The platform was in a mess, with people shouting and neighing, but no one in the carriage looked bored, especially Saigo Yoshinosuke, who looked outside greedily and looked excited.

"It's been a long time since we've seen Shiba, and it's hard not to miss us." Okubo casually explained for Saigo - after all, the three giants of Hakodate were all here, and Saigo just stared out the window when he got in the car. What kind of trouble was this?

Hearing this, Naohide smiled slightly. He knew that Okubo Shosuke and Saigo were close friends, but it was early October 1861. They had been separated for eleven years, and the last time they met was three years ago. This friendship lasts forever. , it’s really enviable.

Thinking of this, he glanced across from him. There was also a pair of good friends sitting there, Hori Toshi and Egawa Hidetoshi. These two were quite capable - Hori Toshi's grandfather was the head of the university Hayashi Shusai, and his uncle was Torii Yozo. Lin Shuzhai is a Confucian leader, Torii is a minister known for his conservative nature, and Hidetoshi's father, Mr. Tan'an, is a giant in orchid studies, but now the two of them are as good as one person, which is really unusual.

Regarding this, Naohide once specifically asked Hidetoshi for advice - he would be worried if he didn't ask for advice, because if Hori Toshi tried to play Infernal Affairs for him, it would be a bad idea.

"Hori Toshi, he's been an anomaly since he was a child. I don't know why, but he actually likes orchid studies and never changes his mind despite repeated admonitions."

Naoxiu understood immediately upon hearing this. Isn't this just reverse psychology? "The more you don't let me do it, the harder I will do it. I understand."

"Besides, although my father was brought down by Torii Yozo, the subsequent removal of Torii had nothing to do with my Jiangchuan family. Therefore, the two families are not considered feuds. In the North, everyone is unlucky. Why worry about it? You should be more open-minded."

Well, Naohide was made into a disgrace, and he acted like a villain for once.

Later, he slowly observed that this Hori Toshi is really a charming person. Apart from being a bit fond of clearing his name, he really can't find anything bad about him - and what's wrong with being clear of his name? He behaves well. Not to mention, this gentleman can still be deceived.

For example, in May 1860, Naohide deceived him into participating in the Battle of Aihui. Although he was very dissatisfied when he came back, it was clear that Hori Toshi had begun to return to his heart.

Hori Toshi's dissatisfaction is not because of his participation in the provocation, but because he feels that Naohide and others are not aboveboard enough. They have a lot of advanced ordnance, thousands of elite soldiers (estimated), and they are obviously colluding with the British. This What's your intention?

But before joining the war, Naohide and Hidetoshi made it clear to him, saying that Shiro was hiding a lot of things, but he had to do this to resist foreign aggression, otherwise the hesitant masters of Edo would lose all their wealth, no matter how big it was. It was completely defeated.

Since Hori Toshi was appointed as the head of Hakodate in the spring of 1855, he suffered a lot from the Westerners. First, the Mi people were domineering, and then he was defeated miserably by the Lucians in 1858. This time he was red-eyed. .So before participating in the Battle of Aihui, he didn't think much about it and went away with his passion.

During this period, the battle was going well, but it was too late for him to be excited. He had to think about anything later when he had time.

But after thinking about it, he realized that something was wrong. He originally thought that Naoxiu was hiding good things or secretly developing his strength. But when he thought about his interactions with Lord Bai over the years, he realized that the water here was too deep!

On the way back, he secretly talked to Egawa Hidetoshi, "What on earth does Naohide want to do? Is he disobedient?"

"Bah!" Yingmin spat in his face at that time, and then told the story of Naohsiu's escaping overseas in 1846, and everything he did after returning to Fuso in 1849 until now.

Yingmin was a fan of Naohide. He praised Naohide so much that everyone loved him, and he also believed that "now that the shogunate is in decline, Naohide cannot turn the tide except Naohide."

Hori Toshi was initially frightened. Although he was a queen of a famous family - the Hori family was the head of the shogunate, his father Hori Ken was from the 2nd year of Honghua (1855) to the 5th year of Ansei (1858).

) were both Omatsuke, and they later took up the top-level post of "Liu Shuju". However, it has been too long since Naohide went abroad, and the shogunate has been in turmoil for more than ten years, so not many people know about it now.

"Is it so exciting? No one told me,"

It was as if Hori Toshi had heard the legend. It took him a long time to realize that this had nothing to do with colluding with foreigners and secretly amassing private soldiers. No matter how much he did, it was not an act of loyalty!

Yingmin had no choice but to tell the story again about the two battles of Miaotun in 1852 and 1854, and the two raids on the northern territories of the Lu people with the British and Buddhist allied forces in 1854 and 1855. Only then did Hori Xi know that it turned out that Naohide's group

Lucia, who was tricked in private, didn't want it.

But he didn't complain - speaking of the Battle of Hakodate in 1858,

"White dogs eat food, black dogs bring disaster", but when he participated in the Battle of Aihui, he learned a lot about what Lucia did. They are not unreasonable at all. It is tradition to burn, kill and loot, so it is better not to resist in advance.

