Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 289



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Episode 289

The outbreak of the second civil war in the country (2)

The Spanish colonial governorate in Manila, Luzon, Philippines.

This spring, a new governor of the Philippines took office. Juan de Silva was appointed as his aide, and he kept the previous governor’s aide, Garcia, as his aide, and received reports from him on the situation in the surrounding area.

“Hmm, so you’re saying we missed our chance?”

“Yes. The British East India Company took southern Formosa first. They had that place in mind for a long time, but they ended up…….”

Garcia did not hide his regret.

The British East India Company eventually occupied the Lung Kyaw area and renamed it Portland Cape. The name Lung Kyaw was a name given by the Paiwan, an indigenous people living in the south. The British change of name was a declaration to the world that Lung Kyaw would be managed as a colony.

“Furthermore, they even took Gaya Island from the Brunei Kingdom, which is hostile to us. They must have obtained the land on the condition that we take Brunei’s side. In that sense, the relationship between Britain and us cannot go well in the future. There is a high possibility that the competition over Northeast Asian trade hegemony and Brunei will intensify.”

“It’s a valid analysis. They came in and took over the lands in the north and south of our Philippines. We should have responded immediately when we anticipated this situation last year.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Garcia said nothing more.

Since being selected by Governor Guzman, Garcia has assisted four governors. Even the previous governor did not even complete a year of his term. Given such circumstances, all the governors were reluctant to undertake new projects. However, this governor, who was very interested in Balhae, showed a very proactive attitude.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that the Dutch, who were a thorn in our side, have been dealt a big blow and have been kicked out of the Balhae trade market.”

“Haha! That’s right. I can’t tell you how excited everyone was when we heard that news last year.”

Thinking about it, Garcia couldn’t help but laugh. That was how threatening the Dutch East India Company was in East Asia.

“But is Balhae that strong?”

“Oh! Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not a country we can do anything about. Some say it’s even scarier than the Ming Dynasty. In particular, their naval power is strong, so the situation is even more disadvantageous to us.”

“Well then, there’s nothing wrong with being friendly with Balhae. After all, they are something that benefits us.”

“So what do you plan to do from now on?”

“what?”

“Formosa. Britain will certainly expand its territory gradually. Then we…….”

Garcia turned the subject back to Formosa.

“We have to hurry and advance.”

Admiral Silva cut him off.

“Oh, so you’ve decided?”

“Right. Then where should we aim?”

Inspired by the governor’s determination, Garcia immediately took out a map and placed it on the desk. It was the map of Formosa that he had been researching and drawing.

“Since Balhae occupied the northwestern region of Formosa and the Pescaredos Islands, it is no exaggeration to say that western Formosa was part of Balhae’s sphere of influence.”

“Well, I guess so. If we advance west, Balhae might feel uncomfortable. Balhae might intend to colonize that place, right?”

“That’s probably true. However, if you look at the policies implemented locally, they are a bit different from ours. They buy land by giving money to the natives, and if they need labor, they hire them by paying wages. They also haven’t accepted immigrants yet. They are just building military facilities step by step.”

“Isn’t it because it’s still early?”

“That may be true, but in any case, one thing is certain: Balhae values ​​the islands of Formosa and Pescaredos from a military perspective. Furthermore, Balhae and Ming are enemies.”

“Then we should avoid the West even more.”

“Yes. So the British East India Company also occupied the southern tip of Formosa, right? So the only place we can aim for is the eastern coast.”

“Isn’t the eastern part almost entirely mountainous?”

“That being said, there are some usable plains here and there. There’s Puson in the south, Kirai in the center, and Kavalan in the north. Which one do you think would be better, Your Majesty?”

The eastern part of Formosa was steep and rugged, and the mountains encroached on the coast, making it not a good land for development. However, there were areas where estuary alluvial plains, such as deltas, were distributed quite widely. The land that Garcia chose as a candidate site was in such places.

Admiral Silva looked at the map for a long time, then pointed to Central Kirai with his finger.

“I think this place would be good. I’m also interested in a place called Puson, but isn’t it close to England?”

Fushun is the future Taitung Province, and Kirai is the future Hualien Province.

“Couldn’t we build a port and a fortress here, and then expand our territory south along the river?”

The river that Admiral Silva spoke of was the Hualien River. This river flows between the inland mountains and the mountain ranges that are close to the coast, creating a long and wide river alluvial plain in the north-south direction. The plain where the port was to be located was also wide enough to be used as a base. Therefore, if Spain wanted to, it was a very advantageous place to expand the colony.

“What about Northern Kavalan? It has the widest plains of the three regions, so it would be great for growing cash crops like sugarcane.”

Kavalan was a fairly large triangular plain area in the Yiran region.

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“That’s true, but isn’t it too close to the Balhae territory in the northwest?”

“That’s right. The plains are the largest, which is eye-catching, but there are many indigenous people living there, so they will have to face many challenges. Also, if such a conflict occurs, Balhae may not stay still.”

“why?”

