GBP Chapter 711: The Leading Party
Chapter 711: The Leading Party
The fleet only used the Caron cannons, and after one salvo, thirteen turtle ships were crippled. This was without using bombardment cannons; if such powerful weapons had been used, the turtle ships, with their small size, would have been reduced to ashes.
The official who shouted the warning was lucky; he survived the shelling and even jumped into the sea to hold onto a piece of wood, which was later recovered.
Li Fei personally interrogated them: "Doesn't Korea recognize the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain state? How dare you attack the Ming fleet?"
The official, shivering and soaking wet, stammered, “Your Excellency…there is…something you are unaware of. Several months ago, the Qing Emperor Huang Taiji…led…led an army of 100,000 to personally lead an expedition, reaching the capital in twelve days, bombarding the city, and sending…sending Prince Regent Dorgon to conquer Ganghwa Island, capturing the queen, princes, and 76 members of the imperial family as hostages. King Injo had no choice but to leave the city to sue for peace, build an altar and swear an oath, abolish…abolish the Ming dynasty’s reign title, surrender the imperial edicts and seals bestowed by the Ming dynasty, and adopt the Qing dynasty’s calendar…”
"Isn't it just surrendering to the Tartars? What peace treaty and oaths? It's clearly a treaty made under duress," Li Fei commented dismissively, then asked, "But what does this have to do with Pi Island? Why are you attacking us?"
"On his way back from his campaign, Huang Taiji ordered Prince Wuying, Ajige, to lead his troops in a major attack on Pi Island. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, including the defending general Shen Shikui, were massacred. The Qing court ordered Emperor Renzu to abolish the name Pi Island and restore its original name, Jia Island (Note 1). Moreover, the navy was to patrol regularly and prohibit... prohibit the fleets of the superior country from entering this area..."
"I see." Li Fei understood. Now, Korea had become Huang Taiji's lackey, abandoning its former suzerain, the Ming Dynasty, and incidentally turning the former Dongjiang Town into a military restricted area. This explained their proactive attack on the Qionghai fleet. Such important news was nowhere to be found in the imperial gazette; the court probably didn't want such a humiliating event to be made public.
Although Li Fei harbored deep hatred for the Ming Dynasty and its emperor, the Qionghai Navy was currently disguised as Ming officials and soldiers, so for the time being, he could only consider the matter from the Ming Dynasty's perspective. He thought for a moment and said to the official, "We are the men of the Marquis of Pingnan and the General of Qionghai Garrison of the Great Ming Dynasty. We have important business to attend to at Pi Island and don't have time to get entangled with your Korean navy. We can only send you and your men on their way. As for the remaining turtle ships, we'll have to sink them..."
The official was taken aback and knelt down with a thud, pleading, "So it's the heavenly army of the superior nation! Please, General, spare my life for the sake of the long-standing friendship between our two countries."
Li Fei remained noncommittal: "You have already served the Tartars as your overlord, so don't mention anything about friendly relations between the two countries anymore. Also, give me a reason not to kill you."
The official wiped the sweat mixed with seawater from his forehead, blinked a few times, and tentatively asked, "May I ask, General, does the Imperial Court intend to reclaim Pi Island and rebuild Dongjiang Town?"
"how you said that?"
"If it weren't for the recapture of Pi Island, why would such a powerful navy appear here out of nowhere? I dare to guess that the general intends to emulate Mao Wenlong, using Pi Island as a base to attack the Lushun, Jinzhou, and Fuzhou areas..."
Li Fei chuckled; this guy had guessed pretty much right. He said, "And then? Even if we had that thought, what does it have to do with whether or not we kill you?"
“As long as you spare my life, I am willing to persuade the naval commander of Ping’an Road to stop sending ships to patrol Pi Island and to provide food and supplies to the imperial army of the Shang Kingdom. General may not know that Pi Island is covered with granite and sand, which cannot be cultivated and relies entirely on supplies from outside the island.”
"Heh, no matter how many of you little sampans come, it won't make a difference. As for supplies, it's not a difficult matter for my troops; Dengzhou isn't far from Pi Island..."
The official interjected, "Even if Dengzhou is closer, it's still hundreds of miles to and from there. On the other hand, the Pyongyang Prefecture of Ping'an Province is only separated from Pi Island and Shenmi Island by a river, and at its narrowest point, it's less than 5 miles. It's obvious which side is more convenient..."
Li Fei snorted, drew his knife, and held it to his neck: "You think I'd believe your nonsense? Since you've already surrendered to the Tartars, how could you possibly provide us with provisions? You're probably just giving us a perfunctory answer before reporting back to the Tartars, aren't you? Nonsense! I'll just chop you down with one stroke."
"Your humble servant would never dare! To be honest, neither His Majesty nor the civil and military officials (Note 2) of my country dare to speak out against the Qing Emperor. His Majesty once said, 'I would rather be defeated by a greater power (referring to the Manchus) than betray the Ming Dynasty.' He hoped that your country could send troops to rescue us, but unfortunately, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. This pretense is a last resort. If such a navy had been sent earlier, how could the Qing army have captured Pi Island? With that restraint, my capital would not have fallen so easily..."
Korea has always maintained a close relationship with the Ming Dynasty, a fact Li Fei was aware of, so this explanation sounded somewhat plausible. He sheathed his sword and asked, "Words are meaningless; what can you do to convince me?"
Hearing that the other party had relented, the official was secretly delighted, thinking that his head could be saved. He said with a fawning smile, "I have an idea: invite the Heavenly Army and Navy to Nanpu, so that the Ping'an Circuit Inspector and Military Governor can behold the majesty of the Heavenly Army. They will naturally know what to do, and they might even write to the King, requesting that the King secretly support the Heavenly Army in attacking Lushun, Jinzhou, and Fuzhou..."
Seeing Li Fei frown and remain silent, the official "considerately" explained, "Nampo is the largest seaport in the western part of our country, and also the garrison of the navy north of Gyeonggi Province. The Inspector and the Military Governor are the highest-ranking civil and military officials in Pyongan Province, equivalent to the Provincial Governor and the Commander of the Guard in the upper country..."
Li Fei's brows relaxed as he flexed his muscles, intending to intimidate the local civil and military officials of Korea and prevent them from stabbing him in the back. This would greatly benefit his plan to harass the Tartars.
"Since you're so sincere, why don't you make a trip to Nanpu? By the way, what's your name?"
The official's eyes narrowed with a fawning smile: "Your humble servant, Jin Nandou, is honored to be the Vice Commander of the Ping'an Province Navy..."
The two sides reached an agreement, and thus a North Korean collaborator was formed.
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Note 1: There are two "Kado" islands on the Korean Peninsula. One is located in the waters off Yonggang County, South Pyongan Province, and the other is located in the waters off Cheolsan County, North Pyongan Province. The Ming Dynasty general Mao Wenlong garrisoned the latter. It is said that after Mao Wenlong arrived on the island, because his surname was Mao, and "if the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?", he renamed the island "Pido". Another explanation is that the Korean pronunciation of "Kado" is similar, hence the abbreviation Pido. After the Byeongja Rebellion in 1636, the Qing army conquered Korea and ordered Korea to send troops to jointly attack and capture the island. The island returned to Korea, and the name Pido ceased to exist.
Note 2: The term "Yangban" refers to the Korean court system where the king sat facing south, with officials arranged on the east side and military officials on the west side. Later, the term Yangban came to specifically refer to the officials attending court and extended to the families and households of the Yangban officials.