Edo, shogunate.

The six ministers under the command of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who are not yet dead, have all gathered together.

After listening to Lin Efeng's diplomatic report, the shogunate's commander-in-chief Matsudaira Nobutsuna shouted: "The Tang State deceived people too much, if you just let the Satsuma Domain pay compensation and apologize,

It's okay to put up with it for the time being. But they punished the Hirado clan! If the shogunate does not send troops, where is the majesty of His Excellency the Shogun? The whole country should be summoned to fight to the death with those Tang soldiers! ”

Hotta Masamori came from a relatively humble background, and he also saw the middle and lower classes of Japan more clearly, and he advised: "Your Excellency, my country has been forced to recruit large armies to fight due to natural disasters for many years, and I am afraid that there will be a lot of people in various places. At least I, the Sakura Domain, don't have enough food to fight. “

As soon as the people were beaten, it was a peasant uprising.

Years of floods, droughts and snowstorms, it is not only Zhao Han who has a headache, but also these Japanese generals and feudal lords who have been overwhelmed.

The Tokugawa shogunate's reform of agricultural policy, encouraging farmers to open up wasteland, suppressing land annexation, and selling and purchasing agricultural products were a response to natural disasters.

Abe Tadaaki's personality was more tactful, and he did not show his attitude, but said: "You can contact the Dutch first to see if the Dutch are willing to send troops together."

However, Ota Zimune, who was a man of culture and familiar with the Confucian classics, echoed: "China is like a strong Qin, and although Japan is also strong, it is only similar to the Qi State." In this case, it is necessary to follow the path of vertical and horizontal. The Dutch and Chinese merchants had many disputes over trade in Nagasaki, and perhaps the Dutch were really willing to fight together. “

Abe Shigeji also said: "If the Dutch send troops, their ships and guns are strong, and they will be able to defeat the Tang soldiers at sea." Japan and the Tang State are far away from the ocean, as long as the Tang Navy can be defeated, no matter how strong the Tang army, it will be rootless in Japan. ”

Several important ministers, every word you say, and every word I say, seem to agree to an alliance with the Netherlands.

Tokugawa Iemitsu was also tempted, but he had not yet made a decision. He looked at Lin Luoshan and asked, "You have wanted to speak several times and stopped, what do you want to say?" ”

Lin Luoshan bowed to everyone: "I once sent an envoy to Nanjing, and today's China is different from the past. The Chinese emperor Zhao Han, who started from the end of the rivers and lakes, was originally just a slave. He not only raised troops to defeat the Ming Kingdom, thieves and barbarians, but also distributed the land of the big landlords equally to the poor people.

In today's China, the people have enough food and clothing, and there are not even beggars to be found in the big cities. It was the peasants in the remote mountain villages who were willing to die for the Chinese emperor. ”

"There are hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops separated from soldiers and peasants. The Chinese army, which is a combination of soldiers and peasants, is said to have millions of people. In the event of a war with China, even if its navy is destroyed, China will have enough money to build warships. At that time, there will be 100,000 or 200,000 people coming to Japan, instead of 10,000 or 200,000! “

Ota Zizong had a good relationship with Lin Luoshan, and the two also cooperated in compiling the martial family genealogy, and he said with a smile: "Your Excellency is alarmist, millions of troops, where can the Chinese emperor afford to raise them?" “

Tokugawa Iemitsu turned his head and asked the guards behind him: "You have also been to the Tang Kingdom, so let's talk about it." ”

Yagyu Jubei had succeeded his father as the intelligence chief of the Tokugawa shogunate. He replied: "China is indeed rich and strong, millions of soldiers may not have it, but hundreds of thousands of troops are possible." ”

Matsudaira Nobutsuna said disdainfully: "Even if Tang soldiers have 10 million, as long as their navy is destroyed, they can still swim to Japan to fight?" ”

Tokugawa Iemitsu thinks this statement is reasonable, the Mongols were so powerful at the beginning, didn't they fight Japan and be blown away by a gust of kamika?

After thinking for a long time, Tokugawa Iemitsu said, "First test the attitude of the Dutch." “

Nagasaki, Deshima.

"What? War with the Tang State? Hasegawa Gonroku was shocked inexplicably.

Lin Efeng sighed: "I haven't decided whether to go to war yet, let's test the Dutchman's thoughts first." “

Hasegawa Gonroku said: "You don't need to be tempted to know that the Netherlands will not dare to fight with the Tang Kingdom, but they will lie to us and say that they are willing to send troops." ”

"Why?" Lin Efeng asked.

Gonroku Hasegawa explained: "The Dutch merchant pavilion came to see me many times and encouraged me to cut off trade with China. However, they only dared to plunder Chinese merchant ships in secret, and did not dare to fight openly at all. Only on the premise that they are sure that they will not let go of any ship will they attack Chinese merchant ships. “

The position of Gonroku Hasegawa is called "Nagasaki Commission".

This was not a local official position, but the head of foreign trade in Japan as a whole, acting under the orders of Tokugawa Iemitsu alone, and also had some diplomatic powers.

Gonroku Hasegawa has been dealing with the Dutch for more than a decade. As soon as the Dutchman pouted his ass, he knew what shit was going to pull.

Hasegawa Gonroku said: "In the war with the Tang Kingdom, I am afraid that the shogunate has not yet sent troops, and all the merchants of the three capitals (Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto) will make trouble. ”

Lin Efeng was puzzled: "What is the matter with Guan Shangjia?" “

Hasegawa Gonroku explained: "Many of those Tang maritime merchants are the agents of Sandu merchants!" “

Lin Efeng suddenly realized, and at the same time was dumbfounded.

