After all, Xiang Ying and the others are just a group of students. Although they can know some secrets because of their status, they don't know the core secrets, so they just want to buy a batch of ammunition from the Shimadzu family. In the end, they didn't even have this requirement. get.
But Wang Huaiyuan and Sakamoto Ryoma are not the same. They don't care about the weapons and equipment in the Shimadzu family's warehouse at all, because they know that Xiao Letian believes in the three cunning rabbit holes the most, and the prime minister has countless secret hands, which are secretly hidden in Japan. The weapons and equipment were enough to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.
Sakamoto Ryoma had intense discussions in the inner city for two days. What he wanted was the Shimadzu soldiers, who were the first group of soldiers in Japan to come into contact with Western tactics.
Now that the war situation is tense, Wang Huaiyuan cannot explain many details to the children. The political level of these students is still not sophisticated enough. They do not understand the key points of the whole matter. Is it easier to borrow gunpowder or to borrow troops? .
Many people think that it is easier to borrow supplies. After all, the Shimazu family does not dare to fall out with the French. Secretly giving some arms to make some money can be regarded as a good relationship. If the Shimazu family's samurai goes to the battlefield in person, then it will be a good relationship. The French have completely turned their backs, and this is an all-out war.
This seems to be true on the surface, but in the eyes of politicians who actually formulate national policies, this truth makes no sense.
First of all, they chose to lend some war supplies to Ryukyu. On the surface, they would not have a direct conflict with the French, but the dirty thoughts in their hearts also appeared. Moreover, a little gunpowder could not change the situation of the war much. The possibility of Ryukyu's failure was still very high.
If they support a loser, then the Shimadzu family will not only not get any return on investment in the future, but will also have conflicts with the French. Would Shimazu Tadayoshi and his son do such a stupid thing? Obviously they would not do it.
The other kind of investment is different. The Shimazu family directly participated in the Ryukyu War, not only providing supplies but also returning soldiers, allowing the Shimazu family's samurai to fight side by side with the new army. This is truly a timely help.
If Ryukyu wins, the Shimadzu family will be completely transformed. Not only will the previous hatred between the two parties be wiped away, but they will also be able to board Xiao Letian's chariot and get their own piece of the cake in his grand strategy.
Since ancient times, national destiny has been a matter of gambling. The Shimadzu family is not afraid of failure. They are only afraid that the return after betting is not high enough. Politicians are actually potential careerists, and their way of settling accounts is different from ordinary people.
Ryoma Sakamoto and the ministers of Shimazu talked about this for two whole days. By that time, Tadayoshi Shimazu's heart was already alive, but the final kick was not made by Ryoma Sakamoto and Wang Huaiyuan. The whole negotiation was nothing. The four college students who knew it came to an end.
Just after Kagoyama Rigen boarded the Wave Breaker, in the castle tower of the inner city of Kagoshima in the north, Shimazu Tadayoshi and his father Shimazu Hisamitsu stood at the railing, letting the night wind blow against their faces, and the waves in the distance The sound came rhythmically.
Behind them, the paper screen destroyed by Xiang Ying and the others was still stuck. No one came to repair it. Shimazu and his son spent the whole day thinking here. They had never left the castle tower after their secret departure from Kayama Rigen. .
"Father... do you think my decision is right? Is it really right to tie the Shimazu family to Xiao Letian's chariot?" Shimazu Tadayoshi asked softly.
Shimazu Hisamitsu did not answer directly, "My child, you are the governor of the house now, so you should shoulder such a responsibility. You have to think carefully about what power is supporting you in your heart at the moment you make this decision."
When Shimazu Tadayoshi, who was in his twenties, heard this, his eyes twitched unnaturally, and he punched the wooden railing: "Yes, I can't forget my original intention. It was these college students who made me determined. "
"Amaterasu, what kind of magic does Xiao Letian know? He can actually educate such energetic young people. Yes, I feel a strong vitality from them. A group of officials' children, in the mouth of the Qing Dynasty This dude actually dared to kidnap me in the main city of the Shimazu family."
"Hahahaha..." Shimazu Tadayoshi's laughter floated far, far away along with the sea breeze.
"Children of nobles and officials dare to work so hard and sacrifice their lives. You can imagine how far Ryukyu's people have reached. It's scary. It's really scary. I've never seen anything like this even among foreigners. of vitality."
"The heroic spirits of the Shimadzu family have blessed us for a long time in martial arts. If we succeed in this bet, we will be able to ascend to the top power circle in East Asia. We will definitely become the number one in Japan..."
"I am not afraid if I fail... I, Tadayoshi Shimazu, am willing to go to Paris in person. I am willing to commit seppuku in front of the French Emperor. I can use my blood to appease the anger of the French... By then, our Shimazu family will not be destroyed. .”
Crazy, this is the crazy national nature of the Japanese. For them, death is a return to their hometown, and centuries of accumulation are only released in an instant.
"Here comes someone." The head of the Shimazu family shouted with a crazy look, and then a ninja rushed down from the rafters. "Release all the ninjas, monitor all the Westerners and suspicious people, and create all kinds of things." Chaos disrupts the sight of foreigners and secures opportunities for our brave warriors.”
