Chapter 38 Chapter 17 Bloody Battle of Ulsan (Part 2)

As mentioned earlier, on the 26th, the Ming army repelled the Japanese navy coming from the direction of the Lanjiang River, and Yang Gao transferred the Zhejiang soldiers who blocked the river to the lower reaches of the Taihe River to defend.In the early morning of the 27th, the Lanjiang navy approached sneakily again, was hit head-on by the Zhejiang soldiers, and had to retreat. Seosangpo and Lanjiang are located in the south and north of Ulsan, respectively, in two opposite directions.We have reason to believe that Kato Kiyoshi arrived at Daoshan on the 27th, and it was precisely because of the loopholes in the defense line of the Ming army on the river - the main force of the Zhejiang army was transferred to the Lanjiang River to intercept, and the defense force of the Taihe River would naturally become weak. .From various indirect records, it is speculated that when Kato's support army arrived at Daoshan, it was most likely at night, which was more conducive to concealed marching.

The historical materials of the Ming Dynasty and the dynasties even recorded the battle on the surface of the Lanjiang River, but there was little mention of this support army. It was they who advanced quietly at night, so no one noticed. No matter what kind of conjecture it is, it can prove that the scene of the so-called "Qingzheng Shengcheng Daoshan" is purely exaggerated by later generations.The real situation is not so majestic, but rather embarrassing. But regardless of prestige or embarrassment, Kato Kiyomasa rushed back from Xishengpu after all, and he injected a boost to the defenders who were on the verge of collapse.With him and the 500 fresh troops in Daoshan City, it has a backbone, and it has strengthened its determination to defend to the death.Kato Anzheng even took the initiative to ask Ying to launch a counterattack at night, which made the Ming army really flustered.

From the movement of the Japanese army, the Ming army gradually reacted.Yang Gao explained to the people around him sourly, saying, "Qing Ding Ding entered the city, it is like stabbing a tiger." He showed a look of wisdom in his hands, as if all this had been calculated long ago-in fact, it was just It's just to cover up his command mistakes. Before that, Yang Gao always thought that Kato Kiyomasa had been staying in Daoshan Castle, so he didn't pay too much attention to Jiang Mian.If he had known that Kato would come to aid from Xishengpu, he would have firmly nailed the Ming army's intercepting troops to the Taihe River and caught this big fish alive.At that time, the outcome of the entire Battle of Ulsan may be quite different.

On the night of the 27th, apart from Kato Kiyomasa entering the city, another incident happened. Kim Ying-sui of the North Korean Army sent Japanese soldiers—there is a saying that Sha Ke was among them—to ambush next to the well where the Japanese army drew water, one by one to catch one, two to take a pair, and even a hundred people were caught in one night. , each of them is weak.After interrogation, the coalition forces knew that the Japanese troops in the city were indeed in dire straits.Most people can only drink the blood in the trenches, or the urine of cattle, horses and livestock, and have nothing to eat. They can only chew paper or scrape the soil off the walls and cook them.If it hadn't been raining today, the whole army would have collapsed long ago.

When Yang Gao heard the report, he slapped his thigh. I said, why did the Japanese defenders ask for peace talks on their own initiative?That being the case, why bother to wait for the Japanese to finish themselves?Kato Kiyoshi came in lightly with a small boat, so he couldn't bring much food, but instead had five hundred more mouths.He can encourage soldiers mentally, but he can't solve anything materially.In this world where matter prevails over spirit, in the end one must die. The generals under his command also suggested: "The waters are difficult, the salary is difficult to sustain, and the first one is sleepy. You can't fight if you are upright." So the Ming army decided to encircle and not attack, and waited for the Japanese army to perish without fighting.

Unexpectedly, it was raining again on the morning of the 28th.Yang Gao hates it, the victory that is about to be won will be delayed for another day. It was already December, and it was freezing rain.However, the siege troops of the Ming army have always put on a siege posture, and the tents are all temporary constructions, which are not suitable for keeping warm.The soldiers were all shivering from the cold, many of their fingers were bruised from the cold, and the horses were also frozen to death. The morale of the whole army began to drop slowly, and it was impossible to organize the siege at all, so they could only have a day off.

On the twenty-ninth, the rain stopped at any rate, but the wind picked up again, and the weather became colder.Yang Gao urged the Ming army to try to attack the city again to see how many Japanese were still alive.As a result, the shivering Ming army just moved to the foot of Daoshan City, and a volley of muskets fired from the top of the city.Yang Gao saw it, oh, there are still some who can move, let's wait.Seeing that the wind and rain and the freezing weather were indeed too bitter, he ordered the Ming army to repair the tents and prepare for a protracted war. Of course, the cold wind still brings a little benefit.At that time, it was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Some people remembered the part of Cao Cao’s battle with Ma Chao, and made a suggestion to let the Ming army pour water into ice, and build an ice wall between Dosan and Ulsan overnight. , and surrounded Daoshan City more tightly.On this day, the Japanese fleet still relentlessly tried to approach, but was beaten back again.

Wu Weizhong really couldn't see it anymore. He found Yang Hao and said that you can't do it this way, and the division must be destroyed. Just like Admiral Li attacked Pyongyang, surround three and let one go, so that there is a chance to occupy Ulsan.Yang Hao's eyes slanted: "Old General, you just need to get me Kiyomasa Kato, you can do anything." Wu Weizhong was speechless and could only tell Ma Gui this suggestion.Ma Gui knew about military affairs, and felt that this matter was reliable, so he went to Yang Gao to discuss it, but Yang Gao still didn't listen—he was still waiting to "throw a tiger and stab him", how could he let him escape?

