Japan, Satsuma Domain, in Shimizu Castle near the Shimazu family castle, a seven-story Japanese-style building stands tall.
There is a Ming-style plaque hanging at the main entrance of this building, with three large vermilion and gold-edged characters "Crystal Building" written in Gao's name. These three characters are written in extremely standard Taige style, every stroke and every stroke is called "Crystal Building".
Impeccable.
No one who came to watch from a distance was surprised, because now everyone in Japan knows that these three characters are the only six highly pragmatic calligraphy works in the Ming Dynasty in the past two hundred years.
This "Tang Dynasty" scholar who was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty and the Minister of Hubu at the time was famous even in Japan. In particular, it is well-known that very few of his authentic calligraphy works have been circulated. For some noble families and powerful names,
, it’s a pity that I can’t take back the plaque of Crystal Building and hang it on my house.
The reason why they couldn't be robbed was, of course, that the Shimadzu family was not easy to deal with. The fault was that Guan Bai sent an army of more than 200,000 to fight last year. The Shimadzu family at least dominated Kyushu (island) by now.
In today's Japan, if we don't take into account the Somoji Order (General No Matter Order), I can probably count on one hand the people who dare to say that they can fight with the Shimadzu family, including Tokugawa, Mori, and Hojo.
Ida didn't necessarily have much confidence.
But this is not the most critical issue. After all, the Shimazu family's first leader was taught a lesson by Guan Bai. Not only was the fiefdom greatly reduced, but the loss of troops was also considerable, and his house was very remote.
It is impossible for the Jin family to pursue him.
The biggest reliance of the Crystal Building is its own identity: it is home to the General Chamber of Commerce of the Ming Dynasty Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance in Japan.
Since it is the Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance, no one dares to deny this face. There are rumors that when Guan Bai heard that the Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance established the General Chamber of Commerce in the Shimadzu family's Shimizu City, he was so angry that he even fell down
There were several valuable pieces of porcelain, and even two of the family members with whom I was closest to were scolded.
One thing that needs to be noted is that at this moment Toyotomi Hideyoshi has not yet issued the "Status Control Order", and the four main classes of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce can still transform into each other (of course it is easy to transform from high to low, but it is difficult to transform from low to high), plus the so-called
Japan's Warring States Period still lacks the unification of Kanto and Northeast China, so the power of merchants is still respected. Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi will not easily target Japanese merchants.
We are obviously talking about the Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance, but why do we say that Toyotomi Hideyoshi will not easily target Japanese businessmen yet? Because the Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance has a special status in Japan, and among them, the only ones Toyotomi Hideyoshi can actually influence are his own businessmen.
How special is the status of the Sea Trade Alliance? If I have to put it simply, it would be that Japan’s current foreign trade all depends on the face of the Sea Trade Alliance.
I mentioned before the "Southern Barbarian Trade" between Japan, Portugal and the Spanish. This trade had nothing to do with the Sea Trade Alliance at the beginning, but later after the Sea Trade Alliance and the Nanyang Fleet gained absolute control of the seas in the East and Southeast, "
"Southern Barbarian Trade" also naturally entered the "jurisdiction" of the Sea Trade Alliance.
The simplest reason is that if the Maritime Trade Alliance does not allow Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships to come to Japan, Japan will not see a single "Southern Barbarian" ship, and the "Southern Barbarian trade" will naturally disappear.
However, the Nanman trade is also very important to Japan at present. Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi would not easily try the possible consequences of suddenly interrupting this trade.
What's more, in addition to "Southern Barbarian Trade", the core deterrent force of the Beiyang Sea Trade Alliance is tomorrow's trade. This point does not need to be explained. Even if the relationship between the Jiangnan Business Gang and the Sea Trade Alliance is not harmonious, they are highly pragmatic at home.
Maybe you need to consider the political impact. Around Japan, that would be... What does it have to do with me if your ship sinks?
It is difficult for Japan today to withstand the harm caused by tomorrow's trade interruption. Just like the "Ningbo Incident" mentioned before, Japan, whose trade was cut off by the Ming Dynasty, tried every means to restore trade routes but failed, leading to various chain variables.
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This point is actually reflected in the original history. For example, after the Sekigahara War, or to be more precise, after the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu contacted the Ming Dynasty through various channels and various means many times, expressing his hope that the Ming Dynasty would open up.
Trade, and also proposed several trade models for Ming to choose - of course, Ming ignored him.
If the imperial court's control had not weakened at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and although the Ming Dynasty officially did not open up trade, private smuggling trade began to become popular again. Tokugawa Ieyasu's threat in his last contact to send troops to fight another war with the Ming Dynasty would have been impossible.
Good things are about to happen.
This is the Ming Dynasty’s position in the East Asian trading system: it doesn’t matter who I am without, and I will have to cry for my father and mother if I am without him.
