There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 495 It's an honor to be a dog of the Han!
Matsudaira Nobuaki quickly replied, "The Cai family was unaware of this matter. However, the Satsuma Domain has arbitrarily seized territory belonging to a vassal state of the Celestial Empire. His Excellency the General was quite angry upon learning of this and has ordered the Satsuma Domain to return the occupied Ryukyu lands and to make war reparations to the Celestial Empire and the Ryukyu Kingdom."

Originally, there was an order to force the head of the Satsuma Domain to commit seppuku, but after Matsudaira Nobuaki went to the Satsuma Domain, he discovered that the Shimazu family had been almost wiped out by the Han army, with only the lineage of Shimazu Nariaki remaining. If he were to commit seppuku, the Satsuma Domain would be effectively defunct.

Without the Satsuma Domain's suppression of the other domains in Kyushu, the shogunate's influence over Kyushu would decrease, which is not in the shogunate's long-term interest.

Of course, if Matsudaira Nobuaki had known that 65 years later, the Satsuma Domain would have become one of the four major domains leading the anti-shogunate movement, he probably wouldn't have thought that way.

Since the shogunate was willing to back down, and Nie Yu did not have the energy to expand in Japan for the time being, he nodded and said, "Since the shogunate was unaware of the situation, the main fault does not lie with the shogunate. However, the shogunate is ultimately not strict in managing its subordinates. In order to prevent the emergence of rebellious vassals like the Satsuma Domain in the future, I have decided to send a permanent consul to Japan to be in charge of Chinese merchants and residents living and trading in Japan, and to assist the shogunate in managing those disobedient daimyo and clans."

Consul in Japan? What's going on?
Matsudaira Nobuaki had never heard of a consul before, but just from the second half of the sentence, he knew that this person was definitely not a good one.

Under the rule of the shogunate, many daimyo and feudal lords did become increasingly disobedient, but no matter how disobedient they were, it was still Japan's internal affair.

The Celestial Emperor is now sending a consul to Japan to assist the Shogunate in managing the daimyo and their clans. To put it nicely, it's assistance; to put it bluntly, it's what the Celestial Emperor previously referred to as interference in the internal affairs of his vassal states.

"Your Majesty, this consul stationed in Japan..."

Matsudaira Nobuaki was about to politely refuse, but he was interrupted by Nie Yu before he could finish his sentence.

Nie Yu's face instantly turned cold. He said, "I intend to send a consul to Japan to assist the shogunate in managing the daimyo. Is the shogunate unwilling? If not, then I will not force them. I will no longer insist on opening trade between China and Japan. Furthermore, Japan may return the two gold seals bestowed upon it..."

Goodness, this topic has died out in no time.

Matsudaira Nobuaki wasn't stupid; he could easily discern the dangerous message implied in the Emperor's words.

Then I recalled the imperial gazettes I saw when we were resting at Taicang Port. They listed the territories of all the dynasties in China, including the Mongol Yuan and Manchu Qing dynasties, which were regarded as barbarians.

The Mongol Yuan Dynasty was a vast empire that conquered half of Burma, the entire Korean peninsula, and most of Siberia.

The Ming Dynasty was even more outrageous; its peak territory spanned half the world, with even a thousand-household garrison stationed in Syria.

Matsudaira Nobuaki was only assuming the worst of the Celestial Emperor, and he still felt that his assumptions were too lenient. If he were to reject the Celestial Emperor's "goodwill" now, it would be hard to say whether the Shogunate could continue to exist.

After a moment's struggle, Matsudaira Nobuaki still bowed and said, "Your humble servant Matsudaira Nobuaki, on behalf of the Shogunate, thanks His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Empire for his grace!"

Nie Yu received a satisfactory answer and finally smiled again. He then chatted briefly with Matsudaira Nobuaki.

Matsudaira Nobuaki took the opportunity to bring up the trade restrictions that the shogunate was preparing to issue. Nie Yu neither agreed nor disagreed with this, saying that it was Japan's internal affair and that the Celestial Empire would not interfere too much.

Matsudaira Nobuaki was somewhat relieved upon hearing this, at least he had completed the task entrusted to him by the shogun.

This guy still hasn't realized the extent of the impact that his recently agreed-upon establishment of a consulate in Japan will have on the shogunate and Japan.

Putting aside everything else, just take the trade restrictions issued by the current shogunate as an example. The reason why Nie Yu said that the Celestial Empire would not interfere too much is that there is no need to interfere anymore.

Not only did Chinese merchants try every means to smuggle goods, but the establishment of consulates in Japan also meant that the shogunate had no authority to handle any criminal issues involving Chinese merchants. They had to report to the consulates in Japan for adjudication and resolution.

Extraterritoriality was a privilege previously enjoyed by foreign powers who oppressed China. Now that the Han Dynasty is about to unify the country, it should seize the opportunity to colonize and naturally reclaim this privilege from the foreign powers.

Modern maritime colonization requires abandoning humanity. If one still clings to the illusion of being a superior nation with refined manners, then one will only be devoured by the hungry wolves of the great powers, leaving not even bones behind.