But Ma is no more expensive than Wu Weizhong, so he has to show some face.Yang Hao and Ma Gui set up a plan, asking the Ming army to deliberately burn several large camps, retreat a few miles, and lay in ambush on the left and right, waiting for the Japanese to come out and encircle them.Kato Anzheng wanted to chase, but was stopped by Kiyomasa.Qingzheng said: "Look, these people are retreating with torches, and they don't set up a rear army. They have no sincerity at all. They intend to deal with us." The Japanese didn't fall for the trick, Yang Gao was quite happy, and pointed it out to Ma Gui: "Look, it's not that I don't give way, it's that the Japanese don't come out." So he passed the order and stuck to it as before.

When Wu Weizhong heard the news, he sighed and said, "It's not difficult for a lone brigade who is afraid of the enemy to set up a stronghold and then try to kill the enemy." It's a pity that no one listened to his words, and the Ming army still followed Manager Yang's orders. , besieged but not attacked, tremblingly looking at the equally trembling enemies in Daoshan City. Looking at it, I saw the Spring Festival in the twenty-sixth year of Wanli. When Kato Kiyomasa was struggling, what were the other Japanese troops doing? They are meeting again... As early as last year when Kato Yasama and Asano Yukinaga asked for help, the heads of the Japanese army had already gathered in Xishengpo to discuss how to rescue Ulsan.The combat effectiveness of the Koreans is negligible, but the 40,000 Ming troops are real.

At that time, someone suggested that all the troops should go together, but Kato Kiyomasa quit.He insisted on leading the headquarters to rescue, saying that if I took others with me, it would appear that I was afraid of the Ming army.When the other generals heard what he said, they couldn't persist, so they put the matter aside. But now that the New Year has passed, Kato Kiyomasa has not opened up the situation, but the situation in Ulsan has deteriorated day by day.It is said that the soldiers in the city had broken their fingers from the cold and had no food or drink, so they could only send death squads to the battlefield to touch the dry food of the soldiers of the Ming army to satisfy their hunger.If you don't send troops again, I'm afraid Kato Kiyomasa will have a caesarean section. But at this time, the generals are still in a meeting, discussing a lot, but there is no conclusion.In the end, it was Kuroda Takataka, Kuroda Nagamasa and his son who were not in Xishengpu who couldn't help but stand up and speak. Kuroda Takataka offended Ishida Mitsunari during the Battle of Imjin, and almost ended up having a caesarean section.In order to get Hideyoshi's forgiveness, this scheming military adviser shaved his hair and lived in seclusion, ignoring political affairs.Dingyou was in chaos again, Hideyoshi deeply felt that there was a lack of veterans on the Korean battlefield, so he absolved Kuroda Takataka's crimes and sent North Korea to help in the war. After the Battle of Jishan, Kuroda returned to Liangshan and stationed at the northwest gate of Busan with his father.Now that Ulsan was in danger and the generals were hesitant at Seosangpo, Kuroda Takataka called Nagamasa over and told him to go to Sesangpo to persuade the generals to reinforce. Kuroda Takataka's vision can be seen at a glance. Once Ulsan is lost, the entire Japanese defense line will collapse.At that time, all departments will fall apart, and no one will end well.Kuroda Nagamasa asked why you didn't go in person, you are old, and all the generals will definitely listen to you.Kuroda Takataka smiled wryly, he and Hideyoshi no longer had the trust they had back then, if they acted rashly at this time, they might be killed again. Kuroda Nagamasa was given the opportunity by his father, and the cavalry rushed to Xishengpu overnight. When he saw a group of veteran officials having a meeting with tea, they couldn't discuss why. Take charge, let's go!" His resolute demeanor convinced those generals, and they all expressed their obedience to Kuroda-kun's orders. At that time, the Japanese troops in Nishinoura included Kobayakawa Hideaki, Ukita Hideke, Mori Hidemoto, Kato Yoshiaki, Hachisuka Iemagi, Fujido Takatora, Wakisaka Yasuji, etc., with a total strength of more than tens of thousands, and their combat power was comparable to The Ming Army fought. But when it was time to discuss how many troops to send, these people started to argue again, and no one was willing to let their strength be lost in vain. Kuroda Nagamasa patted his chest and said that although I only brought 600 people this time, I am willing to be a pioneer and pave the way for everyone.His actions touched Kamasa Hachisuka and Nabeshima father and son. In the end, the Hachisuka family sent 2,200 people, and the Nabeshima family sent 1,600 people, which can be regarded as a big deal.Mori Yoshinari, Takahashi Genchue, Ito Yuhei, and Akizuki Zhongchang all joined together, and there were 150 people.These 4,550 people constituted the vanguard of the Japanese reinforcements... The other daimyos were a little embarrassed about their face, and they said that let's join in some more.Mao Lixiuyuan saw that he was the highest rank, and it was inappropriate not to show any blood, so he gritted his teeth