Nobunaga’s Ambition Realized: Dawn of a New Rising Sun
- Thread starter Ambassador Huntsman
- Start date
Yeah, this is pretty much a loss for the Swedes, the failure to capture Scania and the losses to Russia are quite substantial, and their African colonies are just a consolation prize. I hope we see the Swedes take back their territories when the Russians show weakness (maybe if the Russians focus on the Amur? Or if Russia goes through a dynastic dispute?) but Russia mustn't gain any ports in the Baltic for Sweden to maintain its empire.
Sweden must continue their alliance with Britain to push the Danes and Dutch to think twice before attacking them again. I could see a scenario where the Brits rob the Danes and Dutch blind as the Danes' navy attempts to supply Scania. Sweden should attempt an alliance with Poland Lithuania too. The PLC is quite strong, and if John Casimir's line survives alongside the Swedish line they could tag team the Russians together.
Ooh interesting. If the Russians fight the Japanese in the Amur Khanate things would get very interesting. I don't see the Russians being able to do much other than send multiple expedition armies though due to the distance, which would be interesting. A bunch of Cossacks going over and becoming a minority there would be fun too.
Great update. It’d be very cool if London and Stockholm continue their alliance for centuries to come.
Chapter 100: Reactions to the Amur Intervention and the Beginning of the Asiatic Northern War
Chapter 100: Reactions to the Amur Intervention and the Beginning of the Asiatic Northern War
By the early 1660s, Emperor Yongwu of Ming China and King Gyeongseon of Joseon had assumed full responsibilities of their respective realms as they had both come of age. Thus, they would feel the impact of Japan’s Amur intervention firsthand and act accordingly in response. For the Chinese emperor, the unfolding events were a wake up call as to the new dangers and fluidity of the northern frontier not seen since the days of Nurhaci. Specifically, prospective Russian aggression coming from across the fringes of the Ming sphere of influence greatly alarmed Beijing. To that end, Yongwu sought to receive the tributary submission of Moscow and assurances of its ambitions not to step on Ming China’s toes. However, the tsar and his court quickly shot down the suggestion and so Yongwu moved to Plan B. In 1665, only a few years after the expulsion of the raiding Mongols under Abunai, Beijing initiated renewed hostilities against the Northern Yuan for the purpose of securing the Mongol horde as an effective buffer between itself and Russia. At the beginning of what would be a years-long military campaign, the emperor would successfully gain the submission and support of Tseten, the older half-brother of Sengge, the khan of the pro-Yuan Dzungar Khanate to the west of the Ming realm. This Ming-Mongol conflict would last for the rest of the decade.
One traditional Ming tributary that would not participate in this conflict was Joseon, whose young king Gyeongseon had taken away very different conclusions from Japan’s Amur intervention. To him, Japan, not Russia, was the real threat. Although Beijing had taken note of Japan’s expansion into mainland affairs, it did not consider the island nation a serious threat to its power. By contrast, Japan’s increasing influence among the Jurchens directly impacted Joseon’s own power and influence in the region. Gyeongseon would thus work towards further modernizing and professionalizing his kingdom’s military, particularly its infantry and navy. He would also strengthen his support for the pro-Hanseong Lesser Jin khanate against the pro-Azuchi Amur khanate. Beijing would quietly support Joseon in its endeavors as it also favored the Sinophile Lesser Jin over the more rustic Amur Jurchens.
Gyeongseon’s decision to harden his support for the Lesser Jin would prove to be fateful for the future of the far northern frontier. Its young khan, Gutai, was the great-grandson of the great Nurhaci who had united nearly all the Jurchen tribes against Ming China and Joseon and held grand ambitions. He had concluded that the increasing intervention of the Japanese and the Russians necessitated the future subjugation of the northern Amur khans, confident that the presence of outsiders could not expand beyond the banks of the Amur River. Gutai would decide to make his move in the spring of 1666 while the Japanese under Kuroryutsu magistrate Sato Hidekiyo (佐藤栄清) was preoccupied fighting off a renewed incursion of Russian Cossacks. He began gathering Jurchen warriors and levies for an invasion of the Amur khanate and requested military aid from Joseon. The ambitious Gyeongseon, determined to retake the gains and glory of his predecessors, enthusiastically obliged despite the protests of many Confucian scholar-advisors who preferred a less aggressive foreign policy. He would send a force of 10,000 Joseon troops to Hetu Alu under the command of veteran general Shin Ryu.
