The Ryukyu Islands, which stretch about 1,100 kilometers southwest from the southern island of Kyushu (and its affiliated islands) in southern Japan to northeast Taiwan, are the boundary between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea. The total land area is 3,090 square kilometers, including 55 large and small islands, divided into 3 larger island groups:

It is bordered by the Amami island chain in the north, the Ryukyu Islands in the middle, and the Sakishima Islands in the south. Due to its special geographical location, the Ryukyus served as a transit point for trade in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, and the trade was well developed, and it was known as the "Wanguo Jinliang".

The Ryukyu Kingdom existed on the Ryukyu Islands, and in 1372 AD, the Ryukyu Kingdom became vassal states of the Ming Dynasty of China. In 1429, the unified Ryukyu Kingdom maintained suzerain-vassal relations with China.

In 1609 (the 37th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty and the 14th year of Keicho in Japan), the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan sent the Satsuma clan to lead the army to invade Korea. He also captured more than 100 people including the Ryukyu king Shōnin to Kagoshima until September 19, 1611 (the 16th year of Keichō in Japan), when King Shōnin was forced to sign the "Fifteen Articles" with the Satsuma Domain, recognizing the Satsuma Domain's control over the Ryukyus. At the same time, the five islands of Amami (i.e., Kikai Island, Tokunoshima Island, Amami Oshima, Okinagabu Island, and Yoron Island) were placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Satsuma Domain, and they were released and survived. In addition, the Ryukyus were forced to send envoys to meet with the shogun, a move known as "Kamiedo". (For example, in Japanese, Joraku mainly means to go to Kyoto, and Kyoto's other name is Rakuyo, so it is called "Kamiraku", and Edo was the capital of the shogunate at that time.)

At that time, the Tokugawa Shogunate was the ruler of the Wa Kingdom, and because of the special position of the Ryukyus in the future of tomorrow, the Edo Shogunate and the Satsuma Domain incorporated the Ryukyus into the Japanese-style Huayi order, but they adopted a tacit attitude towards the existence of the Ryukyu Kingdom in their foreign relations.

Since the fifth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1372), the Ryukyu Kingdom has been using the Chinese era name and pursuing the Chinese Zhengshuo. The official documents, diplomatic treaties, and official histories of the Ryukyu Kingdom were all written in Chinese. Even the palace of Shuri Castle, the capital of the country, does not sit in the north and faces south, but faces the west, fully expressing its admiration for China.

……

When the Southeast Fleet appeared on the sea opposite Shuri, the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, it shocked the Ryukyu people!

They saw so many plywood ships coming across the sea with sails, and there were two big ships among them, which were enough to destroy the country!

But when they saw the flags of the stars, the peaks and the sea, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, this was the fleet of the Ming people, the fleet of the "Southeast Province" that occupied Taiwan.

Previously, the gunboats of the Southeastern Fleet passed through the Ryukyu Kingdom, but they came and went in a hurry, only for supplies and rest, and left soon without communicating with the Ryukyu people.

Although they are not dressed like the Ming Kingdom and do not serve the Ming flag, they are out-and-out Ming people!

Seeing that the fleet of the Ming people was so powerful, some Ryukyuan people couldn't help but liven up in their hearts, and the prince Shang let the secret chief Cai Lingfei say: "This is a good opportunity, maybe we can return our country to China!" ”

Chen Tianping nodded and said, "Yes!" ”

At this time, the king of Ryukyu was King Shangfeng, who had ascended the throne since 1621 AD, and was the eighth king of the second Shang dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and Shang Rang was his second son, sixteen years old, courteous, young and intelligent, with a heart for China, but on the surface he revered the U Kingdom, was familiar with the Chinese and Chinese Chinese languages, wore kimonos on weekdays, and knew waka (an art of the U Kingdom), and he was respectful to the U people stationed in the Satsuma Domain of the U Kingdom, so he confused the U people, and because of his youth, he did not monitor him effectively.

Unexpectedly, Shang Rang took the opportunity to develop anti-Japanese forces, among which Changshi Cai Lingfei and Law Secretary Ruan Yuanyuan were the backbone.

They are born anti-Japanese factions, they have no choice, they have to rebel, because their ancestors are Ming people!

In the first month of the fifth year of Zhu Yuanzhang Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, he ordered the pedestrian Yang Zai to enthrone the Jianyuan edict to his country. Among them, the mountain king Chadu, sent his younger brother Tai and others to the court, tribute. Since then, Ryukyu and China have established a tributary and vassal relationship with China for more than 500 years.

Shortly thereafter, Zhu Yuanzhang longed for China because of his pity for the Ryukyu people, but he was afraid of the waves on the sea, so he specially gave 36 Fujian people with the surname of good boat maneuvering to enter the Ryukyus and pay tribute with their navigation skills. Among the 36 surnames, those who are famous in the Ryukyus are Liang, Cai, Mao, Zheng, Chen, Zeng, Nguyen, and Jin.

