I

Zhao Han did not directly issue an imperial edict to the Japanese shogunate, but sent an envoy to take Li Quan to Nagasaki first.

In Nagasaki, there is a Zheng's business house, and the person in charge is Zheng Daozhou, Zheng Sen's younger brother.

The name Jeong Do-joo has historically belonged to his son, who has always been called Tagawa Sashichiemon.

Li Quan followed envoy Wen Jiuyi, first went to Fujian by boat, and then went to Nagasaki via Ryukyu. I didn't idle along the way, and learned to sail with the captain of the merchant ship, and mastered various precautions on board.

This young man who intends to sail around the world has actually only gone to sea once, and he is a complete rookie.

When I came to Nagasaki, the number of Dutch merchant ships here was pitifully small. Backed by Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, Chinese maritime merchants have a huge competitive advantage and crazily squeezed the market share of the Dutch.

The reason why the Netherlands can continue to mix is ​​mainly due to the sea trade quotas of the shogunate.

The Japanese shogunate stipulated that China could only sell so many ships of goods each year, and how much goods the Netherlands could sell each year. Once the limit is exceeded, I'm sorry, please dock the excess merchant ships and wait for next year.

This move forced Chinese and Dutch maritime merchants to quietly join hands with local lords in smuggling.

After all, smuggling is smuggling. Some Chinese businessmen have reached cooperation with the Dutch who lost the competition. When they buy goods along the coast of China, they fly the Chinese flag, and when they sell goods in Nagasaki, they fly the Dutch flag, using the Dutch trade quota to do business.

"Jung Do-joo pays homage to Lord Angel!"

"Mr. Zheng please get up!"

Wen Jiuyi helped Zheng Daozhou up, and introduced: "This is Li Quan and Li Yuheng, who are entrusted with the emperor's mandate. Please ask Mr. Zheng for advice."

Zheng Daozhou didn't know what this young man's background was, since he was sent by the emperor, he must be respected, so he quickly cupped his hands: "I've seen Mr. Li."

Li Quan replied, "I'm bothering Mr. Zheng."

After showing them tea, Zheng Daozhou sent away the idlers, and Li Quan also directly explained his purpose.

But Zheng Daozhou laughed: "This is easy, there is no need to alarm the shogun!"

"Why?" Li Quan asked.

Zheng Daozhou explained: "Today's shogun is called Tokugawa Iezuna, and he is only twelve or thirteen years old. Political affairs are decided by the shogunate elders."

Li Quan asked again: "Bribe the old middleman?"

Zheng Daozhou shook his head: "There's no need to disturb the old man, just go straight to Baoke to correct him."

"Who is Baoke Zhengzhi?" Li Quan became more and more puzzled.

Jeong Do-joo explained in detail: "In terms of seniority, Hoshina Masaoyu is the uncle of the shogun. A concubine gave birth to a son. Because the wife was jealous, he was fostered by another family since he was a child. The second generation of generals brought him back, and he was more favored. First, he was ordered to worship the 200,000 koku of the Yamagata Fan, and then he was ordered to worship the 230,000 koku of the Aijin Fan. Don’t think that the shogunate is the old Nakai Takayoshi, in fact Behind the scenes, Baoke Zhengzhi has a greater influence."

Li Quan asked: "Bao Ke Zhengzhi will allow the shogunate to open the port?"

"No, and it's not necessary," Zheng Daozhou said, "Both of Hoshina Masayuki's territories are in the easternmost part of Japan. Those feudal lords in the west are more or less smuggled in Haimao, and Baoke Masayuki has no merchants willing to smuggle. Go. Therefore, Hoshina Masayuki cracked down on smuggling mainly because he could not make a profit from it. Mr. Li wanted to open a supply port in eastern Japan, so he could cooperate with Hoshina Masayuki. His territory is there! To put it bluntly, this person In Japan, he is like an uncle of the emperor, who dares to say anything when he secretly engages in smuggling?"

"Wonderful, Mr. Zheng is a great talent!" Li Quan exclaimed.

