PS. Present today's update, by the way, pull a vote for the "starting point" 515 fan festival, everyone has 8 votes, and the vote will also give the starting point coin, kneel and beg everyone to support and appreciate!

As well as they know us well with our neighbors on the island, we know everything and everything in this land.

During the Warring States period of Japan, which was dominated by the "war of village chiefs or village chiefs", Toyotomi Hideyoshi drew a rest, but in the end, the old turtle Tokugawa Ieyasu picked the last peach. With the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japanese society reached the peak of feudal lordship, and it also suffered the impact and earth-shaking changes of Western civilization after hundreds of years of isolation.

But at least in the 17th century, in this period of ignorance and vastness for the whole world, under the huge figure of the Eastern Empire, Japan still retains a trace of mystery in the eyes of Europeans, and belongs to the status of the second or third master in the Eastern Empire system.

Until the mid-17th century, many Europeans still believed that there was a maritime utopia full of gold and silver in the deep sea northeast of the Japanese archipelago, and they searched tirelessly for another hundred years. Of course, this country of gold and silver does not exist, and it certainly does not refer to the snowy Alaska of North America.

Kanei is a very important era name in Japanese history, from 1624 to 1644. Over the course of its history, many major events have taken place that have had a profound impact on the history of Japan for generations to come.

During the Kanei period, there were three emperors in two successive generations in Japan, and there was also a female emperor among them. Beginning with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Tokugawa shogunate, on the one hand, successively introduced a series of systems that weakened the existence of the imperial family, such as the "Laws of the Birth of Monks", "The Laws of the Samurai", and "The Laws of the Forbidden and Public Families", and on the other hand, forced the women of the Tokugawa family into the imperial family in order to obtain a more stable position in the Japanese legal system. Emperor Gomizuo, who was extremely angry with the Tokugawa shogunate's suppression of the imperial family but had no choice but to abdicate the throne in a fit of rage, gave up the throne to his seven-year-old daughter, Prince Kokonai.

During the Kanei years, Japan was not spared in the global Xiaoice climate, even because of the barren island land. The ******outbreak was no less tragic than in the rest of the world. The lower-class people in Japan, who may not be able to taste a mouthful of rice in their lifetime, are even worse than dead.

Kanei ****** was one of the three ****** in Japan's history, and at its worst, food prices were outrageous compared to those of the Ming Dynasty or the hardest-hit areas of Europe. In a prosperous and affluent place like Kyoto, more than 80,000 people starve to death in a year, and scrawny residents and beggars were everywhere, and neither the shogunate nor the local feudal lords could do anything about it.

The Kanei period was also a time of great changes in the Japanese economy. Maritime trade led by Ming Dynasty smugglers, the Dutch East India Company, and Portugal. This period deeply permeated and transformed Japan's domestic economy, with an average annual outflow of more than 50 tons of gold, silver and precious metals through foreign trade.

The monetary economy has never been as widespread in Japanese society as it was during this period, and more than one-third of private taxes began to be paid in kind to money.

In order to resist famine and reduce consumption, the Tokugawa shogunate issued a large number of edicts to curb consumption by nobles and commoners during the Kanei period. The conservative consumption practices advocated or enforced by the Tokugawa shogunate greatly depressed the market demand for raw silk, sugar, silk, and other overseas goods, and a large number of merchants in Japan who were engaged in hoarding overseas goods went bankrupt, shaking the pattern of Japan's foreign trade in the past for most of the world.

Due to the missionary behavior of the Portuguese, the ruling order was seriously affected. The Tokugawa shogunate's targeted xenophobic policy was also intensified, and it successively issued a series of decrees to close the country. The ban on trade in Portugal, England, Spain, and other countries, and the Tokugawa shogunate symbolically opened the net to the Dutch, who only engaged in business and did not proselytize. The Dutch merchant house in Hirado was forcibly relocated to Nagasaki, and many strict restrictions and heavy tax laws were enacted.

Japan's once-prosperous trade came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the Zheng Zhilong group's monopoly trade qualifications in a very small number of ports such as Nagasaki.

