Analyzing the situation with normal human logic, encountering storms at sea is a common occurrence for ships, and most vessels are designed and built with this in mind.
However, the Koreans' thought processes are not normal.
They had beef and watermelon that could be eaten at the cafeteria, yet they insisted on sneaking them back to their dorms. Similarly, while ship construction requires consideration of storms, the Koreans simply didn't.
It was a mistake made when building ships for Kublai Khan, and it was repeated when building ships for Qianlong.
The issue is that some mistakes can be made, while others are absolutely unforgivable.
For instance, sneaking beef or packing watermelon are moral issues. Besides affecting whether the Japanese have watermelon to eat, at most, it causes the Koreans to lose face. Beyond that, there are no significant consequences.
But neglecting to consider storms during shipbuilding and resorting to shoddy work to meet deadlines is fatal.
Of the Qing Dynasty's original twenty-eight warships, sixteen had already sunk. Of the remaining twelve, five were sunk by the storm. The remaining seven were intercepted by Japanese small vessels. Six were sunk or captured by Japanese sloops, and one managed to fight its way back to Joseon.
Then, Japan prepared to widely celebrate "The Kamikaze once again protected Japan."
Although this particular kamikaze was far from typhoon strength, let alone capable of destroying a fleet, the Japanese have always had this habit of invoking gods and demons. The Japanese islands themselves are said to have eight million kami and oni, so calling a relatively minor storm a "kamikaze" seems understandable.
Even more surprising was the Tokugawa Shogunate's decision to abandon its policy of isolation and prepare to send troops to Joseon.
As everyone knows, the Japanese and the Koreans are like Wolong and Fengchu – their thought processes are quite different from those of normal people.
Koreans dare to steal from anyone, while Japanese dare to confront anyone.
If asked to directly send troops to the Central Plains to fight Zhu Jinsong to the death, the Japanese would certainly refuse. After all, they had been beaten for centuries, and their history with the Central Plains dynasties was essentially a history of being beaten and submitting to authority, from the Battle of Baekgang to the Battle of Noryang.
The Battle of Noryang, in particular, was a painful memory that the Japanese could never erase.
Despite the Koreans' persistent boasting about the "Victory at Myeongnyang," attributing the credit for repelling the Japanese solely to Yi Sun-sin, the Japanese, having been beaten, knew very well that the reality was not as the Koreans claimed.
The reason the Japanese completely withdrew from Joseon and adopted a policy of isolation was the Battle of Noryang, commanded by Chen Lin, Deng Zilong, and Yi Sun-sin, and the fact that Japan was terrified of being beaten by the Great Ming.
Even the "Victory at Myeongnyang" that the Koreans constantly bragged about was primarily commanded by Ming generals and had little to do with the Koreans themselves – if the Ming Emperor wasn't present, it might be different for a Korean general to command troops, but with the Ming Emperor present, did a Korean general expect to command an army?
For example, without Robert Abrams' approval, could a junior student command the Korean army to fight the Japanese?
Let's not talk nonsense. Koreans are Koreans; their greatest skill throughout history has been "serving the great." Several times in history when Japan invaded Korea, the Koreans solved the problem by using the ultimate summoning spell: "Father, save me!"
The key is that this ultimate summoning spell was very effective. Several times when the Japanese tried to attack Korea, they were ultimately defeated by this tactic.
Therefore, the Japanese, who clearly knew who had beaten them, were inherently unwilling to provoke the Central Plains dynasties. The Tokugawa shogunate was determined to pursue a semi-isolationist policy and live their own lives behind closed doors.
However, not wanting to, or rather not daring to, provoke the Central Plains dynasties did not mean the Tokugawa Shogunate did not dare to provoke Joseon.
Especially after capturing a large number of Eight Banners nobles and understanding the current situation of the Central Plains dynasties, Tokugawa Ienari, the leader of the Tokugawa family, began to covet the territories of Joseon and even the Great Qing.
At this time, Tokugawa Ienari had just succeeded as the eleventh Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Upon taking office, he dismissed the politician known as the "bad politician," Tanuma Okitsugu, and appointed Matsudaira Sadanobu as Rōjū, promoting the Kansei Reforms and rectifying the Shogunate's discipline. He was at the height of his ambition.
The key was that Tokugawa Ienari also did not expect the Qing army to be so incompetent. Moreover, Japan itself was full of internal contradictions and urgently needed an outlet to vent.
