Chapter 755 Qingdeng is promoted! Lord of the Qinjin clan! [End]
Chapter 755 Qingdeng is promoted! Lord of the Qinjin clan!【·End】
The messenger left.
The Shinsengumi generals still sat there, speechless and motionless, like clay and wood sculptures.
The inside and outside of the auditorium were shrouded in silence like the deep sea, and you could hear a pin drop.
About 10 seconds later, Sanosuke Harada, who had the most out-of-the-box personality, made his first voice:
"Otsu...Mr. Tachibana has become the master of Otsu?"
His tone was full of uncontrollable excitement.
Otsu - Even Sanosuke Harada, who is the most uneducated and always presents himself as an "idiot", understands the value of the Otsu area, let alone others.
Isamu Kondo slapped his thigh.
"Wow! It's really great!"
Nagakura Shinpachi said excitedly:
"Otsu is right next door to Kyoto. If you ride a fast horse, you can make two or three trips back and forth between the two places in one day."
Genzaburo Inoue took over:
"In this way, Mr. Tachibana can use Otsu as a base to better support Kyoto! Let the two places become horns to each other and maintain the peace of Western Xinjiang forever!"
The chief murmured:
"Qinjin Fan... Qinjin... the name is good!"
Toudo Heisuke lightly frowned:
"It's really strange... Since Otsu Castle is the domain hall, the name of the domain should be 'Otsu Domain'. Lord Dashu actually gave it a special name... This is really against the laws of our ancestors."
Kinoshita Mai on the side responded and said:
"Doesn't this just show that Dashu Gong loves Qingdeng? He enjoys unique privileges."
Sanako was happy at first, but then her face fell as if she remembered something.
"Being granted the title of Otsu... Although this is a good thing, it also means that the burden on Tachibana-kun's shoulders is heavier. Otsu is the western gateway of the shogunate and the front line facing the daimyo of the Western Kingdom. In the future, Changshu or other Western countries
If the daimyo comes, we will be the first to bear the brunt."
Hijikata Toshizo shrugged:
"What are you afraid of! When soldiers come to block us and water comes to cover us, I'm afraid they won't come back! If there is no battle to fight, won't we lose the opportunity to make achievements?"
Xinjian Jinyouyou said:
"I don't quite understand...Although Mr. Tachibana is a confidant of Mr. Dashu and deserves more favors, is the favor Mr. Tachibana has received this time...is it a bit too much? Mr. Tachibana's title
Our land is not an insignificant backwater, but that Dajin!"
Kondo Isamu grinned:
"Never mind this kind of thing!"
Looking around, there is a lively scene.
The atmosphere inside and outside the auditorium was filled with joy.
Everyone was enthusiastically and actively participating in the discussion, spreading excitement.
Everyone was sincerely happy and excited about the good news that "Qingdeng was awarded the title of Dajin".
Even Serizawa Kamo and Shinami Nishiki, who did not belong to the "Seimeikan School", no longer had tense faces at this time, and both showed complex expressions that seemed to be both relief and admiration.
Even Shannan Keisuke, who was always calm, now widened his eyes and muttered involuntarily:
"It's actually Otsu...and it's a land of 300,000 koku...this...this..."
Shannan Keisuke's shock was beyond words.
Previously, he had made many assumptions about the place where Qingnog would be entrusted. Among them, he thought the most likely location was Kai.
It was just a while ago that Aoto had the command of the Hachioji and thousands of people because of his feat of "defeating the British ships", so it was really reasonable and reasonable for him to now take control of Kai's territory.
But in the end...he never expected that Tokugawa Iemo would actually hand over the crucial Otsu to Aoto!
Where is Otsu?
It is more than just a blessed land adjacent to Kyoto with beautiful mountains and clear waters!
Although Japan is a small country with a narrow area and dense mountains, it still has four strategically important places that cannot be easily abandoned.
They are the Kanto region, the Noo region, the Osaka region, and the Otsu region including Kyoto.
The Kanto region is like Guanzhong of China.
Not only does it have a vast plain (the Kanto Plain), but it also has natural dangers (surrounded by mountains) that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.
It can be said that "it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the land is fertile, and you can dominate them all." It is actually the foundation of a country.