Cai Lingfei and Ruan Yuanyuan are the descendants of these thirty-six surnames!

The invasion of the Satsuma Domain of the Wakoku Kingdom is a land of projectiles, and the military strength is weak, so how can it be resisted! (In 1609, when the Japanese invaded the Ryukyus, the Satsuma clan counted the weapons of the Ryukyus, and found that the Ryukyus only had 500 bows, which were still light bow power, 300 spears, 300 leather armor, etc., which was not even as good as the military strength of a Ming prefecture.) ）

Under the sword, they had to bow their heads, but Cai Lingfei and Ruan Yuanyuan were not convinced at all!

We are originally from the Celestial Empire, how can we do it!

The Japanese are considered roots! It's not as good as hair!

They were very attentive to all opportunities to overthrow the rule of the Satsuma Domain, and the imminent arrival of the Southeast Fleet this time made them see an opportunity, but Ruan Yuanyuan said worriedly: "I heard that the merchant ships that came and went said that this Southeast Province is a people outside the Great Ming Dynasty, and they do not obey the king, and they are really pirates, and they are afraid that they will enter the door with thieves, and a wicked person will come after a wicked person!" ”

Shang Rang also has concerns.

However, Cai Lingfei smiled and said: "No matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than the Japanese people!" ”

Shang Rang and Ruan Yuanyuan nodded yes together, and Cai Lingfei came up with an idea: "I'll immediately spread the news that 'Ming people are coming'!" ”

……

The news had spread throughout Shuri (the city was not very large) before the arrival of the Southeast Fleet, and it immediately disturbed the hearts of many people.

Almost all the Ryukyuan people rejoiced: "Akito is finally here!" ”

It turned out that the Japanese had a lot of gold and silver, while the Ming had abundant materials and complemented each other, and there was a lot to be done in maritime foreign trade, and the Ryukyu Islands occupied a favorable position.

From Penghu, Taiwan, Ryukyu to the Wa Kingdom, it is a very reliable route, there are island coordinates along the way that are not easy to get lost, you can dock at the Ryukyu Islands, get supplies, especially water,

The Ryukyu Kingdom received a large amount of material supplies from China through its suzerain-vassal relationship with China, and it also developed into a "general agent" of China's maritime foreign trade under a closed state. Ryukyu ships traveled between Naha and Fuzhou, as well as as Japan and Korea in the north, and Annam, Luzon, Siam, Aceh, Java, and Manraka in the south. The Ryukyus became rich from such "entrepot trade".

The bulk of its overseas trade was the sale of Japanese silver, lacquerware, swords, folding screens, and fans to China, the resale of medicinal herbs, porcelain, silk, and copper coins produced in China to Japan and Korea, and the sale of rhinoceros horn, sumac, spices, tin, sugar, ivory, frankincense, and ambergris produced in Southeast Asia, India, and the Arabian Peninsula to China, Japan, and Korea.

It is not a lie to be known as "Wanguo Jinliang"!

The Ryukyus were barren and agriculture was difficult to develop, so it is understandable that trade was valued by entrepot trade for the goods it needed.

Previously, the Ryukyu Kingdom was greatly facilitated by being a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty! (Otherwise, people will think you're the boss!) ）

Fuzhou is the main trading port of the Ryukyus in China, and the Ryukyu merchants traded a wide variety of goods in Fuzhou, including various handicrafts, medicines, spices, minerals, seafood, textiles and other rare goods. There are also people in Fuzhou who "sell the goods of ball dealers". The goods that Ryukyu merchants took from Fujian were mainly ceramics, lacquerware, and silk.

The Joseon Dynasty also developed entrepot trade from the Ryukyus to the South Seas, importing medicines, spices, and luxury goods such as pearls, hawksbill turtles, and corals from the South Seas. In Shurijo Castle (known as Haepo in Korea), the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, there were Ryukyu trading ships that sailed specifically to Korea. Because they both belonged to the vassals of the Ming Dynasty, their feelings were very different, so the economic exchanges were dense.

However, the Satsuma clan was given control and the profits from foreign trade were intercepted, and the Ryukyuan people were in dire straits both internally and externally, and their quality of life plummeted, and even the royal family was extremely embarrassed.

Sweet potatoes are commonly eaten among the people, and although the royal family can still eat rice, they also eat brown rice. . . It may not be able to eat, because there is a typhoon that swept and allocated many crops, if there is no foreign trade to help, this special M is still the life of the royal family? !

In such an environment, the Ryukyus people look forward to the Ming Dynasty as much as they look forward to the stars and the moon, and finally look forward to it!

And the Japanese who live in Shuri have a headache!