In mid-April, Japan is in the rainy season, and Edo Castle is shrouded in drizzle. Looking from a distance from the sea, large and small buildings are well-proportioned, with blue-colored castle walls, cyan eaves, and white walls. The colors are distinct and contrast with each other. Interesting. →+八→.八**Reading,.↓.o≥
There are still dozens of merchant ships plying back and forth in Edo Bay, not affected by the rainy weather at all. Among them are several small fishing boats docking, bringing fresh fish caught from the sea to the pier for sale.
For Yokoyama Takuya, the situation in the bay was much calmer than in the open sea, especially in the southern waters of Kimchi where the waves were rolling and huge waves were so high that the merchant ship he was traveling on had to wait for a full week before he dared.
Fortunately, my trip was well worth it, as I received a generous gift from the Ming Crown Prince, as well as a personal letter written specifically to General Tokugawa. The content in it was considered the most significant cooperation between the two parties in the past fifty years.
After getting on the carriage, the carriage went smoothly. From time to time, pedestrians wearing hats could be seen on both sides of the road. Yokoyama Takuya soon arrived at the heart of the shogunate - the gate of the Edo Castle, where he got off for inspection.
At the door is a group of samurai serving as sentries on guard duty. They all wear helmets and huge black hats with U-shaped spades on their heads. Two sharp blades, one long and one short, are attached to their waists - a tachi and a waist sword.
After resisting the horses, there were half and half samurai armed with heavy rattan bows and iron cannons. This could effectively deal with gangsters with evil intentions and block them from a long distance to prevent them from approaching the castle.
Different from ordinary samurai, these sentries all wore a white coat with a black trefoil logo on top of their armor, and the trefoil was the crest of the Tokugawa family.
"Oh~! It turns out to be Mr. Yokoyama! Nice to meet you!"
When the leader of the team saw that he was an old acquaintance, his originally solemn expression relaxed and he stepped forward to say hello politely.
"I have come to see you on the order of the general. I hope it will be convenient for you!"
General Zhengyi has strict requirements for his subordinates, so there is no need for Yokoyama Takuya to send some silver coins privately as a stepping stone, but the necessary courtesy must still be shown. Senior samurai are not short of money, what they need is respect.
"Of course!" The leader then waved his hand to his subordinates and ordered, "Let us go!"
The four samurai immediately moved away the horses blocking the main entrance and allowed the carriage to pass. From here, they could have a clear view of Gundam's majestic castle.
The stone wall-style castle tower alone is several feet high, which is stronger than the earthen ramparts. The Edo castle tower is five stories high. From the top, you can have a panoramic view of the entire city.
Entering the first floor of the castle, even though Yokoyama Takuya, a businessman, came to see him and did not bring any weapons, he still needed to undergo a routine body search. Except for a few close ministers of the general, everyone else was without exception.
"Sir, please come with me. Your Majesty the General is enjoying the rain on the fourth floor!"
A maid with a delicate face and graceful figure led the visitor up the stairs, and led Takuya Yokoyama to the position of his general.
At this time, sitting on Ruyuan, which is the long platform of the outer corridor, was a man wearing a black satin robe, a bun hairstyle, a black hat, and a tachi with a golden scabbard on his waist. It is engraved with gorgeous patterns.
"sit down!"
The sturdy man with his back to Yokoyama Takuya is the actual supreme ruler of the entire Japanese country, the third-generation general who conquered the barbarians - Tokugawa Iemitsu.
"Yes! Your Excellency!"
Without the master's approval, Yokoyama Taku was determined not to sit down easily. Although there were no chairs and he could only sit on the mattress on the slump, it was still a hard-earned honor that could only be enjoyed by daimyo-level figures at least. Such treatment. ∝八∝八∝Read ∝ book,.◆.o＋
After Tokugawa Ieyasu's army captured Osaka, he forced Toyotomi Hideyori and his son to commit suicide, completing the task of unifying the world, and then deposed the emperor in the name of "the emperor is led by talent and knowledge."
There are more than 200 lords in the country who have 10,000 stone lumi, which are also known as "Daimyo". Lords with less than this amount are called "Jiaoshihe".
The shogunate divided the daimyo under its command into three categories. The first category was the direct lineage, that is, the Ming Dynasty from the Tokugawa family, which was called "close domain". The second category is the daimyo who took refuge with the Tokugawa family before the Battle of Sekigahara, and they are called "Gokudai".
The third category is the daimyo who had to surrender to the Tokugawa family after the war, that is, the "gaibei". These famous names all have the qualifications and power to meet the generals who conquer the barbarians.
In addition to the daimyo, the Tokugawa family also divided the "Jiayoihe" with a lumi of less than 10,000 koku into two categories - "Hatarimoto" and "Royal family".
The former is stronger than the latter, and is qualified to meet with the general, numbering as many as five thousand. The latter is weak and can only look up to the castle, and its scale exceeds 15,000.
