Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 471 Silver Money War
For Japan, the shadow of the old era seems to have not completely dissipated - after the death of every "world person", "heroes compete" again.

After Oda Nobunaga, there was a period of chaos and Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to power; after Toyotomi Hideyoshi, there was another period of chaos and Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power.

Now that Tokugawa Ieyasu is dead, the conflict would not have broken out, and it did not break out immediately.

However, the Edo Shogunate used the daimyo who were related to the domains and the daimyo who were hereditary successors to suppress the daimyo who were outside the domains, and also came up with methods such as the "Laws for the Military Houses" to continuously weaken the power of the daimyo who were outside the domains. It did not seem surprising that this contradiction broke out after the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu - it had been like this for the past few decades, it was just two or three years late.

But this time it is completely different: no matter how they fought in the past, it was nothing more than infighting; now, the Ming Dynasty is watching covetously.

The sudden "backstabbing" of outer daimyo such as Mori Terumoto and Shimazu Yoshihiro was, of course, also because they served as cannon fodder on the front line.

There was no real threat from foreign enemies to Japan. The Mongols more than 300 years ago were so arrogant that they came with great force, but didn't they return in defeat in the end? The so-called divine wind blessing was inevitable. For the Mongols of that era, even if they had the help of the newly conquered Song people and Goryeo people with their ships, they could not work together, and they had problems with navigation technology and landing combat experience, so the possibility of failure was indeed higher.

In addition, the Kamakura shogunate had been stable for decades at that time, and the whole government was united.

What now?
On the one hand, they believed that the Ming Dynasty's strategy this time was more solid and that it was willing to spend more money and food to consolidate the bridgehead of Tsushima Island first, and the situation was indeed more serious; on the other hand, they still believed that the Ming Dynasty would not be able to continue under a long-term struggle.

Because they have never been completely conquered, they do not take that kind of outcome as the basis for thinking about or making decisions.

So, on the one hand, the war will be more brutal, more stalemate, and more lasting, but on the other hand, the war will still end with at least "peace talks". Is it strange that the outer daimyo are unwilling to serve as the main resistance force on the front line?
No matter how you look at it, the direct forces of the shogunate far away in Edo had the motivation to use this battle to completely cripple the main forces among the outer daimyo.

Mori Terumoto, together with Shimazu Yoshihiro, Fukushima Masanori and others, suddenly launched a joint action to defeat the troops of Naoshige Nabeshima, the vanguard general of the Anti-Islamic Army Headquarters. The situation on the front line of Kyushu and the west suddenly changed.

Of course the war of words began immediately, but the key point of Mori Terumoto's speech was just one sentence: the headquarters of the anti-barbarian army should be closer to the front line, and with the caliber of the Shogun, he should personally lead the forces of the daimyo and the hereditary daimyo as the main force to resist the barbarians.

Not to mention anything else, the Kansai navy led by the Mori family has been destroyed on Iki Island. Where are the main forces of the shogunate deployed?
There are still a few months before the end of the summer with frequent storms at sea. During this time, the shogunate needs to make a choice: should it lead the main force forward to the headquarters of the Mori coalition, appease the grievances of the Mori and other outer daimyo, and serve as the main force to resist foreign enemies, or should it start a civil war again, or let the western provinces and Kyushu break away from the shogunate's control first?
How will the Ming army on Tsushima Island take advantage of this situation? Or is the formation of this situation related to them? Has the Mori coalition sold something to the Ming Dynasty and is preparing to use their power?
Honda Masanobu and his son and Ishin Soden were unable to accurately answer these questions of Tokugawa Hidetada.

"After the two battles in Osaka, we should use that bastard Naito Motomori as an excuse to completely eliminate the Mori family!" Tokugawa Hidetada gritted his teeth, "Father, why do you have to worry so much!"

"…General…"

Honda Masanobu could only say this, but he could not say that the strength of the outer daimyo was not weak, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was almost exhausted after the winter and summer battles in Osaka. If he had attacked Mori Terumoto without finding solid evidence at that time, would the Tokugawa family have been able to win the battle against the outer daimyo coalition at the time of the transition between the old and the new?

