Chapter 2079

Jeju Island is an island formed in the sea by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The entire island is oval-shaped and covers an area of ​​more than 1,800 square kilometers. It is also the largest island in North Korea. The center of the island is nearly 2,000 square kilometers above sea level. The 3-meter Halla Mountain is the most prominent landmark on the island.

Most residents on the island make a living from agriculture and fishing, and are basically a small self-sufficient society. Haihan actually had the idea of ​​​​this place in his early years, thinking that the island's relatively closed environment could be used to vigorously develop animal husbandry. However, Later, it was because the geographical location of Jeju Island did not meet Haihan’s requirements for external expansion at this stage, and the investment in manpower, material and financial resources required to develop the island would be very large, so it was ultimately rejected by the Executive Committee, and it was still The development direction is placed on the coast of Daming.

The fleet circled along the coast from the west side of Jeju Island to the south, and after traveling for dozens of miles, it was the destination of the trip, Seogwipo. It is said that this place was a stop that Xu Fu visited when he crossed east, and it was There are several rock carvings left on the island. The so-called Seogwipo is the ferry crossing when Xu Fu left here.

The temporary supply port prepared by North Korea for Haehan is located in Seogwipo, which is the mouth of a river. There are more than ten villages and two slightly larger towns in the nearby area, with a permanent population of about two to three thousand. .It can’t be said to be prosperous, but it is a relatively large populated area in southern Jeju Island. It can basically meet the needs of Haehan’s small fleet for material supplies and logistical manpower support.

After Seoul made its decision, it immediately sent people to Jeju Island to convey the decree of King Li Zhu, requesting the local government to cooperate with the visiting Haihan Fleet and prepare supplies such as food, grass, and medicine in advance. So as the fleet When they arrived at Seogwipo Port, officials of all sizes, including the Jeju Mujimu Ambassador, were already waiting here to show their importance to the visit of the Haehan Fleet.

Officials from all levels of Jeju Island have arrived, and the people nearby will naturally catch wind of the news and come to see the excitement. As a result, thousands of people gathered in this originally small port, which was more powerful than the force dispatched by the Haihan Army this time. There are more. Although the Haihan military had originally planned to keep a low profile, looking at the current situation, it was unlikely that they would be able to do so.

"General Shen, it seems that we need to ask the local parents to issue a notice as soon as possible to explain that we are only staying here for a few days and will not be permanent. Otherwise, all the attention of the local people will be focused on us." Yuan Zhi saw it. The situation on the shore was somewhat unpleasant. This reconnaissance operation chose to arrange the supply port on Jeju Island for concealment, but the North Koreans went a little too far in order to flatter them.

After all, Shen Xueyi was a general who led troops. Of course he knew the importance of keeping secrets. At that moment, he scolded these ignorant local officials in his heart. The original intention of the imperial court was to ask the local government to prepare supplies and manpower in advance for the Haihan people. However, these local officials obviously misunderstood this intention and regarded this as an opportunity to regain their existence. However, he could not get angry in front of outsiders, so he could only tell Yuan Zhi that he would get off the ship first to deal with the situation.

After Shen Xueyi got off the boat, he called a group of local officials to the side with a dark face and scolded them, asking them to evacuate the onlookers as soon as possible to avoid affecting the subsequent actions of the Haihan Army.

Shen Xueyi's official rank is actually only one level higher than that of the pastoral envoy present, but as the so-called Beijing official is three levels higher, coupled with his family background, he naturally has the confidence to make decisions at the local level.

These local officials probably didn't expect that the flattery would hit the horse's leg, and they didn't dare to offend Shen Xueyi. They quickly ordered their men to try to disperse the onlookers near the dock, which inevitably led to another chaos. Thousands of curious people

The people who came to watch could not be easily driven away. They walked a few steps to the outside and then stopped again. They sent people to chase the east side, but the west side came around again. After struggling for more than an hour, Shen Xueyi's request was finally met.

"General Shen, it seems that the local officials here are not very capable. Can we really leave the fleet's supply work to them?" When Shen Xueyi returned to the ship, Yuan Zhi questioned him, obviously disapproving.

The reception work in Seogwipo is not satisfactory.

How could Shen Xueyi be satisfied? The ship had been docked for so long before he could handle things on the dock. With such efficiency, even he couldn't help but worry about whether the local officials here could handle the requests of the Haihan people.

