,!
Tsurumaru Castle is different from many ancient cities in Japan. It has neither tall and solid walls nor a castle tower that symbolizes power.
Some people call it 'Pingcheng', others call it 'Mountain City'.
"Tsurumaru Castle" is probably named because the top of the city looks like a flying crane.
"History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Ryukyu" records: "In the forty years, Japan entered the country with three thousand strong soldiers, captured its king, moved its imperial weapons, and plundered it."
In the 40th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the Satsuma clan sent three thousand troops to invade the Ryukyu Kingdom and went straight to its capital. King Shang Ning and a group of civil and military officials were captured by Japanese pirates. The Satsuma clan burned, killed and looted in Ryukyu.
Yang Chongye, then the chief military officer of Zhejiang, reported to Emperor Wanli that Ryukyu was annexed:
"It was discovered that Japan had entered Ryukyu with 3,000 people, held the title of King of Zhongshan, and moved his ancestral weapons."
Zhu Yijun learned that Ryukyu was destroyed, but he had no reply as to whether Ryukyu was restored or not, and whether King Shangning rescued him.
After that, intelligence was sent back to the Ming Dynasty intermittently. However, Wanli always reacted coldly to the fact that Ryukyu was invaded by Japanese pirates. They had no intention of rescuing Ryukyu, but just acquiesced in the fact that Ryukyu was annexed, and did not even blame the Japanese pirates.
During the Ming Dynasty, a large number of the Japanese pirates who caused harm to the southeastern part of the Ming Dynasty came from the Satsuma Domain. The Satsuma Domain is located in the remote Kyushu region, and its folk customs are fierce. The Satsuma warriors are famous for being able to fight, and they are stubborn and will accept death.
The Satsuma clan, which prides itself on being a crane, can be said to be full of martial virtues.
However, after entering the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu and his successors launched a literary prison. The Satsuma clan would be jealous of Edo even if it curled up its wings, so how could it dare to fly high?
When Tsurumaru Castle was built, the Shimazu family, which participated in the Western Army as a representative of the Satsuma Kingdom, had been defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Sekigahara War.
The original intention of establishing Tsurumaru Castle was not for military purposes (Shimadzu was not so bold), but to show the Satsuma Domain's absolute obedience to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Therefore, the walls of Tsurumaru Castle are lower than those of other feudal lords, and the defenses are simpler.
In order to deal with the Toyotomi family, Tokugawa Ieyasu found the eight words "The king and his subjects are happy and the country is well" from the bell inscription of Hoguang Temple, and launched the Battle of Osaka.
The crane shape on the top of 'Tsurumaru Castle' is also a sign of dissatisfaction. If the shogunate deliberately seeks trouble, the Shimazu family may not be able to escape bad luck.
It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu was an old man like a tortoise, known for his "forbearance". In fact, the Shimadzu family was no less generous.
At that time, the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, Ishida Mitsunari, was brutally suppressed in Kyoto, which shocked the world. Shimazu Iehisa, who was full of martial virtue, chose "tolerance".
Therefore, from this perspective, Tsurumaru Castle is also a "ninja castle".
After Tokugawa Iemitsu succeeded to the throne, he listed the Western Expedition as the top priority of the shogunate, relaxed the supervision of Satsuma Domain, allowed the Shimadzu family to recruit troops, and Kagoshima's city defense was also upgraded.
The current head of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Mitsuhisa, was made heir by his father Shimazu Tadatsune at birth.
Eighteen years ago, Shimazu Tadahashi was defeated by the Ming army led by Liu Zhaosun. After surrendering to the Ming army, he took the lead in the rebellion. The Shimazu family actively supported the rise of the third generation of generals to conquer the barbarians. Shimazu Mitsuhisa had been living as a hostage in Edo during his boyhood.
In Kanei's fourteenth year (1637), the Shimabara Rebellion broke out. Because Shimazu Tadahashi was seriously ill and unable to lead the army, Shimazu Mitsuhisa returned to Satsuma.
As soon as Shimazu Mitsuhisa returned to Kagoshima, his father died of illness. Among the elders, Shimazu Mitsuhisa was appointed as the new generation Lord of Satsuma Domain following the death of Shimazu Tadahashi.
In March of the fifteenth year of Kanei (1638), when the shogunate army launched a general attack on the Hara Castle where the rebels were entrenched, Shimazu Mitsuhisa's generals Yamada Ariei and Shinna Tadayoshi participated in the attack and beheaded 200 rebels.
In the battle to put down the Shimabara Rebellion, the Shimazu army's powerful combat power was demonstrated.
The shogunate's trust in the Shimazu family has also grown further.
In the fifteenth year of Kanei, Shimazu Mitsuhisa led Shimazu Tadaro (Shimadzu Mitsuhisa's younger brother), as well as the old and middle-aged Komatsu Huangmaru, Shimazu Hisakei, Shimazu Hisamoto, Niina Hisa, Kiiri Hisuhiro, and Ying Wajiu. Zheng Zheng, Yin Shisadaaki and others went to Edo to prepare to meet Tokugawa Iemitsu.
On May 13, Shimazu Mitsuhisa came to the city and paid homage to General Tokugawa Iemitsu. He presented a sword, two Hyuga horses, a thousand silver coins, and a hundred pieces of silk to express his gratitude to Tokugawa Iemitsu.
According to custom, after the daimyo presents a gift, the shogun will usually give the daimyo the sword, folding fan, calligraphy and painting and other items he carries with him as a return gift.
Tokugawa Iemitsu took the sword from the sword-wielding man next to him, handed it to Shimazu Mitsuhisa himself, and said:
"Following the great powers of Tosho (referring to Tokugawa Ieyasu) and Taitokuin (referring to Tokugawa Hidetada), I command all the princes in the world to subdue them. If you are not convinced, you can try this sword."
