Several other Germans, along with Philic's assistant Herman, were also firing with Mauser rifles in their hands, apparently better marksmanship than the peasant soldiers who had rushed into battle with only a little training, and the small group quickly showed its effect, and a dozen or so Satsuma samurai were knocked to the ground as soon as they rushed not far in front of the government ranks.

But in this way, this group of Germans soon became the target of the Satsuma samurai, and Philix saw a Satsuma samurai with a scar on his face, a hat, and a kimono embroidered with his family crest on his head, and he raised his gun and aimed it at this side, and he hurriedly shot at this man, but he didn't want the gun to suddenly jam! He saw that the other party was aiming at Herman, and was about to give a warning, but the other party had already opened fire.

Herman, who was riding on a horse, was shot in the chest and fell off his horse with a scream.

Herman's shot startled the Germans next to him, and one by one they turned their horses' heads and ran towards the rear, when the Satsuma samurai opened fire again, and after a burst of ping-pong gunfire, the five Germans dismounted.

At this time, the government troops huddled in this small woodland had collapsed under the attack of the powerful fire of the Satsuma samurai, and Oyama Iwa still refused to leave while waving the sword in his hand, and several guards saw that the situation was critical, and did not care about the majesty of the newly promoted lieutenant general, so they took his saber from the second and carried him onto the horse, and fled to the rear with him in their arms.

Philix saw Herman, struggling in a pool of blood, and tried to rush to his aid, but more and more retreating government forces pushed him farther and farther away. When Philix pulled the reins of the horse. When struggling to squeeze through the crowd. Suddenly, he found that a tall and strong leader of the Satsuma army had come to Herman's side, he stepped on Herman's stomach with one foot, turned his head to look at Philicus, and pulled out the samurai sword in his hand.

Philix knew what he was going to do, and couldn't help but yell "No!" in German. - "He pulled out the jammed bullet and threw it away, reloaded it, and raised the gun to fire. The other party raised his rifle with his left hand and fired first.

Although the opponent fired with one hand, it was still extremely accurate, and Philix only felt a numbness in his shoulder, and the Mauser rifle in his hand fell. It took him a long time to steady himself and not fall off his horse.

The Satsuma soldier sneered, lowered his rifle, and slammed the samurai sword in his hand and slashed at Herman's neck!

Philix watched as Herman's head detached from his body, with a dull expression. Rolled to the side.

"Bastard!" Felix only had time to curse before he fainted on his horse. His horse now sensed that his master had no longer given him any more instructions, and instinctively prompted it to carry Philicus on his back, and to run in the direction of the way from which the fleeing government soldiers had come.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, a cannonball fired by the Satsuma Army flew like a meteor and exploded into the ranks of the fleeing government troops.

A huge black smoke ball rose from the woods, and Murata Shinhachi raised his binoculars to carefully observe the woods in the distance, and he saw that after the explosion, more government soldiers poured out of the woods, running away in the way they came.

The artillery on the artillery positions of the Satsuma army in several other places also opened fire one after another, and one shell after another flew into the woods, constantly exploding in the woods, raising clouds of black smoke, as well as a large number of broken wood and flying stones, flying into the sky one after another.

"The British Armstrong artillery is not small, but it is not easy to move, and it is inconvenient when marching and fighting." Murata Shinpachi turned his head and said to Toshiro Muto, the leader of the allied "High Pot Team" beside him.

"Yes! However, having is better than nothing, and if it is properly arranged as it is now, it can also deal a fatal blow to the enemy. Muto Toshiro looked at the retreating government army, and couldn't help but admire Murata Shinhachi for being an artillery expert who studied in Europe.

