Rice riots are a term unique to Japan. They are actually large-scale rice-grabbing operations carried out by extremely poor people. In fact, such riots are also very common in China and other countries, but only Japan has labeled these riots with the word "rice".
The reason is very simple. The Japanese nation has a deep attachment to rice. In their eyes, only white and crystal clear rice is called food, while any other food crops are non-staple food.
The Japanese nation is very strange. Although they have a natural environment with many mountains, seas and little fields, they have not even solved the problem of food and clothing, but they do not vigorously develop the planting and breeding of cereals.
High-yielding crops such as corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes have quickly become popular since they were introduced to China in the late Ming Dynasty. However, the popularity of these high-yielding crops in Japan is far less than that in China, and the breeding industry knows that pigs are The meat yield is higher, which is very suitable for the development of breeding industry, but all Japanese people think that pork meat is dirty, and they would rather go hungry than take a bite.
This is truly a twisted and perverted nation. They would rather starve than change their behavior and habits. Throughout the Middle Ages, Japan's food security problems were all pinned on one crop, and that was rice.
The more single the food type, the greater the crisis faced by the race. This phenomenon is also obvious in the biosphere. Omnivorous organisms are always more competitive than organisms that eat a single food.
In fact, it took until after the Meiji Restoration for the Japanese people's eating habits to change. Through communication with the world, various new food cultures poured into Japan, and the Japanese gradually tried to accept other food types. But today's Japanese people are still stubborn. Willing to change.
This is a huge weakness of the Japanese nation. Xiao Letian's purpose of establishing the Sihai Grain Bank, his original intention of establishing the largest grain trading group in East Asia, was actually an attempt to use rice to kidnap the Japanese economy.
The largest rice-producing area in the world is of course Southeast Asia. The climate here is like spring all year round, and the production three seasons a year allows East Asian monkeys to have enough food with only a few fields.
Coupled with the abundant fruits and seafood, the agricultural civilization here cannot develop at all. On the contrary, the rubber industry, coffee planting, spice planting, and minerals have become the mainstay of the economy.
But everything has changed now. Due to the Taiping Rebellion, a large number of people from the south of the Yangtze River fled to Southeast Asia. The Han civilization naturally brought a strong sense of farming.
Coupled with Xiao Letian's conscious increase in rice purchases, people in Southeast Asia are more enthusiastic about planting rice than ever before. The number of newly developed fields in one year is equivalent to the amount in ten years.
Lotte and Yang's rice orders never stopped, and boatloads of rice began to go north to be stored in various granaries in Ryukyu and Qing Dynasty. But for Japan, Xiao Letian will not hoard any grains of rice here. His plan is dumping.
Ship after ship of rice was open to supply, and the price was basically the same as Japan's good harvest, and there was as much as you wanted. At first, Japanese grain merchants were preparing to stock up in large quantities for speculation, but then they discovered that the Ryukyu merchants had too much rice. , it is simply not something that Japanese businessmen can afford.
No matter how much they hoarded, the price of rice just couldn't rise. Just when they were desperate, Lotte & Co. suddenly broke the news that the prime minister loved to drink Japanese sake and ordered large quantities of rice to be purchased and hoarded for the army.
This can be regarded as saving the lives of Japanese grain merchants, because the raw material of Japanese wine is rice, and both sake and mazojiu are rice wines. When the brewing industry boomed, the stored grains were finally marketable, and the market price also increased. 50%, which makes all Japanese grain merchants extremely happy.
This is really a happy situation for everyone. A large amount of Southeast Asian rice has been dumped in Japan, which has stabilized food prices, and a large number of Japanese wine orders have stabilized food prices within a normal value. No one can feel that there is anything wrong with this. Knowing that now .
The assassination of Emperor Tongzhi completely angered Xiao Letian. While he was constantly arming his colleagues in Osaka City, he raised the big stick of economic sanctions and smashed Japan's face.
Orders for Japanese sake are still piling up on the desks of wine merchants, but rice transportation from Southeast Asia has stopped. There has not been a grain ship in Edo Bay for three consecutive days. The Japanese, who have lost the supply of foreign rice, then find their own granary. It's long empty now.
A crisis is like a barrier lake in the mountains. Before it breaks out, you think it is a scenic spot with beautiful scenery, but you can never imagine how much pressure the lake has accumulated. Once it breaks out, the power will be impossible to withstand.
Almost every city in Japan is spreading the news about the assassination of the Qing Emperor and the economic sanctions imposed by the Prime Minister of Ryukyu. Looking at the rising food prices in the grain stores, the people finally understand what this so-called economic sanctions is all about. , this means starving the people of Japan to death.
