lcionline Chapter 334 Arrival at Edo Bay
Chapter 334 Arrival at Edo Bay
After finally calming down Liu Ye, who was in a rage, Amazaki Hyosuke hurriedly went to find Nabeshima Yoshishige. This matter was very troublesome, involving a powerful domain in the west and a rising maritime hegemon. If not handled properly, it would affect the Hizen Domain. It was necessary to report to the lord of the domain at each level and ask for instructions on how to deal with it.
Nabeshima Yoshishige, who spent his days drinking heavily, was sobered up by the news and quickly took him to see the chief retainer, Ito Yoshisuke. Ito Yoshisuke did not dare to be negligent and directly consulted the lord of the domain, Nabeshima Takeshige, and received clear instructions: to appease the guests from Ming at all costs, and then send someone to Edo to consult the Tokugawa shogun. In short, the Hizen domain should not be blamed for this.
The Hizen Domain's response was remarkably efficient, yet even so, they couldn't keep up with Liu Ye's pace. When Ito Yoshisuke personally led Nabeshima Yoshishige, Amagasaki Hyosuke, and others to find the victims of the incident, they discovered that the victims had vanished, leaving the place empty.
At the mouth of Nagasaki, aboard the "Guangdong," Liang Xiaoming asked Liu Ye, "Why are we in such a hurry, as if we're hiding from the Hizen Domain?"
Liu Ye corrected, “This isn’t called hiding. We haven’t done anything wrong; they’re the ones who are uneasy. This is called not giving them a chance to stall and wrangle. The relationship between the central government and local governments, and between local domains, under the Japanese shogunate system is intricate. The Satsuma Domain has always been known for its fierceness, and from the shogunate era to the Meiji Restoration, it was a powerful domain in the west. In the late shogunate period, it was at the forefront of the anti-shogunate faction. The Hizen Domain simply cannot deal with such a troublemaker and will definitely report to the shogunate. Given the communication efficiency and bureaucratic delays of this era, we might wait a year or two in Nagasaki and still not get a clear result. The best way is to go directly to Edo, put cannons to Tokugawa Iemitsu’s head, and that’s the only way to get the answer we want.”
Liang Xiaoming glanced towards the cabin—Yan Guang, who was seriously injured, had received timely treatment from the doctor, and although his injuries were severe, they were not fatal—and asked in a low voice, "What reply? Is it to seek justice for Yan Guang?"
Liu Ye coughed and said, "Yan Guang has done a good job protecting his master this time, and I will remember it. However, this time the madman of the Shimazu family wants to kill me. The order of importance cannot be reversed. When we go to Edo to demand an explanation, we must adhere to one principle: this incident cannot be seen as accidental. It must be seen as a conflict between the Satsuma Domain and the Qiongzhou Camp, and the shogunate should take the blame."
Liang Xiaoming asked in bewilderment, "I can understand making the shogunate take the blame, just like a subsidiary without independent legal person status has to be cleaned up by the parent company when something goes wrong. But it was clearly an impulsive act by some people in the Satsuma Domain, so why make such a big deal out of it and insist on blaming the shogunate?"
Liu Ye sighed deeply: "You really don't have the potential to be a politician. We couldn't find a reason to provoke the Shogunate before because of the tax collection issue, but this attack is the perfect one. Besides, I almost lost my life. This isn't something that can be dealt with by a mere tax-collecting favor. The Japanese must pay a heavy price!"
Liang Xiaoming asked in confusion, "What price do you expect the Shogunate to pay?"
“At the very least, give us sufficient compensation, not too much, a few hundred thousand will do. In addition, grant us extraterritorial rights, so that no one associated with the Qiongzhou Camp can be punished according to Japanese law; furthermore, our warships can freely dock at any port and obtain supplies, and the local vassal states cannot refuse them…” Liu Ye said as he thought, “The tax collection must also be done according to our requirements: all merchant ships coming to Japan, regardless of nationality, must hold a tax payment certificate issued by us before they can enter the magistrate’s office to trade… I can only think of these few points for now, we can think about them more slowly when we get to Edo.”
Liang Xiaoming stared in disbelief: "These terms sound so familiar... like unequal treaties from history."
Liu Ye snorted: "It's not just a feeling, it is. It's a pity our strategic focus isn't on Japan, otherwise we could have just started a war and gained even more benefits."
The fleet sailed along the coastline and arrived at the mouth of Edo Bay a few days later.
After being in a coma for several days, Yan Guang finally awoke under the doctor's meticulous care. Upon learning this, Liu Ye came to the cabin to express his condolences: "Thanks to you this time, otherwise my life would have been in danger. Whatever reward you desire, just say the word!"
Yan Guang said solemnly, "General, you are destined by Heaven and it is your fate to have a close call but no real danger. I have only done what I was supposed to do and do not need any reward."
Although Liu Ye knew that Yan Guang's words were the standard response of a competent bureaucrat, and even if one were to think of it in a darker light, his act of sacrificing himself to protect his master could be a form of political opportunism, he still couldn't help but sigh. After all, Yan Guang had risked his life to shield Liu Ye from a knife so that Liu Ye could be safe.
In the past, he was deeply moved and even looked down upon when he saw feudal emperors in movies and TV dramas being protected by their ministers. Didn't these emperors know that apart from a small group of blindly loyal people, most of them were driven by opportunistic motives to gain "overnight wealth" in their careers? Now, having personally experienced this scene, he understood the mentality of these emperors. The higher one's position, the more one cherishes one's life. For subordinates who shield them from harm, regardless of their motives, the most important thing is that their own lives are saved. If they were to be killed by assassins, all their imperial ambitions would turn to dust. How could they be willing to accept that?
He solemnly stated, "That's right, saying it's a reward is too light. I'll give you a promise: if the Qiongzhou Camp can contend for the world in the future, and I have the day when I can command the world, no matter what happens, even if you rebel against me, you can be spared from death."
Upon hearing that this would be the ironclad guarantee that Liu Ye would receive upon ascending the throne, commonly known as the "golden token of immunity from death," Yan Guang was immediately moved to tears. Ignoring the wound on his shoulder, he struggled to his feet and thanked the general in a trembling voice, "I am deeply grateful for the general's kindness. I am willing to serve the general with my life!"
Liang Xiaoming watched from the side, somewhat puzzled, feeling that Yan Guang's reaction was rather exaggerated. In truth, he didn't understand the real meaning of such a promise. Historically, many officials who were granted iron certificates were still executed by the emperor; such rewards represented more of an honor and the monarch's favor towards their subjects. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, similar iron certificates were only issued for crimes other than treason, not for other capital offenses. Liu Ye's personal promise that even treason would be pardoned demonstrated Yan Guang's high standing in his heart; how could Yan Guang not be moved?
While a harmonious scene of "ruler and subject in harmony" unfolded here, Edo Bay was already in sight, its narrowest point barely a dozen kilometers wide. Fleet Commander Gao Jie, unfamiliar with the bay's hydrographic conditions, ordered a slowdown to avoid running aground or hitting reefs. The fleet lowered its sails and slowly passed through the bay's entrance. Unlike the Ming Dynasty, no coastal defense fortifications were visible in this crucial location, suggesting the Shogunate placed even less emphasis on coastal defense than the Ming.