prosperous age

Zhang Xueyan was certainly not satisfied with just making that one wave of money.

By consulting the records of the Western missions, he learned that the gold-silver ratio in European countries at that time was approximately 1:11.

Based on his understanding of Wei Guangde's words at the time, the gold price in the Ming Dynasty could only reach about 1:10 in order to prevent arbitrage.

Although it may seem like there's still a 10% profit, considering the heavy costs of seafaring in this era, engaging in maritime trade just to earn that insignificant 10% profit would be a complete waste.

Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue continued to purchase gold on the market, whether as reserve funds for the imperial court or resold to the Imperial Stud's Changying Treasury, it never suffered a loss.

Even when the Ministry of Revenue's accounts were extremely tight, this batch of gold would not be touched.

If they really couldn't hold on any longer, they would have someone send the silver to the Everlasting Treasury to exchange it for silver coins.

As for his own family also making large-scale gold purchases, Zhang Xueyan did not do so.

To be honest, apart from the extremely wealthy, it is very difficult for ordinary families to achieve wealth appreciation by hoarding large amounts of gold.

Rather than exchanging silver for gold and waiting for a 10% or 20% appreciation, it's better to exchange silver for assets and earn profits.

Even if you just lend the money out and earn interest, the wealth gained from the appreciation of gold will only take a year to earn back.

Only the national treasury, which cannot engage in venture capital investments and can only be stored in the imperial warehouse, is suitable for conversion between gold and silver.

Meanwhile, in the garrison headquarters, Qi Jiguang waved the letter in his hand and said, "In Lord Wang's letter, he said that he received news that there are also large gold mines on Kyushu Island."

They asked my opinion on whether it was necessary to attempt an attack on the Satsuma Domain.

It is said that it was the most remote and impoverished daimyo in Japan.

"Perhaps it's just a small gold mine."

I've heard that Japan is rich in gold and silver mines, but large mines like the Iwami silver mine and the Sado gold mine are relatively rare.

One of Qi Jiguang's lieutenants, who had been following him closely, spoke up.

"Yes, I've heard about it too."

Most of the daimyo in Japan owned several gold and silver mines, and they maintained their rule by relying on the output of these mines.

The Satsuma Domain in Kyushu is the poorest domain in Japan, so its gold mines couldn't possibly be large.

Liu Ting chimed in.

"The letter said that the gold mine was discovered by secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard by accident."

When they went to Kyushu to investigate the strength of the Satsuma Domain, they heard that there were gold mines there, so they secretly went to check them out and brought back some ore.

Most of the gold ore was of low grade. However, a rock that looked like ore that they picked up in an area where there was no mining was believed by the mine manager to be a high-grade gold ore.

Do you know what this means?

The Satsuma Domain of Japan did indeed mine gold in that area, but they didn't find the real gold mine.

They're probably mining low-grade ore now, so naturally they won't make much money.

Qi Jiguang explained a sentence based on the information in the letter.

"Then, shall I take some men to investigate?"

Liu Ting was a little excited. If he could find a large gold mine for the imperial court, he would definitely deserve a lot of credit.

However, Qi Jiguang simply waved his hand.

"We have basically achieved our objective in this attack on the Japanese, so there is no need to create unnecessary complications."

Even if there really is a large gold mine there, we can figure out a solution once the Japanese have mined it and confirmed it.

Kyushu Island is isolated overseas; if we want to take it, we can just find any excuse.

At present, it is advisable to complete negotiations with the Japanese as soon as possible regarding the status of China's region.

After Qi Jiguang finished speaking, he looked intently at the courtyard outside the house and said in a low voice, "The gold mine is right there, and it won't run away."

If we were to launch such a large-scale attack now, it would be fine if there were any real threats, but in order to maintain our interests, the imperial court would have no choice but to continue sending more troops to Japan.

But what if it's not found?

Or was it just a misjudgment?

That means the Japanese will definitely choose to fight us to the death.

Since the Ming Dynasty would send troops for uncertain gold mines, they must know how many such mines there are around the Japanese islands.

By then, even if they wanted to call it a day, they wouldn't be able to.

Qi Jiguang had already expressed his opinion: he did not want to send troops to explore the gold mines of the Satsuma Domain at this time, but hoped to end the war against the Japanese as soon as possible, consolidate the occupied areas, and restore the mines' production.

"What the commander-in-chief said makes sense."

If they're really interested, we'll wait until they find a big gold mine and start mining it before we rob it.

Anyway, that's how we got the Sado Gold Mine and the Iwami Silver Mine, hahaha!

One of the lieutenants said with a loud laugh.

This statement is not because some generals are afraid of death and want to end the war as soon as possible, but rather a calculated move.

Qi Jiguang was a general skilled in strategy. He would calculate the strength and gains and losses of both sides in order to make the next move.

