In this time and space with Zhu Cihong, the Japanese are also encroaching on the Ryukyu Kingdom step by step. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

In 1629, in order to directly control the politics and economy of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Satsuma Domain established the Zaiban Sho system, and sent retainers of the Satsuma Domain to the main affiliated islands of the Ryukyu Kingdom to directly take charge of the administration of each region. In 1629, the Satsuma clan first established the "Miyakojima Zaiban Commission" in the Miyako Islands; In 1631, the "Ryukyu Zaiban" was established on the island of Okinawa; In 1632, the Yaeyama Islands were established in the Yaeyama Islands.

Today, the Ryukyu Kingdom has become a de facto vassal state of the Satsuma Domain.

Under the authority of the Edo shogunate, the Satsuma clan exercised strict political and economic control over the Ryukyu Kingdom through the "Tsukifi Rijo". The Ryukyu Kingdom had to send envoys to inform the Satsuma Domain of major diplomatic events, such as the dispatch of tribute ships to China, the return of tribute ships, and the arrival of envoys to Hong Kong. At the same time, the Satsuma Domain was also engaged in a frenzied plundering of the resources of the Ryukyu Islands. The production and distribution of important products such as sulfur and sugar in the Ryukyu Kingdom were controlled by the Satsuma Domain. The Ryukyu Kingdom's lucrative profits from the tributary trade of the Ming Dynasty were also seized by the Satsuma Domain.

Even, this time, the Ryukyu Kingdom's entry into the Chinese Alliance was carried out secretly, and it was not announced until Zhu Cihong arrived in Korea and the Ming fleet was stationed in Shuri Castle.

But the significance of such a move to the Japanese is obviously self-evident.

At this time, Shang Xian's request to expel the Japanese was undoubtedly a kind of helplessness to strike first.

However, the Japanese will never give in.

Not to mention anything else, the actual benefits alone have always been a huge profit that the Satsuma clan could never give up.

Shimazu Iehisa sent Ise Sadamasa, the governor of the Satsuma Domain, to lead a team to carry out "land inspection," or surveying of cultivated land, in the Okinawa Islands, Sakishima Islands, and Amami Islands. According to the results of the "land seizure", the Satsuma Domain stipulated that the Ryukyu Kingdom must pay an annual tribute of 123,700 koku of rice to the Satsuma Domain. Among them, the Amami Islands, which were forcibly incorporated into the Satsuma Domain, paid an annual tribute of 43,257 koku of rice to the Satsuma Domain, and the Okinawa Islands and Sakishima Islands, which belonged to the Ryukyu Kingdom, paid an annual tribute of 80,443 koku of rice to the Satsuma Domain. Through the conquest of the Ryukyus, the Satsuma Domain's financial resources increased to 900,000 koku, making it the second largest feudal domain in Japan after the Kaga Domain.

If the Ryukyus were to be lost, the Satsuma domain would inevitably decline.

Touching people's interests is more difficult than touching people's souls.

Storm......

Imminent.

Zong Yicheng listened to the man's talk and lost his mind for a long time.

Fortunately, the conversation quickly reversed.

The new guest also smiled and said, "Of course, Your Majesty has never had time to deal with these things recently. The Queen Mother is about to give birth to Her Majesty's first child. In the face of this country's basic affairs, everything must be postponed. ”

When Zong Yicheng heard this, his eyes lit up.

……

Satsuma Domain, Yoshino-cho character 磯. Mitsuhisa Shimazu was discussing the construction of a garden with his retainers, and he wanted to build a garden seating annex. But apparently, the retainers were very embarrassed. Shimazu Mitsuhisa thought about it for a while, but he couldn't help but sigh and decided to put this matter on hold.

He wanted to send his affection to the mountains and rivers and make the generals of Edo forget him. However, the Satsuma clan was in serious trouble.

There are clouds in Japan's Warring States period: Shimazu has no dark lord.

Today, the lord of the Satsuma domain is Shimazu Mitsuhisa of the Shimazu clan. He is the eldest son of Zhongheng, also known as Torajumaru. After the Yuan service, he was named Zhongyuan. Now that I'm thirty years old, it's the prime of life.

When he was young, twenty-two years ago, Mitsuhisa Shimazu, who was only eight years old, was sent to Edo as a hostage. After another seven years, when he was a little older, he accepted the favoritism of Tokugawa Iemitsu and changed his name to Mitsuhisa; He also received the name Matsudaira given by the Edo Shogunate, and called it "Matsudaira Satsuma Morimitsuhisa".

Six years later, the Shimabara Rebellion broke out, and at this time, Shimazu Mitsuhisa's father, Tadatsu, fell ill. The young and vigorous Mitsuhisa Shimazu went on the expedition on behalf of his father. In the midst of this rebellion, Mitsuhisa Shimazu proved his ability and succeeded to the throne the following year.

In Japanese history, the better the relationship with the shogun, the closer the fief was to Edo. The location of the Satsuma Domain is far away in Kyushu, but it is still in the southwest of Kyushu, and it is very far away from Edo in the northeast. Naturally, the relationship between the Satsuma clan and the shogunate can be imagined.

