Chapter 2720
Yang Tianlei did not make a more detailed evaluation of the military strength of the two troops stationed in Nagasaki, but since he used "window dressing" to describe the local Japanese garrison, it can be seen that their level is still far behind that of the Haihan Army. Not enough to pose a threat.
Of course, perhaps the reason why the Nagasaki authorities arranged this special garrison plan was not entirely for security purposes, but might also have political considerations. After all, Nagasaki's operations also relied on external support. Maintaining good relations with powerful vassals in surrounding areas would help ensure local stability. Allowing these vassal states to send troops to Nagasaki and bear the related expenses is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to gain trust.
However, as a professional, Ha Jianyi looks at the problem from a different perspective than Yang Tianlei: "These two companies only sent a small number of troops symbolically. I think in addition to the Nagasaki government's purpose of saving money, there is another The reason is that we don’t want to upset the Sasebo base.”
Yang Tianlei puzzled: "It's understandable to save money, but the Japanese army's combat power is low, so what threat does it pose to us? The Nagasaki government also knows a little about the situation in Sasebo, so it shouldn't be so inflated, thinking that the garrison here can provide We create a sense of unease.”
Ha Jianyi shook his head slightly and said: "You misunderstood. The Nagasaki government did this because they did not want to leave us any excuse to use force."
In Ha Jianyi's view, the Nagasaki government's approach was actually quite smart. No one who manages this place can sit back and watch the existence of the Sasebo base, but since there is no way to make the Haihan Army move away from this area, they can only minimize the probability of a conflict as much as possible. If a powerful armed force were to be stationed in Nagasaki, it might arouse the suspicion of Kaihan, and it might end up like the Hirado clan.
Nagasaki's geographical location cannot be said to be a strategic location, and its military value is not even comparable to that of Hirado Port, which guards the strait. Its trade status is the real meaning of its existence. Therefore, the Nagasaki government's choice was to abandon military confrontation and focus on trade. Since it could not afford to offend Haihan, it would try to avoid conflicts. Reducing the size of the garrison was one of the methods.
Is such a method really useful? As long as the Kaihan Army at the Sasebo base does not come to Nagasaki to cause trouble, the local government will definitely acquiesce that the methods used at this stage have played a certain role. For both parties, maintaining the status quo is the best option to maintain a win-win situation.
The Nagasaki government did not prepare any decent welcome ceremony for the arrival of the Haihan delegation. Only Seijiro Kosaki and a few subordinates were waiting for them to disembark at the pier. It is not difficult to understand the government's attitude. If it is too enthusiastic, it will be difficult to negotiate terms for the subsequent talks.
However, the local people were obviously curious about the sudden arrival of the Haihan Fleet, and there were already thousands of people watching outside the pier. If it weren't for the people from the government keeping order, I'm afraid they would have swarmed nearby.
The purpose of Seijiro Kozaki's visit was not to warmly receive the Haihan mission, but to inform them that Yuta Kosaki would meet with the mission at the execution office tomorrow. After conveying this arrangement, he left in a hurry, but he still left manpower at the dock to maintain order and prevent irrelevant personnel from approaching the mission ships.
"That's it? Forget it if you don't arrange accommodation, and you don't even entertain dinner?" Bai Letong looked at Seijiro Kozaki's leaving figure and couldn't help but complain.
Tao Hongfang smiled and said: "We are here to do business, not to attend a banquet. If you skip a meal, you will not lose the meat!" This is true, but because of their status and their public visit, the news spread in advance , How come there is no one to welcome me when I arrive in Nagasaki? People from the local Haihan Chamber of Commerce had been waiting nearby. As soon as Seijiro Kozaki withdrew, a large group of people immediately came over.
The leader was an old man in his fifties. When he came up, he wanted to bow to Shi Chengwu and call him "Young General". It seemed that the two of them were old acquaintances.
Shi Chengwu introduced to everyone: "This is He Lihe, the president of the local Haihan Chamber of Commerce and the shopkeeper. He is from Ningbo Prefecture. Before coming to Nagasaki, he was a celebrity in the business circles of Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
The relationship between He Li and Shi Chengwu can be traced back to Shi Diwen. Speaking of which, He Li is not an outsider. He Xiao, the capable adviser to Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, was He Li's brother. At that time, He Li was responsible for all the industries that Qu Yutong secretly controlled. In terms of management, he is actually Qu Yutong's white glove.
The relationship between Qu Yutong and Shi Diwen was extraordinary. He Li was asked to run errands in the middle of many things. Therefore, he was a frequent visitor to Shi Mansion many years ago, and naturally he was familiar with Shi Chengwu. When others see Shi Chengwu, they usually call him "Master Shi" or "General Shi", while He Li is talking about friendship with his father, so he calls him "Young General". This title shows that they have a very close relationship.
Shi Diwen was one of the senior generals who initially advocated setting up a base in Sasebo, and his reason was that he was optimistic about the trade prospects of Nagasaki Port. With such a piece of fat, it is natural to arrange for capable people to take control of the overall situation in Nagasaki. So after some operations, He Li became the president of the Nagasaki Haihan Chamber of Commerce, while his brother He Xiao stayed in Ningbo. The cooperation between the two brothers across the sea was quite effective.
Before the mission even set off from Zhejiang, He Li had already received the news in Nagasaki. Although Seijiro Kozaki did not disclose the specific visit time of the mission after returning from Sasebo, He Li had confirmed the time through his own channels, so he could organize members of the chamber of commerce to come to the dock in advance to wait for the arrival of the mission.
As for the background of these young officials in the mission, He Li naturally found out in advance. However, he has been dealing with high-level people for many years, and he no longer needs to use a groveling attitude to win favor. The right way is to seize the opportunity to demonstrate his professional abilities.
The Chamber of Commerce has prepared a welcoming banquet and accommodation for the mission in advance, and even prepared meals to reward the sailors, which is indeed quite thoughtful.
During the dinner, Shi Chengwu took the initiative to ask He Li about the situation of Nagasaki enshrining Yuta Kosaki. Although I have heard some things from Amakusa Shiro in Sasebo, in terms of understanding, Amakusa Shiro is definitely not as good as Ho Rei who has been staying in Nagasaki all year round and often deals with Yuta Kozaki and other local officials.
He Li put down the chopsticks in his hand, pondered for a while and then gave his opinion: "Osaki Yuta is a person who values righteousness more than profit, and likes money. If he is lured with profit, he will probably succeed. However, he is still loyal to the Edo shogunate. If It may be difficult to get him to betray the interests of the shogunate.”
(End of chapter)