Xinshun 1730

Chapter 249

Songqian Fan did not have real Shimi salary, and they all relied on business.Their business acumen had already discovered what might have happened to the north.

It is so bitterly cold in Ezo that there is no brocade.

But a few years ago, silk appeared in Ezo, and it was very high-quality silk. These silks were called Ezo brocade.

The feudal lord of the Matsumae domain, Matsumae Sukihiro, also presented the Ezo brocade to the shogun as a tribute to the shogun.

As for why brocades appear in this place, it is actually very simple.

Or it should not be called emergence, but reappearance.

During the Yongle period, Nuergandusi had a tribute system. Silk flowed into Heilongjiang, then ran from Heilongjiang to Sakhalin Island, and then went all the way south from Sakhalin Island.

Although it is slow, it is like Shu brocade can appear in Daxia in Han Dynasty. As long as there are goods, trade will exist.

After the rise of the Jin Dynasty and the war in the Central Plains, this kind of tribute system was cut off.

Until the war against Russia many years ago, Yongning Temple and Heilongjiang Estuary were recaptured, and the indigenous tribes in the lower reaches of Heilongjiang formed an alliance with Liu Yu, and then accepted the canonization of the imperial court.

Mink furs are donated every year, and the emperor also needs to return some silk brocades.

As long as there are goods, there will naturally be trade. Although the speed of spread is slower, the Ainu people still carried out trade along Sakhalin Island, and gradually some brocades arrived at Fukuyama Castle in the Matsumae Domain.

As for what happened in the Northeast, everyone in the Matsumae clan was slow to respond and closed the country, so they don't know.Not too interested in knowing either.

However, this kind of trade has only advantages and no disadvantages, and I am happy to see it succeed.It can also be known from the workmanship that it must be a product from the Tang Dynasty, but there is no telling.

If Matsumae said it was broken, the trade would probably be banned; Edo might know about it, but everyone likes this kind of brocade, and they don't want to just ban it like this.

But at this time, they heard that people from the Tang Kingdom were building a city in the land of Ezo, but what was on their minds was not trade, but worry.

Japan is closed to the country, and the Matsumae Domain monopolizes the trade and control over Ezo.

Although the previous battles with the local aborigines had caused Matsumae Fan to suffer, and temporarily cut off the idea of ​​completely occupying Ezo, but they still do not want others to extend their hands here because they have the trading privileges approved by the shogunate.

The status of merchants is low, but Ke Songqian has a lot of money but needs merchants to maintain his rule and income.

The Ryohama group composed of Omi merchants has a close relationship with the Matsumae clan, and has made great contributions to the income of the Matsumae clan.

At that time, Japanese rice could not be grown in Hokkaido, but Hokkaido was one of the four largest fishing grounds in the world, with abundant fishery resources.

These entrusted Zhixing lands cannot grow food, but they can fish and do business.Some merchants handed over the money to the owners of the fief, transported rice from the south, and hired local Ainu people to work.

Those who hunt for a living are certainly not as comfortable as those who work for others.In Dashun, the situation is similar. Many local tribes in Vladivostok and other places have chosen to integrate into villages and towns to live a settled life.

The model here in Hokkaido is similar.

Relying on the difference in the price of rice, Hokkaido's rich fishery and fur, the merchants in the Ryohama group are very profitable, and they can fully afford the "tax-included" fee.

But if it is handed over to the retainers for administrative management, it will be a death penalty. The retainers do not have such a level, and the thinking mode under the farming and enfeoffment system cannot be used for business.

Songqian Ziguang asked the businessman who was lying on the ground: "Have you seen the Tang people?"

"My lord, it should be from the Tang Dynasty. Their hair is tied, and when they traded with the Ezo people, they also said they were from Dashun. They sold cloth there in exchange for fur."

The merchant hurriedly answered what he had seen and heard, but he didn't dare to get too close to the earthen city to take a closer look, so he ran back to report.

Matsumae knew that this matter could be serious.

If it's just for business, fine.

Send someone to inform that Japan's national policy is that only North Korea, the Netherlands, China and Ryukyu can trade.

If it is a Chinese ship, it can go to Nagasaki for trade, which is not allowed here.

Of course, they can also be secretly allowed to smuggle.

But I'm afraid it's not good if they don't come for trade.

After carefully asking the businessman for some details, he asked someone to take the businessman down first, and the retainers gathered together to discuss the matter.

The policy of sequestering the country is beneficial to the shogunate, but of course it is not beneficial to the feudal lords and businessmen in various places.

A big businessman with ability and connections can conduct trade in Nagasaki.

To make matters worse, they could only carry out some trade in the Ezo land, relying on the silk rewarded to the frontier tribes under the Dashun tributary system every year, and they could also drink some soup.

A retainer made a suggestion to deceive the superior and the inferior.

