Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 91 Hirado Crisis
"Master Marquis, have you ever heard of Captain Wufeng?"

The Bowang crossed the Goto Islands and went north along the bedrock coast on the east side of Hirado Island. It was only more than thirty miles away from Hirado Port.

Hearing Lin Hai's question, Miguel shook his head.Just listen to Lin Hai continue: "The man I'm talking about is called Wang Zhi. He was the one who brought you Portuguese to Hirado in the first place."

That year was the 21st year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Zhi came to Hirado on the recommendation of the Goto daimyo Uhisamori, and this opened a new page in the history of Hirado's overseas trade.

"I know this. The Portuguese first arrived in Hirado more than 80 years ago." Miguel heard this. "At that time, Nagasaki was still an unknown fishing village, and Hirado was the most prosperous port for Japan's overseas trade."

"This is not completely correct." Lin Hai corrected, "At that time, the Japanese country also had a prosperous Sakai Port, but it was too close to Kyoto and soon fell into the quagmire of war. In addition, Wang Zhi brought the Portuguese , this allowed the remote Hirado to surpass Sakai, and was once called Xijing by the Japanese."

Miguel said proudly after hearing this: "Wherever there are Portuguese, trade will flourish. The lords of Hirado should repent for their actions. They killed believers of God, so they were punished. Today's Hirado Port It can no longer be compared with Nagasaki Port.”

What Miguel is talking about is the incident in front of the palace more than 60 years ago. At that time, several Portuguese sailors were killed in Hirado due to commercial disputes. After that, Portuguese merchant ships gradually transferred to Nagasaki to dock, where the port conditions were better, and the local lord Omura Junzhong has also converted to Catholicism.

In order to retaliate, the Matsuura clan sent [-] warships to sneak attack the Portuguese, but were defeated by the latter's only carrack and small galen. This is known as the Battle of Futian Bay in history.After this battle, Portuguese merchant ships never docked at Hirado, and the era of Nagasaki officially began.

"That's because you Portuguese are too keen on missionary work." Lin Hai couldn't help complaining. In fact, three years before the Miyazaki incident, the Matsuura clan had already begun to expel Portuguese missionaries, and the Buddhists in Hirado took the opportunity to burn down Portugal. Church of man.

The church is called Tianmen Temple, located at the foot of Shengwei Mountain. It was originally a mansion built by the Matsuura family for Wang Zhi.After Wang Zhi died in Hangzhou, the Matsuura family donated it to the Portuguese, who then used it as a church. Later, the church was burned down, leaving only the hexagonal well.

"Yes, those were really good times." Nobukiyo couldn't help but sigh when he saw his brother stop and touch the Rokkaku Well, "I heard that Hirado at that time was called Xijing. I wonder how prosperous it was?"

"Is there anything in this world that lasts forever?" Matsuura Takanobu stood up, his eyes filled with despair.

Seeing this, Nobukiyo quickly comforted him: "Hirado's trade is booming now, and I believe it will not be long before it can return to its former glory."

Takanobu shook his head: "Nobukiyo, do you know why Hirado Port declined back then and why it is prospering again now?"

"Because Wang Zhi was killed by the Ming people, the Folangji people also left. But then Li Dan came, and the Aranda and Yingguili people also came."

Nobukiyo is right. The second spring of Hirado trade was indeed due to Li Dan, the Dutch and the British.As the sea power of the Netherlands and Portugal increases and decreases, today's Hirado even has a tendency to overtake Nagasaki.

"What you said is just a superficial phenomenon. I came back this time to tell you the fundamental reasons for the rise and fall of Hirado. Only by understanding this can you truly take care of the family affairs for me." Takanobu continued, "Next I hope you will remember what I want to say and keep it in your heart, and don’t tell anyone about it.”

Seeing that his brother spoke so solemnly, Xinqing nodded solemnly, only to hear Takanobu clear his throat and say: "The rise and fall of Hirado depends on the general trend of the world. If the world is in chaos, Hirado will rise, and if the world is stable, Hirado will decline. This is Matsuura The fate of family.”

Xinqing was shocked when he heard this. He had never considered the problem from this perspective.

The elder brother's voice then sounded in his ears: "Think about how Hirado declined back then. Wang Zhi's death and the departure of the Buddhist monks were just the beginning. The complete decline of Hirado Port will not happen until Toyotomi Taikaku pacified Kyushu. After the island.”

Toyotomi Hideyoshi pacified Kyushu Island in the 15th year of Wanli. A year later, he took over Nagasaki as a territory directly under the jurisdiction of Tendom.When launching the war of aggression against Korea, Hideyoshi summoned Nagasaki officials at the Nagoya base camp and ordered them to introduce preferential treatment policies to gather Chinese businessmen from all over Kyushu to Nagasaki in order to expand financial resources and better collect intelligence about the Ming Dynasty.

After that, a large number of Chinese merchants from Hirado moved to Nagasaki one after another, and the status of Hirado Port plummeted. For a long time, there were almost no people around.Li Dan's second brother Ou Huayu came to Nagasaki from Hirado at this time. He was considered the first generation of Tang residents in Nagasaki and the earliest Chinese leader in Nagasaki.

