[256] Containment of Japan

"Oh~~ Dear Duke Alexei, you are really an invincible general!" On the seventh day after the conquest of Manila, Donat set out from Macao to Manila to congratulate Song Youliang with a letter from the Portuguese governor of Goa and a batch of gifts

Song Youliang gladly accepted Donat's gift and said with a smile: "Dear friend, as an ally of the Ming Empire, Portugal will enjoy the same treatment as Ming merchants in Luzon. ”

"Thank you for your generosity!" Donat laughed, "Getting rid of the greedy Spaniards is something to celebrate, but we hope to work with you to get rid of the Dutch from Japan, a country rich in gold and silver." In this way, Portugal and your country will have a monopoly on trade there! ”

Song Youliang shook the unopened letter in his hand and said with a smile: "Is this what your Goa Governor wants to talk to me about?" ”

Donat bowed slightly and said with a smile: "Yes, nothing can be hidden from your wise eyes!" ”

Song Youliang replied with a smile: "Even if you don't say it, I have this intention!" Song Youliang pointed to the north and said: "I have eliminated the envoy and issued an ultimatum to the Japanese shogunate. ”

"May I take the liberty of asking, what is the content of the ultimatum?" Donat asked

Song Youliang replied with a smile: "Naturally, it is a favorable condition for our alliance, I think you can go back and inform your governor to shoot more troops to help us attack the Dutch in Batavia." ”

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In the port of Liujiagang in Taicang, there is a fleet, which is composed of 15 merchant ships, including three merchant ships of more than 500 tons, seven merchant ships of 100 tons to 500 tons, and the rest are merchant ships of less than 100 tons.

The destination of this merchant ship was Japan, where the Japanese have long been fond of drinking light sake. The liquor produced in the Ming Dynasty can only occupy a small market in Japan, and through the unremitting efforts of liquor merchants, liquor has finally become an important export substance to Japan.

Japan is now in the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and Catholicism spread rapidly in Japan more than a hundred years ago with the arrival of the Portuguese and then the Spaniards. By the eighties of the sixteenth century, there were more than 200 churches in the east and Satsuma in the west, with about 150,000 believers. At the beginning of the 17th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the Edo shogunate, and in the face of the growing power of Catholicism, Tokugawa Ieyasu felt threatened and ordered a ban on Christianity. The Shimabara Domain on the island of Kyushu was headed by Matsukura Shigemasa. Matsukura Shigemasa carried out a brutal and bloody repression of Catholics. After Matsukura Shigemasa's death in 1630, his son Matsukura Katsuie succeeded him as the lord of the domain, which was even more brutal. In the 11th year of Kanei (1634), natural disasters occurred in the Shimabara and Amakusa regions, which were close neighbors of the Shimabara Domain, and the people were in dire straits. Finally, the largest peasant uprising in the Edo period, the Shimabara War, broke out.

Shiro Amakusa, the leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, embraced Catholicism and propagated among the people that heaven and earth were the same. All things are one, and there is no doctrine of superiority and inferiority in between, and it is worshiped by the people as a heavenly child. The Shimabara War lasted four years, and in 1638 the shogunate finally put it down. The Shimabara Rebellion led directly to the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of seclusion, and all Western merchants such as Portugal and Spain were driven out of Japan. The Dutch, because of their strength, assisted the shogunate's army in shelling Hara Castle when the shogunate besieged Hara Castle, the base camp of the rebels, and was able to stay. Japan, which was closed off from the rest of the world, traded only with the Ming and the Netherlands in Nagasaki.

This time, the caravan sailed out of Japan, not only for trade, but also for an ultimatum to Japan, and all the Dutch must be expelled. The head of the diplomatic mission was named Li Guozhu, the son of Li Dan, a big Chinese businessman in Japan. Zheng Zhilong worked under Li Dan in his early years. They were to meet with Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, to persuade Tokugawa Iemitsu to drive out the Dutch. If Tokugawa Iemitsu did not agree, the Daimei would arm one or two local feudal lords and provoke a war against the shogunate until the shogunate agreed to the Daimei's terms, or the shogunate was simply overthrown.

Japan had established a subordinate relationship with the Central Plains during the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang also declared Japan a country that was not to be conquered. Although there was a rebellion in the Jiajing period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi commanded a large army to invade Korea and fight with the Ming Dynasty during the Wanli period. But after being defeated by the Ming army, Japan became honest again.

Song Youliang is a descendant, so he naturally knows the harm of Japan later, but Japan was able to make waves, which was also the reason why China itself was weak at that time, without the Manchus' desperate foolishness of the Han people and hundreds of years of regression, the weakest Central Plains would not be defeated by Japan, so naturally there was no need to think about the future. Japan is now closing itself off from the rest of the world, and there is no need to wake up to this kind of behavior. Song Youliang's idea was to let Japan fall behind forever, and Japan's gold and silver were naturally shipped back to China by merchants through a steady stream of commodity exchanges.

When Japan's gold and silver are exhausted, the Ming Dynasty will also fulfill its responsibilities as a suzerain, reorganize Japan's monetary system, and hold Japan's financial support in its hands, so that all Japanese people will have to work for the Ming Dynasty without conquest, and Japan will become a paradise for Ming people to travel and vacation in the future, dumping surplus products in the market, and Japanese men can make a living by doing hard labor in the factories opened by the Ming Dynasty. Japanese women, on the other hand, can earn money to survive by providing various services to Ming tourists.

