For ordinary people, the New Year represents family reunions and a long-awaited vacation in the past year. People can reunite as a family to visit relatives and friends, get drunk every day, and then accompany their children to the streets to set off firecrackers.
But for politicians, holidays are always out of reach, and any emergencies require their timely response. Especially for Xiao Letian, the situation in East Asia is much more important than spending time with his wife Niwai. .
Now Xiao Letian is taking the little emperor to set sail on the Rome. Under the leadership of the most experienced pilot and the guidance of three icebreakers, he is slowly sailing towards the east.
Xiao Letian frowned and stood at the head of the bed. The sea breeze penetrated his clothes with a biting chill, but he could no longer feel the cold at this moment. His heart was already filled to the core with the latest information. of.
The little emperor Tongzhi behind him felt Xiao Letian's suppressed aura. He didn't know what happened, but he knew that it must be a big event that could make the invincible Prime Minister Xiao of Donghai look gloomy.
Xiao Letian waved to the little emperor, and after Zai Chun ran to him, Xiao Letian handed over a piece of paper in his hand, with only one line of small words on it.
"On January 30th, Emperor Komei died. The cause of death is unknown, but many clues suggest that the emperor was poisoned. Emperor Murishito then ascended the throne at the age of sixteen."
Emperor Tongzhi couldn't understand what was written on this note at all. He just thought that Emperor was the title of Emperor of Japan. The death of a Japanese Emperor had nothing to do with him, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
Xiao Letian knew that he didn't understand, so he touched his head and said secretly, "I'll tell you a secret. Don't tell anyone else. The sixteen-year-old Emperor Muruhito will be renamed Meiji next year. The great revolution is about to begin on him..."
As a fan of military history in Xiao Letian's previous life, how could he not understand the history of the Meiji Restoration? Emperor Meiji started with war and political intrigue, and spent fifty years building the strongest modern Japan in East Asia. It was he who laid the foundation for modern Japan. The cornerstone of Japan.
Through Sakamoto Ryoma's sea rescue team, the Shimadzu shogunate's ninja regiment, and the power of Ryukyu merchants in Japan, Li secretly formed a large-scale spy network, and Japan's domestic intelligence could not be concealed from him. .
Although Xiao Letian spent the entire 1866 fighting in Europe and the capital, his vigilance against Japan did not relax at all or even intensified.
In July 1866, during the second campaign against Choshu, the Choshu Domain, which was the territory of the ancient Daimyo Mori family, was attacked by the Thirty Domain Allied Forces led by General Tokugawa. General Tokugawa Iemo originally thought that this This time we can achieve a complete victory like the first battle of Changzhou.
But I never expected that reform leaders such as Takasugi Shinsaku and Yamagata Aritomo would be so capable. With the arms support of the Sakamoto Ryoma Kaii Aid Association, they defeated the main force of the shogunate and killed Tokugawa Iemoji in anger. Happy to be in position.
The victory of this battle was inseparable from the bloody sacrifices of the reformers, the unity and cooperation of the four southwest vassals, and the high-end arms secretly funded by Xiao Letian.
Since the Shimonoseki Incident, Japan has clearly realized that it is impossible not to learn to use new muskets. However, Japan is a small country with a small population and its relationship with Europe is not good. Although a British businessman brought a batch of high-priced junk goods, the salary was not enough. .
If Xiao Letian hadn't secretly funded Sakamoto Ryoma's arms, the team would still want to have breech-loaded foreign guns, and they would also want to have custom-loaded shell bullets. Wouldn't that be a dream?
The strange army led by Takasugi Shinsaku really relied on the support of top-notch weapons to turn the tide time and time again, defeating the main force of the shogunate.
It can be said that the Second Battle of Choshu was a very important node in Japan's reform, because this victory tore up the myth of the Tokugawa family's invincibility and plunged the entire Japanese society into violent turmoil.
All knowledgeable people lowered their hopes for the shogunate, and the overthrow movement officially entered a period of acceleration. What is even more surprising is that in September 1866, the shogunate's withdrawal of troops was declared a failure. As a result, Emperor Takamei, who was pro-Tokugawa, died four months later. Damn it if there's no connection here.
Some people may wonder why the emperor and the Tokugawa shogunate are still on the same page. This is really not surprising. Emperor Komei is an emperor who is close to the Tokugawa family. He is completely different from his son. His ideal is to not care about anything. Let the Tokugawa family take care of him.
It is conceivable that such an emperor is not a thorn in the side of the overthrow faction. It is too easy to be poisoned or something.
"Your Majesty, this study tour has just begun. You can see with your own eyes a thrilling revolution. You have to see with your own eyes how much other nations have suffered and how much blood they have shed in order to rise... A country , If a nation wants to live and live with dignity, it really can’t be done without dying.”
