Chapter 2081
Chapter 2081
Chapter 2081
Although Hirado Port was one of the most important trading ports in Japan in this era, compared with the Sanya Shengli Port, Pearl River Estuary Hong Kong, Zhoushan Dinghai Port and other trading ports managed by Haihan, no matter the scale of trade or the import and export The number of merchant ships in Hong Kong is far from the same level.After the two Haihan reconnaissance ships sailed into the waters near Hirado Island, what they saw the most were not merchant ships, but some small fishing boats that only moved near the shore.After all, the threshold for fishing is still much lower than that for cross-border trade, and this industry is more suitable for people who live by the sea to make a living.
Neither of the two reconnaissance ships hoisted any flags or signs used to identify themselves when they entered the waters. Doing so seemed likely to attract official inquiries, but in fact it was the opposite, effectively concealing their tracks.This trick came from the Portuguese, because many foreign businessmen who come to Hirado for trade are more or less smuggling in nature, so they don’t want to take the initiative to reveal their identities, and generally they don’t hang flags on ships. markers to indicate identity.If someone did this, it would appear to be a cover-up and attract the attention of the Hirado clan officials.
Of course, the Haihan reconnaissance ship must take the initiative to slow down its speed, otherwise it would be shocking to appear on the sea at full speed, which may be more eye-catching than the effect of the whole ship flying the Haihan double-color flag.
As long as you slow down and look calm when sailing on the sea, no one will actually pay attention to these two sailboats that are not too conspicuous in appearance.Therefore, foreigners can easily regard these two ships as local ships, while local people will think that they are two foreign sailing ships.
Amakusa Shiro is no stranger to this place. He left his hometown of Kumamoto to make a living, and he also visited two ports in Nagasaki and Hirado, but that was more than ten years ago. The feeling of another world.
Of course, the geographical environment here is the same as it was more than ten years ago. Amakusa Shiro knows that the strait to the north is the narrowest section of waterway between Hirado Island and Kyushu Island. After turning this bay, you can see the coast standing on the west side. The ruins of Hirado Castle on the high place.
Hirado Castle was built by Matsuura Zhenxin, the No.20 sixth-generation family governor of the Matsuura family, on the basis of the prison castle in Kameoka Mountain. Suspicious, he took the initiative to set a fire to burn Hirado Castle, and this act of showing weakness eventually saved the territory of the Matsuura family at that time.Therefore, the ruins of Hirado Castle became one of the landmarks of Hirado Port. Although more than 1600 years have passed, the Matsuura family still did not rebuild Hirado Castle, so they left the ruins next to Hirado Port. The most conspicuous place to show allegiance to the Tokugawa shogunate.
However, although the old Hirado Castle is gone, it does not mean that the Matsuura family does not even have a decent castle in the local area. In fact, right next to the ruins of Hirado Castle, the Matsuura family built a large area to build their own exclusive castle. The residence is just not built like a traditional Japanese castle.
Amakusa Shiro quickly saw the familiar ruins on the top of the bank. Today's visibility is good, even without binoculars, he can clearly see the remains of Hirado Castle.The dilapidated castle was no different from what he saw here back then. The roof collapsed in the fire that year, and the original gray-white outer wall had long since turned black. If it was the first People who came here once may find it hard to believe that the building that was burned to the ground by a fire is the famous Hirado Castle.
But it is such an inconspicuous place that was once the most important foreign trade port in Japan, and the Matsuura family has also obtained an astonishing amount of income from years of operation, and has gradually become the most powerful domain in this area. .In recent years, although the shogunate has gradually supported Nagasaki Port as a new trade hotspot, Hirado Port can continue to operate on its laurels for the time being.Merchants from Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands, as well as some smugglers of unknown nationality, still use Hirado as their preferred destination. Therefore, there is still a certain scale of transnational trade here, which is enough to provide Hirado Clan with income to maintain its operation.
