Chapter 2650
When Zhu Zian heard this, he suddenly realized, wondering how he had forgotten this incident. In fact, such regulations are not new. The Tokuo lineage, as vassal kings who were entrusted to local areas, also had to abide by similar rules. There were corresponding standards for palace buildings, entry and exit ceremonials, and even personal attire, and they were not allowed to be violated at will. .
As a vassal state, it is natural for North Korea to follow such standards. Judging from the scale of the Ganghwa Island palace, they were very abiding by the rules and did not throw these taboos behind just because the emperor was far away. It's just that the North Koreans were unwilling to be left alone and tried to play with the design of the roof, so there were these buildings with uncoordinated shapes.
After visiting the palace, which was not too big in scale, the group went to Gapchudun, a military fortress located on the east coast of Ganghwa Island. It is also one of the few military facilities on the island.
Jin Sangjiu enthusiastically introduced the history of this place to visitors: "This is the gate of Ganghwa Island and a fortress guarding the mouth of the Han River. It has been in use for hundreds of years... According to historical records, during the war with Mongolia four hundred years ago, , this was the frontier position!”
However, when the Gapchudun Fortress was built on Ganghwa Island, the one fighting the Mongols was not the Korean state at that time, but the Goryeo Dynasty that had been overthrown by it. It's just that even if Shi Chengwu and others knew this history, they would not expose Jin Shangjiu to his face and let him continue to brag about the dynasty's civil and military achievements.
But from a professional perspective, several young officers in the mission would probably give this fortress a failing rating.
The so-called Jiachudun Fortress was just a low wall built with bricks and stones on the high ground near the island shore, and several artillery positions were set up, allowing the defenders to use artillery to block the narrow waterway between Ganghwa Island and the mainland. .
This kind of fortification may not be a big problem when used to deal with civilian armed forces such as Japanese pirates, but once the opponent adopts the plan of landing and siege, the fort with ventilation on all sides will probably have to stand alone. Not to mention that a fleet like Haihan with powerful firepower would not suffer any loss even if it bombarded the fortress at sea. From a practical perspective, the symbolic significance of this fortress far exceeds its actual military value.
Zhu Zian noticed several coastal defense guns deployed here at a glance. The gun barrels were thin at the front and thick at the back. The diameter of the rear end was about one foot. The gun body was eight feet long. It was mounted on a movable gun mount. The muzzle Facing the crenellations on the parapet. In his impression, such large artillery seemed to be rare on the walls of Jinan City before.
Zhu Zian walked quietly to the cannon. When he looked around, he saw the words "Made by Haihan Guotian Dou Ordnance Factory" engraved on the cannon, followed by a series of Haihan numbers that he couldn't understand. I guess it must be the serial number of this artillery piece. Obviously, this is not a weapon manufactured by North Korea itself, but obtained from Haihan through certain channels.
Jin Shangjiu continued to introduce: "...the fortress is equipped with six large and twelve small guns, a total of eighteen artillery pieces, all purchased from your country. The gunners who operate these guns were all sent to Zhoushan for half a year of training, and all of them have A reliable skill! ”
Wang Anguo smiled and said: "Master Jin, now that the sea areas around your country are peaceful, there will be no invading enemies from the sea. In my opinion, these artillery should be deployed to the northern border."
North Korea and the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the north have been enemies for decades. During this period, North Korea almost collapsed several times. If it were not for Haihan's help, North Korea would have disappeared long ago. Although the Manchu Qing Dynasty had surrendered to Haihan, its territory was still bordering North Korea. In theory, there were still risks, and Wang Anguo's suggestion made sense.
However, Jin Shangjiu's face changed color slightly, and he lowered his voice and replied: "This Han River Estuary... still needs to be guarded. There is no telling when something will happen." Wang Anguo was stunned, and then he understood what Jin Shangjiu meant. This fort built at the mouth of the Han River is not just used to display the results of military cooperation between the two countries, but it indeed assumes certain military functions. But the targets of its defense may not be Japanese pirates or Manchus, but compatriots in the north.
In the more than two hundred years of history of the Joseon Dynasty, whether it was Japanese pirates or Manchu cavalry, these far more powerful opponents than Korea did not overthrow the rulers at the time, even if they pushed it to the brink of annihilation. The crisis that really frightened the rulers of North Korea was the frequent palace coups. On Ganghwa Island alone, at least two monarchs who were overthrown and then exiled were imprisoned.
Now Haihan has supported a so-called small court in the north, dividing the three northern provinces. Within its jurisdiction, there are not only rich reserves of coal, iron and other minerals, but also many primary industrial facilities built with Haihan's assistance. It has certain capabilities. Military manufacturing capabilities.
As the king of North Korea, Li Zhi certainly could not turn a blind eye to potential risks. He knew that his brother in power in the north might launch a coup aimed at overthrowing his rule at any time. Taking a step back, even if Li Hao doesn't want to do this, if the Haihan people feel it is necessary, they may turn to fully support Li Hao to replace him at any time.
Of course, Li Zhi could not resist Haihan's military methods, but at least he had to try his best to prevent attacks from within the country. At a key location like Ganghwa Island, it is absolutely necessary to deploy some defensive measures to prevent imaginary enemies from invading the Gyeonggi area from the Han River.
However, due to various practical reasons, including the fear of Haihan, Li Zhi was unable to build large-scale military facilities and station heavy troops on Jianghua Island. In the end, he only retained the Jiachudun fortress on Jianghua Island in the name of military cooperation. , which can at least have a certain blockade effect on the Han River channel when necessary.
Jin Shangjiu was an official promoted by Li Xie, and his position was naturally on the king's side. He also knew the significance of the existence of Jiachudun Fortress, but it was just not convenient to state it in front of these Haihan officials.
Of course, it is also possible that he did it deliberately to see if he could have a chance to win the support of these young officials for the king, even if it was just to show his support.
However, these young people in the mission are all children of high-ranking officials. They are aware of Haihan's various measures in North Korea, and naturally they will not easily choose sides. Although Wang Anguo understood the implication of Jin Shangjiu, he did not make any response to it. Instead, he changed the topic and asked about Jia Chuandun's defense and training status.
According to Jin Shangjiu, there are 300 artillery troops stationed in Jiachuandun, including 48 elite artillerymen who have been trained in Zhoushan. These three hundred people are usually divided into three shifts, and they take turns guarding the fort every day. There are also more than a thousand infantry, archers, musketeers, sailors, handymen, etc., which are all the people stationed at Jiachuedun.
(End of chapter)