strictlysupreme Chapter 922 Landing on Wenquanjin
Chapter 922 Landing on Wenquanjin
Chapter 922 Landing on Wenquanjin
Iwami Ginzan is located in the southwest of Honshu Island and faces the Sea of Japan to the west.
During the Warring States Period in Japan, there were many countries. Of course, the size of each country was roughly the size of a town. The country where the silver mine was located was also called Iwami Province.
The Ouchi clan ruled this land.
Over the past decade, the Ouchi clan has experienced resistance and struggle, but the successive governors sent from the Ming Dynasty were all carefully selected by the emperor and their abilities were always bad. In addition, they possessed absolute strength, so the Ouchi clan has had to endure the hardships until now.
Speaking of which, Japan's Treasure Island is indeed rich in gold and silver mines. In recent years, in addition to the Iwami Silver Mine, large silver mines such as Ikuno and Innai have been discovered one after another, and most of them are also distributed in the mountainous areas of central and western Honshu.
Larger reserves,
In addition, the ash-blowing smelting technology was also introduced from the Ming Dynasty.
Thus, in just about ten years, a port prospered and flourished - Wenquanjin.
In fact, "Tsu" means port in Japanese. This originally small place became prosperous because it served as an export port for silver.
And in this July, the biggest event in Wenquanjin was the arrival of the Ming fleet.
The height of the 5,000-ton treasure ship was higher than any building in the port, and the length from front to back was more than 100 meters. There were nearly 70 such treasure ships, so the small port of Wenquanjin had to clear all the merchant ships to give up their berths.
British Duke Zhang Shu was on board the flagship ship 'Xu Da'.
He looked down at the dock below. Chen Chaorui was leading the group and standing in a row with several important subordinates, while soldiers were lined up on both sides. The huge size of the treasure ship made the people standing on the dock look so small.
Under the blowing of the sea breeze, the "Ming" military flag fluttered in the wind, solemn and majestic.
Logically speaking, the position of governor-general is considered a relatively high position in the court hierarchy, but when the emperor ordered an expedition to Japan, the position was given to Zhang Shu.
So when he came, Chen Chaorui had to listen to him.
Fortunately, the title of Duke of England is not an unknown title, and he can control these people.
"Line up!"
The fleet's orders are based on flag signals. There are a total of 60,000 troops here. After the ship stops, everyone has to get out of the cabin and line up on the deck, waiting to disembark in order.
Zhang Shu led the way down, holding the imperial edict in his hand.
"Your humble servant Chen Chaorui pays respect to the Marshal!"
When two groups of people meet, some polite exchanges are always inevitable, but there is excitement in each other's eyes.
The weather was very good today, with no clouds in the sky, and the sea breeze was not cold. The clear sky looked as if it had been washed. On the wide dock under the sky, Ming soldiers appeared in "nests" one after another like ants moving.
"Mr. Chen, you are so polite." Zhang Shu raised the things in his hand, then asked with a pout, "Are they our own people?"
Chen Chaorui understood immediately after hearing this.
Today was the day for the reception, so he invited people from the Ouchi clan to come to show his importance.
These people look no different from the people of the Ming Dynasty, but their shitty hairstyles betray them.
The current head of the Ouchi clan is Ouchi Akikawa.
The history of this family has been completely changed, and the one who can be brought here by Chen Chaorui is the most obedient one.
"Oh. Marshal, they heard that the Heavenly Army had arrived, so they came to greet us to show their sincerity."
Ouchi Mingchuan was a middle-aged man in his forties. He also reacted at this time and immediately said, "The foreign minister has come to respectfully receive the order of the Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhang Shuze smiled happily in his heart and thought, "You know what the decree says, so just accept it."
"Chen Butang."
He called again.
Chen Chaorui understood, and he knelt down after lifting his official robe. "Your servant Chen Chaorui accepts your order."
"The Emperor of the Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven decrees: Tell Chen Chaorui to prepare his knife and kill the troublemakers together with my army. I decree this!"
Chen Chaorui knelt down at this point, and before he could fully collect his thoughts, he was stunned by the "imperial decision".
"Chen Bu Tang, accept the order!"
"Oh, good. Your Majesty, I, Chen Chaorui, will obey your majesty's orders."
Zhang Shu didn't care about his surprise. He still looked at Ouchi Mingchuan and emphasized again, "This is the will of the great emperor."
Ouchi smiled broadly, "As you command, my lord!"
Ma Sheng, who had been standing next to Zhang Shu and had not spoken a word, cursed in his heart: Damn it, he turns out to be a coward without any balls.
"General, this way please." Chen Chaorui led Zhang Shu to the Governor's Mansion. After walking a few steps, he asked, "What does the emperor mean by this decree? Why is it in this style?"
"This has nothing to do with Chen Butang. Your Majesty is just remembering your ancestors. Normally, the imperial edict represents the majesty of the court and should not be taken lightly. However, when Emperor Taizu Hongwu created the world, he did not follow these so-called rules very much.
