Text/Jun Suzuki
Kuroda Fleet conquers Korea
After the treaty was concluded between Japan and North Korea, Kuroda Kiyotaka gave a Gatling machine gun and rifle to the King of Korea. The North Korean side asked the foreign affairs officials left by the Japanese side afterwards: "Is it your country's system or the Western system that is dedicated to our king's cannon and rifle?" "Because if the cannons and rifles were European and American products, they were not suitable for the king." In fact, the Gatling machine gun was produced in the United States, and Japan only threatened North Korea with imported weapons, that is, "borrowed military power.". For the sake of its own reputation and future generations, North Korea wants to clarify this issue.
In response to this question, the Japanese side replied that whether it is made in Japan or made in Europe and the United States, once it enters Japan's arsenal, it becomes a Japanese weapon. It would be a mistake to assume that a weapon was produced in a foreign country just because it had Roman characters written on it. Japan said that just like Japan's new currency, in order to be consistent with the European and American worlds, some domestic products are also written in Roman characters.
Since the end of the shogunate's rule, Japan has been committed to the localization of new weapons. Of the six warships led by Kuroda Kiyotaka, one was built at the Yokosuka Shipyard under the guidance of French technicians; the other five, along with other major weapons, were all imported. For many people in the new government, how to domesticize new weapons is an urgent problem to be solved. But for Kuroda Kiyotaka, who gave imported Gatling machine guns as a gift to North Korea, this may not be a problem.
Kuroda Kiyotaka was then a senator and chief of development, responsible for the development of Hokkaido. He hired Americans, including Khyrenp and Clark, widely adopted the opinions of these Americans in terms of pioneering policies and education, and invested a lot of money in imported mechanical products such as ships. For Kuroda Kiyotaka, it is the responsibility of the new government to make full use of these resources and promote the development and defense causes.
The Kuroda fleet approaching Ganghwa Consisted of six warships, namely Nisshin (including Captain Ito Yuhide, with a total of 160 passengers), Meng Chun (82 in total), Takao Maru (146 including Inoue Ryoshi, 89 in honor guards, 169 in Navy infantry squadron), Genbu Maru (66 in total), Hakodate Maru (domestically produced, 54 people in total, with four 8 cm guns), and Jiaolong Maru (42 in total).
The Genbu Maru, Hakodate Maru, and Jiaolong Maru were temporarily managed by the Navy, and were originally the ships of the Pioneer Envoys, and the officials of the Pioneer Envoys were seated. The commander of the Gatling Machine Gun Honor Guard was Takeshiro Nagayama. "Junshaosa" is a rank of tun tian bing established a year ago. Kuroda Kiyotaka served as a lieutenant general in order to command the Tuntian soldiers. In this operation, Kuroda Kiyotaka was given the command of frigates and honor guards, and commanded part of the navy. On the Army side, only non-commissioned officers and no soldiers participated in the operation.
The Kuroda Fleet was a combined army of the Navy and the Pioneer Envoy. The Japanese government announced to the outside world that the Army would not participate in the operation, in order to show that Japan has no ambitions for Korean territory. As mentioned earlier, the Japanese government has only just revised the conscription order to make it possible to send troops overseas. In order to consolidate the conscription system, the Japanese government must try to avoid sending conscripted troops to foreign countries.
Conquest of Korea
Why, then, did the Japanese government pursue a tough foreign policy toward North Korea that accompanied its military actions? One of the political moves of the early Meiji years, which is difficult for us to understand today, is the theory of conquest of Korea. At that time, Korea was still stuck in the international relations constructed by the tributary system centered on the Qing Dynasty, and despised the "apostatical" Japan. For Japan, which has opened its doors and embraced international relations between Europe and the United States, North Korea's attitude is obviously very rude.
