1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2695
Some things seem to be at a disadvantage, but they are actually at an advantage.But the cheapness cannot be taken for nothing, and the corresponding price must be paid.In the end who suffers and who takes advantage, both parties have their own steelyards to weigh the pros and cons.The point is that both Haihan and North Korea have obtained the interests they want in this process, and this is the real reason for the cooperation.

It's just that these interest exchanges under the table will not be announced in the form of an announcement.Only a very small number of bureaucrats who have access to inside information will understand the secrets.

Of course, a newcomer like Zhu Zian who has just entered the official career has limited knowledge of international relations. Without Tao Hongfang's detailed explanation, it is still quite difficult to understand the twists and turns of the intertwined interests. difficulty.

But even if the two countries have reached a consensus, it still needs to complete a lot of preliminary work before it can be implemented.The current trade data audit is one of them, and then we need to establish corresponding local institutions to handle taxation and accounting affairs.However, there should be no need for the mission to follow up on these matters, and the financial department will dispatch special personnel to take charge. Maybe they are already on their way to Busan by this time.

Zhu Zian said: "So, after the audit work is completed, will the mission leave Busan?"

Tao Hongfang said: "There should be one more thing to do before leaving. It is rare to have such a large armed fleet visit the local area. I think the local government will take this opportunity to play the game of pretending to be powerful."

Zhu Zi'an said: "Your Excellency, you mean that the North Koreans want to use this opportunity to frighten the Japanese?"

Tao Hongfang nodded and said: "Master Wen has arranged a time for us to meet with the head of the local Japanese chamber of commerce. He hopes that we can stand on the side of allies and put a little pressure on the Japanese to let us North Korea can get more benefits from bilateral trade."

Zhu Zian couldn't help laughing and said: "They have a good idea. What was lost from us will be brought back from the Japanese!"

Tao Hongfang also said with a smile: "This is a favor, I can't help it. We are going to visit Japan next, and there are many things that need to be discussed with the government. It is better to get in touch with the Japanese first. By the way, you Find some time in the evening to read the relevant information, and then we will attend together.”

The Haihan Mission has been busy with business since it arrived in Busan, and did not take the initiative to contact the local Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and the Japanese also did not choose to take the initiative.But it was the local government who couldn't help it first. Seeing that the Haihan Mission was already preparing to leave and there was no movement, they could only stand up and take the lead in organizing a meeting, trying to use Haihan's power to resolve the issue between themselves and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. some problems in between.

In the evening, according to Tao Hongfang's instructions, Zhu Zi'an specially searched for relevant information, read and studied overnight, and had a preliminary understanding of the situation of the local Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Busan.

Although the chamber of commerce is named after Japan, its actual structure is actually centered on the Tsushima domain lord Sone's, and all trade-related matters are basically decided by the Tsushima domain.

The reason for such a strange situation is mainly due to the unique geographical location of Tsushima Fan.The main jurisdiction of the Tsushima Domain is Tsushima Island and Iki Island, which are located between North Korea and Japan. Among them, Iki Island is closer to the Japanese mainland, while Tsushima Island is just in the middle of the strait, and its northern end is only a hundred miles away from Busan Port. Far away, the trade advantage is unique.Taking advantage of such geographical advantages, the Tsushima Domain gradually controlled the maritime trade channels between Japan and North Korea.

It is worth mentioning that, precisely because it is so close to the coastline of the Korean Peninsula and has close trade with both sides of the strait, the political stance of Tsushima Fan is actually not particularly firm, and has swayed from side to side in history.

In 1419, the Korean general Li Congmao sent troops to occupy Tsushima Island in the name of fighting against Japanese pirates, and the ruler of the island, Zongshi, accepted the official position of North Korea, and for a long time after that, he also engaged in trade activities with Japan on behalf of North Korea.

But by the Imjin Japanese Invasion in 1592, Tsushima Island became the frontline base for the Japanese invasion of Korea.Toyotomi Hideyoshi took this as a springboard and led an army of more than [-] to attack North Korea. The first battle was to cross the sea from Tsushima Island and attack Busan.At that time, North Korea once lost most of its land. If it hadn't been for the Ming Dynasty to send troops to rescue it, the country would have been destroyed.

At that time, the Tsushima Fan also sent troops to fight in the DPRK. The Japanese army even participated in the battles of Seoul, Kaesong, and Pyongyang Sanjing.At that time, the feudal lord Zongyi Zhiqin led a feudal army of more than [-] people, and once advanced to the area north of Pyongyang.It wasn't until the Ming general Li Rusong led his troops to Pyongyang that the Japanese army was defeated, and Zongyi Zhizhi followed the large army to evacuate south.

However, after the war ended, Tsushima Fan was also the first to jump out as a peacemaker.After Zong Yizhi repeated his mediation many times, he finally succeeded in reopening the transnational trade channel between North Korea and Japan, and signed the "Keicho Amity Treaty" in 1609.

As the only trusted intermediary between the two countries, Ma Fan held all transnational trade through the Korean Strait firmly in his own hands, and the lord Zong's family also obtained the glory and wealth that has lasted to this day.

Today's feudal lord Zongyi is really Zongyizhi's grandson, and it is said that he is also a man of considerable means. After taking office, he not only vigorously developed shipbuilding, navigation and other industries closely related to trade, but also invested a lot of material resources and manpower to open a business on Tsushima Island. Dig a canal to connect the east and west banks.In this way, merchant ships traveling between Tsushima Island and Busan Port do not need to go around half an island before sailing into Aso Bay, the main port of Tsushima Island, and the voyage can be shortened by more than a hundred miles.However, the expected construction period of this project is said to be as long as more than ten years, and it is still under construction.

If it is not supported by considerable trade income, it would be tantamount to nonsense to carry out such a large-scale civil engineering project that lasted for several years under the conditions of the Tsushima Clan.

It can be seen from this that the feudal lord of this generation is a ruler with a long-term vision and is willing to invest a lot of resources in building large-scale projects for the benefit of future generations.But if you look at it from another angle, it is enough to expose the serious dependence of Mafan on cross-border trade. It must continue to use various means to consolidate its own geographical advantages in order to ensure that its control over cross-border trade will not be lost.

Since the Tsushima Fan represents a considerable part of North Korea's trade with Japan, this means that a considerable part of the profits in the trade process flowed into the pockets of the Tsushima Fan.The North Korean local government, which is the manager of Busan Port, has probably been dissatisfied with this distribution method for a long time, but it has never had the means to change this status quo.The arrival of the Haihan mission provided the local government with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

(End of this chapter)