Tadatoshi Aoyama held this light and fluttering treaty as if it was as heavy as a stone.
He said with a trembling tone: "My noble lord, this treaty is too harsh."
When Feng Sanqiu heard the interpreter finish, he said contemptuously: "This treaty is not harsh, as long as your Japanese army captures Edo Castle.
You don’t have to agree to anything. Our troops will withdraw from Japan immediately.
There is no way to win on the battlefield. If you want to talk to me and get better conditions, it is simply impossible.
Not a single word of the Treaty of Edo can be changed.
I only give you seven days to think about it. If you don’t agree, the next target will be Nagasaki.”
After Feng Sanqiu finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and robe, stood up and walked out of the room. The rest of Dahua also walked out of the room immediately.
Tadatoshi Aoyama looked at the empty room.
The people from Dahua gave them no room for negotiation at all.
The only choice is to agree to this condition or continue the war.
Aoyama Tadatoshi saw clearly that the war could no longer go on.
Their only option is to sign a treaty.
Aoyama Tadatoshi returned to the camp outside Edo Castle with the Edo Treaty.
After Tokugawa Iemitsu read the Treaty of Edo, he handed it to the courtiers in the camp, all of whom were supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Regarding the Edo Treaty, the treaty that Tokugawa Iemitsu could not accept the most was Article 3, which required a compensation of 200 million taels of silver to Dahua.
This is 200 million taels of silver, and the Tokugawa shogunate simply cannot afford this huge sum of money.
The first article is about the title of the emperor. For Tokugawa Iemitsu, this only damages some reputation and does not have much impact.
The second article of trade and concession was also acceptable to Tokugawa Iemitsu.
The Yamato clan has an extremely outstanding quality, and that is Mu Qiang.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty suppressed the world.
They sent Tang envoys to the Tang Dynasty to learn knowledge, and even went to the Tang Dynasty to borrow seeds to improve the Yamato race.
The Ming Dynasty was weak and could not defeat the nomads in the north, and some wandering warriors in the south frequently defeated the cities.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the country, and taking advantage of the weakness of the Ming Dynasty, they saw an opportunity and sent troops to Korea.
However, he did not expect that the power of the Ming Dynasty was still there, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was defeated, the Toyotomi clan was defeated by his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the Tokugawa shogunate was established.
But they no longer look up to the Ming Dynasty.
Now that Dahua sent giant ships to attack Edo, Tokugawa Iemitsu realized that our western neighbor was once again rising.
Tokugawa Ieyasu is already preparing to send envoys to China to learn from Dahua's powerful methods and strengthen the country's strength.
The ministers in the camp immediately became complicated after reading the Edo Treaty.
"It is absolutely impossible to revoke the emperor's title."
"We have decided to gradually close the country, how can we open Edo and Nagasaki.
We cannot judge the Chinese who break the law.
It is absolutely unacceptable that we should implement the laws of other countries in our land."
"How dare Dahua ask for compensation of 200 million taels of silver? We simply cannot afford such a huge amount of compensation.
General, we are fighting against Dahua.
We would rather mobilize hundreds of thousands of people and use human wave tactics to flood Edo Castle than sign such a treaty with Dahua."
When Sakai Tadakatsu saw the noisy accent, he roared angrily: "Stop talking about it, is this matter something we can choose?
There are only two options: war and peace.
If we can win, who would want to sign such a treaty?
We can no longer delay now, the news will soon spread throughout the country.
When the time comes, other feudal lords will surely choose to unite with Dahua.
They united with Dahua and after defeating us, they signed a treaty with Dahua.
This kind of thing must not be allowed to happen. Now the country has reached a life and death moment and cannot withstand turmoil.
Gentlemen, we must take a long-term view. Temporary failure is not terrible.
We must recognize that our strength is inferior to others and try our best to improve our strength."
When Tokugawa Iemitsu heard Sakai Tadakatsu's analysis, his expression became solemn.
The situation cannot be allowed to get worse, and priority must be given to ensuring the Tokugawa Shogunate's rule over the country.
Tokugawa Iemitsu looked at Aoyama Tadoshi, his father's direct subordinate.
"Tadatoshi Aoyama, you will go to Edo Castle to negotiate with Dahua and be responsible for signing the Edo Treaty.
It’s just that we can’t afford 200 million taels of silver now.
If they choose to reduce the amount of compensation or allow installment payment, then agree to Dahua's conditions.
If there are other conditions attached, as long as we can accept them, we will agree to them.
Agreeing to these conditions is better than losing the country."
When Tokugawa Iemitsu said these words, he immediately slumped in his chair.
He could all imagine that he would be a sinner of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and his reputation would not be very good in future generations.
But in order to preserve the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and preserve the vitality of the Tokugawa family, he could only make this choice.
Reparations are the property of the state, not the shogunate.
