Wild North America 1846

Chapter 626 Meiji’s Ambition

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 626 Meiji’s Ambition

The Lunar New Year ceremony in 1875 was particularly grand and grand. Emperor Meiji of the Fuso Kingdom went to Chang'an, the imperial capital, to meet with His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Dignitaries from North, Central and South America came in droves to offer their New Year's greetings.

Among them, the national gift "108 Dancers Congratulating His Majesty the Holy Emperor" presented by Emperor Meiji is the most exquisite and ingenious, and has been highly praised by His Majesty the Emperor.

These 108 dancing girls are all made according to Fuso's traditional doll techniques. They are dressed in gorgeous kimonos and are located in different scenes such as machiya, palace or manor. They are decorated with Japanese hairstyles and traditional Japanese clothes. The images are lifelike and are a work of art.

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This is a masterpiece made by more than 770 skilled craftsmen from across the country, including carpenters, painters, jewelers, silk craftsmen, porcelain and traditional lacquer craftsmen. They are all top-notch craftsmen and took more than a year to make.

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These life-size dolls are all exquisitely made and lifelike, with every detail carefully crafted, making them considered works of art.

It shows the rich and colorful social life of the people in Fuso society. Doll art is a kind of folk art in Fuso cultural tradition and has a long history.

The most common ones are palm-sized dolls. The 108 life-size Maiden dolls enshrined by Emperor Meiji were the first of its kind. They won a lot of praise when they first appeared, and His Majesty could not help but be delighted.

The decree came down from the Daming Palace;

"At the New Year's Garden Party in 1875, I deeply understood Meiji-kun's heart and heart, which was very comforting. I should enjoy the spring with Meiji-kun in his garden. I was given a hundred dou of gold coins and tens of thousands of tons of grain as a token of encouragement."

In terms of standards, dignitaries from various countries are all treated with state courtesy, but some are cordial and some are distant.

Like some statues dedicated to gods by Venezuela, a South American country, Emperor Richard just nodded lightly after looking at them. There are mountains of these things in the treasure house of the Daming Palace, and there are also many stocks in museums around the world, so they are not rare at all.

The edict granted him 100 gold coins, ten pieces of silk, ten pieces of cloth, and one horse as a reward.

This is completely different from the generous reward received by Fusang Kingdom. To put it bluntly, it is like sending a beggar.

The Tang Empire did not rub dirt in its eyes. During the New Year gathering, the congratulatory gifts were perfunctory, and the rewards were even slapped in the face. It was a complete humiliation.

As the saying goes, when you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something.

Emperor Meiji of Fuso Province is now 23 years old. He has been in charge of the throne for more than eight years, but he has always been in a state of neither embarrassment nor embarrassment, making it difficult to actually control the power of the country.

The Tang Empire provided a large amount of military assistance to the shogunate, which caused the situation in Fuso to deviate from its original historical trend. The reformists who "respected the king and rejected the barbarians" did not win the civil war, but were defeated one after another.

The "Meiji Restoration" did not appear as expected, and was replaced by a new structure of coalition government. The first and second cabinet governments nominally honoring the emperor were produced.

This was the product of political compromise, which actually emptied the emperor's rights.

The shogunate represented by the samurai regime has now retreated behind the scenes due to its unpopular rule. It has transformed into a party dominated by conservatives, represented by Prime Minister Matsuda Shinyuki of the second government.

After the Matsuda Shinyuki cabinet came to power, it banned many of the previous government's innovative policies, significantly regressed in its stance on reform, and regarded Emperor Meiji as a puppet.

Various dilemmas forced the reformist forces in Fuso and Emperor Meiji to turn their attention to the suzerain country for help, and this was how they embarked on this New Year pilgrimage trip.

The villa located on the San Francisco Bay is now the temporary residence of Emperor Meiji Fuso. It was personally gifted by His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty as a temporary residence for the emperor and his entourage.

From here, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire Bay Area, and to the west is the blue and vast Pacific Ocean. The magnificent scenery is unbelievable.

Emperor Meiji stood in the palace verandah with his hands folded, looking at the bay with a melancholy expression. Beside him were Minister of Foreign Affairs Suzuki Yuki and Imperial Minister Yamamoto Takayuki. Both of them were mainstays of the reformists and close confidants of His Majesty the Emperor.

"The atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was vast and vast, covering tens of thousands of miles. It was truly the majesty of a great country!" Emperor Meiji couldn't help but admire with burning envy in his eyes.

In the 19th century, most of the Fusang royal family and the upper-class Chinese received a complete Chinese education from an early age, and were able to skillfully use Chinese, recite poems, calligraphy, go and piano skills, and regarded them as activities that were elegant and separated from low-level interests.

