Tang Qi then had his men untie Yamamoto Jiro and Tengyuan Jing, and sat down at a table with Shimazu Matsudaira. Seeing that Tang Qi had untied them immediately, Yamamoto Jiro felt relieved, knowing that he was unlikely to die. He bowed to Tang Qi and said, "I am very grateful for your generosity, Lord Tang. We should have replied to your previous question long ago, but due to the order from Shogun Tokugawa, we were unable to respond in time. We are truly sorry."
"Tokugawa Iemitsu's policy is not what we want to discuss now. What I want to talk about now is still what happened last time. The main content remains unchanged. Let's discuss the specific details now. Mr. Shimazu, what do you think?" Tang Yu was still very satisfied with Yamazu Jiro's attitude. After smiling and nodding, he turned his gaze to Shimazu Matsudaira.
"Lord Tang, our Satsuma clan's own territory is not very large. We can't afford to rent such a large area to you all at once. Also, the fee you offer is too low." Shimazu Matsudaira was a great hero after all. When he talked about land, he immediately became energetic, as if he had forgotten that he was a prisoner.
"The area of 10 square kilometres is not large. As for Lord Shimazu saying that Satsuma is too small, that is not a problem. With the help of our Ming Dynasty, Lord Shimazu can rest assured to bring the territories of Kyukoku Island under your control. As for the rent, we can negotiate. I can increase it for you. How about 12,000 taels of silver? In addition, I will blockade the sea area from Ming Dynasty to your country. In the future, silk, tea and other goods from Ming Dynasty must be traded in Satsuma. Lord Shimazu can collect taxes from those people from your country who come to Satsuma to do business. I believe that will be a considerable income. Lord Shimazu, what do you think?" Tang Qi leaned back in his chair, took the tea brewed by a subordinate and blew on it.
What else could he do? Shimazu Matsudaira saw Tang Lu's attitude and knew that he had no room for bargaining. His power had been wiped out. If the other party did not let him go, even Satsuma would belong to him.
"Lord Tang, if you can provide us with the muskets you are using now, we can lend you the land for free." Shimazu Matsudaira thought about it in his mind.
"Pah! I'm trying to negotiate with you nicely, and you, an old devil, actually dare to come up with such an idea. You really don't want to live anymore." Tang Qi cursed inwardly, put down his teacup and snorted coldly, "To tell you the truth, this kind of musket is extremely expensive. One gun costs three hundred taels of silver. My Ming Dynasty currently only has 30,000 muskets, which is not enough for us. Don't even think about it. I can probably provide you with a large number of swords and other things, and I can also provide you with troops to help you. Mr. Shimazu, you should know that you are not the only one who can cooperate with me."
Seeing the fierce gleam in Tang Qi's eyes, Yamamoto Jiro couldn't help but shudder. When he heard that the muskets actually cost three hundred taels of silver, he also knew that Tang Qi was unwilling to provide them and that was why he deliberately made them so expensive. He immediately said, "Sir Tang, everything is easy to negotiate. My master is the closest to the Ming Dynasty. I wonder how many weapons and friendly troops Sir Tang can provide us."
"Well, at present, I can provide you with a thousand swords, a thousand wax-rod guns, and a musket army of a hundred people. Of course, if we have a pleasant cooperation in the future, I will provide you with greater help." Tang Yu softened his tone.
Shima Matsudaira pondered for a long time and finally sighed. He thought, if he didn't agree, not only would his family die, but the territory of Satsuma would definitely become someone else's. His eyes dimmed and he said, "Okay, let's do as Lord Tang says."
Both sides agreed on the general direction, and the next step was to discuss the details and sign a contract. The main points were: first, within the concession, all sovereignty belonged to Tang Qi, and Japan was not allowed to interfere in any way. Japan was especially not allowed to interfere in the politics, taxation, and military affairs within the concession. (Shimazu Matsudaira did not want to agree to this, but after Tang Qi threw a teacup fiercely, he agreed obediently.) Second, people from the Ming Dynasty who held passports issued by the Tang Qi military had legal immunity in the territory of Satsuma. Third, Tang Qi had the right to pursue smugglers from the Ming Dynasty across the border. Fourth, all weapons provided were settled at a fixed price, with the spoils of war in future wars between Satsuma and other foreign countries. The salary of the reinforcements would be the responsibility of Tang Qi himself, but the spoils of war obtained by the reinforcements in future battles would belong to the reinforcements.
This contract was later called the "Kokura Treaty". After the contract was signed, Tang Lie put it away with great satisfaction, and warmly entertained Shimazu Matsudaira and others. For Yamazu Benjiro, who was very respectful, Tang Lie even gave him some extra gifts in private to enhance the friendly relations between the two sides.
After signing the contract, Shimazu Matsudaira was not as discouraged as Tang Qi had expected. Instead, he was in high spirits when he left. This made Tang Qi puzzled for a while, and he had to warn his men to be careful.
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