Zhao Xin's words did not have an immediate effect. It wasn't until a few months later, when the propaganda department broadcast the news about Prince Zhao's going to the countryside with great fanfare in every village and town, that the Fumingtai family finally reacted. He immediately ran to the mountains and told Dawa and others, which shocked everyone in Dawa's tribe and stunned them.
To the border residents of all ethnic groups and even ordinary people under the rule of Beihai Town, Zhao Xin's status was like that of a superior emperor. It is simply unbelievable that such a "high-status" person can eat and chat with ordinary people at the same table without any pretense.
Thinking again of what Zhao Xin said to the three of them that day, Dawa, Nayanzhuo and others finally made a decision. They went down the mountain to contact the civil affairs clerk, and then took the reindeer down the mountain to settle down.
The town hall of Humar Town also learned from past lessons. With the assistance of the local Beihai garrison, it built a several-kilometer-long aqueduct to divert mountain spring water to the settlement for the convenience of reindeer drinking. At the same time, in response to the fact that reindeer love to eat willow leaves, the Civil Affairs Bureau issued an order prohibiting the arbitrary cutting of willow trees around villages and towns.
In this era, the Northeast was vast and sparsely populated, and wild animals were everywhere. There was no such thing as poaching in another time and space. In addition, Beihai Town has opened the use of muskets to border residents two years ago, allowing them to effectively prevent wild beasts from harming their livestock. Of course, all weapons sold will be numbered and registered to prevent loss.
Time came to early September 1791. As the northwest wind gradually picked up, Zhao Xin issued an order to send seven modified thousand-ton Guangzhou ships south to replace the Thor and Beihai No. 1 and No. 2 that had returned to Beihai Town for overhaul.
These seven Guangzhou ships were brought back by Zheng Yi from Siam. After modification, they were all equipped with diesel engines and the hull structure was re-reinforced. Six of them were equipped with 16 75mm guns, and the other one was modified. The rear oil supply ship. Although these modified Guangzhou ships are not as good as Beihai No. 1 and No. 2, they are enough to deal with the Dutch Galen ships. biquku
Although the East Indies also produce oil, all land-based oil deposits are on Sumatra. The area is currently under the rule of the indigenous Sudan and is extremely closed and has very backward transportation conditions. If Beihai Town wants to mine and refine crude oil there, it must establish a stronghold along the local coast, which is currently impossible.
Of the seven refitted ships heading south, three will be deployed to Batavia, and the other three and supply ships will be deployed in Hoi An and Kan Ling O in Annan. Incidentally, the commander of the local fleet going south was Zheng Wenxian, and Zheng Qi, who had been renamed Zheng Yaohuang, also became the captain this time.
Although Zheng Yi's qualification as fleet commander is only temporary and he can actually command only three ships, the three ships are more than the captain of Beihai 2, Guo Xuexian. After receiving the order, Zheng Wenxian and Zheng Yaohuang were in a very happy mood. The first thing they did after returning home was to take their wives and children to burn incense on the ancestral tablets to comfort the spirits of the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty.
They also had a mission while going south this time, which was to assist He Xiwen's troops in encircling and suppressing the remnants of the Shimazu family who had fled to the islands in northern Okinawa.
On August 27, Zhao Xin received a battle report from Manzo from Demizuro. He Xiwenbu had defeated the Shimadzu family forces entrenched in the Sakishima Islands and Okinawa Main Island, and was currently chasing the remaining troops. However, the only fly in the ointment is that because the Shimadzu family held Prince Shomu's grandson negative and resisted, the Shuri Palace was destroyed in the war, and Prince Shomu's grandson was taken away by Shimazu Sainobu.
Since Deng Fei and the others left last time, Shimazu Sainobu used a large number of civilians to urgently build two forts at Naha Port and deployed six 8-pound cannons purchased from the Dutch. When He Xiwen's fleet crossed the Taiwan Island with great momentum, the far-sighted patrol stationed on the Sakishima Islands discovered them and quickly lit a beacon fire alarm.
