Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 350 Haven't the Rakshasa people arrived yet?
Do you know where your Lord Wei is now?

Meng Shengxin climbed the watchtower of Kaiping Fort. The north wind blew in his face, and his view suddenly opened up, with a panoramic view of the surrounding geography and terrain for miles around.

In the distance, mountains rise and fall, and jungle paths in the wilderness meander like thin snakes to the horizon.

However, due to the towering mountains of Cape Senjo (now Mount Hakankan) to the south, the waves of the Tsugaru Strait are completely hidden behind the vast mountain shadows, making it impossible to see anything at sea.

He squinted, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the wooden railing.

If a lookout post were set up on that mountaintop, not only would merchant ships and warships passing through the strait be in full view, but on a clear day, one might even be able to see the outline of Honshu Island on the other side.

In this way, the movements of Japanese pirates and maritime trade routes can be detected early.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard hurried footsteps climbing the wooden ladder below.

A moment later, Sun Yougeng, the person in charge of Kaiping Fort, climbed the watchtower, bowed to him, and then stood respectfully to the side.

Two days ago, four Japanese ships carrying Korean immigrants separated in the western section of the Tsugaru Strait. Two of them headed north to Saiyeongpu (now Ishikari City) to further increase the number of settlers in the Sinchon area (now the Ishikari River Plain).

Meanwhile, the other two ships carrying Meng Shengxin turned east and headed towards Linhaibao, waiting to be transferred back to Xinzhou.

After entering the depths of the strait, considering that many of the Korean immigrants on board suffered from alternating chills and fever due to the rough seas, the fleet decided to temporarily anchor at Kaipingbao for rest.

However, the fortress was small and could not accommodate too many immigrants, so only some of those who were unwell could be transferred ashore for simple medical treatment, while the rest of the immigrants remained on the boat.

Fortunately, Kaiping Fort was able to provide them with some fresh water and food, and everyone was allowed to go ashore in batches to stretch their arms and legs, which was a great blessing for the exhausted immigrants.

After a night's rest, Meng Shengxin felt refreshed and had regained some of his strength.

After walking around the fortified village, he climbed the watchtower to look out over the surrounding area and explore the place that later became known in Japan as the Hokkai Genkan.

This port, along with Nagasaki and Yokohama, is known as one of Japan's three oldest ports and is also one of the world's three best night views.

However, by this time, with the strong intervention of Xinhua, not only will Hanguan, where Kaiping Fort is located, be no longer under Japanese control.

Upon realizing this, Meng Shengxin, who was already over forty years old, felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

If we could seize the opportunity, using Hokkaido as a base, and mobilize tens of thousands of naval and land troops to give Japan another sound beating, forcing it to sign a 17th-century Twenty-One Demands, that would be even more gratifying.

By the way, I wonder where Wei Zhonglong, who is currently stationed on Beiying Island, is. It would be best to meet him before returning to the mainland.

“Reporting to Lord Meng,” Sun Yougeng bowed, “A month ago, I learned from the Beiyingtang Daily that Lord Wei was inspecting the local settlement in Guide Castle (now Monbetsu, a city in northern Hokkaido). As for where Lord Wei is now, I do not know.”

"Guideburg?" Meng Shengxin asked, then paused, "Where is Guideburg?"

“Uh, it seems to be a coastal area north of Beiying Island.” Sun Yougeng hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, “It is said that a gold mine has been discovered there, and local natives and immigrants are already mining it sporadically. Therefore, Lord Wei took his men there to see what the situation is.”

"Oh, a gold mine?" Meng Shengxin didn't show any joy upon hearing about the gold mine; instead, he frowned. "Has word of this spread?"

"It probably didn't spread widely," Sun Yougeng said somewhat uncertainly. "After receiving the news, the colonization team immediately dispatched a small squad of self-defense troops to block all land and sea transportation links in Guideburg to ensure that the news was covered up."

"However, it cannot be ruled out that the local natives may have spread the news to the Japanese through trade or personnel exchanges."

“Yes, Beiying Island did a very timely and thorough job.” Meng Shengxin nodded and said, “Although Beiying Island is now strong enough to withstand any invasion from outside forces, it would still be a very troublesome thing if the discovery of the gold mine attracted the covetousness of others.”

“What you say is true, sir,” Sun Yougeng agreed.

"How is your Beiying Island colonization team's development in the Jiangdong area (east of the Ussuri River)?" Meng Shengxin asked.

“Reporting to Lord Meng…” Sun Yougeng paused for a moment, then said, “As of last December, our Beiying Island Colonization Team has established seven settlements in the Jiangdong area, relocating more than 500 people. … However, due to terrain limitations, we have not yet penetrated deep into the inland areas; all of our settlements are along the coast.”

"However, during the winter months, an inland exploration team was organized and has reached the vicinity of Xingka Lake (i.e., Xingka Lake), and has established preliminary contact with several local indigenous tribes."

"Excellent, excellent!" Meng Shengxin praised repeatedly, "Your actions are quite swift! I believe that with the arrival of a large number of Korean immigrants, your colonization progress will greatly accelerate."

"What about the situation in the Heilongjiang River basin?"

"Following the establishment of Bolibao at the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Ussuri Rivers last May, the colonization team once again dispatched two galleys to the Heilongjiang River basin last month, preparing to establish two outposts near the estuary and at a certain location in the middle of the lower reaches, laying the foundation for further colonization in the two river basins."

