"The general of the Ming Dynasty didn't want to meet with the two, he meant that if the Netherlands and Spain wanted to fight, then the Ming would accompany them to the end. Daming has military spending and elite soldiers, even if the two of you plus the Qing Dynasty and Dazhou together, Daming also has the certainty of victory! ”

"What? Don't see us? He must not know how powerful my Spanish Armada is, right? ”

Inside the Dutch Merchant House on the island of Nagasaki Dejima, the Spanish Governor of the Philippines, Juan Brown. Carlos learned the attitude of the Ming general Li Yat-sen from a Portuguese flag man translator brought by Yang Qilong, and he was immediately angry.

Spielman, who was sitting next to him, frowned and asked, "Mr. Yang, you probably didn't inform General Li Yat-sen of the news that the Spanish Armada had arrived in the Philippines, right?" ”

Their words were translated into Chinese by the translation brought by Yang Qilong, and Yang Qilong had also heard of the name of the "Spanish Armada", and also knew that Spain had formed the Invincible Armada many times in history, but he didn't know how many great military exploits this "Invincible Armada" had?

So he talked to that Juan. Carlos inquired: "The card army, Benjue often heard the Westerners in Shenzhou mention that the Spanish has an invincible armada, which is very powerful, but those Westerners have never mentioned which naval battle the Spanish invincible arma has won?" Therefore, Ben Jue can't tell General Li how invincible your country's invincible fleet is. Clamping Army, why don't you talk to me carefully, and then I'll go and talk to General Li. He may be afraid to know when and where this armada has won a brilliant victory. ”

These words were translated into Spanish, and when this was translated, the translators of the Portuguese flag did not laugh out loud until they held back.

And that Juan. Carlos's face turned green with anger, and he was just stumbling there: "This. . . This Armada is invincible not because of its achievements, but because of its name."

Spearman next to him was not a good person, and he actually poured salt on the wounds of the Spaniards: "This Armada is still very strong, and I met Antonio in the English Channel when I participated in the first naval battle. Morality. Spanish Armada under the command of General Okundo. The Armada was a huge fleet of 77 large warships, and we Dutch only had 13 smaller warships at the beginning, and the situation was really terrible, I was almost scared, but then, hahaha."

"Governor Spearman, don't talk about it!" Juan. Carlos looked at the Dutch man in his fifties in front of him, and everyone was about to explode.

Because the naval battle that Spearman mentioned was the Battle of Downs in 1639, the "Invincible Armada" composed of 77 Spanish and Portuguese warships first encountered 13 small Dutch warships on a beachhead headland near the Spanish Netherlands in the English Channel.

Then it was blocked in the bay by 30 Dutch warships (the original 13 plus 17 that came later), unable to escape, 30 ships blocked 77 ships, this Spanish Armada is really "invincible"!

Then the Dutch kept rocking, no, rocking the boats, and it took a month to increase the number of warships to 105, and to build 12 fireships. In the end, the Dutch destroyed 43 of the 77 Spanish and Portuguese warships in one fell swoop, at the cost of 10 arsonist ships.

In this kind of performance, where is this Invincible Armada, it is simply a "speechless fleet"!

Now this Spearman is still going to say in front of Yang Qilong, I really don't know who he is?

Spearman also knew that he had missed his words, so he quickly changed the topic and said: "Duke, we already know the position of the Ming Dynasty, we are willing to give Li Zhongshan one last chance, if he doesn't cherish it himself, then we are welcome!"

So duke, I wonder what exactly your position is? Now the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan is friends of the Netherlands and Spain! ”

Yang Qilong smiled: "Then am I a good friend of the Netherlands and Spain?" ”

It has to be!

Yang Qilong's sister is the regent of the Qing Dynasty! Kangxi did not return from Central Asia, and the "Eastern Empire" of the Qing Dynasty was the largest Empress Yang. If the Netherlands and Spain did not be friends with him, their cooperation with the Qing Dynasty would not be pleasant.

Moreover, the Tokugawa shogunate now had requests from the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and England, so it was easy for them to get it out of the way.

