Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 214 Operation Jeju Island

Tomorrow will start seven years, the first year after Jin Tiancong.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the new Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty, Emperor Taiji, ordered the great Beiler Amin, Beilerharang, Azig, Dudu, Yue Tuo, and Shuo Tuo to lead an army of 30,000 to march eastward to North Korea. The combat objectives also included seizing the territory. Mao Wenlong in Tieshan and Pi Island.

Five days later, the Hou Jin Army advanced to the Dongjiang Army's sentry post west of the Yalu River. Amin ordered Chief Military Officer Leng Geli and others to lead 80 selected forwards in a night attack, killing all six Ming Army sentry soldiers.

It was the fourth watch of the night, and the Jin army crossed the Yalu River and advanced towards Yizhou. With the help of traitors in the city, Yizhou could not defend it for even one night. It was invaded by Houjin that night. Amin rode into the city early the next morning.

On the same day, thousands of miles away in Sijiao Mountain, three hard sailing ships flying the Blood Dragon flag slowly moored into Houtan Bay.

These three boats all set off from Keelung in the early morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year. After a full twelve days of arduous weather, they finally arrived at their destination.

The three ships were two large and one small. When they left Keelung Port, they were still flying the blue Military Book and Sword flag, but at this time, they had all been replaced by the Blood Dragon flag with red stripes on a black background.

In addition to the 200-ton two-masted bird ship, the other two large ones are old lock ships with gun windows on the sides. Their tonnage is around 500 tons. In the Navy Department of Huiyou Company, they are second only to Dingding. The main battleships of Yuan and Bowang.

"Ba Lao, please look, the subordinates I have prepared for you are here." Lin Hai pointed at the water village in front of him on the bow of one of the old lock boats and said to Yuan Jin. Beside him stood Zhang Daniu, Shibi's adopted son. .

"Blood and fire come from the same source."

After all, he was the legendary number one criminal in the imperial court who robbed an angel. His reputation in the world was no less than that of Zheng Zhilong, the pirate from the Fujian Sea. Based on this, no one knew how to brag in front of their peers for the past year and a half. How awesome.

The shape of the water village is similar to that of Lin Hai's previous two visits, but the number of boats in the village is greater than before. Most of them are small and medium-sized sand boats and bird boats, and the same blood dragon flag is hoisted on the boats.

The knowledgeable ones would brag to the people around them: "Look at those two big ships, do you see the row of gun ports? There are cannons weighing tens of thousands of kilograms. It only takes one shot to kill us." The water stronghold was bombarded..."

As the liaison officer and general officer sent by Hongmao, Lin Hai also made a brief speech at the meeting. The main meaning was that the emperor of Hongmao and the emperor of Japan were behind this operation. After occupying the big island, food and There will be a steady supply of weapons.

These muskets were mainly light matchlocks captured from the Spanish, with a total of more than a thousand guns. These matchlock guns are not highly standardized and have different calibers, but they are all better than the Ming Dynasty's three-coin bird guns. Neither the Ministry of War nor the Security Department is interested in them. Now they are finally put to use.

Afterwards, Umino Zuobei found a private room and reported his work to Lin Hai alone. Apart from them, the other people present at the meeting were Yuan Jin and Zhang Daniu.

"Lord Lin, don't worry, Yuan Ba ​​will definitely fulfill his mission!" Yuan Jin looked at the bloody flags fluttering in the sea breeze, and he felt a little excited for a moment. After being under house arrest for a year and a half, he could finally lead a big army under Lin Hai. Show off your skills.

"I'm waiting for your good news." Lin Hai nodded to the two of them with a smile, and then said to Zhang Daniu, "You guys don't call me the chief anymore. Remember, I am just a little boy stationed by Hongyi next to King Jinghai. "Little Tongshi."

"Are you bragging? What kind of cannon is so powerful?"

"Pure sea and smooth waves."

However, from such a distance, everyone could not clearly see the appearance of the boss, Wang Yuan Jin, so they all turned their attention to King Jinghai's ship.

In the afternoon of that day, a grand welcome ceremony was held in Sijiao Shanshui Village, where the big and small leaders gathered to pay homage to the eldest brother. Yuan Jin announced on the spot that he would take everyone to capture a big island, which immediately pushed the atmosphere of the venue to a climax.

Umino Zuobei and Yuan Jin are old acquaintances. At this time a year ago, they were the prison warden and the cell boss respectively, and they saw each other every day.

Soon, Yuan Jin followed Umino Zuobei and set foot on the land of Sijiao Mountain. Immediately afterwards, boxes of silver and muskets were hoisted ashore. The boxes were not sealed. Lin Hai wanted to give the pirates a strong visual impact. In addition, he also brought a large amount of ammunition.

