Chapter 1108: Spain Fears Nothing (Please Subscribe)

Faced with the greatest crisis in the Shimazu clan's history, Shimazu Mitsuhisa was in no mood to celebrate victory at Fukuyama Castle. He hurriedly boarded a ship and returned to Fuchu Castle in Bungo — this was the main castle of the Toyotomi family, and the only castle that belonged to the Toyotomi family.

However, the defense of Fuchu Castle was still handled by Shimazu clan samurai, because at present there were hardly any samurai directly subordinate to the Toyotomi.

Japan now had one country with two governments: one was the Edo shogunate; the other was the Fuchu Regency — that is, the government of the Toyotomi side, led by Toyotomi Kunimatsu.

The reason they had to act in the name of a regency was that the Toyotomi regime (in reality the Satsuma-Choshu regime) needed diplomatic recognition from the Kingdom of Spain. Using the Toyotomi family name would not do — the Toyotomi family was not Japan's imperial family, and could not represent the nation of Japan at all. They did not even have the standing to sign a treaty selling out the country for their own gain!

Therefore, after Shimazu Mitsuhisa consulted with Mori Tsunahiro and Asano Tsunaakira, they established a Regency of the Nation of Japan at Fuchu Castle — to serve as regent for Emperor Gosai of Japan!

Emperor Gosai was truly fortunate: a Toyotomi regent in the west, a Tokugawa shogun in the east, both helping him govern the country. The only real drawback was that the Ming Emperor did not acknowledge his existence! However, King Philip IV of Spain now recognized the Emperor, and had even dispatched a Spanish diplomatic mission to Fuchu Castle, with de Velasco as ambassador.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa had rushed back from Fukuyama Castle to Fuchu Castle in a frenzy precisely to discuss countermeasures with this Spanish ambassador!

Now the Ming and the Tokugawa shogunate were going to jointly hold a Japan-wide civil service examination. Once the exam was over, the ronin of Japan would have a place to go and become samurai — who would still be willing to fight for the Shimazu clan? The Shimazu clan could not possibly offer such high stipends!

Unless Spain could help the Shimazu clan pay for it.

"Civil service examination?" de Velasco asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means that if you do well on the exam, you get an official post!" Shimazu Mitsuhisa explained in somewhat stiff Chinese.

He could not speak Spanish, and de Velasco could not speak Japanese, but both of them could speak Chinese, so they communicated in Chinese.

"What?" de Velasco was taken aback. "There is such a thing? You can become an official just by doing well on an exam?"

"Yes, yes, that is exactly what it means!"

"Without regard to bloodline?" de Velasco still found it hard to believe.

"It is not that bloodline is entirely disregarded," Shimazu Mitsuhisa said, "but it is no longer very important. The main thing is the exam results!"

"How can this be allowed?" de Velasco exclaimed. "This is simply barbaric!"

De Velasco was himself of high noble birth — his father had served as Governor-General of New Spain!

So he was one hundred percent in favor of official posts being decided by birth. How could official appointment not depend on birth? Birth was decided by God, so appointment by birth meant that God decided who could hold office and who could not. How could the Chinese overturn the decision of Almighty God through an examination full of luck?

This was anti-Christ! It was a ticket to hell!

Shimazu Mitsuhisa nodded heavily. "Exactly. It is truly detestable! All the ronin of Japan will go over to the Ming and the Tokugawa shogunate, and then it will be very hard for us to defeat them!"

"Will all of them go over?" de Velasco shook his head. "How is that possible? Was it not said there are several hundred thousand ronin? How could they all go over? How many official posts can they offer?"

"It is not only official posts — they are also recruiting soldiers through the examination," Shimazu Mitsuhisa said with a frown. "Those who do well can become officials, and those who do poorly can become soldiers. Either way, there is a stipend to be had. The Tokugawa house plans to recruit twenty thousand men through this examination to form a new army, and the Ming court plans to recruit eighty thousand!"

"Re-recruit eighty thousand soldiers?" de Velasco was shocked. "Why so many? They are going to—"

De Velasco knew that the various Ming armies combined very likely numbered as many as a million men!

