in 1609, shimazu tadatsune, lord of satsuma, invaded the southern islands of ryūkyū (modern okinawa) with a fleet of 13 junks and 2,500 samurai, thereby establishing suzerainty over the islands. they faced little opposition from the ryukyuans, who lacked any significant military capabilities, and who were ordered by king shō nei to surrender peacefully rather than suffer the loss of precious lives.