Although sailing low-key in this sea area will not be easily discovered, Haihan's scout ship does not dare to easily enter Hirado Port to dock. They do not have any commodities for trading on board, so it is easy to attract suspicion.Therefore, Amakusa Shiro could only command the reconnaissance ship to sail slowly outside Hirado Port, in order to gain a little more observation time to confirm the situation of foreign ships in the port.
At this time, the telescope came in handy again, and both Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi confirmed the approximate number of ships berthed at the port berths within a short period of time.The only few western-style sailing boats here are basically owned by the Dutch, and they are always conspicuous among the blessing boats.The Fuchuan basically belonged to the Han Chinese maritime merchants, there were about [-] ships, large and small, and the rest were local sailing ships.
They even saw two Anzhai boats docked at the port. This kind of Japanese warship is huge and slow, and can carry more than a hundred people.However, this kind of warship that only appeared in the Warring States Period of Japan is not affordable by everyone, so the main force of the maritime armed force is the slightly smaller ship, the Guan Ship and the Kozao.
Of course, as far as the Japanese warships seen in the port are added together, they may not be the opponents of the two exploration-class warships dispatched by Haihan this time. did not pose a threat.Moreover, with the pitiful speed of the Anzhai boat in less than five knots, it is difficult to create a threat to the Haihan warship, and it is not something they will be afraid of.
What Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi really care about is whether there are Chinese-style armed sailboats in this place.When Shibazhi gained power in the Fujian Strait, the main warships under his command were armed sailing ships based on Fuchuan and Guangzhou Ships.Shibazhi relied on a large number of armed sailboats to suppress the competitors in the southeast sea area of Ming Dynasty. At that time, no matter it was the Ming army, the Dutch or the Spaniards, they all had to avoid three points.
Shibazhi later also absorbed some of the advantages of Western-style sailing ships, and made new changes in the arrangement of deck artillery.If the Haihan army hadn't had a clear advantage in the performance of warships and weapons, it might be difficult to confront Shibazhi's main fleet head-on at sea.
Although the main force of Shibazhi was wiped out by Haihan back then, the technology of building Chinese warships must not be lost.If the Shibazhi Yu Party who escaped to the Hirado clan is unwilling to be lonely and wants to make a comeback at an opportunity, they will definitely try to build a Chinese-style warship with strong combat effectiveness again, and even exchange relevant shipbuilding technology in exchange for the support of the Hirado clan. .
Therefore, one of the goals to be found in this reconnaissance operation is whether there are a certain number of Chinese warships in this area.If an established Chinese warship is found, there is no doubt that Shibazhi's local influence has reached a very dangerous level.
After a rough observation of Hirado Port, none of them found the existence of Chinese warships, but whether this is good news or bad news, it is really hard to say now.
Two reconnaissance ships sailed past Hirado Port from south to north, but they did not turn back immediately. According to the data, there are several natural harbors on Hirado Island, and these places may become the concentration of some armed forces place of warships.
This place was much closer than they had imagined. After only a few miles to the north, they found several large docks in a bay near the shore.After observing the bay with binoculars, they found that at least three Chinese warships with a displacement of about [-] tons were moored here.Although the gun emplacements on the side of the ship were covered with tarpaulins, their special shape could not be hidden from the two Haihan officers who had fought against Shibazhi back then.
However, in order to avoid arousing suspicion, the reconnaissance ship did not stop here and continued to travel north until it left Hirado Island before turning around at sea.At this time, Amakusa Shiro took the initiative to order a signal to another ship, asking to meet Yuan Zhi.
But it is not easy for two ships to get close at sea, and the two light sailing ships, which have been lightened to the extreme, will not have the configuration of small boats, so the two ships can only go to an uninhabited island in the north first, One of them anchored near the shore first, and the other boat approached slowly. It took a long time before Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro met.
"You should have seen the boat at that place, right?" Amakusa Shiro confirmed the discovery to Yuan Zhi succinctly and directly.
Yuan Zhi nodded and said: "I see, there are three ships, all of which should be equipped with deck guns. In addition, there are two ships under construction in the dock, which may be of the same standard. The construction technology of these warships is definitely not It was figured out by the Japanese themselves."
