New Shun 1730

"Now is the time to be careful and respectful, so that the people of Tang Dynasty will think that there is no need to worry about the East, so they will expand their territory and provoke the Southern Barbarians."

"My father also said, listen to fate and do your best."

"Zhuge Wuhou's confrontation with Longzhong also has a prerequisite. He will wait for the world to change and leave Xichuan and Wanluo. However, Wuhou never waited for the change of Gaopingling in his life. Time and fate, Japan's hope can only be pinned on As I said, the world has changed. Even if it is unlikely, we must be prepared.”

"Take the gold and silver from comprador tariffs, build horses and strengthen soldiers, wait for the world to change, and use firearms to make the Tang people have no time to look eastward. Three years to cut down the feudal vassals, ten years to cultivate, connect with the southern barbarians, and fight back against the Tang people."

Tokugawa Yoshimune asked: "If the Southern Barbarians can even defeat the Tang people, how can they let their own country go?"

"Father, the Tang people are rich, but Japan is poor. Why don't the Nanbarians leave the rich Tang country and come to the barren Japan? Besides, what they are asking for is that the Nanbarians conquer the Tang Dynasty? They just want the Nanbarians to defeat the Tang Dynasty's navy. Without the navy, the chains imposed by the Tang Dynasty on Japan would be untied.”

"Therefore, you should endure the humiliation and bear the burden, indulge the compradors, and increase the number of specialties. If the destiny is not here and the Tang people will defeat the southern barbarians, then there is no need to think about anything. Just be a loyal and obedient minister. Those who can protect the shogunate will also be the Tang court; if This is destiny. If the Tang Dynasty is defeated at sea, we can directly cut off the feudal vassals and unify them, contact the Southern Barbarians, and then carry out Hideyoshi's ambition to conquer the dynasty. "

After all, he still pinned his hopes on the illusory future. In fact, Tokugawa Yoshimune had no better solution in his heart.

But compared to those who advocate shipbuilding and revenge, Tokugawa Munetake's idea is considered the only feasible one.

However, thanks to Liu Yu's cooperation, at least in Japan, there is a foundation for realizing Tokugawa Munetake's idea.

As long as this incident is used to portray the shogunate as a loyal minister who "wants to fight to the end" and the vassals as treacherous ministers who "promote peace talks for personal gain", the direction of domestic public opinion can still be controlled.

The defeat was not the responsibility of the shogunate, but the gap in weapons.

It is the responsibility of the feudal lords not to fight to the end.

Tokugawa Yoshimune could foresee that in the near future, with the influx of Dashun goods into the vassals, samurai would become impoverished and merchants would become rich, and a large number of dissatisfied low-level samurai would begin to think about the root cause of all this.

As for the root cause, it is easy to think that there are many vassals and they cannot be of one mind. Even though the shogunate was heartbroken, the vassals were holding back.

With such public support and a firearms force made of gold and silver that the comprador specializes in, there should be a basis for reducing the vassal state in a few decades.

Tokugawa Munetake was the first person to clearly propose the idea of ​​reducing the feudal lordship in front of Yoshimune, and the previous tests were basically qualified in Yoshimune's view.

He is neither manic and desperate for revenge, nor is he completely depressed and dejected, thinking that there is no hope. Instead, he has set his sights on the world beyond "the world" and looks forward to changes in the world.

Having made up his mind to let Tokugawa Munetake take over, Yoshimune said: "What a man believes in, he must do it. Zhuge Wuhou did not wait for the world to change, but he never gave up."

"Listen to fate and do your best. Since the idea of ​​instigating the Tang Dynasty and the Netherlands was proposed by you, then you can go and pay tribute to the capital of the Tang Dynasty this time."

"Listen more, see more, and ask more questions. But be careful about Liu Yu. You should listen to his words more, and you may have insights, but you should not believe him."

Tokugawa Somu was secretly happy, because this time he paid tribute and declared himself a vassal, which was very special.

For normal tribute, you only need to send your ministers.

But Dashun captured Emperor Akihito this time. Although he will be released, Akihito will definitely go to the capital to pay homage to the emperor in person.

People from the public family go to the emperor, and people from the Wu family should go to at least one heir apparent.

