With the completion of the Shinagawa Odaiba, in the middle of Satsuki in the fifth year of Kayei (the end of June 1852), Mr. Egawa Tanan and Oguri Tadjun finally met with Okubo of the Shiro Lord Shrine.

Because they wanted to know the latest trends of Naohide and Shirozu, the two simply met Okubo together at Mr. Tanan's residence to avoid having to communicate with each other later.

Because of the purchase of large tubes in Odaiba, Oguri had already revealed to Mr. Tan'an that the American Hamhyung Company had a close relationship with Naohide. In addition, the development of the shogunate's orchid studies in recent years was closely related to Naohide, and he was worried about Lucia's move south. These two You guys also want to hear what information Naoxiu has sent to you.

"Riji, you're here, why didn't you come to me earlier?" Oguri once traveled to Kagoshima. At that time, Saigo Takanaga and Okubo came to receive him. At that time, the two hit it off and talked happily, so he met him He complained.

"The two emperors are well, and Oguri-den is well." Okubo first leaned over to salute the two senior officials of the shogunate, and then said hello to Oguri - this was different from seven years ago. At that time, he was only sixteen years old. He is high-spirited and realizes that "there is nothing impossible in the world", and he can maintain a normal attitude towards his son who has a strong body. Now, after his father was exiled, the family changed his job and started a business in the north, now he understands that "it will be difficult to be born without that". "Yes," so Xiaoli was polite to him and he didn't dare to be too presumptuous.

Next, Okubo congratulated the two adults for their achievements in the Odaiba.

This incident has been a hot topic in Edo recently. The shogunate wanted to show off its power and calm people's hearts. After passing the inspection, it allowed the town people to come and watch. Okubo and his son also went. Unlike others, he recognized the 3-inch rifled gun at a glance. Therefore, I was not surprised by the low height of the fort. Instead, I was full of praise for the plan of flexibly mobilizing troops and horses to resist through communication lines. I thought the entire platform plan was economical and practical, so this praise was sincere.

In addition, Okubo also briefly mentioned that he once visited the two adults' residence, but unfortunately "the two adults were busy working in Odaiba all day long and did not have the chance to visit", and responded to Oguri's complaint tactfully.

Mr. Tanan and Oguri could feel their sincere appreciation for Okubo Odaiba, so they were very happy.

Oguri and Naohide have been keeping in touch, and he knew something about Shirozu's affairs, so he introduced to Mr. Tan'an that "Okubo is talented and intelligent, diligent and studious, and when Naohide went north to Shirozu, he went to Kagoshima alone to invite Riji, and later entrusted him to The important responsibilities that the town fulfills can be seen from this."

Mr. Tan'an was fifty-two years old, and he cherished talents more and more and was willing to support the younger generations. In addition, the person in front of him was an old acquaintance of Oguri and Naohide's confidant. Therefore, he liked Okubo very much and asked him to tell him about Odaiba. view.

Okubo was very excited to be able to talk in front of the two seniors of Otana Hatamoto and Ran Xue - there were often discussions in Shiro Master's school, but Okubo relied on his status and often could not speak freely.

The only person he can speak freely to is Naohide. But although Naohide is very restrained, Okubo often can't express it. It's not that he is humiliated in person, but Naohide always smiles and praises what he said is right. But after Okubo returns, he often finds that Naohide looks ordinary. Ordinary words often have endless aftertaste. In contrast, my own opinions are crude and superficial, which is heartbreaking - although I can gain something, what is this frustration?

In order to cultivate the overall situation of each chapter and group leader, Shiro often asked his staff to deduce offensive and defensive battles. In addition to how Shiro defended against the Lucians, he also deduced the attack and defense of Edo Bay. Okubo reviewed the previous deduction scenes.

, talk freely.

"Everyone in the world thinks that the stage is tall and solid, but this is not necessarily the case."

Okubo first praised Shinagawa Odaiba's idea of ​​flexible defense, and then explained the reasons for his support. A tall and strong fort is of course good, but it must also live within one's means: first, it is expensive, laborious and time-consuming, and second, the problem of defense area——

Edo Bay is so big, we can't build platforms everywhere. Even if we can build them, but Fuso is so big, what should we do if the enemy lands in other places? So this involves a question of weighing the importance.

Moreover, one cannot just look at size. With the range of a 3-inch rifled gun and the power of explosive shells, a small fort can also play a role in containing the enemy.

However, as ships become larger and larger, the shooting range of large tubes becomes farther and farther, and the construction of large platforms is inevitable. A better way is to build large ships. Big ships are mobile platforms. "The enemy can come and I can go."

Being able to move forward and retreat freely is the way to save money and effort.

When Mr. Tanan and Oguri heard the range of the 3-inch rifled cannon, they determined that Okubo was indeed Naohide's confidant - this kind of confidential information, even many samurai in the shogunate were not allowed to know.

"Building a large ship is not something that can be accomplished in a day. Is there any strategy that Riji can use to fill the gap in Odaiba?" It is very impolite for Fuso to call others by their first names, but there is one exception, that is, when an elder or superior calls him by his first name,

This is a way of expressing closeness.

Mr. Tan'an thinks that Okubo is indeed good and has some talents, but they have considered what Okubo said. Although being able to explain the inner secrets is considered knowledgeable, the person worthy of Naohide's special invitation cannot be just this skill, right?

"Uraga Suido is the key to Edo Bay. Although steam ships can move forward and retreat freely, they are not without countermeasures."

