I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 103 Diplomacy and Trade with the Qing Kingdom
After the first meeting of the cabinet, Matsudaira Yongho came to Nijo Castle and reported to Hitotsubashi Keki.

Hitotsubashi played with his fan and said: "Education, finance, military, Yagyu Nobita is really great. He laid out important places in the first place. Although he recruited people from the shogunate, as well as Okubo Toshimichi of Satsuma Domain, and the robbers who broke away from the domain. .

But the important finances and the army are all controlled by his own confidants. Mr. Aizu, you can see clearly that Yagyu Kigeon, an ambitious man, has deceived the emperor's trust. "

Matsudaira Yongho frowned and said: "Reforms must be carried out slowly. Lord Yagyu must be on the safe side."

Ichihashi Qingxi snorted with some dissatisfaction, and then said: "The shogunate has decided that the shogun will go to Luo in May to command the army to conquer the Changzhou rebels."

Matsudaira Yongho said quickly: "I heard from Mr. Yagyu that the general's physical condition is not very good. The general's health is related to the fate of the country. It would be better for me to choose a highly respected person to replace the general."

Ichihashi Yingxi said with some dissatisfaction: "Aizuhou, you were the one who let the shogun go to Luo, and now you are the one who prevents the shogun from going to Luo. With your behavior like this, even I doubt your position.

There is no need to talk about this matter anymore. The shogunate is raising military expenses for sending troops. Once the general has settled things in Kanto, he will go to Luo. This matter is a foregone conclusion and does not need to be discussed again. "

Matsudaira Yongho had no choice but to leave Nijo Castle and return to the main formation.

As for the Satsuma Domain, they are stepping up their plans to accelerate contact with the Choshu Domain.

Yagyu didn't pay too much attention to the actions of the Satsuma clan and the shogunate. In his opinion, with the support of the emperor, he still won half the battle. In addition, he trained the Guards Division, and even if the Satsuma captains joined forces, he would still have enough strength. Let the sergeant sit down and listen to his reasoning.

As for the shogunate, it is no longer important. When the imperial court rises, Yagyu will inevitably establish centralized power, abolish the shogunate system, and implement the state and county system.

However, he will retain some of the shogunate's strength and let them fight against the shogunate.

After the first cabinet meeting, Yagyu's main energy was still on the Guards Division.

After the opening of the port, cheap Western goods poured into Japan, and more and more small businessmen went bankrupt. Coupled with the shogunate's monetary policy, in order to prevent the outflow of gold and silver, domestic inflation became serious.

Fortunately, Yagyu opened a factory and launched some products, which were sold overseas and earned a lot of money. He spent more than half of the money on construction, which just alleviated the domestic unrest. A large number of bankrupt people were recruited to work as workers. Build roads, go build.

At the same time, some people were attracted by the benefits of the army and signed up to join the new army.

The Guards Division is divided into three classes in terms of treatment. The lowest class is infantry, the second class cavalry, and the third class artillery.

The infantry's salary is the lowest, with a salary of five hundred gold and two gold per person per month, the cavalry's salary is one and two gold per month, and the artillery's salary is two and two gold per month.

The artillery has the highest salary and the most stringent selection. Only 1000 people can be selected out of 50 people. These people are all literate and have some basic arithmetic.

Hijikata Toshizo recruited enough places for the Guards Division within a month, but Yagyu asked Hijikata Toshizo to continue recruiting reserves.

Now the number of the Guards Division is nearly [-], and the Guards Mansion can no longer accommodate so many people, so the Guards Division's station has also been moved outside the city, and a Guards Division barracks was built on the outskirts of Toba Street.

This place is only four or five miles away from Satsuma Domain's two thousand new troops.

The Guards Division was transferred away from the palace, and the security of the palace was handed over to the Police Bureau, and the Police Station was moved to the Military Guard House.

Soon the Military Guard was changed to the Cabinet, and Yagyu restructured the internal structure and set up offices for other cabinet ministries.

In order to relieve the financial pressure, Yagyu decided to send diplomats to the Qing Dynasty to establish normal diplomatic relations. He planned to set up a business office in the Qing Dynasty, import coal, iron ore, etc. from the Qing Dynasty, and then sell arms, cans, textiles and other products to the Qing Dynasty.

Because the Qing Dynasty was still dominated by gold and silver, Yagyu Sheng could trade with the Qing Dynasty through gold and silver, which greatly reduced production costs.

Although the idea was good, Yagyu lacked outstanding diplomatic talents. For this reason, he could only continue to issue recruitment orders to recruit diplomatic talents.

Although Yagyu lacks talents, there is no shortage of talents in Japan.

In Nagasaki, Hizen, Kyushu, there is a group called Tang Tongshi. Their ancestors are Han Chinese from Fujian. They took root in Nagasaki after migrating to Japan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

They are proficient in Japanese and Chinese and are exactly the talents Yagyu needs.

In Nagasaki Port, Shirakawa Jubei, a businessman from Osaka, entered the port here and planned to enter the city to rest for a night.

Shirakawa Jubei happened to meet the familiar Zhou Hengjuro. He quickly stepped forward and greeted him warmly: "Master Zhou, long time no see."

