"The world is in chaos? Hahahaha~~" On the Thunderbolt, Zhao Xin couldn't help laughing loudly when he heard Shibata Kakuzo's emotion when he mentioned Ishikawa Murafumi. After laughing, he said to Shibata Kakuzo: "I think the world in Ishikawa Igumo's eyes is just this tiny little place."
Seeing the puzzled look on Shibata Kakuzo's face, Zhao Xin opened the curtain on the wall, revealing the huge hand-drawn map hanging behind it.
"This is the world!"
This is a map of the world without the North and South Pole. It roughly depicts the land boundaries, distribution of colonial forces, and latitude and longitude lines of various countries in this era. The scale is 1:50 million.
In the Asian part, the regions of Beihai Town, Qing Dynasty, Li Dynasty, island countries, Tsarist Russia, Annan and other countries are clearly drawn.
The European part draws the outlines of Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Russia. In the American part, North America includes thirteen states, the territory of the French in the south, and the Mexican region known as "New Spain". The South American continent is blank; Australia at this time was still called New Netherlands; and the African continent It's just a bare board.
Color marking is used to distinguish the distribution of power in each country. The UK uses blue, France uses green, Spain uses khaki, the Netherlands uses brown, and North Sea Town uses red.
This map was completed by a certain power plant traveler in a month, and is based on a seventeenth-century world map published in 1911 in another time and space. The reason why the virtue is drawn this way and there are no north and south poles is because there is no drawing on the original picture.
Shibata Kakuzo looked at the colorful map on the wall in astonishment. He walked closer and looked at it for a moment, then fell into silence.
He has seen the world map. In the early Edo period, the Chinese version of the "Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Complete Map" completed by Matteo Ricci and Li Zhizao was introduced to the island country; later, Zhu Xi scholar Arai Shiraishi learned from and cited this map, and completed the "Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Complete Map" in 1713 and 1715 respectively. "Collection of Strange Words" and "Western Chronicles" have had a great impact on the "Three Kingdoms World View" (China, Tianzhu, Japan) of the islanders since ancient times.
In fact, the century from the end of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century was the disintegration process of “modern empires” and the emergence of nationalism in the East Asian civilization circle. At this time, the island nation's intellectuals had begun to change from the traditional Chinese "view of the world" and re-established the concept of the "Hua-Yi Order Circle" by accepting world geographical knowledge.
Zhao Xin pointed at the tiny island country with his index finger and sneered at Shibata Kakuzo: "Even if there is chaos here, how much do you think it has anything to do with the world?"
Shibata Kakuzo's eyes were wandering, and he noticed at this moment that Beihai Town's area of influence was already larger than that of the island country.
Two days later, the Thunderbolt anchored outside Ishinomaki Port, and a large number of soldiers began to disembark and disembark. According to the plan, the Thunderbolt will return to the northern part of Kuye Island after disembarking from the Northern Navy, and then return here after refueling, and then continue southward with the troops of the Northern Navy and Sendai Domain.
Liu Zheng had already arrived at Ishinomaki Port from Juqiubahama. After receiving the telegram from Beihai Town, he hurriedly took people back to Sendai Domain on the grounds that there were urgent matters that needed to be dealt with in Juqiupahama. As soon as he saw Zhao Xin, he complained: "Brother Zhao, why do you attack wherever I go? It's too difficult for me to be a trade representative!"
Zhao Xin chuckled, patted Liu Zheng on the shoulder and said: "Accident, purely accidental."
Liu Zheng took out a document from his briefcase with an unhappy look on his face and handed it to Zhao Xin.
Zhao Xin opened it and saw that it was the official text of the Kanagawa Agreement. He turned to the last page and saw the solar calendar date on it, with a satisfied smile on his face.
"How's it going over there in Yokohama?"
"Oh, the situation was originally very good, but if you make such a fuss, it will be difficult to deal with it in the future!"
"Don't worry, have you forgotten? These are a group of people who only care about fighting but not eating. The more ferocious we act, the more cowardly the shogunate will be."
Liu Zheng sighed and said: "I hope so!"
It is said that after Liu Zheng arrived in Yokohama in early June, he signed and exchanged the official text of the "Kanagawa Agreement" with the shogunate on July 7 in the Gregorian calendar. This guy was either supervising the construction of the commercial building every day, or distributing food and clothes to the island workers hired, which made the shogunate officials very headaches.
This is clearly trying to win people's hearts! If things go on like this, these mud-legged people will only see Beihai Town and not the shogunate! Now that Liu Zheng was gone, he was relieved.
In the early morning three days later, under the leadership of the personnel sent by Qingye City, Zhao Xin led the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the Northern Navy and the Qingye Battalion and set off towards Qingye City in a swaggering manner.
Zhao Xin originally wanted to try the island people's riding objects or shoulder carriages, which were often seen in film and television works before. The so-called "ride" is a beautifully decorated driving cage. But when he saw the real thing, he realized that it was too frustrating, and there was no comparison with the sedan next door!