The expropriation of feudal lordships made the livelihoods of the people at the bottom, who had deteriorated dramatically by famine and plague, even more desperate. Contradictions at the bottom of society are brewing fiercely. During the Kanei period, a peasant uprising of unprecedented scale during the Tokugawa shogunate broke out, known as the Shimabara Rebellion.

Famine ravaged down. More than 30,000 grassroots Japanese Catholic peasants, who could not bear the heavy taxes, under the leadership of a teenager Amakusa Shiro Tokitada, revolted angrily in Nagasaki, Kyushu, and beat the shogunate troops who came to suppress them to the point of losing their armor. The Shimabara Catholic uprising was eventually suppressed, which made the Tokugawa shogunate even more determined to close off the country.

It may not seem like a very good era, full of internal worries, but in any case, during the Kanei period, with the death of the last remnants of the Sengoku period, such as Mori Terumoto and Date Masamune, the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate finally stabilized, and Japan officially transitioned to the Edo period.

……

……

Japan's Honshu Sagami Country, later the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture, is lush with forests, rugged coastal reefs, and waves crashing on the shore.

In the 40s of the 17th century, Miyagawa Bay, the southernmost tip of the Miura Peninsula, was a small fishing village with a long history hidden under the lush pristine colors of the coast, and a castle island with an area of only one square kilometer more than 500 meters on the south coast.

It was a natural harbor with a good environment, a choke point from the sea to Edo Castle, the capital of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the Uraga waterway leading to Edo Bay, and was once an important stronghold of many pirate sailors during the centuries-old warring states.

According to the Tokugawa shogunate's "One Country, One Castle Ordinance", the former Misaki Castle was abandoned, making the surrounding villages and towns more and more isolated and closed. However, under the breeze of some butterfly wings, the Tokugawa shogunate, which issued the lockdown decree, rebuilt a Misaki office on the site of Misaki Castle a few years ago, echoing the Tateyama office on the Chiba Peninsula to the east, to monitor all ships entering and leaving Edo Bay.

Immediately afterwards, the Tokugawa shogunate built a coastal defense fortress on the basis of the old Kannon Mountain coastal beacon tower, and deployed more than a dozen ornate 12-pounder or 18-pounder iron cannons purchased from the Dutch East India Company's second-way dealers along the terrain many years ago.

On the Uraga Waterway to the northeast, a shogunate Edo naval ship (a small and medium-sized clipper) with unreliable thick wooden shields nailed to its entire body is patrolling, and in the depths of Edo Bay, there is an ataku (a large heavy armor warship) that looks like a "building house" floating on the sea.

Carrying the lives of the nobles and commoners of Edo Castle, the Haute Ships (a type of small ship that mainly carried goods) came and went in Edo Bay, and merchants and sailors had to crawl on the deck whenever they encountered the patrols of the Edo naval forces. Express your humility with the utmost courtesy.

The hectic coastal trade underpinned the prosperity of Japan's ruling centers, and neither fishermen nor merchants were likely to care about the changes that might occur in the distant depths of the sea, maintaining a constant awe for the stormy seas in the distance.

Friday, May 18, 1646, early morning. On the southern horizon of the Uraga waterway, a fleet is emerging.

After completing a southbound patrol and about to turn around and return to Edo Bay, several shogunate soldiers with hats rubbed their eyes one after another, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Slowly. The strange fleet from the south finally showed a clearer outline, and the faint soot and bulging snow-white sails clearly drew a line from the fishing boats common to the locals.

"Oh...... It's a Nanban ship...... They're coming! Quick, wave the flag! Hurry up and report to Matsudaira-sama and Miura-sama! ”

The shogunate soldiers on the deck were stunned for a while, and then ran towards the ship behind them. Not long after, under the command of a shogunate naval leader, a small soldier on the ship's tower began to wave a long signal flag desperately in the direction of the distant coastal fortress and the inner direction of Edo Bay.

The alarm signal first reached a Kohaya (a smaller, more maneuverable Koseki ship), and then Kozawa flew a strange signal flag to relay a message to the coastal fortress and turn around and head back into Edo Bay.

And on the coastal fortress of the Uraga Commission, shortly after receiving the signal of the naval army. The beacon tower rose with a pillar of smoke, and then a lean short middle-aged shogunate official in armor walked up to a wooden tall building with a few retinues, holding a "Nanban tubescope" and squinting one eye to investigate carefully.

