Chapter 152: Zhongshan’s slaughter of Japanese

Taiping returned on a boat with great worries. As soon as he got off the boat, the king came forward and asked, "Why did they come?"

Taiping glanced at several Japanese people not far away, and sighed and said, "Brother, let's talk about it when you go back to the palace! Anyway, the matter is very serious."

After judging Ruoyou Ruoyou, he immediately ordered to return to the palace. He hurried back with more than 20 officials. Several Japanese looked at their disappearing backs, and their faces suddenly showed panic.

In the palace, after listening to Taiping's report, a deep worry flashed in his eyes. Zhongshan is a small island country with a population of only tens of thousands, so of course he cannot compete with the great powers. Whether it is the Ming Dynasty or Japan, he can only adopt a compromise attitude in order to survive in the cracks. In fact, when the Ming Dynasty was founded, he had considered completely surrendering to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was tolerant and gentle, and had extra assistance. It was not as harsh as Japan's plan, but the Ming Dynasty immediately implemented the maritime ban, which made him deeply disappointed. This meant that the Ming Dynasty gave up the ocean. The subsequent facts proved that his worries were correct. The Ming Dynasty did not even care about its own Xiao Liuqiu Island, would he still care about their lives or death?

As a last resort, the judging could only continue the national policy of riding on the fence. On the one hand, it surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, it flattered Japan, seeking survival between the two major powers. But now the Ming Dynasty's military ship has arrived, and it is necessary to clear his national policy of riding on the fence. If the Ming Dynasty's maritime ban can be loosened or even cancelled, if the Ming Dynasty's military ship can cruising around from time to time, it would be impossible for him to turn to the Ming Dynasty in full, but he was afraid that the Ming Dynasty would be just a gust of wind. After sweeping this time, the old ways remain the same. How would he face it when the Japanese make a comeback?

Zhan Du felt extremely embarrassed. At this time, his second brother Taiqi came up to persuade: "Brother, I am very worried about the two small countries of Shannan and Shanbei. Although our three kingdoms have nothing to do in the past few decades, this is the result of the alliance between Shannan and Shanbei and Shanbei. If it is true that the Ming Dynasty re-establishes the King of Zhongshan again, I suspect that his implication is to help these two countries destroy us, or use Shannan or use Shanbei to unify the Ryukyu Kingdom."

Chadu was stunned, and he woke up as if he was dreaming. Why didn't he think of this? Seeing that his elder brother was a little shaken, Taiqi continued to persuade: "And I heard that the Japanese pirates' base camp Nagasaki was severely damaged by the Ming fleet a few months ago and suffered heavy losses. I suspect that the Ming Dynasty had planned and steps to eliminate the Japanese pirates. First dig its roots, then heading to our Ryukyu to cut its roots, and finally attacking Xiao Ryukyu and the branches and leaves of the South China Sea. If this is the case, the Japanese pirates will be hit hard and will not be able to recover their vitality for a while. If the elder brother is dead, our Zhongshan Kingdom will most likely become the burial of the Japanese pirates. Brother, don't hesitate anymore!"

The brother's persuasion finally prompted the King of Chadu to make up his mind. He nodded and said, "Let's release the slaves from the Ming Dynasty first to appease the Ming Dynasty. Second brother, you lead the army to ask for people from house to house. If you refuse to give it to them, you will forcibly rob people."

At this time, a guard ran in and said, "King, a group of Japanese gathered outside the palace and asked the king to give them an explanation."

"How many people have they come?"

"Report to the king, there were more than a dozen people coming to them."

After thinking about it, the King of Chadu said to Taiqi: "You go and solve the problem of the Ming slaves first, and I will deal with the Japanese in person."

On the steps outside the palace, a group of Japanese people were excited and shouted to ask the king to come out to answer. There were about 100 Japanese in Zhongshan. Among them were representatives of the interests of the Japanese Koga family and Shimazu family overseas, and there were sporadic Japanese adventure merchants, but more were Japanese pirates who were preparing to transport supplies back to their country. Originally, they were the best people from Zhongshan and could run rampant, but the arrival of the Ming military ship directly meant that they would fall into a state of no disaster.

There were two Japanese leaders, one was Shimazu Kenami, the younger brother of the head of the Shimazu family, the other was Koga Izumi, and the other was also the main member of the Koga family. The two had an emergency consultation just now, and they both believed that the King of Zhongshan would betray them under the pressure of the Ming Dynasty. Their top priority was to evacuate safely. The two discussed countermeasures, one of them went to drag the King of Zhongshan, and the other secretly organized the Japanese to leave Shuri Castle, packed up valuables and retreat southward, and took a boat to Japan from another Linhai Okura Urachi Castle.

