The Shimazu clan is a Japanese feudal lord, located in the southwest of Kyushu, called the Satsuma domain, the most traffic-saving site for mobile phones.?

During the Battle of Sekigahara, the Shimazu clan supported the Western Army and became hostile to the Tokugawa family, and after the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Shimazu clan successfully retained the domain through diplomatic lobbying and marriage with the Tokugawa family.

In Japan during the Edo period, daimyo domains that were close to the shogunate were mostly sealed near Edo, and the more distant the relationship, the farther away from Edo.

The Satsuma Domain, where the Shimazu clan was located, should have had a very poor relationship with the Tokugawa shogunate from the point of view of the location of the territory, but in fact, although the Shimazu clan was a foreign daimyo, the relationship between the two sides was relatively stable at present.

The southwestern part of Kyushu, which was controlled by the Shimazu clan, was plagued by volcanoes and typhoons, resulting in low productivity and poor living conditions, but the Satsuma clan was a powerful feudal domain in Japan.

This is because the mountains are poor and the mountains are bad, which leads to the Satsuma samurai being brave and good at fighting, and the second is because the Shimazu clan has mastered the trade with the Ming Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, because of the uprising of the Catholics, it was also convenient for the shogunate to control trade and prevent the daimyo from becoming bigger, so it issued a decree of seclusion, and only under the control of the shogunate, it maintained a certain amount of trade with China and the Netherlands.

After the shogunate issued the decree of seclusion, Japan's foreign trade was mainly in the hands of the shogunate, but the Satsuma clan did not give up trade with the Ming Dynasty, but continued to smuggle with the Ming Dynasty.

There are at least three reasons why the Satsuma Domain was able to carry out smuggling trade, it was located at the southern tip of Japan, close to the Ryukyus and the Ming Dynasty, which provided him with a geographical advantage, Kagoshima had a natural harbor, which provided him with the advantage of terrain, and the harsh living conditions of the Satsuma Domain made the locals have to beg for a living from the sea, which provided them with a thrust, so the Satsuma Domain was able to trade even though the country was closed.

Today, the lord of the Satsuma Domain is the second son of Shimazu Nakatsune, Shimazu Mitsuhisa, known as "Matsudaira Satsuma Morimihisa" or "Torajumaru", the second lord of the Satsuma Domain during the Tokugawa shogunate.

At this time, in the castle of Kaer, where the Shimazu clan lived, a samurai wearing a kimono, shaved the head of a samurai, two knives stuck in his waist, and stepping on clogs, was led to a traditional Japanese building.

The samurai's steps were not hurried, and the clogs struck the ground with a "bang".

"Your Excellency, the Guardian is waiting inside!" An Shimazu retainer who led the way stopped in front of the house and said respectfully.

When the samurai-looking man heard this, he bowed his head slightly, took off his clogs, and two kneeling women in kimonos opened the door, and the samurai walked into the room and saw a Japanese general kneeling in front of him.

"Protect Your Excellency!" The samurai performed a Japanese ritual and then knelt down as well.

The general in the house is none other than Matsudaira Satsuma Morimitsuhisa, the second lord of the Satsuma Domain, and the person dressed as a samurai in front of him is

Tagawa Nanazaemon, the son of the Zheng family to the Tagawa clan, and the younger brother of Zheng Chenggong.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa is in his thirties, but he is very majestic and rigid, with no expression on his face, he waited for Nanazaemon to sit down, and with a wave of his hand, two women in kimonos bent over with their heads bowed, and brought up two wooden plates, each with a pot of sake on them, and a little food.

The popular meal system in Japan is the Chinese Tang Dynasty, each eats its own meal, and when the two women retreat to the side and kneel, Shimazu Mitsuhisa himself poured a glass of sake and signaled to Nanazaemon, and after both of them drank a glass, he said: "Your Excellency, not in Nagasaki, visiting Kagoshima, I don't know what is going on?" ”

Nanazaemon was responsible for the Zheng family's trade with Japan, and the situation was unfavorable in the early days of resistance to the Qing Dynasty, and his mother Tagawa committed suicide after being insulted by the Qing soldiers, and Nanazaemon went to Zheng Chenggong several times to return to China to resist the Qing, but Zheng Chenggong considered that he needed to stay in Japan and preside over the Zheng family's trade, so he stayed in Japan.

When Zheng Chenggong retreated to Xiamen, Nanazaemon sent a large number of materials to Zheng Chenggong from Japan, so that Zheng Chenggong could develop and grow.

