1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 706 The rift between "Hanse"
September 1654, 4, Ryukyu, Shuri Outer Port (today Naha Port in Okinawa, Japan).

In the 25th year of Hongwu (1392), Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty rewarded the Ryukyu with several sea-going ships and dispatched some boatmen and sailors to go with them.According to historical records, "36 Hokkien people who are good at sailing boats ordered Ryukyu to pay tribute."

After these immigrants arrived in Ryukyu, they established a settlement of Ming people on the floating island (Kume Island) outside Shuri Port, and they settled down here.The floating island is called Tangying (later called Jiumi Village) or Ming Town by the locals.

Floating Island, straddling the mouth of the Anji River, faces Shuri Outer Port across the sea (after the [-]th century, the changes of the sea and the silt made the northern part of Kume Island gradually connect with Okinawa Main Island, making it a peninsula), only one kilometer away , is the throat of Shuri Outer Port leading to the overseas.

The floating island, which strangles the key point of Ryukyu, has become a barrier for Ryukyu to resist foreign aggression for a long time. In 1556, 1563 and 1565, relying on the two north and south forts built on the floating island, the guards with 36 surnames of Fujian people as the main force repelled Satsuma's attack on Ryukyu three times.In 1609, the Satsuma Domain dispatched [-] troops to attack Ryukyu under the instruction of Tokugawa Ieyasu. They did not dare to land directly at Shuri Port under the threat of the North and South Forts. , Only then captured the capital of Ryukyu - Shuri Castle.

Later, as the Satsuma clan gradually infiltrated and controlled Ryukyu's internal affairs, diplomacy, and trade, it began to clean up and weaken the Ming forces among the Ryukyu royal family and officials, mainly "36 Hokkien surnames". Ryukyu influence.

You must know that after more than two hundred years of development in Ryukyu, the "36 surnames of Fujian people" have already taken root in Ryukyu, and have effectively controlled the education and trade of Ryukyu. of.Since 36, King Shangzhen of Ryukyu sent four public-funded foreign students, called official students, to the Beijing Imperial College of the Ming Dynasty to study in Beijing. After returning to China, they were responsible for the etiquette training and moral education of the royal family.The four "official students" were all selected from the 1525 surnames of the Fujian people according to the convention. The education of the Ryukyu gentry naturally also relied on the Ming people. As for the officials and civil servants in the Ryukyu Kingdom, they were deeply influenced by the Ming Dynasty.

However, the heavens changed in Jiashen, and the Qing captives entered the customs, and the Ming Dynasty was once in danger, and the tributary relationship between the Ryukyu and the Ming Dynasty was severed for more than ten years.And more than ten years ago, a group of armed forces who called themselves the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty occupied several islands hundreds of miles south of Ryukyu. Every year, there were constant boats and boats, and a large number of Ming people were transferred to live here.

Later, through slow contact, the Ryukyu people figured out that the powerful armed forces were not the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty Navy, but came from the distant southern mainland--the Qi State of Hanzhou. They occupied several islands and used this as a Immigrant transit point, continuously transfers refugees from Daming, and returns to Hanzhou mainland.In addition, they also stationed dozens of warships and more than a thousand officers and soldiers in Daming to help Ming resist the invasion of the Qing captives. They also repeatedly defeated the attacks of the Qing captives and saved the Ming Dynasty from danger several times.

Over the past ten years or so, the Qi State has gradually demonstrated its tyrannical maritime force. Not only did the Zheng family of the Ming Dynasty fear it, but it also deeply shocked the Satsuma Domain and slowed down their further invasion and control of Ryukyu. .

However, a few years ago, Qi State and the Satsuma clan made the Japanese smuggling business flourish, and all kinds of goods were popular in the Japanese market, becoming the second largest overseas trade supplier after Zheng Zhilong.

The floating island guarding the hub of the Shuri Outer Port of the Ryukyu Kingdom has achieved rapid development in the Hanseatic smuggling trade in the past few years.The population of the entire "Tang Village" has also exceeded [-], and the living area has also expanded to Shuri Outer Port, making the city full of various commercial facilities such as restaurants, restaurants, and tea shops. It has become the most important trading port of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Today, the three Qi warships that arrived at Shuri Port attracted the attention of countless hawkers.Carrying baskets, dustpans and sacks on their backs, they rushed to the wharf, selling all kinds of fresh fruits and handmade gadgets to the Qi naval officers and soldiers who disembarked.

These naval officers and soldiers of the State of Qi are paid generously and generously, and a little money can be revealed from the fingers, which is enough for these peddlers to sell for a few days.

The ships arriving at the port are the professional battleships "Shunming", "Anming" and "Luming" under the Annan Fleet. They participated in the Korean campaign (including the Yalu River blockade) and the Liaodong raid a few months ago. In the war, and more than ten days ago, accompanied by several warships of the Ryukyu Fleet, escorted the Daming Jianguo and Dingwang Zhu Cijiong to Nanjing to succeed the Ming Emperor.

