Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 553 The Origin of the Japanese Pirates

In the two weeks following the conclusion of this meeting, Lu Jin issued a series of military and political orders.

First, Zhu Liangzu, who was stationed in Fujian, was ordered to recruit soldiers locally in Fujian, giving priority to young and strong men who were landless, wanted to be allocated land, and were willing to immigrate to Southeast Asia. He promised that as long as they were willing to serve, they would be allocated land and wives.

Officers were selected from officers of the Second Army, who were over 35 years old, held a position below battalion commander, were about to retire, and were willing to immigrate to Southeast Asia with the army. They could be promoted one rank and transferred, with voluntary application being the primary method.

The soldiers were selected from the people of Fujian and former prisoners of war of the Yuan army. They volunteered, and the total strength was one regiment. The regiment was required to be formed before the New Year. The weapons and armor used were the lamellar armor captured from the Yuan army.

The standard armor of the Holy Warriors is cloth armor, which is not suitable for use in Southeast Asia. Otherwise, they would die of heatstroke there, especially in the oil fields on the east coast of Borneo, which they are about to attack, as it is located right in the middle of the equator.
He also ordered Fang Guozhen, who was also stationed in Fujian, to take fifteen ships from his fleet to form a small fleet, which, along with a regiment of soldiers, would be handed over to Chen Youliang. All of this was in preparation for Chen Youliang to expand into Southeast Asia after the New Year.

At the same time, Lu Jin's order to summon Zhu Chongba back to the capital to report on his duties also reached Liaodong. Just then, Goryeo was also going to pay tribute, so he rushed back to the capital with the Goryeo delegation.

Previously, Lu Jin had demanded 20,000 warhorses, 20,000 tribute women, and 100,000 catties of lead from Goryeo. Goryeo was caught off guard and could not produce so many items in time. They could only promise to deliver them all by the end of the year. This time, they came to fulfill their promise.

By the beginning of the twelfth lunar month this year, Goryeo finally delivered the promised 100,000 catties of lead, the remaining horses that had not yet been delivered, and the tribute women as scheduled, and sent them to Dongning Prefecture on the other side of the Yalu River, where they were received by General Liu Futong.

However, the matter was not over after the tribute was paid. The vassal states of Goryeo had the custom of paying tribute to the suzerain state every Lunar New Year. Therefore, after the tribute was paid, they still sent a delegation to Nanjing to pay tribute. Zhu Chongba returned with them.

Historically, Goryeo and Joseon were the same. Every year on New Year's Day, the winter solstice, and the emperor's birthday, they would send delegations to pay homage. Six times a year! They were truly good sons of the Ming Dynasty, constantly coming to pay their respects, driving the Ming Dynasty to its wits' end.
On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Chongba finally returned to Jiankang from Liaodong. He first went to the Ministry of Military Affairs of the Privy Council to report on his duties, and then he was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor.

Lu Jin was reviewing memorials when Li Dingbang came to report that Zhu Chongba had arrived outside the palace. He immediately ordered Li Dingbang to bring the man in.

Zhu Chongba entered the hall and saw Lu Jin sitting behind the imperial desk. He immediately cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your subject Zhu Chongba greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be in good health."

"No need for formalities, I am well." Lu Jin responded, then looked up at him and smiled, "It's been a year since we last met, and you've become quite the smooth talker. Someone, bring a seat for the Earl of Danyang."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Come closer, don't sit so far away."

"Yes."

Zhu Chongba quickly moved a brocade stool to sit in front of the imperial desk, and Lu Jin then asked him, "How has the situation in Liaodong been over the past year?"

Zhu Chongba immediately replied, “Your Majesty, there are over 100,000 troops stationed in Liaodong, so no villains would dare to act rashly. For the past year or so, my vanguard regiment has been stationed in Shenyang with the First Imperial Guard Division. It is not too far from the front line, and my troops are not cavalry, so they do not need to participate in border patrols.”

"We usually train troops in Shenyang to prepare for war, and are ready to be dispatched by the Army Headquarters at any time, in order to prevent any foolish villains from invading."

"However, since the beginning of this year, the court has been continuously relocating people to Liaodong. I felt that it was not right for the troops to be idle all the time, so I reported to Commander Yang that my vanguard regiment should help the newly arrived garrison division to reclaim wasteland. The location was near Shenyang, and Commander Yang agreed."

"I have been busy with this for a year and have finally managed to settle down the military settlements. This year, the military settlements in Liaodong are doing very well. The wheat, sorghum, and soybeans have all yielded a bumper harvest. I believe that if we continue to migrate people like this, Liaodong will be able to be self-sufficient in a few years."

Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "Reclamation was originally the task of those reclamation divisions. As the regimental commander of the main field army's Imperial Guard Division, your main task was to have your troops help the reclamation divisions reclaim wasteland. Didn't your soldiers complain?"

Zhu Chongba quickly said, "They dare not. Besides, daily training is exhausting, and land reclamation is also exhausting. No matter how you train, it's still training. Why not take this opportunity to help with something practical? Once Liaodong has some output, the court can gain a foothold in Liaodong sooner."

"Moreover, I don't just order the soldiers to do the work; I also go to the fields myself, so naturally they don't dare to complain."

"Oh? You actually went to work in the fields yourself?" Lu Jin asked curiously. "Show me your hands."

Zhu Chongba immediately stretched out his hands, revealing his calloused palms, and said, “Your Majesty, in every battle, no matter where we fight, the Vanguard Regiment has always been at the forefront. The officers of the Vanguard Regiment are always the first to lead from the front, fearless of death. As the military commander of the Vanguard Regiment, even when it comes to clearing land, how can I hide behind others? Of course, I must personally go to the fields to set an example for the entire regiment.”

"I also organized a competition among the soldiers of each battalion to see who could reclaim the most land. Those who made the most contributions were rewarded with meat. In just the spring and autumn seasons this year, my regiment of more than 4,000 men reclaimed more than 40,000 mu of new land, averaging about 10 mu per person."

Lu Jin was somewhat moved upon hearing this and immediately praised, "You have done a good job. It seems that I did not choose the wrong people."

Zhu Chongba was a little confused, not knowing what Lu Jin meant. Did he mean that he had made the right choice in selecting him as the regimental commander, or that he had some mission to be sent back this time?
Lu Jin then asked, "Has all the military rations for Liaodong this year been delivered?"

Zhu Chongba quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the military rations were transported to Jinzhou and Lushun in the first ten days of winter this year. The quantity should be correct. After the military rations arrived, Commander Yang immediately ordered all units to transport the grain to the warehouses of each division before the snow falls this year."

"After receiving Your Majesty's order, I dared not delay and immediately set off for the capital. When I returned, Liaodong was still transporting military rations to various units. Now, I think they should have been delivered to the warehouses of the various units by now."

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, and only then did he feel relieved. After learning about the situation in Liaodong, he then asked another question.

Do you know what I've summoned you back for?

"I don't know."

Zhu Chongba shook his head; he truly didn't know, and he himself was full of questions.

Lu Jin then said, "You are already the Earl of Danyang, would you like to be promoted to Marquis?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba's heart stirred, and after a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, he quickly cupped his hands and said.

"When I was a squad leader, I captured Nahachu alive. It was only a minor achievement. I was appreciated by Your Majesty and was granted the title of Earl of Danyang. I was already apprehensive about being able to receive this honor. In the years I have followed the army on expeditions, I have made some small contributions, but I know that I am not worthy of being ennobled."

"However, I am ambitious and willing to make contributions to repay Your Majesty's kindness. If Your Majesty gives any orders, I will gladly die for you!"

“Well said, you are indeed a person who dares to take on responsibilities.” Lu Jin immediately stood up and said, “Then come with me.”

"Yes."

Lu Jin immediately led him toward the side hall, asking, "Chongba, do you know anything about the Japanese pirates?"

"I have heard some of it."

"How much do you know?" Zhu Chongba carefully considered his words before replying, "I heard that during the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Yuan Shizu sent an envoy to Japan, demanding that Japan acknowledge the Yuan Dynasty as its suzerain and pay tribute to the Yuan Dynasty. However, Japan refused and instead killed the Yuan Dynasty envoy. Emperor Yuan Shizu was furious and immediately established the Zhengdong Province in Goryeo. He also joined forces with Goryeo to send troops across the sea to conquer Japan, but both expeditions were defeated. After that, nothing more was heard of it."

"The Japanese also suffered a great loss when the Yuan invaders attacked their homeland. After that, they often sent small groups of bandits to harass the coastal areas of China and Korea. These bandits were called Wokou by the people and the court."

Lu Jin nodded, but then said, "What you've said is just the tip of the iceberg. The reasons behind it involve historical records from various dynasties, which you probably haven't heard of. In fact, Japan and China have had a long-standing feud, and it's not that simple."

As they talked, they arrived at a side hall. A giant world map hung on the wall of the side hall, and a huge sand table was placed in the middle of the hall.

