My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 497 The Story of the Office of Transmission, Part One
Tao Guan quickly said:

"Yes, yes, Su Hanlin's lesson is absolutely right! We haven't succeeded yet! We haven't succeeded yet!"

Mu Changyou, who was listening to the conversation between the two, was completely shocked.

The two things they were referring to were, firstly, a powerful gunpowder that far surpassed ordinary black powder in power.

Another type is combustible materials that can burn rapidly and without smoke.

Mu Changyou came from the Mu family in Yunnan, and he quickly began to think about these two things from a military perspective.

The former can turn even the most fortified city into something as flimsy as paper, while the latter is even more terrifying, as it can greatly improve the performance of firearms!

If military firearms propellants could achieve this smokeless, rapid-burning effect... it would mean a faster rate of fire and more concealed firing!

Are all the members of the Practical Learning Society this terrifying? They just pulled out two major military weapons in one go?

Of course, Su Jianzheng was even more extraordinary. He was able to discuss things with Tao Guan, suppress his madness, and drive Tao Guan to research safer gunpowder.

Immediately afterwards, Mu Changyou felt despair again!

It seems that Tao Guan will continue his experiments. Both of these types of gunpowder are a nightmare for the Public Security Bureau!
Fortunately, Su Ze helped him out of the predicament.

Su Ze said to Tao Guan:

“Scholar Tao, it is too dangerous for you to conduct experiments in the gunpowder factory. I will petition His Majesty to find a secluded place for you to use as your testing ground.”

"I urge Scholar Tao to be extremely cautious. If problems arise during the experimentation of the new gunpowder, there will be even greater obstacles to its future promotion."

Tao Guan quickly said:

"I understand that Su Hanlin is planning ahead. I will not conduct any dangerous experiments until the new testing ground is completed."

Su Ze then let Tao Guan go and said to Mu Changyou:
"Chief Mu, these workshops outside the city are prone to fire. The Public Security Bureau should also pay close attention to this area, especially the gunpowder factory. If an explosion occurs, it will affect the entire capital."

Mu Changyou quickly agreed, and Su Ze then said:
"However, these workshops are all under the Ministry of War. I will petition the Cabinet to grant the Public Security Bureau the authority to inspect fire safety in the factories. If the fire safety in the factories is inadequate, the Public Security Bureau can issue an official notice requiring the factories to suspend operations for rectification."

Mu Changyou was overjoyed. Just as the legends said, Prosecutor Su never made anyone work for free.

Fire prevention in the Gyeonggi industrial area is also the responsibility of the Public Security Bureau, and if a fire breaks out, the Public Security Bureau certainly cannot bear the responsibility.

However, these factories of the Ministry of War have always been extremely arrogant and have never taken the Security Bureau seriously.

With a single sentence from Su Ze, the Public Security Bureau was granted the power to conduct fire inspections, and production could be ordered to cease if fire safety standards were not met. This greatly strengthened the Bureau's power.

Mu Changyou, who originally wanted to resign as soon as possible, hesitated again.

Although the head of the Public Security Bureau is not a high-ranking official, he can deal with all sorts of people and actually wields considerable power.

Last year's fire prevention work was excellent, and he was even commended by the emperor and the cabinet. His elder brother even wrote a letter praising him for bringing honor to the Mu family.

After thinking it over, Mu Changyou decided to continue working for a while longer, since he had already been doing it for so long.
-
While Tao Guan was busy researching new gunpowder, Li Changshun had already arrived at Sakai Port by fast ship.

He was ordered by Li Wenquan to go to Sakai Port to take over the Rishengchang branch in Sakai Port.

However, before leaving, Li Changshun received news from Sakai Port that the situation was not optimistic.

The manager of Rishengchang in Japan was named Lin Shoucai. He was a distant relative of the Lin family and originally worked as a shop assistant for Lin Maocai. He was later promoted step by step to become the manager of Rishengchang's Sakai Port branch.

After hearing about the trouble at Rishengchang in the Ming Dynasty, Lin Shoucai actually handed over the account books and deposits of Rishengchang's Sakai Port branch to Imai Munehisa, the leader of the Japanese merchants in Sakai Port.

This incident sparked strong protests from Chinese merchants in Japan. Huang Wenbin, the president of the Chinese Merchants Association, immediately lodged a protest, demanding that Imai Munehisa return the account books and the silver in stock.

At first, Imai Munehisa yielded a little, but he quickly hardened his stance again, claiming that Nichisho had a large amount of debt owed to Japanese merchants, and that Imai Munehisa had only taken over Nichisho's Sakai Port branch to "protect the interests of Japanese merchants."

Huang Wenbin's other identity was the director of the Japanese Ministry of Information and Communications, and he quickly found out the reason.

The reason why Imai Munehisa dared to do this was because he had the support of Oda Nobunaga, the daimyo of Japan, which enabled him to so boldly seize the Sakai Port branch of Nissho-chang.

Moreover, Oda Nobunaga not only provided verbal support to Imai Munehisa, but also dispatched Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who frequently traveled to Sakai Port to purchase cannons, to lead 500 Oda clan soldiers to provide military support.