This is a matter of etiquette, and it may not explain anything, but the key is that Tokugawa Yoshimune approved the strategy of "instigating Tang He".

Policies do not stand alone.

There is no point in doing nothing but instigating Tang He. A set of corresponding policies and governance plans are needed. In short, for the future of "change in the world" that seems a bit distant and ethereal at this time.

To implement this set of policies, Tokugawa Munetake decided that his brother who peed his pants couldn't do it.

This is already a tacit approval of Tokugawa Munetake's succession. Although it has not been explained yet, if you don't understand this, your reputation as a smart person will be in vain.

"Father, don't worry. I will work hard to make the Tang people believe that we have surrendered."

Tokugawa Yoshimune looked at his son and asked, "How can we make them think that we have surrendered?"

"Return to father. Despair."

This answer satisfied Tokugawa Yoshimune. It was impossible for the Tang people to believe that they would be convinced, but after the great victory, they could believe that they were desperate.

"Very good. I also want to go to Osaka. One is to welcome the return of the emperor, and the other is to meet Liu Yu and ask him some things to show his desperate attitude. Just what I want."

"Go ahead and prepare yourself. Ask someone to send Dutch storybooks overnight, and select words from them that can instigate relations between the Tang Dynasty and the Netherlands."

"You are not allowed to talk to a third person about today's matter. This matter is related to the future of Japan, and your brother is not allowed to talk about it."

"yes!"

The last reassuring words made Tokugawa Munetake feel a little dizzy, but he still maintained a standard respectful expression, without any disrespect in the details. After bowing and retreating, Tokugawa Yoshimune sighed, thinking about how to face Liu Yu in Osaka and what to say.

"The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty should have signed the treaty, right?"

…………

The treaty with the Emperor's Jade Seal printed on it, followed by the vast envoys and ceremonial guards, has arrived at Xiaguan.

Jieyin Temple, where North Korean messengers used to rest, is now protected with three floors inside and three floors outside.

Japan is also facing a formidable enemy. It is not worried about the strong soldiers Liu Yu brought to guard the ceremony, nor the elite battalion that is inspecting the fort to dismantle and choose to build a lighthouse, but is worried about some fanatical samurai. Engage in assassination.

If something happens to Liu Yu, Japan may be destroyed.

The southwestern vassals worked much harder this time than they did the last time to defend Xiaguan. They took the initiative to send trusted subordinates to cross the strait and go to Xiaguan for security inspection.

The feudal lords of the southwest vassals also went to Xiaguan to see Zhaoren who had returned from the "Northern Hunting". After all, he had not yet professed his vassal status, so he could do whatever he wanted behind closed doors.

Liu Yu simply said "don't look at anything inappropriate" and just pretended it didn't exist.

The two large ships sold to Zhaoren by the merchants have been planted with royal flags and docked near the port.

Surrounded by several warships flying the Dashun flag, all ships in the strait were prohibited from passing, and all Japanese naval forces were withdrawn.

On the south bank of the strait, near Kokura, a ritual ceremony is being held.

Maritime merchant Xu Tao is summoning the spirit of his son who died during smuggling. Fortunately, there are still many monks in Japan. As long as they are willing to pay, it is easy to hold a memorial service.

On the fort in Ogura, Liu Yu was inspecting the structure of the fort with several officers. He looked at the monk doing something in the distance and couldn't help but laugh.

Xu Tao, a maritime merchant, was also a wonderful man. He not only summoned the soul of his son, but also paid a large sum of money. He hoped to dismantle the fort in Kokura and build a stele tower here so that he could visit him during the next New Year.

Although this was a small matter, it sounded reasonable, but it still smacked of imperialism... A group of smugglers broke into the strait and were shelled to death. Many years later, the fort was demolished and a monument was built to commemorate it, which really made Liu Yu a little bit Not very comfortable with it.

Xu Tao was standing behind Liu Yu at this time. His son had been dead for many years and he was also very old. He was doing the ritual as a fulfillment of his wish.

If I were to say that I felt sad or cried bitterly because of my thoughts, I didn't feel that way. On the contrary, I felt a little empty.

Since you are in the maritime business, the day you go to sea, you should have thought that one day you might die at sea, and you should have been calm in your heart.

