When Shimazu's army marched south to Urasoe Castle, Urasoe did not have any Ryukyu troops garrisoned. It relied on Yamaboku and Shuri Castle as barriers, and fell without any fierce fighting. The villages and towns under the castle were immediately ravaged by Satsuma samurai, and Shimazu's army passed by. The whole land was a sea of fire. The soldiers looted people's houses and burned them mercilessly. In order to cover up the evil deeds, they set fires afterwards and implemented the scorched earth policy. As a result, a large number of people were displaced. The screams of flames everywhere were unbearable to hear.
After the plunder, the Shimadzu army continued to advance along the avenue with overwhelming force toward Shuri Castle. The road was basically a wide and straight avenue that was undefeable. On April 16, the Shimadzu army's vanguard had appeared 20 miles north of Shuri Castle.
On this day, the wheel of history is still rolling forward according to its own inertia.
A slender sailboat with a Chinese flag on a blue background rowed across the sea like a big bird. It rowed in a zigzag pattern against the strong north wind. It sailed against the wind and headed northward. The Sea Spirit was a ship with this weird shape. The name of the sailing ship. It is a unique fast sailing ship in the world today.
The Sea Spirit immediately set off from Jingang after receiving the warning information from Chen Zhongji. This was a transportation mission that was originally planned. It was not interrupted because of the sneak attack on Taiwan Port.
From Taiwan Island to Ryukyu Island, the Sea Spirit sailed against the wind for ten days and arrived at Naha Port again.
Chen Zhongji did not expect that the Ryukyu army would be so vulnerable. The Japanese pirate army would soon reach Naha Port. He thought that the Ryukyu people should be able to sustain themselves for a period of time relying on those castles that seemed to be relatively strong. Therefore, at this time, he went to Shuri Imperial Castle and asked to see one of the three chief ministers responsible for the defense of Shuri Imperial Castle, Urasoe Chaoshi of the pro-Mei faction. He asked him to allow people from Sinochem Company to enter Shuri Castle to help defend it.
The Kokukin Street around the palace was in chaos. The aristocrats of the Ryukyu Zhongshan Kingdom were already distraught. They all had a pessimistic ideological tendency towards the war. Through the relationship between Lu Yun, the former shopkeeper of the Chunghwa Company in Ryukyu, Chen Zhongji obtained the title of Third Secretary Officer. Received by Imperial Master Urasoe.
A very unexpected thing happened. After Chen Zhongji met with the Urasoe court master in worship, King Shoning of Ryukyu Zhongshan Kingdom suddenly appeared. King Shoning of Ryukyu wore a black gauze hat with side wings, gold Zhuying on the lower plate, a gold hairpin with a dragon head, and a python robe. The waist belt is made of rhinoceros horn white jade. The entire set of royal clothes was given by the envoy of the Ming Dynasty.
Imperial Master Urasoe and other officials quickly knelt down to pay homage. Chen Zhongji also had no choice but to kneel down and pay homage.
King Shangning was in his thirties. He should have been in the prime of life. However, he looked tired and had a discouraged look on his brows. A large group of followers behind him also looked worried. He waved his hand and came directly. When I arrived at the court of Urasoe, I chatted in Ryukyu dialect and then left in a hurry.
The third officer, Urasoe Chaoshi, immediately stood up and ordered his subordinates to do things while walking towards Chen Zhongji.
Chen Zhongji cupped his fists and saluted. Just when he was about to say something, Urasoe said in fluent Chinese: "Young man from Shangguo. I know what you want to do here. Thank you, Oyakata-sama, and you have already informed me. Whatever you want to do, It's too late now. The Japanese army has arrived at the Taiping Bridge outside Shuri Castle. The soldiers led by Lord Oyakata are confronting the Japanese army."
Chen Zhongji was shocked. It had only been 20 days since the Shimazu Army set off on March 27, but the Ryukyu Army's defense line had completely collapsed. The enemy had arrived at the capital city so quickly.
He has nothing to say at this moment. Even if he wants to transfer people from Naha Port to defend the city, it is probably too late. There are still several days to go from Shuri to Naha Port. What Chen Zhongji is now worried about is whether he can defend the city among the Japanese. Rush back to Naha China Merchant Store before occupying Naha Port.
He immediately said goodbye and left the royal city. With Lu Yun's assistance, he passed through the Ryukyu Army's Taiping Bridge defense line and walked toward Naha Port in a hurry.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the Satsuma Domain advanced too quickly. The food they ate could be given to the "people". However, the transportation of gunpowder, bullets and other materials could not keep up with the advance of the frontline troops. Moreover, the Shimadzu Army's There was a gap between the forward and follow-up troops for several days. They needed to adjust on the spot and there were not enough troops to blockade Shuri Castle. Therefore, Chen Zhongji passed through the confrontation zone between the two armies and returned to the Chinese Commercial Building in Naha Port a day later.
The Sea Spirit just happened to enter Naha Port at this time.
The ship was loaded with munitions and supplies, a large amount of food, gold sore medicine and other medicines. The most important thing was that Colonel Coutre led fifty soldiers of the special battalion to land. Two of the latest "sky-blasting cannons" were also escorted. Three hundred Multiple blooming shells.
Chen Zhongji was not happy for long. He soon learned about the Japanese pirates' sneak attack on Taiwan Island.
"The eldest lady is injured. Then, my wife..."
Colonel Coutre is always going strong. This time he came to Ryukyu only after his hard request was approved. He has now been fully integrated into the business of Taiwan Port and China Company. He patted Chen Zhongji on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't worry. Your beautiful Aboriginal wife is fine."
