PS: The second update is coming, asking for a monthly pass!!

From Edo to Mt. Tsukuba, it's about 80 kilometers. After the Chinese* army set out from Edo, it marched along the road towards Mt. Tsukuba. The Kanto Plain is the center of Japan's economy and domination, and its transportation facilities are quite good. The 75-mm field guns of the artillery battalion of the Chinese Marine Corps, which are fully passable. This allowed the march of the Chinese* army without problems.

Along the way, the Chinese* army rarely touched the Japanese. Probably because it was learned that the Chinese* army was marching on Mt. Tsukuba, and that the two sides would have a decisive battle on the Kanto Plain. Therefore, the Japanese living here fled so as not to be affected by the war. In Japanese official propaganda, the Chinese have become evil demons, and if they are caught, men will be killed, and women will be humiliated to death. Therefore, the Japanese civilian population is very afraid of the Chinese* army.

In the process of marching towards Mount Tsukuba, the cavalry company of the Chinese Marine Corps also continued to search and reconnoiter the direction of Mount Tsukuba to find out the reality of the Japanese army. In the process, the cavalry of both sides continued to exchange fire. However, the Japanese cavalry, armed with bows and arrows and sabers, was no match for the Chinese cavalry at all. In addition, the Japanese war horses belong to that kind of bantam horses, and the endurance is reasonable, but the speed and explosiveness are far from being comparable to the war horses of the Chinese cavalry. Coupled with the gap in weapons and equipment, the Japanese cavalry was completely suppressed. In almost every encounter, the Japanese cavalry paid a heavy price.

Over time, in order to reduce losses. The Japanese simply withdrew their cavalry to the vicinity of Mount Tsukuba and ignored the reconnaissance of the Chinese cavalry. Tokugawa Iekei, the shogun, thinks. In the face of sufficient strength, any intrigues are useless. Even if the Chinese mastered the reality of the Japanese army, they would not be able to defeat them. At present, the total strength of the Japanese army in Mt. Tsukuba has reached 80,000. And this number is still rising as more and more feudal lords arrive. The more time passed, the more obvious the superiority of the Japanese army in terms of strength. Tokugawa Iekei believes. Ozawa was able to exterminate 5,000 Chinese at the cost of 10,000, a ratio of almost two to one. In this case, more than 80,000 Japanese troops. It is enough to wipe out thirty or forty thousand Chinese. Now there are only more than 10,000 Chinese who have landed in Japan, and Tokugawa Iekei thinks that he has a good chance of winning. As long as this battle can be won, the crisis of the Tokugawa shogunate will be resolved. After beating the Chinese to the pain. The Chinese will presumably be willing to sit down and negotiate. Next. Perhaps we will be able to resolve the contradictions with China through diplomatic means. Even if it costs a certain amount of money, it is worth it. That's much better than being wiped out by the Chinese.

With the retreat of the Japanese cavalry, all kinds of information were continuously sent to the commanders of the Chinese* army. The staff officers of the command, based on this information, learned about the situation of the Japanese army and made corresponding operational arrangements after analysis.

"General. According to the information we have gathered, the Japanese army has gathered more than 80,000 people in Mt. Tsukuba. Moreover. This number is constantly increasing and is expected to eventually exceed 100,000. A staff officer reported to Lieutenant General Sun Hao.

"100,000? It's a lot. However, it shouldn't pose any threat to us! Lieutenant General Sun Hao said.

"General, the intention of the Japanese should be to prepare for a final decisive battle with us at Mt. Tsukuba. That's why they're massing forces here. The staff officer continued.

"Isn't that exactly what we wanted? If the Japanese want a decisive battle, then fight with them, just solve the problem once and for all! Major General Zhang Shun, commander of the 1st Brigade of the Chinese Marine Corps, said.

"Yes, that's it. Fight a decisive battle with the Japanese at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba and defeat them once and for all! In addition, this time let the cavalry and scouts be ready, and the Japanese will not be able to transport all the wealth away! Lieutenant General Sun Hao admonished. Last time, the Japanese were allowed to transport their wealth away in advance, and the Chinese* army was swept away. This time, nothing can be said to let this happen again.

"Yes, General!" The staff officer nodded, and then gave the order. Each Marine or Infantry Brigade is accompanied by a cavalry company and a reconnaissance company. The cavalry company had more than 150 cavalry, and the three marine brigades had a total of more than 400 cavalry. In addition, the Scout is also the best of the best. Three cavalry companies and three scout companies joined forces, and it was simply impossible for the Japanese to transfer that wealth away. Lieutenant General Sun Hao is determined this time and will not let the boiled duck fly away again.

