Nanjing, Longjiangguan Navy Wharf.
The most common drizzle in spring in the south of the Yangtze River has begun to fall. In the light breeze and drizzle, a centipede boat belonging to the Yangtze River Navy is gently rising and falling. This centipede boat also has a springboard placed on the starboard side, as if it is waiting for someone to get on board.
And around the dock, there were soldiers armed with spears, swords and shields everywhere, guarding everything tightly.
In a corner of the pier, there was a dilapidated reception pavilion. At this time, a thick brocade curtain was hung on the windward side to block the drizzle that was drifting in the wind.
In the reception pavilion, there were five people sitting, three men and two women. In the middle are Zhu Cihong and Zheng Zhilong, who are dressed in casual clothes. Weng and his son-in-law are sitting opposite each other. There is a case table in the middle, and there are several cups of fragrant green tea on the table.
Accompanying him were two brothers and sisters, Zheng Sen and Zheng Chagu. Zheng Chagu's eyes were red, as if she had just cried. Zheng Sen was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. And Zheng Zhilong was even more happy, laughing so hard that he couldn't even close his mouth.
"Hahaha, Master Qiantose, I want to congratulate you, hahaha..."
Just by looking at his facial expression, you can tell that he is used to being the leader and is not good at pretending - but it also seems to be loyal, and he will be unhappy if he encounters this kind of thing. Wu Sanmei's belly is "unsatisfactory", and his Zheng Teagu will have a chance. If Zhu Cihong really gave birth to a son, it would be unreasonable not to make her a concubine.
Zhu Cixiang also smiled and was not angry with Zheng Zhilong at all. He is a prince, so of course he has great magnanimity. Moreover, when Zheng Zhilong heard that Zhu Cixiang had a daughter, he immediately sent a hundred thousand taels of silver as a congratulatory gift to the palace... How polite!
In the corner of the pavilion, there was a little girl making tea. She was Zhu Cihong's courtesan Kou Baimen. The reason why she appears here is because today is the day when Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Sen leave Nanjing.
She belongs to Zheng Sen in name, and it is a courtesy to come and give her away.
Zheng Zhilong has now been awarded the official position of Governor-General Nanyang Minister, and has been granted the title of Duke of Quan State. Now he is going back to Quanzhou.
In addition, he also had a mission, which was to contact the Governor of Batavia of the Dutch East India Company on behalf of Zhu Cixiang and invite the Dutch envoys to Nanjing. Reform and opening up these days are inseparable from the Dutch, a maritime coachman, and Zhu Cixi also hopes to buy more Western cannons and Western warships from the Dutch.
And Zheng Sen was also about to leave Nanjing. He was assigned an imperial mission to Japan. This time he was going to Japan - in the name of the Ming Dynasty imperial minister, and he was traveling on a plane bought by Alfonso Lopez for Zhu Cihong. , a galenic ship manned by Portuguese sailors headed for Japan. He will also bring the credentials and autographed letter from Zhu Cihong to Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Edo shogunate.
As Zhu Cihong's envoy, Zheng Sen had two important missions: First, strive to establish an embassy in Japan and conclude the "Tomorrow Trade Agreement."
Japan's troubled times have just ended thirty years ago, and the Tokugawa shogunate is also at its peak, with abundant military and financial resources. Although more than ten years ago, the policy of seclusion was implemented due to the Shimabara Rebellion. However, due to the opening up and competition in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, Japan's gunpowder and gunpowder technology were relatively advanced.
Such a country is, of course, different from North Korea, which has been in decline for more than two hundred years, and Annan, which is fighting a civil war.
With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, it is simply impossible to conquer Japan by force... Even if Zhu Cixiang's 28,000 model army is trained, it is impossible to defeat the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.
But the Tokugawa shogunate can't get out either - Japan, a samurai country, doesn't have any naval forces now. They have been closed to the country for more than ten years. Foreign trade relies on merchant ships from China and the Netherlands. There are no sailors capable of long voyages, and of course there is no navy.
Therefore, Ming Dynasty and Japan are now unable to enter each other, and cannot defeat each other... Then they can only be friendly neighbors in a narrow strip of water.
