This Chen Zhong is not a tribute painting by Zheng Zhilong, but his white gloves.
To put it bluntly, Chen Zhong is Zheng's agent in Japan.
When he learned that the Satsuma Domain was going to war with the Xia Kingdom, Chen Zhong was shocked and hurriedly sent a message back to Fujian.
Unfortunately, the journey is long and time consuming.
When Zheng Zhilong gained the trust, the naval battle at Tsushima had already been fought.
Even so, Zheng Zhilong had to treat this matter with caution.
No matter who wins or loses between Xia and Japan, it will definitely have a huge impact on the situation in East Asia.
He sent Shi Daxuan as his plenipotentiary representative to Japan to deal with the matter.
According to Zheng Zhilong's idea, it is best to ensure the balance between Xia and Japan. Only in this way can the Zheng family maintain its status and right to speak.
But when Shi Daxuan rushed to Japan, he was surprised to learn that the Satsuma clan had returned with a disastrous defeat, and that the Xia Kingdom had requested negotiations.
This fact made Zheng extremely nervous.
Of course they do not want to see new forces rising on the waters of East Asia.
While sending a message back to Fujian, Shi Daxuan followed the Japanese delegation to Busan.
He has only one purpose.
They just hope to use Zheng's influence to prevent Xia from making further progress and changing the situation.
The lineup of Japan's negotiating delegation can be described as very luxurious.
Tokugawa Shogunate veteran Naka Doi Toshikatsu personally led the team, and Tokugawa Iemitsu's think tank Hayashi Razan also came, as well as Sakai Tadakatsu.
On the Satsuma Domain's side, senior Nakajima Shimazu Hisakei and Ewa Hisamasa's representative Mitsuhisa Shimazu followed them dejectedly.
"It is good that you can accept the goodwill of our country, Xia. I hope that in the subsequent negotiations, you can continue to uphold this and not let the situation escalate."
As soon as they met, Zuo Hua was threatening when he opened his mouth and did not hide his edge.
Shi Daxuan was on the sidelines and pointed out something.
"The Shogun has something to say beforehand. All the previous incidents were all due to misunderstandings. It's okay as long as we speak openly."
Zuo Hua sneered.
"The blood of our Xia soldiers is not a misunderstanding."
After eating a hard nail, Shi Daxuan's face looked extremely ugly.
He suddenly discovered that this time Xia Guo's treatment of Zheng didn't seem as kind as before.
Doi Toishi looked at Zuo Hua carefully, surprised by his youth, and even felt his hostility.
"I heard that His Royal Highness, King Xia, is in Busan. I wonder if we can go and pay our respects?"
Zuo Hua shook his head on the spot.
"If you are not friends, don't be a bad guest. Let's discuss everything at the negotiation table."
The tough attitude cast a shadow over the minds of everyone in Japan.
Under the leadership of Zuo Hua, they came to Busan.
Along the way, Doi Toshikatsu and others were all observing carefully. However, the more they watched, the more desperate they became.
But inside and outside the Busan port, countless ships were busy coming in and out. It was impossible to judge how many there were.
The dark gun muzzles on many ships sent chills all over the Japanese people.
In previous naval battles, they had already tasted the power.
I originally thought that the Xia Kingdom had fewer ships, but now it seems that the Xia Kingdom did not try its best in such a tragic battle.
The Japanese people don't know that the military ships and civilian ships on the Xia Kingdom are actually very clearly distinguished. The reason why there seem to be many ships on the Busan side is because there are a large number of merchant ships and civilian ships.
They just thought that these ships could also go to the battlefield.
If that's the case, the Satsuma clan did not lose unjustly.
The loading and unloading of materials at the port is always going on.
The Japanese and Zheng family were all dumbfounded by the piles of various materials, and they couldn't help but look greedy.
"Look, sir, those North Koreans actually have shoes on."
Japan once invaded North Korea and established a base camp in Busan, so it has a detailed description of the situation here. Moreover, the Japanese people have been in and out of Busan over the years, so they know the place well.
But this time when they came here again, the appearance of the Koreans surprised them.
The North Koreans who were once poor and hungry have disappeared.
They all put on brand new clothes and sturdy shoes, and always had a satisfied smile on their faces. Many people sat on the roadside to eat. Not only could you see rice in the exquisite iron boxes, but there was also meat.
This alone makes many Japanese people drool.
On the horizon in the distance, there was a constant rumbling sound. Looking around, you could vaguely see black and red smoke clouds covering the sky.
It was obviously the sound of cannon fire, but the people on the pier here were extremely calm. They did whatever they had to do, it seemed commonplace.
Nagata Miren led the Japanese in Busan to welcome Toi Toshikatsu and others to the guild hall.
"The King of Korea has sent troops, as well as the Manchu Qing army from Liaodong, which has already reached Busan. The Xia army and the Korean rebels are fighting with them. If the country sends troops at this time, there may be an opportunity."
Nagata saw Lian's eager eyes and put forward his suggestion.
Knowing that the Xia army was fighting, Doi Toshiki and others couldn't help but feel happy, but then they felt lonely again.
Of course they knew that if Japan could send troops at this time, it would be able to form a pincer attack with the Qing Dynasty allied forces, and they would be humiliated in a single blow.
But can Japan send troops?
Obviously not possible.
The Satsuma clan's navy had been completely destroyed, and those who remained had lost their fighting spirit.
Even if we want to fight across the sea, there are not enough ships.
Moreover, the power of the Xia Navy displayed in the Battle of Tsushima made the Japanese extremely desperate.
Even if we have more armies, what's the use if we can't land on North Korean soil?
"Although we can't go to war again, maybe we can use this to eliminate Xia Guo's spirit."
Lin Luoshan brainstormed and came up with a strategy.
In the afternoon of that day, negotiations between Xia and Japan officially began.
On the Xia Kingdom side, Wang Yun is the leader, Zuo Hua is the deputy. In addition, there are Shen Qiyuan and Fu Xinyuan.
The inclusion of North Koreans in the negotiating delegation really made Kim Sang-heon and others very happy.
Obviously the naval battle had nothing to do with North Korea, but Xia Guo's actions fully demonstrated the importance it attached to them.
These days, Jin Shangxian, Shen Qiyuan and others have been exchanging knowledge with the great Confucian scholars from Xia Guolai, and their thoughts have been greatly impacted.
There are many truths. Zuo Mengeng told them, but they did not agree with them. But when Liu Zongzhou and others said it, the effect was different.
For example, the superiors and inferiors respect each other. Korean scholars have always regarded it as the ethics of saints. However, Liu Zongzhou criticized it fiercely.
Liu Zongzhou traced Confucian ethics back to its most primitive state.
The theory of ethics is only to establish social order and does not clarify the meaning of superiority and inferiority.
This is not to say that he is tampering with Confucius's teachings indiscriminately.
After all, the original Confucian ethics was indeed like this.
The reason why the concept of superiority and inferiority came into being later was because later rulers added it for their own needs.
After Liu Zongzhou returned to his original nature, the development of Korean Confucian circles in Busan changed their thinking.
It was also through this change that the relationship between Xia and the Koreans became smoother and smoother.
This negotiation with Japan is also helping North Koreans build up their self-confidence and correctly understand how modern politics should be run.