Chapter 966: How Could the Shimazu Possibly Be Let Off? (Please Subscribe)

Shimazu Mitsuhisa stood frozen on the spot, his mouth hanging open, unable to utter a single word!

If the Spanish wanted to seize the Ryukyu Kingdom, let them seize it — the entrepôt trade of the Ryukyu Kingdom had shrunk so badly anyway that it no longer made money, and that 120,000-koku assessed yield was entirely hollow. It was no loss to give it up.

But these Catholics, who deserved to be burned at the stake, had only seized half of Ryukyu, driven out the Ming commercial superintendent stationed there, yet left the Shimazu men in place and even allowed them to continue ruling by holding the Ryukyu king hostage.

"The M-Ming, aren't they the Celestial Court? Aren't they supposed to be mighty in battle? How could they just be driven away?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa still could not accept this reality and pressed on with questions.

Nejime Kiyoo could only sigh: "Because the Ming had no garrison in Ryukyu — only a trading post and a handful of civil officials. They had no way to resist and could only flee."

"How could there be no garrison?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa still refused to give up.

"Because — because someone would not permit them to station troops."

"Who? Which bastard wouldn't permit it?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa was furious! The Ming was Ryukyu's suzerain, so of course they ought to have stationed troops there!

"My lord, that person was no bastard," Nejime Kiyoo said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "because that person was you!"

"Me? I—" Shimazu Mitsuhisa thought back, and realized that this great bastard really did seem to be himself!

It was he himself who, fearing that the Ming would reclaim all of Ryukyu's suzerain rights, had done everything possible to prevent the Ming from stationing troops in Ryukyu.

And the Ming Celestial Court apparently had not much cared about Ryukyu, that tiny speck of a country, and so had not sent troops to garrison it — and as a result... now Ryukyu had become a joint possession of Spain and the Satsuma Domain.

How was the Satsuma Domain supposed to explain this to the shogunate?

The Spanish had even driven off the Celestial Court's superintendent — so why had they not driven off the Satsuma Domain's men? Satsuma had only one or two hundred samurai in Ryukyu; could they possibly hold off several thousand men of the Spanish fleet?

So there had to be something fishy about this — the Satsuma Domain must have colluded with the Spanish!

If one claimed that the Satsuma Domain was completely innocent in this Ryukyu incident, not only the shogunate but even Shimazu Mitsuhisa himself would not believe it!

"Kiyoo, could it be... could it be that there are men of ill intent within the domain colluding with the Kingdom of Spain?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa's face was pale, and his voice trembled slightly.

"My lord is wise!" Nejime Kiyoo offered a flattering remark, and it was genuinely from the heart — the Shimazu house truly had no benighted lords! Lord Mitsuhisa was no exception; he had seen through to the essence of the matter at a glance.

There must be domain samurai and country samurai of ill intent colluding with the Spanish!

Shimazu Mitsuhisa, now aware that he was an enlightened lord, sighed: "These people are truly hateful — they simply cannot see the great trend of the world!"

"My lord... the great trend of the world is changing!" Nejime Kiyoo, who seemed himself to be a fellow of ill intent, lowered his voice and said, "Does the present shogunate not show signs of decline?

First the Toyotomi loyalists reappeared in Japan, then the expedition to Karafuto ended in a great defeat, then the coastal regions were harassed by the navies of Spain and the Ming, and now the Ming has recognized His Majesty the Emperor as the Emperor of Japan — clearly treating His Majesty the Emperor as the sovereign of the land of Japan!"

Shimazu Mitsuhisa said in a low voice: "Word has just arrived that the shogunate is preparing a marriage alliance with the Ming Emperor. Takako of the Aizu Domain will enter the harem of the Ming Emperor under the name of a daughter of Daiyūin (Iemitsu)..."

"So what?" Nejime Kiyoo sneered. "If a princess of the Aizu house became the Ming Empress, that might be worth boasting about. As it is, she is merely entering the palace — probably not even as a concubine, just a plaything of the Ming Emperor.

In doing this, the shogunate only humiliates itself and shows all the more that the Ming holds the shogunate in contempt. And does my lord think the shogunate will let the Shimazu house off merely because of our explanations? Before, they vented their anger on the Shimazu house merely because Ukita Hideie escaped from Hachijō Island, forcing both you and the young lord into retirement! This time, the Spanish entry into Ryukyu will be even harder to explain — who in the Shimazu house is supposed to retire now?"

Shimazu Mitsuhisa let out a long sigh. The current lord of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Tsunataka, was still a child and had no heir. If he retired, who would take the position of domain lord?

And besides, would Shimazu Tsunataka's retirement even make the shogunate let the Shimazu house off?

