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

Chapter 642: It’s that simple to expand territory

Since Tsushima Island was occupied by China, the Japanese shogunate reacted violently at first and even sent envoys to question it.

Then there is no more then.

Until Li Hong, as the Angel of Heaven, came to Japan to declare a decree, asking Japan to open several eastern ports as a supply channel for China Unicom to connect Liaodong-Korea-Yinzhou.

Tokugawa Yoshimune, who had always been strong internally and held military and political power, respectfully accepted the order on behalf of the Emperor of Japan.

After all, Tsushima Island was occupied by Ming Dynasty China, and the shogunate, as the de facto ruler of Japan, would definitely have to protest strongly and even "not hesitate" to go to war with China.

Otherwise, how could the shogunate, which has been weakening day by day since the people were repressed, continue to intimidate and rule the feudal lords?
However, this kind of thing can only be done after protests. How can we really go to war with the powerful China over a broken island with little output?

In the Tokugawa Ieyasu period, there might have been a symbolic dispatch of troops, but now there is nothing that can be done.

Not only the gap in national strength, but also the decline in power of the Tokugawa shogunate. The shoguns of all dynasties have been working hard to solve this problem. First, the old and middle-aged people took full power and became the shogunate outside the shogunate. Then the fifth generation general Tokugawa Tsunayoshi set up side servants to take over the old and middle-aged men. As a result, the side servants started to take over again.

Now that Tokugawa Yoshimune has come to power, he has abolished the side-employment system and re-enabled the old and middle-aged... It can only be said that history is a cycle. Yoshimune's shogunate has been centralized for a short period of time, but after a few generations, power has quickly declined.

Even because of China's interference, the power of the Tokugawa Yoshimune shogunate was not as strong as it had been historically.

But it is said that in today's Tsushima County, Zhanyuan Castle, which was originally burned down due to fire, has been almost repaired. Han merchants worked together with the county government to raise funds for the construction.

And not only the money and building materials for repairing the city, they also transported many goods by ship, such as rice from North Korea and cotton from Jiangnan.

There is no need for the Tsushima County government to specifically promote it. Those businessmen who have been traveling on the three sea trade routes of Japan, North Korea, and China all year round will know the hidden business opportunities.

It turns out that although Tsushima Island is a maritime trade hub in the Japan-Korea Strait, due to the joint division between Tsushima and Japan, and the restrictions imposed by North Korea, maritime merchants taking this route are almost unprofitable, and most of them are lost to Tsushima. The island was eaten by the Japanese.

The Japanese in Tsushima also knew that they were fishing in a dry swamp, but if they didn't eat the bulk, they would die of poverty.

Under such a vicious cycle, Tsushima became increasingly poor, and even a few years ago, Li Ming became the new King of Korea and further enmity with the Japanese shogunate.

Sea trade between Japan and Korea was almost cut off. The Japanese in Tsushima had money in their hands, but they could not buy food from the Koreans. When the population increases slightly, they will either find ways to reduce the internal losses, or they will be exiled to the sea and fend for themselves.

Tsushima's resources are too scarce. Even if all the cultivated land is cultivated, it will not be able to support too many people.

However, the silver mine reserves here are relatively rich. This was after the establishment of Tsushima County in the Ming Dynasty. Li Sheng, the Prime Minister of Tsushima County, personally took people to conduct on-site inspections of the depleted Tsushima silver mine. It was found that there were still many silver mines under the old mine. Mined silver mines.

Moreover, in addition to these lower-level silver mines that have not yet been discovered, there are actually a lot of waste ore residues that have been smelted in the upper layers that can be refined into silver.

This is simply a waste of natural resources!
Tsushima Island has been isolated in the strait for a long time. The smelting technology used here is almost a thousand years ago. The Iwami Silver Mine, which has been gradually abandoned in Japan, also uses the ash blowing method almost three hundred years ago.

If the cost and political impact had not been considered, Emperor Zhu in Nanjing, who had received a report from Tsushima County, would have sent people to Japan to see if their Iwami Ginzan could still produce silver.

