Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 295 The Unfortunate Tsushima Domain
January 1635, 1, Tsushima Island, Sawara Castle (now Sawara, Iwahara-cho, Tsushima City).

"…In mid-October of the previous year (1634), the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan ordered the construction of an artificial island named Dejima in Nagasaki, to serve as a centralized trading location for foreign merchants."

"…In early October of last year, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu ordered the senior councilors Doi Toshikatsu and Matsudaira Nobunaga to begin a formal investigation into the Tsushima clan regarding the tampering of official documents. On November 18th, three shogunate envoys arrived at Sawara Castle to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident and have not yet left."

"...In late December of last year, the shogunate issued another ban on Christianity, ordering all domains to intensify their search for Christians. Once confirmed, they were to be immediately imprisoned and severely punished."

"...Last October, Jiannu envoys arrived at the Joseon royal city, demanding that Korea clearly express its support for Jiannu and cease its funding of the Ming Dynasty's Dongjiang Town. Under Jiannu's coercion, Korea was forced to agree to increase tribute to Jiannu, but gave an ambiguous response regarding severing ties with the Ming Dynasty."

"…In early December of last year, pirates invaded the western coastal areas of Hamgyong Province, North Korea. The local Korean government launched three campaigns against them, but each attempt failed. However, the pirates seized the opportunity and requested an amnesty to stabilize the region, and the Koreans agreed."

"..."

The morning in Zhanyuan City was shrouded in a thin mist, and the salty sea breeze blew across the stone streets of the city. Zhao Asheng sat in a secluded tea room, a fine brush in hand, a small booklet spread out before him.

He carefully wrote down all the intelligence information he had collected over the past few months. Although his handwriting was a little crooked, he wrote it very seriously.

This information would be delivered to the intelligence officer accompanying the merchant ship when it arrived at Beiying Island (now Hokkaido).

Three years ago, due to an unexpected conflict at sea, Xinhua and the Tsushima clan became acquainted with each other, and soon they became connected and happily engaged in smuggling trade.

Previously, in order to obtain the right to trade with Korea, the Zong family did not hesitate to pay tribute to Korea and acted as humble as possible in order to obtain corresponding trade benefits.

Korea exported rice, cotton cloth, raw silk, ginseng, the Tripitaka, silk fabrics, etc. to Tsushima Domain (Japanese silk was of poor quality at the time, and high-end clothing mostly used Chinese silk).

The Tsushima Domain mainly exported silver (Japanese silver), sulfur, gold and other southern specialties (sappanwood and fragrant wood) to Korea.

Moreover, Souji of Tsushima Domain also served as a medium for communication between the Korean government and the shogunate. Every time a communication delegation was sent from Korea to Japan, Souji would accompany them throughout the journey and pay homage to the shogun.

Against the backdrop of Japan's increasingly closed-door policy, the Tsushima Domain obtained the exclusive privilege of conducting trade with Korea independently outside the shogunate system.

The land on Tsushima Island is barren and uncultivable, and except for a small enclave in Hizen Province, it can be said that there is actually no stone high.

However, the Tsushima domain made huge profits simply by monopolizing trade with Korea, and was always treated with courtesy among many foreign feudal states as a lord with a 100,000-koku salary.

However, the Zong family did not pay no price for this.

Every year when going to Korea for trade, they had to pay tribute to Korea as a routine, kneeling three times and kowtow nine times to the Korean king in Seoul to fulfill the etiquette of vassalage.

In So's view, as long as he could earn some money and maintain the survival of the Tsushima clan, it would not be shameful to kowtow a few times.

After all, in this world, there are only a few people who can make money without doing anything.

However, since the Zong family connected with the new Chinese three years ago, the Zong family's trade pattern has undergone earth-shaking changes, and they were surprised to find that making money could be so easy.

Cotton, raw silk, furs, porcelain, ironware, and silk products from Korea could be obtained at lower prices and in larger quantities.

What is particularly rare is that there are no restrictions on trade with the new Chinese (Korea only allowed tribute trade with the Tsushima Domain twice in the Spring and Autumn Period). As long as you want something, they can ship it to you, and bypass all the middlemen.

Previously, the Tsushima clan earned 10,000 to 15,000 taels of silver every year through trade with Korea. Excluding the tribute paid to Korea and the shogunate, as well as various miscellaneous expenses within the domain, the annual surplus was generally 2,000 to 3,000 taels of silver, allowing them to live a relatively comfortable life.

However, since they got on the smuggling trade line with the new Chinese, the income of the Zong family has increased dramatically. The annual trade volume has reached 120,000 taels of silver, and the profit has exceeded 30,000 taels of silver. The fiscal surplus of the domain has exceeded 15,000 taels of silver.

You have to know that Tsushima Domain was just a small domain with a population of only three to five thousand people, but it could have such a large financial surplus every year. Even those large domains with a levy of 200,000 to 300,000 koku could not compare to it.

In March of last year, with his wealth bulging, the So clan, after obtaining the consent of the shogunate, began large-scale construction and carried out large-scale expansion and renovation of the clan castle, Sawara Castle.