Shimazu Sainobu knew that something was wrong, and immediately issued an order on behalf of King Shomu to mobilize the military and civilians of Naha, Shuri and other places. He equipped his samurai with matchlock guns, distributed swords, guns, bows and arrows to Ryukyu soldiers and civilians, and strictly ordered anyone who dared to escape to be killed on the spot. However, when the five 75mm guns in He Xiwen's fleet opened fire, six guns were blown up one after another, causing heavy casualties to the defenders.
The recruited Ryukyu people had never seen such a bloody scene, and they quickly dispersed. Even the supervising team composed of Shimazu samurai could not stop them. Seeing that the situation was not going well, Naha's leader, Miyahira Chikumo, who was in charge of the command, retreated to Naha Castle with his men.
The attack on Ryukyu and the annihilation of the Shimazu family was the first time He Xiwen and his brothers fought as a member of the Northern Navy after they surrendered. For the sake of the bright and promising future in his mind, He Xiwen charged forward in every battle after landing ashore, armed with two guns, killing people when they were blocked, and killing Buddha when they were blocked. It was a completely risk-taking attitude. Moreover, with the strong firepower support of the Marine Corps, the pirates of more than 1,500 people roared into Naha Port as if they had been beaten to death.
The landing went smoothly, but the Shimazu family was not in a hurry. Facing life and death
When they died, all the warriors also risked their lives. Although they couldn't defeat the regular army of Beihai Town, they were evenly matched with the pirates.
Although He Xiwen's men were equipped with a lot of flintlock guns captured in Bacheng, they were ultimately poorly trained and the battle was chaotic; in addition, the Shimazu family also had a lot of firearms. You must know that Tanegashima, which produced the "Taneshima Iron Cannon" during the Warring States Period, was originally under the rule of the Satsuma Domain. Although Southern Kyushu has been under the rule of the Sendai Domain, the blacksmith shop on Tanegashima has always been in secret communication with the Shimazu family.
After three days of siege and street fighting, He Xiwen's troops finally captured Naha City at the cost of more than 200 casualties. When He Xiwen posted a notice in Naha Castle, stating to the local people that the Northern Navy was coming to expel the Shimazu family and restore King Shomu's rule, the Ryukyu people turned from fear to joy, and ate pots of rice one after another to welcome " Master Wang".
Before setting off, Deng Fei sternly warned He Xiwen and his men that they must not
Robbery and rape of Ryukyu people are absolutely not allowed to occupy the residences of local people. You must give fair money when buying things; otherwise, once discovered, the Marine Company has the right to enforce battlefield discipline and shoot directly.
Although a group of pirates are full of complaints about this, they can sing whatever songs they go to on any mountain, not to mention that the treatment of the Northern Navy is quite good. Although formal training has not yet begun, the treatment is already equivalent to that of new recruits; they are well fed, clothed, and equipped with health workers, which makes the pirates who are poor fishermen burst into tears.
Attacking Shuri is different from attacking Naha. The artillery on the ship is simply out of reach. Fortunately, the Cai and Cheng families of Kume Village who came after hearing the news were very helpful. They found more than twenty cattle and then pushed and pulled the artillery unloaded from the ship to outside Shuri City.
With the firepower of the 75mm cannon and the two mortars of the Marine Company, Shuri Castle's defense was like paper. However, as the city defense was breached, the Shimazu family samurai and the Ryukyu troops who supported them retreated to the palace.
He Xiwen took a look and said, stop talking nonsense and continue bombarding! As you can imagine, the large courtyard that took nearly three hundred years to build was eventually destroyed by the war. The main hall, which was extremely ornately decorated and housed the imperial pen plaques of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, had its roof collapsed and became a ruin. Really dangerous building.
After the city was broken, Cai Shichang, the Zijin doctor, temporarily took over the position of the Third Secretary (National Prime Minister). He immediately eliminated political opponents with the support of He Xiwen.
