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The Changshu clan took advantage of the situation and colluded with the ministers in the court who were admiring and admiring the feudalism.
Because they had been away from politics for a long time, the ministers of the Kyoto court only knew how to recite poems and write poems all day long, so they did not have a clear understanding of the general trend of the times and the world structure at all.
They believe from the bottom of their hearts that the United States, Britain, France, Russia and other countries are despicable, ignorant of etiquette, and vulnerable barbarians.
It was entirely because of the incompetence of the shogunate that these barbarians set foot on Japanese soil in large numbers.
Sanjo Mimi, who advocated the idea of respecting and resisting, and other ministers such as Sanjo Nishikichi and the Choshu clan hit it off, and they worked together to control the court in a coordinated manner.
These ministers who cooperated with the Choshu clan were collectively called "the ministers of the Choshu faction".
The lofty ideals of the Choshu Domain and the ministers of the Choshu faction always talked about how the emperor was doing and how the court was doing.
However... Judging from their current behavior, it doesn't appear that they have any respect for the Emperor.
Although sufficient evidence has not yet been obtained, judging from various signs, it is enough to believe that the emperor was kidnapped by them!
They controlled the imperial palace, imprisoned and monitored the emperor in disguise, so that the emperor's voice could not reach the outside world.
In this process, they can conduct "black-box operations".
To put it simply, it means issuing a false edict!
At present, the emperor has issued several edicts, severely rebuking the shogunate for being weak towards the barbarians, and demanding that the shogunate and the feudal lords immediately drive all barbarians in Japan back to the sea.
How many of these edicts were written by the emperor himself? Which words were spoken by the emperor himself? Which words were completely fabricated? There is simply no way to verify them.
In the Edo period, supporting the imperial court was the greatest form of political correctness.
As long as you support the imperial court, you can occupy the natural moral high ground.
Therefore, these edicts whose authenticity was unknown put the shogunate and the feudal lords into a very passive and disadvantageous position.
Otherwise, Tokugawa Iemo would not have decided to go to Kyoto in person to discuss with the imperial court at the beginning of this year the matter of expelling the foreigners.
It can be said to be "holding the emperor's hand in order to command the princes"!
What the Choshu clan did naturally aroused the vigilance of the shogunate and other clans.
However, when the shogunate and the feudal lords reacted, it was already a done deal. The court was already under the control of the Choshu clan and it was difficult to touch them.
…
…
After listening to Matsudaira Yongho's detailed explanation, Qingden let out a long sigh of relief.
"Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro, Kusaka Gensui... What a coincidence. Except for Kusaka Gensui, I have met the other two..."
Matsudaira Yongho raised his eyebrows:
"Tachibana-sama, have you met Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro?"
Qingden nodded slightly:
"Well, I have met them once."
With the powerful memory given by his gift of "photographic memory", Aonto clearly remembered the faces of Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro.
In November of the first year of Wanyen (1860), Seito, who had just assumed the post of captain of the third division of the Hōfu bandits Kai, teamed up with the captain of the fifth division, Kimura Suma, and the captain of the seventh division, Tsuchida Masaichi, to send troops to exterminate the remnants of the anti-barbarian group.
, met Shinsaku Takasugi by chance.
At that time, Takasugi Shinsaku single-handedly defeated the Seventh Division of the Hufu Thieves Kai, and his powerful combat power left a deep impression on Ayoto.
Qingdeng's talent "Berserker" was copied from him.
As for Katsura Kogoro, we have to go back even further.
In the first year of Wanyan (1860), on August 20, a fierce red-white battle took place between the Imperial Guard Hall and the Xuanwu Hall.
Yakuro Saito, the "Saito of Power" who admired Aoto very much, led his disciple to watch the whole game - at that time, the disciple he was leading was none other than Katsura Kogoro.
Compared to Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro is undoubtedly much more famous.
He was once a powerful swordsman in Edo.
At a young age, he received the Shinto Muken-ryu's Onsho Kaiden. With his absolute strength, he became the teacher of the training hall where strong men gathered. He was an outstanding figure with both civil and military skills.
