Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (16)
The next day, Shimazu Hisamitsu entered Edo again, faced the shogun directly, and said sincerely: I will report to the shogun. The shogun will personally lead the princes to the court to see my emperor, and everything will be solved.
Shogun Tokugawa Iemoge looked around again.
Political President Matsudaira Keinaga said: How can we disobey our emperor’s edict! However, it is midsummer and the heat is unbearable for envoys. The general has not recovered from his itching, so how can he move lightly?
Ichihashi was delighted to see his new post after the Shogun and agreed: "Previously, when the Shogun married Mr. Wagoniya, he personally drafted an oath that he was not a second minister. I looked up the history books and found that this was the only thing that happened in six hundred years." Today, Mr. Shimazu has repeatedly urged Mr. Shogun to go to the Hajj. No matter what his intentions are, Mr. Shimazu dares to cut his finger with a sword and personally draw up a blood letter of his unyielding heart to declare to all the people in the world!
Shimazu Hisamitsu stood up and slapped the case, and said angrily: "The general's words are true, and everyone knows it; the insinuations made by the general, are not what the general said afterward!"
The imperial envoy of the Satsuma Domain was in full swing; the number one scholar in Choshu, Hisaka Gensui, was very worried and hurriedly summoned his fellow disciple and chief inspector Kido Takayoshi, saying: Nagai Gagaku made a long-distance sailing strategy to confuse the lord, embarrass the country, and endanger the country. It's so huge that if he hadn't saved his brother's life, he would have killed him immediately!
Kido Takayoshi said: The Satsuma clan is arrogant in holding the emperor to command the shogunate. If the public and military forces truly cooperate as one, the Choshu clan will never be able to succeed again.
Hisaka Xuanrui said: "It is urgent to overturn the king's rule and fight against the barbarians. I have "Hui Lan's Suggestions", please forward them to the lord."
Kido Takayoshi said: Brother's rough strategy will help the country and benefit the people! I will immediately forward it to the lord and ask you to overthrow the curtain and drive away the barbarians.
After Kido finished speaking, he, together with the help of the government servant Zhou Fuzheng, paid an audience with the lord of the Choshu domain, Mouri Jingqin, and submitted the "Huilan Proposal", and then discussed the disadvantages of long-distance navigation and the harm of the integration of public and military affairs.
Maori said respectfully, "Can the Satsuma clan succeed in sending an edict to their envoys?"
Kido Takayoshi said: "My lord, the Kanto shogunate has been holding power hostage for six hundred years. It cannot be shaken by one feudal lord or one emissary." The urgent matter at hand is that the lord quickly led his troops to Luo to lobby the imperial ministers and have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.
The governor of the Zhou Dynasty is assisting me. I inform my lord that all the ministers in the imperial court, including Prince Chihito of Sichuan Palace, Tadano Nakayama of the Uzuki, Sanjo Mimi of Masachikamachi, etc., are looking forward to seeing me and are eagerly waiting for my lord to come.
Mao Li respectfully said: In troubled times, life is cheap, and ants only fight, how can I be a powerful vassal!
In mid-August, the lord of the Choshu domain, Mouri Jinkin, led a thousand troops and arrived in Kyoto. They met with Emperor Komei and urged him to overthrow the curtain and repel the barbarians.
Emperor Komei was filled with worries and joys, so he summoned Prince Sikawa Palace Chihito, Nakayama Tadano, and Sanjo Shimi to discuss the matter.
Emperor Takamei said: The Satsuma clan passed the imperial edict on my behalf, and when the public and military forces were integrated, the Choshu clan had also entered Luo. How to deal with this powerful feudal clan that had collapsed and resisted the barbarians?
Sanjo Sanmei of Masachikamachi said: Your Majesty, no matter whether it is the unity of public and military affairs or the overthrow of the empire and the rejection of barbarians, as long as it can benefit the imperial court, you can accept and use it.
Prince Chiren of Qichuan Palace seconded the proposal and said: Your Majesty, beware of one vassal becoming dominant and threatening the government of Kanto again.
Zhongshan Zhongneng said again: Your Majesty, if you stand by and watch the fight between snipe and clam, you can gain a lot of profits!
Emperor Xiaomei said: "If we cannot destroy, we cannot establish. We are surrounded by strong bandits. We can only use swords and guns to get rid of the barbarians. However, when the incident occurs suddenly, we must respond quickly." Please convey my order quickly. Those who have been condemned since the 19th century, such as Prince Nakagawa Miyako and so on, should be released as soon as possible. Those whose deaths were unexpected, such as those who died in the Sakuradamon, Sakashitamon and Fushimiji Temple Incidents, should have their souls summoned. Bury him and order his descendants to offer sacrifices. The late Nakaton Tokugawa Saiaki gave a posthumous gift to Dainagon. Mao Liding, the crown prince of the Changzhou domain, was a learned and talented man. He immediately followed the imperial edict and went eastward to convey messages on my behalf.
At the end of August, the crown prince of the Choshu clan, Mouri Sadahiro, and his entourage arrived in Edo to deliver the edict again.
