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Chapter 1048 Rumors of Defeat
"The suzerain state intends to support the rebels. Their army has already arrived at the city of Osaka. The shogunate army has been defeated!"

"I heard that the shogun was defeated in the battle, and many warriors who were capable of fighting were lost!"

I don’t know where the gossip started to spread quickly. The whole city of Edo knew that the Kyushu Army had participated in the war, and the news of the defeat on the front line was also rampant, making it impossible to distinguish the truth. Fake.

Among those who knew that the shogunate might be defeated, the rich people who subscribed to the war bonds reacted most violently.They generally bought war bonds at a high price between 120 taels and 125 taels when the shogunate's victory was in sight. As a result, the shogunate has been defeated, so the war bonds in their hands are equivalent to a blank sheet of paper. I don't know if the shogunate has ability to repay their principal.But even if the shogunate made compensation according to the principal, they would suffer heavy losses.

Many people who speculated on war bonds blocked the Edo Bank established by the shogunate and demanded immediate redemption of the conditional war bonds.

"Everyone, please rest assured that even if our shogunate is defeated, all war bonds purchased from us will be repaid in full within the next five years!" Abe Tadaaki came out to appease many violent creditors.

If it weren't for him with a group of personal samurai, perhaps angry creditors would surround him and prevent him from leaving until Tadaaki Abe repaid the principal of their bond purchases.

"Master Abe Tadaaki, five years is such a long time, who knows if the shogunate will still be there? Just tell us honestly, has the General been defeated? Will the shogunate still exist in the future?"

"Our Edo City has been out of food for so many days, and only the rice shops set up by Huaxia merchants are still selling rice every day. When will the war come to an end? Will all the residents of Edo City have to suffer with the shogunate?"

Most of the creditors who suffered heavy losses were residents of Edo Castle. Many of them were almost bankrupt or already bankrupt because of the war, and they were full of resentment towards the shogunate.

"I haven't received any battle reports about the front line. Maybe the rebels intentionally defeated us in the city. Please don't believe in rumors, and wait until the exact news comes from the front." Abe Tadaaki comforted, He was a little unsure when he said this.

The news of the defeat of the army led by Tokugawa Iemitsu spread in Edo Castle. The so-called three men became tigers, and Tadaaki Abe had some doubts about the defeat of the front-line army.

In the house of Tadakatsu Sakai, who has already stepped down, there are dozens of daimyos and bannermen who stayed behind in Edo Castle, and everyone's eyes are full of thoughts.

"There are rumors in the city that the Kyushu Army intervened in the battle of Osaka. I don't know if it is true. If the Kyushu Army really intervenes in our war with the rebels, then the general may really be defeated. By then we Where should people go?"

"What is the purpose of the Kyushu army helping the rebels? The "Jianghu Treaty" signed by our shogunate and them has given them the right to free trade and activities in our four islands in Dongying!"

These daimyos and bannermen talked to each other, and the originally peaceful courtyard of Sakai Tadakatsu became noisy, and some servants were carefully serving tea and snacks to this group of dignitaries.Even if Edo Castle fell into a tense situation of food shortage, it would still not affect the living standards of the rich and powerful.

"Is there any movement on Shi Daxuan's Beiyang Fleet in Yokohama Port?" Sakai Tadakatsu asked.

"The Beiyang Fleet in Yokohama Port has not taken any action. We suspect that they are short of troops and are waiting for the arrival of the main force." A shogunate minister in charge of intelligence said.

"Your speculation is very reasonable, but no matter how worried we are in the rear, it won't help. We still have to look at the situation on the front line. It's just that we don't know the situation on the front line. It seems that the sea route is blocked, and the news from the front cannot be conveyed for a while." Sakai Tadakatsu looked at the map of Japan drawn by their shogunate, and speculated why there was no news from the front line.

"According to the time when the rumors appeared in Edo Castle, if the sea route is blocked, it is time for the cavalry on land to pass the news from the front line. Whether it is victory or defeat, there must be a certainty."

While many daimyos and banners were discussing, the disheartened Abe Tadaaki came to Sakai Tadakatsu's house, and almost everyone looked at him.

"People in Edo City are in panic. We are unable to repay the war bond. We don't know whether the front line has really failed, or the enemy is playing tricks." Abe Tadaaki said depressed.

"If the general fails...I said if, do we people have to find another way out? Where will the world go in the future?" The daimyos and bannermen asked the question that worried them the most.

The Kyushu Army helped the Fallen Allied Forces, so will the Kyushu Army want to rule Dongpu by itself, or support the Fallen Allied Forces?The daimyos who originally surrendered to the Tokugawa family, even the retainers of the Tokugawa family, were a little ready to move.It doesn't matter if the Tokugawa family fell. In the past, the Oda family and the Toyotomi family fell, and many daimyos are still alive and well. To maintain order in various places is inseparable from their support.

But they don't know that the Kyushu Army is like a mudslide, destroying the original system wherever it goes, especially as outsiders, they don't have to be like the shogunate.

"Everything depends on God's will..." Tadakatsu Sakai, Tadaaki Abe and other ministers of the reformist shogunate looked at each other in despair.If the front line is defeated, they will be unable to turn the tide.War is a continuation of politics, and the outcome of a decisive battle often determines the final ownership.Once the decisive battle was defeated, the shogunate's side was broken, and it was difficult to organize effective actions.

"The defeat of the shogunate army on the front line is enough to show that the samurai are incompetent! They put the people of our Edo city in a state of starvation, but they failed to win the battle! On weekdays, they are high above us, collecting more than half of our food as taxes Fu, is it tolerable or unbearable! Brothers, why are you still hesitating? If you lose a battle, you have to pay compensation, and finally the tax falls on us ordinary people!"

"There are also peasants who were forcibly conscripted to the front line. They died on the battlefield in vain! The upper-level warriors have to squeeze every drop of our blood and sweat. Our food is gone. Brothers or children and grandchildren died in battle, and what is left What?!"

"It's better to follow our Huaxia Association to rebel against the shogunate, invade the city of Edo, completely overthrow the shogunate, and establish a Datong society in Dongying! Our Huaxia Association promises that the new government will ensure that everyone is equal, will not forcefully recruit strong men, and land taxes will also be reduced!"

In places where refugees and farmers gathered outside Edo City, the Huaxia Society led by Tanaka Chengyi began to incite the lower-level farmers in Edo City to rebel on a large scale.

(End of this chapter)