With the end of the dual politics of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shogun, and the revision of the laws of the samurai, Japan's unified centralization was strengthened. After the Shimabara Rebellion was put down, Japan's seclusion was completed.

Similarly, the Satsuma Domain, which relied heavily on overseas trade, was greatly affected by this.

Six years ago, Mitsuhisa Shimazu hit the nail on the head. He sent his old family, Shimazu Hisatsu, to Nagano to develop the gold mine. However, the shogunate apparently did not like the growth of the Satsuma domain and interfered. For this reason, the development of Jinshan lasted only three years and had to be terminated three years ago.

For this reason, Shimazu Mitsuhisa had no choice but to reclaim the land in an attempt to revitalize the industry of the Satsuma domain.

Of course, this alone is obviously not enough for the countless mouths of the Satsuma Domain.

Since 1197, when Shimazu Tadahisa was appointed by the Kamakura shogun Minamoto Yoritomo as the guardian of Satsuma, Osumi, and Hinata, the Shimazu family has ruled over a vast area in the southern part of Kyushu.

When Tokugawa Iemitsu was young, he constantly listened to Tokugawa Ieyasu's emotion: "What kind of mercy must be used to rule over all the people?" ”

Similarly, for the Shimazu family, if it is not properly managed, there is a fear of overturning at any time.

With this belief in mind, the Satsuma Domain grew stronger and stronger during the Warring States period, and began to expand into the central and northern parts of Kyushu Island, conquering the Hyuga Prefecture, Higo, and Hizen provinces successively. In the face of the aggressive offensive of the Satsuma Domain, the countries of Bunsei, Bungo, Chikuzen, and Chikugo in the northern part of Kyushu Island turned to Toyotomi Hideyoshi for help. In October 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the Satsuma clan to stop military operations, but the Satsuma clan refused. In July 1586, Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent troops to conquer the Satsuma Domain, and in May 1587, he conquered the Satsuma Domain and pacified the island of Kyushu.

The defeat in this war plunged the Satsuma clan into an economic crisis. Not only did the Satsuma clan lose much of the land it had already acquired, but it was also overwhelmed financially by the huge military expenditure of the samurai regiment of more than 13,000 people.

In addition, the Satsuma Domain is located in a volcanic area, and the soil type is mainly volcanic ash accumulation, the land is barren, the agriculture is underdeveloped, the economic foundation is weak, and the people live in poverty.

The difficulties of the Satsuma clan were even more significant.

Obviously, raising taxes will not solve the problem, and it will cause dissatisfaction among the subordinates. The surplus military power remained a burden for the Satsuma Domain for a long time.

Not only that, but the Satsuma clan, which was far away from the center of power in Japan, had always wanted to establish an independent government.

Against such a backdrop, Mitsuhisa Shimazu decided to set his sights and all hopes for a solution to the south, the Ryukyu Kingdom.

But now, the biggest challenge has been encountered: Da Ming.

The matter of Shangxian, the lord of the Ryukyu Kingdom, asking for help from the Ming Dynasty, Shimazu Mitsuhisa expected.

But I never expected that things would deteriorate so quickly.

In just half a year, the Ryukyu Kingdom completed the canonization of the Ming Dynasty. Not only did he complete the Ming Dynasty's visit to the Ming Dynasty without the Satsuma Domain, but he also added the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Chinese Alliance.

And all this was done in secret from the Satsuma Domain.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa complained about the incompetence of his subordinates in his heart, and he felt a deep concern about the Second Fleet of the Daming Naval Division stationed in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The quality of sailors of the rapidly expanding Ming fleet is really mediocre, compared with the war-torn army, it can be said to be the level of kindergarten. Shimazu Mitsuhisa believed that the sailors of the Satsuma Domain were more skilled and had a better will to fight.

But the war between the Ming and Qing states has begun to metaphorize another change.

The impact of weapons began to grow.

No matter how powerful the bow horse is, it is not worth it in the face of the power of the steel torrent.

Japan during the Warring States period was well aware of this. The Japanese have in fact begun to use thermal weapons for a long time.

However, with the unification of Japan by the Edo shogunate. Under the power of arbitrary politics, the Japanese military power has actually declined.

The veterans who had withered the test of the Warring States period gradually withered, and the samurai began to participate in the governance of the country, gradually diluting the status of professional soldiers.

The long-term peace and suppression of the shogunate's research and development of firearms have led to a rapid decline in the country's combat effectiveness.

Of course, compared to the shogunate army of Johei, the Satsuma Domain's army was slightly more combative. At least they put down the Shimabara Rebellion, and they also maintained their combat effectiveness with a large number of troops in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

However, when the object of the war changed from a weak Ryukyu Kingdom to a rich and vast Ming Kingdom...... Nothing is the same anymore.

"What happened to the actions of the Ming Army's sailors?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa set his eyes on a burly man with a Rendanhu in front of him. This person's name is Birch Mountain Jiushou.

His father, Kayama Hisataka, was the chief general of the Satsuma Domain's invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and he was also a veteran of the Satsuma Domain.

