Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 337 The First Unequal Treaty in History

At the bow of the ship, watching Abe Masahiro and his group sail away in disarray, Liang Xiaoming asked in bewilderment, "Why didn't you just go straight to Edo and fire the cannons, and strike at the heart of the enemy?"

Liu Ye asked, "Only by keeping the arrow on the bowstring and holding it back can we maintain our deterrent power and make the shogunate afraid. If we really bombard Edo, how will we handle the situation? Will we really launch a war to destroy the country? Do we currently have the capability, with just this fleet and two battalions of army troops? In the end, we are here to blackmail, not to start a war."

He looked northeast, in the direction of Edo.

"Moreover, I have been to Tokyo, and the central area is about 7 to 8 kilometers from the nearest coastline—large warships can hardly enter the other narrow waters—a distance of nearly 20 miles. Our shells could not fly that far even if they had wings."

Liang Xiaoming understood: "I get it. Rather than docking at Edo Port and letting them see through our secrets, it's better to stay here and keep them in fear."

"That's exactly right. Scholars say that 'a single cannon shot can destroy dozens of miles of land.' The mystification of cannons made it impossible for the ancients to accurately understand their true range. If we don't fire at Edo Castle, they will fantasize that the cannonballs can land in the city. It is the unknown that causes them fear. If we can see through them, we can't play them."

Five days later, Masahiro Abe returned to Koshiba Village as promised to negotiate with Liu Ye.

"Your Excellency, the General has agreed to most of the conditions, making only minor modifications to some clauses. However, after the negotiations are completed, we hope that Your Excellency will withdraw from Edo Bay and maintain peaceful relations with the Shogunate."

Liu Ye remained noncommittal: "Tell me about the revised terms first."

Abe Masahiro replied, “Regarding the compensation, one million taels is too much, and the shogunate cannot afford that much money. How about five hundred thousand taels? Your warships may henceforth dock at any port in Japan—except Edo Port—and may not enter Edo Bay without permission. As for the issue of merchant ships that have not paid taxes being prohibited from trading at the magistrate's office, we can order Nagasaki to cooperate, but the commercial tax on Japanese-style red-inked ships must be waived. As for the other two points, whether it is exemption from government punishment or the annual supply of 100,000 catties of sulfur, we will do as you have suggested…”

“A smaller compensation is fine, but it has to be an auspicious number. Let’s change 500,000 to 600,000. Not entering Edo Bay is also acceptable, and exempting Japanese ships from taxes is not a problem either. But adding the other two, that only makes five…” Liu Ye frowned and said, “What about the first one, which is also the most crucial one? Why didn’t you mention it? What will happen to the murderer?”

Abe Masahiro looked slightly embarrassed and lowered his head, saying, "Please understand, sir, the murderer is one of the candidates for the future head of the Shimazu family. If we were to arrest him, it might lead to a war between the shogunate and the Satsuma Domain, resulting in widespread bloodshed..."

Liu Ye scoffed, "Just say that the central government can't do anything about powerful local warlords, why beat around the bush?"

Masahiro Abe, with his eyes downcast and his mind focused on the present, seemed oblivious to the question—he genuinely didn't know how to answer, as neither yes nor no would be appropriate.

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, I can still feel the Shogun's sincerity. I won't make things difficult for him regarding the murderer; I'll solve it myself using my own methods. But this is not an option; it must be changed to another one."

Masahiro Abe had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Abe wouldn't pursue the murderer, but his heart jumped into his throat again when he heard the last sentence.

"I am permitted to recruit samurai within Japan, and I am not subject to the restrictions on leaving the country stipulated in the Shogunate's isolation edict."

Liu Ye's sudden request wasn't impulsive. The Nagasaki attack had shown him the exceptional close-quarters combat skills and outstanding obedience of well-trained Japanese samurai—advantages lacking in firearms-equipped units. While bayonets gave musketeers close-quarters combat capabilities, and the Qiongzhou Battalion's training had perfected bayonet tactics, these tactics were better suited to the open battlefield, not the confined space of hand-to-hand combat. Purely in terms of melee weapons, Japanese samurai, honed through a lifetime of experience, far surpassed individual Qiongzhou Battalion soldiers. Therefore, Liu Ye conceived the idea of ​​recruiting samurai in Japan as cannon fodder in melee combat.

Abe Masahiro was taken aback by the demand. However, upon reflection, he realized that the continuous warfare during the Sengoku period had destroyed many daimyo, leaving many warriors without commanders who became ronin (masterless samurai). These ronin were increasingly numerous, and while loyal to their former commanders, they were mostly unwilling to serve other daimyo or the shogunate, instead wandering between various domains – a significant threat. Liu Ye could only recruit Japanese samurai from this group; he couldn't recruit the others who swore allegiance to the various daimyo. In a way, this would help the shogunate eliminate a potential threat. Moreover, this clause was nothing compared to the imprisonment of Shimazu Chiyo; it could also divert the Ming general's anger towards the Satsuma Domain – a double benefit.

Having made up his mind, he replied, “I have no objection to what you have said, and I believe the general will agree as well. I will take the liberty of deciding for the general: the compensation shall be 600,000 taels; the recruitment of samurai shall be permitted, but not within the territory of the Tokugawa main family and the three gosanke families; as for the matter of apprehending the murderer, please do as you see fit, and the Tokugawa general will not interfere.”

Liu Ye sneered inwardly: So much for "absolute non-interference," perhaps they were just plotting to sit back and watch the tigers fight? Whether he, the outsider, completely dominated the Satsuma Domain, or the Satsuma Domain crippled the outsider, it wouldn't harm the shogunate at all; they would only be happy to see it happen. However, he didn't expose their intentions, but simply asked, "What does 'Gosanke' mean?"

Masahiro Abe explained, “The Gosanke are the so-called Shinhan daimyo, whose fiefdoms were in Kii (Tokugawa Yorinobu), Mito (Tokugawa Yorifusa), and Owari (Tokugawa Yoshinao), and were called the Kii Tokugawa family, the Mito Tokugawa family, and the Owari Tokugawa family. These three families were related to the Tokugawa family by blood and had the right to inherit the Shogunate. If the Tokugawa family had no heir, the successor would be chosen from the Gosanke.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye thought, "Isn't this just something the Ming Dynasty's feudal system had already reworked?" He waved his hand and said, "No problem!"

Thus, the "unequal treaty" proposed by Liu Ye was finalized. Abe Masahiro, as Tokugawa Iemitsu's plenipotentiary representative, signed the Treaty of Edo Bay with Liu Ye, marking the birth of the first unequal treaty in history. Its contents are as follows:

1. Liu Ye shall apprehend the perpetrators of the attack himself; the Shogunate shall not interfere.

Second, compensation of 600,000 taels of silver;

Third, the Qiongzhou Battalion is permitted to dock at any Japanese port other than Edo Bay;

IV. Anyone under the Qiongzhou Military Command shall not be subject to legal trial or punishment in Japan and shall enjoy extraterritorial rights.

5. Any merchant ship coming to Japan must hold a tax payment certificate issued by the Qiongzhou Garrison in order to trade at the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, but the Shuin Ships of Japan are exempt from tax.

VI. The Qiongzhou Camp is permitted to recruit Japanese samurai in any domain other than the Tokugawa main family and the three Gosanke families.