Chapter 2125 The Flower War (Thirty-three)

Bird's nests are the nests of swiftlets living in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Siam, and Malaysia. They are made from seaweed chewed by swallows in their mouths. They were brought to China by ships from Siam during the Qing Dynasty, but more

Most of them are from Southeast Asia and Japan.

The Qing-Burmese War was one of Qianlong's "Ten Complete Martial Arts". After the war, the Qing government sent envoys to confer a title on the King of Burma and formally established a suzerain-vassal relationship.

However, Siam stopped paying tribute. Compared with Myanmar, which had just ended the Qing Dynasty's more than ten years of war and had no choice but to declare vassal status to the Qing Empire, the Cantonese Zheng Xin submitted a letter to the Qing court from the beginning of the establishment of the regime, hoping to succeed the King of Ayutthaya.

The Qing emperor canonized him as King of Siam.

However, Emperor Qianlong believed that his acquisition of the country was unfair and refused to recognize it, and responded with a stern order. Three years later, Zheng Xin took advantage of the Qing-Burmese War to escort a group of Burmese prisoners to donate, and asked for the title again.

After some twists and turns, Zheng Xin was finally recognized by the Qing court as the King of Siam, and the Thonburi Dynasty was once again incorporated into the vassal system of the Central Plains.

The tributary system was a hierarchical network political order system with the Central Plains dynasty as the main core. The Central Plains dynasty established vassal relations by canonizing rulers from areas outside the Central Plains, thus forming a common master of the world who said "all the people in the world are not kings"

The concept of "tianxia".

On this basis, Southeast Asia has also formed a mandala system. Northeast Asia belongs to the Chinese writing circle, while Southeast Asia uses Sanskrit as its common language. From a civilization point of view, Northeast Asia tends to be more Confucian culture, while Southeast Asia has experienced

A long process of Indianization began. Even though India began to decline after the 13th century, Indian civilization elements such as Sanskrit and legal codes were retained and localized in this region.

From the perspective of the tributary system, in the eyes of China, the suzerain country, all countries in the "world" are equal and are equal tributary countries. However, there are actually competitions and conflicts within the tributary countries. Compared with Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia is less observant of tributary activities.

Limited to profitable criteria. Siam and Burma have been in constant conflict. Even during the Qing-Burmese War, Burma sent troops to occupy Siam, which led to the demise of Siam's Ayutthaya dynasty.

In this war, both sides dispatched large numbers of white elephants, and the scene was spectacular.

"What for?" Georgiana asked.

"Nothing," Bonaparte said as if he didn't care.

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Keep reading," he urged.

So Georgiana continued to read.

It was precisely because of the demise of the Ayutthaya dynasty that Zheng Xin was given the opportunity to establish the Thonburi dynasty. He drove out the Burmese who occupied the capital of Siam. Perhaps Zheng Xin heard the story of the Battle of Julu in China, and he also acted like

Like Xiang Yu in the Battle of Julu, he ordered all the pots of the march to be smashed, and told the soldiers that if you don't capture the city and eat in the city, you will all starve to death. Then he took the lead in launching the attack on a war elephant.

Charged.

Taksin was a brave military leader, and during his reign the Thonburi dynasty reached glory.

At the same time, he is also a businessman who pays attention to interests. In the tribute system, the Central Plains Dynasty has always insisted on "thickness comes but little exchange". The gifts given back by the Central Plains Dynasty will be richer than the tribute party, so this is undoubtedly a good deal in the eyes of the vassal states. And

Tributary envoys will bring a large number of domestic products to China for sale every time they trade tribute with Jinxin. They can enjoy some preferential policies, such as the Macartney envoys can enjoy tax exemption. But in the eyes of the Chinese bureaucracy, this

It was a loss-making business. Not only could the silk, porcelain, and plain cloth donated by China be sold at very high prices in the tributary countries, but they could also be exported to the West.

During the maritime ban in the Ming Dynasty, tribute trade was the only trade channel between the Central Plains dynasty and the vassal states. However, the Siamese came so diligently that they were similar to North Korea. From a distance perspective, North Korea was much closer than Siam.

The main purpose of establishing friendly relations between Siam and the Qing government was to meet the needs of overseas trade. Before normal trade could be restored, Siam had to send bird's nests and other commodities that China needed to Japan, and then Japan sold them to the "Tang Mansion".

merchant.

A large amount of silver was needed in both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. China exported raw silk and imported silver from Japan. This tone changed in the middle of the 17th century when the Edo shogunate promulgated the "Zhenxian Order", which stipulated that the total amount of silver that Chinese ships could bring back was only 6,000.

Guan, and the rest were replaced with copper. Ships coming to Japan were classified into different classes according to the place of departure, and the trade volume was allocated to each ship within the range of 6,000 Guan.

The export restrictions on silver led to a danger of an increase in the smuggling trade known as "bargain". In order to strengthen the management of Chinese merchants, the Japanese Tang Dynasty allowed only 70 ships to enter the port at first, and later increased to 80 ships.

