In the castle of Saeki's family in Umibe County, Bungo Province, Kyushu, Shimazu Takahisa, Ito Yoshisuke, and Saeki Yukyo were meeting for the first official meeting of the coalition forces.

At some point, it suddenly rained outside, as if it was about to peel off the buds of the trees. The valleys and streams outside the city were filled with a layer of mist like heated milk.

"I see. I didn't expect Luo Zhengliang to be so treacherous. After listening to Saeki Yukyo's account of the Luo family's actions in the last month, Shimazu Takahisa sighed. Such a strange and hateful appearance of the Luo family is by no means a trivial matter, according to the past style of Luo's political goodness, there must be a conspiracy in it. Because of this, he was still distressed by the disappearance of Shinna Tadamoto, but now he has calmed down, and he has to carefully study the previous battle plan again, and then discuss it with the Ito family and the Saeki family again.

Shimazu Takahisa thought so, but Saeki Yukyo had something more important to tell Shimazu Takahisa and Ito Yoshisuke: "Both, a few days ago, the Luo family sent someone to send a few heads at night. ”

"Huh?" Shimazu Takahisa and Ito Yoshisuke were stunned again after hearing this, and at the same time looked at Saeki Yukyo, waiting for him to continue.

"Among these heads, one of them is Zuo Sanlang who was sent by the family to the Luo family to lurk, as for the other heads, I'm afraid they are the subordinates of the two adults, right?" Saeki said.

"I'm afraid so." Ito Yoshisuke nodded first after hearing this, and although Shimazu Takahisa on the other side did not make a sound, he also nodded slowly.

Although I didn't confirm it personally, it was from Saeki's words. The two of them had basically concluded that the details sent into the Luo family had been discovered. And the Luo family is the way to throw these elaborate heads into the city to increase the psychological threat to everyone. That's not the most important thing. More importantly, since Zuo Saburo and others have been exposed, it means that the Luo family has made preparations, so it is even more important not to be careless. The three of them couldn't help but ponder about this.

"In that case, we should raise our guns and step on the Luo family who came to commit crimes." After the three of them were silent for a while, Shimazu Takahisa said suddenly.

"Not bad!" Saeki Yukyo also loudly agreed. Now the Luo family has been killed in his territory. He has no way to avoid it, so naturally he hopes that the Shimazu family and the Ito family can help each other with all their might.

As he spoke, a map of the area where the Luo family was stationed unfolded in front of the three of them. Judging from the map, there are only two ways to attack the area where the Luo family is stationed from the direction of the city.

The first is the easiest to seem, which is to go straight along the east bank of the Kurusugawa River until you come to the zigzag area where the Kurusugawa River begins to turn. Here you will encounter a dense forest area on the east coast, and this dense forest is accompanied by dangerous mountains, but the Luo family has used the terrain of this dense forest to build fortifications.

Obviously, there is such a geographical advantage. As a defensive side, it is extremely easy to resist the invading enemy here. If the Luo family placed a team of iron cannons in such terrain, then the attacking side would not be willing to suffer heavy damage. Otherwise, it will be absolutely impossible to destroy this defensive point. What's even worse is that this is still the first defense point of the Luo family, and I don't know how many such defense points there will be later, it is estimated that after these defense points are destroyed, the attacking side will have no troops to attack the Luo family's base camp in the rear.

As for the west bank, there are also many difficulties along the way, first of all, before approaching the big camp of the Luo family, there is a dense forest opposite the dense forest on the east bank, the only thing to be happy about is that the terrain of this dense forest is relatively flat, and there is no dangerous terrain. And before the dense forest, the attacking troops can also go directly around the edge of the river.

But here, there will be even bigger problems. Although the attacking army at this time bypassed the dense forest on the west bank and reached the flat place in the center of the zigzag area of the Kurusugawa River, at this time the army still needed to cross the Kurusugawa River, which was seven or eight meters wide in front of them, to reach the Luo family's camp on the other bank, and the only way to cross the river was the rope bridge at this time.

