Japan has had a tradition of building castles since the Warring States Period. Daimyos from all over the country, that is, powerful men, would build castles in dangerous places on their territory to protect themselves and the surrounding people.
Kagoshima is not actually the name of the main castle of Shimazu. Kagoshima is just a castle town. Yamakawa Port is the name of the seaport. The castle where the successive heads of the Shimazu family lived is called the inner castle and is located just north of the castle town of Kagoshima.
This inner city is like most Japanese Daii castles. It is tall and solid and attaches great importance to military and practicality. Solid boulders wrap the city base, a wide moat brings running water, and the snow-white walls are densely packed with shooting holes.
This strong castle has protected the Shimazu family for more than four hundred years. Under such a long feudal rule, the inner city has a very strict order of superiority and inferiority, as well as countless rules.
Japan is a nation that respects rules very much, sometimes to the point of perversion. In the house where the owner of the house lives, any loud noise is not allowed. Even the maids have strict rules when walking, and they have to move their feet close to the ground. Just like the female ghost Piao.
There were also those guarding warriors, each of whom did not dare to take a breath, for fear that the slightest sound would disturb the lord's life.
But no matter how perverted the rules are, some people will break them. Today's guest from Ryukyu is a typical rule breaker. The curses at the castle tower are now loud enough that the maids in the back kitchen can hear them clearly.
"Kurayama Rigen, you are a disgrace to the Japanese samurai. You were beaten like a lost dog by the Prime Minister in Ryukyu. Why don't you stay in the refugee camp for the rest of your life? You are shameless and shameless..."
"Baga, Baga..."
"Takenaka Inoue, you are a fish that slipped through the net. Don't think that you have escaped punishment in Ryukyu and you are a good person. We, the people of Ryukyu, have seen what you did before. You are also an invader..."
"Baga, Baga...how can you be ungrateful."
"Shimadzu Hisamitsu, Shimazu Tadayoshi... you are the executioners who initiated the war. Sooner or later the Ryukyu people will approve you."
"Baga, Baga... you are so rude, get out, get out of the inner city, Satsuma Domain does not welcome you..."
…
The curses were endless, and they were all spoken in a very pure Satsuma accent. All the servants and soldiers in the inner city could hear them clearly.
Everyone was dumbfounded. The Shimazu family dominated Kyushu and guarded the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago. In history, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu were unable to do anything about the Southwest Dominion. Today, four Ryukyu college students were killed. Pointing at the nose and cursing.
You must know that even His Majesty the Emperor's envoys must be polite when they come to see the head of the Shimazu family. They have never encountered such an insult.
Countless soldiers and samurai clenched their weapons angrily, subconsciously wanting to rush forward and chop these bold maniacs to death; countless maids and servants turned pale with fright, and had nowhere to rest their hands and feet, fearing that the conflict would escalate to the point of anger. they.
The entire inner city was already on the edge of a storm, more like the eve of a volcanic eruption. Everyone was waiting for Shimazu Tadayoshi to erupt, as if the bodies of four college students would be dragged out in the next second.
However, the quarrel lasted for half an hour. In addition to scolding Baga, the important officials of the Shimazu family did not even dare to use fists and kicks. Countless soldiers and servants turned their eyes to the sea. They knew that their lord was gave in under the threat of artillery.
Half an hour later, there was only a crashing sound, and a low table flew out from the fence of the castle tower. The debris on it fell down like a goddess scattering flowers. Everyone only heard a crashing sound, and the low table had already It hit the ground and shattered.
"Go away, come here, drive these bastards out... drive them out of Kagoshima, drive them out of Yamakawa Port, drive them out of Satsuma Domain..." Shimazu Tadayoshi finally broke out, and a group of samurai swarmed up and soon he He led Xiang Ying and others down the stairs with angry faces.
The negotiation finally broke down, and everyone guessed the final outcome of this scolding war. This group of Chinese people didn't even borrow a tael of gunpowder.
Xiang Ying walked at the front with a livid face. After a while, he saw Liu Laoliu, who was so drunk that he almost fell asleep. When he saw Xiang Ying and the others walking over, he stretched out his hand to get some wine. Woolen cloth.
"Get out of here, you shameful thing..." Lin Zhen rushed forward and kicked the drunk Liu Laoliu twice. Just as he was about to continue the fight, Xiang Ying stopped him.
"Don't make people laugh, take him on board... and join him in the death squad for the next battle." One sentence has already sealed Liu Laoliu's fate.
The gate to the inner city was tightly closed. Xiang Ying and the others were escorted back to the sea by only a pair of feet. When the four of them turned back to look at the castle tower, they discovered that Tadayoshi Shimazu was standing on the railing and watching. Looking at them, both sides had a profound look in their eyes.
Xiang Ying and Shimazu Tadayoshi didn't know that in the servants' residential area in the inner city, several handymen who were feeding horses and chopping firewood were writing small characters on the wood with a carbon strip. It took a while to fill the words. The chopped firewood was thrown out through the wall.
