Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 139: Ravage, not combat
"Western devils? Are they here to rob? This is ridiculous. Send the order to those of us who have landed to return quickly and board the ship to prepare for battle. Also, send a Guan ship with people who can speak Hongyi to ask the other side what they are doing."
"Hi Yi!"
Not long after Kabayama Hisataka issued the order, another samurai came to report: "Sir Jibu, the enemy fleet has come closer. I discovered that they are flying the flag of the Ming Dynasty."
"What? The Ming fleet? Aren't they all riding on Fuchuan and Guangchuan? How could they be driving those weird Western warships? Hmm..." At this point, Karayama simply climbed onto the roof of the forecastle of the Antaku ship, made a awning with his hands, and became even more confused after a careful observation: "It's not right to say that they are those weird warships. These fifteen warships are only similar in general appearance, but if you really look closely, there are still many differences, for example..."
"Master Jibu, now is not the time to compare the differences between warships. What should we do?"
"Why are you panicking? If it's a Western devil, I'm afraid there's no other way but to fight. If it's a Ming warship, there are many ways. After all, the Ming people have a good temper and won't open fire unless they are forced into a corner. Well, speaking of which, there are people on the Guan ship we sent to the opposite side who can speak Ming language, right?"
"Don't worry, Zhibu, there are many people in the family who can speak Mingguo."
"Well, let's... pass down the order and have those guys on the shore board the ship quickly, have the rowers take their positions quickly, and have the Guan ships moored on the Antaku ship untie them quickly. What if those Western devils are pretending to be Ming people? We still have to be prepared."
"Hi Yi!"
About a quarter of an hour passed.
"Are you saying that the people on the other boat are really Ming people?"
"Hey, Mr. Zhibu, all the people on the ship are Ming people. And..."
"And what?"
"The one sitting on the opposite ship is Kapitan Li Dan!"
"Ah? What are they going to do? Are they trying to get a piece of the pie? That's not impossible, but we didn't get much."
"No, Mr. Zhibu. Captain Li said that he has now been under the command of the Ming Dynasty's Funing Town, so he is now a Ming Dynasty official army . He said that we invaded the Ming Dynasty's vassal state without reason and asked us to drive out the Anzhai ships one by one and surrender to them one by one."
"Damn it! When I was galloping in the Korean waters, this old guy had just been driven out of Luzon by the Western devils, and he was as panic-stricken as a dog that had lost its home! Does this old man Li Dan really think that I am afraid of him? Pass the order down, all troops unarmed, rush out, I will tear this old guy's stinky mouth apart myself!"
"Hi Yi!"
Following Hisataka Kabayama's order, the entire Shimazu fleet quickly assembled its personnel and left the port in an orderly manner.
"Father, it looks like that bastard Kabayama wants to fight."
"Hmph, let's fight. Anyway, these slow-moving Dai'anzhai are just floating coffins in this era. Even if we capture them and escort them back, the mean Cao the shopkeeper you mentioned won't even look at them."
"Then please, father..."
"No, son. When I boarded the Zhenjiang battleship, I knew I was out of date. All my previous experience is useless at this moment. From now on, you will take full command."
"Yes." After agreeing, Li Guozhu said, "Zhu Tudongxing, send a signal to the other ships, and ask them to follow the flagship's turn and use port guns to attack the enemy."
"I obey your orders!"
"Inukai Tōji, get all your musketeers on deck . If an enemy ship approaches, use your musketeers to greet them first."
"I obey your orders!"
"Wang Mingrui, report the impact point at any time."
"Yes, sir!"
After giving a series of orders, Li Guozhu personally took the steering wheel and began to lead the entire fleet in turning.
The main force of the Japanese navy at this time was the Atakabune. It was tall, large, wide, and thick, and could carry many people. Of course, its speed was also very slow. Even if it used both sails and oars and the wind was very favorable, it would be difficult to exceed five knots.
Above the Atakabune is the ironclad ship, which can be understood as an Atakabune wrapped in a layer of iron. Below is the Kanbune, which was a special warship used by coastal daimyo in the Warring States Period to rob passing merchant ships. Its only feature is: fast! As for the protection and wind and wave resistance, they are all not worth mentioning. Such ships are still no problem in fighting along the coast of Japan, but like this time in the ocean battle to Ryukyu, the Kanbune cannot move forward independently. So when they came, they were all moored behind the Atakabune and towed all the way by the Atakabune.
Anyway, just as the oar-powered and sail-powered Antaku ships were leaving the port, Li Guozhu's fleet had already completed a collective turn. When he saw the Antaku ships rushing out of the port and beginning to form a formation in a chaotic manner through the telescope, Li Guozhu shouted, "Send the signal, all fleets first aim at the enemy's ironclad ships and fire!"
Following this order, fifteen warships , with a total of three hundred twelve-pound guns on each side, opened fire one after another, and three hundred shells whizzed towards the Shimazu family's fleet.
“Boom boom~~”
"Bang~~"
Amid the sound of breaking through the air, hundreds of shells fell rapidly at very short intervals, and a considerable number of them fell into the sea, stirring up huge waves. But at the same time, a considerable number of shells accurately hit the enemy ships.
"Ah~~" Those who can scream are basically not those who are hit by a shell. If they are really hit by a shell, they will not be able to make any sound at all.