There was a muffled noise of people doing things in the distance. Xu Tao grabbed a handful of paper boats, stood on the fort and threw them, murmuring: "My son, the cannons here have also been dismantled, and the fort is going to be gone. You If you still do something like this over there, feel free to do it. I won’t burn any money for you. I will burn a fleet of ships for you. If you have ships, how can you be short of money?”

After muttering a few times, he sighed and turned around to thank Liu Yu again. Liu Yu waved his hand to show that he didn't need to be grateful and didn't have any taboos. He started talking about business while doing things.

"Xu Chuantou, I have a business matter. I have been busy a while ago, and I forgot to tell you."

"Sir, please speak."

"That's the thing. This time the trade between North Korea and Japan is cut off, North Korean ginseng may not be sold to Japan. When I was in the capital, I talked with the Westerners, and the French wanted to ship a batch of American ginseng. I'm afraid the Japanese won't recognize this thing, but the ginseng trade is very profitable, and North Korea also makes money from Japan by selling ginseng. After you go back, discuss with them to buy a batch of American ginseng and send it to Japan. The generals, ministers, and other famous people can’t afford this thing, so they have to pay for it.”

Xu Tao hurriedly said: "Don't worry, sir, we all know how to do business. Give gifts when you should, and taste when you need to give them to others. In the future, the monopoly fee will be nearly one million million a year, how can we just think about selling some raw silk or something? Since I will send people to open up the market and sell everything.”

That's exactly what Liu Yu wanted to say. American ginseng was just an introduction. He smiled and said, "That's what I want to say. After considering the Arai Shiraishi New Deal, I have been trading in Nagasaki in recent years, and I can't bring a lot of goods. I'm afraid that now Trade has been liberalized, but it is customary to only bring goods that were allowed to be traded before. In the past, trade tokens were required, but now they are no longer required. Mosquitoes are also small, so I will try whatever I can to sell them. "

"Well, don't worry, sir. We have discussed this a long time ago. Although I am old, I still dared to collude with the Dutch to transport porcelain to Japan. I still haven't forgotten my skills when I was in my thirties and forties. In fact, as long as I let go With trade, there are many places to make money. You can make a lot of money by exchanging silver for gold.”

Xu Tao thought that there was really no need to teach him about making money. The reason why the Dutch are popular in Nanyang is not because of their ability to do business, but because of their warships. If we really talk about doing business, they may not be better than us. Not to mention big items like American ginseng, gold and silver, who among the maritime merchants doesn’t know that Li Dan sold needles, threads, brains and groceries in Nanyang back then, and he made such a huge fortune from the sale?

With so many monopoly fees paid for a year, Japan has nothing to bring back except gold, copper and sulfur. Of course, a small business of several thousand taels has to be done, and there is a mountain of land.

This time he came with Liu Yu not only to do religious things, but to inspect the leased land in Kobe on behalf of the trading company and contact Japanese businessmen in Osaka.

Japan's defeat means a carnival for Osaka's wealthy businessmen. Those who are truly capable of being compradors must be ecstatic at this time.

After talking about business with Liu Yu for a few more words, Liu Yu finally instructed: "After you go back, you must explain it clearly to them. The court gave you the monopoly not only because of money, but also because they value your military use in training reserve sailors."

"Japan collects tariffs, and the Celestial Empire only wants your fixed monopoly fee. We may also be thinking about smuggling, or Westerners may also be thinking about smuggling, so don't be reluctant to spend money to build big ships and carry cannons. Otherwise, you will suffer."

Xu Tao hurriedly said: "Don't worry, sir. We are businessmen, we know Which money should be spent and which money should not be spent. Shipbuilding is all in Weihai, and records are all in Songjiang, so the accounts are absolutely clear. The sailors are also registered, and we have been doing it all the time. Besides, now that the customs tax has been paid to the court once and for all, we don’t have to think about smuggling, and the goods will be registered. "

"That's good. Sell as much as you can. Show your own abilities, the more you earn, the more you contribute to the country. You are responsible for making money, and I am responsible for clearing your name." After making a half-joking promise, Liu Yu looked at the artillery fort that was about to be demolished and built into a monument tower, and thought to himself that pirates, merchants, and compradors are indeed two sides of the same coin in trade.