Chapter 486: It's All on the Zheng Family Now

"Middle Counselor," Tokugawa Iemitsu addressed his uncle Yorifusa by his court rank, "is the shogunate to turn a blind eye to the outrages of the Toyotomi remnants? There are still many remnants and partisans in Japan who cherish the memory of the Toyotomi house. What has happened on Jeju Island will fire their fighting spirit! Perhaps before long there will be another Shimabara Rebellion!"

Iemitsu's tone carried a hint of reproach, plainly dissatisfied with Yorifusa's caution. But Tokugawa Yorifusa would not change his position because of Iemitsu's tone — he and Iemitsu were on excellent terms!

The two were close in age, only a year apart, and had often played together since childhood. Once they grew into youths, the two were inseparable and became the firmest of friends.

As the years passed, Tokugawa Yorifusa grew mature, steady, and still valiant, while Tokugawa Iemitsu became ever more gloomy and ferocious. Yet the friendship between the two never changed in the slightest.

This was because Tokugawa Ieyasu's arrangements for the Three Branch Houses had decreed that the Mito Tokugawa line could not supply heirs to the main shogunal house, while at the same time it held the right of oversight, able to check the other two of the Three Branch Houses. And Tokugawa Iemitsu's own health was poor; he was unlikely to live long, and his heir Tokugawa Ietsuna was still a child. If Iemitsu were to die before his son Ietsuna could rule in person, then Tokugawa Yorifusa, as the "venerable elder" and Vice-Shogun, would be needed to prop up the young shogun Ietsuna.

"Lord Shogun," said Tokugawa Yorifusa, "if the Toyotomi remnants raised rebellion on the soil of Japan, the shogunate's strength could certainly wipe them out completely. But they have raised rebellion on Jeju Island. Can the shogunate's navy now sail to the waters off Jeju Island to fight? How many ships can the shogunate muster to carry troops and provisions? Japan has been closed to the outside world for many years now; not only is it forbidden to build large ships, but merchants are not even permitted to sail the open seas.

The merchant ships now entering and leaving Nagasaki are either Dutch ships or the ships of the Zheng family of the Great Ming. Without their support, can we guarantee that a punitive army will reach Jeju Island safely?

Perhaps the Satsuma domain still retains some capacity for long-distance voyaging, but can the shogunate trust the Shimazu of Satsuma? Lord Shogun, you must think this through very carefully!"

The Shimazu of Satsuma actually controlled the Ryukyu Kingdom, and so still possessed some capacity for ocean voyaging. But even Satsuma's ocean-going capacity could not compare with that of the Zheng family or the Dutch.

And besides, how could the Tokugawa house dare trust the Shimazu?

"Then should we seek help from the Dutch or from the Tang people?" Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned deeply, somewhat torn.

The Dutch and the Chinese were both difficult to deal with. The Dutch were Christians — they believed in God!

And the Chinese regarded themselves as the Celestial Empire, always fond of enfeoffing whoever held power in Japan as "king." In earlier years they had even enfeoffed Toyotomi Hideyoshi! That "monkey" Hideyoshi was uneducated and was fooled in a muddle, accepting the Ming's investiture and even publicly donning the Ming prince's robes to show the daimyo below him.

When he later figured out what had happened, he nearly vomited blood in rage.

And after the Tokugawa shogunate came to power, it did not wait for the self-important Chinese to come and "enfeoff" it, but simply conducted foreign relations under the title "King of Japan."

Yet toward the Great Ming, that superior state so fond of enfeoffing kings, the Tokugawa shogunate had always kept a respectful distance and been unwilling to engage with it. But this time they needed a favor from the other side, and not engaging was no longer possible!

But if they did engage, what if the Great Ming came again to enfeoff a king?

If they refused, the cooperation that followed could not proceed.

If they accepted — where would that leave His Majesty the Emperor for you Tokugawa?

"Lord Shogun, the shogunate should seek help from the Tang people," Tokugawa Yoshinao, who had remained silent until now, offered his advice. "Compared with the Catholics, the Tang people, who believe in Confucianism, are rather more reliable."

Tokugawa Iemitsu looked at Yorinobu and Yorifusa: "Do the Major Counselor and the Middle Counselor share this view?"

That was beyond all doubt!

In his later years Tokugawa Ieyasu had esteemed Confucian learning, giving important posts to Japanese Confucian scholars such as Fujiwara Seika, Hayashi Razan, and Matsunaga Sekigo. Under the influence of these Japanese Confucians, men like Hidetada, Hidemitsu, Yorinobu, Yoshinao, and Yorifusa all favored Confucianism and opposed Christianity.

