Chapter 3521
Chapter 3521
Chapter 3521
The panic and uneasiness that Mitsushige Nabeshima showed after the debate was actually within the expectations of the Hai Han Executive Committee. After all, compared to the shogunate, the local forces in Kyushu were the weaker party. Without the support of Hai Han, they had almost no chance of defeating the shogunate.
Once Hai Han's attitude wavered, it could be a disaster for them, so Mitsushige Nabeshima was so nervous that he came to ask for a meeting with Hai Han officials without waiting for the next day.
Japanese affairs have always been handled by Shi Diwen, so the appeasement work will ultimately have to be done by him.
When Mitsushige Nabeshima saw Shi Diwen, he immediately fell to the ground with his head bowed, making a pleading gesture, but did not open his mouth to make any requests.
"Master Nabeshima, please sit down and talk!"
The stimulating effect of arranging Sakai Tadakiyo to appear seems to have been achieved, and the next step is to encourage the Saga domain. Shi Diwen still has to rely on Guodao Guangmao to do a good job, so he can't hit his confidence too hard.
After Mitsushige Nabeshima got up from the ground and sat down, Shi Diwen took the initiative to explain why Tadaki Sakai appeared at the Sasebo base without waiting for him to ask.
According to Shi Diwen's description, Hai Han and the shogunate only maintained the lowest level of diplomatic relations to deal with trade issues between the two countries.
The shogunate's proposal to send people to visit the Sasebo base was actually a recent event. The shogunate's reason was to increase the scale of trade with Hai Han and send people to Sasebo for face-to-face negotiations.
The reason why the Saga Domain was not notified in advance was that Sakai Tadamayoshi had only arrived in Sasebo the day before, and at that time Nabeshima Mitsushige had already led his men out to the Goto Islands to wait for the survey fleet, making it inconvenient to transmit information.
As for arranging Sakai Tadamasa to speak publicly, Shi Diwen believed that this was not a big deal and would not affect Hai Han’s support for the Kyushu vassal states.
"Lord Nabeshima, think about it carefully. If the multinational delegation only hears your voice here, they will inevitably suspect that our country is unfair and biased towards the Kyushu domains. It will not be so easy for you to win international support in the future."
"Can letting Sakai Tadamasa say a few words turn the situation around? If they were sure they could defeat the Kyushu coalition, why would they argue with you? I don't think there's any need to panic. The shogunate is actually weak inside and can only intimidate you in this way."
Shi Diwen's words were very encouraging, but they did not completely dispel the doubts in Mitsushige Nabeshima's heart.
In the eyes of Mitsushige Nabeshima, he did not believe any of the excuses for the temporary visit or the inconvenience of notifying the visit because the ship was out at sea. Given Hai Han's style of doing things, how could such a crude operation be possible?
The most real reason is probably that Hai Han wants to do business on both sides and continue to maintain its trade relations with the shogunate.
The news that Masuyama Masatoshi, who represented the shogunate, spent a huge amount of money to purchase a large number of ships in Zhoushan had spread in the last few days of the forum, and Nabeshima Mitsushige had also learned about it.
Since the shogunate was still spending a lot of money to purchase military equipment from Hai Han, Hai Han would certainly not take the initiative to offend the financial sponsor. Nabeshima Mitsushige could understand all this. He just needed to confirm that Hai Han’s support for Kyushu would not change.
Mitsushige Nabeshima said: "Lord Shi, we are about to go to war with the shogunate. Debating with the shogunate about right and wrong at this time is likely to affect our military morale. If your country continues to support us, you should first ensure that the Kyushu coalition can defeat the shogunate on the battlefield!" Shi Diwen smiled and said: "Our country has helped the Kyushu feudal lords secretly train new armies for several years, and the battle plan has also been reviewed by us. If we still can't beat the shogunate army now, then I'd better close my Sasebo base!"
After hearing this, Mitsushige Nabeshima felt a little relieved.
Before they officially fought the shogunate, the daimyo of Kyushu were actually very nervous. After all, the Tokugawa shogunate had unified Japan for half a century, and the hierarchical shogunate system had long made most people lack the courage to fight against the shogunate. Defeating the powerful shogunate army on the battlefield was a goal that the Kyushu lords dared not even think about before they received military aid from Hai Han.
Shi Diwen comforted him with gentle words, and finally Kobeshima Mitsushige was reassured and went back happily.
After seeing off Mitsushige Nabeshima, Shi Diwen summoned the signalman, dictated instructions, and ordered him to send a telegram to the Edo Embassy immediately.
The arrangement for Sakai Tadakiyo to come to Sasebo was handled by Ma Boran of the Edo Embassy. The progress of the negotiations in Sasebo was naturally transmitted to Edo by telegram in the most timely manner.
As for how to stimulate the shogunate's will to fight, it depends on Ma Boran's operations in Edo.
If the plan to create a civil war in Japan is finally successfully implemented, then Ma Boran, who is in Edo, will also make an indelible contribution. It will be a natural arrangement for him to be transferred back to China in a year or two to inherit the business results of his father Ma Liko in Guangdong and Guangxi.
The next day, the host organized the delegation to visit the various facilities at the Sasebo base. Most of them were visiting Hai Han's overseas military base for the first time, so they were full of curiosity.
Of course, many people are also puzzled. Since Japan’s long-term national policy is to close its doors to the outside world and it is even unwilling to deal with foreign countries, why would Hai Han invest so many resources here to build a huge military base?
As an eyewitness, Amakusa Shiro had to explain to the guests the early grievances between Hai Han and Japan. Many people heard for the first time that Hai Han had already sent troops to Kyushu 20 years ago and had dealt with local forces.
When Tiankusa Shiro mentioned that the purpose of Hai Han's military action was to wipe out the pirate gangs sheltered by the Hirado Domain, many people naturally thought of Hai Han's military operations in the Strait of Malacca last year, where they also sent troops under the same banner and occupied several islands at the western end of the Strait of Malacca.
In comparison, this behavior is basically the same as what Hai Han did in Kyushu. It turns out that occupying territory under the guise of combating pirates has long been a tradition of the Hai Han army.
There is even a small museum built inside the Sasebo base to display various commemorative items from the conquest of Hirado Domain and the construction of the base.
The Hirado Domain no longer existed, and its territory had now become part of the Saga Domain. It was precisely because of the destruction of the Hirado Domain that the Kyushu Domains did not dare to interfere with Hai Han’s entry into Sasebo Bay.
While visiting, Su Yongshan said to his father Su Keyi, "So it seems that the Hai Han people are not that interested in overseas territories. They clearly conquered the Hirado Domain, but they took the initiative to give it up and take it for themselves."
Su Keyi said, "You are wrong. Hai Han gave up the occupation because the environment of Hirado Island is not suitable for development. It is far inferior to Sasebo Bay as a port. In addition, when Hai Han withdrew its troops from Hirado Island, they captured everyone on the island and forcibly transported all the locals away. Before leaving, they also set fire to Hirado Castle."