and stretched out three fingers: "I offer three thousand!" Kato Yoshiaki gritted his teeth, and extended seven fingers: "I, I offer seventy ..." Upon hearing this, Yasuji Wakisaka laughed at him for being too stingy, saying that I am more generous than this kid, sending twice as many troops as him, one hundred and fifty! This is really not a story, the composition of the reinforcements of the Japanese army is clearly written on the table, and the numbers are so ridiculous. In the end, this group of big names gathered a total of 13,000 people, and there was no way to add more. Kuroda Nagamasa was the most cautious in using troops. He knew that these soldiers were unreliable, and he was afraid that after the reinforcements were announced, the enemy would take the route back to Busan. Come to support by boat from Suncheon.Although President Konishi and Kato Kiyoshi were enemies, the overall situation was still clear, and he sent 2,000 troops on hundreds of boats, planted flags everywhere, and entered the Blue River from the Sea of ​​Japan with great fanfare. On land, the Kuroda Army and Hachisuka Iejeong headed to Ulsan via Changwon and Yanyang, and then other armies covered up and outflanked the Ming army in three directions. This side began to rush to help, but the other side started peace talks. On the first day of the first lunar month, an envoy was sent from Daoshan City to the camp of the Ming army to send Yang Gao a letter in his own handwriting.In the letter, Qingzheng first made a lot of homework, and then said that the Three Kingdoms should be friendly, should be in harmony, and should not kill too many people. How about the truce?" Kato Kiyoshi really couldn't hold on any longer.Daoshan City was never prepared for a long-term siege, and now the situation is like hell. There are corpses lying here and there in the ditches. The only things they can eat are blood, cows and horses. They are so thirsty that they can't even pass orders.Even the head coach Qingzheng has only a very small amount of meals every day.Coupled with the freezing weather, many people can't get up after falling asleep. If this situation continues for a few more days, the prestigious Kato Legion will cease to exist. To Kiyomasa Kato's request for peace talks, Yang Gao only replied with two words: "rapid drop".Talk about a fart!If I surround you for a few more days, you will be finished. What conditions are there at this time? Kato Kiyomasa had no choice but to send Kato Anzheng to the coalition army and said: "On the third day of the Lunar New Year, I am willing to discuss peace talks with Manager Yang in Nanshan." Yang Hao was very happy when he heard this, and he agreed.As soon as the Japanese envoy left, Yang Gao sent an order to go down, and all the troops lay in ambush.Tomorrow, as soon as Qingzheng arrives at the meeting place, the soldiers will ambush and take him down immediately, and then take Daoshan City. Unexpectedly, this was heard by a descended Japanese.The name of this surrendered Japanese is Okamoto Echigomori. Judging from his name, his rank in the Japanese army should not be low. There is also a saying that he and Saya are the same person, who was once an old subordinate of Kato Kiyomasa. Regardless of whether it was the same person or not, the Japanese who had defected to North Korea heard the news that the Ming army planned to do something during the talks, which was not good for his old superior.He sneaked into Daoshan overnight, found Kato Kiyomasa, and told the whole story about the plan. Shocked by Kiyomasa and the others, they were moved by the righteous deed of "Okamoto Echigo Mamoru" and advised him to stay and fight together. "Okamoto Echigo Mamoru" said no, I have to go back, you must not leak this matter, otherwise I will definitely be hacked into pieces.Qingzheng patted his chest and said that I will never forget your kindness, and leave your wife and children in Japan to me to take care of. "Okamoto Echigo Mamoru" bid farewell to Kiyomasa with tears, and sneaked back to the Ming army camp before dawn. Yukunaga Asano also persuaded Kiyomasa at this time, explaining that the army is not loyal, and you will definitely not be able to get out if you enter their barracks, so Kato Kiyomasa decided to break the appointment. Many people expressed incomprehension to the actions of "Okamoto Echigo Mamoru".Either follow the Japanese loyally, or follow the North Koreans wholeheartedly. Like you, you participated in the siege, took the initiative to leak secrets, and ran back after leaking the secrets. Which side is it? This question can never be answered.I guess this may be the case: Kato Kiyomasa had a very high reputation in the Japanese army, and was worshiped as a god by ordinary soldiers. His deeds in the Edo period formed a cultural phenomenon of "Kyomasa Worship".From Japanese thinking, "Okamoto Echigo Mamoru" can accept that Kiyoshi died at Shimayama Castle, which is the most decent way to die as a samurai, but he cannot accept that Kiyoshi was caught and humiliated by the Ming army during the talks. , It's too useless to die.It was probably because of such a tangled mentality that he took the risk of exploring Daoshan at night. In the Japanese history books after the war, in order not to tarnish the glorious image of Kato Kiyomasa, this peace