1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 887

March 1674, 3, Hirado, Japan.

Cao Canzhi (Zheng Sanpin), the Yi government official of the Kingdom of Korea, and Zhao Shixi, the imperial messenger, endured the discomfort after boarding the boat, tried hard to maintain his appearance as an "envoy from the upper kingdom", and slowly walked off the boat.

Under the order of the shogunate, Matsuura Shigenobu, the feudal lord of the Hirado domain, who escorted the Korean communication mission here in Iki (Iki Island, Japan) followed closely, and warmly introduced the shogunate officials and the Hirado domain to Zhao Shixi one by one. Retainer.

"Your envoy can rest in Hirado Castle for two days first, and when your body is a little better, you can go to Edo with me to meet my general." Masahiro Ida, the welcoming envoy sent by the shogunate, said politely.

"Thank you for your kindness." Zhao Shixi nodded and said: "This time, this envoy is ordered by my king to lead a delegation to visit. One is to express condolences for the unfortunate death of the general on the royal platform; The close relationship between our two countries has deepened political, trade, and cultural exchanges with each other. Our two countries, separated by a narrow strip of water, will be good-neighborly and friendly states from generation to generation, and we will help each other."

"What your envoy said is true." Ida Masahiro said with a smile and nodded, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the personnel of the North Korean mission coming down from several ships in an endless stream, and his heart tightened for a while.

Why did the North Korean Communication Mission come with so many people this time?Then this reception fee, I'm afraid it will be a huge waste again!
Since 1607, when North Korea sent messengers to Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate for the first time, the scale of the missions that came each time was very large, with more than 400 people. At that time, the North Koreans even dispatched nearly 500 communication envoys, which made the reception staff of the shogunate quite difficult and costly.

Because, as the host country, Japan, in order to show the spirit of a great power, all the expenses during the visit of Korean communication envoys to Japan were borne by the shogunate. Horses waste thousands of dollars.It can be said that every visit of the North Korean mission is a great test of the shogunate's finances.

Masahiro Ida only counted more than 500 members of the North Korean mission that visited this time!

Oh, is this North Korean here to play the autumn wind, or to eat the big family?With so many people coming at once, what kind of messengers are they? They are clearly a group of "envoys who labor the people and waste money"!
North Korea and Japan have had close ties since ancient times. After Li Chenggui established the Joseon Dynasty, he adopted a foreign policy of "making great things and making good neighbors". Peer-to-peer exchanges with neighboring countries. The manifestation of "neighborhood" is generally sending envoys to each other for employment and trade.

In 1402 and 1403, the Japanese Muromachi shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the Korean king Li Fangyuan successively obtained the canonization of the Ming Dynasty and were brought under the Huayi order. In 1404, the Muromachi Shogunate of Japan sent a "King Envoy of Japan" to Korea. In 1413, North Korea sent a mission in the name of "Correspondent Envoy" for the first time (but it did not take place), which was the first of its kind.

"Correspondent envoys" are the official envoys of the Joseon Dynasty. They carry credentials and a list of ceremonies and have to meet the shogun. This is also the difference from unofficial envoys such as translation envoys.The so-called "communication" originated from the diplomatic concept of the Joseon Dynasty, which is "credibility with neighbors" (corresponding to "respect with courtesy"), that is, envoys who communicated the relationship between the two countries and conveyed the faith of neighbors.

Later, Japan entered the Warring States Period, and North Korea did not send messengers to Japan for more than 100 years.After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, North Korea sent a messenger headed by Huang Yunji in 1590. However, two years later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded North Korea on a large scale and the "Imjin Japanese Invasion" broke out. subjugation.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, the Japanese army also withdrew from the Korean Peninsula one after another under the cooperation of the Ming Dynasty and the Korean army.Although the Asahi-Japanese ceasefire, North Korea is still on guard (fear) against Japan, and the shogunate established by Tokugawa Ieyasu did not take long to offer an olive branch to North Korea, trying to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On the one hand, he wanted to enrich his financial resources through trade with North Korea, and on the other hand, he wanted to clean up the mess left by the expansion policy of the Toyotomi regime, so he was eager to restore relations with the Ming Dynasty and North Korea.Once North Korea agreed to resume diplomatic relations and send envoys to Japan, not only would the Tokugawa regime gain international recognition, but it would also demonstrate the prestige of the Tokugawa clan in front of various Japanese vassals, especially dissident forces, thereby achieving the goal of establishing the legitimacy of the regime.

