After the talks with the Japanese envoys were completed, what Qin Zhongtang had to do next was how to convince Emperor Jiajing. Only when Emperor Jiajing nodded, all measures could be implemented.
After Qin Dewei returned to Wenyuan Pavilion, he immediately wrote a memorial to Emperor Jiajing. He did not write many details, but mainly wrote:
"After investigation, I learned that some people in Japan have gradually become disrespectful. They regard themselves as a kingdom of gods and want to compete with the Ming Dynasty."
The vain Emperor Jiajing of Ming Dynasty saw this sentence and immediately became angry.
If the barbarians of Japan can be on an equal footing with the Ming Dynasty, then where can he put his face as the emperor of the Celestial Dynasty?
Emperor Jiajing continued to look down with strong emotions, but there was no trace below.
So Emperor Jiajing immediately had the urge to push Qin Dewei out of the Meridian Gate and slap him with dozens of imperial sticks.
Is there anything that cannot be written in the memorial?
Regarding the memorial to the Japanese mission, I would have finished reading it. Such a trivial matter was not worthy of the emperor's concern, but Qin Dewei successfully aroused Emperor Jiajing's mood.
"Call Qin Dewei over!" Emperor Jiajing shouted to Huang Jin who was waiting next to him.
Huang Jin hesitated for a moment and then asked: "Do I want to call you gentlemen?"
The "sir" mentioned here is the honorific title given to Elder Ge by the imperial court. The emperor often addressed Elder Ge as sir, but the Jiajing Emperor never did.
Emperor Jiajing almost forgot, so he ordered again: "Call them together!"
This is the second time that the bachelors who are pre-engineering and those who are not pre-engineering are waiting outside the gate of Renshou Palace.
Huang Jin remembered that there was something inappropriate last time, that is, Qin Dewei, who had the lowest status, came later than the three elders, which was very inconsistent with court etiquette.
So Huang Jin kindly adjusted the order this time and asked the young eunuch to go to the Wenyuan Pavilion far away to summon Qin Dewei first.
When Qin Dewei arrived at the gate of Renshou Palace and waited first, Huang Jincai went to the nearby Zhilu of Wuyi Palace to summon the elder.
At this time, the eldest Gu Dingchen went home for vacation due to illness. Only Xia Yan and Yan Song received the order and quickly left Wuyi Palace and came to the outside of Renshou Palace.
Qin Dewei stood at the palace gate and saw Huang Jin leading the two pavilion elders over, so he bowed to his descendants.
After Huang Jin entered the palace to return the order, Qin Dewei sternly advised the two pavilion elders: "Seniors, Zhilu is only a stone's throw away from the gate of Renshou Palace, but you arrived later than me who was on duty at Wenyuan Pavilion!
If you fall into the eyes of others, it will be a sign of neglect. The next piece of advice is offensive to your ears. Seniors serve the Holy King and must not relax at all times!"
Xia Shoufu: "."
Mr. Yan Ge: "."
The situation was tense in an instant, and the atmosphere was infinitely closer to a martial arts fight!
Fortunately, Huang Jin ran out of the palace gate in time: "Gentlemen, stop! See you! See you now!"
The three people were led into the front hall and after paying homage to the emperor, Emperor Jiajing shouted to Qin Dewei: "What on earth did you say to the Japanese envoy!"
Qin Dewei did not dare to do anything wrong at this time, and honestly gave a brief summary of the content of the meeting.
Emperor Jiajing frowned and asked, "What do you think of what the Japanese barbarians said?"
Qin Dewei replied without hesitation: "You can't believe a word of what they say!"
Emperor Jiajing: "."
Since you can't believe a word of it, why did you, Qin Dewei, lie to each other for a long time with the Japanese envoy? Your work, Qin Dewei, is so unsatisfactory?
Qin Dewei explained: "The sage said, I am like a human being, listen to his words and watch his actions. So for the Japanese barbarians, listening to their words does not mean that you believe their words! This is not only true for the Japanese barbarians, but also for all barbarians.
!”
Mr. Yan Song, Yange Lao, interrupted and said: "Then Japan's Ouchi clan or other vassal princes are already vassals of the Japanese king. How can they accept the canonization of the Ming Dynasty? It is really inconsistent with the etiquette system."
What he was targeting was what Qin Dewei said in order to seduce the Ouchi family, and let the Ouchi family accept the canonization of the Ming Dynasty and become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty.
Qin Dewei replied nonchalantly: "There is no need to worry about etiquette issues. If the Japanese princes intend to accept the canonization of the Ming Dynasty, they can find a way to solve it themselves, and we don't need to worry about it."
It was difficult for the monarchs and ministers in the palace to understand the meaning of Qin Dewei's words, because it involved a national issue.
The mentality of the kings and ministers of the heavenly kingdom is difficult to imagine the "survival wisdom" of a small country.
Therefore, Qin Dewei had to explain in detail: "If a vassal town like the Ouchi clan in Japan is not greedy, then this matter will not happen; but if they are greedy for the huge profits from tributary trade with the Ming Dynasty, it will be different!