Huashan Jiushou pondered for a while, and said, "Return to the lord." The second fleet of the Meijin Beiyang Naval Division, the naval division of the Ming Dynasty, stationed in the Ryukyus, had a total of seven ships, three large ships, and four small ships. There are more than 1,500 soldiers. Now it is stationed in the Ryukyus, and it is very calm. The Ming people restrained the soldiers strictly, and there were very few soldiers who went out. Even if there were, it was difficult to find out the news. ”

"Long keep...... According to your observations, what is your impression of the Ming people? Shimazu Mitsuhisa said in a deep voice.

When Huashan Jiushou heard this, he suddenly became serious: "Please forgive your subordinates' description, the discipline of the Ming people is very strict. The order of the superior is issued, and the subordinate dare not disobey. In particular, the ships of the Ming Kingdom are smooth and shiny, very clean and tidy. Such an army reveals excellent qualities when it is trained. When fighting, you will have a strong combat ability. This is a force that the army of the Satsuma clan does not have. ”

"I heard...... They don't have a single sailor, they can read? Shimazu Mitsuhisa did not comment on the alarmist evaluation of Kayama Hisamoru in the eyes of all the retainers, but asked again.

"Returning to the lord, according to the understanding of your subordinates, this is indeed the case. At least, that's what your subordinates have tried to hear. Birch Hill Jiushou said, lowered his head, and didn't dare to gnaw.

The scene was silent for a while.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa didn't speak in a hurry, but fell on the oldest old man present: "Yourong, I want to know your opinion." Ryukyu is Shimazu, and it is an interest that the Satsuma clan must not lose. We must defend them. But all the same...... The power of the Ming Kingdom...... Very dangerous. ”

This old man's masterpiece Yamada Yuei was a retainer of the Shimazu family during the Warring States period. He is also an old minister in the Shimazu retainers' group. Now he is over 60 years old, but he is still active in Shimazu Mitsuhisa's think tank.

In history, this is a birthday star, and he can live for more than 20 years.

"My lord." Yamada Yuei's voice was old, but clear and powerful: "We are not only from the Satsuma Domain. He is also a great Japanese person. The ...... faced by Da Ming It's Japan. The conquest of the Ryukyus was the permission and order of the general. ”

More than thirty years ago, the attack of the Satsuma domain was authorized by the Edo shogunate.

Similarly, the shogun was very pleased with the capture of the Ryukyu king. In office at that time was Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun of the Edo shogunate, who personally received the Ryukyu king Shōnin at Edo Castle.

Although the Edo shogunate had received interviews from foreign countries such as Korea and the Netherlands, the status of the king of the Ryukyus was different. It's as if the people you dealt with before were all the boss's horses. Suddenly, the boss of the family came to the door in person, and this grade was obviously completely different.

And, more importantly, Shang Ning is not in the ordinary sense of the word. He was personally taken down and captured by Tokugawa Hidetada's Mazai. Such a political significance is obviously different, and it is a notch higher.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty wanted to expel the Japanese and restore the independence of the vassal states of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was not only a heavy blow to the Satsuma Domain, but also a confrontation with the Edo Shogunate.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa slowly bowed his head: "I'll be on the table, General Qixuan!" ”

……

Ouri of Edo Castle, Tokugawa Iemitsu, who got up early in the morning at the Imperial Palace, was not in a good mood: "This is a big trouble." ”

The concert from the Satsuma clan was viewed by Tokugawa Iemitsu yesterday. Coupled with the invasion of Japanese pirates in Korea some time ago, Tokugawa Iemitsu was very headache.

"The matter of the Japanese has not been resolved, and the Ryukyuan people have come to trouble Yu again, which is really not a good life." Tokugawa Iemitsu chattered for a while, and only then did he calm down the anxiety in his heart a little when he looked at Alain in the Upper Treasure Tree Temple.

He walked out of the house and met Tadaaki Abe.

Seeing Abe Tadaaki, Tokugawa Iemitsu's mood was complicated.

After returning from the Ming Dynasty, Abe Tadaaki seemed to be a different person. When I meet people, I say that we must be good neighborly and diplomatic, and we must not have bad relations with Ming. He also encouraged and boasted about the strength of the Ming Kingdom, and brought a lot of books that Abe Tadaaki couldn't understand.

In the past, the books that came from the Ming Dynasty were all Confucian knowledge.

For example, Zhu Zhiyu, who is now the director of the General Administration of Education in Daming, was originally scheduled to go to Japan to give lectures and become a generation of educators.

But now, the painting style of the Ming Dynasty is average, and various science and engineering books have been opened. This made Tokugawa Iemitsu feel that Abe Tadaaki seemed to have become a craftsman.

However, Abe Tadaaki felt that this was the foundation of the strength of the Ming army, and tried his best to explain the strength of the Ming army, which made Tokugawa Iemitsu's psychological shadow suddenly born.

No one wants to have a strong neighbor who can't be bullied.

Especially for the island nation of Japan, the lack of security is a constant feeling.

But...... Now it's time to face the challenge of the Ming Kingdom.