The actions of the Ming army in Taiwan would have far-reaching consequences in the future.
But at this moment, the first reaction was that the first group of bandits who fled in defeat first drifted to Ryukyu, and then to Satsuma, Japan.
The Satsuma country in the southwest of Kyushu, Japan, has been inhabited by the Hayato clan, which is known for its ferocity since ancient times.
Over the years, Satsuma guardian Shimazu Takahisa, who is known as a famous civil and military general, has only one thing in his eyes: to completely defeat the other Shimadzu clans in the country and pacify Satsuma!
The Shimazu family is not only the guardian of Satsuma, but also the guardian of Osumi and Hyuga. But now, he has the position of Guardian of the Three Kingdoms for free, but because the split family is dissatisfied that he, the adopted son of the clan, has inherited the position of governor, the Shimazu family cannot use the Guardian of the Three Kingdoms to dominate Kyushu!
Starting from the twelfth generation of the Shimazu family governor, two consecutive generations of family governors died young. Shimazu Takahisa himself was also after the separation of the family, but Shimazu Katsuhisa, who succeeded the fourteenth generation family governor, was still too young, so he entrusted the clan to the branch family's Isha family where Shimazu Takahisa's father belonged.
In this way, Shimazu Takahisa became the adopted son of the main family from a son of a branch family, and succeeded the family governor at the age of fourteen.
The Shimazu family, which originally had the territory of the Three Kingdoms, split up due to the premature death or weakness of three consecutive generations of family governors, and even some retainers established their own families, and there were even more local powerful people.
When Shimazu Takahisa took over as the family governor, conflicts always broke out: They all come from separate families, why should they listen to you?
Moreover, there are many inside stories: Shimazu Katsuhisa had already abdicated and lived in seclusion. After Shimazu Minoru, the head of the Northern Satsuma branch, defeated two cities, Shimazu Katsuhisa showed up again and expressed his hope to resume his role as guardian, making it seem that he had withdrawn the island in the first place. Jin Guijiu was forced to be an adopted son and entrusted to the clan.
Shimazu Takahisa, who is still young, naturally retreated step by step at the beginning. Although he was determined not to exchange the guardian position with his "adopted father", he could only escape from Shimizu Castle, the national capital in Kagoshima.
When he was twenty years old, Shimazu Takahisa's counterattack began. The first battle defeated Shimazu Minoru's army in Hioki eight years ago, recaptured Ijuin Castle five years ago, and captured Kagoshima four years ago. It took more than a year starting three years ago, and Kasada Castle, the largest stronghold of Shimazu Minoru's side in Minamisatsuma, was defeated.
At present, except for the remnant army of Minoru's side that is still entrenched in some places, the Satsuma Kingdom is close to unification.
Now, this wish has been initially realized.
The ambitious Takahisa Shimazu, who is only twenty-eight years old, is planning to conquer Osumi and Hinata to complete the next step of restoring the reality of protecting the Three Kingdoms.
"Lord Takahisa, now is not a good opportunity to attack Osumi!" The retainer began to advise, "The top priority is to completely wipe out the Shiku army, rebuild the imperial palace in the city, and increase our strength! Besides, the iron cannons that Lord Tadaya purchased from overseas were , The wear and tear has been too great over the years. The iron cannon has contributed a lot to its invincibility in the past few years. But now, the projectiles and barrels all need to be replenished. "
"Tekpao..." Shimazu Takahisa knelt on the ground, resting his hands on his knees, frowning, "Whether it is Ryukyu or Tsushima, there are no traces of those aliens now. Since the Hosokawa family more than ten years ago, There was a big incident with the Ouchi family in the Ming Dynasty, and Japanese merchants were not allowed to trade. And they never sold these weapons."
The reason why Shimazu Takahisa was able to dominate as an adult was not only his own talents, but also the help of these firearms.
The origin of these firearms can be traced back to the aliens they said, the Portuguese who were still exploring here.
Of course, the Japanese countries are no strangers to firearms. After all, the Yuan army attacked Japan, the Ming army was good at firearms, and the Japanese pirates who went to the Ming Dynasty had also seen it.
However, Japan has been at war for years and has suffered from domestic and foreign troubles. It also lacks the accumulation of technology and process methods for making firearms.
During the Onin Rebellion, the Hosokawa family equipped a small team of fire muskets, which achieved good results. But in general, the big names in various countries do not have enough financial resources, foresight and supply of goods to assemble large-scale firearms units.
The Shimazu family's "iron cannon" army was actually just matchlock guns brought over by the Portuguese.
But after all, the quantity is very small, and it is extremely difficult to imitate.
Speaking of which, it was actually a mistake. Originally, the known history of the introduction of Western muskets to Japan would be two years later, and the person who handled it was Wang Zhi.
But during the time when the Portuguese were driven away from Guangdong by the Ming Dynasty, they faced a completely different Ming Dynasty, and some businessmen turned to look for the Japan that many people in Malacca had rumored. In the end, only a handful of people finally found Japan, and only completed two or three transactions. Afterwards, the Ming Dynasty returned to Malacca, and the Portuguese merchants' eastward destination stopped there.