And the rope bridge was controlled by the Luo family, and the archers and iron artillery of the Luo family on the east bank and the opposite bank were able to shoot at the area near the rope bridge in an all-round way, and even the dense forest on the west bank that was slightly in the rear at this time became a pinching attack from the rear of their army, so that the attacking army would really be attacked by the enemy.

Therefore, if they wanted to break the camp of the Luo family in one fell swoop, after the three of them discussed it, they all thought that it was possible to attack from both sides at the same time.

"It's just, where should the main forces of our army be placed?" After deciding on the overall strategy of the attack, Saeki asked again. Previously, he had been so angry that the Luo family's move to plunder the territory was so angry that he was losing his appetite, and this time he was looking forward to the attack on the Luo family, as for staying in the city and confronting the Luo family, this was at a disadvantage for the Saeki family, the Shimazu family, and the Ito family.

The reason is that most of the Saeki family's food reserves have been burned, and the Shimazu family and the Ito family must need to continue to support this place from afar. So the longer the time drags on, then the three families will inevitably suffer greater losses, in this case, it is better to directly fight against the Luo family and strive to repel the Luo family?

"The east bank of the Kurusu River." Faced with Saeki Yukyo's question, Shimazu Takahisa replied without hesitation, "How about leaving 3,000 reserve troops stationed there, as the rear army, and Your Excellency to command?" ”

"No, it's better to be the commander of the vanguard formation." In the face of Shimazu Takahisa's invitation, Saeki Yukyo said, "I am more familiar with the local terrain. ”

"Then please, Your Excellency." Takahisa Shimazu said immediately. Yoshisuke Ito, who was on the side, also nodded in agreement. He originally thought that Saeki Weijiao would try to avoid taking on the task of being the vanguard that would inevitably suffer heavy losses, after all, the Saeki family's military strength was really limited, and if it continued to lose, it would really greatly reduce the weight in front of his own family and the Shimazu family, but now Saeki Weijiao took the initiative to undertake the task of the first hand, so both he and the Shimazu family were satisfied this time. Then he will go all out to deal with the Luo family.

"Your Excellency estimates how many troops the Luo family has this time?"

"It's estimated that there are no less than 5,000 people." Saeki said a little ashamedly. Speaking of which. He was really a little annoyed. In the case of one's own territory being attacked by the opponent one after another. Even now, his subordinates still haven't figured out the specific number of the Luo family's army this time.

"It's only 5,000 people, and we have mobilized three troops. In case of a miss, it is strange not to be laughed at by future generations. Yoshisuke Ito said immediately when he heard this.

"Hmm." Although he has always been vigilant in his heart, in order to boost morale, Shimazu Takahisa also agreed. So, on this day, the three of them quickly discussed the offensive strategy and specific division of labor against the Luo family.

The next day. The three coalition forces of tens of thousands of people officially marched out of the castle of Saeki's family. Among them, Ijiin Tadakura and Uehara Naojin in the north of the city led two thousand Shimadzu family horses; The main gate in the northwest of the city was led by Saeki Weijiao with 2,000 Saeki family horses; These two groups will serve as the main force of the East Coast offensive. To the west of the city were 2,500 Ito horses led by Yoshisuke Ito. This group of men will serve as the main force of the West Bank offensive. As for the more than 3,000 mixed men and horses led by Takahisa Shimazu in the south of the city, they were used as a reserve army, ready to support the attack of the two armies at any time. An army of tens of thousands of people immediately began to march towards the camp where the Luo family was located.

On the other hand, the fortifications around the camp of the Kurusugawa Luo clan are also in full swing. As the commander of the first outpost defense position on the east bank, the one-eyed dragon army of the Luo family, Fu Luo Masamune, was commanding men and horses at this time, building fortifications.

