Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 104 Time is of the essence
After finishing his talk about recruiting, Zhu Youdong returned to his desk and lay down without any image. He also changed his official name of "Gu" to "Wu" in ordinary occasions: "Okay, everyone, let's stop here for the serious business. Next, who of you wants to talk to me about the Ninth Prince of Japan?"
"Speaking of this person, Your Highness, I have been in Japan for a few months, and there is something that has aroused my interest. It is said that this thing was made by the Ninth Prince of the Tokugawa family."
"Oh? What is it?"
The comic book that Tian Ergeng handed in was the one created by Tokugawa Takechiyo. Zhu Youdong took it and flipped through it, and a familiar smell hit him.
Although the clarity of this comic book cannot be compared with that of later generations due to the limitations of the printing level of that era, the strong masculine style of Tetsuo Hara in this comic book still shocked Zhu Youdong.
This is undoubtedly the work of a time traveler. Could it be that the guy from Japan was a cartoonist before he traveled through time?
The Book of Songs, Han Dynasty prose, Tang poetry, Song lyrics, Yuan opera, Ming and Qing novels, Peking opera, drama, movies, TV series, live streaming, Tik Tok... The development history of China's mainstream media communication methods vividly reflects a law: if you want to spread widely, being easy to understand is the most fundamental requirement.
Comics are not only loved by children, but also by adults with little cultural accomplishment . After all, if you just read a novel, you still have to understand, think, and imagine, but it is much easier to read comics. Although adults who read comics for a long time will seriously damage their own understanding, expression, and imagination. But there is no doubt that in this era, such propaganda methods are really a killer!
"Kunisuke, Siqi, have you ever seen this thing in Japan?"
“I have.”
"How does it feel?"
"It's great, Your Highness. After reading the first book, I'm looking forward to the second one. Oh, by the way, there is a new word in Japan, uh, no, Wa, called chasing anime."
"Well, I just flipped through this book. It tells the story of Oda Nobunaga's surprise attack on Imagawa Yoshimoto at Okehazama. Hey, Imagawa Yoshimoto is obviously a brave and famous archer, but he is portrayed as a fat man with a bloated stomach in the book... Will the descendants of the Imagawa family agree to this?"
"Haha, Your Highness. What if you don't agree? You can't afford to offend the painter. But then again, is Imagawa Yoshimoto so powerful? Hmm~~ I think I caught something."
Looking at the bewildered Li Guozhu and the thoughtful Yan Siqi, Zhu Youdong nodded secretly: the former is at most a general, while the latter is truly a natural commander!
"Si Qi just said that he seemed to have caught something. Let me explain it to you." Shaking the comic in his hand, Zhu Youdong said, "For nearly a thousand years, the samurai have been the masters of Japan. And what do these guys value most? Whether their martial arts reputation can be passed down to future generations. So, is there any other way to spread the martial arts reputation of famous samurai more conveniently than such a comic? There is no doubt that those who are close to the Tokugawa family will have a better image in this comic. Those who are hostile will be vilified and slandered in various ways. The Tokugawa family uses this method to capture most of the samurai in their minds. This is the power of this comic!"
"I see. Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Your Highness. I used to think that this thing was just a childish temper tantrum by the Ninth Prince, and it was just a joke. Now it seems that there is a deeper meaning behind it..."
"So that Takechiyo is no ordinary person. Well, can you guys tell me more? Are there any other obvious changes in Japan in the past six or seven years?"
"…Your Highness, speaking of this, I remembered something. The family of Okubo Nagayasu, who used to manage all the finances and taxes for the Tokugawa family, was ordered to commit seppuku at the end of last year."
"What?" Upon hearing the news, Zhu Youdong could no longer pretend to be calm as he had just done when he got the comic book, but jumped up suddenly.
Those who like Anrong games don't need to explain much about Okubo Nagayasu. Simply put, his position in the Tokugawa shogunate was the deputy prime minister in charge of the economy.
This man was born in a humble family, but he had a natural sensitivity to numbers. During the decades of Tokugawa Ieyasu's conquests, he was always able to ensure that the Tokugawa family's army was well-fed and clothed, and after the Tokugawa family suffered a great defeat, he was able to quickly provide new soldiers, money and food to allow Tokugawa Ieyasu to recover. In this respect, he is very similar to Xiao He in the early Han Dynasty.
But this guy had many more problems than Xiao He: he was corrupt, accepted bribes, embezzled money, believed in Catholicism, and was resentful when the Tokugawa family began to suppress Catholics in the country... In the historical plane, he died in 1613. In the same year, his coffin was opened and his body was stabbed, and all seven sons were killed.
And in this dimension, all this happened seven years earlier.
"And then? Is the finance and taxation of the Tokugawa family now in the charge of His Highness the Ninth Prince?"
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, will see you soon."
"Tsk~~" He smacked his lips, shook his head unhappily, and asked, "Anything else?"
"It is said that the Tokugawa shogunate has announced that it will begin minting its own coins this year."
"Hiss~~" After taking a deep breath, Zhu Youdong stood up irritably: "Time waits for no one, time waits for no one!"
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Japan did not officially issue currency. The most widely circulated currency was the Yongle Tongbao of the Ming Dynasty. In the 16th century, the most common form of private trade between China and Japan was for Chinese merchants to buy large amounts of red copper and silver in Japan and then settle the accounts with Ming Dynasty copper coins.
The silver produced by Iwami Silver Mine in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries accounted for one-third of the world's silver production at the time. However, due to the lack of coinage, a large amount of silver flowed out - a minted silver coin was much more valuable than a piece of silver of the same weight.
During the Ming Dynasty, China had a surplus in foreign trade. Every year, a large amount of silver flowed into the country. But the Ming government was so strange: it used silver as an equivalent for salaries to officials and soldiers, as well as for large-scale transactions among the people. But the government did not consider using silver for coinage.
In Zhu Youdong's plan, when he ascends the throne in the future, he will carry out currency reform. Before that, although a large amount of silver has been deposited in the country, first of all, he, or the royal family, must have enough silver reserves. Otherwise, this currency reform will easily fail.
Where did the silver reserves come from? Spain and Japan.
But now Japan is about to start currency reform... Hmm? No! At this time, there is still a tragic war brewing in Japan.
Hey! If I don't take this opportunity to put some eye drops on your Tokugawa family and put some obstacles in your way, how can I justify my experience of playing the Anrong game day and night before I traveled through time?
"Siqi, I have something for you to do."
"Your Highness, please give your instructions."
"This matter is extremely dangerous. If you are not careful, you will lose your life."
"Since I have pledged my love to Your Highness, I will obey Your Highness' orders."
"Well, Siqi, you've been in Japan for four years, so you must be familiar with the Japanese language, right?"
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I am very fluent in Japanese."
"Hahaha, very good. I want you to sneak into Osaka Castle and find a way to contact Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son, Toyotomi Hideyori!"
"I see. I understand. I will definitely fulfill my mission."
"Well, Guozhu, I need your help and Captain Li's help on this matter as well."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. We are all descendants of the Chinese nation. We have no choice but to do our duty in this matter!"
