I'm sure of the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong!

Chapter 285 Worshiping Fengyang
Murohatochao set out from Edo with the shogunate envoy.

The mission's itinerary was roughly summarized. They first took a boat to Nagasaki Port, where they picked up Nagasaki Port Commissioner Zheng Rui, and then headed south to Kagoshima.

When there was enough time, he and the Chinese Angel came forward to mediate the war between the Shimadzu family and the Chinese army.If it is too late, he will directly bring Tokugawa Yoshimune's orders and handwritten letters to Shimazu Yoshiki.

Now that things have happened, Muro Hatochao will go to China with the shogunate envoys and the Chinese angels to pay homage to the Chinese emperor in Nanjing.

It is not only to find out China's true and false situation, but also to ask for the shogun's golden seal. It is also to formally establish the diplomatic relations between the two countries and determine the annual trade volume.

It is worth mentioning that the relationship between the Manchu Qing Dynasty and Japan was not a vassal state and a suzerain state, but a "mutual trading state" with nominal equality.

After the Manchus entered the customs, the Qing court had always wanted to take Japan into a vassal state, and since the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it had continued to express goodwill to Japan, including returning Japanese who had survived shipwrecks.

It can be said that in addition to Kangxi's extreme hatred for Junggar, Qianlong even directly turned Junggar from a khanate into a basin (you know what I mean).

But it has always been kind to neighboring countries and even religions.

The Holy See was purely acting on its own initiative. Kangxi was polite to them, sent French missionaries several times to mediate, and even wrote letters to plead for mercy.

As a result, the Holy See really thought it was awesome, until the Japanese gave them a blow in the head.

However, the Manchu Qing Dynasty wanted to take Japan as a vassal state, but Japan was deeply influenced by Tang culture.

As for Japan, they more recognized Han culture as Chinese orthodoxy, and extremely despised and opposed the Mongolian Yuan and Manchu Qing Dynasties.

Shanlu Suxing even stated in "The Facts of China and Korea": ​​"The country's name changed several times, and it was merged with Beidi (Manchuria). How can it be called China now? The imperial tradition spread and spread, and the world is endless. The country's name remains unchanged, and the ancestral temple I am the only one who can protect Japan through the descendants of Xian."

Although most of them were ambitious, it was enough to show that the Japanese samurai regime (shogunate, daimyo, samurai) at this time generally did not agree with the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

But the Ming Dynasty was different. During the pre-Ming Dynasty, Japan accepted the canonization of the Ming Dynasty emperor several times, even if the shogunate changed dynasties.

Therefore, Murojiu Chao is now traveling to China with a shogunate envoy to request the restoration of clan relations between the two countries.

In addition to political interests, it also lies in Zhu Yijiong's Ming Dynasty, which is nominally the suzerainty of Japan.

Especially now, Zhu Yijiong is very likely to defeat the Manchus and unify China.

Li Hong raised his eyebrows slightly and said: "The shogunate wants to set annual trade quotas? This matter is Japan's internal affairs, and I, the Ming Dynasty, will not interfere without authorization."

"That's very good." Shi Jiuchao said in fluent Chinese.

Naturally, the Ming Dynasty would not interfere with the Laoshizi trade quota imposed by the shogunate, because it was completely unnecessary and it was impossible for the shogunate to impose restrictions.

Zhu Yijiong now reopened the sea, promulgated the Sea Opening Law, established the Municipal Shipping Department, and encouraged coastal trade, so as to transfer the landowners of Fujian and Zhejiang from land to business.

This will most likely result in wealthy businessmen, which is certainly unavoidable.Now in ancient times, in the second year of Jianwu, ordinary people used hammers to do sea trade business?
Even if there are small maritime merchants, in order to fight against the monopoly of large merchants, they will definitely stick together for warmth, and then move towards business mergers.

All I can say is to eat the food one bite at a time.

Talking about the shogunate's trade quota, not to mention Zhu Yijiong's encouragement of maritime trade. In the future, there will only be more and more merchants going to Nagasaki, Japan, and it is impossible to digest that amount of trade.

Furthermore, if China is taken out, the annual sea trade volume of the Dutch Commercial House in Nagasaki far exceeds the shogunate's trade quota.

The shogunate's massive trade quotas not only failed to restrict maritime trade, but also intensified smuggling by private citizens and local daimyo.

In particular, the port of the Hirado clan was blocked by the shogunate. As a pirate den, the Hirado clan could not be rehabilitated.

Either smuggle or be a pirate, or both.

On the other hand, the Satsuma clan would be more direct. They lost Ryukyu, faced the war compensation demanded by the Ming Dynasty, and had to marry the shogunate.

Where does this much money come from? It can only be smuggled.

Historically, the shogunate was able to truly control and monopolize trade quotas in the end, simply because the Manchus and the Qing Dynasty also engaged in seclusion.

The two sides worked together to seize the country, and the effect was naturally surprisingly good.

Murojiao Chao led the envoy and followed Li Hong's fleet all the way south to pick up people in Nagasaki, and then to Kagoshima to deliver a message to Shimazu Yoshiki.

……

Kagoshima.

The Satsuma Domain, which lost its naval fleet, could only rely on shore defense artillery to defend Ming warships.

However, the coastal defense artillery can at most prevent large warships, but it cannot stop small warships and landing Ming soldiers.

The Ming army easily defeated the Satsuma clan fleet and treated the Satsuma clan with even greater contempt.

