I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 127 Buying Alaska
Emperor Komei died of illness, and Emperor Meiji was still young. Yagyu had already deployed a large number of secret police officers in Kyoto to monitor the movements of all parties.

Tokugawa Yoshiki was busy restoring the strength and prestige of the shogunate, while the Satsuma Domain communicated closely with Iwakura Tomomi, Tosa Domain and Choshu Domain, trying to force the shogunate into a corner.

Yagyu allowed both parties to develop. He temporarily left the cabinet affairs to several ministers. He would select some documents to show to Emperor Meiji and explain to him.

Emperor Meiji looked at these documents and said with some confusion: "Father, I don't understand why the late emperor had to keep the shogunate instead of supporting the Satsuma Domain?"

Yagyu didn't hide anything and said directly: "The people of Satsuma and Choshu Domain are not really for the imperial court. The reason why they support the imperial court is to use the reputation of the imperial court to deal with the shogunate.

Shimazu Hisamitsu's actions were all for the growth of the Satsuma Domain, and he had always used the imperial court. Without the shogunate, the power of the imperial court would be in the hands of Satsuma and other powerful feudal lords.

Many people in the Satsuma and Naga clans were influenced by the radical ideas of the Mito clan and the radical ideas of Yoshida Shoin. Once they gained power, they would make radical decisions.

Although Japan now needs to develop rapidly and catch up with Western countries, its domestic resources are too few, and the Satsuma radicals will think of invading other countries to make up for Japan's shortcomings.

However, the countries that Japan faces are all big powers. Although the Qing Dynasty is declining, it is not necessarily our opponent. However, for the sake of trade in the Qing Dynasty, England will definitely not let our country take over. Invading the Qing Dynasty in this way will not only offend this country. , how many actual benefits can there be?

At the beginning, after I reported the truth to the late emperor, the late emperor accepted my suggestion. He first implemented reforms to strengthen the strength of the imperial court, then suppressed the powerful lords such as Sacho, stabilized the weak shogunate, and after the decisive battle between the two sides, conquered both sides, and finally let the The books and books of the princes in the world were returned, the imperial court abolished vassals and established counties, and returned power to the central government.

At that time, the imperial court can begin comprehensive changes and realize the restoration. When our country takes on a new look, we can look for weak opponents. "

Emperor Meiji's eyes lit up and he asked: "A weak opponent, the Qing Kingdom?"

Yagyu shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty is our trading partner now. It is not appropriate to offend us. I have already chosen the first target, which is Spain and the Netherlands."

Emperor Meiji knew something about the Netherlands, and he was surprised: "The Netherlands has established diplomatic relations with the shogunate for 200 years, why should we take action against it?"

Yagyu explained: "Your Majesty, in this world, the essence is to bully the weak and fear the strong. Western countries such as Britain, France, Russia, and the United States are very powerful. Japan is far from our opponent, but not all Western countries are strong.

Spain was once the most powerful country, but it has long since declined. If Japan defeats Spain, it will be enough to make the Western countries look at it differently. If Japan defeats the Netherlands, we can try to negotiate with the Western countries to abrogate the previous treaties. "

Emperor Meiji nodded repeatedly and said: "I see, I understand. My father-in-law is still far-sighted. I wonder when will the imperial court take back its power?"

Yagyu smiled and said: "It's almost time. Your Majesty will have to cooperate with the people of Satsuma Domain. They are looking for Iwakura Tomoshi to cooperate."

Emperor Meiji was surprised and said: "Father, is there no danger?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry, everything is under my control."

Yagyu's confident tone made Emperor Meiji feel more at ease.

He couldn't help but said: "With my father-in-law here, I feel at ease."

Yagyu looked at the emperor and said, "Your majesty will soon be an adult. It's time to look for a queen. I dare you to ask your majesty to marry a princess from a Western country or a princess from the Qing Dynasty."

When Emperor Meiji heard this topic, he said shyly: "This...according to convention, the queen should be a member of the royal family..."

Yagyu immediately explained: "Your Majesty, being able to marry into these countries will be of great benefit to the development of our country's cause."

"I'm worried that the royal family won't agree."

Emperor Meiji was also a little confused.

Yagyu smiled and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I can just deal with the royal family's affairs."

"Okay, then I'll leave this matter to my father-in-law." After Emperor Meiji finished speaking, he still had something to say.