This period of history is naturally familiar to Nobuyoshi. He was born when the Matsuura family was in the most difficult economic period. At that time, few seagoing ships from distant places could be seen in Hirado Bay all year round.

Fortunately, this situation did not last long. The arrival of a person gave the Matsuura family a glimmer of hope. This person was Li Dan, a large merchant living in the Philippines at that time.

Li Dan saw the business opportunities in Hirado and set up a business station here. However, the focus of his business at that time was still in the Philippines. Hirado was only a smaller part of his business territory, but this was of no concern to the Matsuura family at that time. It's different from giving help when it's time.

In order to win over this business partner, the Matsuura family, a Japanese aristocrat, did not hesitate to make Li Dan, a businessman and thief, a close friend of the family, and treated him with even more courtesy than Wang Zhi back then.As a result, Li Dan quickly became the most prestigious Chinese businessman in Japan, and Ou Huayu and others who moved to Nagasaki also rushed to make friends with him.

Despite this, Li Dan himself stayed in Manila most of the time. In order to reassure the Matsuura family, he placed his first wife and his only son in childhood in Hirado.Because of this, Xinqing, a Japanese aristocrat, and Li Guozhu, the son of a businessman, became close friends.

Soon after, the Spaniards gave the Matsuura clan a divine assist, and the massacre in Manila prompted Li Dan to abandon Luzon and settle down in Hirado.After that, the Dutch and the British arrived one after another, and Hirado trade finally reached its second climax in history.

"In order to bring Hirado back to life, the ancestors of the Matsuura family have made so much effort. They just surrendered to Li Dan and were tolerant in every possible way to the Aranda and Yinggui people." Takanobu said. Then he added, "Do you still remember what happened when the British merchant ship arrived in Hirado for the first time?"

"Of course, the captain of the Lilac was extremely rude." Xinqing gritted his teeth and said angrily, with a look of humiliation flashing in his eyes. He was already more than ten years old at the time, and the scene that happened in the captain's cabin of the Lilac is still vivid in his mind. Head.

That was 16 years ago. At that time, Nobukiyo and Takanobu's biological father, Hisanobu Matsuura, had passed away for five years. The position of family governor was passed to his eldest son, Takanobu, but the real power was in the hands of Takanobu's grandfather, Jinnobu.At that time, Matsuura Zhenxin had already become a monk and took the Buddhist title of Hoyin. He rarely appeared in formal occasions.

But that time, British merchant ships came to Hirado for the first time.Master Fayin not only went to the port to greet him in person, but also took his whole family aboard the British ship Lilac, and introduced his family members one by one to the captain John Sarris to express his importance to the visitors from afar.

However, during the next visit to Lilac, something unexpected happened.The British captain Sarris may have gone crazy at sea. He deceived Long Xin and Xinqing's mother into the captain's cabin alone, and took out an erotic picture in order to seduce this charming widow in her 30s.

After Nobukiyo's grandfather, Matsuura Jinnobu, learned about the incident, he just ordered that no one should enter the captain's cabin of the Lilac, and did not do anything to Saris, who had a sperm in his head.A few days later, Matsuura sent a large number of prostitutes to the British and expressed the hope that his international friends would have a good time. "At that time, the Toyotomi family in Osaka was still there, and the shogunate valued the cannons of the Arlando and Ingueri people, so they valued them very much and allowed them to choose their trading locations. The reason why my grandfather was so accommodating to the Ingueri people was that he wanted to They put their business building in Hirado.”

Takanobu continued: "As you know, both the Alandos and the Ingres chose Hirado. You know, the shogunate at that time was inclined to let them set up their business in Edo Bay."

Xinqing nodded and said: "I understand that without my grandfather's patience and humiliation, there would be no prosperity for Hirado Port today."

"But how long can such prosperity last? The Toyotomi family has been wiped out, and even the Toyokuni Shrine has been razed to the ground. Looking at the world, no one can threaten the rule of the shogun. The future of Hirado is already in jeopardy. "

"What do you mean, brother, that the shogunate wants to take all Japan's overseas trade into its hands?"

"That's not all. Tsushima Domain's Korean trade and Satsuma Domain's Ryukyu trade will not be banned. These two involve exchanges with foreign countries, especially the possible connection with Ming Dynasty. The trade between Matsumae Domain and Ezo Land will also be banned. It can be kept, but the general doesn’t like it because it is too small, but the trade in Hirado cannot be done.”

"Hirado's trade volume is too large, and it has nothing to do with foreign officials." Nobukiyo finally understood what Takanobu meant, and asked quickly, "Did my brother hear something in Edo?"

"No, but this day will come sooner or later. The shogunate is now sparing no effort to monopolize the interests of the country. All mines, ports, and commercial hubs have been taken over by the shogun as territories under the direct jurisdiction of Tendom. The reason why Hirado has not yet been attacked The poisonous hand is because no one around the general knows the size of Hirado’s trade.”

