Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 341 "Strange Phenomena Spark Controversy"

"These horses aren't very good quality!"

On February 28, 1637, at a horse farm near Hallasan Mountain on Tamna Island (now Jeju Island), Qi Yongze, the head of the Bukyeong Island colonization team, led a group of military and political personnel to inspect the stock of warhorses in the area.

This horse farm houses over 2,700 so-called warhorses, as well as more than 1,400 cattle and sheep, managed by over 50 herdsmen, scattered across a vast hillside, leisurely grazing on the green grass.

Located near the eastern foothills of Hallasan Mountain, the area has a relatively mild climate, is less affected by sea breezes in winter, and has abundant water and grass, making it ideal for horses to overwinter.

However, after walking around the horse farm, Qi Yongze's expression grew increasingly grim, and he could not hide his disappointment.

Are these horses definitely warhorses?

All the horses have an average shoulder height of only 100-110 centimeters. Once mounted, they gallop at full speed, but in less than ten minutes, their speed will drop. No matter how much the whip is lashed, it cannot be made to gallop at high speed again.

This stamina is clearly severely lacking!
Worse still, the horses were generally thin and weak, with dull yellow coats. After adding another rider, the horses could barely run and could only slowly trudge forward.

Even without having done much in-depth research on warhorses, Qi Yongze knew that most of these horses were not suitable for cavalry raids.

At best, they could only be used as riding horses for military campaigns.

Alternatively, it was used for horse-drawn carriage transport and agricultural cultivation.

"Reporting to Your Excellency..." Fu Shichang, who was accompanying him, carefully replied, "Many horse farms on Jeju Island are government-run, but the government's horse administration has been in disarray for a long time, which has made the officials of the Horse Breeding Bureau and the Horse Breeding Capital extremely lax, and they are only interested in corruption and embezzlement. Naturally, they have not put their minds on the operation of the horse farms."

"Are all the other horse farms on the island like this?" Qi Yongze sighed slightly.

These horses are more like donkeys and would probably be difficult to use for cavalry warfare.

Not to mention being placed on the Liaodong battlefield to face off against the elite Eight Banners cavalry.

“Uh…” Fu Shichang hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, “My lord, all the horse farms on the island should be in the same situation. However, if we carefully select them, we can still gather several hundred usable warhorses. After all, the Ming Dynasty has often requisitioned warhorses from our Joseon for military use.”

"Oh, the Ming Dynasty used to frequently requisition warhorses from Korea?" Qi Yongze asked with a curious look.

“Indeed, my lord,” Fu Shichang nodded and said, “As early as the Yongle era, the Ming Dynasty frequently requisitioned warhorses from our Joseon for the northern expedition against the Mongols. At its peak, Jeju Island once provided three thousand excellent warhorses, which were then sent to the Ming Dynasty. However, since the Wanli era, the quality and scale of horse breeding on Jeju Island have declined, and warhorses have rarely been sent to the Ming Dynasty anymore.”

"To be honest, my lord, the predicament faced by many horse farms on Jeju Island is partly due to the frequent requisitioning of superior horse breeds by the Ming Dynasty. Without good horse breeds, the horses bred and produced thereafter are naturally getting worse and worse. As a result, the horses produced on the island are now mainly used for transportation and local garrison troops, rather than the imperial court's elite cavalry."

"What a pity!" Qi Yongze said with a hint of regret. "If we want to restore this horse farm and breed a large number of usable warhorses again, is that possible?"

Fu Shichang was speechless for a moment, his eyes darting around in a panic, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He pondered for a moment, then pointed to a horse herder feeding a horse in the distance and said, “Sir, I’m not sure either. But we can ask these horse herders who have raised horses for generations; they might know better.”

"Okay, call him over." Qi Yongze nodded.

"Amur..." Fu Shichang immediately ran a few steps and shouted loudly at the herdsman, "You lowly bastard, come here right now, the master wants to ask you some questions!"

Upon hearing the call, the herdsman immediately dropped the reins and whip and rushed over, not forgetting to straighten his tattered clothes and fawn over Fu Shichang.

"Amur, tell this man, is it still possible for the horse farms on the island to restore their former glory from hundreds of years ago and raise thousands of fine horses?" Fu Shichang asked loudly in Korean, his tone full of impatience and disgust, as he brought the herdsman back to Qi Yongze.

“%&#……%#*￥…” The muhu glanced fearfully at Qi Yongze and the armed militiamen behind him, then immediately lowered his head and stammered a few words.

"My lord..." Fu Shichang's face twitched a few times after hearing this, and he relayed it with a troubled expression: "My lord, this Mu Hu said that it is not impossible to restore the breeding of superior breeds at the island's horse farm. However, it will require... it will require more trouble and... time."

"Hmm, what kind of trouble will it take, and how much time will it take?"

"My lord, we need to import at least several dozen fine horses from outside to increase the number of horses for breeding. Furthermore..." Fu Shichang's voice lowered slightly, "...it will take eight to ten years to breed a batch of warhorses suitable for our cavalry..."

