Chapter 177 The Secret of the Japanese Business Group (1)
Hangzhou, Japanese Commercial Store.&&
In an inner room, it is separated by a screen with pictures of the story "The Tale of Genji". Inside the screen, a slender woman can be vaguely seen, and outside the screen, there are several key members of the Japanese business group.
Onoden Shou followed Shang Yi's mission and issued an official document to the Satsuma Domain. Now he has just returned from Japan. At the same time, he also brought back a request from the Satsuma Domain's daimyo Shimazu Mitsuhisa to the merchant group. Because the stakes are high, Onodon Shou himself
But he couldn't decide, so he gathered several key personnel to discuss. He first bowed to the screen and said, "Princess, I'm back."
The woman behind the screen said: "Master Ohno, you have worked hard on this trip. I wonder how Master Shimazu replied to the merchant supervisor?"
Onodon Shou smiled bitterly and said: "As the princess had predicted, Lord Shimazu of course rejected the conditions proposed by the merchant supervisor, and he also asked us for help?"
The princess said: "Help? Could it be that Master Shimazu wants us to cause some trouble in Hangzhou so as to force the Shang Governor to return his troops?"
Onodenshou nodded and said: "Yes, the princess's guess is not bad at all. This is indeed what Lord Shimazu requested. At the same time, he also said that he could send five hundred soldiers disguised as traders to secretly come with our merchant ships.
Hangzhou, start a riot, the bigger the riot, the better."
Kosaka Gengoro is a young samurai. After hearing this, he immediately said: "Okay, so what are we waiting for? Master Shimazu has helped us a lot, and this time it is our turn to repay him. In fact, even Master Shimazu
Even if this request was not made, we should still shoulder the responsibility, because we are all Japanese and should jointly deal with foreign enemies."
Before he could finish his words, Uchichi Toyoji said sternly: "Gengoro, what are you thinking about? Do you want to kill the princess? We are all taking refuge in Hangzhou now. Once there is trouble in Hangzhou
, how to escape."
Gengoro Takasaka was still a little unconvinced and said: "We can send the princess back to Japan first, and then launch a riot in Hangzhou. This way we won't be afraid of involving the princess! Hasn't the Satsuma Domain always supported us? And now we are helping them.
, Shimazu-sama must take the princess in. This way not only the princess, but also us can return to Japan."
Onodon Mamoru sighed and said: "Gengoro, why don't you think about it carefully? If we can go back to Japan now, why do we need to hide in China?"
Uuchi Masatoyo also said: "Yes, it was Shimazu Mitsuhisa who was afraid of being implicated by us, so he asked us to hide in China, and even Ryukyu wouldn't let us live there. Now we can finally settle down in Hangzhou, and
Relying on my own efforts, I have established a pretty good foundation here, so why do I have to cut off my only escape route for the sake of the Satsuma clan?"
At this time, the princess said again: "Ignoring this, Mr. Ohno, what is the situation in Ryukyu now? Do you think it is possible for Mr. Shimazu to recapture Ryukyu?"
Onoden said: "When I came back, I made a special trip to Ryukyu. Now I have learned that the second fleet sent by the Satsuma clan has also been completely wiped out. These two defeats have caused Satsuma to suffer.
The vitality of the domain
There were serious injuries and there were not enough warships. Therefore, in the short term, Satsuma Domain would not be able to send a third batch of fleet to Ryukyu. And I also heard that Shang Yi's fleet was already preparing to directly attack Satsuma Domain.
.”
Gengoro Takasaka was shocked and said: "Mr. Uchino, Mr. Ohno, it seems that the Satsuma Domain is very dangerous. No matter what, we should help a bunch of Shimadzu-sama."
Another older Yoshizawa Ishida also said: "Help him? Why should we help Shimazu Mitsuhisa? Wasn't he the one who asked us to leave Kagoshima in the first place? Now that Satsuma Domain and Ming Kingdom are at war, what does it have to do with us? Let them fight to the death, our duty is to protect the princess."
Onodenshou also nodded and said: "Ishida is right. Our only task now is to protect the princess. Don't think about other things. Moreover, even if we help, the Satsuma clan will not be able to recapture Ryukyu."
Shisukeemon, who had been silent all this time, also spoke: "Yes, Shimazu-sama suggested that it be impossible for five hundred people to discuss in the name of merchants and follow our merchant ships to secretly transport them to Hangzhou. Now the Hangzhou Customs is conducting an interrogation. It's very strict. It's not easy for even fifty or five people to sneak into Hangzhou, let alone five hundred people. And is it so difficult for you not to notice? Our store in Hangzhou has actually been under strict surveillance. Especially during this period of time, it was even more strict. However, we had no contact with the Satsuma Domain and did not take any special actions, so we could always live in peace. If we made any changes, I'm afraid someone would have discovered it long ago. "
Naito Masatoyo also said: "Well, I also think that we should not care about the Satsuma clan's affairs."