The city walls were raised and reinforced, the streets were repaved, and even several new warehouses and trading houses were built to meet the growing demand for trade.

At the same time, the Xinhua Beiying Island Colonization Team also established a secret trading post in Zhanyuan City in April last year as a contact point for trade between the two sides.

"What's the situation outside?" After Zhao Asheng finished writing the last piece of information, he gently closed the booklet and turned to look at Xu Huaiyu by the window.

"It looks like it's going to rain." Xu Huaiyu gently closed the window, blocking the damp and cold sea breeze outside.

"...I mean, is there any new news from the provincial government?" Zhao Asheng was speechless.

"Oh, no news." Xu Huaiyu smiled and scratched his head. "This morning, the elder from the Zong clan came over and told us not to go out for the time being, so as not to be seen by the envoys from Edo. From his tone, I didn't seem to sense that their lord was uneasy about the shogunate sending people here. Perhaps the forged letter is not as serious as we thought."

"How is that possible?" Zhao Asheng shook his head and said worriedly, "Forging a diplomatic letter? If it were us... well, in the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid they would have their entire family confiscated and their entire clan exterminated! Alas, this Zong family is so bold! They even dared to arbitrarily tamper with the diplomatic letter between the two countries. This is simply treason!"

"Tell me, if the shogun gets enraged and directly changes the Tsushima domain or sends troops to wipe out the So clan, then we in Xinhua will be in trouble and won't be able to respond. Our North Island Colonization Team spent three years and finally built this trade channel to Tsushima Island. If the shogunate destroys it, we will lose a lot of money every year."

"That shouldn't be the case, right?" Xu Huaiyu felt a little worried after hearing this. "Hey, what do you think? Can our Xinhua directly send troops to seize the two islands, then replace the Zong family and develop trade with Korea and Japan?"

"If we can seize Tsushima Island and gain access to trade with Korea and Japan, then we'd definitely do it." Zhao Asheng gave a wry smile and rejected his fantastical suggestion. "But the problem is, the tribute trade rights that Korea promised to the Zong family aren't something that just any foreign power can inherit."

"In addition, Japan has issued several trade bans, stipulating that no foreigners except the Ming Dynasty and the Dutch are allowed to trade with Japan. Do you think that even if we occupy Tsushima Island, we can obtain the right to trade with Japan?"

"That is to say, our Beiying Island colonization team cannot do without the Zong family for a while?" Xu Huaiyu felt a little discouraged after hearing this.

"I guess so." Zhao Asheng said, "Forget it, these important matters are not something we two little people can figure out here. Everything is decided by the two masters of the colonization team."

"Well, what you said makes sense." Xu Huaiyu nodded. "We only need to collect intelligence information about North Korea and Japan here, and handle some of the Zong family's orders for quantity and variety of goods. This is a matter of great importance to the overall situation, and we can't handle the key links."

"However, it's not a good idea for the envoy from Edo to remain on the island forever! We should quickly send out the 'goods' that the Zong family provided us, otherwise, if we wait too long, there's a chance something might happen."

"Well, what's wrong?" Zhao Asheng looked at him immediately after hearing that.

"These days, there are always warriors and people from the Zong clan hanging around our trading post, which makes people nervous."

"Is there anyone planning to steal those 'goods'?"

"It's hard to say. You know, there haven't been so many women on this shabby island all of a sudden. It's inevitable that someone might become covetous or use this as an excuse to cause trouble." "What did the Zong family's elders say?" Zhao Asheng asked nervously. "They sold these women to us. If anything goes wrong, the Zong family will be fully responsible."

"That middle-aged man said he'd send more people to help us guard the station and that he wouldn't allow anyone to harass those women." Xu Huaiyu had a strange expression on his face. "However, he hinted that we need to... pay more."

"Fuck him!" Zhao Asheng cursed. "Because the Edo Shogunate sent people to investigate the Zong family, they had to temporarily suspend trade between us. As a result, these women could not be shipped out immediately. This is purely their problem. Why should we pay extra money?"

"I guess they're trying to extort more money from us so they can give more benefits to the shogunate's envoys," Xu Huaiyu said. "It's precisely because of the shogunate's investigation that the Tsushima clan has not only stopped trade with our Beiying Island, but they've also temporarily suspended the normal tribute trade with Korea."

"Think about it. From late October last year until now, there has been no trade income for almost three months. The So clan must be having a hard time. Thousands of residents need food, over a hundred samurai need rice stipends, retainers and elders need to be paid, and the expansion project of this Sawara Castle requires a massive investment of silver."

"Tsk tsk... I guess the So clan is even more anxious than we are. They hope the shogunate's envoys leave quickly so that the stalled trade can resume."

"...It's strange." Zhao Asheng suddenly thought of something. "Logically, the shogunate came to investigate the Zong family's tampering with the national letter. With the testimony of the family elder Yanagawa Tiaoxing, they should be able to sort out the whole story quickly. So why are they still here?"

