Mune Yizhen suddenly felt that his mind was a little confused. If he wanted to establish his own business, he had to cut off his own retreat and fall out with one of the most important trading partners, the Tokugawa Shogunate. Not only that, Tsushima had to defeat the shogunate on the battlefield and send troops to seize the areas currently under the shogunate's rule to ensure that their trade with the Honshu region would not be cut off.
After completing this series of unparalleled operations, it was possible for Tsushima to realize what Shi Diwen called "independent nation-building" and become a prince that was not subject to the control of the shogunate.
With Tsushima's current size, it will definitely not be able to withstand major setbacks. If anything goes wrong at any step in the process, it will be a disaster for Tsushima.
Even if everything goes smoothly, Tsushima will have to stop all current construction and trade projects, first promote the militarization of the entire population, and concentrate the young and strong for training, so that it can be possible to assemble the army needed to conquer the Honshu region.
Is this really a goal that Tsushima can achieve?
Zong Yizhen felt that Shi Diwen thought too highly of himself and set such high goals for Tsushima. Even if this task is left to Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, and Satsuma, which are more powerful than Tsushima, it may not be possible to complete it smoothly!
Zong Yizhen took a deep breath and asked Shi Diwen in as calm a voice as possible: "Master Shi, with my ability against Ma Fan, I'm afraid it's not enough to accomplish the goals you mentioned, right?"
Shi Diwen said: "What? You have no confidence in yourself?"
Zong Yizhen said: "I just know my own weight. Going to war with the shogunate is like throwing an egg against a stone. The shogunate can mobilize tens of thousands of troops. Even if all of my warriors can fight one against ten, at least seven of them will be needed." It is possible to send troops to attack the shogunate with eight thousand troops, plus the large number of accompanying soldiers and civilians. This... I am afraid that it is not enough to bring all the young men of Tsushima to the battlefield!"
Shi Diwen was not angry when he heard that he was obviously trying to shirk the blame. He just nodded slightly and said: "Master Zong did not refuse directly and seriously considered the possibility of fighting the shogunate. It is considered to be thoughtful. But what you mentioned The situation is that Tsushima is fighting against the shogunate alone. Isn’t it a bit biased?”
Zong Yizhen didn't understand the implication of Shi Diwen's words, and asked quickly: "Is your country willing to send troops to form a coalition with me to fight?"
Shi Diwen shook his head slightly and said: "The armistice treaty signed between our country and the shogunate ten years ago has stated that we will not initiate a war against the shogunate. The most we can do is to provide Tsushima with weapons and equipment. military support and will not directly send troops to participate in the war.”
Zong Yizhen couldn't hide the disappointment on his face when he heard this answer: "Is it just that? Then I'm afraid I still can't agree with your advice."
Shi Diwen felt that the heat was almost there, so he revealed the answer to Zong Yizhen: "Have you ever thought, Lord Zong, that several armies will attack from the Kyushu region at the same time to launch a war against the shogunate? Although Tsushima is a single force, I am alone, but if I attack with many allies, will I be able to fight against the shogunate? ”
Zong Yizhen's eyes lit up: "Master Shi, are you saying that a coalition force will be formed in the Kyushu region to fight against the shogunate?"
Shi Diwen said: "It may not be possible to form a coalition, but at least we can plan in advance, discuss our respective attack targets, and let the shogunate focus on one thing and not the other. If there is a fire in all directions at the same time, do you think the shogunate can still save it?"
The Kyushu region is far away from Edo, and has always turned a deaf ear to the government orders from the shogunate. Of course, Tsushima is not the only local vassal country that plans to establish its own branch, but it is just that it is frightened by the force of the shogunate, and no one dares to fall out with the shogunate easily.
As for uniting to fight against the shogunate, it is certainly possible in theory, but in practice it is difficult to achieve mutual trust. If someone sells him out, the shogunate will probably come knocking on his door, and then there will be a disaster of genocide.
Unless there is an intermediary that can be trusted by all parties and has sufficient strength to act as a guarantee, it is possible for the various vassals to sit down and discuss a joint operation to bring down the curtain. The only person in Kyushu who has this qualification seems to be Haihan, a migrant.
As the time approached noon, Zong Yizhen took the initiative to stop the meeting and ordered a banquet. He knew that no matter what Shi Diwen promised, he could not act too impatient, otherwise it would be difficult to bargain with the shrewd Haihan people in the future.
In order to cater to the tastes of distinguished guests, Zong Yizhen specifically contacted the Haihan diplomatic mission on the island, temporarily borrowed two Haihan chefs from there, and asked them to cook several tables of authentic Haihan dishes.
Nowadays, Tsushima's maritime trade lines extend in all directions, and all kinds of condiments and drinks produced in Haihan can be transported to Tsushima Island, so the taste of this Jiefeng Banquet is quite pure. Even the tableware and wine utensils used during the banquet are almost all produced in Haihan.
Shi Diwen also noticed these details and praised Zong Yi during the dinner for his extraordinary taste and how to enjoy Haihan's good things.
Zong Yi really saw that Shi Diwen appreciated this, and after the banquet was over, he asked his subordinates to take out the Haihan items he had obtained through various channels and show them to Shi Diwen. There were decorative ornaments such as the Four Treasures of the Study, as well as the precious sofa chair he had received as a gift from Shi Chengwu. There were quite a few bits and pieces.
Seeing that the atmosphere was in place, Shi Diwen asked his subordinates to present a special gift that he had prepared for Zong Yizhen.
What Zong Yizhen saw was a large wooden cabinet that was almost as tall as him. The wooden cabinet was dark in color and had exquisite carvings on the door.
"Lord Zong, please open it and take a look!"
Zong Yizhen responded, then stepped forward and opened the cabinet door, and then froze on the spot.
Inside the cabinet is a pair of gleaming metal armor, complete with parts from head to toe. There is an exaggeratedly large crescent moon on the helmet, the matching face armor is in the shape of a Prajna evil ghost, and there is a conspicuous Zong family emblem on the breastplate. , looks very mighty.
"This armor is made of high-quality stainless steel produced in my country. The material is tough and can prevent direct fire shots. The armor pieces are thin and light, and the joints are flexible, making it easy to ride and fight on the battlefield. The entire set of armor weighs only thirty kilograms. It was made by several top craftsmen. It took more than a month to build.”
"I believe that after Master Zong puts on this armor, he will be invincible on the battlefield! Invincible!"
Although Zong Yizhen is not a famous general, he has been engaged in trade all year round, so he can naturally be regarded as a person who knows the goods. He reached out and touched the material of the armor plate, and knew that what Shi Diwen said was true. At least Ma Fan's blacksmith shop would not be able to forge armor plates of this quality.
The strings connecting these nail pieces are actually made of metal, and there is a cowhide cushion under the nail pieces to ensure wearing comfort.
This kind of customized armor is impossible to buy in the market, and its value is difficult to measure in numbers. For Zong Yizhen, who likes to collect Haihan items, this is really an extremely valuable gift.