1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 891
July 1674, 7, Chang'an, Taichu Palace (Imperial Palace).

"During the thousands of years of China's history, we Han people, whether in the eyes of the surrounding barbarians, or in overseas countries and your European population, are gentle people, or gentle people, just like a kind of domesticated people. Animals. Compared with the Hulu in the north, and even you Europeans, the animal and barbaric nature of the Han people is weaker."

"Of course, this kind of gentleness or gentleness means that there is no arrogance, toughness, brutality or tyranny, and there is nothing unpleasant. It can be said that in the personality of my Chinese nation, there is a softness of calmness, reason, and restraint, just like A piece of metal with good ductility gives the same texture."

"A real Chinese person may be a little rough, but there is no meanness in the rough; there may be ugliness, but there is no viciousness in the ugliness; there may be vulgarity, but there is no arrogance and arrogance in the vulgarity; there may be stupidity, but there is no arrogance in the vulgarity. It's not absurd, and there may be a little shrewdness, but there is no malice hidden in the shrewdness."

"On the other hand, the Japanese, though gentle on the outside, are cruel and tyrannical inside. Modesty and prudence coexist with recklessness, obedience and rebelliousness coexist, conservative narcissism and admiration coexist, inferiority complex and ambition coexist. .It is really a person with a changeable personality and capriciousness. It can be said that as long as you peel off the Japanese skin and remove its lacquer layer, you will definitely be able to reveal the face of a real Japanese pirate.”

Andris Nopert, the general commercial representative of the Dutch East India Company in Chang'an, sat respectfully on a chair, and patiently listened to the interpreter's translation of His Majesty's words. words, but the last sentence clearly revealed the emperor of Qi's characterization of Japan.

"His Majesty the Emperor, can I understand your words in this way, your country has decided to launch a war against Japan?" Noppert finally asked tentatively.

"Yes." Qi Tian did not hide anything, nodded and said: "Our country of Qi will launch a punitive war against Japan, and we must make them pay the due price for their brutal behavior of killing our people for no reason. Therefore, you, the East India Company, can tell the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate that our country of Qi will not accept their insincere explanations and apologies....Our country of Qi will formally report to the Japanese shogunate at a certain moment. Declare war."

"I understand, Your Majesty." Noppert smiled wryly and shrugged. "Although I feel very sorry for the war that broke out between Qi and Japan, I understand it."

Since the "Fukuyama" incident occurred a few months ago, the Ryukyu Fleet of the State of Qi and the Navy Fleet of Yunzhou Township have blocked the ports and cities belonging to the shogunate, such as Nagasaki, Osaka, Edo, and Nagoya, and intercepted and inspected the passing foreign ships. Merchant ships and Japanese merchant ships are also prohibited from entering or leaving any ships.

Although the warships of Qi State and Yunzhou Town had not yet launched an attack on Japanese ships, this blockade still shocked the shogunate.For this reason, the shogunate sent people to negotiate with the Dutch and entrusted them to help resolve and deal with the armed confrontation between Qi and Japan caused by the "Fukuyama" incident.

Regarding the mediation of the Dutch, the Ryukyu District simply ignored it, claiming that the mission of the Ryukyu Fleet and the local garrison was to safeguard the commercial interests of Qi and protect the safety of its people.Before receiving the latest orders from the mainland, the fleet will continue to block Japan's major ports and coastal cities.

As Japan's only foreign trade window, Nagasaki was blocked by the Qi State Navy, which not only had a major impact on the Japanese shogunate government's trade revenue, but also a disastrous blow to the Dutch East India Company's trade with Japan.Although the Dutch could not help but gloat over the conflict between Qi and Japan, they were not calm when they saw that Qi was so decisive and directly sent warships to the port of Nagasaki.

Damn it, this is going to flip the table directly!

The Dutch East India Company was naturally a little dissatisfied with this. If you have conflicts with the Japanese shogunate, you can go to Edo to comment on the reason with their generals.At worst, you can also directly send troops to attack Edo, forcing people to apologize to you.But you can't block Nagasaki!

This has made it impossible for our East India Company to continue doing business.

