A famous philosopher in Europe once said: Is it a question of whether to give up fame to obtain the Iwami silver mine, or to give up the Iwami silver mine for fame?
After a moment's thought, Chen Yan remembered something a disgraced scholar, Mr. Lu Shuren, from a Central Plains hall once said.
Only children make choices; a mature ambassador chooses to have it all!
After contemplating, Chen Yan smiled and said to Tokugawa Ienari, "General Tokugawa, regarding the development of the Iwami silver mine, I believe the Ministry of Works and the Treasury would be willing to provide assistance to Wa. As for whether Wa should maintain its lineage for generations, I think that is something Wa itself should resolve."
Tokugawa Ienari was instantly enraged, wishing he could tear Chen Yan limb from limb to vent his anger. From Chen Yan's words, it seemed he wanted the silver mine without participating in Wa's affairs, a classic case of wanting both, which was utterly shameless!
However, Tokugawa Ienari did not dare to openly fall out with Chen Yan and could only grudgingly endure his indignation.
After some thought, Tokugawa Ienari forced a smile and tentatively asked, "Ambassador, what you say makes sense, but even if I agree to your proposal, Emperor Kōkaku may not. What then?"
Chen Yan smiled and shook his head, his expression becoming inscrutable. "The Great Ming Emperor is burdened with many affairs of state and may overlook certain matters. However, from my personal perspective, I hope that Tokugawa Ienari can lead Wa to strive for progress."
When Chen Yan finished speaking, Tokugawa Ienari was overjoyed. Even though Chen Yan repeatedly emphasized his "personal perspective," it was enough for Tokugawa Ienari!
From a personal perspective? What was a personal perspective?
The current situation was clear: obtaining support from the Great Ming was impossible. The Great Ming Emperor likely would not care about a mere change of regime in Wa. The endorsement of Chen Yan, the Great Ming Ambassador to Wa, was as solid as a divine pillar for Tokugawa Ienari and the pro-shogunate envoy missions. After all, Chen Yan was the Great Ming Ambassador to Wa, and aside from the Kyushu Governor-General's Office, Chen Yan was virtually the Supreme Emperor of Wa!
Now that the Supreme Emperor had recognized Tokugawa Ienari, the matter was practically settled!
Overjoyed, Tokugawa Ienari leaned closer to Chen Yan, picked up the wine pot, and poured a cup for Chen Yan, saying obsequiously, "To have your recognition, Ambassador, my life is truly complete!"
However, Chen Yan did not take Tokugawa Ienari's fawning words to heart.
Chen Yan knew very well that although Tokugawa Ienari and the likes of Kōkaku Kenjin, these short and stocky fellows, were currently well-behaved and treated the Great Ming with more deference than their own fathers, this did not mean these short and stocky fellows were truly willing to be lackeys for the Great Ming.
The reason these short and stocky fellows were more obedient than house dogs was simply because they could not defeat the Great Ming. If he showed leniency towards Wa, it would be tantamount to allowing Wa to grow, which in turn would sow seeds of future trouble for the Great Ming.
Whether it was the Battle of Baekgang or the later Seven Major Campaigns of the Wanli era, all demonstrated the shortsighted and perfidious nature of these short and stocky fellows of Wa, who would abandon righteousness for petty gains and were beasts in human form.
With a slight smile, Chen Yan stood up and looked down at Tokugawa Ienari, saying, "General Tokugawa, you must work hard. His Imperial Majesty will not value a useless person. To gain His Majesty's favor, you must demonstrate your potential."
After Tokugawa Ienari bowed deeply in assent, Chen Yan added with a smile, "Or perhaps, in a short while, I should be addressing you as Tokugawa Tenhuang?"
...
Upon returning to the carriage, Chen Yan quietly instructed Qian Chuan, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been waiting, "Send intelligence back to the Great Ming promptly. Tokugawa Ienari indeed harbors ambitions of usurpation and has promised to explore and mine the Iwami silver mine with the Great Ming. Please, Your Majesty and esteemed閣老s, make your decision soon!"
Qian Chuan was startled and asked, "Are you certain it's the Iwami silver mine? This is no trivial matter!"
Chen Yan shook his head slightly and said, "Would I joke about something like this with you? Unless Tokugawa Ienari jokes about it with me first! However, I don't think Tokugawa Ienari has the courage for that."
At this point, Chen Yan couldn't help but sneer, mockingly remarking, "The reason Tokugawa Ienari agreed to sell the interests of the Iwami silver mine is likely similar to how the Great Qing abandoned Yaksa, Nerchinsk, Aigun, Sakhalin, and other territories back then. It's like a son carelessly selling off his father's land."
