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Facing Matsushita Ichi's question, Watanabe Uemon only chuckled and said, "Matsushita-kun, I cannot calculate the supplies needed to seal off all villages, but I know that the amount of supplies required to seal off all villages is an unimaginable colossal sum, and I also know that Japan cannot afford such colossal supplies."
Matsushita Ichi snorted and said grumpily, "Since Watanabe-kun knows this, why do you still say that you want to achieve credibility by sealing off one village? Don't you know that the more villages are sealed off, the more supplies will be needed, and the greater the possibility of good citizens and commoners causing trouble later on?"
Tokugawa Ienari also nodded and said, "Indeed, as the saying goes, it is not poverty but inequality that causes trouble. If all the villages that need to be sealed off have no supplies, then the good citizens, commoners, and even the samurai and rōnin will only worry about their own villages being sealed off. If the previously sealed villages have supplies and the subsequently sealed villages do not, then the only result will be great chaos in the subsequently sealed villages."
Tokugawa Ienari's most troublesome problem was the same as Kōkaku Kenjin's most troublesome problem: both were worried about the supplies needed to completely seal off villages with leprosy patients. If Japan were as wealthy as the Great Ming, let alone sealing off villages with leprosy patients, even sealing off the entire country for several years would be of no consequence.
The problem was that Japan was not as wealthy as the Great Ming. Not only sealing off villages with leprosy patients, but even sealing off half of them, Japan would still be unable to afford the supplies needed for the blockade!
Especially since Watanabe Uemon also wanted to use the method of sealing off villages to achieve credibility...
Was this not pure nonsense?
However, to Tokugawa Ienari and Matsushita Ichi's surprise, Watanabe Uemon had no intention of changing his mind. Instead, he sneered and said, "If Japan lacks supplies, does that mean the Great Ming also lacks sufficient supplies?"
At Watanabe Uemon's words, Tokugawa Ienari was stunned. What did the Great Ming's supplies have to do with Japan? Japan was Japan, and the Great Ming was the Great Ming. Even if Japan was a vassal state of the Great Ming, it did not mean that the Great Ming had an obligation to help Japan solve the problem of leprosy.
However, just as Tokugawa Ienari was internally complaining about Watanabe Uemon's wishful thinking, Matsushita Ichi had already bluntly refuted Watanabe Uemon, saying, "Watanabe-kun, the Great Ming does not lack supplies, but Japan lacks money, lacks the Great Ming's Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes!"
Watanabe Uemon also retorted to Matsushita Ichi without hesitation, saying, "Matsushita-kun, don't forget, although Japan lacks the Great Ming's Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes, it does not lack gold and silver! Gold and silver can be exchanged for the Great Ming's Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes!"
Matsushita Ichi looked at Watanabe Uemon as if he were an idiot and retorted, "Watanabe-kun, how much gold and silver does Japan have? How many Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes can it exchange for? Are the exchanged banknotes enough to buy the required supplies?"
Watanabe Uemon said with a cold smile, "Of course, Japan's existing gold and silver cannot be exchanged for enough Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes. However, Japan has the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the Karikari Gold Mine. His Excellency the Shogun can pledge the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine or the Karikari Gold Mine as collateral to borrow some Dragon Yuanbao Banknotes from the Great Ming. Do you understand?" After Watanabe Uemon's words, Tokugawa Ienari felt as if a ray of light had pierced through the dark clouds.
Previously, in order to seek help from Chen Yan, the Great Ming's ambassador to Japan, Tokugawa Ienari had personally promised to sell the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine to the Great Ming. However, the promise was one thing, but how to sell it was a headache. If the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine were directly given to the Great Ming, even if Tokugawa Ienari could replace Kōkaku Kenjin as the new Shogun of Japan, he would still be branded as betraying Japan's interests.
Now, Watanabe Uemon proposed that the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine could be used as collateral to obtain a loan from the Great Ming. The money borrowed and the grain and medicine purchased would all be used for the benefit of all good citizens and commoners in Japan. This would not only solve Japan's shortage of supplies but, more importantly, would clear Tokugawa Ienari of the stigma of betraying Japan's interests!