Naturally, Takanobu's words were not taken lightly. When the Dutch first came to Hirado, they did not have many goods. In the eyes of the shogunate, these red-haired people were all paupers and were far less wealthy than the Portuguese.This is why the shogunate, despite being extremely wary of Catholicism, still allowed the Portuguese to trade in Nagasaki.

Historically, it was not until 12 years later that Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the favorite of the third shogun, led his army to put down the Shimabara Rebellion on Kyushu Island. He suspected that the Matsuura clan was involved in this turmoil, so he passed by Hirado on an excuse and accidentally discovered that the Hirado trade was originally It was so fat that the shogunate expelled the Portuguese the next year, and two years later ordered the Dutch business embassy to move to Nagasaki.

"Brother, what should we do? The current financial situation of the clan is not optimistic!" Nobukiyo's words are certainly not nonsense. Although Hirado Port is still in its second spring, the finances of the Hirado clan can only be maintained. , far from luxurious.

"I understand that the Matsuura family's expenses are not what they used to be, so we will face a more difficult situation than grandpa. Because of this, we have to be more cautious and try to let the shogunate know the size of Hirado's trade as late as possible, so as to survive for one more day It’s one day.”

Takanobu sighed as he spoke. When he was in Edo circles, pomp and favors were indispensable.On the other hand, when the shogunate built Edo Castle, Toshogu Shrine, and Nijo Castle, all the daimyo needed help. Those in the Western Army camp were scrambling to be the first to bleed. Naturally, the Hirado Clan, which was a wall-riding faction, was no exception.

"Do you know what Cornelis just said to me?" Takanobu suddenly said, "He said that if the Hirado clan insists on interfering in the dispute between Hirado and the Aranda people, then he will apply to the shogunate to move the merchant house. To Nagasaki or Edo Bay.”

Hearing this, Xinqing said angrily: "Damn it, this guy dares to threaten my brother? The price of silk in Hirado is higher than that in Nagasaki. I don't believe they would do this."

"I don't believe it either, but we can't take this risk. You must always remember that if the Aranda people want to change places, the shogunate is absolutely happy to see it happen, and we have no power to stop it."

Xinqing nodded in agreement, and then asked: "What else did Cornelis say?"

Longxin smiled bitterly and said: "He said that Li Dan defrauded them of a lot of money in Gaoshu, and he hoped that I could recover it for them."

Takasago is what the Japanese called Taiwan Island in this era. When Xinqing heard that it was about Li Guozhu, he asked nervously: "Brother promised him?"

"Of course not. As long as the one from Nagasaki Wuzhen Temple survives, we can't break up with the Li family, otherwise we're afraid we'll get burned." Takanobu continued to smile bitterly. The Li family, like the Aranda people, is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Zheng Zhilong, who has a shallow foundation in the Japanese country, is easier to handle.

Xinqing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this: "Are the Aranda people willing to give up?"

"This matter has nothing to do with our Hirado clan, so what if they don't want to? What's more, I also promised Cornelis that if one day the dispute between the Aranda people and Pingzang comes before the general, I will speak for them. "

Takanobu sighed as he spoke. There are currently two big mines in the Hirado trade. One is the dispute between the Dutch and Sueji Heizang, and the other is the revenge of Li Guozhu and Zheng Zhilong for killing their father. In addition, the Dutch also have a lot of resentment towards the Li family. .

In this current situation, he could only choose to practice Tai Chi with Xini, but it was hard to say how long it would last.

"The sun is going down." Takanobu unknowingly reached Hirado Bay, which is the soul of this trading city.

At this time, the setting sun was almost sinking to the bottom of the mountain. The small bay was illuminated red by the sunset, and the fish scale-like waves jumped with a breathtaking light.The returning fishing boats are sailing in the afterglow of the setting sun. There are also some merchant ships from all over Kyushu Island moored in the harbor. They all come to Hirado to buy foreign goods.

There are five three-masted ships in the harbor, three are Li Guozhu's lucky ships, and two are Dutch flute-shaped ships.Not long ago, Zheng Zhilong also sent two ships over, and now they have set off back to Fujian.

"The ringing of the bells of the Gion Abode tells the story of the impermanence of the world. The flowers of the two Sara trees have lost their color, and those that flourished have turned into decline like the vicissitudes of life..."

Matsuura Takanobu paced and chanted, and after a long time he sighed and said: "Is Hirado Bay, which is so prosperous, going to wither like cherry blossoms again?"

Just when Takanobu felt sad, two large ships suddenly appeared in his eyes, one with three masts and the other with five masts.Although the masts are not as high as those two Dutch ships, their tonnage is definitely better. From a distance, they look like two floating cities on the sea.

The Bowang and Ganfu sailed into Hirado Bay under the leadership of the pilot boat, with their bows facing the setting sun.

"The sun is about to set in Hirado, and we came at the right time." Lin Hai smiled and said to Miguel next to him, who looked confused and didn't know what this meant.

(End of this chapter)