One traditional Ming tributary that would not participate in this conflict was Joseon, whose young king Gyeongseon had taken away very different conclusions from Japan’s Amur intervention. To him, Japan, not Russia, was the real threat. Although Beijing had taken note of Japan’s expansion into mainland affairs, it did not consider the island nation a serious threat to its power. By contrast, Japan’s increasing influence among the Jurchens directly impacted Joseon’s own power and influence in the region. Gyeongseon would thus work towards further modernizing and professionalizing his kingdom’s military, particularly its infantry and navy. He would also strengthen his support for the pro-Hanseong Lesser Jin khanate against the pro-Azuchi Amur khanate. Beijing would quietly support Joseon in its endeavors as it also favored the Sinophile Lesser Jin over the more rustic Amur Jurchens.
Gyeongseon’s decision to harden his support for the Lesser Jin would prove to be fateful for the future of the far northern frontier. Its young khan, Gutai, was the great-grandson of the great Nurhaci who had united nearly all the Jurchen tribes against Ming China and Joseon and held grand ambitions. He had concluded that the increasing intervention of the Japanese and the Russians necessitated the future subjugation of the northern Amur khans, confident that the presence of outsiders could not expand beyond the banks of the Amur River. Gutai would decide to make his move in the spring of 1666 while the Japanese under Kuroryutsu magistrate Sato Hidekiyo (佐藤栄清) was preoccupied fighting off a renewed incursion of Russian Cossacks. He began gathering Jurchen warriors and levies for an invasion of the Amur khanate and requested military aid from Joseon. The ambitious Gyeongseon, determined to retake the gains and glory of his predecessors, enthusiastically obliged despite the protests of many Confucian scholar-advisors who preferred a less aggressive foreign policy. He would send a force of 10,000 Joseon troops to Hetu Alu under the command of veteran general Shin Ryu.
Portrait of Gutai, khan of the Lesser Jin
Sahaliyan, khan of the Amur realm, immediately prepared to confront Gutai and his army and dispatched messengers to the Japanese to ask for military aid. By the time they reached Azuchi, however, a pitched battle had already occurred between the two khanates on July 17th and the results were devastating. At Jixi, an army of 30,000 Amur Jurchen horsemen gathered before a coalition force of Lesser Jin cavalry and infantry and Joseonite reinforcements with both khans present. Despite the valor of Sahaliyan and his subject warriors, his army was outgunned and unable to deal with the greater flexibility and diversity of forces making up the Joseon-Jin army. Ultimately, the Amur Jurchen army was routed, its khan killed in battle after dueling with one of Gutai Khan’s bodyguards. In the immediate aftermath of the Amur defeat at the Battle of Harbin, the Amur khanate’s military was scattered and the Lesser Jin’s steppe horsemen scorched the countryside determined to hunt down the enemy one by one. Sahaliyan’s heir, Bahai, rallied the remnants and managed to return to his capital of Ningguta where he prepared for Gutai’s next onslaught.
Initially uninformed of the full scale of the disaster unfolding on the mainland, Sakuma Moritora would be ordered to once again dispatch along with an army of 9,000. This force was disproportionately made up of cavalry, both Ainu and samurai cavalry, to prepare for inevitable clashes on the steppe far from the waters of the Amur River. However, as new information flowed into Japan, the urgency of the situation increased. In response, a new order was issued by the government to organize an army of around 25,000 to be commanded by the 22 year old Kaga Nagaaki. Like Moritora’s vanguard, it had an unusually high percentage of cavalry for a standard Japanese army though it still consisted largely of musketeers and swordsmen. Accompanying Nagaaki as an advisor was Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, whose experience in the Luzon War and knowledge of the Joseonite military as a member of the Mōri clan would prove invaluable for the young Oda samurai lord. The Japanese navy would also be fully deployed to accommodate the transport of not only troops but also a huge amount of provisions, as the small Japanese presence and the frosty climate of the far northern mainland made injecting a large military force an inevitably arduous and challenging process.
