Chapter 2143
Jeju Island is located right between the three countries of China, Japan and North Korea. However, because this place has no natural harbor and is not suitable for stationing large armed fleets, it has never been regarded as a strategic maritime location by various countries. Before the arrival of the Haehan people, Seogwipo was just a little-known fishing port in the south of Jeju Island. Most of the local people made a living from fishing and agriculture. They never thought that their peaceful hometown would turn into a... A busy military base.
At the request of the Haehan military, all people within a thirty-mile radius of Seogwipo received a recruitment order from the government. Every household must send young men and women to serve as husbands. Even if there are no men in the family, the women have to go to the Haihan Camp near the port to do logistical work such as laundry, cooking, and medical care.
The entire Seogwipo area has a population of only about 2,000, and about one-third of them were temporarily recruited by the government to provide services for the army that set out to conquer Hirado, Japan. A large number of laborers were forced to perform labor services, which greatly affected local production activities. However, the government had no plans to reduce or reduce taxes for this purpose, which inevitably caused complaints among the people.
The North Korean court hopes to strengthen diplomatic relations with Haihan through military cooperation, but due to various considerations it is inconvenient to directly send troops to participate in this war, so it can only express its attitude by providing logistical support. But for the local people in Seogwipo, whether it is the Haihan Army, the Ming Army, or the Japanese in the east, the war between them should have nothing to do with them, but why was Seogwipo involved for no reason and became one of them? One side's temporary base is really something that is difficult for them to understand.
Yin Changxing is one of those who holds this view. His home is very close to Seogwipo Port, and he has made a living by fishing at sea for generations. Before that, Yin Changxing had also heard rumors about the barbarian invasion from the north and the Haihan Kingdom sending troops to help North Korea retreat from the enemy. But according to the government, the barbarians could be defeated in the end. Isn't it just that the king's army is so powerful that this foreign army can take advantage of the military exploits? ?
He couldn't understand why the Jeju herdsmen had to hurriedly borrow land, collect grain, and recruit civilian laborers when the Haihan people were going to war with Japan, as if they wanted to work for the Haihan people. The pastor personally came to Seogwipo to take charge, lest any details go wrong. It wasn't until the Haihan fleet arrived at Seogwipo that Yin Changxing finally changed his mind.
It was the first time in their lives that the people of Seogwipo saw so many large warships, and any one of them was much larger than the official ship of Jeju Mumu Ambassador. Many people, including Yin Changxing, can't help but think of a question: Does our country also have such a powerful large warship?
The answer is of course no. North Korea's wooden house ships and turtle ships are not like this at all. They do not have such a huge hull, and they do not have the artillery equipped with the Haihan warship. Although the Haihan soldiers who came off these warships were not wearing armor, they were full of murderous intent, which gave Yin Changxing, who was watching the excitement at the dock, an indescribable sense of fear.
The Haihan Army set up a large number of tents near the coast as a temporary base. After Yin Changxing was conscripted into hard service, he was responsible for delivering various supplies, mainly food, to the Haihan Army Camp every day. Even if he was tired, he was not tired. Encountered any trouble. Only a few days later, the army set off from Seogwipo.
Yin Changxing thought that his labor would end here, but things were far from as simple as he thought. Just a few days later, the government asked all drafted civilians to return to work and prepare to receive prisoners of war and wounded returned from the front line.
However, the situation soon took a new turn. It was said that there were too many prisoners of war to be sent back from the front line, and there was no suitable institution in Seogwipo to hold prisoners of war. The government could only give up the temporary requisition of several private houses as prisons. With this idea in mind, he decided to take all the prisoners of war to two uninhabited islands near the coast of Seogwipo.
Yin Changxing's job remained the same, he was still responsible for delivering food, but the service recipient changed from the Haihan Army to Japanese prisoners of war. When Yin Changxing and his companions rowed a boat to deliver food to the small island where prisoners of war were being held, they were really shocked by the situation on the island. He had never thought that there would be so many people on this small island outside the port, so densely packed. Together, they are like a school of fish pulled out of the water by a fishing net.