Most of the lower-middle class and ethnic minority people who do not understand Chinese are regarded as low-level, vulgar and lowly people, so-called;

Summer insects cannot talk about the ice, and well frogs cannot talk about the sea.

now in history

The Fusang Kingdom's comprehensive Westernization movement was completely out of shape. It sincerely admired the power of the Tang Dynasty. Instead, the trend of Sinology became more and more intense, and the Tang Empire was regarded as the target of imitation everywhere.

Emperor Meiji's sentiments came from the bottom of his heart. Foreign Minister Suzuki Yuki and Imperial Minister Yamamoto Takayuki stood on the top of this mountain, overlooking the spectacular scene of the Bay Area. Isn't it the same?

The wide San Francisco Bay is like two giant arms reaching into the Pacific Ocean. Giant ships gather in the bay, and thousands of seagulls fly in the sky, forming a magnificent picture under the blue sky.

The cities on the shore have different architectural styles and stretch far to the end of the sky. This is Chang'an, the second-ranked imperial capital in the world, a super metropolis with a population of more than 3.6 million.

How can this situation not shock people?

"What your Majesty said is absolutely true. It's hard to believe that thirty years ago, this was just a small port town with a population of 20,000 to 30,000 people. It developed too fast and changed too much."

"Yamamoto-kun, this is the power of modern industry. The classic example of the success of the Tang Empire has guided us. The first is to vigorously colonize and expand, and the second is to develop the industrial economy. This is the foundation of Fuso's strength.

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"Suzuki-kun said it very well. If we, the Yamato nation, want to rise among the nations of the world, comprehensively learning the advanced culture and technology of the Tang Dynasty, as well as all aspects of the education system, is the only way to become strong."

"It's hateful... Prime Minister Matsuda is a stubborn conservative. Since taking office, he has acted in reverse, hindering the various innovative measures that our country, Fuso Country, can fully learn from the Tang Empire, and turning the clock back on history. I and other reformist cabinet ministers are so humble in saying so, so I feel so sad.

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"Yes, seeing that the European and American powers are getting stronger and stronger, and the world is expanding colonization, I can't help but feel anxious in my heart. There is not much time left for the Yamato nation."

"Yo Xi, what you two dear ladies said is absolutely true." Emperor Meiji slowly exhaled a breath of turbidity in his stomach, nodded in agreement, and continued;

"The most important thing today is to establish the unshakable imperial lineage for eternity, to clearly understand the superiority and inferiority, to determine the superiority and inferiority, and to use the brain to direct the limbs to act in unison. This is the most correct thing!

I have carefully studied the history of the Tang Empire's prosperity over the past decades, and what runs through it all is that the wise and powerful decisions of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty were implemented to the letter.

There is no internal friction, there is no obedience, there is no blinding of the saints by listening to one thing and doing another. This is the foundation of governing a country.

When the center is stable, the world will be at peace.

I have never seen anyone who is not clear-headed and can achieve great things. The several major families of the old shogunate in China are cancers that hinder the "return of great government", and I think deeply about it."

The young Emperor Meiji did not want to be a puppet. The so-called "return of great power" was preceded by a sentence called "resign and accept the position", which was the slogan of the reformists who set off the wave of collapse more than ten years ago.

"Returning the great government" means establishing an imperial state based on the rule of His Majesty the Emperor. The shogunate should hand over its power and return the great government.

"Resigning from office and accepting a position" refers to the last shogun Tokugawa Keiki, who must resign from all positions, hand over his power, hand over Edo Castle and the shogunate domain, and retire to the mountains and forests.

Now history has changed

After the Tang Empire intervened, none of these goals were achieved.

In order to avoid the disastrous situation of a long-term civil war, a coalition of conservatives and reformists was formed to govern, which was full of internal contradictions and long-standing shortcomings.

After listening to Emperor Meiji's words, Foreign Minister Suzuki Yuki frowned and looked solemn. Even with his meager efforts, he could not change the current situation of serious internal strife in Fuso.

I can only sigh and say;

"At this time when internal affairs are in turmoil, Suzuki can only advise His Majesty the Emperor: Please be patient and slow down your plans.

The power of the old shogunate is deeply rooted and has ruled Fuso for hundreds of years. How can it be eradicated in a short time?

If one move is not careful, civil war will start again.

We can only hope that His Majesty the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will take pity on the sufferings of the Fusang people and support the Emperor's "return of great power" with his golden words. This is the only way out for today's internal affairs!

It’s just that the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is unpredictable, so we can only wait patiently and hope that all our efforts will be rewarded, right?”

Emperor Meiji was not satisfied with the ambiguous words of Foreign Minister Yu Suzuki, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Although the Emperor of Fuso Kingdom is said to be of the eternal lineage, he is actually a puppet enshrined in a high place. For hundreds of years, he has neither his own army, his own imperial palace, nor his own civil servants.

