Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 9

Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 21

The internal structures of his fortresses were as complex as nine layers deep, where he housed his women and stored his treasures. His governance was severe; in military operations, his troops were ordered to advance and never retreat. Those who disobeyed, even if they were his own sons-in-law, were certain to be executed. For this reason, his forces were considered invincible. He then changed the era name to Bunroku original: "文祿" (1592–1596), the period covering the Japanese invasions of Korea and intended to annex China and destroy Korea, being determined to carry out their execution.

He summoned and questioned former associates of the pirate lord Wang Zhi a powerful Chinese merchant-pirate who had previously operated from Japan. From them, he learned that the Chinese people feared the Japanese like tigers, which caused his arrogance to grow even further. He vastly increased the production of armor and weapons, repaired his naval fleets, and plotted with his subordinates to march upon the Chinese capital of Beijing.

The Kingdom of Ryukyu modern-day Okinawa leaked word of these plans. For guides to the coastal districts of Zhejiang and Fujian, Hideyoshi employed Chinese people; this was viewed as a great threat to the Ryukyu Kingdom. Hideyoshi conspired with the Ryukyuan Chief Secretary Zheng Hui also known by the Japanese name Tei Kai to use a tribute mission as a cover to request investiture. However, Zheng Hui secretly sent word of the true situation. Zheng later returned to his ancestral home and reported these matters to the Provincial Governor, Zhao Canlu.

Governor Zhao reported this to the central government, and the matter was referred to the Ministry of War. The Ministry investigated and sent a formal inquiry to the King of Korea. However, the King only investigated the claims regarding the Chinese guides being used as spies; he remained unaware that the broader plot had already been set in motion.

Initially, Hideyoshi had widely conscripted troops from various regional lords and stored three years' worth of grain, intending to lead the invasion of China in person. However, it happened that his son died and he had no brothers nearby. He had previously taken the wife of the Lord of Bungo a province in Kyushu as his concubine and feared that this would cause future trouble. Furthermore, the various regional lords grew resentful of Hideyoshi’s cruelty toward them.

They all said: "This campaign is not truly to invade Great China, but rather an excuse to attack and exhaust us." Consequently, everyone harbored their own private doubts and conflicting intentions. Because of this, Hideyoshi did not dare to lead the campaign in person.

In the twentieth year of the Wanli era 1592, in the fourth month, he dispatched his generals Kiyomasa Kato Kiyomasa, Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga, Yoshitoshi So Yoshitoshi, the monk Genso, and So Itsu, leading a naval force of several hundred ships. They crossed the sea from Tsushima Island and captured Busan in Korea. Taking advantage of the winds, they drove forward in the early morning; by the fifth month, they had crossed the Imjin River, looted Kaesong, and captured the various districts of Pungdok. As the Korean court looked toward Uiju for refuge, they sent a continuous stream of messengers to report the emergency. The Japanese subsequently entered the royal capital Seoul, captured the Queen and the Prince, and pursued the fleeing remnants of the court.