Because the Satsuma army defeated the government army repeatedly, a large number of guns and artillery discarded by the government army were obtained, and the Satsuma army because of the victory of the war, more and more people from all over the country came to defect, forming a number of allied troops, known as the "party Satsuma team", these troops lacked new weapons, and the Satsuma army seized a large number of weapons and ammunition from the government army was just used to equip the "party Satsuma team", of which the rifles were mainly Schneider rifles and Enfield rifles, and the artillery was the British Armstrong artillery. This kind of British artillery was larger than the Krupp gun, and its operation was also relatively cumbersome, and the "Dang Sazhu Team" lacked people who knew how to operate artillery, so Murata Shinpachi, an artillery expert in the Satsuma Army, had to arrange special personnel to assist the "Dang Sazhu Team" in operating the captured cannons and assuming the responsibility of teaching and training.

In today's battle, the four Armstrong guns operated by the gunners of the "High Cauldron Team" composed of the old High Cabe clan played an important role in the battle, proving that the effect of Murata Shinhachi's "emergency training" was quite good.

At the same time, the commander of this government army, Dashan Yan, had fallen into complete despair.

After falling from his horse, looking at the panicked defeated soldiers and wounded people all over the ground, Oyama Iwa screamed, snatched the sword given to him by the emperor from one of the guards, and was about to commit suicide.

The guards were horrified, howled one by one, and threw him to the ground, snatching the knife from his hand.

"Give me the knife! I'm going to kill myself and apologize! Dashan Yan hissed and howled as he struggled desperately.

Seeing this chaotic scene, the German consultant Philix couldn't help but be shocked.

"General! No, it can't be! Philix stepped forward and snatched the Emperor's sword from the guards, shouting, "We still have a chance to win!" We're not going to fail! ”

"I received the great favor of His Majesty the Emperor, and I was defeated in the first battle, so what face did I have to see His Majesty the Emperor!" The mountain rock hissed and struggled, trying to step forward and take the knife back.

"General, if you die now, it will mean nothing to you, to His Majesty the Emperor, or to your motherland. The one who left his name in history is only a loser. Philix looked at the Great Mountain Rock. Masaki said. "If you don't want to be a loser. You should find a way to turn yourself from a loser to a winner. ”

Hearing the interpreter explain Felix's words, the rumbling of cannons in the distance seemed to remind Dashan Yan of something, and he knew that Felix sighed, gave up the idea of killing himself, and stopped struggling.

"General, you know what? This time we failed, mainly because. We went too fast, the artillery did not keep up, and in the face of enemy artillery fire, it was impossible to suppress fire. "I have reason to think that the infantry and artillery of your army are very poorly coordinated, if not not, and that this is why it has led to a series of defeats on the battlefield before." ”

"You have a point." Oyama Rock calmed down, remembered the relevant reports he had read about the previous battles, and nodded.

"As a soldier who fought against France, the number one army power in Europe. I want to tell you, General. At the beginning of the war, the Prussian army was able to sweep through the French army and defeat them to the ground, all because of the superior Krupp cannons. "Of course, the French army did not have a very bad artillery, but they did not use it as well as the Prussian army, and they only knew how to attack blindly, just like your army today, and suffered terrible blows and heavy losses." ”

"Mr. Felix, what do you think we should do to improve?" Da Shanyan's eyes flashed with hope, and he asked eagerly.

"I don't think your army can defeat the rebels with sophisticated equipment and strong combat effectiveness." Philix turned his head to look at the depressed government soldiers around him, and said, "The morale of your army is already extremely low, and it lacks the necessary equipment, so it is impossible to defeat the enemy. ”

After listening to the interpreter's explanation, Oyama Iwa thought that the current situation of the government army was indeed the case, and was about to ask how to change the situation, but he didn't want several samurai from Tokaido to hear their conversation, but suddenly pulled out his sword and pointed at Oyama Iwa and shouted: "Nonsense! How come we can't defeat the enemy? The failure just now was all because of your indiscriminate command of the thief! ”

Hearing these samurai-turned-soldiers directly accuse their commander of being a "thief and spies", Philex couldn't help but be stunned.

Hearing the rebuke of his subordinates, Dashan Yan was speechless for a while.

As the cousin of the "thief leader" Saigo Takamori, what can he say to these Tokai samurai?