Everything relied on the support of the various vassals as a representative figure to resist the rule of the shogunate.

in this case

Emperor Meiji dreamed of becoming a dictatorial monarch like the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Wouldn't that be a fool's errand?

Even if the reformist vassals achieved the goal of "returning great power" and established the rule of the imperial state headed by the emperor, they would not let the power fall aside and allow the emperor to implement dictatorial rule.

Wouldn’t that mean making wedding clothes for others?

The purpose of the reformist vassals launching the overthrow movement was to compete for power, implement innovative measures to eliminate long-standing abuses, comprehensively learn advanced cultural systems and industrial technologies from the Tang Empire and the West, and develop the country, not to clear the way for the emperor to assume power.

These are two completely different things and cannot be confused together.

Today's domestic situation in Fuso is very similar to that of the Beiyang period in history. The last emperor in the Forbidden City was a puppet and basically could not ask questions.

However, the Beiyang government's decrees could not reach the whole country, and warlords in various places went their own way, some were conservative, some were innovative, and some were reversing the course of historical restoration.

The same is true now in the Fuso Kingdom. The reformist forces, mainly the four powerful vassals in the southwest, Satsuma, Nagashima, Hizen, and Tosa, have been very vigorous in reform and have been far ahead of the policies introduced by the Fuso government.

In some conservative vassals, it seems that they have returned to the closed shogunate era.

The entire Fuso Island is fragmented. Some of the lords of the feudal towns will implement the innovative measures introduced by the cabinet, while some of the lords of the feudal towns will turn a deaf ear to them, and some of the lords of the feudal towns will strongly oppose them.

vice versa.

Once a civil war breaks out in this situation, it may break into a pattern of warlord rule and repeat the regrettable historical stage that occurred in Chinese history.

It can be said

Fuso now stands at the crossroads of peace and division. It has further vigorously promoted innovative measures, strengthened the country and rejuvenated the people, and gradually grown into one of the world's great powers.

If you take a step back, you will fall apart and fall into the chaos of warlord rule...

Perhaps due to the misunderstanding caused by the strong support of the powerful feudal lords, Emperor Meiji actually felt that he could do it.

With this noble status, one can harvest the biggest fruits of political struggle and then implement the rule of an autocratic empire.

The young Emperor Meiji even dreamed countless times of being admired by all the people and leading Fuso to one glory after another, just like his idol, the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty...

Every time I wake up from a dream, I feel a sense of loss...

Is this a dream or reality?

It’s no secret that Emperor Meiji couldn’t tell the difference between his dreams at midnight. He would cry and laugh sometimes in his palace, making people think he was mentally ill.

Imperial Minister Yamamoto Takayuki glared at Suzuki Yuki with a dissatisfied look, then bent down and bowed at 90 degrees and said;

"It is an unreliable extravagance to hope for charity from the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. To change the situation of the dynasty, you have to rely on yourself and control your destiny in your own hands.

In order to mobilize loyal people to kill the national traitors, including Prime Minister Shinyuki Matsuda, they are all representatives of General Tokugawa Keiki's interests. They must commit suicide by committing seppuku in order to thank His Majesty the Emperor.

There are also those stubborn and conservative feudal lords, and the several major families who controlled the Guanbai throne in history are all traitors to the country and should all be killed.

Only the blood of loyal people can awaken the numb citizens. Serving the empire is now, not some delayed plan.

Before leaving, I have told the students and the patriotic and loyal people in the government and the public that the time to commit suicide is now, right now.

I really hope that before returning to Fusang, I can hear the good news about the heads-up of those national traitors!"

Emperor Meiji and Yuki Suzuki were not surprised by the radical remarks made by Imperial Minister Yamamoto Takayuki, but they all turned their expectant eyes to the distant west.

Yamamoto Takayuki was a radical reformer, and in later generations he would be an extremist who caused social unrest.

Their loyal followers would wear white cloths on their heads, wear white kimonos, hold up samurai swords and shout "Kill the national traitors" to kill people in the street, and would not run away after killing people.

Instead, he sat down on his knees in front of the bloody severed head and committed suicide by caesarean section to thank His Majesty the Emperor. All of them were absolutely dangerous people.

Don't be surprised if you see strange things, but you will lose yourself if you are strange.

Emperor Meiji now felt a sense of expectation in his heart;

If this can be done, cutting off Prime Minister Shinyuki Matsuda's head would be a good way to break the situation.

Physical destruction is the simplest and most direct method. Although it is widely criticized in civilized countries and rarely occurs, this obviously does not include Fuso Country.

Radical reformists are synonymous with dangerous elements. They not only killed the stubborn conservative ministers, but also killed newspaper reporters, social celebrities and civilians who supported the shogunate, setting off a bloody storm in Edo City.

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Say something else

After the establishment of the first cabinet, Edo Castle was designated as the capital and is now renamed Tokyo.

(End of chapter)