Xinshun 1730

Chapter 402 Is this still worth it?

When the squadron was ordered to mobilize and prepare, the navy was thrown into warm water like a frozen snake.Come alive quickly.

People like this who were at a loss a few days ago and suddenly become active today are not only the navy, but also people from trading companies who are waiting for news in Weihai and preparing to coordinate grain shipments.

If there is any stratum in Dashun that pays the most attention to the news of the war against Japan at this time, it must be the maritime merchant group that dominates the Eastern trade.

If it is the entire Dashun at this time, who cares most about Liu Yu's status in the court, maybe these maritime merchant groups are only ranked behind Liu Yu's parents and family, and are comparable to the navy.

The heart that has been hanging over the past few days finally fell to the ground, and the maritime merchants immediately made a decision to send three ships to Busan with the squadron.

The ship was full of food, medicinal materials purchased by some merchants, as well as cigarettes and alcohol. These were not in the state treasury, but were offered by trading companies to "donate" the navy.

At the same time, there were two boats carrying small groceries that soldiers usually buy, and a member of the board of directors of a trading company also followed.

Hearing that the commander of the squadron is Liu Yu's confidant, Mi Gao Mi Ziming, people from the trading company know that this time it is finally stable.

For the trading company, the food, medicinal materials, tobacco and alcohol of those three ships were worth nothing to the trading company. They were mainly to give face to the new Governor of the Navy and the Seventh Prince Li Yan, and to show his support.

Li Yan was also very happy, but he repeatedly told them that they could donate to the navy, but they should not give gifts to themselves.Needless to say, I am young and have no prestige, and it is not the time to accept gifts for personal gain. At this time, gift-giving is considered eye salve.

The efficiency of the navy was completely beyond Li Yan's expectations.The efficiency of the maritime merchants is not bad at all. These ships loaded with food and medicinal materials have already stayed in Jiaoliao. They were originally planning to donate money once the war broke out, but they could not enter the port and had to wait outside.

The internal organs of the navy are complete, and they have already made full preparations for the expedition. After the order was issued, the guns, gunpowder and fortress coastal defense guns were distributed and loaded on the ship in just two days.

What we have to wait now is the people from the Li government sent by the court.

When dealing with North Korea, you still have to give the face you deserve. After all, you are still a vassal, not an enemy.

Once the people from the Li government arrive, the squadron will leave the port, and the ships of the sea merchants will meet with them outside Liugong Island and head to Busan together.

At this time, an old sea merchant in his 60s was talking happily in front of several squadron officers, unable to conceal his excitement.

"Mother Xipi, North Korea has long been disliked. We can't sell medicinal materials to the Japanese country, but they can sell ginseng; before Ying Suobo got the trade letter, our goods have to pay Hong Kong tax in China, and they have to pay Hong Kong tax in China. Qi also had to give gifts to Nagasaki to get the card. Koreans paid tribute, sold and bought goods duty-free in the capital, and transported them back to North Korea by land to Pusan ​​Wa country, and the price was almost the same as ours.”

"It's time to mess with them, as well as the Wa country, but it's a pity that Arai Shiraishi of the Wa country died early, and it's cheaper for this guy..."

The person who spoke was the director of a trading company who was going to follow the fleet to Busan, where he would preside over the handover of the supply logistics in the future.

In his 60s, he still speaks with a fiery temper.Listening to the accent and colloquial language, I also know that this is a member of the Ningbo Gang, one of the three major Tang merchant gangs in Nagasaki.

His surname is Xu and his first name is Tao. He is also a veteran of Ningbo maritime merchants.

In his life, the Japanese he hated the most was Arai Shiraishi.

Before Arai Shiraishi carried out reforms, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Gang, the Fuzhou Gang and the Zhangzhou Gang had a good relationship. Together with the Dutch, they lowered prices and smuggled copper, forcing Japanese merchants to sell copper cheaper than in Japan.

Because on the one hand, Japanese businessmen can use Chinese goods to recoup these losses, and on the other hand, the backlog of goods in hand is unbearable for capital turnover and interest.

