The Tokugawa shogunate really planned to put Kyushu under direct jurisdiction, just like it did open up a large number of ports after seclusion.
But wanting to do it is one thing, being able to do it is another thing, and doing it is another thing.
The first step was naturally to reduce the feudal clan. For example, the Karatsu Domain and other small feudal lords were eliminated. The Satsuma Domain was the main force in the rebellion against the shogunate, and a large number of Shimadzu men died in the battle, so it was also in danger of being reduced from the feudal clan.
The Shimadzu family is lobbying everywhere, even asking the Netherlands for help, and spending money like crazy to keep their territory.
Tokugawa Iemitsu finally gave up the direct administration of Kyushu. In addition to too much local resistance, another reason was the beginning of the "Kanei Great Famine".
Amakusa Shiro's rebellion was able to attract a large number of farmers precisely because of the famine in Japan.
And just this year, an even greater famine broke out, and it will last for several years. This is Japan's Kanei Famine. In the face of famine, Tokugawa Iemitsu, who has always advocated dictatorship, was forced to relax his control over local areas.
, the Karatsu clan, which was brought under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate, was also re-divided.
In the Little Ice Age, no one can survive.
There was famine in the Ming Dynasty, there was famine in Europe, and there was famine in Japan.
The Tokugawa shogunate has even decided to issue a decree in the first month of next year: prohibiting land sales nationwide and prohibiting the separation of farmers with less than ten people, in order to protect farmers and agricultural production.
In the first month of the new year, before the Spring Festival, Lin Luoshan led a delegation to visit China.
Lin Luoshan is the "Imperial Master" of Japan. He has educated two shoguns in succession, and is already educating the third and fourth generations.
Throughout the Edo period, the ideological system constructed by Hayashi Razan was the Juche ideology of Japanese society, and it was not abandoned until the Meiji Restoration.
This person was a crazy supporter of Zhu Xi. While criticizing King Lu's psychology, he also absorbed the thoughts of psychology. He integrated psychology with Neo-Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism with Shinto, redefining Japanese Shintoism. He also advocated the rejection of Buddhism and the expulsion of Christianity.
religion, making Shintoism the official religion of Japan.
This time the Tokugawa shogunate set up an official school, and the entire plan came from Lin Luoshan!
According to tradition, the envoy sent by Japan to China must be led by a holy monk. But Lin Luoshan hated monks very much. Not only were most of the envoys members Confucianists, but they also did not bring any monks with them.
Starting from Edo to Nagasaki, and then taking a boat from Nagasaki to Ryukyu, Lin Luoshan traveled to Fuzhou.
Looking at the huge city of Fuzhou and witnessing the prosperous port, Lin Luoshan not only sighed: "This is the true heavenly kingdom!"
After resting for three days in Fuzhou, Lin Luoshan took a boat to Ningbo. On the way, he encountered a Fuzhou navy patrol. Lin Luoshan said again: "The giant ship cannot lose to the Nanman (Netherlands), so we must not defeat them."
After traveling all the way to Shanghai, they were finally received by local officials and sent a ship to Nanjing.
When Lin Luoshan disembarked in Nanjing, he was already numb by the shock along the way. He was arranged to the diplomatic hotel. After staying, he was in a bad mood and asked the guard next to him: "What did you see?"
The guard is called Yagyu Jubei, and his father Yagyu Munenomi is the intelligence chief of the shogunate.
Yagyu Jubei was only thirteen years old and had already become Tokugawa Iemitsu's attendant. After he became an adult, he was sent to various places to monitor and inquire about the words and deeds of local lords. He was Tokugawa Iemitsu's absolute confidant.
"Sir, I saw wealth." Yagyu Jubei replied.
Lin Luoshan smiled and said: "China is so prosperous because it governs the country with Confucianism. As long as Japan also governs the country with Confucianism and supplements it with Shintoism, sooner or later it will be like China."
Yagyu Jubei said: "Thank you sir."
Both of them knew in their hearts that although Lin Luoshan was the envoy of the envoy, Yagyu Jubei represented the Tokugawa generals.
These words of Lin Luoshan were not only meant for Yagyu Jubei, but also for Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Lin Luoshan opened the window and looked at the big tree in the courtyard: "If Japan wants to be prosperous, it must not only govern the country with Confucianism, but also have good relations with China. Trade with China, learn Chinese skills, and learn everything about China. This is also Ieyasu
The public’s will!”
Yagyu Jubei nodded: "We should indeed trade with China."
In the second year after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu restored diplomatic relations with China. As a show of goodwill, he also sent a ship to escort the captured Ming general Mao Guoke all the way to Fujian and hand him back.
The Ming court also responded by sending two merchant ships to Japan, hoping to make unofficial contacts first.
As a result, these two Chinese merchant ships were robbed by Japanese pirates.
Although Tokugawa Ieyasu caught the pirates and executed the pirate leader, the communication channels between the two countries were cut off.
Tokugawa Ieyasu had no choice but to convey goodwill through North Korea. The King of North Korea said: Go to hell!
Immediately afterwards, Tokugawa Ieyasu asked Ryukyu to act as a middleman. There happened to be a Ming envoy in Ryukyu. Xia Ziyang and Wang Shizhen were asking: The Ming Dynasty sent two merchant ships to Japan. Why did the two merchant ships disappear?
I can’t explain this!
In the end, Tokugawa Ieyasu sent a formal letter to Ming Dynasty. He claimed that Japan was the "Kingdom of Japan" and China was "Ming Dynasty", "your country" and "China". Japan was willing to regard Ming Dynasty as its suzerain and asked Ming Dynasty to "take big things from small things"
, Japan will definitely "use small things to make big things".