If you choose to continue confronting Dahua, the Tokugawa Shogunate will cease to exist.
Aoyama Tadatoshi knelt down to Tokugawa Iemitsu and said in a sincere tone: "I will fight for the best conditions for the country."
…………………………
Feng Sanqiu and Hu Nanzhu received news that Qingshan Zhongjun had returned again.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled. If they could come back again, the Japanese people had already figured out that it would be easy to sign the Edo Treaty.
The two of them once again received Aoyama Tadatoshi, an official of the Japanese state.
Feng Sanqiu sat on the main seat and said condescendingly: "Aoyama Tadatsuki, have you agreed to the Edo Treaty?"
Aoyama Tadatsuki said humbly: "My noble lord, on behalf of General Tokugawa Iemitsu, I basically agree with your request.
We have no objection to Articles 1 and 2.
But our country is a small country, with an annual income of only a few hundred taels of silver. There is no way to come up with 200 million taels of silver.
Could your country be accommodating and reduce the compensation payment?"
Feng Sanqiu looked at Qingshan Zhongjun's sincere words and anxious expression.
He knew that Qingshan Zhongjun was right, let alone a small country like Japan.
Even if Qian Ming was asked to come up with 200 million taels of silver at once, they wouldn't be able to come up with it.
If Qianming could come up with such a huge amount of money, then there would be no rise of Dahua.
Dahua suspended all investment, raised taxes like a fisherman, and expropriated merchants, so that it could collect such a huge amount of silver coins.
His Majesty the Emperor proposed this amount and also proposed a solution.
The compensation is not collected in one lump sum. The Japanese country can be asked to take out collateral and pay compensation in batches.
The Dahua Dynasty could also use this method to control the Japanese country for a long time.
Feng Sanqiu expected that His Majesty the Emperor would have a complete set of methods to deal with a country that was relatively large and could not be controlled in a short period of time.
It is through ceding territory and paying compensation to continuously encroach on this country.
Feng Sanqiu tapped his fingers on the table and looked like he was thinking seriously.
He said in an unhurried tone: "Your Japanese country really cannot afford so much money at once.
The Japanese state can be allowed to pay in installments, but the corresponding interest must be paid.
Japan used the customs duties of Edo and Nagasaki as collateral.
In the absence of repayment of compensation, the customs of Japan are controlled by our people and the tariffs are set by us.
But the first compensation must be 30 million taels of silver."
His Majesty the Emperor proposed that the profit from the East China Sea Fleet's conquest of Japan was fifty million taels of silver coins.
They have already collected approximately 30 million taels of silver assets from Edo Castle.
The Treaty of Edo also required Japan to pay an initial payment of 30 million taels of silver.
The East China Sea Fleet's profit from this conquest of Japan was 60 million taels of silver, which was 10 million taels higher than the target set by His Majesty the Emperor.
Qingshan Zhongjun heard that there were thirty million taels of silver, which was already much less than the two hundred million taels of silver.
But for the Tokugawa shogunate, this number was still a bit high.
Tadatoshi Aoyama continued to fight to get the Chinese people to reduce some of the first batch of compensation.
When he saw Feng Sanqiu and others, his expressions were already a little impatient.
Qingshan Zhongjun knew that this was Dahua's bottom line and he had to agree.
The Tokugawa shogunate must first overcome this difficulty before it can consider the future situation.
He bowed at ninety degrees and said respectfully: "On behalf of General Tokugawa Iemitsu, I agree to the Edo Treaty."
After Feng Sanqiu listened to the interpreter, he smiled.
He asked his staff to quickly revise the three Edo treaties and add the additional clauses they had negotiated.
Feng Sanqiu signed his name on the Treaty of Edo.
He handed these three Edo treaties to Tadatoshi Aoyama.
Tadatoshi Aoyama picked up the brush, his right hand trembling.
His teeth were clenched together, and there was a trace of blood oozing from his gums.
The corners of his eyes were wide open, and the veins in his hands were throbbing.
If you sign this name, you will be a sinner in history.
Feng Sanqiu saw Qingshan Zhongjun holding the pen and not signing for a long time.
He snorted coldly.
Aoyama Tadatsuki was shocked, and then signed his name on the Edo Treaty.
Feng Sanqiu saw Aoyama Tadajun sign three treaties.
He put away two of the treaties and handed one to Tadatoshi Aoyama.
"The Treaty of Edo has been signed and we will withdraw from Edo Castle soon.
When the first batch of compensation is delivered, the warships will withdraw from Edo Port."
Feng Sanqiu was not afraid of the Japanese going back on their word. If they could capture Edo Castle the first time, they could capture Edo Castle the second time.
Edo Castle is within the coverage of the main gun of the battleship Hanwu Emperor.
With strong military force as a guarantee, he was not afraid of Japan at all and would not implement the Edo Treaty.
What's more, Edo Castle has been evacuated by them now.
