On May 19, Deng Fei drove the Thor to Sagawa in Ezo.
Tuka, who had known Zhao Xin's intentions as early as the end of last year, had been making intensive preparations for a long time. At this time, Ainu warriors from various tribes in Ezo gathered in the Pingyuan Town area, numbering more than 3,000.
The two hundred Shachuan warriors who returned with the ship caused a great sensation among the Ainu people in Pingyuan Town. These two hundred people have been training in Beihai Town for more than four months, and their temperament has completely changed. They are no longer the aborigines with big beards, messy hair, and birch skin clothes.
These people have now become Tuka's personal bodyguards, wearing the blue-black spring long-sleeved uniforms issued by Beihai Town (that is, security uniforms) and training caps. No. On the armed belts around the waists of these people, there is a "Type 84" revolver produced by Beihai Town on the left and right. The leader's name is Sea Dog, and his crazy nostrils can catch rainwater.
"Sea Dog, what is that hanging on your waist? Is it iron? I see there is wood on it." An Ainu warrior who knew Seo Dog stood a few meters away and asked curiously, pointing to the revolver on Seo Dog's belt. road.
The sea dog glanced at the other party sideways and ignored him at all.
"Seal Dog, I haven't seen you for several months, why have you become mute?" A group of Ainu people burst into laughter.
These Ainu warriors from other tribes wore colorful clothes, including dark-dyed birch leather jackets, animal skin jackets, and Qing army cotton armor that Zhao Xin had given before. Some tribal leaders actually wore loose clothes. Long-sleeved robe with python pattern.
(The Ezo Nishiki was obtained by the Ainu people by rowing to Kuye Island and exchanged it with the Kuphyaka people; and the Kuphyaka people's python robes were exchanged at the Urin Appreciation Festival.)
The weapons in the hands of these people are also miscellaneous. Except for Sea Dog and the others, each of the Shachuan people has a Qing-made waist knife or a spear, and they also carry a Qing army's standard hard bow; some of the other tribal warriors carry a soft hunting bow and hold a head bow. Sharpened wooden spears; some held big wooden sticks; others held a steel rod, which looked like they were obtained from the Shachuan tribe.
In the military station in Pingyuan Town, the soldiers were packing their bags, gathering their teams, and preparing to return to Shachuan Town to board the ship. And Deng Fei was taking Li Ji to explain the matter to Katsuyama Denzo.
"We will be back in ten days at most. This time we will completely solve the problem of Matsumae Domain. Please tell us about the situation there first."
"Sir, you won't go on a killing spree this time, will you?" Although Denzo Katsuyama is on the same boat as Beihai, he is still an island native, so he naturally has to consider his compatriots.
"No, our goal is to expel the shogunate's influence in Ezo. As for other ordinary people and businessmen, if they are willing to live locally and obey the management, we will not harm them wantonly. On this point, Mr. Zhao and Tuka previously discussed The patriarch made it very clear."
When Katsuyama Densanyi heard this, his expression relaxed slightly, and he quickly said: "That's good, that's good." Then he talked about the situation at Matsumae Clan.
Since Zhao Xin bombarded Matsumae Castle in April last year, the eighth generation head of the Matsumae family, Matsumae Michhiro, was killed in the bombardment. Eight of his important ministers died and two were seriously injured. The Matsumae family's vitality was seriously damaged.
More than half a month later, the news reached Edo, and the shogunate was shocked. Senior Nakatanuma Yoshiji held an emergency meeting and dispatched an incident investigation team headed by Matsumoto Izu Morijubei, the leader of the survey team, and Soujiro Soujiro, the leader of the survey team, to go north to investigate the Matsumae Castle shelling incident.
Although the Matsumae family suffered heavy losses due to a sneak attack by unknown forces, no matter who the attacker was, this investigation to the north opened the way for Tanuma Yiji to intervene in Ezo affairs. Therefore, when he received a petition from the Matsumae Domain retainers, he ignored the matter of Matsumae Michhiro's eldest son returning to Matsumae Castle to succeed the family governor, and kept saying that he could not make a decision until the investigation was completed.
When Hokkai Town launched a cross-sea operation before the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, the Matsumae clan's retainers were struggling with the investigation team over the heir, and were moving up and down Edo Castle at the same time, unable to go north.
