New Shun 1730

"Shun is a great country. It was founded on the benevolence of Confucius and the righteousness of Mencius. Since you are talking about benevolence and righteousness, don't you know that the people are the basis of taxes? The compensation is all taken from the mouths of the people, which may violate the virtue of benevolence and righteousness."

Seeing Liu Yu speak so toughly, Matsudaira Terusada played the card of benevolence and morality.

Liu Yu still understood these words, and he smiled without waiting for the interpreter to translate.

"I am a pragmatic person, and I didn't just come up with these numbers. Since you are the elder councilor of the shogunate, you should also know that the sankai kuoku system is nothing more than a conspiracy to exhaust the feudal domains."

"Before the Kyoho famine, the shogunate was in financial difficulties, so it temporarily cancelled the sankai kuoku system and asked the feudal domains to contribute a certain amount of rice."

"As for the compensation, the feudal domains can also suspend the sankai kuoku system. In this way, it will not burden the people and can pay the compensation. Moreover, for the shogunate, the compensation of the feudal domains and the sankai kuoku system are both exhausting the finances, so what's the difference?"

"I also said that the specific details can be discussed. But the conditions I gave are not negotiable."

"You talk about benevolence and righteousness, then I am truly benevolent and righteous."

The so-called true benevolence and righteousness, of course, does not mean that Dashun will be benevolent and righteous to Japan, but that Dashun will hold high the banner of benevolence and righteousness to abolish Japan's samurai feudal system and reduce taxes.

Before the war, Tosa was pressed for time and it was too late.

But Hagi Castle had more time, so it could be used as a model for the various feudal domains and the shogunate. Although it was all empty talk and had not been implemented, the specific details of the reform had been posted, and the ninjas hiding in the castle town of Hagi would definitely send the details of these reforms to the shogunate.

Dashun was not very good at trade and capitalism, but it was very skilled in methods such as changing the natives to the flow, and it was easy for capable people to come up with a few policies.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to do this throughout Japan. At the very least, the rebellion of hundreds of thousands of samurai families would really be a disaster.

But it was enough to scare people.

Liu Yu did not water down the conditions for the negotiation, and directly revealed his cards. This was not a qualified negotiator. But under the pressure of force, there was no need to talk so much nonsense.

All the potential allies that Japan could think of in the surrounding areas did not exist.

The Netherlands was scared, Britain and Spain went to war, and Portugal wanted to keep Macau. Perhaps the only country that could be considered to have exchanges was Vietnam, which gave Japan an elephant 20 years ago. But whether Vietnam has the courage or not is not a question. Even if it dares to do it, why would it do it?

Liu Yu really didn't want to bully the shogunate too much. After all, if you want to make money, you rely on trading companies, not on this little compensation.

He generously gave a tariff of more than 5% in order to let the shogunate recover its blood and at the same time trick the shogunate into being a comprador. The shogunate must see the benefits before it can firmly support the policy of opening and closing trade. Anyway, this money will eventually flow back to Dashun through various goods.

Japan is indeed poor now. If it was a hundred years earlier, when the output value of gold and silver mountains was the highest, Liu Yu might have asked for 30 million taels.

But from the Wanli period to the present, Japan's gold and silver have been crazy outflowing, forcing Arai Shiraishi to introduce a new trade policy, and at this time, it really can't get much money.

The conversation with Matsudaira Terusada showed that Liu Yu was a very real person, but Matsudaira Terusada knew that this was not a good thing.

After a moment of silence, Matsudaira Terusada said, "Since the Earl said that I am the representative of the military family, you know that the tribute issue needs to be discussed by the public and the military. Although I can represent the shogunate to negotiate with your country, I cannot represent the public. Ten days is too little time, please give me some time."

"Besides, although Japan is small, there are many righteous men. I am afraid that the public opinion will be overwhelming if we cede Ezo and other places. If we continue to fight, even if your country is good at fighting, won't it also cost money, food, and the lives of soldiers?"

Liu Yu shook his head and said, "It's okay. I have recorded the money, food, and military expenses in the notebook. I will ask you for it after the battle. That's it. How long do you want to fight? The Celestial Empire will fight with you. Otherwise, I will also make a gentleman's appointment and fight at Hagi Castle. "

"I will not send warships to go around, transport troops to attack, or transfer troops from the Central Plains. You ask Tokugawa Yoshimune to gather all the troops that can be assembled to attack Hagi Castle. I will give you one year. If you can capture it, I will not mention any of these conditions and will withdraw my troops directly. What do you think?"

What he said was like the noble gentleman's appointment for a car battle in the Spring and Autumn Period; but in fact, the words clearly contained the gangster's spirit of "you can't do anything to me with strong troops and horses."

When he finished speaking, he left with a wave of his sleeves, leaving behind a humiliated Matsudaira Terusada.

Depressed, he returned to the Busan Wakan, which was temporarily the residence of the Japanese delegation. Emperor Akihito and Chancellor Ichijo Kenka were staring blankly at the battleship docked at the port.

This is the first battleship in Asia with actual combat capability. The huge hull, towering masts, and the dense gun holes on it all bring a kind of pressure that is hard to look down upon.

The French had the best ship design technology in the world at that time, but their strategic thinking has always been swinging between the continent and the ocean.

This 74-gun battleship will eventually flourish in the hands of the British, because the British need a battleship with a balance of speed, firepower, and protection. After capturing one, the British immediately moved their hearts.

The French idea is to have big guns and big ships, as long as they fight in the English Channel at their doorstep. The previous 64-gun battleships adhered to this idea of ​​​​sea artillery, and the speed was too slow, which was not practical at all in the vast Asia.

