Yuta Ozaki is a Nagasaki official, so he is naturally aware of the situation in Kyushu. The Satsuma Domain and several other powerful vassals have long been in a state of being obedient and not proclaimed. They are only nominally still attached to the shogunate, but privately they are no different from establishing their own clans.
Of course, the shogunate is not completely ignorant of the situation in Kyushu, but Edo is too far away from Kyushu. Even if the shogunate wants to exert influence, it is beyond its reach. It wants to use some significant means, but is worried that it will backfire and force the big names of Kyushu to rebel. , so I can only pretend to be blind and turn a blind eye to Jiuzhou's overt and covert practices.
Anyway, as long as there is no open rebellion on the Kyushu side, the shogunate will remain silent, delaying the situation slowly, and then try to deal with it when the time is right.
It would be fine if the two sides were in peace, but since the local forces in Kyushu began to take control of trade rights, their hands became more abundant, and then one by one they began to become restless.
Of course Yuta Ozaki knew that the relationship between these daimyo and Haihan would not stop at trade. The military exchanges under the table were the real things to be wary of. He reported everything he knew to the shogunate, and although the shogunate did not make any public response, it had quietly increased its vigilance against the Kyushu vassals in the past two years.
As for Nagasaki Port, which is located in Kyushu, once the two sides start a war, it will be the first place to bear the brunt. As the consul assigned to Nagasaki by the shogunate, Yuta Ozaki certainly faced great personal risks.
In such a situation, Shi Diwen claimed that he wanted him to be responsible for the shogunate's arms procurement liaison affairs. This was not necessarily a good deal, especially when both sides were preparing for war. If these big names in the surrounding areas knew about it, , he must be treated as the primary target.
Of course, if he can really purchase the necessary arms for the shogunate as Shi Diwen said, then he will definitely make a great contribution. Once he can return to Edo safely, he will definitely not be able to get promoted or promoted.
This matter was extremely risky, but the benefits were also extremely considerable. Yuta Kozaki could not help but hesitate for a while whether to participate in it.
Seeing that he was silent, Shi Diwen had already guessed his general thoughts and continued to persuade: "Lord Ozaki, there is not much time left for the shogunate to prepare for war. If you don't want to see the shogunate defeated, you must stand. Come out and do something.”
Yuta Ozaki said: "Master Shi, is it possible that the strength of the Kyushu vassals is already higher than that of the shogunate?"
Shi Diwen said: "It may not be possible to surpass the shogunate, but I think if we start a war now, the situation will be at least 50-50."
Yuta Kozaki took a breath. He always felt that even if the Kyushu vassals rebelled, as long as the shogunate was determined to send out a large army to conquer, they should still be able to suppress these rebel parties, but the cost would be higher.
But listening to Shi Diwen's tone, this matter is no longer a sure thing for the shogunate. It might even lead to defeat. This is no joke.
Shi Diwen continued: "I think the shogunate probably doesn't know the exact number of weapons and equipment that these big names in Kyushu have bought from our country in recent years, but it must be much more than the shogunate purchased. And they spent a lot of money to send them to us. The military attaches who received training in Sasebo Bay are now gradually taking control of the military. Even if the shogunate has more troops, it will not take advantage of them on the battlefield. "
Yutai Ozaki said: "In this case, why doesn't Mr. Shi put pressure on the feudal clans and stopped military assistance to them so that they would not dare to act rashly? No matter how arrogant these lords are, they will not go against your country, right?"
Shi Diwen said: "The military assistance our country provides to the various vassals in Kyushu is the decision of the Executive Committee, not mine. If these big names can obey my orders, then things will be simple. Unfortunately, the reality is not So.”
Yutai Ozaki said: "If Lord Shi doesn't want to see the war break out, he should take advantage of this opportunity to visit the various vassals to persuade these big names." Shi Diwen said: "To tell you the truth, this is exactly what I am visiting. One of the purposes of each domain is that I have received rumors that the possibility of civil war in your country is increasing, so I want to use this visit to persuade various daimyo to negotiate peace and try to prevent war. ”
"But it is a pity that after this round, the results of the negotiations were not good. There are many people who are no longer willing to submit to the shogunate. They hope to get greater authority and territory, more wealth and population. ”
"The shogunate obviously has no way to satisfy their desires, and all I can do is to help the shogunate at this time to prevent your country from falling into the Warring States Period again."
Yuta Kozaki was stunned when he heard this. Is this still the Shi Diwen he knew?
You must know that Haihan established the Sasebo base, forced the Tokugawa shogunate to sign a trade treaty, and provided military assistance to the Kyushu vassals. Shi Diwen's participation was indispensable for each of them. But what he is saying now seems to be a kind person who has always stayed out of the situation and worked hard to maintain peace and stability.
Yuta Ozaki said in astonishment: "You mean, you visited the feudal clans to persuade them not to rebel? Your position is actually on the side of the shogunate?"
Shi Diwen nodded without hesitation and said: "Yes, that's exactly it."
Shi Diwen was not worried about Yuta Kosaki verifying these remarks through other channels. Even if he knew that his real purpose of meeting these famous names was to ignite the fire, the shogunate could only pretend to be stupid and would not expose the truth.
The reason is simple. If the shogunate wants to gain an advantage in the civil war, it must purchase large quantities of arms from Haihan. If it offends Shi Diwen, who has already joined the executive committee, it is obviously not a wise move.
Yuta Ozaki is a smart man, and he figured out the key in a moment. No matter what Shi Diwen's true intention is, he can only follow his wishes at the moment, otherwise the shogunate will lose an opportunity to obtain military assistance, and thus in the upcoming passive in the civil war.
Yuta Kozaki immediately changed his attitude and asked Shi Diwen for advice on how to act now.
Shi Diwen said: "Inform the shogunate as soon as possible. You have a way to purchase a large amount of weapons and equipment from the Sasebo base. They can be delivered immediately, but they must be traded in cash. If the shogunate moves quickly enough, maybe the transaction can be completed before the civil war breaks out. ”
Yuta Ozaki asked: "Master Shi, can I ask how many weapons and equipment we can buy this time?"
Shi Diwen stretched out five fingers and waved them in front of Yuta Kozaki.
Yuta Ozaki asked: "Five... five hundred thousand taels of silver equipment?"
Shi Diwen did not give in, and immediately revealed the answer: "It is equipment that can arm five thousand people! Rifles, artillery, and warships can be delivered immediately as long as the shogunate pays the money!"
Yuta Ozaki was shocked again. If Shi Diwen hadn't bragged, this would have been the largest purchase of Haihan weapons by the shogunate. Of course, the total price of so much equipment will far exceed five hundred thousand taels of silver.