The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 913 Entering the Black Iron Age
In May of the 1742th year of Jingyan (5), Japan, a vassal state of the Great Qi, had a food problem.

Affected by natural disasters and the chicken essence policy, Japan's grain production was severely reduced that year. The Kyushu area was barren for thousands of miles, and the harvest in the Guanzhong Plain was less than one-third of that in a normal year.

More than three million people were affected across the country, and the land was full of starving people.

According to incomplete statistics, in 1742, at least Japanese starving people died forever in that summer.

When commenting on this period of history, later historians always remain very secretive for their own safety reasons.

Even the most sophisticated and self-sacrificing historians (sacrifice in the Great Qi is a compliment) believe that the disaster of 1742 was "eight parts natural disaster and one part man-made disaster."

Most academics swear that this (famine) is just a minor bump in the road, a speck of dust in the sand of the times.

After all, the road is forward, and the progress is tortuous, and Japan has entered the Black Iron Age since then...
However, when we turn the timeline back to 1742, back to that long season, the Japanese at that time, especially those living in Kyushu, their personal experience of the changing times is probably more than just a few "ups and downs".

~~~~~~~~
In 1742, when the Japanese were "experiencing a little bit of setbacks", the bureaucrats of Tenshin City were surprisingly indifferent.

This is not because the upper class of Qi was ignorant or cold-blooded.

First of all, these people were not aware of the disaster thousands of miles away, or many of them knew very little about the severity of the disaster.

Secondly, by the time they learned about the disaster, things were already out of control.

Finally, they gave up the rescue.

In fact, in the past six months, Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief Dong Shaowei has sent requests for help to Tianxin City more than once.

According to statistics, the commander-in-chief's telegraph station next to the Tsushima Strait in Kyushu sent a total of 198 telegrams until a typhoon destroyed their connection with Tenshin City.

The 198 telegrams fell into oblivion without a single response.

Emperor Jingyan Liu Fan was the first to learn about the disaster. The emperor was determined to provide disaster relief, but the imperial edict was passed to the parliament, only to be rejected one after another by the parliamentarians headed by Nian Gengyao.

“This is absolutely not feasible!
The reason why the parliamentarians opposed the rescue was very simple. In their view, Japan had millions of disaster victims and thousands of miles of barren land, which had actually become an absolute bottomless pit. It was extremely unwise to continue to invest resources in this direction.

The Pacific Fleet stationed in Nagasaki has a tendency to secede and become independent - soldiers' salaries are no longer paid from the Ministry of Finance, and Commander-in-Chief Dong Shaowei has expressed his dissatisfaction with Tianxincheng's policies more than once - sending more food and supplies to Nagasaki will only make these warriors more arrogant and domineering.

When things developed to this point, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the empire was beginning to split.

Like all great empires, when national power reaches its peak, collapse is inevitable.

Some people say that the emperor was wise and enlightened, and it was all because of the treacherous minister Nian Gengyao who interfered.

This thief did everything he could to prevent merchants from transporting grain to Nagasaki, and even passed a bill prohibiting other countries from providing rescue to Japan, in an attempt to put the fleet to death.

Considering that Dong Shaowei and Nian Gengyao have always been at odds, and can even be said to be mortal enemies, Nian Gengyao was just taking revenge on his personal grudge.

In early May, the parliament passed a resolution requiring the Port of Nagasaki to deliver copper ore, sulfur and other resources in guaranteed quantity and quality without default.

When the news reached Nagasaki, the people were outraged.

A strange mood spread in Japan.

~~~~~~~~
Nagasaki.

Pacific Fleet Headquarters Conference Room.

After ninety-nine telegrams for help fell on deaf ears, Dong Shaowei received a resolution from the parliament, requiring the commander-in-chief and his soldiers to ensure the confiscation of the sulfur copper mine this year.

Dong Shaowei suppressed his anger and urgently called his staff to discuss countermeasures.

When everyone was present, the commander-in-chief got straight to the point: "Have you read the resolution?"

"If you're pushing me like this, there's no point in talking!"

"Are you forcing me to take such a risk?"

The conference room was packed with people. Dong Shaowei sat in front of a map of Japan, smoking a cigar angrily.

In the smoke, the faces of people from Qi, Korea, Japan, and even a few white people emerged.

"Commander, there's some bad news for Kyushu. Would you like to hear it?"

Advisor Yin Zhengyue opened a telegram and said expressionlessly.

"Any good news lately?"

Dong Shaowei shrugged his shoulders. Bad news was coming one after another, and one more would not make much difference.

"Also, Mr. Yin, don't call me Commander-in-Chief anymore." He put down his cigar and said in a low voice, "I have been abandoned by Tianxin City, along with my soldiers."

"Don't be discouraged, Commander."

"What's the news?"

"The grain the East India Company promised to sell us was intercepted by the Qi navy in the Tsushima Sea. Less than half of the total number of ships reached the shore."

Dong Shaowei nodded: “Collect all the food and send it to Edo as soon as possible.”

He thought for a moment and added, "Edo can't collapse!"

But everyone knows that they have been abandoned by Tianxin City and have become stray dogs!

The surroundings fell into silence.

After a long moment, Jacob, the Dutchman, said with a gloomy expression, "Commander, the famine is still spreading. Three hundred more bodies were found today. To be exact, three hundred and eighty."

The commander motioned the Dutchman to continue.

"Because 80 bodies were mutilated, we suspect they were eaten by wild dogs."

"What changes have occurred in the military?"

Dong Shaowei looked at Deputy General Gong Hai.

Gong Hai held his head high and said, "No soldiers are starving for the time being."