"I heard that in February this year, the investigation team from Edo finally came to a conclusion. It was believed that Aka-haired Ezo was responsible for last year's unidentified attack. This gave Tanuma-dono a greater reason to intervene in Matsumae Domain affairs. . Now there are rumors from Edo that in view of Matsumae Domain’s inability to defend the Ezo territory, the shogun plans to confiscate the Matsumae Domain’s territory and transfer the five thousand koku of Saitama County in Musashi Province as a proxy land.”
Deng Fei asked curiously: "What about the heir to the Matsumae clan?"
Denzo Katsuyama explained: "Hisashi Shikihiro is only nine years old this year and cannot make decisions at all. Since the death of his legitimate son, Shogun, I heard that he has been in poor health and has no intention to deal with government affairs; Sagara Hou (Tanuma Yoshiji) last year After the death of his son, his energy was not as good as before, so this matter has been put on hold. Now the person in charge of Matsumae Castle is Matsumoto Izu Mamoru. He is from Sagarahou. He has always wanted to carry out the development of colonization northward. However, in order to retain the territory, the Matsumae clan decided to They are all trying their best to create obstacles, and now the two sides are in a tense situation."
After the matter was discussed, the guards came to report that the troops had been assembled and ready to set off. Deng Fei followed Zhao Xin's instructions and handed over the general camp to Katsuyama Denzo's men to garrison it on his behalf.
Boss Shengshan is different now. He is no longer the small winery boss he used to be. Since coal mine development began, there has been no shortage of food, tools, weapons, and manpower. He and the boss of Murata House recruited many ronin warriors from the country to work as supervisors in the coal mines and bodyguards in the warehouses.
Now is the time of famine, when food is expensive and money is cheap, a living allowance of three shi of food and a salary of two shi of food per month will be rushed by a lot of ronin.
When he thinks about the bright future in which the North Sea trading company he established with Zhao Xin and Murataya's boss will dominate Ezo trade, Denzo Katsuyama will laugh out of his dreams.
When Deng Fei led Li Ji and Pan Xiucheng's two companies out of the military camp, he found that the outside had become bustling, as lively as a rural fair. The Ainu people waiting here to set off together have actually set up stalls!
"Come and take a look at this bear skin. The fur is so shiny. If you want it, I can exchange it for an iron knife."
"If you don't give me the iron knife, I'll give you five sealskins in exchange for the bundle of arrows."
"Sea Dog, do you want to change your clothes?"
The only people who did not get involved in setting up stalls and selling goods were the Shachuan people. At this moment, Tuka was in high spirits, with two hundred gun-wielding warriors led by Sea Dog standing beside him. He looked at the hopelessness of other tribes with contempt, and thought to himself, this is it, I am the one who wants to be the king, what are you going to fight with me for?
But the only thing that makes Tuka dissatisfied now is that Zhao Xin has not married his sister until now. Although he has sent someone away, it is Zhao Xin's business how to treat him, but you have married before!
On May 22, all 3,000 Ainu warriors from various tribes who had been struggling finally boarded the Thor. Many people who saw the big ship for the first time were too frightened to get on the ship and knelt on the shore to pray. After finally getting on the boat, these Ainu people were surprised to find that there was iron everywhere on the boat!
This is trouble! Li Ji, Pan Xiucheng, Sea Dog and their men had nothing else to do on the ship. They had been maintaining order and preventing the Ainu from secretly unloading various parts and tools on the deck. They don't want any pliers, wrenches, plastic buckets, plastic brooms, fire extinguishers, fire hoses, etc.
After being caught, these Ainu people would not become angry. Instead, they would generously take out sand gold or leather goods from their bodies and stuff them into the hands of the soldiers, while constantly saying, "I'll give you something in exchange."
Tuka took the chiefs to the canteen on the second floor to drink and brag. As a result, the kitchen next to the wall suffered a disaster. All kinds of pots and pans were divided up by the group, and even the door handle of the freezer was broken off. Fortunately, it only took one day to drive from Sagawa to Matsumae Castle. When they were approaching their destination, the group of people had already begun to figure out how to use tools to remove the cargo hatch cover on the deck.
