New Shun 1730

"You have principles!"

He raised his thumb and praised Zhao Baiquan in a sarcastic tone.

"Sir Zhao is indeed principled. But whether I should learn from Ban Gu is all Sir Zhao's guess. Let's see how it goes. Sir Zhao should not rush to persuade me at this time."

Although Liu Yu praised him for being principled, he didn't really believe it in his heart.

To be an official, you have to mix in circles. People in Liu Yu's circle have other ways to be promoted, and people like Zhao Baiquan also have ways to be promoted. Without circles and factions, it is difficult to mix in the court.

In Liu Yu's view, Zhao Baiquan is just playing tricks, avoiding controversial topics, and going back to show that he does not support Liu Yu.

"I have to tell Lord Zhao about some things when I go to Ryukyu this time. Japan is not a vassal of the Celestial Empire now. Although the looting of Ryukyu was a matter of the Wanli period of the former Ming Dynasty, as long as Ryukyu pays tribute and the Japanese practice in Ryukyu, the Celestial Empire cannot ignore this matter."

"Otherwise, tomorrow, all Western countries will go to Korea to open embassies. According to the Japanese Ryukyu example, will you manage it or not? Will Lord Zhao say that the Li government only deals with vassal states and does not care about Westerners?"

"Lord Zhao, think about it carefully. You are the deputy envoy of the Celestial Empire, but you say that you only deal with Ryukyu and not the Japanese. What did His Majesty ask you to do?"

"Or is it that your Li government is going to hand over the affairs of Japan to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the future?"

A few words made Zhao Baiquan a little confused. Liu Yu snorted and thought, if I didn't know how to deal with the King of Ryukyu, why would I discuss it with you?

The King of Ryukyu is a prince of the Celestial Empire after all, and he still has to give him the face he deserves.

Killing people in front of the Ryukyu King, and even possibly killing the three officials, is equivalent to the three dukes and the prime ministers of the Celestial Empire. In this case, you have to say hello to the Ryukyu King.

If Liu Yu was a warlord who ruled a certain area, this would be easy to deal with, but he is now an envoy of the Celestial Empire, which is difficult to deal with.

The Celestial Empire will not send official envoys to the Ryukyu Islands for nothing. Whenever they go, it must be during the period when the old Ryukyu King is gone and the new Ryukyu King is waiting for the enthronement.

Because before the enthronement, the Ryukyu King is not the Ryukyu King and has no rank, so the Ryukyu King has to bow five times and kowtow three times to the angel.

After the enthronement, the Ryukyu King is at the level of a county king. If it is just the enthronement, it is fine. There are procedures for going, welcoming, sending off, and presenting gifts.

This time, it is impossible to go to the Ryukyu Islands directly to arrest people or stage a coup. That would not be the Celestial Empire and the vassal state, but an act of imperialism.

Still have to go through the process, read the imperial edict first, and ask the Ryukyu King how he flirted with Japan? After the Ryukyu King explained, he could further "force" or "persuade" the Ryukyu King to capture the Satsuma people.

There was no Zhao Baiquan who understood the etiquette of the Celestial Empire. If Liu Yu did it himself, it would be easy to go too far. It's not that he wanted to engage in imperialist behavior, but he didn't know much about etiquette. Sometimes he thought that something he did was normal, but it might cause trouble in the court.

After confronting Zhao Baiquan, Liu Yu didn't say anything, just let Zhao Baiquan think about it himself - the court's attitude towards Japan is within the world? Or outside the world?

Anyway, Liu Yu felt that Zhao Baiquan's statement was pure nonsense. Liu Yu originally had military power in his hands, and he was the chief envoy. The emperor may have asked him to make decisions on the spot. Zhao Baiquan was not a military supervisor eunuch, so he didn't need to look at Zhao Baiquan's face when doing anything.

Now Zhao Baiquan has a righteous and seemingly fair attitude. He said he had principles, but in fact he still wanted to distance himself from himself.

I have said so much before, such as party disputes should not affect the implementation of policies, and this dynasty is not the Song Dynasty. It sounds like they are speaking from the heart, but it is all nonsense.

Besides dealing with the Satsuma Domain, there is another matter that also requires Zhao Baiquan's help.

Two years before the Satsuma Domain invaded Ryukyu, that is, the 35th year of Wanli in the former Ming Dynasty, the King of Ryukyu had submitted a petition requesting [to grant another 36 surnames to Ryukyu according to the grace granted during the Hongwu and Yongle years].

But it was rejected by the Ministry of Rites on the grounds that "good people will leave their hometowns again, and those who leave will become treacherous people along the coast, and will cause trouble in the future."

This matter seemed quite outrageous to Liu Yu. Such a good opportunity for cultural assimilation was given up?

This time he came, of course, was different from the 35th year of Wanli.

Even if the people of Satsuma Domain were dealt with, forcing the King of Ryukyu to accept immigration was different from the King of Ryukyu actively submitting a petition.

But how to say this, he felt that he could not grasp the degree, and still had to rely on Zhao Baiquan for help.

