Chapter 187 The Meiji Restoration of Japan (35)
On January 3, 1868, Omefu Takigawa Guju led 7,000 troops and arrived at Toba. The troops marched slowly in formation with great fanfare.
Takichuan Ju raised his voice in front of the formation and shouted: We are going to Luo Jin to see His Majesty the Emperor. We will return as soon as we go. I beg you to be more generous.
Satsuma Domain Military Supervisor Shiihara Koyataro couldn't laugh or cry, and immediately replied: Omefu-sama, please be patient. I have sent someone to report to the imperial court. If the emperor's order arrives, he will definitely let you go.
Satsuma Domain scholar Nozu Jinxiong said: You are truly a great virtuous man! Mr. Longsheng of Xixiang has an order to open fire when the troops are approaching.
Shiihara Koyataro smiled and said: Omefu-sama is so polite, we might as well make a joke.
Takigawa Juju suffered a day of hard work, but could not get any results. He broke through the pass in anger, and the war broke out. The cannons of the Tokugawa army were not loaded and the guns were not loaded, so they were defeated.
Matsudaira Masashi, the governor of Tosa, sternly reprimanded Takigawa for deploying his troops arbitrarily. Takigawa also recognized his fault, gathered up the defeated troops, loaded his guns with live ammunition, and attacked fiercely.
The two armies fought fiercely for the whole day, and the Sa Chang coalition army was gradually unable to support them.
The French adviser said: Mr. General, our Minie gun and Chasaibo gun are several times stronger than the enemy. We can sneak attack at night and defeat them once and for all.
Takigawa refused to do so and said: This is not the act of a samurai.
At the third watch of the night, the Allied Forces of Sachō launched a surprise attack on the shogunate camp. Takigawa was unprepared and fled in embarrassment.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Matsudaira Zhengzhi, the governor of Tuosa, ordered the army to implement Zhuzhong's heavy reinforcements and slow down the attack on Fushimi, and quickly retreat to Dincheng to wait for orders.
Matsudaira Sadaki, the lord of the Kuwana domain, said: The fierce battle with the Sacho coalition forces is in full swing, and the high point of Momoyama is also occupied by me. If we retreat at this time, all our previous achievements will be wasted.
Matsudaira Yoshidao, Lord of the Aizu Domain: With an army of eight thousand, we cannot retreat easily. We have repeatedly attacked and are about to break through the rebel defense line. At this time, retreating will not be worth the gain.
Takenaka Shigegu said: Toba was defeated and his flanks were opened. If he did not retreat, he would be surrounded. That is to say, they retreated to Diancheng, met with the Damufu Department, and slowly made another plan.
The armies of Takenaka Shigegu and Takigawa Juju retreated to Yodo City, but the lord of Yodo Domain refused to open the city.
Zhu Zhonggu asked why.
The Lord of the Dian Domain said: His Majesty the Emperor has issued an edict. You are traitors to the enemy!
Takenaka had no choice but to retreat to Osaka Castle with more than 10,000 troops.
Toba and Fushimi were defeated miserably, and Shogun Tokugawa Yoshiki was worried.
The Lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Yoshiho, said: Sir Shogun, the city of Osaka is rich and powerful in the world; the land of Osaka, the golden castle pond, cannot be attacked. There is no need to worry, General.
Tokugawa sighed happily and said: The only way to relieve worries is to let go. I tried my best to prevent the troops from entering Luo, because I was afraid of being stigmatized as a traitor to the enemy. Just now, the Lord of the Owari Domain, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, sent a letter, saying that he would maintain his most permanent neutrality and would never associate with the enemy's traitors.
Matsudaira Rongbao said: The lord of Yodo clan also refused to open the city gate.
Tokugawa said happily: Owari and Yodo clans, if they are not close to the clan, they will be the successors; this is already the case if they are close to the clans, let alone the external names! In less than half a month, our country will surely fall apart!
Matsudaira Yongho said: The great chaos is coming, how will the general respond?
Tokugawa said happily: "Sooner or later, Osaka Castle will be lost. You, me, the Lord of the Kuwana domain, and the elders will immediately sneak back to Edo, gather our troops, and fight to the death with the Sacho rebels."
Matsudaira Yongbo said: If the general leaves without announcing it, Osaka City's tens of thousands of troops will be leaderless and will surely collapse.
Tokugawa said happily: "I am the general who conquered the barbarians. It is not convenient for me to order the army to retreat." We left without saying goodbye, and the governors of Tosa, Matsudaira Sadaki, Takigawa Guju, Takenaka Shigego, etc., had their own countermeasures.
On the evening of the 7th, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshiki, Lord Matsudaira Yōho of Aizu Domain, Lord Matsudaira Sadei of Kuwana Domain, Lao Naka Sakagura Katsushige, etc. arrived in Edo on the battleship Kaiyo.
Tokugawa left without saying goodbye, and the shogunate army in Osaka Castle was in chaos. The governor of the war, Matsudaira Sadake, killed three people, but he couldn't stop it, so he infiltrated the defeated army and retreated to Edo.
In the early morning of the 8th, the Sa-chang coalition troops invaded Osaka City without a single blow.
Meiji was overjoyed when he heard the news. He appointed the president of the government, Prince Arisugawa Miya Chihito, as the general governor of the Eastern Expedition, and the Satsuma domain scholar Saigo Takamori as the Eastern Expedition staff officer. He gathered 50,000 troops and marched directly to Edo to attack Keki.
The government's new army came to the city, and Tadatsun Kosu, the foreign leader and flag general, said: To inform the shogun, I have 20,000 new army troops in Edo Castle; I have 44 new warships off the coast of Edo, which are enough to fight against the Sacho rebels. Fight to the death. If the Sachō rebels invaded from Hakone, the shogun sent all his troops to meet them. Takehiro Enomoto led the navy directly into the Hakone inland sea to cut off the rebels' supplies. Then they combined sea and land to annihilate the Sachō rebels in one fell swoop.
Vice President of the Navy Takehiro Enomoto said: "The General has informed you that Saigo Takamori's army has gone deep alone. If the General uses this to form a formation to meet the enemy, he will definitely win a complete victory."
Army President Katsu Kaishu said: "Sir General, both Kosu and Enomoto are right. In normal times, the war will be won." However, after the battles of Toba and Fushimi, Osaka was lost again, our army was completely disintegrated, and there was no chance of victory if we fought again. My intention is to assemble the army of sea and land, and with the determination to burn both jade and stone, to fight to the death of Edo. The rebels of Sacho will be afraid, and then we will discuss the matter of presenting the city in obedience.
Tokugawa said joyfully: Lord Gongfang and His Majesty Takamei have passed away one after another. The weather, the right place, and the people are no longer with me. If we fight again, the country will fall apart. Lord Katsu Kaishu's words make sense. I have decreed from the general that from now on, Katsu Kaishu will serve as the military president of the shogunate, with full authority to handle all matters.
After the Tokugawa celebration order, he went to Da'ao and went to see Tianzhangyuan and Jingkuanyuan.
Tokugawa Qingxi said: Lord Tenzōin and Lord Seikan-in, Qingxi knew that he was immoral and incompetent, so he resigned from his position and returned the great power to the imperial court. Unfortunately, things have gone wrong in the world, which has led to the situation that cannot be dealt with today. I sincerely ask Seikan-in My lord, please report to my emperor immediately that all the responsibility lies in celebrating one person.