There are Confucian diplomatic standards in "Zuo Zhuan": being small means doing big things, which is due to trust; being big means doing small things, which is benevolence.
That is to say, when a big country has relations with a small country, it must be benevolent; when a small country has relations with a big country, it must be honest.
The attempt to restore diplomatic relations with China continued throughout Tokugawa Ieyasu's entire shogunate career. It gradually achieved results, but every time the relationship improved, Japanese pirates would plunder. The Ming emperors and ministers were angry, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was even more angry.
Use your own ship to kill those Japanese pirates.
It wasn't until Tokugawa Iemitsu came to power and was busy consolidating the rule of the shogunate, and the Ming Dynasty was also busy dealing with the Manchus, that the two countries completely broke off communication.
"Dong dong dong!"
"Invite the envoy to a meal."
The hotel waiter brought the meal, which was a very regular working meal for officials.
Yagyu Jubei picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly. After the handyman left, there was no one else in the room. The guy immediately buried his head and finished the meal like a wolf. Even the grease on the bottom of the plate was covered with wooden rice.
However, Lin Luoshan deliberately left some food uneaten and reminded: "How many times have I told you to pay attention to your daily routine? If you eat all the food, doesn't it reveal that Japan has insufficient food? Even the ministers of the shogunate can't eat delicious food.
Meals?”
Yagyu Jubei said: "It's just that Chinese food is so delicious that I just can't help but eat it all."
High-ranking samurai like Yagyu Jubei actually lived a pretty good life, seeing fish and meat every day. Lower-level samurai had a very miserable life, eating rice in plain water and eating pickled vegetables every meal.
The Great Famine in Kanei was breaking out. In order to ensure the supply of food, the shogunate prohibited farmers from buying and selling freely. They could only sell grain to fixed merchants, who would then transfer it to the shogunate and daimyo. The price of grain must be officially determined by the shogunate.
Yagyu Jubei said: "Sir, I think China has a lot of food. After resuming trade, it is better to buy food from Chinese maritime merchants. Wouldn't this solve Japan's famine?"
"No," Lin Luoshan waved his hand, "diplomatic relations between the two countries are a big deal. Even if millions of peasants starve to death, it cannot damage Japan's national prestige and the face of the shogunate. If the emperor of China knows that there is a famine in Japan, China will
The monarch and his ministers must think that the shogunate does not practice benevolent government. Heaven and man understand that only an unkind monarch will bring disasters."
Yagyu Jubei hesitated to speak, and slandered: If you say this, doesn't it mean that the general is also an unkind king?
After the meal was finished, Yagyu Jubei wanted to practice sword practice in the yard, but Lin Luoshan asked: "Have you mastered the Chinese etiquette I taught you?"
Yagyu Jubei said: "After practicing, it means kneeling for a long time, prostrating and bowing."
Lin Luoshan said: "Call everyone here and let's practice it a few more times. According to convention, Chinese officials from the Ministry of Rites will specifically hand over etiquette to foreign envoys. But if we practice in advance, we will not be ridiculed by the officials from the Ministry of Rites."
Seeing China's prosperity along the way made Lin Luoshan feel even more inferior and unwilling to be looked down upon by Chinese monarchs and ministers.
Two days later, an official from the Ministry of Rites came and said, "Please come with me to see His Majesty the Emperor."
Lin Luoshan said in surprise: "Aren't you going to train in audience etiquette?"
The official of the Ministry of Rites smiled and said: "The dynasty has just been established and everything is new. Your Majesty does not like red tape."
Lin Luoshan muttered in Japanese: "This ritual and music has collapsed!"
Halfway through, Lin Luoshan asked again: "Don't His Majesty the Emperor of Datong of China live in the Forbidden City?"
An official from the Ministry of Rites explained: "The country is in dire straits, and has been hit by severe drought in recent years. Your Majesty is kind and does not want to disturb the people, so the imperial city has not been repaired. Construction has started now, and in one or two years, your Majesty will be able to move in."
Forbidden City.”
Lin Luoshan said with emotion: "The emperor of Datong lives here with all the people in his heart, but he does not build any buildings. He is really an unparalleled benevolent emperor!"
After walking more than a hundred steps and walking through several corridors, the Japanese envoy met the emperor.
Lin Luoshan took the lead and knelt down: "Official ministers of the lower country, pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the upper country!"
"If you are flat, please give me a seat!" Zhao Han said with a smile.
Before Yagyu Jubei could stand up, he secretly looked at the emperor. He was tall, mighty and imposing, and he was worthy of being the emperor of China.
On Zhao Han's desk, there was a list of members of the envoy. He glanced at everyone: "Who is Yagyu Jubei?"
Lin Luoshan understood Chinese and said quickly: "The emperor calls you!"
Yagyu Jubei, who had just sat down, got up from his seat again, ran forward, knelt down and bowed: "Yagyu Jubei, pay homage to Your Majesty!"
Zhao Han was a little disappointed. The famous Yagyu Jubei did not have the powerful image in the game at all. Although his body was relatively strong, he was too short. He looked like a half-grown child when he was kneeling there.
Zhao Han said: "You are the captain of the Japanese mission and want to master martial arts. Where are the weapons?"
Lin Luoshan hurriedly translated.
Yagyu Jubei replied: "When I went to see His Majesty, I was taken away by the female officers and guards."
Zhao Han was full of bad taste: "Bring his weapons. I heard that Japanese swordsmanship is quite unique, so I will learn a few moves with my guards here."
Lin Luoshan quickly warned: "You must go all out and not lose the prestige of the shogunate, but you must not kill the Chinese emperor's guards either."