At this moment, the leader was shouting outside the palace. They shouted for a while, and then the King of Chashu walked out slowly. Shimazu Kenya immediately stepped forward and said, "King of Chashu, are you going to hand us over to the Ming Dynasty?"

King Chadu hurriedly comforted him and said, "Mr. Shimazu is worried too much. Our Zhongshan Kingdom and Shimazu family have always had a good relationship. How could we hand over Mr. Shimazu to the Ming Dynasty? Besides, the Ming Navy was just passing by here and requesting supplies, and it has nothing to do with Japan."

"Supply!" Shimazu Kenmei sneered and said, "Where is the Ming Dynasty going? She is actually coming to Ryukyu to seek supplies and observe the king. Don't think we are three-year-old children. I don't say secret words. I am here to ask the king to give us a clear guarantee."

"We have to make sure! Guaranteed!" More than a dozen Japanese shouted loudly, and the noise was in chaos.

The King of Chadu felt very embarrassed. He waited for the Japanese to calm down before he said to Shimazu Kenaki: "This is it! I will give you a day, and I promised not to move you before dawn tomorrow. After the time is over, I have no choice."

Shimazu Kenaki was overjoyed. He stared at Chadu and said, "Do you take this seriously?"

King Chadu nodded, "This is the biggest concession I can make."

He sighed deeply. He really couldn't offend the Japanese too much, so he could only let them go quietly. In order to explain to the Ming Navy, Zhongshan Kingdom had to make an attitude in another aspect, that is, to rescue Ming slaves.

Zhongshan Kingdom had nearly 10,000 slaves, most of them came from the coastal people of the Ming Dynasty, and some Koreans were sold in Zhongshan Kingdom after being plundered by Japanese pirates. Because of their low prices, almost every household owned one or several people. They either went to sea to fish with their masters, plant rice, cotton, or spin and weave cloth. They had no property or personal freedom. Even their lives were controlled by their masters. After their masters died, according to Ryukyu customs, slaves would be buried with their masters.

At this time, the country of Zhongshan was already in chaos. At first, the official ordered all slaves to come out in the name of slave re-registration. But soon, the people of Zhongshan saw the intention of the government. The slaves were their private property. How could they give in? They closed their doors and hid the slaves from various families. However, some slaves also heard that the Ming Navy had arrived. In order to return to their hometown, many people rushed out to the beach and shouted sadly.

The situation in Shuri and other cities was out of control. Thousands of soldiers from Zhongshan were dispatched. They rushed into the houses of the people and pulled out the hidden slaves. Every household was full of chaos and cursing and screaming. Ming slaves of men and women were taken to the streets and arranged in a queue. Ryukyu people who rushed to the streets and fought with soldiers, trying to capture their slaves. Each impact attracted soldiers to besieged with sticks. Locals who were beaten to death everywhere and were crying. Due to the existence of slaves, most Ryukyu people lived in a pampered manner and lived on exploiting slaves. What would they do in the future if the Ming slaves were taken away?

In contrast to the great momentum of rescuing Ming slaves, after obtaining the king's guarantee, more than 100 Japanese began to urgently pack up valuables and quickly moved towards Urata Castle, preparing to board the boat and escape after nightfall.

In the afternoon, most of the Ming slaves gathered from various cities in Zhongshan Kingdom came to the beach. Looking at the dragon flag that the Ming navy was rushing in the sea breeze, the slaves finally lost control of their emotions. They began to cry loudly. The suffering they suffered for several years and even decades broke out at this moment. Crying sounded across the beach. Many people knelt on the beach and beat the ground with their heads and cried loudly. This was the Ming army, and they finally came to rescue them. With the support of the young man, an old man with white hair shouted to the Ming ship with tears on his face: "God! It's been twenty years, and I've been waiting for this day for twenty years!"

All the soldiers on the military ship were in tears, including Li Weizheng. He just wanted to annihilate the Japanese pirates in Ryukyu Kingdom, but he didn't expect to see such a tragic scene. He wiped away the tears from his face and ordered without hesitation: "The ships dock and transport the people to Shanbei Kingdom immediately."

According to the plan, the Ming Navy will establish a military base on the north bank of Zhongbo Isthmus, that is, in the territory of Shanbei Kingdom. Just now, Li Weizheng had reached an agreement with the king of Shanbei Kingdom for fear of Nizhi. Shanbei Kingdom will set up a dangerous land to establish a naval base for the Ming Dynasty to prevent Japanese Japanese, leaving a thousand soldiers to guard it. More than 10,000 Ming slaves could not return to their country for the time being, so they would leave it to the left-behind soldiers for care.

