Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (17)
Emperor Komei took over, and ordered Sanjo Sanimi, Masachikamachi, to be the special envoy of the imperial court. He then entered Edo and announced the edict: "The decree of expelling the barbarians will remain unswerving. Shigeki should make a quick decision and report on it, and recruit troops and food to the feudal lords." He was named a personal soldier to guard the capital.
Shogun Tokugawa Iemo received the order and summoned all ministers to discuss the matter.
Tokugawa Iemo said: Just go to Luo to discuss business and fight off the barbarians, and recruit personal soldiers to defend the capital. This will create a new world! The imperial court is pushing even further!
Ichibashi celebrated his appointment as a general and said: "I tell you, General, that the imperial court has authorized the establishment of personal soldiers, and you must not agree to it!" The general led the princes to Luo, and actually entered the court to see the emperor, and the emperor sat in the bright hall. If this happens, the great government will return to the court!
Political President Matsudaira Keiyong said: General Qi, Sir Qingxi’s words are reasonable. Sir General, you must act with caution.
Tokugawa Iemo said: The envoys to the court, carrying troops, looked at the decree three times, but they just said nothing!
Ichitsubashi said happily: "I would like to inform you, General, that although the imperial court has repeatedly dispatched envoys and troops, it is still afraid that the Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa vassals will threaten the imperial government. The imperial court has agreed to allow our troops to enter Luo and set up the guardianship of Kyoto, as well as to recruit personal guards for this time." Gyeonggi's request is clear evidence. We must immediately send troops to Luo to control the rogues, protect the capital, and hijack all parties.
Tokugawa Iemo said: It is easy to get a thousand armies, but it is hard to find a general. The position of guardian of Kyoto is rejected by all the lords and vassals. Who do you think, Master Kei, is worthy of the big job?
Ichihashi said happily: "Shogun, the Lord of Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yoshiho, has served my Tokugawa Shogun's family with a loyal heart. This is a lesson for heaven and earth!"
Tokugawa Iemo said: "How can we just sit back and watch the turmoil in the capital? Thank you, Lord Keiki, and immediately send an order. The Lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yoshiho, was appointed as the guardian of the capital. He supervised more than a thousand troops and accompanied the general to the capital to discuss politics."
Matsudaira Keinaga said: Sir Shogun, the road to Shangluo is full of thorns. There were the Sakurada Gate and Sakashita Gate changes in the past, and now there are the two changes of Tozenji Temple. The robbers who have escaped from each domain, in the name of respect, appear and disappear, wantonly. Killing. It is easy to dodge open spears and hard to prevent hidden arrows, so be prepared for a rainy day. The general should also recruit rogues to deal with the enemy and stop the killing with killing.
Tokugawa Iemo said: This strategy is very good. Who do you think, Lord Keinaga, is worthy of this important task?
Matsudaira Keinaga said: "Your Majesty, General, Seikawa Hachiro, a scholar of the Shonai domain, is good at both civil and military affairs. All the rogues follow his lead. Seikawa Hachiro can take on important tasks."
Tokugawa Iemochi said: This matter is also urgent, so I sent an order to the general immediately, appointing Matsudaira Shusuke, Yamaoka Tetsutaro, Sugiura Shoichiro and others as ronshi directors. He quickly recruited more than a hundred ronshi and trained them rigorously. On the day that the general entered Luo, the ronshi The team must follow orders and prohibitions.
Ichibashi said happily: "My lord general, the road to Luo is full of dangers." The General has a golden body and must not enter danger lightly; and after the political reform is completed, my subordinates will go to Kyoto in person to remove the fetters of the General!
On December 2, 1862, the lord of the Aizu domain and the guardian of Kyoto, Matsudaira Yōgoku, led more than a thousand domain soldiers and entered Luo in an orderly manner; the army passed by without any offense.
Emperor Takamei rejoiced: "The officers and soldiers of Aizu have strict military discipline, and their loyalty is enforced throughout heaven and earth. This is a blessing to the country!" Give your Majesty royal robes as a token of praise.
Matsudaira Yoshiho said: "Thank you for your majesty's gift. The Aizu clan entered Luo and defended Kyoto this time. It was all because of the admonition of Hitotsubashi Keiki's three visits to the general after he took office. Hitotsubashi Keiki's extraordinary enlightenment, reforming the shogunate government, establishing industries, and expelling the barbarians, are very important." It belongs to none other than that.
Emperor Takamei said: "Since Mito's ancestors, Mito has been able to carry out political and religious affairs, and its ambition to help the world is rarely matched by a diligent king. To celebrate the arrival of the emperor, to repel the barbarians or to found the country, the unprecedented problems may be easily solved."