After the Ming Dynasty recovered Nanjing, Zheng Chenggong no longer needed Shichizaemon to transport supplies, and the mission of Shichizaemon was transformed into helping the Zheng family trade in Japan.

The Tokugawa shogunate's designated trading port was in Nagasaki, and Nanazaemon generally took care of the trade between the Zheng family and the Tagawa clan in Nagasaki, but because of the restrictions of the shogunate's lockdown order, the quota for normal trade was limited, and most of the quotas were taken away by merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the Zheng family could not get much quota, so they also maintained close smuggling trade with the Shimazu clan.

"Guarding Your Excellency, I came this time to ask Your Excellency for something!"

Tagawa Nanazaemon pressed his hands on the thighs of the kneeling seat, bowed his head after speaking, and bowed solemnly.

The Shimazu clan had close ties with the Zheng family, and in addition to the smuggling trade with merchants in Zhejiang, at least 30% of the share was with the Zheng family.

Japanese knives and fans were transported to the Ming Dynasty through the Zheng family in exchange for silk, tea, sugar, and books from the Ming Dynasty, which made the Shimazu clan earn a lot in trade, so Shimazu Mitsuhisa attached great importance to the relationship with the Zheng family.

"I don't know what it is that requires me to serve you?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa didn't see joy on his face, and said in a deep voice.

Nanazaemon raised his head when he heard this, but he didn't say it directly, but tilted his head and glanced at the Japanese female concubines around him.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa understood, and immediately waved his hand, and several Japanese women immediately retreated.

Seeing this, Nanazaemon spoke: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Daming Chu will send an envoy to Edo to meet with Yan Youin, and want to rebuild the agreement with the shogunate and expand trade. This is very unfavorable to Your Excellency, the Zheng family, and the merchants of eastern Zhejiang, so I want to ask Your Excellency to guard your Excellency and pretend to be the shogunate to intercept the visiting mission. ”

Shimazu Mitsuhisa was pouring sake into the cup, and when he heard this, his hand trembled violently, and the wine spilled.

In the First World War of Baijiangkou, Japan was transformed into a thousand years of Tang Dynasty, and the Battle of Wenroku-Keicho defeated Japan's heart of peeking into Middle-earth again.

Nanazaemon actually asked him to intercept the Ming envoy, and Shimazu Mitsuhisa's face was as wooden as a carving, and there was a hint of panic on his face.

"Your Excellency, Prince Chu of the Ming Dynasty, is now the regent of the Ming Kingdom, and his envoy is the envoy of the Ming Kingdom, what should I do if I am accompanied by the shogunate to intercept the envoy of the Ming Kingdom, causing the anger of the Prince of Chu and causing the two countries to fight?"

Mitsuhisa Shimazu put the spilled flask aside and frowned.

"Japan and the Ming Dynasty are separated by the sea, the Ming Dynasty wants to fight with Hulu, and it is impossible to cause a war, besides, behind the Zheng family is the Tang King of the Ming Dynasty, and behind the maritime merchants of eastern Zhejiang, there are two princes in the Ming Dynasty, and the Prince of Chu has no ability to fight with Japan at all, at most it is forbidden to trade with Japan, and this is not in our arms?" Nanazaemon picked up a handkerchief on the table and helped Shimazu Mitsuhisa wipe off the spilled wine as he spoke.

"Was this matter instructed by Prince Lu and Prince Tang of the Ming Kingdom?" Mitsuhisa Shimazu asked in a deep voice.

"Your Excellency Guardian can think so!" Nanazaemon bowed slightly, "If the Ming Dynasty and the shogunate sign an agreement to expand trade, there will be many Ming merchants who will enter Japan through normal channels, and Japanese swords, paper fans and other things will also flow into the Ming Dynasty through normal channels, so the trade between the Shimazu family and the Zheng family will not be able to continue." Japan's trade is only a part of the Zheng family, but the Shimazu family has lost the benefit of smuggling, what will happen, the Guardian Your Excellency needs to think carefully. ”

Shimazu Mitsu was silent for a while, and only after half a sound did he say: "The shogunate may not agree to Prince Chu's agreement, please let me think about this matter again!" ”

For such a major event, Tagawa Nanazaemon knew that Shimazu Mitsuhisa couldn't make up his mind for a while, and he still needed to discuss with the deployment, so he solemnly made a Japanese salute, bowed his head and said: "Your Excellency, then please, I will come back to visit later!" ”