1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 905
January 1675, 1, Nagasaki, Japan.

In the past year, nothing has attracted the most attention in the entire East Asia region than the outbreak of the Qi-Japanese War.No one expected that two countries tens of thousands of miles apart would trigger a war between the two sides because of the seizure of a merchant ship and the disposal of personnel.

In less than half a year, Qi State has gathered nine vassal states and armies including Wei, Luzon, Sulu, Shun, Zhancheng, Hexian, Liangshan (Hao's), Liuqiu, and Yunzhou Town. Town, mobilized more than [-] troops and nearly a hundred ships of all sizes, and brazenly launched a war against Japan.

Three months after the outbreak of the war, Qi State first bombarded Edo with dozens of warships for five consecutive days, then attacked Osaka, broke Kyoto, occupied Nara, and almost captured the entire Gyeonggi area.And the Ming faction located in Ezo took the opportunity to attack the northern part of Mutsu, occupying a large territory.The shogunate's gold mine - Sado Island was also captured by it a month ago, and countless gold and silver were plundered.

It stands to reason that Nagasaki, as the territory directly under the shogunate and the most important trading port in Japan, has accumulated countless wealth, and it is very close to Gengluo Island to which Yunzhou Town belongs, which is Dongyi Island (now Amami Oshima, Japan) leased from Qi State. ) is only a [-]-day voyage.With Qi's maritime superiority, it is absolutely possible to capture it in the first place.

Don't say how strong the Nagasaki defenders are and how tight the city defense is, but the key cities in Gyeonggi, such as Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Hyogotsu (now Kobe City), were easily captured by the Qi army two months ago.How can Nagasaki be spared if it is attacked by the Qi army?
However, to this day, the Qi army has never attacked Nagasaki.Even though there were several warships swimming outside the port, they did not make any attack, but only carried out the task of blocking Nagasaki.This made the shogunate officials and businessmen in the city rejoice, but they couldn't help but mutter to themselves, do the Qi people want to maintain the integrity of this trading port so that they can continue to trade through Nagasaki in the future?
"After this war, Qi will not only continue to maintain trade with Japan." Grene Ward, a senior manager of the Dutch East India Company in Japan, said worriedly: "With their superior performance on the battlefield in the past few months, I am afraid that they will ask for more trade privileges after the war, and even do not rule out threatening the Japanese government in Edo to open more trade ports to them. It is conceivable that once this happens, the dominance of the entire Japanese trade will inevitably It is completely in the hands of the Qi people. As for our East India Company, it will be reduced to an insignificant position."

"Yes, the people of Qi can provide the goods that our East India Company can provide to the Japanese. And the goods that we cannot provide, the people of Qi can also provide." Knut Stevenson, commercial counselor of the East India Company, smiled wryly. With a voice, "Whether in the East Indies or in the entire Far East, our East India Company's right to speak in front of the increasingly powerful Qi State is getting weaker and weaker."

"In the face of Qi's strength, our East India Company has to be cautious in many matters." Grene Ward shook his head and said: "The Japanese are very angry at our refusal to provide them with artillery and guns, and even Their Nagasaki policy also threatens to cut off trade with our East India Company."

"Dear Ward, your approach is very correct. If you offend the Japanese, at most you will lose the Japanese market. But once you anger the people of Qi, our East India Company may lose the entire Eastern trade." Stevenson disagrees He said: "Furthermore, with their current situation, they will not push us to their opposite side. Through the course of the war in the past few months, the performance of the Japanese army does not seem to be as expected. powerful."

"The performance of the Japanese is indeed beyond our imagination. Their core cities were easily breached by the Qi people. In the battle of Osaka, they lost as many as 5 troops." Ward sighed: " It is said that the loss of the people of Qi is only about a thousand people. If the people of Qi have not cheated, then this will be an amazing exchange ratio!"

"Actually, I'm not surprised by Qi's powerful combat power." Stevenson shrugged and said, "After all, over the past 30 years, Qi's army has participated in wars one after another. One, almost never stopped. I think this has a positive effect on maintaining the combat effectiveness of their army."

"However, I was very surprised by Qi's strong military mobilization capabilities. Just think about it, they mobilized more than 1000 troops in less than six months, and then crossed tens of thousands of sea miles to attack a country with [-] troops. A large country with a population of more than [-] people can launch a landing battle and win consecutive battles, which seems to be more than enough."

"Stevenson, do you think it is possible that the Qi people will send troops into Europe at some point?" Ward's expression changed after hearing what Stevenson said.