Now Zhao Baiquan's attitude made him very dissatisfied, so he ignored Zhao Baiquan and let him think about it slowly.

Throwing down the scrolls, he walked to the deck and called Chen Qinghai.

"Qinghai, when we arrive in Ryukyu tomorrow, the fleet will be divided into two. You take a few ships and don't go to Naha first. Just patrol the outer sea. Once you find a ship leaving, immediately catch up and capture it. I'll ask Shi Shiyong to follow you. He understands Japanese. Don't let the Japanese run to report the news."

Liu Yu was planning to make trouble in Ryukyu. There were many Japanese in Ryukyu. Although he was not afraid of running to report the news, it would be best to intercept them.

On the second day, the lookout on the mast saw the coast and learned from some sea merchants and sailors who had been to Naha that this place was very close to Naha.

The ship stopped, put down the small boat, and Chen Qinghai went to the remaining ships to continue commanding the fleet. Liu Yu commanded the remaining half of the fleet to go straight to Naha.

When the flag of Dashun was flying near Naha, someone had already rushed into the Ryukyu Palace and passed the news of "the arrival of the angel" to the Ryukyu King.

Ryukyu King Shang Jing was stunned, thinking that maybe someone had misinformed him and said that he was dead?

But even if the news that he was dead was spread by mistake, it was not right. I didn't send anyone, so how could the angel come?

Although there was no such experience before, every time the kingship was transferred, it was necessary to confer a title, so there were set rules for how to welcome the envoys of the Celestial Empire.

But what happened today was very unusual.

The ministers in the court were summoned in a hurry, so naturally, such a thing could not be hidden from the Shimazu family.

The foreign policy of Ryukyu was completely controlled by the Shimazu family. After Dashun won the world, the shogunate did warn the Shimazu family not to go too far, so as not to stimulate Dashun. It was best to maintain the current situation where Dashun turned a deaf ear to the bell and did not pay attention.

But the shogunate said so, but did not cancel the Ryukyu Zafanbuxing, which was equivalent to tacitly approving the Shimazu family's control over Ryukyu.

Zhongshan King Shangjing also had a hard time, and now he was even more panicked.

This is going to happen!

In the 37th year of Wanli, the family of King Shangning of Ryukyu was captured by Shimazu and taken to Kagoshima. They spent four years in prison, signed an unequal treaty, ceded the island, and were released.

During the period of capture, the Japanese elder Kikugaki of Tennoji was appointed as regent. When King Shangning returned, the three officials of Ryukyu must also be appointed by the people of Satsuma.

The three officials of Ryukyu were roughly equivalent to the Pingzhang Junguoshi of Dashun and Sangong, which was equivalent to directly controlling the politics of Ryukyu.

In Shuri Castle, not only was there a Fan Bugyo to monitor the King of Ryukyu, but also warriors were stationed in Kumejima and other places to monitor Ryukyu's tribute.

As long as there is trade, there will inevitably be shipwrecks, distress, inquiries, and spies.

In order to prevent exposure, Satsuma specially compiled a "Question and Answer Manual". Once it was discovered that the ship of the Celestial Empire was in distress, people would be sent to answer various strange questions with the "Question and Answer Manual" according to the standard "talking skills".

This is consistent with the routine of later sales. Write down all the possible questions, and then give standard answers. Just answer according to this standard answer.

For example:

Q: What is the number and tribute period of Ryukyu sent to the Celestial Empire? Answer: Just answer truthfully.

Q: What are the customs of Ryukyu? Answer: Since ancient times, they have paid tribute to China and studied the books of saints and sages.

Q: What are the characteristics of Ryukyu women? Answer: They value chastity and morality. They will not remarry even if they lose their husbands in their prime. Starving to death is a small matter, but losing chastity is a big matter. They really admire the customs and education of the Celestial Empire.

Q: I heard that among the 36 islands of Ryukyu, Oshima, Tokunoshima, Onisukejima, Yoronjima, and Narabujima are controlled by Japan. Is that true? Answer: The 36 islands have been Ryukyu's islands since ancient times and have never been controlled by Japan.

Q: Although the residents of these five islands are similar to the Ryukyu people, there are documents indicating that these islands actually belong to Japan. Why did you lie?

The answer is: We are a poor country in Ryukyu. We have been hit by typhoons and droughts many times. We can only borrow grain from Tokara to maintain the lives of our people. As the amount of grain borrowed increases, we agree to give the native products of the Five Islands to Tokara as a reward. Tokara is not Japan. Maybe this is why people misunderstand us?

If you ask: Why do Ryukyu people have Japanese weather vanes on their roofs?

The answer is: When someone in the family goes out to travel, the people who stay at home should pay attention to the wind direction. Therefore, a boat-shaped or fish-shaped weather vane is usually hung on the roof. Does Japan also have a boat-shaped or fish-shaped weather vane? Oh, we really don't know. (Note: This answer must express surprise to show that you really don't know that the weather vane is Japanese).

If you ask: Are the items purchased in China and the items obtained as tribute used for sales in Ryukyu? Why are these items rarely seen in Ryukyu?