"If the opponent's army comes, will these fortifications be able to withstand it?" Looking at the position in front of him, Luo Zhengzong pondered. As early as when the reinforcements of the Shimazu family and the Ito family arrived at the border of the Saeki family, the Black Eagle of the Luo family, who was lurking in the local area, had already investigated the situation of the reinforcements of the Shimazu and Ito families.

"I heard that the enemy has to have 10,000 horses."

"Can we resist it here?"

"What are you afraid of. When the war starts, we will retreat to the rear. Again. There are tens of thousands of people here. ”

Seeing the many temporary workers who had been looted by the Luo family from Saeki's territory to carry the earth and rocks from time to time, Jiushiro whipped them and urged them to hurry up and get to work.

"We are in danger here, we are better than thousands of soldiers and horses, and this battle will be won! Don't make any calculations! ”

Kushichiro is a local leader of the Saeki family, extremely simple, and the newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. Later, he directly joined the army of the Luo family and became a reserve standing ashiki.

He was originally in love with a girl named Kyoko from his original village and was about to get married. As a result, Kyoko met a retainer of the local Saeki family during an outing, and was taken a fancy to.

"If I am caught, I will live and die with you." One night when they were about to be forced to marry the retainer of the Saeki family, the two decided to choose a suitable time to elope and go to the Luo family's territory, which was rumored to be a good place to live.

Fortunately, just as the two were preparing to act, the looting army of the Luo family arrived, and the Jiuqilang and Apricot families became the leaders of the Luo family, and the two could be together with peace of mind. Jiuqilang, who has always regarded his happiness as brought by the Luo family, relied on his hard work and constant requests in the process of building fortifications, and happened to meet the opportunity to temporarily recruit soldiers on the spot for the Luo family's army, so he finally became a Luo family reserve ashigaru.

Of course, although he has become a reserve stander, due to the manpower and the fact that he has not yet received special training from the Luo family, Jiushiro's current job is mainly to supervise the construction of fortifications by ordinary lords who are also from the territory of the Saeki family. So, carrying sandbags, making fences, and piling mounds of earth, the soldiers and people were busy with each other. Because here, both officers and soldiers, as well as ordinary people, men, women, and children, will face the same fate: either they will break the enemy army, or they will come to Tailai; Either die on the battlefield and expose the corpses in the wilderness.

It was late March. The cuckoo circled between the mountains and forests, making a terrible mournful cry. Most of the fortifications have also been built.

"Kill!"

"Rush!"

In the woods on the other side of the construction site, the sound of drills was also filled. No matter where an enemy comes in, be sure to repel them. If the enemy is negligent, he will be killed immediately. Avoid the real and hit the false.

"If we hide here quietly, we don't move. The enemy will then divide his forces elsewhere in a roundabout way. The enemy's plans must not be allowed to succeed. I'm going to nail them here. Let them not be able to advance if they want to, and they can't retreat if they want to. Surprise and attack is our tactic. Remember. A general who appeared to be a retainer of the Luo family said loudly to the training soldiers under his command.

Everyone was busy training the troops, some of them were cutting arrows with knives, poking dirt bags, throwing stones, and shooting arrows. Look at this scene. Jiuqilang laughed a few times: "Hahaha...... In this way, our army will win, and it will win, and it will win! ”

At first, there were very few people around him who laughed with him. However, with the continuous training of the Luo family's military strength, after the invincible confidence was gradually established, Jiuqilang smiled, and everyone around him also opened their mouths and laughed, laughing so much that their throats were itching.

March 27. Afternoon. The tripartite coalition of Shimazu, Ito, and Saeki finally approached. With the wolf smoke burning in front of the Luo family's detectives, the side of the Luo family's position quickly began to prepare.

"Look. A sea of flags everywhere is truly spectacular! After climbing to the top of a mountain, Kushiro suddenly let out an exclamation when he saw the enemy troops in the distance. For some reason, he had an urge to stay in the position to meet the enemy.

