I

This shogunate meeting was attended not only by senior ministers and councilors, but also by daimyo from the major vassal states.

Sakai Tadaki expressed his opinions point by point: "The first point is that the Tang soldiers can be compensated for the military expenses incurred during the expedition, but not too much, and definitely not more than 600,000 guan (150,000 taels of silver)."

"600,000 guan is too much." Tokugawa Ietsuna didn't want to pay.

The fiscal revenue of the shogunate all comes from the direct jurisdiction, which can be divided into annual tribute, koumi, three-year service, transportation and small general petitions, etc. The annual income fluctuates, about 500,000 to 800,000 shi of rice, 300,000 to 600,000 taels of gold, and 20,000 guan (5,000 taels) of silver.

The amount seems to be quite a lot, and gold is the most abundant, but money is needed to support retainers and warriors!

The wealth accumulated by previous generations of shoguns had long been used up during the reconstruction of Edo after the Great Fire. In another time and space, the shogunate 20 or 30 years later found it difficult to pay salaries to retainers and samurai, so they had to make money by casting low-quality gold, silver, and copper coins.

Sakai Tadaki said: "Then 500,000 gu."

Tokugawa Ietsuna was rarely tough and said: "The maximum compensation is 400,000 gu. If the Tang envoy does not agree, then we will defend Edo to the end!"

Sakai Tadakiyoshi added: "The second item is to return the confiscated Tang people's property, which can be agreed. The third item is that Japan must be founded as a country, which is absolutely impossible. The prices of Tang people's cotton cloth and iron pots are much cheaper than ours. 1. With the arrival of ships one by one, many weavers and potsmiths lost their jobs. In the castle towns of Edo, people were buying Tang cloth and Tang pots. If this continues for five years, Japan will no longer have weaving craftsmen, and Japan will There will be no more pot-forging craftsmen. And those craftsmen who have lost their jobs will conspire with the ronin to riot."

Abe Tadaki finally couldn't help but speak: "Why are Tang cloth and Tang pots so much cheaper than Japanese goods? I asked merchants in the Tang Dynasty and they all used steam engines for weaving and smelting iron. I think that no matter what the emperor of the Tang Dynasty requested, You can agree temporarily. Then send more envoys to the Tang Dynasty to learn steam engine technology and let Japanese craftsmen also use steam engines for production."

"absurd!"

Sakai Tadaki said angrily: "In the past twenty years, the shogunate has sent many envoys to the Tang Dynasty. What have they learned? I have learned the unfaithful and unjust "Datong Collection", and I have learned the pseudo-study of Nanman (Dutch). I The eldest son of a retainer was sent to Nanjing to study. Six years later, when he returned to China, he kept saying that the earth was round..."

"The earth is indeed round," Abe Tadaki interrupted. "You have forgotten that the shogunate also imitated the Nanman ship (Galen ship) and sailed it to visit America and Europe, sailing westward, and finally came back. This Can’t you prove that the earth is round?”

Sakai Tadaki became even more angry: "That bastard, not only did he claim that the earth is round, but he also dared to observe the celestial phenomena privately. He also said that the earth is a planet, and like Venus, it revolves around the sun!"

Xiong Zefanshan was wanted by the shogunate for spreading Yangming's philosophy, which shows how serious the ideological confinement was in Japan at this time.

In order to prevent the Japanese from admiring China, even "History of the West Lake" was listed as a banned book.

What is "West Lake Chronicle"?

It’s just a book about Hangzhou’s culture and attractions!

Also banned was "Scenery of the Imperial Capital", a book introducing Beijing's culture and attractions. In recent years, "Jinling Scenery" has been listed as a banned book, fearing that Japanese readers will know about the prosperity of Nanjing.

The Chinese translation of Aristotle's "Cosmology", "Huan You Quan", was also banned by the shogunate last year, and Japanese readers were not allowed to study astronomy.