For the sake of profit, they will definitely try every means to deceive the country and do enough superficial etiquette to accept the canonization of the Ming Dynasty. This is the nature of the Japanese!"
Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but said: "This sounds like you are hiding your ears and stealing the bell? Can you really act like this?"
Qin Dewei gave an example: "This is the custom of the Japanese. For example, the Ming Dynasty enthroned Genji Ashikaga as the king of Japan. The Japanese people did not want to live under the Ming Dynasty as vassals and accepted the title of king, but they were reluctant to pay tribute and profit.
Therefore, the Japanese in China quoted the Spring and Autumn Period examples and interpreted the Japanese king Genji Ashikaga as an overlord who respected the king and rejected the foreigners, and then other Japanese people pretended to believe it.
But when facing the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese leader still regarded himself as the King of Japan, and his etiquette was not bad on the surface. It was enough to fool the Ming Dynasty."
After listening to this example, the emperor and his ministers can have a deeper understanding of what the Japanese are like.
Then Emperor Jiajing immediately thought of the sentence in Qin Dewei's memorial, and said: "How dare the Japanese chieftain have such evil intentions! He should continue to pay tribute!"
Yan Song also added insult to injury and accused: "What's the use of your Qin Dewei insisting on paying tribute to Japan? Is it just to condone the disrespect of the barbarians? It hurts the dignity of our Ming Dynasty?"
Qin Dewei ignored Yan Song, the troublemaker, and said quickly to Emperor Jiajing: "Your Majesty! It won't happen! It won't happen!"
Then he continued: "Japan has been in civil strife for decades. The king of Japan has lost all prestige, his decrees are ineffective, and his power has fallen into the hands of the princes and vassals! This situation is like the melee in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is also like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
!
In the past ten years, there has been a sudden increase in the number of Japanese pirates at sea, which is also related to this. As wars broke out, wandering barbarians continued to roam the sea and become bandits. No matter how thorough the defense of the Ming Dynasty, they could not cure them!
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty punished the entire country of Japan with extreme tribute, which is actually of no use. At present, there is not even a complete country of Japan, and punishing the king of Japan is tantamount to throwing a heavy punch in the air."
Emperor Jiajing shouted impatiently: "What on earth do you want to say? Do you want me to just sit back and watch?"
Qin Dewei quickened his pace and said: "No! My original intention when mentioning tribute was not against Japan, but against the vassals and vassal towns in Japan!
We, the Ming Dynasty, are settled in our country. We can lure them with the benefits of trade, guide them in the name of canonization, stir up troubles in Japan, and kill the crazy thieves who underestimate the Ming Dynasty. This can also be regarded as heaven's punishment!"
Emperor Jiajing was still very traditional in foreign relations at this time. What he was most concerned about was the annoying Japanese pirates. He asked again: "How many years will it take for Japan to be in civil strife?"
Qin Dewei replied: "As far as I know, there are about a hundred scattered princes in Japan, and each prince is no more than one county.
Nowadays, no one with the appearance of an overlord has appeared, so the civil strife will continue for at least a few decades, enough for me, the Ming Dynasty, to slowly sort it out."
However, Yan Song told Emperor Jiajing: "What Qin Dewei said seems to be not convincing enough. As for using civil strife to stir up all parties and control the situation in Japan, it is even more far-fetched and unknown.
Therefore, I think that Qin Dewei's strategy is like a general who deliberately launches border provocations for military exploits!
Qin Dewei himself is the Assistant Minister of Barbarian Affairs, and if he does not make a move on barbarian affairs, it will not be enough to show his credit, so he has such an idea to actively intervene in Japan!"
Mr. Yan Ge's accusation against Qin Dewei was very heartbreaking, but it was not unreasonable.
For people of the time, if one does not open a God's perspective, the benefits are indeed invisible and intangible at present.
Although Qin Dewei repeatedly said that Japan produced a lot of silver, the monarchs and ministers still did not realize how much silver was produced, and the Ming Dynasty's fiscal concept still focused on physical objects and undervalued silver money.
At this time, the monarchs and ministers were even less likely to predict how much of a threat the small Japanese country would pose to China in the future.
In the eyes of the Ming Dynasty's monarchs and ministers, Japan was probably just a large Ryukyu country and could not afford to put more effort into "containment".
So Qin Dewei responded directly: "What Mr. Yan Ge said is right, I am just greedy for success and deliberately interfered in Japan's civil strife!"
Yan Song suddenly choked up. He didn't expect Qin Dewei to admit it so simply. For a moment, he didn't know how to continue talking.
But then I heard Qin Dewei say plausibly: "This is called planning for one's own affairs, fulfilling one's duties, but is it wrong? As a foreign minister, what can you do if you don't plan foreign affairs?"
Yan Song added: "In the past, Japan was one of the countries that Taizu did not conquer in his fifteenth year. He was afraid that nothing would cause trouble and that the gain would not be worth the loss of the people and money."
Qin Dewei sighed, "If Mr. Yan Ge doesn't understand barbarian affairs, just say less!"
Then he turned to Emperor Jiajing and said: "Your Majesty! According to my strategy, the Ming Dynasty does not have to pay much, and there is no need for a large army to go on an expedition!