Lu Jin approached the map, picked up his baton, tapped the area of ​​the Japanese archipelago, and began to explain the origins of Japan and its relationship with successive Chinese dynasties.

The earliest people to cross the sea from the Korean Peninsula to Kyushu, Japan, are the origin of the Japanese people, hence they call themselves the Genji. Later, in order to learn Chinese technology, they traveled thousands of miles to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, and the tribute consisted of bamboo sticks, tattered hemp cloth and other such items.

However, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, was moved by his filial piety and still granted the title of King of Wa to the Japanese. There is still a gold seal in Japan bestowed by Emperor Guangwu of Han, titled "King of Wa of Han," and he also passed on iron smelting and knife-making techniques to the Japanese.

After the fall of the Han Dynasty, Japan continued to interact with the Cao Wei regime. At that time, they called themselves "Yamatai", which is a transliteration of the Japanese words "Yamatai" and "Yamato". Later, Emperor Ming of Wei conferred the title of "pro-Wei Wa-wang" on Queen Himiko of Japan, allowing Japan to continue to learn technology from China.

But those damned Japanese were ungrateful. When the Sui Dynasty came to power, Prince Shotoku sent envoys to pay tribute to Emperor Yang of Sui. In the letter to Emperor Yang, the envoy wrote, "The emperor of the land where the sun rises asks the emperor of the land where the sun sets." This sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Afterward, Japan even usurped Emperor Yang's title and secretly proclaimed itself emperor.

During the Tang Dynasty, the peninsula was in turmoil, with Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje vying for supremacy. The Sui and Tang dynasties launched several campaigns against Goguryeo. Japan's disloyalty intensified, and it even intended to seize control of China. It allied with Baekje, hoping to occupy a piece of land on the mainland and then gradually expand northward.

This led to the Battle of Baekgang between Tang and Japan. In this battle, Japan suffered a crushing defeat and realized the huge gap between itself and Tang. As a result, Japan sent 19 batches of envoys to Tang to humbly learn various technologies from Tang.

Buddhism was also introduced to Japan at that time. During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, the Wa people "somewhat learned the Chinese language" and felt that Wa was not a good word. So they asked Empress Wu Zetian to change their name to Japan, meaning the land of the rising sun.

Japan actively learned from the Tang Dynasty, adopting its centralized system and various technologies, but deliberately avoided China's imperial examination and bureaucratic system. The Buddhism that was transmitted there was also distorted into Shintoism, and the king was mythologized into an emperor with an unbroken imperial line. Intermarriage and inbreeding were also practiced.

After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Japan stopped sending envoys to China. The Song and Yuan Dynasties were the darkest period for the Han people, and Japan paid even less attention to them. Although there was no official contact between the two countries during the Song Dynasty, there was still trade among merchants, and Japanese swords and folding fans were introduced into China.

Zhu Chongba knew almost everything that happened after the Yuan Dynasty, but Lu Jin added that the reason why Japanese pirates appeared was not entirely due to Japan's revenge against China and Goryeo, but also due to their internal reasons.

Then Lu Jin went on to tell him about the origins of the Japanese shogunate, the so-called "shogun who holds the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords," and the time when the Yuan Dynasty sent envoys to Japan to pay tribute, which happened to be during the Kamakura period.

Unfortunately, the head of the Kamakura Shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo, had already died, and power had fallen into the hands of the Hojo clan, a relative of the Minamoto family.

The envoy sent by Kublai Khan was killed by the Hojo clan. It was the Hojo clan's decision to continue its isolationist policy and refuse to interact with the Yuan Dynasty that led to the two invasions of Japan.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba exclaimed in surprise, "The Shogun holds the Emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, and then this Genji clan relative, acting as the Shogunate's puppet, commands the Emperor?"

Lu Jin nodded. "That's about right."

"This is too audacious! They are truly traitors and rebels. In my opinion, the Hojo clan and the Kamakura shogunate also dare not associate with the Yuan court. Otherwise, if Kublai Khan asked them, 'Where is your king?' how would they answer and how would they conduct themselves? The Celestial Empire cannot possibly appoint a traitorous general or a relative of the emperor as the king of Japan, can it?" Zhu Chongba immediately guessed.

Lu Jin nodded again, "That is indeed possible."

After that came two joint expeditions to the east by the Yuan Dynasty and Goryeo. Leaving aside how the Yuan-Goryeo allied forces were defeated, let's talk about Japan itself. Japan is an island nation, surrounded by the sea as a barrier. Apart from the Ainu people, who are like savages, living in the north of Honshu, Japan has never known what an external enemy is, nor does it have the concepts of national defense or a standing army.