Deng Fei led a team on a mission alone for the first time, and was troubled by the various weird behaviors of the Ainu people.
In Matsumae Castle, Matsumoto Izu Morimasa, a former junior accountant, looked furious. The exploration team he sent failed again and returned.
Since he arrived here last year, the entire Matsumae clan has ostensibly cooperated with the shogunate investigation team wholeheartedly and behaved in an all-round way. However, the Matsumae family, who guarded the Ezo Territory, had ulterior motives for the investigation team. In addition to conducting a serious investigation of the attack, the entire domain tacitly prevented the shogunate from exploring the Ezo Territory.
In fact, everyone knows the reason here, no one says it directly.
Although the Matsumae Domain belongs to the ten thousand stone level in the Tokugawa clan system, there is no rice grain produced in the domain, so it is actually not as high as the actual stone. Since the feudal lord Nobuhiro Takeda (Uyizaki) fled here from Wakasa and founded his family, Matsumae's prosperity has been maintained mainly through trade with the Ezo people and domestic feudal clans, which led to an increase in tax revenue.
The source of Ezo's tax revenue is mainly taxes and fees collected from trading ships entering the port, cargo loaded, and even from passengers. The heads of the Matsumae family in the past generations were almost all good at flattering the shogunate in both directions. They successively obtained tax permission from Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, and enjoyed the rich benefits of the Ezo land for generations.
It can be said that Matsumae's prosperity was built on the exorbitant taxes on the Ezo land. For this reason, the Matsumae clan did not want the shogunate to control the Ezo Territory, but hoped to monopolize the rights and interests of the Ezo Territory as before. In this way, it is not difficult to imagine the role of Matsumae Clan's "guide" in the shogunate's exploration team. It would be strange if they did not interfere with it!
The exploration team heading north this time was led by Qingdao Junzang, and they were exploring the coastal areas from Sanetsuchi to Fire Bay, and from Cape Enchang to Cape Shiretoko. As a result, as soon as they reached Sankoshichi, the people of Matsumae Domain began to slow down the survey process. After a while, he said that the south wind was coming and the weather might be abnormal, so he encouraged Qingdao Junzang to return as soon as possible.
Aoshima Shunzou knew nothing about the local geography and climate before coming to Ezo. Under the intimidation of the mischievous consultants sent by the Matsumae clan, he had to end the exploration and return to Matsumae Castle.
"These bastards! No, we have to continue sending exploration teams, otherwise we will not be able to complete the mission assigned by Mr. Tanuma." After listening to Qingdao Shunzang's report, Matsumoto Jurobei said angrily.
Soujiro Tsuchiyama, the leader of the survey team who was sitting at the bottom, said nothing. The recent news from Edo is not good. The general's health has become very poor and he has fainted several times since the beginning of spring. The relationship between Matsumoto Izumomo and Matsumae Clan is so bad now, it would be bad if it delays Tanuma Yiji's plan.
The two of them were each thinking about their own thoughts, when rapid footsteps came from the corridor outside the door.
With a "crash", the barrier door was opened by someone, and it was his subordinate Sato Yukinobu.
"Lord Izumori, what's wrong! A huge barbarian ship is coming from the sea!"
Matsumoto Jurobei was surprised and asked quickly: "Where did the ship come from?"
Soujiro Tsuchyama also quickly asked: "Is it Akafa Ezo's ship?"
Sato Yukinobu looked anxious and said: "My subordinates can't tell. Even the soldiers at the seaside post said they have never seen it!"
"Quickly, take me to Tengo and take a look at the oar wall." Jurobe Matsumoto subconsciously wanted to go to the castle, but then he remembered that the castle keep of Matsumae Castle had collapsed, so he had no choice but to go to the oar wall.
The group of people reached the oar wall and looked south, only to see a huge blue and white ship sailing towards the harbor. Fishing boats and merchant ships outside the harbor were all hurriedly getting out of the way. Everyone looked at the approaching giant boat and were surprised to find that the giant boat was so big that they had never seen it before. Compared with this ship, the Sansenkoku Anzai ship moored in Edo Bay is just like a small sampan.
"Quick, send a ship to stop the barbarian ships from entering the harbor!"
