1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2354
Although the Tsugaru Strait is only a not too wide gap between Honshu Island and Hokkaido on the map, after the fleet arrived in this area, it seemed that they immediately entered another completely different world. Under the action of the snow, the temperature dropped sharply. The temperature was already below zero during the day, and it was seven or eight degrees lower at night.The sailors on duty on the deck have to face the icy sea breeze, so the body temperature will be lower.

Fortunately, Wang Tom was prepared for such a situation before departure. In addition to shortening the duty time of the sailors and speeding up the frequency of defense changes, the winter quilts issued by the sailors are also prepared for this trip, and they all have relatively strong Ability to keep out the cold.

Leather boots, cotton trousers, leather jackets, cotton caps, gloves, and an oilcloth raincoat on top were the standard equipment for sailors at this time, reducing the exposed parts of the body to a minimum.Although this kind of clothing will make people bloated and inconvenient, at least it can ensure that they will not be frostbitten in the current low temperature environment.

Shen Xueyi, as a military observer, enjoys the same treatment as Haihan officers, so he also received such a set of personal equipment.He carefully looked at these quilts, and the quality seemed to be better than the ones he had prepared himself.As for such warm clothes, everyone in the fleet has a set. It is conceivable how much it costs to buy these things. This also allows Shen Xueyi to have a more intuitive understanding of Haihan's wealth.

The current location of the fleet is more than [-] miles away from the easternmost coast of North Korea, separated by the entire Sea of ​​Japan.But the latitude of the Tsugaru Strait is actually almost the same as that of Pyongan-do and Hamgyong-do in northern North Korea, so for Shen Xueyi, the climate here is similar to that in the north of China, but it is still within the scope of adaptability.

However, compared with the cold-proof equipment of the individual soldiers of the Haihan Army, the North Korean army stationed on the northern border is really too shabby. If they can have the same quality of cold-proof equipment, Shen Xueyi feels that the northern border will not be easily taken by the Qing army. breached.Having nothing to do on the ship, Shen Xueyi asked Tom Wang about the procurement of these equipment, to see if his country's army could gradually change into such a complete set of warm clothes.

"Most of these winter equipment are ordered from Daming merchants in Shandong. A set of individual equipment will probably cost more than 20 taels of silver. But to spend this money to ensure that the troops still have the combat effectiveness they deserve in this season, we I think it’s a good deal. If your country intends to purchase these equipments, then we are happy to help you make a match.” Tom Wang explained to Shen Xueyi frankly.

A considerable number of the Haihan Army stationed in the north still come from the south with a warm climate, and it is difficult to adapt to the low temperature season in high latitudes. Therefore, the Haihan Army has spent a lot of thought and energy in recent years to provide soldiers with cold protection and warmth. ,

Most of the cotton, cotton cloth, cow and sheepskin, etc. used by the Haihan Army for these cold-proof equipment are produced in North China and Central China.In order to save labor, the Haihan army simply outsourced the production of quilts and purchased the finished products directly through Ming merchants.Since the Haihan Army has high requirements for military supplies, the purchase price of these equipment will naturally not be too low.Not to mention North Korea, even Ming Dynasty has very few troops that can reach this level of equipment.

When Shen Xueyi heard the price, he backed down secretly, knowing that with his own financial situation, it was impossible to promote this kind of practice in the army in the short term, and at most, he could only distribute these equipment to officers at all levels.

But just distributing such equipment to officers, how can it effectively improve the combat effectiveness of the troops? Shen Xueyi can only secretly feel that if he has money, he can travel all over the world. It is indeed impossible to imitate.

Shen Xueyi had no choice but to thank Wang Tom for his kindness in helping to make a bridge, and said that he had to apply to the imperial court after returning to China, and wait until there was a clue.

Hokkaido Island is the second largest island in the Japanese archipelago, second only to Honshu Island in area, but at this time Hokkaido was not completely under the rule of Japan.During this period, Hokkaido was also called Ezodi by Japan, which means the place where barbarians lived.The aborigines on the island are Ainu people, who make their living by fishing and hunting, but are not good at farming, so they are regarded as barbarians by Japan.The Ainu are a mixed race of Mongoloids and Europas. Their appearance features are quite different from those of East Asians, but they have some typical characteristics of Europas.