If war mobilization is carried out, not counting the pro-domain troops under the family, the military strength of the "Hatata" and "Yujia" alone will be as high as about 60,000 to 70,000.
Counting the many daimyo, Tokugawa Iemitsu could directly command more than 200,000 troops, and the size of his subordinates was similar to this. He could move across the country as he pleased, and was invincible. This was also the Tokugawa family's greatest capital in ruling Japan.
Only officials with "Laozhong" and "Ruonianji" or above status could be received alone by General Zhengyi. "Laozhong" was equivalent to the minister of the Ming Dynasty. Foreign merchant ships entering and leaving Japan must have a letter of commitment signed by "Laozhong". Only then can cargo be loaded and unloaded ashore.
Theoretically, "Laozhong" is chosen from among the daimyo with a genealogy of more than 25,000 koku. However, the ones selected are all daimyo with very high lumi. This is why the Tokugawa family has become a daimyo with strong military power. One of the strategies.
It was already a very honorable thing for Yokoyama Takuya to be summoned alone. As for the fact that he only saw the back of General Zhengyi at first glance... it didn't matter.
The wind was not strong today, and it was in the direction. Even if the sliding door was opened, there was no need to worry about the rain being carried in by the strong wind, which made Tokugawa Iemitsu interested in watching the drizzle moisten the earth.
"What did the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty say?"
Although Tokugawa Iemitsu had long been determined to implement the policy of seclusion and block Western barbarians from using various methods to infiltrate the Japanese country, he was separated from the Ming Dynasty across the sea and could still conduct routine trade under his control.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has fallen into a deep sleep, and the prince is now in charge of the country. Although the prince is young, he is still open-minded. He is very willing to exchange supplies with our country, increase the scale of trade, and enhance the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. relations with our country.”
Yokoyama Takuya only saw the back of General Zhengyi, and did not know Tokugawa Iemitsu's mood at this time. We can only give an outline of the whole story first. If the general is interested in hearing it, we can go on. Otherwise, we can only rein in the horse immediately.
"Oh? Is this happening?"
Hearing that the emperor was sleeping and the prince was supervising the country, Tokugawa Iemitsu was a little surprised. He turned around slowly and planned to listen to the details. Increasing the trade quota was the second priority. It was raining today, mainly to relieve his boredom...
"I dare not lie. This is the personal letter from the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, the trade terms issued by the cabinet, and the "Jingshi Daily" published by the Ming Dynasty. I hereby present it to Your Majesty the General for your inspection!"
Without any proof, Yokoyama Takuya immediately took out his magic weapon. Without these things, it would be impossible to convince General Zhengyi with just his mouth.
In fact, if Ming Dynasty did not issue these written statements, Yokoyama Takuya himself would not believe the other party's many conditions. After all, the content was too rich.
"Have tea!"
After Tokugawa Iemitsu's instructions, he remained silent. Instead, he looked at what was submitted. It took about half an hour to browse through it.
Regarding the content mentioned above, General Zhengyi can read it effortlessly. Except for the difference in language, the writings of the two countries in the Ming and Japan are almost the same, so Tokugawa Iemitsu looks no different from the Ming Dynasty.
Although it was the first time I had seen a letter written by the Ming Crown Prince, the content of the letter made General Zhengyi extremely excited, because the conditions offered were almost impossible to solve, and even sending troops was considered.
The price given by a certain prince was that for every 10,000 soldiers sent by the Japanese state, the Ming Dynasty would provide the Japanese state with one million catties of snowflake candy, and the CIF price per catty was two hundred and fifty copper coins.
As the general who conquered the barbarians, he monopolized at least 50% of the Japanese snowflake candy market share. If he made a net profit of fifty cents per catty, he could earn fifty thousand taels of silver from one million catties of snowflake candy.
Sending 50,000 troops can earn 250,000 taels of silver. If the selling price reaches 350 taels, then 500,000 taels of silver will be pocketed every year.
With this money, you can raise 10,000 loyal samurai every year, and you don't have to pay almost anything, so it is not a small temptation for Tokugawa Iemitsu, who has a million-dollar salary.
No one dislikes money, and Tokugawa Iemitsu, who lives a relatively simple life, is no exception, let alone a shining mountain of silver given to him by others for free.
"Your Excellency, this is a sample of snowflake candy given to his subordinates by the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty!"
Yokoyama Takuya observed carefully and found that the general was thinking about things, which showed that he was already aware of the Ming Crown Prince's suggestion of "exchanging snowflakes for samurai".
So I hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, took out a relatively thick small paper bag, and asked the general's entourage to put it on a tray and present it, hoping to get the general's initial approval.
Tokugawa Iemitsu didn't say anything, but with a look, the entourage understood. He immediately cut the paper bag open with a belt knife and poured the contents onto the plate.