talk is called a "delayed strategy." On the second day of the first lunar month, Yang Gao waited for a bad news.The scouts of the Ming army reported that a large group of enemies came from the direction of Xishengpu, and hundreds of ships sailed from Busan to Yanpu at sea.Yang Hao was very wronged in his heart, why does God always make things difficult for him?Seeing that the morale of the Daoshan defenders collapsed one day away, Kato Kiyomasa entered the city; seeing that the defenders were thirsty to death one day away, and it was raining heavily; seeing that Kiyomasa was about to be captured during the peace talks one day away, and the enemy's reinforcements arrived. How can I be so unlucky? He was really not reconciled and decided to take a gamble. Yang Hao ordered the two generals, Bai Sai and Qu Gui, to go to Jiantan to defend, while Wu Weizhong and Mao Guoqi intercepted the bank of the river.His intentions are very obvious. The defensive positions of these two groups of troops are not arranged for the army, but for the waterproof army.Yang Gao's purpose is to strictly seal the news of the Japanese army's arrival, and he must never let Daoshancheng know. As long as he insists on surrendering until the third day of the junior high school, great things will be settled. It seems that Yang Hao bet all his treasures on the meeting in the third year of junior high school. When the commander-in-chief of an army has to rely on luck to make decisions, he is not far from defeat. On this day, the north wind picked up suddenly and the temperature dropped sharply.If the battle situation does not improve, the Ming army may not last long.Yang Gao spent the second day of the Lunar New Year in anxiety, neither adjusting his deployment nor strengthening his camp against the enemies of Xishengpu. In the third day of junior high school, Yang Hao got up early and went to the place of peace talks and waited all day.Undoubtedly, his expectations came to nothing. Kato Kiyomasa had been warned early on that he would never leave the city even if he was killed. At this time, the vanguard of Kuroda Nagamasa and Hachisuka Jiazheng had defeated Gao Ce stationed in Yanyang, entered Yucheng, and confronted the Ming army across the Taihe River. By the way, in the Japanese history books, it is said that Gao Ce intended to lead 20,000 Ming troops to attack Pusan, but was repelled by Tachibana Muneshige, the number one general in the West, with 800 men, and then opened the way for the Japanese troops to enter and exit.This made Gao Ce, who brought a total of 2,000 cavalry, embarrassing. More than 20,000 Japanese successor troops have also arrived at a position ten miles away from Ulsan after Kuroda.Kuroda Nagamasa is gearing up, planning to sneak attack at night, saying that the enemy will concentrate on attacking the city and must not use equipment.But the other generals were hesitant, saying that the enemy had too many troops, and it would be disadvantageous for us to fight in a melee, so it's better to wait until dawn.Kuroda Nagamasa couldn't persuade, so he had to give up, and sent his powerful confidants to break through the defense of the Ming army and send the news to the city. Kato Kiyoshi was relieved and felt that his life was full of hope again. It was only at this time that Yang Hao really started to panic.He wasted a whole day in making no preparations, neither stopping the advance of reinforcements nor waiting for the surrender of the defenders of Island Hill.Faced with the approaching Japanese army, instead of planning to besiege the city and fight for aid, Yang Gao decided to gamble again. Early in the morning on the fourth day of the lunar new year, Yang Gao ordered the whole army to assemble and start attacking the city. Did you make a mistake!The enemy army is approaching, why think of attacking the city at this time? Yang Gao was betting that he could take down Daoshan City in one go before the reinforcements approached. He never thought that the army's siege formation is completely different from the field formation.If the siege fails and the enemy's army hides, the coalition forces will be in a very dangerous situation. His situation is similar to my previous summer vacation in elementary school.For so many days before, I didn't do my homework well, and it was too late to make up for it when school started. Under the urging of Manager Yang, the coalition forces began to attack the city before dawn.This time they didn't play any tricks. They first bombarded the city with the Fran machine guns on the high platform, and then surrounded the city from all sides.Kato Kiyomasa knew that as long as he survived this attack, he could escape.Under his encouragement, the dying defenders of the Japanese army burst out with powerful combat effectiveness. For both offense and defense, this is the last time. This time the battle was more tragic than ever before.On the top of the city, the Japanese army braved the power of the Buddha wolf machine gun and smashed down the giant logs and rolling stones;The battlefield was filled with gunpowder smoke, killing sounds were everywhere, and the pungent bloody smell surrounded the city wall, which could not dissipate for a long time. The allied forces of the Ming and Dynasties had almost worn down their vigor in the previous siege. The