Zheng Daozhou waved his hand: "I'm not a great talent, I'm just familiar with the situation in Japan."

Li Quan thought that he would need to use force, or at least issue an imperial edict to the shogunate, but he didn't expect to be able to do it through smuggling.

Li Quan asked Zheng Daozhou to prepare silk, porcelain and other things, and asked Zheng Daozhou for some people to be his attendants, so he went to Edo as a Chinese envoy.

They have a blank imperial decree and fill in the content according to the situation.

After arriving in Edo, Wen Jiuyi was in charge of dealing with the shogunate. It is nothing more than Japan's loyalty and obedience, the Emperor Datong was very relieved, and ordered the envoy to bring some silk and porcelain, and rewarded the shogun as a sign of encouragement.

"It's still prosperous, but there are too many beggars." Li Quan arrived in Edo and made a pertinent evaluation of it.

Fifty years ago, Tokugawa Ieyasu opened the shogunate here, and ordered the daimyos of western Japan to provide 10 laborers for every thousand stones, and vigorously built the Edo castle town. All the land around the castle was built into a town. Later, daimyos and bannermen from all over the country were also asked to move in with their families. Even monks, businessmen, and craftsmen from all over the country moved in one after another, which can be said to have concentrated the essence of all Japan.

At this time, Edo Castle was obviously in a military style, and there were even watchtowers in the blocks.

If there is no deviation in history, in another four years, a fire will burn 60% of Edo's blocks, and after reconstruction, it will completely become a commercial city.

This place has a population of hundreds of thousands!

The Chinese ship that Li Quan was on was discovered when it entered the port, and was quickly surrounded by a group of soldiers when it landed.

"The envoys of the Celestial Dynasty are here, let the shogunate come to receive them!" the translator sent by Zheng Daozhou scolded.

When Li Quan and Wen Jiuyi went abroad, they only brought a few entourages with them, and the rest were all borrowed from the Zheng family for appearance. Even the ships they took were Zheng's merchant ships.

Edo has strict control over foreigners. Under the policy of closing the country, any non-Japanese will be subject to interrogation.

Hearing that the Chinese emperor sent envoys, Nakashi Sakai Tadaki ran to greet him in person.

This guy is full of ostentation, surrounded by hundreds of people. Many of the officials under him walked, and a few rode to clear the way, while Sakai Tadakiyo himself rode a strange sedan chair.

In Chinese sedan chairs, the lifting rod is located in the middle of the car. In Japanese sedan chairs, the lifting rod is on the top of the car.

The ancient Japanese people were short, so what does it mean that the lifting pole is on the top of the sedan chair?

It means that the space of the car is very narrow, and the bottom is almost touching the ground. Even if you want to expand the space of the car, you can only fill it in all directions, and there is only a little space up and down.

Sakai's sedan chair is very luxurious. The sedan chair is made of precious wood, with a surface like exquisite lacquerware, and decorated with silk to make it look noble. But the weird system still made Li Quan try to hold back his laughter, as if he was carrying a monkey cage.

"Subordinates of the lower kingdom, pay homage to the angels of the upper kingdom!"

"Please get up."

Sakai Tadaki was wearing a standing black hat with a height of twenty centimeters. Even wearing a hat, standing in front of Wen Jiuyi, it only reached Wen Jiuyi's chin.

The height of this veteran is estimated to be less than 1.4 meters.

Sakai Zhongqing led the Chinese envoys into the city, but the means of transportation was troublesome, neither Wen Jiuyi nor Li Quan could take a sedan chair. The fact is that the car is too short to sit upright at all. If you sit upright, your head will hit the car roof.

Fortunately, Sakai Takayoshi made preparations early and brought in two luxurious carriages.

Going to the city to rest and serve delicious food, the shogun needs three days to bathe and fast.

During the fasting period, Tokugawa Iezuna, who was not yet thirteen years old, led his vassals to meet with the Chinese envoys.

