After all, the Tang Dynasty Navy did not go to completely conquer Fuso this time. The main purpose was to destroy local pirates and maintain the safety of Fuso routes and trade interests.
If it is to conquer Fuso, even if it is just Kyushu Island, then they will not send only more than 20 ships and less than a thousand Marines, but will send hundreds of ships, and at least a few
Ten thousand troops.
So they did not choose to go to Kyushu Island, nor the southernmost Osumi Peninsula, but only the Osumi Islands. Even the initial target was not the entire archipelago, but just one of the islands: Yakushima.
The Osumi Islands and the Osumi Peninsula at the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island are across the sea. Yakushima and even one of the two larger islands in the Osumi Islands belong to the territory of Osumi Province, and Osumi and Satsuma both belong to the territory of the Shimadzu family.
, so nominally, this place also belongs to the Shimazu clan’s territory.
However, what is interesting is that the military and political officials in the Ryukyu Prefecture have learned that the Shimazu clan is no longer able to completely control the Osumi Kingdom, especially the Osumi Peninsula and the Osumi Islands. These territories are actually controlled by the Ganfu clan.
The Shimadzu clan has been trying to pacify the Osumi Kingdom for many years, destroy the Ganfu clan, and regain the Osumi Kingdom. In addition to the Kanfu clan who occupied the Osumi Kingdom, the Shimadzu clan's enemies are now mainly focusing on Northern Satsuma.
After pacifying Northern Satsuma, they also purchased a large amount of ordnance from the merchants of the Tang Empire. They were also the first to purchase various ordnance such as matchlock guns, plate armor, and Tang standard waist knives produced by the Tang Empire.
.
And it was used in the battle of Northern Satsuma!
At the same time, in order to stabilize the Osumi Kingdom in the south, they even endured humiliation and entered into a marriage with the Kanfu clan.
However, everyone knows the Shimazu clan's determination to regain Osumi, and the marriage between the two parties is just a temporary measure. Even the Ganfu clan is contacting the Ito clan in Hyuga to use it against the Shimazu clan.
In other words, the current actual master and the nominal master of Osumi are not the same, and they are still hostile to each other. Although a large-scale war has not yet broken out, judging from the current situation, a war can break out at any time.
Against this background, the military and political officials of the Ryukyu Prefecture felt that it would not be a big problem to seize one of the islands in the Osumi Islands as a supply port, at least it would not cause a backlash from the Shimazu clan. As for Osumi Province,
The military and political officials of the Ryukyu Prefecture have disliked them for a long time. The purpose of seizing one of the islands in the Osumi Islands this time is to suppress the Osumi Kingdom.
Because although the Dasumi Kingdom also trades with the Tang Empire, they prefer to go sideways, and are very unhappy with the trade between the Tang Empire and the Shimazu clan. Not only do they provide hiding places for a large number of pirate gangs, but also their own samurai
They are all involved.
However, the sea area controlled by Osumi Kingdom is also the only place for trade from the Ryukyu Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty to Fuso. Half of the merchant ships that were attacked by pirates during the trade from the Tang Dynasty to Fuso happened in this sea area.
In this case, you don't wonder why the Ryukyu government's military and political officials went to Osumi to fight against pirates and were preparing to seize the Osumi Islands.
Ryukyu Mansion is not far from Fuso, and the routes are all fixed. The Ryukyu Squadron arrived at the Osumi Islands with smooth sailing. Once entering the waters of the Osumi Islands, you can basically feel the large number of pirates in the waters here.
Along the way, an advance frigate has discovered at least five pirate ships!
Why were they judged to be pirate ships? Because as soon as they saw Datang's fleet, they immediately fled!
The generals of the Ryukyu Squadron didn't have much interest in these scattered pirates. They didn't plan to play hide-and-seek with them on the sea this time. They wanted to go straight to Huanglong.
First capture Yakushima in the Osumi Islands, and then use it as a base to launch attacks on several ports on the Osumi Peninsula where a large number of pirates are entrenched!
This is what they thought and did, so a few days later, when their fleet appeared on Yakushima, and when the Fuso people on the island were surprised by the huge fleet of the Tang Empire and still couldn't figure out why they came,
The Ryukyu Squadron's fleet completely blocked their small port.
There is no need to say hello, this is war, this is a war against bandits, and there is no need to pay attention to any rules with pirates, so after the fleet blocked the port, some warships started shelling directly!
Although it is only a part of the warship, the number of cannons firing still reaches hundreds!
The firepower of hundreds of artillery pieces almost completely destroyed this small port, and then the transport ship began to send out small boats, fully loaded with landing troops to prepare for landing!
This day is April 18th, the eighth year of Xuanping, and this day is a day worth remembering in history!
Because this is the day when the Tang Empire’s troops landed in Fusang for the first time!
The Ryukyu Squadron arrived outside the Yakushima port at about 8 a.m. that day. They moved very quickly and launched a formal landing operation at about 11 a.m. that day.