It is obviously impossible to hide a warship so close to Hirado Port from the eyes of the officials, so most of them have obtained official permission or even support.Japanese warships and Chinese warships are completely different in appearance, and the hull characteristics improved by Shibazhi are even less likely to be imagined by Japanese shipbuilders out of thin air.The only plausible explanation is probably that Shibazhi's remaining party provided the relevant shipbuilding technology, or that this group of people was in charge of the construction of these ships.
Of course, to confirm these conjectures, they need more tangible evidence, such as confirming at close range that these ships are the same type as the main battleships of Shibazhi back then.
"We need to go ashore as soon as possible to confirm the situation of these ships." Amakusa Shiro saw that Yuan Zhi also knew that there was a target he was looking for in that harbor, so he decisively put forward his own idea: "Maybe we can find the Spaniards there to provide weapon, so that all the clues can be connected!"
"Today?" Yuan Zhi was a little surprised by Amakusa Shiro's eagerness.
"Let's go when it gets dark." Amakusa Shiro pointed to his chest and said, "I will handle this errand."
Amakusa Shiro took the initiative to invite Ying, and Yuan Zhi was also a little surprised.According to their original plan, if Amakusa Shiro wants to go ashore, it should also be implemented in Hirado Port or Nagasaki Port.But it seems that Amakusa Shiro doesn't want to wait any longer, and wants to confirm this crucial evidence as soon as possible.
Yuan Zhi did not object to Amakusa Shiro's proposal. The other party is a veteran who has fought in the battlefield for many years. He should be very aware of the risks of this kind of action, so there is no need to remind him of it.Moreover, Amakusa Shiro is of Japanese origin, no matter the language or living habits, there is no big obstacle for him, and it is relatively easy to reintegrate into the local area as a Japanese.
But this errand does not end with sending Amakusa Shiro ashore, Yuan Zhi still has to discuss with him when and where he will be picked up to board the ship and leave Hirado.If an officer of Amakusa Shiro's level had an accident during the operation, it would be difficult for Yuan Zhi to explain to his superiors when he went back.
"Three days. After three days, I will evacuate according to the original plan and meet you at the predetermined place." Of course, Amakusa Shiro would not come back just after taking a look at the ship when he ventured ashore. He wanted to take this opportunity to go "by the way" Take a trip to Hirado Port, collect as much information as possible, and then withdraw to the ship to implement subsequent actions.
As for how to enter and exit Hirado, they have an action plan, and now they have only changed the landing location to another place, and other details have not changed.
Both Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi are hard-working factions, and immediately began to prepare for the evening landing operation.Since there were no boats on the reconnaissance ship, Shiro Amakusa could only be sent to a place near the shore, and then swim ashore in the dark.
As for the various tools needed for swimming, they were well prepared before departure, and Shiro Amakusa personally selected the items that needed to be brought ashore.
Clothes, shoes and socks that need to be changed after going ashore, fire pockets, gold and silver belongings, two daggers, one long and one short, a few poisons in bamboo tubes, and a day’s ration just in case... The things are actually not Many, it will be ready soon.All these items were put into a waterproof bag first, and then tied to the inflated sheepskin tire. At that time, a thin rope was used to tie the sheepskin tire to Amakusa Shiro's waist, so that it would not affect his swimming.
Yuan Zhi originally wanted to pack another sleeping bag for Amakusa Shiro, but Amakusa Shiro refused: "I won't spend the night in the wilderness, this thing is useless."
At dinner, Yuan Zhi gave Amakusa Shiro two self-heating army rations, plus sashimi made of sea bream just caught from the sea, which was considered the best meal on board.
"If things don't go well, remember safety first, find a place to hide first, and don't risk your life. How did we get here, and how do we go back!" Yuan Zhi couldn't help but say a few more words before leaving.
Amakusa Shiro smiled and said, "Okay, I will be careful."
After dark, the two reconnaissance boats turned around and headed south, and stopped near a beach that they had been looking forward to before. The rope ladder hanging from the ship's side slowly descended into the sea and swam towards the coast.
