Ono Yoshifuru wrote a letter to the court, saying that the army was insufficient and requested an additional 20,000 troops.
The nobles of Heian-kyō were in uproar, and some of them immediately impeached Ono Yoshifuru. Fujiwara no Asanari cursed him in public: "I have never seen such a shameless person. Ono was defeated by ten times the enemy. Shouldn't he feel ashamed and commit suicide?"
A minister echoed: I heard that the bandits in Iwami Province only had 300 to 500 people, and Ono-kun was also called a general, but he wanted 50 people to fight one person. This is crazy and unreasonable.
However, the Emperor and the Sekkan-minister did not punish Ono Yoshifuru. Not long after, the Emperor actually issued an edict agreeing to Ono Yoshifuru's request and promised to recruit elite samurai and foot soldiers from Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu to reinforce Iwami Province.
Inside the Omori Castle, the thin and gaunt Ono Yoshifuru knelt under the eaves, sighed and said to the bald Khitan man sitting cross-legged beside him: "The court dare not punish me now, so they can only agree to my request. The war between the two countries has already started, and if I die first, who will take responsibility for this matter? I can only hope that I can finish it well from beginning to end."
Yang Gun thought about it and nodded. He was also a military commander, but he had experienced these internal disturbances in the Liao Kingdom.
At this moment, Ono Yoshifuru suddenly showed a sad expression, looking at the falling leaves of the cherry tree in the yard, and murmured: I wonder if I can still enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms next spring.
Yang Gun was not used to this general who was always sad about the passing of time, and cursed in his heart: Damn it, if he is going to die, why should he care about a few flowers
But he advised: With a powerful enemy at hand, Mr. Ono should not say discouraging words.
Ono Yoshifuru said solemnly: I am ready to die for His Majesty the Emperor at any time.
Yang Gun was not used to some of his mentality, but Yang Gun admired his actions. Ono Yoshifuru learned about Xu Jun's equipment and tactics in detail this time, and actively prepared countermeasures.
The troops were gathered and deployed for more than a month.
Ono Yoshifuru, due to his combat experience and Yang Gun's advice, completely gave up the idea of sending people to challenge Xu's army. He deployed about 25,000 people into four large camps around Iwami Castle, all about a mile away, and built camp fortifications; the southern camp was located on the opposite bank of the Sanping River, and a floating bridge was built on the water. A large amount of military supplies were transported from the Sanping River to the Nanying Wharf.
They trained their war horses every day using the same training method that Yang Gun had used in the Pingxia area, and then re-drilled in sparse formations.
In the small Omori area, the Japanese army mobilized more than 20,000 troops to gather in one place. This was unprecedented since the capital was moved to Heian-kyo. The war here would surely attract the attention of the whole of Japan.
There is an arrow tower in front of the camp, and an antique wooden archway is built at the gate. Flags are fluttering on all sides, and the camp is extremely noisy.
Ono Yoshifuru stood on the north observation car and looked at the Iwami Earth Fort in the distance. He often had the illusion that such a small earth fort should have been destroyed overnight under the siege of tens of thousands of troops.
There was no communication between the two sides, because the last time Ono Yoshifuru sent his generals to challenge, he was rudely shot into a hornet's nest, and he didn't want to get himself into trouble again.
The generals and warriors from all over the country knew that the Japanese army was going to deal with the fortress they had besieged. The morale of the army was high, and there was no reason to lack confidence.
Even Ono Yoshifuru, who had suffered losses before, gradually felt that victory was only a matter of time.
As the autumn wind cooled, the Japanese army was ready, and Ono Yoshifuru decided to launch another attack on the fortress.
You attack from all sides, fill up the trench first, then shoot the bandits with bows and arrows after getting close, and open the way for the troops to climb the city. Ono Yoshifuru gave orders to the generals of the four camps.
Haha! Everyone shouted with great momentum.
Ono Yoshifuru said: "The enemy's firepower is fierce, and many warriors will die as a result. But we die for the emperor, for Japan to not become a slave. Yamato warriors can only die in glory, not in disgrace."
Suddenly there was a shout in the camp, the sound was earth-shaking.
Soon, the bright red sun was rising from the east, and groups of Japanese soldiers were looking at the inconspicuous earthen fort. Drums sounded, and a group of cavalry warriors lined up outside the northern camp took the lead in launching an attack from a mile away.
The warriors, armed with sharp weapons and fine Japanese bows, rode their horses and charged in front, while a large number of foot soldiers with bows and spears rushed forward from behind. The warriors shouted and the large group of infantrymen behind them also echoed the shouts, and the dust rose from the battle formation, which was magnificent.
After a while, there were flashes of fire in the dust and mist, and the ground trembled for a moment, followed by a loud bang. Everyone was shocked, and a dark shadow suddenly came through the dust and mist, howling.
Ah, screams were heard everywhere.
Many soldiers were seeing this kind of battle for the first time, and they continued to charge forward in fear. Shells continued to fly through the air, and corpses and wounded were seen everywhere along the way, and the shouting on the battlefield became even louder.
