Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (4)
As Abu Zhenghong spoke, he suddenly felt the world spinning, and said quickly: "I've been feeling dizzy lately. Please talk slowly while I take a break."
Masahiro Abu resigned, and Masumu Hota smiled and said: Master Abu is really a catfish.
All the elders rushed to agree and left happily.
That night, Abu Masahiro suddenly fell ill and died.
All the ministers exclaimed: The sky is falling!
Hota Masaki, the leader of the old army, thought about it again and again, and strongly recommended Matsudaira Chuyu, the lord of the Ueda clan, and Wakisaka Yasaka, the lord of the Tatsuno clan, to join the cabinet to support the administration.
Shogun Tokugawa Iesada said: The best plan now is to recruit talents and please the people. The lord of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Saibin, the lord of the Hikone clan, Ii Naobutsu, the lord of the Choshu clan, Mori Kinkin, and the lord of the Mito clan, Tokugawa Saiaki, are good at governing the clan and controlling the people; why not choose the best one?
Hota Masumu said: Sir Shogun, the lord of Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Saibin, and the lord of Choshu Domain, Mori Jinkin, are all outsiders. With the help of the founding of the country, the two feudal lords took advantage of the plunder and cleverness, and became dominant in the southwest, and gradually began to dominate the guests; if If you are promoted again, the blessings and misfortunes are unpredictable. Tokugawa Qi Zhao destroyed the bells and forged cannons and vowed to fight the barbarians, which would definitely harm the country; Ii Naobi blindly opened up and founded the country in an all-round way, which is even more undesirable. In addition, Townsend Harris, the American and Italian consul, repeatedly asked to submit his credentials. He also said that he was stationed in Edo and wanted to revise the treaty and trade. This matter is serious and I would like to ask the general to make a decision.
The Tokugawa family said: The arrival of black ships is actually an invasion by foreign barbarians. It is your duty to eliminate them; your skills are not as good as others, so you have no choice but to build a country. Learn from the barbarians to improve their skills, and slowly control the barbarians. This is the great plan of the country. Townsend Harris was the official of the American army, and he begged for the contract again and again. This man came from thousands of miles away to visit, and he looked down upon him. He was pitiful, and it was okay to see him.
In early December 1857, the American Consul Townsend Harris arrived at the Edo Shogun Mansion. After the ceremony, Townsend Harris said: Your Excellency, the General, is closed to the outside world and is bound to be outside the civilized world. Yesterday morning, the Stars and Stripes Flag of the United States of America was raised again at Shimoda Yusen Temple. This is a sign of your country’s awakening.
Tokugawa Iedada stamped his feet and raised his head, with a serious look on his face and said very sincerely: "I am very grateful for your envoy who traveled across the ocean to deliver the letter. I am extremely honored." Please convey this to me, wishing our two countries could have everlasting exchanges!
Harris said: Dear General, the treaty signed by General Perry with your country three years ago was too broad. I, the President of the United States of America, believe that your country should open the three ports of Kanagawa, Nagasaki, and Edo; your country should allow our country to Establish an embassy in Edo and consulates in Kanagawa and Nagasaki; at each open port, our consuls can judge our citizens' crimes in accordance with our laws, and your country shall not interfere; in the trade between your country and our country, no one shall No undue interference is allowed. If there is nothing wrong with the above paragraphs, I would like to ask for your approval, General.
The Tokugawa family said: Wouldn't it be great to have friends from far away? Isn’t the friendship between the two countries profound?
Harris said: Dear General, if your country is unwilling to cooperate, our warships will attack Edo. At that time, your country can only raise the white flag to meet us.
Tokugawa Noriaki, the husband of Haibokake and Mito, said angrily: Your envoy's ultimatum-like words are extremely unfriendly; your country relies on strong ships and cannons, and acts wantonly, which is very cold to the hearts of the people.
Harris said: Dear Sir, you have misunderstood! There is a vast difference between a peace treaty with a man who is not backed by force, and a peace treaty with a man who approaches the coastline with fifty warships. If you raise your hand a little, I will be the first ambassador of the United States of America to Edo, your country. If you sign a contract with me, your dignity will be preserved.
Hota Masumu hurriedly said: "I would like to inform you, the General, that the signing of the contract is complicated and complicated. I have the courage to overstep my authority and share the worries of the General."
