Kamikaze!
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 father's place. Kublai's 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 "King 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 h
The invaders try to establish a beachhead on the coast but the Japanese stop them dead. With the Mongol fleet anchored just off the coast, the Japanese incorporated guerilla-style hit-and-run tactics. 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. This act of defiance enrages Kublai. The storm clouds develop into a typhoon and rips through the Mongol fleet. Battered and demoralized by the ferocity of the Japanese defenders and the typhoon, the Mongol invasion force returned to mainland Asia. Though losing the element of surprise, the Mongols hit the Japanese infantry hard with their organized tactics and artillery. He orders another invasion to take place. They seize the island of Hirado Jima and rendezvous with the Eastern fleet. But the gods turned in favor of the Japanese again. A few weeks later, the fleet from China arrives one unit at a time. ostile invasion of Japan, an interlude, and a second, larger invasion. The Japanese called this the 'kamikaze' or divine wind. Knowing that Hakata Bay was again going to be a likely target, they shogun orders a wall 13 mile long wall to be built along the bay. Again, both Tsushima and Iki are captured but instead of waiting for the Southern army as planned, the Eastern army jumps the gun and heads for Hakata Bay.
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Acceptance Essays