“Balhae hates such conflicts, especially those involving civilians. If something like that happens, it’s bound to happen…….”

“Well, I guess you hate hurting natives.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Okay. Then let’s make Kirai our first base in Formosa.”

“Yes, I understand.”

This decision by Governor Silva led to the establishment of a Spanish colony in the eastern part of Formosa.

* * *

The civil war in Japan shook the entire land of Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate and the still-active Toyotomi Hideyori were once again at odds.

The first reason that Tokugawa Ieyasu decided to attack the Toyotomi forces was, of course, the independence of Taizan Province. So he first wanted to eliminate internal enemies and then have a proper fight with Taizan. The fact that many of the Toyotomi clan’s supporters had joined Taizan or were subordinate to Taizan also played a part in this decision. In other words, seeing that the Toyotomi forces were weakened made him even more greedy.

However, the unexpected variable of Balhae’s invasion of the northeastern region caused a setback. As a result, a significant portion of the allied forces were also lost, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With the establishment of peace with Balhae, external threats disappeared. Empowered by this, Ieyasu prepared for civil war again.

As the civil war became a reality, the Kuma Kingdom government also became busy. Kuma Kingdom had no time to look outside while consolidating its internal structure. This was because it had acquired nearly half of its original territory by successively conquering the Satsuma and Ito domains. Kuma Kingdom had to go through the process of absorbing talent from these two regions and integrating its systems for quite some time.

In addition, through the system of lord ships, they increased their tax revenue and began to build warships of the same type as the lord ships to strengthen their naval power. This was because they had secured the entire territory except for the northwestern part of Kyushu, and the navy had much to do in the future.

“Don’t you think you’re rushing a bit, which is not typical of Ieyasu?”

Ogamo Motoyoshi responded to Emperor Konishi’s comment.

“It’s because of his age. He is soon approaching his seventies, and his successor Hidetada’s military capabilities are not very good. Therefore, he seems to have decided to resolve internal issues while he still has energy left.”

“How many troops have you gathered?”

“About 130 thousand.”

“Well, I originally saw it go up to 180,000, but it went down a bit with the three northern provinces and the Sado Islands falling off.”

“Yes, I think so. Moreover, it seems that there are financial problems because Sado Island was taken over by Balhae.”

“What about the Toyotomi family?”

“There are about seventy or eighty thousand people gathered there, but most of them are mercenaries.”

“That’s right. Most of the daimyō who were on Taizan’s side have joined him, and they’ll be keeping an eye on the Tokugawa family. So the result is obvious.”

“But since there are famous warriors attached to it, we will have to try and see how long it will be.”

In the case of Tokugawa, not only his vassals but also many lords led and provided troops, but Toyotomi could not do so, so he had to use the wealth he had saved up to purchase troops. However, surprisingly, excellent warriors such as Chosokabe Morichika, Goto Matabee, Mori Katsunaga, Akashi Teruzumi, and Sanada Nobushige joined, building a formidable force.

“The battlefield will obviously be Osaka Castle, right?”

“Yes. Since we only have half the troops, it seems like the battle will be fought in Osaka, which is advantageous for Mercury.”

After all his curiosity was satisfied, King Konishi took out the secret letter and thought for a moment. This secret letter was a personal letter from King Mori of Taizan.

Konishi raised his head and spoke to his younger brother.

“What does the Minister of State think?”

After annexing the Satsuma clan, Konishi moved the Balhae system to more rationally govern the Kuma Kingdom, which had doubled in size. He named the prime minister “Yuijeong Daeshin” and gave the position to his younger brother Yukikage.

“This is a great opportunity. There is no reason to turn it down.”

King Mori proposed that they should move together if a civil war broke out. Taizan said that he would attack Matsue Domain on the northern east coast and Okayama Domain in the south at the same time. So Kuma proposed that they subdue Uwajima Domain and Tosa Domain in Shikoku across the sea.

“Are there enough military ships?”

“That’s enough.”

Yukikage answered with a confident expression.

Meanwhile, Guma-guk had been keeping an eye on how Balhae was utilizing its navy, and began to imitate Balhae’s naval operation system. It changed the name of Su-gun to Naval Forces, imported sturdy wood from Balhae, and built warships with slightly modified main ship shapes. In addition, it armed itself with firearms exported by Balhae, and its confidence soared.

“Siege warfare?”

“Of course. Our soldiers have now become proficient in handling firearms, and have mastered tactics perfectly. Their proficiency has improved even further during the previous Satsuma conquest. Our firearms can easily destroy even the shabby castles of the Shikoku region.”

“Okay! Then let’s give an answer that we will accept the offer.”

“Good idea. Hahaha!”

Yukikage laughed heartily.

In fact, the population of Kuma was quite large compared to the size of its territory, but the land was somewhat lacking. So they were focusing on Shikoku, which was right next to it. They were determined to take over that island, and a great opportunity came just in time. Furthermore, there was a high possibility that the Shikoku clan would also participate in this civil war, so Konishi could easily decide to go on a campaign.

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