The expeditionary fleet was stationed on Ikishima Island for ten days, sweeping all corners of the island, and Lee Zhaoji was sure that the Tsushima clan could indeed buy grain from the court, and that the first two ships of grain went to Sado before continuing his journey.

During this period, many daimyo from the western region sent envoys to the company, hoping to reach a secret agreement with the Oriental Trading Company and avoid being attacked by the fleet of the Oriental Trading Company. However, Li Zhaoji did not agree to all of them, but met with and agreed to the demands of the six feudal states of Choshu and Hizen.

Lee promised these feudal clans that as long as they sent no more than 500 troops and 10 ships in the war between the trading companies and Japan, they would not be considered hostile, and the trading companies would not attack their territory. This gave the feudal domains and the Edo shogunate room to make peace with each other, and even if they were forced to send troops, they could do so by sending fewer troops and not being hostile to the Eastern Trading Society.

However, the request made by the envoy of the Satsuma clan was rejected by Li Zhaoji.

"Ryukyu is a vassal of my China, and your Satsuma Domain invaded Ryukyu, forcibly occupied many islands, and paid tribute to the Ming State in the name of Ryukyu, which is really hateful. Originally, our trading company had no grudge against Japan, but now the conflict between the two sides has been settled together. Li Zhaoji faced the Satsuma envoy and replied.

When the envoy of the Satsuma clan heard this, he knew that Li Zhaoji had made up his mind, so he brushed his sleeves and left, declaring that he would see the high and low on the battlefield.

"Little Japanese, dare to be presumptuous in front of Lao Tzu!" Li Zhaoji smiled coldly and shouted.

Tang Mu asked: "Big treasurer, why are you willing to agree when other clans come to negotiate, but this Satsuma clan can't accept it?" ”

Li Zhaoji smiled and said: "This is very simple, do you think that if we go north and negotiate peace with Edo, how much is it possible to reach an agreement?" ”

Tang Mu shook his head lightly: "From what I see, I'm afraid there is no chance." It is difficult for the Japanese people to agree to your terms, so how could they agree to hand over Sado Ichishima to our trading company? ”

Li Zhaoji asked again: "Yes, since the peace talks cannot be successful, then there is only a fight."

There are hundreds of Japanese feudal states, but the hedgehog gathers a group, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and other islands, and can easily gather tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. This expedition was to demonstrate the capabilities of our fleet, so that Japan would not dare to easily gather troops and horses to attack Sado.

However, as soon as the fleet came out, it cost a huge amount of money, and the war could not be continued unless it was fed by war. Therefore, it is inevitable to sweep the Japanese islands.

In Yinqi, we did not get much, but on Yiqi Island, the grain, rice, gold and silver we obtained were worth no less than 50,000 taels. ”

Tang Mu nodded slightly, and immediately poured a cup of tea for Li Zhaoji. As trading companies carried out large-scale military operations off the coast of Japan, their methods also improved.

At the time of Sado, the army of the trading company only plundered the landlords and did not disturb the common people. In order to catch more cattle, the people of the trading company were sweeping everywhere regardless of class.

After arriving in Yiqi, the local area is rich and there are many village communities, if they are defeated one by one, I don't know how much time it will take, and many soldiers will be killed and wounded. Li Zhaoji ordered the fleet to be divided into two, and after landing, he demanded that the villages and communities provide military taxes according to the number of acres of land and Dingkou.

After being refused, he entered the village of resistance, killed the leaders of the resistance, and used his family property as a military tax.

In the village of Yuwei on Yiqi Island, Li Zhaoji asked the village to provide 600 taels worth of gold and silver, as well as some grain, rice, livestock, and poultry, but was refused. The trading company's guards attacked, captured and killed the head of the famous owner's group, raided the house, and stole thousands of taels of gold and silver, but the trading company did not ask for all of it, but left 600 taels of silver, and returned the rest to the rest of the village, and only took away the grain, rice and livestock that were originally requested.

Since paying military taxes can protect the village, and resisting is to behead and raid the house, how can those famous owners and group leaders still resist and send the things demanded by the trading company to the coastal strongholds, so that the trading company can obtain a large amount of property in a short period of time.

