Chapter 211
The voyage to Okinawa is still going on. Su Ze touched several long and narrow island chains on the table with his hands dipped in water, and said to Lin Mojun:
"Although Ryukyu only has 100,000 people, its land is long and narrow. We still have In the Xiao Liuqiu Islands in the south, the main island where the Ryukyu Royal Court is located is further north."
Su Ze drew a big island and said: "This is the main island of Ryukyu, where the Ryukyu Royal Court is located. We can arrive there in half a day. ."
Su Ze lit a few more water drops in the north: "This is Amami Island, which is actually an archipelago composed of several islands. It is also the place where Lin Changjing said that the Japanese daimyo incited rebellion." Then Su Ze touched the water again
. Drawing out a large piece of land: "This is the Japanese island of Kitakyushu. The Shimazu family is here. This is Kagoshima, the hometown of King Deer." Lin Mojun had
seen the Portuguese charts, but their charts were very The rough map Su Ze drew at random made Lin Mojun instantly understand Ryukyu's situation.
It’s too close to Japan.
Going south along the Ryukyu Islands, you can reach the Penghu Islands from the Japanese Kingdom. This is the best route for Japanese pirates to go south to Fujian and Guangzhou.
It’s not surprising that these offshore islands were occupied by Japanese pirates. When sailing on the sea, you need to go to a harbor to escape from wind and waves, and you also need to replenish fresh water and food along the way. These all require ports, and the Ryukyu Islands are the best ports.
"Do the Japanese pirates have ambitions
for Ryukyu?" Su Ze nodded and said, "It's not just for Ryukyu. The Japanese country is now in a war-torn era. When the war ends, I'm afraid they won't be satisfied with occupying a few islands." Lin Mojun believed that
Su Ze Judging from the Portuguese's description, Lin Mojun had already sensed the wolfish ambition of the Japanese country.
If the Japanese country wanted to expand and was surrounded by the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, it would inevitably collide with the Ming Dynasty.
Lin Mojun deeply hated Japanese pirates. Hearing that the Japanese were going to invade Ryukyu, he naturally wanted to help Ryukyu.
"Two adults, the main island of Ryukyu is ahead!"
Lin Changjing, who was in charge of the navigation, was worthy of being a descendant of the thirty-six families of Fujian people. He did not need any charts and relied on his memory to lead the ship around the islands. Now he finally saw When it comes to a large piece of land, it should be the main island of Ryukyu.
Su Ze stood on the bow. Ryukyu Island had another name in later generations, Okinawa.
The voyage continued, and Lin Mojun saw the port of Ryukyu Island.
"Such a good port is so deserted."
Lin Mojun sighed, if ports can be divided into levels.
The port of Changningwei is the most common green port. It has a shallow draft, many reefs, makes it difficult for large ships to enter the port, and has a small throughput.
Yuegang is considered a blue port. The sea conditions are good, but it is a river port and needs pilotage to enter and exit. There are many ships that can berth in the port, but the throughput speed is not fast.
Fuzhou City is considered a purple port, with large throughput and easy entry and exit. However, there are still many reefs near Fuzhou, and special pilots are needed to avoid these reefs.
But in this port on Ryukyu Island, the blue sea level shows that the water is very deep. This is a natural harbor that can allow large ships to enter and exit.
The coastline near the port is gentle, this is the top golden port!
Su Ze drooled when he saw such port conditions, otherwise the United States would not have set up a naval base in Okinawa in the future.
Captain Alfonso also looked at the port in the distance in a daze. Such a port was empty. What a huge waste!
Just as the New World was about to approach Ryukyu, two Ming-style ships rushed out of the port, blocking the New World's navigation route on the left and right.
Su Ze said to Lin Changjing: "This is your Ryukyu ship, right?"
Lin Changjing immediately said: "Please give me a small boat, sir, and I will let them get out of the way!"
Su Ze said to Lin Mojun: "No need. It's so troublesome, just fire a few shots at the sea!"
Lin Mojun immediately understood what Su Ze meant, and she immediately called her guards and said: "The left and right sides, aim at the sea, fire one round from the air!"
Su Ze did not expect Lin Mojun to Mo Jun was even more ruthless, ten cannons on the left and right fired one after another. The thunderous roar scared the two Ryukyu ships to get out of the way immediately, and the New World quickly rushed towards the port.
Twenty cannons were fired, and Lin Changjing was so frightened that he lay on the deck with his head in his hands. Only then did he realize what kind of giant sea beast he was riding on!
Lin Changjing didn't believe that Su Ze and the others were merchants from the Ming Dynasty. Would merchants from the Ming Dynasty have such a ship?
Su Ze and the others must be official members of the Ming Dynasty!
Lin Changjing recognized this and called the two of them adults. Su Ze and Lin Mojun did not refute, which further strengthened Lin Changjing's guess.