First of all, the shogunate had agreed to open the country to the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, allowing them to open trading houses in Edo and Osaka, and to conduct free trade in Edo Castle and Osaka Castle Town.

The second was that the shogunate would help Shikoku recruit mercenaries in Japan. At the same time, the shogunate would also accept the help of Shikoku, purchase arms from the Netherlands, Spain, Britain, and Portugal, and invite instructors from Shikoku to help train the new shogunate army.

The third was to agree that the four countries should establish embassies and consulates in Edo and Osaka, and that if an alien from the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom violated Japanese law, the consuls of the four countries and officials of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan would be jointly responsible for the trial.

The fourth was to establish a shipyard and ship repair yard in the port of Edo in a joint venture with the Netherlands and Spain, and the Netherlands and Spain sent engineers to help the Tokugawa shogunate build Western-style sail warships.

Although these four articles did not allow the Tokugawa shogunate to slide into the abyss of semi-colony, the Tokugawa shogunate was already firmly bound to the camp of the Dutch, Spanish, British, and Portuguese. has become a staunch ally of these four countries in East Asia, or an alternate gold medal fighter - Japan has quite a lot of cannon fodder, but its combat effectiveness has not yet been cultivated.

Therefore, the Dutch, Spanish, British, and Portuguese no longer have to coax the Tokugawa shogunate to play.

But Yang Qilong still has to be coaxed!

"Duke Yang, of course you are a friend of our Netherlands!"

"Duke Yang, our Kingdom of Spain has always regarded you and the Kingdom of Korea under your rule as the most solid ally in East Asia!"

Yang Qilong also laughed when he heard the statement of the two foreign devils conveyed by his translator: "Since you treat me as a friend, then I will also get to the bottom of it with you. I have Chikuzen, Iki, Tsushima and Hizen half of the country, plus a Ezo island, and I'm satisfied. As for the rest of Japan, I don't have much interest, so I'll let the Japanese people play on their own. ”

In fact, Yang Qilong's purpose in this battle was to take Ezo Island - Ezo Island is vast and sparsely populated, and the Ezo and Japanese people on the island are not the same race, and their way of life is very different from that of Japan. The Japanese are an agricultural people, while the Ezo people are a fishing and hunting people. Therefore, it was very difficult for the Japanese to conquer the entire island of Ezo, but it was too easy for Yang Qilong to get rid of them.

Because Yang Qilong has Sauron soldiers under him, they are "savage Jurchens", the big names among the fishing and hunting peoples, and the Ezo people are compared to them, so they can only be honest little brothers. Therefore, as soon as Yang Qilong's Sauron soldiers came out, the tribes on Ezo Island would either submit or perish, and there was no third choice at all.

Therefore, this Ezo Island, as long as Yang Qilong spends a little energy and sends more Sauron soldiers or their kindred to it, it can still be completely pacified. On the contrary, it was difficult for the Tokugawa shogunate to counterattack Ezo Island. Not only is it across the sea, but they also have to enter the home of the Sauron soldiers and let the Japanese samurai go to the cold primeval forest to fight the Sauron cavalry equipped with flintlock pistols and mini bullets, which is the real send-off!

In addition, the fortress built by Yang Qilong on the Dulai Peninsula was not something that the Japanese samurai who crossed the sea could easily defeat it!

Therefore, for Yang Qilong, Ezo Island can not only be won, but also easy to digest.

And Yang Qilong's action on Kyushu Island was originally a feint. However, they did not expect that the war readiness of the daimyo in the northern part of Kyushu was very poor, and after the sudden attack, all of them were in chaos, and Chikuzen, Iki, Tsushima and Hizen were soon occupied by Yang Qilong's new Korean army.

Yang Qilong saw that these territories were very easy to take, so he was not welcome, and he could occupy everything. However, the Tokugawa shogunate and the Japanese daimyos, who were not stunned by the first wave of the Koreans, reacted quickly and began to build fortresses, reorganize their armies, and prepare for war with all their might.

And Yang Qilong is not willing to invest too many resources in Kyushu. He occupied three and a half kingdoms in Kyushu, almost 700,000 koku of land, and of course a large number of mountainous areas where land could not be cultivated, as well as several castles, and the Nagasaki trading market.

