The secret cooperation plan between Tokugawa Yoshiki and the French Minister Roche was not an illusion. In real history, Roche tried to transform the shogunate into a Western style and provided a loan of 9 million US dollars and a large amount of arms funding, as well as the French Officers helped the shogunate train new recruits.
Weapons and ammunition, new warships, and a Japanese-French joint venture to develop industry and commerce. In fact, Tokugawa Keiki also proposed a very attractive concept of integrating public and military forces.
The combination of public and military affairs is a political theory in Japan in the late Edo period. Its main purpose is to unite the imperial court (public family) and the shogunate (samurai family) to transform the power of the shogunate.
This political theory was supported by the shogunate and some large vassals. Its main purpose was to combine the authority of the imperial court and suppress the movement to respect the emperor and resist the barbarians at that time, so as to avoid the collapse of the shogunate and further strengthen the status of the shogunate.
In Japan in 1867, change was actually the unanimous pursuit of everyone, but unlike the Qing Dynasty, it was still firmly ruled by Confucianism and unable to extricate itself.
Everyone believes that Japan needs reform, but how exactly it should be reformed and how rights should be distributed has become the trigger for the struggle between various forces.
The idea behind the withdrawal of the overthrowing faction is to respect the king and repel the foreigners. The core purpose is to let the emperor regain the rights he has lost for thousands of years, return the emperor to the political stage, and lead Japan to carry out reforms. As for the shogunate, get out of here quickly. We will fight if you don't leave. you go.
After all, the shogunate has ruled Japan for nearly seven hundred years, evolving from the earliest Kamakura shogunate, which was the Chunxi period of the Southern Song Dynasty in China, to the Muromachi shogunate, the late Yuan Dynasty, and then through the melee of the Warring States Period to the mid-Ming Dynasty, it developed into the Tokugawa shogunate, the shogunate. The reign lasted for nearly seven hundred years.
Such a long history of rule has given Japanese society an inertia towards the shogun's rule. The Tokugawa family has not lost the support of the people. There are many people who support the shogun among Japan's feudal lords and civilians.
Especially in the north of Japan, it is the private territory of the shogunate. There is no doubt about the loyalty of the daimyo to the Tokugawa family. The emperor is secondary in their eyes.
Under such a situation, how could the Tokugawa family give up their rights so easily? Although the shogunate was defeated miserably in the Second Battle of Choshu and lost the fourteenth generation general Tokugawa Iemo, the prestige of the shogunate was still very high. Chuan Qingxi's good cards have not been exhausted at all.
Cooperating with the French, throwing out the bait of public-military integration, and then accepting the reforms suggested by the West, the Tokugawa family's calculations were very shrewd.
However, everyone does not know that the person who should really take credit for the successful alliance between the Tokugawa family and the French is none other than their enemy Xiao Letian.
In real history, although Roche and Tokugawa Keki reached a secret cooperation plan, in July 1866, the new French Foreign Minister Musti took charge of the government and no longer supported French Minister Rocher's diplomatic line of connecting with the shogunate. Instead, he The British adopted a unified front and tended to form a public deliberation government that would eliminate the shogunate.
This was the last sharp knife to pierce the weakness of the shogunate. Under the attack of internal and external troubles, Tokugawa Keki had to bite the bullet and fight the Boshin War. After the failure, he had to follow Atsuhime's suggestion and finally open up the river. The gates of Hucheng surrendered.
The emergence of Xiao Letian changed the course of history, because the French government, which had the same enemy and was full of hatred, not only did not oppose Roche's plan, but on the contrary increased its support.
Interest-free loans, the latest weapons and equipment, the best military instructors... France is even preparing to sell several new warships to the Tokugawa shogunate.
The enemy of the enemy is one's friend. Since Xiao Letian has secretly funded the overthrow of the four vassals, France can fund the Tokugawa shogunate. Anyway, the last ones to die are the Japanese.
Sure enough, if you fall behind, you will be beaten. At this time, the weak Japan can only be sandwiched between the two major forces and become a tool in the struggle between the big powers. The blood of samurai may only become the sacrifice of new weapons. I am afraid that there will only be the island nation on the land. It can become a testing ground for new weapons.
"Your Excellency General, I have explained the pros and cons of change many times. I think you will not hesitate. Now let's talk about practical issues..."
"This time I have brought new weapons that are enough to equip three thousand people. General, where do you want to train this army and where can you keep this secret."
"With all due respect, this army must be kept strictly confidential. Only by keeping the enemy unaware can we catch them unawares and complete a complete kill on the battlefield."
"Japan is still a pure land."
Tokugawa Yingxi nodded to the Kirigakure brat. The Tokugawa family's biggest intelligence chief smiled charmingly and said to Minister Roshi, "There are two treasures where military training can be carried out secretly. One is Aizu Domain, and the other is Hakodate, Hokkaido…”
"The geographical location of the Aizu Domain is extremely important. It guards all the transportation arteries in the Kanchu Plain and the Tohoku region. If the Ou Hokuriku region wants to go south, it must pass through the Aizu Domain. This is the northern barrier of Edo..."