Tokugawa Iemitsu closed himself off from the country, and he could only lock up the local feudal lords, but instead cheapened the big Japanese merchants.

China and the Netherlands brought goods in what appeared to be a deal with the shogunate. But what really handled it was the Japanese wealthy merchants in Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

Only they can turn foreign goods into silver. In addition, the taxes in kind collected by the shogunate and feudal lords were also converted into money through merchants.

There is also competition between wealthy businessmen, and Lu Ziye's directly pays Chinese to do the agency.

A small Chinese businessman has a way on both sides. Then he could take money from the Japanese wealthy merchants, rent ships and hire sailors from the shipowners along the Chinese coast, and then find Chinese suppliers to take the goods and ship them to Nagasaki to sell. And don't worry about sales, which Japanese wealthy businessman invests, this wealthy businessman will eat it all.

Even, even the content of the traded goods is given by the Japanese wealthy merchants in advance, and the Chinese merchants take the list to purchase.

The two countries went to war, foreign trade was cut off, and the Japanese Sanduhao Chamber of Commerce fried the pot!

All feudal lords in Japan, including the shogunate, were debtors of the wealthy merchants of the three capitals. Once the capital chain of Japanese wealthy businessmen is broken, they will definitely find ways to collect debts. They certainly didn't dare to ask for it, but it was completely possible to stop lending to the feudal lord—and for good reason, Lao Tzu had no money in his hands.

When the time comes, no matter how the war is won or lost, the powerful men of Japan will have to drink the northwest wind.

Drinking the northwest wind is an adjective, and eating is definitely no problem. But there is no money to buy luxury goods, there is no money to build mansions, and the good days are gone, which is worse than killing them.

To what extent is the Japanese elite keen on money?

Under the successive disasters, many Japanese people starved to death, and they are still exporting grain to China. Last year alone, 5,100 pieces of rice were exported to China

Packets, 3050 packs of wheat, 2850 packs of adzuki beans. Although the quantity is not large, and it adds up to more than a ton of food, Japan itself is short of food.

Lin Efeng found Hendrick, the director of the Dutch business, and after some small talk, asked, "Does the curator know the news of China's dispatch to Kagoshima?" ”

Hendrick nodded, "I heard." “

"If China and Japan go to war, what will the Netherlands do?" Lin Efeng asked bluntly.

Hendrik said, "I will send to Batavia at once, and His Excellency the Governor will certainly help Japan." “

Lin Efeng asked again: "How many warships can the Netherlands produce?" “

Hendrik said ambiguously: "This is not for sure, it all depends on the arrangement of the governor." Of course, if Japan cuts off trade with China,

Presumably, His Excellency the Governor General will do his best to support Japan. “

Saying it is equivalent to not saying it, but it is instigating China and Japan to go to war.

Even if the Netherlands sent troops, it would take at least three or five months for the fleet to sail to Japan. During this period, is it possible that Japan has been depleted?

Lin Efeng returned to Edo, reported the situation truthfully, and said: "The Netherlands wants to monopolize Sino-Japanese trade, and they wish that China and Japan would go to war." However, it is likely that the Netherlands will not send troops, or wait until the war is almost over and wait to see what happens. ”

"None of these red-haired ghosts of the Western Domain can be trusted!" Tokugawa Iemitsu was very angry.

Lin Efeng also said: "Many Chinese maritime merchants are the chargé d'affaires of the wealthy merchants of Sandu, and I hope that the general will act cautiously. “

Tokugawa Iemitsu said: "The attitude of the merchants does not matter, looking for an opportunity to kill a few, not only can you raid the house to obtain goods, but also scare the remaining wealthy merchants." Throw a few more bones out, and the merchants themselves will fight. “

"Yes." Lin Efeng did not refute.

Tokugawa Iemitsu had difficulty making a decision at the moment, and it was the Satsuma and Hirato clans that caused trouble. If he forced his troops to go to war, he would offend the merchants and other feudal lords. After all, the Satsuma and Hirado feudal domains have always occupied the profits of maritime trade, and they have not distributed them to other feudal lords.

Oh, the profits are exclusive to the two of you, so let us help if something happens? If we can't get a penny of benefits, we still have to pay for food and work hard.

But if the Tokugawa family just sat back and let the Satsuma and Hirado feudal domains be attacked, the other feudal lords would think: This shogun is really a wretch, and he didn't dare to send troops to rescue him, which is simply a shame for the samurai!

War or not to fight, it is not good for Tokugawa Iemitsu, and it will cause a lot of trouble.

"Gather the martial artists from all over the world to discuss!" Tokugawa Iemitsu was going to kick the ball out.

It is easy to convene the feudal lords of various places to discuss the meeting.

This is because the feudal lords of the whole country live in Edo for one year and then return to their territories for another year. When the feudal lord returned to the domain, the eldest son had to be in Edo, and the eldest son could also hold a meeting.

A group of feudal lords or eldest sons soon gathered in the shogunate.

Tokugawa Iemitsu explained the cause and effect, and then said: "Whether it is war or peace, the stakes are very important, and I respect everyone's opinions." Someone, pen and paper! Those who are willing to send troops draw circles on paper; Those who are unwilling to send troops draw crosses on paper. “

Soon, the results were revealed.

Except for the two feudal clans of Satsuma and Hirado, only three of the remaining feudal lords were willing to send troops, and the rest of the feudal lords all planned to watch the excitement.

Whoever helps, who is stupid, who is willing to do things that are not beneficial?

Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded and said, "This is a decision made by all the samurai, and since this is the case, I respect everyone." The two feudal clans of Hirado and Satsuma provoked the Tang Kingdom without authorization, and they did not obey the orders of the shogunate. The governors of these two families should be replaced by another person, and let them apologize. “

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