Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 619 Imjin Japanese Invasion ([-]) Kato Kiyomasa Enters Hamgyongdo
Before we start this chapter, a little explanation.

The Korean government soldiers mentioned above are not the guard soldiers of the Ming Dynasty or the government soldiers of the Tang Dynasty who were tax-free but provided their own armor and horses. If the Korean army had such combat effectiveness, it would not be so miserable.

Although North Korea learned the Mingweisuo system at the beginning of the founding of the country and established the first body of the fubing system, but after 200 years, these well-known places were either oppressed and annexed by the two classes of nobles, or they climbed up and became the new two classes of nobles to continue to oppress others. , The soldiers of the North Korean guards have long been exhausted.

In the past 100 years, there have been countless people in the north and south of North Korea who could not eat enough to go to the mountains to become bandits, or directly raised their flags to rebel.

Later, North Korea learned the Song system and spent money to recruit bandits to serve as soldiers, which not only filled the soldiers, but also allowed them to kill each other.

Of course, in order to ensure that this group of government soldiers will not bite their masters back, the government soldiers at this time are basically unarmored. Although the food and salary are nominally half of that of the imperial army, it is actually the minimum supply, ensuring that you will not starve to death. Just rebel.

Under such circumstances, not to mention learning battle formations, there will not be many soldiers in North Korea who can draw bows, shoot arrows and fire blunderbusses. Ding Qiang.

So don't look at the government soldiers with the name of the army, their real combat effectiveness may not be able to beat the police who catch bandits and maintain law and order.

Of course, in order to maintain the suppression of the government soldiers, North Korea will still recruit good family sons who still have acres of land from their own provinces and government offices to join the army. Normal military pay. (possibly less)
The fighting power of these good families is comparable to that of some of the forbidden troops of the imperial court. Generally, a single battalion is assigned to be managed by the imperial court's forbidden army, which serves as a guarantee for monitoring redundant soldiers.

In this kind of bed state where there is no money all the year round, and three meals a day, half hungry and half full, what combat power do you expect these guys to have?

This is also the reason why the government soldiers collapsed at the first touch in the battle of Zhongzhou, and the reason why the government soldiers took the lead in rebellion after Wenyang heard that Wang Jing had fallen.

As far as they are concerned, the imperial court that even pays them money and feeds them is gone, so what are they willing to sacrifice their lives for?

The results of the Battle of Linjin River were so remarkable that it actually affected the judgment of both the DPRK and Japan.

After the Linjin River battle, the morale of the North Korean army was low and the hearts of the people were scattered.After all, the Linjin River is not a small river, and it has a geographical advantage to guard the river, and has an advantage in numbers, but it was unexpectedly beaten down by the Japanese army, which really broke the confidence of the North Korean army.

Regardless of the size of the North Korean army, they would be defeated at the first touch of the Japanese army. There were even hundreds of North Korean soldiers being chased by a dozen Japanese stragglers.

The morale of the army and the confidence in defeating the opponent are the most important things to maintain the organization of the army. The performance of an army after being discouraged will be staged many times in the land of China 50 years later, and 350 years later.

After the Battle of the Imjin River, it was difficult for the Joseon Dynasty to organize an army of 7 to 8 people. Besides, even if there were so many people, how much courage did they have to fight?
Faced with such a situation, even though the Japanese army was still far away from Pyongyang, North Korean Li Yan still decided to flee north from Pyongyang to Uiju.

I don't know if it was because Konishi Yukio and Soyoshitomo had a whim, or they thought it was not appropriate to lie to Hideyoshi at first, and wanted to make up for it.

He actually sent a letter to the King of Korea, reiterating that the Japanese army is a "false Dao Faming". As long as the King of Korea surrenders to Japan and sends his prince as a hostage to Japan, he will retain the territory of the five northern provinces.

From the perspective of historical archaeology in later generations, it is really difficult to understand the brain circuits of Konishi Yukyo-chan and Soyoshi Tomo. In the early stage, they knew that North Korea could not surrender, but they tricked Hideyoshi into North Korea's willingness to surrender.

