Chapter 3612
Chapter 3612
Chapter 3612
Shi Diwen spent so much effort instigating this civil war, with the goal of making Japan exhaust its own resources in a protracted civil war and completely lose its ability to expand externally.
At this stage, although both sides have suffered considerable losses, Shi Diwen believes that it is far from time to cease fire. If the passive Jiuzhou coalition forces begin to have other ideas, he must nip such tendencies in the bud in the bud.
With Hai Han's support, the Kyushu coalition would not be completely defeated even if it was slightly weaker. If the situation became critical, the Hai Han fleet at the Sasebo base would be dispatched to cut off the route to the Kanmon Strait and help the Kyushu coalition to secure territory.
However, this move must not be informed to the Kyushu vassal states in advance, otherwise they would know that Hai Han would protect them and might adopt some overly risky strategies during the battle.
After the meeting with Kuroda Mitsuyuki and others, Shi Diwen declined the invitation to a banquet on the grounds of being unwell. Maintaining a proper sense of distance is also an effective way to maintain the dignity of a superior.
What's more, Shi Diwen was not very satisfied with the recent performance of these daimyos, so it was difficult for him to treat them well.
Shi Chengxin was thoughtful and had asked his servants to prepare ginseng tea, which he personally served to Shi Diwen.
"Father, this ginseng tea uses wild ginseng grown in Changbai Mountain in Liaodong. It is said to be very effective in replenishing qi and nourishing the body. If you think it's okay, I'll ask someone to buy some for you later."
Shi Diwen took two sips of ginseng tea and asked nonchalantly, "Was this sent by Chen Yixin or the Qing Dynasty?"
Shi Chengxin did not dare to hide anything and answered honestly, "It was a gift sent by Geng Jimao, who represented the Qing Dynasty to attend the Zhoushan Forum last time. I have tested it and confirmed that it is safe, so I ordered someone to prepare ginseng tea for you to drink."
Geng Jimao is the son of Geng Zhongming, a Ming Dynasty defector who defected to the Qing Dynasty. In recent years, most of the affairs dealing with Hai Han have been handled by him, and he can be regarded as an "expert on Hai Han issues" in the Qing court.
Whether it was out of public interest or selfish motives, it was not surprising that Geng Jimao gave gifts to high-ranking figures in Hai Han to maintain relationships. Moreover, he certainly gave gifts to more than just Shi Chengxin.
Shi Diwen nodded and said, "Geng Jimao is a smart man who knows how to maintain relations with our country. You can accept gifts, but if he asks you to do something, don't accept his gift just because you think it's embarrassing. Although we have already ceased war with the Qing Dynasty, it doesn't mean that we will always maintain peace in the future."
Shi Chengxin quickly agreed, knowing that this was his father reminding him not to get too close to the Qing Dynasty.
Shi Diwen was not worried about what the Qing Dynasty could do. With the Northern Region and Korea sandwiched between them, it would be hard for them to make a comeback in the future. With their territory and population constantly shrinking, the Qing Dynasty could only gradually return to its previous tribal armed state.
In addition, he also knew that Chen Yixin had not sent troops to destroy the country, not because of his lack of strength or concerns about the high cost, but because he had a sufficient reason to maintain a large scale of armaments in the Northern Region. If this opponent were gone one day, the military budget of the Northern Region would probably be reduced by the Executive Committee. Chen Yixin had his own plans on how to deal with the relationship with the Qing Dynasty. In this case, if Shi Chengxin got too close to the Qing Dynasty, it might cause Chen Yixin's dissatisfaction, or even unnecessary suspicion.
Shi Diwen didn't want Chen Yixin to think that Shi Chengxin represented his attitude, or even mistakenly think that he intended to interfere in Liaodong affairs, which would not be good for either party.
After briefly reminding his son, Shi Diwen quickly returned the topic to the business at hand: "The Kyushu coalition forces are obviously not as confident about the prospects of the war as they were half a year ago. The military aid plan they proposed today is also to test our attitude. If we can't come up with strong support measures, I'm afraid they will start to consider peace talks with the shogunate."
Shi Chengxin said, "I think this is not hard to understand. After all, after half a year of fighting, Kyushu's resources have been almost exhausted, and the battle line has been deadlocked in the Kanmon Strait. This is too different from the pre-war forecast, and it will definitely greatly undermine their confidence."
Before the war, the daimyo of the various feudal domains in Kyushu were instigated by Shi Diwen and fully believed that with the support of Hai Han, fighting the shogunate would be as easy as annexing the small feudal domains in Kyushu.
However, the actual battle situation was not as smooth as expected. Although the actions of the coalition forces did cause considerable losses to the shogunate army, they still lacked a victory that would turn the tide of offense and defense. It was even difficult to push the front line to the Honshu region ruled by the shogunate.
Shi Diwen said: "It seems that relying on the Kyushu coalition to fight the shogunate alone is not feasible. We have to find a way to increase the stakes to maintain balance."
Shi Chengxin probed, "You can't really provide them with some killer weapon, right?"
Shi Diwen shook his head and said, "The high-level weapons in the army cannot be leaked out. This is an absolutely unbreakable rule! Even if the situation deteriorates to the point where we need to send troops ourselves, we cannot let them get what they shouldn't have."
"I think we still have to think of a solution from the shogunate's jurisdiction. The intelligence sent back by Ma Boran also said that many daimyo are dissatisfied with the punitive war launched by the Tokugawa shogunate. Let's see if it is possible to trigger another civil war and relieve some pressure on the Kyushu coalition."
"As for Kyoto, have the intelligence department find a way to contact the royal family and see if the person in the Kyoto Imperial Palace has any ideas."
Although the Emperor of Wa was only the nominal ruler of the country and had lived under the shadow of the shogunate for the past few hundred years, being more like a mascot, the Tokugawa shogunate still had to continue to provide support to the royal family. While maintaining this dignity, it also proved its legitimacy in governing the country on behalf of the royal family.
Although the royal family has always been under strict control, it is hard to say whether they are willing to play the role of a puppet. Especially when the Tokugawa shogunate was mired in war and had no time to take care of other things, if the royal family was willing to speak out and break away from the control of the shogunate, it would be very likely that they would attract a group of followers who were willing to support the royal family.
Although this method is unlikely to shake the foundation of the shogunate's rule, as long as it can cause trouble to the shogunate and prevent it from focusing on the war to conquer Kyushu, it is worth trying.
Thanks to the provisions on free trade in the Hai-Japan Treaty of Amity signed in Sasebo in 1646, Hai Han merchants could enter and exit areas including Osaka and Kyoto without restrictions to engage in trade activities, which also created opportunities for Hai Han's intelligence agencies to contact the royal family.