Even if the shogunate promulgates the "Saving Law" to prohibit the import of Dashun's porcelain, these people can still take advantage of the loopholes of the previous lockdown and sell the goods in different ways.

As a result, Arai Shiraishi implemented the credit card system, which suddenly disintegrated the smuggling alliance between the Chinese maritime merchants and the Dutch, and incidentally divided the Chinese maritime merchants into three.

Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, and Ningbo Sanbang fought among themselves in Tangjincho, Nagasaki all day long, restricting export quotas, so that the pricing power was completely taken away by the Japanese.

Xu Tao's son died more than 20 years ago, and he died because of Arai Shiraishi.

After the trade credit system was established, Chinese sea merchants tried to smuggle small boats to Xiaocang, but they were shelled and two smuggling boats were sunk.

In addition to the Japanese, these maritime merchants will inevitably secretly scold the court in their hearts.

North Korea's tribute rewards are nothing more than normal etiquette.

But in addition to the tribute rewards, North Korean merchants are allowed to trade tax-free domestically. My own people have to collect taxes and go to Nagasaki to pay bribes. It is impossible to say that there is no resentment against the court.

Now he knows that war against Japan is going to happen, and as a member of the board of directors of a trading company, he knows that the future "monopoly power" will include North Korean trade.

Hearing that he was going to Busan, he was naturally elated. The 60-year-old volunteered to go to Busan to contact him so that he could coordinate and communicate with the transportation of food and supplies in the future.

If there is a chance, I also want to take the boat to see the sea outside Xiaocang City, and see the place where my son died.

Maritime merchants are not good men and women. Originally, after Arai Shiraishi's reform in history, maritime merchants also tried to do something similar to what the British and Dutch did in China in the late Ming Dynasty.

It's just that the boat was too bad and the guns were too bad. When they tried to force their way through the Maguan Strait, they were hit by a fort, and they dispersed in a rush, with thirty or fifty casualties.

Chen Tao was still cursing Arai Shiraishi, who had been dead for several years, but in terms of his methods, these people were still convinced.

As a great Confucianist, Arai Shiraishi is the head of the ten philosophers of Zhu Zixue Mumen, and he has a level.

On his own, he perfected the country-locking policy and took back Japan's trade initiative.

Relying on the state's intervention in the credit card system, the Chinese maritime merchants were disintegrated and the outflow of precious metals was controlled.

Historically, the Netherlands hated convenience and hated it deeply, and even came up with the idea of ​​"gunboat switch", but it was not implemented because of the distance from the mainland of the Netherlands, the anti-Dutch uprising by Surabadi, and the shadow of Zheng Chenggong's World War I.

Moreover, the government has not stopped, so it can be said that there is a little awareness of worrying about the outflow of silver when Humen sells cigarettes.

People who can make the Chinese maritime merchants and the Dutch East India Company hate their teeth itchy really have some skills.

But it is not very useful, because the Netherlands is too far away to make up the switch pawns, but the Dashun after the military reform can do it.

Just as the Netherlands can gather 150 warships, 5000 cannons, and 10 sailors in England, blocking the British and French allied forces at the port, but it can’t make up the 15 warships in East Asia that the East India Company plans to force Japan to switch; Dashun can’t do anything Send even a real warship that is not a merchant ship to Amsterdam, because there are no supply ports and bases along the way, but at least 500 warships and [-] naval guns can be assembled in Japan at the doorstep.

In the eyes of a sea merchant like Chen Tao, the slender figure of the warship, the closed gun ports, and the towering mast all reveal an indescribable beauty.

If Dashun had such a navy when Japan's new Zhengde order was implemented, the Maritime Group would be willing to pay a few hundred thousand taels of silver for the army.

He is an old sea merchant, who has experienced the carnival of trade with Japan, the helplessness after the new Zhengde order, the grief of the tragic death of his son, and the novelty of the trading company after Liu Yu monopolized the trade credit card.

Until today, he finally waited for something that he never dreamed of before: the imperial court would start a war against Japan because of trade.

Although it was nominally because the Japanese invaded and occupied Ryukyu, the sea merchants knew in their hearts that this was nonsense.