(End of this chapter)
Although Hirado Port was one of the most important trading ports in Japan in this era, compared with the Sanya Shengli Port, Pearl River Estuary Hong Kong, Zhoushan Dinghai Port and other trading ports managed by Haihan, no matter the scale of trade or the import and export The number of merchant ships in Hong Kong is far from the same level.After the two Haihan reconnaissance ships sailed into the waters near Hirado Island, what they saw the most were not merchant ships, but some small fishing boats that only moved near the shore.After all, the threshold for fishing is still much lower than that for cross-border trade, and this industry is more suitable for people who live by the sea to make a living.
Neither of the two reconnaissance ships hoisted any flags or signs used to identify themselves when they entered the waters. Doing so seemed likely to attract official inquiries, but in fact it was the opposite, effectively concealing their tracks.This trick came from the Portuguese, because many foreign businessmen who come to Hirado for trade are more or less smuggling in nature, so they don’t want to take the initiative to reveal their identities, and generally they don’t hang flags on ships. markers to indicate identity.If someone did this, it would appear to be a cover-up and attract the attention of the Hirado clan officials.
Of course, the Haihan reconnaissance ship must take the initiative to slow down its speed, otherwise it would be shocking to appear on the sea at full speed, which may be more eye-catching than the effect of the whole ship flying the Haihan double-color flag.
As long as you slow down and look calm when sailing on the sea, no one will actually pay attention to these two sailboats that are not too conspicuous in appearance.Therefore, foreigners can easily regard these two ships as local ships, while local people will think that they are two foreign sailing ships.
Amakusa Shiro is no stranger to this place. He left his hometown of Kumamoto to make a living, and he also visited two ports in Nagasaki and Hirado, but that was more than ten years ago. The feeling of another world.
Of course, the geographical environment here is the same as it was more than ten years ago. Amakusa Shiro knows that the strait to the north is the narrowest section of waterway between Hirado Island and Kyushu Island. After turning this bay, you can see the coast standing on the west side. The ruins of Hirado Castle on the high place.
Hirado Castle was built by Matsuura Zhenxin, the No.20 sixth-generation family governor of the Matsuura family, on the basis of the prison castle in Kameoka Mountain. Suspicious, he took the initiative to set a fire to burn Hirado Castle, and this act of showing weakness eventually saved the territory of the Matsuura family at that time.Therefore, the ruins of Hirado Castle became one of the landmarks of Hirado Port. Although more than 1600 years have passed, the Matsuura family still did not rebuild Hirado Castle, so they left the ruins next to Hirado Port. The most conspicuous place to show allegiance to the Tokugawa shogunate.
However, although the old Hirado Castle is gone, it does not mean that the Matsuura family does not even have a decent castle in the local area. In fact, right next to the ruins of Hirado Castle, the Matsuura family built a large area to build their own exclusive castle. The residence is just not built like a traditional Japanese castle.
Amakusa Shiro quickly saw the familiar ruins on the top of the bank. Today's visibility is good, even without binoculars, he can clearly see the remains of Hirado Castle.The dilapidated castle was no different from what he saw here back then. The roof collapsed in the fire that year, and the original gray-white outer wall had long since turned black. If it was the first People who came here once may find it hard to believe that the building that was burned to the ground by a fire is the famous Hirado Castle.
But it is such an inconspicuous place that was once the most important foreign trade port in Japan, and the Matsuura family has also obtained an astonishing amount of income from years of operation, and has gradually become the most powerful domain in this area. .In recent years, although the shogunate has gradually supported Nagasaki Port as a new trade hotspot, Hirado Port can continue to operate on its laurels for the time being.Merchants from Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands, as well as some smugglers of unknown nationality, still use Hirado as their preferred destination. Therefore, there is still a certain scale of transnational trade here, which is enough to provide Hirado Clan with income to maintain its operation.
Although sailing low-key in this sea area will not be easily discovered, Haihan's scout ship does not dare to easily enter Hirado Port to dock. They do not have any commodities for trading on board, so it is easy to attract suspicion.Therefore, Amakusa Shiro could only command the reconnaissance ship to sail slowly outside Hirado Port, in order to gain a little more observation time to confirm the situation of foreign ships in the port.
