Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (34)
On December 21st, Yamauchi Do, Matsudaira Keinaga and others entered Luoshu and said: Your Majesty, in the current situation, our country cannot be saved except by public and military forces, and state affairs cannot be decided without Keiki-sama; Saigo Takamori, Kido Takayoshi and others The curtain is falling, the violence is too strong, and it is damaging to the country. Mr. Qingxi has said that if you don’t see my emperor, it will be inconvenient for you to return the great government. I sincerely request Your Majesty to take state affairs as your top priority and grant your permission to come to Luo for an audience. Lord Qingxi is alone, without any soldiers.
Iwagura Ju looked at it and said: "Happy lord to resign from office and accept the land, and wait quietly for the voice of heaven. This is the end of His Majesty's death. Lord Yamauchi, please do not insist on having your own way."
Meiji said: The return of major political affairs cannot be decided overnight; I have already issued an edict, and the capital of Edo and the areas directly under the shogunate will be in charge as before.
Matsudaira Keiyong said: Your Majesty, if you use virtue, it will be difficult to deter small people; if you use force, it will definitely lead to the destruction of life. The return of the great government and subsequent matters can only be decided by Lord Qingxi. I sincerely request your majesty to allow him to enter Luo.
Meiji said: I have made up my mind! Shang Jixi Qing fulfilled his promise to return to power, and then returned to Guandong to appease Li Shu.
After the court meeting, Iwakura Tomomi summoned Nakayama Tadano, Sanjo Sanimi, Saigo Takamori, Kido Takayoshi and others to discuss countermeasures.
Saigo Takamori said: "The nights are long and there are many dreams, so I ordered the samurai rogues to sneak into Edo and commit many evil deeds." When the people and gods of Edo were angry, celebrate the day when the blood was angry; celebrate the day when the blood was angry, the shogunate army attacked Luo. At that time, we will act righteously and be ordered to attack the traitors in the enemy country.
Saigo Takamori gave an order, and the Satsuma clan rogues burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil.
Edo Castle was in raging fire, and Shogun Tokugawa Kei turned a deaf ear.
The lord of the Kuwana domain, Matsudaira Sadaiki, said: "Your Majesty the General, it has been found out that the perpetrators of murder and arson in the capital of Edo are Satsuma people." I sincerely request the General to issue an order for a crusade. We will immediately enter Luo to surround and kill the Satsuma rebels and clear the emperor's side. The General will then go to Luo to have an audience with you.
Tokugawa said happily: "Without His Majesty's edict, if you raise troops to enter Luo, you are acting as traitors to the enemy's country. The two feudal clans of Sa and Chang can use their righteousness to raise the troops of the world to attack them together." The Satsuma clan's people killed people and set fire to Edo, and their intentions are clearly revealed. Don't fall for their tricks.
The Lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yōhodo: Report to the Shogun, the Shoho of the Satsuma Domain brazenly bombarded the battleship Gokaitenmaru. The soldiers of the three domains of Maebashi, Rizhao, and Kamiyama were so angry that they burned the Satsuma Domain's Edo domain residence on fire; All the rogues who caused the trouble were also killed. The war has begun. It is better to strike first. I beg the general to immediately order the siege and killing of the Kyoto thieves. With the 20,000-strong army clearing the way, the general will be able to meet with my emperor and discuss state affairs.
Tokugawa said angrily: If the war continues, the people will not be able to survive. I resigned from this post and returned to the great government. I did not go to Luo for an audience to please my emperor. I gathered the talents of the people to discuss and decide the state affairs. I asked my emperor to make the decision. Our country will definitely have good governance and people. Your thoughts must not be limited to leading your troops to kill.
Matsudaira Yoshiho said: "Your Majesty the Shogun, the Satsuma clan killed people and set fire to the capital of Edo, openly humiliating our Tokugawa ancestors. This trend must not last forever!" If the general does not give orders, Rong Bao will be willing to betray you. Today he will lead the troops from Aizu to Luo to attack the Sa bandits.
Omefu Takigawa Juju said: This is tolerable, which one is unbearable! I sincerely ask for your permission, General. Today I will resign from my position as chief minister and go with Lord Rongbao!