"My lord general promulgated the decree of locking the country, and of course the feudal lord must abide by it. However, if those Tang people trade with the Ainu people, we will receive these goods from the Ainu people, and transport the Ainu brocade to Edo for sale. The Matsumae Domain did not violate the lock-up order."

This is obviously a loophole opinion.

Japan is somewhat wary of Westerners, but not so wary of Dashun.

The main reason is that in the past dynasties, except for the Mongolian and Yuan dynasties, the Central Plains Celestial Dynasty seems to have basically no desire to expand towards the direction of the sea.

Moreover, in the bitter cold land in the north, Dashun has plenty of directions to expand, so how could he think about occupying the land of Ezo?
To this suggestion of deception, Matsumae Jihiro was noncommittal. After thinking about it for a while, it was better to keep this matter a secret for the time being.

If they are really just here for trade, they can be allowed to trade quietly without letting the shogunate know.

Edo is so far away from here, it is not impossible to lie a little bit.

Although his Lumi is only [-] shi in name, but he has many marriages in the court and China, and the relationship is still quite strong.For example, Matsumae Jihiro's wife is the newly-appointed Hachijo clan and the imperial concubine's niece. A little manipulation of this matter will also benefit the Matsumae clan.

Still, let's see.

Matsumae Jihiro decided to send a few people to investigate first, to see what these people are here for.

Hokkaido was not very big in the first place, and Fushan City was only two to three hundred miles away from the settlements of the first batch of Dashun immigrants.

Songqian Ziguang sent a retainer with more than 20 people to check.If you can ask them clearly why they came, ask them clearly. If the other party shows hostility, you should withdraw first and make another calculation.

When the retainers brought people there, the Tucheng had already grown to a certain scale.

There are earth walls and wooden fences on the outside, and there are protruding edges and corners all around. Although it is a low-profile version, the construction idea is still the bastion idea.

When the retainers of the Matsumae clan saw it, they felt that something was wrong. It didn't seem like a business.

People in the city also found them. There are employees of trading companies in the city who understand Japanese.It was the lieutenant of the Marine Corps who presided over the negotiations, and the actual negotiations were still the employees of the trading company who knew Japanese.

The two sides agreed to meet outside the city, both armed.Matsumae had matchlock guns, and he didn't think there was anything special about these flintlock guns, they were just muskets.

"Are you Tang people?"

"Yes. Our ship encountered a storm and deviated from its course. We can only settle here first. Cut wood and build ships. Build earth barriers to prevent people from robbing our goods."

As soon as he opened his mouth, it was the standard speech of the colonists. He always borrowed a little land to rest his feet as the opening remark.

Although this opening statement was clichéd, it was very effective and made the retainers of Matsumae Jihiro relax a little.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, judging from this opening sentence, there is no malicious intent.

"This is the land of the Matsumae clan, you are not allowed to stay here. And if you want to trade, the general who conquered the barbarians has an order to lock up the country. The people of Tang trade must go to Nagasaki."

"Building a city here is not allowed. You demolish the city here as soon as possible. If you want to return to your homeland, you can go to Nagasaki and take a boat back."

The employees of the trading company had been trained in speech skills before they came, and asked: "Even if we go to Nagasaki, what about our goods? This is all our net worth. If we leave here like this, we will have to pay for it when we go back." Die poor. In any case, we have to sell all these goods before we can leave."

"Please tell Lord Matsumae to allow us to trade here. We really don't want to go to Nagasaki. If possible, I hope Lord Matsumae can use your ship to send us back."

As soon as this proposal was mentioned, the retainer immediately refuted this naive and ridiculous idea.

The lock-up order is not a joke. Matsumae-fan's side-kicking to engage in the Ezo trade is fine, but it would be a serious crime to build a ship and send these people out of Japan.

And the retainers of the Matsumae clan quickly discovered the problem.

"If you are in trade, why are there so many people? Don't all merchant ships load goods?"

At that time, Japan's ships were not big, and the scale of 700 people was really scary, and they couldn't imagine it.

"I am in trade, and some people are going to reclaim wasteland. Please tell Master Matsumae that we will withdraw as soon as possible. We can build a ship and leave within three years at most. During this period, we are willing to pay a certain amount of taxes, Pay in silver or silk."

"I'm even willing to pay a deposit of 300 taels of silver. In at most three years, our ship will be built and we will leave here. It's too cold here to grow anything. We don't want to be in this kind of place either."

"I heard that the land in Japan is all divided, and we are willing to pay upward money to the owners of Zhixing land here."

It is so sincere, pleading and willing to pay, it seems to be true.

However, the retainers of the Matsumae Domain insisted on letting him go to Fukuyama Castle to meet the lord of the Matsumae Domain. The employees of the trading company thought, "I'm only going for a fool. I don't want to go. I don't know if I can come back after I go."

"I don't trust you guys. If it's not my race, the heart will be different. If you must let me go to Fukuyama Castle, I'd rather die here. Please convey it to the Matsumae domain lord, okay?"