"what do you mean……"

"Will they also be investigating the smuggling trade between our Beiying Island and the Zong family?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huaiyu was stunned and looked at Zhao Asheng blankly.

"...Will we be sold out by the Zong family?"
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"Is that the trading post set up by the new Chinese on the island?"

At a street corner opposite the Xinhua Trading Post, several Japanese men in luxurious samurai uniforms were standing there, looking at the trading post from a distance and talking in low voices from time to time.

Hasegawa Shunta looked for a long time, nodded slightly, waved his hand, and signaled others to follow him and leave, and not to disturb the new Chinese in the trading station for the time being.

"Yes, that courtyard is the secret trading post set up by the New Chinese on the island, used for trade with the Tsushima clan." Yanagawa Tiaoxing nodded respectfully. "And, from what I understand, their trading post is stocked with a large number of goods banned by the Shogun. They even have hundreds of young women secretly purchased from Korea and Japan."

"Yanagawa-kun, before the Shogun makes his decision, the vassal is still your head." Watanabe Kiyoshi heard this and said bluntly, "So, when you address the vassal, you must still maintain the necessary respect and courtesy."

"..." Liu Chuan Tiaoxing was interrupted by him, his face flushed immediately. He wanted to refute, but thinking of the other party's identity, he bent down and replied, "Yes, Watanabe-kun is right, it was me who was reckless."

"Rest assured, Yanagawa-kun. We will report your report of the So clan's tampering with state documents and private dealings to the Shogun faithfully. We will not let you down." Seeing Yanagawa's angry and embarrassed expression, Hasegawa Shunta quickly offered reassurance. "As for how this matter will be handled and its impact on you, there's no need to worry too much. The Shogun is a very fair administrator."

"Thank you, Hasegawa-kun." Yanagawa was delighted when he heard that, and bowed to the other party with gratitude.

Alas, I just want to be independent from my domain and become a hatamoto directly under the shogunate. Is there anything wrong with that?
A Chinese sage once said, "A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a good minister chooses a master to serve." What a philosophical statement.

Tsushima Domain was just a remote small domain with a land area of ​​10,000 koku, sitting on an isolated island in the ocean. It did not have the style of Kyoto, the power of Edo, or the prosperity of Osaka. The domain was poor and had a population of only three to five thousand. It really had no future for development.

If one could become a hatamoto directly under the shogunate, the room for development would definitely be much greater than on the small Tsushima Island.

Of course, these are all high-sounding reasons.

What made him most dissatisfied was that the Zong family treated him too poorly, or to put it bluntly, they paid him too little.

In 1631, he wrote a letter for the first time to expose the Tsushima Domain's forgery of official letters, which led to Edo sending several envoys to Tsushima Island to investigate.

However, surprisingly, after hearing his testimony, the shogunate envoy did not believe it blindly. Instead, he boarded the Tsushima clan's tribute ship to Korea to conduct an on-site investigation and try to question the Koreans.

As a result, the two tribute ships were attacked by "pirates" shortly after leaving Tsushima Island, and both the people and the ships were abducted, causing the investigation to be temporarily interrupted.

However, after this incident, he had completely fallen out with the Zong family.

If the other party had not been afraid of the shogunate's attention and the reaction of other retainers in the domain, he might have killed him directly.

They continued to stay together on Tsushima Island in such an awkward manner, and he was also treated as an outsider by the So clan and was ruthlessly left aside and neglected.

Later, through unknown channels, the So family engaged in smuggling trade with an overseas force calling itself Xinhua. The "business" grew bigger and bigger every year. Almost all the retainers and samurai in the domain made a lot of money from it, and their pockets quickly became fatter.

But Liuchuan was completely excluded and did not share any benefits.

This made him feel extremely tormented and... unwilling.

Zong Yicheng, you can't do this!

At least you can give me some?

Filled with jealousy and resentment, Yanagawa again wrote to the shogunate in 1633 to expose the Tsushima Fuchu clan's forgery of official letters.

You are unkind, don't blame me for being unrighteous!

After the three envoys of the shogunate arrived at Tsushima Island, they quickly found out after more than a month that the So family had tampered with the diplomatic documents between Korea and Japan.

No one knew better than Yanagawa that the previous head of the family, So Yoshitoshi, had secretly tampered with the letters between Korea and Japan twice, in 1605 and 1607.

Because his father was personally involved in these things.

In 1624, the third group of Korean envoys visited Japan. At the instruction of the So clan, he, together with several family elders and middle-ranking elders, made appropriate "modifications" to the letters sent from Korea.

As long as the So clan is found guilty, there is a high probability that the Tsushima clan will be abolished or directly deprived of its territory and demoted to a "commoner".

Then, as the "first person to do it", he would naturally receive rewards from the hatamoto directly under the shogunate.

During the investigation by the shogunate envoy, he also reported that the So family violated the shogun's ban on national isolation and secretly smuggled with overseas forces.

By doing this, he tried to bring the Zong family into an irretrievable situation.

As long as any of the charges are proven, he will be skinned alive by the Shogun if not killed.

The Tsushima clan is finished!
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(End of this chapter)