In order to cover the landing force, the two frigates even risked running aground and came close to the shore to provide cover to prevent the Fuso people, no, pirates, on the land from conducting a beachhead attack on the landing Marines.
However, despite being cautious in his actions, Rear Admiral Feng Qirong, the commander of the Ryukyu Squadron and the commander-in-chief of the bandit suppression operation along the western coast of Fuso this time, was very calm.
Necessary caution is just for unnecessary accidents, but this does not mean that there is no confidence in taking over Yakushima.
Before the war, the Navy had already learned from the intelligence compiled by the Military Intelligence Department and businessmen that the actual ruler of Osumi Kingdom, the Ganfu clan, was busy guarding against the Shimadzu clan. The main military forces were concentrated on the Osumi Peninsula. For overseas territories,
The defense of Osumi Islands is not taken too seriously.
Well, even if the Kanfu clan of Ohsumi had mobilized all the land and sea forces, they would not be able to match the Ryukyu Squadron. It was just a Kanfu clan, with few big ships and even fewer guns. The Ryukyu Squadron was
Have absolute confidence in controlling the sea.
The ground battle is a little more troublesome, because the number of troops is too small, and the total number of marines is only a thousand. If it is a decisive battle with a few thousand, there will definitely be no problem. But the key is that this kind of
The decisive battle is not about fighting if you want to. People are not stupid. If they can't fight, they will run away and then resist elsewhere.
After the Marine Corps disperses its forces, it will be more troublesome.
In order to avoid trouble, Feng Qirong did not plan to divide his forces. He would capture Yakushima first, and then capture Tanegashima next to it. Then he could basically declare the completion of control of the Osumi Islands.
In the future, as long as the navy is there, it will be impossible for the opposite Osumi country to cross the sea and regain the Osumi Islands!
After controlling the Osumi Islands, we can then attack several Fuso ports on the Osumi Peninsula and other places.
Moreover, after conquering these ports, Feng Qirong did not say that he planned to control them for a long time. It would be better to get some loot by attacking and leaving. It would be even better if he could get some compensation.
As for completely controlling a certain place after landing on Kyushu Island, the navy has no such plan for the time being, or the empire has no such plan for the time being.
After Feng Qirong sent the Marines to land, although he still paid attention, he was actually unable to control the actions of the landing troops. Although he was the commander of the squadron, he was a very pure naval general and knew nothing about ground combat.
The commander of the landing force was Major Zhang Linong, the commander of the 5th Marine Battalion of the Navy.
Major Zhang Linong was sitting in a small boat at this time. The boat was bumping on the sea, but he was standing firmly on the bow of the boat, showing no signs of being unsteady, and he would not get seasick or anything like that.
After all, he is different from those landlubbers in the army. Although he is a general of the ground forces, he is a serious naval officer. He came from the sea school directly under the navy. He just studied navigation and shipbuilding with other naval officers.
Political subjects, gunnery subjects and other serious maritime warfare subjects were different, but what he studied was land warfare subjects.
While other naval officers were learning how to sail and fight at sea, he was learning how to conduct ground combat, how to conduct line combat, infantry and artillery coordination and other tactics. Most of the content was similar to the weapons of the army.
There is no difference in the studies of the infants and cadets in the school.
Of course, there are still many differences in details. For example, they pay more attention to landing operations, and gang-hopping operations are also a subject they must learn.
So the Marine officers in the Navy say they are naval officers, but in fact they don't know how to control a battleship at all. But if you want to say they are army officers, they are serious naval officers.
At this time, Zhang Linong's boat had already arrived at the shore. After arriving at the shore, he turned over and got off the boat. Regardless of the long leather shoes on his feet being soaked by the sea water, he jumped directly into the sea water that was almost half a man's height.
At the same time, he was still shouting loudly: "Quick, get ashore!"
"Pick up all the guns and ammunition, don't soak them in water!"
Although Zhang Linong had mentioned the precautions for landing many times before the war, and the soldiers under his command were all veteran Marines, and their tactical movements during landing were quite standard, Zhang Linong still had to say it loudly.
Because their main weapons were flintlock guns and shotguns, if the gunpowder was soaked in water, it would be very detrimental to the battle. He was not willing to leave the guns unused and then fight with those damn Fuso people with bayonets.
No, before the war, the officials at the top repeatedly emphasized that they were not going to fight the Fusang people, nor were they going to launch a war of conquest. They were going to suppress the pirates. After the battle report is sent back, the report of the Tang Dynasty on this matter should be
Our heroic and invincible Tang Dynasty Navy recently launched a campaign to exterminate pirates in the northern waters of Ryukyu Prefecture, with remarkable results. It conquered and captured several pirate bases, including the Osumi Islands.
The Tang Dynasty was an empire of invincible benevolence and righteousness. The King's Division of the Tang Dynasty was to protect the interests of the people and was not an invading army.
Therefore, we can no longer say Fuso people, but should say pirates!
So he shouted loudly again: "Quick, line up ashore and kill the pirates!"