Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 336 Demonstration

Abe Masahiro found such harsh conditions unacceptable and righteously refused: "Your Excellency, the shogunate was unaware of the Satsuma Domain's attack on your domain, but in order to maintain the friendship between our country and Ming, we can offer 100,000 taels of silver as compensation for the medical expenses and pensions of the injured and deceased. As for the other demands, please forgive us for not being able to agree."

The first demand—to hand over the murderer—was actually quite reasonable, but Abe Masahiro dared not give a direct answer and could only glossed over it. Although the Shimazu clan was part of the Western Army during the Battle of Sekigahara and should have been among those to be purged after the war, Tokugawa Ieyasu, on the one hand, feared the formidable fighting power of the Shimazu army under the command of Shimazu Yoshihiro, and on the other hand, respected such a powerful opponent. Therefore, he basically maintained the status quo of the Shimazu territory, which made the Shimazu clan a powerful domain comparable to the Date and Maeda clans, second only to the Tokugawa main family.

The shogunate was unwilling to provoke such a person easily, especially since the murderer was the eldest daughter of the Shimazu family, who was said to have been trained as a samurai from a young age and was a potential candidate to become the head of the family. Although Japan was a patriarchal society, there were precedents in history for women to serve as heads of families. For example, the famous general Tachibana Dōsetsu of the Sengoku period passed the position of head of the family to his daughter. If it were an ordinary samurai, the Shimazu family might hand it over under pressure from the shogunate, but it was absolutely impossible for Shimazu Chiyo to do so.

Liu Ye didn't seem surprised by Abe Masahiro's attitude, nor did he intend to get the other party to agree with just a few words.

“Old Master Abe, come here, let me show you something.”

Abe Masahiro followed Liu Ye with a puzzled expression to the side of the shore. This location faced a small hillside next to Koshiba Village, with a dense forest on the hillside, about two miles from the coast. He asked, perplexed, "Sir, what are you showing me?"

Liu Ye smiled slyly: "Let the old Chinese see how our warships fight. Gao Jie, let's begin."

"The plan begins," Gao Jie said to Captain Van Bommel.

Van Bommel, acting as captain, issued orders to the messengers. The orders reached the gun deck, where the gunners, who had been waiting, gave the order to all gun crews on the shore side: "Long guns, fire a salvo! Prepare!"

All long-barreled cannons, including bombardment cannons and 24-pound cannons, began orderly preparations for firing. The gunners moved the shells, loaded them into the muzzle, punctured the propellant charges through the ignition port, inserted the fuses, and waited for ignition.

"Fire!"

The gunners lit their fuses, and a series of hissing sounds echoed from the gun deck, like the sound of a group of rattlesnakes crawling by.

Abe Masahiro stood bewildered on the deck, about to ask another question, when suddenly the ship shook violently, like an earthquake, accompanied by a deafening roar, "Boom boom boom!" Caught off guard, Abe Masahiro fell onto the deck, yelling, "Is the heavens angry? Is this an earthquake or a bolt from the blue?"

Liu Ye "kindly" helped him up. This wonderful scene was specially prepared for this shogunate envoy, and he couldn't let him miss it. Pointing to the opposite side, he explained, "This is not an earthquake, nor is it thunder. It's our warships firing their cannons!"

Following Liu Ye's direction, Abe Masahiro looked and was immediately dumbfounded. Shells fired from the lower side of the ship had sheared a large section of trees flat on the hillside, leaving the forest scattered and in ruins—a testament to the immense destructive power. Before he could react, the delayed fuse of the explosive detonated. With two muffled thuds, two flashes of fire erupted, and a massive shockwave knocked down surrounding trees, creating a large, visible crater in the ground. Two mushroom-shaped plumes of smoke then rose into the air.

Abe Masahiro's mouth dropped open, speechless. Such cannons possessed the power of an avalanche, any one of them capable of instantly destroying the "National Collapse" in the castle tower; he had never seen anything like it before.

But the shock wasn't over yet. Gao Jie issued a new order, and the messenger relayed the instructions to the rest of the fleet. The fleet, originally in a straight line, began to curve outwards from the center, with the two sides converging towards the center, forming a fan shape. The center point of this fan-shaped arc was perpendicular to the hillside and forest they had just passed. All the gun ports on the ships opened simultaneously, revealing the muzzles of the cannons.

"Boom boom boom!" The entire fleet unleashed its full firepower, with all the cannons pouring shells at the target. 12-pound, 24-pound, and 59-pound solid or hollow explosive shells flew toward the target, making it look like a meteor shower was falling on the hill.

After the violent impact and explosions, as the smoke cleared, Masahiro Abe was astonished to find that not only had the forest been wiped out, but the small hillside had been almost completely flattened by the dense barrage of artillery shells. What Japanese city could withstand such firepower? He was utterly shocked; it was almost divine power, beyond human capability.

Liu Ye asked meaningfully, "How are the cannons on my warships? I've heard that Edo is very prosperous, and I'm very interested in going to see it."

Abe Masahiro wasn't stupid; he immediately understood the other party's intention. He turned and knelt before Liu Ye, respectfully saying, "If Your Excellency is willing to maintain peaceful relations with the Shogunate, I am willing to convey all of Your Excellency's conditions to the Tokugawa Shogun."

Liu Ye asked casually, "Didn't you say these conditions couldn't be agreed to?"

Abe Masahiro wiped his sweat and said with a forced smile, "Everything is negotiable, everything is negotiable..."

Liu Ye nodded in satisfaction: "Then I'll give you seven days. I need a definite answer. Otherwise, my fleet will appear outside Edo Castle, and I will visit General Tokugawa in my own way."

Upon hearing this, Abe Masahiro broke out in a cold sweat and retorted, "How could seven days be enough? Your proposal that your subordinates be exempt from Japanese law and that your warships dock at any port requires the Emperor's approval! From Edo to Kyoto, it's over 700 li, and even at the fastest horse, it would take several months. Please come again next spring, and we will certainly give you a satisfactory answer then, how about that?"

Liu Ye laughed: "Do you think I'm some naive newbie? Everyone in Japan knows that the Emperor has no real power; he's just a puppet. The actual ruler of Japan is your shogun. No matter what conditions I offer, I don't need your Emperor's approval, and he has no right to make any decisions. Stop with your charade of fooling laymen. Remember, you have seven days to give me a satisfactory answer."

Unexpectedly, a Ming Chinese was so knowledgeable about the political landscape of Japan that Abe Masahiro's delaying tactics failed. He had no choice but to obsequiously agree and then hurriedly led his entourage ashore.

As soon as Masahiro Abe stepped ashore, Liu Ye's voice came from the ship: "Take care, Mr. Abe. To express our feelings, we are firing a cannon to send you off."

Immediately following, several thunderous cannon shots rang out. Abe Masahiro, who had been mounted on his horse, was startled by the noise and fell to the ground. His attendants quickly helped him up. The group looked back tremblingly and realized that the cannons were only loaded with gunpowder, not shells; they were firing blanks. It was ostensibly a farewell, but in reality, a show of force. The group dared not express any dissatisfaction and could only leave in a sorry state.