Wild North America 1846

Chapter 385 Revealing the truth

"Hmph...Only those guys who stay at home every day and don't know the world's goings-on will chant the "Respect the King and Reject the Barbarians" movement all day long. Let me lead a whole company, and I will be confident to capture the entire city of the lord of the Choshu Domain. Those who hold the

The old Fuso warriors wielding samurai swords and barking wildly are just pitiful creatures who shoot one gun at a time." Takasugi Shinsaku said with a look of disdain.

After Okubo Toshimichi heard this, his expression became solemn, he looked at the other party with sharp eyes and said, "Takasugi-kun, is this what you really think in your heart? The Fuso Islands are now coveted by the world's powers, and patriots are

I want to seek an innovative path to save the nation. But no matter what, you should not despise the poverty and backwardness of the Yamato nation, it is our mother!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dajiubaojun. It's precisely because of this that when I see the Tang Empire becoming so prosperous and powerful, I feel extremely anxious and frightened. The entire European and American world is undergoing tremendous changes with each passing day.

, and the Fuso Islands are still sleeping. I can’t wait to change everything, and I can’t bear it anymore.”

"Do you have a plan?"

"I am going to apply for retirement immediately. I may be able to get a ranch with over a thousand acres in Kansas Province. Unfortunately, I have to give up these preferential treatment. Try to raise as much funds as possible, return to the Fuso Islands with a batch of weapons and equipment, and form an army.

A complete set of new troops imitating the military training of the Tang Empire."

"Was this a hasty decision?"

"No, Okubo-kun, this idea has been brewing in my mind for a long time. Today's Tang Empire has no enemies at all in North America. Its pace of expansion has almost reached its extreme. In the short term, there is no sight of annexing the Confederate States of America or going north to fight with England.

There is a possibility of war between the two countries, and staying here is just a waste of time." Takasugi Shinsaku raised his head with emotion, glanced across the table full of food and drinks, and said in an extremely envious tone;

"It's time to go back. The stimulation I received from today's National Day military parade has accelerated my decision. I will apply for retirement immediately. Maybe... I won't be able to eat such sumptuous dishes for many years to come. It's really a pity!"

"I very much support your decision, Takasugi-kun. I will also apply for retirement as soon as possible and do everything possible to raise funds from Japanese people. I hope this can help." Okubo Toshimichi showed excitement on his face and used chopsticks.

Picking up a large piece of beef, he put it in his mouth and chewed it, enjoying the delicious taste of the fat and tender gravy, and said longingly;

"What a delicious beef. I hope that one day I can taste such delicious beef on the Fuso Islands. It would be great if ordinary people could add a piece of pork belly to their rice balls. The rise of the Tang Empire only lasted a short time

In 16 years, as long as we catch up, I believe it won’t be long before the Yamato nation can prosper again and even be on par with the Tang Empire.”

"Okubo-kun, have you got something that makes you crazy?" Takasugi Shinsaku blurted out these words, looking at Okubo Toshimichi as if he was looking at an idiot, he said angrily with a smile;

"You have only seen the rise of the Tang Empire for 16 years, but you have not seen that this chosen land in North America is covered with gold in the river valleys, with inexhaustible oil, and unimaginably vast pastures and fields. It has the world's largest

It has the largest reserves of copper and silver mines, as well as endless coal and iron ore resources.

All of these are huge advantages that the barren Fuso Islands cannot imagine.

The Tang Empire can provide a retired lieutenant officer with more than 180 acres of meritorious fields, and he can enjoy a preferential tax rate of 10% tax for life, but we can only guarantee that the soldiers have one pickle rice ball per meal. This is the gap!

The huge capital required to develop industry is not a simple matter that Okubo-kun can just say. The shogunate's treasury will not exceed 1 million Tangyuan wealth, and the so-called powerful feudal lords can spend more than hundreds of thousands of Tangyuan.

Oh my god.

Many of the poor feudal lords in remote corners could not afford even a few thousand yuan, and they were just feudal lords in name only. They were so poor that they almost went to beg for food.

