I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 124: Brainstorming Strategy

After the shogunate army gathered in Osaka, they did not set off immediately. Although the general Tokugawa Iemo was said to be the general-in-chief, he was not in good health after arriving in Osaka and was not suitable for the expedition.

Therefore, Hitotsubashi Keiki, who had taken up his post as a general, became the actual commander. Hitotsubashi Keiki ordered the shogunate's army to be sent out in four directions to attack the Choshu Domain.

The shogunate's actions were huge, and Yagyu naturally knew about the shogunate's actions.

However, this is the long-awaited time for Yagyu. After more than a year of rigorous training, it is time for the Guards Division to test its combat effectiveness.

In order to cope with this war, Yagyu decided to form the Second Guards Division, which was directly under the command of Army Minister Hijikata Toshizo, and the [-]st Guards Division was commanded by Yagyu himself.

On the first day of May, Yagyu said at the court meeting: "Your Majesty, the shogunate has sent troops to attack the Choshu clan. No matter which way the war goes, the Guards Division will eventually take action to calm the storm.

I ask your Majesty to agree to form the Second Guards Division. When the First Guards Division leaves Kyoto, the Second Guards Division will ensure the safety of Kyoto and the Imperial Palace. "

Okubo Toshimichi was present at the court as a member of the Satsuma clan, and there was also Saigo Takamori. When they heard Yagyu's report, they suddenly felt something bad.

Saigo Takamori immediately said to Komatsu with a sword: "Lord Komatsu, this matter must be stopped, otherwise when Takasugi Shinsaku of Choshu defeats the shogunate army and joins forces with us in Shangluo, we will have to face a powerful cabinet. In this case, we will serve the cabinet. It’s time to make a wedding dress.”

Komatsu, who was wearing a knife, said in surprise: "What, it's like this, how could it become like this!"

Saigo Takamori sighed and said: "We have fallen into the trap from the beginning. Prime Minister Yagyu's dissuasion of the shogunate from sending troops should be just a cover to deceive us into thinking that there is a conflict between Prime Minister Yagyu and the shogunate.

Prime Minister Yagyu personally went to Edo to dissuade him. It seemed that he was sincere. In fact, his move was to deceive the shogunate. The generals and senior lieutenants were all deceived by him.

He seemed to be trying to dissuade me, but he was actually adding fuel to the fire! "

Komatsu Daodao became even more confused and asked: "Kisunosuke, what exactly do you want to say?"

Saigo Takamori explained: "I thought Prime Minister Yagyu had known for a long time that the shogunate would definitely send troops."

Komatsu frowned and said, "I knew we were going to send troops a long time ago, so why did he go to Edo?"

“This is where Prime Minister Yagyu’s brilliance shines.” Saigo Takamori spoke eloquently, “Prime Minister Yagyu clearly knew that the shogunate would not allow the Choshu clan to confront the shogunate like this. The shogunate would definitely send troops for the sake of face.

Given Prime Minister Yagyu's strategy, how could he not know this?He knew that the shogunate would definitely send troops, so he went to Edo, which seemed to dissuade him, but in the eyes of the shogunate, this dissuasion was even more of a humiliation.

The angry old Chinese will definitely be determined to attack, and a war is inevitable.Why did Prime Minister Yagyu do this? "

"For what?" Seeing Saigo Takamori's pause, Komatsu asked hurriedly with a knife.

Saigo Takamori said with certainty: "Of course it was to cause chaos. Since the shogunate sent troops to conquer the Choshu Domain, each domain purchased rice, which caused the price to rise. The price rose, causing many people to become poor. Then it was taken away by Prime Minister Yagyu. Some Some became workers and some became soldiers.

It is precisely because of this tense situation that the emperor and ministers tacitly allowed Prime Minister Yagyu to recruit troops. Although Prime Minister Yagyu claimed that there were only nearly [-] Guards Divisions, Prime Minister Yagyu also recruited reserves. Prime Minister Yagyu spared such a large circle just for the sake of Taking advantage of the fear of the emperor and ministers, we can legitimately expand the army! "

Xiaosong, armed with a knife, immediately woke up and said, "What an insidious plan. It was actually started last year and ended today. It caught us off guard!"

Komatsu, with his sword in hand, hurriedly pulled Shimazu Hisamitsu's sleeve in front and whispered: "My lord, we must prevent Prime Minister Yagyu from forming a new Guards Division."

Although Shimazu Hisamitsu didn't know the specific situation, he knew that Komatsu's knife would not be unintentional. There were changes that he didn't know about.

Just as Emperor Komei was about to raise his hand to agree, Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately said: "His Majesty, please wait a moment. I have a question for Prime Minister Yagyu."

Emperor Takamei frowned slightly and said, "Shimazu, what do you mean?"

