Because of the isolation from the country, the shogunate only pays attention to things on a few islands in Japan, and is very slow and blind to changes in the outside world. Even China, which is very close at hand, does not understand much. Yagyu Sosai believes that the perception of China within the shogunate

Still stuck in the war between Goryeo and Ming Dynasty decades ago - although that description is already very offensive, Yagyu Sosai feels that it still underestimates the current Han Dynasty court.

If Hideyoshi's army faced the Wanli Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty in Korea was a fierce tiger, the current Han Dynasty court is several times more powerful. It has lifted off the ground and turned into an evil dragon. This evil dragon is strong because of its emphasis on the army.

It is powerful and prosperous because of its emphasis on industry and commerce. Its army has developed all the way to reach the extremities thousands of miles away, so that the famous Mongols can only flee with their heads in their arms; its navy spans the seven seas, making Spain, which originally ruled the ocean,

Both the British and the Dutch were intimidated.

How could such an evil dragon be offended so easily?

He had been secretly criticizing the shogunate's decision.

However, no matter how much he had objections, things had reached this point, and he could only try his best to make up for it. Therefore, as soon as he received the news, he sought a meeting with the Customs and Excise Department in Tianjin, and then negotiated, but the negotiation

After a while, the Tianjin Customs and Excise Department said that the matter was too serious and they could not solve it, so they could only report it to the Commerce Department Yamen in the capital, and Yagyu Gensai immediately requested to go to the Commerce Department Yamen in the capital to lodge a complaint with the Han court.

However, due to the Chinese New Year holiday, his request was suppressed and he was never able to make the trip. He did not get the opportunity to enter the capital until after the Chinese New Year holiday.

He was so anxious that he wasted no time. As soon as he got the news, he rushed from Tianjin to the capital. After getting off the carriage, he was going to visit the Yamen of the Ministry of Commerce along the way, so he was not in the mood to appreciate the prosperity around the capital.

Of course, although he has been proficient in swordsmanship since he was a child, after he came to Han Dynasty, he never dared to carry a sword in public, nor did he dare to show any arrogant and domineering attitude, so even if he was anxious, he had no way to vent it.

Fortunately, after a long journey, he finally arrived at the government office of the Dahan Commercial Department.

Because the organization is so large, the yamen of the Ministry of Commerce is not located in the imperial palace in the capital like many cabinet deployments. Instead, a separate yamen is set up. Because the Ministry of Commerce is in charge of national commerce and trade and government-run enterprises, it is very wealthy and powerful.

, the Yamen was built very grandly, covering a large area, and it was a three-story stone building, which was impressive and majestic.

After handing his certification documents to the guard at the door, he waited for a moment and was finally recruited into the government office. Then a clerk from the government office took him all the way to an interview room, and then another

A long wait.

It wasn't until he was almost impatient with waiting that the door to the waiting room was opened. Another clerk took him into a room, where a middle-aged official with gray hair and a relatively well-built figure was already sitting there waiting.

Got him.

The cabinet minister currently in charge of the Ministry of Commerce is Shangdang Hou Zhou Xuezhi. Of course, a minister of this level is not something he can meet whenever he wants. Today, he made an appointment to meet with He Jingkun, a deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce.

"Foreign envoy, I have met Mr. He!" As soon as he entered the door, he bowed deeply to Mr. He, appearing to be respectful.

"No courtesy, please take a seat." Mr. He was very kind and did not put on any airs. He waved and asked him to sit down. "We had a meeting in the Yamen just now, so I kept you waiting for so long. I'm sorry."

"Your Excellency has worked so hard on state affairs, and I have no time to admire you, so how can you complain?" Yagyu Gensai said quickly.

As an important official of the Ministry of Commerce who is directly in charge of appearance, Yagyu Gensai has of course investigated his background. Lord He Jingkunhe is not a professional official with a scholarly background. Before the establishment of the Han Dynasty, he was doing business in Yunshan Bank, specializing in

Maritime trade, after the establishment of the new dynasty, Yunshanxing was placed directly under the Ministry of Commerce of the imperial court, and he naturally entered the Ministry of Commerce and became an official of the new dynasty, and he just put it in line with the principle of giving full play to his talents.

Entered the Foreign Trade Department.

After several years of ups and downs in the officialdom, he became the deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department, holding great power. He was also awarded the title of baron by the court for his meritorious service, and he became a serious upstart in the court.

However, even though he became a high-ranking official and a nobleman, the old business habits still remained in him. He had a very good attitude towards him, never acted arrogantly, and his rich face had a look of "harmony brings wealth"

.