Yagyu saw what Emperor Meiji meant. He actually had a plan for a long time. Later, he would implement the Western constitution and monogamy. The emperor could only have one queen, no more concubines, etc., so he planned to choose a Beauty.

Even if Meiji had no feelings for her at first, at least Meiji would not dislike a beautiful woman.

He smiled and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely satisfy your Majesty."

When Emperor Meiji heard this, he nodded tacitly and said: "I can rest assured that my father-in-law is doing this."

Yagyu only taught Emperor Meiji for half a day, and then he would return to the cabinet to work. He not only taught Emperor Meiji about the world, but also analyzed the situation and implemented some policies for him.

Emperor Meiji was relatively ordinary, and many things required Yagyu to explain them in detail before he could understand them. He took the trouble to teach, which made Emperor Meiji respect him very much.

Now Emperor Meiji sincerely calls Yagyu his father, even though Yagyu is only ten years older than the emperor.

In the afternoon, Yagyu returned to the cabinet. Ogata Shuntaro immediately handed the memorandum to Yagyu for inspection. All the matters recorded on it needed to be handled by Yagyu personally.

Yagyu saw an item in the memorandum, which was an invitation from the Tsarist Russian Embassy. Arissa invited Yagyu to go to the Tsarist Russian Embassy for a talk.

Yagyu stood up with some excitement. He said excitedly: "Shuntaro, go tell Shibusawa and ask the Ministry of Finance to immediately prepare at least 200 million pounds in foreign exchange."

Then Yagyu left the cabinet and went to prepare gifts.

The next day, Yagyu arrived at the Tsarist Russian Embassy at the agreed time. Arissa personally greeted him. Yagyu quickly stepped forward to shake hands and entered the embassy with Arissa.

Florentino Ariza laughed and explained: "His Majesty the Tsar has sent an envoy. Don't worry, his attitude is very friendly. Today's affairs are just a formality."

Yagyu couldn't help but said excitedly: "Mr. Florentino Ariza is so powerful that he can handle such a matter."

Florentino Ariza didn't hide it and said with a smile: "Mr. Yagyu is willing to give the money, otherwise there is nothing I can do."

"Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's finalize this matter first and then go into details."

"Okay, okay." Yagyu nodded repeatedly and thanked, "Mr. Florentino Ariza, I will keep your help in mind, and I will never let you suffer."

"That's enough." Arissa took Yagyu and introduced to Sergey Zarudny: "Mr. Sergey, this is the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Yagyu Nozomi. Don't look at Mr. Yagyu." , but Mr. Yagyu’s experience is very rich.”

Sergey smiled and asked, "Oh? Mr. Yagyu, do you mind if I find out?"

Yagyu said modestly: "Compared with everyone else, my deeds are not worth mentioning."

Ariza quickly said: "Hahaha, Mr. Sergey, this is a unique character of Eastern people. They always like to be humble. You may not know that Mr. Yagyu is called the executioner by many people. He has killed enough people with his own hands." There were as many as 300 people, and they were all killed in close combat with knives."

When Sergei heard this, he was obviously shocked. He did not expect that the young prime minister in front of him, who did not look very strong, was just a son of a nobleman who relied on his background.

Florentino Ariza's introduction really surprised him, but fortunately he was not too arrogant just now.

Sergey put away his little thoughts, invited Yagyu to sit down and said: "Mr. Yagyu, His Majesty the Tsar has entrusted me to handle the affairs of Alaska. I personally have no objection to this matter.

It’s just that I know that England supports some forces in our country, and even France has intervened. Mr. Yagyu should know that we don’t like these two countries. "

Of course Yagyu knew these things. Because of Tsarist Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, it signed a treaty and abolished the Black Sea Fleet. This greatly damaged Tsarist Russia's strength in Western Europe. Alexander II had always wanted to abolish this treaty and reorganize the fleet.

As for England, it has always been a troublemaker, and Tsarist Russia already had anti-British sentiments.

Yagyu said directly: "The forces supported by England are about to have a final contest with the shogunate supported by France. Their every move is under my surveillance. When they decide the outcome, I will take action to close the net.

I, Japan, are not pawns of Britain and France. They are thousands of miles away from me, and your country borders our territory. As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Since we are so close, it is natural for us to be on good terms with each other. "

Florentino Ariza nodded and said: "Mr. Yagyu is absolutely right. All this is caused by the English. We cannot be deceived by the despicable English."