At that time, after the game against Genbukan, Saito Yakuro and Katsura Kogoro came to say hello to Aoto.
This was the first time Aoden saw Katsura Kogoro, and it was also the last time he saw him.
Since then, he has completely lost contact with Katsura Kogoro.
Only one day in the future, I learned from someone that he had resigned from his position as a teacher at the training hall and returned to his hometown alone.
After Aoto told the whole story of his acquaintance with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro, Matsudaira Yōho nodded thoughtfully:
"I see... Lord Tachibana, I didn't expect you to have such a connection with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro of the Choshu Domain."
"In the Changshu camp, the ones who need to be most vigilant are these two and Kusaka Genrui, who came from the same school as them."
"They are all outstanding heroes and extremely difficult people."
Speaking of this, Matsudaira Yongho paused and said,
"Then, let's talk about the Satsuma clan next..."
"Speaking of Satsuma Domain, there are three figures that must be mentioned - Shimazu Saibin, Saigo Kinnosuke and Okubo Kazzo."
Shimazu Saibin... At the same time as he heard this name, Qingto's eyes narrowed uncontrollably.
…
…
The Shimazu family is a very old family.
Their ancestors are descendants of the Weizong family, descendants of the Qin family who claimed to be the descendants of Qin Shihuang.
Since the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Shimazu family has ruled the Satsuma region for generations.
Compared with the useless Mouri Qingqin who was incapable of doing anything and could only shout "Okay, let's do it!", the former lord of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Saibin, was truly an unparalleled hero.
Shimazu Saibin, the 28th generation head of the Shimazu family and the 11th generation lord of the Satsuma Domain, succeeded the Satsuma Domain in the fourth year of Kayei (1851).
He was keen on Western science when he was young, looked at the world, actively studied and absorbed advanced Western knowledge.
When he took office, he immediately started to carry out reforms to enrich the country and strengthen the army.
In the domain, under the leading policy of "promoting industry and promoting industry", Shimazu Saibin started the construction of Japan's first modern Western-style factory cluster centered on the Kagoshima area, which involved Western-style shipbuilding, ironmaking (
Reverberatory furnaces, construction of smelting furnaces), textile industry, military industry (artillery, mines, mines), manufacturing (glass products) and many other industries.
In addition, he saw the importance of warships, built a dock in a short period of time, and successively manufactured a variety of Western-style sailing ships and warships, which in turn led to the prosperity of smelting, textiles, military and other industries.
While preparing the navy, he also did not neglect the construction of the army.
He adopted Western-style military training methods and established a French-style cavalry unit. The Satsuma army installed the most advanced rifles and artillery on a large scale.
According to legend, the Satsuma Domain's arsenal was already capable of producing new weapons.
It is no exaggeration to say that Shimazu Saibin single-handedly created the power of Satsuma Domain.
Under his vigorous reforms, the Satsuma Domain emerged as a powerful entity that even the shogunate did not dare to compete with.
No matter which aspect you look at, Shimazu Saibin is undoubtedly an enlightened master.
However... However...
Tianzhangyuan's pretty face flashed through Qingdeng's mind.
Shimazu Saibin is the most staunch "One Bridge School".
In the sixth year of Kayei (1853), in order to expand the influence of the "Hitobashi faction" in the shogunate, he single-handedly led the marriage between Tenjoin and Tokugawa Iesada.
In other words - he was the one who made Tianzhangyuan's life a mess!
The misfortune of Tianzhang Yuan was all caused by him.
A girl who was originally carefree had to marry an incompetent loser because of his ruthless decision. She became a widow in her early twenties and was forced to get involved in the center of the trend of the times...
Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel heavy in his heart.
To be fair, there is no way to criticize Shimazu Saibin for doing this.
In ancient times... no, correction, it should be said that women have been victims of politics throughout the ages.
Only by sacrificing an insignificant collateral descendant can the Satsuma clan's political influence expand... This deal is really a bargain.
