Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 337 Jeju Island Changes Hands

Just as the Qing army was conquering Seoul, advancing on Namhansanseong Fortress, and besieging King Injo of Joseon, Jeju Island, far in the southwest of the peninsula, remained peaceful and tranquil.

The Joseon Dynasty established the Jeju Governorate on the island, which governed Daejeong County and Jeongui County. It was under the jurisdiction of the Governor and had a small number of local garrison troops, but it mainly relied on local powerful clans to maintain basic order.

The island's inhabitants are mainly surnamed Gao, Liang, and Fu. They are descendants of the three legendary immortals of Jeju Island and have controlled local power for generations.

In addition, there were also some nomadic people (descendants of the Mongols) and Han Chinese refugees (who fled from Liaodong) on ​​the island. These people had limited loyalty to the Joseon court and often caused trouble for various reasons, which once kept the local government of Jeju busy dealing with them.

However, compared to the earth-shattering event of the Jurchen invasion of Korea, the daily skirmishes on Jeju Island seemed insignificant.

On January 13, 1637, the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month swept across Jeju Island like a sharp blade, carrying salty sea fog onto the city walls.

Kim Si-min, the governor of Jeju, sat on a weathered sandalwood chair in the government office, his hand clutching an urgent report from Seoul until it was crumpled.

"The Qing invaders have captured the capital, and the king is trapped in Namhansanseong Fortress!"

The copper bells on the eaves rang out a faint, mournful sound in the wind, and the hall was filled with the heavy smell of pine soot and ink.

At this moment, his face was gloomy, and he remained silent for a long time, making the officials and gentry sitting in the hall feel uneasy.

He looked up at the steps below, where Gao Yunzhong, the head of the Gao family, stroked his silver beard, Liang Shixun, the head of the Liang family, played with a jade thumb ring, and Fu Shichang, the head of the Fu family, rubbed his sword against the sole of his boot.

These three powerful clans, who control 70% of Jeju Island's farmland and fishing boats, are now demonstrating their indifference to national affairs in different ways.

"What are your views on the situation in Seoul?" Kim Si-min's voice was hoarse and taut, like a rope soaked in seawater.

Gao Yunzhong sipped his tea, the foam clinging to his beard: "The Qing invaders are too powerful, all roads are collapsing, how can my mere Jizhou possibly save the day?"

Liang Shixun took off and put the ring back on, making a crisp clinking sound: "I just took a headcount the other day. There are only 423 garrison soldiers on the island, half of whom are old and weak. Hmm, even if our three families lend their full support, even if we send out our entire forces, we still won't be able to handle it."

He paused mid-sentence, then glanced meaningfully at Fu Shichang, "The strong herdsmen of the Fu family are probably more willing to lead the Qing invaders, aren't they?"

Fu Shichang abruptly stood up, his leather boots slamming heavily on the blue bricks: "Old Liang, what is the meaning of this? Those nomadic tribes have been subjugated for hundreds of years, how could they lead the Qing barbarians? Besides, which of the Liaodong refugees my family took in wasn't slaughtered and killed by the Jurchens?"

"Gentlemen, we should all do our part," Kim Si-min said, frowning and looking displeased.

"My lord, we must do our duty to the court, but we must act according to our capabilities!" Gao Yunzhong said earnestly. "If our Jizhou can only muster three or five hundred soldiers to land, it will be like sheep entering a pack of tigers, with no chance of return!"

"What good are three or five hundred soldiers?" Jin Shimin slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to fall to the ground. "Enough! Those who eat the emperor's food must serve the emperor! My mind is made up. Four hundred garrison troops, four hundred able-bodied men from each of the three families, and conscripted laborers and archers—that's two thousand men to cross the sea and defend the emperor immediately!"

"How can this be allowed?" Gao Yunzhong's expression immediately changed, and he said in a panic, "My lord, you are clearly sending hundreds of able-bodied men from my three families to their deaths for nothing!"

"Yes, Your Excellency." Fu Shichang, who had been indignant because of Liang's words, also jumped up. "The Qing army of 100,000 is coming in a raging storm. Even if my Jizhou can barely muster 2,000 soldiers, it would be no different from moths flying into a flame in front of the Qing army, courting our own destruction! ... Please think it over, Your Excellency!"

"To sacrifice one's life for righteousness, what is death but a sacrifice!" Kim Shi-min stood up, glaring angrily at the three powerful clans. "If all the officials and gentry of the various provinces and counties of Joseon were like you, then the danger of national subjugation and extermination of our clans would not be far off! You have received the favors of the court, how can you be so concerned with your lives when the country and the monarch are in such dire straits?"

"My lord, even if we were to be shattered to pieces and fight the Qing invaders with all our might, it would be of no benefit to the overall situation!"

"Shut up!" Jin Shimin's expression darkened, and he pointed at several powerful clans, "At this critical time for the court, you..."

Before the words were finished, a tremor suddenly came from the ground of the government office, and a rumbling sound like muffled thunder came from outside the window.

Is that a winter thunder?
Oops, no, it's artillery!