A famous philosopher in Europe once said: Is it a question of whether to give up fame to obtain the Iwami silver mine, or to give up the Iwami silver mine for fame?
After a moment's thought, Chen Yan remembered something a disgraced scholar, Mr. Lu Shuren, from a Central Plains hall once said.
Only children make choices; a mature ambassador chooses to have it all!
After contemplating, Chen Yan smiled and said to Tokugawa Ienari, "General Tokugawa, regarding the development of the Iwami silver mine, I believe the Ministry of Works and the Treasury would be willing to provide assistance to Wa. As for whether Wa should maintain its lineage for generations, I think that is something Wa itself should resolve."
Tokugawa Ienari was instantly enraged, wishing he could tear Chen Yan limb from limb to vent his anger. From Chen Yan's words, it seemed he wanted the silver mine without participating in Wa's affairs, a classic case of wanting both, which was utterly shameless!
However, Tokugawa Ienari did not dare to openly fall out with Chen Yan and could only grudgingly endure his indignation.
After some thought, Tokugawa Ienari forced a smile and tentatively asked, "Ambassador, what you say makes sense, but even if I agree to your proposal, Emperor Kōkaku may not. What then?"
Chen Yan smiled and shook his head, his expression becoming inscrutable. "The Great Ming Emperor is burdened with many affairs of state and may overlook certain matters. However, from my personal perspective, I hope that Tokugawa Ienari can lead Wa to strive for progress."
When Chen Yan finished speaking, Tokugawa Ienari was overjoyed. Even though Chen Yan repeatedly emphasized his "personal perspective," it was enough for Tokugawa Ienari!
From a personal perspective? What was a personal perspective?
The current situation was clear: obtaining support from the Great Ming was impossible. The Great Ming Emperor likely would not care about a mere change of regime in Wa. The endorsement of Chen Yan, the Great Ming Ambassador to Wa, was as solid as a divine pillar for Tokugawa Ienari and the pro-shogunate envoy missions. After all, Chen Yan was the Great Ming Ambassador to Wa, and aside from the Kyushu Governor-General's Office, Chen Yan was virtually the Supreme Emperor of Wa!
Now that the Supreme Emperor had recognized Tokugawa Ienari, the matter was practically settled!
Overjoyed, Tokugawa Ienari leaned closer to Chen Yan, picked up the wine pot, and poured a cup for Chen Yan, saying obsequiously, "To have your recognition, Ambassador, my life is truly complete!"
However, Chen Yan did not take Tokugawa Ienari's fawning words to heart.
Chen Yan knew very well that although Tokugawa Ienari and the likes of Kōkaku Kenjin, these short and stocky fellows, were currently well-behaved and treated the Great Ming with more deference than their own fathers, this did not mean these short and stocky fellows were truly willing to be lackeys for the Great Ming.
The reason these short and stocky fellows were more obedient than house dogs was simply because they could not defeat the Great Ming. If he showed leniency towards Wa, it would be tantamount to allowing Wa to grow, which in turn would sow seeds of future trouble for the Great Ming.
Whether it was the Battle of Baekgang or the later Seven Major Campaigns of the Wanli era, all demonstrated the shortsighted and perfidious nature of these short and stocky fellows of Wa, who would abandon righteousness for petty gains and were beasts in human form.
With a slight smile, Chen Yan stood up and looked down at Tokugawa Ienari, saying, "General Tokugawa, you must work hard. His Imperial Majesty will not value a useless person. To gain His Majesty's favor, you must demonstrate your potential."
After Tokugawa Ienari bowed deeply in assent, Chen Yan added with a smile, "Or perhaps, in a short while, I should be addressing you as Tokugawa Tenhuang?"
...
Upon returning to the carriage, Chen Yan quietly instructed Qian Chuan, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been waiting, "Send intelligence back to the Great Ming promptly. Tokugawa Ienari indeed harbors ambitions of usurpation and has promised to explore and mine the Iwami silver mine with the Great Ming. Please, Your Majesty and esteemed阁老s, make your decision soon!"
Qian Chuan was startled and asked, "Are you certain it's the Iwami silver mine? This is no trivial matter!"
Chen Yan shook his head slightly and said, "Would I joke about something like this with you? Unless Tokugawa Ienari jokes about it with me first! However, I don't think Tokugawa Ienari has the courage for that."
At this point, Chen Yan couldn't help but sneer, mockingly remarking, "The reason Tokugawa Ienari agreed to sell the interests of the Iwami silver mine is likely similar to how the Great Qing abandoned Yaksa, Nerchinsk, Aigun, Sakhalin, and other territories back then. It's like a son carelessly selling off his father's land."