Although Shuri was liberated, the next biggest problem still had to be rescuing the kidnapped Prince Shomu's grandson. Although the main island of Ryukyu was not big, Shimazu Sainobu had a fleet, so he took Prince Shomu and followed him at sea. Xiwen and the others started a guerrilla fight.
In order to prevent the Shimadzu family from resurrecting and completely cut off their presence in the Ryukyu Islands, after clearing out the remnants of the Shimazu family on Okinawa, He Xiwen took the fleet up to Tanegashima and down to the southeastern islands of Taiwan. , searching and suppressing one island after another.
On September 7, Zheng Wenxian's southbound fleet arrived at Izumi County on Kyushu Island. After a short rest, they immediately headed south to join the clearing operation.
Although Shimazu Sainobu has been on the Ryukyu Islands for three years and is familiar with the terrain of each island, it is not a long-term solution without supplies. On September 12, the remnants of the Shimazu family were finally blocked on the base of Amami Oshima. After a half-day bloody battle, the last two hundred or so warriors of the Shimadzu family were dead and wounded.
Shimazu Sainobu, who was facing doom, knew that even if he surrendered, he would not end well. He hated King Shangmu's collusion with Beihai Town so much that he actually killed him with a knife. The five-year-old heir, Shang Wen, contracted typhoid fever from being frightened by running around for days. He had a high fever and was already breathing in but not out, so he escaped the knife.
On the night of September 12, 1791, Shimazu Sainobu came to the imperial palace in Amami Oshima to have a "fan-kiri". His waiter thought that the wrong person had his head chopped off, and he was taken away and buried overnight.
At this point, the Ryukyu Kingdom finally got rid of the control of the Shimazu family after almost two hundred years since it became a vassal of the Satsuma Domain in the "Battle of Keicho Ryukyu".
Early the next morning, soldiers from the Marine Company who rushed into the Imperial Palace compound found the dying Shang Wen. After diagnosis by the team's medical soldiers, it was confirmed that it was a bacterial infection that required immediate isolation and treatment. Because Shang Wen was only five years old, ordinary anti-inflammatory and bactericidal drugs could not be used at all, so he had to be given infusions to replenish his fluids.
Zheng Wenxian, who was in charge of the command, immediately reported to the staff via radio after learning about Shang Wen's situation. The North Navy Staff quickly called back and ordered Zheng Wenxian to immediately send a ship to send Shang Wen to Beihai Town for treatment. If it were any later, it would be too late.
This fight lasted for a long time. If even the heirs of the Shang family were gone, the Ryukyu Kingdom would definitely be in chaos.
On the morning of September 13, in a courtyard inside the Amami Oshima Imperial Palace, a group of He Xiwen's men were discussing the newly captured female members of the Shimazu family.
These guys have been out at sea for several months, and there are really not many who don't feel itchy when they see a woman. They must observe military discipline in Naha and Shuri.
He could harass and tease the people, but facing a group of prisoners, Hua Hua couldn't bear it anymore.
"This is good, this is good! Big breasts and big butt, easy to give birth to."
"That's the best one. She looks like a young lady."
"Huh? Why is there a pregnant woman?"
Although the female members of the Shimazu family are all daimyo - for example, Shimazu Sainobu's wife Umeki is the daughter of Satake Yoshitsune, the lord of Akita Domain, Satsuma Domain is a poor place that cannot afford to support nobles, and the governor's wife also has to work hard. Housework, raising chickens and growing vegetables.
At this time, all the female relatives were trembling with fright at the expressions of the pirates. Shimazu Sainobu's pregnant main room was surrounded by several maids, and they were not allowed to come near; as for the side room and other young female members, they were all sitting on their knees with tears in their eyes. on the ground.
Suddenly, a former pirate leader who was a platoon leader couldn't bear it any longer. He showed greed in his eyes and reached out to drag a young woman. All the women were immediately frightened and started crying.
At this time, a delicate-looking young woman suddenly stood up from among the female relatives who were kneeling on the ground. She first stopped the guy who was reaching out, and then suddenly pulled out a short sword shorter than the wakizashi from her arms, scaring everyone. One jump.
