Xinshun 1730

Chapter 176 Thirteen

It was the first time for Tokugawa Yoshimune to hear such "sincere and unpretentious" words.

The fleet brought in grain and rice just because they heard that there was a big hunger, so they wanted to give charcoal in a timely manner. The purpose was to get more trade letters?

Is it so sincere?

Tokugawa Yoshimune was really speechless.

Looking at the reply on the paper, I feel that these words are very credible.

This person believes that the three caves of the cunning rabbit must change with the times. In this era, where there is money, there are caves.

It's a big deal to run to Europa, as long as you have money.

The politics of the shogunate is not exactly the same as that of Dashun, but the monarch has almost unlimited power.It is true that a companion is like a tiger.

Tokugawa Yoshimune himself knew it well, but under the enfeoffment system, he was still a little short of the power of Emperor Dashun.

This Liu Yu wants to make money, just to plan for the future?
If there is no room for Dashun, he will run away, so he is desperate to make money?

This is a very smart person, because of the booklet and about warriors and war horses, Tokugawa Yoshimune was very interested in Liu Yu, and specifically asked Nagasaki Makoto.

Nagasaki Makoto also talked about what he saw for the first time, saying that this man knows the truth of the long flow of water, and will not sell too many things, lest something big happen, and it will be difficult for him to facilitate trade.

This smart man is so forthright and forthright, although thanking him is a bit contemptuous, thinking that he is an unfaithful, unrighteous and selfish person, but he has to admire that this man is good at making money.

Listening to Liu Yu saying that there is a way to alleviate the famine, as long as you can give a few more trade letter cards...

If someone else said it, Tokugawa Yoshimune would definitely not believe it, thinking it was a lie.

However, with the previous pamphlet on the reform of the currency system as a foreshadowing, although Tokugawa Yoshimune believed that Liu Yu's character was extremely poor, he believed that Liu Yu had talent.

If you dare to say this, you will be able to do it.

The famine brought about by climate change this time has really made Tokugawa Yoshimune very distressed.

In the past ten years, the "rice system" was implemented without shame, at the cost of weakening the foundation of the shogunate rule, and reducing the time for attending the imperial court as compensation, so that the various daimyos would give more rice, and finally survived the financial crisis.

But just survived, last year just abolished the rice system, and this year came a famine with a sudden climate change.

Around the Seto Inland Sea, the temperature dropped suddenly, and it was cold all summer.

According to the records of the later history book "Tokugawa Shiji", 969990 people starved to death, and I don't know how such accurate statistics were calculated.

The weather this winter is still not quite right. It looks like next year will be a famine year. Famine has already appeared in many places around the Seto Inland Sea.

The price of rice has risen, but... But this is not the way Tokugawa Yoshimune wants to increase the price at all.With such a price increase, the price has actually increased, but there will definitely be a lot of things like ichiku.

The few shipments of grain and rice that Liu Yu brought along with the boat were not even better than nothing, and had no fundamental effect on the famine.No matter how financial the shogunate is in crisis, it will not be short of these few boats.

Perhaps, this person really has a solution?
He knew that Liu Yu could not speak Japanese, so he talked to Aoki Kunyang, a Confucian official who served as his translator, and did not choose to communicate with paper and pen.

It's not that Liu Yu doesn't understand Japanese at all, he can understand a few words.

The thing he came up with in exchange for the trade letter card was, of course, sweet potatoes.

If you don't do this stuff yourself, the Japanese will do it themselves.

Aoki Kunyang, the earliest Confucian official who engaged in orchidism, wrote a book called "Sweet Potatoes", which quickly promoted sweet potatoes in Japan.The sweet potato may have been called Satsuma taro before, and Liu Yu has seen it in Nagasaki, and it may be called Tangren taro.

All in all, the promotion of sweet potatoes was also forced by the Great Famine.If the people starve to death, who will farm and pay taxes?
He doesn't feel guilty about "being an enemy". Anyway, sooner or later, it's a year or two away. Wouldn't it be nice to change a few trade letter cards by himself?
At this time, Aoki Kunyang, who was in charge of the translation, never thought that the credit he would be remembered by Japan in the future would be snatched away by this person in front of him.

He translated Tokugawa Yoshimune's words.

"If you can really save the people's famine, then trade tokens can give you more. Since you want to cunning rabbits and three caves, these trade tokens will not be canceled until you can still trade. If it is really effective."

Hearing such a promise, Liu Yu was overjoyed, thinking that since he had said so, why would he give himself one or two if he was too embarrassed?
If you can give ten cards, then you will get about half of the Huashangxin cards.

You can contact the Jiangsu and Zhejiang gangs, Fuzhou gangs, and Zhangzhou gangs. Those who follow me prosper and those who oppose me perish, and form a group that specializes in dealing with Japan, crowding out those who do not cooperate, and turning involution into cooperation.

Only by turning involution into cooperation will we have the opportunity to twist together and fight against the Dutch in the future.

In case I want to engage the Dutch on my side, various maritime gangs will hold me back.

But he also knew that he couldn't ask at this time, otherwise it would be like doing business, and the other side would look ugly, and maybe he would screw up a good thing.

So I handed over the "Sweet Potato Test" written by myself in my arms. It was all in Chinese, and the Japanese should understand it.

He also didn't know that the Confucian official who was doing the translation in front of him was Aoki Kunyang, and the moment Li Gui and Li Kui touched hands, the book was sent over.

It recorded in detail the yield per mu, planting methods, etc., and wrote many benefits.