"I'm shocked!" The first round of attack by the Ming army made Hisataka Kabayama drop his jaw in shock.
"What's going on? When did the Ming navy become so powerful?"
Even the battle-hardened Karayama couldn't help but be surprised. The results achieved by the enemy fleet's concentrated fire were so shocking.
The three ironclad ships were the targets of the Ming army's concentrated fire this time. Under the concentrated fire of three hundred cannons, in just a moment, the three ironclad ships that were known to be invincible in the world could no longer be seen. At the place where they had originally been, only a piece of broken wood was left to remind everyone that they had existed just now.
Seven of the other twenty or so Anzaka ships were also hit by shells because they were too close to the ironclad ship. The two most seriously damaged ships were already on fire and would sooner or later fall apart. Although the other five ships were not in danger of sinking for the time being, their bows and cabins above the waterline were all riddled with holes.
"Hayaku (Haiyaku)!"
"Don't worry, I have already ordered all the ships behind to untie their moorings and all the boarding teams to board. We will launch a desperate charge immediately!"
"Damn it! I'm not telling them to rush out, I'm telling you to go to the mast and raise the white flag!"
…
"So, you just fired a round of artillery fire and the Shimazu clan surrendered?"
In April 1609, Zhu Youdong met Li Guozhu and others who came to report in Nanjing.
"Yes, Your Highness. I didn't expect these Japanese pirates to be so weak. I thought they would definitely launch a ship attack. At that time, I had prepared the musket team and boarded the ship for hand-to-hand combat."
This doesn't seem strange. After all, Japan had just ended the Warring States Period at that time, and had not been brainwashed by the Tokugawa family with Neo-Confucianism for more than 200 years, let alone the so-called Bushido spirit of later generations. When hundreds of years of war in the country had ended and they could enjoy a peaceful life, the Japanese samurai class at that time actually cherished their lives. Seeing that they were completely defeated, they surrendered immediately. This was the norm for the Japanese at that time.
"Okay, how much did you get?"
"Not so good. Among the enemy ships sunk in the first round of bombardment, two were loaded with Ryukyu Kingdom's treasury. Although I had some of it salvaged afterwards, these things were worth at most four or five thousand taels of silver. I returned all these things to King Shangning."
"You have done a great job. How about this? According to the rule that one third of the captured goods belong to the fleet, I will give you 1,500 taels of silver. Beheadings and the like will not be counted. To make it even, I will give you another 500 taels."
"Hehe." Li Guozhu smiled demonstratively at Cao Sanxi beside him: "Thank you very much, Your Highness."
"How did you deal with those pirates?"
"The pirates' Ataku ships were completely outdated and useless, so I didn't take any of them. But the Kan ships were very useful for checking smuggling on the inland rivers, so I took 40 of them back. As for the remaining 1,700 pirates, I remember that Your Highness mentioned it when he was giving a lecture in Fangshan. The Shimazu clan is located in the southwest corner of Japan, which is very important for maritime trade. However, the pirates are all beasts who fear power but not morality. Therefore, I cut off their ears and released them. I think this will deter the Shimazu clan from invading Ryukyu for a few years."
"Very good. What about Ryukyu?"
"Of course, King Shangning is very grateful to me, but the Ryukyu Kingdom is so poor that they can't afford anything except for letting his maids sleep with them. But I remembered what Your Highness taught me before, that the geographical location of the Ryukyu Kingdom is extremely important, so I agreed with King Shangning that Ryukyu would choose a good port thirty miles outside its capital as a dedicated dock for our Chongming Navy. If the merchant ships of our Great Ming Maritime Trade need it, we will also receive them. In addition, we signed an agreement with Ryukyu that the merchant ships of our Great Ming Maritime Trade would not pay any commercial taxes when unloading in Ryukyu."
"Very good, you did a great job!"
After listening to Li Guozhu's report, Zhu Youdong was really happy: he was a time traveler, and he vaguely remembered that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Japan's Shimazu clan invaded Ryukyu and actually controlled Ryukyu. But he didn't remember the specific time. Fortunately, he had Li Dan's intelligence this time, and his own naval construction had achieved results, so he just happened to catch up.
In this way, we can seize the initiative in future strategies for conquering Japan.
"Kunisuke."
"I will be here in the end."
"I have many important things to do in the next few years. I cannot over-stimulate Japan for the time being. After listening to your explanation of the whole story, I know that Shimazu wants to make money, while Tokugawa Ieyasu wants to normalize relations with the Ming Dynasty. So, you send your men who can speak Japanese to me, and after a little training, they will go to Edo as my envoys. Doesn't the general want to trade? Haha, then I will trade with him. If he is afraid of the Ming Dynasty, I can also report to the emperor on his behalf, and the two countries will sign a formal armistice agreement."
"Yes, I will obey your command!"
…
When the news of the Ryukyu defeat reached Japan, the Shimazu clan and the Edo shogunate were naturally shocked: It turns out that the Ming Empire is now more powerful than it was a dozen years ago? They can’t afford to offend them. Naturally, their thoughts on the Ryukyu Islands were extinguished.
However, Lord Takechiyo was delighted upon hearing the news: Now, the old coward Ieyasu should support my idea of building a new navy, right?
