New Shun 1730

After this very realistic question was raised, it poured down like a basin of extremely cold seawater on the heads of those samurai who supported a decisive battle to the end.

These lower-level samurai had courage in blood, but no brains. They had no idea that the opponents they were facing were different from the past.

Their previous experience was nothing more than the wars between the vassal states. Even if there had been foreign affairs such as the invasion of Korea and the invasion of the Mongols, the experience gained was outdated.

Since it was an open discussion, the samurai could speak freely and express their own opinions.

However, the ideas of those samurai who supported a decisive battle to the end were all ridiculous.

Some said that they could pretend to negotiate, find some dead men to pretend to be entourage, board the ship, risk their lives to raid, kill the navy of Dashun, seize the ship and burn it.

Some said that they could take advantage of the rainy day when Dashun's firearms could not be used, and attack with a sword. The Tang people were good at using firearms, but they were not good at hand-to-hand combat, so they could drag it out until the rainy season came.

Some said, "If the invaders can go, we can go too." They could let the samurai take the merchant ships to plunder the coast of Dashun and force the navy of Dashun to go back to guard.

There were many ideas, but none of them could be used.

Either they thought that Dashun would do what they wanted and would not respond; or all the ideas were pure nonsense and not feasible at all.

The only feasible option was to delay until the rainy season. The problem was that Dashun could capture Kyushu Island before the rainy season came, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be possible.

After a long discussion, the shogunate was "finally" convinced and determined that it really couldn't fight any more.

However, there were two conditions for the peace talks, which also needed the endorsement of the various feudal lords.

One was how to deal with the Shimazu clan?

The other was what to do if Dashun asked Japan to pay tribute?

Tokugawa Yoshimune certainly knew what to do, but it was not his turn to say what to do, and only the feudal lords could say it.

The feudal domains avoided the Shimazu clan's disposal. Now everyone knows that the Shimazu clan wants to use human heads for sacrifice, but no one wants to mention it. They have to wait for Shimazu Jifeng, who is recuperating in Edo because of hernia, to bring it up himself.

You die, and the remaining family is happy. If you don't know the current situation, it is not impossible that the Shimazu clan's fiefdom will be taken back - if the Shimazu clan does not want to die voluntarily, the southwestern feudal domains will help the Shimazu clan die. If Dashun wants to attack Kagoshima, the southwestern feudal domains will not send half a soldier.

As for the issue of tribute, the elders of the feudal domains also pointed out that General Ashikaga Yoshimitsu paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

Some people have checked the records of the Ming Dynasty. After Ashikaga Yoshimitsu died, the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of Rites determined the posthumous title, which was "Gongxian".

Of course, this is not a glorious thing. A large number of Japanese have studied Confucianism and have also studied posthumous titles.

Gong is not a good posthumous title. It is basically praised openly and criticized secretly. But it's not too harsh, it's not to the point of being an open satire, and it's not unacceptable.

The Ming Dynasty may know that there is an emperor above the shogunate, or it may not know, but Dashun must know it this time.

So if tribute is to be paid, the emperor can only be the king of Japan. The rank of the shogun will have to be lowered by one level, which is inevitable, but to what extent it will be adjusted depends on Dashun's intention.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's title after his death was the retired emperor of Luyuanyuan. Since Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has the title of retired emperor, then Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's tribute to the Celestial Empire can also be used as a story system to let the current emperor pay tribute.

There is nothing too difficult to accept.

This matter has a story to rely on, and after "persuading" the shogunate, except for the problem of Kagoshima Domain, the rest are just some trivial matters.

In short, the opinions of the various domains are very unified: paying tribute is allowed, but ceding land is not allowed.

After the discussion on whether to fight or make peace, Tokugawa Yoshimune recalled the letter Liu Yu had sent, thinking about the conditions that Dashun might propose.

Money, that goes without saying.

Opening the country, this must be accepted even if you don't want to.

It can be said that it is a blessing in disguise. At least Dashun is also against Catholicism. After opening the country, Japan can continue to maintain its isolation policy, and Dashun will also help Japan maintain its isolation policy.

This point was also mentioned in Liu Yu's letter.

Since it has become a tributary state of Dashun, Dashun certainly has the obligation to protect its vassal, maintain the Kyushu barrier, and prevent Westerners from attacking.

Tokugawa Yoshimune felt that he was guilty of possessing a treasure. Dashun said it was for Ryukyu, but in fact it was for gold and silver.

But in fact, it is not as simple as possessing a treasure. Of course, there is a lot of gold and silver in Japan, but the more important reason is Japan's isolation policy.

Britain and France can set up trading companies and give trade monopoly rights, because their coastlines are not long, and naval patrols can completely guard various important ports.

Illegal free trade cannot be carried out.

Dashun wanted to follow the example of Britain and France to set up a trading company, but the biggest problem was that the coastline was too long, and there were no steamships or clippers to patrol, so smuggling trade could not be controlled at all.

However, sometimes thinking can be reversed and a different way of thinking can be adopted.

Since it is impossible to eliminate smuggling and illegal free trade at the output end, then it is the same to eliminate it at the receiving end, isn’t it?

If Japan and North Korea did not close their borders, it would be really difficult to deal with.