At that time, there was a threat from Japanese pirates along the coast. Emperor Taizu issued an imperial decree, saying: Tell the people to prepare their knives. When these guys come, kill them first. Although it is a bit unrefined, there is no elegance on the battlefield. On the contrary, it is more comfortable to be rough and rough! "
Chen Chaorui was not born into a formal civil service family and had limited knowledge, so he did not know these allusions. Now when he heard them, he could not help but laugh out loud, "My emperor has the style of his ancestors!"
……
……
The next day,
The Duke of England and the anti-Japanese marshal Zhang Shu began to go up to the tent to discuss matters.
He first sent someone to inquire, "According to the Emperor's order, Korea must also send 20,000 troops to fight against the thieves who offended the Ming Dynasty. The deadline is the full moon night of August 15. Chen Butang, do you have any news about the Korean fleet landing?"
"Marshal, I haven't heard of it yet."
"There are less than twenty days left. If the Li Dynasty's army delays the deadline, I will follow military orders!"
Zhang Shu is not yet considered a world-famous general. He has just been in the Hetao Military Region for a period of time and knows how Wu Gongbo, who is good at leading troops, controls his troops.
Military orders are as heavy as mountains. These four words are no joke.
Gu Dingchen, a civilian official accompanying the army, said: "Our army has traveled across the ocean and is exhausted. We can take this opportunity to rest. Chen Bu Tang, the battle is no joke. Before the army moves, food and grass must go first. This time, our army has landed 60,000 elite soldiers, and they are the elite of the Beijing Garrison Military District."
Generally speaking, an adult needs to consume 2-3 kilograms of staple food a day. Soldiers belong to a high-consumption group because of training. In addition, the elite that Gu Dingchen mentioned means that they are tall and strong and eat a lot.
So basically you need to take the maximum of 3 kilograms.
6 people means 18 jin of food, which means 1200 dan of food are needed a day. If they stay still for 20 days, they will have to consume dan of staple food alone.
Iwami Province is a mountainous area near the sea with a small territory. There are silver mines in the mountains, and there are no large areas of land suitable for farming.
Gu Dingchen knew all this, so he naturally cared.
However, Chen Chaorui was somewhat unhappy. These literati were too arrogant and seemed to look down on his background. They felt that he was careless even in such a crucial matter.
Are you kidding me? Do you really think you are the governor-general of Japan for nothing?
Fortunately, he is a smiling tiger and can take the overall situation into consideration.
He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Gu. I knew the imperial army was coming, so I ordered people to buy grain and store it in advance. Now there are 15 dan of rice stored in the port, which is enough for the army for half a year."
After hearing this, Zhang Shu felt relieved. 15 shi was nothing in the Ming Dynasty today, but it should still be good here, as it was a result of hard work.
Gu Dingchen continued to ask: "The staple food is sufficient, what about salt, sugar, medicine and other items?"
"Master Gu." Zhang Shu spoke up to smooth things over. "This expedition is related to the overall situation in your majesty's mind. Minister Chen must have started preparations long ago."
Then he turned to Chen Chaorui and said, "Mr. Chen, it is not an easy task to transport 60,000 troops by ship. Moreover, the use of firearms by our Ming army is gradually being promoted. The power of firearms is far greater than that of swords and guns. However, if they are to be used, they must be accompanied by more medicine. Japan does not have these things, so we have to transport them. However, Japan does have food, so Lord Gu is so concerned. This is also what the emperor has instructed."
Chen Chaorui still smiled, "Marshal, there is no need to say more. I understand. The sea is rough and the waves are ruthless. I have been there before and know that transportation is not easy. Marshal, please rest assured about these things. Even if we can't get them together for the time being, there will always be daimyo in Japan."
That means we can just grab it when the time comes.
Then he skipped over all of this and suggested, "Marshal, why don't we discuss the strategy for this expedition?"
Deputy General Ma Sheng, standing by, could not wait any longer and said, "That's right, that's right. Now that we are here, we can finally do what we want, right? Chen Butang, I heard in the capital that this turmoil was instigated by a family called the Shinkawa clan. Who are they? How many troops do they have?"
Chen Chaorui smiled, "General, don't worry. Japan is in a mess right now. There are dozens of self-proclaimed states like Iwami Province, which is roughly equivalent to a town in the inland. The ostensible 'king' is the Muromachi shogunate in Kyoto, but since the Onin War from the third to the thirteenth year of Chenghua, the strength and prestige of the shogunate have greatly declined.
Until today, Japan has been in constant war, but Iwami Province has been stable for a long time because of our Tianjun stationed there, and has also gathered a considerable population. It can be said that looking at the main island of Japan, there are only five daimyo who can organize 5,000 soldiers. As for the Shinkawa clan, they are a group of extreme Japanese samurai. They are dissatisfied with the long-term policy of the shogunate and local daimyo towards Ming, so they spontaneously resist. "
In fact, this is inevitable. The common people can't make a living, so they can just pick anyone to gather a group of refugees.