"From the Koreans who escaped, we already knew that the Ming army had plans for an expedition! We originally planned to let them be consumed in the war against the barbarians first, but what about the possibility that they would become dogs of the Ming Dynasty? Didn't we take that into account?"

Tokugawa Hidetada looked unfriendly.

His father was still alive at that time. Although he had the title of shogun, the people who made the decisions were Tokugawa Ieyasu and his important retainers behind the scenes.

"Of course it's within the calculation, General." Yi Xin Chong Chuan said, "The plan to defend against the barbarians does not need to be changed. The power controlled by the shogunate is still absolutely superior, and it is a fact that the Ming army has gone on a long expedition. The only thing that needs to be firmly defended is the east where the headquarters is located, Kanto! Even if the Ming army is not in a hurry to win a big victory, as long as it does not attack Kanto, it cannot be considered a victory."

"So, we have to fight the Mori coalition and the Ming army at the same time?" Tokugawa Hidetada asked angrily, "If we don't appease them, what if they let the Ming army advance its headquarters to Kyushu Island or even the main island..."

Honda Masanobu shook his head. "No matter what, fighting will consume a lot of food and supplies. Even if the Ming army reaches Honshu Island, if they want to reduce the burden of transporting food and supplies from Ming and Korea, they must plunder from our country. By then, the western countries and Kyushu will naturally complain and long for the rescue of the anti-barbarian army. Mori Terumoto is far inferior to his father. What they are doing is unjust."

Tokugawa Hidetada understood what they meant.

There is no need to take risks. With the strength of the shogunate's direct line of forces, as long as they are willing to shrink the defense line, they can always cause greater losses to the Ming army.

This battle against the barbarians had been prepared for many years.

Tokugawa Ieyasu heard the news from the Koreans who had fled here. Of course, the best outcome of this battle would be that the shogunate would be able to defend against enemies in the west and Kyushu and thus increase its prestige, and further deplete the strength of the southwestern daimyo.

The second result was a difficult and protracted battle, and the Ming army lost more than it gained by taking advantage of the terrain and passes in Kansai. Although this could achieve the goal of completely destroying the outer daimyo, the shogunate would also have to pay a heavy price. Therefore, in this situation, it was necessary to let the Ming army retreat on its own rather than negotiate, so that the shogunate could still have the prestige of victory over the barbarians.

Of course, the worst outcome is self-evident. Since the Tokugawa family has already opened the door, they must resist.

Now the Mori coalition is lagging behind at a time when they should be "united against the enemy". Although the shogunate has an excuse to use them as cannon fodder, they can be blamed for the corruption of the western part of Japan, Kyushu and Kansai afterwards. If the shogunate can achieve the result of repelling the enemy under such circumstances, its prestige will be higher.

So what Honda Masanobu is saying now is: Maybe this will make the battle more difficult, but as long as it is delayed, there will be variables.

The further forward the Ming army's front line was, the greater the logistical pressure.

If the Mori coalition did not actually act like dogs, they would still have to face the Ming army directly. After all, the longer it dragged on, the higher the possibility that the kamikaze would strike again. In order to end the war as soon as possible, the Ming army must have needed to establish a wider frontier position in Kyushu and the main island.

If they wanted to reduce the logistical pressure, they could only plunder the local area. And the local area was mostly the territory of the outer daimyo anyway. If they let the Ming army plunder, Mori Terumoto and others would have a greater reputation for being unjust. If they were to be a dog and invite the Ming army to land, their reputation would be even worse.

What's more, if they were treated like dogs, and the Ming army continued to attack Gyeonggi and even Kanto, wouldn't they still be required to serve as vanguards?
Tokugawa Hidetada asked solemnly: "What if they help the Ming army to attack Osaka, Gyeonggi and even Edo directly from the sea?"

"No matter what, if the Ming army wants to win, they must attack the shogunate, force it to surrender, or even try to defeat it. Because of this, they need to concentrate their forces to defend Osaka, Kyoto, and Edo." Yi Xin Chong Chuan shook his head, "Besides, the Ming army must not dare to trust people like Mori Terumoto. If they cannot confirm their surrender, the Ming army dare not go deep into the Seto Inland Sea."