Now Hideyoshi has lost patience with North Korea and has issued an order to fight against North Korea, but he is thinking about how to persuade North Korea to surrender.

And now for North Korea, its main force has retreated to the north of Hwanghae-do. Although the Japanese army did not completely control the south, the Joseon Dynasty also lost control. At this time, it promised to return Gyeonggi and Gangwon.

After the Korean court received the surrender letter from President Konishi, they planned to delay the time under the pretense of negotiating, and actually sent more envoys to Beijing to ask the Ming court for help.

On June 6, President Xiaoxi stumbled and finally came to the Datong River.

Kuroda Nagamasa divided his troops with the general after passing through Imjin, and began to suppress the cities of Huanghai Province.

Kato Kiyoshi happened to cross the old man Xian between Huanghai Road and Hamgyong Road, and came to Anbyeon at the southernmost end of Hamgyong Road, intending to start the invasion of Hamgyong Road.

In Hideyoshi’s [Eight Ways of the Kingdom] strategy, Hamgyongdo was handed over to Toyotomi Hideka and Kato Kiyomasa. After they took Hamgyongdo, they would also be responsible for attacking the privet tribe in Northeast Daming from North Korea’s right. Raiders.

Looking at the gentian Wuqitong pattern flag at the head of Anbian Castle, Kato Kiyomasa couldn't imagine that his side was so smooth, except for the confrontation at the Linjin River for more than ten days, almost all the way to the north was unimpeded. The mirror path should be occupied by me!
Moreover, Toyotomi Hide's family wanted to invade Gangwon-do first, and then go north to Hamgyong-do. Why did they come to Hamgyong-do one step ahead of themselves?
He would never have imagined that Nobushige Sanada received an order to head north quickly after entering Gangwon-do, giving priority to controlling the plain production area in the south of Gangwon-do.

That is, Anbyeon, Deokwon, Muncheon, Gaoyuan, Yeongheung, Jeongpyeong, and Hamheung, which are near the sea in the south of Hamgyong-do.

This area is a bit like the Lanjiang Plain in the central part of Vietnam. It is a rare plain grain-producing area in Hamgyong Province. The people's livelihood is much better than that in the north, so North Korea has a stronger control here.

And this kind of relatively rich area is prone to make the same mistake as other areas in southern Korea, that is, the two classes of nobles annexed the land of civilians.

After Sanada Nobushige entered Hamgyong Road, he attacked all the way north to Yongxing, and used the northern mountains to build the Japanese city to resist and prevent the North Korean officers and soldiers from going south.

Relying on the half of the plain in his hands, Sanada Nobushige opened the first kit that the Hide family gave him, which required him to clean up the land in the controlled area, snatch the land from the two classes of nobles and distribute it to them. tenant.

Furthermore, refugees who were unwilling to submit to North Korean control were recruited in the Gaema Plateau in the northwest of East Hamgyong Road, and land was distributed to them on the condition that they be recruited into the army.

Many of the tenants had rich ancestors. They used to be good families with land and property. They sold themselves as slaves when they had no choice. A few lamented the injustice of the world, but those who were unwilling to submit fled to the mountainous areas in the north to form their own line.

They all have one characteristic, that is, they were oppressed by the Korean court headed by the Yangban nobles. Now the Japanese army, like the liberators, has taken back the land from the Yangban. Not only did they not offend them, but they distributed farm tools to them And seeds, to ensure the smoothness of spring plowing and summer harvest.

They have more or less heard the stories of Japanese pirates rampaging in the south, and the stories from the south and the north will inevitably become exaggerated, so the Japanese army is synonymous with devils in their minds.

But when Tian Xinfan really came here, they realized that apart from being more aggressive towards the two classes of lords, their attitude towards us untouchables was much better than that of the lords.

Under the rule of the Korean lords, they were always slaves who were equated with animals, but when the Japanese lords came, they became free citizens with property.

In order to protect their hard-won property, they naturally have more enthusiasm to sacrifice their lives to protect it.Therefore, when Nobushige Sanada's notice to recruit soldiers was posted, there was an endless stream of applicants.