But the food they sent to the island only consisted of two large baskets of rice balls. Yin Changxing estimated based on his own standards that the portion of these rice balls should be enough to feed about seventy or eighty people. But the number of prisoners seen in front of them was about ten times that number, and since they only had one meal a day, many of them must have gone hungry.
Yin Changxing was a little worried that such a small amount of food would trigger looting, but the few Haihan soldiers on the ship didn't seem nervous. When they were about to reach the coast of the island, several Haihan soldiers raised their rifles, pointed them at the eager prisoners on the island, and began to yell at them.
Yin Changxing couldn't quite understand what the Haihan soldiers were saying, but he could tell that the Japanese prisoners on the island were extremely afraid of these Haihan soldiers. Even though the number of the two sides might be a hundred times different, the prisoners still slowly retreated to a slightly smaller area. Farther away, there was no attempt to confront the Haihan soldiers.
Under the command of Haihan soldiers, these prisoners cooperated very cooperatively and began to line up to receive their food quota.
Yin Changxing knew that the rice balls brought to the island would definitely not be enough to feed so many people, and he was a little hesitant about how to distribute them. The Haihan soldier next to him saw his confusion, so he picked up a rice ball from the basket and broke off a small ball as big as his finger, indicating that this was the portion for one person.
In Yin Changxing's opinion, this little food was basically just enough to stuff his teeth. He seemed to understand why it was difficult for these prisoners to resist - these guys should have been hungry like this after being captured. After a few days, He has long since lost the strength to resist.
In fact, the prisoners had tried to fight for food before, but as long as they disobeyed orders, the food supply for the day would be halved, and the perpetrators would be executed in public. After a few days, everyone who had the courage to challenge the rules was almost dead, and the living people had suffered enough. Whoever wants to jump out and cause trouble when distributing food does not even need to be attacked by the Haihan soldiers. People would tear him alive.
Of course, just as Yin Changxing thought, people who have been starved for several days simply don't have the energy to do any strenuous movements. They now have very little food, and only by moving as little as possible can they effectively reduce consumption. And Haihan also needs to keep these prisoners in a relatively weak physical state so that they can be easily managed and transported. When they are transported to their assigned places, normal food supply will be restored to them so that they can have Enough physical strength to do the work.
Hai Hanbing used the bayonet inserted in the muzzle of his gun to draw a line on the beach, and then asked Yin Changxing and others to start distributing food at the drawn line. After receiving the food, the prisoners voluntarily went to the other side of the line and were not allowed to cross back until the food was distributed to prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters.
Although the method is stupid, it is simple and easy to implement. The prisoners carefully took the small ball of rice from Yin Changxing's hand, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, then slowly walked to the other side of the line, found a place to sit down and stopped moving. They know that their next meal may have to wait until this time tomorrow. Any extra movements during this period will consume their limited physical energy. The more they move, the faster they will die. However, not everyone expected to survive on such a small amount of food. When Yin Changxing returned to the ship and returned to the port after distributing the food, he saw that some people had slowly stood up and walked towards the shore. There must be some food on the beach and among the rocks on the coast to satisfy their hunger temporarily. Only then did Yin Changxing realize why the Haihan people only distributed such a small amount of food to the prisoners.
Yin Changxing was not yet born when the Imjin Japanese Rebellion occurred, but he also heard from the elders in his family about the Japanese invasion of Korea. The two countries were originally feuding, so Yin Changxing naturally didn't have much sympathy for these prisoners. However, he was a little curious about how much hatred the Haihan people had against Japan, and that they would deliberately send troops from far away to attack Japan.
After delivering meals to the prisoners for two days, Yin Changxing got a new job, probably because of his better performance, as an errand boy for a foreign businessman who had just arrived in Hong Kong. In his opinion, this is indeed good news. It will definitely be much better than dealing with prisoners. If you are lucky, you may be able to get some rewards.
What makes Yin Changxing even more happy is that this Han man named Yu Chengli can actually speak a little Korean, so that he will not be scolded by the fierce Haihan soldiers because he did not understand the orders when delivering meals to the prisoners. One pass.