Many of the surrounding leaders of the Motosaki family looked in the direction pointed by Jiushiro, and saw a sea of people, surging like a tide, and many people were immediately weak. The number of 10,000 people is often heard from the people around me, but I didn't expect it to be so much.

"Alright, listen to the order, return to the rear immediately!" At this time, seeing that these local leaders were panicked, Luo Shimasamune, who was the chief general of the frontline position, immediately ordered.

"Yes." Many of the people who were originally in charge of building the fortifications immediately began to move quickly to the rear under the command of many overseers. Seeing that the war was about to begin, they naturally wanted to stay as far away from the battlefield as possible.

"If I also come from a samurai family and want to command so many people, even if it is only once, I am satisfied." While obeying the order and starting to command the people to evacuate in an orderly manner, Jiuqilang peeked at the Luo clan Masamune who was standing at the highest point of the mountain, and couldn't help but think in his heart.

"Assemble and arm." And Luo Zhengzong also quickly ordered at this time. Under his order, the standing members of the Luo family, who were the main force of the forward positions on the east coast, immediately began to wear helmets and armor (the equipment of the Luo family is heavy, and under normal circumstances, in order to maintain their bodies, the standing guards will not wear them all the time).

Seeing that his subordinates quickly began to equip themselves, Luo Zhengzong was naturally very satisfied in his heart. The Luo family's army is armed quickly, but it is well-known far and wide, and as his subordinate, he naturally cannot slack off. This time, in order to get the opportunity to be the main force in the front line, he has been competing with many main generals in his family for a long time.

After finally competing for this activation, as the main general, when he was preparing to face the battle, he did everything in detail and thoughtfully. All the dry firewood, branches, and thatch in the position were cleaned up neatly, so that when the enemy fired rockets, it was easy to extinguish the fire; Some of the bushes in the position were also cleared, so that after the enemy rushed into the position, he could dance with his sword; Ammunition depots should be well protected; The actions of the iron artillery corps should be swift and timely; The use of drinking water should be strictly controlled. As a result, on that day, the enemy did not attack, and the flames of war did not burn.

"The enemy seems to be resting, and we have nowhere to go, and we are uncomfortable."

The next day, there was movement, and the enemy began to approach the position. Once a person finds a reason not to be afraid of death, he will be extremely bold, and even think that there is no difference between life and death, even if he can save his life, he will not hesitate to do so. Looking at the enemy's approach, it is clear that the enemy is preparing to directly storm the position.

"In that case, then come on." When he discovered the enemy's intentions, the main general, Luo Shi Masamune, had already put life and death aside.

"My lord, they're finally here." The head of the standing group, Saemon Katsuyoshi, came to ask for battle at this time, "I led the army to take the initiative to attack, and I was taken by surprise and attacked unprepared." ”

After hearing this, Luo Masamune almost wanted to reprimand him immediately, but he stopped talking again, just frowned, and said, "Jizaemon, your courage is not small." ”

"Your Excellency has won the prize. I just want to scare the enemy. ”

"Hugh will say more!" Luo clan Masamune stood up and immediately walked down to the highest point of the mountain, "Fighting the enemy head-on, how many people will have to die in this, have you considered it?" ”

"As long as there is a war, there will be sacrifices. I think I can fold fifty or sixty people at most......"

Hearing this, Masamune Roche paced back and forth, and then turned around. Staring sternly at Jizaemon, "It looks like there are at least four or five thousand people on the other side." We could have hid in our positions and attacked the enemy with iron cannons and bows and arrows. And you want to abandon these advantages to fight the enemy, is it worth it for you to do so? ”

"You could have attacked the enemy lightly, but you have to fight with the enemy, how many people will you lose in vain? Didn't you think of it? Don't rush into action! In this battle, those who die vigorously are not heroes, and those who survive strongly are the real heroes, do you understand? ”

Jizaemon stopped talking.