However, Kublai Khan's Mongol invasion of Japan brought enormous pressure to Japan's defense, which triggered a series of chain reactions. Although Japan won both times, it relied on the so-called kamikaze (divine wind) to win; in reality, they were terrified.

Therefore, the Kamakura Shogunate, under the leadership of the Hojo clan, established a standing army of 19 men, stationed in Hakata for an extended period. They also built a two-meter-high stone wall on the coast of Hakata to defend against another attack from the Yuan Dynasty. Perhaps such a stone wall seemed very tall to the short-statured Japanese.
Prior to this, Japan had never had a border defense, nor the concept of a standing army, nor any experience in forming a standing army.

Japan is a small country with a small population. It was impossible for them to support such a large standing army. These 19 troops just sat on the coast watching their resources dwindle. The huge military expenditures were suffocating the shogunate. Soldiers did not receive rewards or pay, and everyone complained. Peasant uprisings broke out in the country, and the powerful clans no longer supported the shogunate.

Then the Emperor raised a call to action and launched the movement to overthrow the shogunate. Powerful clans and noble families responded, and soon they captured Kamakura, the shogunate collapsed, and Emperor Go-Daigo began to rule in his own right.

However, Emperor Go-Daigo was not kind to the samurai class. He implemented a series of policies that weakened the interests of the samurai class, which aroused the dissatisfaction of Ashikaga Takauji, a powerful clan who had followed him in overthrowing the shogunate. As a result, Ashikaga Takauji rebelled, captured the capital, and installed another emperor as a puppet, establishing the Muromachi Shogunate.

Emperor Go-Daigo, who fled, went to Yoshino, south of Kyoto, where he declared himself the legitimate ruler and gained the support of many powerful clans in the south, thus formally establishing the Nanboku-chō (Northern and Southern Courts) confrontation with the Muromachi Shogunate in the north.

However, during the Northern and Southern Courts of Japan, the Muromachi Shogunate of the Northern Court was stronger, while the Southern Court, led by Emperor Go-Daigo, was weaker and suffered repeated defeats, especially in Kyushu, where the local daimyo who supported the Southern Court suffered heavy losses. In addition, there were many remnants of the original 19-strong standing army in this region. These unemployed samurai were poor and ruthless, and bored out of their minds, so they started to go to sea and start businesses, plundering the coasts of China and Korea. This is the origin of the Wokou (Japanese pirates).

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba suddenly realized what was happening in Japan and finally understood the situation.

"So, Japan is still in a state of North-South division, and those Japanese pirates who harass the coast of China are just chaotic soldiers and bandits."

"Yes, that's exactly it."

"Then now, now." Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba seemed to have grasped something, but said somewhat uncertainly.

"Now, whatever your thoughts are, feel free to speak them," Lu Jin said immediately.

Zhu Chongba was still somewhat confused. He had figured out the history of Japan, the origin of the Wokou (Japanese pirates), and the entanglements between Japan and China, but he couldn't quite understand Lu Jin's purpose in calling him here to tell him these things.

Could it be that they're going to attack Japan? But he's just a regimental commander. Above him are army commanders, army group generals, army commanders, and supervising generals. It's not like he's the one who should be in command. Why would the emperor specifically look for him?

After considering it for a moment, he finally said, “Your Majesty, there is a saying among the people: ‘Strike while the iron is hot.’ This Japanese country is extremely hypocritical and has long harbored rebellious intentions. The country is full of treacherous officials and traitors. As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too. The king has overstepped his bounds and called himself the emperor, and the ministers have used the emperor to command the princes. If you throw two pancakes on the ground and stomp on them, neither of them will be good!”
"Now they are in a period of internal strife and are powerless to control those Japanese pirates and bandits, allowing them to plunder the Chinese coast. In my opinion, we should take advantage of their internal strife at this time, destroy their country in one fell swoop, capture those traitors and rebels, and restore order to the country and quell the Japanese pirate threat."

Lu Jin immediately said with satisfaction, "You are right, that's what I thought too, but conquering Japan is by no means that simple. After all, there are precedents of the two major defeats of the former Yuan Dynasty. If we really want to attack Japan, we still need to make some preparations in advance."

Do you know the details of the two Yuan Dynasty attacks on Japan? Do you know why they were defeated?

"This, Your Majesty, is unaware."

Lu Jin shook his head and sighed. Then he told him about the general process of Kublai Khan's two eastern expeditions, which led to the real purpose of his summoning him.

(End of this chapter)