Matsudaira Goro Kanemon Tadanobu. It is a branch of Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the oldest (the highest official who assists the shogun) in the current Edo Tokugawa shogunate. Originally, it was just a side branch from humble origin that was unknown in history, but after the establishment of the Misaki Commission, he was elected by Matsudaira Nobutsuna to become a commissioner, which can be said to have been stained with the light of butterfly wings.

"Hmm. It's a Nanban ship, shouldn't they be going to Nagasaki? However, the 'berthing period' has not yet arrived! ”

Berthing period. This refers to the deadline set by the Tokugawa shogunate for Dutch merchant ships bound for Nagasaki after the closure of the country, usually July 20 (the Chinese lunar calendar is still used) every year, and after the transaction is completed, they must leave Japan by October 20, and the number is strictly limited to one.

At any other time, a foreign merchant ship that dared to approach a port off the coast of Japan was considered a violation of the shogunate's edict to lock the country, and could be forcibly expelled by "no two thoughts" (firing guns without hesitation).

Matsudaira Tadanobu looked at it for a while, and the corners of his mouth twisted, with a look of arrogance and disdain. However, the snow-white and dazzlingly beautiful largest boat in the shot still made his heart jump slightly.

"Send a message to Masaki-sama and ask the Edo Navy to come to support. If there is any rude behavior (of the Nanban), then use the cannon to warn them! ”

It looks like the majestic and murderous Nanban cannon is placed next to him, but the soldiers don't have the right to play casually, as soon as they heard that the lord was going to carry out the "no two thoughts to retreat the order", the soldiers who couldn't bear the itch immediately rushed to the artillery position to prepare.

Under the gaze of Matsudaira Tadanobu, more than a dozen lappers were busy.

"Pingtai, put more gunpowder, you can fight farther!" The pockmarked soldier is suggesting.

"Sasuke, will you let me light the fire later?" Another dirty creep was also joining in the fun.

Not long after, several ships of the Edo Navy completed their assembly at the Uraga Waterway, and at the same time, a larger ship also drove slowly behind the cordon, forming a naval wheel formation with Kozai.

……

……

Combined fleet of the Netherlands, the United States and Portugal, the flagship "Java".

In the telescope, the southernmost headland and small island of the Miura Peninsula on the west side of the Uraga waterway are still lush green shadows and speckled rocky cliffs, and there are hardly any human figures in sight, while the surface of the waterway leading to Edo Bay looks chaotic, and several small fishing boats are desperately trying to hide in the bay. A few larger ones slowly open out of the waterways.

Although the shortest voyage to Edo Bay from Hong Kong Island was less than 1,500 nautical miles, the trilateral combined fleet stopped and stopped all the way after its departure, and also "sightseeing" in the Ryukyus for more than half a month, so it arrived in Edo Bay more than a month after sailing.

After leaving the Ryukyu Islands, the sea voyage was extremely boring, and when the officers and men of the three countries of the Combined Fleet saw the land, whether they were Chinese and American naval officers or Portuguese or Dutch, they all rushed to the side of the ship in impatience.

"Mr. Bronck, I thought it would look as raw and boring as the Coromandel [the name for the east coast of India...... The island looked flat. We can lean in. ”

Major General Anders Foghsen, the military officer for the Far East appointed by the Dutch East India Company, lowered his binoculars and pointed to Miyagawa Bay, slightly to the north, and snorted disdainfully, as if he had little interest in the military operation that had come to Japan to discuss the explanation.

Rasmussen seems to prefer to play hide-and-seek with the cunning Sultan of Banten on the island of Java or to teach the natives in the Maluku archipelago who dared to engage in the spice trade privately with the English East India Company.

As a Danish mercenary general who had experienced the Thirty Years' War, Rasmussen had always lacked patience and enjoyment for the mundane life in the Far East.

"Your Excellency, it won't be long before you see a bustling city. It was the center of Japanese domination. But it will not allow any outsiders to approach easily, meaning normally, of course...... We need to get the consent of the local rulers here so that trade can go on more freely and smoothly. ”

An East India Company clerk flattered him with a flattering compliment, with an imperceptible sneer in his eyes.