……

Not long after the Japanese mission departed, Xu Mingyu was summoned to an audience with the emperor, along with Lin Zexu, the newly appointed third-ranked scholar.

Nie Yu said, "Tell me in detail about the events of Xu Qing's mission to recover Ryukyu and pacify the Satsuma Domain in Japan!"

Although Xu Mingyu didn't know why Lin Tanhua was also there, he still gave a detailed account of the expedition.

After recounting the details of the battle report, Xu Mingyu added, "Your Majesty, our army's fighting strength in this battle against the Satsuma Domain of Japan is clearly not what one would expect from a so-called powerful local domain. Not only is their discipline lax and their combat effectiveness extremely poor, but they also seem to be severely lacking in ships. They have almost no large ships, and instead mostly small and rather old ones."

"Moreover, when our army landed on Kagoshima, the territory of the Satsuma Domain, the Japanese people on the island all treated our army to food and drink. The reason for this was simply that our Han soldiers were willing to pay them for food and recruit them as laborers to accompany the army, rather than forcibly conscripting or robbing them."

Xu Mingyu's words were clearly pointed; if it weren't for the small number of troops he sent this time, he would have indeed considered annexing the Satsuma Domain as well.

After all, the Satsuma Domain's "popular support" was even stronger than that of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The Great Han could easily turn the Satsuma Domain into an overseas territory as well.

Nie Yu nodded slightly, showing little interest but also neither explicitly rebuking nor refusing. He simply asked, "What about Ryukyu? What are its land, specialties, and resources like?"

Xu Mingyu replied, "Your Majesty, I was just about to give you a detailed report. The Ryukyu Kingdom is divided into four islands: Ryukyu Island, the Yaeyama Islands, the Miyako Islands, and the Amami Islands. The first three islands were previously under the actual control of the Ryukyu Kingdom, while the Amami Islands were forcibly occupied by the Satsuma Domain. The name of the Amami Islands was also changed by the Satsuma Domain, and most Ryukyuans call them the Uchifusa Islands."

"Of the four main islands, Ryukyu Island is the core island of Ryukyu, where Shuri Castle, the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, is located. Most of the Ryukyu population also lives on Ryukyu Island. The Yaeyama Islands and Miyako Islands are located in the southern part of Ryukyu Island. The islands are mostly inhabited by Ryukyu natives. Although they belong to Ryukyu, they are generally not accustomed to the royal culture. If we had to compare them, they would be similar to the Han Chinese immigrants and the indigenous people in the mountains of Taiwan Prefecture."

"Therefore, the Ryukyu prefecture can be established first at Shuri Castle on the main island, while the Yaeyama and Miyako Islands cannot be governed by officials for the time being. The Ryukyu people can only educate them on their own."

Nie Yu smiled and said, "Is this why Minister Xu suggested in his previous memorial that the Han people of Kume Village be given more important positions?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Xu Mingyu quickly cupped his hands, but then continued, "The Han people of Kume Village are descendants of my Han people and have lived in Ryukyu for a long time. It is appropriate to let them educate the native people of the Yaeyama and Miyako Islands. There is no need to worry too much about it causing resentment among the native Ryukyu residents. The only thing to be careful about is preventing these Kume Han people from becoming too powerful, undermining the Ryukyu magistrate, and oppressing the native people too much, which could cause resentment and riots among the native people."

Nie Yu said, "That's right. Then we'll do as you say. Let the Ryukyu magistrate and the Han people of Kume Village cooperate to educate these Ryukyu natives. Don't worry about over-education. If the natives rebel, then suppress them. Only when more natives who don't submit to Han assimilation die will the natives who submit to Han assimilation and the Han immigrants gain the upper hand."

These few words encapsulate the course of the Han Dynasty's governance over Ryukyu for the next few decades.

Xu Mingyu barely needed to think to know that once the emperor's words were relayed, the Ryukyu prefect and the Han Chinese of Kume would know, and they would surely exploit and oppress the Ryukyu people to the extreme. Not even for personal gain, but simply to curry favor with the emperor, they would squeeze the last drop of blood from the Ryukyu people.

Wouldn't that be too cruel?
Then you should obediently assimilate into Han culture, become a compliant citizen of the Han Dynasty, and stop hiding in the mountains as a local.

Xu Mingyu then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Ryukyu Islands, Yaeyama, and Miyako Islands can be governed by a Ryukyu Prefecture, while the Ryukyu Amami Islands should be separated from Ryukyu and governed by a separate new prefecture."

"How so?" Nie Yu asked.

Xu Mingyu explained, “First of all, although the Amami Islands are nominally subordinate to Ryukyu, they have been forcibly occupied by the Satsuma Domain for over a century, and most of the Ryukyu residents no longer speak the Ryukyu language. Forcing them together would undoubtedly make it difficult for the Ryukyu magistrate to govern. Moreover, the Amami Islands cover a vast area, almost comparable to the Ryukyu Islands themselves, and are rich in natural resources, with abundant hardwood forests that can be used for shipbuilding and logging trade. One of the two main ways the Satsuma Domain obtained revenue from the Amami Islands was by logging the islands for foreign trade. Another source of profit was the sugar workshops on the Amami Islands. When our soldiers recaptured the Amami Islands, they discovered many sugar workshops on the islands, which mainly produced black sugar.”