Jin Shimin was startled and staggered to his feet, grabbing the table for support. He saw the copper bells on the eaves shaking wildly, and the rust falling from them drifted down like fine snow.

"Report!..." A guard rushed over in a panic, his face ashen, and knelt down before Jin Shimin. "Report, Your Majesty, there is an enemy attack from the sea!"

"...More than ten warships have been spotted at Seogwipo Port. They have not identified themselves and are firing fiercely, attempting to land!"

"..."

The room erupted in chaos instantly.

Gao Yunzhong stood up in a panic, knocking over his teacup.

Liang Shixun's expression froze, and the jade thumb ring he was playing with rolled to the ground.

Fu Shichang suddenly stood up, drew his sword, and blocked the hall door.

Kim Si-min stared blankly at the gray sky outside the window, as if he could see the towering smoke and gunfire.

"Could it be... the Qing navy has attacked?"

"Quickly! Summon the garrison!" Jin Shimin's roar was drowned out by the second wave of artillery fire. "Notify all villages to implement a scorched-earth policy! Liang Shixun, immediately send men to the port..."

"My lord, it's probably too late!" the guard cried hoarsely. "The enemy ships have already reached the shore, and their... their firearms are extremely powerful; the guards are simply no match for them!"

The sea breeze seemed to carry a wisp of gunpowder smoke into the hall, and Jin Shimin suddenly felt that the urgent report in his hand was as light as a feather.

The fall of Seoul and the king's predicament pale in comparison to the surging sea of ​​blood outside the window.

The tranquility of Jeju Island was ultimately shattered into countless copper bells and jade on this December afternoon.
-
"Hmm, the North Korean resistance is weaker than we expected." Qi Yongze stood on the forecastle of an armed merchant ship, watching squads of militia quickly disembark, then let out a long sigh of relief and put down his binoculars.

“Sir, the Korean army has always been lax and out of practice. Their daily training intensity is not even as high as that of our colonization team’s rotating militia,” said Zhang Dashan, the militia commander of Beiying Island. “Now, Korea is under a massive invasion by the Jurchens and is in a state of extreme panic and chaos. Where is there any morale or fighting spirit left?”

"As for Jeju Island, it is a remote place where Joseon exiles criminals and banishes disgraced officials, so its military strength is probably even weaker. We have mobilized more than 1,500 armed militiamen on Beiying Island, all of whom are well-trained and well-equipped. It is only natural that we can win in one battle."

"Confidence is a good thing, but we must not underestimate our enemy!" Qi Yongze warned. "According to various sources, there are between 20,000 and 30,000 North Koreans on the island. If mobilized properly, they can organize two or three thousand able-bodied men in a short period of time, which is still a considerable threat to us."

"Yes, sir. I will be cautious and take control of the situation on the island as quickly as possible." Zhang Dashan bowed slightly and answered loudly before turning to disembark and follow the rest of the troops ashore.

"By the way, Jeju Island is the most important and largest horse breeding ground for the Koreans." Qi Yongze then instructed, "After you occupy Jeju City, you must immediately send people to control the several horse farms, to prevent the herdsmen and horses from escaping, and to avoid causing unnecessary losses to people and livestock."

"If our Beiying Island colony can acquire tens of thousands of horses from the island, it will have a positive effect on our development and expansion in the next few years."

"Yes, my lord!"

In the past, during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Jeju Island was an important horse breeding ground for the Mongols, where tens of thousands of horses were raised.

At this time, the island remained the main horse-breeding ground of the Joseon Dynasty, and official management institutions such as the Horse Breeding Supervisor and the Horse Breeding Commissioner were established. According to various statistics, the total number of horses on the island may have reached 20,000 to 30,000, of which warhorses accounted for as much as 40%.

During the Imjin War, the Japanese invading army attempted to capture Jeju Island to seize the Jeju horses there to fight against the Ming army's fierce cavalry.

In addition to raising a large number of horses, the island also raises a large number of cattle, sheep and other livestock to supply the agricultural livestock and meat needs of North Korea.

Several years ago, the new Chinese had their eyes on this largest overseas island belonging to the Kingdom of Korea.

Even if the island has no significant geostrategic value, the tens of thousands of horses, cattle, and sheep on the island are one of the main driving forces behind the desire of the new Chinese to seize it.

The islands of Hokuriku, Sakhalin, Outer Northeast, and even the Kirishima Islands (now the Kuril Islands) are vast and sparsely populated. Without large livestock such as cattle and horses, it would be extremely difficult to colonize them by manpower alone.

To rapidly expand its strength and increase food production, the Beiying Island colonization area needed to introduce livestock on a large scale in order to maximize the efficiency of reclamation.

Relying solely on smuggling trade with North Korea and Japan would be far from sufficient to meet the demand for cattle and horses.

Therefore, when news of the Jurchen invasion of Korea arrived, the Beiying Island colonization team immediately mobilized its ships and armed militia and swiftly marched towards Jeju Island.

They were afraid that if they were too late, this piece of fat meat would be eaten by others.

"What's the situation with the Liaohai Colonization Team?"

A fast ferry arrived, carrying news from Baengnyeong Island.

