Xinshun 1730

Chapter 243 Changes in Taixing 16 Years

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

Count Morpas, as the Minister of the Navy, supported Duplex's idea.

However, the whole of Europe knows that the current French Navy is an "administrative navy".The proportion of civilian candidates is too high, the powers and responsibilities are too large, and the influence of civilian candidates in charge of the army remains high.

In addition, the financial hole left by the Louis XIV era has not yet been filled. The Mississippi bubble exploded and the monetary policy without reserves went bankrupt. to 20 tons.

Thanks to technological development and the centralized management of civil servants, the French Navy has the strongest warship design technology in Europe at this time. The design of the 74-gun battleship and the 28-gun cruiser is better than that of the United Kingdom. The nearly 2000 officer students and regular seaman system under the naval academy system ensure that the army can be expanded at any time...

But, no money.

Moreover, shipbuilding requires a large amount of oak and teak, and France's timber reserves are insufficient.

We all know that gunners need long-term training, and Earl Morpa also hopes to maintain the scale of gunners' weekly training, but the finances do not provide funding; the piracy of gunpowder by officers makes it difficult to determine whether the French navy is strong or not. status.

Speaking of strong, a quarter of the total tonnage of the United Kingdom, too little naval appropriation due to the huge army's expenditure, corruption and naval administration, I am really embarrassed to call it strong.

To put it mildly, the ship design that makes the British exclaim, the huge reserve of naval cadets, the institutionalized sailor service system, the strict centralized civilian bureaucratic shipbuilding supervision, and a good mathematical foundation, as long as you have money, you can Pull out a world's second largest navy in a short period of time.

Since France believes that the root of everything is the lack of money, then this time Count Morpa visited Dashun, the biggest wish of the court is to reach many trade agreements.

Dreaming that if Dashun can share silk, porcelain and other technologies, the handicraft industry's slump due to non-Catholics fleeing France after the Fontainebleau pardon can be alleviated.

Colonial leaders like Duplex, who was on the front line in India and had been to Guangdong, Songjiang, and even endangered, knew that Dashun would not allow these technologies to be spread outside.

Too bad it seems the idiots at Versailles thought it was a hopeful diplomatic affair.

Even though Duplex poured cold water on it, Count Morpa decided to give it a try.

In order to appease Duplex, and to prevent Duplex from advancing aggressively in India, Count Morpa carefully explained the problems facing France.

France is not Britain, and France's foreign policy has led to a state of hostility with Austria, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

The navy of Britain and the Netherlands is enough to suppress France; the army of Austria and Russia is enough to check and balance France.

In the case of constant fiscal revenue, land power and sea power can only choose one of the two.And India, without a strong navy, India can never be French.Moreover, Duplex's idea is too risky. Even if he can win and defeat Britain in India, as long as the navy is not as good as Britain, he will lose sooner or later.

Duplex retorted: If we can reach an alliance with China, divide the sphere of influence, and train Indian soldiers, we can completely guarantee our advantage in India.

Count Morpa just smiled and didn't answer.

…………

Japan, Edo.

Since the first time they saw fireworks more than a hundred years ago, the Japanese have fallen in love with this fleeting and fleeting beauty.

It's just that the fire that burned for three days 80 years ago and the dense bamboo and wooden houses in Edo City made people extremely vigilant about this beautiful thing.

This year, however, the general made an exception and allowed people to set off fireworks.

They pay homage to the starving victims of the famine in the past few years, and also pray for the future, praising that they have finally passed through the long years of disaster.

A large number of fireworks transported from Weihai to Nagasaki and then to Edo became the protagonist of Japan's first Sumida River Fireworks Display.

Gorgeous fireworks rise near the Ryogoku Bridge, lighting up the summer night.

It seems that the good days have really come.

The popularity of sweet potatoes has enabled farmers to grow this abundant crop, especially in some places other than public land, without paying land taxes.

Anyway, I usually eat grass and brown rice on weekdays. Eating sweet potatoes, which can satisfy my hunger, is better than starving.

The cold summer that lasted for several years is over, the famine that starved millions of people is over, sweet potatoes are available, and good times are coming.

The shogun naturally took the credit for himself and erased the traces of Liu Yu's visit to Edo a few years ago.

The new reform of the currency system was also very successful. The previous coins with too high gold and silver content were withdrawn, and some coins were recast, which alleviated the strange prices caused by deflation, and also allowed the shogunate to take advantage of this opportunity of minting coins to accumulate a large amount of coins. gold and silver.