Fool. As for the Hakodate Adherence Office, it can only be blamed on its own inability to innovate.

"Are you sure Naohsiu didn't sell herself to a foreigner?"

Yingmin laughed loudly, "I, the Jiangchuan family, can handle this matter of betraying our ancestors!"

Hori Toshi believed that Egawa was a branch of the Minamoto clan. It had been a famous family since the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333) and had been passed down for almost 700 years. It was indeed unnecessary and impossible to ruin the family tradition.

Hori Toshi heard that Hidetoshi said that Naohide had achieved great success during his three years overseas (1846-1949), so he had some powerful connections with foreigners. Of course he didn't believe it - what could he do in three years, and not be able to work on the ship?

Just go there for a year, and if you take two years to find a firm foothold, you might have to go back as soon as you find a way.

This made my fanboy Yingmin very angry. Since he arrived at Shirozhu in the seventh year of Jiayong (1854), he has not only done many great and exciting things, but has also risen through the ranks. Now he is the well-known head of the Jiangchuan family in Qianshi North. Naturally, he can't help it.

Willing to let Toshiro Hori question idol Naohide.

But Naohide and others have been vague about what they did in the United States - how could this biggest trump card be revealed until the critical moment? Yingmin couldn't produce strong evidence even if he wanted to refute it, so when he was anxious, he took Xianheng to

The affairs of the foreign company came out.

In fact, the specific roots of Hamhyung Foreign Company, Etoshi, are not known, but it is certain that it has a close relationship with Naohide. Therefore, the strong foreign friends are also a good proof-the shogunate has obtained external information over the years, purchased ordnance, including

The earliest Westernization of the navy, steelmaking in Jiushan, and imitation of ordnance all relied on the generous help of the Xianheng Foreign Company. As long as they know about it, no one can deny its achievements.

However, Yingmin should definitely not leak out the fact that the shogunate "exchanged Fuso gold for overseas silver" through Xianheng Foreign Company.

Hori Toshi was anxious when he heard this. His father, Hori Ken, was an Omatsuke from the 2nd year of Honghua (1855) to the 5th year of Ansei (1858). He also knew a little about Xianheng Foreign Company, but

Why didn't I get any news from "Yin Yi Yin"? Does this mean he doesn't love me anymore?

This major change in the gold and silver exchange ratio was a big deal. Horihixi boasted that he had held important positions in the shogunate many times since he became an official. He understood the pros and cons of this. "The slightest discrepancy will be a disaster that shakes the foundation." Therefore, he did not bother to question it.

I was so excited that I wanted to go back to Hakodate and ask for details in person.

In fact, Hori Toshihi only served as a member of the surnamed group for a few years, as an imperial minister for one year, as an imperial commissioner for Matsumae Oyo (special envoy) for one year, and as a Hakodate official for three years. Although he was already forty-three years old in 1860, he

Because I come from a prominent family and have a very supportive father who takes care of everything, I really don’t have much idea of ​​the sinister nature of people’s hearts.

But it is precisely because of his relatively simple mind that Naohsiu and others dare to win over him. If he is an old fox who has traveled far and wide, would you dare to believe someone who said he would join him?

In fact, we have repeatedly considered wooing Naohide Hori and others. After all, the risk is too great. If we fail, we will immediately pull the flag and become independent.

Although if you fail, you can end up falling into the water and die, but how to deal with it is a difficult problem. The important informant of the shogunate is dead, and the father is in a high position. Edo must investigate this matter strictly. But Naohide and others did it

There are a lot of "bad things". When the time comes to find a big hole, what should we do?

Since Aki Naohide took over as Hakodate's chief executive in 1858, Hori Toshihi has been quite cooperative as Hakodate's manager, turning a blind eye to many things. So is it necessary to make such a sudden change?

Moreover, Naohide, Gakujiro, Hidetoshi, Manjiro, Ryoma and others all do not agree with "die by falling into the water", thinking that "this case will be extremely poisonous", and today "we have no choice but to take this step". If everyone follows suit in the future, then

"Accidentally fell down", "Took the wrong medicine" or even "choked on drinking water", there are so many tricks.

Although everyone has violated countless bans of the shogunate, they have never done anything dirty. Even if they turn over old scores in the future, they can still say with a "clear conscience" that "the shogunate is stupid and has no choice but to do it" - don't underestimate righteousness.

, you can get help externally, and you can be united internally.

The debate was fierce at that time, but Naohide finally convinced everyone that this "death by falling into the water" must not be done, and the worst case scenario would be for Hakodate to be able to stand on its own. Anyway, "the elder Ii was assassinated, and the people in the government and the public are panic-stricken. Even if the news leaks out, Hakodate will not be in danger."

At the beginning of May 1860, the power of the Hakodate Administrative Office, or Naohide's group, was so huge that it was difficult to conceal it - at least, if Hori Toshihi, the leader of Hakodate, could no longer see the problem, then

It's really impossible.