Selling a silver mine to save Japan, Tokugawa Ienari thought it was foolproof. He couldn't help but smile and say, "Yosh! Watanabe-kun is indeed clever to come up with such a perfect plan!"
Watanabe Uemon bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency. However, Watanabe is only slightly clever and far inferior to Your Excellency's great wisdom!"
After understanding the intricacies, Ishikawa Iin and Todo Takayoshi looked at Kōkaku Kenjin as if he were an idiot.
What was this?
This was a useless person, a waste who couldn't even catch up to hot poop!
Kōkaku Kenjin and Hirozumi Keijin also had extremely grim expressions.
Kōkaku Kenjin glanced at all the feudal lords and daimyo present and said with a somber face, "Now that things have come to this, do any of you have any good solutions?"
However, none of the feudal lords and daimyo present answered Kōkaku Kenjin's question.
Ishikawa Iin continued, "I believe that instead of responding passively, it would be better... better to actively accept the civilian patients from the Shogunate?"
The other feudal lords and daimyo also focused their attacks on Ishikawa Iin.
On the contrary, Kōkaku Kenjin slammed the table and shouted, "Quiet, everyone! Ishikawa-kun, please continue!"
After deliberating, Kōkaku Kenjin gritted his teeth and said, "I will find a way to solve the food problem. You only need to do a good job of treating those leprosy patients."
Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu felt increasingly uneasy.
After thinking for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Shimazu Hisamitsu simply asked directly, "May I ask, Your Excellency, are there any requirements for these quotas?"
Tokugawa Ienari also spoke from his own experience.
Being unconventional and having written absurd essays like "On Farting," Hiraga Gennai became increasingly unsuccessful.
The main reason for this situation was that Hiraga Gennai came from a family of lower-ranking samurai in the Takamatsu domain.
However, that architectural drawing was not in Gennai's possession, but was exposed from a gap in his belt. Gennai subsequently lost his mind and died in prison in Komamachi, where he was frozen to death.
The so-called "died a violent death" referred to Hiraga Gennai not dying for killing two carpenters...
Tokugawa Ienari, who had personally visited the Great Ming, was well aware of the importance of steam engines.
However, Tokugawa Ienari also understood that the allocation of quotas for envoys to the Ming could never be fair and just... After a moment of private reflection, Tokugawa Ienari scanned the feudal lords and daimyo present again and said solemnly, ""
Simply put, Japan, which was praised to the heavens by countless incurable patients, was actually similar to the situation in India. India had a caste system, and Japan also had a class system.
For example, why did the rōnin samurai who lost their masters remain rōnin and not find jobs?
This meant that for Tokugawa Ienari to completely complete the blockade, he must first deal with those rōnin.
The feudal lords of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Tsushima, Hyuga, and others also responded, while the other feudal lords and daimyo could not help but frown.
These geographical differences naturally led to uneven development among the various domains. Some domains were relatively prosperous, while others were extremely poor.
The difference in wealth directly reflected the number of rōnin in each domain.
The poorer the domain, the more rōnin it had.
More importantly, the Satsuma domain and the domains of Chikuzen and Chikugo also had a common appellation: the Kyushu domains.
These domains had originally been active on the island of Kyushu. The Satsuma domain had even sent troops to occupy the Ryukyu Islands, forcing the King of Ryukyu to pay tribute to Japan.
If they were willing, they were definitely not willing. Shimazu Hisamitsu and the feudal lords of Chikuzen and Chikugo had not thought of resisting, at least to get a better place, right?
Then Shimazu Hisamitsu and the others moved to Ezo, completely giving up the island of Kyushu.
More importantly, to whom should these samurai and ashigaru obey orders?
If they were ordered to obey their domain lords and ignore Tokugawa Ienari, what would the Shogunate think? If they hindered each other and bickered, how could the rōnin be cleared out?
If they were ordered to obey Tokugawa Ienari's orders, wouldn't that be equivalent to handing over military power?
This was even more unacceptable to the feudal lords than directly providing money to support Tokugawa Ienari!
When Tokugawa Ienari finished speaking, the feudal lords present breathed a sigh of relief while also feeling a bit suspicious.
As everyone knew, besides his lust, Tokugawa Ienari's biggest flaw was his greed. The incorrigible greed of his sons and daughters could be said to be inherited from Tokugawa Ienari.