It was originally planned that after transferring part of the immigrants and supplies to Hanxing Island (today's Miyako Island), the three warships would return to the Nanping (today's Cam Ranh, Vietnam) Naval Base in Annan for a rest and make some repairs to the ships. Fan maintenance.

Unexpectedly, they were temporarily arrested by the Ryukyu General Administration and entrusted their three warships to help deliver a batch of goods to Shuri Port, where they were stored in the local freight yard, waiting to be traded with Satsuma.At the same time, more than 500 immigrants and supplies need to be transferred to a leased place in the northern part of Ryukyu Island-Anton Fort (today's Nago City in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan).

The Satsuma domain has very objections to Qi's lease of a piece of land in the northern part of Ryukyu Island to establish a sea supply transfer point.It is believed that Qi's move broke the balance between the two sides in Ryukyu affairs to a certain extent, and the establishment of a maritime stronghold here is a potential threat to Satsuma.

For this reason, Yoshio Ueda, the elder of the Satsuma Domain stationed in Ryukyu, went to Hanxing Island several times to protest to Qiu Chengdu, the general manager of Qi State in Ryukyu, demanding that Qi State withdraw this so-called leased land and restore the original state of Ryukyu affairs.Satsuma has significant political, diplomatic and economic interests in the Kingdom of Ryukyu. As a friendly business partner, Qi should respect and maintain all vested interests of Satsuma in Ryukyu.

Qiu Chengdu, the general manager of Qi State in Ryukyu, replied with a smile, saying that the leased land in the northern part of Ryukyu Island is just a simple sea supply area, providing an anchorage for nearby Qi State fishermen to avoid wind and waves.And repeatedly assured that this base does not have any military significance, let alone target Satsuma.

But Yoshio Ueda didn't accept Qiu Chengdu's words. Qi State was originally powerful at sea. If another base was set up in the northern part of Ryukyu Island, if there was a conflict with it one day, wouldn't the other party be able to rely on that base to station a whole army here? A small fleet can easily cut off the connection between Satsuma and Ryukyu, and then completely monopolize the Ryukyu Kingdom.

As we all know, the land where the Satsuma domain is located is barren and not suitable for growing rice and other crops, and it is located near the volcanic earthquake zone, which is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons and volcanic eruptions. In addition, the handicraft industry is backward, and the financial maintenance of the domain depends entirely on Overseas trade and Ryukyu tax supplements, of course, the current smuggling trade dominated by Hanseatics has already accounted for [-]% of Satsuma's fiscal revenue.

After the Shimadzu conquered Ryukyu, they made it a vassal state of the Satsuma clan, and then began to gradually encroach on its territory, intending to slowly bring it under the rule of the Satsuma clan.In 1613, the Satsuma Domain first separated the Amami Islands near Kyushu from the Ryukyu Kingdom, and set up a series of officials on the island, including Oshima Daikan, Kikaijima Daikan, and Tokunoshima Daikan, making it directly under the Satsuma Fandom territory.

As for the big island of Ryukyu, because of its large population, it is also far away from the Satsuma clan. In addition to the existence of Daming, the Satsuma clan did not further encroach on it. Anyway, it is food that is put on the mouth, and it can wait for the best opportunity Do it again.

But now, when the smuggling trade between Qi State and my Satsuma clan is in full swing, they suddenly leased a piece of land in the northern part of Ryukyu Island to build a sea supply point.Although it is relatively remote here, it is not in the essence of the big island of Ryukyu.But this move has aroused the high vigilance of the Satsuma clan. Could it be that this country of Qi also has unreasonable thoughts about Ryukyu, and is it going to compete with my Shimadzu clan for Ryukyu?
Qiu Chengdu, the general manager of the State of Qi in Ryukyu, was constantly entangled and protested by the representatives of the Satsuma clan. In the end, he couldn't bear his temper and directly notified the other party. Under the administration of Daming, it will be managed by officials appointed by Daming, you Satsuma clan should be at ease.You know, as the suzerain of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Ming Dynasty, not to mention renting a piece of land, even sending troops to occupy Shuri Castle, you Satsuma clan can only recognize it by holding your nose.

Yoshio Ueda, the old resident of the Satsuma Domain in Ryukyu, heard what Qiu Chengdu said, and was speechless for a long time.According to the law, there is no problem at all for Daming to send personnel to manage the leased land.However, did the Ming emperor and his government really have the energy to pay attention to Ryukyu affairs?
In addition, in the past ten years or so, who doesn't know that your Qi State and Daming are so close that they are almost connected as one. The base called Anton Fort is handed over to Daming's jurisdiction, and you Qi State will manage it yourself. Is there a different difference?

Yoshio Ueda returned to Shuri Castle full of anger and endless worries, and sent the news back to Kagoshima as quickly as possible, and reported it to Mitsuhisa Shimadzu.He said in the letter that based on Qi's current actions, it is very certain that the other party has already coveted the Ryukyu Kingdom, and in the near future, it will inevitably compete with Satsuma for the control of Ryukyu.

