Chapter 3519
Of course, the military bases Haihan has set up in other countries are not limited to Sasebo. For example, the Cam Ranh Bay base in Annan and the Taedong River base in North Korea are also of considerable scale.
However, compared to other places, the Travelers are obviously more interested in the Sasebo base in Japan. After all, most of the various strategies against Japan formulated by Haihan need to be implemented through the Sasebo base.
Whether it is providing military assistance to the feudal lords in the Kyushu region, establishing a trade hub with Japan here, or planning the current Japanese civil war, they are all based on the Sasebo base.
From the visible environment and level of hardware facilities, it is not difficult to confirm that Shi Diwen indeed invested heavily in operating this base. After more than ten years of construction and operation, and the hard work of countless people, it is finally time to reap the fruits.
Almost all of the first batch of guests who landed were tourists. Many of them had strong curiosity and requested to visit the Sasebo base immediately regardless of the fatigue of the journey.
Even though he had served in the Kaihan Army for thirty years and was the commander of an overseas base, Amakusa Shiro was still a little reserved in front of so many important people.
Sasebo Civil Affairs Director Yuan Wendong, Commercial Director Yang Tianlei, Amakusa Shiro's two sons Amakusa Masaru and Amakusa Hayabusa, and a large group of other local officials were all busy receiving these distinguished guests.
Fortunately, Sasebo had received the notice a long time ago and had entered the situation several days in advance. The reception work was busy, not chaotic, and orderly.
The next few batches of fleets also arrived at Sasebo Bay a few hours later.
Although the Sasebo base is not like a trading port like Zhoushan, which has a large number of facilities dedicated to receiving guests, the garrison barracks are sufficient, and a number of rooms have been vacated in advance to accommodate this inspection group.
Although the living conditions in the barracks are definitely not as good as high-end places like the guest house, the advantage is that the arrangements are unified. All the guests of the inspection team live here, so there is nothing to complain about.
Of course, everyone knew very well before coming that the purpose of this inspection trip was not to tour the mountains and rivers, so everyone's attention was not focused on these details.
At the welcome dinner held that night, Shi Diwen arranged for the Saga Domain daimyo Nabeshima Mitsushige to come forward and let him explain the current situation in the Kyushu region.
Mitsushige Nabeshima was the first to appear and gave an emotional speech. He called the Kyushu region "Japan's window to the world." However, due to the isolation policy formulated by the Tokugawa Shogunate, Kyushu's development was severely restricted and the people of Kyushu were burdened with heavy taxes and labor.
As a native of Kyushu, Nabeshima Mitsushige did not want to see Kyushu decline under the rule of the shogunate, so he united with several other powerful local daimyo to break away from the rule of the shogunate through an alliance.
Nabeshima Mitsushige did not emphasize the role of Kaihan in this process. It goes without saying that Amakusa Shiro had already greeted him in advance and asked him to pay attention to the international outlook.
If the dignitaries from various countries who came to Japan for inspection believed that Haihan deliberately favored one side of the conflict, then Haihan's claim of "upholding justice" would naturally not be convincing.
As for Nabeshima Mitsushige trying to portray himself as a victim and stepping on the shogunate a few times, it doesn't matter. There must be a high-sounding reason for launching a war, and no one will think that he is a representative of the Kyushu vassals because of his speech. The righteous side.
Nabeshima Mitsushige later said that if Kyushu wants to escape the oppressive rule of the evil shogunate, its own efforts alone are not enough, and it still needs more support from the outside world. If the visiting countries can support Kyushu, it will definitely add considerable strength to Kyushu. Of course, it would be best if we could directly recognize the independence of Kyushu and establish diplomatic relations with the Kyushu vassals on a country-to-country basis.
In fact, recognizing the independence of Kyushu is insignificant to most countries present, and there is no need to worry about offending the Tokugawa shogunate. After all, to the outside world, Japan alone overseas is just a distant country, and it is difficult to pose a direct threat to itself.
However, most of the people present were from the officialdom. Of course, they would not express their stance so easily before the situation was clear. At least you have to see Haihan's attitude before considering whether you need to choose a team.
After Nabeshima Mitsushige's speech, Shi Diwen walked to the stage and asked the guests from various countries for their opinions.
Li Zhi, who did not mind the matter, responded in the audience: "Nabeshima-sama's statement is only one-sided. Since we want to uphold justice, shouldn't we also invite people from the shogunate to come out and debate it?"
Many people nodded in agreement and agreed with Li Zhi's opinion, believing that it was only fair for both parties to speak out.
Of course, they don't necessarily want to be fair. After all, Nabeshima Mitsushige has been talking nonsense for a long time, so it would be better to see if the shogunate can provide some more practical conditions to allow supporters to get more benefits.
Shi Diwen said: "It seems that everyone is taking this matter very seriously, and it is indeed worthwhile to come so far. Just as everyone expected, since we are here with the purpose of mediating conflicts and solving problems, of course we are here. Let the shogunate speak out. Next, let’s ask Mr. Sakai, who represents the Tokugawa shogunate!”
A middle-aged man slowly walked in from outside the venue. Looking at him wearing a black belted suit, he was indeed a senior Japanese official.
Nabeshima Mitsushige, who had just come down from the stage, could not help but change his face slightly when he saw this person appear. He seemed not to know that the other person was here.
Su Yongshan asked his father Su Keyi in a low voice: "Since Haihan wants to arrange a face-to-face debate between the two sides, why not invite them to attend the Zhoushan Forum?"
Su Keyi said: "If they are allowed to debate in Zhoushan, I think there are two things wrong with it. First, it will overwhelm the guests and affect the attention of the guests on the issues that Haihan leads; second, it will prematurely consume the guests' curiosity about the situation in Japan. At that time, there may not be so many people willing to travel so far to watch the excitement.”
While the Su family father and son were talking, the middle-aged man had already walked to the stage and bowed deeply to Shi Diwen to show his respect. Immediately, another translator stood aside, waiting to serve him.
After Shi Diwen introduced him, everyone knew that this was Tadaki Sakai, a veteran of the Tokugawa shogunate. The position of laozhong, if compared with official positions in the Ming system, is equivalent to the cabinet bachelor of the shogunate, a minister who assists the shogun in handling national affairs.
Sakai Tadaki's grandfather Sakai Tadayo was a veteran of three dynasties of the Tokugawa shogunate. His father Sakai Tadayuki also served for the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. Now Sakai Tadaki continues to serve for the fourth shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna. This man's loyalty to the shogunate Of course, no need to say more.
As for how he avoided the eyes and ears of the Saga Domain and quietly came to Sasebo Bay as a guest, I am afraid that only the senior officials of Haihan know the mystery.
(End of chapter)