Shimazu Hisamitsu brainstormed instantly, and in just a few seconds, he came up with a rhetoric: "Now the imperial court still owes money to the Western countries. If we increase the standing army of nearly ten thousand people at this time, I am afraid that the financial resources of the cabinet will not be the same. Aren’t you going?”

Yagyu said calmly: "Shimadzu-sama, don't worry. The debt only needs to be paid off within five years. With the speed at which the cabinet is opening factories, there is no pressure to pay back the money."

Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately asked: "Since there is no pressure on the cabinet to repay the money, why is it still owed money? If others know that my country owes money to others, where will the court's face be?"

Yagyu glanced at Shimazu Hisamitsu and said, "I can't say more about the reason why I didn't pay back the money, but I can explain it to His Majesty alone."

Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately asked: "Prime Minister Yagyu, what do you mean? We are all loyal ministers of His Majesty the Emperor, why do you avoid us?"

Seeing Shimazu Hisamitsu's reluctance, Yagyu immediately retorted: "It seems that the cooperation between Satsuma Domain and England is very close. I don't doubt Lord Shimazu's loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor, but it's just that other people around Lord Shimazu are not safe. Your Majesty, the fewer people know about this matter, the better.”

Emperor Komei actually didn't like Westerners very much. Although he carried out the opening of the port under Yagyu's persuasion, he was still a little uncomfortable with the cooperation between Satsuma Domain and England. He immediately said: "Since it is relatively confidential at this time, don't publicize it everywhere. My dear, just tell me directly later."

"As for Aiqing's proposal, I think it's okay. Aiqing will form the Second Guards Division as soon as possible. As for the follow-up issues between the shogunate and the Choshu Domain, Aiqing will handle it."

Shimazu Hisamitsu could only sulk when he saw that he failed to stop him.

After the disbandment of the dynasty, Shimazu Hisamitsu said rather unhappily: "Why must His Majesty the Emperor trust Yagyu Higen, a traitor? We, the Satsuma Domain, are the ones who are loyal to the country!"

Komatsu took the sword and said quickly: "My lord, Yagyu Heiyan is too heavy-minded. What happened today is that he started planning a year ago, just for today's army expansion."

"What, a year ago?" Shimazu Hisamitsu was shocked and asked quickly: "Tell me, is he actually so powerful?"

Komatsu took the knife and told Saigo Takamori's analysis to Shimazu Hisamitsu intact. The more Shimazu Hisamitsu listened, the more frightened he became.

His eyes widened, the fan in his hand flapped his left hand quickly and said: "What a sinister Yagyu Heiyan, both us and the shogunate were deceived by him. He is the guy who wants war most! Damn it, he was fooled Cheated!"

Komatsu, who was wearing a knife, also said angrily: "My lord, this Yagyu Heigan is so hypocritical. He said at the beginning that he didn't want civil war in the country, and went to Edo to dissuade him with great righteousness, but it turned out to be just a trick on his part to hide the truth!"

Shimazu Hisamitsu said anxiously: "What can we do now? He has nearly 8000 Western-style troops, and now he will add more than [-] people. Coupled with the police station and the newly added railway troops, the bastard Yagyu Heiyan already has nearly [-] troops in his hands. Thirty thousand troops!" Saigo Takamori said with some worry: "If we continue like this, even if we defeat the shogunate, we still have no chance of winning against Yagyu Kigeon. Unless there is some major change, there may be a slight chance of winning."

Everyone in the Satsuma Domain felt unprecedented pressure. Compared with the pressure from the shogunate, Yagyu's cabinet had already overwhelmed the Satsuma Domain.

Shimazu Hisamitsu gritted his teeth and said: "Since Yagyu has expanded his army, we will also expand our army. When the time comes, the Choshu Domain will also increase its troops!"

Xiaosong took the sword and nodded: "For the current plan, the only way is to increase the number of troops."

……

Although the shogunate's army has marched towards the Choshu Domain in batches, the Fourth Army has arranged for several governors to supervise the battle. As the general, Tokugawa Iemo can only recuperate in Osaka due to illness, and Hitotsubashi Yoshiki, who is in charge of the command, is not available. Go to the front line, but stay in Kyoto to command remotely.

Seeing this situation, Yagyu concluded that the shogunate was bound to lose. Even though the shogunate had obtained tens of thousands of Enfield rifles and dozens of Napoleon cannons, it had little chance of winning.

However, Ichihashi Keixi was still full of confidence. He told Tokugawa Iemo: "Shogun, don't worry, as long as the shogunate army defends Choshu Domain in this battle, the rebels of Choshu Domain will be frightened by our army and surrender. "

In fact, it was not just Hitotsubashi Keiki who had this idea, other senior middlemen also persuaded Tokugawa Iemo in this way. A bunch of people said this, and Tokugawa Iemo believed them.

However, although Keiki Hitotsubashi has made a difference in politics, in military terms he is just a little Karami.