After Batavia received the letter, he immediately sent envoys to the mainland of Hanzhou to persuade Qi to reconcile with Japan and not to make trouble and affect everyone's money.Even if you want to fight, you cannot ignore the interests of our East India Company.

Therefore, after receiving Batavia's instructions, Andris Nopert, the general commercial representative in Chang'an, asked repeatedly, and finally got the opportunity to meet with His Majesty the Emperor.

Unfortunately, the emperor of Qi, the cabinet, and their military seem to have reached a consensus and are ready to launch a war of punishment against the Japanese shogunate.

All efforts will be of no avail.War is inevitable, unless the Japanese shogunate admits its mistakes and accepts all the conditions proposed by Qi.

However, will the Japanese, who think highly of themselves, bow their heads easily? ——
On August 8, Suide (now Singkawang, a city in the northwest of Kalimantan, Indonesia).

On the pier, more than [-] Shun Army musketeers were boarding the ship one after another with their bags on their backs. Countless civilians and military families of the Shun Kingdom gathered on the shore to express condolences and farewell to the soldiers who were dispatched abroad for the first time.

"Second brother, these more than 600 former battalion soldiers are the most elite musket battalion in Shun country, and I will leave it to you now." Shun country king Li Wenxuan held the hand of former battalion general Li Wenzheng and said solemnly: " Following the Qi State to conquer Japan, in addition to showing the power of our Shun army and the bravery of our soldiers, we also need to cherish the lives of our soldiers. You must know that our Shun State has a small population, and we cannot bear unnecessary consumption."

"Brother... oh, Your Majesty!" Li Wenzheng patted his chest and said, "I have not been in the army for a day or two, and I know how to do things cheaply in battle. Besides, looking at the decades of wars that Qi has experienced , almost never suffered too much loss. On the contrary, following them in the war, you can get a lot of cheap. This time to conquer Japan, I heard that the number of troops sent by Qi is 5000. If Luzon, Wei, and Sulu, Haxian, Champa, Liangshan, Yunzhou and other vassal towns may have tens of thousands of troops gathered. Hehe, this is enough for the Japanese to drink a pot!"

"Second brother, don't be careless." Li Wenxuan instructed: "Japan is a big country with a population of nearly 2000 million. Even if there are many feudal towns and towns in the country, it is not difficult to gather tens of thousands of troops. At that time, There will definitely be a bitter and vicious battle. So, in the battle, don’t force yourself to show your strength and harm the loyal and brave soldiers of my Shun country. Also, in the battle, swords and guns have no eyes, and everything is done with caution. come back."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I should use my troops cautiously. While displaying our military prestige in Shunguo, I will definitely cherish the soldiers in the army and bring them back alive as much as possible." Li Wenzheng promised with clasped fists.

Shun State finally formally established a state two years ago, and then declared Qi State as a vassal.At present, the domestic population is nearly 8 (excluding local natives). In addition to extending to the entire territory of the original Sanfa Sultan Kingdom, it is also continuously encroaching on the territory of the Banjar Sultan Kingdom in the south. (Also known as Kun Jiang) set up a number of settlements in the north, and forcibly occupied Pontinak (now Pontianak City on the west bank of Kalimantan Island, Indonesia), which was located at the mouth of the Kabuas River, and renamed it Qingjianbao.

In September last year, Li Laiheng died of illness, and his eldest son Li Wenxuan was canonized by Qi State as the new King of Shun State.Relying on the power of the Qi State, the Shun State continues to attract immigrants, invade the territory of the natives, and actively expand its own strength. Under the eyes of Brunei and Banjar, it is rapidly growing in the northwestern region of Borneo at a speed visible to the naked eye. The above-mentioned two countries are deeply afraid.

Half a month ago, Shun Guo received a military call-up order from Qi State, asking them to send corresponding soldiers and horses to Japan to attack the Tokugawa Shogunate.

As a vassal of Qi State, and in order to obtain Qi State's long-term assistance and military support, Shun State naturally did not dare to shirk, and immediately recruited two battalions in the front (Shun State followed the original Dashun Army's five-battalion system in the middle, front, back, left, and right sides) More than [-] officers and soldiers, led by General Quan Li Wenzheng, requisitioned four transport merchant ships, first gathered in Nanping (now Jinlan City, Vietnam), the Annan area of ​​Qi State, and then joined forces with the Annan Garrison of Qi State, Hexian Town, Champa, and Liangshan The Hao family and other armies passed through Yizhou Wannian (now Kaohsiung Port) and finally arrived in Ryukyu, where they waited for the final military deployment of Qi State.