"What do the Spanish mean by this?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa suddenly changed the subject.

A smile tugged at the corner of Nejime Kiyoo's mouth. "My lord, the Spanish Admiral García has said they are willing to give us thirty-six 6-pounder cannons, and also willing to provide us with 180 artillerymen... The domain still holds over ten thousand matchlocks left over from the chaos of the Warring States era. If we add thirty-six Spanish cannons and 180 Spanish artillerymen, why should we fear the shogunate? Even if we cannot seize the whole realm, we can at least unify Kyushu!"

"But..." Shimazu Mitsuhisa said thoughtfully, "the Tokugawa house may well receive Ming support!"

"The Ming has already been defeated!" Nejime Kiyoo said. "The Ming Eastern Ocean Fleet's anchorage at Dinghai was raided by the Spanish navy, and they lost twelve great ships. The Eastern Ocean is now the domain of the Spanish.

And does my lord think the Ming Emperor would get drawn into a war within Japan over a single Tokugawa Takako? Can the Shimazu house not find a single beauty like Takako to offer to the Celestial Emperor?

Besides, if the Shimazu house seeks only to carve out Kyushu, would the Ming Emperor really object?"

Indeed! The Shimazu house was not really trying to elevate the Emperor to challenge the Ming Emperor's position as suzerain of the East Asian world. What the Shimazu house wanted was merely a small independent kingdom in Kyushu, which would not offend the Ming Emperor's authority.

Nejime Kiyoo said in a grave voice: "My lord, the Shimazu house's foremost enemy will always be the Tokugawa shogunate! Because of the Tokugawa shogunate's existence, the tens of thousands of samurai of the Satsuma Domain have no outlet for their martial skills and can only endure endless hunger... This is the greatest sorrow of the samurai!

My lord, raise the banner of 'Revere the Emperor, Overthrow the Shogunate'!"

"So the Shimazu house really has colluded with the Spanish!"

"That great bastard Shimazu Mitsuhisa may even have converted to Catholicism..."

"Shimazu Mitsuhisa surely intends to use Spain and the Catholic faith to seize the realm and turn Japan into a Catholic country!"

"Shimazu Mitsuhisa is guilty of high treason!"

"Shimazu Mitsuhisa is a traitor to the nation—"

"The Shimazu must not be let off!"

Edo Castle, the Shippo-no-ma. The senior councilors and the senior retainers assisting in shogunal administration were all shouting over one another, baying for blood — and the target of their fury was the Satsuma Domain and the Shimazu house!

The Tokugawa shogunate naturally could not let the Shimazu house off!

Because the Shimazu house's Satsuma Domain was the strongest of all the tozama daimyo, and the one farthest from the shogunate's center of rule!

The "Dull Shogun" Tokugawa Ietsuna had also come to the Shippo-no-ma today. Watching a roomful of senior councilors and senior retainers all clamoring to chastise the Shimazu, he was getting a bit nervous.

He was dull, but not stupid — he knew these uncles and elders wanted war. But he did not know whether to support or oppose it, so he cast a pleading look at "the child every family wishes were theirs," Tokugawa Mitsukuni — the brilliant boy his father Iemitsu had drooled over! Surely he would know what to do?

Seeing the shogun's gaze, Mitsukuni cleared his throat, and the Shippo-no-ma immediately fell silent.

Although Tokugawa Mitsukuni was not a senior councilor, he now constantly attended the shogun and assisted in governance alongside Hoshina Masayuki of the Aizu Domain — in effect a great elder above the senior councilors.

Tokugawa Mitsukuni turned and bowed to the shogun: "Shogun, the shogunate should now petition the Imperial Court in the shogunate's name to declare the Satsuma Domain an enemy of the court, and to strip Shimazu Tsunataka, Shimazu Mitsuhisa, and Shimazu Tsunahisa of all their offices!

Furthermore, the shogunate should immediately send Lady Takako to Nanjing — I shall personally escort Lady Takako to Nanjing!"

He paused, then added: "Until I return, the shogunate should not send out troops."

Tokugawa Ietsuna nodded, then looked at Hoshina Masayuki.

Hoshina Masayuki thought for a moment and asked: "If — if hegemony over the East Asian seas really has been seized by Spain, is there still any need for us to provoke a war?"

Tokugawa Mitsukuni smiled: "We are not provoking a war. There is simply too much evidence that the Shimazu house has colluded with the Kingdom of Spain and the Catholic faith. For the shogunate to conduct an inquiry is nothing more than its proper duty! If the truth is ultimately found to be no fault of the Shimazu, then of course those Shimazu offices can be restored!"

(End of Chapter)