Matsudaira Nobunobu immediately became vigilant.
Shimazu Hisamitsu, the Ezo barbarian, who was as poor as a dog, still sent samurai and ashigaru to help Tokugawa Ienari, and now he was the first to jump out and scold the feudal lords, acting like a loyal dog that would shed its last drop of blood for the Edo Shogunate. Yet Tokugawa Ienari seemed displeased?
After deliberating, a flash of light came to Matsudaira Nobunobu's mind. If things were viewed optimistically, Tokugawa Ienari might genuinely want to purge those samurai, and his current behavior towards Shimazu Hisamitsu was just an act to lure the feudal lords into a trap.
If things were viewed pessimistically, Tokugawa Ienari's true objective might not be to completely purge the rōnin, but to target the feudal lords themselves! Once the Shogunate's samurai and ashigaru entered the domains in large numbers, anything that happened afterward would be hard to say!
Thinking of this, Matsudaira Nobunobu's expression became gloomy, and then he glanced at Shimazu Hisamitsu and said loudly, "The head of the Shimazu family is correct. This is a crucial moment for us to work together and overcome difficulties. We cannot hesitate at this time!" As Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu expressed their stance, the other feudal lords had no way out. Whether they understood or not, they had to follow Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu in their declaration, stating that they would send their samurai and ashigaru to help the Shogunate clear out the rōnin.
Just as Matsudaira Nobunobu thought, Tokugawa Ienari proposed that the Shogunate send samurai and ashigaru to clear out the rōnin. On the one hand, it was indeed to clear out the rōnin to avoid any accidents during the subsequent blockade.
However, on the other hand, Tokugawa Ienari harbored the idea of holding the feudal lords hostage to pressure the court. If Kōkaku Kenjin and Hirozumi Keijin, those two scoundrels, dared to send people to Tokugawa Ienari's territory to cause trouble, Tokugawa Ienari would prepare to kill a few minor lords and daimyo in the Kinai regions first, causing chaos in the territories of Kōkaku Kenjin and his son.
As for sending ninjas or some patients who had already contracted leprosy to harm Kōkaku Kenjin and his son's territory, Tokugawa Ienari did not have such a plan for the time being.
Because the current situation was clearly in Tokugawa Ienari's favor, and the possibility of successfully ascending to the throne was high. Tokugawa Ienari, who had already begun to dream of becoming a national ruler, naturally did not want leprosy to spread in the Kinai regions. After all, no matter how poor the disease was, the transmissibility of leprosy was there, and no one could guarantee that they would escape it.
Unfortunately, Tokugawa Ienari's well-laid plans were now ruined by Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu, those two scoundrels.
Tokugawa Ienari harbored resentment in his heart, but he forced a smile onto his face and said, "Then it is settled. For the rōnin who cause trouble, vigorous purging is essential. If you are unable to handle it, you can always send people to the Shogunate for help. Do not force yourselves."
After the feudal lords thanked him, some willingly and some unwillingly, Tokugawa Ienari changed the subject and began to talk about his experiences in the Great Ming. "You all know that Ienari visited the Great Ming before and stayed there for a long time."
The feudal lords and daimyo present were somewhat bewildered, not knowing what else this scoundrel Tokugawa Ienari wanted to say.
Tokugawa Ienari continued to speak to himself, "When I was in the Great Ming, what Ienari felt most deeply was the knowledge of the Ming people. Even young children knew a few characters, and even the elderly from the Great Qing period could write their own names, let alone the young people."
The feudal lords and daimyo were still bewildered. The Great Ming was the superior country, the father of Japan. Wasn't this a matter of course?
Shimazu Hisamitsu tentatively asked, "What is the Shogun's meaning?"
Tokugawa Ienari did not directly answer Shimazu Hisamitsu's question. Instead, he clapped his hands and ordered outside the door, "Bring it here!"
Tokugawa Ienari continued to speak to himself, "When I was in the Great Ming, what Ienari felt most deeply was the knowledge of the Ming people. Even young children knew a few characters, and even the elderly from the Great Qing period could write their own names, let alone the young people."
The feudal lords and daimyo were still bewildered. The Great Ming was the superior country, the father of Japan. Wasn't this a matter of course?
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