Chapter 638: The Shame of the Navy: Ryukyu

Bai Zhengli only felt that the Ryukyus were just a small land, and it is said that when the heart was always restored to Huafu as a Ming vassal of the Ming Dynasty, the tribute was the most active, and later it was turned into a Manchu vassal, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty was regarded as China. Whether it is about military affairs or people's hearts, if Yinghua wants to deter the Ryukyus, they will not waste their efforts, how can it be delayed for five years?

Zheng Yong sighed: "We thought so back then......"

In Yingyang Harbor, Funan, five double-decker battleships are quietly moored in the military port, compared with a few years ago, the hull has been mottled, it is a mixture of new and old ship boards, and it can be seen that the blood and fire experience in the past few years.

On the dock, Xiao Sheng, who had deep wrinkles on his forehead, hugged his arms and said to Hu Hanshan, who had grown a beard and was much more mature and introverted than during the Luzon War: "Things outside of China are not so simple, and they have another exchange of interests. If you lead the Western fleet, you must keep your eyes open, see through the surrounding situation, and don't make the mistakes we made in the Ryukyus again, let alone be blinded by the vanity of our country in the middle of China. ”

Hu Hanshan asked with a little goatee: "I have been fighting with the Dutch in the past few years, and the affairs of the Ryukyus are not very clear. What kind of twists and turns are there, the chief should be able to give the bottom. ”

Xiao Sheng sighed: "This matter has to start from more than a hundred years, no, three hundred years ago......"

Ryukyu is isolated overseas, since the Zhongshan Kingdom unified the Ryukyus three hundred years ago, although the tribute to the Ming Dynasty, as a vassal of China, politically by the profound influence of China, but economically with the Japanese Union is more closely related. First, it served as an important bridge for trade between China and Japan, and after the European powers such as Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands entered Asia, they became a transit point for these countries to trade with Japan.

In addition to the economy, the sovereignty of the Ryukyus, that is, the "legal system", has always been inseparable from the Shimazu family. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attack on Korea and Tokugawa Ieyasu's construction of Edo Castle, and Ryukyu were both regarded as vassals by the Shimazu family because of their relationship with the Shimazu family, and certain obligations were apportioned.

For hundreds of years, the Shimazu family has claimed that Ryukyu is their domain. During the Hogen Rebellion of the Heian period, Minamoto was said to have fled to the Ryukyus, and his son was Shunten, the first king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The ancestor of the Shimazu family was Shimazu Tadahisa, the son of Minamoto Yoshitomo and the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. Minamoto Yoritomo gave Shimazu Tadahisa Satsuma and Hyuga in Kyushu, including the Ryukyus.

Shunten was the son of Minamoto and the Ryukyus had long been owned by the Shimazu family, and these two arguments are extremely absurd. Who is Gen Wei Chao? The inventor of the Seppuku Suicide Ceremony, not only did he not commit suicide, but he went to Ryukyu to give birth to a son and build the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Besides, Ryukyu was given to the Shimazu family, so why do you think that Ryukyu is the land of Japan? There is no logical basis for this argument.

Although the argument is absurd, the basis for the fact is that the Shimazu family had closer ties with the Ryukyus than with the Ryukyus, and that the Ryukyus were deeply influenced by Japan in both culture and political system. Although there were a large number of Chinese immigrants in the Ryukyus, the Juche ethnic group was closer to the Japanese "Yamato nation". The upper echelons of the Ryukyu Kingdom used Chinese, but the folk Ryukyuan language is not the same as Chinese, and is closer to Japanese.

Because the Japanese were in a feudal state for a long time, the Shimazu family, and even the Japanese family, had no need to annex the Ryukyus. The Ryukyus, which was sandwiched between China and Japan, had always maintained its independent status, but with the change of Sino-Japanese relations, the power of the Ryukyus was also usurped, and the root cause of this matter came from the Sino-Japanese Korean War. …,

After the defeat of the Japanese Dynasty, they lost their political contacts and trade relations with the Ming Dynasty.

Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate in the hope of stabilizing the surrounding environment, first restoring normal diplomatic relations with North Korea, and then seeking to normalize Sino-Japanese relations, but was greatly hindered.

By this time, the Shimazu clan had become the Satsuma Domain, and after the Tokugawa shogunate suppressed the channels for domestic profits, the desire to control foreign trade was increasing, and the policy of keeping the Ryukyus completely under its control surfaced. Although the Ryukyus were respectful to the Satsuma Domain, they relied on being a vassal to the Ming Dynasty, and the political affairs of the country were mostly controlled by the "pro-Chinese faction", and they were always unruly, and even occupied the Amami Islands claimed by the Satsuma Domain, which was not a big trouble.

