New Shun 1730

They said they were going to fight, but they were not in a hurry. Instead, they asked the King of Ryukyu to return to the Zhongshan Palace and announce the seven major hatreds against Japan to stabilize the mood on the Ryukyu Islands.

Anyway, according to Liu Yu's theory of "flies gather in a dung pit", it is better to drag it out for a longer time to avoid any fish slipping through the net.

Since the Satsuma Domain has been acting like this for the past 130 years, as long as there are envoys from the Celestial Empire, the samurai who monitor the Ryukyu will hide in Zhongcheng City. So in this situation, the first choice of the Japanese on the island may be to defend Zhongcheng City.

In order to make the Japanese on the island give up, Liu Yu asked the squadron to go around the southwest of Ryukyu and occupy a port in the bay that can be seen from Zhongcheng City.

This place is very famous in later generations. As the naval base of the US military in Ryukyu, it has an excellent location.

To the north is the Liansheng Peninsula extending out to the sea. In front is a long white sandy beach, and behind are a series of islands such as Jinjian Island and Jiugao Island that resist the waves. Like Weihai Bay, it is an excellent naval base, with several small islands and natural breakwaters formed by the peninsula.

In addition, typhoons usually blow through the sea between Ryukyu and China, and Zhongcheng Port on the back is the most suitable for a naval base: Naha is more suitable for a civilian port, which is very convenient for going to China or Japan, but it is not suitable for a military port.

Liu Yu has already thought about where the naval base of Ryukyu will be built in the future, and is waiting to flatten Zhongcheng City and bring King Zhongshan back to the capital for a good chat.

A few days later, the situation in Ryukyu has stabilized. Most of the families that are close to Japan have run to Zhongcheng City with a dozen private soldiers in their families. Together with the scattered samurai monitoring, there are about 200 people gathered there.

In the dispute between Han Confucianism and Japanese learning in Ryukyu, Japanese learning has always had the upper hand. Japan's influence in Ryukyu is growing, and many officials are pro-Japanese.

There are few high-ranking officials from the 36 surnames in southern Fujian. During this period in history, it happened that the second official from the 36 surnames was in charge of the government, but even in history, this official from the 36 surnames also implemented a pro-Satsuma policy.

Originally in history, the official from the 36 surnames who was in power at this time was named Cai Wen, and his rise to prominence was also due to the tribute incident:

In 1683, the Qing Dynasty was attacking Taiwan, so overseas trade was in a closed state, and no one except Korea could get goods - that year, Korea relied on trade with Japan under special circumstances to accumulate enough heavy metals and officially issued currency.

In that year in history, taking advantage of the opportunity to confer the title on Ryukyu, many merchants followed the conferment ship to Ryukyu.

Since Taiwan had not been conquered at that time and a strict maritime ban policy was still being implemented, it is obvious that this trade was extremely profitable.

Merchants from Japan, the Netherlands, and Spain gathered in Naha and bought up this batch of goods worth tens of thousands of taels of silver in one day, making a huge profit.

By the time Shang Jing was enthroned in 1718, Taiwan had been conquered, the sea ban policy was no longer in place, and Westerners could get goods in Guangdong at any time; Japan itself also had Nagasaki trade. However, the merchants did not know how to analyze the impact of major policies on business. Following the experience of 1683, they followed the enthronement mission and prepared to have another grand event in 1683.

This was a textbook example of "looking for a sword on a boat".

However, in 1718, the situation had changed. After going to Ryukyu, they found that no one was taking goods there, and it was not like in 1683 at all. The experience of that year pitted these sea merchants.

But are merchants going out to sea easy to deal with? The Ryukyu King was forced to eat all the goods. The Ryukyu King could not eat them, so the sea merchants carried forward the traditional skills of sea merchants: when I can sell goods, I am a merchant, and when I can't sell goods, I am a pirate. I robbed Naha and forced the Ryukyu King to eat all the goods.

Cai Wen, who was born in the 36 surnames of southern Fujian, took this opportunity to emerge and handled this matter calmly and satisfactorily. Since then, he has stepped onto the high-level stage of Ryukyu and formulated policies such as the "Equal Land Law", which touched the interests of the nobles and broke out a major turmoil in the history of Ryukyu.

In general, his policy is pro-Japanese diplomacy, pro-Chinese culture, swinging left and right, land reform, and planting trees to build ships. Everything is for the purpose of tribute, and all policies are formulated to maintain the tribute from both sides.

However, under this time and space, Dashun has never closed the country at all, and in 1683, there was no grand scene in which all East Asia except Korea could not get goods and could only take advantage of the enthronement to get goods in Naha.

Therefore, not many merchants followed the enthronement in 1718, and there was no "evaluation incident", and naturally Cai Wen did not become famous. Times make heroes. Although this person has talent, he missed the opportunity to "show his head" under the changes in the background of the times. At this time, he had been purged in Ryukyu because of his cultural pro-China and served as an idle official.