Forget it, let’s ride a horse.
At present, Zhao Xin, the island country's horse, can't ride it at all. For nothing else, he is afraid of crushing the donkey-like southern horse. Fortunately, he brought a dozen strong Mongolian horses with him when he set off this time, otherwise Zhao Xin would have had to take Route 11 to Qingye City.
Quan Shan walked in the ranks of the first battalion. Although he kept walking quickly, his parents and A Bin always appeared in his mind. It has been more than a year since you left home. I wonder how your family is doing? I don’t know if the woman I long for is still alive...
Misawa Yihei, who had been naturalized and changed his surname, followed Zhao Xin proudly. This guy is now called Yinbingwei. Before this expedition, Zhao Xin was transferred to Chen Jishan's staff and was responsible for personal security. Because Yin Bingwei was a samurai and was familiar with the customs and culture of the Edo period, he could help Chen Jishan check and fill in the gaps.
It was more than 150 miles from Ishinomaki Port to Aoba Castle, and the large group of people did not enter the castle town until noon on the third day. Since entering Sendai City, Chen Jishan and other guards began to increase their vigilance and observe the surrounding situation at any time. Their right hands were placed on the holsters on their waists so that they could react at any time.
When the guard platoon signaled that the bridge was safe and could pass, Zhao Xin rode onto the wooden bridge over the Hirose River. At this time, he could clearly see the Aoba Castle standing on the top of the mountain, and it truly lived up to its reputation.
At that time, it was said that the one-eyed dragon Masamune used millions of civilians to build this city, which was said to be the strongest in the entire island country. Zhao Xin estimated that if the Tokugawa family wanted to capture this place, in addition to a large number of long-range artillery, they would also need tens of thousands of lives.
Zhao Xin lost his mind for a while, then let go of the reins and walked across the wooden bridge. He saw no pedestrians on both sides of the road, and all the shops in the business district had their doors closed. Sendai Clan also sent many samurai ashigaru to stand guard on both sides of the street.
When he rode through the main road in the castle town, the samurai on the roadside all knelt down on one knee, looking at Prince Zhao who was said to be the "descendant of the Emperor of Heaven" with strange expressions, and all kinds of thoughts in their hearts. .
"This is the debt your Highness helped us pay!"
"Aiya~ Zhao Wangdian is really different from ordinary people, look at this figure and this horse!"
However, when the large group of people behind Zhao Xin also passed through the Hirose River, the expressions of the warriors on both sides of the road suddenly became extremely surprised.
"Look, look, isn't that Saburo from the Shibata family? This kid is shaking now."
"Oh, isn't this my Jiro? I haven't seen you for more than a year, how come this kid has grown so strong?"
"Oh~ I should have gone last year if I had known it was so beautiful!"
Unlike the Northern Navy, the Aoba battalion wearing the uniform of the Northern Navy was not equipped with rifles. Each of them carried two "Type 84" revolvers on their waists. But even so, these warriors looked murderous.
Pingtai, who was riding on the horse, was very excited at this moment. He never thought that one day he would be able to hold his head high, his chest high, his horse high and look down upon these samurai gentlemen. In the past, when he saw these people, he had to stand by the roadside and bow and salute, even his head. They don't dare to lift it up, and they will be beheaded for the slightest disrespect.
At this moment, he finally understood what Zhao Xin once said, "Princes, generals, ministers, would rather have their own kind" meant; and his fears and worries now seemed really ridiculous!
Zhao Xin, surrounded by a platoon of guards, rode his horse to the famous "Big Hand Gate". There is only one photo of this majestic city gate left in another time and space. It was bombed by the US army during World War II.
In order to show that he had no ambitions for Sendai Domain, Zhao Xin dismounted in front of Otote Gate and walked straight in with his men. At this time, all the retainers of the Sendai clan, led by Ishikawa Murafumi and other clans, were waiting in the Otemon gate to welcome Zhao Xin's arrival.
Except for the guard platoon, the Third Battalion and the Aoba Battalion all went into the Sannomaru to rest after entering the gate, while Zhao Xin was led to the Ninomaru.
By the way, why don’t you go to Honmaru? Nothing else, too high! When Date Masamune built Honmaru, it was intended to be a military fortress. There is a big cliff on the south side of Aoba Castle, and you have to climb the mountain from the west and take a small path to get around it. Except for some important occasions such as receiving envoys from the shogunate and the imperial court, and meeting with retainers to congratulate the New Year, Honmaru basically did not go to anyone; even Date Shigemura lived in Ninomaru when he returned.
After everyone sat down in the Ninomaru meeting hall, the two sides began to introduce each other.
Different from the large group of Sendai clan's sixteen families and twenty families, Zhao Xin only has Pingtai and Liu Zheng on his left and right, plus Chen Jishan, Yin Bingwei and other guards. That’s all.
