Let's take the camera back to the night when Huayu discussed with several leading figures of the Tokugawa shogunate army.

When Hua Yu came up with a plan to attack Kagoshima Castle with a fleet, Matsudaira Nobutsuna and the others were so shocked that their jaws almost fell to the top of their feet.

If such a plan was proposed by the generals of the shogunate army, it would inevitably be ridiculed by colleagues and superiors, but this was proposed by His Royal Highness the Li family, and the effect was naturally different.

"A few days ago, my father sent a flotilla to transport grain and grass to send a letter, suggesting that our army might as well transport troops to Kagoshima with a fleet. Our southern Chinese army is responsible for opening the city wall, and your army is responsible for attacking the city. ”

As a result, Tadayuki Kuroda, the commander of the First Army, as the commander of the surprise army, led the Tokugawa family's 2,000 elite banners and his own 500 mother-clothed people to board the Nanchu Army's fleet and set off for Kagoshima.

Relying on the accumulation of trade with Japan over the years, the fleet is also well aware of the hydrological currents and reef wind direction along the coast of Japan. Along the coastline of the islands such as Amakusa and Shimokoshijima, it was far away.

Riding the northerly wind overnight, the fleet reached Kagoshima Bay at dawn and anchored in the coastal waters of Taniyama Village, seven kilometers south of Kagoshima Castle Town. After a short rest, the seasick shogunate officers and soldiers continued to advance and anchored about a kilometer from the "Mae no Hama" near Kagoshima Castle Town.

A castle in Kagoshima City that is close to the coastline. In 1601, Shimazu Tadashi (Iehisa) began to build the castle. Prior to this, the Shimazu family was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, and his father, Shimazu Yoshihiro, took full responsibility. From Zhongheng to the new master. Construction of Tsurumaru Castle, which replaced the inner castle, began, and was completed in 1604.

Tadatsune's father, Yoshihiro, thought that there was a problem with building a castle near the coast. Opposition to the plan was made until it was built. Kagoshima Castle has been engulfed in flames twice in its history, once in 1693 and again in 1874, so it seems that the castle did not have a good relationship with the god of fire.

At this time, Kagoshima Castle was more than twice as large as the castle built by Shimazu Tadashi because it was the first to trade with Nanchu. The towns outside the castle are large and lined with shops, and have become a bustling commercial center and trading port for the entire Kansai region, with hundreds of ships coming and going every day. He brought countless fortunes to the Shimazu family.

"Enemy attack!"

Originally, I thought that the dozen or so ships that came were ships that came to Kagoshima to trade. However, when the people of the castle saw the emblem of the Tokugawa family hanging from the sham, they immediately panicked.

"Don't panic! I'm panicking now, what are you going to do later?! ”

Through the help of a telescope. The commander of the four rocket ships is great. I saw the panic of the merchants, townspeople, farmers, and ashigaru samurai in the town. People were shouting and running back and forth, and headless flies were bumping around. He sneered and snorted.

"Attention ships! Anchor! Hold the rudder! Detect the wind direction and wind force! ”

"Commander Mo, are you sure of this distance?"

Li Huayu deliberately ran from his own ship to the huge rocket ship to inquire.

"Big young marshal. Feel relieved! Our rockets are no problem to hit boats and stockades within a few miles, not to mention that such a big city is placed there, and it won't move or run! ”

As one of the first people to use rockets in naval warfare, Mo Da, the artillery commander of that year, had accumulated rich experience in rocket launching. Raising his head to look at the yellow and red flags on the mast used to measure the direction of the wind, he shouted to the signal soldier beside him: "The northeast wind is about level four, and the distance is 1,300 steps!" Ship loading! Oil Arrows! ”

Under the mobilization of the flag soldiers of the command ship, the four rocket boats were arranged in a row under the cover of the gunboats, with a distance of more than 20 meters between the ships, and they rose and fell slightly under the caress of the sea breeze and waves.

The sailors on the ship quickly lifted the tarpaulin from the wooden frame at the bow of the ship, revealing the covered wooden frame, and then quickly moved out of the cabin a wooden box, from the box a pole more than a foot long, one end of the pole is cone-shaped, it looks a little like fireworks set off during the New Year's holiday, but the size is a little bigger.

"The South Central Army doesn't want to use these fireworks against us, does it?" The defenders of Kagoshima Castle were a little confused, and suddenly, an old banner roared heartbreakingly, "Rocket! Rockets of the South Central Army! ”

"Fire!!" The flag-whisperers on the mast of the Huayu ship gave orders to the ships.