"Ten years?...Does it really take that long?"

“My lord,” Fu Shichang explained, “that the herdsman said that to obtain a batch of high-quality, stable horses, the breeding of horses must go through at least 3-4 generations of selection. And the replacement of each generation of horses takes about five years.”

“Eight to ten years to breed a batch of usable warhorses is only a temporary measure. If horse administration is not continued, or if there is any slackening or negligence, there may even be setbacks in the breeding of fine horses.”

"Oh..." Qi Yongze nodded slightly.

It took eight to ten years to breed a batch of fine horses that could go to war, which was around the time when the Jurchens entered the pass.

At that time, we didn't know if we had the military capability to directly confront the Jurchen's large-scale cavalry legions.

To reverse the catastrophe of the Jia Shen year, relying solely on the convenience of ships and adopting guerrilla tactics to harass the coast is utterly insufficient to shake the surging tide of history.

Therefore, it is necessary to transform one's own army into a "mechanized" mode, compete with the Jurchens on land in terms of battlefield mobility, and combine this with the existing naval advantage in order to gain some strategic initiative in the future great changes in China.

"Ten years it is!" Qi Yongze looked at the herdsman and said gently, "Amur, would you be willing to serve Xinhua and thoroughly reorganize and improve the many horse farms on the island to breed more good horses?"

"..." Mu Hu was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Qi Yongze, then turned to look at Fu Shichang. Perhaps he didn't understand, or perhaps he was afraid of the difference in status, so he didn't dare to reply and lowered his head again.

These nomadic herders had long suffered oppression and humiliation from the officials of the horse-breeding bureau and the horse-breeding capital. Furthermore, due to ethnic differences, they were subjected to all kinds of discrimination and humiliation by the Koreans on the island. They had long lost the demeanor of the former Mongol lords and were left only with a subservient and obedient existence.

Judging from this, the "shaved-hair" official in front of him seems to be of a very high status. Not only are the once high-ranking Korean officials of the horse breeding bureau carefully serving him, but even Master Fu, one of the three major local tycoons, is deliberately flattering and fawning over him, being extremely respectful.

His gentle and pleasant manner in speaking to a lowly herdsman made Amur feel uneasy and even somewhat anxious.

More than half a month ago, gunfire and shouts of battle filled Jeju Island. A group of soldiers armed with muskets, under the cover of large ships' cannons, first captured Jeju City, taking all the Joseon officials, including the governor, the prefect, the city garrison commander, and the military commander, prisoner. Then, in the following days, they successively captured Jeongui County in the east and Daejeong County in the southwest, and sent small teams of soldiers into the various government-run horse farms, taking control of all the horse-breeding officials and the herders. Their fate changed at that moment.

After overcoming the initial panic and unease, these nomadic tribesmen discovered that the army that had invaded the island did not seem to be brutal. They did not indiscriminately kill or set fires, nor did they allow their troops to plunder. Instead, they tried their best to maintain social order and local security on the island.

However, their methods were also extremely cruel towards North Korean officials and local powerful families who dared to resist.

Those officials who incited defeated soldiers and deserters to rebel were captured and beheaded as a warning. Their heads were hung on the city wall as a deterrent.

The Gao family, the most powerful clan on the island, resisted these armed forces that tried to seize the island. When they requisitioned food and supplies, they resorted to force, attempting to defend themselves with the Wubao Fortress they had built over the past century.

Unexpectedly, these armed forces calling themselves Xinhua brought several powerful naval cannons and bombarded the fortress for two days, breaking through several huge gaps in what Gao had touted as an impregnable fortress. Then, hundreds of fully armed musketeers swarmed in, killing and wounding more than 160 fortress guards, and the rest surrendered.

The head of the Gao family and several of his direct descendants were beheaded, their heads hung above Wubao, and all the family property accumulated over hundreds of years was confiscated.

This action greatly deterred the officials and local tyrants on the island, and everyone immediately changed their attitude. They actively supported and cooperated with the implementation of various policies and measures subsequently issued by the new Chinese government, and dared not have any further thoughts of resistance.

To be honest, after these new Chinese conquered Jeju Island, the lives of ordinary Korean farmers and lowly horse ranchers suddenly improved.

To ensure the basic living needs of more than 20,000 people on the island, Xinhua actively stabilized the supply of materials.

They organized personnel to check and register the island's stockpiled supplies, formulated a supply plan based on the number of islanders and their needs, and regularly distributed food and other supplies in fixed quantities.

At the same time, they also encouraged and helped the islanders resume agricultural, fishing and other production activities.

Before spring arrives, farmers are actively organized to repair farmland and improve irrigation facilities.

Of the more than 100,000 mu of farmland confiscated from the Gao family, in addition to some being given as rewards to the Xinhua soldiers, a considerable amount of the land was also distributed free of charge to landless Korean farmers, and it was stipulated that the agricultural tax collection rate would be around 30%.

