Shi Diwen walked down the gangway slowly, exchanged warm greetings with Zong Yizhen first, and then briefly chatted with Haihan's diplomatic officer stationed in Tsushima, before preparing to leave the dock by car.
Before getting on the carriage, Shi Diwen stopped and waved to the Haihan people standing outside waving two-color flags, and was greeted with cheers again.
At Shi Diwen's active invitation, Zong Yizhen also temporarily bid farewell to his soft sofa chair and rode in the same carriage with Shi Diwen.
Under the double protection of the guard company and the Tsushima Armed Guards, the group left the pier and slowly marched towards Kinshi City not far away.
Shi Diwen said in a deep voice: "The dog visited Tsushima the year before last and received warm hospitality from Master Zong. Good work!"
Zong Yizhen responded quickly: "Your Excellency, you are too polite. It is our honor for Mr. Shi and his entourage to come to Ma Fan as guests. What I did was just what I should do."
It was the collective visit of the second generation two years ago that made Tsushima completely turn to Haihan, and it also got the opportunity to develop rapidly.
Zong Yizhen's current level of Chinese is much more fluent than when Shi Chengwu and others visited Tsushima two years ago. There are no big problems in daily conversations. There is no need to rely on a translator. This also simplifies the individual conversations between the two. Obstacles cleared.
And with the foundation laid by the second-generation wearers during their last visit, the atmosphere of the conversation between the two in the car became much more relaxed.
Zong Yizhen briefly introduced the trade development status of Tsushima in the past two years. Shi Diwen listened silently and nodded from time to time.
What Zong Yizhen said is basically consistent with the information he has obtained through intelligence channels. After obtaining the support of Haihan, the scale of foreign trade of Ma Fan greatly increased, and permanent trade institutions were quickly established in Busan, Zhoushan, Jeju and other places.
In just two years, Tsushima's share of cross-border trade between Korea and Japan has increased rapidly, and now it has surpassed the shogunate and become the number one in Japan.
For Tsushima, whose territory and population were extremely limited, being able to operate on such a scale was something that Soyoshi could never imagine in the past. Therefore, he did not hide his gratitude to Haihan in his words.
Jinshi City is not far from the seaside, and he has already arrived as he spoke. The two got out of the car, and Zong Yizhen took Shi Diwen and his party to the hall where he usually held meetings with his subordinates.
In order to take care of Shi Diwen's identity, Chinese tables and chairs were specially placed in advance so that the distinguished guests would not have to sit cross-legged on the floor.
It was still early for lunch, so Zong Yizhen planned to chat with Shi Diwen about some casual topics first, and then have a formal meeting in the afternoon after the lunch.
However, Shi Diwen obviously did not intend to waste time on irrelevant topics. After sitting down, he made an evaluation of the trade situation Zong Yizhen had introduced in the car.
"The advantage of Tsushima is its geographical location, but the disadvantage is also in this. I think Master Zong has already felt that the scale of Tsushima's trade is approaching the upper limit."
Zong Yi was really not sure what Shi Diwen meant, so he could only respond humbly: "This is indeed the case. Please give me some guidance, Mr. Shi."
Shi Diwen said: "If you just settle for the status quo, then there won't be much room for development of the Tsuima Fan. If Mr. Zong has greater ambitions, then you can't just stay in one corner. You must develop the Tsuima Fan." Expansion of influence ”
Zong Yizhen said: "We are also trying this in the next two years. If the overseas trading warehouses are operating well, we will prepare to promote this form to more places in the future." Shi Diwen shook his head slightly and said: " Master Zong, please forgive me, the territory you rule is too small, the population is too small, and your ability to expand outward will be limited because of this. Even if you turn all the young people on Tsushima into merchant sailors, you will not be able to do it. How many fleets can be formed? How large an area can it cover?”
Taken together, the several islands under the jurisdiction of Tsushima are less than the Zhoushan Islands in area, and the population is much smaller than the Zhoushan Islands.
What's more, Tsuima's shipbuilding industry is not developed. In recent years, it has only begun to purchase large cargo ships that can cross the ocean from Haihan. If you want to organize a large-scale trading fleet, it is not enough to have sailors. You must have a supporting shipbuilding industry.
Every word Shi Diwen said hit home the shortcomings of Tsuima Fan. Zong Yizhen had no way to refute, so he could only respond with a smile: "Tsima Fan is a small place with limited strength, which made Master Shi laugh."
Shi Diwen said: "When I say this, I don't mean to ridicule Tsuima Fan. What I want to say is that if Tsuima Fan has plans to expand, Haihan can help Master Zong!"
Muneyoshi couldn't help but feel his heart beat faster when he heard this. How could he be satisfied with just being the owner of the island? It's just that Tsushima's territory is located in the strait between Japan and Japan. He can't fight on either side, let alone The possibility of seizing land and making it one's own, and expanding the territory can only be thought of.
But listening to Shi Diwen's tone, it was obvious that he intended to support Tsushima to become a vassal. This kind of opportunity is rare in a century, and Zong Yi really doesn't want to miss it easily.
"Master Shi, can you elaborate?" Zong Yizhen asked expectantly.
Shi Diwen said: "It's very simple. The Tsushima Domain broke away from the shogunate, established its own country, and declared war on the shogunate. We will provide the Tsushima Domain with the necessary military support and more trade opportunities."
Zong Yizhen opened his mouth in shock, but nothing could come out.
Of course, he also thought about the possibility of completely breaking away from the rule of the shogunate and establishing his own country. But that would definitely mean that the Tsushima clan would be attacked by the shogunate, and the military strength of the two sides was completely different.
Even if the protection provided by Kaihan prevents the shogunate from massively attacking Tsushima, as long as the shogunate cuts off all trade with Tsushima, it will also cause a very serious blow to this isolated island overseas.
Compared with Haihan, which is thousands of miles away, Korea and Japan are Tsushima's most important trading partners. If all trade channels with the mainland are cut off, trade with Korea and even Haihan will also be huge. affected. For Zong Yizhen, doing so was tantamount to seeking suicide.
"What do you think, Master Zong?" Seeing that he was silent for a long time, Shi Diwen asked again.
Zong Yizhen responded with a wry smile: "Master Shi, although the prospect you mentioned is very tempting, it is like a fatal poison to me. After falling out with the shogunate, it will be difficult for Tsushima to trade. Keep it going!”
Shi Diwen said: "Is it possible that you have overestimated the strength of the shogunate? Think about it carefully, is the shogunate really capable of cutting off Tsushima's trade channels?"
Muneyishin said: "Perhaps trade in the Kyushu region can still be maintained, but what about the Honshu region controlled by the shogunate? That is Tsushima's main trade target!"
Shi Diwen sneered and said: "The problem you mentioned is not complicated to solve. Just turn the area ruled by the shogunate into your own territory."