Abe Tadaki asked: "With so many books, can we really ban them? It would be better to send Tang envoys to study and make Japan stronger. During the Tang Dynasty in China, a large number of Tang envoys were sent to bring back knowledge, which made Japan's current glory. Datong Dynasty As powerful as the Tang Dynasty, it’s time for us to learn comprehensively!”

Sakai Tadaki was too lazy to argue anymore, and angrily shouted: "You are no longer a senior middle school student. You are not even a counselor now. You have no place to speak here!"

Abe Tadaki saluted the shogun, then stood up and walked out of the palace, saying as he walked: "Since I have no right to speak, there is no need for me to stay here!"

Everyone continued the meeting and then sent Lin Efeng out of the city to negotiate.

Lin Efeng said to Dai Sheng: "First, Japan can compensate 600,000 yuan for military expenses."

Dai Sheng knowingly asked: "How much silver is 600,000 guan?"

Lin Efeng explained: "1 tael is equal to 4 points, which is equal to 16 Zhu, which is equal to 4,000 Wen. 1,000 Wen is 1 Guan, and 4 Guan is 1 Liang. 600,000 Guan, which is 150,000 taels of silver."

The hoopoe sneered, and the lion opened his mouth: "Is the shogunate sending beggars away? 6 million guan, no less, let's continue with the second point."

Lin Efeng said: "Second, our country is willing to return the property of Tang merchants and provide certain compensation. Third, it is impossible for Japan to become a country, but it can add two trading ports."

"Only two more ports?" Hoopoe shook his head, "Japan must have at least ten ports open to the sea!"

Lin Efeng continued: "Article 4: Gold, silver and copper coins from the Tang Dynasty can be used in Japan, but Japanese merchants can refuse them. The specific transactions are all based on the voluntariness of the merchants on both sides. Article 5: Our country recognizes Ezo Island as a territory of the Tang Dynasty. territory."

The last two are a big surprise for the hoopoe.

They actually allowed merchants to use Chinese currency, and actually agreed to cede Ezo Island. Hoopoe thought that these contents would be the most difficult to negotiate, but unexpectedly they became the easiest.

Lin Efeng could only run back to the city to report.

"What? You want to pay 6 million yuan?"

The weak shogun suddenly became strong and strong. He drew his sword and shouted: "Defend Edo to the death, defend Edo to the end, I swear to live and die with Edo!"

There's no more talking, there's still another fight.

As the siege lasted for more than ten days, more and more Japanese people were unable to buy food due to the cessation of commercial activities in the castle towns.

They covered their faces with linen, were hired by the Datong Army, and carried artillery shells to fill the moat, just to earn daily rations for their families. The Datong Army has always been honest, and as long as they work honestly, they will be paid on time. Even if they are killed by artillery shells, the families of those Japanese people can still receive a small bag of rice as pension.

Thanks to the hard work of the Japanese people, Edo's moat was filled in little by little.

Sakai Tadakiyoshi personally went to the city and looked out with a telescope, and his lungs suddenly exploded with anger. Judging from their clothes, it seems that the people filling the moat are all Japanese, and they even cover their faces with linen for fear of being recognized by acquaintances. He roared angrily: "After the war, we will strictly investigate collaborators and not let anyone go!"

After filling in the moat, the Japanese people were not unemployed and were sent to dig siege tunnels.

From the castle town to the outside of the city wall, there are "Z" shaped tunnels everywhere you look. At every corner of the tunnel, mounds of earth were used to build fortifications. Datong soldiers hid behind the fortifications to prevent enemies in the city from coming out to destroy the tunnel.

"We can't sit still and wait for death, we must fight out!" Sakai Tadaki said.

Inaba Masanori, who served as the general, could only obey the order and let the muskets and artillery fire on the city to cover the two thousand soldiers rushing out from the city gate. Their target is the Japanese people who are digging holes.

When the Japanese people heard the shouts of killing, they were so frightened that they immediately ran away and fled along the tunnels to the castle town.