But Yu Chengli was not happy at all. He was even a little angry because the Haihan people did not fully abide by the promise they made to him in Pingdo and sent himself and all his belongings directly to Zhoushan, Zhejiang by warship, but to the west Guipu is a remote and remote place.
According to the explanation given by the Haihan people, the change of plan was because Haihan had to transport all the people and materials from Hirado Island as soon as possible, so the warships originally scheduled to escort merchants from various countries to Zhoushan had to return to Hirado first. Continue to carry out the mission, and Yu Chengli can only stay in Jeju Island temporarily for some time. After Haihan evacuates Hirado first, he will be free and then send the merchants to Zhoushan as originally planned.
There is nothing wrong with this approach. Of course, the Haihan Army must give priority to its own interests, and everything must be subject to military orders during wartime. How can it take into account the needs of these foreign businessmen? It is enough to keep the plan and postpone its execution. Not bad.
Of course, Yu Chengli did not dare to express his grievances against the Haihan people. Although he lost the local real estate, in such a time of war and chaos, it would be good to be able to get out of Hirado Island safely. How could he dare to follow the Haihan people? The Han people argue about treatment.
It's just that the conditions in Seogwipo are a bit difficult. Businessmen like Yu Chengli will definitely not be able to enjoy the treatment of the Haihan Army. The local government does not have enough reception capacity, so it can only temporarily relocate them near the port as a matter of urgency. in the farmhouse. So Yu Chengli and the few entourages who left Hirado with him this time all lived in Yin Changxing's home.
Although Yu Chengli disliked the fishy smell of this rural fisherman's house, he finally had a place to stay, and he had to rely on this Korean fisherman for food and accommodation during his stay in Seogwipo. He didn't dare to be too picky, otherwise If he offends this fisherman and the other party comes up and kicks him out, is it possible that he can move to the Haihan Military Camp?
Fortunately, when he left Hirado, most of Yu Chengli's belongings were shipped out, so he took some silver to Yin Changxing as living expenses for his group. Yu Chengli himself was not a stingy person, so the amount he gave greatly exceeded the local price level.
Yin Changxing did not expect that he would make a fortune as soon as he got this job. The money rewarded by the businessman was more than the family's annual income. Naturally, he did not dare to show any hesitation at that moment, so he gave up all three main rooms in his home. After leaving Yu Chengli and his men to live, his family packed up and moved into the kitchen and woodshed. Fortunately, the weather has warmed up by now, so there is no need to worry about freezing if you sleep without a kang.
A few days later, the Haihan warship brought in a large number of Japanese again. This time they were not prisoners of war, but ordinary civilians. But at this time, Seogwipo's reception capacity had already exploded, and the government was unable to arrange food and accommodation for so many immigrants. It could only temporarily place them near the coast, hoping that the transshipment plan mentioned by Haihan could be implemented as soon as possible.
Yu Chengli had a special status, so he was not grounded. Hearing that a large number of Japanese people were being transported here, he made a special appointment with Gonzalez to go to the resettlement site for these immigrants. The local situation was just as they expected. The government could no longer provide enough food to so many people, and there were no tents for them to live in. Therefore, most of the people were in a state of lack of food and clothing.
Yu Chengli and Gonzalez had stayed in Hirado for many years, and they had some feelings for the local people, so they couldn't bear to see this. The two of them put their money together and decided to spend money to buy some food from local people's homes, cook a big pot of porridge and give it to the immigrants, trying to help them tide over the current difficulties.
The Haihan Army also acquiesced to their kind deed. The current food shortage is not the fault of the Haihan Army, because there was no plan to move all the population of Hirado Island before the war, and there was no preparation when raising food and grass. Extra shares for thousands of people to consume for several days. The existing local grain reserves must give priority to the Haihan Army's own consumption, and it is difficult to allocate any more to relieve these immigrants.
Of course, this food shortage will not last long. The ships Haihan dispatches from various places to Seogwipo will bring enough food. Besides, even if there is no food supply, you will not starve to death if you rely on the sea for a short period of time. Therefore, the military can roughly determine that it will not cause a large-scale famine here, as long as it survives the current few days.
(End of chapter)