Chapter 2129
A few days after the war began, there were no ships able to go to sea near Hirado Port, and the Hirado Strait outside the port had been occupied by the enemy's powerful ships and artillery. For the people currently trapped in Hirado City, , the vast majority of people cannot escape this predicament.
In fact, many people have no idea who the foreign enemy is currently attacking Hirado and what caused the war. They can only believe the official statement that the enemy's purpose in launching the war is to invade Hirado and plunder it. Wealth and population, if you don't put up a resistance, most people will be killed or become slaves after defeat, and the property will naturally be plundered by the enemy.
This kind of publicity did help the government win the support of some public opinion. Although many people still had doubts about Tagawasuke's sudden rise to power, the enemy still obeyed the official recruitment and contributed money and effort to participate in this war.
But not everyone accepts the official statement in full. Port cities like Hirado that are engaged in international trade have a large proportion of foreign residents, and these people from other countries and regions may not be as well-informed as those. The locals also trust the official statement. Especially those foreign businessmen who had dealt with Haihan directly or indirectly, they would naturally think that Hirado would provoke Haihan's army and come all the way to the door. The matter was definitely not as simple as the official claimed.
However, in the absence of sufficient information, ordinary people have no way to guess who represents justice between the two warring parties. In such a chaotic situation, they can only try their best to ensure the safety of themselves and their family property. For these outsiders who have no clear position, no matter who wins or loses in this war, the most important thing is that they can survive.
Yu Chengli is a fabric merchant from the Ming Dynasty. He travels between the Ming Dynasty and Japan at least twice a year, trafficking high-end textiles produced in Suzhou and Hangzhou to Japan to make a profit. The scale of the business run by Yu Chengli is not small, so he also has a shop in Hirado. Every time he ships goods, he will live in Hirado for two or three months. After selling out the textiles, he will buy them from Hirado. Some Japanese souvenirs were shipped back to Daming for sale.
Yu Chengli has been engaged in this kind of cross-border trade for some years, so he has always had a good relationship with the Hirado officials. He was even a special supplier to the former lord Matsuura family, providing high-quality textiles for the lord's family's clothing. However, not long ago, the Matsuura family suddenly and inexplicably suffered a fire that destroyed the family, and Yu Chengli's business was somewhat affected by this.
Yu Chengli was no stranger to Tagawasuke who took over the position of feudal lord. After all, Tagawasuke had been the number one retainer under Matsuura Takanobu before, and he had a large group of Han generals under him, which made the businessmen from the Ming Dynasty more likely to increase his number. Feeling of closeness. Yu Chengli even heard a rumor that Tagawa Jie's adopted son also had Han blood, and his biological father was the famous Zheng Zhilong.
For these reasons, Yu Chengli had a very good impression of Tagawasuke. Therefore, although there were many unexplained doubts about the death of the previous lord, Yu Chengli decided to deal with the relationship with the new lord as soon as possible and strive to put his special Supplier qualifications continue.
For Yu Chengli, this qualification is not only an effective advertisement, but also with the care of the feudal lord, he will encounter far fewer messy problems in business operations. If he wants to operate in Hirado for a long time, it is necessary to find such a strong backer.
But Yu Chengli never expected that within a few days of Tagawasuke taking over, news of a possible war would spread. Then Tagawasuke sent someone to find him and without any explanation, requisitioned dozens of pieces of gauze in his warehouse for use as war preparation supplies. Of course, the settlement and other matters will probably have to be calculated slowly after the war.
Yu Chengli initially thought that the Hirado clan was going to war with other forces in Kyushu, but he did not take it too seriously. He knew that the strength of the Hirado clan army in the Kyushu region should be considered second to none, and the possibility of victory in foreign wars was extremely high. When this battle is won, he will take the initiative to give up the payment and ask Tagawasuke for the qualifications of a special supplier. Presumably the other party will agree to it.
But soon more rumors appeared on the market, saying that it was not the local forces in the Kyushu region that were going to war with Hirado this time, but the terrifying Haihan people.
Yu Chengli has traveled around Suzhou and Hangzhou all year round and has many social connections in all aspects. Naturally, he is no stranger to the various deeds of the Haihan people. He even visited Zhoushan Dinghai Port once, where he saw the Haihan Armed Fleet moored in the port from a distance and was very impressed by it.