In the forest outside the wall, a group of civilians had been busy collecting bamboo shoots, mushrooms and other wild products for a long time. They were waiting for this information. Soon the piece of chopped wood became fuel for the wild bonfire, but the information had been transferred away. .
It seems that the Shimazu family's rule is not monolithic. These important ministers may never have dreamed that the handyman chopping wood in the back kitchen can actually read. They are actually a group of craftsmen.
When Xiang Ying and the others traveled through the entire Kagoshima Castle Town, they discovered the true deterrent power of Western warships. At this time, the castle town was already dead and quiet, and the streets and alleys were filled with guarded samurai and ashigaru, all of whom were cautious. He stared at this group of confused Ryukyu students.
"Did you see it? This is the deterrent power of giant ships and cannons that the Prime Minister said. As long as they are within the range of the cannons, all the truth belongs to us..." Xiang Ying said in a low voice.
Cai Bixia looked at the longing warship in the harbor and said, "Yes, I don't know what the giant steel ship that the Prime Minister described looks like. I think it will be more powerful than the wooden warship."
"That's natural. I have taken note of this grudge today. From now on, I will bring armored battleships over, blockade Yamakawa Port, and bombard Kagoshima..." Lin Zhen was as fanatical as ever.
Only Fatty Jin was good at enjoying himself, and said with a smile, "What a waste, you are so wasteful, why are you bombarding Kagoshima? I mean, you have one cannon, and you collect protection fees every day, and if you don't give me any more bombs..."
"Hahaha..." The four people looked up to the sky and laughed arrogantly. The soldiers around them were shocked and grabbed their weapons. Especially the team escorting them Ashigaru. They all understood the murderous threats of the four people. One by one His face turned pale with anger, but he didn't dare to turn his face.
The visitors from Ryukyu only stayed in the Shimazu family's territory for one morning. In the end, they didn't get what they wanted. However, after throwing a bunch of harsh words, the battleship set sail.
Watching the battleship slowly sail out of Shanchuan Port and disappear at the end of the sea, the city finally regained its popularity. Citizens hiding in the mountains and forests returned home one after another. Those who should do business continued to do business, and those who should work continued to work and live. Normal order was restored.
But in a foreign goods shop in the business district, several blond Europeans were still analyzing today's accident, their faces extremely serious.
"Everyone... we all come from Europe. Our purpose is to make money, but if we want to make big money, we must maintain our strong position in Asia as Europeans, so no matter what our nationality is, But at the critical moment, we must help the French..."
"Help, how can we help? Use our merchant ships to fight. What use can our several artillery pieces have against pirates? I'm afraid my ship is powerless."
"Yes, the Chinese can even capture a French cruiser, which shows that their combat effectiveness is still very strong. I have now believed the news from Europe. Xiao Letian may have really defeated the French."
"That's right, that's right... We are just businessmen, and what we can do to help is really limited..."
At this time, the first businessman to speak sighed, "Gentlemen, you have to think about it. If the French occupy Ryukyu, then this group of French fleets will get an extra colony, and their warships will control the oceans of East Asia... We If we don’t establish good relations with them at this time, will we wait for their revenge in the future?”
"God, you are right. Napoleon III has always had a bad temper. They will definitely take revenge."
The crowd was talking a lot, and the coffee on the table was drank as fast as boiled water.
At this moment, there was a knock on the closed door, and the local Japanese businessman hired by the foreigners came in humbly. He bowed ninety degrees to every foreigner he saw, and finally walked to the first one who spoke. The foreign businessman beside him whispered something softly.
"Hahaha, gentlemen, don't worry about your money and supplies anymore. I have now found the best way to help the French...that is intelligence. I just got the latest news that the Ryukyu envoy has contacted Negotiations with the Shimazu family broke down and they were expelled..."
"God bless, this is really good news. Molière will be very happy when he hears it, and he will also be grateful to us. These lone wolves wandering around have no fighting power, and even our merchant ships are safer... …”
Although the poor Shimazu family is located in the most civilized southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago and can easily accept new Western things, they also have their own unspeakable secret, which is the continuous penetration of Western influence.
European businessmen have long established a secret intelligence network here. Countless loopholes have been poked into the Shimadzu family's defense network. To put it bluntly, even if Shimadzu Tadayoshi sleeps with his wife at night, he can't hide it from these people. Foreigners go.
The Wavebreaker sailed towards the south with full sail. Countless merchant ships were avoiding it along the way. Only some brave fishermen tried to sell some seafood and food. They prayed that these angry soldiers would be more generous and not look ugly. hands-on robbery.
Fortunately, Xiao Letian's new army had strict military discipline and did not have the habit of freeloading. Four warships bought out the cargo of five fishing boats, and they also welcomed a few rare guests from the fishing boats.
"Wang Huaiyuan, this is Mr. Wang..."
"Oh my God, Sakamoto Ryoma, the Japanese Sakamoto Ryoma that the prime minister saved with his blood."