The territory looks good, as long as it can be maintained, Yang Qilong will have face in North Korea!

When he first arrived in North Korea before, there were still many powerful people in two classes who opposed him, and they suppressed it several times, killing thousands of people with little effect, and there were also rebels in some remote areas.

And when the news of "the prison prince broke the Japanese and captured the land of the four states of Kitakyushu" spread in North Korea, Yang Qilong suddenly became a great hero who saved North Korea from fire and water.

These days, some people have even begun to publicly put on the table, asking the king of North Korea to give Yang Qilong the throne

Yang Qilong also found that occupying a piece of territory in Japan could give him the legitimacy to rule Korea, so he brought tens of thousands of "concubines" from the Korean mainland and began to build castles on the occupied Japanese land and arm the tuntian.

Anyway, he doesn't plan to occupy more territory, it is enough to hold the existing three and a half countries.

Juan. Carlos and Spearman finally figured out the bottom of Yang Qilong, and they were both relieved.

In fact, they also need the presence of the Korean invading army on the island of Kyushu - if they don't exist, then the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate may go back to seclusion.

Thinking of this, Spearman said to Yang Qilong: "Duke Yang, our assistance to the Japanese Tokugawa Shogunate is mainly to open the door of Japan and obtain Japanese mercenaries, not for you and Korea. And we can also help you hire experienced European city building specialists. They will help you build an extremely strong line of defense in the northern part of Kyushu! ”

After listening to the relay of the translator next to him, Yang Qilong immediately replied with a smile: "This is great, I am deliberately fortifying and building a city in the northern part of Kyushu Island in order to last!" Benjue can also assure the two that Benjue will strictly maintain neutrality in the war between Spain, the Netherlands and the Ming Dynasty, and the two can trust Benjue!

In addition, Nagasaki under the protection of the Lord will also become a completely neutral port, and I hope that Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Portugal can all recognize Nagasaki's special status! ”

"Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the lord of the 700,000 stone of the Satsuma Kagoshima Domain, see the great general!"

"Nagato, the lord of the Choshu Domain of Zhou Fang, the lord of the 370,000 stones, Mori Tsunahiro, see the general!"

"Yamauchi Masatyo, the lord of the 240,000 stone of the Tosa Kochi Domain, see the general!"

Just when Yang Qilong met with Juan. At the same time as Carlos and Spearman, three Japanese daimyo were meeting the Shogun as courtesy. Not the great general of Japan, but the great general of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this is not to say that these three devil daimyo are ready to take refuge in the Ming Dynasty, accept support, and then raise the banner and fall the curtain, enter Edo, and take the general's bird position. It's not that they don't want to, it's that they don't have that strength.

Now the Tokugawa shogunate is not completely decayed, and a large number of samurai can still be mobilized within the Heavenly Domain, and the elder Tokugawa Mitsukuni is not incompetent, after being invaded by Yang Qilong, the Korean prison state, the speed of light recognized the Netherlands, Spain, England, Portugal four ocean fathers. With the help of his father, the shogunate obtained a large number of advanced weapons, and also obtained military advisers sent by the Netherlands and Spain, and began to form a new army of the shogunate.

In addition, the Dutch and Spain also hired nearly 20,000 mercenaries in Japan—these mercenaries were not recruited by the "foreign fathers" who went to Edo Castle to advertise in the castle town themselves, but were recruited by the Tokugawa shogunate from among the ronin who gathered in the town of Edo Castle in the name of the shogun. And after being recruited, they will still be under the management of the Tokugawa retainers, in fact, a new shogunate army that specializes in fighting for foreigners!

Therefore, in the face of the shogunate, whose military strength has been strengthened, the three feudal clans of Sa, Naga, and Tu did not have the strength to replace them, but to strengthen their own strength, of course, they had to "recognize their father".

However, they are not willing to accept North Korea as their father. First, it is too embarrassing, and second, North Korea's strength is limited, and it can't be pushed just a little bit of territory in the northern part of Kyushu.

And the powerful Da Ming is the ideal godfather!

That's why they contacted Ueda River Nanaemon, and now they are even coming to Nagasaki to see General Daming.

