Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

At the same time that Zheng Zhilong was attacking Ryukyu, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Andong, also began to attack the Beihai Island.

Although the emperor said that dealing with the Jianlu should be the priority.

However, Hong Chengchou still did not dare to refuse King Han's request.

As the King of Han wanted to monopolize the North Sea Island and expel the Matsumae clan, Hong Chengchou felt that if he made peace with Japan first, the King of Han would definitely hold a grudge against him.

Hong Chengchou absolutely did not want to bear the resentment of a vassal prince, especially a vassal prince with a fiefdom.

So he decided that no matter how he dealt with Japan, he had to take the North Sea Island first.

When discussing with other officials stationed in Korea, Hong Chengchou said:

"The Japanese are barbarians."

"The barbarians fear power but not virtue. Let's teach them a lesson first."

Lu Shanji followed Sun Chengzong's instructions and disagreed:
"General Sun once ordered that North Korea should cooperate with the Liaodong war."

"And your majesty's request is to not affect the war in Liaodong first."

Mao Wenlong's younger brother Mao Yunlong shared the same opinion.

His brother is now sending troops to Liaodong and needs someone to pick him up.

Of course, they did not want to see the troops of the Andong Protectorate being used to teach Japan a lesson.

However, as the governor of Andong, Hong Chengchou had full authority to decide on these matters.

And his reasons were so strong that Lu Shanji and Mao Yunlong had no way to respond:

"The soldiers of the Andong Protectorate have never seen blood. If they go to deal with the Jianlu right away, they will probably encounter setbacks."

"We can use the Japanese on the island to train our troops first, and then go and deal with the Jianlu."

"Your Majesty has the same idea, so he arranged for the Jurchen Niulu trained by Liu Xingzuo and the patrol battalion to march to Beihai Island together."

"What's more, this is something that the North Korean monarch and his ministers strongly support. Are we going to just ignore it?"

Korea was more enthusiastic about sending troops to Japan than Ming Dynasty.

The country was almost destroyed during the Imjin War, and was saved only by the Ming Dynasty's military rescue.

After hearing that the Ming Dynasty wanted to teach Japan a lesson, the Korean king and his ministers expressed their support for Hong Chengchou despite the fact that the Dongjiang Town was at war with the Jianlu.

They even allocated a sum of money and grain, which had become scarce after supplying Dongjiang Town, specifically for dealing with Japan.

There is only one requirement for what I did, and that is to let North Korea send troops together.

They wanted to avenge their previous humiliation and sent troops to Japan.

After hearing the news, Lu Shanji and Mao Yunlong were speechless about the behavior of the Korean monarch and his ministers.

Korea will have to send out logistics and troops, so what Ming needs to do is to send its main force to support the situation.

Then what is there to hesitate about? Just let North Korea send troops.

After Hong Chengchou said that he would only dispatch the Jurchen Niulu trained by Liu Xingzuo and the patrol battalion sent by the court, the two finally expressed their support and agreed to the proposal to send troops to Beihai Island.

On the sixth day of the sixth month in the second year of Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou gathered the ships of Korea, Han Wang, Jiangling and Ningyuan. With 3,000 Han Wang guards led by Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and Chen Xinjia as the vanguard, 300 Jurchen soldiers recruited by Liu Xingzuo and the second battalion of the new army sent by the court, and 3,000 Korean soldiers as the support, they marched to Beihai Island.

The Matsumae Domain on the island of Hokkaido had a koku of only 10,000 koku, a standing army of about 200 to 400 men, and a total population of only 7,000 to 8,000, with about 2,000 men able to serve in battle.

The number of troops gathered by Hong Chengchou reached 7,000, which was equivalent to the entire population of Matsumae Domain.

The Matsumae clan would never be able to deal with such a force. Even if they concealed their strength, they could not resist 7,000 people.

The reason why Hong Chengchou gathered such a powerful force was not because he had not investigated the strength of the Matsumae clan, but because he wanted to expel the Matsumae clan and intimidate the shogunate.

The Ming Dynasty must use its thunderous force to make the shogunate feel the pressure.

What's more, the strategy of deploying troops is to surround them if there are ten of them. This battle is a cross-sea landing operation, so of course we must be more cautious.

According to the original plan, the four-nation joint fleet would first head north along the coastline to Anzhou, which was established by the Korean vassal state in imitation of the Bohai Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty, and then cross the sea to the Ishikari Bay area west of Sapporo in later generations to establish a stable stronghold there.

Then they attacked the Matsumae Domain which occupied the southern part of Hokkien Island by both land and sea.

This route has been explored by Han Fan several times and is basically confirmed to be safe.

Even the leader of Jiangling Principality suggested that they could continue northward, cross the strait to reach Kuwu Island, and then head south along the coastline of Kuwu Island to reach Beihai Island in the south.

However, because this road was too long and would take too much time, it was rejected by Hong Chengchou and others, who chose the route that Han Fan had already planned.