"A ship has been sent."
On the main deck of the Thor, the Ainu who were preparing to serve as the vanguard raised their weapons and shouted. After being oppressed by the Matsumae clan for so many years, I can finally take revenge!
At the bow of the ship, a platoon of soldiers had raised their rifles, aiming at the approaching small morning boat.
On the morning boat, a Matsumae clan warrior put his hands to his mouth and shouted loudly: "Stop! Stop the barbarian ship ahead! This is the territory of the shogunate, and no one is allowed to trespass!"
Pan Xiucheng looked at the samurai on the morning boat with disdain. When the opponent was within a hundred meters, he waved his arm fiercely and shouted: "Aim! Fire!"
"Bang bang." In the sound of shooting that was as dense as exploding beans, the two samurai on the morning boat were shot several times and fell into the sea with a "pop". Several sailors on the oars were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they couldn't even save them. I couldn't care less, threw away the oar and huddled up.
"Woo~~" As the whistle sounded, the Thor split the waves and passed by the morning boat.
On the oar wall of Matsumae Castle, Matsumoto Jurobei and others were stunned by the sudden sound of shooting and did not know what to do. The castle town was already in chaos, and the townspeople were frightened and fled in all directions when they heard the sound of the whistle. Those who had time took away their belongings and ran up the mountain with their families; those who had no time hid in their homes, closed the door, and shivered.
"Anchor and let them prepare for landing." In the cab, Deng Fei gave the order to Li Ji.
More than half an hour later, as the Thor anchored and came to a stop, Sea Dog and others as the vanguard boarded the assault boat wearing life jackets. Sailors from the Thor will drive them ashore in Zodiacs.
In the second year of Yuanhe, the shogunate stipulated that any daimyo with a territory of more than 10,000 koku should be equipped with fourteen horses, three flags, ten bows, fifty spears, and twenty foreign guns. In fact, in addition to samurai, plus gun holders and civilian husbands, the total number of people mobilized can reach more than two hundred people. Specific to the Matsumae Domain, because it controls the Ezo Territory overseas and is responsible for guarding the northern waters of the island country, the total number of troops in the domain is 350.
Because the incident happened suddenly, many samurai and soldiers of Matsumae Domain rushed into battle without even wearing armor. These people were armed with samurai swords, spears, bows and arrows, and had bowls tied on their heads (to prevent their helmets from falling off and to prevent sweat from flowing into their eyes during battle); they were divided into several groups and hid under the back walls of various houses in the port, preparing to attack the landing troops. The enemy launches a surprise attack.
When the seal's feet touched the harbor soil, the hammer of the revolver in his hand was already open. They had practiced similar landing training many times when they were in Beihai Town. Sea Dog and others followed the steps taught by Wang Yuanfang and the others, first finding and occupying favorable terrain.
A group of Matsumae clan troops hiding behind the house saw that there were only ten people who came ashore first, and their confidence increased greatly. Especially when he saw that the opponent only had a musket in his hand and no sword or gun, he immediately roared and killed him with his sword and gun.
Seeing the twenty or so warriors who suddenly rushed out, Sea Dog and the others, who had participated in many drills, were still a little panicked. They all pulled the triggers in their hands and flipped the hammer with their left hand, firing out all six bullets in one go. .
"Boom boom~~!!!" Along with the white smoke rising when the black gunpowder burned, dozens of .36-caliber lead bullets immediately hit a group of warriors like dogs.
The raiding warriors didn't expect that the short muskets in the opponent's hands could be fired continuously, but everyone rushed out, wouldn't it be too embarrassing to go back! So they were just stunned for a moment, then yelled and continued to charge forward to fight.
The casualties on the seal's side soon appeared. The heavy arrows fired by several warriors severely shot two Ainu warriors down under the eaves.
The sea dog shouted: "Speed, slow down! Don't use up all the bullets!"
After saying that, he took out another revolver, cocked the hammer, and shot a warrior who was unfurling his bow and unloading an arrow.
After a series of random shots, the warriors dragged their injured companions and retreated. Sea Dog counted the number of casualties and found that the other party only killed seven or eight people in total, and two on his side died. He was so angry that he screamed.
(End of chapter)
