"Your Majesty, it's not worth fighting with the Russians. We can't cross the Ural Mountains. It's too far. The price paid is completely disproportionate to the gain!"
The one who was speaking was Grand Duke Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After returning from Europe, Grand Duke Lin went to Japan again.
I just returned to Beidu recently.
The purpose of the Minister of Foreign Affairs' visit to Japan is of course to contact all parties in Japan and maintain the special status of the Ming Dynasty in Japan. At the same time, he also wants to urge Japan to end its ties with the Netherlands and promote Japan to join the international system of China and China.
Japan is considered a country on the edge of the Chinese civilization system. Although most of its cultural roots come from the mainland, as an island nation, any culture seems to mutate in Japan due to its closed nature.
This is completely different from North Korea.
Almost all of the current high-level officials in North Korea can be counted as Han Chinese.
Confucian scholars from his country came to Ming Dynasty to take the imperial examination. If he didn't say it himself, few people would tell that he was actually a scholar from Korea.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty gave preferential treatment to foreign students from Korea, Japan, and the two Annan Kingdoms (Nguyen Dynasty and Xishan Dynasty).
As long as you can pass the imperial examination, the Ming Emperor will even personally grant you an official position.
Moreover, such talents are also highly sought-after "returnees from Mainland China" when they return to their home countries.
I don’t know if this tradition of preferential treatment for international students was passed down from Emperor Zhu.
"Moreover, the relationship between the crown prince of Tsarist Russia and the empress is not harmonious, and Tsarist Russia has a tradition of palace coups. I think that Prince Paul is going back to Moscow to seize power after being frightened by the attacks in the east!" Grand Duke Lin said.
"Is this Paul capable of this? If he defeated the East, wouldn't he be punished?" Luo Fangbo asked with great interest.
The "Three Hundred Veterans" such as Gu Song and Grand Duke Lin who had returned from traveling in Europe certainly knew the basic situation in Europe.
But "localists" such as Luo Fangbo, Peng Jun, and Song Xiang can only turn a blind eye when they encounter European problems.
"Xiang Luo, it will take at least half a year for the war in the East to be reported back to Moscow, and it is winter now. The Yenisei River and the river leading to Moscow are frozen, and it is impossible to go by boat. Therefore, if Moscow wants to get the news, it will have to wait until spring next year. Only by sending people back from Irkutsk will we know that in the process, Prince Paul has already been able to firmly grasp the more than 10,000 troops at hand, and he can also package it into an unprecedented victory, and return to Moscow to seize power in glory. Yes—as long as we make a little gesture of cooperation!”
"What if they go back on their word and don't hand over the land east of Irkutsk?" Peng Jun asked.
"I think the prince of Tsarist Russia has this sincerity. Of course, there are many intrigues among European powers, and there are many things that go back on their word, but the prince of Tsarist Russia dare not," Grand Duke Lin said, "because Russia has a mortal enemy, the Ottoman Empire in West Asia. .If Ming armies the Ottoman Empire and attacks Moscow, the Russian Empire is in danger of being destroyed! With this sword hanging over its head, the Russian Empire cannot offend Ming if it wants to expand westward and south. Instead, Ming can take advantage of it. Russia leverages the influence of Eastern Europe and West Asia."
"What's going on in France?" Peng Jun asked.
"The French Republic has Duke Chia in charge, so it can protect itself without any worries." Grand Duke Lin said.
Emperor Zhu frowned when he heard this.
Just to protect yourself?
What if this emperor really unifies Europe?
It seems that it is still necessary to properly arm Russia.
"Let's wait until the Russian envoy arrives in the northern capital." Emperor Zhu waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about Japan!"
Compared to Russia.
Emperor Zhu still paid more attention to Japan.
The "charm offensive" against Japan was quite successful.
Now in Japan.
There are quite a few Chinese schools and newspapers.