In 1609, the Satsuma clan sent a man led by Hisataka Kayama to land in the Ryukyus, defeated the Ryukyu army, plundered the Ryukyu royal family and important officials of the court, and forced the royal family and the court to sign the "Fifteen Articles", which recognized that "Ryukyu has been a part of the Satsuma domain for generations since ancient times, and will be loyal to the Satsuma domain for generations." Zheng Zhen, a descendant of the Fujianese, was killed for refusing to sign the contract. It was this Zheng Zhen who refused Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu's two requests that Ryukyu make themselves subordinate to the Shimazu family and bear obligations for the war of aggression against Korea and the construction of Edo Castle.

The Satsuma Domain's dispatch of troops was approved by the Edo Shogunate, which hoped to normalize relations with the Ming Dynasty through the intermediary of the Ryukyus. The Ming government saw from the Ryukyu envoys that the Japanese had already annexed the Ryukyus, and refused to talk to the Ryukyus about the Japanese invasion, but only retained the tributary relationship, but this goal was not achieved.

Due to the particularity of the Ryukyu Kingdom facing China, the Edo shogunate did not allow the Satsuma Domain to annex Ryukyu alone, but retained the right to dominate, so the Satsuma Domain could only indirectly control the Ryukyus by establishing a pro-Japanese royal family, and the actual government affairs still had to be taken care of by the pro-Chinese faction, for example, at this time the Ryukyu Shoufu was still a descendant of the Chinese, named Cai Wen.

These things are not secrets, and you can find out if you ask the merchants who often come and go to Ryukyu. The information obtained by the Department of Coastal Defense Beicao and the Department of Naval Intelligence is based on these contents as historical backgrounds. When Xiao Sheng led the navy to Ryukyu, the impression in his mind was still the same as that of most Chinese people, feeling that Ryukyu, whether it was a folk or a temple, was all devoted to China, but was suppressed by the Japanese. Coupled with the weakness of its military strength, it is easy to control the Ryukyus, regardless of military popularity.

But they all ignored some details, and it was these details that made the actual Ryukyu very different from the Ryukyu in their minds.

Whether it is pro-China or pro-Japanese, it is all out of interest. Ryukyu was one of the most frequent tributes in the surrounding countries of China, with two ships every two years, and the Chinese side returned one ship to Ryukyu the following year. The Ryukyuan people exchanged handmade wild animals for gold, silver and satin, and the profits were very rich.

In addition to the tributary, the Ryukyu and Fujian people-to-people trade is also very prosperous, originally Ryukyu was in the Nagasaki - Fujian Yuegang - Luzon Manila trade route of the transit point, and the close relationship with the Chinese **, is naturally the basic national policy.

Therefore, when the Ming Dynasty fell, the Ryukyu tribute envoy was stranded in Fujian, the Manchu Qing Dynasty conquered the southern general Bo Luo stretched out his hand, and the Ryukyu tribute envoy went to Beijing in a fart, and the Shunzhi Emperor was the main one, and the Ming Dynasty's canonization of the golden seal was handed over.

Xiao Sheng's battleship sailed into Naha, which indeed shocked the Ryukyu country, and Fujian had entered the Anglo-Chinese, and the Anglo-Chinese merchant ships frequently traveled in the Ryukyus, and also caused many trade disputes, and the Ryukyus had a deep impression of the Anglo-Chinese.

King Shang Jing simply presented a tribute table, Feng Yinghua Huaxia Zhengshuo, claiming to be a vassal of Yinghua, Xiao Sheng and the admirals felt that their goal had been achieved, even Feng Jingyao, the Department of Defense, did not notice, King Shang Jing was too scared, Shoufu Cai Wen still had doubts in his eyes, and those guys around King Shang Jing who shaved their heads were even more hateful in their eyes. …,

When Feng Jingyao proposed the "Naha Treaty" to Ryukyu, the eyes of these three parties all turned into hatred, but Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao still didn't pay much attention.

The essence of the Treaty of Naha was to ensure the interests of Anglo-Chinese maritime merchants, and in the overall Anglo-Chinese trade layout, Ryukyu was a springboard to Japan. As a result, the treaty required the Ryukyus to submit to Anglo-Chinese trade dominance, including the surrender of customs powers, commercial jurisdictions, and the permission to garrison Anglo-Chinese troops.

This is already a mild condition after Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao discussed, after all, Ryukyu is an independent country, and it has always been submissive to China, so you have to pay attention to your appearance and take small bites. For this reason, the treaty also hyped up the Anglo-Chinese policy of "co-prosperity in Asia", hoping that the Ryukyus would uphold the loyal tradition of "serving China as the father" and catch the Anglo-Chinese express train.

