Since the five Ryukyu islands were invaded by the Satsuma clan, they have actually been treated as if they did not exist. Now suddenly someone told them: After I take them back, I will return two of the five islands to you. The other three islands will not be taken from you in vain. They will be used to build military bases to protect you.
Are there really such pure good people in this world?
If so, then he is either a saint or a fool.
Obviously, Zhang Rui, as the founding monarch, could not be a saint or a fool. As the princes and grandsons of the Ryukyu Mission, they are definitely not fools, and naturally they will not be naive enough to think that Zhang Rui will be a purely "good person".
Then he must have a purpose for saying this.
The thoughts of several members of the Ryukyu Mission were constantly changing.
A few of them may have never heard of the story of "seeking meat from a tiger", but it does not prevent them from seeing the reason from the worldly relationship between interests.
The so-called: looking at the essence through phenomena.
Although Zhang Rui said it sincerely, if he really thought that he would return the islands taken back from the Japanese to Ryukyu, then these Ryukyu envoys were really fools.
After all, in this barbaric era, the Yi Dynasty just found any reason to annex Ryukyu, and Ryukyu was helpless. What's more, those islands were conquered by the Yi Dynasty by sending troops and money. How could they be returned?
What Zhang Rui meant was just to tell them a few things.
"I have taken a liking to those five islands of yours, but this world must always pay attention to the importance of mastery. Although they are now controlled by the Japanese, they are still yours in name, so I must take the benefits, but the bad guys still have to You guys do it.”
After understanding what Zhang Rui meant, the people in Ryukyu naturally knew what to say.
It's the lesser of two evils, but they still understand the seriousness of it.
Satsuma Domain is now a sword hanging over Ryukyu's head, and it may kill Ryukyu at any time. Since Ryukyu wants to use the power of the Yi Dynasty to eliminate the Japanese, it dares to hope to recover all the land.
As long as the royal family's basic control over the existing land can be maintained, what if the land is actually lost?
It is better for those islands to be taken by the Yi Dynasty than to be occupied by Japan.
At least the Yi Dynasty had a vast territory and abundant resources. After acquiring those islands, even if they needed to develop in the future, they might not be interested in the remaining land.
After all, the Central Plains Dynasty needs more "face" than to annex Ryukyu and develop.
But Japan is different. Japan doesn't care about "face" at all. If this island country wants to develop, it will inevitably annex surrounding islands first, and Ryukyu will bear the brunt.
After figuring out the key, Tiansun Wangchen opened his mouth and said to Zhang Rui: "Your Majesty's kindness will be remembered forever by Ryukyu. Ryukyu dare not ask for the islands that have been lost for hundreds of years. After the heavenly soldiers drove away the Japanese, they took them back. , naturally belongs to China. I hope China can protect Ryukyu in the future."
"He knows how to make choices. It seems he is not a dandy who doesn't know anything. That's good, it saves me a lot of time." Zhang Rui couldn't help but look at Tiansun Wangchen, and then praised him favorably:
"Master Tiansun, you are very good."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Tiansun Wangchen straightened his attitude. Even though he knew that he had to bear the infamy of abandoning the land, there was still no negative emotion on his face.
"Tiansun Wangchen... Tiansun Wangchen, your name is meaningless after all. Let me change your name for you!" After casually reciting Tiansun Wangchen's name twice, Zhang Rui said as if he was thinking about something.
"Yes, I obey the order." Faced with Zhang Rui's jumping way of thinking, Tiansun Wangchen couldn't help but be a little confused, but he did not dare to ask more questions or refuse. After all, he had also systematically studied Confucian etiquette and understood what "Thunder Rain and Dew" meant. It’s all your kindness.”
"The word 'king' in your 'Tian Sun Wang Chen' should be changed to 'Emperor'. From now on it will be called 'Tian Sun Huang Chen'." Zhang Rui said.
"My lord, thank you for your name. Long live my emperor. Long live my emperor." Emperor Tiansun, who was still confused just now, is now kneeling down and saying with great joy.
On the surface, Zhang Rui only helped him change one character in his name, but everyone present understood that this was "Jane in the Emperor's Heart".
The word "emperor" represents Zhang Rui's positive attitude towards him. As long as he doesn't commit suicide or die unexpectedly, there is no doubt that he will be the next King of Ryukyu.
…
In early February of the fourth year of Tianze (the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign), the Yi Dynasty dispatched two major naval groups stationed in Taiwan and Hangzhou to rescue Ryukyu, and dispatched 6,000 troops from Taiwan's defense forces to Ryukyu Island.
For a time, the mighty fleet was sailing thousands of miles away, and the flags covered the sky.
