Late Ming Dynasty: Conquering the world starting from riding and cutting

On the avenue leading from Ping'an Street to Shuri Castle, two towering colorful buildings were built on both sides of the street. They were decorated with red silk, jade and other items. On the plaque of the colorful building were four large gilt characters, " Welcome to the army."

It was obvious that the guards temporarily took out the supplies from the warehouse that were used to welcome the canonized envoys and other imperial envoys for emergency purposes.

However, on the top of Shuri Castle, there were more than ten outer frames with a height of one person tied up with pine branches. The insides were written with red silk and gold powder. They were newly made by the craftsmen hired by the King of Ryukyu.

"The Keelung Army is spreading its power far and wide!"

"The Ryukyu Kingdom is deeply grateful!"

Along both sides of Ping'an Street, countless incense tables were set up, with incense burners, wine, fruits, and other items listed on them. There were even people in the city kneeling by the roadside with incense burners on their heads.

On some incense tables, in addition to the incense burner, there is also a dragon tablet enshrining the Ming Emperor. Behind the incense cases, Ryukyu nobles and officials are kneeling there in full robes and crowns, holding notebooks in their hands, and the family servants behind them are holding Drinks, meat and other food were prepared to welcome the arrival of Keelung’s army.

It was as if the soldiers of Keelung were regarded as the Ming army, and they were too respectful.

On the pier, Ryukyu King Shangren, dressed in Ming Dynasty crown robes, holding a jade gui and a white jade around his waist, knelt in front of the gangway of the Wan Sheng. Behind him, the prince, the prime minister and many officials lined up on both sides.

Behind these high-ranking officials kneeling at the pier, various ceremonial guards, butlers, flags, gongs, umbrellas and fans of the King of Ryukyu were arranged neatly on the road from the pier to Shuri Castle. The musicians in the colorful shed were playing and playing, and the music was instantaneous. Melodious and melodious.

Yan Yi and Wang Chao temporarily acted as the tribute officers for both sides.

"kneel!"

"bye!"

Amid Yan Yi's loud praise, King Shangren of Ryukyu knelt down to Qin Hao on the Wansheng with strict etiquette.

After kneeling and kowtowing three times, Shangren raised the jade guide in his hand and chanted loudly.

"Your Majesty! King Shangren of Ryukyu. I would like to lead the officials and people of Ryukyu to welcome Mr. Qin Hao, the President of the Keelung Army, who is also in charge of money, food and civil affairs!"

"No gift!"

A clear, loud, slightly excited voice floated down the gangway as the sea breeze drifted down.

Because Zhang Hu killed two Japanese with one sword, he was not punished at all. Instead, he greatly gained face for the Keelung Army. He was regarded by everyone in the fleet as an act of showing off his power with his sword. Qin Hao specially gave him this opportunity to represent himself. , as a reward.

"Who do you want to worship?!"

"My lord, Ryukyu King Naohito."

"What's the matter here?"

"I'm here to welcome the general into the city."

"Get up!"

Although the question was asked knowingly, the etiquette still had to go. As the question and answer between Zhang Hu and King Shangyi ended, the civil and military personnel of the Ryukyu Kingdom stood up and lined up with the prince, preparing to follow Qin Hao and the Ryukyu King's car into the city.

Amidst the sound of fine music, Qin Haoshi suddenly appeared in front of the Shang family father and son and the ministers of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Behind him, dozens of officers were wearing armor and carrying swords at their waists, showing a majestic military appearance. In front of the officers and soldiers of Keelung Army, everyone in Ryukyu seemed to be overwhelmed again.

"Prince Shang, I have been in Keelung for a long time and am ignorant. I wonder when the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty gave His Highness the treatment of a crown?"

After taking a look at the crown robe worn by Ryukyu King Shangren, Qin Hao stabbed him with a smile on his face.

According to the etiquette system, the King of Ryukyu can only wear leather benhua clothes. You can't wear a crown robe, the kind with a five-clawed dragon. This is obviously a sartorial overstep by the Shang family and his son.

You say that my clothing is arrogant, but I think you, the general, also got the title yourself!

Prince Shangyi muttered in his heart, but did not dare to say anything.

Neither side is a force that abides by the regulations of the Ming Dynasty. Qin Hao is secretly self-reliant under the banner of Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty in Ryukyu is also self-protecting. Neither of them is noble.

But the problem lies in the unequal power between the two sides.

In addition, Wang Chao boasted about Shangyi last night, "The Keelung Army had thousands of warships, and even Zheng Zhilong, who was crossing the sea, was defeated by them, and the Shimadzu family even looked down upon him. Therefore, Shangyi no longer has any contempt in his heart. idea.

There is an old saying that goes well: to find a backer, you have to look for what you are most afraid of.

Taking a peek at the strong and powerful soldiers behind Qin Hao and extending to the gate of Shuri City, Shangyi felt more and more that it was extremely wise and correct to choose to join the Keelung Army.

If any of these soldiers are pulled out, they can serve as the flag bearer in the Shimazu family and the captain of the personal guard in Ryukyu.