Although arrogant soldiers are easily defeated, that is only if the strength of both sides is equal, or at least there is not much difference.

Although the Ming army only had [-] soldiers, it had two epoch-making firearms: sugar-powder grenade hammers and explosive bombs.

The paper strength of the Satsuma clan seems to be the 77-koku clan, which is considered invincible in the entire Kyushu Island. It also has a nominal branch, the Sadohara clan.

The paper army definitely exceeds [-] people, but this is only paper data. The Shimazu family's samurai ashigaru in Kagoshima Castle is only [-], and they are not yet responsible soldiers like the Ming army.The remaining armies are all in their respective branches of the Satsuma Domain. This is the inevitable result of the layers of Japanese samurai regime.

There is no such thing as reinforcements.

This stems from the reforms of Shimazu Yoshiki and the succession of concubines of Shimazu Yoshiki and Shimazu Tsutoyo for two consecutive generations.

This greatly affected the rule of Shimazu Yoshiki's family, so Shimazu Yoshiki reclassified the internal classes in order to pave the way for his son.

Class division means redistribution of interests. According to historical laws, some people will definitely be dissatisfied or even opposed.

Even low-level families like the Tanegashima family were promoted because they were close retainers of Shimazu Yoshiki.

The other Shimadzu branch families, as well as those Satsuma clans who were forced to distribute benefits, were naturally even more dissatisfied.The only advantage is that the status of Shimazu Yoshiki's "head family" has improved.

Furthermore, it was the Chinese Emperor's army that came to attack the Satsuma Domain this time.

This means that the Satsuma clan will definitely not be able to win. Since they cannot win, why not conserve their strength and wait for the outcome of the battle.

If Shimazu Yoshiki wins, they will send troops to help, but Shimazu Yoshiki can't say anything afterwards.

It would be better if Shimazu Yoshiki loses, Shimazu Yoshiki is even more afraid to do anything to them.

Some families even thought that it would be better for Shimazu Yoshiki to die in Kagoshima City and at the hands of the Chinese army.

Although there was still a nominal lord, Shimazu Tsuyoshi, Shimazu Tsuyoshi had been ill for many years and lived in Edo Castle.

Regardless of whether Shimazu Tsutoyo can return to Kagoshima or not, the problem is actually not big.

With so many different ideas, the defeat of the Satsuma Domain was certain.

Huainan, Fengyang.

According to the cabinet's itinerary, Zhu Yijiong went north to Fengyang Mansion under the protection of the imperial army to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty Emperor's Mausoleum.

This is not the mausoleum of Zhu Yuanzhang, but the ancestral mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, which was looted and burned once by the Great Western King Zhang Xianzhong.

During the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, the government ordered the buildings to be demolished here. By the Qianlong period, the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum no longer existed. Only two steles (with and without characters), stone figures and horses remained.

Looking at the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum in front of him, which has been repaired but still slightly dilapidated, it is impossible for Zhu Yijiong to say that he has no feelings.

But it is just a feeling, just like a modern tourist seeing a historical site.

On the side, seeing the emperor standing there for a long time without going in, the accompanying officials thought he was dissatisfied with the repairs of the imperial mausoleum, and quickly apologized with a grimace: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, the imperial mausoleum has gone through wars and has been severely dilapidated. Many parts have been damaged beyond repair. It will take some time to collect stone building materials from all over the place for renovation..."

"It doesn't matter." Zhu Yijiong waved his hand, but didn't say anything about keeping everything simple.

This is the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum. Its political significance is greater than its actual value. Just like the Forbidden City, it can be repaired slowly. The Ming Dynasty does not lack such a little money for repairs every year.

Entering the imperial mausoleum, just like in the past when paying homage to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the Ministry of Rites had already polished and prepared the words.

"The spirit of Emperor Renzu of the Ming Dynasty (Zhu Yuanzhang's father) is in heaven, and his descendant Zhu Yijiong..."

After a somewhat complicated and solemn worship ceremony, I didn't cry or anything, mainly because I couldn't cry.

The living official next to him immediately wrote down: "In the second year of Jianwu, the emperor paid a visit to the mausoleum, and hundreds of officials followed him to show his saintliness."

When Zhu Yijiong finished worshiping according to the procedure, it was already getting dark, and Zhu Yijiong dragged his tired body to make a temporary stay at the top of Fengyang Fucheng.

By the next day.

Zhu Yijiong once again visited the Zhunshui front line in person to soothe the morale of the troops.

It's nothing more than "Thank you for your hard work, soldiers!", "Are you still used to eating food in the army?", "Are you getting married?" and so on.

Although it was mainly for show, Zhu Yijiong was able to put on airs, and most of what he said was about his family's selfishness, without the slightest bit of emperor's majesty.

Just one day passed, and it was impossible to completely get along with the frontline soldiers, but it also made these army officers inexplicably closer to the emperor.

Ideological education in the army is ideological education, but it is different when you actually meet the emperor.

At least the emperor did not farm with gold hoes.

Today's wave of efforts to propagate the hearts of the troops is just a casual operation during the worship ceremony. I don't know how many people will be born in the army to brag about "I have met the emperor", "I have spoken to the emperor" and so on.

Zhu Yijiong stayed in Fengyang Mansion for about a week, and he even summoned Yang Gong during the trip.

After paying homage to the imperial mausoleum and the Xuanfu front line, Zhu Yijiong returned to Nanjing.

The second year of Jianwu is about to pass.

　It seems that I don’t like this plot, so I’ll go back to China.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)