Within two years of taking the throne, Zong Yiru changed from the original lord of Tsushima to the magistrate of Tsushima County in the Ming Dynasty. His uncle Zong Fangxi had already come to the front from behind the scenes and is now the chief registrar of Tsushima County.

Nowadays, the county magistrate and the chief registrar of Tsushima County Yamen are all from the Japanese feudal lord of the Zong family. Only the county magistrate is a Han official selected by the Nanjing Ministry of Civil Affairs.

However, there are still 500 Ming troops stationed on the island, and they are not afraid of rebellion by these county officials who were the retainers of Lord Ma. If they rebel, China will be even happier.

At this stage, the number of residents in Tsushima County has increased from less than 3000 to people who have migrated from Seoul and Liaoning.

These immigrants will lead the Tsushima people on the island to learn Chinese. The island has opened its first county school to teach Chinese characters a year ago. The teachers in it are criminal officials hired from Liaoning.

As long as he is educated for three years, he is allowed to be deregistered as a criminal and settle down as a citizen again.

Zong Yiru served as a local magistrate on the island for several years. He always followed the teachings of his uncle Zong Fangxi and insisted on learning Chinese characters. He even hired a teacher from a Chinese maritime merchant to practice speaking Chinese when he had nothing to do.

These uncles and nephews have already made up their minds. China is strong in the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese shogunate has declined, and Tsushima County is already a sure thing. Even if Tsushima Island returns to Japanese hands one day in the future, the grass on their graves will be several meters high.

They might as well surrender to the Chinese Emperor now... No, it should be His Majesty the Ming Emperor. Now they are already the imperial officials of the Ming Dynasty. Although some feudal lords still had influence, the Han Dynasty Prime Minister Li Xiancheng who was sent by the imperial court had always been very polite to them.

But this is all temporary. Zong Fangxi has been a vassal lord for a generation, so he naturally understands this political method of win over and appeasement.

According to his estimate, his family could only serve as magistrate for one or two terms in Tsushima County, or even one term. If he served for more than one term, it might arouse the suspicion of the court and the outcome would not be good.

When they are promoted and transferred away from Tsushima County, they will completely become real officials of the Ming Dynasty. There will be countless pairs of eyes staring at them. As long as they make mistakes, it will be the time to settle accounts in the future.

"So, when my term is up next year, I will request that my family be transferred to the mainland to serve as officials, and I will also sell all the assets of my family on the island." Zong Yiru followed his uncle's words and said.

Zong Fangxi looked satisfied: "Yes, you will definitely not be re-elected. Even if His Majesty says you can stay, you must take the initiative to resign. There are many things that the court does not necessarily need to tell His Majesty personally. As ministers, we should understand it ourselves."

Zong Yiru nodded: "My nephew understands."

Zong Fangxi added: "At that time, you must take the initiative to ask for a transfer with the whole family. In this way, His Majesty the Emperor will be happy, and your future career will be smooth sailing. However, after all, you have been the Lord of Tsushima, and your promotion is only temporary. I have been in the past two years. After reading the Chinese history books bought from Han merchants, when you reach a certain level, you may be transferred to Nanjing as a sinecure. The Han people will not allow our clan to control real power."

Zong Yiru was a little impatient: "What should we do?"

Zong Fangxi said: "Don't worry. If you reach a certain level and you are transferred to the Qingxian Yamen, it also shows that the Han people are really at ease with us. At this time, you can start planning for your future. Get as many wives and have children as possible. It is best if you can marry Han women, give birth to children with Han ancestry. Moreover, the emperor will not be petty and will even encourage you to do so if you focus on training these children to study for the imperial examination. As long as the descendants of the clan are not useless, it will not take a few generations to rise to the top of China. The home of officials."

Zong Yiru was thinking seriously, digesting his uncle's arrangements for his future.