"...No way?" Stevenson was stunned for a moment, and said hesitantly: "If the Qi people send troops to Europe, they will have to cross tens of thousands of sea miles, and the journey will take five or six months. They estimate... Can't do it?"

"The Qi people are in southern Africa, but they occupy a large coastal area." Ward said thoughtfully: "They seem to be able to use South Africa as a springboard. From there, they will gather and transfer, and then go all the way north to Europe. It's very close."

"Ward, I think your idea is very...reasonable." Stevenson nodded, and said, "Perhaps, at some point, the power of Qi State will really enter Europe. What impact and changes will it bring to the entire European region."

"More than ten years ago, our East India Company predicted that Qi State would gradually control the world east of the Indian Ocean in the next 100 years. But with the current development momentum of Qi State, I think this time may be greatly advanced. At that time, a huge empire that controls the Indian Ocean will inevitably have a strong influence on the entire European region, which is beyond doubt."

"Therefore, whether it is our East India Company or our Federation of Provinces, we should continue to maintain and deepen our strategic partnership with Qi. This is for our future..."

"Dong dong..." There was a sudden knock on the door in a hurry.

"Gentlemen, half a month ago, Qi State once again defeated the shogunate army in Edo!" An employee of the East India Company entered the room with a look of surprise on his face, "General Tokugawa of the shogunate has offered to Qi State Armistice request.... They are going to make peace! So, the war may end soon!"

"Oh?" Stevenson and Ward looked at each other.

"Gentlemen, I think it is necessary for our East India Company to witness the peace talks between Qiri." Stevenson said solemnly: "Perhaps, this has positive significance for our market in Japan."
-
April 1, Edo.

"Your country's proposed payment of 2000 million taels of silver is indeed far beyond the financial burden of our shogunate." Tadaki Sakai, the elder of the shogunate, said with difficulty: "Therefore, our shogunate cannot agree to this clause no matter what."

Qi Yuanshan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Qi State Cabinet and Minister of Industry and Commerce, heard the words, with a calm expression, leaned gently on the back of the chair, picked up the teacup, blew on the hot air, and then took a sip without saying a word, as if he didn't want to be with him at all. The look of bargaining.

"This war was initiated by your shogunate." The commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Wan Changshu, said with a cold face: "Then, you will bear all the consequences of the war. The payment of 2000 million silver is to make all Japanese citizens Expressing sincere remorse for launching a war hastily. Each person is only paid one tael of silver, which is the minimum we ask for."

After Sakai Tadaki heard this, he couldn't help but glanced at the old Tsuchiya Shuzhi, showing a bit of helplessness and bitterness.

A few days ago, in order to show the strength of Japan and the tough attitude of the shogunate, Tsuchiya said indiscriminately, saying that all the 2000 million people in Japan are loyal to the emperor and the shogunate, and they will not surrender even if they are all broken. Not to mention the various rude conditions proposed by Qi Guo.

As a result, when talking about the shogunate's compensation claim today, Qi Guo proposed that all Japanese citizens should pay one tael of silver per person as punishment for the shogunate's defeat.

In fact, the shogunate itself is not clear about the actual population of Japan.During this period, except for the state of Qi, there was no concept of census at all, and no government conducted detailed census of its own population.

Of course, as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties in ancient China, there was a fish scale book to count the basic situation of the people under its jurisdiction. However, because of various poll taxes, there will be more or less hidden population phenomena, and the population data is not very good. accurate.In later generations, the internationally recognized census in the modern sense began with the first census in the United States in 1790.

The second large-scale decisive battle on land between the coalition led by Qi State and the shogunate army took place 20 days ago. Unsurprisingly, the shogunate army was defeated again.More than [-] shogunate troops were defeated by [-] coalition forces in the vicinity of Shangzong Kingdom (today's Chiba City, Japan), killing and wounding more than [-] prisoners.

When the defeated army fled back to Edo Castle, the shogunate was... well, extremely shocked again.

When the Qi army bombarded Edo again and landed on Shangzong with a large army, more than [-] vassal troops and the direct leader of the shogunate were marching towards Osaka in a mighty manner, preparing to annihilate the "remnants" of the invading Nanman army in one fell swoop. .

Faced with the tendency of the Qi army to attack Edo directly, the shogunate immediately dispatched several fast horse messengers to call back the conscripting army from the middle.As a result, more than [-] shogunate troops had to face the wind and snow in the twelfth lunar month, overcome various difficulties, turn around and return to Edo to meet the incoming Qi army.

The shogunate army only rested in Edo Castle for a day, and then dragged their tired bodies, braving the cold wind, and came to Zongguo.But this time, it was the turn of the coalition forces to select the battlefield in advance, set up positions, and meet the more than [-] shogunate troops who rushed over.