In Malacca, arms trading was banned by the Ming Dynasty.
The muskets of Portuguese merchants are now sold more to Brazil.
Hearing what his retainer said, Shimazu Takahisa thought of the news that had recently reached here: "I heard that the clan of Tsushima also participated in the chaos in China, and had an iron artillery army with fifty people, which was extremely elite! "
The number of firearms soldiers reaching fifty was already a remarkable number under the command of various Japanese lords at this time.
With the scale of the general battle in Japan at this time, a small group of elite soldiers who can break through the weak points is already extremely useful on the battlefield. You know, except for some strong mountain cities, most of the time they are field battles, or the camps and fortresses are just simple wood and bamboo fortifications.
Shimazu Takahisa now has less than twenty iron artillerymen left. But in the past, he had repeatedly achieved extraordinary feats by relying on a thirty-man iron artillery army prepared for him by his biological father at that time.
The China that Shimazu Takahisa spoke of was the China in Japan's divided country system, which is the place where the Ouchi, Niko, and Mori clans are now entrenched.
The retainer nodded when he heard this: "The Zong family was also in constant internal strife in the past few years, but I heard that their recent prosperity was due to Ming merchants. The amount of transactions between China's Ouchi clan, Nizi clan, Maori clan, and Tsushima is Huge numbers. In recent years, the Zong family’s wealth should have grown rapidly.”
"Do you think he got firearms from the Ming Dynasty? I really can't figure out how the Ma Zong family dares to participate in the battle of Chinese heroes with only one island. I heard that the object of his alliance is the Maori clan, but the target of the attack is Nizi Haruhisa, who just defeated Ouchi Yoshitaka! That Ouchi Yoshitaka who destroyed the second family and has already dominated Kitakyushu with great fame!"
Compared to the real heroes of Western Japan such as the Niko clan, the Ouchi clan, and the Hosokawa clan, no matter how confident Shimazu Takahisa is, he still thinks that there is a level between him and them today. As for the Ma Zong family, they should even be weaker than the Shimazu family. After all, the Shimazu family is the guardian of the Three Kingdoms, and they only have one island of Tsushima.
Shimazu Takahisa raised this guess, and then said: "I heard that Ouchi Yoshitaka was greatly hit this time, and even started to indulge in fun. Do you think it is possible for us to form an alliance with the Tsushima clan? If Mune Harukatsu can start from Daming To obtain firearms, he must have the support of the Ming Emperor! I’m afraid, this will be the biggest variable in Japan’s chaos!”
"Lord Guijiu, do you want to obtain the Ming Dynasty's iron cannon through the Zong family?"
Praise for being both civil and military, Shimazu Takahisa naturally has his intelligence.
Now, his eyes were bright: "Zong Qingyasu is already very old, and his ambitions should only be limited to China. If we can form an alliance with me, then our Shimazu family can attack the Ouchi clan's army in Kitakyushu and create a breakthrough for him. A good opportunity for the Ouchi clan! Now Nizi Haruhisa has just defeated Ouchi Yoshitaka. If he is attacked by Soharuyasu, Ouchi Yoshitaka will definitely seize the opportunity to avenge Nizi Haruhisa! As long as we attack at the right time..."
Shimazu Takahisa, who initially pacified Satsuma, began a longer-term plan, targeting China and Kyushu in southwestern Japan, where the situation has changed again.
In fact, this is indeed due to the changes brought about by Yan Shifan after he came to Tsushima. Yan Shifan, who came with a special purpose, was just engaged in large-scale trade at the beginning. Among the goods provided at the beginning were a large number of old iron weapons that had been eliminated by the Ming Dynasty.
Although Japanese swords are also very famous, in today's situation, the consumption of weapons is really huge. Nizi Haruhisa, who is sitting on Iwami Silver Mountain, is equally ambitious. How could he not take action when he encountered such an opportunity? Much of the rising "trade volume" at Yan Shifan's place was obtained through the elimination of weapons.
Due to the sudden increase in Ginzan mining technology and production, and the sudden increase in power due to direct purchase, Nizi Haruhisa was able to make Ouchi Yoshitaka suffer a loss two years in advance, and even made his adopted son Ouchi Harumchi fight. died.
That was his only son.
Ouchi Yoshitaka also had no sons, so he also planned to adopt a son to inherit the position of family governor in the future. Now, having suffered a defeat and lost an heir, it was natural for him to be severely hit.
Now Shimazu Takahisa also covets Kitakyushu, which is currently controlled by the Ouchi clan. After all, his ambition is to "dominate Kyushu."
If we don't get rid of the tentacles of Ouchi's promotion to Kyushu, the strongest state can only dominate Southern Kyushu.
While they were discussing, Shimazu Takahisa's retainer samurai brought two people, one of whom was holding a firecracker they had never seen before in his hands.
"Lord Takahisa, there is a Ming rebel general who has drifted to Satsuma, and he has brought great news!"
"The Ming Dynasty Rebels?" Shimazu Takahisa looked at this man in confusion, staring at his weapon.