The policy of compulsory restrictions has obvious results, and Japan's copper exports have increased significantly. The reason for this phenomenon is that China makes copper coins, but even so, the shogunate still feels that the price of Chinese copper purchased from Japan is too low, so it also makes copper coins itself. They set up a "copper coin" in Osaka.

"One Copper" tried to create a silver-copper relationship system and effectively control the copper trade in Nagasaki. However, even so, the copper trade came to a standstill, and the number of Chinese ships entering the port from Nagasaki was reduced to 59.

This policy clearly stipulates that while reducing the volume of copper trade, it also expands the scope of trade to seafood, such as dried abalone, sea cucumbers, shark's fins, and bird's nests from Siam. Because these products are exported in straw bags, they are called "taimao"

”.

Changes in figurine products are not only a matter of the supply side, but also consider the strong demand for dry goods on the consumer side. Products such as kelp, dried squid, sea rice, jelly, etc. are called "various colors" because they are cheap

, China's demand is very large, and only 80 Chinese ships cannot meet Japan's export demand. However, the Qing court also imposed restrictions on Japanese ships.

In the Ming Dynasty, which was the Warring States Period in Japan, various daimyo once competed to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

By doing this, you can first get canonization and gain "orthodox" status. Since the Onin Rebellion, the Muromachi Shogunate has been in vain, and the daimyo from all over the country have formed new wealthy families. Second, you can gain the power of legal trade.

In order to obtain this tribute list, daimyo, and temples competed fiercely. Before the Japanese tribute envoys returned to China in the eighth year of Masanori, the Ming Dynasty sent them a newly compiled collection. However, this collection was not sent to Kyoto and was collected in Kyushu.

The Ouchi clan captured it. After obtaining this worthy document, the Ouchi clan prepared to monopolize the Ming Dynasty's tribute, so they sent three ships to Ningbo Port.

This incident aroused dissatisfaction with other Japanese feudal lords and temples. Among them, the Hosokawa clan, who was entrenched in the collapsed port, also proposed to the central shogunate to share the benefits of tribute. At that time, the Hosokawa clan was powerful and close to Kyoto, and the shogunate was afraid of the Hosokawa clan.

He had evil intentions, so he did not refuse. After the Masandoku manuscripts were snatched away by the Ouchi clan, the Kyoto shogunate handed over the invalid Koji Kanai manuscripts to the Hosokawa clan. After receiving the manuscripts, the Hosokawa clan immediately sent out a "tribute envoy ship"

, arrived at Ningbo Port about ten days later than Ouchi.

At that time, after accepting the bribe, the eunuch of the Shipping Department of NB City violated the "first come, first served" rule and first inspected the Hosokawa family's goods, and later held a banquet. Not only did the Ouchi family and the Hosokawa family sit together at the same time, but also

Let the position of the Hosokawa clan be more noble than that of the Ouchi clan.

This angered the Ouchi clan's envoy, so he killed the Hosokawa clan's envoy at the banquet and burned their tribute ship. The deputy envoy ran away immediately when he saw that the situation was not good, but the Ouchi clan chased him.

From Ningbo to Shaoxing.

In history, this was called the "Battle of Tribute". The Ouchi envoys who paid tribute suddenly turned into bandits and burned, killed and looted along the way. The Ming Dynasty sent out troops to suppress it. This incident led to the Ming Dynasty government abolishing Fujian and ZJ City Shipping Department.

, leaving only one GD Shipping Department, which also led to the severance of the tribute trade route between the Ming Dynasty and Japan.

After the Honnoji Incident, Toyotomi Hideyoshi replaced Oda Nobunaga and became the first feudal lord to unify Japan with the title of "Tenkaren".

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a bit like Zhu Yuanzhang. He also served as a monk, but he was unwilling to be ordinary. He put down his scriptures and went to work under Oda Nobunaga.

People in his time were more ornately dressed, which led to Japan's high dependence on Chinese raw silk.

However, the high price of raw silk was also unbearable for the samurai class who had just ended the war. They needed more territory and more farmers to support them.

In the tributary system, Korea has always been an important and special vassal state, which represents the stability of the East Asian order.

At the same time, Japan and North Korea face each other across the sea. Since the Battle of Shirakawa River, Japan has not touched North Korea's mind for a thousand years.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was already showing signs of decline. Zhang Juzheng had died, and Qi Jiguang had also died. Japan had just completed its unification, and its combat power and morale were extremely strong. Moreover, Toyotomi Hideyoshi controlled Japan's largest silver mountain, so he

So they recruited troops and sent troops to North Korea because North Korea refused to ally with Japan to attack the Ming Dynasty.

The first phase of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea ended with peace negotiations with the Ming Dynasty, but Wanli only recognized his right to rule Japan, not his right to rule Korea, and "annexed" the Ming Dynasty.

Of course Toyotomi Hideyoshi was unwilling to surrender, but he needed time to recuperate, so after receiving the edict, he put on the Ming Dynasty's official uniform and held a banquet in Osaka to entertain the Ming Dynasty envoys. More than a year later, he rebelled again and invaded again

In Korea, this time Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still defeated and died of illness on the way, leaving his 5-year-old son to succeed him.