Grab, grab, grab... There are calls for grabbing rice everywhere in Japan. The price of food has reached a point where the people cannot accept it. They can't just starve to death. Anyway, there is a precedent of rice riots from the Warring States Period. Starving to death is also death. , beheading is also death, I would rather die than become a dead ghost.
In a restaurant in Edo Castle, the French minister had reserved an entire floor, and the low tatami tables were filled with exquisite Japanese food. Normally, five Mexican eagles would be enough to host such a banquet, but Today the boss was very sorry to say that such a banquet has already reached 25 Yingyang.
"It has increased five times. Of course, the Minister does not care about these dozens of silver coins, but for ordinary Japanese people, if prices have increased five times, it will force them to die..."
The one who followed the voice upstairs was the Kirigakure kid who had disguised herself as a man. She was currently wanted across Japan and would not dare to go out on the streets without her disguise.
Now Minister Luo Shi will no longer underestimate this woman. On the way to escape, this woman said she would take revenge on Xiao Letian. As a result, Emperor Tongzhi was assassinated two days later. Could it be that the Kirigakure kid's hands were so powerful.
"Please sit down, Kirigakure-sama, I think you will definitely answer our questions today..."
"I know what you want to ask, but have you brought what I want?" Kirigakure kid took a sip of sake with an expression of enjoyment on his face.
Roche Company nodded, and a French soldier behind him brought a large wooden box. When he opened it, he saw ten Colt revolvers on top. The box below was full of yellow-orange bullets, and the box below was full of half-and-half bullets. Box Ying Yang.
Then Minister Roche took out a large envelope from his suit pocket, "I signed ten documents here. With these documents, you can freely enter and leave the French colonies. In fact, as long as you don't break the law, you can go to the British colonies without any problem." of……"
The minister threw the documents into the box and said with a smile, "Now you should satisfy my curiosity."
The Kirigakure kid took off the disguise on her face, revealing her original beautiful face. She watched her men carry away a box of weapons and money, and drank a glass of sake. Her face turned red. When they were the only ones left in the restaurant, , the Kirigakure kid lay softly in Minister Roche's arms like a lazy cat.
These two bitchy men and women have hooked up a long time ago, but they each have their own political goals, and no one will let this insignificant thing affect their mission.
"You guessed it right. The person who assassinated Aisin Gioro Zaichun was my subordinate. Do you think I haven't accumulated any power of my own in Japan, Ryukyu, and the Qing Dynasty all these years? You underestimate me. Already..."
The more Rosh listened, the more shocked he became. He never expected that the Kirigakure kid was actually a master of espionage, and could take down such a huge secret organization with his bare hands.
The Kirigakure kid may want to find a new master for himself. She also knows that no political force in Japan or the Qing Dynasty dares to take her in, so he must find a bigger backer. Now it seems that the French are a very good one. Nice thighs.
If you want to get the attention of others, you have to show your strength appropriately. Only if you are useful can you get the attention of others. The ups and downs of the Kirigakure kid in these years, and the series of thrilling stories, made Minister Roche dumbfounded. .
At the same time, in the dungeon of Osaka Castle, Haruna, whose face was covered with blood, was also hung on a wooden frame, surrounded by a group of angry intelligence officers.
"I'll give you one last chance. What is your identity? Who is the main messenger behind you? Say..." There was still no response to the roar. The angry intelligence officer raised his hand and whipped Haruna, making Haruna tremble.
"Stop, even if she is a murderer, she is only a child. How could you do it..." Everyone turned around and saw that it was the Tongzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Aixinjueluo Zaichun.
Everyone bowed to His Majesty, and then said impatiently, "There is no way, it is impossible without punishment. The assassin's mouth is too harsh, and he still hasn't said anything..."
Zai Chun's face was twisted and struggling, "But...but this is a 1-year-old child after all..."
"Child, your majesty, don't be deceived. Our ninjas have identified it before. This assassin is at least fourteen or fifteen years old. She practices a ninja secret technique, which can also be said to be a disguise technique. She deliberately disguises herself. Just like a 20-year-old child, it actually wants to paralyze the target's vigilance..."
"Ah, she is fourteen or fifteen years old, so she is older than me..." Zai Chun was stunned for a moment.
The intelligence officers around him were all adults. When they saw the little emperor's face, they couldn't help but frown and said, "What's going on? No wonder they say the royal family is so precocious. Your Majesty is only 11 years old this year. Even if calculated according to the imaginary age, he is only 12." Sui, why do you have such a heart?"
"You guys step back first, I want to ask some questions... maybe I can ask something."
How dare these intelligence officers leave His Majesty alone with the assassins, but a figure nodded in the darkness, and these intelligence officers stopped talking and exited the dungeon one by one.