The guns of the five large and small gunboats opened fire one after another, suppressing the fire on the guns at the head of the city and nearby to buy time for the brothers on the rocket ships. However, there is no need to panic, the artillery of the Shimazu family basically lacks accuracy and power at this distance.

With the command of each ship, rockets like fireworks roared like fire dragons towards Kagoshima Castle, 1,300 paces away, and gray-white arcs immediately appeared in the clear blue sky. Before the arc could be seen, a head of fire had already appeared on the castle tower of Kagoshima Castle.

The arson rocket, with a total weight of more than 40 catties, was called oil arrows by the soldiers because it was filled with a mixture of more than 10 catties of fish oil and fierce fire oil. After years of practice and exploration, the inclined rocket launch slot on the rocket ship, the rocket body has changed from a cylinder to a round platform, the head of the rocket retains a conical fairing, and the guide rod is no longer fixed on one side of the rocket body, but appears on the central axis of the rocket, and is fixed at the bottom of the rocket by 3 or 4 claw forks. This design of the "centerline guide rod" improves the stability of the rocket and increases the hit rate. In addition, three inclined stable spiral plates are installed at the tail of the rocket, and the gunpowder gas ejected from the tail of the rocket makes the rocket spin in flight to achieve stability, and this new design greatly improves the accuracy of the rocket.

The castle tower that was hit by rockets soon became a popular spot for many rockets, and it was hit by several rockets one after another, and in the blink of an eye, it became a burning marker that could be seen at a glance on the sea dozens of miles away! Then, dozens of rockets fell into the city, each rocket forming a sea of fire within a ten-step radius near the impact point in strict accordance with the design requirements. Soon, dozens of fires broke out in the city. With the help of the wind, they quickly connected together.

"Adjust the shooting angle, adjust the dense position, aim at the town outside the city, and release!"

The second round of rocket launches targeted the towns outside the castle.

Chinese architects are mainly civil and masonry, while Japanese buildings are mainly wood, which gives arsonists the greatest opportunity: the houses are dense and mostly wood-planked, and they are prone to fire; Moreover, there is little water source and poor fire extinguishing ability. Coupled with the fact that it is adjacent to the sea, the fire heated the air. The cold air from the sea was quickly replenished. For a time, the wind borrowed the fire, and the fire helped the wind, and the fire soon swept through the entire town. Rockets have even had time to land for the future. It was ignited by the high temperature. A huge fireball erupts in the air, setting fire to nearby buildings and trees.

All of them were set on fire. Trees, houses, and people were all burning, and even the metal was melted. on the ground. The fire spread like a flood, and the fleeing crowd ran back and forth. But the flames soon licked them down and quickly turned into burning char.

Some people jumped into ponds and rivers to survive, but the water in the ponds and rivers also boiled in the heat, boiling them alive. Countless charred corpses littered the dry riverbed, huddled in various positions, the stench of burning in the air.

Some of the townspeople tried to put out the fires, and they led them to fill wooden barrels with water, brooms, hooks, and bamboo guns to put out the flames. However, in the face of the powerful fire, these measures seemed so pale and powerless, and the extinguishing had no effect at all, and the clear water was poured on the fire, not only did not extinguish the fire, but the fire increased sharply in an instant, and the soaring tongue of fire immediately swallowed the firefighting citizens and turned it into a burning object. In this way, many citizens were surrounded by flames and never came out again.

In the face of this sudden fire, fleeing is the only option. The townspeople call their wives and children, help the old and the young, and run all the way to the beach, where there is no combustible, and it will be a safe place. The road was filled with smoke from the fire, and from time to time shards of charcoal fell from the sky, flying everywhere on fire with a howling wind, igniting a qiē combustible substance.

The fire became more and more vigorous, and the strong winds continued to rush into the fire, adding fuel to the fire. The combined action of the fire and the cold air formed a swirling air current. Not only were fires sown everywhere, but even shop signs, doors and windows of houses were blown down, and they were caught in the fire.

"Celestial! O Buddha! ”

Countless townspeople ran and cried and chanted the Buddha's name, trying to get the blessing of the gods.

In the smoke of the fire, I tried to open my eyes and look around, and there was a sea of fire everywhere. I really don't know where to flee is the way to live. People jumped into the gutters of the past, not caring about the filth and filth, and prepared to take refuge in the gutters. Just when many people were glad that they were about to escape, several more rockets landed near the ditch, and the clothes of several men were ignited by the flying fire, and the scorching flames burned their bodies, so painful that they jumped up and rushed straight forward. At this moment, a sudden strong wind rolled up a tongue of fire, licking the men all and disappearing without a trace. The rest of the people were too frightened to cry and had to hold their bodies close to the ditch to avoid the flames.