"Hai." The warrior turned over like a swallow and jumped off the cliff. After a while, he disappeared behind the rocks.
Just that night, a flood suddenly broke out in the civilian area next to Kagoshima's business district. Thick smoke and fire shot into the sky. Countless people were frightened and ran around. The people and soldiers fighting the fire were in chaos. .
The foreign adults living in the business district are not invulnerable gods. When they see the fire, they are so frightened that they flee to the sea with their hairy thighs bare. As long as they escape on merchant ships, they will be safe.
But I didn’t expect that the harbor was not peaceful either. It wasn’t just foreign merchant ships that were escaping. Japanese merchants were also fleeing for their lives. Merchant ships and fishing boats of all sizes were running back and forth in a blind light, and several of them were injured in a short while. Foreign cargo ship.
"Asshole, are you blind? Why did you hit our ship? If you don't give way, we will shoot..."
The cries of the foreign adults were ignored at all. The flames in the slums were almost burning to the sky. As for you foreigners, your lives are your lives, and your foreigners' money is money. Bah.
There was a sudden traffic jam on the harbor, and there was a chaos of ships bumping into each other.
The Japanese people have rich experience in dealing with fires. Even if a fire breaks out in the middle of the night, even if the houses are all wooden structures, not many people will die in the fire. The soldiers and people will quickly demolish the houses and create an isolation ring. Bring it, and let him burn the house inside.
The fire was finally under control. Just when people were calmer and ready to return to their homes, something unexpected happened. More than a dozen Shimadzu ships rushed out of the thorns, facing the people on the sea. Start shouting.
"No one is allowed to leave the port. The treasury in the inner city has been stolen. Five thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver are missing... All ships are under inspection."
After all, the Shimazu family is the master of the Satsuma Domain. Even if foreigners are tyrannical, they must be polite to a certain extent. It is only natural to cooperate with government investigations. Even if they go to Europe, they can make sense.
Countless foreigners lamented the bad luck, but had to cooperate. But little did they know that this was just the beginning of a series of chaos.
The open fire at the fire scene did not completely dissipate for a whole night, and the lost gold and silver were not found. The entire Kagoshima was in chaos. Due to the Shimazu family's tough attitude, no foreign merchant ship was allowed to leave the port for two days in a row.
On the third day, even more terrifying news came. A plague broke out among the homeless refugees living in the woods outside the city. This horrific news scared all the foreigners and drove them crazy.
"Run, we can't stay in Kagoshima anymore." The foreigners packed up their belongings and were about to run away, but at this time they wanted to leave but could no longer leave. A large group of Japanese doctors and soldiers blocked them all in their homes.
"You foreigners, you may have been infected with the plague now. You cannot leave during this period. Our master has said that we will give you food and drink. You can only leave when the plague is over..."
Treating illnesses and saving lives, this is such a great slogan. This reason is so upright that all foreigners cannot object. It was also the careful planning of the Shimadzu family that plunged the entire foreign intelligence network into chaos. Mori, who was fighting in Ryukyu, Ai didn't get any information about Kagoshima until the end.
The Shimazu family risked their lives just to board Xiao Letian's warship.
Amami Oshima is a fertile island between the main island of Ryukyu and Kyushu. The brown sugar produced here has always been a treasure in Japan. There are countless sugar cane fields and sugar pressing workshops scattered on this large island. The quality of the wood deep in the mountains is also very high, and the Shimadzu family has made a lot of money from this big island.
The secret warehouse of the reformers was located in a sugar-pressing workshop deep in the mountains. By going around the twists and turns of the workshop, you could enter the hidden cave. When the light of the lantern illuminated the cave, Xiang Yingge and others were dumbfounded.
"So many supplies, so many foreign guns, so many grenades, and gunpowder... There are even canned meats from the West. How did the Prime Minister manage this business?"
Wang Huaiyuan held up the lantern and said with a smile, "It only took the Prime Minister more than two years to rise up in East Asia. He can even go to Europe to interfere in the continental war. There is no big picture. Even I don't know how many secret warehouses there are. What Ryoma Sakamoto knows is only part of it.”
At this time, Huashan Liyuan also walked in with an envious expression, "What a big deal, how much does it cost to do this? The Qing Dynasty is really rich, so rich..."
"Bullshit, what is the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty? It means that China is wealthy, okay? The Manchus are a bunch of vampires. Our prime minister just rescued a small part of the money they wasted to do our big things."
"When the Prime Minister can truly dominate China, then you will see. Then you will be able to see the real big plans and the big picture. The blueprint that the Prime Minister drew for us in the small class is beyond your wildest dreams."
Kayama Rigen asked these children to fight for nothing. He was not angry but looked a little embarrassed. Then he asked, "We have weapons and ammunition, and we also have soldiers. How should we fight? Please come up with a plan."
What Rigen Kayama asked was exactly what everyone was planning to discuss. Sakamoto Ryoma took out a roll of maps from his arms and said, "There are already several plans. How to fight in the end? We still need to brainstorm. Come and see..."
In the dim light of the horse lights, a group of heads pressed together and began to deduce the battle situation one by one.