Honda Masanobu also said: "Shogun, in short, the worst move is to consume the main force of the shogunate in the first battle on land. The Ming army has been slow to deploy its main force in the landing operation because it is worried about the complex terrain and the land battle on unfamiliar land. But they have been entrenched in Tsushima Island for three years, and I believe they can't continue like this. No matter how rich the Ming country is, it can't afford endless waiting."

"If Mori Terumoto and his gang make this choice, the Ming army will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to start fighting in the fall. By then, it will be very clear what the position of the Mori coalition is. And with only a few months left, we won't have enough time to penetrate deep into the southwest and ensure that the Mori coalition will not attack the main force of the shogunate like they did to Nabeshima-san."

"Naoshige-kun..." Tokugawa Hidetada showed a regretful expression, and then said angrily, "Let his son inherit his honor. Tell the other daimyo who are still hesitating, no matter what the considerations of Mori Terumoto and others are, the unjust people are not worthy of ruling the western countries and other places! Focus on resisting the barbarians. After success, there will be no more daimyo under the shogunate, and they will all be hereditary and friendly vassals. This is a battle for me, Tokugawa Hidetada, to defend the country under the order of the emperor. I hope they can all make meritorious contributions!"

"General, you are right. That is exactly what we should do!"

Although it is very dangerous, it is also an opportunity.

At this moment, even though the situation became more serious, the Edo Shogunate still believed that they would win the final victory and could use the territories of the defeated southwestern daimyo to distribute the benefits and make the rule of the Edo Shogunate more stable.

After all, it is a battle on home soil, and after all, we have the advantages of geographical location and public support.

It has been more than 150 years since the Onin War, and all countries are looking forward to stability.

If a foreign country invaded at this time, the shogunate could at least uphold the righteous cause as long as it showed a firm attitude of resistance.

Therefore, the main force of the shogunate must not lose the first battle with the Ming army, and must not be in a situation where it has to face a strong enemy while having to take teammates into consideration.

Even if they need to face the Ming army and the Maori coalition at the same time.

As long as the first battle is not a complete defeat, then half the battle is won.

"So, they are all true heroes, and they are really confronting each other this time?"

Another winter had passed in the farm on Tsushima Island, and he smiled and asked Yanagawa for some fun.

"That's right, Governor-General." Yanagawa Tiaoxing said respectfully, "One is a man known as the wisest general, who single-handedly made the Mori family from a small clan to a ruling family of ten countries. The other is one of the three people of the world, Tosho Daigongen, who eventually founded the Edo Shogunate. Now, their sons have completely broken up."

Tian Le looked at the head in the box in front of him, with a meaningful smile on his face: "Can the head of a shogunate vanguard general be considered a complete break? Moreover, in this battle, they had the help of the Ming Dynasty, so they did not hold back."

Yanagawa Tiaoxing was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head: "Although Naoshige Nabeshige is just one of the hereditary daimyo, this is an absolute provocation to the shogunate."

"Not enough." Tianle shook his head. "Go tell Mori Terumoto that once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. What excuses does he have after doing this? Since he has been willing to be a minister of the shogunate for so many years, he should not dream of replacing the Tokugawa family one day. If he is determined to be a minister of the Ming Dynasty, he should lead the army and advance to the capital first. Create a good situation for the heavenly soldiers, then I don't have to land in his territory, but go straight to Kyoto and Edo!"

"...Yes, I obey your command."

Tian Le added: "If he does well, he will have a seat in the Japanese court in the future, and his power will be far beyond that of today's small lords. There is no two suns in the sky, and he must understand that this is not just a small fight they had on this island before. This governor has already petitioned Your Majesty, if he can make special achievements and send his granddaughter to serve Your Majesty, he can be given the name Mao Huiyuan and become a member of the Chinese clan from now on."

"...Master Mao will surely be grateful for the grace."

"You go." Tian Le looked at him deeply, "You too. First, stabilize Shimazu Yoshihiro. It would be best if he could send more soldiers away from Kyushu. I will land on the island soon. You ask Li Dan and other small lords on Kyushu to wait for the order. The news must not be leaked. Anyone who knows about it on Kyushu must welcome me in Nagasaki. Once this is done, you will change your surname to Liu and follow my son to work in Kyushu."