At the time of the Shogunate War, the Tohoku feudal domains all supported the Tokugawa shogunate, but the Meiji government was able to establish and the Meiji Restoration was succeeded thanks to the military support of the "four great feudal domains of the southwest": Satsuma, Tosa, Choshu, and Hizen. After the defeat of the Tokugawa family, all the Tohoku feudal clans were deprived of their territories, and the samurai of the Tohoku feudal clans who originally belonged to the Tohoku feudal clan hated the Satsuma people to the core, and this time the Southwest War broke out, and the samurai of the Tohoku feudal clan, who originally belonged to the samurai camp, became the enemies of the Satsuma army.

In the face of the rapid growth of the Satsuma army, the government army also continued to increase its strength, and in addition to mobilizing civilians to join the army, it also recruited samurai who had supported the shogunate in the Shogunate War. Because these people were defeated by the Emperor's army led by Saigo Takamori in the War of the Shogunate, they lost their fortune and power, and they hated Saigo Takamori and the Satsuma samurai. Of course, Saigo Takamori didn't have a good impression of them either. Saigo Takamori once wrote a poem by the river during the fall of the curtain: "The three hundred years of inexhaustible hatred will want to slaughter the soldiers of the East China Sea." "Expressing dislike for the shogunate forces. Of course, this is only a poetic statement, and in many cases it can only be regarded as an exaggeration, but in fact, Saigo Takamori did not and could not exterminate the shogunate forces after the defeat, and he showed considerable generosity on issues such as "Edo opened the castle without blood". However, it is an indisputable fact that the samurai of the old shogunate lost their fortune and privileges after the war: the samurai of the victorious side were miserable, let alone those of the defeated side. As a result, the old samurai in the east saw their participation in the government army's suppression of Saigo Takamori's rebellion as a good opportunity to take revenge on the Satsuma samurai collectively and fight for their own personal advancement. Therefore, the bravery they showed in the Southwest War was no worse than that of the Satsuma army. Before he sent out his army, Oyama Iwa had heard a samurai leader of the old shogunate who had joined the government army make such a poem of revenge: "Have you ever seen the samurai of Satsuma, the broadsword of the Eastern Warriors is Riya? Blunt yes? ”

A group of outcasts in a class destined to be abandoned by history wielded a knife of revenge against another group of people who started this era but were also outcasts.

"Yaga! What nonsense are you talking about! One of the guards of the Great Mountain Rock jumped up and drew his saber sharply. Point to the Tokai samurai.

"Why did he say that?" Philippus, of course, didn't understand what was going on. Turning to the translator in German, he asked.

"It is rumored that His Excellency General Oyama is a relative of the rebel chief." Translate in front of the big mountain rock. I'm embarrassed to say it directly, but I just answered vaguely.

"I see." Philix sighed as he looked at the pale mountain rock.

"What are you doing? Put your knives down! Seeing the Tokai samurai and Oyama Iwa's guards drawing their swords against each other, Captain Katsura Taro, who rushed to hear the news, shouted loudly.

"We will never accept the command of the thief!" The leader of the Tokai samurai did not put down his sword, but pointed the tip of his sword at Oyama Iwa and said.

"Bastard! Who is the thief and the spy! Katsura Taro pointed to the Emperor's Imperial Saber in Philix's hand and said angrily, "General Oyama is a lieutenant general personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor, and he is an excellent general in the Imperial Army!" How dare you be so disobedient? Don't want a head? ”

Katsura Taro's angry rebuke caused the Tokai samurai to retreat with their swords in a daze, and after Katsura Taro stared at them and left, he walked to Oyama Iwa's side.

Philix handed the Emperor's Imperial Saber to Katsura Taro, who took the hilt, pulled out the knife and looked at it, then reinserted the knife and handed it to Oyama Iwa.

"General, His Majesty's sword is not used to commit suicide by seppuku." Katsura Taro looked at Oyama Iwa and said in a deep voice. "We all need you, please cheer up! Please! ”

"Thank you. Gui Jun. Oyama Iwa took a deep breath, got up, took the Emperor's saber with both hands, and bowed deeply to Katsura Taro.

