The practical "standards" that people take seriously are written in black and white on two documents. One is called the Huanming Trade Agreement, and the other is called the Huanming Nations Datong Initiative.
But few people are aware of the truly far-reaching thinking standards at this moment.
All countries, you must at least be a country that meets the definition of the Ming Dynasty. It needs to have clear boundaries and a relatively complete system.
This alone, in fact, many so-called vassal states that are roughly connected by large and small tribes at the moment do not meet the definition: at least there is considerable uncertainty.
What's more important is that in the past, peace and even benefits could be obtained by paying tribute and surrender, which will be replaced by this Huanming trade circle.
Since we are talking about trade, we are talking about money, goods and real profits.
In front of these Ming officials, who had been tortured by the emperor's financial expertise, the envoys of the vassals could only nod in confusion.
For many things, if you can come up with a thorough and rigorous plan that others cannot come up with, you will appear professional and reliable.
What's more, at this time, the status is not equal.
This asymmetry does not simply refer to strong military strength, but to market demand and technical production capacity.
For the vassals, Ming Dynasty was the biggest buyer: in the face of huge demand for raw materials, there were more than one company that could supply the same kind of goods. Buyers require quality standards and measurement standards, and sellers naturally can only provide goods according to demand and compare prices to compete for share.
For the Ming Dynasty, all the vassals needed the Ming Dynasty's "manufactured products": ironware, salt tea, silk, porcelain, new industrial products... Which ones have not been processed and require technology? However, the Ming Dynasty's own demand was equally large, and the amount that could be supplied and sold to the vassals was also limited.
Among them, Portugal, which faced the entire European market, competed with these vassal states for products that could be exported under the limited production capacity of the Ming Dynasty.
In short, Ming Dynasty only recognizes Ming Dynasty’s new money.
The total transaction volume of the entire trading circle is too large. If all localities use the local gold, silver, and copper with varying levels of smelting technology and varying purity to calculate, how can it be calculated?
By the way, gold, silver, copper ore, or cast foreign vassal money can also be sold to the Ming Dynasty. When it comes to pricing, Daming naturally provides a set of numbers and process testing standards that make people awe-inspiring at a glance.
The Huanming Trade Agreement is a collection of standards.
The initiative of the great unification of the nations of the Ming Dynasty is related to another major event.
"After the trade convention is concluded, it will be implemented on a trial basis for three years. I believe you have listened to my ministers explain the truth these days."
This time Zhu Houcong met with them again in the National Assembly Hall.
"State-owned citizens live in the land. Governing the people has never been a simple matter. China has been strong for thousands of years, and it has also evolved from tribes to unity, and then continued to change with the times and transform the country into a powerful country. This process is a complicated state affairs. Each piece is taken care of more and more carefully.”
The loving father of the Ming Dynasty looked at them and said in a very sincere tone: "The Ming Dynasty is the leader of the vassals. I really hope that the vassals can follow suit and make progress in governance. It should be noted that times have changed. In the past, the carriages and horses were slow, the mountains and the sea were dangerous. Fierce. Between tribes and countries, the territory and the people are unclear, and only swordsmen and envoys can communicate with each other. That kind of situation is self-contained and can remain unchanged for hundreds of years. But what about now?"
What Zhu Houcong said was true.
The population is generally multiplying more and more, and the living spaces will inevitably squeeze each other, so there will be friction.
Technology in general is getting more and more advanced. Now, isn't it true that Portugal, far away in Europe, first destroyed Manga, and then Ryukyu was suddenly destroyed?
So the exchanges are generally becoming more frequent.
If the Ming Dynasty did not bring them new changes, the Europeans would come over and make them change.
Zhu Houcong said earnestly: "I say that the subjects of all vassals are my subjects, and I have no other intention, but come from the bottom of my heart. For thousands of years, although China and the vassals have had disputes, they are still close neighbors after all. Because of the size of China, The vassals respect the elders, how can the elders not pity the weak now? I hope that from the beginning of this Datong initiative, the Western Regions and the East in the mouth of Europe will really become a family in the future, jointly defend against foreign enemies, and seek prosperity together! The Ming Dynasty will not hesitate to help , the vassals themselves must strive to make progress and not rest on their laurels!”
Some people still want to be kings and hegemons behind closed doors, and are not very happy to "really become a family" with Ming Dynasty.
But what the Emperor of Ming Dynasty told them was a great principle and a kindness that was considered for the people of the vassals of the Ming Dynasty. How can we blame them?
This initiative is not forced on the surface.
But if Ming Dynasty does not recognize it, it will not be able to remain in the "Convention Organization" of the Huanming Trade Agreement in the future. That is the possible enemy of Ming Dynasty and Ming Dynasty's real vassal.