"You bastards! Why don't you retreat quickly! What kind of hero is bullying a woman?! If anyone dares to come close again, I will fight him!" After that, the woman put the knife across her neck again.
It’s so fucking incredible, a prisoner dared to stab him! At that moment, someone asked the accompanying Ryukyuan interpreter what the other party said. After hearing what the woman said, the dozen guys present immediately became angry.
"This little girl is pretty, please take her to my house tonight!"
"Fart! Send me to my house!"
"Oh, what are you two arguing about?
! Guessing, one person per day. "
"No! There are so many Japanese women, and he can't choose any one. Why do you have to fight with me!"
"Isn't this good? If Boss He finds out, will military law be enforced? I think it's better to forget it!"
"What do you know! These are prisoners, and dealing with them is not a violation of military discipline."
"What's the fuss about?!" Everyone looked back and saw the second boss Huang Zhongtong and several soldiers from the Marine Battalion separated from the crowd and came over. Seeing the arrival of the real Northern Navy, the pirates immediately became enthusiastic, nodding and bowing, smiling and saying hello.
When Huang Zhongtong asked the interpreter present what happened, he couldn't help but sneer at the corner of his mouth. He walked up to the woman and said: "You can't wait for a bunch of homeless dogs. We, the Beihai Navy, will not kill innocent people, so we will spare your lives. Whose girl are you, dare to verbally abuse?!"
"Master Huang said it well!"
"Fight like hell! Just sell all these women to a brothel! Share the money!"
"That's right!" All the pirates suddenly felt that this was the most creative thing to say, and everyone must share in the benefits.
Although the woman couldn't understand the dirty words of the people in front of her, she could guess something from their expressions. Her face turned pale at this moment and her lips trembled slightly. But when she heard the sobbing of the women behind her, she finally felt heartbroken, pointed the knife at Comrade Huang Zhong and said: "I am the thirteenth generation head of the Shimazu family of Kajiki, the only daughter of Shimazu Chilan County, the Zhaowangdian of Beihai Town. My fiancée!”
As soon as he finished saying this, all the women kneeling on the ground looked at the woman in shock.
"What did she say?" Huang Zhongtong saw the woman mumbling a lot and quickly asked the translator next to him.
When the translator finished speaking, there was no other sound in the yard except the faint sobbing of the women, and everyone was dumbfounded. Prince Zhao’s fiancée? Isn’t that the princess who has never passed the exam? Why does Prince Zhao still have a Japanese wife?
At this time, someone heard a "hiccup", and the two guys who had been fighting to send the woman to their room felt weak in their legs and almost collapsed on the ground.
Huang Zhongtong turned his attention to the soldiers from the Marine Battalion who came with him and asked: "Brother, do you know about this?"
Several Marine Battalion soldiers also looked surprised. Some shook their heads and said they didn't know, while a soldier who had followed Zhao Xin to fight in Kyushu said: "It seems like something is really going on."
"you sure?!"
"I've heard about it too, but I really don't know what's going on."
Huang Zhongtong swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said in his heart that if he was not afraid of 10,000 yuan, he would be afraid of just in case. It was just fake. If this was true, it would ruin Boss He's big business. He immediately said to one of his men: "Find a place for these women to live." If you are in good custody, you must treat each other with courtesy, and do not neglect food and drinks! No one is allowed to be harassed! Anyone who violates the order will be punished according to military law!"
Not long after, Zheng Wenxian, who was at the temporary headquarters, also heard about this. He was also confused. He immediately asked his cousin Zheng Yaohuang to be found. The two found a secluded place and whispered for a long time. Zheng Yaohuang listened. He rolled his eyes.
"Brother Yi, you are the commander-in-chief, you have to make the decision."
"What should I do? I'm so worried!"
Zheng Wenxian is sitting on the wax! He felt that this matter could not be reported to the staff. If Princess Zhao knew about it, the matter would become a big deal. Although concubines are not allowed in Beihai Town, is King Zhao an ordinary person?
