Kamikaze! essays

Kamikaze! essays After conquering nearly all of Asia and most of Western Europe, the Mongols, led by Kublai Khan, set their hungry eyes on Japan. Years before, the Mongols had fought the Koreans for control of the Kingdom of Koryu. After many decades of fighting, the Koreans finally gave up and became a vassal state for the Mongol Empire. The Koryu leader, King Kojong, sent his crown prince to the court of Kublai Khan as a hostage. When Kojong died in 1274, Kublai gave one of his many daughters to the prince as a wife and King Chung-ryol returned to Koryu to take his recently deceased fathers place. Kublais interest in Japan was spurred nine years earlier when Cho Yi, a Koryu courtesan, told him that Japan was an easy victory. The next year, he sent two messengers, He De and Yin Hong to Japan for a peaceful takeover of Japan. Shogun Bakufu in Kamakura insulted by the offer and sent the envoys home without an answer. One reason he did so was that the letter the Khan sent to him was addressed to the Ki ng of Japan. While the shogun is cool and calm, the emperor is terrified. He had heard stories of the Mongols and their skill in combat. Knowing that his peaceful takeover was rejected, Kublai Khan and his warriors prepare for what would become a hostile invasion of Japan, an interlude, and a second, larger invasion. Kublai Khan starts to organize at fleet for the invasion in Korea. Weakened and impoverished by the decades of warring with the Mongols, it takes years to build enough ships and accumulate the men and supplies for the invasion. A Mongol army of 20,000 led by Hol Don marched down to Korea. A Korean army of 5,000 led by Kim Bang-gyong then joined it. By October of 1274, the invasion force is ready. The force leaves in a fleet of 900 ships manned by 6,700 Korean sailors on October 3, 1274. The invaders land on Tsushima and Iki Island two days later and capture them both. They establish garrisons on the islands and ready ...