The powerful capitalists in the Tang Empire could spend tens of millions at every turn, and there were more than tens of thousands of wealthy households with properties of more than 100,000 yuan. Of course, there were excess profits from wars and plundering, but they were not the same as those in this world.

It is inseparable to choose a place with extremely rich products.

before coming to north america

You and I have never seen the spectacular scene of tens of millions of bison migrating freely in the vast wilderness, and have we never imagined that we can pick up gold by bending down?

When the cavalry of the Tang Empire rushed down to the Colorado Plateau in groups and plundered white villages and towns wildly, they were using war to forcibly occupy the development achievements of the Americans for decades and hundreds of years, thereby amassing huge wealth.

This situation is completely irreproducible. Looking around the Fuso Islands, there is no such affluent and resource-rich place!"

Takasugi Shinsaku loves serious people so much. Originally, Okubo Toshimichi’s original intention was to boost morale, boost confidence, and look forward to a bright future.

As a result, he suddenly fainted after being rebuked so head-on.

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away.

The Tang Empire is now at the peak of its prosperity and development. The domestic economy has not been affected by the North American War. Instead, stimulated by the needs of the war, it has shown a good momentum of rapid progress.

This led to the emergence of a large number of war economists within the Tang Empire, who interpreted the impact of war on the economy from various angles. This statement was approved by many people, which further stimulated the people's warlike sentiments and enthusiasm for colonization.

.

At the end of 1861, the GDP of the Tang Empire exceeded 2.3 billion Tang Yuan, which was an extremely astonishing and huge figure. It had reached 65% of the annual economic output of the British Empire and exceeded the annual economic output of the French Empire.

As for Fuso Islands, there is not even a fraction of it.

nowadays

The economic development of the Tang Empire was getting better and better, rumbling forward like a high-speed steam train with unstoppable momentum.

Look at other people running at high speed, while the Fuso Islands are still sleeping in the ignorance of isolation. No matter how thick-skinned Okubo Toshimichi is, he can no longer speak of a high-profile family that can compete with the Tang Empire.

After living in the Tang Empire for so many years, the two of them did not even cover a quarter of the empire's territory. They could only talk about the map on weekdays, and their hearts were full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Later on, I no longer had the slightest desire to compare.

In terms of land area, the Tang Empire’s vast territory of 10.13 million square kilometers was 26.5 times that of the Fuso Islands’ 378,000 square kilometers.

From the perspective of feudal rule, the Tang Empire was a highly unified feudal capitalist system with central authoritarianism. Government orders throughout the country were accessible, administrative efficiency was high, the business environment was good, the economy was booming, and development was in the ascendant.

Its military strength has entered the ranks of the world's first-class powers and is generally recognized by the European and American world.

The Fuso Islands are now at the end of the shogunate's rule. The country's dozens of feudal lords are in charge of their own affairs. The political corruption is dark and the system is rigid. There are a large number of stubborn conservatives who are hostile to innovation. In particular, the "Ansei Prison" has the greatest impact on Fuso society.

In 1858 (the 5th year of Ansei), Naobi Ii, the most powerful shogunate, carried out a major suppression of the King-King and Anti-Barbarian Movement. This was due to the dispute between the Hitotsubashi faction and the King-King faction over the signing of the "Treaty of Friendship and Trade between Japan and Tang" and the succession of the shogun.

The opposition movement intensified day by day, and Naoki Ii took successive repressive measures.

In April 1858, Naoki Ii of the Nanki sect took office as the shogunate. He was a tough conservative figure with extremely rigid and conservative thinking and opposed any institutional innovation that did not follow the ancestral etiquette.

Ii's attitude was ambiguous in the dispute over Iemo's shogunate succession after the conclusion of the treaty. Former Mito domain lord Tokugawa Saiaki, Mito domain lord Tokugawa Keiatsu, Owari domain lord Tokugawa Keikatsu, Fukui domain lord Matsudaira Keinaga and other dignitaries criticized Ii's conservatism.

policy.

For this reason, Ii Naomi punished them with retirement, confinement and other punishments.