Japan was rich in gold and silver, and the islands had amassed a great deal of wealth after decades of peace and tranquility, which fell into the hands of trading companies.

Li Zhaoji opened the map and said: "If the area around the big island of Japan is rich, Tanegashima is the most, Tanegashima is known as the island with the largest rice and grain production among the outlying islands in Japan, and the population and wealth are bound to be the largest.

In addition, the islands such as Yaku, Tokunoshima, and Oshima are also under the actual control of the Satsuma Domain, which is the source of our expeditionary salaries.

In addition, the Ryukyus are a country that has been humiliated by Satsuma for many years, but it is known as the Tsuryo of the World, and our trading company and its partner ships travel between the north and the south, all passing through the Ryukyus. In the future, if there is a chance, we should also expel Satsuma and let our trading company rule the Ryukyus, and at that time, the trading company will fill several large islands, with a population of 100,000, and its strength will increase. ”

"Big shopkeeper, Tang Mu is willing to be the pioneer and enter Tanegashima." When Tang Mu heard this, he immediately asked for battle.

Li Zhaoji smiled and nodded with satisfaction, but said: "When the Satsuma envoy left, he was arrogant, and he was already prepared to come to his master's house. Tanegashima is rich, and there must be a lot of garrisons. If the fleet were to attack, would it not be damaged?

The Satsuma clan is more than 700,000 high, and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses can be mobilized, and our fleet has left a lot of soldiers and horses to garrison Sado, and now the total number of combatants in the fleet is only more than 300, so we can't hit the stone with an egg.

It's just that you are very aggressive, how can I frustrate your edge? ”

"Big shopkeeper, although I want to make meritorious contributions, everything should be at your command, and I will serve the general plan of the trading company with what I do." Tang Mu said.

Li Zhaoji was even more pleased, and Tang Mu was really not only brave, but also knowledgeable. Li Zhaoji said: "The last time you went south, you first opened up trade with the DPRK and Xian, appeased the gentry, and dealt with Guangzhou, which was already two great achievements.

Each piece is not inferior to Liu Shun's recruitment of Sado and the pacification of the country. Talents like you shouldn't be buried. In this way, I will hand over the White-headed Crane and the Egret to you, and go south to attack Yaku. Let's give the Satsuma clan a dismount first, and see if it dares to be arrogant! ”

"Thank you, big boss!" Tang Mu got up and went immediately, straightened his soldiers and horses, and prepared to go on the expedition.

"Wait!" Li Zhaoji said.

Tang Mu returned and stood in front of Li Zhaoji and waited for the news: "You are on Yakushima, catch the merchants and officials, and ask them to send news to Edo Castle, just say, let their representatives arrive on Hachijo Island at the appointed time and meet me." ”

Edo Castle, Honmaru.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third general of the Tokugawa family, knelt in front of the coffee table and looked at the young retainer in front of him, Matsudaira Nobutsuna.

"I trust you, Shinzuna, but you've let me down again." The general said lightly, and Matsudaira Nobutsuna leaned to the ground, he knew that if it weren't for the fact that the general finally welcomed his first son at the age of thirty-eight, maybe just because of the fiasco of Hirado, he would have been ordered to have his seppuku.

"Tell me, there's any bad news, don't talk about the ridiculous conditions that Dongfan Daoyi put forward." Tokugawa Iemitsu said.

Matsudaira Nobutsuna said: "The main hall, after the attack on Hirado, Toban Shima Yi attacked the islands of Ichiki, Yaku, etc., and the latest news is that they appeared outside Edo Bay and did not attack Oshima, but successively landed on Shinjima and Miyake Island, and blackmailed the people of the islands.

And on every harassed island, someone will send a message asking us to go to Hachijo Island for peace talks before September 4. ”

"Hachijojima." Tokugawa Iemitsu's expression changed slightly, and he said, "I remember, the rebellious Ukita Hide's family was exiled to Hachijo Island." ”

"Yes, but His Majesty thinks that it is because Hachijojima is far enough away from Honshu, and the local black current is very fast, and it is difficult for our Japanese ships to sail. In order to avoid the conquest of our Japanese navy, Dongfan Daoyi chose to be there. Matsudaira Nobutsuna said.