To make internal changes as proposed by Ming Dynasty, there will of course be great resistance and suffering. If you can't do it well, you have to change the day.
But if someone succeeds and becomes rich and powerful, wouldn't it be possible, as the Ming Emperor said, to have clearer boundaries and subjects?
Don’t forget, during this round of “trial observation period”, Ming Dynasty also “initiated” everyone to clearly define the boundaries.
If we draw boundaries, doesn't that mean we might have to fight?
If the drawing is not clear, will Ming Dynasty be like Zongzheng and help them draw it correctly?
"In short, in the past, you heard that China used to regard its vassals as barbarians. This is admittedly a bit arrogant, but it is not unreasonable. In the future, the Ming Dynasty will no longer regard itself as the father's country, and will all be brother countries, but all countries must really have a country. It’s a good appearance. The inheritance is orderly, the government is stable, and the etiquette is well-regulated. In this way, there will naturally be fewer and fewer disputes, and we will help each other better and better. I have worked hard and hope that you will think about it carefully after you go back."
It is said that it was a joint discussion and a joint convention, but in fact it was nothing more than Ming Dynasty expressing its own attitude and ideas.
Daming is ready to do this. Whether you want to or not is up to you.
In short, the envoys of various vassals have been temporarily withdrawn.
After three years of trial implementation, Ming Dynasty will change the past "canonization" model and switch to the method of recognition and establishment of diplomatic relations. Countries recognized by the Ming Dynasty and countries that establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty will also have stable relations.
This stable relationship was also clearly informed to the vassals: there are several levels, depending on the degree of intimacy.
So in fact, Ming Dynasty was also using more standardized diplomatic rules to dazzle these vassal countries.
After the interview, Tang Shunzhi and other ministers of state walked slowly towards the Wenhua Hall.
Yan Song seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "Ying De seems to be feeling a little emotional?"
Tang Shunzhi smiled slightly and responded: "Mr. Yan Guo has been in charge of all matters in the etiquette department for many years, and his actions are indeed extraordinary."
Yan Song shook his head repeatedly: "Is this my idea? Your Majesty is still wise, with strategies at your fingertips, and a commanding position. If you follow De's request, the vassals and the people will eventually obey, but decades of grievances have been exposed, and the national treasury and military expenditures have remained high to suppress all parties. That’s inevitable.”
Yang Shen, who was walking in front, turned around and looked at Tang Shunzhi when he heard the words: "Ying De, although you must go to the military affairs meeting in the future, you must not forget the lessons of the ages. Civilization and military affairs have their own reasons. As long as the monarch and his ministers are of the same mind, and civil and military affairs are compatible. , but big things cannot be dealt with."
Tang Shunzhi sighed in his heart and said, "This junior has learned a lesson."
He is the youngest top minister of the Ming Dynasty, and speaking of a junior at this moment seems to be a sign of submission.
After returning from the Hetao, he came forward on behalf of the Military Affairs Council to request the emperor to directly "open a sweep". This incident still caused great tension among other ministers of state.
While Yan Song was caught off guard, other civil servants were even more worried about the fact that as the Ming army attacked from all sides, they would only be left with endless military commanders and even local separatist troubles in the future.
Of course, the previous drama was not enough, and he just went to wipe out the small country with just one sentence of condemnation. Even if they win, they will still be the invaders. Although the ethnic groups are close, they have spent so many years behind closed doors in the same place. With the national war, many people with national hatred and family feud left behind were also a big trouble for the subsequent governance of the Ming Dynasty. What can be seen with the naked eye is that Ming's military expenditure will definitely increase by an order of magnitude.
Will the enfeoffed vassals also bear part of the military expenses? That can only be said to be a stable state in the future. What about before stabilization? How could the princes and civil and military ministers who were entrusted to a strange place quickly establish their own stable tax income?
Hence the current move.
Tang Shunzhi knew how powerful this move was.
To put it bluntly, the strongest moment of the Ming Dynasty was the moment when it relied on its strong national power to prevent it from taking off.
Faced with this situation, as long as the Ming Dynasty set new rules, set more of these new rules and have a greater impact, the vassals would have to consider their own choices.
Their internal conflicts and conflicts between them are likely to break out during the period when the Ming Dynasty has not yet begun.
Once it really breaks out and becomes extremely chaotic, Ming will have a choice to make another move and will encounter less resistance.
To put it bluntly, since the Ming Dynasty has decreed new rules, some vassal states that are unwilling to abide by these new rules will also have "pro-Ming factions" who want to take advantage of this matter to come to power.