As far as Yu Chengli knew, the Haihan people started by occupying Qiongzhou Island in the Ming Dynasty. Over the years, they have continued to expand outward through conquests. Even Zhoushan Island in Ningbo Prefecture was also occupied by Haihan using military means. The local officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were afraid of its strength and did not dare to send troops to expel it. As time went by, Zhoushan Island became the territory of the Haihan Kingdom. Moreover, Yu Chengli also heard that the Haihan people snatched Jinzhou from the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong and also took it for themselves, with no intention of returning it to the Ming Dynasty.
The Haihan people, who were so powerful that even the Ming Dynasty did not dare to stroke their beards, now wanted to send troops across the sea to attack Pingdo. Yu Chengli's expectations for Pingdo officials suddenly dropped greatly. Regardless of whether the Kaihan people came to burn, kill, loot, or seize Hirado Island, he believed that the chance of the Hirado clan winning would be extremely slim.
Of course, although Yu Chengli was not optimistic about the prospects of the Hirado clan in this war, he believed that he at least had a way out and did not have to stay in Hirado to wait for the war to break out. But when he was about to leave here and return to the Ming Dynasty, Tagawasuke ordered the implementation of military control over Hirado. No one was allowed to leave the island, and young people of appropriate age were recruited as peasant soldiers and civilian husbands to participate in the next war.
Not only could Yu Chengli be unable to leave, but his cargo ship was temporarily requisitioned by the Hirado navy. In desperation, he could only spend another sum of money to bribe the officials responsible for recruiting young men and skip the shops under his name, so as to prevent himself and his men from being captured by the Japanese and working as civilian husbands. If you get into the flames of war, you really don’t even know how to die.
As for ordinary people in Hirado, only a very small number of them have Yu Chengli's methods. Most of them have to perform labor and military service in accordance with official arrangements, and there are many situations where the feudal army needs to be dispatched to forcibly take people away. During this period, there were people who refused to serve, people who took advantage of the situation for profit, and people who fled into the mountains and forests for refuge. Various situations emerged one after another, and the entire city inevitably became chaotic because of this.
Next door to Yu Chengli is a Portuguese trading house. The owner is named Gonzalez. In his early years, he also did business in the southern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty. Later, he settled in Pingdo, even earlier than Yu Chengli. Gonzalez has been in the East for a long time and can speak both Chinese and Japanese, so he usually has a lot of contact with Yu Chengli.
Both of them are outsiders in Hirado, and their similar situation makes them have a lot in common. In addition, Gonzalez is an extrovert, so they get along quite well as neighbors. And just after Tagawasuke ordered the city to be closed in preparation for war, Gonzalez came to find Yu Chengli and asked him if he planned to leave Hirado.
"If you want to leave, you have to be able to do so!" Yu Chengli smiled bitterly: "My boat has been requisitioned by the government. Did they make an exception for you?"
"There is no exception. My ship has also been requisitioned." Gonzalez shrugged: "It seems that if we don't plan to swim out, we will have to stay on the island until the war is over!"
Of course, it is impossible to swim out. They have businesses in Hirado that have been operating for many years. How can they just give up? And before the war swept this place, there would definitely still be a sense of luck, thinking that it was still possible for him to survive this disaster safely.
The two exchanged the amount of money spent to bribe officials to exempt themselves from labor, and found that each of them had been severely ripped off. However, at this time, there was no way to bargain with the officials, even if they knew they had suffered a loss, they could only I can bear it now. As for the purpose of Haihan sending troops to attack Hirado, Gonzalez seemed very optimistic: "The Haihan people did not come to occupy this place. It is too far away from the Ming Dynasty, and there are no valuable local products. And Look at the terrain of Hirado Island. The area suitable for construction is too small. This is not a place that the Haihan people would be interested in. They must come here for other reasons!"
Yu Chengli nodded and said: "The government said that the Haihan people are coming to loot Hirado. I guess this means they will leave after looting?"
Gonzalez said disapprovingly: "This statement is even more ridiculous. The Haihan people are much richer than the Japanese. Do they need to cross the sea to rob Hirato? I'm afraid the wealth they rob is not enough for their military expenses! I heard that Boss Yu has been to Zhoushan, so he should know something about it, right?”
