Chapter 3506
Chapter 3506
Chapter 3506
While Masatoshi Masuyama was attacking everywhere, his opponents were not idle either. The powerful feudal domains of Satsuma, Fukuoka, Tsushima, Saga, and Kumamoto in Kyushu also arranged envoys to operate in Zhoushan.
However, they had all received instructions from Shi Diwen in advance to avoid showing up in public as much as possible and were very low-key when going out, so much so that Zengshan Zhengli hardly noticed their presence.
The reason why Shi Diwen asked the Kyushu feudal lords to keep a low profile was mainly to prevent these Japanese from causing trouble during the forum and affecting the subsequent business.
Like the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kyushu vassal states also did not receive an official invitation to attend the Zhoushan Forum. However, these vassal states were the targets of Shi Diwen's strong support, and in order to appease their emotions, Shi Diwen specially arranged a private meeting opportunity for them.
When Shi Diwen walked quickly into the conference room, the envoys from various families immediately stood up from their chairs and knelt on the ground to salute Shi Diwen.
Although kneeling was not a custom in Hai Han, Shi Diwen did not stop them and calmly accepted their kneeling. The rule of not kneeling was only for internal affairs, and Japan was obviously not included in this scope.
Shi Diwen got straight to the point and said, "I have limited time, so I'll make it short. When I visited Kyushu last year, the action plan I agreed with each company has been approved by the Executive Committee. Now it's up to you to perform!"
"In addition, considering the international reputation of the various families in Kyushu, I have specially invited politicians from many countries to visit Kyushu in the near future to cheer for your campaign against the shogunate!"
"I hope you all remember one thing. The better your army performs on the battlefield, the more external support you will get. The country you build in the future will be more easily recognized by other countries."
As soon as Shi Diwen finished speaking, Zong Xiongtai of Tsushima Domain immediately responded: "Master Shi, Tsushima Domain has assembled 3,000 elite troops. When the time comes, my brother will personally lead the troops to attack Honshu!"
The main family of Tsushima Domain was the first of the Kyushu domains to cooperate with Hai Han. Although its territory is not large, with Hai Han's support for several years, it has already built an armed force that cannot be underestimated.
The Tsushima clan has always been very active in organizing a Kyushu coalition to attack the Tokugawa shogunate, because this is almost the only chance for the Tsushima clan to expand its territory. With the current strength of the Tsushima clan army, it is not impossible to conquer land in Honshu that is several times larger than Tsushima Island.
Zong Xiongtai's positive statement, on the one hand, showed the determination of the Tsushima clan, and on the other hand, it was also to support Shi Diwen and dispel the hesitation of other clans.
However, there was a saying in the past that there were only four powerful clans in Kyushu, namely the other four present. Even though the Tsushima clan has become much stronger now, the other four still have no intention of making the Tsushima clan equal to themselves.
"Okay, I am also looking forward to Master Zong's performance on the battlefield! Everyone, what do you think?"
Seeing Shi Diwen looking at him for advice, the Satsuma envoy Shimazu Hisamichi said calmly, "Master Shi, I would like to ask you something. You just mentioned that you want to organize dignitaries from various countries to visit Kyushu. Is the purpose to watch the performance of the Kyushu coalition on the battlefield? Then can these people provide us with practical support? Supplies, money and food, or directly send troops?"
The problem mentioned by Shimazu Hisamichi was obviously of concern to the other families, and they all nodded in agreement. Shi Diwen said, "Everyone should be clear about one thing. First, you have to defeat the shogunate on the battlefield before you can get what you want. If you can prove your ability, then you don't have to worry about the subsequent support. You will get more than just supplies and money, but something more important - international status!"
"After you defeat the shogunate and establish your own countries, you will be able to attend events like the Zhoushan Forum in public. The exchanges and agreements signed with our country or other countries will also be upgraded to the level of countries, rather than the current non-binding and non-public cooperative relationship."
The war against the shogunate was basically agreed upon by the various feudal domains during Shi Diwen's visit to Kyushu last year. However, the feudal domains still had no clear idea of what kind of situation they would be in after the war entered the next stage.
Shi Diwen's inspiring speech gave them the answer. Everyone was moved, as if the founding of the country was just around the corner.
Shimazu Hisamichi then asked another question that concerned him: "I heard that the shogunate has sent people to Zhoushan. Will your country contact them?"
What Shimazu Hisamichi was obviously concerned about was that the shogunate might put forward some new conditions, so he started to mediate with Hai Han in order to get Hai Han to stay out of the matter and cancel its support for the Kyushu domains.
Shi Diwen smiled and said, "Please rest assured, no matter what the purpose of the shogunate sending people to Zhoushan is, it will not affect our country's support for you!"
"However, I hope that you will continue to keep a low profile during this period, especially for the various exhibitions held in Zhoushan recently. It is best for you not to show up in public, so as not to become a target of the shogunate. Of course, we will also do our best to protect your safety during your stay in Zhoushan."
Shi Diwen's words were not alarmist. Japan was a country where assassinations were rampant, and even gave birth to professional assassins such as ninjas. With the civil war on the verge of breaking out, both sides would certainly use whatever means to attack their opponents. No one could guarantee that there were no assassins with hidden identities in Masatoshi Masuyama's team.
If the envoys of the powerful vassal states in Jiuzhou were to encounter an accident in Zhoushan, it would not interrupt the subsequent war process, but it would still cause considerable trouble and might even affect these vassal states' trust in Hai Han.
Although everyone present agreed, Shi Diwen could tell from their expressions that some of them were still a little skeptical about it.
Shi Diwen had reason to suspect that they might also be considering whether there was an opportunity to launch an attack on the shogunate's envoys in order to completely eliminate the potential threat.
Of course, if anyone really dares to take action in Zhoushan, Shi Diwen will definitely deal with him severely regardless of whether the other party is a partner or of any other status.
If this happened in Japan, Shi Diwen wouldn't even blink an eye even if these people beat their brains out in the street. But if they tried to extend the battlefield of the internal strife onto Hai Han's territory, he would never allow such a situation to happen.
If they wanted to fight, they could only do so within the battlefield designated by Hai Han. If they went beyond the battlefield, they would have to follow Hai Han's arrangements.
After meeting with this group of people, Shi Diwen sent Ji Yuanqing, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, to ask him to keep a close eye on these people and restrict their range of action if necessary. In short, there was only one requirement, that is, nothing could happen in Zhoushan.