In order to restrain those daimyo who were as ambitious as him, Toyotomi Hideyoshi chose the "Five Elders" from the elder faction such as Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the "Five Elders" from the young faction such as Ishida Mitsunari, to prevent anyone from having too much power and restricting each other.

, but the "Young Master" was too young. After the Sekigahara War, the "Five Practices" disintegrated, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was named the General of the Conquest of Barbarians. Later, the Winter and Summer Wars of Osaka broke out, and Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother committed suicide.

The entire Japanese power fell into the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Edo shogunate.

After the establishment of the Qing government, Huang Taiji changed his diplomatic strategy towards Japan and tried to establish official relations with Japan through North Korea. During the Shunzhi period, he took the opportunity to return Japanese drifters to express his goodwill in establishing diplomatic relations.

However, Japan refused to join the Manchu tributary system.

First, the Tokugawa shogunate also established its own "shogunate system" to strengthen the centralization of power in the shogunate and weaken the strength of the vassals. In the early days of the shogunate, it adopted an opening policy. This measure made the western vassals stronger.

Secondly, the introduction of Christianity broke out a series of rebellions that affected the rule of the shogunate, such as the "Amakusa Rebellion". Thirdly, there was an outflow of silver. Even if Japan had silver mountains, it would be exhausted at some point, so the shogunate issued five orders to lock down the country.

Stop building big ships, stop preaching, and implement a national lockdown.

Merchants traveling between China and Japan need to provide a trade license called a "letter plate". Ships without a letter plate are not allowed to trade.

This system was first proposed by Japan and was officially called the "New Regulations for Maritime Mutual Trading". However, because it was promulgated in the fifth year of Masanori in Japan, it was called the "New Regulations of Masanori". At that time, the ruler of the Central Plains was Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

, his reign name is the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi.

In the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the "Exhibition of Sea Ordinance" was promulgated. In the same year, Japan also promulgated the "Zhenxiang Order". The "Zhenxiang Order" only controlled the export of silver. In the "Zhengde New Regulations", both silver and copper were restricted.

Faced with this act that could be called a provocation, Kangxi finally decided to continue using the letter plate. However, during the implementation process, the ships in Fuzhou and Quanzhou did not receive the letter plate. Therefore, these ships were ordered to leave the shore as soon as they entered the port. The extremely angry ship owners

After docking in Ningbo, they sued the shipowners in Nanjing and Ningbo. They believed that when Jiangnan merchants arrived in Japan, they obtained a signboard with Japan's "Zhengde" era name written on it, which undermined the prestige of the Manchu dynasty.

With the emperor's mediation, Jiangnan merchants lent the letter cards to Fujian merchants. However, due to various obstructions from Jiangnan merchants, Fujian merchants had to withdraw from Sino-Japanese trade.

At the same time, in order to get rid of dependence on Japanese dry goods, not only did China's coastal areas begin to grow kelp themselves, but immigrants from other countries and Southeast Asia also began. King Taksin of Siam was a descendant of immigrants and local indigenous women. He also served as a

Monk, studying Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese in the monastery.

Bird's nests at that time were "extremely expensive". By comparing the 39 chapters of "A Dream of Red Mansions" and the 23 chapters of the Crab Banquet of "Jin Ping Mei", it can be concluded that the purchasing power of silver in Cao Xueqin's period was only half of that in the Wanli year when Lanling Xiaoxiao was born. In other words, the bird's nests of the Qing Dynasty

The price is at least twice that of the Ming Dynasty. The musician Li Ming invited by Ximen Qing paid 5 taels of silver a month. He could buy a pound of bird's nest without eating or drinking for half a year. In the Manchu Dynasty, he would have to save a whole year to buy a pound.

Huge market demand and prices forced the Qing Dynasty to open new import channels and recognize Siam's tribute. At the same time, smuggling became extremely rampant. As a substitute for the "credit card", the Qing government promulgated the "quasi-sea merchants to receive Japanese tickets"

", the letter plate is only used as a seal of transaction and is no longer responsible for inspection.

This means that the navy of the Qing Dynasty will not care about the merchant ships going to Japan and does not have to worry about the "right of capture" exercised by the shogunate. There are privateers in Europe, and they can "capture" merchant ships without charters.

With this guarantee, all Chinese seagoing ships can go to Japanese ports with a Japanese shipwreck ticket issued by a quasi-maritime merchant. Even if they cannot enter the port, they can still pretend to be in a shipwreck to unload and pick up the goods, and even those who do not have a ticket at all later go and engage in

The shogunate prohibited the practice of barge.

In the northeastern region, the Qing Dynasty was worried about the remnants of pirates pretending to be merchants, so it established "local merchants", that is, "local" trustworthy merchants to serve as bonded banks. This model is somewhat similar to the Guangzhou Thirteen Banks, but it is somewhat different from the Thirteen Banks.
To be continued...