Thanks to the active matching of the Tsushima clan and the deception of the two sides, the relationship between North Korea and Japan eased and gradually returned to normal, and the communication envoys were also institutionalized. Later, whenever the shogunate attacked his post or had a major celebration, the Joseon Dynasty would send a communication envoy to show Congratulations, and the Tokugawa shogunate responded with books and gifts as a token of gratitude.

In October last year, North Korea learned that Qi was having an unpleasant fight with Japan over trade matters, and Tokugawa Iezuna had a fierce dispute with Qi's envoys visiting Japan.After getting this news, the active-minded North Korean monarchs and ministers came up with the idea of ​​uniting Japan to control Qi, thinking that on the basis of relying on the suzerain of the Ming Dynasty, if Japan can unite with Japan and take advantage of its powerful national power, they can jointly deal with Qi and Yongwang Yunzhou Fan , may be able to completely expel their forces from the territories of the two countries.

After some communication and contact in the early stage, North Korea dispatched this large-scale communication envoy half a month ago. Military generals such as the Five Army Battalions, the Inner Three Offices, the Naval Commander, and the Naval Defense Envoy tried to cooperate with the shogunate in all aspects of politics, economy, and military affairs. Paramilitary alliances.

In order to avoid complications and prevent possible maritime interception by Qi State and Yunzhou Fan, the North Korean communication envoy did not set off from Pusan ​​Port, but departed from the remote Ulsan County, via Tsushima Island, and arrived in Japan’s Kyushu region. Hirado Port.

On the way from the wharf to the Hirado City post house, countless local people gathered to watch, which greatly satisfied the vanity of the North Korean mission. Reconnaissance revealed their itinerary and purpose.

"Your envoy, let me down. Our management in Japan has always been very strict, and businessmen from various countries are strictly forbidden to visit local vassal states and towns without the order of the shogunate." Seeing Zhao Shixi's worried face, Masahiro Ida smiled and said in relief: "But , During the rest period of your mission, many local scholars will come to pay a visit. At that time, please restrain the attache of the mission a little bit, and don't make any noise."

"I'm the envoy." Zhao Shixi nodded solemnly, and then looked at the crowd gathered around the car, the guarding army, and the countless flags welcoming him, and sighed softly.

In that era when it was not easy to meet foreigners, the huge envoys from the Korean Peninsula naturally became a strange sight on the streets of Japan, arousing strong curiosity among the people.When staying at the hotel to rest, officials and scholars from many places will also take this opportunity to ask them about the development trend of the outside world.

As for the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo, in order not to lose face in front of neighboring countries, it even spent a lot of money every time, entertaining the North Korean envoys at the highest standard and at any cost, and promoting Japan's national prestige by the way.

Although the two countries have resumed political and commercial exchanges, their understanding of each other is very subtle.The North Korean correspondent believed that he inherited Confucian orthodoxy, came from the core circle of Chinese civilization, and was a representative of advanced culture.In their eyes, Japan, a society dominated by samurai, is simply vulgar compared with North Korea, which advocates Confucian culture.

Of course, they believe that although Japan's domestic wealth (reception pomp) impresses them, it cannot be shaken off as a warlike and barbaric nation.

And the Japanese may not have much favor for North Korea.Indeed, many outstanding Confucianists and thinkers appeared on the Korean Peninsula at this time, and won the respect and praise of Japanese scholars, but that is all.Most Japanese people still hold more or less contempt for this country on the Korean Peninsula, thinking that it is just a vassal state of Ming Dynasty and has no qualifications to be compared with Japan.

Despite their strange sense of superiority towards each other, the two have treated each other with respect and managed to maintain a semblance of peace in recent decades.

Tagawa Shichizaemon leaned against the window on the second floor, watching the convoy of the North Korean mission and the guards of the shogunate walk slowly through the street, with a meaningful smile on his face.

"Second Master, these Koreans are so imposing!" He Ke'an, who was standing next to him, said with a smile, "The wife of the shogun passed away, and they sent such a large mission to express their condolences. It is strange to say that in the past, the North Korean The missions all landed in Japan via Nagasaki, and then went to Edo to meet the shogun. Why did they suddenly change to Hirado this time?"