As the saying goes, the first step is to attack with troops, and the second is to attack with friends. I can only attack with troops and attack with friends, which is completely in line with the art of war.
Since the price is not high and there is no waste of money and people as mentioned by Mr. Yan Ge, why can’t we give it a try?”
Chief Assistant Xia Yan felt that Qin Dewei's performance today was too much, and he was about to abandon the cabinet and leave alone!
I couldn't help but question: "In addition to scabies like Japanese pirates, is Japan worth so much trouble?"
Qin Dewei had nothing to do with this concept, but he also knew who could not be blamed. He could criticize Yan Song for not understanding barbarian affairs, but he could not criticize the chief minister anymore.
He could only say patiently: "I don't know what I know. The custom of Japan is that men are brave and cunning. Men are often taught to learn swordsmanship when they are ten years old. Everyone is proud to die in battle, and it is a custom to carry a sword.
As for the power of Japan, it can also be said that if it unites for a long time, it must divide, and if it divides for a long time, it must unite.
Although it is currently in civil strife, if it were to be reunited one day, there would be hundreds of thousands of hundreds of thousands of warriors with nowhere to settle, which would be another disaster for our Ming Dynasty.
When I look at the general trend of the world, I see that we are facing powerful enemies not only from the Northern Barbarians, but also from the Western Fans and the Eastern Seas, which cannot be underestimated."
What Qin Dewei said was very consistent with historical laws, he himself knew, but to other people's ears, it sounded like fantasy.
How could a mere Japanese country gather hundreds of thousands of troops?
Emperor Jiajing was violently indoctrinated by Qin Dewei several times, and he seemed to be enlightened and asked:
"You, Qin Dewei, may say this or that, but what benefit does it bring to our Ming Dynasty to intervene in the civil strife in Japan? Is it possible that we have spent all our efforts just to watch the civil strife in Japan?"
Qin Dewei said confidently: "First, we can collect silver from Japan to assist His Majesty Xuanxiu!
Second, stir up dissension, try our best to influence the domestic situation in Japan, reduce Japanese pirates, and weaken Japan’s national power! If we can prevent the separation from long-term reunification, that would be the best.”
Emperor Jiajing had not yet experienced the pain of lack of money at this time, but having money was not a bad thing, and he also understood that there would be many places to spend money in the future.
Yan Song was really unconvinced and said: "Such an act of deliberately causing trouble to the vassals would be unworthy of the dignity of the Ming Dynasty."
Qin Dewei sighed again, "If Mr. Yange doesn't understand barbarian affairs, can you say a few words?"
Then he said in response to Yan Song: "Japanese pirates have repeatedly intruded along the coast and have not been exterminated since the early years of the Imperial Dynasty, so just treat Japan as the same as the northern pirates!"
If there are any strategies to sow discord and instigate internal strife among the Northern captives, may I ask if the imperial court will use them?"
Emperor Jiajing made the final decision: "Of course I will use it!"
The Ming Dynasty and the Northern Barbarians have been fighting since the founding of the country until now. Naturally, they have resorted to all possible means in their centuries-old feud.
Qin Dewei suggested: "The layout cannot be controlled carefully. It will take several years. Now, if we first induce the Ouchi clan to pay one tribute per year, other secret lines in the mission will definitely know about it."
When the envoys return to Japan, there will definitely be envoys coming again next year to bring news from Japan. We will see the opportunity when the time comes.
The long-term goal is to open embassies and garrison troops throughout Japan, and there will be many details that will be reported to His Majesty one by one."
Yan Song couldn't help but comment: "It's really unrealistic, and it's like talking about war on paper. The embassy and the garrison are still a waste of national power."
For the rulers and ministers of the Ming Dynasty, whether they sent officials or troops to the vassal states, it was the right of the Ming Dynasty, and they did not think it was an "infringement of sovereignty."
Their standard of measurement is how much national power is consumed for this kind of face, and whether the national treasury can support it.
Qin Dewei first came up with an idea and said: "There is no need for anyone from the court to pay. For example, as long as he appoints a maritime merchant, gives him a crown, and allows him to recruit troops to Japan on his own, he will definitely be extremely happy."
Then he said to Emperor Jiajing: "Your Majesty! From now on, for such barbarian affairs, I will send someone to report to Your Majesty, and then His Majesty will make the final decision!"
There is no need to call in people who are not familiar with foreign affairs and point fingers from the side, which is a waste of time.
Moreover, it involves barbarian affairs secrets, and many things are not known to outsiders, such as Baiyin Fuzan Xuanxiu."
Emperor Jiajing said directly: "I will give you a silver medal and allow you to enter the memorial hall in secret!"
Qin Dewei hurriedly stepped forward to thank him. After a full year of giving various hints and twists and turns, he finally got the silver medal!
With a silver medal, you can freely speak freely and talk about things that would be inconvenient to say in public memorials!
Emperor Jiajing's political credibility in this regard was pretty good and he would not leak secrets to others.
Another small step forward towards becoming a complete bachelor.
My condition is suddenly very bad today. I can’t feel the code at all... By the way, please give me a monthly pass!!! I haven’t asked for a monthly pass in a long time.