By the end of 1859, the population of the Northern Ezo Territory had swelled to nearly 33,000 people. In the Ezo Territory under the former Hakodate's jurisdiction, the number of territorial residents also reached 47,000 - not counting the permanent residents.

The merchants, their guards, and their companions did not count the soldiers of the Date, Satake, and Tsugaru families who helped guard the Ezo land, nor did they count the Matsumae family who diligently guarded the Ezo area near Fukuyama Castle.

Moreover, in September of the sixth year of Ansei (1859), the shogunate ordered Date Qingbang, Hoshina Yoshiho, Minami Toshiko, Satake Yoshihiro, Tsugaru Noburetsu, and Sakai Tadahiro to assist in the reclamation of Ezo land. Although these six mills

After a while, they only sent people to negotiate the area in 1859, but in the spring of 1860, immigrants from these six families also began to enter the Ezo land one after another.

Anyway, each family had less than a thousand people, so Naohide assigned them to the Ishikari Plain and Tokachi Plain, and mixed them with the early colonization groups.

It's hard to fault the six companies. After all, they are all plains close to the sea, and the Hakodate Office has promised to provide relief, which is good. The only concern is that the port operators are not allowed to participate, but Naohide has

The record of defeating Lucia in the Battle of White Master, coupled with a military drill organized by the Hakodate Office, made everyone hold their noses and admit it - the shogunate asked you to participate in the reclamation, but it didn't say that the land would be given to you, so that's it now

, you have to wait until you have a firm footing before talking about anything.

But with the six families stationed in Ezo, there was a lot of contact, and the new policies implemented by Hakodate could no longer be concealed.

Among them, the two most important things are compulsory education and universal military service.

This compulsory education is the foundation of Naohide's system. Although it is conducted in the name of rural education, it cannot be hidden from people who are interested - in 1859 alone, the education expenditure on the private account of Hakodate Office was 155,000.

There was a small settlement of more than 1,000 Tianbao, and the total number of residents at the end of that year was less than 80,000. Although it is impossible to understand in depth, the six companies can estimate it in the future. This box museum has invested a lot in education, so the problem arises

Okay, where did you get so much money?

After 1859, although the shogunate stopped the annual cash subsidy of 100,000 gold to Hakodate, when Hakodate opened the port, 80% of the customs duty was paid and 20% was given to the administrative office - the amount was not big, only two thousand gold at that time, but

This is a steady stream of income that cannot be dwarfed over time.

Besides, the annual tribute from the administrative office is only two thousand seal skins, which can only be discounted to six thousand gold, but the shogunate's annual subsidy to the Matsumae family because of the resumption of Ezo land still has fifteen thousand gold? The shogunate has been paying this money.

It turns out that you, Hakodate, have money to provide education for all but don’t have money to raise annual tribute. Isn’t this unreasonable?

As for all the people becoming soldiers, yes, the shogunate agreed to it in view of Lucia's threat, but your Hakodate soldiers uniformly use iron cannons, what kind of trouble is this? Some of the shogunate's fixed orders are still using swords, guns, bows and arrows.

Of course, some samurai in the shogunate were stubborn about using cold weapons. But if you really think about it, the quantity of Hakodate's self-produced ordnance is not in line with the quantity reported. Could it be that this excess fell from the sky?

In addition, the number of industrial workers in Hakodate will exceed 4,000 in 1860. Although most of them are in Toyohara in the northern Ezo region and Soya at the northern end of the Ezo region, there are more and more products produced, and it is difficult to hide them.

The more impossible it is.

In this case, in order to continue to keep secrets, the "Hakodate Mesuke Office", Edo's eyes and ears in the Northland, must completely turn to Naohide's group, and this key figure is Mesuke Horihi - as for choosing another person to be Mesuke,

There is a high probability that they are not as good as Hori Toshi. As for the six families who assisted in the reclamation and the unwilling Matsumae family, they can only try to hide it as much as possible. The so-called concealment is temporary.

In short, Naohide and the others have to take the risk of failing to win over Hori Toshi, because their strength does not allow it.

Besides, Naohsiu and others are not without confidence:

Although in early May 1860 when Hakodate launched troops against Aihui, the assassinated Ii Sobu was still "recuperating at home", but even if the elder Ii was not dead, this "blatant assassination" of the shogunate could not be easily dismissed. The shogunate

There was some trouble with the small court in Kyoto and the various vassals.

Moreover, Hakodate also had strong soldiers and horses at this time - it was a joke to use all the people as soldiers. The fixed number was one thousand and two, but the execution office still had 800 private soldiers and 17,000 rural soldiers. If there was a real fight, even though the population was only seven or eight

Thousands of dollars, but the shogunate's rash decision to start a war would definitely cost him his teeth.

Even if the navy does not have an advantage, the White Lord still has powerful weapons such as new steamships and torpedoes.

As for the princes raised in Edo, according to Shiro's actions, confiscating their families and exterminating their clans is a light matter. They all have to die anyway, so there are so many worries - if you lose, you will definitely die, but if you win, you still have a way to live.

, if you hurt someone and set a fire, you need to be punished.
Chapter completed!