As Qi Yongze unwrapped the beeswax, he asked the envoy a question.

"Reporting to Your Excellency," the messenger bowed, "the Liaohai Colonization Team invaded the Haixi Protectorate of Korea half a month ago and occupied Haizhou City. Currently, they are continuously moving the city's supplies and personnel to Baengnyeong Island and Bicheng County."

"In addition, on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, they engaged in battle with several hundred Jurchen cavalry. Under the bombardment of artillery, the Jurchens quickly fled without lingering in the fight."

"Oh, they're actually going up against the Jurchens!" Qi Yongze chuckled. "And what's the Jurchen situation?"

"The Jurchens, with the help of artillery from the Han army under Wuzhen Hachao, had already captured Han City a few days ago."

"And what about the King of Joseon and all the civil and military officials?"

"The Joseon king and his ministers have fled to Namhansanseong Fortress."

"The King of Joseon didn't go to Ganghwa Island?" Qi Yongze asked in surprise.

"No," the messenger shook his head and said, "It is said that when the Jurchens launched a large-scale invasion of Korea, the Korean king and his ministers all believed that this military action was a limited attack by the Jurchens, a show of force to intimidate them and force Korea to submit."

"It wasn't until the Jurchens captured Gaegyeong and advanced towards the Han River that Joseon realized what was happening and began to prepare to flee Seoul. However, the Jurchens had sent several hundred elite Eight Banner troops in advance, using a caravan as cover to infiltrate the vicinity of Seoul and attack the Joseon king and his officials' escort to Ganghwa Island. This frightened the Joseon king so much that he had no choice but to turn around and flee to Namhansanseong Fortress to avoid the Jurchens' advance."

"Hiss, then the Koreans are in big trouble." Qi Yongze sighed, "As long as the Jurchen army surrounds Namhansanseong, the Korean king and his ministers will have no way to escape."

"My lord..." the messenger continued, "The Liaohai Colonization Team organized several armed warships and blockaded the waterway between Ganghwa Island and the mainland. During this time, they also thwarted the Qing forces' attempts to land on the island several times, successfully preventing the Korean royal family members and many ministers' families on the island from being captured by the Qing slaves."

"Oh, they've thought of everything very thoroughly." Qi Yongze smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this. "In this way, no matter how the situation in North Korea ultimately unfolds, they will owe us a debt of gratitude... Any news from Dongjiang Town?"

"Shen Shikui's troops in Dongjiang Town still hold firm in Tieshan City, not allowing the Jurchens to gain any advantage. After suffering some casualties, the Jurchens have stopped their attack and adopted a strategy of encirclement without fighting. They have sent more than 1,500 cavalry to garrison near Tieshan City to prevent Dongjiang Town from breaking out of the encirclement and disrupting their logistics routes."

"However..." The messenger gave a bitter smile. "After learning that the Jurchens had launched a large-scale invasion of Korea, General Huang Long of Dongjiang Town sent 3,000 troops to attack Haizhou (present-day Haicheng City), but they were ambushed by the Jurchens and lost one adjutant, two guerrillas, five centurions, and more than 2,000 officers and soldiers. They retreated to Gaizhou in a sorry state."

"Tsk tsk... How could Lao Huang be so careless?" Qi Yongze sighed upon hearing this. "I reckon that after this battle, the brigade will probably not dare to make any more rash moves."

"Then, what about the Ming army in the Ningjin direction?"

"They seem to be... holding back, and haven't taken any offensive measures yet."

"When our allies are in trouble, we remain unmoved!" Qi Yongze sighed and raised his binoculars to look at the shore.

At this moment, several armed ships that had arrived ahead had ceased their shelling and, led by several small boats, slowly approached the dock, preparing to unload more militia and equipment.

On the shore, the more than 400 militiamen who had landed earlier advanced slowly forward in three rows under the command of their officers.

"First rank, raise your rifles!"

"put!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

White smoke billowed continuously as lead bullets rained down on the hastily assembled North Korean garrison.

Before the archers in the front row could even draw their bows fully, most of them were shot down, their blood seeping onto the hard ground.

"Second column, forward."

"Raise the gun!"

"put!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The second volley followed immediately. The rattan shields of the North Korean soldiers were easily pierced by lead bullets, and the shield-wielding soldiers clutched their chests and staggered to the ground.

Before the third round of musket fire could even begin, the officers turned and ran towards the runners.

The remaining garrison soldiers also abandoned their weapons and fled towards Jeju City.

As the sun set, the gates of Jeju City were blasted open by cannons that had been brought ashore. Amidst the resounding bugle calls, countless gleaming bayonets swarmed into the city, and the entire city was engulfed in smoke and fire.

Before long, a red flag with five stars was flying high above the city gate.

Qi Yongze stepped through the city gate filled with corpses and said indifferently to Zhang Dashan, who came to greet him, "Take inventory of the treasury, incorporate the surrendered soldiers, and tidy up the streets."

“Starting tomorrow, this place will be restored to its former name, ‘Tamlo,’ and will be considered part of Xinhua’s overseas territory.”
-
(End of this chapter)