Although the Japanese have continued to carry out colonial activities in southern Hokkaido since the Muromachi period, they have been attacked by the aborigines, and the scale of colonization is very limited.It was not until the end of the sixteenth century, that is, several decades ago, that Matsumae Keiko built Matsumae Castle on the coast at the southern end of Hokkaido, and with the support of the shogunate, the Donan area was established as the Matsumae Domain, which initially realized the shogunate’s control over the southern part of Hokkaido. The actual control of the region, and monopolized the trade between Japan and the Ainu tribe.

In the current era, Matsumae Castle basically symbolizes the northernmost point of the area ruled by the Japanese shogunate. Going further north until Sakhalin Island, most of the areas are controlled by the Ainu tribe.

From a certain point of view, Matsumae Castle can be regarded as the dividing point between the civilized world and the wild world. Now that he has arrived at this place, Wang Tom doesn't want to miss it, so he plans to stop by to take a look at this seaside castle.

If the site selection of Matsumae Castle is viewed according to Haihan's criteria for selecting a colonial port, it is unqualified anyway.There is neither a natural harbor nor a plain area suitable for farming. In Wang Tom's opinion, the reason why the Matsumae family chose to build a city here should be only because it is relatively close to Honshu Island.

There is no harbor here, so it is naturally difficult to build a large seaport, and it is impossible to develop maritime trade on a large scale.Without plains, local agricultural products are not enough to support more immigrants to settle here.The south of Matsumae Castle is adjacent to the Tsugaru Strait, and the north is adjacent to the mountains that stretch for hundreds of miles. There is basically no space suitable for urban development around it, and there are no high-value products. It relies on barter transactions with the Ainu tribe in the north. Support finances.Coupled with the fact that this place is more than two thousand miles away from the most prosperous cities in Japan, it would be hell if it could develop.

At a place more than ten miles away from the coastline, Wang Tom saw the Songqian Castle standing on the gentle slope of the coast with a telescope.This is a typical Japanese-style castle, a multi-storey fortress built on a stone base. Its shape is quite similar to the Hirado Castle that Wang Tom had seen on Hirado Island before.

However, Hirado Castle was destroyed by fire a long time ago, and the feudal lord Matsuura did not rebuild Hirado Castle to show his peace. So when the Haihan army attacked Hirado, only the ruins on the foundation remained.On the contrary, this Matsumae Castle fully reflects the style and appearance of a Japanese-style castle.

After getting closer, it is not difficult to find that this Matsumae Castle is very close to the coastline. If artillery is deployed on the city wall facing the sea, it can basically be used as a coastal defense fort.When Hirado Port was first attacked, fortifications such as forts were built on the local coast.

However, the artillery of the Hirado Domain was first provided by Europeans, and later they gradually mastered the manufacturing technology and produced some by themselves.But in a remote place like Hokkaido, it is not easy to say whether it is possible to get a big killer like Western-style artillery.

From the perspective of Matsumae Castle, I believe that the arrival of the Haihan fleet should have been discovered.Wang Tom is still not sure whether the owner here is willing to receive foreign visitors, but most of them have already aroused the vigilance of the other party, so he did not approach the coast where Matsumae Castle is in a aggressive manner, but sent an expedition-level warship first. Go to the shore to find out suitable places for the fleet to anchor.

Amakusa Shiro once again took on the task of envoy, and landed ashore from a place several miles away from Matsumae Castle in a small boat, trying to contact the local officials.

This time he did not return without success like Sado Island, but brought back good news that the lord of the Matsumae Domain, Matsumae Kohiro, was willing to meet Wang Tom in Matsumae Castle.Of course, Amakusa Shiro's intention to report to the other party was only to carry out trade activities locally, and he didn't mention the real purpose of this fleet in a single sentence.

Although it was risky to go ashore and enter Matsumae Castle to visit the local feudal lord, Wang Tom decided to go there himself.He believes that this place is very far away from the political center of Japan, and he may not be aware of the war between Haihan and the Hirado Domain in the first half of the year, so he should not have too much hostility towards Haihan.And with such a huge fleet standing by the sea, the other side probably wouldn't act rashly.