Su Ze doesn't look like a businessman at all, but looks like a scholar from the Ming Dynasty. Su Ze's demeanor is not that of an ordinary scholar, he should be a Jinshi with high rank in the imperial examination!
But the envoys of the Ming Dynasty were so domineering. Is it a blessing or a curse for Ryukyu?
Lin Changjing also knew that he had no way to get off the ship. He could only pray that this time Ryukyu would be able to turn danger into disaster.
The New World rushed into the port, and the shelling just now frightened the port manager. It was not until the New World docked that the port took action.
Several soldiers holding spears gathered sparsely towards the dock. By this time, Lin Mojun's musketeers had already disembarked and assembled.
Su Ze stood on the dock and said to Lin Changjing: "Go and negotiate."
Lin Changjing received the order and immediately stepped forward to reveal his identity. The gunmen made way and took him to negotiate with the port officials.
Lin Mojun looked at these spearmen with disgust and said: "The Ryukyu soldiers are too bad, no wonder they can't defeat the Japanese pirates."
In Lin Mojun's view, these port defenders are too weak, and the spears they hold are not long or short. First, some gun heads are not sharpened.
Their clothes were also in tatters, and they didn't even have a neat formation.
The fifty musketeers he brought with him were estimated to be able to defeat the port defenders with one salvo.
Su Ze said with a smile: "You can't use the standards of Changning Guard to demand these soldiers. Ryukyu has been in trouble for a long time after cutting off tribute. It is no longer easy for these soldiers to stay on duty." After a while, Lin Changjing ran over panting and said:
" The port governor is a relative of my mother's family. My lords, please wait for a moment. Please go to the guest house at the port to rest for a while, and then go to Shuri Castle after notifying the king." Su Ze nodded, protected by the gunman, Su
Ze Ze was not worried about his own safety. Everyone came to the guest house where foreign envoys were sponsored, and a little old man wearing the clothes of a Ming official settled everyone down.
"The appearance of this guesthouse is no different from the architecture of the Ming Dynasty?"
If it weren't for the unique Ryukyu characters, Lin Mojun almost felt like he had returned to the Ming Dynasty.
The costumes of the staff in these guest houses are similar to those of the Ming Dynasty, and even the utensils used were imported from the Ming Dynasty.
Su Ze said: "Ryukyu has long used Han clothing and implemented Han systems. Even the rulers of the country speak Chinese. The cultural level is not low, and it is no different from China." "Did you read this from the book?"
Su
Ze He said without changing his expression: "Of course."
This is of course Su Ze's opinion from the research data of later generations, but the books before time travel are also books, so there is nothing wrong with them.
Lin Mojun said: "They say that you scholars can know the world without going out. I didn't expect it to be true." Su Ze smiled and said: "Isn't this the only scholar like me you have met?" Lin Mojun said
. His face suddenly turned red and he said: "I don't know any other scholars. Okay, what should we do next? Do we really want to help that Ryukyu Kingdom to fight against Japanese pirates?" "Of course not, Ryukyu's terrain is complex and it is far away from Japan
. It's so close, and we can't be here often, how can we help them fight the Japanese pirates."
"Then you didn't promise?"
"What did I promise? I just promised to negotiate a big business with them, and I didn't say I would help them fight the Japanese pirates. ."
Lin Mojun stared at Su Ze for a long time and said, "I have to listen carefully to what you say from now on."
Su Ze felt as if he had shot himself in the foot, so he changed the subject and said,
"We You don’t have to personally help Ryukyu fight the Japanese pirates, but you can sell them weapons and help them train soldiers. The most important thing is that if the trade between Ryukyu and the Ming Dynasty can be restored, the Ryukyu people will have more ways to deal with the Japanese pirates after they have money." Lin
. Mo Jun knew that Su Ze was right. This voyage gave her a deeper understanding of the situation in East Asia.
Nowadays, the entire southeastern sea area is a paradise for adventurers and desperadoes.
As long as you have money, you can hire mercenaries from various countries and purchase various advanced weapons.
Su Ze said: "You are right, I came to Ryukyu just to qualify for tribute trade."
At the same time, Lin Changjing and his mother's family's port governor relatives were rushing to Shuri Castle, the Ryukyu Royal Palace. on the way.
The Hong Kong Administrators are also descendants of the Fujian people with the surname Thirty-Six. These families have monopolized matters related to tribute and maritime trade since the founding of Ryukyu. Industries such as maritime trade, ports, and shipbuilding are almost all controlled by the Fujian people with the surname Thirty-Six. Ryukyu The king of the country alienated them not only because the tribute trade was cut off, but also because he was afraid of the power of the Ming Dynasty survivors.