At this time, the telescope came in handy again, and both Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi confirmed the approximate number of ships berthed at the port berths within a short period of time.The only few western-style sailing boats here are basically owned by the Dutch, and they are always conspicuous among the blessing boats.The Fuchuan basically belonged to the Han Chinese maritime merchants, there were about [-] ships, large and small, and the rest were local sailing ships.
They even saw two Anzhai boats docked at the port. This kind of Japanese warship is huge and slow, and can carry more than a hundred people.However, this kind of warship that only appeared in the Warring States Period of Japan is not affordable by everyone, so the main force of the maritime armed force is the slightly smaller ship, the Guan Ship and the Kozao.
Of course, as far as the Japanese warships seen in the port are added together, they may not be the opponents of the two exploration-class warships dispatched by Haihan this time. did not pose a threat.Moreover, with the pitiful speed of the Anzhai boat in less than five knots, it is difficult to create a threat to the Haihan warship, and it is not something they will be afraid of.
What Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi really care about is whether there are Chinese-style armed sailboats in this place.When Shibazhi gained power in the Fujian Strait, the main warships under his command were armed sailing ships based on Fuchuan and Guangzhou Ships.Shibazhi relied on a large number of armed sailboats to suppress the competitors in the southeast sea area of Ming Dynasty. At that time, no matter it was the Ming army, the Dutch or the Spaniards, they all had to avoid three points.
Shibazhi later also absorbed some of the advantages of Western-style sailing ships, and made new changes in the arrangement of deck artillery.If the Haihan army hadn't had a clear advantage in the performance of warships and weapons, it might be difficult to confront Shibazhi's main fleet head-on at sea.
Although the main force of Shibazhi was wiped out by Haihan back then, the technology of building Chinese warships must not be lost.If the Shibazhi Yu Party who escaped to the Hirado clan is unwilling to be lonely and wants to make a comeback at an opportunity, they will definitely try to build a Chinese-style warship with strong combat effectiveness again, and even exchange relevant shipbuilding technology in exchange for the support of the Hirado clan. .
Therefore, one of the goals to be found in this reconnaissance operation is whether there are a certain number of Chinese warships in this area.If an established Chinese warship is found, there is no doubt that Shibazhi's local influence has reached a very dangerous level.
After a rough observation of Hirado Port, none of them found the existence of Chinese warships, but whether this is good news or bad news, it is really hard to say now.
Two reconnaissance ships sailed past Hirado Port from south to north, but they did not turn back immediately. According to the data, there are several natural harbors on Hirado Island, and these places may become the concentration of some armed forces place of warships.
This place was much closer than they had imagined. After only a few miles to the north, they found several large docks in a bay near the shore.After observing the bay with binoculars, they found that at least three Chinese warships with a displacement of about [-] tons were moored here.Although the gun emplacements on the side of the ship were covered with tarpaulins, their special shape could not be hidden from the two Haihan officers who had fought against Shibazhi back then.
However, in order to avoid arousing suspicion, the reconnaissance ship did not stop here and continued to travel north until it left Hirado Island before turning around at sea.At this time, Amakusa Shiro took the initiative to order a signal to another ship, asking to meet Yuan Zhi.
But it is not easy for two ships to get close at sea, and the two light sailing ships, which have been lightened to the extreme, will not have the configuration of small boats, so the two ships can only go to an uninhabited island in the north first, One of them anchored near the shore first, and the other boat approached slowly. It took a long time before Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro met.
"You should have seen the boat at that place, right?" Amakusa Shiro confirmed the discovery to Yuan Zhi succinctly and directly.
Yuan Zhi nodded and said: "I see, there are three ships, all of which should be equipped with deck guns. In addition, there are two ships under construction in the dock, which may be of the same standard. The construction technology of these warships is definitely not It was figured out by the Japanese themselves."