There are also those giant cannons arrayed on the pier, with black muzzles opened more than ten steps apart. They are about to start firing. I am afraid that before the round of artillery fire is over, Shuri Castle will fall. Just think about it. It's chilling.

He stepped forward quickly with small steps, lifted up his broad sleeves, and bowed deeply to Qin Haoshen, who was having a lively conversation with King Shang Ren.

"I, the Crown Prince of Ryukyu, Shogi, would like to ask the general to board the carriage and enter the city with my father."

"That's fine! Just ask the prince to lead the way for us."

have to!

With Qin Hao's casual words, the prince became the leading official.

The general of Shuntian Camp brought Qin Hao's horse over. It was an Arabian horse that Zheng Zhilong had just sent. It had been trained to be the most suitable for riding.

The whole body is green and white, the hair color is like satin, the horse's hooves are as big as the mouth of a bowl, the ears can be flexibly rotated, and the hoofs made of fine steel occasionally emit a lovely yellow metallic flash in the sun with the horse's few small movements, crisp and clear. The sound is extremely pleasant.

The short mane and long tail of the horse were trimmed into a beautiful whip by the groom who raised it. The brand new bridle, reins and other items all showed the horse's different identity.

"What a fine horse!"

All the common people and officials who saw the horse at close range praised it secretly. Even the King of Ryukyu and the Crown Prince on the side did not swallow their saliva.

"My lord came to Ryukyu in danger due to a storm. The sea was bumpy and he felt a little unwell. Please ask the Prime Minister to control the mount for my lord."

Duan Daxin's Fujian accent was like a thunderbolt, exploding in the ears of the Prime Minister and many officials.

"What? Let me control the mount for him?

To put it nicely, isn’t it just about leading a horse and riding it? This is the job of a groom, and you actually asked me, the Prime Minister of a country, to do it! "The Prime Minister couldn't help but cursed in his heart.

"I think someone must have leaked out that day that I advised the king not to go to meet this guy, and this guy is here to take revenge! He intends to bully me in front of the people of the country!"

Just when the Prime Minister was entangled, one hand suddenly pulled the horse's bridle, and the other hand gently stroked the horse's cheek twice.

Wang Chao actually went to control the horse, and then he smiled at Duan Daxin on the other side.

"General, please get on your horse! Please get your prince on board!"

"The Prime Minister is here. Prince Shang, please get on board."

"Oh! Okay! Well, Wang Chao, Wang Guoxiang, you have to control the horses well and don't scare the general."

Under the protection of Shuntian Camp, Ryukyu King Shangyi's chariot followed Qin Hao's horse step by step.

At the front of the team was the crown prince, Shangyi, holding a staff in his hand as the leader.

"If they say one word, I will no longer be the prime minister?!"

The leader of the team walked into Shuri Castle, and many Ryukyu civil warriors followed the team step by step, leaving only the former Prime Minister standing there blankly.

At this moment, he suddenly had the idea to return home, gather his clan servants, rush into Shuri Castle, kill Ryukyu King Shangyi and the arrogant Qin Hao, and then declare himself king. Then he looked back at the Keelung Army soldiers on top of the city who had taken over the defense of Shuri Castle the day before, and shook his head with self-deprecation, giving up this unrealistic idea.

"Forget it, after all, I am still a nobleman of Ryukyu. There is a lot of land and sugar cane plantations on each island. Even if you don't become the Prime Minister, you can still become a rich man. There is no need to attack the stone with an egg."

Ryukyu is known as three provinces and thirty-six islands. In fact, just like its geographical name, it is an archipelago chain. More than 600 kilometers from Hokuto to the south, it connects Shikoku Island, Honshu Island and Taiwan Island. The largest Ryukyu Island is only over 1,000 square kilometers, and the second-ranked Amami Island is only over 700 square kilometers.

Under such terrain conditions, looking out from the tower of Shuri Castle, one can see the sugar cane leaves on each island being blown in the wind, and there is a faint rustling sound.

It is now late May. In a few days, the sugarcane will reach the stage of producing a large amount of sugar, and in a month it will be ready for harvest.

At that time, large quantities of sugar cane were chopped off by sugarcane farmers with knives, the heads and tails were removed, bundled, and sent to Shuri Castle to trade rice and other daily necessities with merchants here.

"Since you sent a fleet to Ryukyu half a year ago, you have exchanged rice for sugar cane, and one pound of sugar cane for half a pound of rice. This has immediately saved the people of Ryukyu from hunger and cold. Everyone across Ryukyu is grateful for your kindness!"

On the tower, King Shangren of the Ryukyu Kingdom, who accompanied Qin Hao to enjoy the scenery, was flattering him like a tide. It was really difficult for him. I don't know how he came up with such a new flattery.

Since the powerful Japanese feudal lord Shimazu forced sugar cane cultivation in Ryukyu, a large number of rice fields have been turned into sugar cane plantations. Younger people only know how to grow sugar cane and no longer know how to grow rice.

