big song poppi

Chapter 628 0625 [Japan]

The next day.

Mr. Sun Zhi and Mr. Yin set off with a group of Shenzhou warships, heading straight for Honshu Island in Japan.

After they left, Li Nanjia was not idle either, and immediately began to reorganize the army.

Five days later, the first batch of grain and fodder arrived from Goryeo, totaling 7,000 shi. The remaining 13,000 shi had to be transported from other routes and would take some time to arrive.

Leaving behind a thousand naval forces to guard Jeju Island and taking three thousand stones of food and fodder, Li Nanjia led the remaining four Shenzhou warship groups to set off.

In this battle, speed is the key.

It is as fast as the wind and as aggressive as fire.

The Japanese could never have imagined that just five days after the Qi envoys submitted the declaration of war, the Japanese army would arrive at Honshu Island.

I am afraid that by the time the navy lands on Honshu Island, Japan will not have time to mobilize troops.

……

March eighteenth.

The Shenzhou battleship fleet led by Sun Zhi successfully arrived at Qiongpu (Nagasaki) on Kyushu Island, Japan.

Today, the three regions of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Chugoku are under the jurisdiction of the Taira clan.

The China area here has nothing to do with the Central Plains. It is just the name of a region in Japan, similar to a province.

During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, Japan had close trade relations with the Tang Dynasty and sent a large number of Japanese students to study in the Tang Dynasty.

After studying for hundreds of years, Japan began to imitate the system of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and carried out drastic reforms, dividing the entire Japan into 68 countries, and then divided them into four regions according to population: Big Country, Upper Country, China, and Lower Country.

The western region of Honshu Island is called the Chugoku region because it is neither too far nor too close to the capital and has a population that is neither too large nor too small.

Sun Zhi did not stay long. He stayed in Qiongpu for half a day, replenished some fresh water and vegetables, and then set off again.

The Shenzhou warship fleet sailed north along the coast of Kyushu and Shikoku, and finally arrived at Hyogozu Port on March 28th.

Hyogozu is Kobe in later generations, but now it is just a small fishing village and its port is extremely dilapidated. As for Osaka, it is still just a wasteland.

There were only a dozen or so shabby little fishing boats in the harbor.

When they saw the Shenzhou warships, the Japanese people near the port were all horrified. They were curious and frightened. They only dared to look from afar and did not dare to get close to take a closer look.

The helmsman reported helplessly: "Commander Sun, the port is too shallow and Shenzhou is too deep to dock."

Being used to the big ports in the Central Plains, I feel uncomfortable suddenly coming to this old and small dock.

Sun Zhi ordered: "Send a warship to land first."

"Warships are probably dangerous too."

The helmsman gave a wry smile.

Hearing this, Sun Zhi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Then how did you dock the merchant ship when you came to Japan before?"

The helmsman explained, "We have only stopped at Kyushu and Shikoku in the past, and have never been here."

After all, Kyushu and Shikoku are the closest to the Central Plains. Although the ports there are dilapidated, they are deep enough at least. It is not like here, where you can see the sand and rocks on the seabed at a glance. Shenzhou and its escort warships are basically fully loaded and have a very deep draft. If they get stuck, it will be difficult for a tugboat to pull them up.

Sun Zhi had no choice but to arrange for his officers to stay on Shenzhou, while he, Mr. Yin and a group of personal guards took a small wooden boat to the dock.

When Sun Zhi and his party arrived at the dock, they saw several cavalrymen galloping towards them from a distance.

Wakoku was an isolated island overseas. There were no horses on the island. Horses were introduced from the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty.

However, oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while oranges grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines. After the horses from the Central Plains arrived in Japan, they became weaker and shorter.

It is called a horse, but it is actually only slightly larger than a mule.

The Japanese were also short, and the combination of the two made Sun Zhi and others, who were used to seeing tall horses and mighty and majestic heavy cavalry, feel funny.

The leading cavalryman was wearing rattan armor and had a standard samurai hairstyle.

The samurai class only appeared in Japan in the last hundred years or so.

A whole new class was born because of the Fujiwara clan's regent politics.

