Shi Diwen admired the governance philosophy of the Shimazu family of the Satsuma Domain, which in his opinion was quite pragmatic. The Shimazu family not only has the ambition to expand externally, but also knows its priorities very well. It knows where to increase investment at this stage and how to cooperate with Haihan. This is a trait that other forces in Kyushu lack.
Compared with other daimyo who knew little about the process of receiving high-ranking officials from Kaihan, Shimazu Mitsuhisa was obviously more skilled. Not only did he arrange a military parade outside Kagoshima City, but he also did not hold talks immediately after welcoming Shi Diwen and his party into the city. A banquet is first held to entertain the arrival of distinguished guests.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa did not temporarily hire a few Haihan cooks to serve as a facade like Tsushima feudal lord Yoshin, but the banquet he set obviously had a more authentic Haihan flavor.
There is actually a Chinese-style banquet hall hidden in the simple-looking Kagoshima Castle. Not only are the bowls, chopsticks, cups and dishes from Haihan, but also the tables, chairs, furniture, screens, lampstands, calligraphy and painting bonsai in the hall are all from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Purchased luxury goods.
As for the chef, needless to say, the entire team and kitchen utensils were packed from a restaurant in Zhoushan. It is said that Shi Diwen was a frequent customer of this restaurant when he was still stationed in Zhoushan a few years ago, so he is quite familiar with its taste.
Mitsuhisa Shimazu did not say how long it took to prepare for this or how much it cost, but such detailed and comprehensive preparations obviously cannot be completed in a short time, and the cost must be high. And when making these preparations, he probably didn't know when they would be used, which shows how attentive he was.
Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. The Satsuma clan was obviously more prepared than other clans, and successfully won Shi Diwen's favor with a banquet.
In the subsequent talks, Shimazu Mitsuhisa did not dwell on the details of arms procurement or personnel training like others. Instead, he focused the talks on discussing changes in the current situation, especially the recent changes in the situation of other forces in Kyushu. trends.
"I heard that before coming to Satsuma Domain, Ishi-sama also visited Tsushima Domain, Fukuoka Domain, Saga Domain and Kumamoto Domain. Such an intensive trip was really tiring!"
Shimazu Mitsuhisa took the initiative to mention Shi Diwen's schedule, of course, not to express condolences, but to show that he was not ignorant of Shi Diwen's movements, and at the same time, he hoped that Shi Diwen could talk about other vassals. Condition.
Shi Diwen could not hear the implication, and responded with a smile: "The purpose of visiting the Kyushu feudal lords this time is to confirm face to face the attitude of the daimyo towards resisting the shogunate. The reason why the Satsuma clan is arranged behind is, It’s because I know that Mr. Shimazu has a very firm attitude towards this matter and will not waver like others, so there is no need to spend energy on persuasion.”
Shimazu Mitsuhisa heard some information from Shi Diwen's words and quickly asked: "It seems that some people still want to side with the shogunate?"
Shi Diwen said: "At present, no one has openly stated that they want to support the shogunate, but it is obvious that some people want to wait and see the situation before considering choosing a side."
Shimazu Mitsuhisa said: "The Kuroda family of Fukuoka Domain has always had a close relationship with the shogunate. Although Kuroda Mitsuyuki is young, he has a cautious personality. I don't think he will fall out with the shogunate so easily."
Shi Diwen nodded and said: "Master Shimazu expected it to be true."
Shimazu Mitsuhisa continued: "Nabeshima Mitsushige of the Saga Domain is young and vigorous, and strives to be the first in everything. He will definitely be very active in this matter and will never sit back and watch."
"As for the Tsushima clan, they have defected to your country a few years ago, so there is no need to say more. However, the Tsushima clan's army is not large, and even if they want to go to war with the shogunate, they are unable to do so. Most of them can only wave the flag and shout from the side."< br>
"Although it has been several years since the Kumamoto clan kid succeeded to the throne, it is probably not his turn to make the final decision on major matters. It still depends on the attitude of the Hosokawa family's retainers. There may be problems."
Shimazu Mitsuhisa obviously knows the situation of each family in Kyushu very well. After some analysis, it turns out that it is almost the same as the actual situation. Shi Diwen said: "Whether these big names are willing to join in, in my opinion, is only the second most important force. The real indispensable force is the Satsuma clan. As long as Lord Shimazu is firm, we can continue to advance the plan. Implementation.”
Shimazu Mitsuhisa said: "Master Shi, please rest assured that since we have reached a cooperation agreement, the Satsuma Domain will never go back on it."
Regarding the plan to instigate the Japanese Civil War, the Satsuma Domain is undoubtedly one of the most important participants. As long as the time is right, there is no need for Kaihan to fight, and the Satsuma Domain will take the initiative.
However, Shimazu Mitsuhisa also had some ideas of his own about the details of the operation, especially the benefits that the Satsuma Domain would gain from it.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa immediately stated that before formally declaring war on the shogunate, the Satsuma clan should occupy as much territory as possible in the Kyushu region and acquire more people to enhance its war potential.
Shi Diwen understood what he was planning as soon as he heard it, and asked with a smile: "Then what did Mr. Shimazu look at?"
Shimazu Mitsuhisa made a gesture, and several of his subordinates immediately stepped forward and unfolded a map of the Kyushu region in front of Shi Diwen.
Judging from the scale and details of this map, it is obvious that it was not something that the Satsuma Domain could draw on its own in this era. It was probably a copy of the Kaihan military map.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa pointed to the map and said: "As Ishi-sama can see, the Satsuma Domain is bordered by the sea on both sides to the southwest and the Kumamoto Domain territory to the north. It is not the right time to confront them head-on. The only direction for expansion is the Hyuga region to the east. ”
"I plan to send troops to attack the Nobeoka Domain, Takanabe Domain, Satohara Domain, and Ohii Domain of Hyuga Kingdom first. After taking these four clans, I will then go north through Hyuga Kingdom to attack several small feudal clans of Bungo Kingdom. If there are still more With the remaining strength, they continued northward and captured all of Bunzen Country until they reached the boundary of Fukuoka Domain."
According to Shimazu Mitsuhisa's intention, the Satsuma Domain will advance northward along the west coast of Kyushu on the basis of its current territory, and annex all the three small domains of Hyuga, Bungo, and Bunzen on the west coast in one fell swoop.
If this plan can be realized, the Satsuma clan will occupy almost half of the entire Kyushu region.
It is worth mentioning that there are no powerful vassals of the same size as the Satsuma Domain in the Three Kingdoms, and Shi Diwen’s visit was not scheduled to go to these places. If the Satsuma Domain wanted to attack these areas, there would indeed not be much resistance. big.
The powerful vassals such as Saga, Kumamoto, and Fukuoka that could really compete with the Satsuma Domain were not among Shimazu Mitsuhisa's targets. It was obvious that he wanted to avoid these competitors and preserve his own strength.
Of course, there is another possibility, that is, he knew that Haihan wanted to use these powerful vassals to deal with the shogunate, so he would not allow these powerful vassals to fight among themselves first.
Shimazu Mitsuhisa's plan took the initiative to avoid provoking these families, and it was easier to gain Haihan's support.