Japan’s moves towards intervening on the side of the Amur Khanate, however, would not come fast enough to save the capital of Ningguta. Informed of Gutai’s impending approach upon the city, the new khan chose to burn down the city that his father had made into a regional economic center but denied the enemy much-needed supplies and provisions. Bahai and his entire accompanying army would escape, buying time as they set off from the flames engulfing Ningguta and living to fight another day. Nevertheless, his realm remained in bad shape, swaths of his lands pillaged and occupied by Gutai’s steppe warriors and allies from Joseon. This was the state of affairs Moritora stepped into when he and his force landed in Kuroryutsu. The “Tiger of the North” and the Amur khan would begin working together on repelling further attacks on Amur Jurchen positions and defeating the enemy for good.
Red = Japan, Blue = Joseon, Gold = Ming China, Green = Northern Yuan, Orange = Lesser Jin, Brown = Amur Khanate, Lavender = Russia
In response to Japan’s military support for the Amur Khanate, Gyeongseon’s ministers pressured the king to send diplomats to daijo-daijin Oda Nobuhiro and attempt a negotiated peace. Talks, however, went nowhere as Azuchi balked at Hanseong’s haughty demands. What would be known as the Asiatic Northern War would move forward and continue to embroil all the lands of the Jurchens and adjacent tribes. As it progressed, it would involve the entire region and witness the interests of every stakeholder clash with each other.
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@Ambassador Huntsman , Great chapter! And i really hope Japan comes out victorious on this war!
War in the north! Curious to see how it goes. How come Japan hasn't taken northern Sakhalin yet, even if only as claims? They should also get on Kamchatka ASAP before Russia moves in.
I would rather bet on Jin - the northern khanate is ruined, and even if it wins, it will come out greatly weakened. Moreover, Japan will not always be able to win.
And so the Asiatic northern war starts! I hope it's the Joseon who ultimately wins the war, and push the Japanese away from substantial colonisation of Manchuria and Siberia and focus on other regions where Japan can exert it's army more easily, and a Joseon that becomes strong by colonisation of Manchuria would be a very interesting prospect as they would be boxed in by the other powers if they don't control the region.
If there's any Russian presence in Shakalin I've no doubt the Japanese armies would make short work of them, I do think that it would be a fear of the Japanese though, especially since they should've heard stories of the Russians from Europe.
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I hope Japan can take the Korean islands of Jeju and Ulleungdo and the Jin held port Vladivostok.
Taking Jeju Island won't be easy. As the update has shown, Korea is well aware of Japan's militancy and the prowess they've shown in beating back the Spanish twice, defeating the Russians in a major logistical feat in the Amur River and right after they had been waging a Civil War, and as such have been reforming their own military as a result. Koreas navy would be more than a match for Japan. Vladivostok won't be easy either, because of its proximity to Korea as well.
Korea's logistics train is probably shorter than Japan's ATM; I think they'll have a better time closer to home, but struggle to compete with Japan beyond their home waters.
Most of Korea’s army has not seen battle or war to say nothing of the Korean navy.
Japan’s forces are much more experienced and larger and unlike the Imjin war Japan has much clearer geopolitical aims then “let’s conquer Asia” or whatever the hell Toyotomi was trying to accomplish.
All Japan has to do for a “completely victory” is dominate the souther and eastern coasts of Korea with there fleets to squeeze politically Seoul (probably not the west coast, to high a chance for an incident with China) and force a status quo, or near status quo peace in Manchuria.
If the Amur Khanate completely collapses Japan can just expand their enclave into a lager colony at the mouth of the Amur and leave the inland regions to the Jin Via a separate peace and focus on Korea.