It's a pity that they lived too hard in the past, and their physical fitness was too poor, and the physical fitness of the refugees in the mountainous areas was better.

Even so, Sanada Nobushige still recruited more than 3000 North Korean soldiers in just a few days, of which more than 500 with better physical fitness formed a separate army to defend Yongxing with himself, and the other 1 people were handed over to the slow army in the rear. Slow training development.

For those who are well-trained, Nobushige Sanada will distribute armor to make them the elite of the army.

After taking control of Anbian, Sanada Nobushige contacted Seto Jiazheng who was anchored in the open sea. Seto Jiazheng's merchant ship docked immediately and supplied him with a wave of critical supplies, including long guns collected from Japan, Katana sword and armor.

Among them, most of the armors are belly-dangs, belly rolls, and dongans that were gradually eliminated in the Japanese army. Some of them were weapons collected by the Hideo family during the past two years when samurai and ashigaru were sold at low prices, and some were collected by the Hideo family over the years. booty.

With the popularity of iron cannons in Japan, these armors that have lost their defensive power in front of iron cannons are gradually withdrawing from the stage of history.

You must know that even the ashigaru in Japan are wearing contemporary body. This kind of old-fashioned iron foreskin, or armor with iron sheets sewn between leather jackets, has been phased out in Japan.

But even if it is the obsolete armor, it is already very good equipment to equip the Ezo Servant Army and the Korean Servant Army, which do not even have armor, and it can be regarded as the best use of everything.

Where have the North Korean mudlegs seen such things as armor, even if they are going to be a government official, or a good family son is going to be a government soldier, thank God that five of the military equipment issued by the North Korean Bingbei Road can have an armor.

As for whether the collar armor is recycled, and whether there are any iron pieces in it, don't go into it.

Therefore, when Kato Kiyomasa arrived in Anbian, there were more than a dozen Koreans with gentian Wuqitong tattoos on their backs, a Korean-style iron helmet on their heads, and Koreans who spoke Korean. .

Before the person opened his mouth to speak, Kato Kiyomasa was still very puzzled. When did the Toyoharu family, which has always been known for its wealth, have such down-and-out soldiers?

Hearing that the people on the other side were talking in Korean, Kiyomasa Kato's retainers almost thought it was the enemy pretending to be.

If Toda Katsunari hadn't come forward to explain at this time, Kato Kiyomasa might really have faced this group of servants with sabers.

Toda Katsunari used to be a senior minister of Niwa, and later became an official Toyotomi Hidecho was also highly valued. Although he can't be called a veteran, he is at the level of a servant general, and he knows Kato Kiyomasa and others.

With him as a guarantee, I heard that these people are Korean civilians who have a heart for Japan and were conscripted to join the army.

Sighing at the Xiu family's unconstrained style, he immediately decided to refer to the Xiu family's operation on the Hamgyongdo and Jurchen side to support the servant army to fight for him.

Kiyomasa Kato asked Katsunari Toda, "Where is your lord now?"

Kato Kiyomasa asked about Masayuki Hanaba, because since Nagoya left, he always thought that the Japanese army led by Masayuki Hanaba was following behind him.

But now it is discovered that the Fourth Corps has arrived at Hamgyong Road first, and it has been developing and governing here for a period of time, so it has become curious.

However, Katsushige Toda would not tell Kato Kiyomasa that Hanaba Masako had not come to Hamgyong-do, nor would he tell him that there are only 3000 Japanese troops and 6000 Korean servants in Hamgyong-do. He just told Kato Kiyomasa that "the pioneer general Sanada Leading people to launch an offensive against Xianxing."

Yes, Nobushige Sanada originally thought that the six towns of Guanbei and the four towns of Beijiang in North Korea would go south to block him after he arrived in Hamgyong Road, so after occupying Yongxing, he built the Wacheng defense according to the location.

But now more than [-] days have passed, and the spies who have been sent out and the refugees who have returned from the mountains have said that they have not seen the movement of the Sixth Army of Zhenbei going south. Judging from the information brought by the navy, the Sixth Army of Guanbei has not been mobilized. Mark of.