The Genze Dynasty 800 years ago and Tokugawa Ieyasu 250 years ago both used the Kanto region as their basic base. They defeated all the heroes in one fell swoop and unified Japan, achieving unparalleled achievements.
Noo area - namely Mino and Owari.
There is a saying in China that "whoever wins Jingzhou wins the world."
Coincidentally, Japan also has a similar saying - those who win the Meinong win the world.
In other words, the Nongwei area is like the land of Jingchu in China.
Nobi is located right in the center of Japan.
If you want to give a vivid example... Japan is like a dumbbell, thick at both ends and thin in the middle - the thick tail is located in the middle detail.
The boundary that divides East and West Japan - Sekigahara - is located in Mino.
Not only that, this place is also one of Japan's important grain-producing areas. Although the area is small, the grain production is an astonishing 1.13 million koku!
Therefore, if we talk about "a battleground for military strategists", if Nobi is called "Japan's second", there is no other place that dares to be called "Japan's first".
Osaka area - the Osaka Plain with Osaka as the center.
Since the Nara period (710-784), Osaka has become a trading port due to its location near the sea.
Since the establishment of the Edo shogunate, Osaka has been the national economic center, logistics center, and the city with the most vigorous economic activities.
The Osaka area is to Japan what the Jiangnan area is to China.
As for the Otsu area...
To put it bluntly, what kind of status does Zhongyuan have in China, what kind of status does Otsu have in Japan!
First of all, Dajin is located in a plain area with abundant products, suitable climate and high grain yield.
Secondly, Otsu and Kyoto are neighbors.
As Nagakura Shinpachi said just now, if you ride a fast horse, you can make 2 or 3 round trips between the two places in one day.
In other words, with Otsu, you also have the military capability to "land troops at the gates of Kyoto in one day".
In addition, Otsu is a vital transportation hub.
Whether you are going from East Japan to West Japan, or from West Japan to East Japan, you have to pass through Otsu.
Tokaido, one of the "Five Streets", must pass through Otsu, and Otsu-juku is the penultimate stop on Tokaido.
Not only that, Otsu is also close to Lake Biwa.
As a famous lake in the world and the largest lake in Japan, as many tourists come to see it every year as crucian carp crossing the river.
Even just operating the tourism industry can bring in a lot of income.
Finally, Otsu was the western gateway to the shogunate.
The authority of the shogunate only radiated to eastern Japan, and it could only look at it with dismay in western Japan.
To the shogunate, Western Japan was no different from other countries.
Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen...these difficult foreign daimyo all gathered in Western Japan.
And Otsu happened to be located at the westernmost end of the shogunate's sphere of influence.
To the east of Otsu is the area controlled by the shogunate, and to the west is the territory of the daimyo of the Western Kingdom... In other words, Otsu is the western border of the shogunate!
To sum up, a Dajin = an important grain-producing area + a logistics hub + a transportation hub + an important tourist area + an important border town + a national defense area.
It is not an exaggeration to call Otsu the "Central Plains" of Japan!
Tokugawa Iemo's handing over of Otsu to Aoshinobu is like a certain emperor of China handing over half of the Central Plains to a hero who is neither a relative nor an acquaintance. In this way, we can roughly understand the purpose of Tokugawa Iemo's behavior.
How shocking.
Although the Edo shogunate has always been very willing to share territory, and has enfeoffed more than 300 daimyo over the past two hundred years, making the current Japanese political map as fragmented as jelly, the shogunate has always firmly maintained the four most important strategic areas.
Hold it in your hand.
The Kanto region is the core base of the Edo shogunate.
The Noo area is the territory of the Owari Tokugawa family, one of the "Three Royal Houses".
Both the Osaka area and the Otsu area are under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate.
The shogunate actually gave up one of the "four strategic locations"... This was the first time in more than two hundred years!
It is no exaggeration to say that Tokugawa Iemoji really cut off half of the shogunate's arm to Aoto!
At this time, the director-general noticed something strange about Qingdeng in the main seat.
I saw that Qingdeng was not as excited as the others present.
He looked into the distance, thoughtfully.
"Tachibana-kun, what's wrong? Why are you so serious? You have become the master of a city and a land, and you are also a great name with a territory of 300,000. Aren't you happy?"