He is old, but he has shares, other sons who are still alive, and non-direct grandchildren who are studying at the Xinxing Real School in Songjiang and are planning to enter Jinghai Palace in the future.

He even has the right to decide the trade volume of millions of taels or even tens of millions of taels in the future, and he is participating in such a major event as a country's conquest as a pure businessman.

This feeling is really... very mysterious.

It is not accurate to say that the dream has come true, because before this, no maritime merchant has dared to have such a dream, and if he dared not, how can he say that the dream has come true?
Mantou looked at the 60-year-old Chen Tao who was still dancing, and decided to clarify the distribution of benefits first. After following Liu Yu for so long, he knew what businessmen cared about.

"There is another thing to do when I go to North Korea this time. The gold and silver in the Japanese palaces in North Korea are naturally not yours. But the furniture, buildings, houses, etc. inside may be useful to you in the future."

"In the future, it will serve as a switch port to North Korea, and also a place to inspect the trade between North Korea and Japan. You can go to investigate and see if it is suitable. If it is suitable, give North Korea some money every year and rent it out."

"If you ask for it, it's not good after all. North Korea will be cut off from the trade of ginseng raw silk to Japan by you, and you will definitely feel unhappy. You still have to bleed appropriately, so that this vassal can live with it."

Chen Tao said with a smile: "Don't worry, my lord. Since we have been given the monopoly of trade, even a single ginseng will not go to Japan from the North Koreans. Although I am old, the company is still there. Go over there and look at Japanese ginseng." Given the size of the museum, we will naturally offer a good price.”

"As a businessman, the money that should be paid will not be saved."

"For the rest of the military order, adults don't need to say it. Eagle Sabo has warned us. We know when we can sell alcohol and cigarettes to sailors. This time, you can rest assured that there are no private goods from the crew on the company's ship, and we will also sell them. Knowing that the matter is serious, the investigation is extremely strict."

Seeing that the sea merchants knew it well, Mantou didn't say much.
Xindao North Korea is afraid that there is a hundred reluctance in his heart, but there is no way.He also knows what a group of maritime merchants are. If they are given the monopoly power, even a single ship from North Korea will not be able to pass through Tsushima.

I don't know how many troubles will happen in the future. Will the North Korean envoys go to the capital to cry?Or...the Ming Xiaoling Weeping Tomb that went to Jinling?
Most of this matter can be done, and North Korea is pointing at the money of ginseng and being a second-hand dealer.

Don't make too much noise at that time, and the court will change its mind again, that's not good.

Thinking about the way of thinking of the people in the court, I didn't dare to think about it any more, so I had to wait quietly for the people from the Li government to come.

The squadron waited for another three days, and the people sent by the capital finally arrived in Weihai.

Mantou didn't recognize this person, but the rest of the navy did. It was Zhao Baiquan who went to Ryukyu with Liu Yu as the deputy envoy.

Different from the state of mind when he went to Ryukyu last time, this time Zhao Baiquan went to North Korea, he really left full of resentment.

Liu Yu, the navy, and maritime merchants care about trade, ports, switches, compensation, and naval bases.They look at the problem from the perspective of China.

Zhao Baiquan is an orthodox man of the Celestial Dynasty and belongs to the Li government, so he naturally looks at the problem from the perspective of the Celestial Dynasty.

Before the capital left, Liu Yu and Zhao Baiquan talked about some things, and Zhao Baiquan was furious with just a few words.

The problem is still the "Maharaja" title of the Japanese shogun.

When Arai Shiraishi was in power, the official documents to North Korea changed the Japanese Maharaja to the Japanese King.

This sentence ignited the anger in Zhao Baiquan's heart.

The king of Japan... is the shogun.

Maharaja, according to "Yi" and "Poetry", and the notes of Kong Yingda, one of the 31 scholars of the Qin Dynasty in the early Tang Dynasty and the [-]st grandson of Confucius, "Majesty is the Son of Heaven".

Even if North Korea didn't understand "Yi" and "Poetry"; even if North Korea didn't know Kong Yingda's notes; then when Arai Shiraishi changed "Maharaja" to "King", didn't North Korea understand?
The shogun is the king of Japan, and Japan does not pay tribute to the Celestial Dynasty, so the "Maharaja" is changed to "King of Japan". Who is this "Maharaja" for?
It goes without saying that it is reserved for the one in Kyoto.