Not much of this is under Yagyu's control. Now Yagyu has assembled the First Guards Division to strengthen training, and at the same time equipped the Second Guards Division with complete equipment for training.

In more than a year, Yagyu has ordered tens of thousands of Dreiser's needle guns from Prussia, and he has also discussed military factories with the Prussian ambassador.

In addition, Yagyu also discussed with Krupp's company to purchase breech-loading gun technology and production lines.

The current imperial court can be said to have strong troops. The First and Second Guards Divisions add up to about 5000 people. There are still more than 3000 reserves, more than 2000 police officers in the Police Station, and more than [-] railway troops.

Based on this rough calculation, the Yagyu cabinet controlled as many as [-] troops.

This was also the confidence that Yagyu had when he said that he would fight one against two.

Just as Yagyu strengthened his army's training, a war broke out between the shogunate and the Choshu clan.

On June 6 of the second year of Keio, the bombardment of Choshu Domain on Shufang Oshima controlled by the shogunate fleet was taken as the starting point. On the 7th, it was in the direction of Eishu and Kosegawa, on the 13th in the direction of Shishu, and on the 16th in the direction of Kokura. The wars began separately.

The command of the battle on the Choshu side was carried out under the collegial system of the Yamaguchi Domain government.

In the direction of Zhou Defense Oshima, the Western-style infantry team of the Shogunate Army and the troops of the Matsuyama Domain landed on the island to occupy it.

The Uwajima Domain rejected the shogunate's order to send troops.

The shogunate navy fought with the fleet led by Takasugi, but was unexpectedly attacked and defeated.In this naval battle, Sakamoto Ryoma led Kameyama Shazhong to participate in the battle, and piloted the Lianzhong to take the lead in attacking the shogunate navy.

Afterwards, the Choshu Army commanded by Sera Shuzo recaptured Oshima and continued to eliminate the remnants of the shogunate army on the island until the end of the war.

In the direction of Eishu, the armies of Choshu Domain and Iwakuni Domain easily defeated the armies of Hikone Domain and Takada Domain on the Kosegawa River, and then continued the battle with the shogunate infantry team and the Kishu Domain army that replaced the defeated troops. Later, the war entered a stalemate. state.Seeing that the war was not going well, Yishu Domain refused the shogunate's order to send troops, and the morale of the shogunate army dropped sharply.

In the direction of Shishu, the Choshu Army commanded by Omura Masujiro (the nominal commander was Motojun Mori, the feudal lord in the late Qing Dynasty) passed through the territory of the neutral Tsuwano clan and attacked the Hamada clan, where Tokugawa Yoshiki's brother was the lord.

Hamada Castle fell on the 18th, and Hamada Castle and its Iwami Ginzan were under the control of Choshu until the Meiji period.

In the direction of Ogura, the Kyushu clan commanded by Governor Ogasawara Nagayuki fought several battles in the Kanmon Strait with the Choshu clan led by Takasugi Shinsaku and Yamagata Aritomo.

However, the Saga Domain did not send troops, and Ogasawara's command was inappropriate. Each domain was ready to withdraw its troops at any time.

Ogasawara also left the battle line when he received the report of the death of General Iemo.

The isolated Kokura clan set fire to the castle on August 8 and retreated to Koharu.

Although the battle between the Ogura Domain and the Choshu Domain continued after this, the battle actually ended with the complete defeat of the shogunate army.

The fierce battle between the shogunate and the Choshu clan only lasted for more than ten days. Although the shogunate had an army of more than [-] people and attacked the Choshu clan with less than [-] troops, they suffered consecutive defeats, which was disappointing.

This time, the Changzhou New Army was trained according to Western-style troops and was also equipped with Enfield rifles, but they did not use line infantry tactics.

Takasugi Shinsaku and others fully understood their own strength. They occupied a strategic position that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Coupled with their powerful firepower, the vassal soldiers armed with only cold weapons were no match at all.

Moreover, after Takasugi Shinsaku discovered this, he discussed with Katsura Kogoro and others and sent some skirmishers to shuttle around the shogunate army camp to harass with Enfield rifles, which made the shogunate army restless and their morale continued to decline.

But what really defeated the shogunate's army was Tokugawa Iemo's incident.

Tokugawa Iemo was not in good health. After arriving in Osaka, the stubborn toothache was still tormenting him. Although Matsumoto Yoshijun had the tools of a dentist, he was not a regular dentist and was still in the learning process, so naturally he could not directly treat him. , and the old Chinese don’t dare to let Western doctors treat them.

Therefore, after arriving in Osaka, Tokugawa Iemo had a toothache and did not want to eat or drink. Coupled with the current situation, he was exhausted mentally and physically.

Beriberi, which had been in remission, showed signs of recurrence.

Now that the shogunate's army was at war with Choshu, Tokugawa Iemo was even more nervous and his body was getting worse. Until a battle report of defeat came and Tokugawa Iemo fell.

(End of this chapter)