In April of the third year of Anzheng's reign (1856), the White Master's Office took the initiative to request an increase in the Shigao examination, raising the original five thousand koku to thirty thousand koku.

After the memorial was carried out by the envoy Banshiro and presented by Ekawa Hidetoshi, it attracted great attention from the center of the Edo shogunate.

The reason is very simple. The increase in Shigao's assessment shows that "the White Lord has not only established a foothold in the North, but has actually grown stronger." This is an unprecedented achievement.

You know, starting from the "Tanuma Period" (1767-1786), the shogunate had a strong intention to develop Ezo Land. However, in the end, it was abandoned because the plan was too huge, the investment was too much, and the execution was too difficult.

Let’s not talk about the distance, let’s talk about the recent development of Ezo land.

It was the period from the fourth year of Bunka (1807) to the fourth year of Bunsei (1821). The shogunate made great efforts, but the ending was no different from before. It was still anticlimactic and disgraced:

In the third year of the Wenhua period, Fuso and the Lucians began to fight in the north. The two sides did not shake hands and make peace until the tenth year of the Wenhua period (1813).

In the next eight years, the shogunate worked hard in Ezo, but in the end had to give up again due to huge investment and little results.

According to calculations by the survey office, the shogunate invested one million taels of gold in eight years, but still could not absorb many immigrants. As a result, the Ezo land was still mainly based on fishing and hunting, and it was unable to make ends meet for a long time, with no hope of making a return.

——Who can bear this!

Coupled with the bitter cold in the north, the samurai who came from the prosperous place of Edo were unwilling to stay permanently. The people were so angry that they wrote letters asking to be transferred.

So the shogunate followed the people's will and gave up this development, ending the bottomless pit of investment.

Now Lord Bai has applied to increase the Shigao assessment, and Yin Jian is not far away. Comparing the two, it is obvious that Lord Bai has special expertise in development where he pursues his career.

So how did Bai Zhu do it?

This has aroused the attention of quite a few ministers - it’s impossible not to pay attention. The development of the Ezo land has begun again. We can’t fail again, right? If we fail again, we will really become the laughing stock of Fuso. And now, the Western countries are no better than they were back then.

The country is watching with eager eyes. If you fall down again, you may not have a chance to get up.

But it’s impossible not to develop. This time it’s forced by the situation. You have to do it even if you don’t want to. You must succeed. The consequences of failure are too serious:

The incentive for the great development of the Northland was the visit of the black ships, which led to the opening of the port of the Northland - Hakodate became a port of refuge and supply for the rice ships.

Previously, the shogunate was afraid that someone would use this to collude with outsiders, so it had always controlled Fuso's channels for foreign negotiations.

Therefore, this time when Hakodate opens the port, the shogunate must designate this place as a direct jurisdiction "gory".

After it is designated as a royal territory, it must be developed - once Westerners see the shabby locality, it will easily lead to contempt, and contempt will easily arouse the greed of the other party.

Another factor that has to be considered is the threat from the northern Lucians.

Although the Lucian envoy Pujiatin who appeared in the sixth year of Jiayong (1853) has not appeared since the first month of the seventh year of Jiayong, Lucia in the north is still a lingering shadow in the mind of the shogunate - Pujiatin was a

The requirement to "determine the mountains and rivers and divide the boundaries" has been avoided this time, but it will not be avoided next time.

For the current plan, the only way is to vigorously build the Northland and turn it into a solid front line to firmly resist the erosion of the Lu people, so that Fusang can hide behind and take a breather.

Therefore, after the shogunate established Hakodate in the seventh year of Kayei, in April of the second year of Ansei (1855), it "ordered Date Keibo, Satake Yoshimutsu, and Tsugaru to send troops to garrison Ezo and Hakodate."

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As a result, the Ezo Territory had the Hakodate Office of the Shogunate, and the original local snakes, the Matsumae family, Date, Satake, and Tsugaru had a total of five forces.

However, the shogunate still did not dare to take it lightly.

Because after all, this is old sake in a new porcelain bottle. The last time I did this, the result was disappointing.

The Lucians were retreated, but things are different now. The power of the Western countries has increased greatly, and even the black ships have sailed to Edo Bay. Can this old method work?