The outcome of the negotiations was not as expected by Song Youliang, and Tokugawa Iemitsu rejected the harsh demands made by the Ming Dynasty. Originally, the Ming Dynasty dumped silk fabrics in Japan, which had caused the silk weaving industry in Japan to wither. Coupled with the impact of other cheap and high-quality handicrafts, a large number of yellow turbans and silver flowed out of Japan. Some far-sighted people in Japan have written to Tokugawa Iemitsu one after another, demanding effective intervention in this situation. Moreover, Tokugawa Iemitsu heard that Song Youliang was still a Catholic, and he was even more disgusted, and categorically rejected all the conditions proposed by the Ming Dynasty.

Li Guozhu made one last attempt, and he said: "Your Excellency, I hope you will think about it seriously and do not repeat the mistakes of the Toyotomi family. ”

The arrogant Tokugawa Iemitsu shook the black drooping on his body and said with a smile: "Your Excellency, I also hope that the emperor of your country will seriously consider it, and don't repeat the mistakes of Yuankou!" With that, Tokugawa Iemitsu got up and left

"Your Excellency General, can I consider this a breakdown of negotiations between the two countries?" Li Guozhu maintained the high profile of the envoy of a great power

"There's nothing to say, didn't you hear the words of His Excellency the General?" An old minister interjected

"Your Excellency?" Li Guozhu looked at the old minister

"I'm the Shogun's elder, Sakai Tadashi." The old minister said proudly

"Okay!" Li Guozhu took three steps back, then turned to leave, "You will regret it!" ”

After Li Guozhu left the general's mansion, the accompanying mission officials knew that the negotiations had failed as soon as they saw Li Guozhu's expression, so they said: "My lord, the ship is ready, and it can go to the south at any time!" ”

"Okay, according to the plan, let's go to Satsuma Domain! I want the arrogant Tokugawa Iemitsu to know what the price of convicting the Ming is great! The corners of Li Guozhu's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sly smile

Tsurumaru Castle is located on a hill 100 meters above sea level, and because the castle is surrounded by cliffs, Tsurumaru Castle is a fortified castle that uses natural terrain. After the management of Shimazu Iehisa, the first lord of the Satsuma Domain, it has become quite large-scale. It is one of the largest cities and fortified cities in Kyushu. At this time, the governor of the Shimazu family was Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the second lord of the Satsuma domain. Because Zheng Zhilong had been active in Kyushu for many years in his early years, plus his old-timer Yan Siqi was familiar with the Shimazu family, and Li Guozhu's father Li Dan was also doing business in Japan in his early years, so through this layer of relationship, Shimazu Guangjiu warmly received Li Guozhu

Shimazu Mitsuhisa personally served tea to Li Guosuke, and a large blue and white porcelain tea bowl turned around three times in Shimazu Mitsuhisa's hand before it was handed to Li Guosuke. Li Guozhu took the tea bowl and turned around three times before drinking it in one gulp

"Good tea!" Li Guozhu praised

"When Li Jun (referring to Li Dan) was in our country, we were friends, and today the son of the deceased came to visit, and we should be entertained!" Mitsuhisa Shimazu said with a smile

Li Guozhu put down the tea bowl, put away his smile, and said with a straight face: "However, I didn't come here today for any good things. ”

"Oh?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa asked in surprise, "Li Xiang, is there something unlucky happening?" ”

Li Guozhu said: "War! ”

"Going to war? Who fights with whom? Mitsuku Shimazu asked hurriedly

"One side is naturally my Great Tomorrow Dynasty, and the other side ~~" Li Guozhu deliberately sold a pass

"Is it with the shogunate?" Mitsuhisa Shimazu asked cautiously

"Not necessarily, it could be with the shogunate, it could just be your Shimazu family!" Li Guozhu said lightly

"What?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa was taken aback, "We have always been at peace with Daming, and we met in North Korea, which is also the meaning of Taige!" Why did the kingdom raise such an unknown teacher? ”

Li Guozhu said in a tone similar to his own words: "In the fourteenth year of Keicho, your clan sent Kayama Hidaka to attack the Ryukyu Kingdom, which belonged to the Ming Dynasty. Forcing the Ryukyus to join the noble domain, and then the merchants of the noble domain disguised themselves as Ryukyu merchants to trade with our Ming Dynasty, do you think that your Excellency does not know anything about this? ”

"This~" Shimazu Mitsuhisa thought to himself, if it weren't for the report of a Ming man like you, who has lived in Japan all the year round, the Ming Dynasty might not know it for the rest of his life. "This is also forced to be helpless~! Do you know that since the Battle of Wenroku and the Battle of Keicho, the Ming Dynasty has interrupted all trade with Japan, and the price of Tang goods has risen every day. ”

"Enough!" Li Guozhu loudly interrupted Shimazu Mitsuhisa's speech and said: "Now there are two paths for the feudal lord to choose, first, refuse to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty will attack your domain; Second, cooperate with the Ming Dynasty and crusade against the Tokugawa shogunate. Once that happens, the Daming will specifically allow you to deal in Daming's goods, and if you perform well, you may even become the only daimyo in all of Japan who can trade directly with Daming. ”

The Shimazu clan joined the Western Army during the Battle of Sekigahara, but after their defeat, they were reduced by Tokugawa Ieyasu, along with the Mori family of the Choshu Domain, who was nominally the general of the Western Army. Historically, the core of Japan's downfall movement was the main force of the Satsuma and Choshu feudal domains, and I am afraid that it has something to do with it.