However, Shimazu Saibin probably never thought that after Tenjoin married Edo, he did not support Hitotsubashi to take office as he wished, but instead turned against the "Nanki Sect",
Became a loyal fan of Tokugawa Iemo.
In addition to his great foresight, Shimazu Qibin also had a great eye for understanding people and promoted many talents.
Among the many talents he single-handedly promoted, two were the most outstanding - Saigo Kinosuke and Okubo Kazzo.
To put it simply, these two men carried the two banners of the Satsuma clan, one civilly and the other military.
Saigo Yoshinosuke was born in the 10th year of the Bunsei reign (1828).
Okubo Ichizo was born in the first year of Tenbao (1830).
Both of them started at a young age and were born into a family of lower-level samurai.
In the peaceful world of the past, a person with such a humble background would have never been able to achieve success.
Fortunately, Shimazu Qibin, who knows people well and is good at taking charge of people, discovered them.
In the seventh year of Kayei (1854), Saigo Kinnosuke became Shimazu Saibin's confidant and participated in the feudal administration.
In the fourth year of Ansei (1857), Okubo Kazzo was promoted to infantry supervisor.
Under Shimazu Qibin's careful training, the two accumulated a lot of political experience, and their talents became increasingly apparent.
In the fifth year of Ansei (1858), Shimazu Saibin suddenly fell ill. His nephew Shimazu Tadayoshi became the feudal lord, and the real power was in the hands of his younger brother Shimazu Hisamitsu.
As the saying goes, "one person, one team."
After Shimazu Hisamitsu came to power, conservative forces within the domain began to rise, and Saigo Kinosuke and Okubo Kazzo, both former ministers of the former dynasty, were gradually alienated.
At this critical juncture, Okubo Kazzo relied on an extreme operation to forcefully reverse the unfavorable situation.
He discovered that Shimazu Hisamitsu loved to play Go, so he practiced chess hard to facilitate communication.
Hearing that Shimazu Hisamitsu wanted to read "Koshiden", he managed to get as many as 28 volumes of "Koshiden" and lent each volume to Shimazu Hisamitsu. He also took the opportunity to put a note in the book to let Shimazu Hisamitsu understand.
own perspective on the situation.
Finally, after unremitting efforts, Okubo Kazzo gained the trust and importance of Shimazu Hisamitsu and returned to the center of the feudal government. The conservative forces that had just risen were suppressed back.
Compared with Okubo Ichizo, Saigo Kinosuke's experience was quite complicated.
When Shimazu Saibin was still alive, under his instruction, Saigo Yoshinosuke frequently worked for the movement to honor the king and fight against the foreigners.
Saigo Kinosuke's activity attracted the attention of the shogunate.
Therefore, when Naomi Ii launched the "Ansei Prison", he naturally became one of the targets of the ban.
In order to protect Saigo Kinnosuke from being held accountable by the shogunate, the feudal lord pretended to sentence him to exile and exiled him to Amami Oshima. In fact, it protected him in disguise and allowed him to go to other places to temporarily avoid the limelight - this avoidance lasted for 3 years.
.
Last year, in the second year of Bunkyu (1862), he was pardoned through the mediation of Okubo Kazzo, who already held great power in the domain, and returned to Satsuma Domain.
Based on various signs, it is not difficult to see that Shimazu Hisamitsu admires the talented Saigo Kinosuke very much.
However... there is an irreconcilable conflict between the two of them.
To sum it up in one sentence - Shimazu Hisamitsu is from the public-military fusion school, while Saigo Kinosuke is from the king-respecting and barbarian-repelling school.
Although Saigo Kinnosuke is a staunch supporter of the idea of respecting war, he is different from the mad dogs of the Choshu Domain.
In his opinion, the barbarians will definitely fight, but it will definitely not be a head-to-head fight with their steam battleships, Kruger cannons and Gatling guns with samurai swords.
Instead, we open our country to learn advanced knowledge and technology from foreign countries. After we have steam battleships, Krug cannons and Gatling guns on our side, we can then gradually expel the Yi Di.
This is the so-called "learning from the barbarians and developing skills to control the barbarians".