The General Secretary's words immediately focused the attention of everyone present on Qingden.
Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, then smiled:
"Of course I'm happy."
"I was just... feeling emotional."
Having said this, Qingdeng let out a sigh of relief, and his expression became meaningful.
"I am also a famous person now..."
Upon hearing Qingdeng's words, everyone present showed confused expressions.
They are not Qingdeng, so they cannot truly empathize with Qingdeng's current psychological changes.
Suddenly, I had my own territory, population, and resources... I am afraid only the person involved can taste the specific feeling of it.
Suddenly, the director chuckled and half-jokingly changed the topic:
"Ji Jun, when do you plan to go to your territory and take a look."
Shannan Jingsuke smiled and said:
"I'll be very busy again."
Hijikata Toshizo took over the conversation:
"First we need to inspect the land, then we need to build a new city, and then we need to count the population and sort out the household registration..."
Qingdeng smiled bitterly:
"Don't be in a hurry to go to Otsu now."
"Finish the matters at hand first, and it won't be too late to go to Otsu after Kyoto has completely stabilized."
As he said that, he turned to look at Shannan Keisuke not far away.
"Kingsuke, what's the date today?"
Shannan Keisuke immediately replied:
"September 20th."
"It's the 20th...then let's go to Otsu on September 25th!"
"Okay, let's all disperse."
After saying that, Qingdeng stood up and left the table first.
After leaving the auditorium, his eyes seemed to be pulled by transparent silk threads, looking straight to the east, looking at Otsu in the distance.
"Qin Jin..."
He muttered.
A bright light burst out of his eyes.
…
…
All the 300,000 koku of land south of Lake Biwa was owned by Aomori. This series of news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys in and around Kyoto.
Whether they were those who admired Qingdeng or those who hated Qingdeng, they were all shocked by this.
For a time, people from Luozhong to Luobei, from the streets to the alleys, from the dining tables to the bathhouses, were discussing the newly born "Qinjin Fan", exchanging opinions and conveying emotions.
Among them, shock accounted for the majority - just like Shannan Keisuke, both military and political leaders and ordinary people were dumbfounded by the shogunate's grand gesture.
Huh? Let Tachibana Aoden become the master of Otsu? Is this serious? Is it too exaggerated?
Even if Aoto is Tokugawa Iemo's consort, it won't be like this, right?!
What's more, Aomori was not Tokugawa Iemo's consort.
Wagoniya has not yet given birth to an heir, and Tokugawa Iemo is still childless, so it is simply impossible to marry Aonto.
?????55.?????
So far, Aoto and Tokugawa Iemo have no biological relationship. The only friendship between them is the "friendship between a monarch and his ministers."
Although he was clearly not a relative or a friend, yet he treated Qingdeng so favorably... Just using words such as "favor" and "trust" to describe him seemed inadequate and inappropriate.
"Is it really okay to treat Tachibana Aoden so favorably?" - Such a voice emerged in the market.
In fact, there were many opposing voices even within the shogunate.
The "opposition" unanimously believes that Qingdeng's current power is too great! It is too much!
How powerful is Qingdeng’s power now?
It has a highly independent and powerful field army (Shinsengumi); it has a land with abundant supplies and massive invisible assets (Qinjin Clan); it has an armed force that can march to Edo at any time (Hachioji, a Thousand People with One Heart).
This...this...!
What should we do if Qingdeng raises a flag of rebellion and repeats Tianbao's old events (Anshi Rebellion)?
It has to be said that the "opposition"'s claims are not unreasonable.
History has proven countless times: giving ministers too much power is the worst of taboos!
However... Regarding the opinions of the "opposition", Tokugawa Iemoji had only one attitude: ignore them.
He was determined to hand over Dajin to Qingdeng.
There is nothing the "opposition" can do about this.
Now that the "Ichitsubashi faction" has collapsed, there is no political force within the shogunate that can contain Tokugawa Iemo.
Regarding the behavior of "Tokugawa Iemo sold his head and rewarded Aoden", various speculations have emerged in the market.
It is said that Tokugawa Iemo and Aoto are long-lost brothers.
