The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 145 Japan's "Ming Blow"

After Fei Chun and Lin Jianxing explained their affairs, they stayed in Nagasaki for another five days.

The Ming fleet that escorted the two men also patrolled outside the port for five days.

Let everyone inside and outside Nagasaki Port know that the Ming fleet had come to Nagasaki and discussed very important matters with the Nagasaki Bugyo of the shogunate.

After Tsuchiya Masanobu and two other Nagasaki magistrates received the Ming envoys, Tsuchiya Masanobu himself immediately rushed to Edo to pay a visit to the shogun.

Wait at the Edo Castle waiter's seat, then enter the audience room in the throne room to meet the current shogun, Tokugawa Ieharu.

Present the letter from Ming Wu Wang Zhu Jianxuan, and then personally report the situation of the Ming envoy.

The Nagasaki Bugyo originally had the function of collecting intelligence, and the intelligence from the Central Plains region of Shenzhou was called "Tang-style storytelling."

The content of the letter from King Wu of the Ming Dynasty was the more elegant and formal expression requested by the envoy.

Tokugawa Ieharu read the contents of the letter roughly, and after listening to Tsuchiya Masanobu's retelling of the Ming envoy's words, he was completely stunned:

"What? The Ming Dynasty is going to bring sixty ships of more than one thousand tons to Edo? To help our Japanese people? Is this real relief?"

Tsuchiya Masanobu immediately explained his speculation about the possible purpose of the Ming Dynasty:
“Yes, but in my opinion, the Ming people intended to force Japan to open up its country, completely lift restrictions on the Ming people, and allow Japanese samurai to go abroad to serve the Ming King Wu.

"Since the Ming Dynasty's Chongzhen Emperor fled south to fight the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has allowed merchants and craftsmen to enter the court. Now the emperor is being manipulated by businessmen and industrialists.

“If the Ming people are allowed to travel freely, it will inevitably lead to rampant merchants in Japan and chaos among the people.

“But the Ming warships were huge, each carrying dozens or even hundreds of cannons.

"The Ming Dynasty also has an unusually large number of warships, including steam-powered ships that can sail without wind and traverse the seas without resistance..."

Tokugawa Ieharu also understood these situations, so he looked worried when he heard the report:

"How can this be good..."

Tokugawa Ieharu couldn't think of any solution, so he asked someone to invite the shogunate's elder councilor Tanuma Okitsugu to come.

The status of the Shogunate's Rōchū was similar to that of the Cabinet's Grand Secretary in the Ming Dynasty.

Tanuma Okitsugu was the most trusted elder councilor of Tokugawa Ieharu, and his status was somewhat similar to that of the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty court.

After Tanuma Okitsugu entered the audience room, Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu asked Tsuchiya Masanobu to explain the situation again, and then personally asked Tanuma Okitsugu for his opinion.

After hearing this, Tanuma Okitsugu was actually quite delighted and said:

"General, this is a good thing."

Tokugawa Ieharu and Tsuchiya Masanori were stunned:
"Good thing? This is actually a good thing?"

"Can we use this as an excuse to ask for support from the Qing Dynasty?"

Tanuma Okitsugu immediately introduced it enthusiastically:

"In my opinion, the Ming Dynasty is now reviving, or has already been revived.

"The Nagasaki Bugyo has reported before that the Ming fleet had won a great victory in its expedition to North America and Europe a few years ago.

"Two years ago, a peace treaty was signed in Yingtian Prefecture, and the British overseas colonies were swept away by the Ming Dynasty.

"The Ming Dynasty therefore expanded its territory by tens of thousands of miles overseas and acquired several vassal states in Europe. The Dutch have already recognized the Ming King Wu as their king.

"In order to avoid conflict with the Ming Dynasty, Qingyi has tacitly signed a joint contract with the Ming Dynasty as a vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

"But this is meaningless now. The Ming army and navy have tested their military might in North America, and the annihilation of the Qing is imminent.

"The best outcome is that they will pay tribute and be driven to the northeast or even America, the worst outcome is that they will be completely exterminated.

"The Ming Dynasty is now trying to win over Japan in preparation for the annihilation of the Qing barbarians.

"The Qing Dynasty should no longer dare to support Japan in its hostility towards the Ming Dynasty."

Tokugawa Ieharu still couldn't understand:

"Does the old minister think... that what the Ming Dynasty is doing now is to win over Japan?
"If Japan allows Ming merchants to run rampant, it will obviously be detrimental to the stability of the Japanese archipelago.