Already.

Fortunately, the Jeju Pastoral Envoy took them to check the military rations and materials prepared in the port warehouse later, to prove that the local government had also put in the effort to do the work it should do. However, this warehouse was also a few days ago.

The newly vacated space was previously used to store pickled fish and various seafood. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the pungent smell of the sea.

"After receiving the order from the imperial court, several generals immediately mobilized various official warehouses on the island to transport grain to Xiguipu. The rice in this warehouse is all first-class new rice harvested last autumn. At present,

Five thousand kilograms are already in place, and more can be added later depending on demand. In addition, fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood can be purchased locally in Seogwipo. I have ordered that private slaughter of livestock in Seogwipo is prohibited in the near future.

, to prepare for the needs of the army."

The pastoral envoy An Zhengcheng probably also knew that the previous affairs were not done well, which made these distinguished guests unhappy, so at this time he was trying his best to perform, hoping to save some impression points in front of them. In short, as long as Jeju Island can

He generally arranged the food he obtained in advance so that the military would not find fault.

"How are the medicinal materials prepared?" Shen Xueyi asked.

An Zhengcheng responded: "As required, a batch of trauma drugs and the required clean gauze have been prepared. They are currently stored in another place on the dock. The general can inspect them later."

"Have the arrangements been made properly?"

"Five hundred civilian laborers have been temporarily recruited locally and are ready for arrangements at any time."

"Mr. An, the arrangements are very thorough, thank you for your hard work." After confirming that all the preparations were in place, Shen Xueyi lightly praised the other party: "After this mission is completed, I will report the contribution of Jeju Mu to His Majesty.

"

"Then there is General Laoshen!" This is what An Zhengcheng was waiting for, and finally a smile appeared on his face: "I have prepared a reception banquet, and I hope that the three generals will reward me!"

Although Shen Xueyi was the master, he did not dare to make decisions for the Haihan people, so he turned to look at Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro. The two people made eye contact, and then Yuan Zhi responded: "We have caused a lot of trouble for Jeju Mu.

, I shouldn’t bother the Shepherd anymore, how can I be so embarrassed.”

"General Yuan, this is too foreign!" An Zhengcheng responded quickly: "Your country and our country are brothers and friends. If you have a distinguished guest coming to visit, why bother with a meal?"

Of course, Jeju, which is located at the southernmost tip of the Korean territory, was not directly affected by last year's war. However, An Zhengcheng has a rough idea of ​​how much influence Haehan has in the Korean court. It was not easy to get acquainted with him this time.

As a high-ranking official from Haihan, he naturally has to put more effort into the reception work. Maybe when he can get people from Haihan to say a nice word for him in front of the king, he can make a lot of money.

Even if the chance is very slim, An Zhengcheng cannot let the high-ranking officials of Haihan leave a bad impression on him. Otherwise, if someone turns around and says in front of the king, "The minister of Jeju is not good at doing things," then his official title may not be stable.

Already.

Yuan Zhi didn't think so much. He just considered that he might need more support from Jeju Island during the execution of the mission. Having a good relationship with the local officials should also be conducive to future action arrangements. It would be easier to keep in touch at the dinner table.

But that's it.

Although Seogwipo is a small place, it is quite rich in seafood. The main ingredients of the Jeopong Banquet are various seafood produced in the nearby sea.

However, Yuan Zhi's mind was not entirely on eating. During the dinner, he took the initiative to learn about the customs and geographical environment of Jeju Island from An Zhengcheng, and inquired about whether there were any Japanese coming to Jeju Island.

"Japanese?" An Zhengcheng shook his head and said, "It is very rare for Japanese people to come here. The locals are farmers who grow grains and fishermen who make a living. There is nothing for businessmen to do here."

Yuan Zhi said: "I heard that there were many Japanese pirates in the Goto Islands closest to Jeju Island in the past. I guess they would have come to harass the local area in the past, right?"

An Zhengcheng responded: "In the early years, there were Japanese pirate activities, but in the past two or three years, they have gradually decreased. After all, Jeju Island is just a poor rural area, and the farmers who come to rob it cannot make a fortune."

"It's also possible that the Japanese pirates over there have found a more profitable career and have changed careers." Amakusa Shiro agreed.