Neither of them expected, of course, that Li Shi, who did not know the roots of the Ryukyus, did not expect that the Anglo-northern advance would not only damage the interests of the Japanese and mainly the Satsuma Domain, but also destroy the common interests of the Japanese and the Ryukyus.

The Anglo-Chinese involvement in the Ryukyu sovereignty was so deeply involved that the Ryukyus lost their original status as an independent existence between China and Japan, in other words, for the Japanese people, the Ryukyus no longer had the value of being separated from China and Japan.

For the Ryukyus themselves, tributary Huaxia was only a need for interests, and although Confucianism was being promoted by King Shang Jing and Cai Wen, Ryukyu was different from Jiaozhi and Gwangnam, and the social foundation of the Ryukyus was on the side of Japan.

With such strong involvement by Yinghua, the country will inevitably be divided, which is something that officials like Shang Jingwang and Cai Wen do not want to see and cannot accept.

The Treaty of Naha was rejected by the Ryukyus, and the counter-proposals put forward included items such as "calling His Majesty Bozu", "Practicing the Holy Way Year", and "The color of the official uniform is honored by Yinghua", etc., Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao did not see the true intentions of the other party, and thought that the other party was still immersed in the "old tradition" and could not extricate themselves, so they only spent their efforts to persuade them.

Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao were patient, King Shang Jing and Cai Wen had to be patient in front of Yinghua's giant ship cannons, but the people arranged by the Satsuma clan around the Ryukyu royal family, as well as the Ryukyu locals, were impatient. Rumors such as "Yinghua wants to abolish the royal family and make Ryukyu a prefecture" and "Satsuma Domain wants to fight with Yinghua in Ryukyu" spread in the Ryukyus.

The Anglo-Chinese side thought that this was just the hand and foot of the Satsuma Domain, and in order to cut off the influence of the Satsuma Domain on the affairs of the Ryukyus, Xiao Sheng categorically arrested the people of the Satsuma Domain, dragged them to the port of Naha, and beheaded them in public.

In the eyes of Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao, the people of the Satsuma clan have oppressed the Ryukyus for more than 100 years, and today they are eliminating harm for the Ryukyu people, which should win the hearts of the Ryukyu people and push the Ryukyu royal family and government to join the British and Chinese as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, this move stabbed the hornet's nest, and that night, not only Xiao Sheng, Feng Jingyao and others were besieged by the people at Shuri Castle, but the Anglo-Chinese fleet in Naha Port was also attacked by the people. In order to prevent the people from boarding the ship, the fleet was forced to fire cannons, and the situation was out of control, and the port of Naha was filled with gunfire all night.

By the next day, the Anglo-Chinese fleet, fearing for the safety of Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao, sent the Fubo army to advance to Shuri Castle, while the Ryukyu side had already regarded the fleet as an enemy, and the militant officers and soldiers took control of the fort and bombarded the fleet, and a great war broke out.

More than 100 years ago, the Ryukyu Army was about to collapse at the touch of the 3,000 troops of the Satsuma Domain, the reason was that there were 700 arquebusiers in the Satsuma Army, and today the Anglo-Chinese Army has two battleships and more than 10 sea carp ships.

The Naha Port Fort was quickly captured, and at the same time, Xiao Sheng and Feng Jingyao, under the cover of the personal guards of the Fubo army, also quickly dispersed the rebellious people and joined up with the Naha Fubo army who came to meet them. After returning to Naha, considering that the situation of the enemy and the enemy was mixed, and the number of Fuba troops was limited, it was difficult to gain a foothold in Naha, Xiao Sheng painfully decided to withdraw from Naha, occupy Kume Island to the west of Naha, and wait for reinforcements.

"No wonder during that time, the Fubo army was urgently assembled, and even the Fubo army stationed on the ship under my command was transferred to ......", "

Yingyang Harbor, Hu Hanshan sighed.

"Well, so that's the case, that year, even the Dinghai Fubo Army was transferred, in order to stabilize Dinghai, and the army was also transferred from the Jiangnan Xingying, all of them, we actually lost such a big face, no wonder everyone never mentioned the Ryukyu matter, even Feng must ...... Hey? Wasn't Feng supposed to go for reinforcements at that time? Is it ......?"

In Naha Port, Bai Zhengli was sighing, but suddenly found that he seemed to be about to uncover a bigger scar.

"That's right, this is not a shame, after I arrived with Feng Cheng and the main force of the Fubo Army, an even more humiliating falcon happened."

The Fubo army was under control, and the former Hong Kong pirate Zheng Yong, when he talked about this, his head drooped, and he didn't want to face Bai Zhengli...... ）

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