Yu Chengli thought about it and felt that Gonzalez's statement made some sense. Since Haihan wanted to cross the sea to defeat Hirado, he must go out in large numbers to ensure victory. Although Hirado is a regional trade center, it seems far from wealthy enough to attract the Haihan people to go to war over it. Otherwise, wouldn't it be much more cost-effective for them to directly loot the rich lands in Jiangsu and Zhejiang adjacent to Zhoushan than to attack Hirado?
Yu Chengli also knew that the Portuguese and the Haihan people maintained close trade relations, so he immediately lowered his voice and asked tentatively: "Does Boss Gang know the inside story of the Haihan people's attack on Hirado?"
Gonzalez was accustomed to Yu Chengli's nondescript name, and he didn't bother to correct his surname. He just shook his head and said, "I don't have any inside information. I just think what the government said is unreasonable. I think the government should be hiding it." In some cases, the truth was not disclosed to us.”
"But what can we do even if we know the truth? Can we still mediate and make them give up the war?" Gonzalez said helplessly: "All we can do is find ways to protect ourselves and not be involved in the war. . At least when the Haihan people invade Hirado, don’t be treated as enemies.”
This was exactly what Yu Chengli was thinking. He actually believed that the Hirado clan army would be defeated, but it was difficult to predict how the war would progress, and he had not thought about how to protect himself if the Kaihan army invaded Hirado. is the most appropriate.
"Boss Gang, what are you going to do?" Yu Chengli thought that Gonzalez had a lot of insight into the current situation, so he wanted to hear his opinion.
Gonzalez was silent for a moment, but then he asked a question that confused Monk Yu Chengli: "Boss Yu, do you still have cloth in stock here?"
"Yes, yes...but what's the use of holding cloth at this juncture?" Yu Chengli asked.
Gonzalez refused to tell the truth immediately, but asked Yu Chengli to take him to see things. Yu Chengli didn't know what he meant, but he still complied with the other party's request and took him to the store warehouse to check the inventory.
"That's all the goods are. They are all good things shipped from Hangzhou at the beginning of the year! But the best quality goods have been sold to merchants in Kyoto, and the ones in stock are relatively ordinary." Yu Chengli pointed to the number of goods placed in the warehouse. There were not many more than two hundred pieces of fabric, and Gonzalez was motioned to check it out on his own.
If Gonzalez planned to lower the price and eat this batch of goods at this time, Yu Chengli didn't mind taking a small loss. It would be better to exchange these goods for gold and silver and bury them underground instead of leaving them in a warehouse. It was confiscated after the war.
Gonzalez stepped forward to pick and pick, but in the end he only picked out two pieces of fabric. He put them under his arm and said to Yu Cheng, "These are the only ones."
"That's it?" Yu Chengli was slightly surprised. This was obviously not about packing his inventory. Unexpectedly, at this juncture, Gonzalez could still have the leisure and leisure time to shop.
Before Yu Chengli opened his quotation, Gonzalez said again: "If you and I can save the store after the war, we will settle on this thing!"
Yu Chengli asked in confusion: "What does this mean?"
When Gonzalez saw that there were Yu Chengli's men next to him, he just winked at him but did not answer. Yu Chengli understood, and asked someone to take the two pieces of fabric, and together they returned to the flower hall, then retreated and then asked Gonzales again about his intentions.
"The Haihan Kingdom uses a red and blue flag as its national symbol. As long as we make the flag in advance and hang it at the door of the store when the Haihan Army enters the city, we should be able to stay safe!" Gonzalez explained, speaking softly. Gently caress the two pieces of fabric lying on the table.
One is as red as blood, and the other is as dark blue as the sea. Perhaps because the colors of these two pieces of silk are too bright, they have been kept in the warehouse without being sold since they were shipped to Japan this year. However, Yu Chengli never expected that they could still be used. It has such an effect.
In fact, he had seen Haihan's two-color flag when he went to Zhoushan before. It was only when Gonzalez reminded him that he remembered this detail. There is no way to confirm whether this method will work, but at this time, there is no need to worry about so much, and I must try any method that can save my life.
(End of chapter)