At this time, the princess behind the screen said: "Okay, since everyone thinks so, then we have decided like this. Lord Daihei, tomorrow you will reply to the Shang Supervisor and tell him Lord Shimazu's answer. As for Shimazu Your Majesty has made a request to us, Lord Dahei, please find an excuse to refuse."
Ono Palace Keeper said quickly: "Yes, princess, I will do it tomorrow?"
The princess added: "The matter of Satsuma Domain has been decided. Now we should discuss our next steps."
The five people were a little puzzled after hearing this. Onoda Shou said: "Princess, didn't we decide not to intervene? What else are we discussing?"
The princess sighed softly, seeming to be quite dissatisfied with their delayed response, and said: "Have you ever thought about it, now we can survive in Hangzhou only by doing business, but our goods are all supplied by Satsuma Domain. , once we reject Mr. Shimadzu's request, he will definitely refuse to continue to provide us with supplies. Therefore, we should immediately consider how to avoid new sources of supply in Japan. The most important thing in doing business is credit. Now we We have a lot of orders on hand. Once we are unable to supply goods to others as scheduled, our credit will be affected. Without the foundation of doing business, we will not be able to survive in Hangzhou."
After hearing these words, a few people suddenly realized. Jinsukeemon, who was mainly responsible for doing business, hurriedly said: "Princess, you are right. I will return to Japan immediately to deal with these matters. I want to use our relationship in Japan to It is not difficult to avoid new sources of supply, and Chinese products have always sold well in Japan."
The princess said: "I also believe this. As long as we are prepared in advance, it will not be difficult. But what I want to say next is the most critical issue. Ryukyu is the main source of finance for the Satsuma clan. Lord Shimazu will never If Ryukyu is occupied by the Ming army, they will definitely try their best to recapture Ryukyu. However, with the power of the Satsuma clan, it is impossible to compete with the Shogun army. Therefore, the only way is to persuade the Tokugawa shogunate and mobilize the power of all Japan. , come and compete with the Shang Governor, and then they will have a chance to recapture Ryukyu."
Naito Masayo said: "Although what the princess said is good, the Tokugawa shogunate and his entourage have closed the country in seclusion and don't want to get into trouble. I don't think they will interfere in this matter. And Tokugawa Iemitsu may also hope that the Satsuma clan and the Ming army will It’s a fight where both sides lose!”
The princess said: "If it is under normal circumstances, Tokugawa Iemitsu will certainly not care about the Satsuma clan's affairs, but what if he knows that we are hiding in Hangzhou now? Then he will not care about it."
The five of them were shocked at the same time. Onodon Shou said: "Princess, are you saying that Lord Shimazu will betray us?"
Kosaka Gengoro said: "No, it will definitely not happen. The Shimazu family and his entourage are loyal to Lord Taikaku, and they will never betray the princess."
The princess said calmly: "What is impossible about this? Master Taikaku has been dead for more than fifty years, and even the Shimazu clan has changed its feudal lords for several generations. As long as it can be bought at a good price, there is nothing that cannot be sold. Now, who would insist on samurai morality for a man who has been dead for more than fifty years? Compared with Ryukyu, which can bring a lot of wealth, even if it were me, I would make the choice right away."
After hearing this, the guard of Dahei Palace couldn't help but feel a little confused and said: "Princess, what should we do now?"
The princess was silent for a long time and then said: "I think it's time for us to disclose our identity to the Shang Governor."
As soon as she finished saying this, Kosaka Gengoro said anxiously: "No, this is absolutely not possible. The status of a princess must not be public."
The princess said: "There is no secret in the world that can be kept forever, and if we don't tell it, it will be disclosed by others sooner or later. If others reveal our identity first, we will be passive. Therefore, it is better for us to take the initiative to tell Superintendent Shang If we confess everything, at least now we can still have some bargaining chips with him."
Naito Masatoyo said: "What other bargaining chips do we have?"
The princess said: "Master Daikoku, when you go to see the Shang Governor tomorrow, explain Master Shimazu's request to him, and then confess our true identities, including me, and make it clear to him that we just want to be together now. Hangzhou is doing business honestly and does not want to interfere in their fight with the Satsuma clan. Please ask him to take us in and continue to live in Hangzhou, and in exchange, we can provide them with information and guides about the Satsuma clan."
Only then did the Daikoku Palace Keeper suddenly realize that this was indeed the only way at the moment, so he immediately said: "Princess, I understand, and it will be done."
The princess said: "Okay, then it's settled."
The five people said goodbye to her again, and then left the inner room. They dispersed. When leaving, the Daikoku Palace Keeper looked back at the figure behind the screen, smiled bitterly, and said: "Unfortunately, Princess Xun is just A woman, if she were a man, with her knowledge and courage, would definitely be able to restore Taige's foundation, but it's a pity..."