soldiers could not even hold their weapons with their frozen fingers, so they could only stand in a row in groups of three or four and move forward together.This provided an excellent target for the Japanese army. Often a row of smoke would rise, and a group of Ming army soldiers would fall on the hillside in response, blood staining the rocky soil. Yang Gao has reached a desperate situation, he must conquer Daoshan.Yang Gao personally held a knife and stood behind the team, not allowing the slightest retreat.Whoever took a step back was immediately greeted by a big knife.In order to let the whole army know his determination, Yang Gao even tied up a guerrilla Li Hualong who retreated without authorization, and showed it to the public in front of the battle-the Ming army rarely dealt with such a high-ranking officer in a war. After being stimulated by Yang Gao, the morale of the Ming army was slightly lifted.They regained their spirits and continued to charge towards the devilish island.Yang Hao also deliberately placed Chen Yuwen, his favorite general, on the most dangerous side of the north of the city to boost morale. This desperate charge finally paid off, and the Ming army miraculously broke through Sannomaru.Chen Yuwen lived up to everyone's expectations and took the lead, climbing along the corridor of Sannomaru to Ninomaru. The shooters on Ninomaru and Honomaru fired desperately. Chen Yuwen was shot several times and fell straight down from the wall, only to be snatched back by the soldiers who arrived later.His fellow guerrilla Yang Wanjin was not reconciled to the fact that the advantage he had paid a huge price for was wiped out, so he rushed towards Ninomaru's city with a golden drum in his hand.The Japanese army shot at him randomly and knocked him down from the top of the wall. Two consecutive generals were shot and wounded, which was a big setback to the morale of the Ming army, and the offensive was thwarted. Fighting until dawn, the attack of the coalition forces has never opened up the situation.Yang Gao waved the flag: "The enemy of Daoshan City is already at the end of their battles. As long as we persevere, we can enter the city and continue to fight!" So under the strict order of Manager Yang, the coalition forces continued to attack the city with torches without rest at night.The Japanese army couldn't see the enemy clearly at night, so they shot randomly in the dark and in places with torches. Kato Kiyomasa knew that the reinforcements were nearby, so he had no reservations, took out the last bit of ammunition, and poured it on the coalition forces like money.Under the vast night, an unknown number of soldiers were shot and killed. The siege battle lasted until the morning of the fourth day, before it stopped.The corpses of soldiers from Ming, North Korea, and Japan piled up layer upon layer above and below the city, and blood dyed the entire island red.It is said that in the following hundreds of years, the ghosts of the war dead can be heard crying on this mountain after nightfall. Yang Gao didn't want to stop the siege at all, as long as possible, he would order the Ming army to keep attacking until they were completely exhausted.But the situation is stronger than people, and the battlefield situation has changed greatly. On land, a large number of Japanese troops rushed from the direction of Yanyang.Under Mori Hidemoto's suggestion, the Japanese army was divided into several units. The main attack direction was Kuroda Nagamasa and Kato Yoshiaki, and the other generals led their own troops. At the same time, more than 90 warships belonging to President Xiaoxi rushed eastward from the Lanjiang River in a mighty manner, forming a flanking attack with the army. The distraught Yang Gao called Li Dexin over, saying that Daoshan could not be defeated at the moment, and the rescuers had arrived again, so what should we do.Li Dexin's heart skipped a beat. Did the coach want to run away after saying such a thing?He hastened to persuade: "Kato Kiyomasa has reached his limit. If you don't kill him this time, you will have no chance in the future. You send 10,000 people to guard Arrow Beach. The terrain here is open and suitable for a large army to attack." Yang Gao shook his head: "Our army has been exhausted from attacking the city for the past two days. It is really unbearable to fight any more. We are ready to withdraw." To Wu Weizhong and Zu Chengxun, the other troops pulled out their battalions and retreated slowly. As soon as the order was passed down, there was an uproar in the camp.Bai Sai had a straightforward temper, ran over to find Yang Gao, and said that the enemy was only more than 60,000 at most, and our army was 50,000, so he could fight a battle without any hesitation.It's too useless to retreat like this, I won't do it!Yang Gao refused to listen and asked him to obey orders. The barbarian who was setting up the game lost his temper and sat down in front of Yang Gao's horse.Yang Gao was not in the mood to argue with this barbarian, he flicked the reins, turned the horse's head and went around. Later, Bai Sai withdrew to Seoul, and within two days, he suddenly fell drunk and died from a horse.A generation of brave generals died so inexplicably on the Korean battlefield. People can't help but wonder if this has