If we make an analogy, he is very similar to Meng'an Mouke of the Jin Dynasty.

Each samurai was equivalent to a Mouke in the Jin Dynasty, with his own fiefdom and supported by the people under his rule. The people of Japan had no land, not even farm tools, and could only rely on the samurai to work in the fields all day, which was equivalent to serfs. In addition to paying taxes to the upper nobles, the main responsibility of the samurai was to fight.

You know, the current population of Japan is about five to six million. Why is it that hundreds of years later in the Warring States Period, each war had only a few hundred or thousands of people on both sides, just like a village fight?

Because there are only so many warriors, the common people do not participate in the war.

In addition, another point is that Japan is originally an island country with a small area, and almost 80% of its land is mountainous. It is also often hit by natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes. The food produced is limited and it cannot support a large army.

After a distance, the five cavalrymen slowed down.

After stopping, the leading warrior dismounted from his horse, walked over, and spoke a series of gibberish in Japanese.

Unlike Goryeo, Japan was also Sinicized and learned Chinese characters and poetry, but it retained its local language.

Hearing this, Sun Zhi turned and looked at the helmsman beside him.

The helmsman translated, "He said his name was Ju Zhukang, and asked if we were from the State of Song."

During the Heian period, the four major surnames in Japan were Taira, Minamoto, Fujiwara, and Tachibana.

These four surnames were all bestowed by the emperor.

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As for the lower class people, they have no surnames, only names.

As he spoke, Ju Zhukang's eyes kept scanning Sun Zhi and others with a vigilant look.

It was really that Sun Zhi's face was too ferocious, especially the hideous scar on his face, which looked like a giant centipede lying on his cheek, which was frightening.

Especially when he saw the Shenzhou warship docked outside the port, a trace of fear and greed flashed in his eyes.

It was the first time that Tachibana Takeyasu had seen such a huge warship, and he was extremely shocked.

Sun Zhi looked down at the Japanese warriors and said in a haughty tone: "Tell him that the Central Plains has changed its master now. The Song Kingdom no longer exists. My Qi Kingdom has taken its place."

The helmsman immediately translated it truthfully.

Upon learning that the Central Plains had changed its owner, Ju Zhukang remained calm. After all, from his perspective, it had nothing to do with him. Instead, he asked cautiously, "What is your country doing by coming to our country with such fanfare?"

The change of master in the Central Plains had nothing to do with him, but now a navy had arrived, and that did matter.

With such a huge warship, plus ten more warships, the total number of people is estimated to be no less than two thousand.

Seeing this, Mr. Yin on the side said, "His Majesty of our country sent me here to present the letter of credence."

"So it's the envoy in person. I'm so sorry for the disrespect."

After hearing the helmsman's translation, Ju Zhukang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and his attitude immediately became much more enthusiastic.

Mr. Yin asked, "How far is it from here to Heian-kyō?"

Ju Zhukang volunteered, "It's about a hundred miles. If the envoy doesn't mind, I can be your guide and lead the way."

As a samurai, you cannot leave the territory without permission unless ordered to do so.

Now that the envoys from the Central Plains are coming, maybe he can use this opportunity to improve his reputation in front of the emperor. How can he miss this opportunity?

Mr. Yin said with a half-smile, "In that case, thank you very much."

"The envoy is too polite."

After saying this, Ju Zhukang glanced at the fleet of warships outside the harbor and said hesitantly: "These warships..."

Mr. Yin comforted him, "Don't worry, these warships are here to escort me. They will stay on board for the time being and will not go ashore."

"I see."

Ju Zhukang smiled, but he did not relax his vigilance in his heart. He secretly winked at his men, indicating that they should keep a close eye on these warships.

One of the warriors immediately understood and nodded calmly.

Mr. Yin said: "Let's set off now without further delay."

"it is good."

Tachibana Takeyasu gave a few instructions to his two subordinates, and then took the other two subordinates with the diplomatic envoys to Heian-kyo.

Sun Zhi followed Li Nanjia's instructions and brought 200 elite soldiers with him to prevent the Japanese emperor from becoming desperate and attacking them.

(End of this chapter)