Ten military ships in the Ming Dynasty began to dock, and a team of soldiers got ashore to help the elderly, weak, women and children get on the boat first. The first blessed ship full of slaves slowly left the dock and sailed towards Shanbeiguo on the other side.

"Sir, I have a suggestion."

A hundred households slowly walked to Li Weizheng and carefully proposed: "These Ming people have no homes and no land when they return to their country. Why not let them take root and reproduce here? With their hard work and ability, the court will support them. I think they will replace them in a few years."

Li Weizheng was also moved. He knew that later Chinese people were always in a miserable situation overseas. The key was that they did not receive support from the central government. The central government even regarded them as abandoned people. After all, it was the idea of ​​treating the people as grass. Without a strong backstage, they could only become slaughtered lambs in the end. This suggestion is very good. Instead of letting them return to their country, it would be better to let them stay in Ryukyu, build their own homes, build their own militia, and provide their own weapons and supplies. It will indeed take a few years, and they will sooner or later turn the Ryukyu Kingdom into the world of the Han people.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang must ask for instructions on this matter. Only when he agrees can the court support them. Li Weizheng has no right to decide the ownership of more than 10,000 people. Thinking of this, Li Weizheng ordered his subordinates: "You go and find a few respected old men and say I have something to discuss with them."

Not long after, his subordinates led a few old men onto the treasure ship. As soon as they entered the cabin, they knelt down and kowtowed to Li Weizheng, thanking him with tears: "We will remember the virtue of rebirth in our hearts. We will build a long life card for our adults and worship them at all times."

Li Wei was quickly helping them up one by one, "Several old men, you don't have to be too polite, please sit down quickly!"

The personal soldiers quickly brought a few chairs to sit down for them, and poured them hot tea. Seeing that their hair and beard were white, Li Wei asked the oldest one, "Old man, when did you get caught in Ryukyu?"

The old man sighed and said, "My surname is Liu. I was originally a fisherman from Taizhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. In the second year of Hongwu, I went to sea to fish. I was caught by Japanese pirates in Ryukyu and bought it as an official slave by Zhongshan Kingdom. It has been twenty-two years since I was over 40 years old, and my two sons are in their thirties."

"Then who else is there in your hometown?"

"I took my two sons to sea, and there was only my wife and one daughter at home. I don't know if they were alive or dead for more than twenty years?" At this point, the old man couldn't help but wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeves.

Li Weizheng sighed in his heart, and he asked another old man again, "Where are you? Who else in the family?"

The old man's eyes showed grief and anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, my surname is Han. I was originally a scholar from Wenzhou Prefecture. In the 13th year of Hongwu, the Japanese pirates attacked Wenzhou. All of our village were kidnapped by the Japanese pirates. After my wife was raped by the Japanese pirates, she jumped into the sea to commit suicide with her three-year-old son. I was thirty-three years old at the time and was sold to a Ryukyu family as a slave, making cattle and horses for his family, and suffered all the torture. I am only 43 years old now, but I am already like a sixty-year-old. Now I just wait for the owner of the family who bought me to die, and I have to be buried with him."

Li Wei didn't want to ask any more. All the captured Han people had a history of blood and tears. He pondered for a moment and said to everyone: "I see that there are tens of thousands of Han slaves on the beach, and there are at least 14,500 Han slaves in the north and south of the mountain. To be honest, my military ship cannot send so many people back."

Seeing that several people were anxious, he waved his hand and smiled, "Don't worry, since I'm here, I will rescue all the Han slaves. From today on, you are all free, and no one dares to enslave you anymore. But my mission on this trip is to fight against Japanese pirates. In two days, my fleet will turn south and attack the Japanese pirates entrenched on Xiaoliuqiu Island. Therefore, I initially plan to leave a thousand soldiers to protect you, and then consider your return."

"Sir, if we go back, how will the court settle us?"

This is actually a question that everyone is concerned about. After being excited to gain freedom, many people began to consider some practical issues. Can they return to their hometown? Can they restore their former hometown? Will they be discriminated against by the government? Moreover, many people secretly went to sea to catch fish and were kidnapped by Japanese pirates. Under the strict order of the Ming Dynasty Sea Ban, will they be convicted for going to sea?

Li Weizheng didn't speak for a long time, and after a long time, he asked slowly: "I want to ask you a question. If the court asked you to live in the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu in the future, would you like?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment. After a long time, one of them stuttered and asked, "Does sir mean we become the people of Zhongshan Kingdom?"

