I

  Chapter 632 629 [Satsuma's reaction]

   Although Cai Jin, the official official of the Ryukyu Kingdom, was forced to surrender to Japan, he continued to encourage him to go to China as an envoy.

   It was Cai Jin who first proposed that the Ryukyu prince sent an envoy to Nanjing to ask for the title.

   Because of his high official position, this guy was also listed as a criminal minister, but he stayed temporarily for handover.

After finding the map and the household register, Cai Jin introduced: "The puppet country of Ryukyu has three provinces, thirty-nine prefectures and thirty-six islands. These thirty-six islands are all overseas territories and are not under the jurisdiction of the three provinces and thirty-nine prefectures. The island, now called the Ryukyu land, has been occupied by Japanese troops..."

   Yulun Island, now called Youlun Island. Chongyongliangbu Island, now called Yongliangbu Island. The Island of Virtues is called Dugu Island at this time. Amami Oshima, at this time called Ufu Shima Island... These islands are all occupied by Japan, but they claim to be the territory of Ryukyu.

  Because this is a private act of the Satsuma clan, the Tokugawa shogunate did not know it at all.

  Li Dingguo complained: "In a land as big as a sesame seed, there are thirty-nine prefectures and thirty-six islands."

  After the Datong court learned the details, they definitely changed the three provinces of the Ryukyu Kingdom into three towns. As for the thirty-six islands, the big island was transformed into a township, and the small island became a village directly.

  The most urgent task is to let all the aborigines learn to speak Chinese.

   At the same time, cancel the poll tax!

  The Ryukyu Han people bullied the aborigines, that is a problem that will arise in the future. As long as Zhao Han cancels the poll tax, the Ryukyu natives will definitely return to their hearts immediately, and they will no longer miss the Ryukyu king.

   In about twenty years, when Chinese is popularized to a certain extent, schools will be established on the Ryukyu islands—pocket islands cannot be built, and the entire island has only a few dozen or so people.

   At that time, the Ryukyu natives will be regarded as real citizens, and the Han people are prohibited from bullying them (as for words, they are not allowed to bully them now). Inspectors of clean government will also be sent to severely punish a few typical cases. While protecting the aborigines, they will also beat the members of the 34th clan.

   In the next month, Li Dingguo helped Zheng Shen, the magistrate of Ryukyu County, complete the takeover of Ryukyu Main Island.

  Except for the county magistrate, the magistrates, judges, and officials in charge all came from Fujian with the army. Several officials in charge, and even brought their family members, directly settled in the land on Ryukyu Island.

  …

  Japan, Kagoshima Castle.

  Xiang Xiangxian is asking for help from the Satsuma feudal lord: "My lord, please send troops immediately to save the Ryukyu country!"

   Shimadzu Mitsuhisa remained silent, as if thinking about whether to send troops.

  Xiang Xiangxian, in fact, should be called Shang Xiangxian, and he has not changed his surname yet. He belongs to the Ryukyu royal family, and his current position is the lord of Yuji, and he controls six counties... well, actually six villages.

   This guy is a **** sycophant who has studied in Japan for several years.

  Historically, he later became the Prime Minister of Ryukyu, compiled the first history book of Ryukyu, and publicized the "theory of common ancestors between Japan and Ryukyu". Since the surname "Shang" was bestowed by the Ming emperor, he gave up his ancestor's surname and changed it directly to "Xiang".

  The territory of this guy is at the northeasternmost tip of Ryukyu.

  Hearing that the Datong army was coming, the whole family immediately fled to Japan by boat.

"grown ups!"

   Kneeling down to Xiangxian, loudly requesting Satsuma to send troops.

  Shimadzu Mitsuhisa pondered for a long time, and finally said: "You go back first, you and your family, I will give you a house to settle down. As for sending troops to Ryukyu, this is a major military matter and requires long-term consideration."

  Xiang Xiangxian was forcibly driven away, crying bitterly as he walked.

   Shimadzu Mitsuhisa screened the others away, and stayed alone in the room to meditate. China's use of troops in Ryukyu was beyond his expectations, and he had discussed it with his retainers, but there was no countermeasure at all.

  The Tokugawa shogunate was very strict with the local vassal authorities, and even built houses for them in the capital. The whole family of the feudal lord has to go to live in the capital every year, and then return to the territory regularly for governance. Every time they return to their own territory, they have to make a report.

  Whether it was collecting taxes in the Ryukyu Kingdom or occupying the eight northeastern islands of Ryukyu, it was all done quietly by the Satsuma clan behind the back of the shogunate.

   If this matter breaks out, even if the Datong Army does not come to kill, the Tokugawa Shogunate will find trouble with the Satsuma Domain.

  Tokugawa Iemitsu's desire to control is too strong. A few years ago, the Satsuma clan opened a new gold mine. Is this a shogunate thing? It even forced Satsuma to close the gold mine.

  And as he got older, Tokugawa Iemitsu's desire to control became stronger. Several ports that were promised to be opened to Chinese businessmen were closed, and only the outer islands of Nagasaki were still able to trade. The purpose is very simple, to facilitate the shogunate to control foreign trade, and not to allow any local feudal lords to intervene in it.

  Mitsuhisa Shimadzu of the Satsuma Domain also has a strong desire for control, constantly strengthening his control over the Ryukyu Kingdom, and even secretly attacked Chinese merchant ships many times.

   Dressing up as pirates to attack Chinese merchant ships, and robbing goods is only second. Mitsuhisa Shimadzu's real plan is to make the Chinese emperor hate Japanese pirates, and it is best to come up with a ban on the sea policy again. In this way, the trade between China and Japan can only use the Ryukyu country as a springboard, and he controls the Ryukyu country, which is tantamount to monopolizing the trade between China and Japan!