Hearing this, both Hatamotos sat up straight - the previous plan for Odaiba was discussed with Naohide. Okubo may have heard Naohide talk about it, so it is not surprising that what he said was sound and logical, but the defense plan for Uraga Suido was later discussed.

It was newly proposed by Oguri Tadjun as an important supplement to Shinagawa Odaiba. Except for the veterans of the shogunate, very few people know about it. If Okubo can come up with any novel methods, then the person in front of him will be beyond the average ability.

range.

The Uraga waterway is 20km long, with an average width of 11km and a narrowest point of 9km. The construction of the Odaiba would not be able to capture the fleet sailing along the central axis, so it was not included in Mr. Tanan's original Odaiba plan.

However, when the shogunate solicited opinions from Nagasaki at the beginning of last year, Oguri, who was the head of Nagasaki, proposed a supplementary plan. Mr. Tanan was full of praise after seeing it. In the end, the senior middlemen also agreed to use this as a supplement to Shinagawa Odaiba.

Therefore, both of them wanted to hear the difference between Okubo's Uraga Waterway plan and Oguri Tadjun's plan.

"The art of cannon burning has been around since ancient times, and Western countries have been using mines since the 18th century. Both approaches lead to the same goal. Now we can give it a try."

Cannons were weapons widely used by pirates and naval forces during the Fuso Warring States Period, such as oil cans and gunpowder cans, to burn down enemy ships. Underwater weapons such as mines have appeared in the form of mechanically triggered wooden barrels since the 18th century.

Okubo explained in detail his plan, which was to lay mines on the central axis of the narrow Uraga Channel, and then use the forts on both sides to attack enemy ships.

Mr. Tan'an looked at Oguri Naole, meaning that everything you can think of can be thought of by others, so you can't be so arrogant this time.

"It's a pity that mines are not very useful. There are many loopholes in this plan." Mechanically triggered mines are either sensitive or insensitive. Sensitive mines are easy to detonate when the waves are strong, and insensitive mines are even worse. Ships hit by them are even worse.

It can't be detonated even if it goes there, so it's completely useless. Moreover, the current sealing technology is not good enough. Over time, water will enter the mine, and it will be completely destroyed and scrapped, so it is not taken seriously.

Okubo also knows this, so he also agrees with Oguri Tadjun, but he believes that the latest electrolyte-triggered anchor mines are more reliable, and although mines cannot be used as a routine solution, they can be used as an "emergency plan" and may be used as a strange plan.

Don't make too many preparations. If you have time, laying mines in Uraga Waterway is still a more attractive plan.

Hearing Okubo say "electrolyte triggers anchor mine", the two ministers sitting there looked at each other and smiled. According to Naohide, this is called "real hammer". As expected, Shirozhu's practice is closely related to Westerners, and they even know the latest weapons.

.

Suoguo is the shogunate, and their correspondence with Naohide is relatively cautious. They only talk in general terms. Key information is conveyed verbally from close confidants to avoid being caught by political opponents. However, oral transmission often leads to the effect of talking about chickens and ducks.

, and many things cannot be explained clearly. This time Okubo is practiced by Shirozu Town, and it is of high quality. It seems that we can have a pleasant communication.

"We haven't seen each other for many years, and Liji has made great progress. Here is Naohide's letter. Please take it out and take a look." Oguri was very satisfied with Okubo's performance, so he asked him to take out Naohide's letter quickly. Business is more important than gossip.

That's it for now.

In fact, mine defense was also the collective wisdom of Shiro's staff, but before Okubo could clarify it, the meeting moved to the next stage. Okubo quickly handed over the letter - he was ridiculed by Oguri as soon as they met, and he actually forgot about the letter.

In the back of my mind, this was really a huge discourtesy and a mistake.

The contents of Naohide's letters to Mr. Tanan and Oguri were similar, but the emphasis was different.

At the beginning of May in the Western calendar, Kinokuniya and a merchant ship carrying a special event came to Shirozhu and brought private messages from two of his mentors to Naohide. At that time, Naohide was busy with preparations before dispatching troops. The content of the reply was relatively simple. He simply congratulated the officer who was about to transfer.

Oguri and asked about Mr. Tanan's physical condition.

The letter Okubo brought this time was much more detailed.

Naohide reminded the two of them in the letter that Western countries are "coveting" fusang, especially the United States. With the increase in trade with China and the development of whaling, it is likely to make big moves in recent years.

The letter was full of Naohide's worries about his mentor and friend.

He advised Mr. Tan'an to quit quickly, thinking that the teacher had worked hard all his life for official affairs and Lan Xue, and had done everything he should do. It would be better to put his career aside and let the prince Yingmin go out and exercise.

As for Oguri, he wrote, "The officialdom is very difficult. Others only see that you are young and have a high position, so how can they take risks for you?" He advised Oguri not to be brave and to rest for a year or two first. After all, the boss (Zhong Gao)

) is still there? Two years of rest at the age of twenty-six will not delay your future prospects. If you want, you can go to Lord Bai and his party. Lord Bai is ready to vigorously launch internal affairs, coal development, iron smelting, casting, and shipbuilding.

This is where hope lies.

After reading the letter, Mr. Tanan and Oguri looked at each other. They never expected to see such a letter. In previous letters, in addition to encouraging each other, Naohide often asked the two for help, asking for people and things.

I want this or that, but this time the style of painting is amazing, full of concern for teachers and friends, and there is no mention of supplies. Is this because I am looking away or something is wrong? Could it be that I got the wrong letter?
Chapter completed!