Suddenly, a sheet of snow suddenly appeared, which made Tokugawa Iemitsu look askance. If the Ming Dynasty could provide itself with a large amount of such snowflake candies, it would not be an exaggeration to get the price of 400 copper coins in the Japanese market.
Unlike the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, the shogun advocated simplicity and self-cultivation, with no more than four dishes per meal, and he was well aware of the price of every major daily necessities.
In Tokugawa Iemitsu's view, Ming Dynasty's snowflake candy obviously sells much better than locally produced jaggery, but jaggery is cheap and very popular with the lower class people.
But the middle and upper class people like snowflake candies that have a better taste and are sweeter. They are a bit expensive, but they are well worth the money. As long as they can afford them, everyone still likes to eat snowflakes candies.
The Ming Dynasty is willing to supply large quantities of goods, and it controls the market here. This business can indeed be tried, but when it comes to large-scale troops, one should be more cautious.
"Pay it forward!"
As a general, even if it is something brought by his subordinates as tribute, he will not taste it rashly. He can only let his followers taste it for him.
"Your Excellency, this sugar is very fine and very sweet. It melts in your mouth and has an endless aftertaste. It is comparable to the high-priced sugar sold in the market!"
The samurai attendant picked up a handful with the tip of a knife, put it into his mouth, stirred it with his lips and tongue, and soon had an extremely satisfying taste experience, and then truthfully reported the details to his master.
"good!"
The followers around him would never tell lies. After receiving the report, Tokugawa Iemitsu generally believed it. Since there was a written letter from the Ming Dynasty Crown Prince and the cabinet, the quality of the snowflake candy was still high, so this was a business deal. .
"What else does the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty say?"
In view of the fact that the conditions offered by the other party were not bad, he might really consider sending troops to assist in the battle, Tokugawa Iemitsu asked in a waning tone.
"To your Majesty the General, the Prince of the Ming Dynasty said that if His Excellency the General does not dislike it, he is willing to give the operation strategy of the "Edo Daily News" as a gift to the General. In this way, the General can use it to open the "Edo Daily News" every year. The profit was no less than 100,000 taels of silver, all of which was obtained by His Excellency the General! More importantly, the Prince of the Ming Dynasty said that newspapers are the minions of public opinion. Controlling newspapers can control the attitude of the Ming Dynasty, so that millions of people in the Japanese country are informed of the shogunate's decrees and regulations. Your Majesty General, please obey, and it will be easier to govern various places in the future!"
Hengshan Taku also likes to read the "Jingshi Daily". It contains everything from imperial decrees to gossip. As long as you read the newspaper, you will know everything about the world's major events.
It would be a great thing if General Zhengyi could open such a newspaper office in Edo to publish newspapers.
As an arms dealer, Yokoyama Takuya had no interest in participating in the founding of the newspaper, but perhaps for the general, this was a new food that he could try.
"...Well! What the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty said makes sense!"
Tokugawa Iemitsu thought for a moment and felt that what the other party said was indeed true. It was not enough to monitor the vassal states in various places. He had to let the people know the many regulations of the shogunate, so that he could better implement his own way of seclusion.
With the powerful tool of newspapers, governing the country has become much easier. After briefly browsing the operation brochure of "Kyoji Daily News", Tokugawa Iemitsu learned the above content, and in addition to the novelty, he recognized it even more The point of view of the Ming prince.
Starting the "Edo Daily News" seems to be a clever move. The income is not a lot if you don't have to pay 100,000 taels of silver every year. It can be regarded as a very self-interested thing and gets twice the result with half the effort. If the conditions are right, you can try it. Fan.
With this booklet on how to run a newspaper, it will not be so easy for daimyo from all over the country to return the favor. From now on, people all over the country can only see the "Edo Daily News".
They had to accept whatever it said, so that the shogunate could sit back and relax. Tokugawa Iemitsu felt more and more comfortable as he thought about it, and a proud smile appeared on his lips inadvertently.
A seemingly ordinary newspaper can produce such amazing results and solve his biggest problem to a large extent, which is why Tokugawa Iemitsu is so happy.
"Are those newspapers?"
Tokugawa Iemitsu glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a stack of something similar to the newspaper in front of him in the corner.
"Your Excellency, General, these are all from the Capital Daily. One copy of this newspaper will be published every day. Before boarding the ship, my subordinates will collect everything they can and present it to Your Excellency, General!"
Hengshan Tuo was also very interested in reading newspapers, but he didn't know whether General Zhengyi also had this interest, but he could still use it as a gift to pay tribute.
"Okay! Let me browse for a while! Let's arrange for your husband to stay nearby. If there is anything important, we can discuss it later!"
Now Tokugawa Iemitsu had seen enough, and when he was convinced, he politely saw off his guests. 11... Friends who read books, you can search for "Blue Chinese Network" and you will find this site as soon as possible.
