Daming talker

Chapter 752: Statement of Account (Part )
Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't know what to say. He was in a disadvantageous position and couldn't say anything confident. In the end, he could only say, "I'd like to hear more about it."

He felt that this statement was a squeeze. What basis did you, Lin Tianshuai, have for making up the three million stones?
But half an hour later, Tokugawa Ieyasu regretted his decision.
After hearing this, Lin Tianshuai immediately began to calculate, and said nonstop: "Three million koku of compensation is really not excessive, Dainagon, please listen to me.

First of all, our army’s annual daily salary is worth 400,000 dan, which is the most basic.”

"Wait!" Tokugawa Ieyasu felt something was wrong and immediately retorted, "I heard that your country of Ming has a distinction between discounted and real money in terms of revenue and expenditure. The discounted money is silver, and the real money is rice. The military pay should be in discounted silver, so where does the rice come from?"

Lin Tianshuai answered without thinking: "Isn't this to make it easier for you Japanese to understand and calculate? Isn't your Japanese finance based on rice?"

I know that rice is expensive in your country Japan, so of course the price we ask for compensation will be based on rice.

Tokugawa Ieyasu felt something was wrong and wanted to say something, but Lin Tianshuai said impatiently: "I am also respecting your Japanese customs, why don't you appreciate it?

And can you please listen to me first? If you keep interrupting me, I will just regard it as you are not sincere and go back to prepare for battle!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu took a deep breath and had to be patient for the time being. Anyway, he had no authorization and no power to agree, so he just listened.

If he couldn't even tolerate this, then he, Tokugawa Ieyasu, would have disappeared in the Warring States Period when he was still called Matsudaira Takechiyo.

So Lin Tianshuai continued, "Secondly, with the annual rations of our 100,000-man army, plus the loss of rations during long-distance transportation, it's not too much to ask you to pay 400,000 dan of rations, right?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu silently calculated that the annual military rations for an army of 100,000 people plus the loss of transportation over thousands of miles, 400,000 stones did not seem to be a lot.

But can this stone be replaced with Akashi? Using Wa-seki to measure is a bit too much.

Then, Lin Tianshuai continued, "Third, for other material losses, such as shipbuilding and repair, relief to Korea, renting and purchasing mules and horses, and various expenses in the rear, it is not too much to ask for 400,000 dan of compensation, right?
You see, just the three major expense bills for our Heavenly Soldiers are already 1.2 million koku, shouldn't you, Japan, compensate for it?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not argue whether these expenditure figures were reasonable or not, but only questioned: "This is only 1.2 million koku, far less than the 3 million koku you claimed before."

Lin Tianshuai was surprised and said, "No way? Grand Minister, don't you consider the lives of the 75,000 soldiers in Busan?
We can't let the Ming army release these 75,000 soldiers for no reason, right? Shouldn't we pay the ransom?
Twenty koku per person is not a lot of money, right? Seventy-five thousand people add up to 1.5 million koku! It should be paid by you, Japan."

Tokugawa Ieyasu argued: "This is unreasonable! If our country compensates your Ming army's expenses, you should be relieved!"

Lin Tailai waved his fist as big as a clay pot. "You say it's unreasonable? You, the defeated army that is about to perish, actually want to reason with the winner?
I remind you again, please face up to your own position, you are not qualified to speak equally. "

Tokugawa Ieyasu had completely lost the desire to "negotiate". The reason why he did not leave was mainly because he wanted to see how outrageous Lin Tianshuai could be.

So Tokugawa Ieyasu deliberately picked on it and said, "One million and two hundred thousand plus one million and a half, that's only two million seven hundred thousand koku, how can there be three million?"

Lin Tianshuai asked doubtfully, "Could it be that people like Honda Tadakatsu, Ii Naomasa, Tachibana Muneshige, Fukushima Masanori, Hosuka Iemasa, Asano Yukinaga, and Chosokabe Motochika be priced at the same level as ordinary foot soldiers?
I don't ask for more. The above seven people are exchanged for 300,000 koku. The total compensation bill is 3 million koku, right?

So I didn’t lie to you. The three million koku was not just something I made up. It was based on facts.”

Tokugawa Ieyasu: “.”

So it was called negotiation, but it was actually blackmail, right? Why did I say "I'd like to hear more"?
No wonder I had a psychological trauma towards the envoy before. When I wanted to talk to Lin Tianshuai in person, the Ming envoy had such a strange expression.

Then Tokugawa Ieyasu bowed slightly and said goodbye.

He felt that today's "informal meeting" could only end here, and he was afraid that he would not be able to bear it if the conversation continued.

Lin Tianshuai stopped Tokugawa Ieyasu and said, "Wait, don't leave in such a hurry. I haven't finished explaining the conditions yet. The three million koku bill just now is just the basic compensation."