The Allied Forces of Sulu, Wei, and Luzon in the Luzon area will arrive at Ryukyu with the Qi army from Hanzhou, Xuanhua, Weiyuan and other places.After gathering the coalition forces of all countries (towns) assembled here, they will launch a military strike against the Japanese shogunate at an appropriate time.

Qi's war machine has been activated, and a large-scale overseas military build-up, which can be called Qi's largest, is slowly unfolding in an orderly manner, and the sharp blade is also pointing at Japan from afar.
-
September 8, Nanjing.

With his hands behind his back, Sun Kewang looked up at a map of the mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty hanging on the wall, without saying a word for a long time.More than a dozen civil and military officials behind them kept their eyes on their noses and their hearts, maintaining an eerie silence.

Just received the good news from Datong. In the first ten days of June, Li Dingguo, king of Gan, conscripted more than 6 civilians and went out of Datong for more than [-] miles to build a city at the former site of Yuanyang and Weisuo (now Fengzhen City, Inner Mongolia).After hearing the news, the Qing prisoners stationed in Jining (now Ulanqab City) sent more than [-] cavalry to attack.As a result, Li Dingguo set up an ambush on Huangshiya Mountain and wiped out more than [-] Qing captives, achieving a victory rarely seen in two years.

After Li Dingguo interrogated the prisoners of the Qing army, he learned that Kangxi, the puppet emperor of the Qing Dynasty, personally led more than [-] main forces of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia, and went north to Khalkha Mongolia, preparing to restore the suzerainty of the area and at the same time expand the strength of the Qing prisoners.This made the entire Guisui (now Hohhot City) area occupied by the Qing captives extremely empty.

Immediately afterwards, Li Dingguo gathered all the cavalry in Datong and Huairen towns, more than [-] cavalry, led by his powerful general Pingyanghou Jin Tongwu, and went straight to Guisui with only a few days of dry food.

One month later, Jin Tongwu returned with a great victory. He destroyed more than [-] tribes and towns in Mongolia and the Eight Banners, beheaded more than [-] people, brought back more than [-] livestock (only), and rescued more than [-] Han people. , In the temporary trip of the Qing captives, he jumped on the horse in Suiyuan City to show off.What is particularly rare is that the Ming army snatched back more than [-] horses, which has positive significance for the future development of the Ming army's cavalry.

When the news of the victory reached Nanjing, Sun Kewang was meeting with his cronies Wen Wu at the Palace of the Prince of Qin to discuss the dispatch of troops from Qi to Japan.Therefore, when Sun Kewang heard the news about Datong, he looked at the geomancy map on the wall with his hands behind his back like this, and remained silent for a long time, causing all the officials in the palace to look at each other in blank dismay.

"Do you think that the Qi State may win the conquest of Japan this time?" Sun Kewang asked suddenly.

"Japan is a large country with a population of tens of millions, and the Tokugawa shogunate ordered the unification of the domestic feudal vassals. There are hundreds of thousands of armed soldiers under its jurisdiction, which is not comparable to the Nanyang land and vassal state. I think that the Qi State will travel across thousands of miles. It may not be possible to get a good deal." Su Shicheng, a scholar of the Wenhua Palace and Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, saw that everyone was silent, so he stepped forward and said.

"Scholar, you may have underestimated Qi's military strength and ocean-crossing combat capabilities." Sun Zhengqi (the second son of Sun Kewang), the commander-in-chief of the Daming Shenhuo Army (Pure Firearms Battalion), arched his hands at Su Shicheng, and then said softly: "Guangzhou In the 11th year of Germany (1665), during his travels in Qi State, the last general witnessed Qi State gathering dozens of warships in the mainland, with [-] soldiers, spanning tens of thousands of miles, to conquer Egypt, the far west, and defeat the enemy. With more than [-] troops, they captured the enemy chiefs in front of the battle and returned with a big victory. Japan is closer to the mainland of Qi State Hanzhou, and Qi State has stations in Yunzhou, Ryukyu, Luzon, Annan and other places where they can park and rest. It is more convenient to replenish combat power. Therefore, the final general thinks that Qi will have a six-point chance of winning this battle."

