After the Yi Dynasty swept through all the states in the southeast and brought them into the suzerain United Nations, the overall national strength of the Yi Dynasty was close to that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and its influence in the entire world has also been greatly improved.
The new imperial city of Guangzhou, the current political center of the Yi Dynasty, is now gradually showing the image of the coming of all nations, and its prosperity is self-evident.
Since the Edo shogunate implemented a policy of isolation from the country since the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Although the shogunate still allowed Japan to conduct maritime trade with China, the shogunate did not have much exchanges with China.
Ever since the troops sent by the powerful Mongols to attack Japan encountered two typhoons in the Sea of Japan, the Japanese felt that they were a people blessed by the "divine wind" and that they had a "backer."
Therefore, Japan has revealed their true nature since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty and tried to show their fangs to the Ming Dynasty.
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang also saw Japan's problems early on. However, the Central Plains Dynasty at that time had experienced decades of dark rule by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, and had also experienced decades of wars. It was really severely weakened.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the remnants of the Mongolian Yuan army in the north were a serious concern. Japan was a remote and impoverished land, and it was useless to conquer it even though it was a waste of people and money.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to list it as a "country that will not be conquered".
However, just because you don't conquer it doesn't mean it won't come over and cause trouble.
Japan, which had enjoyed stability from the outside world for hundreds of years, was unified with the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He had completely forgotten that he had asked the Ming Dynasty to be canonized as a vassal state, and he was full of confidence and prepared to annex North Korea and then challenge the suzerain state.
However, even if Japan had a strong army at that time, and even if the Ming Dynasty had begun to decline, the strength of the suzerain country was not something that a small Japan could withstand.
As a result, Japan, which devoted all its efforts to invade North Korea, was beaten to the ground by the Ming Dynasty.
Since then, Japan has honestly lurked and dared not make any more moves for two hundred years.
The relationship between the Central Plains Dynasty and Japan has once again dropped to a historical low.
In the following years, although the Japanese people continued to receive the influence of Chinese culture, there were very few official exchanges between Japanese and Chinese officials.
This time, for the first time, the Japanese shogunate sent a "Resentment Mission" to Guangzhou in the name of the Japanese Emperor. It can be said that this has not happened since Ming Dynasty.
You must know that the Manchu Qing Dynasty, known as the "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties", was not taken seriously by Japan, let alone sending envoys in the "name of the emperor".
Of course, the main reason why the Japanese shogunate took the initiative to send an envoy to Guangzhou this time was that it was frightened by the sudden military power of the Yi Dynasty.
At the same time, the Edo shogunate also hoped that this Japanese mission would allow the Yi Dynasty to understand the true strength of Japan and make the Yi Dynasty understand that sending troops to attack Japan was an unwise choice. This would also allow the shogunate to regain some face. .
But as the Japanese mission continued to approach Guangzhou, they saw the strength comparison presented to them by Yi Chao. The members of the Japanese mission felt increasingly that this mission was very difficult to help the shogunate find some face.
This is no different from a child seeking a fight with an adult or a poor man seeking to compete with a rich man.
After getting off the train, transfer the carriage.
Accompanied by diplomats from the Yi Dynasty's Ministry of Rites, members of the Japanese mission finally arrived at the All Nations Pavilion in the new imperial city of Yi Dynasty.
They were all arranged to stay in the Japanese Huitong Hall, which had the latest plaque.
Yi Chao Wan Guo Pavilion was a guild hall specially established by Yi Chao to entertain foreign envoys.
Each Huitong Pavilion occupies an area of about one acre. In terms of design, it abandons the courtyard design of previous dynasties and adopts the latest cement and steel structure of the Yi Dynasty. The floor height is three and a half stories, and the whole building is somewhat similar to a large modern Chinese-style villa area.
Compared with the design of the courtyard, this design style can use the land area more efficiently and is more practical. It can also allow the officials of the Yi Dynasty to better manage the joint pavilions of various countries.
Taking into account that more countries will establish diplomatic relations with Yi Dynasty or join the United Nations, the suzerainty of Yi Dynasty, in the future, the World Congress Pavilion in this area is still expanding.
The Huitong Pavilions that have been built and in use include Annam, Cambodia, Siam, Champa, Myanmar, Korea, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries that have established vassal relations or diplomatic relations with Yi Dynasty.
For the Japanese who have always lived in low wooden houses or bamboo houses, the best house they have ever seen belongs to the Shogunate of the Shogunate.
Although the Shogun's Palace of the Japanese shogunate also has a lot of Chinese elements, the buildings overall still look small. When they faced this high-rise conference hall built of cement and steel, they once again felt the crushing influence of the Central Plains dynasty culture on them.
Upon entering the Huitong Pavilion, whether it was the smooth tiled floors or the novel flush toilet used when going to the toilet, the Japanese mission staff felt that the facilities in the house were so luxurious.
So much so that even Matsudaira Takemoto, who is regarded as Japan's "old Chinese", was shocked. As for those with lower positions, the "inferiority" feeling that some country people have when they move to the city is fully expressed on their faces.
Of course, officials from the Yichao Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not show any sign of ridicule regarding the overall performance of the Japanese mission.
Who hasn’t had an adaptation process yet?
In order to avoid the embarrassment of the Japanese mission during the adaptation process, after the Japanese diplomats made arrangements for the food and clothing required by the Japanese mission, they immediately handed over the key to the entire Japan Pavilion to the envoy Shinagawa Nobukata. in hand.
In terms of past etiquette, it was inappropriate for the diplomatic officials of the Yi Dynasty Ministry of Rites to do this. After all, the people from the foreign mission must be unfamiliar with the place when they first come here, so some people should be sent to look after them.
But Yi Dynasty paid attention to respecting the habits of other countries. Not to interfere too much would be to avoid them being unaccustomed to living there, and to give the Japanese mission the greatest degree of respect.
After a day of hard work, Shinagawa Nobukata, as a "noble", felt that his body and bones were falling apart. At this time, he was lying on the bed with an unprecedented spring mattress, feeling extremely comfortable physically and mentally.
What he saw one day after landing today shocked him again.
As a poor "noble" in Japan, Shinagawa Nobukata can hardly eat more than one meal of meat. The Edo Castle Lord's Mansion, the best house he had ever seen, was now not as good as the Yitong Hall.
Living in such a luxurious house and sleeping in his luxurious bed, compared to the house he lived in before, it was like a pigsty.
After being in a daze, he couldn't help but sigh: "If I could live here for a lifetime, it would be great."
However, he also understands.
Although he was said to be in charge this time, the real decision-maker behind the scenes was Matsudaira Takemoto.
Therefore, he can only do everything honestly and not have too many ideas.
At this time, Matsudaira Takemoto, who was lying in bed, couldn't sleep either. He was thinking about whether to revise the credentials brought by the shogunate.
After setting off from the Edo waters, Matsudaira Takemoto was very relaxed at first, but as he observed the strength displayed by Etomo along the way these days.
Matsudaira Takemoto's heart began to feel heavy.
There are no daimyo who hope that the shogunate can continue.
If Japan loses the war with Etomo, the status of the shogunate may be shaken, and the situation will be as Nishio Tadanobu said, which is not a wise choice for the shogunate.
