Chapter 274: The cannon is not enough for the clock
The meeting of princes lasted until late at night, but no one came up with a solution.
In order not to give up the excuse of "colluding with Tang Yi", Sendai Houida Shigemura refused to come forward to negotiate, and did not agree with his men to go; others, including Shimazu Shigehao, did not want to go, so in the end the shit basin fell back to the Hitotsubashi family.
On the head.
Historically, after the eighth generation Tokugawa Yoshimune asked his fourth son, Soyin, to found the Hitotsubashi Tokugawa family, the Hitotsubashi family produced a total of two generals. One is the current Tokugawa Ieqi, and the other is the last Tokugawa Kei.
happiness.
After returning to his residence inside Hitotsubashimon, 35-year-old Tokugawa Haruji had urgent discussions with his subordinates, and they came up with an idea.
"How about letting Marquis Baihe go?"
Tokugawa Haruji narrowed his eyes and said, "Tell me about it?"
"I want to support Marquis Shirakawa as the chief minister, but currently both the Owari and Mito clans are opposed to it. If Marquis Shirakawa can successfully negotiate, the objections will surely be subsided."
After hearing this, Tokugawa Haruji couldn't help but feel moved in his heart. The reason why he chose Matsudaira Sadanobu to be the senior middle school senior was because what Tokugawa Jiazi needed was someone who could be around him for a long time and strongly support him to grow into a full-fledged person, and the chief senior
Zhong is the most suitable candidate.
In terms of blood relationship, Shirakawa Marquis himself and the Hitotsubashi family are both descended from the lineage of the eighth shogun Yoshimune. However, Matsudaira Sadanobu, as a concubine, was adopted at the age of fifteen to the head of the Hisamatsu Matsudaira family and the lord of the Shirakawa domain, Matsudaira Sadabuni. Moreover, Matsudaira
Sadanobu was just a low-ranking branch leader, and Tokugawa Osamu didn't have to worry about Matsudaira Sadanobu seizing power or even threatening his right to speak in the shogunate.
In the morning of the next day, the envoys who rushed out from the Hitotsubashi Hall arrived at the Shirakawa clan's mansion and conveyed the order of Kōkata. After listening to it on their knees, the 28-year-old Matsudaira Sadanobu and his retainers had angry expressions on their faces and hearts in their hearts.
He said it was that bastard who wanted to harm me! However, when the messenger told Sadanobu about Tokugawa Haruji's original intention, Sadanobu decided to set off for Uraga.
The problem is that Matsudaira Sadanobu can't just ride a horse and bring someone with a nickname to negotiate. The Kingdom of God also has to pay attention to face and pomp! He has to bring a thousand samurai with him, right?
At this time, people in Edo Castle were beginning to panic. Because there were no cargo ships entering the port in the morning, when the shops opened in the morning, the prices of salt, rice, soy sauce and other daily necessities began to rise.
And every shop that sells swords and armors is crowded with Hatamoto samurai, who are all busy ordering armors and choosing weapons. There is no way! With the mobilization order, even if the Hatamoto warriors go to borrow money from Zashi merchants, they still have to have something that fits them.
The armor will do.
"How do you wear this thing?" A warrior muttered, carrying two pieces of armor.
A bearded Hatamoto samurai stood in front of a pile of armors on the table and shouted: "Give me a piece of Nanman chain mail!"
"Chenghui Shiliang." The store clerk greeted with a smile on his face.
"So expensive!" The bearded warrior almost jumped up, then picked up a piece of leather armor with an iron deck on the chest and said, "How much does this cost?"
"This only costs two taels."
"Okay, let's take it!"
Just as the bearded warrior was about to leave, another warrior suddenly grabbed him, bowed and asked, "Excuse me, how should I wear this armor?"
The bearded man rolled his eyes and said to himself, "If you ask me, I will ask who to ask!"
On the coast of Shinagawa, hundreds of Hatamoto samurai and ashigaru warriors wearing various armors, carrying flags on their backs, were practicing assassination with two guns.