He also suggested that Mitsuhisa Shimadzu, the feudal lord, spend more financial funds in the process of continuing the "cargo colonization" trade with Qi, and must strengthen the construction of Satsuma's sea power. Gun" to deal with the threat of Qi State firearms.

In fact, as far as the Qiguo Ryukyu District is concerned, it does not want to do something that will worsen the relationship with Satsuma.After more than ten years of exchanges, the two sides have established a very close trade relationship. A large number of industrial products from Qi State have been continuously imported to Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu in Japan through the "entrepot trade" of the Satsuma Domain on Ryukyu Island. and so on.Then, a large amount of rice, saltpeter, silk fabrics, lacquerware, silver, copper, etc. were exported from Japan, which made both parties gain huge profits.

But last year, an order from the military department suddenly came from the mainland of Hanzhou. While consolidating the construction of Hanxing Island and other immigration transit areas, the Ryukyu General District was also required to build as many as possible on the big Ryukyu Island and its affiliated islands. Base, and to curb Japan's invasion and infiltration of Ryukyu, to prevent it from posing a potential threat to foreign immigrants.

In this regard, the Ryukyu General Administration area is very disapproving. With the dozens of small sampans of the Satsuma Domain, it is impossible to pose any threat to the Qi State Ryukyu General Administration Area, let alone affect Qi State's immigration activities.Seeking to establish more bases on the big island of Ryukyu will obviously arouse the dissatisfaction of Satsuma, which in turn will affect the maintenance of good business exchanges between the two parties.

However, since there are orders from above, the Ryukyu General Administration District, which is managed as a military-political integration, must implement it accordingly.In order not to irritate the Satsuma clan too much, the Ryukyu District managed to imitate the model of Guangning on Java Island (now Cilegon City in the northwest of Java Island, Indonesia), and found the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. After some negotiations, they leased a piece of seaside land in the northern area Site, build a sea base.

On the north side of the Shuri Port Wharf, there is a freight yard covering an area of ​​nearly 3.5 mu, which is owned by the Qi State Ryukyu Trading Company.The periphery of the entire freight yard is entirely built of masonry and cement. The outer wall is 4-0.6 meters high and 1.2-50 meters thick. Some of the outer walls have protruding bastions, just like a small fortress.There are more than 3 armed guards stationed in the freight yard, equipped with a large number of muskets, and the guards even have two [-]-pound light artillery, which can be said to be armed to the teeth.

"Half a month ago, Shuri Castle added more than 150 Satsuma samurai, bringing the entire Japanese armed forces to more than 700 people in the area. I think their move must be aimed at our establishment of Andong Fort. Response." Yao Bencai, the storekeeper of the freight yard, told Shi Chengfeng, the representative of Hanxing Island in Ryukyu, to tell him an unexpected news.

"Why, does the Satsuma clan want to confront us in Ryukyu?" Shi Chengfeng turned his head and looked at the several naval officers who came with him, but he was full of confidence in his heart, "Without our goods from Qi, what about their Satsuma clan?" Trade with the Japanese vassals? It’s not a matter of fighting for sentiment, just make trouble with silver.”

"Having said that, who can guarantee that those Japanese will go crazy and turn against us suddenly. We are on Ryukyu Island, but we don't have many armed forces. Once we face those Japanese, I'm afraid we will suffer."

"We don't have our own armed forces on Ryukyu Island, but the 36 Hokkien people on the floating island can easily organize an armed force of 2000 people. If the situation changes, then we will mobilize their people to deal with Satsuma. , will definitely get a positive response from them." Shi Chengfeng said with a smile: "Furthermore, Hanxing Island is only a few days' flight away from here. Compared with the Satsuma Domain, we have a lot of geographical advantages. Returning this sea area, with absolute maritime superiority, can easily cut off the connection between them and Ryukyu. In other words, does the Satsuma clan dare to attack us?"

"Lord Shi, don't forget, the entire country of Japan is standing behind the Satsuma clan." Yao Bencai saw that the naval officers were eager to try after hearing Shi Chengfeng's words, and reminded carefully: "Japan , but it is a big country with tens of millions of people.”

"Shopkeeper Yao, look at how nervous you are." Shi Chengfeng patted Yao Bencai on the shoulder, "Don't worry, the Satsuma clan will not make such a risky move. After all, we have been friendly and cooperative for so many years, and we have enough interests in each other The point of connection. Moreover, we also helped them secretly fight against the general (shogunate) of their Japanese country. The Satsuma clan should know the strength of our Qi country, and will not provoke us easily."

"Besides, the mainland has sent a diplomatic and commercial delegation to Japan to seek to establish formal diplomatic and commercial relations with this country. If all goes well, we will deal directly with the shogunate in the future. As for the Satsuma clan, is it still risking the world? It’s so unfortunate that you have a side issue with me in the Ryukyu affairs?”

(End of this chapter)