After reinvigorating Oyama Iwa and Miura Goden, and others gathered their defeated troops, they retreated to the southeast and looked for an opportunity to fight again, while reporting the battle situation to Tokyo.

Osaka, Satsuma naval anchorage, ironclad ship "Kongo".

"What do you think of this boat?" Lin Yiqing stood on the flying bridge, looked at the busy Satsuma sailors on the ship, and asked Togo Heihachiro with a smile.

"A very good ship, although the style is a little old compared to the active ships of the British Navy, but in East Asia, it is the latest and most powerful warship without rivals." Heihachiro Togo replied, "Even the latest armored cruiser of the Qianguo Ship Administration and Navy Division is no match for it. ”

Listening to Togo Heihachiro's praise of the "King Kong" ironclad ship now commanded by him, Lin Yiqing secretly said in his heart, "I'm afraid it may not be", but on the surface, he just smiled and nodded, as if agreeing with Togo Heihachiro's opinion.

"I'm just worried about our ammunition problem with the Hiei." Heihachiro Togo looked at Lin Yiqing and said, "Don't have the dilemma of the Battle of the Ryukyu Sea again. ”

"What you're saying is, Dongxiang-kun, this is a big problem, and I'm doing my best to solve this matter now." Lin Yiqing replied with a smile, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to Osaka in person." ”

"I don't know what the Fuso is doing now." Heihachiro Togo looked at the calm bay in the distance and said, "From the beginning of the war to the present, this warship has not been dispatched, I don't know why. ”

"I've heard that the 'Fuso' has always been faulty, and it is always being repaired." Lin Yiqing said, "My personal guess is that Tokyo Bay needs warship protection, and the 'Fuso' is equipped with six 24-centimeter cannons that are unique in Japan, so the 'Fuso' has not been dispatched." ”

"Yes, 6 24cm cannons ......" Thinking of the powerful firepower of the "Fuso", a trace of worry flashed in Togo Heihachiro's eyes.

"I've heard that the original design of the 'Fuso' was not like this, but almost the same design as the 'Hiei' and 'Kongo', why did it come to the current style with three heavy turrets?" Lin Yiqing understood what Togo Heihachiro was thinking, so he pretended to be puzzled and asked.

"I guess it's a lesson learned from the blood of the battle against the Qianguo Navy!" Heihachiro Togo thought for a moment and replied.

"Oh? Can you elaborate on it? Lin Yiqing raised his eyebrows and asked.

"I have studied in detail all the naval battles that took place in the Battle of Taiwan, and I have found that an important reason for the defeat of the Imperial Navy was that the Qianguo fleet had seized a favorable firing position and could not get rid of it." Heihachiro Togo replied, "For example, in the Battle of Langqiao, the Imperial Navy's 'Dong' ironclad ship was repeatedly crossed by the Qianguo cruiser at the bow and stern, forming an English 'T' situation, and the bow and stern of the 'Dong' ironclad ship could not use direct artillery fire, coupled with the slow speed, it was in a situation of being passively beaten until it was finally sunk by the enemy ship. ”

Heihachiro Togo said as he gestured with his hand, "In the 'Battle of the Ryukyu Sea', the ironclad ship 'Ryuchamp' also encountered the same situation and was finally defeated. I believe that the reason why the Fuso was designed in this way is to prevent this from happening again. ”

Listening to Togo Heihachiro's answer, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but feel a little funny in his heart while admiring.

Sure enough, he is worthy of being the inventor of the "T" word tactic in the original historical time and space!

"The advantages of using the 'Coles turret' are, firstly, that it can fire in the bow and stern directions, and secondly, when fighting on the side of the ship, it can concentrate all the gunfire for firing. Another benefit is the strong protection of the 'Coles turret'. Heihachiro Togo continued, "I think that's why the Fuso was designed in this way. (To be continued......)

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