Moreover, this million-strong force was no rabble. A portion of those troops — for example, the Nine Borders Youth Army of over ten thousand men that had routed Doni Khan's seventy-thousand-strong army in Liaodong — would basically rank as first-rate elite troops even if placed in Europe.

The Ming army, which already held an overwhelming advantage over neighboring countries in both quantity and quality, was actually going to expand further. Anyone with a brain could imagine that this Celestial Empire was planning a new war!

And the new war that the Celestial Empire was about to launch was probably not aimed at the Toyotomi regime in Japan.

Because defeating the Toyotomi regime did not require 110,000 new troops at all — the Tokugawa shogunate would recruit 20,000 new troops, the Ming would recruit 80,000 new troops in Japan, and the Ming had already recruited 10,000 new troops in Nagasaki, for a total of 110,000.

In de Velasco's view, the Ming dynasty and the Tokugawa shogunate needed only to organize thirty to forty thousand new-model troops to annihilate the Toyotomi army.

Therefore, the overwhelming majority of these 110,000 new troops would be used on other battlefields.

"They are going to advance on the Southern Seas!" Shimazu Mitsuhisa said. "The Tokugawa shogunate's proclamation says so. The 80,000 new troops recruited by the Ming will be sent to the Southern Seas and Siam to fight.

If they can earn merit, the Ming Emperor will reward them with fiefs in the Southern Seas!"

Is it really only the Southern Seas? de Velasco thought. There must also be the Americas! These short-statured Japanese samurai were not only ferocious but also hardy and able to endure hardship — perfectly suited for battlefields that were harsh and lacking in supplies.

It seemed the Spanish world empire was truly about to face a crisis of survival!

"Mister Ambassador," Shimazu Mitsuhisa said, "surely the Kingdom of Spain will not stand by and watch the Ming and the Tokugawa shogunate collude to seize the Philippines?"

If only that were all! de Velasco thought. If the Ming only wanted the Philippines, would they even need to seize it? As long as they were willing to withdraw from the Gulf of the Americas, the Philippines could be handed over to the Ming immediately.

"Of course not!" de Velasco said. "The Kingdom of Spain has already concluded a peace treaty with England, and will soon conclude a treaty and a marriage alliance with France. A Spanish Princess will become the Queen of France!

Therefore, the Spanish world empire will have sufficient strength to devote to the East!"

"That is excellent!" Shimazu Mitsuhisa pressed eagerly. "Could you send some reinforcements to Japan? It would be best if you could also lend us military funds — one million taels of silver would be enough!"

One million taels? de Velasco thought. If King Philip really had that much spare money, he would not even be in arrears on his own daughter's dowry.

"My Lord, you may rest assured," de Velasco said with full confidence. "Our Spanish Empire is a nation favored by God, and fears nothing. Even if the Ming country has a million troops, with God's help we can defeat them!"

He paused. "However, my Lord, you and the Regency cannot rely entirely on Spanish aid, because Spain proper is simply too far from Japan. Before aid arrives, you must hold out independently for a period of time. If possible, I suggest you immediately send troops to attack Nagasaki! If you can seize it, it will greatly diminish Ming prestige in Japan. Perhaps then they will not be able to recruit so many mercenaries."

Attack Nagasaki?

That would mean completely tearing off all pretense with the Ming Empire!

"My Lord, please do not hesitate!" Seeing Shimazu Mitsuhisa's hesitation, de Velasco assured him further. "The Spanish soldiers in Japan are all highly skilled at siege warfare. With their help, plus sufficient troops, taking Nagasaki will not be difficult. Moreover, the alliance between the Ming Empire and the Tokugawa shogunate is already very firm. The Toyotomi Regency does not have much time left!"

Shimazu Mitsuhisa knew de Velasco was right. Time was running out.

"But... the war to attack Nagasaki could still fail!" Shimazu Mitsuhisa lowered his voice. "And then the Shimazu clan could be destroyed! Mister Ambassador, have you considered this problem?"

"No, it will not!" de Velasco shook his head. He understood what Shimazu Mitsuhisa meant. "The Shimazu clan will not be destroyed, because the Kingdom of Spain never abandons any friend. Even if Kagoshima Castle cannot be held, there will surely be a way out.

So the Shimazu clan can now stand with Spain with complete confidence and boldness!"

(End of Chapter)