Zongfangxi continued: "The Lord of Tsushima is a thing of the past. If we continue to stick to this, the Zong family will perish sooner or later. Moreover, China is strong, the Japanese shogunate has declined, and the feudal lords everywhere are becoming more and more domineering. I learned from those who trade with Japan The Han merchants had inquired and found out that many feudal lords in Japan were smuggling and trading with Chinese merchants regardless of the shogunate's ban. Being a member of a Chinese official family, or even a famous family, is no better than the owner of this poor and isolated island?" Zong Yiru Then I came back to my senses: "What my uncle taught me, my nephew must remember, made me think that the Ma Zong family will become a prominent family in China."

Zong Fangxi corrected: "It's not a famous family in China, but a famous family in the Ming Dynasty. You are not the Ma Zong family, but the imperial court official of the Ming Dynasty, and you are also a Han Zong Yiru."

In order to quickly digest Tsushima Island, the Ming Dynasty no longer respected ethnic groups. Even if Liaodong and Monan were divided into ethnic groups, it was to divide the foreign forces so that the Han people could occupy a larger proportion. Therefore, the people of Tsuima County and these vassal retainers , of course all were settled as Han people.

Zong Yiru said: "Yes, I am a Han Chinese and an official of the Ming Dynasty."

Zong Fangxi nodded: "As long as you can remember these points, then our clan will not only be fine, but will also become more prosperous. As for those former retainers, we should cut them off as much as possible. We can't stay on the island for too long. In the future, If you move to the mainland, these former retainers will only become a stumbling block for your official career and the prosperity of your family. Moreover, many of these retainers still cannot see the situation clearly. They secretly mine the island's silver mines, embezzle the land of the islanders, and even privately Plunder the people and make them slaves. When the time is right, I'm afraid many people will die. Only when they are almost dead can the imperial court truly control the island."

When Zong Yiru heard his uncle's explanation, he shuddered all over. He had never thought about it so much before, and he still kept in touch with many "loyal" retainers.

In this case, we must find an opportunity to cut off contact with all these people, otherwise when that day comes, even if the Zong family is not beheaded, I am afraid he will be angered, and the prosperity of his family will not have to be considered.

The uncle and nephew discussed their future plans at the county government office. As for the former retainers, they all decisively sold them.

Even a few "loyal" people did not intend to inform him. According to Zong Fangxi's idea, if he was not cruel, he would not let enough powerful nobles die in Tsushima County. How could His Majesty the Emperor rest assured about Tsushima Island?
Speaking of which, the Tsushima clan is also in a miserable situation. Ever since the clan ruled Tsushima, the feudal clan has been weak and the people have been poor for a long time.

The most glorious moment was when he took advantage of the Warring States Period to march into Kyushu and was beaten violently by the feudal lords of Kyushu.

From then on, it failed to recover. When the Koreans came, Ma Liu surrendered and got the official position of Tsushima County Governor. When the Japanese came, they still had no choice but to surrender obediently, and they had to help the Japanese army fight the war with North Korea.

By the way, later generations even used this as a basis, and the Bangzi Kingdom also organized a "Tsushima Day" to commemorate their land that was "occupied" by Japan.

On Tsushima Island, the county magistrate and chief registrar are preparing to sell their retainers and officials in order to gain official career and family wealth.

As for the people of Tsui Ma, they have no idea at all that the county government has changed their management, and they are even happier.

Apart from the fact that Chinese is not easy to learn, not only have the taxes I have to pay reduced, but I can barely eat enough, and I also have my own land. I never thought about such a good life before.

Further north, the Chief Secretary of Seoul and South Korea, South Korea now has two kings standing side by side in a de facto sense, namely the Korean King Yi Linzuo who occupies Chungcheong Province, and the North Korean King Yi Yeon who controls Jeolla Province and Gyeongsang Province in the south.

However, the Ming Dynasty did not grant Li Linzuo a gold seal, nor did it expel Li Linzuo's envoys. It was just that the king of Korea was still there, and Li Linzuo was not the real king after all. They were in internal turmoil, and it was not easy for China to interfere.