As for the exorbitant taxes and levies previously imposed by the imperial court and local governments, they were all abolished.

Of course, the court's laws and policies were also abolished at the same time.

The new Chinese then promulgated the laws and regulations they had formulated, clearly stipulating the guidelines and reward and punishment measures for various behaviors.

These laws sound extremely fair and transparent, and claim to treat everyone equally, whether they are new Chinese or local islanders, they must strictly abide by them, and violators will be punished.

Xinhua also stated that, given certain conditions, all children on the island, regardless of their background or ethnicity, can attend school to read, write, and learn knowledge and culture.

When Amur heard these rumors, he didn't really believe them. Like most islanders, he adopted a wait-and-see attitude and was hesitant.

These measures seem highly unlikely.

Even setting aside the fact that all children have the opportunity to receive free education, the principle of equality among all people on the island would likely be impossible to fully implement.

The Koreans, much like the Ming Dynasty, held the attitude that those who were not of their race must have different hearts, and they discriminated against and humiliated these descendants of the Mongols to the extreme, making them live a life of perpetual inferiority.

Those who raised livestock and cared for horses at the horse farm were frequently subjected to ruthless exploitation by officials and clerks in charge of horse breeding.

They were starving, cold, and didn't even have a proper place to live. At night, they had to huddle together with cattle and livestock. They were despised by the people of the Ming Dynasty and called "shameful Tartars," "mixed barbarians," or even "lowly races."

In the past two weeks, new Chinese people have arrived at the horse farm. When they were checking and counting the number of livestock, they instructed the North Korean horse management officials to provide them with enough food, and for the first time ever, they were able to eat their fill.

Therefore, in the eyes of these herdsmen, these new Chinese were much more benevolent than the Koreans.

"My lord, are you planning to make extensive use of these barbarian herdsmen?"

As the group left the horse farm, preparing to return to Suiping City (also known as Jizhou City), Zhang Dashan, the militia captain, glanced back at the grateful herdsmen and shook his head slightly.

"Are you trying to say that they are mixed barbarians, not descendants of our Han people, and that they might harbor rebellious intentions in the future?" Qi Yongze urged his horse on, gradually increasing its speed.

"Your Majesty, it's clear."

"Regarding newly expanded territories, our Chinese ancestors once proposed a highly effective ruling model called 'Heterogeneous Contradictions.'" Qi Yongze, preparing to cultivate this subordinate, slowly said, "This is a more sophisticated balancing strategy than 'using barbarians to control barbarians.' Its core lies in deliberately creating heterogeneous contradictions within the ruling system, achieving stable control through the mutual checks and balances of multiple power structures."

"This theory will demonstrate a highly covert yet effective control efficiency in border governance and even in the rule of newly established territories. After we occupy Tamna Island, we will be nothing more than outsiders to tens of thousands of Koreans. To put it bluntly, we will be invaders."

"Therefore, in order to reduce the strong resistance of the island's residents and strengthen our ruling foundation, we must win over and give preferential treatment to a particular ethnic group and make them our allies."

"The majority of people on the island are of Korean descent, so we naturally cannot win them over to maintain basic social order, nor can we give them too much power, lest they become too powerful and difficult to control."

"The thousands of herdsmen on the island became our priority target. After all, these people have suffered centuries of oppression and humiliation at the hands of the Koreans, living like slaves. If we give them even a little bit of sweetness, they will surely turn to us unconditionally and become our powerful henchmen and helpers."

"Moreover, the tens of thousands of cattle and horses that we value most will also rely on these herdsmen for feeding and raising, and the cavalry stationed in the future will also be conscripted from among them. If used properly, they will definitely be a sharp and effective weapon."

"I have learned a lot!" Zhang Dashan said sincerely, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "This is just like how we dealt with the Ainu on Beiying Island. We transferred them to Kuye Island or Yongmingbao (now Vladivostok) to govern the local indigenous tribes, and then conscripted the local indigenous people, trained them into groups, and transported them to Beiying Island to intimidate the Ainu people."

“Yes, that’s right, that makes sense.” Qi Yongze said with a smile, “However, this is only a temporary measure, not a long-term solution. Right now, we need to increase the immigration efforts. As long as we bring in enough Han Chinese from within the Ming Dynasty and continuously educate and tame them, we can use them as our base to suppress all other ethnic groups.”

"You must remember that the way to rule lies in balance and checks and balances, and also in establishing a multi-layered system of checks and balances according to the specific circumstances, in order to stabilize our ruling order."

"I have noted it down!"

"Alright, having taken stock of our assets on the island, it's time for us to head back to Suiping." Qi Yongze lightly tapped the horse's flanks with his feet, increasing its speed a bit more. "King Yi Jong of Joseon has surrendered to the Jurchens, and we still have many matters to attend to. We can't let all the plans we've made go to waste."

"We must not let the Jurchens benefit from Korea so easily."
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(End of this chapter)