anything to do with Yang Gao's narrow-mindedness. In fact, the Ming army still had the advantage on the battlefield at this time.The Japanese army in Daoshan City was dying, and it was okay to shoot at the defense, but it was absolutely impossible to let them open the city to kill the enemy.The total number of Japanese troops approaching from the direction of Yanyang was only more than 10,000, and the navy army was only 2,000.On the surface, it looks like a huge force, but in fact, it is strong outside and capable in the middle. Even Mao Lixiuyuan himself admits that the attack at this time is a situation of "the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered". But Yang Gao's will had been worn out during the 13-day siege, and he no longer had the confidence to continue fighting. The coalition forces began to burn undelivered materials and food, and then retreated.When the Japanese soldiers on the Blue River saw that the Allied forces were about to run away, they scrambled to disembark to grab the spoils.When Yang Gao counted the Japanese soldiers disembarked, his nose almost twisted. There were quite a lot of flags on these ships, but each ship only contained about a dozen soldiers, so it was useless for him to be frightened. He immediately mobilized cavalry and attacked the Japanese navy halfway across the river. The Japanese did not expect that the coalition forces would have enough time to fight back. They were beaten and rushed back to the ship. At this time, Kuroda Nagamasa's forward was only a few miles away from the Ming army camp.Owner Mao took the lead, and came back from the investigation and reported: "It's meal time, but the enemy has no smoke, so it can be seen that they are planning to retreat." Kuroda Nagamasa nodded: "You are right. Everyone, the pursuit has the intention to retreat. The enemy is not a real samurai. Let's fight while the enemy has not retreated." The subordinates burst into a commotion. There is still a river between them and the Ming army camp. The river water has not yet frozen, but it is icy cold.In order to set an example for his subordinates, Kuroda Nagamasa took the lead in driving his horses and jumping into the river. Inspired by this, Kuroda's generals also jumped into the river one after another, and swam to the opposite bank regardless of the cold.Fujido Takara (Gao Hu's son) was greatly encouraged to see Kuroda's bravery, and followed him brandishing a spear. When Yang Gao heard that the Heitian army had reached the front of the formation, his expression changed drastically in fright.It happened that Li Dexin came in and reported that a large number of Japanese warships had arrived on the river.Without saying a word, Yang Gao rode his horse with his cronies and fled westward towards Gyeongju. A commander in command of a 50,000-strong army actually ran away alone before the preparations for the retreat were completed? ! This action alone is enough to make Yang Gao one of the most shameful generals in Ming Dynasty. Thanks to him, the ugliest and most embarrassing war scene in the entire war to aid Korea appeared. The head coach is the backbone of an army.When Yang Gao escaped like this, the panic instantly infected the entire army, and the lineup immediately became chaotic.The other battalions that were packing their luggage were in chaos for a while, and they dropped their equipment one after another, lest they would be surrounded and wiped out by the Japanese army if they were too late. The originally orderly retreat turned into a rout.Precious luggage was thrown everywhere, and it can be seen everywhere for dozens of miles along the way. These assets and weapons were transported from Daming to North Korea through untold hardships, but now they are easily thrown away and burned.Later generations wrote the history so far, and sighed: "After years of planning, I devoted all my strength in the sea, united with the people of the whole country of Korea, and abandoned it once, and the court hated it." The Japanese army was ecstatic, and began to chase desperately like a madman, chasing and killing the single Ming army all the way.Kato Kiyomasa heard the commotion outside, and led the remnants of Shimayama Castle to kill them, joining forces with Kuroda Nagamasa who was chasing him.They were not in a hurry to kill the enemy, but to ask the friendly army for some food to fill their stomachs... In this chaos, the only Ming army still sticking to its post, there are only four armies. In this chaos, the only Ming army still sticking to its post, there are only four armies. Wu Weizhong, Mao Guoqi, Lu Jizhong, and Zu Chengxun were deployed in Jiantan and Xijiangkou respectively.They have been serving as security and interception tasks.When Yang Gao ordered the retreat, he forgot about them for some reason, especially not giving the retreat order to Lu Jizhong's men. Some people say that Yang Gao deliberately bullied the Zhejiang soldiers, but Zu Chengxun was an out-and-out Liaodong army, and Lu Jizhong was a northern soldier even though his native place was Zhejiang, so this reason does not make sense. I think the real situation is that Yang Gao really forgot.This sounds a bit bizarre, but if you analyze it carefully, you will know that this conclusion is not outrageous. According to the normal retreat