Brown sugar is actually a type of cane sugar. Due to the unique environment and climate of the Amami Islands, the Ryukyuans on the islands mainly cultivate rice and sugarcane.

Brown sugar is essentially similar to red sugar, both being unrefined cane sugar. However, brown sugar has a higher iron content and retains most of the nutrients from sugarcane.

The Satsuma Domain previously controlled the Amami Islands, and its main sources of profit were logging and the black sugar trade.

Especially the brown sugar trade. Don't underestimate brown sugar. Two hundred years ago, anything related to sugar was a highly profitable industry.

The Amami Islands have vast forests suitable for logging and forestry, as well as a unique local brown sugar industry.

In addition, the Amami Islands are quite large, about the same size as the Ryukyu Islands. After deducting the land occupied by sugar workshops and forests, a considerable portion of the remaining land can be used for farming, so self-sufficiency should not be a problem.

It can be said that this is a geomantically auspicious place for the Ryukyu Kingdom, and it is entirely possible to establish another prefecture outside the Ryukyu main island for administration.

Moreover, the Amami Islands had been ruled by the Satsuma Domain for so long that the Ryukyuans on the islands had forgotten how to speak the Ryukyuan language.

If it were to be subject to the control of the Ryukyu Prefecture along with the Ryukyu main island, it would only increase the workload of the Ryukyu Prefecture magistrate, prolong the time it would take for the Han Dynasty to assimilate Ryukyu, and increase the administrative costs for the Han Dynasty in governing Ryukyu.

Nie Yu listened attentively and pondered the matter carefully. After a moment of contemplation, he looked up and said, "Ryukyu is, after all, a vassal state. It would be sufficient to establish a magistrate for the vassal state to manage state affairs on behalf of the Ryukyu king. It is not advisable to establish a new county. However, the Amami Islands to the north of Ryukyu are indeed too close to the Satsuma Domain. To prevent the Satsuma Domain from starting another war and invading Ryukyu's territory, we should station a battalion of troops there permanently and appoint a town magistrate to temporarily govern them."

Upon hearing His Majesty's decision, Xu Mingyu had no objection. He proposed establishing a new county, which would be no different from His Majesty's current practice of setting up town mayors and stationing troops there.

It's simply that the Han Dynasty has already established a vassal state county in Ryukyu, so it's really not appropriate to establish a new county; that would be too hasty.

In any case, the Han Dynasty has both legal legitimacy and absolute military power, so it's only a matter of time before it completely annexes Ryukyu.

Xu Mingyu then mentioned the amount of war reparations owed by the Satsuma Domain. When he heard that it was 50 taels of silver, and that the Satsuma Domain had not even tried to bargain or refuse, he was shocked.

Even though Nie Yu was already the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he was still shocked because the demands were indeed too high.

It should be noted that the current annual fiscal revenue of the Han Dynasty is less than 4000 million taels of silver. This is only after the reopening of the seas and the implementation of the new land distribution policy.

The proportion of silver in military expenditure was only about one-fifth, even though the Han Dynasty was at war and there was also the military expenditure brought about by the comprehensive expansion of the army.

If you convert it to a different amount, it's equivalent to the Han army that fought against the Satsuma Domain having an annual military budget of less than 50 taels of silver.

They've only fought one battle, and they're already asking for 50 taels of silver? That's outrageous!

Despite such a huge appetite, the Satsuma Domain agreed without hesitation.

Almost instantly, Nie Yu felt that it was too little, but then he suddenly realized that he was now the emperor of the Han Dynasty and shouldn't be thinking about 50 taels of silver.

Nie Yu could only shake his head, sighing inwardly that Japan truly was Asia's silver mine (in every sense of the word), with an abundance of silver!

In fact, Nie Yu was unaware that while Japan did have a lot of silver, the Satsuma Domain did not.

The Satsuma Domain could absolutely not afford the war reparations of 50 taels of silver.

The reason why the Satsuma Domain did not refuse or bargain was simply because they were terrified by the brutality of the Han army. All the Shimazu branch family members who surrendered were beheaded, and they were not even allowed to commit seppuku.

Han Jun single-handedly nearly wiped out the Shimazu clan, and also made Shimazu Nariaki successfully become the sole heir of the Shimazu clan, and "as expected" regained the position of head of the Shimazu clan, continuing to rule the Satsuma Domain.

Knowing the might of the Han army and having experienced the terror of death after failing to commit seppuku, Shimazu Nariakiro is now particularly afraid of dying.

Isn't it just 50 taels of silver in war reparations?

Since the Celestial Empire likes it, then let them have it. It'll just mean the people of Satsuma will suffer a little more, and we can continue to ramp up our smuggling efforts.

As long as they can be dogs of the Celestial Empire, that would be an honor for the Satsuma Domain!
(End of this chapter)