Songping Dingjing said: "I am also a person who rebels against the general. Kuangming Fan is willing to go with Lord Rongbao!" Our ancestor, Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, marched forward indomitably with a strong sword and an iron horse. This iron-blooded will has supported the Tokugawa Shogunate for more than 260 years. I beg the shogun not to give up!
As soon as Matsudaira Sadaiki made this statement, all the feudal lords and lords agreed one after another.
Tokugawa Qingxi said angrily: "You have raised your troops and are in a urn!" If you don't agree with me, please do as you please!
On January 1, 1868, shogunate veteran Matsudaira Masashiki, army president Matsudaira Tomomo, Omofutaki's successor, Kyoto guardian, Aizu domain lord Matsudaira Yōhoho, Kyoto shogunate, Kuwana domain lord Matsudaira Sadaki and others visited the shogun again. Tokugawa celebrated.
Matsudaira Masashiki and Matsudaira Chengmo both said: The shogun retreated from Kyoto to Osaka, and everyone looked at him sideways; retreating again and again is by no means a long-term plan.
Taki Chuanju said: "Your Majesty General, we are going to attack the Satsuma clan in the name of Qingjun, and we can eliminate the name of the enemy." I have drafted a petition for discussion, and I sincerely request your lord general to correct me.
Tokugawa said happily: "There will be a confrontation in the court, this can be a witness." The army to attack Sa, the guns and cannons were not loaded, and they formed a long formation and slowly entered Luo. The two masters, Matsudaira Keinaga and Yamauchi Tōdo, went to Beijing first to mediate.
When the shogunate's army approached the capital, Meiji was very angry and summoned all ministers to discuss matters all night long.
Meiji said: I am happy that you will return the great power. I will inherit the great achievements of my ancestors and open up thousands of miles of waves. The power of our country will be spread all over the world. However, Xiqing has a start but a tail.
Takayoshi Kido of the Choshu Domain said: "The shogunate army is powerful. I sincerely ask my Majesty to come to the Choshu Domain for temporary refuge."
Matsudaira Keinaga, Lord of the Fukui Domain, said: Your Majesty, this battle is a private fight between Satsuma and Tokugawa. I implore your Majesty to maintain the strictest neutrality.
The chief of the Tosa Domain, Shan Zhengtang, said: Since it is a private fight, the soldiers of each domain should return to their respective territories and wait and see what happens.
Iwagura Jushi said: If you are not summoned to Luo, you are a traitor to the enemy's country! Everyone gets it and kills it!
Saigo Takamori: Your Majesty, the shogunate's army came to the capital from Osaka and met along the Yodogawa River. It was really a fool's errand. If the army is divided into multiple directions, it will be impossible to defend against it. His subordinates have already gathered dense troops at Fushimi in the southwest of Kyoto and Toba in the southeast to prevent the Tokugawa army from entering Luo.
Meiji said: I am very pleased that your Majesty has done this, but I am very disappointed. Please convey my order quickly, Xi Qing must put down the butcher knife, otherwise you will face the enemy!
Before the Meiji edict arrived, more than 10,000 troops of the shogunate had marched north from Osaka along the Yodogawa River, and arrived at Yodo Castle on the 2nd. On the 3rd, Omefu Takigawa Juju, with 2,000 troops in charge, arrived at Toba.
Takigawa Juju marched in formation, hoping that Sa Chang's garrison would give way. The defenders were hesitant, and Takichuan Juju endured a hard day and forced his way through, and the war broke out. The army's guns were not loaded, so they were defeated.
Matsudaira Masashi, the governor of Tosa, sternly reprimanded Takigawa Juju for discharging his troops casually. Takigawa Juju also recognized his own mistakes, gathered up the defeated troops, loaded his guns with live ammunition, and attacked fiercely. The coalition forces of Sa Chang were defeated and dispersed.
The French consultant said: Make a surprise attack at night and get rid of it once and for all.
Takigawa Juju said: A sneak attack is not the work of a samurai.
At the third watch of the night, Sa Chang's coalition forces made a sneak attack. The army was defeated and retreated to Diancheng.