"So. Colonel, what do you think? Will the Japanese stop us from entering the bay, I mean if they ......"

Rasmussen turned his head to a young Chinese man in a snow-white U.S. Navy uniform behind him, and was about to ask for his opinion. Suddenly, I heard a faint cannon sound in the distance.

The astonishment of everyone lasted less than ten seconds, and a snow-white column of water appeared near the flagship of the Three Kingdoms Combined Fleet, although it seemed that the error was at least a hundred meters. But it is also clearly a long and careful aim.

"Damn it! These monkeys fired at me without any warning! And it turned out to be the cannon you idiots sold to them! ”

A few seconds later, Rasmussen, who had been stopped by a warning shell, suddenly jumped up like a cat with its tail stepped on, pointed angrily at the shore, about two kilometers away, spat and blurted out.

"We should shoot back right away! Let these monkeys know we're awesome! If you can't, I'll throw you all into the ocean! ”

Rasmussen was still babbling and cursing, spraying the captain and sailors of the Java, even forgetting that it was he himself who easily gave the order for the entire fleet to approach the Uraga waterway.

As for the distance of more than two thousand yards, he can't control whether the cannon on the Java can play a role, after all, he is just a land mercenary general with two knives, and he actually knows nothing about naval warfare.

"Colonel, this is the Japanese warning us not to come closer, and the Dutch are also showing signs of losing their minds. According to the plan, we should now submit a letter of representation to the Japanese first......"

The European adjutant behind Ji Chaohai whispered to his commander, while Ji Chaohai himself watched with interest the shocked words and deeds of the Dutch or Portuguese officers on the deck of the Java.

"This General Rasmussen will probably change his attitude on the road. But he also has the advantage of being able to quickly swear words that others don't have time to react to......"

Ji Chaohai, who is over 40 years old, has served in the Chinese Navy for more than 20 years, and compared with the two Chinese naval geniuses Evan and Ruytel, who were promoted to colonels at a younger age, they can be regarded as a typical stable faction in the second generation of the Chinese Navy.

The joke about the "nude disinfection" made by the conceited Rear Admiral Rasmussen on Hong Kong Island has been entertaining for a long time among the officers and men of the Chinese and American Asian Fleets, and it can be regarded as the most time-passing topic in a boring voyage. Seeing the other party's angry appearance, Ji Chaohai's old-fashioned face actually showed a smile.

"Your Excellency, we need to first give up our proximity to the coast, and then send someone to bring our letter of representation. Now that their ship is on alert and the state of the shore is unknown, we need to observe precisely the distribution of their firepower. Only then can you decide on the next action. ”

When the other party was almost done, Ji Chaohai took a few steps and gave a military salute to the mercenary major general in front of him.

Through the Portuguese translation, Ji Chaohai's words were immediately supported by the clerk of the Dutch East India Company on the side. After all, this trade negotiation is not a matter of using force lightly, and the key is to enter Edo Bay first to obtain reliable anchorage and supplies, otherwise it is not a way for the large group of people of the Combined Fleet to stay at sea like this.

"Hmm...... Maybe you're right. Mr. Colonel, Mr. Bronck. If you don't mind, I hope it's up to you to complete our mission into the Gulf. We needed a place to settle down and let the lads relax and make sure they were going to do the next. ”

Rasmussen, who had come back to his senses, squinted at the young Chinese naval officer, and finally made a new decision like an old man.

"I'm honored." Ji Chaohai is another military salute. Turning around, he walked to the side of the ship, intending to get down to the dinghy and return to the light cruiser Princess Kaneshiro.

Another 18-pound solid bullet flew from the north, this time directly hitting a small Portuguese warship only a few dozen meters away, and the column of water lifted up looked like it was almost about to fall on the deck, which frightened the Portuguese army soldiers into shouting.

Holding its breath to accept the warning bombardment from the Japanese side, the Combined Fleet no longer rushed to the coast, and the Huamei Kaneshiro Princess and the Dutch Java each lowered a small sampan and sailed towards the largest Japanese ship at the end of the line of sight, at the same time. A shogunate Edo naval army also headed for the Combined Fleet.