sequence, Wu, Mao, Lu, Zu and other ministries should form the first line of defense behind the palace to delay the enemy's attack, and then Bai Sai and Yang Dengshan formed the second line of defense behind them to cover the four generals retreating, taking turns Alternately, one battalion and one battalion retreated slowly.From the retreat order issued by Yang Gao at the beginning, it can be seen that this was his intention from the beginning. Think about it, Wu Weizhong, Mao Guoqi, Lu Jizhong and others were the first line of defense behind the Ming army.Their safety is the safety of the entire Ming army.Even if Yang Gao didn't feel sorry for Nan Bing, he had to calculate how big the consequences would be if he gave up on them. But Yang Gao ran too suddenly, and the command system of the Ming army collapsed quickly, and the originally designed retreat sequence could not be communicated to the four generals Wu, Mao, Lu, and Zu. Wu Weizhong and Mao Guoqi are respectable soldiers. They did not put down their weapons and turn around and run away without receiving the general order. Instead, they faithfully carried out the previous order and desperately resisted the Japanese attack near Arrow Beach. Facing more than 10,000 Japanese troops, these thousands of Ming troops burst out with powerful combat effectiveness, nailing the enemy near the Arrow Beach, and bought precious time for the panicked retreat of the friendly troops.If they hadn't intercepted them, I'm afraid the enemy would rush to the city of Gyeongju in one breath, and the coalition forces would suffer even greater losses.The Southern soldiers paid a huge price for this. Many people were forced into the water by the Japanese army at Arrow Beach and drowned alive. No matter in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, border or North Korea, Nanbing has proved with blood time and time again that they have always been true heroes! It was Li Fangchun, a general of the Liaodong Army, who rescued Wu and Mao in the end.He restrained his subordinates in the great rout and maintained the establishment.When he found that Wu and Mao's armies were about to lose their support, he rode out and attacked the enemy's flank.The Japanese army suddenly saw a Liaodong cavalry rushing out in the dark, and they all turned around and ran away in fright.Li Chunfang chased and killed more than a hundred enemies, and then she turned her head, met Wu and Mao's remnants, and retreated slowly. At the same time, Zheng Qilong of the North Korean army also retreated.Among the rebellious army, Zheng Qilong fought bravely and was surrounded by the enemy. He slashed wildly with his sword and forced a bloody path. Seeing that his blood was like a ghost, the Japanese dared not pursue him and watched him leave the front line. It is a pity that Lu Jizhong, another general from Zhejiang Province, was not so lucky.Since the start of the war, he has been stationed at Xijiangkou with 2,770 cavalry under his command, because he did not receive an order from Yang Gao to retreat, which delayed his timing.By the time he reacted, the Japanese army had already arrived.Lu Jizhong's army was almost wiped out, and he was almost spared. Especially worth mentioning is Zu Chengxun.The defeated general in the Battle of Pyongyang is now considered a veteran on the Korean battlefield.Looking at the generals of the Ming army, no one has fought here longer than him. What did Zu Chengxun do when he lost contact with the main force and no new orders were issued? He didn't run away overnight, nor did he desperately refuse to defend.Taking advantage of the darkness in the middle of the night, he brought twenty daring people and went against the Japanese army's offensive, and even killed all the way to Xishengpu!Quite the enthusiasm of Zha Dashou to break into Seoul back then. It's a pity that he brought too few people to attack Xishengpu. He just took off the sign on the moat beside the city and returned to Gyeongju swaggeringly. This can be regarded as the only bright spot in the retreat of the Ming army. The vigorous battle of Ulsan ended like this. The Battle of Ulsan was a rare large-scale confrontation between Ming and Japan, but this battle was almost meaningless from a strategic point of view.The strategic situation of the two sides did not change before and after the war. Although the Ming army was weak, even the Japanese army did not want to make progress, and only made great achievements in breaking the siege. In terms of tactics, the performance of the commanders of the two armies was also lackluster. There was only one bright spot for the Japanese army in this campaign, and that was Kato Anzheng's defense of the castle.With few soldiers and ruined city, he supported independently for thirteen days under the siege of Ming army, which was not easy.The other generals, including Kiyoshi Kato, performed very poorly. At the beginning of the Battle of Ulsan, until the 50,000 Ming troops killed the city, the Japanese army was still at a loss, and the poor security work was amazing.If it weren't for Kato Anzheng's quick response to pull the main force into Dosan City in time, I am afraid that the battle of Ulsan will be decided.As for Kiyomasa Kato in Xishengpu, he had to wait for Daoshan to send an envoy after all the hardships before he