"Besides, even if the Ming Dynasty is revived, it may not be a good thing for Japan, right?"

Tanuma Okitsugu himself was particularly concerned about overseas affairs and was a representative of the radical faction in Japan that attached importance to industry and commerce.

Now the most developed industrial and commercial place in Shenzhou is Daming. As Tanuma Okitsugu got to know Daming in depth, he also became a "Ming fan".

Tanuma Okitsugu had already had his own thoughts and plans on how to deal with the relationship between Japan and the Ming Dynasty.

Now, after hearing the general's question, he directly expressed his thoughts:
“The reason why the Ming Dynasty was able to revive was because Emperor Chongzhen changed the previous strategy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and began to pay attention to and encourage the development of industry and commerce.

"The craftsmen and merchants of the Ming Dynasty manufactured new weapons and warships for the emperor, providing him with abundant taxes.

"Since the middle and late Chongzhen period, the Ming emperor has never been short of money.

"The Ming Dynasty was able to reverse the tide of decline and rise again thanks to the menial labor of industry and commerce that was despised by the emperors of China in the past.

"If Japan wants to resolve its domestic chaos, it should learn from the Ming Dynasty.

"Allowing Ming craftsmen and merchants to come to Japan would make it easier for Japan to learn quickly and directly.

“As to whether the Ming Dynasty’s revival is a good thing or a bad thing, it should be viewed from two aspects.

"If Japan regards Ming as an enemy country, then the revival of Ming is certainly a bad thing, and Japan today is simply unable to confront it.

"Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with his might of sweeping away the Warring States Period, fought against the Ming army in Korea, but was still defeated. Japan, which had enjoyed peace for more than a hundred years, was no match for him.

"During the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the navy was not valued, which was why Japan was able to continue to live in peace overseas after the war.

"The current Ming navy is able to travel across the world and can expedition to Europe and America, which are thousands of miles away. Japan, which is so close, is obviously unable to resist.

“But if Japan regards the Ming Dynasty as its father and brother, then the revival of the Ming Dynasty would certainly be a great thing.

"From Hongwu to Chongzhen, Korea served the Ming Dynasty as a father and brother, and the Ming Dynasty also treated Korea as a son.

“The Ming emperor never interfered in the internal affairs of Korea, but when Korea was in danger, he would directly send troops to protect the survival of the Korean Kingdom.

"When Toyotomi Hideyoshi entered Korea, the Ming Dynasty was already dealing with the Luchuan War, but it still dispatched troops to rescue Korea.

"Even if we only consider the present, the Ming Dynasty's request is a good thing for us.

“Now that disasters are raging in Japan, if the victims are not properly handled, they may turn into rioters, causing endless troubles.

"Only by relying on the Ming navy to transfer these rioters can Japan be saved from danger." After hearing this, Tokugawa Ieharu remained silent, his mind spinning wildly.

It seems that sending the rioters and ronin away is indeed a good thing.

Neither Tsuchiya Masanori, Tokugawa Ieharu, nor Tanuma Okitsugu had ever considered the issue of consular jurisdiction.

In Zhu Jianxuan's previous life of modern international relations, consular jurisdiction was of course very sensitive.

Modern countries, regardless of size, are nominally completely equal, and at the same time, these countries are not subordinate to each other, which means they are completely independent.

In such an environment, granting foreign countries consular jurisdiction would mean losing judicial independence, which is certainly intolerable.

However, within the traditional Shenzhou cultural circle, there is no concept of consular jurisdiction at all.

The emperor of the Shenzhou Central Dynasty Empire was inherently unequal to the monarchs of other surrounding countries, and the surrounding countries were originally vassals of the Central Empire.

At least it has to be nominally recognized as a vassal state before it can enter this circle and speak out.

In the eyes of the emperor of the Shenzhou Empire, allowing the barbarians in the border areas to manage themselves is a typical governance solution with a long history.

From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were a large number of foreign chieftains inside and outside the territory of the Divine Continent and the Celestial Empire.

The Emperor of Shenzhou does not think this is consular jurisdiction.

Just adapt to local conditions.

Including Macau during the Ming Dynasty and the early and middle Qing Dynasty, in the political logic of the central court, it was just a foreign chieftain.

The Portuguese in Macau had to cooperate with the Ming army in combat and search for and present Western things to Ming officials and the emperor.

