack. There should be only more than 50 Japanese ships covering ironclad, mainly attacking unarmored ships and maintaining the initiative. Song Xili took the order.

The Japanese were impressed by the power of the Korean tortoiseshell ships, and although the tortoiseshell ships did not cause significant damage to the Japanese ironclad ships during the Battle of Chicheonyang, they were still a threat if the turtle ships were allowed to move. For this reason, the ironclad Ataku with artillery in the Japanese navy tried to concentrate on the turtle boats as much as possible, and the rest of the ships also used arquebuses to contain and shoot at civilian ships. Under the command of Kurushima Mirito and Fujido Takatora, the Japanese army gradually stabilized.

The North Korean turtle ships rushed left and right, guns and cannons fired continuously, and they were more flexible than the Japanese ships, and the ironclad ships could only support the attack, while the Korean civilian ships were almost suppressed by the Japanese arquebuses, although there was the fire cover of the North Korean main battle ships, the two sides fell into a confrontation, but the North Korean fleet at one end of the Mingliang Strait seemed to be gradually exhausted. With the reorganization of the queue in sight, Mr. Kurishima couldn't help but insinuate that Yi Sunsin had any other means, and at the same time once again ordered the whole team not to be careless, cover each other, and follow up in order.

At this time, the current was changing direction, the rapids were surging, and the Japanese ships were all pointed, swaying in the rapids, colliding with each other, and the Japanese warships were sometimes forced to crowd together and sometimes knocked away, and the Japanese army was in great chaos. Seeing this, Yi Sunsin immediately ordered the whole army to launch a general attack. After half an hour, the tide receded, the wooden stake iron cable surfaced to the sea, dividing and restricting the activity area of the Japanese fleet, more than a dozen wooden stake iron cables came out, some Japanese warships almost overturned, the general of the island was frightened, ordered each ship to send another special team to the water to pull out the iron cable, the general manager of the island and Fujido Takatora shouted again and again to break through, the rocket projectile between the two armies like a fire, between the melee, the warship on which the general manager of the island and his brother Deju Tongnian were riding was hit by several projectiles on the deck, and immediately exploded, the two were hit by shrapnel, and each fell into the water and died.

The main general was killed, the Japanese army was even more panicked, and the Fujido Gaohu was also difficult to contain, the Japanese naval army broke through frantically, the iron cables were broken, and the Japanese army rushed out of the Mingliang Strait to join the team. In this battle, the Japanese navy sank 19 small ships and 12 ships, including two ironclad ships. Seeing that the Japanese army had broken through the encirclement and temporarily withdrew, Yi Sunsin immediately ordered the whole army to return to the barracks and carry supplies to the north and retreat rapidly. The Japanese army was worried about deception and did not dare to pursue lightly.

The next day, the main force of the Japanese navy swept the waterway, burned down the camp of the Korean navy, and cleared the clear road, and the Korean civilian ships and small warships that could be evacuated in the future were destroyed or captured, and the Japanese army was able to control the sea area of the West Sea of Korea, seize all the strongholds on the west coast of Jeolla Province and Chungcheong Province in one fell swoop, and began to build fortresses in Suncheon, Sacheon, Changwon, Ulsan and other places according to the predetermined plan.

On the land side, the Japanese troops stationed in the Zhushan area were still preparing to attack Hanyang, and the Right Route Army, Mori Hidemoto, was convening a military meeting to listen to Kuroda Rusui's plan. Kuroda Rushui offered a plan: "According to the report for many days, the strength of the Ming army should be about 30,000 people, and the strength of Hanyang North Korea is only a few thousand. Therefore, I thought that Ukita Hideya could lead the left road around Hanyang and go straight to Pyongan Province and march towards Kaesong and Pyongyang. North Korea fears Hanyang's isolation. The Ming army would be worried that the rear route would be cut off and reinforcements would be blocked, so they would definitely send troops to pursue. At this time, my right side will storm Hanyang, and the left side will return to the army to meet the enemy, the Ming army will be panicked, and it is difficult to be thoughtful before and after, and Hanyang can be broken. On the contrary, if the Ming army still can't hold out, it will completely occupy Ping'an Road from the left side, and we will feint to attack Hanyang, actually besiege, contain the Ming army, and will cause chaos for a long time, and then wait for the opportunity to break the city. Everyone applauded.

As he was saying this, it was suddenly reported that Toyotomi Hideyoshi's order had arrived, and he strictly ordered all the Japanese troops to immediately withdraw south to Jeolla and Gyeongsang Two-do, regardless of their current victory or defeat, focusing on the coast, and the generals concentrated in Pusan. The generals were extremely stunned, and they couldn't believe it for a while, and after confirming it again and again, they didn't know why Toyotomi Hideyoshi would issue such an order. Mori Hidemoto, as the captain of the right flank, was also difficult to understand, but he had to follow the order. The same was true of Ukita Hideya, the commander of the left flank, and the Japanese began to retreat south. Concentrate forces in Jeolla Province and Gyeongsang Province.

Kuroda Nagamasa asked his father, Kuroda Rusui, "Father, why did His Highness Taiko suddenly give such an order?" This is not like the style of His Royal Highness Taige, is there any fraud in this? Father, you know more about His Royal Highness than any of the monarchs here, what do you think is going on? ”

Kuroda replied, "It has been confirmed, and this is indeed an order issued by His Royal Highness Taiko. Everyone doesn't know why His Royal Highness Taiko did this, and I didn't know at first, but now I understand a little. After the death of His Royal Highness Hideji, I met His Royal Highness Taiko, who was already sick, and on this expedition, all the members of the entourage, except for Asano Nagamasa, stayed by his side to handle government affairs with the Maeda Toshiie, and Fukushima Masanori, Takenori Katsuya, Kazumoto Katagimoto, Hirano Nagayasu, Yoshitsugu Otani, Terumoto Mori, and Takakei Kobayakawa also stayed in the country to prepare for the future. Kobayakawa Takakei has passed away, and Echigo Daimyo Uesugi Keikatsu has taken over as the five elders, and Kobayakawa Hideaki should also be ordered to return home. This sudden order to retreat south must have deteriorated, and for fear of accidents, the army was ordered to gather near the sea, and once something happened, the whole army could immediately return to the country to protect the heirs of the Toyotomi family, in case someone would take advantage of the young monarch and cause trouble to the world. ”

Kuroda Nagamasa said, "Indeed, the future of the Toyotomi family is the most important thing than the capture of Korea and the Tang Dynasty. That's why His Royal Highness Taige gave such an order. And if His Highness Taiko turns the corner, he will give us instructions to attack again, but I am also worried that at that time, even if I want to attack again, it will not be so easy. Kuroda said yes. The Japanese army began to retreat southward on all fronts, and planned to strengthen the defensive line after retreating south, build cities, and put the whole army on standby. The Japanese navy was also ordered to retreat to the coasts of Jeolla and Gyeongsang. However, the Nine Demons were held accountable for the delay of the fighter, the defeat of Narutoshi, and the death of the general manager of Kurishimatsu, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered him to retire.