In the Honmaru Palace in Edo Castle, the "capital" of Japan, two "eldest elders" and five "old middlemen" of the Tokugawa shogunate sat on the smooth wooden floors on both sides of the palace, frowning.
The current ruler of Japan is the Tokugawa Shogunate. This regime was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603. Tokugawa Ieyasu used his perseverance and health for decades to survive Japan's two overlords, Oda.
Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi won the decisive Battle of Sekigahara and finally established the shogunate system in Japan to rule the country.
By now, the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, that is, 1643, Tokugawa Ieyasu had already died. The supreme ruler of the Tokugawa shogunate is now the shogunate Tokugawa Iemitsu, who is the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The Tokugawa shogunate did not centrally manage the country like the Ming Dynasty government. There were many feudal princes under the Tokugawa shogunate. These Japanese princes were called "Daimyo" and had a high degree of local autonomy like a small country, with military, judicial and administrative powers.
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For example, in the thirty-seventh year of Wanli, the Japanese prince "Satsuma" secretly sent troops to Ryukyu, turning this small maritime country that had always paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty into the territory of Satsuma. After learning the news afterwards, the Tokugawa shogunate also acquiesced in Satsuma.
The fact that the domain occupied Ryukyu.
The Tokugawa family is actually a daimyo, the largest daimyo in Japan.
But in any case, no matter how independent these vassal towns were, they were nominally under the command of the Tokugawa Shogunate and subject to various institutional arrangements of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate was managed by two elders and five elders.
Basically, the elder is equivalent to the first and second assistants of the cabinet in the Ming Dynasty, while the laozhong is equivalent to the cabinet elder.
At this time, in the imperial palace, seven senior officials of the shogunate were sitting on the floor with solemn expressions.
Now in Japan, the demand to ban the Ming Dynasty Li Jiajing cloth has become a trend of thought, sweeping the entire country.
Japan's economy, like that of the Ming Dynasty, is a natural economy in which men farm and women weave. Tokugawa Iemitsu stipulated in the "Qing'an Royal Touch Book" that restricted the living system of the people: "Men plow the fields and women spin cloth."
However, this natural economy of men farming and women weaving has been severely impacted by the industrialized production of Li Zhi in recent years. The fine cloth of the Li family in the Ming Dynasty was of high quality and low price, and it almost broke through the textile industry of Japanese farmers. Japan was rich in silver products.
, the price of cotton and yarn is relatively high, and there is no comparison with the cheap and exquisite Lijia fine cloth.
For a time, everyone in Japan, north and south, bought fine cloth and wore fine cloth clothes. The coarse cloth produced in Japan completely lost its market.
Some farmers who had relied on women's textiles to support their families suddenly fell into poverty.
Not only were farm textiles defeated by Li Jia Jing cloth, but even textile factories went bankrupt under the impact of Jing cloth. The survival of these textile factories mainly relied on economies of scale, and there was nothing technologically advanced. They were no match for Fanjiazhuang Textile Factory.
. Near Kyoto, Japan, some towns that originally relied on the textile industry to prosper have gradually declined, and even the cities have become empty of people.
Under the natural economy of the seventeenth century, the needs of the people were nothing more than food, clothing, housing and transportation, and the textile industry could be said to be an important industry of the country. After the textile industry was defeated by Li Zhi, rural towns lost an important economic source. Under the chain effect, the entire Japan
The economy has become much depressed.
In the past, the goods imported from Japan to the Ming Dynasty were all luxury goods such as raw silk and porcelain, which did not impact Japan's local industries. Now that the Li family's fine cloth has destroyed Japan's textile industry and led to poverty for the people, it has gradually attracted the attention of the Japanese samurai class.
.Many warriors advocated banning the import of fine cloth from the Ming Dynasty.
This trend of thought gradually brewed and became a wave in October of the 16th year of Chongzhen. In early October, several feudal lords who were highly regarded by the shogun jointly submitted a letter requesting the Tokugawa General to ban the import of fine cloth and provide it to Japan.
Textile industry living space.
The Tokugawa shogunate was not an open-minded regime. In fact, the Tokugawa shogunate was inherently autistic. In these years, the Tokugawa shogunate continued to issue "lockdown orders" to prohibit Western countries from preaching and trading in Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate
Japanese people were not allowed to go to sea to do business, and Spanish and Portuguese were not allowed to enter Hong Kong. They only traded with merchants from the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.
After these pro-dominion daimyo submitted a letter, Japan's samurai class expressed their approval. In mid-October, three thousand feudal lords from Edo Castle jointly submitted a letter, demanding a ban on Li family fine cloth and the revitalization of Japan's textile industry.
Seven senior officials of the shogunate were waiting there, when suddenly the side door of the palace was pushed open. Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu walked into the palace wearing straight silk and a black hat.
Sitting on the high platform in the palace with an expressionless face, Tokugawa Iemitsu said loudly: "I have called you all here today to discuss the ban on the Li family's fine cloth."
The elder Sakai Tadakatsu lowered his head, supported his body with his fists, and without changing his posture of sitting cross-legged on the ground, quickly moved his body from both sides to the floor in the middle of the palace, lowered his head and said: "Your Highness, I thought that the relationship between the daimyo and the feudal lord was
The letter makes sense. In recent years, the textile industry across the country has been severely impacted. If Li Jiajing cloth is not banned, cities and towns will become increasingly depressed, and people will fall into poverty and be unable to have children."
Another "old man" Doi Toshikatsu had a different view. He moved to the middle of the palace and said worriedly: "Your Highness, I don't think we can ban the Ming Dynasty Jingbu at will. Li Zhi is far more powerful than the Portuguese and Spanish.
Li Zhi's envoy arrived in Edo a few days ago and declared that once the fine cloth is banned, he will declare war on Japan."
Sakai Tadakatsu said disdainfully: "Doi Palace, Li Zhi is just a prince of the Ming Dynasty, with only 30,000 troops. Do we, the majestic Japanese country, still fear him?"
Doi Toshikatsu raised his head and said: "Your Highness, in the Battle of Keichang Bunroku, Japan sent 200,000 soldiers and horses to fight the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty stopped the Toyotomi Palace with 100,000 soldiers and horses. Although Li Zhi only had 30,000 soldiers and horses,
I heard that Ming merchants said that Li Zhi's 30,000 soldiers and horses are equivalent to hundreds of thousands of Ming troops, and they must not be underestimated."
"And I heard from Ming Dynasty maritime merchants that Li Zhi just defeated Zheng Zhilong at sea, which shows that his navy is also very powerful. Once a war breaks out, I am afraid that Japan's navy will not be able to resist it."
Sakai Tadakatsu laughed loudly and said: "Doiden, you must have been frightened by Li Zhi. No matter how strong Li Zhi is, is it possible for him to lead tens of thousands of people across the sea to attack Japan? At that time, Japan was the leader of the country.
Even if we cross the Tsushima Strait and attack North Korea from sea, we cannot guarantee the logistics. Li Zhi, a Ming Dynasty prince, would be seeking death if he crossed the vast East China Sea to attack!"
Doi Toshikatsu no longer struggled with Sakai Tadakatsu and said loudly: "Your Highness, don't fight against Li Zhi easily!"
Tokugawa Iemitsu looked at Doi Toshikatsu and said nothing.
After a long time, he slowly said: "The petition of the daimyo and the feudal lords is excusable. The fine cloth has destroyed the national textile industry and cannot be restrained."
"The fine cloth trade of Li Zhi's fleet in Nagasaki is prohibited. If any fine cloth sold to our country is found in Nagasaki again, it will be burned."