"Maybe, even if Dongfan Daoyi has other thoughts about that rebellion, he can't do anything in this era of peace in the four seas, right?" Tokugawa Iemitsu said.

Matsudaira Nobutsuna nodded in agreement, and Tokugawa Iemitsu asked, "Has the Dutch ship arrived?" ”

"I have arrived, and when Shimai entered Kosanyake Island, the Dutch fleet also went to reconnoitre, but found that Shimai had four or five warships, each of which was not weaker than their merchant ships, so they retreated." Matsudaira Nobutsuna informed the facts of the incident and did not dare to conceal it at all.

Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded slightly and asked, "The courtiers of the main hall, how do you plan to do it?" ”

Matsudaira Nobutsuna was an important official of the shogunate and the Tokugawa family, and he had already discussed with other ministers before coming to meet with the shogun.

They just didn't agree to accept Shimayi's conditions, but they didn't dare to lead the fleet to negotiate. His Majesty found out that several of them had secretly met the Dutch, and asked them about the strength of the island. Matsudaira Nobutsuna said.

"Well, I know that this gang of islands is not something that the existing forces can dispose of."

Matsudaira Nobutsuna asked, "Then the main hall, is it ignoring Shimai?" ”

"No, Nobutsuna, you go to the Shimayi chief in person on the Dutch ship and bring my goodwill. I will appoint you as a consummating envoy and tell the leader of the island that I will give him a chance to be peaceful as a man of the world, and if he does not seize this opportunity, he will be destroyed. Tokugawa Iemitsu said.

"Beckoning?" Matsudaira Nobutsuna was puzzled.

Tokugawa Iemitsu said: "Yes, since he is the head of Toban, I am willing to make him the king of Toban, and let the barbaric land of Toban be included in the territory of my country of the beginning of the day." In the future, he will be a vassal of our Edo domain, and he can follow the example of the Ryukyus and trade with Japan. ”

Matsudaira Nobutsuna then understood that Tokugawa Iemitsu took advance as retreat, and solved Japan's external trouble by rewarding him.

"The hall has the world in mind, and it is not comparable to the subordinates. But when His Majesty heard that the leader of Dongfan Daoyi was extremely arrogant, what should he do if he didn't accept it? Matsudaira Nobutsuna asked.

"Fight against it from the beginning!" Tokugawa Iemitsu said.

Matsudaira Nobutsuna nodded and softly retired.

Hachijojima.

"Your Highness, the Ukita Hideya family did not come on orders, claiming that it can be killed but not humiliated." Matsushita Tomaki said.

When Li Zhaoji heard this, he laughed: "He is really a person with backbone, so I am willing to go and see him in person." ”

Lee Siu-gi came out of the acting office and came to the residence of the Ukita Hide, which was large, but not pretty, with low walls made of thatch mixed with mud, and the same as the walls, the only surprise was that it was large enough.

The courtyard is busy, with dozens of men and women washing and processing blades of grass that are eventually sent to the house to be woven into mats.

"It's Ukita toma, a kind of mat that is produced locally." Matsushita Fuming whispered to Li Zhaoji.

"Is this the job that the retainer of the Toyota family, His Royal Highness the Xiu family, depends on for a living?" Lee Siu Kee said.

"Hey, there are no retainers of the Toyota family here, and there is no highness, just an old man who can weave straw mats." An old man with white hair, who was weaving a straw mat in his hand at this time, suddenly said in a loud voice.

"He's the guy you're looking for." Matsushita Fuming said in Li Zhaoji's ear.

Li Zhaoji nodded slightly, feeling that his age was also in line, after all, at this time, the Ukita Xiu family was already in his seventies.

"Do you speak Chinese?"

"I have conquered the court, Xian, and I need to deal with you Ming people, so I will." Ukita Hideya said.