The county magistrates and yamen runners in charge of local affairs in the Ming Dynasty could go directly to Macau to arrest and try people.

Of course, the local Portuguese did not tell the truth, but they had no choice but to cooperate with the demands of the Ming and Qing courts, and what they did was no different from what the chieftains did.

In the eyes of the vassal states surrounding Shenzhou, the Emperor of Shenzhou was their overlord and leader.

It was reasonable and legal for the emperor of the Celestial Empire to arrange officials to manage the Celestial people active in the vassal states, and it could also reduce a lot of trouble for the vassal states.

The officials of the lower country do not know how to deal with the people of the upper country. It would certainly be best if there were angels from the upper country stationed in the local area to handle it personally.

However, within this circle with an orderly hierarchy, there is a problematic member.

That is the relatively isolated island nation of Japan.

When the better-quality lands within the Japanese archipelago were completely ruled by one monarch, their self-confidence swelled to the extreme.

So from the very beginning, when greeting the Shenzhou Dynasty, he tried to address the Emperor of Shenzhou as an equal.

There was a whole thing called "The Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun visits the Emperor of the Land of the Setting Sun".

The title of Emperor is still used today.

So after thinking about it for a while, Tokugawa Ieharu had to bring up this issue for discussion:

"If we serve the Ming Dynasty as fathers and brothers, where will His Majesty the Emperor be placed?"

Tanuma Okitsugu said decisively:

"The word 'Tenno' is obviously the title of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, Japan learned from the Tang Dynasty's cultural system reforms to establish its country, so it learned it directly.

"All ancient documents in Japan that mention the word 'Emperor' date back to after the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.

"It's just being arrogant behind closed doors in Japan.

"Once the Ming Dynasty is revived, especially with a navy that can conquer the world, it will certainly not allow Japan to continue to use the title of emperor.

“Only those in Shenzhou who have ambitions for the world will use the title of Emperor.

"If Japan insists on using the title of Emperor, the Ming Dynasty will regard it as a rival trying to seize the world, and it will definitely be eliminated as soon as possible.

"When the Ming Dynasty wipes out the Qing barbarians, that will be the day when war will be waged against Japan.

"Only if Japan abandons the title of emperor and follows the Ming Dynasty as a descendant can it avoid becoming an enemy that must be destroyed.

"It is legitimate and safe for the general to rule Japan as the king of Japan."

Tanuma Okitsugu has realized the power of the Ming Dynasty, so he now wants to follow the Ming Dynasty from the bottom of his heart, and his ideas and thoughts are very radical.

When Tokugawa Ieharu heard this, he felt a little numb:
"Such a big thing cannot be accomplished in a short time. The Ming fleet will come to Edo this month!"

Even if Tanuma Oji had only radical ideas, he would not have been able to gain the trust of Tokugawa Ieharu.

So after I explained my idea, I immediately comforted the general:
“The General doesn’t need to worry, and we don’t need to resolve these matters right away.

"Among the two demands raised by the Ming Dynasty, there should be no mention of matters related to the Emperor, right?

“The general can learn from his ancestors and once again ask the Ming Emperor to confer the title of King of Japan. The Ming Emperor will probably not refuse.

"However, from now on, the title of King of Japan will no longer be used only for foreign affairs, but should also be used directly to handle Japan's domestic affairs.

"As for other things, we can rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty to achieve them step by step."

Tokugawa Ieharu relaxed a little:
"Then how do we convince the other elders?"

Tanuma Okitsugu smiled confidently and said:
"The Ming fleet will help the general convince them."

Tokugawa Ieharu was helpless and couldn't help sighing in his heart that he was actually persuaded by the Ming fleet.

The discussion between Tokugawa Ieharu and Tanuma Okitsugu was basically over.

Although Tokugawa Ieharu was not in a particularly good mood, the initial pressure and worries were gone.

The two were about to discuss some details, but a hatamoto warrior of Tokugawa Ieharu suddenly ran in, knelt down and reported nervously:
"General, I am the eldest son of Mr. Tanuma, and I have learned that you were assassinated in the street."

Tanuma Oji jumped up when he heard the voice:

"What did you say? What happened? What happened to my consciousness? Who did it?"

Tokugawa Ieharu was shocked and asked:
"Has the criminal been caught? Who did it?"

The warrior hesitated for half a second:

"We've caught him. He's... the general's hatamoto warrior, Masagoto Sano."

(End of this chapter)