Of course, Ming Dynasty can still maintain trade relations with Zhongqing Road and will not be affected by the war.

This almost encourages Li Linzuo to continue the rebellion. Today's situation in South Korea can be described as complicated.

Although Lee Chang can only actually control Gyeongsang Province, and even Gyeongsang Province is fighting internal party struggles, the party struggles have lasted for several years, and the local forces here have almost been reorganized. The continued party struggle is just following "tradition."

If Li Linzuo really goes south with all his strength, the two groups of nobles in Gyeongsang Province will definitely not sit still and wait for death. It is hard to say whether they can win, but the tug-of-war is still possible. Moreover, Jeolla Province is said to be on the sidelines, but as long as one side is strong enough, the two groups of nobles in Jeolla Province will inevitably help the weaker side.

As the saying goes, triangles have stability.

With three pillars standing against each other, how can one stand alone gain as much benefit?

Moreover, Li Linzuo still has a lot of bad debts left behind. After all, he is not from the Korean royal family. Now it is equivalent to establishing a new royal regime, but he cannot get rid of the constraints of the old aristocracy, so it can only be a mess.

Without external intervention, South Korea will be a mini version of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the next twenty to thirty years.

On the contrary, the development of the Chief Secretary of Seoul is quite smooth. Pu Zheng, the right chief secretary of Seoul, spared no effort to enter the ministry. From cracking down on local tyrants, to fully implementing the idea of ​​dividing the land into a small land, to reforming the tax law, relocating ordinary people, and promoting enlightenment.

In just a few years, the Korean population in the Seoul Chief Administrative Region has dropped by one-eighth, all of which have been diverted to Liaoning, Lelang, and Heilongjiang. In addition, a large number of Han official schools have been rebuilt in the local areas to teach and learn Han culture. talk.

Based on his current progress in political achievements, perhaps before the age of fifty, he really has a chance to be promoted to the Central Committee of Nanjing, or even reach the top of the list of six ministers.

After all, the emperor also had to consider the political impact, so that a Korean could be promoted all the way up and become a minister of six departments by the age of fifty. Isn't this respect and inspiration to the other Korean scholars?

Of course, the most he can do is be a minister. After all, Pu Zheng was born in North Korea. At least for his generation, being able to be a minister would be the best.

It is impossible for the Korean scholars of the next two or three generations to achieve very high official positions until they are almost Hanized and completely forget that they are Koreans.

In Nanjing City, Xu Yisheng, as the canonization envoy, took an official ship and went south to Luzon first. He met the Governor of Luzon here and conveyed the imperial edict. He then led a fleet to Borneo to receive the dowries from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu and canonized them. The sultan of both countries is king.

There are many Han Chinese in Sabah, at least tens of thousands of them, and they can all speak Fujian dialect, and some also speak Chaoshan dialect. It is just right to establish a county government. The county magistrate was directly elected by the local Han people, while the county magistrate was appointed by officials dispatched by the governor-general.

And 500 troops were stationed here as county soldiers of Sabah County, and then the fleet continued to cruise around Borneo. Warn the Dutch merchant houses and ships that Brunei and Sulu are already Chinese vassals, and they are not allowed to harass them anymore, otherwise they will declare war on China.

The Dutch were very angry, and then... nothing more.

When a country is strong, it is natural to expand its territory.

There are many countries that will actively offer their land and ask for surrender.

The key issue is how to manage the soil after donating it.

But it doesn’t matter. Sabah County has great inherent advantages. Although there has not been a large-scale immigration in the late Qing Dynasty, there is still a large population, and they can all speak Chinese. Those headhunters are basically in the mountainous areas. As long as they ignore the headhunters in the mountains and slowly continue to immigrate to Sabah County and follow the Taiwan model, they can grow rapidly.

In the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the wave of immigrants here was really great. There were not only Hakkas and Cantonese, but also people from North China (Hebei, Shandong). With their northern accents, among a group of South Chinese people in Sabah, they were the most popular. Out of place.

(End of this chapter)