  Mitsuhisa Shimadzu's courage is limited to that.

  He dared to pretend to be a pirate to attack Chinese ships, but he never dared to actually start a war with China. That was purely courting death.

After thinking about it for a long time, Mitsuhisa Shimadzu called his retainers and ordered: "Islands of Ryukyu are ordered to protect the islands. If... if the Tang people send troops, they must not admit their identities. They should say that they are ronin who fled from Japan. They If the jade is broken, I will treat the family well. If they dare to speak nonsense, the whole family will be executed!"

   Mitsuhisa Shimadzu actually had a fluke mentality, imagining that the Datong Army would accept it as soon as it was good, and would not seize the eight northeastern islands of Ryukyu by force.

how is this possible?

  …

  Yulon Island, which is the Yoron Island of Japan in later generations. With an area of ​​20.8 square kilometers, the land is small, but the coastline is 23.5 kilometers long. There are more than 1,000 indigenous people living on the island.

  Murayama Saburo is a low-level samurai, leading a few ashigaru, and stationed on Yuron Island.

  His real duty is to collect taxes, and every native has to pay a poll tax. The head tax was also brought by Japan, and the Ryukyu Kingdom did not collect it at all before.

  This island can grow rice and sugarcane, and the poll tax is naturally calculated with two crops.

  Which aboriginal dare not pay taxes, Saburo Murayama will bring someone with a knife to chop!

  The Satsuma lord's order had not yet been transmitted to this place, but the ships of the Datong Navy arrived.

  One warship left the formation and sailed towards Yuron Island, while the rest of the warships continued to sail northeast.

  Saburo Murayama was basking in the sun on the beach, when suddenly a soldier came to report, pointing to the sea to the west in horror: "Tang...Tang's warship!"

  Murayama Saburo got up, stared intently, and comforted himself: "Perhaps he used the road to supply supplies, not to fight."

  The big fart island, he can't escape.

  Satsuma's sea boats will come every year to take away the poll tax received. Usually there are only small offshore fishing boats, which are used by the aborigines for fishing, and it is impossible to escape back to Japan sitting still.

  Finally, the battleship docked.

   One hundred Datong soldiers and twenty sailors came to the island armed with guns and ammunition.

  Saburo Murayama hid with his men, not daring to investigate the situation at all, and only hoped that the Chinese would leave quickly.

  After the Chinese soldiers disembarked, more than a dozen civilians came.

  They are all Han Chinese who moved from Kume Island, this time they are Ruan and Wang.

  Youlun Island will be set as Youlun Village, and the Ruan family and the Wang family will take turns serving as village chiefs after they settle in Fentian. The poll tax was abolished, and the tax was levied according to the number of acres of land. Anyway, the tax set by the imperial court was very low.

  They are newcomers, so they definitely don’t dare to mess around. At most, they charge a little more land tax. If the islanders are forced to turn against them, the Datong Army will definitely send troops to suppress them, but it is possible that they will be beaten to death by the island natives before the Datong Army arrives.

  The duties of the Ruan and Wang families are to first register the islanders with household registration, then teach the islanders advanced farming techniques, and then slowly teach the islanders to speak Chinese.

  When we came to a village, the natives on the island were a little frightened, and they all hid in their houses and watched secretly.

  Wang Shiyuan asked his wife and children to stay where they were, and asked the Datong Army to take care of them, and went to a thatched cottage by himself. He shouted in Ryukyu dialect: "I am an official sent by the emperor to kill the bad Japanese in Satsuma. From now on, you are all Chinese, and you don't need to pay poll tax. Tell me, where are those bad guys? "

  Indigenous people dare not make a sound.

   Shouted several times in a row, an aborigine walked out of another thatched hut. He seemed to be stronger than those Japanese because there were many and powerful soldiers in Datong. Out of respect for the strong, he said: "The bad tax collectors hid over there. I saw them run away."

  Wang Shiyuan said: "You lead the way. If you catch the bad guys, I will reward you with a handful of food."

  In order to convince the other party, Wang Shiyuan brought his own rice, took out a handful and gave it to the native.

   Having obtained the rice, the aboriginals were very happy and immediately set up a leading party.

   Saburo Murayama was going crazy, they were just a few of them, yet they were rounded up by more than a hundred elite soldiers. And still can't escape, the aborigines are too familiar with the terrain and know where the Tibetans are most suitable.

   It took only half an hour for Saburo Murayama and his men to be caught.

  The situation in Yongliangbu Island next door is similar. But this island is bigger, with an area more than four times that of Yoron Island, and the main crop is very interesting, and it turns out to be potatoes from America.

  The really decent battle broke out on Ufu Shima Island, which is the Amami Oshima Island in Japan.

  The island covers an area of ​​712.48 square kilometers. The Ryukyu Kingdom has set up seven prefectures here, with more than 200 counties under its jurisdiction, 16 major chiefs, and more than 120 minor chiefs. Two of the great chiefs are still the Ryukyu royal family.

  The Satsuma clan immigrated more than 200 people here, and after decades of reproduction, it has become more than 600 people.

  These more than 600 Japanese were engaged in farming and fighting, and trained dozens of soldiers, and five of them had firecrackers. They only collect taxes, and the specific administrative management is still done by the chiefs of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

  The two chiefs of the Ryukyu royal family have received news of China's military dispatch, and even know that the royal family will be arrested and questioned.

   Therefore, the two chiefs of the royal family took the initiative to contact the Japanese and ordered other chiefs to gather troops. They actually gathered nearly a thousand troops, armed with various weapons, trying to resist the soldiers of Datong.

  (end of this chapter)