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The Tokugawa shogunate really planned to put Kyushu under direct jurisdiction, just like it did open a large number of ports after seclusion.

But wanting to do it is one thing, being able to do it is another thing, and doing it is another thing.

The first step is naturally to reduce the vassal status. For example, small vassal lords such as Karatsu Domain were eliminated.

Some feudal lords are lobbying in series everywhere, and naturally they want to organize Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Tokugawa Iemitsu finally gave up the direct administration of Kyushu. In addition to too much local resistance, another reason was the beginning of the "Kanei Great Famine".

Amakusa Shiro's rebellion was able to attract a large number of farmers precisely because of the famine in Japan.

And just this year, an even bigger famine broke out, and it will last for several years. This is the Kanei Famine in Japan. In the face of famine, Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had always advocated dictatorship, was forced to relax his local control, and the Karatsu clan, which had been placed under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate, was also re-divided.

In the Little Ice Age, no one will get better.

There was famine in the Ming Dynasty, there was famine in Europe, and there was famine in Japan.

The Tokugawa shogunate has even decided to issue a decree in the first month of next year: prohibiting land sales nationwide and prohibiting the separation of farmers with less than ten people, in order to protect farmers and agricultural production.

In the first month of the new year, before the Spring Festival, Lin Luoshan led a delegation to visit China.

Lin Luoshan is the "Imperial Master" of Japan. He has educated two shoguns in succession and is already educating the third and fourth generations.

Throughout the Edo period, the ideological system constructed by Hayashi Razan was the Juche ideology of Japanese society and was not abandoned until the Meiji Restoration.

This person was a crazy supporter of Zhu Xi. While criticizing King Lu's Xinxue, he also absorbed Xinxue's ideas. He integrated psychology with Neo-Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism with Shinto, redefining Japanese Shintoism. He also advocated the rejection of Buddhism and the expulsion of Christianity, making Shintoism the official religion of Japan.

This time the Tokugawa shogunate set up an official school, and the entire plan came from Lin Luoshan!

According to tradition, when Japan sends a mission to China, the envoy must be a holy monk. But Lin Luoshan hated monks very much. Not only were most of the envoys members Confucianists, but they also did not bring any monks.

Starting from Edo to Nagasaki, and then taking a boat from Nagasaki to Ryukyu, Lin Luoshan traveled to Fuzhou.

Looking at the huge city of Fuzhou and witnessing the prosperous port, Lin Luoshan not only sighed: "This is the true heavenly kingdom!"

After resting in Fuzhou for three days, Lin Luoshan took a boat to Ningbo. Encountering a Fuzhou Navy patrol on the way, Lin Luoshan added: "The giant ship cannot be defeated by the Nanman (Netherlands), so we must not defeat it."

After traveling all the way to Shanghai, they were finally received by local officials and sent a ship to Nanjing.

When Lin Luoshan disembarked in Nanjing, he was already numb by the shock along the way. He was arranged to the diplomatic hotel. After staying there, he couldn't calm down and asked the guard next to him: "What did you see?"

The guard is called Yagyu Jubei, and his father Yagyu Munenomi is the shogun's intelligence chief.

Yagyu Jubei was only thirteen years old and had already become Tokugawa Iemitsu's attendant. After he became an adult, he was sent to various places to monitor and inquire about the words and deeds of local daimyo. He was an absolute confidant of Tokugawa Iemitsu.

"Sir, I saw wealth." Yagyu Jubei replied.

Lin Luoshan smiled and said: "China can be so prosperous because it governs the country with Confucianism. As long as Japan also governs the country with Confucianism and supplements it with Shintoism, sooner or later it will be like China."

Yagyu Jubei said: "Thank you sir."

Both of them knew in their hearts that although Lin Luoshan was the envoy of the envoy, Yagyu Jubei represented the Tokugawa generals.

These words of Lin Luoshan were not only meant for Yagyu Jubei, but also for Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Lin Luoshan opened the window and looked at the big tree in the courtyard: "If Japan wants to be rich, it must not only govern the country with Confucianism, but also have good relations with China. Trade with China, learn Chinese skills, and learn everything about China. This is also Ieyasu The public’s will!”

Yagyu Jubei nodded: "We should indeed trade with China."

In the second year after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu wanted to restore diplomatic relations with China. In order to show their goodwill, they also sent a ship to escort the captured Ming general Mao Guoke all the way to Fujian and hand him back.

The Ming court also responded by sending two merchant ships to Japan, hoping to make unofficial contacts first.

As a result, the two Chinese merchant ships were robbed by Japanese pirates.

Although Tokugawa Ieyasu captured the pirates and executed the pirate leader, the communication channels between the two countries were cut off.

Tokugawa Ieyasu had no choice but to convey goodwill through North Korea. The King of North Korea said: Go to hell!

Immediately afterwards, Tokugawa Ieyasu asked Ryukyu to be the intermediary. There happened to be a Ming envoy in Ryukyu. Xia Ziyang and Wang Shizhen were asking: The Ming Dynasty sent two merchant ships to Japan. Why did the two merchant ships disappear?

I can’t explain this!

Finally, Tokugawa Ieyasu sent a formal letter to Ming Dynasty. It claims that Japan is the "Kuor Country" and China is the "Ming Dynasty", "Your Country" and "China". Japan is willing to regard Ming Dynasty as its suzerain, and asks Ming Dynasty to "take big things into small things", and Japan will definitely "use small things to do big things".

There are Confucian diplomatic standards in "Zuo Zhuan": being small means doing big things, which is due to trust; being big means doing small things, which is benevolence.