Tokugawa Iemitsu's words were sharp and provocative.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa has been a hostage in Edo since he was a child. He and Tokugawa Iemitsu have known each other for a long time, and their relationship is similar to that of Qin Shihuang and Gao Jianli.
Now when the old friend meets, he is so threatening.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa was sweating like rain. He took the sword, held it in both hands, raised it above his head, and said bravely:
"The Shimazu family has received great favor from the shogunate. They serve the shogunate respectfully and are loyal to the general. They will never have second thoughts. If Mitsuhisa disobeys, he will die and his family will be destroyed."
Tokugawa Iemitsu squeezed out a smile on his face and said to Shimazu Tadaro, Shimazu Hisakei, Shimazu Hisamoto, Komatsu Huangmaru, Kamada Masato and others who had followed Shimazu Mitsuhisa to meet him:
"Mr. Guangjiu is still young, and he still needs your support to continue the blessings of our family and country."
This was more than ten years ago.
Mitsuhisa Shimazu still remembers it vividly.
The shogun's skill in controlling people left a deep impression on him.
~~~~~~
"When will Mr. Kuni's fleet be able to rescue Kagoshima?"
In the Shimazu family's mansion in Tsurumaru Castle, the head of the family, Mitsuhisa Shimazu, is sitting at attention. Shimazu Tadayō, Shimazu Hisakei, Shimazu Hisamoto, Komatsu Homaru, Kamada Masato and others are sitting around.
A few miles away from the mansion, on the sea of Kagoshima, the sound of cannons resounded.
The warships of the Qi army launched a fierce bombardment on the Kagoshima coastal defenses. The large-caliber naval guns roared angrily, like roaring steel behemoths, continuously smashing iron balls weighing five to thirty kilograms onto the heads of the Shimadzu troops. .
From time to time, dense rockets passed over the coastline and fell into the city, exploding and burning in the densely populated Kagoshima City. The wooden houses in the city were quickly ignited by the fire. The fierce Satsuma residents carried buckets to put out the fire while heading towards the coastal positions. Transporting shells.
Shimazu Mitsujiu listened quietly to the continuous sound of artillery outside, and looked up at the group of close ministers and confidants.
The head of the family's younger brother Shimazu Tadaro was specifically responsible for dealing with the surrendered generals of the Ming Dynasty - part of the Ming army who escaped from China to Japan stayed directly in Satsuma Domain, and the Shimazu family did not report it to Edo.
"We can arrive when it gets dark today, but Akito can't be trusted, especially Akito who lost the battle. We can't place all our hopes on them, including Zuo Liangyu, who has been missing."
As soon as Shimazu Tadaro finished speaking, there was a muffled roar on the sea surface, and a shrill whistling sound came from the window. Then, the entire mansion shook slightly, as if it was an earthquake.
Several retainers and samurai were about to run outside.
The knowledgeable Komatsu Huangmaru said: "Don't be afraid, this is the giant cannon of the Tatars, an iron ball weighing thirty kilograms. The country will collapse, and one cannon will destroy it for thirty miles."
Seeing everyone's faces pale, the elder quickly explained:
"Don't worry, I heard the British say that this cannon can't hit the house very far."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was the sound of broken boards at the gate, followed by the howling of ghosts and wolves from the warriors.
Everyone in the room looked at each other.
Komatsu Huangmaru said with embarrassment: "Sometimes if you are lucky, the ricochet will hurt people."
At this time, a flour worker came in, covered with dust.
Shaking off the dust, he discovered that it was the samurai guarding the door.
"The Tatar artillery fire was so fierce that half of the warriors guarding the gate were killed."
All the retainers and generals were stunned.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa stood up from his arms and shouted: "We can't wait for Zheng Sen! Only those who save themselves can be saved by others!"
After saying that, he looked at the three generals Shimazu Hisakei, Shimazu Hisamoto, and Kamada Masato.
"I was careless at the time."
Shimazu Mitsuhisa looked ashamed, waved his folding fan, gritted his teeth and said:
"I didn't expect the Tatars to have so many ships and artillery. They came up with random cannons and flying crows, and they also sent troops to land. I was still thinking about negotiating peace with them, but I was careless... and the Tatars suddenly Attack me, sneak attack, I asked the defenders to fire, I thought I would hit him until now, but I didn't expect the Tatars to have no martial ethics!"
Masato Kamada is a veteran who participated in quelling the Shimabara Rebellion. He said solemnly:
"Since our vassal artillery is not as good as the Tatars, let's simply let them enter the city and fight with them in the streets!"
Shimazu Hisakei and Shimazu Hisuan agreed: "Exactly, as long as we can hold the Tatars back and wait for the reinforcements of the country to arrive, we will attack from inside and outside, and we will have a chance of winning!"
Shimazu Mitsuhisa was very dissatisfied with the Qi army who did not respect martial ethics.
But there's nothing he can do now.
Although the Satsuma clan had tried its best to build more forts before the war started, and Shimazu Mitsuhisa wished he could send all the clan's women to Nanyang to earn gold coins to buy red cannons, but Satsuma is a small place after all, how can it fight against Daqi?
Besides, shore guns have no advantage over naval guns.
What's more, the number of Qi's naval guns is more than ten times that of our own. It would be crazy to win such a bombardment.
He looked around and saw that his men's fighting spirit was in full swing, and he felt a sense of heroism rising in his heart.
"Let the defenders withdraw from the coastal forts, let the Tatars land first, and fight with them in the streets. Today I will sit guarding Tsurumaru Castle and fight bloody battles with you all to the end!"