Tokugawa Yorifusa spoke after careful deliberation: "Lord Shogun, I hold the office of Vice-Shogun and am also a Middle Counselor of the court, which is enough to represent both the shogunate and the court in meeting the envoys of the Ming state. If the Ming envoys make no outrageous demands, we might as well borrow Ming ships to send troops to Jeju Island."

"That would be well," Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded. "Then I must trouble the Middle Counselor."

Nagasaki harbor town, the Zheng residence.

It was a splendid and imposing Chinese-style building, looking from a distance like a county yamen. It seemed Zheng Zhilong had long harbored the thought of killing and burning first and then accepting amnesty! But his present position was far greater than that of a county magistrate — even his son Zheng Sen had become the Marquis of Taiwan of the Great Ming. In Japanese terms, that was a domain lord!

At this moment the great domain lord Zheng was seated high upon a grand armchair in black gauze cap and python robe, speaking with a short, fat Japanese official in his forties whose face wore an unnatural smile. Beside the great domain lord Zheng stood a young man of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in Ming official robes but with a shaved sakayaki pate — none other than Zheng Zhilong's second son, Tagawa Shichizaemon.

Tagawa Shichizaemon was now an official of the Great Ming, appointed Vice Director of the Shanghai Trade and Foreign Affairs Bureau, a civil official of the lower fifth rank. He was thoroughly pleased with himself! His father was now the domain lord of Quanzhou in the Great Ming — surely worth two million koku at least! His elder brother was the domain lord of Taiwan in the Great Ming — a million koku at the very least! He was the second son of the principal wife, so a share of a hundred thousand koku should be no problem, right?

A hundred-thousand-koku domain lord — ha, just thinking of it was awesome! From now on he would never have to fawn over Baba Shigetoshi, that hatamoto of the shogun's house. What's so great about being a hatamoto? My father is now a great daimyo of two million koku in Quanzhou!

"Baba-kun!"

The future "Lord of Tagawa Domain" now spoke in a changed tone — stiff and hard — and even addressed Baba Shigetoshi directly by surname.

"Vice Director, please instruct me." Baba Shigetoshi was all deference. How would he dare offend the second young master of "Quanzhou's two million koku" now? The Middle Counselor of Mito and Matsudaira, Lord of Izu, were on their way to Nagasaki precisely to meet Shichizaemon's elder brother, Zheng Sen.

Zheng Sen was now a man who could sit as an equal with the Middle Counselor of Mito and Matsudaira, Lord of Izu. How far behind could Shichizaemon be?

"Don't hem and haw," Shichizaemon said to Baba in a scolding tone. "Say plainly whatever you have to say. What do you mean by 'outrageous demands'?"

"Ah, that would be, for example — for example, enfeoffing the Lord Shogun as King of Japan in the name of the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming. That would be rather inappropriate."

"Oh." Shichizaemon turned his head and said to his elder brother in Chinese, "Big Brother, did our brother-in-law enfeoff the Shogun as king this time?"

"No," Zheng Sen shook his head. "His Highness the Thousand Years does not seek empty titles, and is willing to deal with Japan on terms of equal courtesy. If the party dealt with is the Shogun, then His Highness will deal with him under the title of Grand Marshal of the Army. If the party dealt with is the Emperor of Japan, then His Highness will deal with him under the title of Crown Prince of the Great Ming."

Baba Shigetoshi could understand Chinese, so without waiting for Tagawa Shichizaemon to translate, he asked Zheng Sen directly in Chinese: "My Lord Marquis, can what you say be taken as true?"

"Of course it is true!" said Zheng Sen. "Japan is not like Joseon; it has never been a tributary vassal of the Celestial Court. The two states should observe the rites of equal nations and treat each other as friendly powers."

He paused, then suddenly lowered his tone: "But at present the lord of Osaka Domain in Japan has invaded Jeju Island, which belongs to Joseon, a tributary vassal of our Great Ming! How is that to be explained?"

"My Lord Marquis, you misunderstand. Those men are remnants of the Toyotomi house, not the present lord of Osaka." Baba hastily explained, "After the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Osaka Castle became the shogunal demesne of the Lord Shogun."

"Is that so?" Zheng Sen nodded. "Then can the Shogun provide a written explanation?"

"Of course he can!" Baba Shigetoshi nodded repeatedly. "However, the Lord Shogun will not come to Nagasaki in person. The Major Counselor of Mito can represent the Lord Shogun."

"That will do as well!" Zheng Sen agreed with his lips, but inwardly he thought: With the written explanation given by Tokugawa Yorifusa, those people on Jeju Island would become Toyotomi loyalists certified by the Tokugawa shogunate. What was false would become true!