Today, the population of Ryukyu islands is close to 100,000, of which 20,000 are immigrants from the Ming Dynasty. Among them are early immigrants such as the Fujian people with the surname thirty-six, and there are also Ming people who can no longer survive due to the turmoil in the Central Plains and go to sea to make a living. Naturally, they are also Ming immigrants. Mainly Fujianese.
These immigrants built ancestral halls and temples in Ryukyu, forming a circle composed of blood relatives of the township party. They have become a very influential force in Ryukyu.
Shuri Castle, the royal city of Ryukyu, was built exactly according to the specifications of the Ming Dynasty feudal prince's palace.
In order to build this royal city, Emperor Yongle recruited craftsmen from Fujian and Guangzhou and went to Ryukyu to build this palace.
The current king of Ryukyu is named Shang. Ryukyu was originally a tripartite kingdom. The king of Ryukyu canonized by Emperor Yongle was the Wu family of Zhongshan. During the Xuande period, Ba Zhi raised an army to seize the throne of Wu family. Emperor Xuande gave the surname "Shang", which has been passed down to this day.
The surname of the king is Shang Ning. Since Ryukyu does not use eunuchs, all the officials in the royal city are female.
Under the guidance of the female officer, Lord Shang walked through a remote corridor in the royal city and entered a courtyard.
This courtyard is different from the Ming-style buildings in Shuri Castle. This is a typical Japanese building!
Moreover, this Japanese building looks very new, it should have been built recently.
Lord Shang walked into the courtyard and heard a loud shout:
"Master Shang! How long do you want to keep me here! If you don't surrender, I, the Governor of the Shimazu family, will personally lead the ship and destroy your Shuri Castle! "
The speaker was a Japanese warrior with a Japanese warrior hairstyle, Japanese clothing, and a long Japanese sword.
It turned out that although Shang Ning claimed to have killed the Japanese envoys, he actually did not dare to kill them, but imprisoned them in the royal city.
In order not to offend these Japanese envoys, Shang Ning also built a Japanese-style courtyard and offered beautiful women every day just for them to live in.
As the leader of a country, Shang Ning felt so aggrieved because of the situation.
Shang Ning has sent envoys more than once to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty.
However, the Kaido officials of the Ming Dynasty first refused to deliver Ryukyu's credentials asking for help. After Shang Ning bribed him with a large sum of money, they reluctantly sent the credentials to the capital.
The result of Emperor Jiajing's treatment was - "no report", which means that it has been read and will not be returned.
Shang Ning sent envoys three times to deliver letters of credence to ask for help, but the result was always the same "it has been read and cannot be returned".
After this, the Japanese rebellion along the coast of the Ming Dynasty intensified, and the Japanese pirates even reached the gates of Nanjing. At this time, the Ryukyu Kingdom completely gave up.
The Ming Dynasty could not deal with the Japanese pirates in its own territory, let alone send troops to help Ryukyu.
The domineering Ryukyu envoy in front of him is named Ganfu Zongxiu, and he is a retainer of Shimazu Takahisa, the daimyo of Satsumaban in Kyushu, Japan today.
After Ganfu Zongxiu arrived in Ryukyu, Shang Ning did not dare to directly accept the threat of Japan and instead paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
But they didn't dare to expel Gan Fu Zongxiu, so they built this courtyard for them to stay temporarily.
Now that Ganfu Zongxiu has been living in the other courtyard for a month, these Japanese envoys have become increasingly impatient with the delay in replying to the Lord Shangning.
Yesterday, Ganfu Zongxiu killed the Ryukyu beauty who was sleeping with him, and led his subordinates to detain the female officer who delivered the food, forcing Shang Ning to come over to meet her.
Shang Ning looked bitterly at the group of arrogant Japanese envoys. Ganfu Zongxiu pulled out the Japanese sword and said:
"Ryukyu has been a vassal of the Satsuma Shimazu clan since ancient times. The master of the family summoned you to Kagoshima for an audience. Why did you resist?"
Ganfu Zongxiu said. His voice was stern, but the funny thing was that he spoke Chinese with a clear accent.
The answers given by Shang Ning, the leader of the Ryukyu Kingdom, were all in Chinese. In the tribute system established by the Ming Dynasty, Chinese was the most common diplomatic language.
Shang Ning trembled slightly when he heard that he was going to Kagoshima. He was not a fool. If he went to the territory of Japanese pirates, he would definitely be treated as a hostage and suffer even greater humiliation.
But now Ryukyu has no choice at all, and Shang Ning's face turned pale.
Ganfu Zongxiu put away the Japanese sword. He knew that his threat had achieved his goal. He said:
"If the king doesn't want to go, then please ask the prince to go."
Just when Shang Ning was about to agree, a A female official came over in a hurry and said a few words in Shang Ning's ear.
Shang Ning immediately raised his head and said to Gan Fu Zongxiu: "There is something urgent in the house, please wait for a moment!"
After saying that, Shang Ning hurriedly left the courtyard.
(End of chapter)