Therefore, Ryukyu only had a ruling minister from the 36 surnames before the control of Satsuma Domain. After that, there was no ruling minister from the 36 surnames, which led to the extreme expansion of the pro-Japanese faction in Ryukyu, and no one checked and balanced.

This time Liu Yu chose to find a cesspool to gather flies, and it was for this reason that if these schools and pro-Japanese factions were not swept away, Ryukyu would be finished sooner or later.

Seeing that the flies in the cesspool were almost gathered, he ordered his troops and horses to head towards Zhongcheng City, 20 miles away.

The King of Zhongshan played a ceremonial guard, took the 500 soldiers of the Ryukyu Kingdom to show off, and followed Liu Yu to the foot of Zhongcheng City.

This place is not far from Shuri Castle, and Ryukyu is not very big.

There is a hill about three to four hundred meters in diameter. After measuring the height, the highest point is about fifty feet. It is a bit like a Japanese mountain city, built on the mountain.

For a force of only more than 200 people, this city is quite big.

If we only consider the technology of building walls, under the eighteen-pounder cannon, all stone walls are equal, but it is a bit troublesome to build them against the mountains.

It was still the same as before, the hot air balloon was raised, and the staff looked over the city defense map of Zhongcheng City, marked the two forts on it, and found a suitable point for a breakthrough.

Although the mountain is fifty feet tall, you can still see it all in front of the hot air balloon.

The officials of the Ryukyu Kingdom looked at the hot air balloon in surprise, but they also thought that it was normal for China to have such methods. It feels quite unexpected and reasonable.

The drawn map was placed in front of Liu Yu. There were cliffs to the south, steep slopes to the north, and the west was easier to fight. Of course, it was also the place with the most city walls.

The city wall is not thick. The thickest part is only two meters. It is paved with stones. It may be difficult to attack in the cold weapon era, but it is true that even solid cannons cannot defend it.

The staff quickly found the weakness of Zhongcheng City, pointed to a wall on the west side and said: "Sir, all you need to do is capture this place, pull up all the cannons, and slowly bombard it for two days, and the city will be broken. The Japanese are condescending, They can also see our movements clearly, and their limited troops will be drawn here to confront us. "

Basically agreeing with Liu Yu's opinion, the city is three to four miles wide in circumference, but many places are meaningless. As long as this point in the west is broken through, the city cannot be defended.

There are two stone walls at the breakthrough point mentioned by the staff. There is a wide flat land on the mountain, which is perfect for setting up an artillery position. As long as this is captured and the money is spent, the rest of the city wall will collapse in two days.

"Okay, let's use this idea and give me a detailed plan before dark. I heard that there are many mountain cities in Japan, and practice will bring true knowledge. This time is a preview."

The staff officers were ordered to leave, and the battle plan was sent to Liu Yu before dark.

The trouble with capturing a mountain city is that the cannon's trajectory is too straight and is blocked by hillsides. It is easy to bypass the city wall without hurting anyone.

Therefore, the 18-pounder artillery, as the main force in the siege, could only have room to play after the west wall was captured.

The staff also happened to try out a new type of explosive shell produced by the Weihai Northern Industrial Chamber of Commerce, and used howitzers and mortars with slower firing speed and more curved trajectory to open the gap.

Early on the next morning, heavy mortars and light howitzers were deployed in front of the position. The artillerymen test-fired two solid rounds, corrected the distance, and the artillery officers began a routine table check in front of the position.

After adjusting the elevation angle, there was nothing the people on the mountain could do. They could only watch the Dashun Marine Corps down the mountain slowly and methodically.

They tried to rush through twice, but were pushed back by a line array of minion bullets and muskets. The matchlock guns in their hands could not hit that far. Some private soldiers of Ryukyu families still used Ming muskets. Shooting is less than half an advantage.

The artillery team carrying the shells took off their shirts and moved the explosive grenades or mortar shells one after another from the back to the front.

Explosive shells are very dangerous and may explode if you are not careful, so they cannot be piled directly in front of the cannon like solid artillery shells.

Like those gunpowder monkeys in the navy, they transport shells and gunpowder over and over again from where ammunition is stored.

The officer checked his watch and shouted: "Lead, three inches. Get ready!"

The gunner took out a cutting saw and cut off the wooden fuse in front of the explosive bomb according to the dimensions above. This kind of explosive bomb is, to put it bluntly, a big firecracker.

A hollow wood is filled with compacted black powder. The black powder contains nitrate as an oxidant. It can burn without oxygen. After compacting, it burns evenly.

The hollow iron ball is filled with gunpowder, and the hollow wood fuse is inserted into the hole. When the fuse burns inside, it will explode - the same principle as a firecracker with a twist.

When fighting in the field, it is best to explode above your head for the best effect. This requires the artillery officer to check the table to determine how long the fuse should be left outside.

When attacking a city, it is not good to stay too long: if someone is brave enough to throw a grenade that has not yet exploded, it is not impossible. There are warriors everywhere.