One month later, the Shogun Empress received her new post and went to the capital to meet the emperor. The emperor and his ministers looked after each other. Emperor Xiaomei sighed and said: I have been unable to sleep or eat recently. It is so miserable!
Ichibashi Qingxi said: Your Majesty, if you give up and don't give back, you will have either internal or external troubles.
Emperor Takamei sighed again and said: Last year, the Satsuma Domain's slaying of barbarians in Shengmai Village was not yet completed. Last month, the rogues in Changzhou burned down the British embassy again. How could the British warships stop? If I don't resist the barbarians, the barbarians will resist me. This matter is extremely urgent. Who can be happy!
Hitotsubashi said happily: Your Majesty, my father taught me that when the country is in danger, the Mito Domain must be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor even if he betrays the Tokugawa family.
Emperor Xiaoming said: "You know the great righteousness, and there is hope for fighting against the barbarians!"
Ichihashi said happily: Your Majesty, the Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa vassals ignore the laws of the country and frequently incite the exiles to kill indiscriminately in the name of fighting. I believe that fighting the barbarians or founding a country are important matters related to the life and death of the country. How can I Can be manipulated by a few rogues with swords drawn!
Emperor Takamei said: The Dongzen Temple and Shengmai Village incidents are still being negotiated, and the ronin of Changzhou burned down the embassy again. This is really a case of rat theft and dog theft, and the fault lies with me.
The next day, Emperor Takamei issued an edict: The public security in Kyoto needed to be improved urgently. After becoming a shogun, Ichihashi Keiki was appointed as the governor of the Imperial Guard of the Forbidden City, wielding my sword to sweep away traitors and corrupt ministers.
Ichibashi was delighted to receive the order, and he happily said to the Lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yoshidao: Your Majesty is committed to the unity of public and military affairs, and everything in the world is unstoppable.
Matsudaira Yongbo said: "Your Excellency is pleased to be appointed as the Governor of the Forbidden City Guards. This opportunity is rare in the ages. The top priority is to quickly select swordsman masters to hunt down the wanton rogues."
Ichihashi celebrated and said: Among the newly recruited Samurangshi, Hachiro Kiyokawa, Isamu Kondo, Kamo Serizawa, Chisaburo Sasaki, and Tobi Hijikata are all masters of swordsmanship. They can raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a while! Qinghe Hachiro and others can make their debut!
Matsudaira Yongbo said: Lord Qingxi, I have reported that the day the leader of the Rogue Group, Qinghe Hachiro, entered Luo, he wandered around and made nonsense, saying that the Rogue Group could not eat the salary of the shogunate, so it was better to submit to the imperial court, go forward to kill the barbarians, and become famous. Ten thousand.
Ichibashi said happily: "The general is about to enter Luo, and the country is about to undergo great changes. How can we let Xiao Hu do what he wants!" Please, Lord Rongbao, check the authenticity and kill one to serve as a warning to others!
Matsudaira Yoshidao: The Samaku Roshi Group was established at the suggestion of the political president, Matsudaira Keinaga, and his subordinates have no right to control it.
Ichihashi said happily: "The general has ordered that if the barbarian ships are invading, Qinghe Hachiro's rogue group must return to Edo to protect it."
Matsudaira Rongbo said: Imposing corrections without authorization will cause endless troubles and must not be done.
Kazuhashi Qingxi said: "If you are good at correcting orders, once you are given an order, it will not be difficult to do it." On the day when the General enters Luo, I will report the reason myself; from then on, the Zuomu Langshi group will have the capacity to protect the Lord's control.
Songping Yongbao said: If you act pretentiously, it will be a sin. Please think twice before doing so.
Ichihashi said happily: "We must not delay this matter. I will go to the imperial court immediately. After the incident at Shengmai Village, the barbarian warships arrived. The war was about to break out. I begged the Roshi group to return to Edo to protect Edo."
Songping Yongbao said: This work kills two birds with one stone, and it is seamless.
Ichibashi said happily: "However, Hongyan's letter is only time-consuming. It should not be delayed. I will inform Lord Guanbai of the imperial court to complete the matter as soon as possible."
After hearing this, Si Fuxi, Guan Baiying of the imperial court, said: "The matter of resisting the foreigners is urgent and we must not delay it." Immediately pass on my order, the rogue group quickly returned to Edo to strengthen the city defense.
Qinghe Balang received the order and did not dare to make any mistakes, so he led two hundred rogues and retreated in anger.