Therefore, Tokugawa Ienari directly summoned his subordinates and planned to send troops to Joseon to severely punish those ignorant Koreans who didn't know their place.
This time, Japan was not afraid of the Koreans using the "Father, save me!" summoning spell, which was almost unbeatable, because their summon target was itself incompetent and one of Japan's targets.
However, before Japan could even finalize its plans to attack Joseon, Qianlong, who had received the news, became enraged.
The loss of a mere twenty-eight warships and ten thousand naval personnel was not a significant issue for the Great Qing. It wasn't even considered a serious blow.
However, it was a blow to the Great Qing's prestige!
"All those responsible for timber and shipbuilding must be dealt with strictly and severely. Better to kill three thousand than let one go free!"
Qianlong leaned back on his couch and ferociously instructed Heshen and the Grand Secretariat, "Tell Li Shun, Joseon must manufacture another batch of warships within three months, and they must be warships that can fight. If they dare to try and fool me with such shoddy products again, they will lose their heads!"
After Heshen and the Grand Secretariat bowed and acknowledged, Qianlong continued, "What about that rebel Zhu? Any movement?"
Heshen bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, that rebel Zhu is currently busy consolidating affairs in Jiaozhi, Myanmar, and Siam, and has no time to pay attention elsewhere."
Qianlong, however, glanced at Heshen and said, "I'm not asking about these things, but about that 'pot' and that 'small ball' sports meeting – has that rebel Zhu agreed to my proposal?"
When Qianlong asked this, Heshen and the Grand Secretariat felt a pang of anxiety.
Why would you, my lord, ask about such a thing?
If that rebel Zhu had agreed, wouldn't your humble servant be overjoyed to report the good news to you?
Since your humble servant did not bring it up, it means that rebel Zhu did not agree!
After silently complaining internally, Heshen and the Grand Secretariat humbly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, that rebel Zhu is truly ungrateful and will likely disappoint Your Majesty's good intentions."
Upon hearing this, Qianlong couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, inwardly cursing Zhu Jinsong for being so unappreciative.
Without the Great Qing's participation, could that "pot" truly be considered a united effort? What right would that "small ball" sports meeting have to call itself a "small ball" sports meeting?
Furthermore, since Zhu did not agree to the Great Qing's participation in that "pot" and "small ball" sports meeting, it was likely he also did not agree to the proposal for the Great Qing and the pseudo-Ming to exchange ambassadors and consuls.
This meant that Zhu had no intention of reconciling with the Great Qing.
Thinking this, Qianlong's expression darkened, and he said to Heshen and the Grand Secretariat, "Whether that rebel Zhu disappoints my good intentions is secondary. The most crucial thing now is to ascertain that rebel Zhu's movements and understand his intentions."
Heshen bowed and replied, "Yes, your humble servant will dispatch people to handle this immediately."
However, after leaving the Hall of Heavenly Purity, Heshen and the Grand Secretariat's expressions became extremely grim.
Qianlong spoke without considering the difficulties, as if dispatching people to gather intelligence would miraculously result in countless spies rushing to Jinan Prefecture.
But where would they send people from? And where would they find the manpower?
Since retreating to Zhili, the Great Qing had been like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year – worse off each year. Even the Department of Pest Control and the Blood Droplet Guard were almost useless.
If Qianlong wanted intelligence from the Great Ming, he had to send members of the Department of Pest Control or the Blood Droplet Guard to the Great Ming. However, the Great Ming was too bizarre; most of the dispatched personnel never returned. Every dispatch of personnel was equivalent to gambling with a life.
How many people did the Great Qing have? And how many met the selection criteria for the Department of Pest Control and the Blood Droplet Guard?
They had to look like Han Chinese, speak fluent Han Chinese, be intelligent and resourceful, and be loyal to Qianlong. With these conditions, finding one suitable person out of a hundred Jurchen captives would be considered a blessing from Old Yehe Nara's protection!
Therefore, the replenishment rate of the Department of Pest Control and the Blood Droplet Guard lagged far behind the consumption rate. The members were becoming fewer and fewer, and the intelligence received was decreasing.
And they still wanted to figure out what Rebel Zhu was thinking?
It was simply, simply outrageous!
...
Zhu Jinsong didn't think much of it, finding it rather amusing.