On January 1, at ten o'clock in the morning, the battle began.The coalition forces first bombarded the dense formation of the shogunate army with fierce artillery fire, and then several huge musket phalanxes took the initiative to attack the shogunate army.The continuous volley of guns fired, disintegrating the resistance of the shogunate army one by one, and finally formed a collapse.

In the battle, the general of the shogunate army and the old man of the shogunate, Masanori Inaba, was killed by the coalition forces on the battlefield. In addition, seven feudal lords and dozens of bannermen were killed in battle. More than [-] samurai and ashigaru were killed, and more than [-] were killed. There were less than [-] shogunate soldiers who fled back to Edo Castle, and most of the soldiers discarded their weapons and armor on the way to escape.

In the face of yet another fiasco, the shogunate suddenly made a mistake, and endless fear followed.

With the tyrannical combat power shown by the Qi army, can Edo Castle be kept?
You must know that the entire Edo Castle is not only the political and economic center of the Tokugawa shogunate, but also a huge "concentration camp" for hostages.Because, according to the "attendance and account" system established by the shogunate, the family members of all the daimyos in the country stayed in Edo Castle. At the same time, nearly half of the vassal lords in the country stayed in Edo Castle all the year round.

If this is done by the Qi State, the entire shogunate rule will collapse in an instant, and at the same time, all the feudal clans in the country will also fall into huge civil strife.

In addition, in order to control the emperor, the Tokugawa shogunate set up the Kyoto Soshidai, and in order to supervise the Kansai area, set up the Osaka Castle.And these two places were attacked by the Qi State, and the emperor was captured. All this has already caused the instability of the vassal state in Kansai, China, and the Kyushu area, and there are many moves not to be recruited from the shogunate.

Once Edo is captured by the Qi State again, the shogunate really has no capital to play.

armistice!

We must start a peace negotiation with Qi immediately to end this war!
No matter how aggressive they were at the beginning and how they persisted in the main battle, at this time when the Tokugawa shogunate was in danger, they all expressed their strength to the Tokugawa family to fight against the Qi State. Immediately stop the war and conduct peace talks to avoid the situation from getting worse.

The peace talks between the two sides started ten days ago, but the negotiation took place on a [-]-ton large warship moored outside Edo Port.

When Sakai Zhongqing met Qi Yuanshan, the special envoy of Qi State, he proposed that the two sides cease fighting immediately, and the army of Qi State would withdraw to the sea or return to Osaka.

Qi Yuanshan immediately refused.What a joke, we finally put the bayonet on the heart of your shogunate, how can we withdraw our troops and return south, and then choose another place with you to conduct a meaningless see-saw negotiation.

Now that we have already arrived in Edo, why not take this opportunity to force you to sign an alliance under the castle!
While refusing to withdraw his troops, Qi Yuanshan also proposed to Zhongqing Sakai that more than [-] troops were stationed in the Shangzong Kingdom, and the shogunate must provide corresponding supplies, otherwise, the army would not be effectively restrained, and they might take actions that disrupted the local area .

Sakai Tadaki only hesitated for a moment, and then agreed to the request of the Qi army. The shogunate will provide the necessary supplies such as food, clothing, drinks and so on.

Subsequently, the two sides began to enter the negotiation stage.Qi State first proposed to discuss the responsibility for initiating the war and the disposal of corresponding personnel.Although the officials, samurai, market merchants, civilians and other relevant personnel of Osaka City who killed the sailors of the Qi State have all been dealt with decisively by the Qi State, there must be someone from the upper echelons of the shogunate to bear the corresponding responsibility for this incident.

After Sakai Tadaki and others pondered for a long time, they directly pushed out the old Naka Inaba Masanori who died on the battlefield, and let him, as the upper-level executive of the shogunate, bear all the responsibilities.

Regarding the introduction of a dead person by the shogunate, the Qi State showed nothing to do. Anyway, it only needs to assign the responsibility for this war to the shogunate.You see, the shogunate has gone too far to deceive others and provoked the war on its own initiative, while our country of Qi is forced to defend itself and fight back. It is not an unprovoked invasion of Japan.

Immediately afterwards, after a few struggles, the shogunate agreed to Qi's proposals for opening the market, increasing treaty ports, negotiating tariffs, establishing leases, and extraterritoriality.

But today, the amount of compensation proposed by Qi Guo really surprised the shogunate negotiators.

2000 million taels of silver, this is an astronomical sum that cannot be raised by the shogunate!
(End of this chapter)