Before Gao pragmatism came to Ming Dynasty and began to interfere with these maritime trades, the nature of trade between the two countries could be roughly divided into two stages. Regulations were formally formed from the time of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, and the official trade ended during the Jiajing period. This is the official
The trade stage; after the battle for tribute, it entered the private trade stage, that is, the private trade stage.
In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the social situation in Japan was also very chaotic. Rogues, samurai and profit-seeking merchants formed pirates and invaded the southeastern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu sent envoys to Japan and asked Japan to control Japanese pirates, so that the two countries could live in harmony.
, but due to the destruction of Prince Huailiang, it was not completed.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the shogun at the time, discovered that Sino-Japanese trade was profitable and sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty in the fourth year of Yongle to express his hope to establish trade relations with the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Kanhe trade was officially established in the fourth year of Yongle.
The Ming Dynasty stipulated that the size of Japan's tribute was two ships and 200 people. The tribute should be paid once every ten years, and swords and guns were not allowed to be carried privately. By the time of Ashikaga Yoshitari, there was no control over coastal Japanese pirates, and the trade between the two countries was terminated.
During the Ashikaga Yoshitaka period, Japan sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty to request trade exchanges between the two countries. Mingrenzong agreed, but at this time the size limit changed from two ships to three ships, and 200 people became 300 people.
Carry swords and guns, but not more than 3,000. The only thing that has not changed is the tribute trade once every ten years.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At this time, the trade between the two countries is in an official monopoly, and the Ming Dynasty stipulates that "no mutual trade is allowed without paying tribute." The joint trade between the two countries has been customized, and Japan will follow it from now on.
This scale paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
Later, Japan discovered that reselling the products of the Ming Dynasty could earn huge profits, so while the two sides were conducting official trade exchanges, merchants came to China with the tribute fleet. The goods carried by Japan also exceeded the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, and the arrival time was irregular.
Sometimes for three to five years, sometimes for fifteen or sixteen years, the Ming Dynasty's regulations on joint trade between the two countries were like a piece of paper, and they had almost no binding effect on Japan.
It was not until the second year of Jiajing that the "Battle for Tribute" between the Japanese lords Hosokawa and Ouchi broke out in Ningbo, marking the end of the official joint trade between the two countries.
Sixteen years after the battle for tribute, the Daimyo Daiuchi clan once again applied to explore trade with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming court still reiterated the previous regulations, that is, there should be no more than 3 ships, no more than 300 people, and trade should be conducted every ten years.
However, at this time, private market trade had already flourished. "In the 23rd year of Jiajing, the tribute came again, but it was not due, and there was no official statement. The ministers said that they should not accept it, but they refused. They benefited from mutual trade and stayed at the seaside."
It can be seen that in the 23rd year of Jiajing, Japan came to pay tribute but did not bring an official statement, and the Ming Dynasty official did not accept Japan's tribute. So the goods brought by Japan were traded with private traders in Shuangyu - that is to say
At this time, Japan no longer valued official trade with the Ming Dynasty, but came to the Ming Dynasty to trade with private merchants in the name of tribute, thereby seeking greater profits.
This kind of trade has become the main form of tomorrow's trade. The reason for this situation is the decline of Japan's central power, the right to pay tribute has fallen from the hands of the generals to the hands of the major figures, and the development of the commodity economy of the two countries has also promoted private trade.
Eventually replacing official trade.
With the rise of the sea trade alliance, especially after Gao Gong dominated the "Longqing Switch", the status of illegal private ports such as Shuangyu declined, and the high-pragmatic Jinghua system private ports gained the status of legally going to sea, gradually making the subsequent Jinghua fleet become
The mainstay of tomorrow's trade.
After Jinghua tied the Xungui Group onto the warship, this "main force position" continued to strengthen until it can almost be called a monopoly today.
I have said before that Toyotomi Hideyoshi's so-called unification is actually very incomplete. Regardless of Tokugawa, Mori or Shimazu, their surrender is conditional, let alone the Hojo clan who are trying to fight but have not yet.
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This resulted in Toyotomi Hideyoshi having to assess the other party's possible reaction when dealing with matters related to them. Actions such as interrupting trade tomorrow obviously cannot be done, otherwise how could the companies whose interests have been greatly harmed be able to do so?
Not angry? Who knows if they are angry at the same time because of something, will they unite against themselves?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi is now focused on diverting Japan's internal conflicts. How could he do something to intensify the internal conflicts? It doesn't matter if he intensifies Hojo, but it would be really bad if he intensifies the surrendered Tokugawa, Mori, and Shimadzu.
Wise.
The construction of the Crystal Building attracted the attention of the whole of Japan from the very beginning, and even incidentally promoted the Shimadzu family greatly, which greatly increased their reputation.
For this reason, the Shimadzu family didn't know which tendon was connected to the wrong line, and suddenly did something that shocked many Japanese people: they verified the bloodline origin of their ancestors and announced that their ancestors were actually "Tang people" -
—that is, the Chinese.
