Under the fierce attack of the Satsuma army, the positions were covered with the corpses of government officers and soldiers, and the rain accumulated in the trenches was stained red with blood. On the left flank, however, the Satsuma Army did not progress smoothly due to stubborn resistance from government forces. Therefore, Kiyoshi Kishima, the commander of the Satsuma Army, ordered Kenhiko Nakajima, who was the commander of the rear army, to lead two squadrons of the 3rd Brigade to reinforce them, and after a hard battle, they finally expelled the government troops in front of them.

The Satsuma Army, which had broken through the position of the government troops at Anyuguchi, advanced on the corpses of the government troops, and also sent a detachment to the flank of the government forces at the top of Isezaka Mountain. The government troops defending here were shocked when they saw this, abandoned their baggage and supplies, climbed over mountains and valleys, and fled in all directions. The Satsuma Army easily captured this point. The Satsuma army at the foot of the hill had no idea what was going on with the roundabouts, and they could not imagine that the fortified position, which they had not conquered for seventeen days, had been captured by their own side, and they fired at the troops on the top of the hill as if they were government troops. The troops on the mountain blew the horn peculiar to the Satsuma army and tried to attract the attention of the troops under the mountain, but the sound of the horn was completely muffled by the sound of gunfire, and in the end, it was the co-captain Hirakawa who climbed to the fortress and waved the "cross pill" flag, so that the troops under the mountain understood. -- It was 10 a.m., and only four hours had passed before the offensive began at 6 a.m.

When the news of the victory reached the Satsuma Army command post, all the staff members were overjoyed. The scene at that time is described in the "Diary of the Congzheng Expedition": "When Nomura, Nagayama, Murata, Ikegami and other samurai heard this, they all clasped their hands and paused their feet, and unconsciously shouted loudly and cheered. ”

The advance of the right flank of the Satsuma Army, in close pursuit of the fleeing government troops, rushed into the Pheasa station at 11 o'clock. The government forces on guard also did not fire a single shot. They abandoned 3 mountain guns, 1 mortar cannon and more than 100 rifles and fled. The Satsuma army continued to follow the rout. Head further south to Isezaka.

Then. Government forces sent the 12th Wing to Isezaka to support, and Gentaro Kodama was among them. That morning, he went to the government military headquarters in Meyanagi and held a meeting with the two staff officers of Okanori and Shinagawa. At this time, they heard the sound of artillery in the direction of more than a mile southwest (here the lili is Riri, which is equivalent to 3.8 kilometers in a day), and everyone present at the table was worried: "The cannon sound of Isezaka has always been in the northwest direction, but now it is heard in the southwest, could it be that Amahara has been captured?" "It didn't take long. There was a herald who came with the news of the defeat of Isezaka. Then an order came: "Amahara's defense has been breached, and it is estimated that the enemy will take advantage of the momentum of the broken bamboo to break through all the way to Nabari." Now that Isezaka is only defended by our army, please send reinforcements immediately. Hearing this, Okanori and Shinagawa gathered the teams that were resting in Meyanagi and sent them to Isezaka. The Satsuma Osaka Army sent Fukano, Sasa and other troops, and Kamise Shikazo of the Hitoyoshi team also led more than 1,000 subordinates to rush to Isezaka with each team for reinforcements. At that time, the troops of the Satsuma army rushing to Isezaka were scattered squads or even half teams, but it was such a patchwork force that successfully smashed the surprise attack of government reinforcements. Kiyoshi Kijima and Kenhiko Nakajima, commanders of the Satsuma Army who were in Isezaka at the time, organized all the scattered soldiers who had arrived to reinforce them. And personally draw the sword and rush to the front to boost morale. The Satsuma army was in full swing. Successfully defeated the government troops. The "Manuscript of the Western War" has a detailed description of this battle:

"The thieves' reinforcements have come here from Osaka, and there are more than 1,000 people, all of whom are elite. Or it is said that the thief will clear your island, drive the stragglers of Tianyuan, Anyu, and Pingshan back to fight, and the thief will be revitalized. The thieves even broke into the middle of Isezaka and Pheasa Station with a separate team, intending to intercept our army. So Captain Kawasaki in Isezaka attacked him with one of his squadrons of the 3rd Wing (the 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Brigade), and the two police departments of Kawada and Ueda with their sword drawing teams. One of the squadrons of the 10th Wing of the Pheasant (the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd Brigade) and the troops of the 5th Brigade advanced from the main road and attacked it. The thief fights to the death and does not retreat. The thieves then attacked our two armies with the crowd, and even let other teams go, wanting to break through in the middle of them (the thieves of Pingshan were between the right wings, and the thieves of the Tianyuan Dao were behind the pheasant from the Shanlu place). Our army counterattacked. Thieves were rampant, and our army was defeated and cut off by it. As a result, the army of Isezaka was isolated and the conveyor route was blocked. The teams have not eaten lunch, and the search for ammunition is about to be exhausted. Imai Nakasa, Tsuda, and Tsuno discussed and said: 'Today, take advantage of the ammunition to quickly break through the enemy behind you, and after joining up with the army of pheasants, you will re-enter this place. 'The Nayl teams retreated one after another (the swords-drawing team returned to Alfalfa Town at noon, and was a thief at the intersection of the northeastern Sugi Road, but at six o'clock in the afternoon). The thieves struck again and again, and the distance was only fifteen or six meters. Our army rushed through, and did not hesitate to cover up, and there were many casualties, so we had to retreat from the pheasant. It was 5 p.m. ”

In the Battle of Isezaka, the government forces fought hard in the face of the onslaught of the Satsuma Army, but in the end they were not immune to defeat and failed to prevent their further development in depth. More than 2,600 government troops were killed and wounded, the heaviest day of the war, and 1,325 bodies were discarded in the Isezaka area. The government army killed only a few hundred of the Satsuma army, so the Satsuma army called the battle "The Great Victory of Isezaka".

The loss of Isezaka basically decided the defeat of the government forces. After that, although the government army still fought desperately against the Satsuma army in order to reverse the situation, the government army, which had lost the natural danger and was inferior in manpower and material resources, could no longer stop the attack of the Satsuma army. After that, although the government forces achieved some partial victories, they were not enough to hide the defeat of the entire campaign.

It is strange why the government forces, which held out for 17 days, fell in just four hours. Various explanations have been proposed for this. Some of them believe that on July 9, the Satsuma Army's roundabout troops, under the cover of the navy, landed behind the rear of the government forces, which led to a serious deterioration of the overall situation of the government forces and triggered the loss of Isezaka. However, the government forces fighting the landing force were mainly the last garrison troops to land, and the troops from the Isezaka front line were not transferred, and the Satsuma army landed behind the scenes, although it had a profound impact on the war situation, but the number was too small (only more than 1,000 people), and the impact had not yet reached the Isezaka front at that time, so this explanation is not very reasonable. The main reason for the loss of Isezaka was the lack of manpower and material resources of the government army. First of all, in terms of manpower, both sides suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Isezaka, but the replenishment of the government forces that had been cut off by sea was extremely limited compared to the replenishment capacity of the Satsuma Army. As a result, the troops on the front line are fighting fewer and fewer. Most of the troops used to change the defense were formed by forcibly conscripted civilians in the area. In terms of combat effectiveness, it is compared to the government army, which is mainly composed of trained civilian soldiers. is far inferior. In terms of material resources, the government army is extremely short of ammunition, even to the point of collecting civilian copper and iron tools, picking up rifles and bullets discarded by the Satsuma army (in fact, the performance of the French Grasse rifle used by the Satsuma army is far better than the Schneider rifle equipped by the government army, so as long as the government soldiers have the opportunity, they will collect as much as possible the enemy's guns and ammunition, and in the case of insufficient ammunition, get more enemy ammunition, the more chance of survival). And the government army, like the Satsuma army, organized a sword drawing team. It's not all about the spirit of bushido, it's more about the lack of ammunition and having to resort to white-knuckle combat. Therefore, the government army was far inferior to the Satsuma army in terms of strength and firepower, so defeat was inevitable. A more immediate factor was that on the 7th, at Anyukou, the main offensive direction of the Satsuma Army, the former enemy units that had been defending the area were replaced by reserve units, and these reserve units arrived on the battlefield after completing simple training for the local civilians who had only newly organized forced conscription on the 5th, so they were very unfamiliar with the battle. And the Satsuma army happened to place the main direction of attack here, so it succeeded in one blow. And the reason for the victory of the Satsuma army. In addition to the absolute superiority in manpower and material resources, Lin Yiqing's bold plan for the 10-day general attack was an important factor in breaking through the defense line of the government army in a short period of time. The plan boldly deployed troops to the front of the central positions of the government forces. It was completely unexpected by the government army, coupled with the concentration of superior forces and resolute action, so it was a success. However, there is also a very risky side to this plan. If the assault force is deployed in the valley, if it is discovered by the government army, it will face a flank attack from the government forces on Mt. Ise, especially in the direction of Isezaka, and the government forces in the direction of Isezaka can condescendingly attack the flank of the Satsuma army in the valley. If this is the case, the Satsuma Army columns, which are densely deployed in the valley, are afraid that they will suffer heavy casualties. However, the government forces did not send sentries to guard them, nor did they set up any warning devices (such as tin boxes with stones for tripping), so they were unable to detect the movements of the Satsuma army in advance. Otherwise, although the Satsuma army will definitely win by relying on its absolute superiority, I am afraid that it will have to pay a greater price and more time.