Others were busy deploying various cannons pulled out of the armory in Edo Castle on the defensive positions built overnight. Among these cannons, there were Portuguese big French guns that were already covered with green rust, and even two hundred cannons.
The British naval guns and Ieyasu's heavy cast iron cannon used in the Siege of Osaka years ago were also moved out.
The famous Ieyasu heavy iron cannon is dark and conspicuous, and is almost the caliber of a 12-pounder cannon.
Since the Warring States Period, the island country's big cannons have distorted the technology tree. Those self-made cannons a hundred or two hundred years ago, regardless of their caliber, always had a wooden support underneath, which looked like a large matchlock gun;
And the firing method is the same as that of a matchlock gun.
These large-caliber matchlock guns are usually mounted on artillery carts. To adjust the muzzle height, just use a few ropes.
The most common of these artillery pieces are those with a caliber exceeding 30 to 40 mm, which are called "hug-type barrels." When shooting, they are either mounted on a tripod, or have a person carry it in front. The maximum range of the hug-type barrel is
It can reach 800 meters, but the accuracy is very poor.
"Come on, push harder, push harder!"
Several warriors struggled to push a cart, on which was placed a large bronze bell brought from the temple.
"I said, why are we bringing this clock here?" A young warrior, sweating profusely, asked the people around him.
"I heard..." The samurai next to him pushed the cart and replied breathlessly: "Here, put the bell towards the sea, so that the white ship will think it is a cannon."
"Cannon?" The young samurai looked up at the huge bronze bell and said to himself that if the people on the white ship dared to approach Shinagawa, they would probably be scared away when they saw such a thick muzzle...
The Uraga Executive Office received an order from Edo at this time, requesting to delay as much time as possible, so Tanzawa Hisaemon negotiated with the Thor again and requested to board the ship for discussions.
Zhao Xin thought about it for a moment. He knew that the urine of the islanders was terrible, so he asked Jiuzang to deal with it.
When Tanzawa Hisaemon and his companions were led into the Thor's conference room like fools, Kuzo and a clerk quickly sat across from them.
The two sides bowed to each other and after introducing their respective identities, Tanzawa Hisaemon said: "Our country requires you to withdraw from Uraga before negotiating."
"Impossible." Jiuzang shook his head and refused.
"What is your purpose?"
"On behalf of the Great Ainu Kingdom, we request the shogunate not to immigrate to Ezo Land or launch attacks on Ezo Land. Can you agree to this? Do you dare to agree?"
Tanzawa Hisaemon said in his heart that I would die if I agreed! So he said expressionlessly like a repeater: "Please leave Uraga and let's talk again."
Jiuzang said: "Since last year, you have attacked Matsumae Castle twice in a row. As a friend of the Great Ainu King, my Highness is very angry at this behavior of the shogunate. This time we brought an army of three thousand people. If
If you do not send a representative worthy of my Royal Highness’s status tomorrow, we will bombard Edo.”
Tanzawa Hisaemon said angrily: "You attacked Matsumae Castle for no reason, and then blackmailed the Nagasaki Administrative Office. This is an act of aggression!"
Kuzo said: "The Matsumae clan has extorted and oppressed the Ainu people for a long time. We responded to the Ainu country's request and expelled them. As for Nagasaki, we were originally going to negotiate the 'Susakabune Incident', but Nagasaki followed suit.
They actually sent troops to make a surprise attack. So you should ask Nagasaki and Hagi about this matter."
Tanzawa Hisaemon said in his heart that the former Nagasaki Acting Governor was dead. I asked who would go! So he said: "Since your leader claims to be His Highness, he should submit his credentials first and wait for our response, so please
Exit the waters of Uraga and let’s talk again.”
"No! My lord told you yesterday that the Yusan family or Yusanqing's trick of delaying the deployment of troops is of no use to us. The range of our ship's artillery is 20 miles. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Nabeshima family.
people."
Zhao Xin still hid something. The maximum effective range of the D30 is 15.4 kilometers, which is 30 miles. He asked Jiuzang to say 20 miles, hiding one-third of the range.
