When the news that the British fleet attacked the Japanese navy and army fleet reached Hiroshima, Zhao Yaozu was speechless for a long time. As for Kawamura Junyoshi, the navy chief auxiliary, who is also the Japanese navy minister, he simply said "Japan"
It’s over!”
Indeed, Japan is finished!
To a certain extent, Japan is finished.
It is not important that Yamagata Aritomo's "Back Attack Army" was wiped out by the British at sea. What is important? It is the attitude of the British. Before that, to the local former feudal lords who tried to separate the country, they were just
Seeing the British fleet visiting Osaka, this support is not direct, and indirect support is not enough to express the British attitude.
But what now?
In order to help Tokugawa Shigenomasa, the British directly disbanded their fleet and directly annihilated the Japanese army and navy fleet at sea.
It doesn't matter that tens of thousands of army and navy soldiers sank into the sea.
What's important?
It was they who saw the British attitude. Not only did they see it, but the nearly 10,000 government officers and soldiers who were surrounded by the Nagoya Town Tower in Nagoya also saw it.
Faced with such a situation, what choice will they make?
Once they surrender, there will be no more reforming the government. Tokyo will also open its doors just like Tokugawa Shigenaki.
If this happens, Japan will not be doomed.
What's even more terrible is that will the local separatist feudal lords recognize the rule of Tokugawa Shigenobu? Will they agree that he is the new shogun?
If you don't agree, Japan's civil war will continue.
Japan will usher in a new Warring States Period. Regardless of whether the Japanese are willing to face this reality or not, they must face this terrible future.
However, Japan's future seems to have nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty. Amidst this chaos, the dispatched fleet separated from the "Nanhua" is still performing their mission in Hiroshima - conducting a friendly visit to Japan.
"Sir, what should we do now?"
Li Shengqi, the chief of staff who dispatched the fleet, looked at fleet commander Zhao Yaozu and asked.
"It seems that things will change in Japan soon."
"Don't worry, the sky won't fall down."
Zhao Yaozu said with a smile.
"Let's just continue to stay in the port and stay the same to cope with any changes. You must know that we are here for a friendly visit. Since it is a friendly visit, of course we cannot interfere in these things."
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed into thin slits, staring at the center of Hiroshima, something strange seemed to flash in his brows, and then he asked again.
"What has Staff Chen been busy with these two days? When he comes back, ask him to come see me immediately."
The Staff Officer Chen he spoke of was Major Chen Dekun of the Naval Intelligence Department. He had come to Ryukyu a year ago and frequently traveled between Ryukyu and Japan. To put it bluntly, he was a spy.
Over the past year, he has been implementing a plan jointly developed by Naval Intelligence and the Imperial Investigation Department.
This plan is very simple. It is nothing more than taking advantage of the dissatisfaction of Japanese nobles and people to stir up rebellion in Japan. And the results he has achieved are very effective. In the past year, there are many people behind the so-called local separatist forces in Japan.
his shadow.
In the past year, he has provided a large amount of arms to those local forces through so-called arms smugglers. It was under the covert fire of the Ming Dynasty that they were able to successfully segregate the local areas and even defeat the government troops of the reform government.
.
As early as half a month ago, Chen Dekun had already changed his name to Akashi Genjiro and was in Hiroshima, colluding with those down-and-out nobles and starting to implement another plan of the Naval Intelligence Office.
"Xingxi, although the British are Western monsters, after they destroyed all the government forces behind the attack, the road to Tokyo has been opened. The Nagoya town will soon surrender like the Osaka town.
At that time, the shogunate will be able to regain power."
Many people in Hiroshima cried in different ways when they learned that the Hiroshima town was attacked by the British fleet at sea and the entire army was wiped out.
Takato Shizuichi and others all looked happy. In their minds, the so-called Hiroshima town was just a group of peasants. How could a group of mud-legged people hold military positions? From ancient times to the present, only samurai were soldiers.
The senior officials of the Restoration government used these samurai to overthrow the rule of the shogunate, and then quickly betrayed them. Starting from the abolition of the sword order, they were abandoned as samurai. Then the Meiji government promulgated the "Conscription Order" to regulate military service.
The system was reformed and a three-year compulsory military service system was implemented. All the people became soldiers and everyone became a warrior.
Everyone can become a samurai...are those mud-legged people worthy?
At least in the eyes of Takato Shizuichi and others, those mud-legged people are not worthy of being called soldiers at all, let alone samurai. These people are the real samurai, but their master after the "return of the title" - Emperor Meiji and his government
But betrayed them.
"It does not matter."
Akashi Genjiro said.
"The most important thing now is that in Hiroshima, the government forces are extremely weak. There are only a few hundred people. As long as we seize the opportunity, we can capture this city. In the future, even if the shogun is restored, they will be fully
Consider our status."
"What Akashi-kun said is true. As long as we have a sword in our hands, as long as we occupy Hiroshima, General Tokugawa will definitely take our opinions into consideration."
How can we fully consider their opinions?
But they will definitely be concerned about the resettlement of these former laid-off warriors. How will they be resettled? Of course, they will be given a certain status. At that time, it will not be as simple as just restoring their past status.
They might even become feudal lords!
After all, heroes emerge from troubled times!
What if that is possible? This kind of thing is not certain. Just like those high-ranking officials of the reform government, they were from ordinary noble families in the past. Didn't they rely on their achievements in overthrowing the shogunate to establish
Did he change his destiny and become a high-ranking government official?
For these samurai who were laid off, had no food and clothing, and no master, they knew exactly what they should seize.
In troubled times, of course they must use their swords to regain their status and dignity.
"It is true that there are not many government troops in Hiroshima, but don't forget that there are Ming warships parked in the port. They are supporters of the reform government. If we take action, will the Ming fleet turn a blind eye?"
Faced with the worries of others, Akashi Genjiro said directly.
"This is simply unfounded worry. The people of the Ming Dynasty will never take millet from the fire for the sake of the reform government. Anyone who understands the situation in Japan knows that the failure of the Tokyo government is only a matter of time. Moreover, the British have now occupied the Tokugawa family.
On the other side, how could they risk the world to support Tokyo? Those are completely Hiroshima, not Tokyo. Even if they take action here, what is the use? You too, they want to support Tokyo,
Their fleet will definitely go to Tokyo first."
Akashi Harajiro's analysis made everyone nod in agreement. Gao Teng Jingyi and the others thought for a while and then said.