The huge mobilization of troops in the Yi Dynasty made the Manchu and Qing court feel jittery for a while.
Even though they were always on guard against the Yi Dynasty, but now that they had finally stopped fighting and had a chance to breathe, they naturally wanted to breathe as long as they could. After all, the war in Sichuan had not calmed down yet. If there is another war with the Yi Dynasty at this time, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties in Sichuan will have no choice but to ignore it.
In this case, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which finally obtained the entire Central Plains Dynasty, completely implemented the idea of the early Qing Dynasty and ruled by dividing the Yellow River.
Of course, if possible, Zhang Rui would not want to settle down with the Manchus. But after all, Yi Chao started too quickly and had a weak foundation.
The territory they have laid is too large, and if it cannot maintain stability, it will easily lead to the complete collapse of the Yi Dynasty. This is why the Yi Dynasty had to sit down and negotiate peace with the Manchu Qing despite its great advantages.
After several inquiries, many officials in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that the Yi Dynasty was not sending troops to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but to Ryukyu. He even became happy and passed the message "Yi Dynasty is preparing to send troops to sweep across the Japanese archipelago" to the Edo shogunate in Japan at an accelerated speed of 800 miles.
…
Japan, Satsuma Domain
Satsuma Domain, also known as Kagoshima Domain and Shimazu Domain, is located in the westernmost of Japan's four islands.
The Satsuma domain adopted a unique system of separation of military and peasantry such as the outer castle system and the gate system, and largely retained the ruling system of the late Middle Ages. This feudal system, combined with harsh natural conditions such as volcanic areas and typhoons, caused its productivity to stagnate.
In addition, the Edo period's pilgrimage transfer system and the need to help the shogunate with large-scale construction projects placed a heavy burden on the Satsuma Domain's finances, and the finances fell into an extremely embarrassing situation.
In 1609, the Satsuma clan leader Shimazu Iehisa used the excuse that Ryukyu did not support Toyotomi Hideyoshi's military expenses when he invaded Korea. Instead, Satsuma clan "advanced the money" on his behalf, but Ryukyu "will not repay it." He dispatched Kaguyama Hisaka as the general general and Hirata Masumune as the deputy general. He led 3,000 troops, more than 100 ships, and 600 iron cannons, and set out from Kyushu Yamakawa Port to invade Ryukyu.
Soon Ryukyu was defeated, so the Satsuma clan obtained financial relief by plundering Ryukyu's money and controlling Ryukyu's property to escape the "Lockdown Order" promulgated by the Edo shogunate and trade with foreign countries.
Then, the current head of the family is Shimazu Shigehao.
This guy has the same two characteristics as Qianlong: longevity, great achievements, and no restraint in spending money.
In the early years of Qianlong's reign, he had a rich fortune left by his father Yongzheng, so it was not until he ran out of money in his later years that he found Heshen to make money.
Although this man is not so lucky, he has a capable father who left a rich family fortune.
But it's okay, he can borrow it.
When he ran out of money, he would go to Edo, Kyoto and other places to borrow money from famous wealthy businessmen, and those local wealthy businessmen were very considerate and allowed him to pay it back in installments.
This made him spend money more generously. In the later stage, the annual tax revenue from his territory was just enough to repay the interest.
Later, when the fiscal deficit was too serious and no daimyo dared to lend him money, he also borrowed money from loan sharks in the market, which was despised by many retainers. It wasn't until he died and his son took office that he relied on the old man's tricks to come up with a 250-year installment and he was able to recover.
Of course, although Shimazu Shigehao's life is "wonderful". But at this time, he was only the nominal lord of the domain, and his grandfather Shimazu Tsutoyo was actually in charge. It was not until Shimazu Tsutoyo's death in 1760 that he began to take charge of the domain. However, he wanted to truly take power and implement the reform of the feudal government, and he still survived the three years when his grandfather Shimazu Takasaki was in power.
Note ① (Charge figures are not included in the following): The tiger, wolf, and fox hunted together in the mountains, and shot a total of one deer, one goat, and one rabbit.
When dividing the food, the wolf said: "Give the deer to King Tiger, the goat is mine, and the rabbit to the fox."
In anger, the tiger slapped the wolf to death, and then said to the fox: "You come and share."
The fox said, "The rabbit will be your breakfast, the goat will be your lunch, and the deer will be left for your supper."
The tiger asked happily: "You are very smart. Who taught you to divide it like this?"
The fox said: "It was the wolf's fate that taught me."
②: The daimyo was ordered to live alternately in Edo and his territory every other year. When he returned to his territory, his wife and son had to stay in Edo as hostages. The huge expenses of traveling and living in Edo continued to drain the financial resources of the daimyo.
