A sudden conflict could actually make Zai Chun and his guards realize so much. Xiao Letian did not expect such a result. Now he is having a tense meeting with the frightened Mr. Nobel.
"Mr. Nobel, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect that there would be such a group of gangsters hiding at the gate of Ryukyu, which I govern. You were shocked..." Xiao Letian stood up and bowed to Mr. Nobel with great regret.
"No, no, no, you don't need to apologize to me. I know this is not an ordinary security case. This assassination was premeditated!" Nobel's high IQ is not just bragging. In fact, he jumped into the sea and swam to the shore. In an instant, he had already guessed the whole incident.
"The enemy obviously didn't come for the property. A group of us had already abandoned the ship and jumped into the sea. But why did the leading pirates jump into the sea and chase after them if they didn't search for the cargo in the cabin?"
"It seems that the news that we secretly came to East Asia has been exposed. Some people hope that I will die in the Ryukyu waters, in the prime minister's jurisdiction... Are there any pirates in the world who are stupid enough to come within the range of the coastal defense batteries and rob me?"
"There is also another piece of news that I want to convey to the Prime Minister. When we were supplying supplies in the Lion City, we visited a good friend. He is a Dutch businessman. From his mouth, I got a very important piece of information... a group of The French chartered a Dutch merchant ship heading north. The ship was filled with weapons and ammunition, including Remingtons, Enfields, and a small amount of American Springfield rifles..."
Nobil had obviously done his homework in advance and was very familiar with the situation in East Asia. "As far as I know, the civil war in the Qing Dynasty has gradually come to an end. After the rebellion was suppressed in the south, there must be a large amount of weapons and ammunition, which will be used to support the northwest for a period of time." The turmoil should be enough, so the Hunan Army Group will not purchase weapons now..."
"Dear Xiao, I still know something about the politics of your Qing Dynasty. If you still need to purchase weapons after the war is over, the emperor will not tolerate this kind of behavior..."
"The other possibility is court procurement, but it's unlikely if you think about it. The Qing court is now inextricably linked to you. I don't think you will let them buy or sell weapons from the French under any circumstances. This point It can also be ruled out..."
"God, that's a whole shipload of arms, enough to arm three to four thousand people. Who can afford such a big deal? North Korea, Annan? There are only a few countries in East Asia. Let me think about it. The most likely place to go is Japan..."
Xiao Letian took a breath when he heard this. This information was so important. Although Nobel did not give the answer he guessed, all the clues pointed to one place, and that was the Japanese shogunate.
France is naturally not willing to fail, and the French Emperor's hatred for Xiao Letian cannot be washed away even if all the water in the Three Rivers is poured out. The most tense place in East Asia now is Japan, and the situation in Japan directly affects Xiao Letian's East Asia grand strategy.
As long as it makes Xiao Letian unhappy, France will definitely be willing to do it, even if they lose money.
Because of the fluttering wings of his little butterfly, Japan's Meiji Restoration, which was originally going smoothly, underwent a huge change. According to historical records in previous lives, Emperor Komei died in 1867, Prince Mursuhito became Emperor Meiji, and the overthrown forces actively formed alliances and raised troops.
On November 8 of the same year, the emperor issued a secret edict to discuss the curtain. On the 9th, the shogun Tokugawa Yoshiki petitioned to "return the great power", but at the same time he assembled elite troops in Osaka in an attempt to rebel.
On January 3, 1868, the emperor issued the "Grand Order for the Restoration of Imperial Government", abolishing the shogunate and ordering Tokugawa to "resign his official position". On the 8th and 10th, Tokugawa Keiki announced in Osaka that the "Grand Order to Restore Imperial Government" was illegal.
On January 27, the 5,000-strong Imperial Army, mainly composed of Sa and Cho vassals, fought a fierce battle with 150,000 shogunate troops near Kyoto. Tokugawa was defeated and fled Edo. This is where the Boshin War begins.
After that, Emperor Meiji took charge of the Northeastern region of Japan, and fought all the way to Hokkaido, which finally ended the Boshin War. The Overthrow Movement ended successfully, and then began internal reforms, saving money and raising troops to spread military power across the world.
It can be seen that the situation in Japan throughout 1867 was in an extremely delicate Cold War state. The battlefield between the enemy and ourselves was still the political struggle in the court, as well as assassinations. The open battle with real swords and guns will have to wait until next year.
Therefore, Xiao Letian has no sense of urgency about the situation in Japan. What he has to do now is to arrange more of his chess pieces, and then protect strategic talents such as Sakamoto Ryoma, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Ito Hirobumi, and support a strong civil servant. Only in this way can we talk about in-depth cooperation in the future.
But now that the French are involved, it seems that they will cooperate directly with the shogunate. If such a change occurs, will the shogunate, which has received strong support, passively wait for the intimidation of Emperor Meiji? Is there not going to be a third battle of Choshu?
Without the participation of the new army, can the coalition that overthrew the four feudal lords really win this battle?