In August 1859, the Mito Domain, which was planning to take military action against the imperial court, had the "Secret Edict of Wuwu" agreed upon by them discovered and the news leaked.

at the same time

The shogunate's mediator, Kanshiro Kujo Naotada, was dismissed from his post. For this reason, in September, Sakai Tadayoshi, the director of the old Central Ministry Liaison Office, started the crackdown by arresting Umeda Kumohama.

The patriots captured in Kyoto were sent to Edo, and some were captured in Edo, and some were even arrested from the feudal territory.

After receiving unfair trials in Denma Town Prison in Edo, they were executed by caesarean section suicide or death penalty and other harsh punishments. This became the notorious "Ansei Prison".

In the "Ansei Prison" launched by the conservatives, including Tokugawa Saiaki, Hitotsubashi Keiki, Matsudaira Keinaga, Tokugawa Keishu and others of the Hitotsubashi faction, those who were implicated included public ministers, daimyo, and shogunate officials.

There are more than 100 people with lofty ideals.

The "Ansei Prison" caused a strong backlash from the Fuso reformists, and finally the Sakurada Gate Incident occurred on March 3, 1860 (the first year of Wanyen).

With the assassination of Naomi Ii outside the Sakurada Gate, this bloody massacre also ended. However, the intricate internal struggle is still not over.

The current situation of the Fuso Islands is that "the temple is small and the wind is strong, and the water is shallow and there are many fools". No matter what kind of things, they can take advantage of the opportunities of the times to rush to the stage to perform. Foreign forces such as Britain, France, and Tang often point their fingers.

This has further exacerbated the current political chaos.

What faced Takasugi Shinsaku and Okubo Toshimichi, these passionate young men who were determined to save the Yamato nation, was a hellish start.

For some unexplainable reasons, they were unable to seek help from the Tang Empire. Because these two men hid their ethnicity and nationality and pretended to be Chinese immigrants and naturalized in the Tang Empire, they were able to develop smoothly in the army.

Go with the flow.

Ordinary Japanese are discriminated against here, and most of the women end up in brothels. A small number of those with good looks can be redeemed by their benefactors and taken as concubines. It is simply a blessing earned in eight lifetimes.

Men can only do the most painful, tiring and humble jobs. Because they have no legal residence status, they can neither engage in business nor join the military, and they remain at the bottom of society.

It is precisely because of various factors

The number of Japanese immigrants is very small, no more than 10,000 in total, and most of them are women who have fallen into prostitution.

If Takasugi Shinsaku and Okubo Toshimichi dare to disclose their identities, what awaits them will not be selfless help, but strict military sanctions, and it will probably be a light blow to lose their heads.

Perhaps because they were preparing to return home and let down their guard, Takasugi Shinsaku and Okubo Toshimichi were both a little drunk, so they summoned the hotel owner to pay the bill with a heavy drunkenness.

"Hello, sirs, do you need anything else?"

"That's good, check out."

"The two officers spent a total of 6.56 yuan. The shop wiped off the small change for the officers and received a benefit of 6.5 yuan."

"Nani, why is it so expensive?"

"Sir, please forgive me. The two of you drank a total of four jiao (note, tin wine vessel) of liquor. Each jiao of liquor costs twenty-one cents. Together with the dish money, the total is 6.56 yuan."

"What a shame, Yossi!" Takasugi Shinsaku shook his head, which was a little dizzy from the drunkenness, but he didn't notice that the face of the owner of the small hotel had suddenly changed color.

Okubo Toshimichi, who was standing on the side, saw it clearly. He was so drunk that he suddenly woke up. He hurriedly took out 7 yuan from his pocket and threw it on the table. He turned around and ran away with Takayama Shinsaku.

in the hotel

The boss with a puzzled look held two bills in his hand. He stood there and hesitated for a moment. Then he turned to the store clerk and said, "Look at the store. I'll go to the street police station and come back."

He could conclude that the lieutenant officer spoke Japanese, but could a little Fuso kid also become a widely respected imperial officer?

As a common man, he couldn't be sure about this.

But when he saw the two officers leaving in a hurry, it was clear that they had something to do with them, which made the hotel owner suspicious.

(End of chapter)