The so-called Guanbei Sixth Army refers to the official troops stationed at the northeast corner of Hamgyong Road, north of Motianling, Wencheng, Qingyuan, Zhongcheng, Qingxing, Huining, and Funing.

This piece of land was snatched by North Korea from the Jurchen tribe. In the past 500 years of North Korea's history, North Korea and the Jurchen tribe fought many wars for the land on both sides of the Tumen River, and the two sides invaded each other.

It wasn't until 1433 that King Sejong of Korea launched the Battle of Pozhu River and destroyed all the Jurchen strongholds on the Yalu River and Tumen Jiangnan. After Mengge Timur was killed, the strength of Jianzhou Jurchen weakened.

In 1434, North Korea moved Gyeongwon Mansion northward to Suduolao; Ningbei Town, which was originally located in Shimu, was moved to Boyanchou, and then moved to Amu River (Wumu River), and Huining Town was set up.

In 1435, North Korea set up Zhongcheng County in Ningbei Town, where Boyanchou was located, and served as an envoy to know the affairs of the county.

In 1437, Qingxing County was established in Kongzhou, and later promoted to Dufu. In 1440, Yuduo was firmly established in Wencheng County, and "moved to Qingyuan and the south of Jizhou, and the official households in the north of Anbian" were promoted. The following year, he was promoted to Duhufu. In 1449, Joseon established Funing Town in Shimu.

So far, North Korea has set up six towns in the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Tumen River, collectively called the Northeast Six Towns.

North Korea recruited civilians to build towns and towns.Along the Tumen River, from Yantai in Tushan in Huining to Xunrong Town in Qingyuan, hundreds of miles of the Great Wall and dozens of castles were built to reward immigrants and mobilize the southern agricultural population to migrate to the six towns. Only then did North Korea completely and effectively control Tumen River south bank area.

As mentioned above, North Korea initially implemented a tax-free guard system in accordance with the Ming system, but it was gradually abolished with the corruption of the upper class.

In order to prevent the Jurchens from the north of the Tumen River from invading again, North Korea moved some military households who had lost land from all over the country to places such as Hamgyong, Anbyeon, and gave them land to guard the northern border.

But later even the military fields in Anbian began to be invaded by nobles on both sides, and North Korea moved some military households here to form a new military guard.

Due to the fact that this place directly faces the Jurchens of the North, and the environment is relatively harsh, the hands of the two groups of nobles have not yet reached out.

According to regulations, the military strength of each town in Guanbei is about 1000 to 1500 people, all of whom are recruited from military households stationed locally as soldiers, and the officers are directly appointed by the imperial court.

In addition to the six towns in Guanbei, there is also an earlier garrison force of military households in Xianjing Road, which are the four cities of Cicheng, Yurui, Luyan, and Wuchang (opposite Tonghua City and Baishan City in Northeast China) along the Yalu River.

Here is located on the Gaima Plateau, and the environment is not even as good as the six towns in the north. The so-called soldiers and horses in the four towns actually only have a few hundred people in the local military households. 4 government soldiers were stationed.

The total number of these two soldiers and horses exceeded 1.5, which was what Sanada Nobushige feared the most at first, so he stopped at Yongxing to build defensive facilities and dared not go forward.

However, later intelligence said that the 4 towns in Jiangnan did not seem to have so many troops, and the 2000 towns in Guanbei did not move. In addition, there was news that Kato Kiyomasa was already on the way north to Hamgyong Road, so he hurriedly brought the 1000 troops under his command, and With [-] servants, Xiong Yongxing went north, launched a strategy against Dingping and Xianxing, and locked in the fruits of victory.

In fact, what he didn't know was that under the order of the king of North Korea, the 5000 soldiers and horses supported by the imperial court to the four towns in Jiangnan had been transferred to Pyongyang. The total strength of the four towns in Jiangnan now does not exceed 3000. Who wants to guard such a long Yalu River? There is still time to take care of him.

If this information had been known to Sanada Nobushige earlier, perhaps he would have already gone north to attack Jizhou by now.

(End of this chapter)