"It's not just about you to know. And let everyone know. Lives cannot be lost prematurely. After speaking, Luo Zhengzong turned his head into the position without looking back.

"My lord, the enemy is starting to get closer, what should I do?" When Masamune Roche came to the position, I don't know who screamed. Naturally, it was not only Roche Masamune who was observing the enemy here.

"Ah, my lord, the enemy has been slaughtered in a steady stream." I don't know who shouted again.

At this time, Luo Masamune was like a rock, motionless. The corner of his eye glanced slightly, and he found that the shouting were two recruits who were obviously new to the standing team this year. It seems that he has not participated in any battles, and it is natural for him to be nervous at this time. So he immediately laughed and scolded: "Hurry a fart! ”

Although scolding these two guys in my heart. But this is definitely not the time to vent anger, but to be more calm, so as to stabilize the morale of the army. So when the enemy's vanguard arrived not far from the position, he even laughed, "Ha, ha, ha...... Iron artillery and archers get ready! ”

"Yes." The commander of the Iron Artillery Team and the Archery Team immediately received the order.

Just after Luo Zhengzong conveyed the order, I saw that the enemy suddenly began to speed up at this time.

"My lord, the enemy has ......," Seeing this, his subordinate immediately reminded.

"Wait."

The position that Masamune of the Luo clan was in charge of was at the forefront of the Luo family's fortifications on the east bank of the Kurusu River. In this forward front, the three people of Kamidai Shengli, Luo Masamune, and Ueda Shinji are in charge of the left, middle and right three places. As the main position in the middle, because the geographical location happens to be a terrain with a hill, once the enemy occupies the position, then the defensive position of the Luo family on the left and right sides and the successor position of the Luo family in the rear of Luo Masamune will be in a situation of being looked down on by the enemy and fall into a disadvantage. Therefore, the strategic location of this position of Luo Shi Masamune is particularly important, which also leads to the fact that this place will inevitably suffer from the fierce attack of the enemy. In order to fully defend this position, Masato deliberately arranged 380 iron cannons to come to support, as for the archers, there were more than 1,000 people, in addition to the rest of the general spear standing soldiers were also equipped with bows and arrows as temporary archers.

At this time, in the face of the rapidly approaching enemy army, Luo Shi Masamune tried his best to control the situation and pretend to be relaxed. He glanced back at the people under his command, and then said loudly, "Okay! Wait until the enemy is within 10 distances to start shooting, remember, be sure to hit accurately. ”

In fact, the distance between the ten rooms is already quite close, as long as you are not blind, whether it is an iron cannon or a bow and arrow, as long as you shoot at the crowd of enemy soldiers, you will inevitably be shot. And it was precisely because he wanted to inflict maximum damage on the enemy that he tried his best to endure and wait for the enemy to enter such a close distance before allowing him to start shooting.

"Ready! Aim! As the enemy army was about to enter the firing distance of the ten rooms, Luo Shi Masamune did not dare to make a loud noise, but waved his hand quickly. At this time, the enemy archers had already begun to attack the position of the Luo family, but because there were trees above their heads, the arrows that were fired into the trees were only nailed to the trunks of the trees, and the latter was blocked by the branches and leaves and slowly fell to the ground, unable to hurt the defenders of the Luo family at all.

At this time, the sky has begun to clear, and the mountain fog that is common in the local area during this season has begun to dissipate, and you can see the rapids rushing across the banks of the Kurusu River, and the bright sun shining on both sides of the river is particularly magnificent.

"Bang, bang......"

"Whoosh, whoosh......"

With the sound of guns and arrows, the echoes on both sides of the Kurusu River echo like a hundred thunders. The enemy troops who were rapidly approaching immediately slowed down, as if they were being intercepted by something, causing a lot of chaos in an instant.

"Ah......h

Seeing this, Luo Shi Masamune immediately shouted loudly: "The enemy is in front, fight, give me all my strength!" (To be continued......)