"Naturally, the North Koreans did this to deceive others. I'm afraid their purpose is not to express their condolences to the wife of the shogun, they probably have other intentions." Tagawa Nanazawaemon turned and sat back in his seat.

"What are they planning?" He Ke'an asked casually, "North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. Could it be that they are planning to vote for Japan? ... It's not right. As for throwing in. Well, then what are they trying to come here so eagerly?"

"North Korea's move is either for Ming Yongfan or Qi State." Tagawa Shichizaemon lowered his head and thought for a while, his eyes showed a look of understanding.

"...North Korea wants to quarrel with King Yong, or Qi State?" He Kean looked at Tagawa Qizaemon in astonishment.

"If it's against Qi, I'm afraid the shogunate will have this intention." Tagawa Qizaemon said: "I heard that the general is very annoyed by the smuggling trade manipulated by Qi. The "External Prohibition Order" issued by the shogunate. According to news from Edo recently, the shogunate intends to impose special controls on the Satsuma and Changzhou feudal domains, and is preparing to severely crack down on the smuggling trade between the two places."

"Japan is going to turn against Qi?" He Ke'an was shocked, "Then Japan is going to war with Qi...?"

"It's not that our entire Japan wants to go to war with Qi." Tagawa Qizaemon said softly, "...it's the Tokugawa clan."

"...Huh?" He Ke'an blinked.

"At the very least, the Hirado clan where we are located will not participate in any possible wars." Tagawa Qizaemon said with a smile: "Even, our feudal lord can't wait for the Tokugawa family to suffer a big loss in the hands of Qi. For More than 30 years ago, the shogunate forcibly closed the Hirado trading house, banned foreign trade, and transferred the only foreign trade place to Nagasaki, but the feudal lord has always been worried about this."

Tagawa Qizaemon, the second son of Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Mori's younger brother, named after his wife's family name, also known as Tagawa Jirozaemon. In 1645, Zheng Zhilong sent people to take the Tagawa family to Anping, but because of the shogunate's obstruction, he had to keep his second son Shichizaemon in Japan.

After growing up, Tagawa Qizaemon has been serving as Zheng's trade representative in Japan, actively engaged in Sino-Japanese trade.After Zheng Zhilong was defeated and fled to Luzon, Shichizaemon continued to transport manpower (wandering samurai) and supplies from Japan to Luzon, and also opened up maritime trade from Japan to Luzon, which greatly supported Zheng Zhilong in Luzon. colonization and development.

Five years ago (1669), Zheng Zhilong died of illness in Longzhou (now Manila), and Zheng Du succeeded to the throne as King of Luzon.In order to protect himself, Zheng Du went to the state of Qi as a vassal.This made Qi's commercial forces quickly invade Luzon and gradually dominate Luzon's foreign trade.Under such circumstances, Qizaemon stopped the trade with Luzon and turned to his elder brother Zheng Sen in Yizhou, becoming his important person in charge of trade in Japan.

Through Zheng Sen's relationship in Fujian and Yizhou, and with the acquiescence of Hirado, Shichizaemon is also secretly engaged in smuggling, and is also a very influential figure in Hirado Castle.

"If Qi State fights with the shogunate, what impact will it have on our Yizhou and our Daming?" He Kean asked.

"If the shogunate wins, the commercial power of Qi will naturally be expelled from the Japanese market, and the foreign trade ban in Japan will be enforced more severely. Maybe, our ongoing smuggling trade may also be quelled." Household ban."

"Then what if Qi wins?"

"If Qi wins, the prestige of the Tokugawa clan will plummet, and the vassal states will be ready to move." Qizaemon said with a smile: "At that time, the foreign trade ban in the whole of Japan is likely to have a huge change. .”

"What changes?"

"Either abolish the ban, or grant Qi the exclusive trade monopoly." Qi Zuowei drank the wine in his glass, "No matter what happens, it will bring great benefits to Yizhou and our future trade. You pack up later, leave Hirado tomorrow, return to Yizhou, and tell King Anping (Zheng Sen) everything that happened here, and ask him to make preparations."

"Yes, Second Master." He Ke'an promised respectfully.

(End of this chapter)