Tokugawa Ieyasu couldn't help but widen his eyes. Could it be that three million koku was just an appetizer? Could Lin Tianshuai be even more outrageous?

Then, Lin Tianshuai continued, "For nearly a hundred years, your Japanese Kyushu Island has been causing trouble for our Ming Dynasty!
Especially decades ago, when Japanese pirates ravaged the southeast of our Ming Dynasty, the bandits were mainly ronin from various fiefdoms on Kyushu Island!

And this time when your Japanese invaded Korea, most of the main forces came from the various feudal domains on Kyushu Island!

Therefore, in order to eliminate future troubles, Japan must cede Kyushu Island to the Ming Dynasty, and all the daimyo on Kyushu Island must be transferred."

Tokugawa Ieyasu felt like his chest was about to explode, and shouted at Tianshuai, "Arrogant!"

Scolding Lin Tianshuai face to face was probably one of the most risky things Tokugawa Ieyasu had ever done in his life. This shows how much stimulation Tokugawa Ieyasu received.

Cede the entire Kyushu Island, how dare you!

Lin Tianshuai's shadow once again enveloped Tokugawa Ieyasu's body, and his fierce eyes alone made all the Japanese attendants dare not move.

"Who is so arrogant?" Lin Tianshuai did not take any action, but asked back.

Then he continued, "You came to Korea later. Before you boarded the ship, you must have met Toyotomi Hideyoshi, right?

Toyotomi Hideyoshi must have also talked to you about the Korean issue, right?
Then tell me, what conditions did Toyotomi Hideyoshi have in mind?"

Being so close to Lin Tianshuai, Tokugawa Ieyasu was panting heavily, perhaps because he was nervous or for some other reason, but he did not answer.

Lin Tianshuai sneered: "Even if you don't tell me, I can know it!

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's idea was, first, he wanted to marry a princess of the Ming Dynasty; second, cede half of Korea to Japan; third, trade with the Ming Dynasty; fourth, Korea would submit to Japan; fifth, the Ming Dynasty would swear an eternal alliance with Japan.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's body shook violently and his eyes widened again!

These are Taige’s recent private thoughts. How did Lin Tianshuai know about them?
To be honest, given the current war situation, Taiko's ideas are simply the ravings of a madman.

They've been beaten into this state, with the loss of more than 100,000 soldiers, why are you still acting stupid?

If it were just a conversation behind closed doors in China, it would be fine and the embarrassment would not be spread outside.

But if the Ming people knew about it, it would be a bit embarrassing!
After Lin Tianshuai exposed Toyotomi Hideyoshi's crazy fantasy, he loudly questioned Tokugawa Ieyasu:

"Now tell me, who is the arrogant one? Compared to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's delusion, I just want Kyushu Island, is that too much?

Therefore, you Japanese don't even have the qualifications to accuse me of being arrogant. Who can be more arrogant than you Taiko?

Tsk tsk, he actually wants the Princess of the Ming Dynasty to marry? How dare an old monkey like him think of this? Doesn’t he know how to write the word shame? "

Tokugawa Ieyasu's face flushed, as if he was furious, and he yelled at Lin Tianshuai. Lin Tianshuai was stunned. It had been a long time since anyone dared to be so bold in front of him.

However, he did not understand Japanese and was worried about misjudgment, so he asked Shen Weijing, who was acting as an interpreter, "What did Tokugawa say?"

Shen Weijing had no expression on his face, and translated very professionally and seriously:
"Tian Shuai, go tell that idiot Taiko that I, Tokugawa, am just a lord of Kanto. What do you say to me?"

This translation was perfectly faithful, expressive and elegant, leaving Lin Tianshuai speechless for a long time.

How could the negotiations go so smoothly? Wasn't Tokugawa Ieyasu mentally stable?

So Lin Tianshuai said sympathetically: "Why don't we just stop here today and sign our names after we have each obtained authorization from the court?"

Does this mean that there won’t be any discussion next time, just come up and sign and seal the document?
Shen Weijing looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu with sympathy and said, "I advised you not to deal directly with Tianshuai. Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

After the informal meeting, Lin Tianshuai urgently reported to the court, explaining the latest situation.

As expected, the Ministry of War, on behalf of the imperial court, authorized Lin Tianshuai to make an on-the-spot decision on whether to fight or make peace, but the final result still needed the approval of the imperial court.

This is the advantage of having no one to restrain you in the court. If the Prime Minister and the Minister of War were not his own people, Lin Tianshuai might not have dared to enter the court with confidence.

After obtaining permission to "let one ship go", the Japanese general Tokugawa Ieyasu sent Asano Nagamasa back to his country by ship to report the situation to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Even Asano Nagamasa returned faster than the Ming court's authorization decree.