Sergey was also convinced by Yagyu’s reasons. He nodded and said, “Mr. Yagyu’s reasons are very insightful, especially that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. It is very reasonable.

Mr. Yagyu, I have no doubts. Next, we can discuss the price of Alaska. "

Yagyu said with a smile on his face: "How about 150 million pounds?"

Ariza's expression changed. The price had already reached the Tsar's request, but Sergey remained unmoved. He frowned slightly and said: "As far as I know, Alaska is very big and the offshore fishery resources are still very rich. At this price, It’s hard for me to explain.”

Yagyu was very puzzled: "Mr. Sergey, you don't know something. We still owe more than 300 million US dollars in foreign debt to Britain, France and other countries. We pieced together this amount."

Sergey raised his hand and said: "I understand your difficulties, but this is millions of square kilometers of land, and your price is too cheap."

Yagyu couldn't help but gritted his teeth and said: "Then add another 20 pounds. This is our limit."

Sergei calculated that this was about 700 million rubles, or [-] rubles per square kilometer. Although it was still very cheap, it was enough for him to get the appreciation of the Tsar.

He nodded and said: "Okay, for the sake of the friendship between our two countries, our country will suffer a loss and sell Alaska to you."

Yagyu stepped forward to shake hands very excitedly and said: "Mr. Sergey, we will remember this day. The friendship between Japan and Russia will definitely last forever!"

After this important event was completed, Florentino Ariza clapped his hands and said: "This is something worth celebrating. Friends, let's drink and celebrate!"

Yagyu did not refuse, and drank with Florentino Arissa and Sergey. As a result, the two big men were knocked down by Yagyu.

Afterwards, Florentino Arissa and Sergei kept praising Yagyu for his drinking capacity.

The two sides formally signed a treaty to purchase Alaska, including a treaty for the exchange of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The purchase of Alaska cost Japan 170 million pounds, plus a handling fee of 180 pounds. Including the bribe sent, the total cost was about 20 million pounds, saving [-] pounds.

Yagyu looked at the treaty, and a stone finally fell from his heart.

In addition, Yagyu previously demanded Ezo Island from the shogunate, and the Matsumae Domain on Ezo Island was compensated by the shogunate.

Tokugawa Kexi needed Yagyu's support, so he did not hesitate. After he became a shogun, he immediately dedicated Ezo Island to the emperor in the name of the shogunate as a territory directly under the imperial court.

A few months ago, Yagyu sent Toshizo Hijikata to lead the Second Guards Division to Ezo Island to take over the local city and population. At the same time, Toshizo Hijikata was responsible for the task of integrating the Ainu people.

Now that Alaska has been acquired, Yagyu still has to arrange for someone to take over Alaska.

He immediately informed Emperor Meiji of this great news and asked for his orders: "Your Majesty, the newly acquired Alaska has a vast land. Although most places have year-round ice and snow, the areas near the sea and the south can still be inhabited. There are no less than [-] suitable residential areas. One hundred thousand square kilometers, close to a quarter of our country.

Therefore, I hope that the Second Guards Division can be reorganized into the Northern Frontier Corps and be responsible for Hokkaido and Alaska.As for the Second Guards Division, it can be reorganized in Kyoto. "

Emperor Meiji was very excited and said: "Hahaha, Xiangfu, you are so awesome. In the future, people in the world will remember that in the first year of Meiji, Japan got a piece of land larger than itself for several generations.

Xiangfu, this matter will be handled according to your wishes. I will immediately issue an edict to ask others to cooperate. "

Yagyu continued: "Hokkaido is the first state and county established by the imperial court. The development of Alaska will also affect the development of our country. I plan to go to Hokkaido personally to deal with this matter."

As soon as Emperor Meiji heard that Yagyu was leaving Kyoto, he suddenly lost his sense of security. He quickly said: "My father-in-law, I am worried that the bitter cold in the north is very dangerous. Moreover, the imperial court cannot do without my father-in-law. I can’t live without my father-in-law.”

Yagyu knew what Emperor Meiji was worried about, and he comforted him: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will arrange the defense of the Guards Division. No matter what the battle between the chief and the shogunate will look like, Kyoto will not change."

Emperor Meiji looked at the confident Yagyu, and his panic quickly calmed down. He nodded and said, "Then I will listen to my father-in-law and hope that he will return to Kyoto as soon as possible."

"I will accept it. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Subsequently, Emperor Meiji issued an imperial edict, which caused all forces to boil.

(End of this chapter)