Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 347 "Finding a Guide"

May 15, 1637, Tsushima Island, Renzan Port (now Hida Katsu Port, Tsushima Island).

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept across the harbor, where several Fujian-style ships lay quietly anchored in the bay, their masts towering high and their sails obscuring the sun.

The Koreans on the ship were being roughly driven off the ship by the sailors and were being forced to line up and assemble in the open space of the harbor.

They included ragged farmers, pale-faced craftsmen, bewildered women and children, and even government servants and nobles who had been forcibly taken away.

Their expressions were numb, their eyes vacant, only the young children clung tightly to their mothers' clothes, sobbing softly.

On the wooden pier of the port, several armed guards in gray-blue uniforms were holding rosters and loudly calling out numbers, while hired samurai from the Tsushima Domain watched coldly, their katana gleaming in the sunlight.

Meng Shengxin walked onto the dock on the damp wooden planks, his brows furrowed.

The air was filled with the stench of sweat, fish, and the sea, as well as a faint, almost imperceptible, putrid smell.

Clearly, the transportation conditions for this group of "immigrants" were not ideal.

I wonder how many people were crammed into the cramped cabin.

"How many died?" he asked the officer beside him in a low voice.

"Reporting to you, sir, the four ships departed from Baengnyeong Island and Tamna Island with 1,500 people each, and now only a little over 1,300 remain," the officer replied respectfully. "More than 100 died of illness en route, and some... jumped into the sea themselves."

Meng Shengxin nodded expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over the North Koreans who were surrounded by guards.

Many of them had already been worn down by the journey and were so weak that they could barely stand, but no one dared to protest or make a sound. The entire port was filled with a depressing and deathly atmosphere.

"What should we say to the people of the Ma clan?"

“They’re probably used to it by now,” the officer said with a smile. “And they also know that the island’s land is barren and can’t support too many people, so they’re not worried that we’ll leave a large number of immigrants in Lianshan Fort and take over the place.”

"However, they seem to be having a tough time lately. The elders of the Jong clan and the middle-aged elders have come here several times to inquire about the situation in Korea. They seem to be worried that the Jurchen invasion of Korea will affect the relationship between Japan and Korea and also delay their routine 'tribute trade'."

"Can't the Beiying Island colonization team provide all the goods they want? What are they worried about?"

“Sir, they are worried that Japan and Japan will start another war.” The officer said in a low voice, “I heard that after the news of the Jurchen invasion of Korea reached Japan, the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain and the Mori clan of Choshu Domain, who participated in the invasion of Korea, called for ‘taking advantage of the chaos to launch another invasion.’ The Shimazu clan even secretly prepared five or six ships for this purpose.”

"However, these actions were all suppressed by the shogunate. The Tokugawa clan also forcibly disarmed the Shimazu clan and confiscated their prepared ships on the grounds that the Satsuma Domain had violated the Laws for the Military Houses."

"As a window for diplomacy and trade between Japan and Korea, the Tsushima Domain naturally does not want the two countries to go to war again, so as to affect their own security and interests. Regardless of whether they win or lose, the Tsushima clan will gain very little and will obviously be putting in a lot of effort for little reward. Therefore, it is a domain that firmly opposes the resurgence of war between Japan and Korea."

“Those local vassal states that want to conquer Korea again are probably just trying to take advantage of the situation,” Meng Shengxin said with a grin. “The regions where the Satsuma and Choshu domains are located have suffered from natural disasters in recent years, and countless people are starving. If they can make a quick buck in Korea, it should alleviate their predicament a little.”

“What you say is true, sir. That should be the case.” The officer beckoned to several guards, who then escorted Meng Shengxin to the fortified village.
-
In the evening, Meng Shengxin met with Hirata Uemon, a senior member of the Tsushima Domain, at the Fengxing Clubhouse in Lianshan Fortress, with Liang Sangui, the person in charge of Lianshan Fortress, accompanying him.

Inside the tea room, candlelight flickered.

Hirata knelt on the mat, his posture respectful, but his eyes were sharp as knives.

"Sir, you've come from afar; you must be tired." Hirata bowed slightly, his tone calm. "I wonder how many more days you'll need to stay on this journey to transfer the Korean immigrants?"

"It depends on the weather." Meng Shengxin took a sip of tea. "If the weather is fine, we'll leave in a couple of days. ...Hehe, we need to let the immigrants recover, don't we?"