Without the misfortune of encountering a typhoon, the Four-Nation Joint Fleet successfully arrived at the North Sea Island.

At that time, the area around Ishikari Bay was mainly populated by Ainu people. After seeing the huge fleet landing, they were quickly frightened and scattered.

Even some of the ignorant ones were quickly driven away by the auxiliary North Korean soldiers. Then they cut down trees, leveled the land, used the supplies brought by the fleet, and began to set up camp.

After a few days of training and establishing a solid base, the fleet moved south along the coastline and arrived at the main castle of Matsumae Domain, formerly known as Fukuyama Castle.

This castle was built more than 20 years ago and was the most important location of the Matsumae domain.

(The Matsumae Domain only occupied the Matsumae area at that time, which is the red area in the picture)

When the people of Matsumae discovered that the Combined Fleet was coming, they were extremely surprised.

Because they had never thought that there would be such a large-scale fleet invading.

Especially after seeing the flags on the ship, including the Ming flag, the Korean flag, and many unknown flags, they simply didn't understand why these people came here together.

In accordance with the principle of using courtesy before force, Hong Chengchou sent Chen Xinjia to inform him of the purpose of his visit.

The current lord of Matsumae was shocked when he learned that the purpose of the Ming Dynasty's military action was to punish the shogunate:

"Ezo was where the shogunate exiled criminals."

"What punishment can the Ming Dynasty bring to the shogunate by sending troops here?"

"The shogunate doesn't care about Ezo at all. The Ming Dynasty chose the wrong place."

He really didn't understand what the Ming Dynasty was thinking. They actually wanted to intimidate the Edo Shogunate by expelling the Matsumae clan.

Doesn’t the Ming Dynasty know that Ezo was a wasteland for the Edo Shogunate and that no one cared about it except the Matsumae domain?

Matsumae Kimihiro was very confused by this and asked Chen Xinjia to explain it carefully.

Chen Xinjia also felt that this reason was a bit far-fetched, but as the chief historian of the Han clan, he very much supported this approach.

Without the support of the Ming court, it would undoubtedly take a lot of effort for Han Fan to open up Beihai Island alone.

Not to mention anything else, the troops from Korea and other vassal states will not come.

He really didn't have the confidence to rely solely on the 3,000 new recruits that Han Fan had just assembled.

Now that the imperial army has arrived, and there are 3,000 soldiers from Korea to support him, he feels confident and says to Matsumae Gonghiro:
"The vassal lord has no right to comment on what the Ming court does."

"Now the feudal lord can decide whether to fight or surrender."

"If the feudal lord wants to surrender, then we should raise the white flag and open the city gates."

"The Ming Dynasty will treat you as a noble and allow you to leave with your people and property." "If you want to fight, that's easier to say. If you lose, you will lose everything."

Send someone to present a declaration of war and let the people of Matsumae domain make the decision.

At the same time, an ultimatum was issued, requiring a reply within one day.

If there is no reply by tomorrow morning, Ming will send troops.
-
Matsumae Munehiro was greatly shocked by this and summoned the dignitaries of the Matsumae domain to discuss the matter together.

Everyone had already seen the dark fleet and learned that the purpose of this fleet was to expel the Matsumae clan. Some people were scared pale, while others shouted to fight them back.

More people remained silent, not knowing how to deal with this situation.

Many people realized that they could not win the war. Even if all the males in the Matsumae domain were mobilized, they would not have as many soldiers as the enemy.

But they were unwilling to give up the Matsumae domain.

Although the shogunate looked down on this place, it only used it as a place of exile.

But for them, it is their own heritage.

Especially those who followed Matsumae Keihiro to establish the Matsumae domain were even more reluctant to give up the domain they had established for nothing.

For a moment they were caught in a dilemma and didn't know how to break the impasse.

Many people just play dead and wait for something to happen.

On the other side, the Ming army was not in a hurry and let the soldiers and horses off the boat in an orderly manner.

They even intended to lure the troops of the Matsumae domain into battle so as to defeat the enemy in a single blow in a field battle.

However, the Japanese samurai at this time already knew the strength of the Ming army, and no one went into battle without knowing their own capabilities and tried to defeat the enemy in a field battle.

The people of Matsumae domain firmly guarded Matsumae Castle and refused to come out.

Hong Chengchou was both disappointed and secretly relieved.

Although he brought many soldiers, most of them had never been on the battlefield.

This was true for the new patrol troops sent by the imperial court, as well as for Han Fan's troops.

The only ones they could count on were the Jurchens recruited from the mountains and forests by Liu Xingzuo.

However, these Jurchens are few in number, and it is difficult to predict how they will perform on the battlefield.

Hong Chengchou did not dare to pin his hopes on them, but was more looking forward to the performance of the new troops in the patrol camp.

As for the Korean troops, he had no hope at all. Most of them were left in his northern stronghold, and the rest were only responsible for menial tasks.

