The news of the defeat and incorporation of the Damihu tribe reached the remaining five tribes in just two days.
Just as the Japanese soldiers were filled with fear, Shijin Ritsu's letter of surrender was delivered to the leaders of various tribes.
Shejinlu's letter of persuasion was also very direct: either accept the Han's reorganization and actively join the Han-affiliated army, or wait for the Han's attack and passively join the Han-affiliated army.
The name of the Han Dynasty had spread to the Japanese archipelago during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. The population and area of just one prefecture far exceeded that of the Yamatai Kingdom. How could people not be afraid of it?
The leaders of those small and medium-sized tribes hesitated only for a moment when they saw Shejinlu's letter of surrender before making their choice. They led the able-bodied soldiers of their tribes, along with their silver ingots and grain, to Damihu's tribe.
Eight days later, all seven tribes on the southern coast of Yamatai submitted to the Han Dynasty.
As required by the surrender document, they also sent over all the silver ingots and pearls from their tribe.
Upon seeing the 50,000 taels of silver ingots sent by these tribes, Chu You and the others became even more convinced that the area was rich in silver mines.
Although silver ingots are not considered currency in the Yamatai Kingdom and the Wa Islands, they are still metals and their value is not particularly low. Therefore, these tribes would collect and smelt some silver ingots and make some silver utensils in exchange for some supplies.
After further inquiry, it was discovered that these silver ingots were found in a mountain forest two hundred miles to the northwest.
Chu You immediately dispatched troops to escort several engineering students to the mountain forest for surveying.
As for the able-bodied men in each unit, they were all incorporated into the Han-controlled army, expanding the number of soldiers to six thousand.
Chu You then divided the Han subordinate army into three parts, each with two thousand men. Each part was staffed with two hundred Han soldiers and their accompanying guards, who served as junior officers in the Han subordinate army to ensure that the Han subordinate army would not break away from the control of the Han army.
The remaining men, women, and children from each tribe were all ordered by Chu You to be relocated to the Shejinlu tribe's territory to begin building city walls and roads leading to the beach.
In the days that followed, Chu You's delegation and caravan settled in Shejinlu and began training the Han troops according to the training model of the Han army.
While training was underway, Chu You also dispatched the chief officer of the army and two instructors from the military and political departments to begin arranging for Shejinlu and the leaders of the other tribes to learn Chinese and receive political education.
On February 15th, after more than ten days of simple training, Shijin Ritsu and most of the Japanese soldiers were able to understand simple Chinese commands and learn how to deploy troops.
Early that morning, Chu You gathered the scions of prominent families and merchants together to discuss their next move.
Just as everyone sat down, several trainees who were responsible for surveying the mountains and forests returned to their lodgings with joyful expressions.
"Mr. Chu, great news! Incredible good news!"
Before he even entered the tent, the excited voices of the engineering students had already reached Chu You's ears.
"Oh? Could it be that a silver mine has been discovered?"
Seeing the students excitedly entering the tent, Chu You couldn't help but smile and ask.
The student nodded: "Yes, after surveying the area, my fellow students and I found that the mountain forest mentioned by the Japanese is indeed a mineral vein. If our survey is correct, it contains at least 70 million taels of silver ingots!"
"Seventy million taels...?"
Upon hearing this, the merchants and scions of noble families inside the tent all exclaimed in surprise, a greedy glint flashing in their eyes.
According to the imperial court's purchase price, 70 million taels of silver ingots would amount to a full 70 billion five-zhu coins.
This silver mine is worth twice the value of the Zhen family. How could everyone not be tempted?
"Ahem, everyone, please calm down!"
Chu You, seated at the head of the table, coughed lightly and then said, "According to the Imperial Maritime Laws, the Imperial Court and you all will each receive 50% of this mine. As for the specific share, it will be divided according to merit. What do you all think?"
"I will obey your orders, sir!"
Upon hearing this, the scions of prominent families and merchants agreed without hesitation.
Their original purpose for this trip was simply to explore and trade with their family. However, under Chu You's leadership, they have started the great cause of territorial expansion in the Japanese archipelago ahead of schedule and have unexpectedly acquired such a huge fortune. Naturally, they have no other objections.
Subsequently, under Chu You's direction, the group meticulously divided the silver mine's output into 50% according to their respective contributions and jointly signed a mining agreement.
The document stipulated that the mining rights of silver mines belonged to the imperial court, and each mine would send someone to assist, with profits distributed according to the total annual output.
After the allocation was completed, Chu You arranged for two thousand men, along with the men, women, and children of the tribes, to go to the mine to prepare for mining and smelting, under the arrangement of the engineering students.
In order to protect the safety of the mine and complete its mining as soon as possible, Chu You ordered Shejinlu to lead 5,000 Han soldiers to cleanse the Japanese tribes near the mine.
After more than ten days of training, the five thousand Han soldiers had achieved a qualitative leap in combat effectiveness. In just ten days, six small and medium-sized tribes near the mine were wiped out.
The 20,000 captured slaves were all sent to the mines to extract silver.
At this time, the Yamatai Kingdom was in the midst of internal strife.
The five most powerful daimyo in the country were the Jayodai clan in the northwest, the Nagano Ichiro clan in the northeast, the Kamesugan clan in the southeast, the Kurakitō clan in the central region, and the Himidai clan in the southwest.
These five leaders declared themselves kings, amassed their own armies, and attacked each other.
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