Xiao Letian began to tell the little emperor stories about Japan little by little, starting from the mid-Ming Dynasty and the Warring States Period, from Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu to the Black Ship Incident, Ansei Prison... and other major historical events. Events, hundreds of years of Japanese national history are like looking at lines on the palm of your hand.
"Emperor, in fact, the Japanese first came into contact with Westerners just like us. They were also Portuguese and Spanish. Especially the Portuguese had a profound influence on Japan. However, Japan's national policy at that time was the same as that of the Central Plains, which was limited contact. Be careful. Doing business..."
"It wasn't until the Black Ship Incident in 1853 that the Japanese discovered that the world outside their borders had changed drastically. Americans could actually build terrifying battleships that emitted black smoke... You heard that right, boilers were already installed on the black ships at that time. When there is no wind, they burn coal to provide power... Oops, why did you interrupt again."
After saying this, Xiao Letian immediately gave the little emperor a headache.
"The Japanese, like the common people and officials of the Qing Dynasty, initially felt that this unimaginable magical power was witchcraft and evil. They were also resistant to it at first. However, Japan is a small and changeable country, and they are not as stubborn as we are. During the subsequent understanding, a group of people opened their eyes first, they are the Japanese reformers I told you..."
"Takasugi Shinsaku, Sakamoto Ryoma, Okubo Toshimichi, Katsura Kogoro... there are too many. In order to obtain the magical power of the West, these outstanding figures began to study Western learning attentively. They decided to improve Japan from the perspective of politics, economy and even culture. In this At one point, they have taken much further steps than us..."
"Your Majesty, you must remember that during this trip to Japan, you must not reveal your identity. To the outside world, you will claim that you are my brother-in-law and Fuhui is your sister. You will study with me in a private capacity... Please remember Come on, the Japanese are very crazy. If you let them know your identity, I'm afraid all the ninjas in Japan will start taking action."
"Operation Ninja, what are they going to do? Are they going to be detrimental to me?" Emperor Tongzhi asked.
"It's not a disadvantage, but a rare commodity. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty suddenly appeared in Edo City. Even if you are just a guest, it will be a huge boost to the reputation of the Tokugawa family... Listen up, the Japanese are very Fanatic, sometimes if they don’t get what they want, they would rather break it into pieces…”
The Roma finally broke away from the icy waters off the Bohai Sea, and now the ship began to accelerate towards Japan. Behind the Roma, faint black smoke was floating in the Ryukyu sky that had turned into a blurry shadow.
The industrial layout of the Qing Dynasty was dancing rhythmically according to Xiao Letian's baton. Thanks to Xiao Letian's disdainful efforts, China's industrialization process finally ran ahead of Japan.
While Xiao Letian was traveling day and night, thousands of miles away in Edo, Japan, the last shogun of Japan was drinking sake and eating charcoal-grilled pork, which is what the Chinese call pork, on the castle tower.
Japan inherited the customs from the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the eyes of the Japanese, pork is unclean and only untouchables are interested in tasting it. However, the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshiki loved pork so much that he even had a folk nickname called "pig-like".
Of course, the Japanese word "pig" does not mean that Tokugawa Kei is a pig. The word "same" is an honorific, which means an adult who loves pork.
Although Tokugawa Yoshiki, who experienced the second failure of Choshu, successfully ascended to the throne of the general, the shadow of failure has always shrouded him, and he has been in a bad mood. During this period, he relied on alcohol to anesthetize him. to be able to sleep.
Now that Emperor Komei, who was pro-Tokugawa shogunate, has died, all fools know that there must be a black hand from the overthrow of the shogunate, which makes the shogun feel even more unhappy.
The good wine, favorite pork meat, and the wonderful performance of the geisha made the shogun feel much better, but the spoilers would always appear. Just when he was staring at the geisha and was about to do something, he suddenly Xiao Xiao came over and whispered a few words in the general's ear.
"Nani, are you saying that someone brought me the most important top-secret information, and no one will tell it except me? Damn it, has the Tokugawa shogunate fallen? Why do all kinds of weirdos appear?"
The young man said to the general very carefully, "Yes, I know that the person who came here is indeed an elite subordinate of our shogunate. His identity is unmistakable..."
"Okay, let her come in and I'll see her." The General ordered.
Xiao Xing clapped his hands and asked the geisha to retreat. Then the samurai opened the sliding door, and a woman wearing a kimono walked in lightly.
"The Tokugawa family ninja Kirigakure kid paid a visit to the shogun. I brought you the most core information about Ryukyu and the Qing Dynasty. Please step aside, shogun, and allow me to speak slowly..."
She never expected that after being missing for several months, the Kirigakure kid would actually return to Japan, return to the Tokugawa Shogunate to which she was loyal, and even be received by the general.
Note: A new chapter is about to begin. What strange adventures will Xiao Letian experience in 1867? What other major events will happen in the world that year? Please support Xinjing and "The Hidden Dragon of the Qing Dynasty" 》
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