That is to say, when a big country has relations with a small country, it must be benevolent; when a small country has relations with a big country, it must be honest.

The attempt to restore diplomatic relations with China ran through Tokugawa Ieyasu's entire shogunate career. And it gradually achieved results, but every time the relationship improved, Japanese pirates would plunder. The emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty were angry, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was even more angry. He wished he could personally sail his ship and kill those Japanese pirates.

It wasn't until Tokugawa Iemitsu came to power and was busy consolidating the rule of the shogunate, and the Ming Dynasty was also busy dealing with the Manchus, that the two countries completely broke off communication.

"Dong dong dong!"

"Invite the envoy to a meal."

The hotel busboy brought the meal, which was a regular working meal for officials.

Yagyu Jubei picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly. After the handyman left and there was no one else in the room, the guy immediately buried his head and finished the food like a wolf, even the grease on the bottom of the plate was covered with rice.

However, Lin Luoshan deliberately left some food uneaten and reminded: "How many times have I told you to pay attention to your daily meal? If you eat all the food, doesn't it reveal that Japan has insufficient food? Even the ministers of the shogunate can't eat delicious food. Meals?”

Yagyu Jubei said: "It's just that Chinese food is so delicious that I just can't help but eat it all."

Senior samurai like Yagyu Jubei actually lived a pretty good life, seeing fish and meat every day. The lower-level warriors were in the most miserable condition, soaking rice in plain water and picking up vegetables every meal.

The Kuanyong Great Famine is breaking out, in order to ensure food supply. The shogunate prohibited farmers from buying and selling freely, and could only sell grain to fixed merchants, who would then transfer it to the shogunate and daimyo. The price of grain must be officially set by the shogunate.

Yagyu Jubei said: "Sir, I think China has a lot of food. After the trade is restored, it is better to buy food from Chinese maritime merchants. Wouldn't this solve Japan's famine?"

"No," Lin Luoshan waved his hand, "diplomatic relations between the two countries are a big deal. Even if millions of peasants starve to death, it cannot damage Japan's national prestige or disgrace the shogunate. If the emperor of China knows that there is a famine in Japan, China The monarch and his ministers must think that the shogunate does not practice benevolent government. Heaven and man sense that only an unkind monarch will bring disaster."

Yagyu Jubei hesitated to speak, and cursed: If you say this, doesn't it mean that the general is also an unkind king?

After the meal was finished, Yagyu Jubei wanted to practice swordplay in the yard, but Lin Luoshan asked: "Have you mastered the Chinese etiquette I taught you?"

Yagyu Jubei said: "After practicing, it means long kneeling, prostrating and bowing."

Lin Luoshan said: "Call everyone here and let's practice it a few more times. According to convention, Chinese officials from the Ministry of Rites will specifically teach etiquette to foreign envoys. But if we practice in advance, we will not be laughed at by the officials of the Ministry of Rites."

Seeing China's prosperity along the way made Lin Luoshan feel even more inferior and unwilling to be looked down upon by Chinese monarchs and ministers.

Two days later, an official from the Ministry of Rites came and said, "Please come with me to see His Majesty the Emperor."

Lin Luoshan said in surprise: "Aren't you going to train in audience etiquette?"

The official of the Ministry of Rites smiled and said: "The dynasty has just been established and everything is new. Your Majesty does not like red tape."

Lin Luoshan muttered in Japanese: "This ritual and music has collapsed!"

Halfway through, Lin Luoshan asked again: "Don't His Majesty the Emperor of Datong of China live in the Forbidden City?"

An official from the Ministry of Rites explained: "The country is in dire straits and has been hit by severe drought in recent years. Your Majesty is kind and does not want to disturb the people, so the imperial city has not been repaired. Now that construction has started, your Majesty will be able to move in in one or two years." Forbidden City.”

Lin Luoshan said with emotion: "The emperor of Datong lives here with all the people in his heart, but he does not build any buildings. He is truly a benevolent emperor!"

After walking more than a hundred steps and walking through several corridors, the Japanese envoy met the emperor.

Lin Luoshan took the lead and knelt down: "Official ministers of the lower country, pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the upper country!"

"If you are flat, please give me a seat!" Zhao Han said with a smile.

Before Yagyu Jubei stood up, he secretly looked at the emperor. Mighty, tall and imposing, he is worthy of being the Emperor of China.

On Zhao Han's desk, there was a list of members of the envoy. He glanced at everyone: "Who is Yagyu Jubei?"

Lin Luoshan understood Chinese and said quickly: "The emperor calls you!"

Yagyu Jubei, who had just sat down, got up from his seat again, ran forward, knelt down and bowed: "Yagyu Jubei, pay homage to Your Majesty!"

Zhao Han was a little disappointed. The famous Yagyu Jubei did not have the powerful image in the game at all. Although his body is still strong, he is too short, kneeling there like a half-grown child.

Zhao Han said: "You are the captain of the Japanese mission and want to master martial arts. Where are the weapons?"

Lin Luoshan translated quickly.

Yagyu Jubei replied: "When I went to see His Majesty, I was taken away by the female officers and guards."

Zhao Han was full of wickedness: "Bring his weapons. I heard that Japanese swordsmanship is quite unique, so I will compete with my bodyguards here."

Lin Luoshan quickly warned: "You must go all out and not lose the prestige of the shogunate, but you must not kill the Chinese emperor's guards either."

How to fight?

Yagyu Jubei was immediately confused.