Answer: These products are given to Tokara people as tribute or as a reward for purchasing items. The number of domestic consumer goods is very small. Because we are poor and need to buy food from Tokara, we gave them to the Tokara people.

If you ask: Where is Tokara? You can answer: We don’t know (If you ask about some islands in the west of Ryukyu, you can answer truthfully, and you must not say that Tokara is a synonym for Satsuma).

If you ask: Why are there words like Satsuma written on some tombstones? Is Satsuma?

You can answer: It may be somewhere on Tokara Island, but it is not certain. We don’t know what Satsuma is.

It is with this kind of rhetoric that not only can we deal with various possible spies, spies, and curious merchants in distress, but also can be used to deal with the envoys of the Celestial Empire.

The envoys of the Celestial Empire are not fools, but it is better to do less than more.

Or they think that Ryukyu is too far away and there is no need to fight for it; or they think that paying tribute is just for face. Although the other party’s answer is very suspicious, the face is given, and they can go back and tell the emperor to make the emperor happy. Why bother?

Every time the ship of the Celestial Empire arrived, it was greeted by the judicial officer, who was from the Satsuma Domain.

Because under normal circumstances, the Celestial Empire's official ships would not come to Ryukyu for no reason, so as long as the Ryukyu King died, the samurai of the Satsuma Domain would hide for a while, waiting for the enthronement to be passed and the Celestial Empire's envoy ship to leave, and then come out to act.

The reason why the Satsuma Domain made such a big fuss and treated the Celestial Empire as a fool was because the Satsuma Domain needed the Ryukyu to maintain its tribute status to the Celestial Empire, so that it could sell Chinese goods to make money in the name of Ryukyu's "participation in Edo". Otherwise, the trade was only in Nagasaki, and the money was earned by others, and the Shimazu family could not make money.

Ryukyu's tribute, what tribute, Satsuma Domain decided; what goods to buy in China, Satsuma Domain decided; after returning, the goods must also be handed over to Satsuma Domain. Of course, in theory, it will be "fair trade" and not "robbery".

Japan wanted to establish a small Celestial Empire system. With Hokkaido, it could establish a Shogun. If it didn't have a "tributary state", it would not be a small Celestial Empire. The shogunate also acquiesced to Satsuma's actions.

Although Ryukyu felt bitter, Satsuma's actions allowed the Ryukyu king to have a taste of the soup. If it didn't do so, I'm afraid that the Celestial Empire would cut off trade with Ryukyu: In the ninth year of Chongzhen, Ryukyu merchants prepaid Fujian merchants 4,600 taels of silver to buy raw silk, but the Fujian merchants swallowed the money and didn't ship the goods. Ryukyu merchants then asked the Qingtian Daye of Fujian to make the decision. As a result, the imperial court disliked the trouble and thought it was looking for trouble. It simply cut off the raw silk trade with Ryukyu and forbade the Ryukyu people to buy raw silk.

With such stories, the Ryukyu people also understood the Celestial Empire's way of dealing with things: it's better to have less trouble than more. If something goes wrong, no matter whose fault it is, trade is too troublesome and prone to accidents. If trade is simply cut off, there will be no such mess.

In the end, they couldn't even have a sip of soup, so Ryukyu also cooperated with Satsuma.

This is a farce around the East: Satsuma wanted to play a trick that could only fool fools; the Celestial Empire envoys pretended to be fools and couldn't see the problem; Ryukyu was forced to cooperate with Satsuma due to the trade manipulation in the Chongzhen period; the shogunate acquiesced to Satsuma's various operations for the so-called small Celestial Empire system, and pretended not to know that the goods of Ryukyu's "tribute to Edo" were actually from Satsuma Shimazu.

The Celestial Empire ministers heard the news and pretended not to hear it for the sake of world stability; Satsuma wrote the script and words in advance to answer questions and answers in order to play a good play; the Celestial Empire envoys saw that the Ryukyu people answered fluently and "recorded it truthfully" to report to the emperor, as long as the Ryukyu Kingdom gave all the "meanings" that should be given, everything would be fine. According to convention, the envoys went to Korea for 20,000 taels and went to Ryukyu for 3,000 taels, which were all experienced.

All those who knew about it were not fools. The only fool was the emperor sitting on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City.

Now suddenly several ships from the Celestial Empire came. Ryukyu and Shimazu clan were not prepared. What should they do? What if they were exposed? How can they conceal it?

Ryukyu was in chaos. Shang Jing said anxiously: "According to the rules, when angels arrive, people must be sent to pull the ship to the port before dark and welcome them to the Angel Pavilion for rest. They cannot stay overnight on the ship, so as not to appear disrespectful to the Celestial Empire. Now that the ship has arrived, what should we do?"

The judge replied: "You can take people to welcome them and place them in the Angel Pavilion first. As usual, you can entertain them for several days and ask for their opinions. During this period, make arrangements quickly. Since the angels came strangely this time, I am afraid that the king will have to welcome them in person. We will make arrangements in Shuri Castle."