Chapter 786: Hojo Surrenders

"Father is right. The steam industry of Dasong is so terrifying that it is like hitting a rock with an egg to fight against it. In my opinion, the King of Yan captured us, asked us to go to Yancheng, and then released us to remind us and give us a chance." Hojo Cang said anxiously as he looked at the slowly receding Dasong steamship.

His father was very old, and he would be the next feudal lord in a few years.

Compared with his father, he was more anxious.

Moreover, he had been dissatisfied with the shogunate's tax increase policy for a long time.

He was just frightened by the reputation of the Watanabe case, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

But now it is different. If the Uzen Domain had the support of the King of Yan, the Watanabe case would not affect his Hojo family.

The Uzen Domain would not have to pay heavy taxes anymore.

Hojo Cang's words awakened Hojo Kawakage.

Yes, his son was right. It was easy for the King of Yan to kill them, but he went to great lengths to capture them and then release them. Thinking carefully, this is indeed the meaning.

"There is no time to lose. You prepare some generous gifts. In a few days, we will take a boat to Dasong to meet with King Yan and test his opinion. If King Yan is really willing to support us, our Yuzen Domain will be independent from now on." Hojo Kawakage pondered.

Back then, Watanabe conquered Japan with the muskets and cannons obtained from the Westerners. He had to surrender, but he was unwilling to accept it.

Since Watanabe could rely on the Westerners to dominate Japan, why couldn't his Hojo family do the same?

Among the former Japanese domains, his Hojo family has always been famous.

It was because of the defeat by Watanabe that the small domains such as Haruta, Kuki, and Ogawa, which were always unknown, were suppressed.

He was unwilling, but he could only endure it. Now, he doesn't have to endure it.

Three days later, several merchant ships set out from Andong City, carrying a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry to Yanzhou.

In the Goryeo Sea, they were discovered by the patrolling Dasong warship.

After learning their purpose, the warship let them go.

After more than five days, they returned to Yancheng again and were led into the Yanwang Mansion.

"Your Highness, please support my Hojo family. My Hojo family is willing to take the Yuzen domain and leave the shogunate, since Goryeo respects Dasong as the superior country."

In the meeting hall, as soon as Zhao Xu appeared, Hojo Kawakage and Hojo Cang immediately knelt down and said loudly.

The translator who was traveling with him immediately told Zhao Xu about his story.

Many pirates on Wufeng Island knew both Dasong and Dongying.

So after occupying Wufeng Island, there was no shortage of translators.

However, Zhao Xu could actually understand Dongying.

Not only Dongying, but also Russian, Ansa, and German, he knew them all, after all, he had a vast amount of knowledge in his mind.

But even so, in this kind of occasion, he still needed Dasong to translate.

He had to speak the language of Dasong, now in diplomatic occasions, and in the future.

"No need to be polite." Zhao Xu raised his hand and stood up to the two of them. "Among the four clans, your Hojo family was the first to understand my intention. It's rare, rare, but if you want to get my support, you have to pay a price."

The arrival of the Hojo father and son proved that his strategy worked.

In the past, the Watanabe case was unmatched in their hearts, but after seeing the steam industry of Da Song, the image of the Watanabe case was shattered.

If they were loyal to the Watanabe case, Da Song would have the ability to destroy the Uzen clan.

And with the support of the King of Yan, they would not only be able to regain the power of the Uzen clan, but also perhaps become the strongest clan in Japan.

"Please tell me, Your Highness, as long as Your Highness supports the Hojo family, I, Hojo Kawakage, can also dedicate my life to Your Highness." Hojo Kawakage looked firm.

Zhao Xu heard this and nodded slightly.

Hojo and his son thought it through, so he said: "I can give you a smoothbore rifle with a range of 200 meters, or a field artillery with an effective range of 2,000 meters, but you, the Hojo family, must guarantee your loyalty to Dasong and meet some of my conditions."

After a pause, he said: "First, since everyone in the Uzen Domain has learned the Dasong language and Dasong characters, the Japanese characters have been abolished. Second, the Uzen Domain will open its market to our Dasong, and cannot impose taxes on Yanzhou goods. Yanzhou merchants are allowed to do business in the Uzen Domain, and the personal safety and interests of Yanzhou merchants are protected."

"Third, Dasong is allowed to establish trading houses and newspapers in the Uzen Domain. Fourth, accept Songyuan transactions and gradually stop using Japanese currency. Also, these firearms cannot be given for free, and must be exchanged for silver and physical objects."

Hojo Kawakage and Hojo Cang looked at each other.

They thought that the King of Yan would put forward very harsh conditions.

Now, these conditions are put forward, which makes them feel relieved.

It didn't matter if they abolished the Japanese characters, since they were 60% similar to the characters of Dasong.

Moreover, after seeing the steam industry of Dasong, they had already regarded Dasong as their master. The unified writing and language would make it easier for them to learn from Dasong.

As for trade, these conditions had been opened to Western countries by Watanabe before.

They just turned to Dasong.

As for the trading house, it didn't matter. They had never heard of the newspaper, so they asked the King of Yan.

After learning what the newspaper was, he didn't take it seriously.

Finally, there was no need to pay for the firearms.

They still felt a little uneasy and asked Zhao Xu: "We agree to all these, but we hope that His Royal Highness the King of Yan can station troops in the Yuzen Domain to protect the Yuzen Domain."

This was their little trick in their hearts.

If they declared independence, they were worried that Watanabe would attack him. If the King of Yan's army was there, Watanabe would always have to think twice.

And now that they have obtained the firearms of King Yan, they still need time to recruit soldiers and train for a period of time.

This window period is very dangerous. With the protection of the King of Yan's troops, they feel at ease.

"Okay, I will send a thousand troops to station in the Yuzen Domain, but you need to bear the food and grass supply of these thousand soldiers." Zhao Xu looked serious on the surface, but chuckled in his heart.

The father and son have not yet realized the severity of these conditions.

Especially in terms of trade, at present, Yanzhou's trade is relatively strong compared to Japan.

This is just like the contemporary developed countries exporting goods to poor countries. The goods of developed countries will soon occupy the markets of developed countries, and the merchants of developed countries will also enter all walks of life in the country in large numbers and occupy a dominant position.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Seeing that the King of Yan agreed, the father and son were even more grateful. For them, the rise of the Hojo family was unstoppable.

They no longer need to look at the face of the shogunate in the future.

After deciding this matter, Zhao Xu called Dong An and asked Dong An to entertain the Hojo father and son, and he would not go.

After the two left, Zhao Xu looked at the map of Japan.

He has already spent a piece in the north of Japan.

As for whether the other three lords will come, he is not worried.

Once the Hojo family becomes strong, he doesn't believe they can sit still.

Maybe by then, there will be more lords coming to Yanzhou than just these three families.

Then, he recalled the mineral resources of Japan.

In modern times, the Ming Dynasty called Japan the Silver Islands.

This is because the silver mines in Japan are buried very shallowly like the oil fields in China, which is easy to mine, so that it became the largest silver mine in the world at that time.

In addition to silver mines, Japan's gold mines are also buried very shallowly, and the next richer one is sulfur.

Of these three minerals, the first two helped Dasong to establish the silver standard and the subsequent gold standard monetary system.

Sulfur helps the production of gunpowder. This time, he must take advantage of the opportunity to seize these mines.