In the "Battle of Isezaka" from June 23 to July 11, the Satsuma Army successively invested 22,000 men, of which 3,766 were killed and 5,347 were wounded, a total of 9,113 people; The government army invested 19,000 men, killed 6,200 and wounded 5,100, for a total of 11,300. The losses of both sides were very large, with the Satsuma army losing nearly 40% of the invested troops, and the government army losing nearly 60% of the total troops, and this battle loss ratio was very terrible. The materials consumed by the two sides in the battle were also very staggering, with the Satsuma army consuming an average of 100,000 rounds of ammunition and more than 1,500 shells per day; Government forces also consume 80,000 rounds of ammunition per day. It can be said that for either side, Isezaka is a purgatory of iron and blood.

After the Battle of Isezaka, there were only more than 7,000 people left in the "Chongbei Army", which had become a frightened bird, and there was no longer the will to fight, and the Satsuma Army had the potential to wipe out the remnants of the government army in one fell swoop or drive them into the sea, but at this time, the Satsuma Army inexplicably stopped attacking.

After the Satsuma army stopped attacking, the remnants of the "Rushing Back Army" were given a rare respite, and Kodama Gentaro carefully studied the current situation of the government army, and suggested to Soga Yujun that while the Satsuma army failed to block the road to Nagoya, he immediately marched north lightly and rushed to break through. Soga Yutsuna accepted Kodama Gentaro's suggestion, and with the police team of the small police officer Yoshiaki Tanabe as the lead, he abandoned the artillery vehicle and marched north overnight, fleeing in the direction of Nagoya.

Due to the haste of the incident, some troops were not well prepared, and many people were lost and left behind along the way, but fortunately they were not pursued by the Satsuma army, and the remnants of the "Okika Army" of about 6,000 people managed to escape to Nagoya and join the government forces there. The more than 1,000 people who got lost and strayed were forced to retreat to Tsumatsusaka Port, and together with the wounded who remained there, they crossed the sea by civilian boat, and fled to the Atsumi Peninsula and into Shizuoka Prefecture.

Some historians believe that this is normal, because after the Battle of Isezaka, although the Satsuma army achieved a major victory, it suffered heavy casualties and consumed a lot of ammunition, so it was unable to intercept the remnants of the defeated government army and allow the government army to escape.

For this point of view. Some put forward a rebuttal: the Satsuma Army after the Battle of Isezaka. Although the casualties were significant. However, with the absolute superiority of troops, and the support and replenishment of the navy, coupled with the unprecedented high morale of the great victory, there was absolutely no problem in annihilating the remnants of the government army in one fell swoop.

The reason why the Satsuma Army is this. It's because of its coach Takamori Saigo.

Due to the fierce battle, although Saigo Takamori was just a rubber stamp, he could no longer sit idly by, so he went to the front line to check it in person, and the cruel scene on the battlefield made him feel extremely shocked, although Saigo Takamori experienced the Boshin War, but the tragedy of the war was still beyond his imagination. Although the Battle of Isezaka ended and the Satsuma army won a great victory, out of love for the lives of his soldiers, he "conserved his combat strength." The soldiers need to rest", and the order was given to stop fighting. Released the remnants of the government army.