The bondservants of the Jurchens always liked to flatter Qianlong excessively, one point being that the Great Ming had suffered from Japanese piracy for over two hundred years, while the Great Qing had not.
To be fair, this was true. The Great Ming indeed had Japanese piracy, while the Great Qing did not.
However, the reason for the absence of Japanese piracy was not because the Great Qing was so formidable, but because Japan at that time, under the Tokugawa Shogunate, was pursuing a policy of isolation and closing its doors to live its own lives.
Furthermore, the reason for Japanese piracy was that it was profitable. The Great Qing had desperately implemented policies of coastal resettlement and maritime prohibition. When the pirates arrived at the coast, they couldn't even see a shadow, and eventually, they had to return with tears in their eyes, empty-handed. Why would they still engage in piracy?
Of course, for bondservants, selective blindness was normal.
However, Zhu Jinsong never expected that Qianlong would engage with the Japanese, let alone that Qianlong would not even be able to deal with the Japanese.
The Japanese even intended to counter-attack Qianlong.
Then, Zhu Jinsong summoned the leaders of the Five Military Commissions and began to deduce the war between the short Japanese and the Jurchens.
Firstly, the short Japanese held the advantage at sea and could attack the Great Qing at any time. The most likely timing would be during the autumn harvest.
Launching a war during the autumn harvest would not only catch the Great Qing and Joseon off guard but also facilitate local resupply for the Japanese army.
Secondly, the Great Qing and Joseon had the advantage of fighting on their home turf, making troop and supply replenishment convenient. The short Japanese, on the other hand, were engaged in a cross-sea expedition, which would inevitably be affected by weather and ocean conditions.
Thirdly, the short Japanese did not possess very advanced firearms. At most, they were on par with the Great Qing's firearms.
This was because the short Japanese were busy with their isolationist policies and had not yet witnessed the pathetic scenes of the Great Qing being severely beaten by foreign powers, naturally leading them to have no inclination for complete Westernization. Their firearms being comparable to Qianlong's was already commendable.
Do not believe in the so-called "craftsmanship spirit" – the essence of craftsmanship spirit is that from their ancestors, generation after generation, they could only engage in one trade, one job, like the old man who sold oil, belonging to "only skilled hands." The so-called craftsmanship spirit is simply a deception for fools.
In fact, within the entire "small ball" world, Japan, which advocated craftsmanship spirit the most, was actually the biggest perpetrator of counterfeiting. They could even fabricate Nobel Prize papers. Even when exposed, they would simply offer a "bowmanship spirit."
Of course, whether the short Japanese fabricated things or not had no direct bearing on their intention to counter-attack Qianlong.
However, after Zhu Jinsong and the leaders of the Five Military Commissions carefully deduced, they found that the short Japanese's chances of victory were not very high.
Upon reaching this conclusion, Zhu Jinsong finally let out a long sigh and said, "It's alright. Let's continue to monitor the situation and see how capable Qianlong really is."
This was actually a very frustrating question.
If it were the princes on the grasslands who wanted to counter-attack Qianlong, Zhu Jinsong could not only provide them with more advanced firearms but even dispatch personnel to provide combat guidance.
However, it was the short Japanese who wanted to counter-attack Qianlong – no matter how much Zhu Jinsong wished for Qianlong's demise, he would never provide assistance to those short Japanese.
Zhu Jinsong even considered helping Qianlong.
However, Zhu Jinsong never expected that when the short Japanese actually launched their attack, the side at a disadvantage would be Qianlong, who had advantages in troop replenishment, logistics, and geographical environment.
Within just a few days, Dongnae Defense Command (Busan) fell into the hands of the short Japanese, and several garrison towns under the Gyeongsang Province Naval Commander's Office were directly crippled.
Upon receiving this news, Zhu Jinsong was stunned.
The leaders of the Five Military Commissions and the senior officials of the civil bureaucracy were equally stunned.
Who could have possibly foreseen this? The Great Qing had been ferocious when dealing with the Gurkhas and Joseon, and did not hesitate when dealing with the Tsarist Russian army at Kyakhta and Albazino, and they held such a significant advantage. How could they not defeat the short Japanese?
According to Zhu Erdan, even if they tied a dog to command a group of pigs, those short Japanese could not have captured all of Busan in just a few days!
But no matter how incompetent the Great Qing and Joseon were, the fact that they were attacked by the Japanese was undeniable.