It is obviously impossible to hide a warship so close to Hirado Port from the eyes of the officials, so most of them have obtained official permission or even support.Japanese warships and Chinese warships are completely different in appearance, and the hull characteristics improved by Shibazhi are even less likely to be imagined by Japanese shipbuilders out of thin air.The only plausible explanation is probably that Shibazhi's remaining party provided the relevant shipbuilding technology, or that this group of people was in charge of the construction of these ships.
Of course, to confirm these conjectures, they need more tangible evidence, such as confirming at close range that these ships are the same type as the main battleships of Shibazhi back then.
"We need to go ashore as soon as possible to confirm the situation of these ships." Amakusa Shiro saw that Yuan Zhi also knew that there was a target he was looking for in that harbor, so he decisively put forward his own idea: "Maybe we can find the Spaniards there to provide weapon, so that all the clues can be connected!"
"Today?" Yuan Zhi was a little surprised by Amakusa Shiro's eagerness.
"Let's go when it gets dark." Amakusa Shiro pointed to his chest and said, "I will handle this errand."
Amakusa Shiro took the initiative to invite Ying, and Yuan Zhi was also a little surprised.According to their original plan, if Amakusa Shiro wants to go ashore, it should also be implemented in Hirado Port or Nagasaki Port.But it seems that Amakusa Shiro doesn't want to wait any longer, and wants to confirm this crucial evidence as soon as possible.
Yuan Zhi did not object to Amakusa Shiro's proposal. The other party is a veteran who has fought in the battlefield for many years. He should be very aware of the risks of this kind of action, so there is no need to remind him of it.Moreover, Amakusa Shiro is of Japanese origin, no matter the language or living habits, there is no big obstacle for him, and it is relatively easy to reintegrate into the local area as a Japanese.
But this errand does not end with sending Amakusa Shiro ashore, Yuan Zhi still has to discuss with him when and where he will be picked up to board the ship and leave Hirado.If an officer of Amakusa Shiro's level had an accident during the operation, it would be difficult for Yuan Zhi to explain to his superiors when he went back.
"Three days. After three days, I will evacuate according to the original plan and meet you at the predetermined place." Of course, Amakusa Shiro would not come back just after taking a look at the ship when he ventured ashore. He wanted to take this opportunity to go "by the way" Take a trip to Hirado Port, collect as much information as possible, and then withdraw to the ship to implement subsequent actions.
As for how to enter and exit Hirado, they have an action plan, and now they have only changed the landing location to another place, and other details have not changed.
Both Amakusa Shiro and Yuan Zhi are hard-working factions, and immediately began to prepare for the evening landing operation.Since there were no boats on the reconnaissance ship, Shiro Amakusa could only be sent to a place near the shore, and then swim ashore in the dark.
As for the various tools needed for swimming, they were well prepared before departure, and Shiro Amakusa personally selected the items that needed to be brought ashore.
Clothes, shoes and socks that need to be changed after going ashore, fire pockets, gold and silver belongings, two daggers, one long and one short, a few poisons in bamboo tubes, and a day’s ration just in case... The things are actually not Many, it will be ready soon.All these items were put into a waterproof bag first, and then tied to the inflated sheepskin tire. At that time, a thin rope was used to tie the sheepskin tire to Amakusa Shiro's waist, so that it would not affect his swimming.
Yuan Zhi originally wanted to pack another sleeping bag for Amakusa Shiro, but Amakusa Shiro refused: "I won't spend the night in the wilderness, this thing is useless."
At dinner, Yuan Zhi gave Amakusa Shiro two self-heating army rations, plus sashimi made of sea bream just caught from the sea, which was considered the best meal on board.
"If things don't go well, remember safety first, find a place to hide first, and don't risk your life. How did we get here, and how do we go back!" Yuan Zhi couldn't help but say a few more words before leaving.
Amakusa Shiro smiled and said, "Okay, I will be careful."
After dark, the two reconnaissance boats turned around and headed south, and stopped near a beach that they had been looking forward to before. The rope ladder hanging from the ship's side slowly descended into the sea and swam towards the coast.
(End of this chapter)