Staying neutral, this certainly sounds like a good solution. As long as the Fukuoka clan does not help each other, it seems that the Kyushu clans and the Tokugawa shogunate have no need to regard them as enemies.
But Kuroda Mitsuyuki himself knew very well that things were not as simple as Shi Diwen said.
As the Kuroda family was originally loyal to the shogunate, if they remained neutral in the civil war launched by the Kyushu clans against the shogunate, this behavior itself was already taking sides.
Doing so is likely to be regarded as betrayal by the Tokugawa shogunate, and then become the target of the shogunate sending troops to conquer. Moreover, the surrounding neighbors will probably regard the Fukuoka Domain's concession as weakness. Once the war develops in a direction that is not conducive to the shogunate, they will also divide the Fukuoka Domain as spoils of war.
Kuroda Mitsuyuki quickly figured out the pros and cons, shook his head and said: "Neutrality cannot solve the Fukuoka Domain's situation, and doing so will not gain the trust of any other party."
Shi Diwen said: "I understand. Master Kuroda's idea is to wait and see how the situation develops before choosing the camp with the advantage. The idea is very good, but have you considered it? If you have not expressed your attitude for a long time, it is very likely that You will lose the opportunity to join either side. When both sides regard Fukuoka Domain as their enemies, your situation will be even more difficult.”
Kuroda Mitsuichi: "Who knows how things will develop that have not happened yet? I cannot change the Kuroda family's consistent stance for decades just because of your words."
In terms of the closeness of the relationship, the Kuroda family is of course closer to the shogunate. How could the decades-old friendship be eliminated just by the persuasion of a high-ranking official from Kaihan. If it weren't for the fear of Haihan's strength, Kuroda Mitsuyuki would probably have no patience to keep talking to Shi Diwen for so long.
Shi Diwen was not in a hurry and returned the topic to trade.
For the Fukuoka Domain, although there are some signs of war, it is a situation that has not happened yet. It is inevitable that Kuroda Mitsuyuki will have some luck and does not want to make a major decision in such a hurry. This is understandable.
But trade is a very practical issue. If the Fukuoka Domain wants to quickly grow in strength, it has to use trade channels to obtain various materials that it lacks from the outside. This is the area where Haihan can easily exert influence on the Fukuoka Domain.
Shi Diwen put forward several specific conditions. First, Kaihan merchants were allowed to set up business stores in Fukuoka, and tax concessions were given; second, Kaihan banknotes were allowed to circulate freely in Fukuoka Domain; third, Fukuoka people were allowed to Accept Haihan's employment.
In return, Haihan will allow the Fukuoka Domain to set up commercial institutions in Zhoushan and purchase various civilian supplies needed without restrictions.
This was of course a very attractive condition for the Fukuoka Domain, which had always struggled to find trade routes. However, Mitsuyuki Kuroda is still a little worried about the circulation of Haihan banknotes and the people's acceptance of Haihan's employment.
Although he does not understand economics, he also knows that it is not that simple to use foreign currency locally, and once servants are opened, it is difficult to ensure that local people will not act as Haihan spies for money.
Shi Diwen saw that he was hesitant, so he struck again while the iron was hot: "In fact, as long as Lord Kuroda makes a little inquiry, he should know that most of the other places in Kyushu have accepted the conditions proposed by our country and have benefited a lot from them."
Kuroda Mitsuyuki smiled and said: "I am no stranger to your country's methods. I was ten years old when the Hirado Domain was destroyed in the war."
What happened to the Hirado clan back then was a model for all the clans in Kyushu. After that, when the Haihan people came to negotiate trade, no one dared to say "no" to them. After all, while the Kaihan people were laughing and shouting "Open the door, free trade", behind them there were countless dark gun muzzles of the Kaihan fleet. No one wanted their territory to be treated the same as the Hirado clan.
Regardless of whether Kuroda Mitsuyuki's words were sarcasm or lingering fear, Shi Diwen didn't take it seriously. Since the other party knew how powerful he was, he just had to waste less words.
"Our country is very sincere in carrying out trade with the Fukuoka Domain. I hope Lord Kuroda can also understand that this kind of cooperation will be of huge benefit to both parties."
Before ending the first meeting, Shi Diwen was still trying his best to persuade the other party to accept the conditions he proposed.
Kuroda Mitsuyuki obviously needed time to discuss the content of the meeting with his think tanks, and Shi Diwen also took this time to take a break.
Running around for many days and meeting all kinds of people took a huge toll on Shi Diwen, who was no longer young. However, he only rested for a moment before calling Shiro Amakusa over and asking him what he thought of the meeting just now.
Amakusa Shiro stays in Kyushu all year round, and almost all information about the Fukuoka Domain must be compiled and reported by him. His knowledge and understanding of the Fukuoka Domain is obviously better than Shi Diwen's, and he was acting as a translator for the whole process just now, so Shi Diwen Devin needed his opinion as a reference.
Amakusa Shiro said: "In the opinion of my subordinates, Kuroda Mitsuyuki is fierce in appearance and soft in heart. He dare not go against our country. If you continue to exert pressure, you will probably be able to force him to make more concessions."
Shi Diwen pondered: "But the Kuroda family has a very deep relationship with the shogunate. I'm worried that if he easily agrees to our conditions, he may only be dealing with us on the surface and still side with the shogunate in private."
Amakusa Shiro said: "Kuroda Mitsuyuki believes that as long as he doesn't move, the shogunate will never fall out with the Fukuoka Domain no matter what. Why don't you think of a way to cut off his retreat?"
"A plan to divorce?" Shi Diwen smiled and said, "If you have any ideas, just tell me."
Amakusa Shiro said: "Actually, it's very simple. Kuroda Mitsuyuki handled your visit in a low-key manner, obviously not wanting to attract the attention of the shogunate. We just need to do the opposite and spread the word as soon as possible, saying that the Fukuoka Domain has turned to our country. , and cooperating with the trade terms we negotiated with him will definitely arouse the suspicion of the shogunate.”
"At that time, we will give this side some strong medicine. For example, let the officials sent by the shogunate to Fukuoka Domain suddenly die unexpectedly, or let other domains send envoys to visit Fukuoka Domain in turn, creating a situation of collusion between Fukuoka Domain and Kyushu domain, and the shogunate will The trust in the Kuroda family will definitely be greatly reduced.”
Shi Diwen continued to ask calmly: "If it gets to that point, what measures do you think the shogunate will take?"
Amakusa Shiro said: "As long as the shogunate becomes suspicious, they will definitely try to ask the Kuroda family to prove their innocence. For example, they may launch an army to conquer other daimyo in Kyushu who do not pay taxes to the shogunate."
"As long as the Fukuoka Domain raises troops, it will give the Kyushu clans a reason to unite and collapse. It would also be good to use the Fukuoka Domain to sacrifice the flag. If Kuroda Mitsuyuki decides not to raise troops, the shogunate's trust in him will be quickly exhausted, and the same can be done. To achieve the effect of alienation. ”