"Thank you for your grace, sir!"

Liuchuan Tiaoxing was already very clear about the Ming Dynasty's intentions.

The saying "there can't be two suns in the sky" means that no one can be emperor here - the Ming Dynasty is going to make a big change, not just to get rid of the years of Japanese pirates and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea.

The three true descendants of the royal family have arrived at Tsushima Island. In the future, there will be three kingdoms in Japan. Those who can continue to stay in these three kingdoms are those who have changed their surnames and customs and are now called the Chinese. Those who can continue to stay here must be absolutely loyal and obedient, and must make great contributions to the Ming Dynasty's war. As for the others who are temporarily "recruited" by this adult to reduce losses, if they just wait and see without resistance, they will be dealt with separately in the future.

The Shimazu family must be used to appease Ryukyu and comfort the heroic souls of the Ming generals and soldiers who died in Korea.

It was not until recently that Yanagawa Tiaoxing learned that the son of Lord Tian had joined the Ming Trading Company, which had been trading with the red seal ships in recent years, many years ago, and they had no idea how long they had been preparing.

He now even suspected that those Ming merchants in Nagasaki had also come here with a purpose.

Walking out of here, Tsushima Island is already full of people.

After three years of preparation, countless ports have been built in suitable bays on Tsushima Island. From the wide view of this mountain city, the sails are like endless black clouds, busy coming and going.

When he arrived at the dock, several ships were approaching.

The Mongols and their war horses came down from the boats. Although most of them looked pale, Yanagawa Tiaoxing could only see the expectation of plunder in their eyes.

The nobleman who greeted them at the dock and was responsible for gathering them is said to be the current king of the Mongols.

Yanagawa Choxing knew that not many Mongols came in the past two years and that their gains along the coast of Kyushu Island were not great.

But now, more cavalry arrives every few days.

The small island of Tsushima has become increasingly crowded and will soon be unable to carry so many troops - even if the Ming Dynasty has more cargo ships, it will not be able to transport more food and supplies.

It will definitely happen this year.

The most important thing is: Ming Dynasty also has a real fleet, and another army will come from Ryukyu.

During the siege of Naoshige Nabeshima, the Nagasaki merchants captured the port of Nagasaki with the help of only three Ming warships. This made the remaining navy of the Mori family and the Shimazu family terrified by the combat power of the Ming warships, and then they really went all out.

They therefore believed that as long as they tied down more shogunate troops in the capital, the Ming would have the strength to attack Osaka Bay and Edo Bay directly.

The relatively flat area over there was indeed more suitable for looting by the Mongolian vassal army.

The lords who received the Ming Dynasty's mandate could protect the people under their rule from loss. As a result, the Maori coalition felt that this deal was worthwhile.

However, these "mandates" are not given to everyone.

Only the Mori family, who had previously sent their granddaughter to the Ming Dynasty, knew the Ming Dynasty's true intentions.

At the dock, he waited for Mr. Tian's son to meet his father and then come over to set off for Nagasaki together.

As the son of the true "Shogun" of the Ming Dynasty, all the achievements of Mr. Tian will be attributed to his son. According to the Ming Dynasty, he will become a duke, second only to the king in the country of Japan.

Liuchuan Tiaoxing believes that his original choice was correct.

There was no way, he had already deeply realized how strong the Ming army was.

In the distance, dull artillery sounds were heard again from the camp of the Ming army's real legitimate troops.

The iron artillery team, which was cherished by many daimyo, was like a toy in front of the artillery and guns of the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.

And what are the shogunate's foot soldiers in front of the Nine Thunder Guns?
Yanagawa Choxing felt that the shogunate could not be blamed for still having the courage to resist. After all, the Ming army was not invincible on the Korean battlefield more than 20 years ago.

They really had to resist, and they also knew that the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were now more powerful.

It's just that they may have greatly underestimated the speed at which the Ming army's combat effectiveness had improved in the past twenty years, or they may have been confused by the Ming army's hesitation on the Tsushima Island.

They are waiting for another army!