"Is this the reappearance of hell?"

On the troop transport ship, countless Buddhists of the Shogunate soldiers were so frightened by this scene that they forgot the pain of seasickness, and the heart-tearing cries and screams of dying were heard from afar, making these elite Shogunate elites who originally thought they were going to face a bitter battle invariably do the same physiological reaction.

Wet pants.

Four rocket ships, four rocket launch slots, sixteen rockets at a time, seven salvos fired 112 arson rockets, less than 100 fell into Kagoshima Castle, and Kagoshima Castle was successfully turned into a sea of fire.

The citizens of the castle and the towns were desperate, and the people of the castle crowded the city gates, choking the dead by the thick smoke, and countless people were burned alive by the fire fragments falling from the air. Others were hit by the burning wood, turning them into a blackened piece of char. …… Even if they jumped into the ditch, not everyone was lucky, and some people were able to escape the flames by immersing themselves in the water of the ditch, but they were suffocated to death because the water soot and other objects entered the esophagus and respiratory tract.

"Kuroda-sama, our army has successfully destroyed Kagoshima Castle, and the rest will be handed over to your army!"

In the cabin, Liang Kuan, instead of Li Huayu, issued an order to Kuroda Tadayuki, whose face was red and white, and he didn't know what it was like in his heart.

I originally thought that this raid was playing the role of a dead person, but. When he found the figure of His Royal Highness the Li family when he boarded the ship, Kuroda Tadashiyuki's mind changed, and the son of the daughter could not sit down. His Royal Highness of the Li family would not take risks lightly, but he didn't want to attack Kagoshima so easily this time!

"Please tell Your Highness that our army will live up to the trust!"

Kuroda Tadayuki bowed respectfully to Liang Kuan.

"Do you remember your army's mission?"

"Remember! Killing, arresting, stealing! ”

One of the shogunate flagships yelled loudly.

The words were so vulgar and direct that the lord of the Kuroda clan poked him in hatred.

"Yes, that's it!"

According to the agreement reached by Li Huayu and Matsudaira, Kuroda and others on the same day, the adult males of the Shimazu, Kayama, and Nabeshima families were all executed, and the minor males who did not die in the rebellion were handed over to the shogunate for execution. The women of the three families were to be taken prisoner as much as possible. It was handed over to the Nanzhong Army as a reward for unmarried and meritorious soldiers. The remaining guards of the three families were not the same as the flags, ashigaru, and peasant soldiers had to be caught alive, as a reward for the southern Chinese army for helping to quell the chaos this time.

"All the men of the three families who have been subdued have been executed."

Standing on the bow of the landing boat, Tadayuki Kuroda waved his military fan. I don't care about the slightly hot sea water hitting the beautiful array of feather weaving. Droplets of water flowed down the spotless steel armor. He shouted loudly at the shogunate soldiers and samurai on several nearby boats.

"My lord! How to tell if it is already a yuan server? ”

In the distance, a flag on a boat called out his own question.

"Forget that! As long as it is a member of these three families. All men taller than the sword will be executed! ”

"Three families and one family, higher than the man of the sword, kill!"

The shogunate army roared incessantly. Repeating this command loudly, he landed on Kagoshima and rushed into the smoke and flames......

"Fifty years in the world, death is like a dream. Is there an immortal one in the heavens? Looking at the world, dreams are like water, let life be for a time, and then disappear and then present, this is the seed of Bodhi, chagrin, full of heart. You will go to Kyoto at this moment, if you see the head of Dun Shengqing! Looking at the world, in the sea and the sky, is there any immortal......"

In Kagoshima Castle, surrounded by smoke and flames, Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the former Wakaden and current commander of the Shimazu Army, slowly wipes his shiny saber and recites one of Oda Nobunaga's favorite songs of yesteryear. The inscriptions on the body of the knife and the faintly visible patterns silently indicate the lineage and material of this knife.

"It's okay, today you will use the treasure knife produced in Nanzhong to send me on my last journey."

It's like a dream. This is exactly the portrayal of Shimazu's mood at this moment.