When Courtre set off, Zeng Qian was still alive.
The two walked into the store owner's exclusive study and immediately began to discuss the current situation. Chen Zhongji recounted his experiences along the way from Shuri to Naha: "...In short, the Ryukyu Army is weak and timid and vulnerable. Without military preparation, its weaknesses have been exposed. Because the Ryukyu Army is so cowardly, our Chinese merchant house may engage in battle with the Japanese within a few days."
Kutre stayed for a long time. He shook his head and sighed: "The war department's previous deduction estimated that the Ryukyu Army could hold on to the danger and hold off the Japanese pirates for at least two months. But the current fact is that the Ryukyu Army was lost within twenty days. Two of the three major strongholds guarding Shuri." He opened the window depressedly and looked at the people in the business building who were busy transporting arms and supplies. He sighed and said, "Originally, we thought we could still fight with the Ryukyu Army. Let's fight together. But now...now the business building has been captured and we have to prepare for retreat."
Chen Zhongji shook his head: "The owner of the ship asked us to hold on to the store until the army comes to rescue... I have already prepared the retreat ship. When the time comes, I will ask the clerks, book office, and accountants to evacuate. I will lead the people to defend the store. "
He looked at the dim sky and said: "No matter what, I will stay here and wait for the ship owner's army to come to rescue. There is still a north wind on the sea. But I asked the local old boatman. It will be possible in May. The south wind is blowing..."
…
The Ryukyu Army collapsed so quickly in this battle. Its low combat effectiveness was the main reason. This was actually the result of the influence of Ryukyu's troop-disposal policies. Originally, Ryukyu did not emphasize culture over martial arts. Instead, martial arts became a common practice. The Ming Dynasty envoy wrote "Envoys" There is a saying in "Ryukyu Records": Ryukyu people are brave... born with physical strength, but hungry and thirsty toil...
Before the Ming Dynasty, the Ryukyu people were "brave and good at walking, resistant to death and injury... possessing swords, bows, arrows and swords...". It can be seen that the Ryukyu people were once a martial and brave nation.
However, civilian weapons have been confiscated many times in Ryukyu. The first time was after Shobashi's destruction of Shannan and the unification of the three mountains, and the policy of selling troops was implemented. Shobashi prohibited Ryukyu people from carrying weapons and confiscated swords. The second time was during Shozhin's era. Bows, arrows, knives and other weapons belonging to the residents of various places were nationalized for the purpose of protecting the country. In fact, the weapons were collected into the national treasury and allowed to rust and rot. By the time of the war, they were no longer usable. Several generations of Ryukyu kings tried their best to consolidate the royal family. Ruling position. Implement the policy of taking back the military power of various localities. Keep a large number of nobles in the "Guoqin Street" next to the royal family and serve them with delicious food and drink. At the same time, they will take back their military power and disband their guards. It is simply concrete and subtle. The Ryukyu version of "a cup of wine releases the power of the troops". Therefore, Ryukyu now has become so weak that anyone can step on it.
In addition, the Ryukyu Army has had few wars to fight for many years. When fighting against Satsuma, the individual fighting skills of bare hands cannot be used in group combat. The Ryukyu sergeants are often arranged in uneven formations and follow the usual brawling combat method that has been used since the Sanzan period. It would be strange for the Japanese army to be undefeated.
On his way back and forth to Shuri, Chen Zhongji had already seen the tragedy of Ryukyu's defeated army and the refugees fleeing in droves. He scratched his head and said anxiously: "...the command-and-control battles stationed in various important towns cannot be coordinated. Often unable to stick to established strategies. In the Battle of Nakijin, the Kitayama Guards rushed out of the city with inferior troops, and the triangle guarding Shuri Castle collapsed. Looking at the entire war so far, the Ryukyu Army has nothing worthy of praise. In the military strategy, the various armies and horses were scattered and weak and could not be unified. They fought independently and could not even defend the city. This may be because there has never been a large-scale battle in Ryukyu. However, the Satsuma domain, which was making a successful advance, was a Japanese pirate in the country. A strong vassal state. Naturally, it cannot be compared with it."
"In my opinion, the Japanese pirates will attack Shuri Castle within ten days at the latest. We must be prepared to fight."
…
At this time, the main force of the Chinese United Company's armed forces was gathered in Jilong and Danshui in northern Taiwan. All the Fei Zi battleships were here. Li Kuiqi's professional artillery battalion was also on standby in Jilong. Tens of thousands of soldiers were waiting for the wind direction. changes. Once the south wind blows, the army will immediately set off north to support Ryukyu.
Taiwan Port. Yin Feng urged Li Yue's Engineering Department to formulate and release a Taiwan Port reconstruction plan. Recruiting craftsmen from all provinces in the mainland. Various skilled workers such as carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, and masonry workers were required. At the board meeting, a proposal was made to build a city wall defense system. It was unanimously approved. This sneak attack caused considerable property losses to the board members. Therefore, under the same hatred and hatred, it became imperative to build the city. Therefore, the Chinese Company began to recruit craftsmen aggressively. The city building project began immediately. A A few months later, the first batch of city-building craftsmen were recruited from Ning, Shao, Jin, and Qu counties in Zhejiang. At that time, the contradiction between more people and less land in central and southern Zhejiang was also very prominent. Therefore, residents in these areas had to go out to work. custom.
After arranging the work of building the city and rebuilding the city, Yin Feng left Taiwan City and headed north.