To the east of Fujian, Penghu also has sailboats covering the sky.

After launching the Zhiyuan for further sea trials, Shen Yourong came here to meet the owners and managers of various Takuai Tuanlian foreign companies.

After looking at ship after ship of food, he only asked: "How many more ships can you organize?"

"In reply to the Marquis, we will only do business here in the next two years. Our four foreign companies, plus some other families we persuaded, have more than 1,200 large and small seagoing ships."

"Most of them can only sail along the coast, right?" Shen Yourong said, "The small boats can only go to Penghu at most, and then transfer to large ships to go to Nagasaki via Ryukyu. It's better to be safe, and the land forces don't need to rush."

"This……"

"I will write to Duke Wei. We have taken Kyushu Island this year, so we need to rest and recuperate. They have landed on the island one after another, and there will be plenty of opportunities for them to make contributions later."

Shen Yourong glanced at them and said, "Why are you in such a dilemma? Japan is rich in gold and silver. You will get your share when you get there."

"I dare not, but I will obey your orders, my Lord."

"Let's start shipping. Let's ship it to Ryukyu first. There will be people there to check the goods. Military supplies are charged by ship. The other grain and salt goods are exchanged by you. You must drive the ship carefully. If it capsizes, Ryukyu will only recognize the actual amount received."

"understand……"

The foreign companies in Takumi were planning something big. This time, they responded enthusiastically to the national policy and exchanged their silver, coins and private money. However, the imperial court did not give them new money, but instead gave them food and other supplies.

They will be transported to Ryukyu and then to Japan, and the payment will be made directly from the captives from Japan.

Of course, there were other goods in Ryukyu that they could bring back. After selling them, they could continue to exchange silver for supplies, thus doing business while fighting.

At the same time, solve some logistical transportation problems.

Now, the first batch of silver ingots dug out from the cellars of the homes of convicted officials and gentry have arrived in the capital.

"Although more copper is needed, one silver dollar is only worth 500 coins, so ordinary people can save up for it in the future." Zhu Changluo said after listening to Wang Heng's report, "Inform all branches and sub-branches in various places that when exchanging money, they must give priority to silver dollars and large-denomination coins."

"I understand," Wang Heng asked. "The machines, mother coins and coin molds have been delivered to Dongdu, and Nandu will arrive by the end of August. Should more of the silver and copper materials shipped from Burma be left in Dongdu?"

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "You can make the overall decision on this aspect. Since Jiangnan has behaved well, the amount needed next is indeed greater. The foreign bank's approach is very good. We can try it out in Jiangnan and let them take out the cash first, and then take out the silver dollars after one or two years. We can make the time deposit certificates mentioned before and give them a certain interest. In this way, we can slow down the shortage of new money."

"…I'm afraid that word will get out again. The court wants them to donate silver."

"Simple, the deposit slip is made by the emperor, and I will carve the imperial seal. Those who trust me and the court now will be rewarded in the future. Those who are willing to do so will be given priority to be the candidate for the shop owner."

"I understand!"

Zhu Changluo looked forward to it: "I wonder how much gold and silver is left in the Japanese gold and silver mountains that have been dug out over the years. Unfortunately, I heard that the output is no longer as high as it used to be."

Wang Heng just smiled. That was probably quite a lot, after all, they had been digging for so many years.

Since the Taichang Dynasty, maritime trade with Japan has relied solely on smuggling.

"You need to inform the Privy Council," Zhu Changluo reminded again, "Let the Mongols and Jurchens plunder, but don't let them take away the gold, silver and copper. Even if they do, exchange them for goods, even if it's a bit troublesome to make a list, and then take them from the border market when they come back."

He wanted to give Japan to a cousin and two younger brothers, but not to them in its entirety.

How can we go on a long expedition and gain nothing?
The resistance to the implementation of the new currency system has been initially eliminated, but now it is necessary to ensure the efficiency of the supply of new currency.

The coin-minting machines in the Gold and Silver Castle are turning so fast that smoke is coming out!
The Eastern Expedition was a war that had to be waged not only to settle old grudges and long-term strategic issues, but also to meet the short-term demand for silver and money!

(End of this chapter)