Of course, out of prudent considerations, Wang Tom still brought weapons after a long absence, and installed two USP45 automatic pistols in the holsters on the left and right ribs, and asked all the accompanying guards to replace them with revolvers made in Sanya.Such a short weapon can be hidden under clothing and will not be as ostentatious as a rifle.

Before Tom Wang set off, he asked Shen Xueyi politely if he was willing to go with him. Unexpectedly, Shen Xueyi immediately agreed without hesitation: "After staying on the ship for so many days, I just want to go ashore for activities. As long as you don't mind the trouble Just do it."

Since it was an official visit, there was no need to shy away from it. Tom Wang ordered the flagship to anchor one mile from the coast, and then took Amakusa Shiro, Shen Xueyi, and a dozen guards to the pier in the south of Matsumae Castle in two small boats. .At this time, Matsumae Gonghiro had already sent several retainers to wait on the shore. After greeting Wang Tom, he invited him to sit on the prepared sedan chair and head to Matsumae Castle.

This Japanese-style sedan chair is called a driving cage. In Japan, only nobles can ride on it. However, this thing has very little space, just like a box. It is impossible to sit comfortably in it like a Chinese-style sedan chair. You can only sit cross-legged or cross-legged. inside.Moreover, the sedan chair is lifted by a wooden pole at the top, and the stability is not ideal.

If Tom Wang was allowed to choose on his own, he would definitely rather go to Songqian Castle on foot than sit in this seemingly extremely uncomfortable driving cage.Anyway, the distance is not far, and it only takes a few minutes to walk there.But Amakusa Shiro reminded him that this is considered a very high courtesy in Japan, it is best not to refuse, he can only bite the bullet and get into this driving cage.But with his tall and burly body, he couldn't sit up straight after getting in, and he had to bend his waist a little to keep his head from sticking to the top of the cage.

Two laborers worked one after the other at the same time to lift the cage, and then the crowd surrounded them and headed towards Songqian City not far away.

When you get closer, you can see that the Matsumae Castle is actually quite large in scale. There are defensive trenches built around the castle, which may also be used as a moat during the rainy season.The tall castle is surrounded by many relatively low buildings, all of which are built on the thick stone foundations, and there are only a few gaps on the outward side, which can also play a role in wartime. The role of the city wall.

However, what reassures everyone in Haihan is that they can confirm that there are no fortifications such as fort crenels on the side facing the sea. It seems that there should be no heavy weapons such as Western-style artillery in Songqian Castle, so naturally it cannot threaten the mooring. The Haihan fleet on the nearby sea.

After the group entered Matsumae Castle, they stopped at an open space in front of the castle.Wang Tom got out of the driving cage, and he thought that the distance was not far. It would be really uncomfortable if he had to walk ten miles with this thing.These Japanese nobles really don't know how to enjoy it, so they have to find a way to sell the box carriages made in Haihan here.

The retainers of the Matsumae family led Wang Tom and his party through a wooden door to a rather straight courtyard, and then let Wang Tom's accompanying guards stay in the yard, and Wang Tom went in to meet the feudal lord by himself.

Wang Tom immediately said that he would bring two people in together, one was Amakusa Shiro who was the interpreter, and Shen Xueyi was the personal follower.The few retainers couldn't make up their minds, so they went in again to ask for instructions, and then agreed to Wang Tom's request.

The lord of the Matsumae Domain, Matsumae Gonghiro, is a middle-aged man. Wang Tom noticed that his face had obvious burn marks, and he was struggling to speak.There is also a young man kneeling beside him, whose appearance is vaguely similar, it should be his descendant's family.

Shiro Amakusa translated what the other party said to Tom Wang. It turned out that Kohiro Matsumae was injured in a fire last year. Tom Wang can understand.The young man next to him is his second son Matsuda Ujihiro, who will also be the successor of the lord of the Matsumae domain.

Wang Tom saw that the other party did not show any hostility, so he took the initiative to explain his intentions to him, saying that he came here to visit on behalf of Haihan Kingdom, and was willing to establish a long-term trade relationship with Matsumae.

Sure enough, Matsumae Gonghiro didn't know much about the situation in the outside world, so he asked Haihan Kingdom where it was located, how far it was from Matsumae Domain, and what special products it had.

(End of this chapter)