Walter?
But don't be surprised, many people believe the Shimadzu family's statement. The reason is that the Japanese have always had two theories about the origin of the Shimadzu family.
Regarding the origin of the Shimazu family, the first theory is that Tadahisa, a retainer of the Konoe family, was the ancestor of the Shimazu family. However, it is said that Tadahisa's ancestor came here across the ocean from mainland China, and his name was Yuzuki.
Lord Gongyue claimed to be a descendant of the First Emperor of Qin, so he was named after Qin, and his clan was called the Qin clan.
As for another theory, Tadashi was the seventh son of Minamoto Yoritomo, the younger sister of Minamoto Yoritomo and his retainer, and the son of Tango Bureau. After the founding of Minamoto Yoritomo, the Shimazu family became a local prince. In 1193, Minamoto
Yoritomo appointed Tadahisa as head of the Hyuga Shimazu estate. Soon after, he was additionally appointed as the guardian of the three kingdoms of Satsuma, Osumi, and Hyuga. After Tadahisa took office, he changed his surname to Shimazu based on the village's name, and the Shimazu family was established.
The Shimazu family suddenly jumped out and said that they were descendants of the "Qin people", which was tantamount to denying their origin as a Genji family. In theory, this was an extremely dangerous move, because according to tradition, the Genji, Taira, Fujiwara and Tachibana families
These four major surnames are the noble surnames in Japan other than the royal family. In a sense, they are the basis of rule and the source of the legitimacy of its rule.
Is Shimazu seeking death? Of course not. Toyotomi Hideyoshi didn't even have a surname at first, but now he is the Taizheng Minister, and is Japan's Kanbai? It can be seen that as long as the strength is in hand, bloodline is really the only thing.
Of course, there is a story behind Toyotomi Hideyoshi's appointment as Sekihaku. Under the Japanese legal system, the highest public position is the Minister of Taisheng. You can know from the Japanese official watch: the Minister of Taisheng is "outstanding" and "under one person".
, above ten thousand people", is the highest-ranking official under the legal order system.
This official position is defined as "the emperor's teacher", which is a very high honor that "can remain vacant if there is no suitable candidate". It is a very popular minister and originally held considerable real power. However, in "Guanbai"
After the emergence of the post, the political power of the Minister of Taizheng was emptied out and became an "honorary title."
There is almost no restriction on blood to become a minister of Taisei. As long as the emperor is willing to appoint you, you can be one. In the samurai society, there were also people who were appointed as ministers of Taisei: Taira Kiyomori, "The Tale of the Taira"
The man who single-handedly built up the prosperity and wealth of the Taira family.
But Guan Bai is different. If you look up Japanese official watches, you will find that the word "Guan Bai" does not exist on Japanese official watches at all.
In fact, Guan Bai is a foreign official with very special attributes. Guan Bai is also known as "Zhibang", and his Tang name is "Bo Lu" (the canon is Bo Lu Xuancheng Hou Huo Guang.) The word "Guan Bai" itself also comes from Han Dynasty
Shu Huo Guang Zhuan: "Everything must be shut down by Bai Guang first, and then reported to the Emperor."
Therefore, the "office" of Guanbai was created in the edict of Emperor Uta appointing Fujiwara Motsune in the third year of Niwa (887). Fujiwara Momotsune was also the first Guanbai in Japanese history.
Basically, if there was a regent when the emperor was young, then when the emperor grew up, the regent would be Guan Bai, and only a member of the Fujiwara family could serve as Guan Bai. To put it more strictly, Guan Bai would only be "Fujiwara Kita."
He could be a member of the "family". Although they all have the same surname as Fujiwara, there is no need to think about the Kyo family, the Shiki family and the Nan family.
Then some people may ask: Why do the Warring States records see "Kuan Haku Kujo so-and-so" and "Kan Haku Konoe so-and-so"? Doesn't it mean that only people from the Fujiwara family can be?
In fact, the Fujiwara family "divided and changed their surnames" after Fujiwara Tadamichi. It was divided into five families: Ichijo, Nijo, Kujo, Konoe, Takashi, and the Goshaku family. These five families are all descended from the Fujiwara family.
, are all qualified to be Guan Bai.
In the history of Japan, the only two exceptions for "people who are not Fujiwara family members but became Sekihaku" are Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Toyotomi Hideji. However, Hideyoshi became Sekihaku because of his relationship with Konoe Maekyu as his godfather.
, so strictly speaking, Hideyoshi also became Kanbai as the "adopted son of the Fujiwara family".
Since a highly respected minister can find ways to be "accommodating" in his position, it doesn't matter to the Shimadzu family. At this time, this family suddenly remembered the troublesome incident of "running for official positions" decades ago.
I finally decided: I don’t care if I don’t want the family status of this descendant of Genji!
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