While speaking, he quietly stuffed some silver, and the bribery action was smooth and smooth, obviously skillful, and he looked like a real businessman.

The retainer accepted the money without compromising, and after asking some more questions, he said, "Trade is absolutely not allowed."

The businessman hurriedly said: "If we are really not allowed to trade with the locals, then please ask Lord Matsumae to eat these goods. They are all in short supply. But please allow us to fish here to pass the time of shipbuilding. We will not be associated with the Ainu during this time either."

"Or, please allow us to lease a small piece of land to live in. The lease is for three years, and we will leave after three years at most."

The retainers couldn't make their own decisions, so they said they had to go back to Fushan City to ask the Patriarch first, and let these people wait for news.

Back in Fukuyama City, I told Matsumae Jihiro about the situation, and Matsumae Jihiro was also a little puzzled and couldn't figure out what was going on.

It sounds like the overall situation is probably that some settlers and some businessmen were shipwrecked together and had to stay in this kind of place.

Matsumae Jihiro didn't know anything about the colonists' rhetoric, and such deceptive words still sound credible.

This is not Nagasaki, and the income of the retainers is limited, so after receiving the money, they will naturally say a few good words.

"My lord, they are from the Tang Dynasty, not Catholics. It's not a big problem for these people to stay here for the time being."

"People who are not of our race must have a different heart. It is understandable that they don't want to come here and are wary of us."

"Also, as long as they promise not to trade with the Ainu people, they will leave after three years. What harm will this do to us?"

"We can ask the merchants of the Ryohama group to buy their goods and sell them in the south. It is said that a Tang ship ran aground in Ezo, and they repaired the ship and left."

"Moreover, they are willing to pay for the lease of the land and live there temporarily. We can assign a small area to them and not allow them to cross the border. This should be no problem."

"The people who go to sea are very fierce. They carry muskets, and the ships of the Tang people also have cannons, and their cannons have also been unloaded. They are not Ainu people. If you have to drive them away, you may die. People. It's not worth fighting for these people."

Matsumae Jihiro didn't care much about the money, it would be great if he could get it.But this matter mainly still has to consider the attitude of the shogunate.

In the past few years, under Tokugawa Yoshimune's reforms, the shogunate has gradually stabilized and has a state of revival. I am afraid that the shogunate will take this opportunity to directly intervene in the affairs of Ezo.

Matsumae Fan didn't want the shogunate to reach out.

It is suitable for countries under centralized power system.

As far as the enfeoffment system is concerned, there is no concept of self-respect by raising bandits, only the situation where the shogunate stretches out its hand to seize power after raising bandits.

It's hard to say what those people are doing here.But since it is said that the loan is for three years, this is a reasonable way.

Anyway, it was the bitterly cold Ezo land, and it was not a territory under the jurisdiction of the Matsumae clan, but it only had jurisdiction in name.

There is another benefit to being on good terms with these people.

That is the Ezo Nishiki trade.

Before, they could only trade with the Ainu people. Now that there are merchants from the Tang Kingdom this time, they can secretly tell the merchants from the Tang Kingdom that they can quietly sell brocades here in the future.Then buy these brocades from the Ainu people, or let some merchants quietly participate in smuggling and sell them in the south.

The lock-up order is strictly enforced elsewhere, but the Matsumae Domain has a trade license for Ezo, so it is much more relaxed here, and a gap can be made quietly.

Historically, as early as 80 years before the Black Ship incident, Russia had quietly contacted Matsumae, hoping to obtain a trade license.However, on the one hand, the Russians promoted the Orthodox Church in Ezo and levied a fur tax, which seriously violated the interests of the Matsumae Domain; second, Russia traded bulk goods, fur, which conflicted with the Matsumae Domain's trade in Ezo.

Therefore, Matsumae was extremely opposed to trade with Russia.

But the merchants of Dashun are quite different.

What these merchants brought were brocades, silks and other in-demand goods; what they exchanged were furs, tassels, etc., which was beneficial to the Matsumae clan.

Of course, in the case of smuggling, hundreds of people must not be allowed to build a city and occupy it.Now the other party said that please allow a temporary loan for three years, first sell all the goods to the Matsumae clan, and never trade with the Ainu people in the future, this is within the allowable range.

It is also a long-term plan to show a good relationship and wait for the businessman to go back in the future to talk about smuggling in the future.

"Then let's do this. Let these people pay 1000 taels of silver or silk equivalent as a loan. The rest of the goods will be bought by our merchants. Set a range of ten miles for them, and they cannot leave this range. If you violate it, you can only send troops to drive them away. The merchants will report the situation at any time."

Thinking that these people might be short of food, Matsumae Jihiro also kindly asked: "Tell them, you can provide them with some dried fish, and allow the merchants to sell fish to them."

(End of this chapter)