During the sugarcane harvest season, sugarcane farmers will exchange nearly 2,000 sugarcanes weighing 10,000 kilograms from more than ten acres of land for a year's rations and pocket money.

In order to be able to sit down on the throne, Shangren has always been very concerned about the prices and transactions of domestic sugar cane and rice. He has to admit that the price given by Keelung is much more reasonable than the Shimadzu family's almost open grab.

"Prince Shang, starting from this year, our trading methods will have to change."

The changes proposed by Qin Hao were also very simple. Instead of conducting direct transactions of rice and sugar cane, a compromise equivalent was found, Keelung banknotes.

A newly developed banknote is produced in Hsinchu. Strictly speaking, it should be called Hsinchu banknote, not Keelung banknote.

They are about the size of a palm, made of a special kind of bamboo from Taiwan, and have denominations ranging from large to small, one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten yuan, five yuan, and one yuan, completely imitating the regulations of later generations.

Qin Hao handed a set of banknotes to the King of Ryukyu, hoping that Ryukyu Island would accept and use them.

Nani? !

King Shonin was shocked and angry. My son will hold the horse for you, and you can change the Prime Minister as you please. I have endured all this, and now I have to use paper to return my sugar cane. Isn't this costing the lives of my Ryukyu people?

Qin Hao looked at the King of Ryukyu with an unhappy expression, knowing that it was hard for him to accept it for a while, but the crown prince Shangyi on the side looked at it with interest while holding the banknotes.

Seeing this, he stopped mentioning it and gave a set of banknotes to the prince, and then said: "The sugar cane here is the same price as my sugar cane in Keelung. I can also give you Tongbao or silver dollars, and at the same time I will open a few stores in Keelung." Shops, you can use Tongbao and silver dollars to buy everything you need at the rice shops, cloth shops, and silk shops in these shops.”

Can sugar cane be exchanged for copper coins and silver dollars?

This seemed pretty good, and King Shang Ren nodded in acquiescence.

King Shang Ren has also seen Keelung Tongbao and silver coins, in terms of appearance and material. They are no less than the best Tongbao of this dynasty, Yongle Tongbao and Jiajing Tongbao. Use sugar cane all over the mountains and plains. In exchange for such money, it sounds like it is much better than replacing it with just rice to fill the stomach.

With money and silver, you can send people to go to Zhejiang, Jiangnan, or even the capital of the Ming Dynasty to buy all kinds of good things that make people jealous.

"It's not just the things used by ordinary people, but also all kinds of items you and your adults need for daily life. You can buy them in the store."

As soon as these words came out, Wang Chao and others immediately nodded in joy.

On the night when Qin Hao entered the city yesterday, Prince Shang held a banquet in the palace for Qin Hao and his party.

Before the banquet began, Qin Hao ordered people to give meeting gifts to these upper-class figures in the Ryukyu Kingdom out of politeness and greater future income.

What was given to Prince Shangren was a five-foot diorama with a rosewood wood-covered gold frame. It looked extremely magnificent and was perfect for dressing.

Prince Shangyi's is a three-foot mirror, which is a little smaller, but the two of them can lift it flexibly. What's even more amazing is that there is a bracket behind the mirror frame, which can be opened to place the mirror on the ground or on the floor. Put it on the dressing table and use it for dressing up.

After all, dressing up was not a woman's prerogative in the 17th century. Men also had to dress up; even high-heeled shoes in Europe were originally manufactured to facilitate cavalry operations.

For the Prime Minister Wang Chao and a group of nobles, the size of the mirror ranged from two feet to five inches, depending on his official position.

This gift may not seem like much, but for the rare and strange Ryukyu people, it is a great gift. The adults who received the mirror that night became a mess in their homes.

Of course, it doesn't matter whether you are a wife or a young lady, but the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, the eldest wife and the concubines cannot share the same mirror.

Therefore, all the Ryukyu adults could not help but have scars on their faces the next day. In pain and joy, they went to Master Wang Chao and asked him to go through the door and buy a few more mirrors from the Keelung Army.

Wang supernaturally introduced the Qinhan business name and launched the first wave of advertisements.

"I am willing to sell my mining land, those intercut lands, and all the sugar cane in the next few years to Qin and Han companies, as long as they can sell me a glazed mirror!" The officials covered their faces, feeling pain and happiness. begged.

In addition to the so-called glazed mirrors, the cotton cloth spun by using Guo Xia Ma loom and cotton made almost the entire noble clan go crazy for it. They had never seen such delicate and soft cloth, even if they bought it from Songjiang Prefecture. Most of the Songjiang fine cloths are not comparable.

As for the price!

Naturally, there are pitfalls!

The textile factory in Hsinchu has developed the Spinning Jenny. Although compared with steam engines, it is not at the same level as the small workshops of the same era. Coupled with the special textile technology, it is expected that it will be sought after.

In addition to cotton, there is also linen made of ramie. In a tropical island environment like Ryukyu, owning a cool and breathable garment is like owning a hand-sewn garment from a major international brand. It is also deeply loved by ordinary people.

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