Although the diplomatic envoys have temporarily withdrawn, isn't this all open to trade? The businessmen who come and go are the best media, and there are also exchanges of interests.
Tang Shunzhi knew that Xia Yan and he had used too much force at that time.
If the importance of the military is over-expanded with this round of Ming Dynasty's major actions, it will not be easy for the emperor to handle.
You must know that today's military is very different from before.
In the future, if the military commanders stationed in various vassals are taken seriously, can the emperor feel like he can use his arms and fingers?
The current approach is to let the Ministry of Literary and Foreign Affairs occupy the position of controlling military force with civility in advance, and also let the factory guard force and the Huangming Asset Bureau force directly under the emperor's control take effect first.
When everything is settled in the future, the military will not easily cause trouble.
Tang Shunzhi didn't feel too sorry.
He was young, so he had to help Xia Yan be the vanguard, not only to pave the way for him to take over the military affairs conference in the future, but also to show the emperor that he would not maintain exactly the same position as the future State Council.
He is young, so he doesn't care whether he will follow this strategy. Xia Yan naturally wanted to make greater achievements during his tenure, but Tang Shunzhi was more eager to take his time and give him time.
The Ming Dynasty's strategy for the vassals ultimately resulted in a balance.
What Tang Shunzhi lamented was just the emperor's intriguing methods.
And to be honest, this set of diplomatic methods is indeed beyond the understanding of top officials such as Tang Shunzhi.
Indeed, after throwing away the burden of "going to the country", he became more kind-hearted and had much more room for operation.
In the past, father and son were nominally the same, but how could a "father" just beat up his "son", and the "son" must still be extremely filial?
This is country to country!
Tang Shunzhi also lamented Yan Song's good luck.
His son had been operating in the east for many years. After he really took action this time, following the actions of a Tsushima clan to attack the main island and the news that the Ming Dynasty was about to expedition to Japan, their Kyushu princes were attracted to take action to rob Ryukyu.
There is already a winner, and it is justified.
Tang Shunzhi held a small meeting with other state ministers in the Wenhua Palace, and after confirming all aspects of Ming Dynasty's preparations and clear requirements, he and Yan Song left for the Qianqing Palace.
The affairs of the envoys of other vassal states have been basically completed, and the next step is to choose an auspicious day to formally sign the Huanming trade agreement with the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the vassal states.
However, the envoys from Ryukyu and Korea still had specific matters to discuss with Ming Dynasty.
In the Qianqing Palace, Xia Yan was already waiting there, and the emperor was talking to Shang Yuan, Mao Longyin, Li, and Yin.
Seeing Tang Shunzhi and Yan Song appear, Zhu Houcong nodded: "We are all here, so now we can officially start discussing how to eradicate the Japanese plague!"
…
"Master Yan, you must ask for reinforcements! Just Tsushima alone cannot stop the defending coalition forces!"
On Tsushima Island, Zong Qingkang looked anxious in front of Yan Shifan.
However, Yan Shifan said leisurely: "The alliance of the Ouchi clan is crossing the sea to attack Tsushima Island? It's not like they don't know that there are Ming warships here."
Zong Qingyasu sat there straight, extremely serious: "Since the return of Yitiao, the Hosokawa clan now regards itself as the general who respects the emperor and fights the barbarians, and the Ouchi clan considers itself as the general who protects the emperor. They are already clamoring to become the king's master. Apart from the outside world, how can you care about whether Lord Yan’s battleship is on Tsushima Island?”
Yan Shifan waved his hands and said with a smile: "I'm not saying he will be scrupulous, but whether he can."
Zong Qingyasu was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Those are the Ouchi clan, the Mori clan, the Shimazu clan and several coalition forces! Even though the superior warships are extremely powerful and the soldiers are elite, they are twenty times more powerful than the subordinates!"
Now Zong Qingkang is really hoping that Master Wang will come as soon as possible.
Motori Motonari and Ouchi Yoshitaka, who had originally agreed with him to besiege the Ouchi clan together, now turned their guns and said that he was a thief of Yamato.
Under the sudden "betrayal", Zong Qingyasu also lost the main island stronghold he had just pulled out in the Ouchi clan's territory.
And Shimazu Takahisa, relying on his reputation of first burning Shuri and plundering Ryukyu to make it difficult for the Ming Dynasty to attack from the southwest, also joined the coalition of generals guarding Ouchi Yoshitaka.
The conditions...it seems to be the Kitakyushu territory controlled by the Ouchi clan, and Ouchi Yoshitaka married the Shimazu clan after he adopted his adopted son.
As for the Nizi family, they are now undecided.