Some people say that Tokugawa Iemo and Aoshino actually have an indescribable special relationship, just like the King of Wei and Lord Longyang back then.
Some people even joked: Could it be that Tokugawa Iemoga betrothed his mother to Nioh?
If there is a woman who has a close relationship with Tokugawa Iemo and who happens to be of marriageable age... she is the only one who has it.
Tenzouin is Tokugawa Iemo's nominal mother. If Aoden marries Tenzouin, he will become Tokugawa Iemo's nominal father.
A 27-year-old mother, a 21-year-old father, a 17-year-old son...what a chaotic family!
If Aoden becomes Tokugawa Iemo's father, then Tokugawa Iemo's series of abnormal behaviors will be explained.
What's wrong with a son being filial to his father?
Of course, people only treat this statement as a joke.
In any case, Tianzhangyin is the "Queen Mother" of the shogunate, and she is also a nun who has become a monk.
Is there any reason to betroth a queen mother to a minister?
Unless the shogunate lost power and collapsed, Tokugawa Iemoji would not be able to risk the world's disobedience and let Aoden openly marry his mother.
The real reason why Tokugawa Iemo treated Aonto so favorably... is still a mystery.
In addition, there are some other unusual sounds in the market.
For example, he questioned Qingdeng’s promotion speed.
Qingdeng, who was dissatisfied with his family fortune of ten thousand shi, rose to the rank of 300,000 shi in one breath... Is this speed of promotion too exaggerated?
However, not many people question this.
The reason is not complicated at all.
First, there is precedent for this.
I think back then, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in order to consolidate his power, promoted his cronies on a large scale.
A typical example is the "Shigake Seven Guns" headed by Masanori Fukushima and Kiyomasa Kato.
They didn't make much credit, and their abilities weren't great. As a result, their ascending speeds were exaggerated, and their territories were larger and larger.
Secondly, most people believed that Qingdeng deserved such a large territory.
As early as when Aotobu retreated from the British fleet in Edo Bay, everyone felt that Aotobu should become the feudal lord.
When people learned that the reward Qingteng received after the incident was only a slight increase in family income and the command of the eighth prince and thousands of people, they all felt puzzled.
Many people even complained about this and believed that the shogunate had treated its heroes badly.
Therefore, regarding the reward from the shogunate this time, people only think that Qingnobo has received the honor and reward that he has long deserved.
…
…
Edo, Little Chiba Sword Hall——
"Father! Father! Look!"
As soon as Chiba Jutaro stepped onto the soil, he impatiently kicked off his straw sandals and hurried into the house, looking for his father, Chiba Nobuyoshi.
"Jutaro, what's wrong?"
Chiba Sadayoshi walked out of the room slowly.
"Father, look! Tachibana-kun has become a daimyo!"
Chiba Jutaro pushed the tile tabloid in his palm into Chiba Nobuyoshi's arms.
Chiba Sadayoshi first raised his eyebrows vigorously, then impatiently spread out the tabloid in his arms and read it carefully word for word.
After a moment, he saw a happy smile on his face and his face was flushed.
"Okay...okay! Well done, Mr. Tachibana!"
Every time he spoke a word, the wrinkles between his cheeks relaxed a little.
"The territory of 300,000 stone...good, really good!"
In addition to being gratified, Chiba Nobuyoshi's words were full of strong pride.
"Now that Mr. Tachibana is a famous name, it's time for him to get married."
"As the lord of a vassal, how can there be no reason for him to have no heirs?"
"I don't know when his marriage to Sanako will be held."
Chiba Sadayoshi said to himself, completely unaware that Chiba Jutaro's expression was getting weirder and weirder next to him, and cold sweat was crazily oozing from his forehead...
Thanks to Chiba Jutaro's secrecy, no one in the Chiba family knows about Aoto's great dream of "marrying three head wives" until now...
…
…
Edo, the Imperial Guard Hall——
"Hmph... hum hum... hum hum!"
"Stop laughing! You've been laughing non-stop since just now. Are you going to finish it?"
The furious Abi roared at Kondo Shusuke.
"Oh, you can't blame me."
Kondo Shusuke spread his hands, pretending to be innocent.
"When encountering such a happy event, it's difficult not to smile, right?"