However, this time Shiro took the initiative to ask for an increase in the Ishigao assessment, which made the big bosses' eyes light up - if Shiro can develop and grow in the Northern Ezo Land, can Hakodate follow the prescription to the best of his ability? Even if he can't develop and grow, he will be able to implement it.

It’s also good to take root.

If Ezo Land can invest less, the shogunate will be able to have a lot more hands. Then it can buy more Western ordnance or invest more in the Lanxue industry. Maybe the whole game of Fuso will survive.

Therefore, the shogunate paid great attention to how Shirozu developed, and planned to learn from the experience and apply it to the Ezo land. This is why the Shomo of the Hogawa Road was specifically asked to inquire by Shirozu envoy Ban Egawa Hidetoshi.

Naoxiu, Yingmin and others had already prepared for this, so their answers were watertight:

People, of course, "have naturalized many savages, have been immigrating vigorously, and in the past two years have caught a ride on the Hakodate immigration boat";

As for, "How can four thousand people produce an output of thirty thousand dan?"

In this regard, Yingmin said that people's livelihood basically lies in "food, clothing, housing, transportation" and means of livelihood. Therefore, these eight items are indispensable: coal, potatoes, pig iron, alfalfa, cattle and horses, salt, seals and boats:

As for "living", there are many forests in the north, making it easy to build a wooden house, but the winter is long, lasting up to half a year, so keeping out the cold is a top priority, and this charcoal is absolutely indispensable;

As for "food", we can only rely on high-yielding crops, that is, potatoes - of course, wheat, barley, sorghum (sorghum), and maize (corn) are also grown, but currently we still rely on high-yielding potatoes.

However, it is difficult to cultivate land, so iron farm tools, cattle and horses are indispensable.

Chuanlu had objections to this, "Where did Mr. Bai get the iron farm tools, cattle and horses?" Yingmin said that it was accumulated slowly. In the first few years, he still relied on purchased grains. It was not until the past two years that a lot of wasteland was reclaimed.

"Where does Mr. Bai's money come from?"

Faced with Chuanlu Shengmo's questioning, Bai Zhusheng and Egawa Hidetoshi were helpless, "Can't you just listen to me patiently and understand everything?!"

But at the highest level of officialdom, one cannot confront his superiors directly, so Yingmin had to patiently explain:

"There are many inaccessible places in Northern Ezo, and furs are very easy to obtain. Shirozu is rich in seals, which is well known to everyone in Edo."

In fact, Chuanlu knew this.

However, he was able to carry out the appraisal and execution from an ordinary flag book. He was a rare exception among important ministers. Chuan Lu, who was extraordinary in ability, always felt that there was something wrong with Master Bai's accounts, so he deliberately asked.

But since Yingmin said this, he couldn't refute it, so the matter could only be revealed temporarily.

Next, Yingmin introduced Bai Zhu's cold-resistant pasture "purple alfalfa" and frozen salt. The alfalfa was introduced by Languo Commercial Store, so Chuanlu didn't care about it. But he didn't know that this alfalfa was not that alfalfa.

The alfalfa introduced by the Lan people was not cold-tolerant, but the cold-resistant alfalfa was introduced by Naohsiu at Xianheng's request.

For Kawaji, this was the first time he heard about the freezing method of salt production, so he was amazed and thought that this method could be promoted in Ezo.

Then, Yingmin introduced the two aspects of Lord Bai's "clothes" and "action":

Baizhu does not produce kapok (Fuso's name for cotton), so it can only be purchased from outside. However, there is no shortage of winter clothes, most of which are fur cloaks. Regarding this, Chuanlu, a deep city, almost lost his temper on the spot.

You know, not to mention the townspeople, even the ordinary samurai in Edo may not be able to wear fur.

Knowing that Master Bai was so rich, Chuan Lu secretly made up his mind, "I must scrape the oil in the future, and scrape it hard! Otherwise, I will feel uneasy."

"Food, clothing, housing, transportation" and the means of making a living, the last thing is "travel".

In this regard, Yingmin said that the White Lord encouraged farmers and merchants, so wealthy merchants built ships in the north, and they benefited a lot from this practice.

Chuanlu didn't care about this - he thought it was just building some boats.