Regarding the diplomacy between North Korea and Japan, Zhao Baiquan felt that Liu Yu's words of "the enmity of the nine generations are not shared, even if Japan gives gold and silver mountains, North Korea cannot trade with the enmity of the nine generations" are considered crimes.

Even claiming to be the Maharaja of Japan before is actually not impossible. If you are not familiar with classics, North Korea also has the title of Maharaja, so it is not impossible to be flexible.

However, it was previously called the Maharaja and Arai Shiraishi was later changed to the King of Japan, and North Korea also agreed and accepted it. This is completely unbearable.

Does North Korea know that the Japanese shogunate is just a shogun?Do you know that there is another thing on the shogun?

I must know.

Now that we know that, as people in the Confucian cultural circle, North Korea is the county king, and he followed the Ming system, or followed the example of the North Korean prince.

Japan and North Korea have equal diplomacy, so the king of Japan can be regarded as a prince.

But the king of Japan is actually the shogun, and the shogun was named by the one in Kyoto.

Who is eligible to be a prince?

A king cannot be a king.

The last time North Korea allowed the shogun to be called the "King of Japan", is this an admission that there are two emperors?

This is different from Western countries, because...Western countries do not use Chinese characters, whether it is King or Inberado, it is the official translation of Dashun.Similarly, if the emperor is called "Li Yu", then the word fish needs to be tabooed, but fish does not need to be tabooed.

If North Korea is not a vassal state of Dashun, and Japan can call it whatever they want, Dashun has no reason to control it.

However, the correspondence between North Korea and Japan uses Chinese characters, and North Korea, as a vassal of Dashun, must follow certain connotations.

This is etiquette.

Etiquette is the cornerstone of the world.

Cao Pi was so powerful that he had to be in Zen before he could make Sun Shiwan King of Wu.

Everyone knows that Emperor Yi is a puppet, but Xiang Yu can only be crowned princes and kings in the name of Emperor Yi.

The Ryukyu Kingdom can set up hundreds of officials, but they cannot enshrine Shang's clan as five nobles.

North Korea can confer titles on this and that king, but even if it expands its courage a hundred times, it does not dare to confer titles under its own hands, and can only use other names instead; when compiling history, it only dares to use "family" Don't dare to use "Benji".

Dashun can recognize Rakshasa as the emperor, but North Korea cannot directly deal with Rakshasa. The two sides are parallel lines that cannot touch each other in legal terms—similar to the first article of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which is neither compensation nor compensation. ceding land, but the independence of Korea.

Japan can close the door by itself and say that it is the emperor, whatever it wants.But as long as it deals with North Korea, North Korea can't accept the letter of credence when it sees the Chinese character "Huang", and can only refuse it directly.

The responsibility here is, of course, North Korea's problem.

If the Japanese shogunate is the king of Japan, what about the subtext?Isn't the one who is qualified to seal the Great General of Yi not the Son of Heaven?Even if everyone knows they are puppets, that won't work.

Is this okay?

Although the meaning of the court seems to be that North Korea is a vassal after all, and some things can be covered up if they can be covered up.

Ryukyu played the Celestial Dynasty like a fool, Annan himself called himself the emperor, and North Korea, which claims to be a filial son, pretended to be a fool on the issue of the emperor being the emperor... There is really no filial son, all of them are rebellious sons.

It's just that it is not easy to reprimand North Korea at this juncture since it is going to war against Japan.

Calculate the general ledger after autumn.

We must focus on the overall situation, but these few words of Liu Yu completely stirred up the fire in Zhao Baiquan's heart.

This time when I went to North Korea, what I wanted to talk about was not about etiquette, but about the fact that North Korea, as a vassal, sent people to support the actions of the Celestial Dynasty.

Zhao Baiquan, who is full of anger, will naturally be tough.

Liu Yu made a big fuss with Arai Shiraishi's "The Maharaja Changes to the King". It is true that sometimes the dead are more useful than the living.

(End of this chapter)