Seeing this, the morale of the two thousand shogunate troops was high. Some pursued them in the tunnels, while others ran on the ground.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

A series of gunshots rang out, the shogunate troops continued to fall, and the Datong troops hiding behind the tunnel fortifications fought back.

The shogunate army was originally fighting a defensive battle, but now it turned into an offensive battle.

After a battle, the shogunate army left hundreds of corpses behind and fled back to the city gate in embarrassment. The Datong army did not pursue them, because even if they broke through the city gate, they would become targets after entering. The enemy's castle had four walls.

The Japanese people were called back to continue tunneling operations.

Datong Military Camp.

"There is news from friendly forces that both Shimonoseki and Osaka have been captured. Are you coming to help, or are you going to attack Kyoto?"

"You don't have to come to help, just control Osaka. If he has nothing to do, he can just want to capture Kyoto."

Huang Fei was originally a little worried about the lack of soldiers, but judging from the previous battles, the Japanese soldiers were already useless, and they were all useless losers who had not been in battle.

Edo is the political center, Kyoto is the cultural center, and Osaka is the commercial center. These three cities are home to one-tenth of Japan's population.

Osaka, garrisoned by a thousand shogunate troops, was easily captured by Han Shouxin.

This guy was eager to achieve great results and had nothing to do. Anyway, Kyoto was very close, so he led his army towards Kyoto.

The defenders there were even weaker. With a cannon blast and a hot air balloon explosion, the defenders fled faster than rabbits.

Han Shouxin led his troops into the city, came to the Japanese Imperial Palace, and asked a palace official: "Where is the King of Japan?"

The translator automatically translated the king into the emperor.

The palace man replied: "The emperor is inside. General, please wait a moment. I will go in and report."

Not long after, a short, middle-aged woman came out surrounded by palace people and warriors.

Han Shouxin was surprised: "Is the King of Japan a woman?"

Emperor Meisho at this time was the granddaughter of the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. Under the political game, the previous emperor suddenly abdicated, and the five-year-old Emperor Meisheng ascended the throne. This happened in the second year after Chongzhen succeeded to the throne.

A Japanese ronin who defected to the Datong Army said: "Sir General, the Emperor is still alive and holds power in Kyoto."

"Find the Supreme King of Japan!" Han Shouxin immediately ordered.

Not long after, his soldiers brought a monk, who was Emperor Gomizuo of Japan.

The emperor was no mere puppet. He was forced to marry the shogun's daughter. Although he also had a son, he was born to a female official in the palace and had no legal right to inherit.

The then shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu coveted the throne of emperor. It was definitely not to become the emperor himself, but to let the Tokugawa family and the emperor's descendants succeed him on the grounds that the emperor had no children, and to suppress Emperor Gomizuo through the purple robe incident.

Emperor Gomizuo took the initiative to abdicate and gave the throne to his wife (sister of Tokugawa Iemitsu). This move was so brilliant that Tokugawa Iemitsu himself did not dare to agree, so he passed the throne to the emperor's five-year-old daughter. However, after passing the throne, Emperor Gomizuo appeared to be a monk, but still controlled the power of the imperial palace.

"Masahito pays homage to the Celestial General!" Emperor Gomizuo actually spoke Chinese.

Han Shouxin said happily: "Japan is really weird. The king is a woman and the Supreme King is a monk. I think you are quite pitiful. You were forced by the shogunate to become a monk. How about this, the Datong Army helps you kill the Tokugawa clan and general How about returning the power of Japan to you?"

There was joy in Emperor Gomizuo's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "I don't dare, I have already abdicated."

Han Shouxin smiled and said: "In this country of Japan, the king is not the king, and the ministers are not the ministers. It is too shameful. In my opinion, it is best for you to be the king. I will send someone to send a message to Edo immediately!"

If Han Shouxin can become a teacher, he must not be stupid.

He said these words purely to put pressure on the Tokugawa shogunate and make the defenders of Edo Castle panic.