Shimazu Hisamitsu, the lord of the Satsuma clan, sighed and said: I ordered to kill the ronin who overthrew the enemy and resisted the barbarians. How disrespectful! The imperial court orders are changed overnight, and I don’t know how to do it!
Okuboli Passage: Report to the head of the family, our vassal will kill the rogues who are fighting against the barbarians, and we will unite the public and military forces. We respect and fear the rogues, and they will all join the Choshu vassal. The lord of the Choshu domain, Nori Mori, could not withstand the repeated instigations of Kido Takayun, Hisaka Gensui and others, and he had gone back to the old path of overthrowing the curtain and resisting the barbarians. According to reports, Mao Lijing, the lord of the Changzhou domain, personally led his troops to Luo. He repeatedly made slanderous remarks, and the imperial court did not do this.
Shimazu Jiuguang said: The general who conquered the barbarians is young, so the imperial court can only push forward.
Okuboli Passage: Report to the head of the family, beware of the Choshu clan becoming a dominant family and holding the emperor hostage to order the princes. The head of the family should speed up his troops to Luo to stabilize the situation in Kyoto.
Shimazu Hisamitsu said: Without further delay, please report to the General immediately and follow us to the court to discuss the integration of the public and military affairs.
Shimazu Hisamitsu continued to advance, and the shogunate Tokugawa Iemoge was extremely annoyed. He quickly summoned Ichibashi Keiki, Matsudaira Keinaga, Matsudaira Yoshiho and other senior officials to discuss the matter.
Political President Matsudaira Keinaga said: I would like to inform you, General, that the feudal vassals have recently gone to Luo with their own troops and reported directly to the court, instead of obeying the orders of General. I kindly ask you, the general, to come to the court as soon as possible, meet with my emperor, and state your interests. From now on, all major national affairs will be decided after the general has discussed with the vassals, and then proceed. Then the people will be convinced and the country's prestige will be strong!
When the general saw Ichibashi, he said happily: "Your Majesty General, although Sir Qingyong's words are reasonable, doing it too hastily will be counterproductive." My intention is to immediately send troops to Luo to control the rogues, protect the capital, and hijack the vassals; to clear away the fetters for the general's trip!
Tokugawa Iemo said: The matter of going to Luo should be slow rather than urgent. We should go to the imperial court immediately, add the post of guard of Kyoto, recruit more than a thousand troops, and choose a day to go to Luo to protect Kyoto and Nijo Castle. Years later, when the situation in Kyoto was peaceful, I led all the famous people to Luo to decide on internal and external affairs.
Shimazu Hisamitsu received the confirmation and immediately returned to Kyoto to resume his duties. More than 600 people marched all the way to Kanagawa Imai Village. They met four British people, galloping on horseback, with no intention of giving way.
Satsuma Domain governor Narahara Kizaemon, bodyguard Arimura Shunsuke and others drew Japanese swords angrily, killing and wounding three people.
Shimazu Hisamitsu sighed and said: The foreign barbarians are still so domineering to the soldiers holding the sword, how can they be compared to the rough and rude common people! There is nothing wrong with you killing people in accordance with the rules. I will face the Holy Spirit and tell you the reasons in detail.
On September 25, Shimazu Hisamitsu arrived in Beijing to explain in detail the success of the imperial edict and the dangers of breaking the treaty and expelling the foreigners.
Emperor Komei was noncommittal and simply said: Last year, Mito people attacked Tozen Temple, killing and wounding British soldiers; Kanto paid 3,000 yuan to settle the matter. This year, Matsumoto himself attacked Dongzen Temple again and killed two British soldiers. This matter is still under negotiation. You have taken another person's head again. Are the British willing to give up? In today's situation, even if I do not resist the barbarians, the barbarians will surely come to resist me.
Shimazu Hisamitsu was ashamed and retreated sadly.
Komatsu, the elder of the Satsuma clan, said with a sword: "To inform the family master, since August, the situation has changed suddenly. Tosa clan lord Yamauchi Toyonobu, Choshu clan lord Mori Norikin, etc., have all led their troops into Luo, hijacked the imperial court, and suppressed the barbarians; Iwakura Tomato Shi Shi, Qian Zhong Youwen and other officials from the combined public and military factions were all expelled from the palace. According to reports, the imperial court has adopted the wishes of the Kanto shogunate and added the position of guardian of Kyoto; in the near future, the shogunate will also arrive with his troops. The vassals are at war and Kyoto is in turmoil. The lord must decide as soon as possible where to go.
Okubo Toshimichi, Onato, also advised: Let me tell you, the master of the clan, that the Satsuma Domain is the foundation of our foundation. Every wrongdoer has his own owner, and every debtor has his owner. The British barbarians will surely retaliate for the changes in the Uma village. The defense of our clan cannot be planned except by the master of the clan.
Shimazu Hisamitsu sighed and said: Prince Nakagawa Palace Asahiko also meant this! The situation is at this point, the only option is to let it go!
The lord of the Satsuma domain fled in panic, and the lord of the Choshu domain, Mori, was very happy to honor his relatives. Together with the lord of the Tosa domain, Toyonobu Yamauchi, they jointly sent a letter to Emperor Komei, and then sent an emissary to urge the Kanto shogunate to fight against the barbarians.