During the Edo period, Relations between Japan and North Korea were mediated by the Tsushima Domain. Every time a new general succeeds to the throne, North Korea sends messengers. In addition, Japan established the "Wokan" in Busan, where Tsushima officials were stationed to handle liaison and trade with the Korean side. The new government submitted its credentials to Korea, proclaiming the establishment of a regime centered on the emperor, but in February of Meiji 2 (1869), the Joseon side believed that Japan used the terms "imperial family" and "bongju" that only the Chinese emperor could use, so it refused to accept the new government's state letter.
After the return of the edition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an envoy in Meiji III (1870) with the intention of inheriting diplomatic power over the Ma domain, but the Korean side refused to meet with the envoy. In September of the fifth year of Meiji after the abolition of the domain, foreign minister Hanabo Yoshitomo entered Busan on the warship Kasuga, took over the Tsushima domain officials, and renamed it the "Great Japanese Mansion". However, the DPRK side refused to recognize the Great Japanese Mansion, and also rejected the demands of European and American countries for the founding of the country, and continued to implement the policy of national isolation.
North Korea's series of responses undermined the prestige of Japan's new government. The Imperial Oath states: "Break the old bad habits, and be fair to heaven and earth." Yu Chenhan proposed: "Open up thousands of miles of waves, and publicize the prestige of the country in all directions." Therefore, the Japanese side believes that based on the above spirit, it is wise to attack North Korea.
From the first year of Meiji (1868) to the second year of Meiji, Kido Takayoshi took the lead in proposing the theory of conquest of Korea within the new government. In Meiji 6, when advocating the conquest of Korea, Kido Takayoshi proposed that the previous theory of conquest was nothing more than a temporary measure adopted by the imperial court, because at that time the restoration of the book had not yet been completed, and each lord had his own army, and the imperial court had to use this as an excuse to form an army directly under the control to suppress the opposition forces in Japan.
As mentioned earlier, Kido Takayoshi was pursuing a policy of returning the imperial family at the time, and he believed that the imperial court had a direct army as a means of achieving this policy. He predicted that even samurai who belonged to the clan would leave the clans and gather under the imperial court in order to "conquer Korea".
In feudal society, the samurai obtained territory and qilu by serving the lord. For the samurai, fighting was one of the most important tasks because it brought them fame and financial benefits. Even after entering the Meiji era, this awareness has not changed.
In the second year of Meiji (1869), the government rewarded the samurai who had made meritorious contributions in the Botatsu War. Within the domain, these people also had a higher status, and even the "rewards" of the lord of the domain were also assigned to these "meritorious ministers".
The function of warfare enhanced the political and economic status of the samurai, and as long as there were samurai who were dissatisfied with their position, the war could gain the support of the majority. The samurai looked forward to showing their loyalty to the emperor through battle, and for them, after the completion of domestic unification, as long as it was a famous foreign war, they did not care who their opponents were. If defeat leads to national unrest, there is no way to do it. Therefore, the sooner the war starts, the better.
North Korea happens to be the most suitable adversary. The goal of returning the imperial household, abolishing the feudal prefectures, and unifying the country had been achieved, and for the head of Yamaguchi Prefecture, headed by Kido Takayoshi, there was no need to insist on invading Korea if the disobedients who had made military achievements could be suppressed through the "detachment riots." But for the heads of government from Kagoshima, Kochi, and Saga, they must find a way to deal with their fellow countrymen's desire to invade North Korea.
If the new government wants to consolidate its position, it cannot ignore North Korea's rude behavior. Therefore, the new government must use force to promote national prestige. The new government hopes to solve the problem without using the power of the general gentry and without being criticized by Western countries.
Saigo Takamori was also a drummer of the Korean Expedition
In the course of the Ganghwa Incident, which opened the door to Korea, the new government, by imitating Western military technology and diplomatic theory, was able to skillfully accomplish the goal of conquest without using the power of ordinary soldiers or even mobilizing the army army composed of conscripts. This is the result of Japan's imitation of Western enlightenment. As a result, the warriors, who could not hope for the conquest of Korea, had no choice but to target the new government directly at the new government.