Before Tokugawa Iezuna, the shogunate had absolute control over local daimyos. But this little kid was only 10 years old when he succeeded to the throne, and the power quickly fell into the hands of the old middlemen, who took the opportunity to grab profits crazily.

Tadaki Sakai has just taken over the power not long ago, he has not really become the big boss, but a relatively strong old middle school.

Under Sakai Tadaki's arrangement, Tokugawa Ietsuna followed blankly, and even practiced the content of the speech in advance.

This situation of being constrained by the elders cannot be resolved after Tokugawa Iezuna takes office. As a result, his younger brother came up with a side-employment system, which is somewhat similar to the use of eunuchs by the Ming emperor to decentralize power.

After the grand reception ceremony, Li Quan swaggered to visit Baoke Masayuki, declaring that he wanted to reward the shogun's uncle.

After retreating from everyone, Li Quan cut to the chase and said, "There is no reward, but I brought a gift for you."

Baoke Zhengzhi bowed and bowed down: "Thank you for the reward from the Emperor of Heaven!"

Li Quan said with a smile: "The gift is not here, but in your territory."

Baoke was puzzled and said: "In my territory?"

Li Quan said: "If China wants to open up the American waterway, it needs to pass through Japan for supplies. The best supply port is in the east of Japan."

Baoke was stunned for a moment, then ecstatically.

At this time, Japan became more and more remote as it went east, and even sea trade smugglers were reluctant to go. If you can open a port in your own territory and engage in smuggling with the Chinese for a long time, wouldn't it be possible to continue to earn money?

It is true that Baoke is cracking down on smuggling, but if he can also participate in smuggling, then... it is understandable.

Not even bothering to hide it, Baoke Zhengzhi directly asked: "If a port is established, how many ships from the Celestial Dynasty can come every year?"

Li Quan replied: "I was not sure at first, I only have five ships in my hand. Within a year, I will go to your port twice to buy and sell. First, I will familiarize myself with the route from China to eastern Japan. Then I will sail eastward. Dayang is going to America, and it is not clear when he will come back. But as long as there is business to do, other Chinese merchant ships will definitely be willing to come."

"That's...very good!" Masanobu Baoke smiled.

The two quickly agreed on the address of the port, and chose Sakata Port in the southwest of Akita.

In the Edo period, there was a proverb that "there is Sakai Port (Osaka) in the west and Sakata in the east". The prosperity of Sakata Port can reach that of Osaka, which stems from the prosperity of the safflower trade. Safflower is a kind of Compositae plant, which can be used as a raw material for cosmetics, cloth dyeing, and painting. This stuff was sold all over Japan in the Edo period.

As for now, the safflower trade has just started, and Sakata is still just a small port.

That area is not only rich in safflower, but also rich in rice and vegetables, which can be used as a supply port.

Of course, the most important food for ocean voyages is "marching food"!

In ancient China, in wars, it was normal to make meals out of pots, but there were also a wide variety of emergency rations.

For example, in the Ming Dynasty, there were glutinous rice and glutinous rice cakes. The former is similar to self-heating rice, and the latter is similar to compressed biscuits.

The rice is boiled with rice, and then exposed to the sun. After repeated cooking and drying ten times, the weight and volume are greatly reduced. When eating, throw it into a pot to cook, or simply soak it in water.

Mi cakes are ground into powder with broomcorn or rice, made into cakes and cooked, and also exposed to the sun. So it becomes a compressed biscuit, which can be eaten directly or thrown into a pot for cooking.

Of course, these two kinds of emergency dry food must not taste very good.

Moreover, the production is relatively cumbersome, and many troops in the late Ming Dynasty were too lazy to use it, and even many generals didn't even know there was such a thing. In the few years when Zhao Han first joined the army, he also didn't know about this thing, and he gradually realized it later.

If Li Quan wants to sail the ocean, these two kinds of emergency dry food are necessary.

Usually, it is stored in layers of seals to prevent it from absorbing air moisture and mold. After the normal food is eaten, it can be taken out and used until the next landing to resupply.