He even didn't want to bring these people with him, fearing that the Korean troops would be disintegrated and affect the Ming army.

If the Korean king and his ministers had not requested to go into battle before sending out troops, he would have left all his men in the northern stronghold.

A day passed quickly, and the people from Matsumae Domain never came out.

Hong Chengchou didn't know what they were thinking, so he could only regard it as a rejection of his good intentions. The next morning, he ordered Kong Youde:
"Lieutenant General Kong Youde, listen to my orders and lead your troops to attack Songqian Castle immediately."

"The new troops of the Patrol Battalion are supporting with firearms, while Lieutenant General Liu's Jurchen Niulu are preparing to find a breakthrough point."

All the generals took orders and led their troops to attack according to Hong Chengchou's command.

Han Fan's troops were ranked first because they performed the best and were least affected by sea transportation. When they were recruited and trained last year, they were intended to go on a cross-sea expedition.

In addition, since they are opening up territory for the Han clan, they naturally have to be ranked first.

The morale of these Han clan soldiers was also very high because the King of Han promised to allocate all the cultivated land reclaimed by the Matsumae clan to them.

Since the Matsumae clan was not tactful, they took it away by force.

Under the command of Kong Youde, this army, composed mainly of Han clan members, relatives by marriage, and servants, soon began to advance towards Matsumae Castle.

It was hard to say how strong they were, but their weapons and armor looked quite good. After all, they were purchased from the court by the King of Han using his accumulated wealth.

However, it was not them who first went to war with the Matsumae clan, but the new firearms army sent by the Patrol Battalion.

Although they were a little tired after crossing the sea, their skills in operating firearms had not declined. Cannons roared and bombarded the walls of Matsumae Castle.

At this time, the Matsumae domain had organized a domain army of more than 500 people, all of whom were the main force that had previously established the Matsumae domain.

They didn't expect the Ming artillery to be so fierce and soon lost a lot of people.

The rest were also trembling on the city wall, not knowing when the artillery would fall.

After seeing this scene, the morale of the Han clan soldiers was greatly boosted.

Kong Youde roared angrily and called on his soldiers to move forward.

In a moment, the Han clan soldiers charged bravely and soon arrived at the foot of Matsumae Castle.

Use the siege equipment prepared earlier to start attacking the city.

The Matsumae domain had only been established for more than 20 years, and the domain army had not completely decayed and was still quite powerful.

After suppressing their fear of artillery, these people engaged in a fierce battle with the Han clan soldiers.

For several hours in a row, the Han soldiers were not allowed to climb up the city wall.

But the matter ended there. Hong Chengchou, who was far behind, quickly discovered the fatigue of the soldiers of the Matsumae clan through a telescope and told Liu Xingzuo:

"Lead the Jurchen Niulu and attack from the back gate of Songqian Castle."

"Let the soldiers shout again, and let the Matsumae Domain surrender, so that they will not lose the treatment of the Domain Lord."

Upon receiving the order, Liu Xingzuo immediately led the 300 Jurchen warriors he had recruited and launched an attack from the back gate of Songqian Castle.

The Matsumae army had not expected this at all, and their morale collapsed when they saw the Jurchens dressed in their clothes. Many people shouted "Dao Yi invaded" and retreated from the city wall.

The Jurchens under Liu Xingzuo's command attacked almost immediately and quickly gained a foothold on the wall of the rear gate. It was only a matter of time before Songqian Castle was breached.

At this time, Matsumae Kimihiro and others also realized that the Matsumae domain was doomed.

After Hong Chengchou ordered his men to ensure his treatment, Matsumae Gongguang sighed and ordered:
"Let the warriors surrender!"

"They are all loyal retainers of the Matsumae clan. We will have to rely on them after we return to the shogunate."

He ordered the Matsumae clan's army to surrender and lay down their weapons.

The battle, which lasted for several hours, ended quickly with the complete defeat of the Matsumae clan.

On behalf of the Ming Dynasty and the Han clan, Chen Xinjia accepted the surrender of the Matsumae clan, sent soldiers into the city and took over everything in the city.

Hong Chengchou also kept his promise and maintained respect for the nobles of the Matsumae domain. He even allowed them to bring their belongings with them and arranged for ships to send them to Edo.

This was an order issued by the emperor, that Japanese nobles who had not committed serious crimes should be preserved as much as possible.

The Ming Dynasty would continue to support them in the future to hinder the centralization of power in the Edo Shogunate.

Jiang Yueguang, the lecturer of the Hanlin Academy who came with Hong Chengchou, was also ordered to go on a diplomatic mission to Japan and went to Edo with them.

He had to follow the instructions of the imperial court and question the Hirado Domain of the Edo Shogunate for detaining the imperial concubine of the Ming Dynasty and the Satsuma Domain for harassing the Ryukyu Islands. (End of this chapter)