Meng Shengxin put down his teacup and went straight to the point, "Recently, the Jurchens have attacked and destroyed Korea. I wonder what the Shogunate's opinion is?"

Hirata frowned slightly, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Edo... has not yet made a clear statement." "Oh?" Meng Shengxin smiled faintly. "Korea is Japan's 'land of communication,' and now it has been destroyed by barbarians. The Tokugawa Shogun is indifferent?"

Hirata smiled wryly: "Mr. Meng, you may not know this, but since the end of the Genna era, the shogunate has been extremely cautious in its use of force abroad. Moreover..." He lowered his voice, "the Tatars are powerful, and if we intervene rashly, we may end up getting burned."

"Let me first correct one point: it was not the Tatars who conquered Korea, but the Manchus, or rather the Jurchens, who originated in Liaodong," Meng Shengxin said slowly. "They previously established a state called the Great Jin, but now they have changed their name to the Great Qing."

During this period, the Japanese generally regarded the Later Jin as "another Mongol" and made many predictions that it would be "soon wiped out by the Ming Dynasty." They clearly did not pay enough attention to it, to the point that their naming of the Later Jin was somewhat confused.

"Oh, the Qing Dynasty?" Hirata replied indifferently, "Whatever it is, it can only affect the mainland. It shouldn't have much to do with Japan, or even with the Mabuchi Domain."

"What if the Jurchens invade Tsushima next?" Meng Shengxin suddenly asked.

Hirata's hand trembled, and a few drops of tea splashed out.

“We have no prior grudge against them,” Hirata replied curtly.

“There is an old saying in our Chinese civilization: ‘A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure.’” Meng Shengxin chuckled. “Your Japan has silver mountains, which is already known to the world. But the Jurchens were a barbarian regime that rose to power through plunder and massacre.”

"Now that they have conquered Korea, who knows if they won't covet your Japanese silver mountains? And your Tsushima Domain is the best springboard for conquering Japan."

"This... the Tartars have no navy, how can they cross the sea?" Hirata frowned.

“Just because it’s not there now doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future,” Meng Shengxin said calmly. “Although the Korean navy is weak, if it were reorganized by the Later Jin, it might not be unable to threaten Tsushima.”

Hirata's fingers unconsciously rubbed the scabbard. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Mr. Meng, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Meng Shengxin put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and said in a deep and powerful voice: "Xinhua is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Tsushima Domain to jointly defend against foreign enemies."

"Cooperation?" Hirata raised his eyes.

"The saying goes, 'Prevention is better than cure, and trouble should be nipped in the bud.'" Meng Shengxin said solemnly, "For you, the greatest threat to the Ma Kingdom comes from the sea. If possible, you should eliminate the enemy from the sea in its infancy and prevent it from posing a substantial threat."

"Mr. Meng means..."

"Strike first and annihilate the Korean navy!"

“Hiss…” Hirata gasped. “If we do this, won’t we be going to war with Korea? Once the shogunate finds out, the Otsuma Domain will be in big trouble.”

"As long as you act discreetly, your activities with the Ma clan will not be exposed."

Meng Shengxin smiled. The fact that the other party did not directly refuse, but was worried about the interference and constraints of the shogunate, showed that they also had a subconscious fear and vigilance towards the surrender of Korea to the Ma Domain.

"This matter is of great importance; please allow me to report to the head of the family." Hirata did not give a clear answer.
-
"My lord, why must we involve the Tsushima Domain when we intend to take action against Korea?" After leaving the magistrate's office, Liang Sangui couldn't help but ask. "With the participation of thousands of soldiers from Dongjiang Town, and by launching a surprise attack at a chosen time, we should be able to easily break through the coastal port towns of Korea."

“The Tsushima Domain has a Japanese office in Korea.” Meng Shengxin tightened his woolen overcoat.

“The Japanese residence established by the Tsushima Domain in Doumaopo, Dongnae Prefecture, was closed when the Jurchens invaded Korea, and all the garrison personnel were withdrawn to Jigwara Castle (now Iwakawa-cho, Tsushima City),” Liang Sangui said in surprise.

Meng Shengxin glanced at him, but did not respond. He walked straight towards the inn where he was staying.

"Hey, I'm so stupid!" Liang Sangui thought for a moment, and his mind immediately came to a conclusion.

"We're looking for someone to guide us!"

(End of this chapter)