Because Nizi finally died of old age. Having lived for eighty-three years, he could be said to have witnessed the entire collapse of the first half of the Warring States Period.
Now, Nizi Haruhisa has not yet made up her mind whether to join the Hosokawa clan or whether to choose to go with the pressure of the Ming army and Zong Qingyasu from both sides and the pressure of the Ming army when the Ming Dynasty really attacks in the future. The emperor and the shogunate were looking forward to the Ming Dynasty coming to rescue them.
In that case, Zong Qingkang would no longer be an enemy, but could plan to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and the shogunate in the future, and carve up China, Kyushu, and the Four Kingdoms together.
But while Nizi Harujiu was busy arranging for the funeral of his grandfather Nizi Jiujiu, the Imperial Guards Alliance took a step to prepare for a joint attack on Tsushima Island and once again stabilize the "Yu Ming" front line.
Zong Qingkang looked at Yan Shifan, feeling secretly resentful but not daring to express it openly.
He said: "Yan Sang, why didn't you tell me first about the fact that His Majesty the Emperor named the Ouchi clan and the Hosokawa clan in his credentials to the Emperor and Ashikaga General to be kidnapped to the Ming Dynasty to commit suicide?"
Yan Shifan glanced at him and said calmly: "Your Majesty's credentials, as a minister, how can I read them first?"
Zong Qingkang thought, how could you not know in advance?
Yan Shifan only said: "I didn't expect that you guys like big bets so much. In a blink of an eye, Yoshitaka Ouchi proclaimed himself the general of the imperial guard, and he seemed to be able to defeat the Ming Dynasty king. Now, he is even more worried about killing his son. It would be unwise to leave the Nizi clan alone."
"Can't Yan Sang see that if he captures Tsushima Island, he will not only increase his momentum, but also be able to attack the Nizi clan from the north and the south?"
Yan Shifan just said nonchalantly: "But my uncle is here! What if he fails here? Can he now afford the loss of reputation caused by the so-called imperial defense coalition being defeated by my uncle's escort warships? If even my uncle Even if he can't take it, how can he brag about being a general in defense? Even if he wins, touches my uncle, and the king's teacher arrives, can he leave the Nizi family alone and defend Tsushima Island?"
"If Nizi Harujiu also falls to his side, what about the imperial master? If the Ouchi clan succeeds, they will definitely destroy the Hosokawa clan, open a new house, and live in Kinki. In this land of China, there is no need to compete with the Nizi clan. Let’s fight.”
"With the revenge of killing his son, how can Nizi Haruji easily believe in Ouchi Yoshitaka's promise?" Yan Shifan still looked like he didn't care, "I chose the moment when Ouchi Yoshitaka died in battle to ask Zongsang to take action. Isn't it because of them?" Are they already on the same level as fire and water?"
Zong Qingkang now regrets taking that gamble. The Ming Dynasty did not leave room for the Ouchi clan and the Hosokawa clan, and his strategy of conspiring with Ouchi Yoshitaka and Mourimoto to attack the Nizi clan became a joke.
The bet was made because of Yan Shifan's clear identity as the Count of the Ming Dynasty, because Yan Shifan said that the Ming Dynasty only wanted to return to a unified and stable new order, so that the Ming Dynasty could obtain the gold, silver, copper and other raw materials produced here, so that Daming goods can be sold here for more.
What now? The Tsushima army suffered a lot in the process of being defeated and returned to Tsushima, and he relied even more on this Japanese man.
And this guy has too many choices: he can even leave right now and leave this mess for Zong Qingkang to clean up on his own.
"Don't worry, my uncle won't just leave like this." Yan Shifan seemed to see clearly what he was thinking, but still said with a smile, "Of course, my uncle will not rely on others and think that just a few ships can defeat them. . It’s just that my uncle and you have different views. It would be strange if Ouchi Yoshitaka didn’t pretend to be attacking in the east, but actually wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when the Nizi clan was fully handing over power to attack the Nizi clan.”
Zong Qingkang was stunned for a moment: "Sound in the east and attack in the west?"
Yan Shifan sneered: "He raised such a big banner and had no territory or money. How could he get everyone to follow him? Do you really think he was willing to hand over Kitakyushu to Shimazu Takahisa just because Shimazu Takahisa sent people to Ryukyu?" After doing a big job, can he become a important general and increase his prestige? Shimazu Takahisa will naturally have to work hard to help him actually gain something! Compared with the false reputation of stabilizing Tsushima's front line against the Ming Dynasty, Iwami Silver Mountain is the real benefit!”
Zong Qingkang looked at him coldly.
Does a count who is not at the center of power in the Ming Dynasty have such abilities and strategies?
(End of chapter)