After all, Kyushu Island is just across the sea from Busan, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi happened to be in Nagoya Castle on Kyushu Island.

"Does Taiko have any orders?" Tokugawa Ieyasu asked Asano Nagamasa impatiently.

Asano Nagamasa replied: "The Taiko has ordered that we can negotiate peace with the Ming army.

But we have to achieve two goals: one is to let the remaining soldiers return home, and the other is to release the captured generals. "

Tokugawa Ieyasu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He hoped that Taiko could wake up, face the reality and withdraw his troops.

He was afraid that Taiko would continue to criticize them and force them to fight to the death in Busan, preferring to die in glory rather than live in disgrace.

There are probably two reasons for this. One is that Taige's concubine was pregnant, and Taige's attention began to shift away from Joseon, looking forward to the birth of a new heir. The other is that Taige was scared by the beating and completely lost confidence.

"Thank you." Tokugawa Ieyasu nodded and said, "I will help you contact the Ming army tomorrow, or you can go directly to the Ming camp."

Asano Nagamasa looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu with a strange expression, "The Taiko has also ordered that the Grand Councilor will be responsible for the negotiations and signing."

Tokugawa Ieyasu: “.”

Taiko is not only awake, but he is too awake!

He sent Asano Nagamasa back to the country to report the situation, which was obviously his intention to let Asano Nagamasa represent Taiko in the negotiations.

As the chief retainer and head of the Toyotomi family, Asano Nagamasa was definitely qualified to negotiate with the Ming army.

As a result, that damn Taiko insisted on blaming Tokugawa Ieyasu, right?

It can be imagined that in order to achieve the goal, a huge price must be paid and a "humiliating" peace treaty must be signed.

Letting Tokugawa Ieyasu sign the contract on his own, wouldn't that be equivalent to letting Tokugawa Ieyasu take the blame or even bear the infamy?
Taiko, you want the remaining soldiers to return to the country and release the captured generals. It is obvious that this is to win back the hearts of the people.

But does Tokugawa Ieyasu have to share the blame and infamy?
It can be said that the disastrous defeat in the expedition to Korea must have greatly damaged Taiko's prestige, so Taiko wanted to drag him, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the "second most important person in the world", into the water with him. If they want to be embarrassed, then let them be embarrassed together?
Asano Nagamasa bowed slightly and nodded, saying, "Thank you very much. Whether we can bring everyone back to the country safely depends on you, the Grand Minister!"

What else could Tokugawa Ieyasu do? He could only curse Taiko in his heart for giving birth to a son who died young, while angrily sending people to contact the Ming camp.

I’m afraid that seeing Lin Tianshuai once will shorten my life by five years.

But he currently has no ability to resist Taiko, so he can only bite the bullet and carry out the order.

A few days later, outside Jinhai City, at the same place where they had met last time, Lin Tianshuai and Tokugawa Dainagon met for the second time.

This time both parties have been authorized and can sign the contract at any time, so the negotiation scene is much more formal.

Tents were set up on site, tables and chairs were provided, and there were scribes on hand to take notes.

Lin Tianshuai sat on the custom-made chair and took the initiative to speak: "Is there anything wrong with the bill I listed last time?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu replied, “I totally disagree with this.”

Lin Tianshuai was not in a hurry and asked again: "Why can't you accept it?
Tokugawa Ieyasu said: "I cannot accept rice as compensation, and I cannot accept stone as compensation!"

Lin Tianshuai emphasized: "This is to respect your financial habits!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu defended himself by saying, "It's like raising a child. You want him to grow up but don't feed him. The end result is that you will end up draining the pond and catching all the fish!"

There is an old saying in your country that food is the first necessity of the people. Rice is the foundation of life for our country, and it is absolutely impossible to pay it to your country as compensation!

So please convert it into silver instead of rice as compensation! Our country is willing to pay a reasonable amount to reach a settlement! "

Lin Tianshuai waved his hand and said helplessly: "I really can't do anything about you small countries with scarce resources. Three million dan of rice is like asking for your life.

Then let's change it to compensation in silver taels. Three million shi of rice will be changed to three million taels of silver! The unit is our Ming tael, not your Japanese tael!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu: “.”

What difference does it make whether you change this or not? Your rice sells for one dan of silver, and it's not a year of great famine!

Three million taels of silver, that's a huge amount of money, and it's a relief that you can even say it. It won't kill you!
Lin Tianshuai said with a half-smile: "I have already made a concession, but you still don't seem satisfied?
What? You still want to check the bill? Actually, let me tell you, if you convert it from rice, the three million taels of silver is still too much for my kindness!"

(End of this chapter)