New Shun 1730

Even if Liu Yu didn't ask this question, Tokugawa Yoshimune would have thought about asking Liu Yu.

Until now, he still thinks Liu Yu is very accurate in his views. The truth behind the coinage reform is indeed something that the old middle-aged and senior officials around him cannot explain clearly.

And as long as you don't try to figure out Liu Yu's purpose behind it, most of his words related to national politics are really insightful.

It's not as simple as "I just don't do what the enemy wants to do."

For example, the coinage reform, if time goes back now, knowing that Liu Yu's purpose of proposing the coinage reform is to make the shogunate have money to pay compensation after the war in the future, Tokugawa Yoshimune will still choose to do it according to the law.

Now Liu Yu took the initiative to ask, and Tokugawa Yoshimune replied: "If you are content to be a vassal, there is no difference. If you want to enrich the country and strengthen the army, I have thought about it for a long time, but I have no idea."

"If I say that after this battle, Japan is convinced and completely surrendered, I think Mr. Liu and your court will not believe it."

"But if you talk about enriching the country and strengthening the army, and the way of Goujian tasting gall, everyone's suggestions are at a loss."

"It's not that they are convinced, but their strength is not enough."

"Mencius said: Those who use force to pretend to be benevolent are hegemons, and hegemons must have great The king is a king who is virtuous and benevolent. He does not need to be great to be a king: Tang was seventy miles away, and King Wen was a hundred miles away. He who conquers people by force is not convinced by heart, and his strength is not enough. He who conquers people by virtue is satisfied with his heart and sincerely convinced, just like the seventy disciples who convinced Confucius. "

"Isn't it the truth?"

Mencius' words two thousand years ago really made Tokugawa Yoshimune feel a shock of traveling through two thousand years at this moment, and he really understood what "He who conquers people by force is not convinced by heart, and his strength is not enough".

Tokugawa Yoshimune had a good Confucian education, and from time to time he would go to the temple in person to explain the meaning of the six edicts issued by Ming Taizu, and Mencius' original sentence came out at will.

It seems that he said it frankly, but in fact Tokugawa Yoshimune knew that if Japan really showed a respectful attitude, it would make Dashun alert.

The old story of sleeping on firewood and tasting gall with three thousand soldiers of Yue to swallow Wu, which official in the Dashun court would not know?

This is what Tokugawa Munetake meant when he said that to make Dashun believe, he could only use "despair" instead of "submission".

Clearly expressing his dissatisfaction in his heart, but also despairingly finding that he was powerless, this was the first step of Tokugawa Yoshimune and Tokugawa Munetake's idea of ​​"waiting for the world to change".

At the same time, he also hoped to hear Liu Yu's opinion on this sentence, perhaps he could get something useful.

Although the two of them did not speak the same language, they communicated in writing without any stagnation. Tokugawa Yoshimune saw Liu Yu writing for a long time with a flourish, and he was eager to see what kind of opinion Liu Yu would express.

However, when the paper full of words was delivered to him, Tokugawa Yoshimune was in a dilemma after scanning it.

It directly said that Tokugawa Yoshimune's reforms were worthless, saying that "treating the head for a headache and the foot for a foot pain cannot cure the root cause".

As for how to cure the root cause, Liu Yu directly prescribed a strong medicine.

Abolish the feudal system and set up prefectures, abolish the hereditary system of samurai, distribute land equally, restore the policy of the Three Dynasties, build schools, follow the three-house system of Wang Jinggong to recruit scholars, or take the imperial examination.

Given that samurai cannot oppose themselves, it is suggested that Tokugawa Yoshimune give up the position of general and use his personal appeal to start a uprising among the people, to be Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

This is just like a joke, but behind the joke, Tokugawa Yoshimune saw that Liu Yu was dismissive of Japan's possible revenge.

Because this thing can't be done at all.

If the shogunate can't do it, it means not that there is no way, but that you don't take the only way.

"Is Liu Jun trying to tease me?"

"This is the only way. Since you don't want to leave, let's talk about what happens after the tribute. General, our dynasty has sold you warships and firearms; we also gave the shogunate enough face during the war. The general must give an explanation for where to go. Why do you have to enrich the country and strengthen the army when you can be a vassal with peace of mind and protect the Tokugawa clan's ancestral temple? The general trend of the world is now mighty and powerful. Those who follow it will prosper and those who go against it will perish. The future world pattern will be a dispute between the East and the West, and even a fight between vicious dogs will require the election of a leader. Looking around, the only country that can be the leader is the Celestial Empire. Why is the general still so persistent? If the general does not want to follow the example of Chen She, then there is no way out. "

Tokugawa Yoshimune sighed and wrote: "The Netherlands is a small country, but it can also compete for supremacy; Britain is also an island country, and it has also opened a trading house in Hirado to fight with the Netherlands. They can do it, and I always feel that Japan also has a way to go, not necessarily as Liu Jun said, there is only one way. "

Liu Yu really laughed this time and replied with a short sentence.

"Europe does not have a huge Celestial Empire watching it. Don't think about carving a boat to find a sword. "

When Tokugawa Yoshimune saw this line of words, he naturally thought of Japan's two plans to go out, which were strangled by the Celestial Empire.

Baekgangkou in the Tang Dynasty and Imjin Rebellion in the Ming Dynasty.

After a while, Liu Yu handed over another note.

"This is the fate of Japan. If it were in Europe, it would surely be a great country. But within the Celestial Empire, what path can Japan take? Even if the country is restored and the army is strengthened in the future, the first step will still be to follow Hideyoshi's old path and head to Korea. But General, ask yourself, can you still do it now?"