Mr. He didn't speak at first, but waited for his secretary to serve the tea. After the secretary left, he slowly picked up the tea and blew a few sips gently.

"Your envoy is here to negotiate with me about copper exports, right?"

"Yes, sir." Yagyu Yuansai nodded quickly, "I have already written a love letter about the situation of the country, and I would like to ask you to understand the difficulties of the country..."

"Hey, your country has caused us a lot of trouble recently..." He Jingkun smiled bitterly, "You suddenly stopped copper exports to our country without giving any notice or explanation. As a result, everyone is in trouble.

We are asking what happened. Not only people from our own yamen are asking, but also external departments are asking... Your envoy also knows that copper is an important material that is used everywhere, and several big names are involved.

In the yamen, they all have their eyes above their heads, but in the end we all have to serve them with smiles on their faces. Alas...it's really hard for us..."

Although Mr. He's tone was very gentle and he just complained, Yagyu Gensai felt a little frightened and his back felt a little cold.

Because of the sudden stop of copper exports, the shogunate has now caused resentment in several departments of the Han Dynasty. I am afraid that it will not be long before the entire court's perception of the shogunate will become much worse. This is a big bad thing.

"I'm really sorry for causing trouble for you, sir!" He stood up and bowed deeply to He Jingkun again, "It's just that our country's allies are in a desperate situation right now, so we have no choice but to take this step. Please forgive me.

"

"Your Majesty, please be patient and be patient." He Jingkun was still smiling and waved his hand to signal Yagyu Gensai to sit down again. "We are also in charge of maritime trade here, so we probably know a little bit about the reason. Recently, the Netherlands

It is true that they are at war with the Spaniards, and the war is tense, and they are now buying cannons from us. So it is not that we cannot understand the reasons of your shogunate... However, the fact that you did not say anything beforehand and acted so decisively is really disappointing.

It’s very difficult for everyone!”

Because he is in charge of foreign trade matters, He Jingkun does know some foreign situations, even more than Yagyu. The Netherlands originally rebelled against the Spanish and gained independence. Since independence, it has continued to fight for its old hatred and commercial interests.

There were frequent conflicts with Spain. At this time, the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty was deeply involved in the civil strife in Germany and could not extricate itself. The Dutch took this opportunity to join the ranks of Spain's enemies and waged a war that lasted for many years.

The battlefield in Asia is mainly fought among the Spanish colonies with Manila as the core and the Dutch colonies with Batavia as the core. After many years of confrontation on land and sea, the Dutch have recently gradually begun to conquer both Europe and Asia.

Being at a disadvantage, military issues became extremely urgent. In order to make up for the losses in the war, the Dutch prepared to concentrate the country's financial and material resources to expand their armaments and fleet, and artillery became a top priority.

Not only did they import large quantities of copper from Japan, but they also ordered large quantities of cannon from the Han Dynasty through middlemen, preparing for use in Europe and on the fleet.

The Han Dynasty has paid great attention to armaments since before it was founded. Although Western technology has been introduced into the manufacturing of cannons, after nearly ten years of unremitting improvements, the manufacturing technology of cannons has made leaps and bounds, and can compete with the best Western cannons.

.As a result, the Han Dynasty suddenly became an exporter of cannons from being an importer of cannons in the Ming Dynasty. However, the places where it was previously exported were Vietnam, Siam, Myanmar and other places where transshipment was more convenient. This was the first time that Western countries had ordered large quantities.

At that time, even the Shang Xiang himself was alarmed - however, due to the principle of technical confidentiality, the Han Dynasty would not export the best and most sophisticated cannons, only those cannons that could barely meet the requirements.

Therefore, He Jingkun, who is well-informed, also knows that there are reasons for the difficulties there. However, there are reasons for reasons, and he cannot forgive Japan's bad behavior of stopping copper exports to China without explanation.

"I can also understand the embarrassment of your Excellency." Yagyu Gensai's tone was still very respectful, "I have already replied to the shogunate, asking my superiors to make a complaint to the general, severely punish the person in charge of this matter, and expand the copper

production, and strive to meet your country’s shortfall as soon as possible.”

"You said expansion, even if it is expanded, it will be a matter of the future. What should we do now? Far water cannot save nearby fire?" He Jingkun shook his head, obviously still unable to accept the Japanese explanation, "Your Majesty really has no other choice.

Is there a solution? Let’s see if we can allocate some copper to at least satisfy our previous orders?”

"Ashamed...ashamed..." Yagyu Gensai still looked troubled and embarrassed, "I have already revised the book and returned to China to inquire, but they said that they have really transferred all the copper in stock to the Dutch. Now we can only urgently transfer it from
Chapter completed!