The biggest difference in appearance from solid cannonballs is that there is a wooden holder at the back. Because they were all smoothbore guns at this time, the caliber of the shell was smaller than the caliber of the barrel. There was a gap between the shell and the barrel. Maybe the shell would spin around inside. If the side with the fuse was turned inside, the barrel would be damaged. With such great pressure, it is very likely that the fuse will be blown into the shell at once and explode immediately. It will be very lively: there will be no one left in the artillery crew.

With this simple wooden bullet holder, there is no chance for the shell to spin around in the barrel. At least before it comes out of the barrel, the head is the head and the bottom is the bottom, so there is no need to worry about exploding the barrel.

Liu Yu was not near the artillery position. Although the chance of an accident was low, he did not want to take the risk.

He didn't want the King of Ryukyu to get close. If he died in an accident, he couldn't bear the responsibility.

The Ryukyu Kingdom has not fought a war for 130 years, and after the Dashun switch, there have been no pirates for nearly a hundred years.

Looking at the way people like Dashun fight, the King of Ryukyu and the officials are a little unfamiliar and don't know what to say.

"King Nakayama, is this Nakajo city considered strong in Ryukyu?"

Liu Yu asked maliciously.

"Reply to the angel, Zhongcheng City has been repaired many times since the Zhengtong period of the previous Ming Dynasty. In the 37th year of Wanli, the Japanese attacked from the north. Ryukyu had few soldiers and Zhongcheng City could not be defended. The Japanese from Satsuma occupied Zhongcheng City, and the Aboriginal magistrate was also stationed here. In previous years, when the angel came to confer titles, the warriors of Satsuma would take refuge here. In addition, this place is in a dangerous place and divides Ryukyu into north and south, so the Japanese from Satsuma have made many repairs. It is indeed the most powerful city in Ryukyu, and it is not an exaggeration."

Liu Yu smiled and said, "In my opinion, it is like putting up a stake to sell one's head. Soldiers are dangerous weapons, and saints use them when they have no choice. If the heavenly soldiers attack, they will surely win. If you had said that the Japanese were a disaster earlier, why did you wait until today?"

This is obviously a political battle to scare the Ryukyu people. Since Zhongcheng City is the most difficult mountain city to attack in Ryukyu at this time, even if it is exaggerated, it is probably similar to Shuri Castle.

Capturing this place means that the Celestial Empire can capture Ryukyu at any time, so that the Ryukyu people know who to cling to in the future.

Shang Jing looked a little ugly, and he didn't know how to answer.

If he said that the angels should not be underestimated, it seemed to damage the face of the Celestial Empire; if he said that the Celestial Empire would be invincible, it would be even more embarrassing if the battle was not good.

There were more than 500 soldiers in total. Although they looked mighty and majestic, they were not wearing armor or swords, only muskets. The King of Ryukyu didn't know whether such soldiers could fight. Anyway, he knew that the warriors of Satsuma were all wearing swords and armor, and it was easy for the warriors of Satsuma to fight the Ryukyu soldiers.

At this time, the officer came and told Liu Yu that everything was ready. Shrapnel bombs were still quite expensive, but since this was a political battle, he didn't care about spending more money. As long as he could make Ryukyu completely surrender, the emperor would be happy after returning, and the money would definitely be reimbursed.

Looking at the watch, it was noon. Looking at the sky, the sun was shining brightly, and there would be no rain in the short term.

"Let's bombard for the whole afternoon. We'll start bombarding at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, and start the attack at 8 o'clock."

"Yes, sir."

The officer took the order and left. Not long after, as if the sun was at its highest at noon, a series of thunderbolts struck unexpectedly.

Thick black smoke burst out from the middle city, and flashes of fire flashed from time to time in the black smoke. It was a long time after the flash of fire that the explosion sounded from there.

Like the cry when a typhoon passes, and like the roar during a winter thunderstorm, the faces of the King of Ryukyu and the officials suddenly changed. They had seen cannons before, but had they ever seen such cannons?

It was like the Shinto Thunder God punishing the middle city. Although they couldn't see the miserable situation in the city, they could imagine what it would look like if this thing exploded above their heads?

A few timid people had already huddled on the ground, not daring to look up at the black smoke and flashes. The King of Ryukyu tried his best to stay calm, but his mouth was dry.

He thought, how could Shuri Castle withstand the wrath of the Celestial Empire? Fortunately, I reacted quickly, otherwise I would be the one to be punished by the heaven. Looking at the hot air balloon floating in the sky, the Ryukyu King bowed to the northwest and said: "The emperor's divine power saved Ryukyu from water and fire, and punished the barbarians with thunder. The people of Ryukyu are all grateful for the emperor's benevolence."

Soon after the worship, the survivors gathered on the west wall in the city could no longer withstand the bombardment.

Led by several armored warriors, they rushed down the mountain shouting.

It is better to die in the charge than to be killed on the wall by the shells that exploded from time to time and have no power to fight back.