Serving as a soldier in the Japanese samurai corps of the Ming Dynasty has become a way out for many Japanese samurai. There are also many Japanese elites who have taken the "Chinese" exam and obtained the Ming Dynasty household registration. There are still many businessmen and officials in the Ming Dynasty. .
It can be said that now is the unprecedented honeymoon period for tomorrow.
But under this honeymoon.
There is an undercurrent.
The first is of course the cooperation with the Ming Dynasty. Most of the benefits belong to the Edo shogunate.
Some powerful local vassals could only eat scraps.
Don't worry about scarcity but inequality.
Therefore, it is inevitable that the local powerful vassals will have opinions on this.
not to mention.
Japan’s system is inherently a system of “weak legitimacy”.
The Tokugawa Shogunate was a minister of the Japanese Emperor.
But now in Japan, the shogunate has the final say.
The emperor can only look at the shogunate's expression, and even whether he can eat enough depends on whether the money given by the shogunate is enough.
But the Tokugawa shogunate did not dare to kick the emperor away and become the emperor himself. He was called a minister, but he was actually the master.
There are many vassals standing side by side in the local area. If you are not careful, someone may use the emperor's name to cause trouble.
Therefore, if Japan closes itself to the outside world and does not interfere with the outside world, its system can still go on reluctantly.
But now the Ming Dynasty has too much influence on Japan.
Moreover, the expansion of the Ming Dynasty in the north, south, and India also made many knowledgeable people in Japan envious, criticized, or coveted it.
Anyway.
The rise of the Ming Dynasty can be regarded as a spring water that wrinkled Japan.
Some warriors in the country are also ready to take action, and various ideas have emerged one after another.
Some people believe that Japan should abolish the shogunate, imitate the Ming Dynasty, set up local parliaments, respect the emperor, befriend the Ming Dynasty, found the country, and govern the country with a bureaucratic system.
There are also those who believe that Japan needs to join the Eastern system of the Ming Dynasty, and that the emperor or the shogunate should surrender to the Ming Dynasty, remove the throne, and integrate into the Chinese system of China.
There are also those who believe that Japan should maintain its independence, learn from the reforms of the Ming Dynasty, and also seek external expansion.
Anyway.
People in Japan are very confused right now.
As for the appearance of the Spanish fleet in Ryukyu, nine times out of ten, powerful vassals in Japan were involved!
"Japanese people were found in the Spanish fleet. Japanese samurai were probably involved in the Ryukyu incident."
Grand Duke Lin said with a solemn expression.
"Now there are forces in Japan that are ready to move. There are vassals in Japan who have come into contact with Western forces and are colluding with the Spaniards and the British. The Spanish fleet occupying Ryukyu is probably a conspiracy against the shogunate."
"Conspiracy?" Gu Song frowned slightly.
"A conspiracy to attack the prestige of the shogunate." Grand Duke Lin said, "If the shogunate cannot expel the Spaniards, its qualifications to lead Japan will be questioned. Some local powerful feudal lords will use this as a reason to launch an attack and call on samurai from all over the country to overthrow the shogunate."
"The Tokugawa shogunate must be maintained, the emperor must not have power, and powerful vassals in various places must not have the power to threaten the rule of the Edo shogunate!"
Emperor Zhu rubbed his forehead and said with a headache.
The forces in various parts of Japan are intricately intertwined.
But he doesn't care so much. Anyway, as long as the Edo shogunate can maintain it, Japan will be a weak and autistic system.
Can't afford any big waves.
If someone starts to overthrow the curtain now, it will not be good to have a "Meiji Restoration" that is more than half a century ahead of schedule.
Japan is a big country with a population of 30 million, and there are so many samurai. As long as it carries out some reforms in its military system, it can become a poor and powerful country.
This kind of poor and powerful person is the most difficult to deal with.
Fight, it's not worth the loss.
If you don't hit, you have to coax, otherwise it's easy to cause trouble.
(End of chapter)