In that year, he accompanied Master Minong Shou on his southern expedition, and happened to encounter the naval battle between Li Shouhan and the Ruan family at that time, and the Nanzhong Army turned the Ruan family sailors into ashes with the power of rockets. Immediately, Mino Mamoru changed the direction of the wind, and turned what was originally to help the Ruan family into the end of sending the Ruan family, and then it was to trade with Nanchu, and exchanged all kinds of products and women in Kyushu for countless rice, cotton knives and guns, which also gave the Shimazu family unprecedented glory and glory.

I don't want to, today's rockets of the South Central Army fell on their heads. Kagoshima Castle, which had been built with painstaking efforts for generations, was turned into a sea of fire purgatory.

"Start with a rocket and end with a rocket. The world is like a dream. ”

After reciting these words, Shimazu Mitsuhisa stabbed the sword in his hand into his bare abdomen, drawing a cross in the soft abdomen.

In the midst of the fire of Kagoshima, the shogunate army rushed, plundered, and slaughtered back and forth, and outside the city, the Nanchu army blocked all the escape paths, turning countless residents who cried and screamed into their own captives.

Kuroda Tadayuki constantly sent people to send bloody heads to Li Huayu's boat, and registered them according to the genealogies of the Shimazu, Birhamama, and Nabeshima families, indicating that this person was one of the three people who would be killed, and there was a identification and confession from the people around him.

"I don't know how the Shimazu family offended Li Dashuai and suffered such a catastrophe." While wielding a sharp sword to cut off the heads one by one, the soldiers of the shogunate were all wondering. It's just that from then on, there was a warning in my heart, "No matter what, the people of the Celestial Empire can't be offended!" Once offended, it will be a catastrophe! ”……

Sakurajima, opposite Kagoshima, became a temporary anchorage. From time to time, ships of the Nanchu Army and the Shogunate brought in a boatload of prisoners and captures.

The barrel of the gun and the leather whip and scabbard became a good instrument of torture, and in the constant beating, the prisoners of the brigade were bound into a string and knelt on the ground, and both men and women, old and young, all looked sluggish and wooden, and there was fear and worry in their eyes that could not be concealed. What a curse from the sky! Thinking that the battlefield was still far away in Kumamoto Castle, the shogunate army was fighting desperately with the two governors of the Kayama family and the Nabeshima family, and they did not want to attack the castle overnight, which surprised everyone, and it was almost impossible to carry the shells out of the warehouse on the battery.

Amid the unconcealable fear and faint sobs of the captives, the soldiers of the shogunate were triumphant, wielding their leather whips and walking through the crowd.

From time to time, some of the captives stood up and shouted to the shogunate army or the Nanchu army beside them, identifying the officials of all levels hiding in the crowd or the Shimazu Kabeshima family in exchange for an improvement in their treatment.

These people were often killed with a single sword, but there were also some lucky ones who were forgiven because of their humble official position and not being a member of the ranks, and became errand officers who assisted the shogunate army in their daily affairs.

"My lord! I am a relative of Nanzhong residents! ”

"My lord! My daughter married to Nanzhong! ”

From time to time, people hold up letters sent from Nanzhong to prove their identity.

The island is full of piles of gold and silver dollars, treasures, and all kinds of valuable things that have been snatched out.

The accumulation of the Shimazu family over hundreds of years was gradually carried over and piled up in front of Huayu and Kuroda Tadayuki.

"Good boy! This guy is so rich! ”

Looking at the baskets and truckloads of silver dollars and gold coins that were carried over, as well as the cotton cloth and porcelain covered with black smoke and dust, Kuroda Tadashi couldn't stop swallowing.

"Most of these are just the wealth accumulated by these thieves who have been trading with us for more than ten years!"

Liang Kuan on the side was a little disapproving.

He patted the Kuroda feudal lord on the shoulder, "Old Kuroda, don't worry, this time for your merits, it is estimated that the Tokugawa general will reward you with two ports, manage it well, and it may not be poorer than his Shimazu family!" ”

"Thank you, General, for your care! Thank you, Your Highness, for your care! ”

Kuroda Tadashi has already decided in his heart that in this life, and even his descendants and all generations will hug the thick legs of the Nanzhong Army.

"This expedition not only destroyed the old nest of the Shimazu family in one fell swoop, but also our army gained a lot!"

One of the shogunate bannermen struggled to take his eyes off the ever-increasing pile of silver and goods.

"It's conceivable to come and reward the soldiers with a lot of money."

"Yes. However, gentlemen, don't forget about the comrades who fought bloody battles under Kumamoto Castle, and report the list of goods and goods in this situation to Matsudaira and the generals of each army. ”

"Hey! His Highness reminds us! (To be continued......)