"During the exploration of the two river basins, did you discover any Rakshasa people?" Meng Shengxin asked softly.

“Rakshasa people?” Sun Yougeng paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I am not sure if any Rakshasa tribes have been discovered, and the reports have not mentioned them. I have only heard that there are many vassal tribes in the Liangjiang River basin who live by fishing and hunting, and are fierce by nature, almost no different from the Jurchens.”

"Heh, so that means Tsarist Russia hasn't even gotten close yet?" Meng Shengxin felt a sense of relief for no apparent reason.

"My lord?..." Sun Yougeng looked at him, puzzled. Could this indigenous tribe known as "Rakshasa" be so threatening?

Judging from the looks of it, this Lord Meng is very fond of him!
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With a blush, Kim Soo-yeon took a bowl of steaming corn porridge from the village guard, gave a slight curtsy, and immediately turned to leave.

She hadn't gone far when she heard a burst of men's laughter behind her, which startled her so much that she quickened her pace, ignoring the rule in the "Guan Yu Yao Lan" that women should not move more than three inches.

"Father, have some hot food..." Entering a wooden house, Kim Soo-yeon carefully handed a bowl of porridge to her father, who was half-lying on the bed.

"..." Jin Shimin took the bowl of porridge, took a few sips, and the sweet, fragrant, and soft corn porridge made his mouth water and taste incredibly delicious. "Where is your brother?"

"He was called away to organize the books that came with the ship," Kim Soo-yeon said in a low voice.

"Sigh..." Kim Si-min sighed, stopped talking, and drank the corn porridge in the bowl in one gulp, finally feeling a little full.

Hmm, this porridge and rice is quite delicious.

"Father, are you feeling any better?" Kim Soo-yeon asked with concern.

"Hmm, it's alright." Jin Shimin handed the bowl of porridge to her daughter. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Daughter... has eaten," Kim Soo-yeon replied softly.

She recalled how, when she was queuing for food in the cafeteria, the burly man in charge of cooking stared at her for a long time, his gaze almost piercing through her clothes, which terrified her so much that she almost turned and ran away.

Fortunately, an officer in a Xinhua military uniform came over, raised his scabbard, and struck him, which made him withdraw his terrifying gaze and take a cornbread and two potatoes for himself.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, for some reason, that heroic military uniform always lingered in my mind.

"Alas, having come to this desolate island in northern Japan, I wonder what fate awaits us in the future!" Jin Shimin saw a hint of fear on his daughter's pretty face, and his heart tightened, making him feel like he couldn't breathe.

“Father, I vaguely saw Miss Cui, the Protector-General of Yan’an, in the village…” Jin Xiuyan suddenly thought of something, “She seems to be serving that Lord Meng of Xinhua as a maid.”

“Hmm?” Jin Shimin paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. “When the Qing invaded, most of the counties and protectorates in Huanghai Road became battlefields. Miss Cui was probably a victim of the Qing army after they broke through Yan’an. She drifted to the coast with the refugees and was then unexpectedly captured by the new Chinese.”

"Times have changed, the nation is in peril, and the people are suffering. Even those of noble birth and family status cannot escape unscathed. Miss Cui, the Prefect, has fallen to such a state, and we..."

As she spoke, Kim Si-min looked at her daughter, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with sobs.

As a loyal minister of the state and a governor of a region, he could neither defend the territory and protect the people, nor protect his family from being bullied.

This is a disgrace to our generation!

Although, from the time they were captured on Jeju Island until they were escorted to the deserted islands of northern Japan, the new Chinese had not yet committed any acts of harming or humiliating the people.

But once we're on their turf, we're at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. If anything happens, we can only silently endure whatever comes our way.

A man of noble birth might be driven to become a slave and suffer endless toil.

So, a woman as beautiful as her daughter would surely meet a tragic end.

On the ship, I chatted with Mr. Meng from Xinhua about the Qing dynasty's ravages in Korea. He said that after the Korean king and his ministers submitted to the Qing, the Qing almost completely looted Seoul.

When the Qing troops withdrew, they also abducted more than 400,000 Korean civilians (the total number abducted in the original history was nearly 500,000), and herded them like cattle and sheep from the Han River to the Yalu River.

Along the way, there were piles of corpses and the sound of weeping filled the air.

The three provinces and counties of Huanghai, Ping'an, and Jiangyuan were practically deserted, with nine out of ten houses empty and no one living for miles around.

Lord Meng also said that in any war launched by the Qing Dynasty thereafter, even a military attack on the Ming Dynasty, Korea would have to send troops to participate in order to fulfill the obligations of a vassal state.

As for the grain, cloth, iron, and other war and civilian supplies that the Qing army lacked, Korea was not allowed to conceal them in the slightest and had to fulfill all requests and deliver them.

Even if natural disasters, plagues, or famines occur in Korea, the Qing dynasty's material needs must not be neglected.

Lord Meng quipped, "From now on, Korea will be the Qing barbarians' ATM, ready to be used and withdrawn at will!"

Although Kim Si-min didn't quite understand what an "ATM" meant.

But he understood the general meaning behind Lord Meng's words.

Korea served as the Qing dynasty's logistical base, providing them with a continuous stream of manpower and resources to launch their relentless attacks on the Ming dynasty.

Until some point, when North Korea's last ounce of strength is exhausted.
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(End of this chapter)