Chapter 2719
In terms of natural conditions, the harbor environment of Nagasaki Port is obviously much better than that of Hirado Port, which the mission passed through before. The coastline south of Sasebo Bay is a steep mountainous area that stretches for more than a hundred miles. Only where Nagasaki Port is located is a huge gap, forming a harbor that goes deep inland. No matter how violent the wind and waves from the East China Sea are, they will all be kept out of the bay. There is a huge seaside river valley in the harbor. The climate is humid and the land is fertile, making it suitable for building a port city.
Of course, the Japanese have long been aware of the value of this place, so as early as the last century, this place has become an international trade port. The Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish from the West, as well as close neighbors such as North Korea, China, and Ryukyu , all of them unanimously regarded this place as the gateway port of Japan.
Later, the Japanese shogunate began to implement the policy of seclusion, and the Hirado Port was completely destroyed by the Haihan Army. It was logical that Nagasaki Port took the throne as Japan's number one trading port. And because this place is under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate and is not subject to the control of local vassals, armed battles between vassals rarely directly affect this place. The stable social environment and the continuous flow of wealth have created a prosperous port city.
When the Zhoushan sailed into the port, everyone quickly noticed an obvious similarity with the Haihan domestic port. That was the rows of huge advertising signs on the roofs of the buildings, and more than half of them were Haihan names they recognized. There are even more businesses than the Busan Port I have been to before. The advertising signs of Fu Ruifeng from the Li family in Guangdong, Fu Mao Trading Company from the Xu family in Fujian, and commercial giants such as Haihan Bank and Jindun Transport all occupy the most conspicuous positions.
Being able to set up so many advertising signs in a foreign port not only shows that they are willing to spend money, but also shows the influence of these Haihan merchants in Nagasaki. After all, it would be difficult to get permission from the local government if the propaganda was carried out in such a big way on other people's territory without some weight.
Being in a foreign country, but being able to see familiar scenes made everyone feel more relaxed. Yang Tianlei noticed the change in everyone's mood and introduced with a smile: "As early as ten years ago, the Haihan merchants in Nagasaki spontaneously established a chamber of commerce. So far, there are more than 70 members. In terms of scale, it is already the largest in the local area. For foreign chambers of commerce, it is no exaggeration to say that wealth can rival a country. Our country’s influence has already penetrated into all aspects of the local area, and the government is no exception... I believe this meeting will go smoothly.”
Shi Chengwu asked: "Does the resolution we reached with Nagasaki have to receive clear instructions from the shogunate before it can be implemented?"
Yang Tianlei said: "This is true in theory, but Nagasaki is a trading port, and all the people here are businessmen. There will be room for bargaining in everything, and no one will do things in a rigid manner. As long as there are practical benefits, there will be Space for operation.”
Upon hearing this, Tao Hongfang asked curiously: "As far as I know, Japan's current isolation policy has many restrictions on trade activities, and Nagasaki is directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate. Can local officials really make the decision?"
< br>
Yang Tianlei nodded affirmatively and said: "Nagasaki is far away from Edo, and political achievements are mainly reflected in the taxes paid to the shogunate every year. As for how to make money quickly, that is the freedom of the local government, so it may not be possible. They will all comply with the wishes of the shogunate.”
Speaking of this topic, we have to mention the special establishment of the local government. The official office of the Nagasaki government is called the "Hogyo Office", and the official official position of the local chief executive Yuta Kosaki is Nagasaki Hogyo. The so-called shogunate is actually a special official position established according to the needs of government affairs after the establishment of the Edo shogunate. Among them, the local officials assigned to the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate are called Tokoku shogunate. Nagasaki is the 16th official position in the country. One of the practices practiced by distant countries.
Officials who can be appointed as ministers are, of course, trusted retainers trusted by the shogun, and Yuta Kozaki is no exception. However, compared to other distant countries, Nagasaki needs to frequently deal with foreigners due to its unique trading status, so its scope of authority is also larger. In addition to serving as the local administrative and judicial chief like other lords, Nagasaki lords also took charge of local military, commercial, diplomatic and other aspects of work, which was even more tasks than most daimyo lords. Because of this, the actual controllable scope of Nagasaki's policy actually far exceeds the official definition.
In the "Commercial Diary" written by the person in charge of the Dutch Merchant Store in Hirado in the 1720s, Hasegawa Gonroku, the head of Nagasaki at the time, was called "the person in charge of goods in Hirado, Nagasaki and other places in Japan" The general manager pursues it."
In recent years, the trade volume of Nagasaki has increased rapidly, and the financial revenue brought to the shogunate has also increased greatly. The prestige of Nagasaki has also increased, ranking first among the distant countries, and its status in the shogunate has gradually become equal to that of the great shogunate. Some of the feudal lords were on equal footing.
With status, prestige and trade privileges, it was very easy for Nagasaki to pursue wealth making. In the name of tribute, they can buy a certain amount of imported goods at the original price, then traffic them to big cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, and resell them at several times the price to make huge profits.
In addition, on August 1st every year, the Nagasaki Office collects money from local people and businessmen in the name of Hassaku Gin, which is equivalent to an annual local tax. The income from this money is considerable, converted into gold, which is more than a thousand taels every year.
Neighboring vassals and foreign merchants would also give various gifts to Nagasaki in the name of festivals and other festivals, and even simply send gold and silver. Therefore, the previous Nagasaki officials basically accepted all comers and regarded money-making activities during their term as one of their responsibilities.
This trend met the Haihan merchants' habit of using money and bribes to clear the way, and they naturally hit it off. With their strong economic strength, Haihan merchants quickly established a foothold in Nagasaki Port and quickly established a chamber of commerce, forming a grouping force. Even if some people don't like this, since Haihan stationed his army in nearby Sasebo Bay, no one has dared to provoke Haihan merchants.
Ha Jianyi asked: "What is the situation of the local garrison? Are all the troops under the command of this command?"
Yang Tianlei continued to introduce: "The local garrison does not actually have combat functions. The rated garrison is only about a thousand people. The Kuroda family in Fukuoka and the Nabeshima family in Saga take turns sending troops to garrison. They change every year. The garrison is at the entrance of the harbor. You also You see, in such a large port, only a thousand troops are stationed, which is actually just a window dressing. However, for the Kuroda family and Nabeshima family, they can receive a large amount of garrison expenses from Nagasaki through this task. , and there is no need to actually fight, it can be regarded as a fat job.”
(End of chapter)