Chapter 101
Pacific Fleet (2)
February 5, 1841.
1,000 Mexican Empire Marines landed on the coast of Japan and entered Edo.
As the military band played the Mexican national anthem, Admiral Navarro and the Marines marched proudly towards Edo Castle, and countless people living in Edo watched the scene.
The Japanese were intimidated by their muscular physique, their strict military discipline, and their fierce weapons, which they didn't know much about, but they whispered without being heard.
"These foreigners have different skin colors. There are white people, but there are also people with skin colors similar to ours, and there are black people!"
"I heard that the black guys with the Dutch merchants are all slaves."
The Edo Shogunate guided Admiral Navarro and his soldiers to a nearby temple and treated them generously, but it didn't really suit their tastes.
"I am Tokugawa Ieyoshi, descendant of the samurai and shogun who rules the Edo Shogunate. I welcome you on behalf of our land and culture."
Tokugawa Ieyoshi was wearing traditional armor and a long sword at his waist. His subordinates were the same.
'Is this the samurai? He wants to intimidate me.'
Admiral Navarro, who was wearing two revolver pistols, one at his waist and one on his coat, wasn't intimidated by the long sword, in fact, he found it ridiculous, but he answered politely.
"Thank you for your welcome. I am Admiral Dario Navarro, commander of the Mexican Empire's Pacific Fleet. I have been ordered to deliver a letter from His Highness, the crown prince of our Mexican Empire, to the general, and to receive a reply."
Admiral Navarro got straight to the point and handed over the letter.
Tokugawa Ieyoshi read the letter and said he would give a reply after careful consideration, and then left.
The stay in Japan was comfortable, and they were treated well, but Admiral Navarro wasn't interested in the food, alcohol, performances, and sports competitions that Japan provided.
'They even show us this. They're definitely trying to stall.'
Japan showed them a sport called sumo, where big guys came out and wrestled, and it was interesting for a while, but he soon lost interest.
A week after landing, the admiral's patience reached its limit.
"Everyone! You've shown us a lot of interesting things, so we're going to show you something interesting from Mexico. I hope the general will attend."
Admiral Navarro, who had requested a tour of the shooting range, pulled out a revolver pistol in front of the shogun and the samurai.
"I'm going to show you the weapons of our Mexican Empire."
Whirr.
Admiral Navarro, who posed by unnecessarily spinning the cylinder, fired at a wooden target.
Bang!
"Whoa. Can you fire it without reloading? It's amazing, but…"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Admiral Navarro fired six shots in an instant.
"···"
Japan still mainly uses matchlock muskets, an older technology than flintlock muskets.
They were impressed that he fired without the cumbersome reloading process, but when he fired five more shots in a row, they felt fear, beyond amazement.
Whew.
Admiral Navarro put the pistol away, posing unnecessarily again.
"It seems like you enjoyed the show. Okay. We've had our fun, so let's get to the point."
***
The negotiations that began after Admiral Navarro's shocking demonstration were surprisingly smooth.
The content of the Mexican Empire crown prince's letter was a demand to completely overturn the existing closed policy, but Japan couldn't refuse.
They were completely intimidated.
"I told you not to bring in soldiers!"
"If we don't bring them in, their fleet will turn Edo into rubble. What are we supposed to do?"
"Then you should have at least limited the number of soldiers. 1,000! All 1,000 of them were carrying those monster guns, and they even had other long guns on their backs. What are we going to do if they get any ideas?"
"No matter how good the weapons are, on land…"
"Stop!"
Tokugawa Ieyoshi shouted, silencing his subordinates' argument.
"It's already happened. How long are you going to keep talking about it! We agreed to give them an answer by this evening, so we don't even have time to think about how to meet their demands as little as possible!"
"···Lord, they won't lift the blockade of Edo until we accept. There's no way."
***
February 16, 1841.
Mexico and Japan agreed on a treaty. The content was as follows.
————
Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between the Mexican Empire and Japan (Tratado de Amistad y Comercio entre el Imperio de México y Japón)
Article 1 - Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
- The Mexican Empire and the Empire of Japan shall maintain contact between the two countries by establishing resident diplomats in each other's capitals.
- The two countries shall respect each other's culture and traditions and promote mutual understanding through diplomatic communication.
Article 2 - Opening of Ports
- The Empire of Japan shall open five ports, Hakodate, Niigata, Yokohama, Hyogo, and Nagasaki, to Mexican ships and merchants.
- These ports can be used for the supply of the Mexican fleet and for trade and exchange of goods by Mexican merchants.
Article 3 - Non-interference in Trade
- Officials of the Empire of Japan shall not interfere with the legitimate trade activities of Mexican merchants and shall guarantee their commercial freedom.
Article 4 - Recognition of Mexican Consular Jurisdiction
- Mexican consuls in the Empire of Japan shall have jurisdiction over Mexican citizens and provide them with legal protection.
Article 5 - Principle of Agreed Tariffs
- The two countries shall promote trade through mutually beneficial tariff agreements and shall review and adjust them periodically.
Article 6 - Most-Favored Nation Treatment
- The Empire of Japan shall grant Mexico most-favored nation treatment, which shall apply to trade, investment, and other economic activities.
Article 7 - Duration and Amendment of Treaty
- This treaty shall enter into force upon its signature and may be amended or extended by agreement between the two countries.
