Xinshun 1730

Chapter 450 Lower your posture and paralyze your opponent
"Shun, a big country. The country is established with Zhong Ni's benevolence and Meng Ke's righteousness. You talk about benevolence and righteousness, but don't you know that the people are the basis of taxation? All you need to pay for indemnities are taken from the people's mouths. This may violate the virtue of benevolence and justice." .”

Seeing what Liu Yu said was so tough, Matsudaira Huizhen played the card of benevolence, justice and morality.

Liu Yu could still understand these words, and before the interpreter could translate them, he laughed.

"I am a pragmatic person, and these numbers are not just based on my head. You are the senior middleman of the shogunate, and you should know that the matter of attending the court and giving an account is nothing more than exhausting the conspiracy of the various vassals."

"Before enjoying the famine, due to the financial difficulties of the shogunate, the system of attending the imperial court was temporarily cancelled, and instead, each feudal clan contributed a certain amount of stone rice."

"This indemnity can also allow the feudal vassals to suspend the system of attending the imperial court. In this way, it will not burden the people, but it can also pay compensation. Moreover, as far as the shogunate is concerned, the indemnities of the various feudal clans and the accountancy of the various feudal clans are exhausting finances. What's the difference?"

"I also said that the specific details can be discussed again. But the conditions I gave cannot be discussed."

"You talk about benevolence and righteousness, then I am really benevolent and righteous."

The so-called true benevolence and righteousness naturally does not mean that Dashun wants to be benevolent and righteous to Japan, but that Dashun wants to hold high the banner of benevolence and righteousness to abolish Japan's samurai feudal system and reduce taxes.

Before the war, Tosa was pressed for time, and it was too late.

But for Hagi Castle, there is more time, and Hagi Castle can be used as a model to show the feudal clans and the shogunate.Although they are all empty words and have not been implemented, the specific reform rules have been posted. Those ninjas hiding in the castle town of Hagi Castle will definitely send these reform rules to the shogunate.

Dashun's ability to engage in trade and capitalism is not good enough, but it is still very skilled in methods such as reforming land and returning locals. There are many capable people, and shrewd officials can introduce a few policies, which is really easy.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to do this in the whole of Japan.At the very least, the rebellion of hundreds of thousands of samurai families really fell into the mud.

But it is enough to scare people.

Liu Yu didn't add water to the conditions of the negotiation, and directly turned up his cards. This is not a qualified negotiator.But under the coercion of force, there is really no need to talk so much nonsense.

The potential allies that Japan can think of in the surrounding areas do not exist.

The Netherlands is terrified, Britain and the West are at war, and Portugal wants to keep Macau. The only possible exchange is Vietnam, which was given to Japan as an elephant 20 years ago.But does Vietnam have the courage not to say anything, even if it dares to do it, why do it?

Liu Yu really didn't want to bully the shogunate too hard. After all, it was the trading company that wanted to make money, not the compensation.

A tariff of more than 5.00% was generously given in order to let the shogunate recover blood and at the same time trick the shogunate into acting as a comprador.Only when the shogunate sees the benefits can it firmly support the switch trade policy.Anyway, the money will eventually flow back to Dashun through various goods.

Japan is indeed poor now, if 100 years earlier, when the output value of gold and silver was the highest, Liu Yu might have asked for 3000 million taels.

But from the Wanli period to the present, Japan's gold and silver have been outflowing wildly, forcing Arai Shiraishi to introduce a new trade policy. At this time, there is really not much money to be made.

The conversation with Songping Huizhen showed that Liu Yu was a very honest person, but Songping Huizhen knew that this was not a good thing.

After a while of silence, Matsudaira Huizhen said: "Since your lord said that I am the representative of the samurai family, you know that the matter of paying tribute needs to be discussed by the public and military. Even though I can represent the shogunate to discuss with your country, I cannot represent the public. Ten days, really Too little, please allow some time."

"Besides, although Japan is small, there are many righteous men. Cutting off Eizo and other places is only afraid of popular opinion. If you continue to fight, even if your country is good at fighting, wouldn't it cost money, food, and the lives of soldiers?"

Liu Yu shook his head and said: "It's okay, I will record all the money, food, and military expenses spent in my notebook. After the fight, I will ask you what you want. As long as you want to fight, the Heavenly Dynasty will accompany you to fight for as long as you want. Otherwise, I will also make a gentleman's appointment." Let’s fight together in Hagi City.”

"I will not send warships around the back, I will not send troops to sneak attacks, and I will not deploy troops from the Central Plains. You ask Tokugawa Yoshimune to gather all the troops that can be assembled to attack Hagi Castle. I will give you a year. If you can After the attack, I don't mention any of the conditions, and just withdraw the troops. What do you think?"

What he said in his mouth was the air of aristocrats, like a gentleman in the spring and autumn, who would hire a car to join a battle; but in fact, what he said was clearly a rogue air of a strong soldier and a strong horse.

When he was about to finish speaking, he walked away, leaving only Matsudaira Huizhen with a face of humiliation.

Depressedly, they returned to Busan Wakan, where the Japanese mission temporarily lived.

This is the first battleship capable of actual combat in the whole of Asia. The huge hull and towering mast, as well as the dense gun holes on it, all bring an undeniable coercion.

The French have the best ship design technology in the world at this time, but their strategic thinking has been swaying between the continent and the sea.

This kind of 74-gun battleship will eventually flourish in the hands of the British, because the British need a capital ship with a balance of speed, firepower, and protection. After capturing one, it immediately touched the hearts of the British.

The French's way of thinking is a big gun ship, as long as they fight in the English Channel at their doorstep. The previous 64-gun battleship adhered to the idea of ​​this kind of sea fort. The speed is too slow, and it is not practical at all in the vast Asia. .