"No! You are still people of the Ming Dynasty. You just live on the Ryukyu islands, with your own land, houses, and no tax payments. And you are not affected by the sea ban, you can even go back to your hometown to visit your relatives at any time, or bring all your relatives here."

Li Weizheng was talking about his ideals. Whether the court could agree is another matter, but he wanted to test the wishes of the people.

The cabin was silent, and everyone's eyes showed a complex emotion. Although they were eager to go home, if they could go fishing, they could have their own land and no taxes, how wonderful it would be to have such a life. Is there really such a paradise?

Li Wei knew that they could not accept it for the moment, so he stood up and smiled and said, "Okay, I will report to the court for this matter. I invited you to tell you to tell everyone that I will wait for the court's arrangements here. In addition to the protection of the army, I will also leave you with the weapons organization self-defense militia. The food will be supplied by the Ryukyu Three Kingdoms. You can also go to sea to fish or farm on the spot. Please rest assured that the court will not leave you alone."

Several old men knelt down and thanked him. Li Weizheng ordered people to send them back. At this time, a hundred households who came ashore came to report that the warehouses of more than a dozen Japanese pirates on the shore had been inspected and were filled with various supplies. In addition, the grain on the ten grain ships that were robbed in the Ming Dynasty more than a month ago were all in the warehouse, with more than 6,000 stones, but the Japanese did not see it. Officials from Zhongshan said they were unaware of it.

Li Wei immediately ordered the army to take over the warehouse, and the materials and food in the warehouse would be used to resettle the rescued Ming slaves. Li Wei was walking to the bow of the boat and looking at the sunset that was about to fall. The sunset turned red on his face. His eyes turned to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. I wonder if Zhu Yuanzhang could accept his view of immigrating overseas. Leaving these Han slaves in the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu was just a test for him. If Zhu Yuanzhang was interested, he would formally write a letter and request the court to establish an official in Taiwan. He even hoped that Zhu Yuanzhang could turn his eyes to the blue Pacific Ocean. He told Zhu Yuanzhang that there was an extremely vast land on the other side of the ocean, and hoped that this talented and strategic monarch could send him as a pioneer and snatch the Ming dragon flag into the lands of America and Oceania before the Europeans.

There are a total of ten cities including Shuri, Urata, Naha, Kitaya, and Kurata. In fact, it is equivalent to fishing villages in the Ming Dynasty. There are no city walls and no local governments. Each city is responsible for a sect and several elders. The two largest cities are Shuri and Urata. They have a dock that can moor larger ships. Urata is ten miles south of Shuri Castle. It is the second largest city in Zhongshan Kingdom and has a population of nearly 10,000. Urata has also experienced the storm of releasing Han slaves during the day. After nightfall, most of the Han slaves were sent away, and the remaining hundreds were also under the control of the army. Urata was tired and finally became quiet.

In a big house next to the dock, more than a hundred Japanese people who escaped from Shuri gathered together, with a few women in the middle. They each carried large bags and were worriedly waiting for darkness. A large ship was parked on the dock three hundred steps away. This ship was one of the ten Ming grain ships. The rest of the ships went to Xiaoliuqiu Island, leaving only this one for temporary adjustment, but now it has become their only basis for escape.

The night gradually became deeper, and a layer of gray mist began to float on the ground. A whistle of status came from the dock. When Shimazu Kenming saw the agreed signal coming, he waved his hand gently, "Go!" He led more than a hundred people to run to the dock quickly. The dock was very quiet and there was no movement. When the three Japanese guarding the boat saw everyone running, they immediately put down the board and shouted in a low voice: "Quick! Get on the boat!"

After a rapid pedal sound, more than a hundred people boarded the boat one after another. Shimazu Ken clearly determined that the number of people had arrived, so he ordered to start the boat immediately. According to the tasks assigned in advance, some pulled the anchor and some pulled the sails. The big ship left the dock in a swaying manner and sailed towards the outsea.

The fog on the sea surface was very heavy, and the dock soon disappeared. Shimazu Kenming saw that he was confused around him, and his heart was slightly relieved. Although all the food and supplies on the dock were lost, it was heartbreaking, but at least the person was fine, and it was finally a blessing in disgrace.

Just as he was about to return to the cabin, someone suddenly shouted, "What kind of ship is there around?"

Shimazu Kenmei was shocked. He hurriedly looked around and then found that there were black shadows moving around. He immediately reacted and shouted, "No! We are surrounded."
Chapter completed!