But when Tanzawa Hisaemon heard the number "twenty miles", his eyes widened!
Tanzawa Hisaemon, who tried his best to suppress his inner emotions, stared at Kuzo, and after a while he suddenly said: "Is it possible that you are from the Mutsu area of our country?"
Jiuzang nodded and said, "Yes, I was originally a mountaineer in Yanmu Mountain."
Tanzawa Hisaemon looked angry and reprimanded: "Have you forgotten the decree of the shogunate? Leaving the country without permission is a serious crime! It is betrayal!"
"Seeking a way out is betrayal. Do we farmers living in the dirt deserve to starve to death?" Jiuzang looked at each other coldly, murderous intent rising in his heart. "For you samurai masters, we are the best people.
They all died and turned into corpses with no one buried on the roadside, left to be eaten by wild dogs. But you people continue to live a life of drunkenness and dreaming in Edo City. Is this your reason?!"
Tanzawa Hisaemon said to himself, "I do think so, but unfortunately I am only a man of 200 koku, and it is not my turn to live in a dream or die."
After that, Jiuzang brought two more samurai to the deck, pointed at the two D30s covered under the gun jackets and said: "Remember, you only have one day! At noon tomorrow, we will drive to Edo.
In the bay, bombard Shinagawa."
The more than four-meter-long gun barrel of the D30 and Kuzo's warning shocked Tanzawa Hisaemon and his companions. When they walked down the gangway tremblingly, they were already sweating profusely.
If he really allowed the other side to bombard Edo, he and his companions, including Uraga Moriyuki and the leader of the navy, would all have to commit seppuku.
At the end of the afternoon, when the eight bells sounded from the clock tower on Nihonbashi Ishimachi 3-chome, another Uraga who was stationed in Edo followed the order of the public and rushed to Uraga with a group of subordinates.
Congratulations to the office.
(The time telling in the Edo period started with the nine bells at midnight, and then went backwards from eight, seven, six, five, and four; when it reached noon, it started with nine bells. As for why it starts with nine,
This is because the number nine is the largest positive number.)
"Ah! Twenty miles!" When the two Uraga agents heard that the artillery on Tang Yi's ship could hit twenty miles, they were so frightened that they almost peed their pants. "How many cannons do they have?"
"I only see two doors below."
The two Uragas took a deep breath and said to themselves that it was only two doors.
No! The Uraga chief who was stationed in Edo suddenly remembered what happened to the Nabeshima family in Nagasaki. It is said that Tang Yi fired two cannons at that time, and the Nabeshima family's formation was immediately riddled with casualties.
Maodu was injured and evacuated. Tang Yi's shells will explode!
"Fortunately, His Highness the Marquis of Baihe is already on the way and will be able to reach the Imperial Palace in the evening!"
"What about the time for negotiation?"
The two Uraga ministers discussed it. Since Tang Yi said that Shinagawa would be bombarded at noon, then the time should be set as noon.
"Where is the formation set up?" It is definitely not possible to ask Tang Yi to sail the ship to Gobanshu; and Yashikiura on the south side is full of civilians and businessmen, so it is even more inappropriate there.
At this time, Yuli suddenly said: "Sir, I know a place that is suitable. It is in the narrow strip between the Whale Cutting Field and Mingdeng Hall on the south side of Pinggen Mountain. The beach there is flat and has a wide view.
Moreover, our military formation can set up a defense line on Pinggen Mountain, and Tang Yi's every move will not escape our surveillance."
"Oh? Map!" The two acting officers first looked at the map, and then one of them asked the team leader below to lead people to survey the terrain.
Under the threat of Zhao Xin's alleged bombardment of Shinagawa, the work speed of the Uraga Administrative Office was extremely fast. By four o'clock in the afternoon, the negotiation site had been surveyed.
The messengers galloped out from the Gobansho on fast horses. Some went to Edo Castle to report the progress of the incident, and some reported to Matsudaira Sadanobu on the road at any time.