"Chief Commander, I, Daniu, don't know how to fight for my life otherwise, just wait and see." Zhang Daniu also vowed from the side. He thought that Shibi lost his position as the navy commander because he was trying to save him, and he felt depressed in his heart. He was determined to give his adoptive father some credit.

"Twenty miles away, hiss..." The pirates took a breath after hearing this, and looked at the two old lock boats with very different eyes.

A familiar signal sounded, and Lin Hai followed Yuan Jin into the water village. After learning that the legendary Big King had come in person, the entire water village was boiling.

"That's the Red Yi Cannon. We, the boss, are brothers to the King of the Hong Yi Clan! Do you know about the Hong Yi Cannon? Last year, the imperial court fought a battle in Ningyuan, and they won it all with this Red Yi Cannon. I heard that they were separated by two Ten miles away, the old Jianzhou slave was killed with one shot!"

Umino Sahei personally went to the Giyo to greet him. At the same time, thousands of pirates swarmed out and stood on tiptoe to watch the King Jokai under the throne of the Japanese emperor.

"Yes!" Zhang Daniu agreed cleanly, and a sand boat in the water village was heading towards him.

"Brother Umino, how is the investigation of the defense situation on Jeju Island?" Lin Hai was as straight to the point as ever. Regarding the Jeju Island operation, he decided more than two months ago. At that time, he sent Jiuzhi to Dengzhou. At the same time, I also communicated with Umino Sahei, so there is no need to talk nonsense at this time.

The cause of this incident was that Wu Guoyi had repeatedly proposed to form a night army. Considering that Ding Mao would have to wait another ten years if he missed the opportunity, Lin Hai decided to take Jeju Island after careful consideration in order to obtain a good place. horse breeding land.

Since North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, it is obviously inappropriate for Huiyou Company to come forward in this matter. But Jeju Island is the largest island in North Korea after all, with an area almost equal to five Zhoushan Islands and a coastline of more than 200 kilometers. Without enough troops, it will be difficult to hold even if it is captured.

Strictly speaking, the Korean military during the Tianqi Chongzhen period was not weak, at least it was stronger than the Fujian Ming Army. The reason why it appeared to be the fifth scum of the war was mainly because the opponent was too strong. In fact, after being beaten to the point of crying by the Japanese during the Wanli Period, North Korea made great efforts to rectify its military, including introducing advanced equipment and training methods from the Ming army.

The quality of North Korean gunmen was highly regarded by both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and they even killed Yanguli during the Bingzi Rebellion ten years later. This man is the son-in-law of Nuerhachi, who was named Super-Pin Gong. His status in Houjin is second only to the Baylors. He can be said to be the highest-ranking general killed in battle during the Huang Taiji period.

In view of this, Lin Hai finally decided to release Yuan Jin and use his reputation to rule Jeju Island. Fortunately, the aftermath of Ding Mao's chaos will last until September, when Hou Jin will withdraw the last garrison in North Korea. Before that, North Korea is unlikely to take action to regain Jeju Island.

With this buffer period, Yuan Jin can rely on his reputation to continue recruiting refugees and build up Jeju Island's defense system. At the same time, Lin Hai planned to gradually eliminate all the old lock ships of the Navy Department in order to strengthen Yuan Jin's department.

Jeju Island itself has a population of 50,000 to 60,000, so it is not a problem to support 5,000 to 6,000 sailors. With this force and more advanced equipment, North Korea will probably have to pay a considerable price if it wants to cross the sea to regain Jeju Island. In the end, it will most likely admit this dumb loss. After all, Tamna is not North Korea's inherent territory.

"Sir Lin, the total number of defenders on Jeju Island is less than 2,000. Among them, there are 700 or 800 under the leadership of the Jeju Shepherd. The total number of Daejing and Jeongui counties is only about 1,000. This is still on paper, but the real number can be Seven to eight achievements are considered good. These troops are scattered among the three cities and the water forts along the coast, and all the garrison locations have been identified. "

Umino Sahei spoke Chinese very fluently. After receiving Lin Hai's message, he immediately sent people to Nagasaki and asked Ou Zuoji to collect enemy information on Jeju Island. This place is very close to the Japanese Kyushu Island, so the famous names in Kyushu know the situation on Jeju Island better than the Ming Dynasty officials.

North Korea has one state and two counties on Jeju Island. Since the prefectures, counties and counties in North Korea are all secondary administrative divisions under the province, the three administrative areas on Jeju Island are not under each other. Moreover, the two counties in this state have not yet been classified as subordinate to Jeolla Province and can be regarded as states and counties directly under the central government.

As a result, the island's defense system is relatively loose, and it is difficult to obtain timely support from the nearest Jeolla Province. This undoubtedly creates convenience for the actions of Yuan Jin and others.

"What is the combat effectiveness of the Jeju Island defenders?" Lin Hai then asked.