An Zhengcheng thought that Amakusa Shiro was joking and echoed a few words, but Yuan Zhi knew that Amakusa Shiro was not joking. If Shiba Shiba's remnants of the party restarted in the Hirado Domain, they would inevitably recruit troops and pirates nearby.

For these people, it should be the most familiar operation. The Goto Islands, which are very close to the Hirado Domain, used to be one of the nests of Japanese pirates. If the Shiba Shiyu Party wanted to recruit a group of people there, I believe it would not be difficult for them.

them.

Of course, they did not intend to discuss these inferences with An Zhengcheng. Firstly, An Zhengcheng may not understand the situation in Japan. Secondly, their reconnaissance targets still need to be kept secret, even if An Zhengcheng's official position is considered

Local officials were not prepared to inform each other of the purpose of their trip.

If these two people did not mention this section, Shen Xueyi would naturally not take the initiative to talk about it. And An Zhengcheng was also a person who could read eyes. Since the three military attaches did not mention the reason for coming to Jeju Island, he

Knowing that this matter might involve some secrets, I wisely did not pursue the matter further and just talked about some local-related topics to pass the time.

Starting from that night, the pier where the Haihan Fleet is parked has been designated as a military restricted area, and the public is prohibited from approaching. All civilian ships must find another place to dock. This certainly brings some inconvenience to the local people, but considering this

It was the Haihan fleet, and no one dared to be so stubborn as to publicly express dissatisfaction with it.

The fleet also carried some military supplies when it set off from the Taedong River base. The supplies to be replenished nearby Jeju Island were mainly rations, medicinal materials and fresh water. The next day, civilians recruited by the local government were in place and began to store the supplies in the warehouse.

Carrying it onto the ship. However, the number of five hundred civilians prepared locally was too much. In the end, only two hundred people were left, which was enough.

The Haihan sailors also took the time to rest and recuperate. They would have to travel at sea in the next few days. This job was not easy and they needed to keep their bodies in a better condition.

After docking in Seogwipo for two days, the fleet quietly left the dock in the early morning and headed east toward Japan.

During this period, in order to maintain the coordination of the entire fleet, the two reconnaissance sailing ships were not in a hurry to break away from the large force and act alone. It was not until the fleet sailed into the waters near the Goto Islands a day and a half later that the two reconnaissance ships finally began to take advantage of their speed.

, and soon left the fleet.

The Goto Islands include the five larger islands of Fukue Island, Kuga Island, Naru Island, Wakamatsu Island and Nakadori Island, as well as more than a hundred small islands surrounding them. Most of these islands are mountainous, with only the southernmost area

The larger Fukue Island has some flat areas that can be reclaimed for farmland.

Because the geographical environment of the Goto Islands is relatively complex and it is isolated in the westernmost part of Japan, it is relatively close to North Korea and the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, this place has been occupied by Japanese pirate gangs for a long time, and they used it as their base to launch attacks on the Ming Dynasty and North Korea.

Robbery. A considerable part of the people and property snatched back by the Japanese pirates flowed into Japan through the two nearby ports of Hirado and Nagasaki. Therefore, the shogunate and local vassals turned a blind eye to the Japanese pirates' behavior.

There will be no restrictions or crackdowns on it.

After these Japanese pirates gained a certain amount of wealth, they would also try to strengthen their own weapons and purchase muskets and even artillery from Western merchants, so that they would be able to fight even if they encountered regular troops when plundering other countries.

The Ming Dynasty and North Korea have been suffering from internal and external troubles in recent years. They are powerless against the Japanese pirates on the Five Islands Islands and cannot organize fleets to cross the sea to conquer these pirate gangs. To say the least, even if they really organize an armed fleet to kill them,

, these Japanese pirates only need to temporarily abandon their hometowns and retreat to Kyushu, Japan, and the expeditionary force will have nothing to do with them. Therefore, the Japanese pirates on the Goto Islands have been a big trouble for the Ming Dynasty and North Korea for a long time in the past.

As An Zhengcheng feels, the Japanese pirates on the Goto Islands seem to have gradually quieted down in the past two years, and they rarely come to North Korea to plunder. He may think that this is due to some changes within the Japanese pirates.

, as long as there is peace, there is no need to delve into the real reason. However, the Haihan military believes that this change may have some connection with the target they want to reconnoiter on this trip, so they regard the Five Islands as this

The first reconnaissance object of this operation.
Chapter completed!