Given the current situation, sending troops to Kyushu Island would be a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.

Even if you could find a gold mine there that rivals the Sado Gold Mine, it would still be a loss.

Because the imperial court would have to pay an even greater price for this, it was simply not worth it.

It's important to understand that finding a gold mine is not the end, but merely the beginning.

Planning mining and constructing mining areas both require a large amount of manpower and financial support.

Most importantly, there's time.

"I will reply to Lord Wang now and express my opinion."

Qi Jiguang spoke.

His judgment was based on the current situation, so he would directly express his opinions to Wang Xijue.

Qi Jiguang quickly wrote a reply and had his personal guards take it back to Wang Xijue.

Unbeknownst to him, because of his decision, Wang Xijue decided to conceal the news of the Kyushu gold mine, only noting it in the military records of the Ming Dynasty.

As for the Imperial Guards reporting to the capital, that was none of his business.

The Eastern Expeditionary Army did not intend to go to Kyushu to search for that gold mine.

What they didn't know was that the gold mine they had abandoned, located in Kyushu, was also considered the largest gold mine in Japan, later known as the Hishikari Mine.

Sado Gold Mine was the largest gold mine supporting the Edo Shogunate and the largest gold and silver mine mined in Japan from the Edo period to 1989, producing a total of 78 tons of gold and 2300 tons of silver.

The Hishikari mine, located in southern Kyushu, has considerable gold reserves, amounting to approximately 260 tons.

Of course, this is actually quite normal.

After all, gold and silver mines are usually buried underground.

Experienced miners can detect the existence of a mine by looking at the small amount of ore exposed on the surface.

It can even roughly determine the extent of the mining area and its gold content.

But this is ultimately just a judgment, and misjudgments are more common.

There are many mines that, after being dug into, turn out to be completely empty.

The Linggai gold mine was actually discovered a long time ago, but due to a cognitive bias at the time, the location of the mining area was misjudged.

Mining activities were long confined to shallow veins, which were of low grade and had limited economic value, leading to the cessation of exploration and mining activities in 1952 due to unsatisfactory vein conditions.

Even so, mining continued intermittently for hundreds of years.

It wasn't until 1981, when modern geological exploration techniques successfully detected a deep, high-grade ore body, that the region's gold resources were first recognized.

Even if the Ming Dynasty intervenes now, the result will likely be similar to the current situation.

At most, the mining area can be expanded, but it is unlikely that truly high-grade gold ore will be found.

While Ming generals inside Ota Castle were discussing the results of today's negotiations, outside the castle, in the Japanese pirate camp, daimyo such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Terumoto Mori were also discussing similar topics. Of all the daimyo most concerned about the outcome of the ransom purchase of the "Chūgoku region," Terumoto Mori was undoubtedly the one most interested.

If he cannot reclaim the areas occupied by the Ming army, his territory will be reduced by almost 80%, and he will be reduced from a regional lord in Japan to a minor daimyo, no longer having any influence in Japan.

However, when they offered a high price in hopes of getting the Ming army to withdraw, the contemptuous look in the eyes of the opposing commander-in-chief made him realize that the Ming people were not so easily dealt with.

Hideyoshi Hashiba shared the same view.

Therefore, the discussion at this moment focused on the two of them.

"Lord Huiyuan, you should have noticed the attitude of the Ming Dynasty's Commander-in-Chief, right?"

Hideyoshi Hashiba spoke to Terumoto Mori in a deep voice.

Terumoto Mori nodded slightly, indicating his agreement.

"In my opinion, it will be difficult to get them to return the territory unless we offer them more money."

However, since they already know about the Iwami Silver Mine, I believe they won't easily give up the profits they've already secured.

Don't forget, the Ming dynasty also occupied Sado Island.

Everything indicated that they had come prepared.

Hideyoshi Hashiba continued.

His words actually represented the will of the major daimyo of Japan.

Most people believed that it would be difficult to drive the Ming people away except through force.

However, if force is used, the consequences are unpredictable.

The battle at Daejeon Castle had already given the daimyo a sense of the Ming army's fighting strength.

I don't know how many people would die or how much wealth would be lost to achieve this.

Most importantly, putting in the effort doesn't guarantee a result.

If they are ultimately defeated, they will lose everything they have now.

Clearly, this is not in their fundamental interests.

In fact, for most daimyo, it didn't matter who the Japanese king, or rather, who they listened to or bowed to.

The so-called "Emperor" of later generations was actually a result of the Meiji Restoration period, which aimed to elevate the Emperor's status.

During the Warring States period, the Japanese, much like those in ancient China, had their reverence for the "Son of Heaven" at its lowest point.

In 221 BC, King Ying Zheng of Qin conquered the six states, established the Qin Dynasty, and proclaimed himself the First Emperor.

After the grand coronation ceremony, he suddenly remembered a question.