Since we are friendly states, we have to do business well. In this era, Japan was rich in brass, lacquerware and dried seafood. Brass was the most important raw material for cannons and coins in the Ming Dynasty. Lacquerware is an internationally traded commodity. Although it is not as important as silk and porcelain, it still has a certain market.
Dried seafood, called tawamono in Japan, is mainly sold to China.
As for what Japan imported to China, it was mainly silk, tea, and porcelain.
In short, there is still a lot that both parties can do to buy and sell. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to establish an embassy and sign trade agreements.
Zheng Sen's second mission was to question the shogunate: Why did the Japanese lord of Osaka Castle, who claimed to be Toyotomi Hidekatsu, led troops to attack from the sea and occupied Jeju Island in Korea, a tributary of the Ming Dynasty!
Of course this is deceptive...
Toyotomi Hidekatsu and so on are completely fictitious. The people who occupied Jeju Island were the people from the "Japanese General Store". They took the war ship (Galen hull with hard sails) provided by the Zheng family to Jeju Island. Without any effort, the Toyotomi family's Gosantong flag was flying everywhere on Jeju Island - 400 Japanese pirates were used to deceive three families, the Korean family, the Qing family, and the Tokugawa shogunate.
This is just playing with a concept...it's just one thing playing with three concepts. For North Korea, it was the "Japanese pirate concept", for the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it was the "concept of aiding Korea and fighting against Japanese invaders", and for the Tokugawa shogunate, it was the "Toyotomi ghost concept".
If it were just an imperial envoy from the Ming Dynasty, the Tokugawa shogunate would probably ignore it. But with the news about Toyotomi Hidekatsu, Tokugawa Iemitsu will definitely not be able to sit still... So Zheng Sen's mission this time will definitely be a great success!
Not only can it build a bridge of friendship between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, but it can also bring his mother, the Tagawa clan, and his younger brother, Tagawa Shichizaemon, into the Ming Dynasty.
Zheng Zhilong spent a lot of effort to get his first wife out of Japan. Historically, his wife was taken out, but his son Tagawa Shichizaemon continued to stay in Japan.
But this time the situation is different, because Toyotomi Hidekatsu appeared... This person is probably Toyotomi Hideyori's eldest son Kunimatsumaru!
It has only been thirty years since the Battle of Osaka Winter, and the Toyotomi family has not yet cooled down! In various corners of Japan, there are countless Toyotomi family loyalists who are still dreaming of the Toyotomi restoration!
"Elder brother," Zhu Cixiang said to Zheng Sen with a smile, "you can't tell the truth about Toyotomi Hidekatsu's story... You must put this matter between right and wrong, and don't say anything. To be honest, hazy is better."
Are you playing with concepts, and you are just playing around with it after everything has been explained clearly? It’s fun when it’s in the clouds!
Zheng Sen nodded: "Your Highness, junior brother, I will definitely know how to deceive you!"
"Why is this a lie?" Zhu Cixiang frowned, "This is not a lie!"
Ah, isn’t this a lie?
Even a profiteer like Zheng Zhilong was stunned. This prince is so good at telling lies!
"Brother, if the prince says it's not a lie, it's not a lie!" the little girl Zheng Chagu interjected.
"Yes, yes, it's not a lie!" Zheng Sen glanced at his sister and thought: You have been deceived by him, isn't he a lie? He is the best at lying...
Zhu Cixiang said seriously: "Sir, you have to believe that the people on Jeju Island are all loyal ministers of the Toyotomi family. Even if Xiu Sheng is not on the island, they are still loyal ministers of the Toyotomi family!"
Loyal ministers are a theme, and it is a very popular theme in Japan - three to four hundred Toyotomi loyalists have been protecting the young master Hidekatsu for thirty years, wandering overseas, never leaving, and now they are following the grown-up Lord Hidekatsu in Jeju. The island raised the flag of the Toyotomi family... This story itself can move a group of ronin samurai who still miss the Toyotomi family!
"I believe..." Zheng Sen nodded.
"Yes, that's it! You have to admire their loyalty and bravery." Zhu Cixiang said, "They are all loyal ministers of the Toyotomi family!"
"Yes, they are all loyal ministers!" Zheng Sen responded in his mouth, but said in his heart: You are really full of loyal ministers here. Even Zahe Pu, an old Japanese pirate, is an unspeakably loyal minister.
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