The price of rice gradually recovered, the system of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business became more stable, and the samurai who depended on Lumi for a living also straightened up again.

Culturally, Zhu Yuanzhang's "Liu Yu" and the annotated "Liu Yu Yanyi" have also become folk education books.A large number of Neo-Confucian books were carefully collected by Liu Yu and sent over, and there were also many books including foot-binding appreciation books.

However, a large number of geometry and other books, Liu Yu added some content about Catholicism, or mixed with many names such as Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao, etc., have been banned.

The pamphlets of the colonization of Western countries were also introduced to Edo, adding fuel and vinegar to the blackening.

Liu Yu made up tragic stories such as "We gained God, but lost the land", sending smallpox blankets to the locals, preaching first and then occupying, Protestant robbery became common, the Dutch starved to death on Ambon Island, etc. with or without tragic stories.

At this time, Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Zi was already flourishing in Japan, and some bibliographies of Western translation books, which had already been banned, were also banned and destroyed because of the "special edition" sent by Liu Yu with too much Catholic content. batch.

In addition to these reforms, after the eagle hunting order was restored, the samurai bannermen also carried out a large-scale eagle hunting activity.

From Dashun's "unwillingness" to Japan's Shi Shiyong, he taught a lot of riding and shooting skills, and for a while the Tang Dynasty's bow-taking skills became popular among the Edo samurai class.

Shi Shiyong, who had taught the Japanese how to ride and shoot, was watching a Jingliuli play with an indescribably awkward state of mind.

On the stage, the alias is He Teng Nei... He Zhe, Japan;

Watching a seaside story of "snipe and clam fighting" with Fujiuchi, he felt the true art of war.

"It's the secret of the art of war to let the two heroes fight each other and attack them by taking advantage of the situation. I heard that in the country where my father's old official was born, the Ming and the Tatars were fighting. Isn't this a fight between a snipe and a clam? Good! Let's go to China now." Go, use the mysteries of the art of war that you have just comprehended, and attack them by surprise, wouldn't the lands of the Ming and Tatar countries be at your fingertips?"

On the stage, after a scuffle, He Fujiuchi shouted: "Hey! Even though you have a large number of people, it's nothing special. My country of birth is Japan."

After a tiger-fighting scene later, the reformed "Guo Xing Ye" touched the tiger's back and said, "You slander Japan as a small country, but look at the Japanese's skills! Even the tigers are afraid of us, have you seen that?" "?
This scene made Shi Shiyong "eye-opening", secretly remembering this scene in his heart, thinking about this scene, it is not an exaggeration to say that a wolf is ambitious.

The snipe and the clam are fighting, and the snipe and the clam are fighting, I'm afraid you can't be the fisherman.

He spent a lot of money to buy a script of "Guo Xing Ye He Zhan", and was just waiting to bring back some of the books he had collected.

He trusts Liu Yu's arrangements, and has not collected too much military intelligence these years. He just relies on the title of "Number One Archer" to secretly observe all kinds of Edo samurai and make many "friends".

According to the original agreement, it is time to return to the homeland.

Back at his residence in Edo, Shi Shiyong took out some laxatives from a well-hidden small box and took them.

In just seven or eight days, he lost his appearance. Daiichi Yutori, who was originally strong, is now so thin that he looks like he is about to die.

The spirit was extremely listless, and his legs trembled a little when he stood up.

The shogunate sent people to see a doctor, but they couldn't see anything at all. Shi Shiyong took this opportunity to ask the shogunate his wish to return home.

The shogunate was grateful for his achievements in teaching riding and archery, and sent Confucian official Aoki Kunyang to visit. Naturally, Aoki Kunyang would not know that Liu Yu had stolen his achievements in "Sweet Potato Test", let alone Shi Shiyong's truth. Identity, so I care a lot.

"Mr. Heisei, I will live here for a while. The general has sent people to Nagasaki to hire some medical officers from the Netherlands. You have made meritorious service, and didn't you say that you will follow the story of Chu Caijin to make meritorious deeds here? ?”

Shi Shi thought about it, and you have the nerve to say that Chu was only used by Jin?What kind of Jin are you?Did you really take what I lied to you back then?

Shi Shiyong, who was so thin and weak, replied weakly in a tone as if he was about to die: "Humayi North Wind, Yue Bird's Nest South Branch. When I was young, I hoped to do something big and make many achievements. Dongdu Coming here, I have achieved fame.”