"Thank you Mr. Nobel for the information. You really helped me a lot. As you can see, East Asia is on the eve of a great change. All forces are ready to move. Those die-hards will not hand over their power easily. In their hearts, enslaving the people forever is the greatest ideal..."
"It is impossible to break thousands of years of feudal shackles without bloodshed and fighting. We are not war madmen or careerists. I think everything I have done in Beijing has proven my character. In the end, I didn’t even get a penny from the Qing Dynasty’s treasury..."
"Mr. Nobel, my only ideal is to give Asia a new order. I don't dare to say it is perfect, but it will definitely be better than the old order... For this ideal, please help me. I need your wisdom, and I also need it." Please support Nobel Corporation..."
Xiao Letian never put on airs and was very humble towards those who were truly worthy of respect. He bowed respectfully to Mr. Nobel and begged the scientist.
In fact, Nobel had already learned about Xiao Letian's capture of Beijing when he was passing by Hong Kong. At that moment, he was really angry and even wanted to go home. He was really unwilling to cooperate with an ambitious man.
But when brand new news came the next day, he was shocked. A powerful warlord who entered the capital with an army did not invade the people, did not rob the government warehouses, and did not kill people to eliminate dissidents.
The first thing Xiao Letian did after entering the city was to stabilize the people, stabilize prices, crack down on evil forces, and clean up the city... Everything he did was linked to people's livelihood. Xiao Letian didn't even have the desire to take a look at the imperial power. .
If there were such rebellious careerists in the world, then Mr. Nobel would definitely pray to God to provide one in every country.
Nobel bowed respectfully in return, "I will never refuse the Prime Minister's order even if I die!" With this promise, the cooperation plan between Nobel Company and Xiao Letian was finally launched.
…
In the dead of night, in the middle of the Japanese archipelago north of Ryukyu, Edo Castle, the most prosperous city in Japan, is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and on the Kanto Plain.
The two hundred years of rule of the Tokugawa family made this place extremely prosperous. In medieval Japan, this place was the center of the secular world and the center of the aristocratic world, echoing Kyoto.
The most magnificent building in Edo Castle is the residence of the shogun. Japanese cities are very interesting. The fortress where the shogun and the daimyo live is called a castle, and the place where the common people gather is called a castle town.
In that era, when people mentioned Edo Castle, the first thing they imagined was the tall castle tower and the thick boulder walls. Only when the word Edo was mentioned, people would think of the bustling streets and dazzling array of things. merchandise, and the singing of geishas in taverns.
Today, a small banquet is being held in the Edo Castle Castle Tower. The geisha raised by the shogun has an extremely melodious singing voice. The low tatami table is filled with sumptuous dishes, including beef, which is rarely enjoyed by Japanese.
Today Tokugawa Yingxi did not sit in his usual seat, but sat face to face with the distinguished guest, and the short table between the two was also very close.
Sitting opposite Tokugawa was the French Minister Roche. This pro-shogunate French diplomat was enjoying the most noble courtesy of the Tokugawa family, allowing the shogun to stay and sit with his guests. This was something that the Tokugawa people The diplomatic history of the shogunate is rare.
"Mr. Roche, please drink this glass to the full and wish our cooperation will be close!" Tokugawa celebrated and picked up his own glass of sake.
"Happy cooperation. I wish the general will eradicate his dissidents and implement new reforms as soon as possible. Cheers!" The minister also picked up the wine.
At this moment, the sliding door was opened, and the Kirigakure kid in a luxurious kimono knelt in front of the two of them, "Greetings to the General and the Minister... Just now news came from the port that the Cape of Good Hope merchant ship has been successfully berthed, and the cargo has been transported under the night. We got off the ship, and we were accompanied by French officers..."
"Hahaha, what I said is not wrong. When I was young, I majored in navigation. I calculated that the merchant ship would arrive in three days, but it turned out that it would arrive in two days..." The excited Minister Roche drank a glass of wine and stood up. He opened the sliding door and let the cold night breeze hit him.
Roche pointed at the brightly lit Edo. "Such a prosperous city is rare even in Europe. How could the general abandon it so easily? Our French government still supports the shogunate, which has been in actual rule for more than 200 years! Because although the shogunate has declined, But still has the inertia to rule this country..."
"Yes, you Asians call this kind of inertia the right name. As long as you have this thing, society will be like adding a buffer spring. When the rulers carry out reforms, the people will have to shed much less blood... …”
"Japan must carry out reforms. I think the general has seen very clearly the results of the reforms led by Xiao Letian in Ryukyu. If Japan continues to be self-sufficient, it will most likely end up being controlled by Xiao Letian's forces..."
"Remember, this is not alarmist, but an ironclad fact!"
Tokugawa Yingxi and the Kirigakure brat bowed slightly on the tatami, "Hai... Thank you, Mr. Minister, for your support to the shogunate. Your kindness will be rewarded!"