"Not only that, the loyalty of Aizu Domain Lord Matsudaira Yoho to the shogunate is also credible. If he secretly trains a part of the new army, I don't think there will be any surprises."
"And Hokkaido has been a land of bitter cold since ancient times. Few of the Japanese daimyo have set their sights on it. It is very easy to hide thousands of soldiers in the vast Hokkaido. As long as we are careful, these two secret strongholds are enough for us to train Ten thousand new-style troops..."
French Minister Roche sneered and said, "Ten thousand? I'm afraid the military assistance funds we provide... are not enough. How much money can your Tokugawa shogunate still raise?"
Europeans have never been shy about talking about profit, and the minister asked for money as a matter of course. The low-interest military aid of 9 million US dollars seems like a lot, but it is still very difficult to support such a large military plan.
The new-style army cannot rely solely on rifles to maintain combat effectiveness. It also needs a few of the latest field guns, as well as a few mortars for sieges.
There is also the navy. Even if Japan cannot equip the latest warships, the old warships still have to add a few new cannons, otherwise they will be passively beaten in the face of threats in the southern sea.
Tokugawa Yingxi gritted his teeth and clapped his hands. The sliding door behind him was opened. A young man had already prepared it. There were large pieces of gold ingots facing him in the heavy lacquer tray.
This is the 200-year-old treasure of the Tokugawa family. Many gold ingots are stamped with the astronomical and Yuanwa era stamps. That is the Japanese era name of Tokugawa Ieyasu when he was young. This shows that this wealth has a long history.
People with surnames kept coming and going, and more and more gold ingots were placed in the castle tower. In the end, bags of placer gold were brought up. Minister Roche was well-informed, but in this area I was a little dazzled under the golden light.
The drunk minister could no longer calculate the value of the gold, but he knew very well that with the 9 million low-interest loan provided by France, the shogunate could easily train an army of 10,000 and equip it with a large number of advanced artillery.
As for the navy, although it cannot buy the most advanced warships, it is enough to transform the old warships with artillery and then build a number of forts.
"Mr. Minister, as long as France can bring us victory, then how can we, the Tokugawa family, care about these two hundred years of treasure? However...the money is hard-earned, and we must see the results with our own eyes before we can pay. "
Tokugawa Qingxi bowed, "Please forgive my rudeness, Japan is really too poor, every bit of wealth is hard-won... I also ask for your understanding, Minister, it will be difficult for us to pay if the arms and instructors are not in place." ,Feel sorry."
"Hahaha...what did the General say?" Luo Shi blushed slightly. He just had the idea of taking away the wealth directly, but he didn't expect that the Japanese were also very practical. They spoke in a straightforward and sophisticated manner without any sloppiness. .
"France's support for the shogunate is sincere, otherwise we would not provide a low-interest loan of 9 million. Your Excellency the General thinks too much... You can rest assured that with these reserves, I can let our country's businessmen By preparing a few more batches of munitions, our chances of victory will be even greater."
The atmosphere in the castle tower instantly became harmonious. Under the light of gold, the wine in the back was drunk smoothly. The minister even accepted the two maids given by the general.
Only Kirigakure kid was a little disappointed when he said, "We are indeed well prepared, but the biggest variable is not in our Japanese island, but in Ryukyu. Will Xiao Letian directly intervene."
Xiao Letian's name was the source of disappointment at the banquet. The general and the envoy put down their drinks and their expressions became serious.
Minister Roche whispered, "I admit that Xiao Letian is indeed very powerful. His new army is not something you can deal with. The situation in Europe is very delicate now. We in France cannot mobilize a large army to Asia to deal with a small Ryukyu..."
"So our actions must be kept secret. This new army must be used as a trump card and must not be exposed. We have no other choice but to win with the surprise troops..."
At this point, Minister Roche suddenly laughed, "I think we have also forgotten a very important factor, which is the composition of the forces on both sides of the enemy and ourselves... The shogunate has been monolithic since ancient times. Our advantage is that we can command one branch. There will be internal constraints..."
"But what about those rebel factions? Each of the four southwestern vassals has its own agenda. Now that the emperor and Ryukyu's Xiao Letian are added to the mix, the interests of all parties are inconsistent. Do they still want to win despite the many orders?"
"Hahaha... If I'm not wrong, the four southwestern vassals will definitely not let the new army intervene directly. As the Chinese saying goes, it is easier to invite the gods than to send them away. Once Xiao Letian's regular army lands on the Japanese archipelago, they will never leave again. But it’s not easy.”
Roche is really a master of Japan and China. He has an extremely clear understanding of Asian thinking and hits the nail on the head with his words.
Tokugawa Yingxi and Kirigakure kid looked at each other with admiration and shock in their eyes.
"The wisdom of the Minister is admirable. Everything should go according to the plan of the Minister. From today on, the Tokugawa family will show weakness again and again to make the enemy completely relax..."
At the Edo Castle Tower, the Japan-France Alliance was formally established.
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