But Japan closed its borders, and the policy of closing its borders has been well implemented, which gave Liu Yu the opportunity to create a monopoly trading company.

Only in this way can a basic "naval reserve system" and the prototype of "organized group maritime merchants" be maintained.

It can be said that Japan's closed-door policy is the basis for Dashun's future policy of going to Southeast Asia.

Tokugawa Yoshimune could not have thought of this, and he could not have guessed that if Liu Yu presided over the negotiations with Japan, he might open his mouth wide, but he would definitely protect the shogunate and would not force the shogunate into a desperate situation.

Even when necessary, he would give the shogunate some blood to ensure that the shogunate could still suppress the feudal lords and ensure that they would not smuggle or accept smuggling.

This is crucial.

Moreover, if the shogunate system collapsed, there would be no Edo, the largest consumer goods market. Hundreds of thousands of unemployed samurai dragged their families to Edo City, and they were the main consumers.

Without Japan's cooperation, the trading company with monopoly privileges could not be opened - Liu Yu added a lot of military obligations to the monopoly rights of the trading company, including reserve sailors, armed merchant ships, etc.

These imposed military obligations can only be enforced by monopoly rights. Otherwise, "free trade" that does not provide reserve sailors and does not require armed merchant ships, driven by profits, cannot bear additional military obligations.

Under absolute free competition, those with military obligations will never win over smugglers without military obligations.

It's just that Liu Yu did not explain this cooperation clearly to Tokugawa Yoshimune, so Tokugawa Yoshimune is now nervous and worried that Liu Yu's presiding over the negotiations will weaken his power too much.

Tokugawa Yoshimune can't think clearly about such economic matters. But he thinks very clearly about political issues.

Dashun made it clear that it wanted to leave the southwestern vassal states to disgust itself and contain the shogunate. On this issue, Tokugawa Yoshimune could not let go.

At least, Dashun and the southwestern vassal states must not be allowed to trade directly.

Now, the vassal states believe that not ceding land is the bottom line, and Dashun must cede land if it wants to open trade, which is a good thing that can be used.

This is what the vassal states themselves said, and their land cannot be ceded. Then even if the land of the feudal domains is ceded in the future, the shogunate will exchange it with the directly governed land to ensure that the right to trade is in its own hands. Of course, a large amount of gold and silver will be lost, but it can also purchase usable weapons.

After confirming the need for peace talks, Tokugawa Yoshimune appointed the head of the Seido University, Hayashi Nobumitsu, and the shogunate elder, Matsudaira Terusada, as the chief and deputy envoys to go to Tsushima or Busan for negotiations.

In the instructions to the trusted elder, Matsudaira Terusada, Tokugawa Yoshimune made his bottom line clear.

Japan can pay tribute to China, and the emperor will be changed to the king of Japan, but the shogunate must also confer hereditary titles, and Dashun must ensure the existence of the shogunate.

The Shimazu clan can be sold to Dashun as an explanation to Ryukyu.

Compensation can be paid, but the amount of compensation should be strived for as much as possible. This is not a number that Japan can give whatever it wants, but Dashun can raise the price on the spot, and Matsudaira Terusada must learn to pay the money on the spot.

Opening and closing trade can also be done, but it cannot be too close to Edo.

Moreover, Dashun must absolutely refuse to trade directly with the feudal lords, and the shogunate also has the right to prohibit the feudal lords from trading.

The shogunate can refuse the Dutch trade in Japan, but if the Dutch retaliate, Dashun must send troops to help resist the Dutch.

After Japan pays tribute, if Western countries come to Japan, Dashun has the obligation to protect Japan from the invasion of the southern barbarians.

Dashun must not accept Japanese who go to Dashun to study privately. Japan can send some students to study at the Imperial Academy, but private students who go to Dashun need to cooperate with Japan to capture these Confucian scholars or samurai who go to Dashun privately and send them back to Japan.

All exchanges between Dashun and Japan must go through the shogunate or the emperor. It is not allowed to communicate directly with the feudal lords, nor can it confer titles on the feudal lords. The feudal lords are not qualified to pay tribute alone.

After these bottom lines were set, Tokugawa Yoshimune carefully instructed Matsudaira Terusada: Since peace talks with Dashun have begun, Dashun is no longer an enemy, and should focus on suppressing the feudal lords.

If the attitude of Dashun is to dismantle Japan and even let the feudal domains become independent, then this is the bottom line that the shogunate cannot accept.

If the peace talks fail, they can only fight. Even if they lose, the shogunate and the feudal domains will die together.

The bottom line cannot be violated.

After Matsudaira Terumasa made sure that he understood Tokugawa Yoshimune's intention, he went to Hagi Castle with Tokugawa Yoshimune's trust and expectations, together with the head of Seido University, Hayashi Nobumitsu, and many Confucian scholars in Edo.

In Hagi Castle, they sent a letter to the Dashun garrison there, informing them of the news that they hoped to negotiate. They hoped that Dashun would send someone to contact them as soon as possible.

In order to disgust Liu Yu and to continue to plant thorns between Liu Yu and the emperor, Tokugawa Yoshimune pointed out in his letter that Liu Yu must come to negotiate before the shogunate would accept it. If it were someone else, the shogunate would not trust him, even the current Pingzhang Junguoshi.