If the Korean front goes so poorly for Japan that they face an invasion of Kyushu or Chūgoku then that would imply Korea is putting a lot of men and ships that could have gone north into a very risky attack on Japanese soil giving the northern front breathing room to fight the Jin to a successful conclusion.
worse case scenario is the Amur are annexed by the Jin and Korea annexes Tsushima. In that case the Jin will turn Against Korea and Japan will prepare for round two
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Very good update! Can’t wait to see how the Asiatic Northern War goes.
Also on a side note, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that by the time Gyeongseon’s modernisation and professionalisation of the Joseon Army is complete the standard Joseon infantryman will look something like this?
If Joseon loses this burgeoning war then it might lead to quicker military reforms or the Confucian sholar-advisors attempt a putsch.
Also on a side note, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that by the time Gyeongseon’s modernisation and professionalisation of the Joseon Army is complete the standard Joseon infantryman will look something like this?
If Joseon loses this burgeoning war then it might lead to quicker military reforms or the Confucian sholar-advisors attempt a putsch.
Tbf I think the gun looks something more like what the Japanese would do especially due to them being inspired by Ainu weapon. Also, I think the Joseon would be using plug bayonets bc socket bayonets were only invented in the late 17th century in England. It's defo possible that there's an alternate invention of the socket bayonet in Asia but otherwise most sides should be using plug bayonets or dropping their bayonets and charge at their enemies.Also on a side note, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that by the time Gyeongseon’s modernisation and professionalisation of the Joseon Army is complete the standard Joseon infantryman will look something like this?
Tbf I hope they don't lose. The Japanese do need a loss and I think the Confucianists will always be a problem as they're way too traditional and don't want any change. I feel China will go that way ittl as Japan and Joseon focus on colonisation and ignore China more and more as China let's it's navy rot.
I think the Japanese could still win the battle but lose the war. I don't think the rest of Japan wants to focus their forces in the conquest of Manchuria especially if the Joseon put up a good fight. Even if the Joseon lose the first few engagements if they manage to regroup and put good leaders the Joseon could probably keep the Jin afloat and fight the Japanese to a draw.
I think you're not thinking of a scenario where this northern war ends in everyone being exhausted and the Russians pushed out of the Amur basin, which would favour the Joseon slightly more than the Japanese as the Joseon could just roll up on land, and while Japan has it's enclave it would still be hard for Japan to not face mishaps when transporting troops to the region. For example, if the city is sieged by the Joseon and the land based cannonry could deal with the ships well enough the Japanese would be under a lot more pressure than the Joseon.
I do think the islands off Joseon wouldn't be easy targets tho. Unless they have great admirals like what they had in the imijin war I don't see them doing well at sea at all. I do hope they don't completely lose but fend off the Japanese at pivotal times tho. All in all I think it would be very fun to witness, especially as the Russians realise everyone in the region are all very ready for a gunpowder army and they're probably the smallest fish in the region due to the populations China, Joseon and Japan all have.
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Yeah, I don’t expect for socket bayonets to appear just yet, the picture is more for what the uniform would look rather than the musket.
Oh, then yeah they probably should look like that.
If anything perhaps the uniform is too well decorated lol, the sword probably should be more plain and the tassel should be more monochrome and mainly to show rank or to show which regiment they're in. I think the ppl with more money/the elite musketeers would wear a cuirass too since nothing else would help and most soldiers would only wear the helmet as most other armour would be useless against the bullets (and definitely not chainmail).
Japan taking Jeju and some other islands and securing its power further north nearer to Kamchatka but losing the Manchuria region to Joseon and it’s allies would be an interesting stalemate
Yeah I think it's the best ending for everyone: Joseon protects it's northern border and shows the general populace and elites that the modernisation campaign was successful while the Japanese still get something out of it and aren't humiliated (tbf with the best general of Japan's generation fighting there I don't see Japan totally lose).
Tbf the Russians aren't something the Joseon can't face, the Amur is too far for a Russian response to be prompt. It's similar to how Japan could face the European powers in SEA.