Zong Yizhen also has several sets of armors inherited from his family, but compared with the set of fine steel armors given by Shi Diwen, those things handed down from his ancestors are not of the same level in terms of workmanship and materials. This set of customized armors in front of him is just... It is a good thing that should be kept as a family heirloom.
However, Zong Yizhen also understood that Shi Diwen gave him such a well-made high-end armor, not because he was a famous general who was good at military affairs, but because he hoped that Tsushima would declare war on the Tokugawa shogunate as Haihan wished. , then this armor can really come in handy.
Zong Yizhen touched the armor greedily, feeling the cold and hard texture from his fingers. If there were a thousand sets of armor of this quality... no, even five hundred sets, and equipped to the elite warriors of Tsushima Domain, they would probably be able to dominate the area.
However, this thought did not stay in his mind for long, and his reason brought him back to reality.
Shi Diwen has just said that it will definitely be more than just Tsui Ma Fan who will send troops at that time, and among the nine vassals, Tsui Ma Fan's military strength can be considered average at best, and those traditional powerful ones are probably the ones that Haihan will be more powerful in. The object of attraction. The military support they can get will only be above Tsushima.
There may even be custom-made armors that are not available on the market. Shi Diwen also prepared a set for each daimyo of each vassal he was going to visit.
Thinking of this, Zong Yizhen's high enthusiasm quickly cooled down.
"Thank you, Master Shi, for your valuable gift! However, I am not good at martial arts, so I will rarely have the opportunity to wear this armor. It seems that I can only put it in Jinshi City as a collection!"
Zong Yizhen took retreat in order to advance, saying that he would not agree to Shi Diwen's request just because he accepted this set of armor.
Shi Diwen could not hear the implication, and responded with a smile: "I believe that in the next period of time, the heroes of the Japanese archipelago will rise up to compete in the world. A courageous daimyo will definitely seize this situation. Opportunities to expand one's own territory may not be the main province controlled by the shogunate, but the Kyushu region where the noble domain is located. ”
Zong Yizhen couldn't help but change his face slightly when he heard this. Shi Diwen's words were obviously threatening.
If Haihan wants to support the Kyushu vassals to fight against the shogunate, there will inevitably be some careerists who take this opportunity to expand their territory. Compared with the shogunate, the weak local vassal states in Kyushu are much easier to deal with. When the time comes to send troops, the surrounding areas will be easily annexed, which is what will most likely happen.
Haihan's main goal is to deal with the shogunate, and he will most likely turn a blind eye to the internal frictions in the Kyushu region and not interfere too much.
But if we are in such a chaotic situation, it is really difficult to say whether any daimyo will covet Tsushima and suddenly send troops to attack Tsushima.
For example, the Kuroda family of the Fukuoka domain and the Nabeshima family of the Saga domain are across the sea from Tsushima. Their overall strength is far superior to that of Tsushima. Although the two sides have maintained trade exchanges on weekdays and seem to have a good relationship, at the same time, the other party also knows the details of Tsushima. Perhaps in their eyes, Tsushima is just a piece of fat that is almost undefended.
If they send troops to annex Taima, they will not only get a few islands in the strait, but also a considerable share of North Korea and Japan's cross-border trade.
And all this may not even require Haihan to make an explicit statement. As long as he remains on the sidelines, someone will take risks for huge benefits.
Of course, if Tima Fan is willing to act according to Shi Diwen's suggestion, then Haihan's protection will still be effective, and there will be no situation where other forces in the Kyushu region try to annex Tima Fan.
Shi Diwen looked at Zong Yizhen sitting opposite him calmly, without urging him to respond immediately. He believed that Soyoshi was aware of the risks Tsushima faced and would weigh the pros and cons to make a decision that was best for him.
What Haihan needs is a Tsushima clan who obeys the arrangements. If Zongyi really thinks that with his own cleverness, he can negotiate terms and prices with Haihan, he would be completely wrong. If Zong Yizhen feels that things are difficult to handle and wants to find excuses to evade the "errand" assigned by Haihan to Tsushima, then Shi Diwen will not just let Zong Yizhen off with a smile, but will directly turn over the table. .
Difficult? Then don't do it!
Shi Diwen remained silent, but Zong Yizhen broke out in cold sweat on his back. He suddenly realized that the so-called cooperative relationship in the past few years was actually just playing the role assigned by Haihan to Tsushima.
Now, the role Tsuima Fan will continue to play is no longer just Haihan's trading partner, but a pawn who works hard for Haihan's charge.
If the Zong family doesn't want to perform on stage, then someone else will naturally perform the show on behalf of the Zong family.
Zong Yizhen could only bite the bullet and said: "Although I am not good at martial arts, if your country needs it, I will personally lead the troops into battle and fight the enemy to the end!"
Zong Yi really changed his attitude 180 degrees, which was also expected by Shi Diwen. He nodded and said: "If Mr. Zong has such an awareness, my trip will not be in vain!"
After Shi Diwen finished speaking, he made a gesture, and someone handed him a book.
Shi Diwen handed it to Zong Yizhen: "Master Zong, this is the military support our country is preparing to provide to Tsushima. You can take a look at it first."
Zong Yizhen took it and opened it to see that the content was actually a military purchase list, including muskets, artillery, armor, warships and other weapons and equipment as well as a large amount of military supplies, which was enough to arm the Tsushima domain with a force capable of cross-sea operations. capable troops.
What really attracted Zong Yizhen's attention was that the prices of the weapons marked on this list were much cheaper than when purchased directly from Haihan in the past few years, and the upper limit of the quantity that could be purchased was also much higher.
Zong Yizhen quickly asked: "Master Shi, will this be the price for purchasing arms from your country in the future?"
Shi Diwen smiled and said: "Stop guessing, there is no such thing as such a good thing! This is just a one-time support measure. After passing this village, there will be no such store!"
Hearing this answer, Soyoshi was slightly disappointed, but he also knew that Kaihan could not let Tsushima Domain act as a second-tier dealer in the arms trade. If he wanted to play the game of buying low and selling high, he obviously couldn't hide it. Shi Diwen's discernment.
Zong Yizhen asked again: "If the war lasts for months and months, and we need to purchase arms, will your country be able to deliver the goods in time?"
Shi Diwen said: "Don't worry, our country's arsenal has begun to adjust its arms production plan and is preparing to provide sufficient supply to Japan."
There is no water in Shi Diwen's words. The arsenal in Sanya, Hainan has built a separate production workshop specifically for the future manufacture of various types of weapons and equipment of old models for export to Japan.
Of course, not all of these production capacities are prepared for the Kyushu vassals. After the war starts, the shogunate, a major customer, will also purchase a large number of weapons from Haihan, and then Haihan Ordnance Industry will really make big money.