This treaty is formally adopted with the signatures of the representatives of the two countries and lays the foundation for a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship between the Mexican Empire and the Empire of Japan.
————
It was a one-sidedly unfavorable treaty for Japan, even though it was called a treaty of friendship, but Admiral Navarro's demands didn't end there.
"Oh, and while we're at it, I have a favor to ask."
"···What else is there?"
"I want to send a letter to the neighboring country, Joseon, and I would appreciate it if Japan would help."
It was the crown prince's order. He had been instructed to send a letter through Japan, saying that Joseon wouldn't submit like Japan and would resist fiercely.
Admiral Navarro thought that he could just take his fleet and turn the place into rubble, but it was the crown prince's order. He must have a plan.
"We haven't had any contact with Joseon for a long time. The last Joseon envoy was in Bunka 8 (1811)."
Tokugawa indirectly refused Admiral Navarro's request, but the admiral, who heard the interpreter's words, didn't back down.
"Even if official contact has been cut off, can't you send a letter? If we go there with our fleet, there's a high chance of fighting, but if you send a message from Japan, we won't attack."
"···You've done a lot of research. Okay, it's not difficult to deliver a letter."
"Thank you."
The samurai, disgusted by the humiliating conversation, closed their eyes tightly.
February 1841.
The shock the Mexican Empire gave to Japanese society was enormous.
It was proven that Japan was unable to resist the overwhelming naval power of the Western powers, and the Edo Shogunate's prestige plummeted.
Japan called this event the 'Iron Ship Incident'.
***
"Your Majesty, there seems to be no problem with the letter."
"It's a letter from the crown prince of the Mexican Empire. Let me see it."
The king wanted to take the letter brought from Japan, but it didn't go as planned. As soon as the Japanese messenger, who had confirmed that the letter had been delivered, left, the ministers started to speak.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter from the crown prince of a country called Mexico, across the vast sea. It's up to Your Majesty to handle it as you see fit, but I dare say that the content of this letter may be a diplomatic issue that could have a major impact on Joseon's future. Therefore, I humbly suggest that Your Majesty gather the great and small ministers and discuss this matter together. I hope that Your Majesty will make the right decision with your wisdom and promote the well-being of the people and the country."
"I would also like to add a word to Minister Kim Jwa-geun's words. Your Majesty, the letter from the crown prince of Mexico must contain an important issue for our country. It is appropriate to discuss this serious matter carefully and make a wise decision for the stability of the court and the peace of the country."
Jo Man-yeong, though he was in opposition to Kim Jwa-geun, of the Andong Kim clan, who was rapidly rising in power, was also curious about the content of the letter.
Joseon was a closed country, but they knew that England, a Western country, had invaded Qing China.
In Joseon's traditional worldview, Qing China was an invincible superpower. The shocking news that they had invaded Qing China was revealed, and now, the crown prince of another Western country, Mexico, had sent a letter to the king through Japan.
"However, it would be a diplomatic offense to disclose a letter that a foreign crown prince sent to me personally."
"Your Majesty, there's no way they'll know that we disclosed the letter. Please make a wise decision."
It was a flimsy argument, almost a fabrication, but the king, who had just turned 15 and started ruling on his own, couldn't refuse the demands of the two powerful factions.
"···I understand."
When Kim Jwa-geun and Jo Man-yeong gave him a look, those who were at the royal court meeting bowed and left. Only the powerful factions and some high-ranking officials remained in the royal court meeting.
"Ahem. Then, I'll read it."
Kim Jwa-geun, holding the letter, cleared his throat and read the letter aloud.
"···"
"Well."
"Ahem…"
The royal court meeting fell silent for a moment at the shocking content.
"···Didn't you say they took their fleet to Japan and threatened to open the country?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The content sent to Joseon was completely different. It was true that it was about opening the country and trading, but it wasn't a threat to bring their fleet if they didn't open the country.
"It's okay if you don't want to open the country."
"It's just words, but if you look at the content written afterwards, isn't it completely a curse?"
[···(middle) Qing China will be trampled by England. The technological gap between the two countries is like heaven and earth, and even Qing China's vast territory and population will not be able to overcome that gap.]
"Qing China will lose? That's a delusion."
"That's right. And to say that they will be left behind if they don't trade with the West, how arrogant is that?"
Except for a small number of intellectuals, Joseon was indifferent or optimistic about the Opium War.
The words about the huge technological gap, the words that Qing China would lose, and the words that Japan, which had accepted Western culture through trade with the Netherlands in the past, would once again open its doors first and start developing, didn't bring a sense of crisis to Joseon.
This was because they thought it was a delusion that Qing China would lose to mere barbarians.
"The letter's appearance is flamboyant, but the content is complete nonsense."
"That's right. It's even suspicious that the crown prince of Mexico sent a letter through Japan."
They wasted time on a strange letter.
That was Joseon's conclusion.
***
Admiral Navarro, having heard that the Joseon king had received the letter, finally prepared to set sail from the fleet that had been staying in Japan.
"We're going to the Philippines. Prepare for battle."
It's known as a Spanish colony, but Spain first lost its fleet to Mexico and then lost the rest of its fleet because it couldn't pay its debts to England.
It's been years since they lost the naval power to control their colonies. What kind of situation would it be?
Even His Highness the Crown Prince couldn't predict that situation.
Admiral Navarro set sail with a mix of worry and anticipation.