After several sporadic artillery bombardments, the Japanese vanguard rushed to the outer trench, only fifty or sixty steps away from the earthen fort. The foot soldiers came up and dug into the trench, while the mounted warriors drew their bows and arrows and looked up at the wall of the earthen fort.
It was humid in the early morning at the seaside. After the cannons were fired, the smoke made the fortress foggy. The scenery above could no longer be seen clearly at this time. One could only see human figures swaying in the smoke from time to time.
Bang, bang, bang! Suddenly, there were flashes of fire in the fog. Blood splattered from the armor of the warriors on the edge of the ditch. Screams were heard everywhere, and people kept falling to the ground. There were flashes in several directions, and bullets seemed to be flying from all directions.
The Japanese army could not bear it any longer, so they turned and fled. The warriors shot a few arrows from their bows and rode away. As they retreated, they were shot at by several firearms, suffering heavy casualties. In the end, they fled in a chaotic manner, with men and horses throwing away their armor and helmets and scrambling to get ahead.
When the chaotic soldiers arrived at the camp, a general shouted angrily: "You cowards who are afraid of the battle, because of you, all the efforts of this attack have been wasted. How can we face the warriors who died in the battle?"
The defeated warriors and infantrymen had no way of expressing their grievances, but running away was truly a humiliation for the warriors, and they felt extremely ashamed.
The general ordered some people to be tied to wooden stakes and their abdomens were ripped open with samurai swords to show the bloody scene, in order to motivate the soldiers.
When the second group of soldiers and horses were executed, they had already launched a charge. This time, the warriors also rode on horseback and on foot, and rushed madly with the infantry.
The shadowy iron bullets fell into the crowd again. The dust and fog were even thicker, and the shells were only visible when they were very close. People watched helplessly as the heads of the knights on horseback suddenly exploded, and brains and blood splattered everywhere.
To defend the Japanese land, the long live warriors roared loudly, and there was not only courage but also endless fear in their voices.
The foot soldiers were even more terrified. They endured the extreme fear of the unknown and walked through the fog. All they could hear were thunderous roars and screams. The choking dust and fog were filled with a sickening smell of blood. This place was like hell.
But some soldiers who had collapsed at the first blow last time saw artillery for the second time and discovered that today's bombardment was not as fierce as last time, and the invading bandits were more restrained in firing today.
The second attack also approached the back of the ditch. The Japanese soldiers came forward and saw corpses everywhere, including the dead and wounded left behind.
Bang, bang, bang. Explosions were heard again from the foggy direction. People kept falling to the ground and screaming. Those who were hit by lead bullets were in great pain. There was no sign before people were shot. No one knew when they would be hit.
Ah, a foot soldier suddenly knelt on the ground, holding his head with both hands, and cried out loudly with his head tilted back.
More people gritted their teeth and used shovels to dig the soil in the ditch. Bang, bang, bang, the flashes sounded one after another, like will-o'-the-wisp fire. The warriors found themselves charging towards the fortress, but most of the flashes were on the sides, and there were very few in front.
The warriors took their more sophisticated bows and shot arrows at the flashes. They couldn't see whether they hit the target or not. They only saw many people falling to the ground with every flash on their side.
They really couldn't stand this suicidal situation, and soon some people took advantage of the thick fog and unclear vision to turn around and flee, and more people followed suit.
A general stood in front of the ditch, threw away his bow and arrows, drew his samurai sword and waved it at the fortress, baring his chest and shouting loudly. He was determined to die in battle, but the soldiers on both sides fell to the ground one after another. He stood there and shouted for a long time but was not hit by a bullet.
The second round of attack failed completely. At this time, the fast horses of the central army arrived and stopped the army from launching the same charge.
The huge noise on the battlefield gradually died down, the sea breeze blew away the dust and smoke, and the mud around Iwami Castle was littered with corpses.
The Japanese army was in a very bad state in the first battle, and Ono Yoshifuru ordered a truce for today. He believed that the casualties were too great in this way of fighting, and if they endured such casualties every day, they would be finished within half a month.
Our troops do not need to attack from all sides, we only need to attack from one place and make feints from several sides. Ono Yoshifuru thought for a long time and said, if we attack from all sides, the total number of casualties will be too high.
Yang Gun raised an objection: Judging from the size of the fortress, Xu's army has no more than 300 to 500 soldiers. Continuously attacking one place is like adding oil to the lamp. We should besiege from all sides, day and night, to consume the exhausted enemy troops.
Ono Yoshiko: If you use the lives of your soldiers to consume your own, how many more troops will you have to fill the gap
Yang Gun said coldly: The sea route is blocked, Xu Jun has no reinforcements, and Ono-kun is fighting in Japan, with a population of at least a million. How can we care about human lives in a war
Ono Yoshifuru also sneered and replied: Do I have to report that the troops are insufficient? This time, fifty against one is unprecedented. If we want to increase the troops, we will become a laughing stock for all eternity.
He felt that Yang Gun's tactics were simply not feasible. The entire army would be worn down in a few days without all casualties. Every time the survivors of the defeat, it would be difficult to use them again for a while and they needed to rest and reorganize.
Ono Yoshifuru discussed with the Japanese generals and decided to adopt a strategy of feinting and concentrating the attack on the north the next day.