Tokugawa Iesada said: Accurate!
Harris said: Dear General, I will return to Yuquan Temple in Xiatian and wait for good news from your country.
That night, Hota Masaki secretly summoned Tokugawa Qiaki and said: With the current situation, resistance to foreign forces will lead to defeat, and the founding of the country is the only way out.
Tokugawa Qi Zhaodao; don’t I know! Today, the general who conquered the barbarians spoke incoherently and was very disappointing.
Hota Masumu said: It is natural that the general who conquered the barbarians is ill and cannot express his ideas. Lord Tokugawa, there is no need to worry. When the time is right, I will strongly recommend Lord Keiki Hitotsubashi to take on the important task.
Tokugawa Qi Zhao said: Time waits for me, thank you, Lord Hotta!
When everything went wrong, Tokugawa Qi Zhao returned home silently, sighing.
Lao Yasushima of the Mito clan brought a sword and said: Lord, it is urgent to fight the barbarians for the country. I will secretly summon the feudal soldiers to assassinate the barbarian Harris, and the whole thing will be finished.
Tokugawa Qi Zhao said: Hota Masami is only in name but in reality, and it is difficult to achieve great things. Immediately, he informed Satsuma Domain Lord Shimazu Saibin, Uwajima Domain Lord Date Munejo, Fukui Domain Lord Matsudaira Keinaga, Owari Domain Lord Tokugawa Keishu, etc., and began to exterminate the barbarians.
One night, a Sanmito ronin, holding a Japanese sword in hand, broke into Yuquan Temple alone, intending to execute Tianxiao on Townsend Harris. Unfortunately, he went astray and was shot and captured.
When Shogun Tokugawa Iedada heard the news, he was extremely frightened and urgently summoned all the senior officials to discuss the matter.
Hota Masaki said angrily: Sir General, if the American envoy is punished by heaven, the American warships will surely arrive, and the country will be ruined and its family will be destroyed! I wish to express my goodwill quickly and immediately allow the opening of Hong Kong for trade and the American envoy to stay in Edo.
The Tokugawa family decided: There is no other way, but this may comfort Harris's frightened heart.
Hota Masumu said: The lord of Mito Domain, Tokugawa Saiaki, is incompetent and is causing trouble to the country. I would like to ask you, General, to dismiss him from the post of coastal defense officer immediately.
The Tokugawa family decided that the Mito clan was one of the three imperial families. It always respected the emperor and the emperor, but the murderer was a wanderer who had escaped from the feudal clan. Therefore, it might be inappropriate to abolish it based on this.
Matsudaira Tadayame, Lord of the Ueda Domain and a veteran of the shogunate, said: Sir Shogun, the founders of the colonial empire made the country rich and powerful, and they closed themselves off to resist the barbarians. The Lord of the Mito Domain closed his country to the outsiders and opened his mouth to resist the barbarians. This person is stubborn and must not be reused.
The Tokugawa family said: If the dismissal of a minister is small, he can be dismissed from his position with a single order. However, the one who resists the barbarians is not the Mito clan. Since the matter is serious, one careless move will cause chaos and chaos. You may have a perfect plan to sign a contract to found the country, and also to block the mouths of those who are resisting the foreigners.
Hota Masumu said: "Shogun, please tell me the names of the feudal lords of Mito, Satsuma, Choshu, etc., who have respected the king and fought against the barbarians. There are hundreds of them, and it is really difficult to reconcile them with all the money. For the current plan, the only way is to go to the capital to ask for orders, and to implore Emperor Komei." The agreement to found the country was granted in order to seal the hearts of all the people.
The Tokugawa family said: What do you mean, sir?
Nobumasa Ando, Anzai Wakisaka, and Tadaya Makino echoed in unison.
However, Matsudaira Tadyu said: To inform the shogun, the "Regulations on Banning and Incorporating Public Households" has long been stipulated. The shogun decides on his own whether to eliminate the barbarians or found the country, and Emperor Xiaomei has no right to comment.
The Tokugawa family said: Today's changes are different from those of the past. We must use the strength of the whole country to tide over the difficulties. If Hotta goes to Beijing to ask for help, it may temporarily relieve his current difficulties.