Li Zhongshan swept his eyes at the three devil names lying on the floor in front of him, looking very filial! However, he can't be their titular godfather for the time being, but he still plans to introduce them to a very foreign father.

"Flat, give a seat!"

As soon as Li Zhongshan's words came out, three Korean maids immediately moved the three embroidery piers. These three North Korean maids were the girls who served Li Zhongshan and Yang Qilong when they ate Fujian-style Nagasaki food together.

When Yang Qilong left, he "forgot" about them, and Yang Xiaohuan saw that they were homeless, so he left them behind. However, they are quite good at serving people, and they can understand Chinese.

Not bad. Li Zhongshan looked at the three girls and thought: Since Yang Xiaohuan can see it, let's take it back to Nanjing!

And Tagawa Nanaemon, who was sitting on one side, immediately said to the three devil daimyo in Japanese, "The general will let you sit." ”

There's also a "wooden pier" to sit on?

Mitsuhisa Shimazu, Tsunahiro Mori, and Masatoyo Yamauchi were all a little flattered, but they still sat down on the pier, and all three of them held their knees with their hands, looking like obedient elementary school students.

It seems that after the Korean army landed in Kyushu, the Japanese knew who the boss was!

"Did Tian Chuan and Yang Qilong tell you about the Ming General's Mansion wanting to hire a few thousand soldiers from you?" Li Zhongshan didn't talk nonsense with the three devils, and he got straight to the point as soon as he came up.

"Said it! Shogun, we have many samurai in the Satsuma Domain, and if you are willing to pay for it, they will be able to serve you. "The first person to speak was a bad old man in Japan, who didn't look very good, and he knew it was very bad at a glance!

However, he is really useful to Li Yat-sen, because there are many "poor people" in the Satsuma Domain!

The Satsuma Shimazu family was a Sengoku daimyo who once unified Kyushu! The number of retainers at the bottom was huge, and they were later defeated and subdued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the territory was reduced to Satsuma Province, leaving only 600,000 koku.

There is less land and less income, but the huge retainers are not cut by saying that they can be cut. They all shed blood for Shimazu and made meritorious contributions for Shimazu, how can they not care about it? We can only suffer together.

But the Satsuma samurai didn't know how to have fewer children, and the poorer they were, the more they had to have children, and there were more and more samurai, and there was no way to arrange it in the domain! I can't let them be peasants, and the hatred is dead, and they are about to turn Shimazu Mitsu into Shimazu's bald head - the hair on his head is gone, and only a bare head remains.

"General, the Choshu samurai are also willing to serve!" Mori Tsunahiro is not very old, but his head is about the same as Shimazu's bald head, and he is a "hairless" Maori, which is also worried about the fiscal deficit.

The Shimazu family had 600,000 koku, and the gross profit was only 370,000 koku, which was still forcibly inspected, and it was originally only 300,000.

The number of samurai of the Mori family is not below the Shimazu family.

"General, the Tosa samurai are also willing to serve the Ming Dynasty!" Yamauchi Masatyo is actually the poorest of the three Japanese daimyos. Because his ancestor Yamauchi Kazutoyo likes to slap his swollen face and become fat, in order to compete with the Wasuka family next door for the false name of the first name in Kyushu, he insisted on inspecting the feudal domain, which was originally only 98,000 stone high, to 240,000 stone high, and the errand assigned by the Tokugawa shogunate to the Tosa domain increased correspondingly, and the income could not go up.

Because the situation of the Tosa domain is similar to that of Satsuma and Choshu, it was also once wide.

Li Zhongshan nodded: "Very good, this king needs the help of the warriors of the three of you domains to fight, because this king is about to start a war with the Netherlands and Spain in the South Seas." However, this time the king does not want to use the name of the Ming Dynasty, but wants to use the name of the King of France, Louis, to mercenale soldiers, are you willing to fight for the Sun King Louis? Of course, I will not lose a penny of the money that should be given to you. ”

"Yes! Absolutely! ”

"As long as the general gives the order, we will go to the soup and fire!"

"General, please command, how many samurai do you need?"

(End of chapter)