"That's right. Looking at the wars that the Qi State has gone through for more than [-] years, all of them are determined after planning. After careful argumentation and evaluation, we have never fought a battle that we are not sure of. Now, the Qi State has nothing but to unite with that... that Yunzhou Yongfan's troops and horses In addition, they also mobilized the military power of Annan, Borneo, Luzon and other local vassals, and assembled tens of thousands of troops. Moreover, Qi has a strong sea force, and this battle should be won." The Syrian stallion Weixing immediately echoed. .

"Hehe..." Sun Kewang laughed lightly, "Why didn't the State of Qi invite us to attack Japan together?"

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Sun Kewang in astonishment.We have the remnants of the Qing Dynasty in the north of the Ming Dynasty, the growing Bohai Kingdom in the northeast, the Heshuote Khanate established by the Mongols in the southwest, and Wu Sangui with ulterior motives in the northwest. Looking around, they are all powerful enemies. How can we have the energy to fight against them? Japanese Wa country?

"Send a message to Wang Shangli in Liaodong." Sun Kewang suppressed his smile and said seriously: "Yunzhou Yongfan's army did not obey the imperial order, stayed in Liaodong and did not return, and was ordered to expel them by force."

"King Qin is wise!" All the ministers praised in unison upon hearing this.

At the invitation of the Qi State, Yunzhou Town must gather the main force to attack Japan, so its troops occupying the Liaodong Peninsula will inevitably be dispatched in large numbers. In this way, it provides a very good opportunity for Wang Shangli stationed in Liaodong.

While Qi State was concentrating on attacking Japan, it naturally couldn't spare extra energy to speak for Yunzhou Yongfan's platform. After it finished fighting Japan, the entire Liaodong region must have been occupied by Qin troops, resulting in a fait accompli.
-
March 1674, 9, Edo, Japan.

"...In view of the fact that the Japanese government disregarded the law and justice, killed our people in Daqi without authorization, and caused troubles arbitrarily, and finally failed to reflect on it....All countries that respect faith and faith cannot bear it. Hereby, the Daqi Empire officially declares war on Japan At about [-] o'clock on September [-]th in the fourth year of Daqi Hanxing, our Daqi Empire entered a state of war with Japan, and this is an announcement to Japan."

After reading out the declaration of war documents in Chinese and Japanese aloud, Wu Hao, the captain (second lieutenant) of the Army Corps, gently closed the pages of the book and looked up at the high-ranking Japanese general Tokugawa Ietsuna.

A waiter took the declaration of war from Wu Hao's hand, then bowed and handed it to Tokugawa Ietsuna.

In the hall, more than a dozen shogunate warriors held the swords under their waists and stared at Wu Hao fiercely.As long as the general gives an order, he will be beheaded on the spot.

Tokugawa Iezuna silently opened the declaration of war of Qi, and there were only two thin pages inside. The first side was written in Chinese, and the second side was written in Japanese, with only a few crosses.There is a bright red seal on the bottom of each page of the document, like a streak of blood, exuding a chill.

"Envoy, please go back, Japan has received your country's declaration of war." Tokugawa Ietsuna placed the declaration of war on the table, looking at the Qi military officer, "From now on, Japan will fully fight with your country." A battle to demonstrate my way of the Japanese samurai."

Wu Hao nodded upon hearing this, and then turned around to leave.

"Were you originally my Japanese?" Tokugawa Ietsuna asked suddenly from behind.

"No, I'm from Qi." Wu Hao was a little annoyed, turned around and said coldly.

"Hehe..." Tokugawa Ietsuna smiled, then waved his hand and let him go.

"My lords, prepare to fight!" After the envoy of Qi State left the hall, Tokugawa Ietsuna stood up, slowly pulled out the sword from his waist, and looked at the elders and retainers who were kneeling on both sides with determination. Zhise said, "In this battle, our Tokugawa clan will surely have a long-lasting martial arts fortune and bravely defeat the enemies of the southern barbarians!"

(End of this chapter)