At the same time, a Kusumu samurai from the Uraga Administrative Office brought his subordinates Yuli, Tongxin and fifty ashigaru to the vicinity of the whale cutter. They first dispersed the fishermen working nearby, and then began to plan the formation.
set up.
At dusk, the Thor received a notification document from the Uraga Administrative Office, stating the time and place of the negotiation. However, when the Thor followed the guidance of Tanzawa Hisaemon and drove the ship into the bay, standing on the deck
Zhao Xin immediately became happy.
Isn't this the location of Perry Park in later generations? Well, Zhao Xin felt very satisfied.
At nightfall, the three thousand Hatamoto samurai who arrived panting from Edo took advantage of the darkness to enter the west side of Mount Hirone and camp. In addition to the hills on both sides, they mainly set up defense lines overnight at the mountain pass on the west side of Whale Kiri Field.
Antler fence.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At around four o'clock the next morning, when the sky was still bright, Zhao Xin walked to the deck and looked around for a while with an infrared telescope, and then asked a few sailors to
The gangway on the right side of the ship was lowered to a position close to the water. After that, he drove away the sailors, waited for a few more minutes, walked down the gangway alone, and took out the two catamaran passenger boats that had previously transported oil field workers.
This ship can hold 300 people at a time. With three round trips, a group of people can complete the landing.
Zhao Xin came with two regiments this time in order to shock the shogunate and let them know that he had the ability to capture Edo Castle at any time, so that they could put an end to their ambitions in Ezo.
As for the thankless task of conquering Edo, Zhao Xin was not interested.
When the sky lightened up, the samurai on guard on the shore discovered two more strange white ships underneath the Thor. Although they were not as huge as the Thor, their size was comparable to the main ships of the Shogunate Navy.
Especially the guards who were on duty all night on the shore and the naval forces monitoring the nearby sea were even more frightened. They couldn't figure out when these two white strange boats slipped in.
Good guy! You can do things under your nose without anyone noticing. If you sneak into Edo Bay at night, even a hundred heads of people like you wouldn't be enough to chop them off. And the water masters on several ships have already been killed.
With an ashen face and weak defense, there is no way to escape the shogunate's thundering wrath!
At eight o'clock in the morning, another group of thousands of samurai and ashigaru, riding donkey-like southern war horses, wearing bright armor and holding large flags, came slowly from the direction of the Uraga Office.
After these people arrived at the Whale Cutting Ground, they quickly set up security near the negotiation point and planted flags. The Ashigaru took tools and set up a screen at the negotiation point.
Since the Nara period, the formation curtain has been the curtain surrounding the army when camping in the field. It is also called the "military curtain". The early military system stipulated that every 10 soldiers must carry a dark blue curtain for camping in the field.
.
"The Story of the Past" says that when warriors set up camp, the curtain could not only block the wind, but also withstand weakened bow and arrow shots.
According to the "Honcho Military Weapons Examination" written by the famous Confucian scholar Arai Shiraishi in the Edo period, the height of a screen is 5 feet per screen, and the total length must be two feet and eight feet; that is, each screen is 1.5 meters high, and the total length is
It is 8.4 meters.
The vertical poles with patterned decorations that protrude from the formation are called "makusushi". There should be 10 curtains for a general's formation, and eight for ordinary generals. The ropes tied to the formation
There are also requirements, usually white rope, black rope, or green cloth rope.
As for the family emblem on the array curtain, it is required to be in the position of three, five, or seven corresponding to the curtain string.
It should be noted that by the middle and late Edo period, the formation had a religious nature like a barrier, which could drive away evil spirits and avoid ghosts. This thing cannot be cleaned, otherwise it will be an ominous sign.
An hour later, a screen surrounded on three sides with a total length of more than ten meters was completed.
On the Thor's side, at ten o'clock in the morning, before Uraga sent anyone to notify him, Zhao Xin began to order Pan Xiucheng to take people to board the catamaran passenger ship and prepare to disembark.
At this time, neither Zhao Xin nor Ding Guofeng realized that they had become the first army to enter Tokyo Bay in the history of this time and space.