Where is the Zhou emperor, the former ruler of all under heaven?
How should he deal with this symbolic monarch?

The ministers looked at each other, none of them able to answer.

Finally, an old minister stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, the Zhou emperor no longer exists."

Qin Shi Huang was stunned; he had prepared a complete surrender ceremony.

He wanted to show the world that even the Zhou emperor submitted to him.

But now, he can't even find someone to humiliate.

To understand the disappearance of the Zhou emperors, we need to go back to 256 BC.

That year, the last universally acknowledged Zhou emperor, King Nan of Zhou, died in humiliation.

King Nan of Zhou was probably one of the most frustrated monarchs in Chinese history. Although he was called the Son of Heaven, his actual rule was limited to the capital city of Luoyang and a small surrounding area.

The Records of the Grand Historian, in its chapter on the Zhou Dynasty, records an intriguing detail: King Nan of Zhou was described as a monarch "piled up with debts."

Because he owed a huge debt and was unable to repay it, he had no choice but to hide on a high platform to avoid his creditors.

This platform was later known as the "Debt Escape Platform," which is also the origin of the idiom "debt piled high."

Why did King Nan of Zhou incur such a huge debt?
It turns out that he had tried to organize a coalition to attack the Qin state, and in order to raise funds for the war, he borrowed money from wealthy merchants in the country.

Unexpectedly, the allied forces were ultimately defeated, and King Nan of Zhou lost everything. Creditors came knocking on his door demanding repayment.

In fact, the situation of King Zhou She at that time was remarkably similar to that of the monarchs of various European countries at that time.

Foreign wars require the monarch to borrow money from abroad to wage them.

Victory, with principal and interest returned.

If you lose the war, you'll have no choice but to tighten your belt and live a hard life, selling your possessions to pay off debts.

Some commercial nobles still exist in Europe today, and many of their noble titles were obtained through such debt.

The situation was similar in the island nation of Wa, where the daimyo were dissatisfied with the king and unwilling to submit.

In these past few decades, if it weren't for the protection of the Oda clan and the current Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Japanese empire would likely have had a difficult time continuing to exist.

The territory that the Japanese king could control was no longer where they started, but only the city of Kyoto.

Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty is willing to protect them, they will not hesitate to abandon the Japanese king and turn to the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Japanese daimyo, or rather the Japanese "scholars," have long been influenced by Confucian culture and thought, so it is not a problem for them to switch allegiance to a wise ruler. It is just that the person who leads them needs to be carefully examined.

No one was willing to take the lead, and they didn't know the Ming Dynasty's attitude; that was the crux of the problem.

Hideyoshi Hashiba understood the current situation: if he continued to insist on fighting against the Ming Dynasty...

Regardless of the outcome, the enormous investment might deter other daimyo who haven't yet suffered significant losses from taking on the responsibility.

If the war is to continue, it cannot be ruled out that some of them might take risks and secretly collude with the Ming Dynasty.

It would be a good thing for them to end the standoff as soon as possible.

The prerequisite is that Terumoto Mori must first accept reality.

At this point, after Hideyoshi Hashiba frankly explained the current situation to Terumoto Mori, Terumoto naturally had nothing to say.

We can't beat them.

We really can't beat them.

Two hundred thousand men besieging a city of ten thousand men still suffered heavy losses.

Although they did not deploy their most elite troops, it was already evident that the Ming army was formidable in combat.

"I have already explained this to the Emperor."

His opinion was to end the conflict with the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible and achieve peace.

Finally, Hideyoshi Hashiba said to Terumoto Mori, also feeling dejected.

Initially, he wanted to use the glorious victory against the Mongol army a century ago to defeat the Ming army and drive them into the sea.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. After witnessing the Mori army's crushing defeat, the loss at the gates of Ōta Castle made him realize the harsh reality.

After that came the discussion with the King of Wa. After handing over the front line to Kobayakawa Takakage, he went to Kyoto to meet with the King of Wa.

"The Ming people have no intention of leaving."

"It was Terumoto Mori who spoke."

"Yes, Mori-kun, it seems you won't be able to get your territory back."

From then on, your territory will border the Ming people, and you will remain on the front line of defense against the Ming army.

But rest assured, I will explain to the other daimyo that they will all provide assistance.

Your main task is to keep an eye on the Ming army on the other side and prevent them from regrouping and launching a surprise attack on other areas.

Hideyoshi Hashiba did not intend to completely annex the other parts of the Mori clan, but rather to return them to the Mori clan and have them constantly on guard against the Ming army.

Next, he will turn his attention to other places, including the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, as well as Hokkaido in the far north.

The loss of China is a foregone conclusion, but the unification of a world "without China" is still inevitable.

Only by securing internal stability can we repel external threats and drive out the Ming army. (End of Chapter)