After introducing each other, Ishikawa Murafumi leaned over and saluted again: "On behalf of the family leader, we would like to thank Zhao Wangdian for his military service!"
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "No need to say more polite words, our friendship is not a day or two anymore. Let's talk about it, what's going on with the shogunate?"
Ishikawa Murafumi said with a smile: "Your Highness has only arrived three days ago, and people in Edo City are already panicking. I heard that the Satsuma Lord has just left Edo and is on his way back to the Satsuma Domain."
As soon as he finished speaking, another person said: "Currently, all parts of this domain have begun to be on guard. Soldiers and horses are gathering at Shiroishi Castle. There is no movement in Fukushima and other domains in the south. I believe there will be some in Edo in the next two days." Send word back.”
The speaker is the ninth generation head of the Mizusawa Date family, Date Murasaki, who has just turned fifteen this year. This person is also a short-lived ghost in history, and will not survive until the end of this year; but now that the Date family is clinging to Beihai Town, it is difficult to say what will happen in the future.
The Shiroishi Castle he mentioned was the home of the famous "Katakura Kojuro Keetsuna" family. The Katakura family were die-hard loyalists of the Date family, and their status was second only to the first family, ranking first in the family.
As for the Fukushima Domain, hehe, it is the place where the nuclear leak occurred in another time and space; it is currently the fiefdom of the Itakura clan.
Ishikawa Murafumi nodded and said to Zhao Xin: "In addition, my family's ordnance and food are somewhat insufficient. Please ask Prince Zhao to help us."
Zhao Xindao: "This is not a problem. I left 2,000 tons of grain and 500 tons of sugar in the warehouse of Juqiuhama Commercial Building to support the Sendai clan. You can send people back immediately. If it is not enough, I will also We will send ships to transport food.”
Many of the Sendai clan retainers present did not understand the word "ton", but Ishikawa Murafumi and Shibata Kakuzo understood it, and both of them suddenly looked happy.
Regarding the issues of weights and measures in the Edo period, they were actually similar to those in East Asian countries of this era, which really gave Zhao Xin a headache.
In the so-called "stone high system", this "stone" is actually a volume unit, one stone is 180.39 liters. Whether the 180 liters is filled with rice or beans, the corresponding kilograms are completely different. If we have to set a dead number based on the weight of polished rice, what about unpeeled brown rice? Even wheat, corn, beans...
As for some people who say that you can use "念" to calculate, that is even more nonsense, because there are four straw bags and eight bucket bags for rice. Which one do you count?
From this day on, the Sendai Domain began to introduce various weighing scales manufactured by Hokkai Town, in order to move closer to Hokkai Town in the use of weights and measures. After two years, the Sendai Domain had already measured tons, kilograms, and weights from top to bottom. The use of pounds and even grams is very familiar.
After hearing Shibata Kakuzo's explanation of "ton", everyone in the conference hall immediately beamed with joy. Now they were no longer afraid of the shogunate's blockade.
Zhao Xin added: "I will stay in the Qingye Camp in Sendai City. But remember, once you fall out with the shogunate, you can't interfere with how this army is used or how to fight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of everyone in the Sendai clan became extremely ugly. Without your co-author, we can't even give command? After all, these people are still warriors of this domain!
Besides, it's just a continuous shot of a short gun. Last year, Ishikawamura Wen asked for 20 bottles from Zhao Xin and distributed them to a dozen or so families. After a demonstration, the others didn't eat the pork, so they ran away when they saw the pig.
Seeing that something was wrong, Shibata Kakuzo quickly explained: "Everyone, the weapons and tactics of the Northern Navy are very different from those of our country. If you don't understand it, you will not be able to use it like the iron gunners before, and you will not be able to take advantage of it!"
Zhao Xin continued expressionlessly: "Since I have left the Aoba Camp, each of your families must gather a thousand troops and follow me to Kyushu to conquer the Satsuma Domain. Since you want to take revenge and carve up the Shimazu family, then all of you will Get on!"
With the Aoba Battalion of five hundred armed with double guns, Ishikawa Murafumi's confidence was immediately sufficient. According to what Kakuzo Shibata told him, with the strength of the Aoba Camp, they could advance into Edo Castle in one fell swoop. He hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, Prince Zhao, the eight hundred troops and horses mentioned before are ready. There is no problem in sending two hundred more people. We can set off in three days."
According to the agreement between the two parties, Sendai Clan will provide personnel and Beihai Town will provide food and salary. As for changing weapons, don’t dream about it for now!
After staying in Sendai City for a day, Zhao Xin took the third battalion back to Juqiuban the next day. After another five days, the "punitive team" composed of 500 samurai warriors and 500 ashigaru from Sendai Domain finally arrived at Ishinomaki Port.
At this time, Deng Fei had returned from Bitter Leaf Island in the Thunderbolt. Zhao Xin issued an order, and all troops boarded the ship and set off immediately!