There isn't much of value left.
They no longer need to stay in Edo Castle.
Feng Sanqiu asked Captain Zhen Kun to discuss with the Japanese army how to hand over Edo Castle.
They also informed the Japanese people who were working for Dahua during this period.
In the eyes of Japanese people, these people were traitors.
But in Dahua's view, these people are very knowledgeable about current affairs and they are very good losers.
In some fields, these people are more useful and you cannot give up on them.
After Dahua dismembers the Japanese state, these people will also be the vanguard.
…………………………
Tokugawa Iemitsu returned to the shogunate.
He saw that the general's mansion had become empty.
Many valuable cultural relics were all stripped away, and not even the windows or bowls were left.
These people ignored the cold winter and dug many large holes in their yards.
Tokugawa Iemitsu knew that a large part of the large amount of silver the Tokugawa family had hidden in the mansion had been emptied by Dahua.
Not only their Tokugawa family, but also the noble residences in Edo City suffered heavy losses.
He made it easy to sort out the messy house.
Discussion between Tokugawa Iemitsu and the close ministers of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Qingshan Zhongjun said: "We must pay 30 million taels of silver to Dahua in advance.
I have tried my best and negotiated an installment payment.
From 200 million taels of silver to 30 million taels of silver.
As long as we endure the humiliation and bear the burden, we can enhance our national strength.
If we defeat Dahua in the future, we won’t have to pay compensation for the remaining money, and we can in turn claim compensation from Dahua.
Improving national strength is what needs to be done in the future.
The first priority now is to hand over 30 million taels of silver in compensation.
This is thirty million taels of silver, and we simply can't get it out now.
But we must find a way to bring it out, if the Chinese people refuse to leave.
The prestige of the Tokugawa family will disappear, and our country will lose a pillar of stability.
At that time, the country will re-enter the Warring States Period.
The country can no longer bear the cost of war.
We were unable to suppress the feudal lords, and the country fell into war.
Dahua will definitely take advantage of the chaos to sow discord and let the war consume our country's heritage, making it easier for Dahua to dismember our country.
Gentlemen, we must not let this worst-case scenario happen."
Everyone present heard Aoyama Tadoshi's analysis.
Some of them turned pale with fright.
Some people who want to default on their debts will end up in this dangerous situation after seeing them defaulting on their debts.
They no longer dare to refuse to pay.
Everyone has reached a consensus that they must pay the advance compensation and send away Dahua, the god of plague.
Sakai Tadakatsu suggested: "Shogun, this matter should not be borne by our Tokugawa family.
All feudal lords must bear this compensation."
Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned and said: "This is difficult to do.
We must get the compensation into the hands of the Chinese people as soon as possible.
Even if these feudal lords do not refuse directly, they just delay, and we are extremely passive.
Now I have to think of a way to make some cash.
As for future compensation, we can only increase taxes and further inflict hardship on the people."
Tokugawa Iemitsu and many ministers studied how to solve the reparations problem.
A samurai came to report to Tokugawa Iemitsu: "Shogun, a businessman from Dahua has arrived, and he said he wants to negotiate a big deal with us."
"Businessman of Dahua."
Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned, preparing to let the samurai drive away the Chinese merchants.
He also felt that it was inappropriate to do this. The Chinese businessman who went to meet him wanted to see what this businessman was going to do.
…………………………
Yang Wencai, dressed in luxurious silk, approached the general's mansion.
When he saw Tokugawa Iemitsu, he cupped his hands and said, "I am a noble businessman from Dahua, and I want to negotiate a big business deal with General Tokugawa."
Yang Wencai brought his own translator who was proficient in Japanese and translated his words completely to Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Tokugawa Iemitsu saw this businessman's extraordinary bearing, and his frown eased a little.
“Our country’s resources are scarce and we don’t have any special products.
Businessman from Dahua, if you have any business to discuss with me, General."
Yang Wencai said with a smile: "In my eyes, there are no countries with scarce resources, only countries that treat treasures as rubbish.
Most of your country's mineral resources have been mined, and the remaining ones are extremely difficult to mine.
The land is small and there is a great shortage of food.
But you have a very valuable resource, and that is population.
I am a labor business person and I take people to work in Dahua.
A strong young man, I will pay ten taels of silver.
For healthy women, the minimum is twenty taels of silver. Depending on their beauty, I can give them up to one thousand taels of silver."
Tokugawa Iemitsu heard that he was in the labor business, but he actually knew that this person was in the slave business.
They were short of money now, and he hadn't realized before that population was also very valuable.
The Japanese country lacks everything now, except people.
Hundreds of thousands of people starve to death every year.
Tokugawa Iemitsu smiled and said: "Businessmen of Dahua, please take a seat.
Let’s discuss the labor business in detail.”
They finally found a way to solve the compensation problem at the lowest cost.