The reason why Saigo Takamori let go of the remnants of the more than 7,000 government troops was also his own consideration: since the Southwest War began, not only the Satsuma army and the government army have suffered great casualties, but also the lives and property of Japanese civilians have also suffered huge losses. This is not difficult to see from the contents of Saigo Takamori's seal to Emperor Meiji after the Battle of Isezaka, in which Saigo Takamori said: "...... Since the uprising, many loyal and brave warriors of the empire have died in the tragedy of the brothers' wall, and the civilians have been killed by the soldiers, and all kinds of tragic situations are difficult to describe,...... I hope that the saint will make a decision as soon as possible, so as to calm the world for billions of trillions ......"

In addition, Saigo Takamori knew very well in his heart that the further expansion of the war would not only be of no benefit to both warring parties, but also greatly weakened Japan's national strength, so while delivering the seal, Saigo Takamori ignored the battle plan proposed by Hayashi Yiqing and Kirino Toshiaki to "escort 10,000 troops with the navy and attack Tokyo Bay", ordered to "stop the army and calm the people", and was content to occupy the territory of 22 prefectures in the southwestern half of Japan, and sat down to negotiate with the Meiji government in Tokyo, which gave the Meiji government a chance to breathe. The Meiji government mobilized the 23 prefectures in the Tohoku region and Hokkaido at the same time, and borrowed troops from foreign countries, and finally defeated him.

Because Saigo Takamori was very virtuous among the Japanese people, the saying that Saigo Takamori himself ordered the cessation of the army was all the rage, and it was endorsed by many Japanese scholars, and while the scholars praised Saigo Takamori's benevolence, they also felt sad that his good intentions did not achieve the desired results.

Although this statement is accepted by many people, there are still many scholars who put forward another opinion, that is, Saigo Takamori did not give the order to let go of the remnants of the government army, but that Lin Yiqing, who was then the chief of staff of the Satsuma Army, after the victory in the Battle of Isezaka, coincided with the birth of a daughter for him by his wife He Yunqing in the army, he was worried about the safety of his wife and daughter, and hurriedly returned to Osaka when the battle was not completely over. The letters containing the battle orders were accidentally washed away or lost by the rain during the transmission process, and the officers and men of the Satsuma Army on the front line were unable to take action without orders, so as to allow the remnants of the government army to escape.

There is also a theory that Lin Yiqing and his Japanese father-in-law, Toshiaki Kirino, deliberately stopped the military operation and let go of the remnants of the government army. Lin Yiqing already knew clearly that after this defeat, the morale of the government army was completely lost, and if he carried out too many killings, not only contrary to Saigo Takamori's slogan of "New Deal and Virtue", but also would strengthen the opponent's determination to resist to the end, he deliberately let go of the remnants of the government army, and his plan was to let the remnants of these government troops flee back after the defeat, spread panic among the government army, disturb the morale of the military in the northeast region retained by the Meiji government, and achieve the goal of victory without a fight. Later events showed that Lin Yiqing's idea had achieved great success: the defeat of the government army spread the situation of the "invincible" of the Satsuma army, and the military morale of the government army was greatly disturbed, and when the "Chongbei Army" launched a landing operation behind enemy lines, the main force of the government army in the front direction of 30,000 people had launched a coordinated attack, and fought fiercely with the Satsuma army in Kyoto for many days, but after the report of the defeat of the "Chongbei Army" came, the offensive of the government army suddenly collapsed, the whole army retreated, and the few achievements achieved before were all in vain. As a result, the Saigo Kobei Department of the Satsuma Army took the opportunity to pursue, killed nearly 2,000 government officers and soldiers, and advanced to the foot of Gifu Castle. After this war, the government army has lost the will to fight, although Yama County Youpeng again appointed Dashan Yan, who is quite a military talent, as the main general of the front line, and brought in a large number of German advisers to help command the operation, but the troops hesitated, and the number of fugitives increased day by day. (To be continued......)

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