The commander breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, as long as the soldiers are still alive, this land is still in their hands. If the soldiers cause chaos, the management of the fleet in Japan will collapse.

"Jacob, how much longer can we hold out?"

"Things are still under control."

Jacob rubbed his nose, shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head apologetically. "We have nothing: no food, no ammunition, no coal. Our resources will only last until this autumn. How will we survive the harsh winter in Nagasaki?" Another Japanese strategist added, "And Tianxin City will continue to collect taxes."

我们 该 怎么 办?
Dong Shaowei did not reply.

He had thought about this question countless times, but obviously had no answer.

At this critical moment, not only did the motherland not lend a helping hand to rescue him, but a group of treacherous officials wanted to add insult to injury and put him to death.

What benefits will the destruction of Wa bring to Da Qi?
It is hard to imagine what is going on in the minds of those old men in the Tianxin City Council who are good at party struggles.

"Commander-in-Chief, can I have a word?"

At this time, the Liaodong staff stood in front of the commander-in-chief.

"Please speak." Dong Shaowei took a deep puff of his cigar and exhaled large clouds of smoke.

"Have the Commander's family safely left Tianxin City?"

Dong Shaowei said impatiently, "Do you think the Suoyi Guards will agree to let them leave? My family is being held hostage. Will hostages leave easily?"

The aide blurted out, "Wu Zhongguo serves Emperor Jingyan."

"How much authority does the emperor have left? Everything is decided by the parliament!"

"Commander, there's no need to be pessimistic. Imperial power always has a deterrent effect. You should give it a try. When reporting the disaster, include a message hoping your family can travel to Nagasaki to face the national crisis with you..."

Dong Shaowei said unhappily, "Do you expect Nian Gengyao to be kind?"

Before he finished speaking, the whole meeting room burst into laughter.

"Let's give it a try." Dong Shaowei obviously had no hope for Tianxin City, and he began to prepare for the worst.

~~~~~
Although the emperor fully supported Dong Shaowei's reform cause in Waguo, the cabinet lacked interest in the reconstruction of Waguo.

Nian Gengyao impeached Dong Shaowei twice, demanding that the Ministry of National Defense remove Dong Shaowei from his post and investigate Shao for the crimes of squandering military funds and colluding with foreign enemies.

Other experienced and state-minded officials objected: "By trying Dong Shaowei, are we trying to force him to establish his own regime and rebel?"

Dong Shaowei was only good at fighting, but since he left Yinzhou and was escorted back to his country, he lost interest in provoking border conflicts and expanding territory.

All the changes started in America.

From then on, the self-important imperial officer began to doubt the Da Qi system.

Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they will only grow stronger.

This once hawkish officer now became increasingly aware that Emperor Taizu's strategy was wrong.

The staff suggested that they should "conserve their energy and wait for changes in the Great Qi, so that they can seize the opportunity to establish themselves."

Self-reliance?

This was something Dong Shaowei had never thought of.

"Commander-in-Chief, Japan will eventually become independent. Even if it's not you, it will be some impoverished daimyo or samurai. In any case, it will inevitably break away from the control of the Great Qi."

"Just like Annan and Korea to the Central Plains."

The staff members all agreed: "That makes sense. The two countries are too far apart, and there is an ocean between them. I wonder what it would cost to maintain unity."

"So we must make preparations early, so that when the time comes, we can leave Da Qi."

Dong Shaowei fell into deep thought.

The counselors struck while the iron was hot and said, "General, I'm sure you've heard the story of Zhao Tuo of Nanyue?"

However, Dong Shaowei had never heard of it.

"Who is Zhao Tuo?"

The counselors told Dong Shaowei the story of Zhao Tuo proclaiming himself king in the early Han Dynasty.

Dong Shaowei was silent.

The Jiaozhi County, which bordered the Han Dynasty on land, was able to stand on its own, let alone the Wa Kingdom, which was separated by the vast ocean?
No matter how loyal you are, no matter how sincere you are, this loyalty will eventually fade away over time.

What's more, how will the successor view Da Qi and the emperor of Da Qi?

Dong Shaowei secretly said to himself: Let’s talk about the future later.

The first thing we need to do now is to rebuild Japan and reduce the number of starving people.

Since Tianxin City is unable to supply food in a timely manner, Japan needs to solve the food problem on its own.

The first thing that comes to mind is trade. Yes, Japan’s trade with the Netherlands, Britain, France and Portugal has not been interrupted.

At present, there is only a shortage of ships. As long as more ships are provided to merchants and sailors, trade will soon resume.

In addition, we can no longer exploit the Japanese as we did in the past. We must reduce taxes so that they can recuperate.

Dong Shaowei asked his think tanks to lay out these plans and start implementing them step by step.

A large number of Japanese sailors and samurai were given important positions.

According to advisers, if Dong Shaowei rashly returned to China at this time, he might face the risk of being imprisoned.

"What crime will I be imprisoned for?" Dong Shaowei asked curiously. From this moment on, he lost hope in Da Qi.

"It's probably a false accusation, like wearing the wrong clothes or speaking with a wrong accent." The counselor gave the standard answer.

Dong Shaowei smiled bitterly and said, "So, no matter what, I am a traitor?"

The counselor laughed and said, "He who steals a hook shall be punished, and he who steals a country shall be made a marquis. Therefore, you must lead us from one victory to another!"

Dong Shaowei knew that he was a loser, and those ministers in Tianxin City were also losers.

So, who are the winners? Obviously, it's the Japanese people who survived the disaster.

Many years later, the Japanese called this period of history the Black Iron Age of Japan.

After black iron came silver, and then gold. In other words, the Japanese believed that it was Dong Shaowei who led them into a new era.