Chapter 2719

In terms of natural conditions, the harbor environment of Nagasaki Port is obviously much better than that of Hirado Port, which the mission passed before. The coastline south of Sasebo Bay is a steep mountainous area that stretches for more than a hundred miles. Only in the area where Nagasaki Port is located

A huge gap opened up, forming a harbor that goes deep into the inland. No matter how rampant the wind and waves from the East China Sea are, they will all be blocked from the bay. There is a huge seaside valley in the harbor, with a humid climate and fertile land.

Suitable for building a port city.

Of course, the Japanese have long been aware of the value of this place, so as early as the last century, this place has become an international trade port, attracting Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, and close neighbors such as North Korea, China, and Ryukyu from the West.

, all unanimously regard this place as the gateway port of Japan.

Later, the Japanese shogunate began to implement the policy of seclusion, and the Hirado Port was completely destroyed by the Han Dynasty army. Nagasaki Port naturally took the throne of Japan's number one trading port. And because this place was directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate, it was not subject to local vassals.

It is under the jurisdiction of the country, so armed battles between the feudal lords rarely directly affect this place. The stable social environment and the steady flow of wealth flowing here have created a quite prosperous port city.

When the Zhoushan sailed into the port, everyone quickly noticed an obvious similarity with the Haihan domestic port. That was the rows of huge advertising signs on the roofs of the buildings, and more than half of them were Haihan names they recognized.

The number of merchants is even more than that of the Busan Port I have visited before. The advertising signs of Fu Ruifeng from the Li family in Guangdong, Fu Mao Commercial Bank from the Xu family in Fujian, and commercial giants such as Haihan Bank and Golden Shield are all occupied

The most conspicuous location among them.

Being able to set up so many advertising signboards in a foreign port not only shows that they are willing to spend money, but also shows the influence of these Haihan merchants in Nagasaki. After all, publicity with such a big fanfare on other people's territory, if it doesn't have some weight, I'm afraid it will be useless.

It is difficult to get permission from local officials.

Being in a foreign country, but being able to see familiar scenes made everyone feel more relaxed. Yang Tianlei noticed the change in everyone's mood and introduced with a smile: "As early as ten years ago, the sea here in Nagasaki Han merchants spontaneously established a chamber of commerce, which now has more than 70 members. In terms of scale, it is already the largest foreign chamber of commerce in the local area. It is not an exaggeration to say that wealth can rival a country. my country's influence has already penetrated into all aspects of the local area, and the government has also No exception...I believe this meeting will go smoothly."

Shi Chengwu asked: "Does the resolution we reached with Nagasaki have to receive clear instructions from the shogunate before it can be implemented?"

Yang Tianlei said: "Theoretically, this is true, but Nagasaki is a trading port, and the people here are all businessmen. There will be room for bargaining in everything, and no one will do things in a rigid manner. As long as there are practical benefits, there will be

Room to operate.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Hongfang asked curiously: "As far as I know, Japan's current isolation policy has many restrictions on trade activities, and Nagasaki is directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate. Can local officials really make the decision?"

Yang Tianlei nodded affirmatively and said: "Nagasaki is far away from Edo, and political achievements are mainly reflected in the taxes paid to the shogunate every year. As for how to make money quickly, that is the freedom of the local government, so it may not be possible.

They will all comply with the wishes of the shogunate."

Speaking of this topic, we have to mention the special establishment of the local government. The office of the Nagasaki government is called the "Advocate Office", and the official official position of the local chief executive Yuta Kozaki is the Nagasaki Advocate. The so-called admission is actually After the establishment of the Edo shogunate, a special official position was established according to the needs of government affairs. Among them, local officials assigned to areas directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate were called Tokoku Shoguns. Nagasaki is one of the sixteen Tokoku Shoguns nationwide. .

Officials who can be appointed as ministers are, of course, trusted retainers of the shogun, and Yuta Kosaki is no exception. However, compared to other distant kingdom ministers, Nagasaki needs to frequently deal with foreigners because of its unique trade status. Therefore, the scope of authority should also be larger.

In addition to serving as the local administrative and judicial chief like other lords, Nagasaki lords are also in charge of local military, commercial, diplomatic and other aspects of work. This is even more tasks than most daimyo lords. Because of this, The actual controllable scope of Nagasaki's policy actually goes far beyond the official definition.

In the "Business Store Diary" written by the person in charge of the Hirado Dutch Merchant Store in the 1720s, Hasegawa Gonroku, the head of Nagasaki at the time, was called "the person in charge of goods in Hirado, Nagasaki and other places in Japan." The general manager pursues it”.

In recent years, the trade volume of Nagasaki has increased rapidly, and the financial revenue brought to the shogunate has also increased greatly. The prestige of Nagasaki has also increased, ranking first among the distant countries, and its status in the shogunate has gradually become equal to that of the great shogunate. Some of the feudal lords were on equal footing.

With status, prestige and trade privileges, it is very easy for Nagasaki to make money. In the name of tribute, the Nagasaki can buy a certain amount of imported goods at the original price, then traffic them to big cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, and sell them at several times the price. The price is resold to make huge profits.

In addition, on August 1st every year, the Nagasaki Office collects money from local people and businessmen in the name of Hassaku Gin, which is equivalent to an annual local tax. The income from this money is considerable, and it is converted into gold. It's more than a thousand taels every year.

Neighboring vassals and foreign merchants would also give various gifts to the Nagasaki Governor in the name of festivals, etc., and even simply send gold and silver property. Therefore, the Nagasaki Governors were basically the ones who did not come. He refused and regarded the money-making activities during his term as one of his responsibilities.

This trend met the practice of Haihan merchants who were accustomed to using money and bribes to clear the way, and they naturally hit it off. With their strong economic strength, Haihan merchants quickly established a foothold in Nagasaki Port and quickly established a chamber of commerce, forming a The power of teamwork. Even if some people don't like this, since General Haihan stationed his army in nearby Sasebo Bay, no one dared to provoke Haihan merchants anymore.

Ha Jianyi asked: "What is the situation of the local garrison? Are all the troops under the command of this command center?"

Yang Tianlei continued to introduce: "The local garrison actually does not have combat functions. The rated garrison is only about a thousand people. The Kuroda family of Fukuoka and the Nabeshima family of Saga take turns to send troops to garrison. They change every year. The garrison is at the entrance of the harbor. You also You see, in such a large port, only a thousand troops are stationed, which is actually just a window dressing. However, for the Kuroda family and Nabeshima family, they can receive a large sum of garrison expenses from Nagasaki by virtue of this mission. , and you don’t have to actually fight, so it’s just a fat job.”
Chapter completed!