Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 29

Page 7

...discarded it referring to the Imperial edict and the investiture robes. He then issued a proclamation rebuking Korea, listing three specific grievances. He arrived at Busan. At that time, the Japanese camp at Busan was still weak. The Korean general Yi Won-ik wanted to take advantage of this vulnerability and attack them, but Shen Weijing the Ming negotiator would not allow it. Instead, Shen privately purchased rare and precious items to present as "tribute" to Hideyoshi, while submitting a deceptive report to the Ming court.

Meanwhile, Japanese troops crossed the sea in a continuous stream, led by generals such as Konishi Yukinaga, Kato Kiyomasa, and Shimazu Yoshihiro original: Shimanzi (石曼子), a Chinese phonetic rendering of the Shimazu clan name. The Korean people fled from the soldiers in total chaos and distress.

Our Imperial Court the Ming dynasty again debated sending out an army, but the previous forces had already been completely withdrawn, and new recruits failed to materialize. As a result, Shi Xing the Ming Minister of War who had advocated for the failed peace negotiations was cast into prison.

At this time, there were over 200,000 Japanese troops, invading through five different routes. They no longer prioritized the looting of wealth, but were instead bent on slaughter. They occupied strategic heights and fortified cities, making long-term arrangements for a permanent occupation. However, the enemy fundamentally relied on Korea for their provisions, and Korea had long been devastated by the fires of war. There were no reserves in either public or private storehouses, and the grain in the fields had not yet flourished. Therefore, the Japanese also waited for the autumn harvest before advancing.

Yang Hao a Ming official overseeing the military response then proposed stationing naval forces at Tianjin, Dengzhou, and Laizhou original: Denglai (登萊), a collective name for these two strategic coastal prefectures in Shandong to prevent the enemy from breaking through via the sea routes. From Ningcheng to