Two years ago, Naohide submitted a letter requesting to build his own naval force, and the shogunate agreed at that time - after all, the White Lord was at the forefront of the Northland, and would not allow others to build their own naval forces without allocating warships. This was really unjustifiable.

At that time, Edo requested that "Shiro's shipbuilding should be sent to Edo first, and the rest can be kept for himself." In other words, "the number of warships cannot exceed four." Moreover, four warships must be built for the shogunate first, and then Shiro can keep them for himself.

The warships built by the owner can only be used by the owner, and the shogunate does not care about the manpower and expenses. The owner has to take care of them himself.

But so far I haven't seen Lord Bai send a ship, so he definitely can't build a big ship.

So when Yingmin mentioned shipbuilding this time, Chuanlu disagreed - "You can build as many boats as you like."

The reason is very simple: now that the Ezo land has become a royal territory, the Matsumae family's exclusive trading has become a thing of the past. What's wrong with building more boats? After all, whether it's fishing or trading, it will enrich the shogunate itself.

of the subjects.

After the inquiry, Shengmo, who was assigned to implement the Sichuan Road, praised Bai Zhu's implementation, saying, "He is sincere in his work, which is quite impressive."

The shogunate confirmed that the Hakushu shrine was not a false claim to claim credit, and that many of its experiences could be promoted in Hakodate, so it agreed to increase the quota of the shrine's five thousand koku to thirty thousand.

To be honest, even if there is something wrong with Yingmin's words, the senior middlemen are ready to agree to Bai Zhu's request - Fusang has been in turmoil in the past two years, with earthquakes and tsunamis happening constantly, and Westerners invading and causing people to panic, while Bai Zhu's practice has improved

The incident of Shi Gao was a rare good thing that was very helpful in inspiring people. Therefore, the shogunate granted Naohide Hide and Egawa Hidetoshi official and land rewards, and publicized them widely.

The implication of this move is, "Don't panic among us, and don't spread rumors, Xiaoxiao! You see, remote territories like Shirozu can develop, so the shogunate is still strong, and the reform of Anzheng will definitely bring about a new atmosphere!"

No matter what Edo’s plan is, this time the White Lord will actually gain both fame and fortune:

Naohide and others worked hard for the White Lord for so long, and finally gained access to the shogunate. Although the territory of 30,000 koku is not large, it is still reasonable for a distant country. In the future, the White Lord will come to the table again, Jiang

Households will pay more attention to it, at least they can no longer ignore it easily.

As for the annual tribute of three thousand taels added every year, this is really nothing.

After several years of accumulation, Bai Zhu's foundation has gradually stabilized, and the next strategy is to "accelerate immigration internally in the next few years; externally, actively export Lanxue craftsmanship."

If you want to take it, you must first give it to it.

Three thousand taels of gold is just the cost of immigrating 300 people. It is worth buying a pass for the shogunate! In addition, the strength of the White Lord is gradually no longer concealable, so it is better to use this opportunity to clear up some of it. It is both responsible and established, and it is not done. That's really stupid.

As for Naohide's own status, this can be regarded as a formal step forward:

For example, if you are assigned to perform such an important service a few years later, if you are lucky, Naohide cannot be said to be unqualified to hold it;

Even if Naohide stays in Shirozhu for a few more years, even if he loses his position as a Tokoku minister, and then eats old white rice alone at home, then maybe the shogunate will reward him with a "flag book" for his hard work and merits. "Sending a joint banquet", you must know that this is the same treatment as a daimyo.

It's a pity that Naohideshi is not here, otherwise he would be proud of himself for rising from an imperial family to such a high position!

Therefore, Egawa Hidetoshi, who announced the good news, was very incomprehensible to Naohide's gloominess:

In September 1856, the Hakodate Iron Works was successfully ignited, and half of the pig iron produced in the future would be sold to the owner;

Hakodate's minister, Hori Toshihi, agreed to jointly submit a petition, requesting that the Ainu and other barbarians be given the status of official subjects. If the shogunate can really agree, then the White Lord will be much more stable;

In addition to the great destruction of the Lucia territory in the north last year, you and I have improved our family status this year, and the white master is also prospering. Now this situation is not a small good, but a great good.
Chapter completed!