Therefore, Saigo Yoshinosuke's proposition is very clear and runs through all the time, which is to "join the vertical and horizontal", that is, the court and the shogunate, together with the powerful daimyo and their important ministers, establish a unified system for the whole country, bridging the "founding of the country" and "repelling the foreigners"
the opposition between.
In contrast, Shimazu Hisamitsu intended to promote the "public-military integration" led by the imperial court, the shogunate and the Satsuma domain, and tried to make "founding the country" a major national policy. As for "repelling the foreigners", it was not within his political map.
The huge difference in ideas made the two dislike each other.
However, due to Saigo Kinnosuke's high popularity within the domain and his extraordinary talents, Shimazu Hisamitsu finally chose to reuse him.
Okubo Kazzo was proficient in politics, and Saigo Yoshiyuki was good at military affairs.
Therefore, Shimazu Hisamitsu left Okubo Ichizo in the domain to manage the affairs, and sent Saigo Kinosuke to Kyoto to command the Satsuma army currently stationed in Kyoto.
…
…
"There are currently about 1,700 Satsuma troops stationed in Kyoto, and the Choshu Army's strength is around 1,500. We only have 1,000 Aizu troops and 100 Shinsengumi here..."
As soon as Matsudaira Yongho finished speaking, Qingden shrugged and said half-jokingly:
"The difference in military strength is huge..."
Songping Yongbo smiled:
"That's true. Overall, the Satsuma Army is the strongest. However, in order to prepare for the war with the British Empire, the Satsuma Army may evacuate Kyoto at any time."
Qingden raised his eyebrows and murmured:
"The 'Mai Incident'..."
On September 14, the second year of Bunjiu (1862), four British people were riding horses on the Tokaido Road in Shengmai Village.
Among them were Charles Richardson, a businessman who traveled between Yokohama and Shanghai, his clerk Clark, and a British businessman, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall.
On the way, they met Shimazu Hisamitsu and his troops who were on their way back to the country after raising troops to go to Edo and forcing the shogunate to agree to "set up five elders to support Hitotsubashi Keiki and Matsudaira Harugaku" and other conditions.
According to the practice of the Edo period, civilians must kneel down and give way if they encounter the daimyo's queue, but the four British people refused to do so anyway, and this was considered a rude act towards the daimyo.
In the meantime, Mrs. Marshall's horse was suddenly frightened and rushed into the queue. Narahara Yoshi of the Shimadzu Guards immediately pulled out his knife and wounded Charles. The guards who came up immediately chopped him to death and seriously injured the other two soldiers. Only Marshall was injured.
The lady was not injured.
After the incident, the British Empire requested the shogunate and Satsuma Domain to punish the perpetrators and pay compensation.
Although the whole incident had nothing to do with the shogunate, the shogunate, knowing that the British were powerful, still paid a compensation of 100,000 pounds.
However, the Satsuma clan, the perpetrator, refused the British request.
How could the UK, which has conquered the world with invincible opponents and is used to being domineering and tyrannical, endure such a bad temper?
For a time, Zhan Yun made up his mind, and the smell of gunpowder was strong.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see: If the Satsuma clan still refuses to give in, then there will definitely be a battle between the Satsuma clan!
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Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation vote! (Leopard Head Cries)
Katsura Kogoro's first appearance is at the end of Chapter 29 of Volume 2; Takasugi Shinsaku's first appearance is at Chapter 85 of Volume 2.
Shimazu Saibin has died, so for the Satsuma camp, everyone only needs to keep in mind Saigo Kinosuke who is in charge of military affairs and Okubo Ichizo who is in charge of politics.
PS: Most of the contents in this chapter are historical facts, only the following paragraphs are original by Leopard--
Not long after Saigo Kinnosuke ended his first exile, he was exiled for the second time due to conflicts with Shimazu Hisamitsu in his ideas of governing the country.
In other words, in the current timeline of this book (the beginning of 1863), it is impossible for him to control the Satsuma army stationed in Kyoto.
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This chapter has been completed!