The rapid expansion of the Oda clan's power is actually partly the fault of the Ming Dynasty.

With the introduction of cannons and gunpowder from the Ming Dynasty, the strength of the Oda clan increased significantly. Oda Nobunaga defeated the combined forces of Takeda Shingen and Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Without the support of the Takeda clan, Ashikaga Yoshiaki chose to surrender to Oda Nobunaga.

As a result, Oda Nobunaga easily marched on Kyoto, seized control of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the shogun, and took control of the Adachi shogunate.

Of course, this does not mean that Oda Nobunaga unified Japan.

However, after controlling Ashikaga Yoshiaki and the Yamato King controlled by the Adachi Shogunate, Oda Nobunaga was able to "use the Yamato King to command the feudal lords," thus gaining the upper hand in this village war in Yamato.

Huang Wenbin, the chief of the Tongzheng Office of Japan, once wrote a letter to remind the imperial court to be wary of Oda Nobunaga's growing power and to support more Japanese daimyo in order to maintain the chaotic situation in Japan.

The imperial court also accepted Huang Wenbin's suggestion and asked the Wagyu Company not to trade only with Oda Nobunaga, but to balance the situation in Wa.

Oda Nobunaga probably understood the Ming Dynasty's intentions, and began to take the initiative to contact Rishengchang, and obtained saltpeter through Rishengchang to maintain the needs of the war.

This is also the source of the confidence that the Oda family and Sakai Port merchants dared to compete for the Sakai Port share of the Sunrise Bank.

Faced with this situation, Li Changshun wrote to Li Wenquan, requesting the court to send the Ming Dynasty navy stationed on Jeju Island to Sakai Port to intimidate them. Meanwhile, Li Changshun rushed to Sakai Port as soon as possible to negotiate with the Japanese merchant Imai Munehisa to buy time.
-
Sakai Port.

After arriving in Sakai Port, Li Changshun did not go directly to the Japanese merchants, but instead went to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.

Although it is called the Chinese Business Association, it is actually the Japanese Ministry of Information and Communications. The director, Huang Wenbin, is the president of the association, and the vice president is Zhu Juntang, the deputy director.

Li Changshun, looking travel-worn and weary from his long journey, immediately bowed to Huang Wenbin upon seeing him.

As the Ming Dynasty's most knowledgeable expert on the Japanese, Huang Wenbin wielded immense influence among Chinese merchants in Japan.

Moreover, as the ostensible president of the Maritime Association, Huang Wenbin also bribed a group of samurai from the Shimazu family and created a samurai and ronin group called "Shingigumi" in Sakai Port, which was also the fastest-growing armed group in Sakai Port.

Huang Wenbin was able to use force to help Chinese businessmen get justice in many situations that were difficult to resolve commercially.

As a result, Huang Wenbin became a prominent figure in Sakai Port, and disputes between Chinese merchants and Japanese people would be arbitrated by Huang Wenbin.

Before Li Changshun arrived in Sakai, Huang Wenbin also received orders from the Secretary for Communications to cooperate with Li Changshun in retaking the Sakai branch of Rishengchang.

Li Changshun was pulled to the banquet by Huang Wenbin. After eating the authentic Ming Dynasty dishes, Li Changshun couldn't help but say:
"I never expected to be able to eat such authentic Ming Dynasty delicacies in Japan!"

Huang Wenbin then said:

"Being in a foreign land, all I can do is hone my culinary skills and rely on this food to remember my homeland," Li Changshun exclaimed.
"Could this have been made by Chairman Huang himself?"

Huang Wenbin said:
"It is said that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen, but in this country of petty people, it doesn't matter."

Zhu Juntang, who was standing to the side, said:
"Chairman Huang's culinary skills have impressed countless Chinese businessmen. Many people come to pay their respects to Chairman Huang just for this dish from their homeland."

Li Changshun admired Huang Wenbin even more. After drifting at sea, being able to eat a meal from his hometown was truly a blessing.

It's no wonder that Huang Wenbin enjoys the respect of Chinese businessmen in Japan.

After Li Changshun finished eating, the three of them started talking about serious business.

Li Changshun frowned as he listened to Zhu Juntang finish explaining the situation in Sakai Port.

"Kinoshita Hideyoshi has led his troops to Sakai Port, but Imai Munehisa does not dare to let him enter the port, but only has him stationed on the shore."

"It's probably because Oda Nobunaga has been expanding too fast lately, and the merchants of Sakai Port are afraid of being taken over by him."

"This time, Imai Munehisa is so bold, and he even has the support of the Jesuits."

"Imai Munehisa was originally a member of the Jesuits. The Jesuits are a religious sect founded by Westerners. They have been operating in Sakai Port for many years and have a considerable number of believers."

"Some time ago, the Jesuits also shipped breech-loading cannons to Sakai Port."

"In addition, the monks of Sakai Port also contributed behind the scenes."

Li Changshun frowned: "A monk?"