Originally, the first battleship to appear in a Chinese port was George Anson, the first British man to insult China and the commander of the first fleet to sail around the world, who sailed the 60-gun battleship Centurion into Macau for supplies three years later.

Before that, there had never been a real battleship in Asia.

The deterrence brought by this new battleship to Akihito and Ichijo Kaneka was indescribable. The fear of giants imprinted in human genes made Akihito give up completely.

After paying his respects, Matsudaira Terusada mentioned that Liu Yu had put forward more than 30 conditions.

Akihito turned his eyes away from the battleship docked at the port and asked, "From what you see, is it possible to have the same possibility as the Mongolian War in the past?"

Matsudaira Terusada shook his head firmly.

"It's probably very difficult. Although Liu Yu is only thirty years old, he is already a veteran general. He founded the Tang navy. The generals who fought in the Battle of Hagi were just his old subordinates who followed him to the distant Western Regions. The navy is now led by the Tang prince."

"Even so, he is already invincible. If he comes in person, how can he win? Since he has agreed to peace, he only gave a ten-day deadline, but he is actually determined to start a war."

"He rested in the capital before. If he takes charge of the army again now, he must win a few big victories. It's not for merit, but just to show his skills. It's unknown."

Matsudaira Terumasa was a little afraid of Liu Yu. This fear came from the results of the Battle of Hagi, and the commander of the Battle of Hagi was only a junior general in Dashun.

If the war really continued, Dashun would ask Liu Yu to take charge of the army, and I'm afraid the conditions would not be so simple.

However, the ten-day deadline given by Liu Yu really made Matsudaira Terumasa a little embarrassed.

The separation of the imperial court and the military, the treatment of the Shimazu clan in the treaty, even if Akihito and the Kanpaku were both in Busan, the decision had to be made by the military shogunate. Although he was the elder of the shogunate, he was not qualified to punish the Shimazu clan. If he signed this treaty, he would have to face all the doubts after returning.

Matsudaira Terusada's tone became more and more lost, and Akihito quietly thought about the more than 30 conditions relayed by Matsudaira Terusada.

For a moment, a different idea flashed through his mind.

For example, he could surrender to Dashun, rely on the support of the southwestern feudal lords, and use the military power of Dashun to defeat the Tokugawa shogunate.

Then cede Kyushu Island to Dashun, and transfer the feudal lords of Kyushu Island to other places, digest the eastern land occupied by the Tokugawa shogunate, and he could also take advantage of the situation to expand his power.

But this idea only flashed, and he did not dare to think about it further. If you try to get the skin of a tiger, you may lose your bones easily.

Moreover, the more than 30 conditions proposed by Dashun were obviously to protect the shogunate.

Apart from the compensation, no harsh conditions were proposed to the shogunate, and even the shogunate did not ask his son to go to the capital as a hostage. It can be seen that Dashun should not want to get too deeply involved in Japan.

Zhaoren felt that the idea of ​​using Dashun's power to overthrow the shogunate that flashed through his mind just now was really ridiculous, and finally waved this idea away.

"Paying tribute to the Celestial Empire was also common before the Tang Dynasty. During the Ashikaga shogunate, it was also enfeoffed by the Ming Dynasty."

"If I can pay tribute and keep the integrity of the Japanese mainland, I am willing to endure such humiliation."

"Although the Tang people are pressing very urgently, there are many benefits to paying tribute. First, the Tang people can no longer invade, and second, it can prevent the invasion of the southern barbarians."

"Look at the Tang people's ships, they should be of the southern barbarian style. Fortunately, it is the Tang people who are blocking the pass, so they still have some reason. If the southern barbarians come, it will be more difficult to deal with."

He has made up his mind to pay tribute to Dashun, and in fact, he knows in his heart that paying tribute must be the first content of the peace talks. If they can't even pay tribute, Dashun will definitely continue to fight.

Since they must pay tribute, they must find some reasons to prove that there are still benefits. According to the attitude of the Celestial Empire towards tributary states in the past, it is actually very loose and almost indifferent.

There are no too strict requirements in the more than 30 articles now. In addition to revising the history books and removing the usurpation content, at most they need to go through the process of Dashun's enthronement when they inherit.

As long as they are alive, the mountains and rivers are still there, and there will always be opportunities in the future.

Zhaoren thought that this time's failure was due to the navy.

There is a long ocean between China and Japan. If Japan also has such a navy, how can Dashun land everywhere and pose a threat?

Zhaoren didn't know that Ii Naosada opposed building a navy in his last letter to Tokugawa Yoshimune before his death, but wanted to focus limited energy on the army, first to ensure that he could survive if he was beaten again, instead of thinking about defending the enemy from the blue waves.

At this time, Zhaoren felt that he had thought of the key point. He thought that this matter must not be known to Dashun, and he should first lower its vigilance.

After discussing with Matsudaira Terusada, he decided to invite Liu Yu to a banquet, saying that regardless of etiquette, only the host and the guest should be seated, and asked Liu Yu if he could come to the banquet. He also said that after the tribute, he would only discuss whether Dashun could protect Japan if the southern barbarians invaded.

He thought that with his own humiliation, he would lower his posture, just like King Wen who ate his son's meat, Goujian who tasted Fuchai's feces, or the emperor who said "I am so happy here that I don't miss Shu".

What he wanted was that Dashun would return to the attitude towards Japan before Liu Yu appeared, not caring about it, and knowing nothing about it, so as to quietly build ships.