"If this thing can be popularized, don't say that the public has four people and six people, that is, the public has six people and four people, and the public has seven people and three. Why not? However, if the public has seven people and three people, the name will grow stronger and the food will be more abundant. It is considered by the general. , or should expand trade. Let them exchange excess rice for money, wear more silk, and use more expensive goods. This is a later story.”

"As it is now, if it can be promoted, many people will be starved to death. People are not animals, and animals starve to death. If people starve to death, how can they be like An'an? The affairs of the celestial dynasty must be investigated."

He talked about many benefits, but he thought in his heart that when his mother's sweet potatoes were promoted, the famine would have passed long ago, and those who should have starved to death would have starved to death long ago.

But with sweet potatoes, the lower class will not starve to death, and the big names will be able to collect a lot more taxes.Or it can be used to accumulate strength to rebel in the future, or more money and more rice will lead to extravagance, no matter which one is beneficial.

The only thing is to think about it, except for gold, silver and copper, Japan seems to have nothing to trade.Maybe in the future, with the development of shipping, it will be possible to buy rice from Japan?
It is not impossible to think about it. Rice from Bangladesh can be sold to the UK. As long as the navigation technology is improved, it should be profitable.

If Japan can be forced to open a country in a few years, the first thing to be strangled is Japan's Imari porcelain, and then the silk weaving industry. This will make Japan a place to export rice, gold, silver, copper, and sulfur. Anyway, the rest of the resources There is no shortage, and there is no fear that industry can be developed under such severe exploitation.

The commodity impact of initial industrialization will inevitably bring about the disintegration of the small peasant economy and the bankruptcy of farmers.

If Japan is not miserable, Dashun will be miserable. The whole of East Asia can only accommodate a preliminary industrialized country within a hundred years.

Before coming, he had already thought of all kinds of excuses, and now he was even more eloquent, talking a lot of fallacies and heresies.

It's just these fallacies that make Tokugawa Yoshimune very interested.

Whether the famine can be saved, now it seems that it is possible.There is also a little truth to this tired daimyo's statement.

I took a look at this "Sweet Potato Test", which used detailed records and data to prove that this thing can indeed be promoted in Japan.

The most important thing is that it does not occupy a good field and can be planted on some hillsides.The leaves are also edible.

Liu Yu said again: "Japan has been a herbivorous people since ancient times. When I came to Nagasaki, I had never seen even beef, goats and sheep. This sweet potato can not only eat the roots, but also the leaves. It is said that farmers are like sesame seeds, Yue It makes sense to extract more oil. If you grow sweet potatoes, you can squeeze out the last drop of oil from 'sesame'."

As a Confucian official, Aoki Kunyang really didn't want to continue translating, thinking to himself, how did this person say it?

Thinking about Liu Yu's actions again, he has no loyalty in his heart, no king or father, only himself, and only loves money... He can only sigh slightly, thinking that this person's conscience is greatly damaged.

However, the following words made Aoki Kunyang completely speechless.

"The so-called etiquette is the difference between superiority and inferiority. The superior can use it but the inferior can't, and the inferior will know the difference between superior and inferior. In the future, when sweet potatoes become popular, it will be stipulated that warriors can eat rice, and farmers can only eat sweet potatoes. If If you eat rice, you will be caught as an economic prisoner. Since you can eat sweet potatoes, why eat rice?"

"Anyway, farmers in your country can't afford polished rice now, they can only eat some rice bran and wheat rice, and sweet potatoes are popular. This will not cause cheap rice to hurt farmers."

Tokugawa Yoshimune was very interested in hearing it, but it was not easy to show it, so he said: "It is a good thing if it can relieve the famine. Your "On Minting" is also very reasonable. According to what you said, Yuanlu was recast, More tin and lead were added to gold and silver coins, causing prices to skyrocket; Zhengde recasts, too much gold and silver, less money in the market, and lower rice prices. If it can be recast, the price of rice may be controlled.”

"It's just that when you come to trade, you only care about gold, silver and copper, and don't care about things. Arai Shiraishi said that gold, silver and copper are like bones and cannot be regenerated. Do you have no other goods except gold, silver and copper? Can it be profitable?"

Speaking of this, Liu Yu was also depressed.

Xindao, yes, that’s right, you have nothing but gold, silver and copper.There is sulfur, but the trade volume is not large.

The Celestial Dynasty does not dare to say that it has everything, but as far as it is concerned, the Celestial Dynasty really doesn't like what other handicrafts can produce.

Let alone Japan, what about France and Britain?Isn't it an annual trade deficit?Out of stock?
"In addition to gold, silver and copper, rice can also be used. The so-called low grain hurts farmers, and peasants are the foundation of the country. If rice is not eaten, it will be corrupted in three years. If the price of rice is too low in the future, you can buy rice. Other than that Besides, I really don’t know what else to sell.”

This was originally Liu Yu's idea. Japan's resources are too scarce, and Japan's gold, silver and copper can be taken away for a start.For the rest, if trade can be opened up, the market is not small, and it should be enough to be the first pot of gold.

Tokugawa Yoshimune also knew that it was meaningless to discuss the matter of selling rice now, and the price of rice would remain high for at least one or two years, so he said: "If the disaster year continues, you can also sell grain and rice to Nagasaki, You can buy it with gold coins. You have offered both the coinage method and "Sweet Potato Test", and I must not break my promise. Nagasaki Xinpai, Tang Dynasty merchants have a total of 25 pieces, and you can get [-] pieces, as your "Three Caves" Yes. As long as you still come to Nagasaki Trading, the letter card will never change.”

"In addition, if grain and rice can be transported, it will not be included in the Xinpai trade, but there is no copper to return. For every hundred stone meters, you can bring some goods such as raw silk and sugar, and you can buy them with gold and silver."

(End of this chapter)