At this time, the man next to him spoke: "Master Pan was originally a noble of the Taiwan Yuan Dynasty, but now he was invaded by the Ming army. The warrior master said that Master Pan was a rebel of the Ming Dynasty, which is not accurate. Master Pan is one of the leaders of the resistance army of the Taiwan Yuan Dynasty. First, the villain will now interpret for the Lord City Lord and Lord Pan."
"...Where are you from?"
"The villain is from Amami Oshima. After King Shokiyo captured Amami Oshima, the villain has been making a living on the island."
"King Shokiyo?" Shimazu Takahisa thought thoughtfully, "Are you from Ryukyu?"
Between Taiwan and Kyushu, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands have undergone dramatic changes in recent years, and a hero has emerged.
Satsuma, the country in the southwest of Kyushu Island, is no stranger to Ryukyu.
Now, Ryukyu is an independent country. Originally, the Ming Dynasty canonized three kings in the Ryukyu area, namely the King of Zhongshan, the King of Shannan and the King of Shanbei. There were actually three kingdoms in Ryukyu. The Three Ryukyu Kingdoms were unified a hundred years ago, but today's King Shoqing is not the successor of the first Sho clan who unified the three Ryukyu Kingdoms in the past. Therefore, the second Sho clan actually experienced civil strife after he succeeded to the throne.
It was only four years ago that King Shangqing led his army in the Northern Expedition to capture the Amami Islands.
Shimazu Takahisa then continued to look at the "Master Pan" in the interpreter's mouth, and asked: "I heard that you brought special news? My retainer said that you drifted to Satsuma, so you should have been captured by the Ming army. Defeated and fled here, right? Do you want to ask the guardians of the Three Kingdoms to help you resist the Ming army? "
The man surnamed Pan raised the musket in his hand: "Although I was defeated, I still have more than a hundred elite soldiers under my command! There are countless rebels on Taiyuan Island! Our bravery, such trophies are proof! This is the musket used by Baoming elite soldiers, We captured six such muskets! Now, there are more than 3,000 elite soldiers armed with muskets on Taiyuan Island! I came to see the city lord, not to ask for help, but to form an alliance! Lord city lord, if you don’t send troops to help us , you are next!"
When Shimazu Takahisa heard that there were more than three thousand firearms soldiers, his heart actually felt warm, but he also felt terrified.
Hearing what the man surnamed Pan said later, he laughed: "Scaremongering! That island is still southwest of Ryukyu, right? Could it be that you didn't persuade King Shangqing in Ryukyu and came to me again? Why are we next? It's really Nonsense.”
He said this, but in his heart he thought of the Fifty Iron Artillerymen under Zong Qingkang. The Ming Dynasty businessman on Tsushima Island, Zong Qingkang’s sudden ambition...
The man surnamed Pan just sneered: "Does the city lord know what the Ming army chasing us is clamoring for? If they take our heads, they will be qualified to follow the Marquis to conquer Japan and become high officials in Japan. If the Ming army is exposed from When coming from the west, aren’t Kyushu the first to bear the brunt?”
Shimazu Takahisa's smile faded: "Is this the news you brought?"
"I would like to take this spear as a gift. I will never say anything false! If the Lord of the City does not believe it, you can send one or two of his retainers to follow me back to Taiyuan. As long as the Lord of the City helps us, all the sharp weapons obtained by annihilating the Ming army can be returned to the Lord of the City. !”
Shimazu Takahisa looked at the musket that the retainer took from him, and then looked at this person: "Are there five more?"
"I can win the six poles all because of my bravery. We mountain and wild rebels can win it. The elites under the command of the city lord are naturally more brave and good at fighting. If the city lord is willing to send troops to help us, only two hundred people and three or five ships will follow me. Return these six muskets as proof. In the future, if the Ming army on the island is completely wiped out and the Ming Dynasty is driven out, Taiyuan and the Lord of the City will always be allies. If the Lord of the City is interested in Ryukyu in the future, Taiyuan can also be a helping hand!"
The Ryukyu translator refers to the "remnants of the former dynasty" who were recently conquered by King Shangqing. At present, he has no fluctuations in these remarks and reports them truthfully.
Shimazu Takahisa remained silent, but first ordered: "Try it, who is stronger than the Ming dynasty's musket or our iron guard?"
This test naturally left Shimazu Takahisa dumbfounded.
After Zhu Houcong paid attention to firearms, the ordnance department of the Ming Dynasty has now reached a big level not only in terms of process technology, but also in terms of production management.
The Daming firearms were developed and improved on the basis of European firearms and their own. In terms of range, accuracy, and lethality, they were completely different from previous fire guns.
Realizing that the man surnamed Pan could actually win six rods from the Ming army equipped with such sophisticated firearms, Shimazu Takahisa couldn't help but respect him a lot.
In fact, it was nothing more than relying on the familiarity of the terrain to design and ambush a small army that was eager to perform meritorious deeds and pursued too deeply during the escape.
If they were really strong, they would not have fled and wandered to Ryukyu and Japan for help.
Now, Shimazu Takahisa needs to face a major choice.
Did Ming Dynasty really want to personally send troops to conquer Japan? If true, this is great news, and Satsuma must be at the forefront.
what to do?
(End of chapter)