The Chinese* army was getting closer and closer to Mount Tsukuba, and the Japanese army was gradually agitated. After all, although the strength of the Chinese* army is not large, it has been constantly making them fall behind. Even though the Japanese had a great advantage in numbers, they were still a little worried.

Tokugawa Iekei, the shogun, reassured them that they would win this time. After victory, each feudal lord who has made meritorious contributions in the war will be rewarded for responding. This made the feudal lords very satisfied. Japan was not rich in the first place, and there were many feudal lords, so except for some powerful feudal lords, the rest of the feudal domains did not live well. If you can use this war to get the appreciation of the general, it will be worth it. For this, even if it costs a lot, it is worth it.

As for the strength of the Chinese, the clan lords did not care. They believed that the shogunate army, which had gathered more than 80,000 men, was the most powerful army and would be able to sweep across all of Japan. Even the Chinese don't want to defeat them.

Although, these clan lords all know that fighting with the Chinese will definitely cause heavy casualties. However, they don't care about the lives of ordinary samurai at all. Japan is a small country with a large population. When that translated, the population density is much greater than that of China.

"General, the Chinese are only 15 kilometers away from Mount Tsukuba. They began to set up camp and showed no signs of continuing their march towards Mt. Tsukuba! A samurai reported the information he had found to Tokugawa Iekei and the others.

"General, why don't we take the initiative to attack the Chinese when their foothold is not stable, and take them by surprise!" A feudal lord built a yì road. He was a feudal lord in the northern part of Honshu, and he had never fought against the Chinese* army, nor did he know how powerful the Chinese* army was.

"General, let's stick to Mt. Tsukuba. The firepower of the Chinese is too strong, and if we take the initiative to attack, we will not be able to get benefits! "The big old well Yi Zhiliang built yì road.

"But, Jing Yi-kun. The army is massed in Mt. Tsukuba, and the daily consumption is not a small number. Besides, Mt. Tsukuba is also in no danger, we must speed up the progress and defeat the Chinese as soon as possible! Tokugawa Iekei said. Even if each samurai only gets two rice balls a day, they need to consume a lot of food. This was due to the wealth of the Kanto Plain, and the grain collected from the various feudal domains was able to supply the consumption of the army. If it drags on any longer, the grain and grass problem alone will be enough to bring down Tokugawa Iekei.

"General, I think the Chinese are definitely not willing to drag it out. The final decisive battle is just over the next two days. Odai Yi Naoliang said.

Tokugawa Iekei nodded, after all, the Japanese army fought on the mainland, while the Chinese went on a cross-sea expedition. The supply of the Chinese is even more troublesome. Therefore, Tokugawa Iekei adopted Naoaki I's Kenyì and did not take the initiative to attack.

On the morning of July 26, the Chinese* army saw that the Japanese showed no signs of active attack, so they continued their previous advance. It's just that now all the departments have been lined up in battle formation. The infantry was lined up in a skirmish line to guard the perimeter, and in the center was artillery, including mortars and heavy machine-gun units. In the event of an attack by the Japanese army, the Chinese* army could react immediately.

By noon, the distance between the two sides was only three kilometers. More than 80,000 Japanese gathered at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. They were waiting for Tokugawa Iekei's orders.

At this time, the attack of the Chinese * army began first. 3 artillery battalions, a total of 72 75-mm field guns, began the shelling of the Japanese army! Since the Japanese did not attack, then destroy them with artillery fire. In the case of a disadvantage in troops, if the infantry of the Chinese* army attacks first, it will be more disadvantaged. After all, the firearms equipped with the Chinese* army can only be brought into play if they have an advantage at a certain distance.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The roar of the cannon sounded over the Kanto Plain as if it were thunder. One shell after another, piercing the air, flew towards the area where the Japanese army was assembled.

It was the first time for many Japanese to see such a large-scale artillery group firing, and they didn't know what to do for a while. There was no reaction until the shells landed on top of their heads.

On the contrary, it was the samurai who survived the Edo battlefield who immediately lay on the ground. Although it doesn't look very good, it's much less likely to be blown up in this way.

"Boom! Rumble! "The cannonballs exploded in the crowd, and the shock wave was thrown up like leaves. Shrapnel shoots everywhere, harvesting life lightly. Those guys who were laughing at the samurai lying on the ground before, and the ones who were bombed crying dad and calling mother.

"Yaga! Give me offense! Kill all those Chinese! Seeing this, Tokugawa Iekei immediately ordered an attack.

Tens of thousands of samurai, having received the order, immediately rushed to the positions of the Chinese* army. Tens of thousands of people charged together, forming a momentum of overwhelming mountains and seas, which looked very spectacular! (To be continued......)