"It's not worth mentioning. They are probably similar to the guardsmen of the Ming Dynasty." Umino Zuobei said and added, "The sky is high in Jeju Island and the emperor is far away. The local officials are like bandits. The soldiers' salaries are greatly deducted. It’s so awesome that you have to work as an ox and a horse for Shangguan.”

Umino Sahebei's words were not groundless. Fifteen years ago, the Jeju pastoral envoy Li Binji had committed murder and illegal trade. Among the merchant ships he killed was a Ryukyu man who was later rumored to be a Ryukyu prince. As a result, this happened. He obtained black materials about the internal party struggle in North Korea.

For such an official, one can imagine the combat effectiveness of his troops. North Korea has indeed carried out military reforms, but the quality of only a few troops has been improved. This has basically nothing to do with remote areas such as Jeju Island.

"In that case, I won't ask about the specific military operations. The three of you have fought a lot of water battles and land battles, so you can discuss it yourself." Lin Hai said to Yuan Jin and others. The three people in front of him are the future leaders of Jeju Island. The leadership team.

After listening to Umino Sahei's introduction to Jeju Island's military strength, he was fully confident in conquering the island. His only worry was whether he could hold it.

"After capturing Jeju Island, you must stabilize the local order as soon as possible, and do not blindly burn, kill, and loot. For local officials, you only need to kill the pastors, judges, county magistrates, and county supervisors who have official status. The specific people who handle the affairs are still We must make use of it, otherwise we will definitely not be able to establish a stable rule..."

Lin Hai then began to explain the policy direction on Jeju Island, which is more worrying than the military. If these three men kill the people without grain like the old slaves did in Liaodong, it will probably end up with a large area of ​​land abandoned and a large number of good horses in the pasture unattended. Then what is the purpose of someone else occupying Jeju Island? ?

"In short, we must be cautious in civil affairs. Just like military issues, the three of you must obey the majority when making decisions." Lin Hai said a lot in one breath, and finally emphasized the decision-making mechanism of the three-person leadership collective. Of course, on the surface The emperor must still respect Yuan Jin.

Although Yuan Jin's family is already in Dongfan, Lin Hai still can't completely trust him. This is one of the reasons why he sent Zhang Daniu to bring two old lock boats and sailors from his headquarters here, not only to strengthen the Sijiao landscape The strength of the village.

Although Yuan Jin is just a polished commander at the moment, he has been a big brother for many years and must have some skills. Moreover, thanks to Lin Hai, his reputation at sea is now at its peak. If he really has second thoughts, Umino Sahei and a Japanese may not be able to suppress him.

With Zhang Daniu's two ships and hundreds of brothers, the situation is completely different. Zhang Daniu himself is also reliable. He was very hard-boned after being captured by Zheng Zhilong, which proved that he was loyal to the company. Lin Hai did not have to worry about being won over by Yuan Jin.

After listening to Lin Hai's instructions, Yuan Jin and the other three nodded in agreement. In fact, he, Yuan Jin and Zhang Daniu had already made an explanation about civil affairs affairs. This time they came to Sijiao Mountain mainly to talk to Umino Zuobei in person to ensure that the three Don't go astray as a team.

After Lin Hai finished speaking, everyone discussed how to march into the army. You can take a direct crosswind flight from Sijiao Mountain to Jeju Island. It is not subject to wind direction restrictions like going to Nagasaki. It only takes four or five days, which is much faster than Lin Hai's trip from Keelung.

Umino Zuobei had asked Lao Ruan to go back and forth on the direct route. Of course, the needle direction was given by Lin Hai. It's different with accurate charts. If you follow the existing needle route, it will take a lot of effort. By the time Yuan Jin and others arrive at Jeju Island, Houjin's main force may have to withdraw.

Preparations before the war still took a few days. Lin Hai didn't wait until the fleet set off. He took the two-masted bird boat to Zhoushan early the next morning.

Sailing with the wind is much faster. Lin Hai arrived at Cengangsi in the evening of the same day. By the time he arrived at his Qianhu Yamen office, Xie'er had already fallen asleep.

After not seeing each other for a few months, this kid has grown a lot taller at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his weight is already close to twenty kilograms.

According to Shi Wusi, the little guy has already started babbling and learning language, and he can also hold the adults' hands and walk a few steps. Considering the level of nutrition in this era, this was very fast, mainly due to the good hiring of a wet nurse.

Lin Hai approached She'er softly and whispered, "Boy, you will be living with your parents in a few months. Aren't you happy?"

The human cub felt the disturbance from the outside world and calmly turned over, facing his father with his buttocks.

Lin Hai was amused in an instant, and the sadness in his heart had long since dissipated - if possible, he would never want his one-year-old son to go to that miasmatic place.

But it's a pity that he has no choice. To be a hero, he must give up the love between his children.

(End of this chapter)