Zhu Juntang said:
“Manager Li, the monks of Japan are different from those of our Great Ming. There are many temples in Sakai Port, and these temples themselves run businesses and have a large number of monk soldiers. They are more like independent manors.”

“The monks of Sakai Port have long monopolized the handicraft industry in Sakai Port. They are also one of the groups most affected by the goods from our Great Ming Dynasty. This time, they naturally stood behind Imai Munehisa.”

Li Changshun rubbed his forehead. He hadn't expected the situation in Sakai Port to be so complicated. It seemed that a large number of anti-Ming factions had already gathered behind Imai Munehisa.

This occupation of Rishengchang branch was merely a test for them.

Given the Japanese character, if the Ming Dynasty backs down, the next probing will likely be even more intense.

Li Changshun looked at Huang Wenbin and quickly asked:
"Does Chairman Huang have any good ideas?"

Huang Wenbin said:
"There's no good solution to speak of, but these people aren't a monolithic group that can be divided and disintegrated."

"What Sakai Port merchants seek is nothing more than smooth financial channels."

"Imai Munehisa is eager to take control of the Rishengchang branch because he wants access to the saltpeter trade. The Japanese Silver Company can spread the word that it can provide a larger share of the saltpeter trade, but it will only trade with honest merchants who are 'friendly to the Ming Dynasty'!"

Li Changshun immediately said:
"Brilliant! What those small merchants who depend on Imai are after is nothing more than an opportunity to trade with the Ming Dynasty! Our Wa-Yin Company can provide that!"

Huang Wenbin added:

"I've already had the Shingigumi spread the news that Imai has pocketed 30% of the Sunrise Bank's treasury, and the Oda clan is going to take another 50%... Guess if the remaining 20% ​​is enough to share with the other merchants?"

“These merchants will not only fail to receive their money, but they will also have to bear the wrath of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, they need to weigh their options carefully.”

Li Changshun exclaimed again, "This Chairman Huang is truly remarkable. He deserves to be the Ming Dynasty's official who understands the Japanese best!"
Huang Wenbin added:

"The Jesuits and Buddhist temples are sworn enemies!"

“The monasteries monopolized the lacquerware and sword workshops, and they hated the influx of foreign goods into the market. They hated not only the Ming Dynasty, but also Westerners.”

"Although the Jesuits entered Japan through merchant groups, their true purpose was still missionary work. For every person who converted to Buddhism in Sakai Port, there was one less Buddhist believer."

"The monk Huayan, who came from my Great Ming Dynasty, is highly proficient in Buddhism. Last month, he debated with twenty-one Buddhist temples in Sakai Port and won a great victory. Now, he is revered by the Japanese as the contemporary Jianzhen."

“I have a good relationship with this monk Huayan. I have something to discuss with Manager Li.”

"President Huang, please go ahead."

Huang Wenbin said, "The Jesuits' main exports to Japan today, besides spices, are firearms."

"Western cannons and firearms are not as good as those of our Great Ming Dynasty, but they are still much better than those used by the Japanese."

"However, the Malacca route was not smooth, and the Westerners themselves did not have enough, so the supply they provided was actually limited."

"Therefore, gunpowder was the main export of these Westerners to Japan."

"So my idea is to have the Buddhist temples in Sakai Port also engage in gunpowder production and compete with the Westerners for profits, which will naturally break their alliance."

“I have already spoken with Monk Huayan, and he agrees with my idea. These Buddhist temples’ gunpowder workshops can be registered under the name of the Japanese Silver Company, and then the Japanese Silver Company can sell them to the Japanese.”

Li Changshun asked in confusion:

"Since these Buddhist temples can produce their own goods, why do they need the Japanese silver company to sell them?"

Huang Wenbin smiled and said:
"Just as our Ming Dynasty loves Japanese swords made in Japan, the Japanese do not trust gunpowder produced in Japan and insist that Ming Dynasty and Western goods are better."

"By passing through the Japanese silver company, you can buy it for double the price, so this deal is still worthwhile."

"I see," Li Changshun nodded repeatedly and agreed in one go.

Huang Wenbin concluded, "The final and biggest problem is that Oda Nobunaga has become too powerful, which has led to these incidents."

"Back when Chairman Li was trading with the Japanese, Mr. Huang had not yet taken office. He should not have sold all the cannons to the Oda family directly, which allowed Japan to gradually move towards unification."

Li Changshun felt somewhat ashamed about this, but Li Wenquan was his benefactor, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.

Huang Wenbin said:
"Of course, it's not too late now."

"Oda Nobunaga may seem powerful, but he actually controls less than half of the territory, not even a third. His only advantage is that he has the support of the King of Wa and the shogunate."

"But the Japanese themselves don't really value these things. Oda Nobunaga was arrogant and disrespectful to the King of Wa and Ashikaga Yoshiaki. He only temporarily suppressed the surrounding areas because of his strong fists."

"I have a plan."

"Please speak, Chairman!"

Huang Wenbin said:
"Through this incident, we will fully implement the Sakai Port Treaty, turn Sakai Port into a true 'free port,' and allow all Japanese daimyo to do business here."

(End of this chapter)