Zhou Hengjuro smiled and said: "Is it Mr. Shirakawa, buying goods from Osaka again? I heard before that the imperial court established a cabinet to recruit talents from all over the world?"

Zhou Hengjuro took out an announcement and said: "This thing is true. Look, this is Prime Minister Yagyu's latest announcement to recruit talents. There is an urgent need for diplomatic talents who can go to the Qing Dynasty.

Mr. Zhou, I think you are very suitable. Why don't you go to Kyoto and give it a try? If you become an official in Kyoto, it will be much better than being an official in Nagasaki. "

Zhou Hengjuro looked at the announcement and felt a little moved in his heart.

"I'm joking. My ancestors have been based in Nagasaki for more than 200 years. How can I give up this business so easily?"

Zhou Hengjuro and Shirakawa Jubei exchanged pleasantries for a few words and then left.

He quickened his pace and found his friend Cai Shantaro. The Cai family was also one of Tang Tongshi's families, and their status and strength were lower than that of the Zhou family.However, the two of them had the same experience, that is, they were both included in the inspection team organized by the shogunate to Shanghai in 1862.

Zhou Hengjuro found Cai Shantaro, stepped forward and whispered: "Brother Cai, can we talk somewhere else?"

"Okay." Cai Shantaro saw that something big was going on and immediately agreed.

Zhou Hengjuro and Cai Shantaro were wearing Qing costumes. They found a Han teahouse and found a private room to talk.

Zhou Hengjuro took out the notice for recruiting diplomatic talents and said: "Brother Cai, look, this is the new cabinet prime minister of the Japanese court who wants to recruit diplomatic talents to go to the Qing Dynasty."

"Oh? Let me take a look." Cai Shantaro quickly took it over to take a look, narrowed his eyes and said, "This Prime Minister Yagyu is really brave. I didn't expect that there are such heroes in Japan. Brother Zhou, I think I can give it a try!"

Zhou Hengjuro slapped the case and said: "This matter should be taken sooner rather than later. We must go to Beijing immediately to see Prime Minister Yagyu."

After the two agreed, they immediately returned home, took the money, and at the same time promised Nagasaki to resign from the post of Tang Tongshi.

Three days later, the two boarded a ship bound for Osaka.

"Woooooooo..."

A column of smoke rose into the sky, and the sound of steam woke up the groggy Zhou Hengjuro and Cai Shantaro.

The two came to the deck and saw the steam warship flying the Hinomaru flag in the distance.

Zhou Hengjuro was surprised: "Is that the navy established by Prime Minister Yagyu?"

"It's incredible. There are no steamships in the Qing Dynasty now." Cai Shantaro responded.

A passenger on the side said: "What does this mean? Osaka's shipyard can already produce steam merchant ships. This time I'm here to inspect and see if I want to buy a steam merchant ship."

Zhou Hengjuro couldn't help but sigh: "We are trapped in a corner of Nagasaki, but we don't know that there have been earth-shattering changes in the capital."

Others laughed and said: "Thanks to Prime Minister Yagyu who persuaded the emperor to found the country, we have reached today's situation. I see, the only one who can save Japan is the imperial court."

"Attention, we are entering the port!"

"Look, those are Western merchant ships!"

"It's so big, it's like a mountain floating on the sea!"

Zhou Hengjuro's face was full of envy, and Cai Shantaro clenched his fists and said: "I believe that soon, the imperial court will also have such a big ship!"

As the ship entered the port, Zhou Hengjuro and Cai Zentaro, with the help of servants, got off the ship with salutes, and then rented a carriage and headed to Kyoto.

The road from Osaka to Kyoto was built last year. It is a cement road large enough for six carriages to travel in parallel.

It used to take two days to get from Osaka to Kyoto, but now you can get to Kyoto in one day.

At nightfall, Zhou Hengjuro and Cai Zentaro finally arrived in Kyoto, and they found a lodging house to stay in Fushimi District.

At night, the two sat opposite each other.

Cai Shantaro was the first to say: "Brother Zhou, this time Prime Minister Yagyu recruited diplomats to go to the Qing Dynasty to develop business and trade. In this matter, we have an absolute advantage."

"That's right." Zhou Hengjuro said with some excitement, "We know the Qing Dynasty and Japan better than anyone else."

"Brother Zhou, get ready for tomorrow's assessment!"

Early the next morning, the two of them packed up and arrived outside the imperial palace at around eight o'clock in the morning. Outside the imperial gate, there was a cabinet office. The two of them entered the office to apply for diplomat assessment.

A moment later, Tetsunosuke Ichimura rushed to the office and shouted: "Where are Suhou Hengjuro and Kai Zentaro?"

"We are here!" The two stood up immediately.

Ichimura Tetsunosuke nodded and said, "You two will follow me to see the Prime Minister."

The two immediately packed their clothes and followed Ichimura Tetsunosuke to the Cabinet Office.

"Prime Minister, they are here." Tetsunosuke Ichimura led someone to the door of the Cabinet Office and knocked on the door.

　There will be no invasion plot, just trade and diplomacy.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)