Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (11)
The shogun Tokugawa Iemo was also afraid. He went to Hikone Domain personally and summoned Ii Naomi. He said: "Continuous killings have made many enemies. According to reports, rogues from various domains are ready to make a move. Ii Naomi may as well rest and recuperate due to illness to avoid this disaster."
Jingyi Naobi said: Thank you for your concern, General. Don't worry, General. I kill people according to the rules to benefit the country and the people. I will bear the consequences of the consequences. After three or four years, if the general's strength is sufficient, I will resign and go into seclusion, and will no longer be involved in state affairs. Please rest assured, General. The secret edict has been found and the case will be closed.
Tokugawa Iemochi: All the four ministers of the imperial court are living in seclusion. Prince Tokugawa Noriaki of Nakagawa Palace and Mito patriarch Tokugawa Noriaki were permanently imprisoned. Tokugawa Keitatsu and Hitotsubashi Keiki were also punished. The elders and ronin involved in the incident were all dead. This is At this point, the imperial court issued a secret edict to Mihu, so it’s okay not to investigate.
Jingyi Zhibi said: "I have reported to the General that the secret edict cannot be published. The people of the country are confused and unable to listen to it."
Tokugawa Iemo said: After the secret edict was issued, the plan was poor, where would Ii's head go? Tokugawa Mito and the imperial ministers were not at the mercy of others!
Jing Yi Naobi said: "Your Majesty General, I pledge my secret edict to the imperial court to seal the founding of the country." If this is accomplished, I will immediately bow my head and entrust the general to the general. Only by cooperating with the public and military can we cope with the changes that have not happened in a thousand years.
Naobi Ii repeatedly advanced, and the head of Mito, Tokugawa Saiaki, was furious and issued an order to kill him.
On March 24, 1860, when the sky was full of wind and snow, Ii Naobi entered the city in a sedan chair. When he arrived at Sakurada Gate, he suddenly saw a slovenly man holding a complaint in his hand. He blocked the sedan chair and complained about injustice. Swing your hips and approach the side of the sedan.
The guard was horrified, and when he drew his sword, gunfire suddenly erupted, and more than a dozen rogues, each holding a sharp blade, came fiercely. The two sides are fighting against each other, and it's hard to tell the difference.
The bearer was afraid and abandoned the sedan to leave. A rogue came out to kill the general, tore the curtain of the sedan, dragged Jing Yi out, chopped him to death with a knife, held up his head, shook it in the air, and screamed: Jing Yi kidnapped the young master, made an agreement without authorization, and killed without authority. Imprison famous ministers. Gods and humans will not tolerate any kind of guilt, so we will punish them on behalf of heaven. A mere ambition is not to offend the great government. General Fu Wang, with the Holy King's orders from above and pity for the common people below, has washed away the old stains and launched a new policy.
The tragic death of Ii Naomi made the shogunate Tokugawa Iemoge very angry and quickly ordered troops to attack Mito.
The lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yoshiho, said: I would like to inform you, the shogun, that this was the work of a robber who escaped from the domain, and is not the fault of the lord of the Mito domain. I hope that the shogun will think twice before taking action.
Lao Zhong Kuze Hiroshu said: I am reporting to the General that raising an army to attack Mito is purely fratricidal.
Ando Nobumasa said: When cranes and clams fight, the fisherman will benefit; the attack on Mito is really the best strategy.
Mabe Kansheng said: To inform the shogun, the former Lord Gongfang asked before his death that Lord Tianzhangin can assist the shogunate, the shogun may wish to inquire.
Tokugawa Iemo said: Lord Ii passed away suddenly, and I was so anxious that I almost missed something important!
Tokugawa Iemo came to pay homage to Daioku and called her his mother. Tenzōin was very happy and said: Just kill and retaliate, there will be no end to the injustice. You can become a Buddha by putting down the butcher's knife. The general must have a plan to deal with it.
Tokugawa Iemo said: Ii-sama once said that His Majesty ordered the founding of the country and that only by cooperating with the public and military forces could we cope with the chaotic changes.
Tianzhang Yuan said: "Now that Jing Yisao has passed away, don't ask for permission to open the country again." Mabe Kansheng and Nagano were responsible for a lot of killings, so they should leave their posts first to show good will to the court and promote civil-military harmony. The position of elder must not be re-established, and beware of the arbitrariness and tyranny of ministers. Ando Nobumasa and Kuze Hiroshu are both mature and prudent ministers who can take on important responsibilities.
Tokugawa Iemo happily said: I will follow my mother’s teachings!
Ando Nobumasa took office as the leader of Laozhong, and immediately went to the imperial court, begging the Prince of the Imperial Palace to surrender and marry the general who conquered the barbarians, so that the public and military forces could work together as a family to overcome the unexpected difficulties.
Not long after, Ando Nobumasa again reported to Tadayoshi Sakai, the chief minister in Kyoto: to review the past and present, discuss the rise and fall of the dynasty; to review Na Yayan, discuss the change of emperors.
Emperor Xiaomei took over and said: "The emperor's sister has surrendered to marry Kanto. There has been no such precedent for hundreds of years. Kuang has already entered into a marriage contract with Prince Chiren of Arisukawa Palace. What do you think?"
Xiaoming's father-in-law reported to Zhongshan Zhongneng: Your Majesty, Guandong has forcibly invited the prince of Hegong in order to obtain the imperial edict from the city. His ulterior motives can be seen at a glance.
Attendant Iwakura Tomo said: "Your Majesty, Ii died unexpectedly, Kanto is trembling with fear. This may be a stone throwing to find the way."
Prince Chiren of Youqichuan Palace said: Your Majesty, in Kyoto recently, Chinese scholars have been exploring old scriptures and discussing the matter of deposing the emperor. The mastermind behind the scenes is Nobumasa Ando, the first Lao Zhongzhong.
Emperor Xiaomei said angrily: "How can the ministers behave in such a random manner?" How unreasonable! Before the imprisonment of the four ministers is lifted, it is difficult to say that the public and military affairs will be integrated!
Mito's husband, Tokugawa Saiaki, has been in seclusion for more than a year and is mentally and physically disabled. Hearing that the imperial court and the shogunate are about to get married, he becomes even more worried and angry.
The head of the Hitotsubashi family, Hitotsubashi Qingxi, went to see him privately and sincerely advised: Tell your father, the government and the military should unite and advance hand in hand, which is the way to govern the country.
Tokugawa Qi Zhaodao: The combination of public and military affairs is only a superficial phenomenon; if you want to achieve great things, you must first look at its roots. Jingyi Naobi killed me at my hands, but the General Zhengyi did not punish us and redress his grievances. It is difficult for a person with eyes like a bean to achieve great things. Ando Nobumasa, a common man, actually hijacked my emperor and arbitrarily proposed to depose him. As long as I have a breath, I will definitely wipe out all the ugly barbarians on your side.
However, it was not a holiday, and Tokugawa Qi Zhao's ambition was not fulfilled, and he was so depressed and angry that he died. The Tengu Party of the Mito Domain and the various factions of the feudal clan regretted that their mission was not completed, and they all wanted to take action again.
In early October, Kido Takayun, the director of the Choshu Domain's official library, Nishimaru Daito, a Mito domain scholar, and Ohashi Naan, a scholar of the Utsunomiya domain, gathered in Edo and decided to attack and kill Nobumasa Ando, the leader of the Laochu clan.
In late autumn, Daqiao Nean gathered three or five rogues to assassinate Nobumasa Ando, but they were all captured alive before they were killed.