……

……

"Oooh! Great, they're scared! Lord Hon, let's do it again, maybe you can get a few heads of the Southern Barbarians in front of the Edo Navy! Let the Shogun of Edo Castle know your prowess. ”

Uraga coastal defense fortress. Seeing the tremendous power of his cannon, a small leader of the shogunate army trembled with excitement.

"Haha, I'm very happy with everyone's performance. Keep an eye on them and be sure to stop them from approaching Edowan! ”

Matsudaira Tadanobu also trembled with excitement. For so many years, I haven't had a good chance to get ahead, and I finally followed Matsudaira Nobutsuna many years ago to participate in the counterinsurgency battle against the rebels of Shimabara. It almost turned out to be a mistake.

If it weren't for the powerful Matsudaira Nobutsuna who was extremely protective at the time, and sent himself to this remote corner where birds don't poop to avoid disasters, I'm afraid that he would have apologized a long time ago.

Now that there is finally a short-sighted Nanban ship that dares to approach, the opportunity to reverse his image in the general's mind has come.

"Matsudaira-sama, it seems that the Nanban ships have no intention of escaping, and they have sent a small boat to Miura-sama's Sekifune!"

A small leader ran towards Matsudaira Tadanobu and bowed his head to report a situation that upset Matsudaira Tadanobu.

The predecessor of the Shogunate Edo Shogunate, the Hyakkusho Navy, a group of pirates that ran rampant in the Kanto region, was led by the Masaki clan who had been attached to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and gained official status, and later became loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate, and after several changes, it was integrated into the current Shogunate Edo Navy. Although the Tokugawa shogunate strengthened centralized management, the main role of the Edo naval army was still held by the Masaki family.

The current commander-in-chief of the Edo Navy Ataka ship is Miura Yoshira of the Masaki family, and Matsudaira Tadanobu has always had a poor relationship with Miura Yoshira. Although Matsudaira Tadanobu was the Mizaki Shogun, he was unable to control the Edo Navy, which held actual military power, and both sides were openly and secretly competing for various interests in the Uraga Waterway, so in normal times, merchants would give a gift to each of the two families at the same time when they exchanged bribes.

"Bastard! I'm the Mizaki Commissioner, and Nanban should ask to see me first! ”

Matsudaira Tadanobu immediately blew his nose and glared, but unfortunately he couldn't grow wings and immediately appeared on the Sekibune, so angry that he walked around in place.

"Matsudaira is a lord, and although Miura-sama's navy is responsible for guarding Edo Bay, he does not have the right to negotiate with the Nanbanians. You have the right to supervise the entry and exit of boats in Edowan, and you have the right to decide everything according to the "No Two Thoughts Removal Order". ”

A subordinate seemed to see Matsudaira's dissatisfaction, and hurriedly added fuel to the side.

"Well said! Immediately order all the garrisons of the commission to enter the battery! When Miura Yoshira and the Nanban are finished, give me another shot! ”

Matsudaira Tadanobu had a hint of viciousness in his eyes, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

In Matsudaira Tadanobu's view, even if the Nanban initiated negotiations, the Edo Navy would never let these Nanban ships enter Edo Bay. But if you just wait and see. That means that all the credit for stopping the Nanban ship goes to Miura Yoshira, and he, the commissioner, will be left aside.

Demolition, must be dismantled!

……

……

On the large ship, Yoshira Miura, dressed in armor, sat on the main seat, and several subordinates were also wearing their whole bodies and waiting on both sides. In front of Yoshira Miura, a representative of the Dutch East India Company, a Portuguese translator, and a representative of the Chinese Navy stood side by side, with the Dutchman holding a beautifully wrapped roll of paperwork.

“…… So, we wanted to go into the bay and dock to recuperate, dry our cargo, and repair our ships. Also, in addition to the gifts for you. We also have a letter that we would like to entrust you to pass on to the Tokugawa Shogun in Edo Castle. ”

At the signal of the lieutenant of the Chinese American Navy, two Chinese sailors carried a box from the outside, and just by looking at the workmanship of the box, they knew that the gifts inside were not thin.