"However, although Japanese rice is delicious, it doesn't taste as good as that of Tang Dynasty. The tombs of our ancestors are all in their homeland, and I don't know how long I can last with my illness."

"I have taught all the skills I can teach, can the kindness of the general be counted as repayment?"

Aoki Kunyang looked at the thin Shi Shiyong, and listened to the sad sentence "Huma Yibeifeng, Yue Bird's Nest Nanzhi". As a great Japanese Confucian, although he has not experienced it personally, he can also empathize with this kind of homesickness. Feeling.

Hearing Shi Shiyong ask him whether it counts as repaying his kindness, Aoki Kunyang nodded and expressed his gratitude to Shi Shiyong.

Shi Shiyong did teach some riding and shooting skills, and he obviously did not hide his secrets.There are many skills that samurai do not know at all, and many places are just a kind of skill, which can be understood at a little bit, but if you don't understand it, it will be difficult to comprehend it.

Skills such as shooting a horse three times and Su Qin carrying a sword on his back have amazed many warriors.

Some smuggled buffalo horns imported in the past few years have also given Japan some horn bows. The wealthy and high-ranking samurai also changed into horn bows, and learned various riding and shooting skills from Shi Shiyong.

Aoki Kunyang was a little moved in his heart.

I thought to myself, what is a righteous man?This is called a righteous man. At this time, I am still thinking about whether to repay the general's kindness.

Shi Shiyong took a few breaths with difficulty, apologized again, asked someone to help him go to the toilet a few times, and returned tremblingly, breathing heavily, as if he was about to die.

"I would also like to ask you to convey this, the general, to allow me to return to the cemetery of my ancestors. Or, if I do not make it to Nagasaki, please allow my wife to return with my ashes."

"These are some books I want to take back. Please have a look, sir, to see if there are any contraband in them."

Aoki Kunyang checked the books collected by Shi Shiyong, and found that there were no prohibited items, but he was a little curious about the "Guo Xing Ye He Zhan".

This play was already very famous at this time, and it can be called a classic play, but it was only watched by some country bumpkins, and it was not popular on the stage.Aoki Kunyang also watched it, thought it was pretty good, and praised: "Mr. Heisei has also seen this play. Although you are from Tang Dynasty, you can still make achievements in Japan. Shouldn't you take good care of your illness?"

Shi Shiyong said with a wry smile: "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. I also want to make a name for myself, but how can there be a fight between the snipe and the clam? If I were born a hundred years earlier, with my own ability, if there is such a chance, I may not It can’t make a big deal. But now, where are the snipe and the clam fighting?”

"I am seriously ill, and my life may not be long. Now I only hope that I can return to the place where my ancestors are buried. Please also convey it to the general, please allow me."

Aoki Kunyang saw that Shi Shiyong had made up his mind to go, and also saw Shi Shiyong's weakness of going to the toilet a few times during the conversation, so he left after comforting for a while.

A few days later, Aoki Kunyang sent some silver coins, conveyed the attention of the shogunate, and told Shi Shiyong that he could rest for a few days and go to Nagasaki after he could move his body.

In addition to these gold and silver, there is also a regret that I don't know the truth.

It is only said that there were many naturalized samurai in Japan a hundred years ago. The British and Swedes all became samurai in Japan.If Shi Shiyong can stay here for a long time, he can also get a fief and become a naturalized samurai like Miura Anzhen.

After Shi Shiyong expressed his gratitude, he rested at home for some days and finally left Edo Castle.

After arriving in Nagasaki, just in time for the fleet to come here for trade, there are many more merchants in Nagasaki than before.

Fengyue Wuqing changed secretly, this time the leader of the team was not Lin Yunwen when he came, and Shi Shiyong did not disclose his identity. Nagasaki Fengxing also received orders from the shogunate and personally arranged a ship. The ship sent Shi Shiyong back to Dashun.

Women are not allowed on board, which is unlucky.Especially on a long voyage.

But since the shogunate came forward, it was hard to stop, but Shi Shiyong was locked in the cabin, and he was not allowed to come out and walk around, let alone women on the deck.

Eat, drink, and scatter, all have to be in the cabin.

Shi Shi didn't say a word, let alone reveal his identity.Knowing that these ships were not going to Weihai, but directly to Songjiang, Shi Shiyong was still very indifferent.

Be it Songjiang or Weihai, they are all Dashun.As long as you touch the shore, you can go anywhere.

(End of this chapter)