"Tsk...really..."
Although A Bi was scolding her, she was not much better in terms of joy - there was a smile on her lips and an uncontrollable smile hidden in her brows.
Qingteng was not the only person who made contributions in the "Tenchu Group Annihilation Battle".
Therefore, after Aoshito, the Shinsengumi generals also received generous rewards!
Just like Kondo Isamu - he became the flagship with 1,500 Shijialu!
1500 stones! Flag book!
Whenever they think of these two sets of words, Kondo Shusuke and Abi feel overjoyed.
The Kondo family has a banner with a salary of 1,500 koku. This is really a glorious ancestor!
This couple has long regarded the general manager, Hijikata Toshizo and others as their own children.
How could they not be happy to see their children stand out one by one? How could they not be happy?
…
…
Osaka, somewhere——
An old woman turned her head and looked at the door not far away.
"...Katsurokuro."
An energetic voice immediately sounded outside the door:
"Here, my lord, what are your orders?"
"Send a message to Jiulang and ask him to come back immediately."
"Kuro? Why?"
"Stop asking, go and deliver the message."
"yes!"
…
…
Ezo Land (today's Hokkaido), a certain deep mountain forest——
It’s the end of September...Autumn has just begun in Edo, Kyoto and other places, but snowflakes are already falling in Ezo.
Vast flakes of snow dotted the sky, dyeing the mountains into vast colors.
"Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...!"
A young man of twenty-five or six years old stood directly under an unknown waterfall.
This man had his eyes closed and his upper body was exposed, revealing a strong and tempered body. His right hand hung naturally and he held a simple-shaped knife in his left hand.
Blah blah blah blah...
He just let the waterfall wash over his body repeatedly without moving.
Being shirtless in the ice and snow, and standing directly under the waterfall... just listening to it makes people feel chilly and makes their teeth chatter.
However, facing the coldness of the outside world, this person was completely indifferent and calm.
Neither the snowflakes in the sky nor the water flowing above his head could change his demeanor in the slightest.
If you take a closer look, you will find something very unusual about this person - there is a terrible demon tattooed on his back.
The head has two horns, a ferocious face, and a bloody mouth.
It is the evil spirit formed by strong jealousy and resentment - Prajna!
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He opened his eyes and turned to look behind him:
"...Kappa, long time no see."
On the river bank, a short, unattractive guy - a kappa - walked out of the bushes slowly, then knelt down on one knee and said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone:
"Master Prajna, Master Shuten Doji calls you back."
Prajna responded without thinking:
"I'm practicing. If there's nothing important, don't bother me."
The kappa seemed to have expected what the other party would say.
He raised his eyes and took a deep look at Prajna:
"Master Hannya, do you know the 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden?"
Prajna said calmly:
"I've heard of it."
"Lord Prajna, Lord Shutendouji asked me to tell you: 'Nioh' Tachibana Seiden has obtained Vairocana."
In an instant, Prajna suddenly opened his eyes.
He stared at the kappa and asked word for word:
"Is this true?"
Kappa replied without fear of pressure:
"Shuten Doji-sama has seen it with his own eyes, and there is nothing false about it."
"'Benevolent King'... Vairocana... That's it... Master... have you passed Vairocana to others..."
Prajna seemed to have lost his soul, murmuring repeatedly without sadness or joy.
"Master...Master...Why do you abandon me...?!"
"The master of Vairocana...should be me!!"
The moment he roared, he opened his right arm and reached for the knife he held in his left hand——
boom!
A sword light shot into the sky!
The silver sword light that shot straight into the sky not only separated the waterfall, but also caused the waterfall to flow backwards!
After the surging spring water spurted back to its highest point, it turned into thousands of water droplets and fell down, causing "rain" to fall all around. It stopped after a while.
Looking at Prajna maintaining his sword-drawing stance, the kappa smiled:
"As expected of him, he is a monster second only to Otakemaru-sama and Shuten-douji-sama...!"
…
…
Volume 3 "Clouds Rise and Dragons Fly" - The End!
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Volume 3 is over ~ smack smack smack bang smack (slap the leopard’s belly)
The next volume - "Running to Ikeda House", so stay tuned!