But Chen Chaorui didn't even understand why the emperor wanted to raise an army of 100,000.
Is this because he's really angry or something?
Zhang Shu explained, "Extreme Japanese samurai are not surprising. But your report to the court said that some miners at the silver mine participated in the riot, and more than 900 people were lost due to the combination of internal and external forces. The emperor is on guard against small problems. The importance of the silver mine is self-evident. Even if there is only a hint of disaster, the emperor will never allow it.
Furthermore, the court has now signed a joint treaty with the Nanyang countries, which is actually for the envoys to see. As for the third reason, the emperor did not say. "
Gu Dingchen's eyes flashed, and he asked in surprise: "Is there a third reason?"
"Yes, but I really don't know."
Because he was Emperor Zhengde, they would not believe that this was a hoax. Basically, they had a preconceived notion and believed that there was indeed a third reason. Of course, no one could imagine what it was.
Ma Sheng was most annoyed by this. He shouted directly: "General, since the Shinkawa clan has no strength, why are we waiting for the Korean soldiers? Why don't you give me 10,000 elite soldiers and I will crush them right away!"
"How far is it from here?" Zhang Shuxian asked Chen Chaorui.
"Here's a map!" He waved his hand, and someone beside him brought something up. Japan's Honshu Island is like a crescent moon, and Iwami Province is located below the inner bend, which is equivalent to a southwest position and along the sea.
As for the wider area, it is divided into many small boxes. Each box contains a daimyo. This is considered good. The bad situation is that the war may still be going on to decide who is the daimyo in that box.
Chen Chaorui would not mention all the names one by one, and would forget them after saying them.
"Please see, everyone. The current situation is that Iwami Province, with Iwami Ginzan as its center, is the most prosperous place on Honshu Island. Beyond Iwami Province, there are many daimyo such as Takeda Nobukane, Yamaaki Masaki, and Hosokawa Hisahito to the east. Some of these people were not originally shugo daimyo, but only shugo deputies.
But Japan at the moment is in a state of order where rituals and music are in disarray, with branches usurping the throne, retainers destroying their masters, and peasants expelling samurai becoming a common practice. They call it rebellion.
Shinkawa Nariharu, the representative of the Shinkawa family, is such a person.
In addition, people like Takeda Nobukane, Yamaaki Masaki, and Hosokawa Hisahisa were just ordinary people. They had no talent in governing a country, an army, or people, and they could not control the situation in their own territories at all.
This gave Shinkawa Nariharu, a former retainer, the possibility to act in secret. In the past few years, he had been constantly inciting opposition between the Ming and Japan among the Japanese people, exaggerating the prosperity of Onsenzu and the decay of Kyoto as the plunder of Japan by the Ming Dynasty. He also gathered a large group of people who called themselves samurai and vowed to protect Japan.
As for where exactly they are, I have also sent people to look for them.
The warriors under Shinkawa Nariharu are not a country, but more like a sect. They have different halls and are distributed in various countries. This also makes it more difficult for us to completely wipe them out. "
What Chen Chaorui said should be quite clear.
Gu Dingchen touched his chin. "So this Shinkawa Nariharu is not an incompetent person. In my opinion, the daimyo of various countries, including the Ashikaga clan in Kyoto, are angry but dare not speak out against us. They cannot directly oppose the Ming Dynasty, but they turn a blind eye to the fact that someone is secretly organizing such a rebellion."
Chen Chaorui nodded. Although this man named Gu was a little arrogant, it seemed that his arrogance was not completely unreasonable.
Zhang Shu thought it made sense. "And as I just said, the Shogun has no control over the whole of Japan. So we can't find someone who can keep his word and deal with the rebels in various countries."
Chen Chaorui could only smile helplessly, "I have contacted the daimyo of various countries, but they would just fight a few defeats to get the job done, which actually means they are not doing anything."
"So they are in the same group!" Ma Sheng finally realized, "In that case, let's kill them together!"
Gu Dingchen suggested, "Marshal, it is not wise to raise an army to eliminate everyone directly. This will only make everyone unite. Instead, our army will only attack the Shinkawa clan in the name of "helping to drive out the rebellion" when contacting other countries, so as to achieve the effect of division. I estimate that even if these daimyo understand in their hearts, it takes courage to unite with the Shinkawa clan."
This is why some people dare to do it and some people don't.
Isn't this differentiation?
Chen Chaorui's eyes lit up. This guy is really talented! People still need to read more!
Ma Sheng shouted, "What if these people agree on the surface but ambush us secretly?"
Gu Dingchen paused, "This way we can directly eliminate them and expand the scope of Iwami Province! But we must strengthen our defenses in the process and take care of each other when marching. Fortunately, this island country is not big, unlike the Ming Dynasty, which has a vast territory. It will take a month for the army to rescue."
Zhang Shu thought for a while and said, "The general strategy should be good. But we still need to explore the specific terrain. Send more people out in the next few days."
(End of this chapter)