After listening to the Portuguese translation, Yoshira Miura and the surrounding shogunate generals all looked at each other.

Have a letter to be sent directly to the shogun? I happened to be hit by such a big thing, and it seems that I didn't come to Edo Bay in the wrong direction because I encountered a storm overseas. Yoshira Miura glanced at the gift box given to him, and his expression was no longer overly indifferent.

"Although it was a friendly visit, I did not have the authority to let it go. But I can pass on the letter to the General, and you will anchor nearby. Wait for the news, and I'll send someone to bring you some water and food. But you can't go ashore without the permission of the General! ”

Yoshira Miura looked like he was business, but he made a decision. Completely lined up the position of Misaki pursuing Matsudaira Tadanobu.

Feeling as if communication was not so troublesome, the representatives of the three countries present breathed a sigh of relief, and then retreated to their small liaison boats, intending to bring the results of the negotiations back to the Combined Fleet.

Two small liaison ships of the combined fleet left the Edo naval forces. Roughly return along the coast towards your flagship, observing and looking for anchorage along the way. When he was about a thousand meters away from the beacon tower, he suddenly found a series of snow-white smoke and dust spewing out from a corner of the coast. Immediately after that, there was a thunderous sound of cannons.

After another second, more than a dozen heavy solid projectiles landed around the two small liaison boats, and the splashing waves directly overturned the small sampan of the Dutchman, who rowed by man.

"God, they're crazy, don't they know we're negotiating?"

The Portuguese interpreter who was with the Huamei representative was suddenly stunned, and he didn't know what to do when he looked at the Dutch who were fluttering in the sea water behind him.

The steam boat belonging to the Kaneshiro Princess was lucky enough to escape the shelling and quickly turned to the sinking Dutch sampan behind it. The two sailors scooped up the chicken-like representatives of the Dutch East India Company and the sailors, and then desperately added coal to the fire and fled towards the Golden City Princess, two kilometers away.

And this scene also made the Edo sailors stunned, and Miura Yoshira on the large ship instantly turned his head and glared at the coastal defense fortress in the distance, fully understanding Matsudaira Tadanobu's purpose at this time - paralysis came to dismantle my platform again!

"Keep firing and let them know we're awesome!"

Matsudaira Tadanobu held up the Nanban monocular and looked at it for a while, and his face turned from the initial coldness to smugness.

In his sight, chased by scattered shells falling into the sea, the panicked smoking dinghy was rowing a twisting track and fleeing, and the white battleship that impressed him gradually distanced itself from the other two black and white battleships, as if avoiding the long-range intensive artillery bombardment that might be launched by the coastal fortress.

The range of the Nanban heavy artillery is much farther than that of the ship's cannons, and it is easier to aim, and this time the dismount of the Nanban negotiation boat is completely sufficient, and the Nanban ship has no way to take the coastal defense fortress of the Misaki Commission.

Thinking of Yoshira Miura's possible expression at this time, Matsudaira Tadanobu was beaming. But optimism is optimism, and there must be no mistakes.

"As long as their ship dares to come close to the shore, open fire!"

"Hah!" A small leader of the garrison of the commission lowered his head vigorously, and ran towards the fortress artillery position in a puff of smoke.

Not long after, the beautiful little steamboat that survived was recovered by the Kinjo Princess, and the coastal fortress also gave up the shelling of the combined fleet of the three countries more than 2,000 meters away.

However, at this time, the combined fleet of the three countries had completed the dispersal operation, and the three battleships spewing black smoke did not make a move to get close to the coast, but readjusted a horizontal line line, with one side facing Miyagawa Bay.

"Withdraw immediately, since Matsudaira-sama is so majestic, let him do it!"

Miura Yoshira, who guessed Matsudaira's faithful thoughts, almost snorted coldly and gave the order to retreat. In his opinion, his duty was to protect Edo Castle, not to protect Matsudaira Tadanobu who fired cannons indiscriminately. As long as these Nanban ships don't enter Edo Bay, it has nothing to do with him.

[It's about to be 515, I hope to continue to hit the 515 red envelope list, and the red envelope rain will be able to give back to readers and promotional works on May 15. A piece is also love, and it must be better! (To be continued.) )