In the original history, the first battleship to appear in a Chinese port was to go to the United Kingdom to humiliate China. No. 1, George Anson, who commanded the first warship fleet to sail around the world, sent the Centurion sixty-gun battleship three years later. Time to drive into Macau to resupply.

Before that, there had never been a real battleship in Asia.

The deterrence brought by this new battleship to Zhaoren and Yiyi Jianxiang is indescribable. Human beings' fear of giants imprinted in their genes made Zhaoren completely give up.

After the meeting, Matsudaira Huizhen mentioned that Liu Yu put forward more than [-] conditions.

Zhaoren looked away from the warship docked at the port, and asked, "From what you see, is it possible to have the same possibility as the Mongolian war in the past?"

Matsudaira Huizhen shook her head firmly.

"It's extremely difficult. Although Liu Yunian just stood up, he is already a veteran general. The navy of the Tang Dynasty was created by him alone. The generals who fought in Hagi City just followed him to the old troops in the far western regions. The navy is now in charge of Tang Dynasty prince."

"If this is the case, it is already invincible. If he comes in person, how can there be any chance of winning? Since he made peace, he only gave ten days, but he is actually determined to go to war."

"Before he rested in the capital, if he takes charge of the army again now, he will have to win a few big victories. It's not due to merit, but it's hard to know."

Songping Huizhen was a little afraid of Liu Yu.This fear stems from the results of the first battle of Hagi City, and the one who commanded the first battle of Hagi City can only be regarded as a young general in Dashun.

If the war continues and Dashun calls Liu Yu the commander of the army, I'm afraid the conditions will not be so simple.

However, Matsudaira Huizhen was a little embarrassed by the ten-day period given by Liu Yu.

The separation of the public and the military, and the treatment of the Shimadzu family in the treaty, even if Zhaoren and Guan Bai are both in Busan, it has to be decided by the shogunate of the samurai family.Although he is a veteran of the shogunate, he is not qualified to punish the Shimadzu family. If he signs this treaty, he will have to resist all doubts after returning.

Matsudaira Huizhen's tone became more and more lost, while Zhaoren quietly thought about the more than 30 conditions Matsudaira Huizhen relayed.

For a moment, a different thought flashed through my mind.

For example, relying on Dashun, with the support of the southwestern vassals, with the help of Dashun's military power, defeated the Tokugawa shogunate.

Then ceded Kyushu Island to Dashun, and transferred the feudal domains of Kyushu Island to other places to digest the land of the Eastern Kingdom occupied by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and he could also use the situation to expand his power.

But this thought was just a flash, and he didn't dare to continue thinking about it.If you seek skin from a tiger, you can't do it well, and it's easy to put your own bones in it.

Besides, the more than 30 items proposed by Dashun are obviously aimed at protecting the shogunate.

Apart from the compensation, he didn't impose too harsh conditions on the shogunate, and he didn't even ask the shogunate to let his son go to the capital as a hostage. It can be seen that Dashun probably didn't want to get too deep in Japan.

Zhaoren felt that the idea of ​​taking advantage of Dashun's power to reverse the curtain that flashed in his mind just now was a bit ridiculous, so he finally shook off this idea.

"The matter of paying tribute to the Celestial Dynasty was common before the Tang Dynasty. During the time of the Ashikaga Shogunate, they were also conferred by the Ming Kingdom."

"If I can pay tribute and keep the integrity of Japan, I am willing to bear such humiliation."

"Although the Tang people were persecuted very urgently, paying tribute would have many benefits. Firstly, the Tang people would no longer be able to conquer, and secondly, it would also be able to prevent the invasion of the southern barbarians."

"Look at the Tang people's ships, they should be in the style of Nanman. Fortunately, the Tang people are holding the customs, and they still have some reason. If the Nanman people come, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."

He had already made up his mind to pay tribute to Dashun, but he knew in his heart that paying tribute must be the first item of the peace talks.If he can't even pay tribute, Dashun will definitely continue to fight.

Since it is necessary to pay tribute, there must be some reasons to prove that it is still beneficial.Judging from the attitude of the Celestial Dynasty towards the tributary states in the past, in fact, the control was very loose, and it was almost indifferent.

Among the more than 30 items now, there are no too strict requirements.In addition to re-editing the history books and removing the transgressive content in them, at most it is necessary to go through a process of waiting for Dashun canonization at the time of inheritance.

As long as you are alive, the mountains and rivers are still there, and there will always be opportunities in the future.

Zhaoren thought to himself, this time, the defeat was due to the navy.

China and Japan are separated by vast oceans. If Japan also has such a navy, how can Dashun land everywhere and pose a threat?

Zhaoren didn't know that Jingyi Naosada's last letter to Tokugawa Yoshimune before his death opposed the building of the navy, but he had to focus his limited energy on the army, and first ensure that he could survive being beaten again, instead of thinking about defending against the enemy in the blue wave outside.

At this time, Zhaoren felt that he had thought of the key point, and he thought that Dashun must not know about this matter, so he should lower his vigilance first.

After discussing with Songping Huizhen, they decided to invite Liu Yu to a banquet, saying that regardless of the etiquette, only the host and guest would sit, and asked Liu Yu if he could come to the banquet.He also said that after discussing the tribute during the meeting, if the Nanman invaded, would Dashun be able to protect Japan?

He wanted to use his own humiliation to lower his posture, like King Wen who ate his son's flesh, Gou Jian who tasted Fu Chai's excrement, or the empress who said "here I am happy to think of leaving".

What he wanted was for Dashun to return to the attitude towards Japan before Liu Yu appeared, no matter whether he asked or not, and he didn't know what to ask, so that he quietly built ships.

(End of this chapter)