"If you can't do it, why do you force yourself to go against the will of heaven? Isn't it better to be an honest official guarding the land for the Celestial Empire? The Celestial Empire will understand the intentions of the shogunate. Here, I can guarantee that if the general can agree to a few conditions, the Celestial Empire can also guarantee that if there is anyone who wants to overthrow the shogunate, the Celestial Empire will send troops."

"General, think about it carefully. If the Celestial Empire had changed its strategy this time, would the shogunate still be there? Whether it survives or dies is up to the Celestial Empire, but the general is still thinking about the old story of Goujian's destruction of Wu. This is unwise."

"The customs tax revenue is given to the shogunate, and the feudal lords are not allowed to trade. As long as the shogunate operates properly, the treasury will be full."

"As for Japan... why should the general think about it? The flags on the city walls change, and you sing and I come on stage. Where is the Ashikaga clan now? Where is the Toyotomi clan now? If the Tokugawa clan has all perished, what does the prosperity of Japan have to do with the shogun's family?"

"I said that the general resigned as the general and became Chen She, but It was a joke. But it was also a reminder to the general, who to be on guard against. The general's biggest enemy is within, not outside. "

"Dashun is not the enemy of the shogunate, but the shogunate's best ally. I just want to ask the general, do you have the ambition to die for the rise of Japan? If so, please resign from the general's position, raise your arms and shout, form a special force to fight against the regular soldiers of each feudal domain, overthrow the shogunate, overthrow the feudal domains, redistribute the interests, implement the centralized policy of the First Emperor, follow the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations to select all heroes in the world, and evenly distribute land to run schools, and select talents. "

"If not, I will only ask the general one question. "

Tokugawa Yoshimune thought, isn't this a joke? The shogun overthrew the shogunate, and the samurai leader overthrew the samurai system? Is there such a thing in the world?

But Liu Yu's reminder also convinced Tokugawa Yoshimune. Indeed, from the perspective of the shogunate, Dashun only wanted money, and if someone really wanted to learn the system of the Celestial Empire, it would be fatal.

Helplessly, he nodded at Liu Yu, indicating that Liu Yu should ask the question he wanted to ask.

"The total cost of Dashun's warships, sailors, new troops, firearms, training, and military pay has accumulated to about 30 million taels."

"Even if Dashun does not build a warship in the future, if the general wants to cross the Tsushima Strait and stand in Busan, Korea, he will need at least 30 million taels of silver."

"The general does not want to be a comprador to make money, nor does he dare to deduct the samurai's salary for fear that the samurai will revolt, and he does not have the ability to make the people tie their necks to offer all the food for five loaves and two fish."

"I only want to ask the general, how do you plan to get these 30 million taels of silver? Do you have the Midas touch?"

"Without money, what ambitions can you talk about? What do you think I came to Edo a few years ago and groveled for? Wasn't it all for those copper-smelling things?"

"So, if you have the heart to enrich the country and strengthen the army, please be a comprador with peace of mind. The more goods you sell, the richer the general will be."

"If you don't have the heart to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and just want to be the chief of the Celestial Empire and protect the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa family, please be a comprador with peace of mind. Make money, weaken the feudal lords, and raise a flag bearer to deter the feudal lords."

"Being a comprador is good."

Talking about money is vulgar.

But if you have become the king of a country, you can't move forward without talking about money. Liu Yu's question directly strangled Tokugawa Yoshimune's neck. Thirty million taels of silver... where did it come from?

He didn't expect Liu Yu to directly talk about the method that he and his son had painstakingly thought of at the beginning, to be a comprador for a few years to save money.

Based on past experience, Tokugawa Yoshimune was sure that Liu Yu was not afraid if he dared to say it, and he must have a backup plan.

So he asked directly: "Mr. Liu would not like to see Japan become rich and powerful. But Mr. Liu also knows that if I become a comprador, I can make money and possibly strengthen the army. Are you really not afraid?"

After reading it, Liu Yu shook his head directly.

"General, after enriching the country and strengthening the army, there must be a purpose, right? What is the purpose? For revenge, unless you swallow up the Celestial Empire at once, but this is simply unrealistic."

"What if you want to drive us away and continue to close the country?"

"When the Great Shun attacked Japan, it did not swallow up the country, but only demanded that it open the country, because the silk, tea, porcelain, glass, and medicinal materials of the Great Shun could be exchanged for gold and silver in Japan."

"Not to mention that the Celestial Empire had already opened the country for trade, even if the general was strong and beat up the Celestial Empire and forced it not to collect tariffs, that would be the best. What's the point? Selling straw sandals?"

"So I'm not afraid at all. No matter how you swallow up, Japan can't swallow it up. If you can't swallow it up, the nine generations of hatred will be remembered. When the Celestial Empire recovers, it will definitely denounce me as a traitor who has ruined the country and nurtured a tiger. It will definitely split Japan, divide and rule it, and use barbarians to control barbarians, and never turn over."

"If you can't swallow it up, then even if Japan wins, what does it want? I can't figure it out. Just to close the country again, and then there will be no comprador income, and the new army will not be able to support it, and the new army will be disbanded to continue the military system, and then it will be beaten again in a few decades? Or after closing the country, the military preparations will be relaxed and unable to keep up with the war tactics that change every fifty years outside, and fifty years later, the story of today will be repeated? "

"Before going to war, you must first think clearly about the purpose of the war. General, think about it, please answer my doubts, even if the rich country and strong army win, what do you want?"

"Really, General, if you think it's just Japan's opening of ports that is not happy, I will write to the emperor tomorrow, and I can also rent you a piece of land in Songjiang, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Quanzhou, and Fujian, and the tariffs on both sides will be waived. Do you need it?"

"I have been eyeing the general for ten years and have been thinking about this problem. I was thinking, if I were the shogun, after the defeat, I would learn from the pain and strengthen the army. What would I ask for? I can't figure it out, please help me. "