realized that the Ming army was so large that his reaction was slow enough. And the other generals are even more outrageous. Knowing that Ulsan is in danger, they still hesitate and refuse to go north.If it weren't for the Kuroda father and son to stand up and challenge, they probably wouldn't even leave Xishengpu.Even though they had crossed Yanyang and arrived in Ulsan, these famous generals of the Warring States Period still did not dare to take the initiative to step forward. It was not until the Ming army began to retreat that they showed their power and prestige and went to fight a Taiping boxing. They can't even fight Taiping boxing well.According to historical records, these Japanese troops chased for 30 miles in one breath, then stopped their pursuit, and started looting the supplies left by the Ming army. The Ming army will always retreat from Gyeongsang-do, and it will be extremely difficult to clean up the situation. The performance of these people, not to mention being inferior to Kato Anzheng, Kuroda and his son, even Kato Kiyomasa's enemy, Konishi Yukichi, is more active than them. The Japanese are so pussy, and finally won the Battle of Ulsan, doesn't that mean that the commander of the army is even more incompetent? not necessarily. The commander-in-chief of the Ming army, Yang Gao, was not stupid. Although he was not a genius, his military skills were at least above average.After the fall of Namwon, Yang Gao rode into Seoul alone and set out to deploy the defense line to stop the escapism of the North Korean monarchs and ministers and Magui, and finally turned the tide with great demeanor. And this strong general has no weak soldiers.When the Ming army attacked Ulsan this time, mid-level commanders such as Bai Sai, Yang Dengshan, Mao Guoqi, Chen Yin, Yang Wanjin, Chen Yuwen, Wu Weizhong, Li Fangchun, Zu Chengxun, Jie Sheng, etc., all fought vigorously on their own fronts. Famous generals, strong soldiers, plus opponents make mistakes repeatedly.It can be said that in the Battle of Ulsan, as long as Yang Gao seized one of the opportunities, he could secure the victory. But the ending was disappointing. Because the problem with Yang Gao is not his talent, but his selfishness. In fact, for the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty, selfishness is not a fatal quality.李如松也有私心，宋应昌也有私心，他们在第一次援朝的时候，也曾经为了自己的利益闹得天翻地覆。 关键在于，你得分出轻重缓急。 李如松默许辽东军抢过功不假，但攻打平壤的时候，他毫不含糊地倚重南兵，一直到大势已定，才开始搞小动作；宋应昌虽是南兵的总代表，在朝廷也打过不少李如松的小报告，可对于辽东军也从无粮饷克扣之举。 他们知道，有一种东西比私利更重要，那就是大局。 这一点，杨镐显然不懂。他的私心，完全凌驾于大局之上。 他有扶植李如梅的私心，所以宁愿让茅国器打到一半撤下来，放弃了最好的夺城时机。 他有生俘加藤清正的私心，所以拒绝吴惟忠围三阙一的建议，平白让明军在岛山城下冻的瑟瑟发抖，坐失战斗力。 他有和谈的私心，所以不肯调整部署，让明军白白浪费一天的宝贵时光。 等到日军援军杀到了，他既不避战，也不围城打援，反而为了自己面子继续强攻岛山。 到了最后，他为了让自己活命，连五万大军都不顾了，自顾逃回了庆州，以致大军崩盘。比起李如松在碧蹄馆主帅亲自殿后的表现，他实在是太不合格了。 杨镐在蔚山的表现，其实是他后来在萨尔浒的一次预演。大明的国运，居然交到这样一个人手里，其结果可想而知。 杨镐在蔚山的表现，其实是他后来在萨尔浒的一次预演。大明的国运，居然交到这样一个人手里，其结果可想而知。 最后让我们来看看双方的伤亡情况。 日方的伤亡，主要集中在岛山城内。当时清正的第一军团分成了两部分，三分之一跟随他在西生浦，三分之二留在了蔚山。再加上锅岛、太田两部兵力，守城兵力大约是在八千到一万左右。 战后岛山城还剩下多少人，这个没有直接的数字。但从这一战结束以后，加藤清正的第一军团再也没参加过任何大的战事。等到麻贵大军再临蔚山的时候，清正毫无战意，很快便撤离到釜山，匆匆上船回国。 第一军团是战斗力最强大的军团之一，本该留在最后掩护，日军高层居然先安排他们先撤往国内，只能说明一点：一军团已经丧失了战斗力。 从一些战场细节上统计。明军攻打浮鸥亭、太和江寨等处时歼灭五百；摆赛、杨登山所部又歼灭五百，茅国器进攻时歼灭六百，再加上在江面消灭、随后几天攻城和与朝鲜人俘获的日军，差不多有两千人。注意，这两千人是明军正面消灭的人数。根据随军僧侣日记来判断，在城中活活渴死、饿死、冻毙的日军士兵，也至少有三千人左右。 所以我推测是役日军在岛山之战中的直接伤亡人数，当在四千到五千，损失过半。而残存的另外一半士兵，也已经失去了战斗力，可以不计入战力了。也只有这样的窘境，才能迫使加藤清正低下头颅，破天荒地向明军请求和谈。 那么明军的伤亡情况呢？ 《象村集卷》里说明军阵亡一千三四百人，伤者数千。《再造藩邦志》里的数字差不多，明军伤亡一千四百人，伤三千余人。当时参与了整个战役的朝鲜接伴使李德悦说，明军损失“或云三千，或云四千”。而明史里记载的数字，却大的多，说是两万。另外还有许多零星的朝鲜和明军报告，所提的数字不超过这个范围。 这些伤亡可以分成四个主要部分：一是茅国器的南兵在二十五日攻城的伤亡，按照朝方记录，大约为七百人；二是正月初四最后攻城中陈愚闻、杨万金部，他们的损失，是在五百人（不过这五百是中枪负伤的人数）；三是吴惟忠、祖承训断后被围攻造成的伤亡；四，卢继忠在西江口遭遇的伤亡，两千人几乎全军覆没。 首先可以确定，明史中的“两万”之数，是不可能的。如果一下子伤亡过半，这仗以后不用打了，杨镐肯定直接掉脑袋。这个数字是出自于丁应泰的诬告，关于这件事我们接下来会详细说说。 大明朝廷对于蔚山之战的惨败特别愤怒，很快就派遣了兵科给事中徐观澜前往朝鲜进行查勘，还特别交代，要查验的是“军额存亡”。徐观澜经过调查，回报朝廷称“四营阵亡兵数且近两千。”这是个不完全统计，在朝廷引发了很大争议，很多人认为估少了。但争论来争论去，无法证明他是错的。 朝鲜方面有记录表明，除了先期逃入庆州的明军部队以外，还有为数不少的大明溃兵三五成群，在附近的村镇里抢掠，局面极度混乱。所以我认为徐观澜的调查数字大体正确，但明军的实际损失比他统计的数字要高一些。 这个数字是否准确，我们可以比较一下明军将领在蔚山前后的兵力情况。 在蔚山之战后，明军与日军又经历了数起小冲突，然后在万历二十六年的九月，明军再次发动了对日军的进攻。这一次明军是四路进攻，总兵力高达九万。 这九万人里，包括了董一元、刘綎、陈璘等后来的援军和原守明军两部分。朝鲜人对此有一份详细的出兵名单，只要减掉这些后援明军，再减掉那些小冲突中损失的明军，剩下的数字，基本就可以等同于蔚山之战后明军的总数。 这一份名单很长，比较起来很繁琐，这里过程便不赘叙。这些数字在个、十、百的数量级上很难做到特别准确，但在千与万这个量级上不会有大的偏差。总之，比较的结果是，明军数量没有显著减少，前后差额不会超过三千。 再观察参加蔚山之战的部分明军将领在九月份的统兵数字，就会有个直观印象。 吴惟忠四千人、茅国器三千人、李芳春两千人、陈寅三千人、颇贵三千人、解生两千人，总体来说兵力跟蔚山之战前差不多。虽然这里有部分是补充的新兵，但数量不会很多，因为入朝明军都有将领统属，这些将领的分布都是有案可查的，不可能完全补充到老部队里去。 换句话说，这些将领的部队建制尚在，虽有损伤，但远未到伤筋动骨的地步。他们都是一直奋战在蔚山一线，因此可以代表明军的平均伤亡比例，不算高，最多百分之十到十五。 作为反证，我们可以再考察一下卢继忠所部的情况。蔚山之战中，他的两千人在西江口遭遇了日军偷袭，毫无准备，部队被打散，他仅以身免。这是整个蔚山之战中明军伤亡最为惨重的部队。 然后到了三月份，邢玠、李如梅返回辽东时，卢继忠也一齐回国了。 邢玠回国，是要去整顿后援；李如梅回国，是因为回辽东办事。为什么卢继忠也被调走了呢？ 只有一种解释，那就是他的所属部队已经成建制地覆灭了。吴、茅等人和卢代表了蔚山之战后明军将领的两种结局：如果你的部队主力尚在，那么朝廷为你补充人马；如果你的部队已经打光了，与其补充新兵，不如换别人上。 因此卢继忠的离开，证明在西江口的战斗中，他的两千人确实是全军覆没——倒不是说这两千人死的一个不剩，但伤亡率肯定突破七成以上。从地图上来看，他所屯驻的西江口与箭滩平行，位于太和江西侧。当日军占领箭滩以后，这支部队的退路实际上已经被堵死了。卢继忠能够把一部分人活着带回来，已经相当不容易。 因此，综合以上的各种证据，我认为明军阵亡人数在两千到两千五之间，伤五千左右。其中卢继忠所部的损失在一千五百到七百，其他损失分布在吴、茅、陈、杨、祖等将领中，多是在岛山攻城中与箭滩阵亡。 一场以明军惨败而告终的战事，何以明、日两军的损失数字却完全颠倒呢？ 仔细想想的话，这个数字并不奇怪。整个蔚山之战，日军没有对明军主力形成过威胁，岛山之敌一直被压在城里，援军也只是跟明军的殿后部队打了一场仗，把大部分注意力都放在抢东西上面去，追击了三十里以后便停住了脚步。 当然，战争的胜负，不能仅仅看损失数字来判断。 对明军来说，这是一次彻底的失败：他们未能打破日军的防御体系，反而令明军主力崩盘，损失物资极多，一直休整了大半年才再次发起攻击；而对日军来说，也是一场惨胜。为了保住岛山，日军打残了整个第一军团，从此彻底丧失了进攻能力。在这之后，日军再没了一星半点的雄心壮志，只有一个心思，就是赶快撤回日本。 所以，蔚山之战是一场没有胜利者的战役。