I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 136 Yagyu’s final announcement, war begins!
Although the two Satsuma clans clamored for the end of the curtain, they did not take any action because Yagyu had already arrived in Osaka and was about to return to Beijing. Shimazu Hisamitsu and Iwakura Tomomi immediately stopped all actions.

Not only the Sacho clan, but also Tokugawa Keki also calmed down and waited for Yagyu to return to the capital.

Yagyu, who had been away from Kyoto for more than half a year, finally returned to Kyoto in October. As soon as he got off the train, Matsudaira Yoshiho came up with the main cabinet officials to greet him.

Liu Sheng said with a smile on his face: "You guys have worked hard during my absence."

Matsudaira Yoshiho said with a smile: "Prime Minister Yagyu went to a bitter cold land to open up the country, and the suffering he endured was much harder than ours."

Ogata Shuntaro smiled and said: "Yes, thank you for your hard work, Prime Minister. You are back so soon because the development of the new territory went smoothly, right?"

Yagyu nodded and said: "It went more smoothly than I expected. Shuntaro, you will contact the ambassador of the United States tomorrow and ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come forward to discuss material procurement with them.

Alaska is very close to the United States. We can purchase supplies from them and have them transport them, which can reduce our costs and pressure. "

Ogata Shuntaro immediately noted this down.

The new Minister of the Interior, Sakuma Shoyama, said: "Prime Minister, your reputation is worse than your first sight. Purchasing supplies from the United States is indeed a great move for the Far North."

Yagyu looked at Sakuma Shoyama who had put on a Western tuxedo, and said with some joy: "Sakuma-sama can serve the cabinet and the country, and our career will be more prosperous."

Ito Koshitaro responded: "Now that the Prime Minister is back, the chaos in Kyoto has calmed down. Your Prime Minister, the ambassadors of England and France are in close contact with the shogunate and the shogunate. We must resolve this matter as soon as possible and cannot give it to the West." Opportunity for countries to intervene.”

Although Matsudaira Yongho is from the shogunate, he also said: "Yes, if this continues, the country will be in danger."

Sakuma Shoyama said in a deep voice: "We must hurry up, otherwise we will be like the Qing Dynasty next door."

Liu Sheng saw that the others also had worried expressions, and laughed and said: "Hahaha, don't worry, everyone, since I'm back, I will naturally solve this matter.

Don't worry, gentlemen, the matter will be resolved at the beginning of next year at most, and then a new era will come. "

When everyone heard Yagyu's announcement, the gloom in their hearts was swept away. They were all looking forward to Yagyu's next move.

Not only the cabinet officials, but also the two feudal lords and the shogunate were paying attention to Yagyu's actions.

And Yagyu did not disappoint, he made moves immediately.

In the afternoon when he returned to Kyoto, he entered the palace and met with Emperor Meiji. Later, a decree came from the palace, requiring the ministers, lords of various feudal lords, shogun Tokugawa Yoshiki, etc. to go to court tomorrow.

Everyone immediately understood that Yagyu Heeyan was going to have a showdown tomorrow.

The next morning, at dawn, sedans appeared on the streets near the palace. From the size of the sedans and the number of people, you can know the status of the other party.

Especially Guan Bai and other high-ranking officials, they sat in a buhu carried by eight people, and there were eight guards in front and behind, holding open fire and walking at the front.

But the biggest scene had to be Tokugawa Keiki. After all, he was the shogunate and was escorted by dozens of new shogunate troops. In addition, Shimazu Hisamitsu was escorted by dozens of Satsuma clan soldiers with black conical hats, which was not much worse than the shogunate.

A crowd of people gathered at the palace gate, clearly distinguishing themselves. When the time came, the palace door opened wide and everyone walked into the palace.

At seven o'clock in the morning, all the officials who were due to arrive were seated in Qingliang Hall.

"The Prime Minister has arrived!"

As an attendant called, Yagyu appeared in a Western tuxedo, but his hairstyle was still the same.

After he sat down, the attendant on the side continued to shout: "His Majesty the Emperor is here, Shanhu!"

Yagyu took the lead and bowed and saluted: "Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor!"

The young Emperor Meiji walked behind the curtain wearing an orange dress, sat down and said: "My dear father, please forgive me, and everyone who loves me will stay calm."

Emperor Meiji sat upright and stopped talking.

Yagyu straightened up and said: "During the period of Prime Minister's absence, a lot of things happened in Kyoto. General Tokugawa has made a request to return the great government. This suggestion is very good, and His Majesty the Emperor also agreed.

Then, please ask General Tokugawa to return the books from various places to the imperial court as soon as possible. The imperial court will fully implement the New Deal. As for the shogunate no longer being established, Lord Tokugawa will participate in the New Deal as a court official. "

Yamauchi Tang was overjoyed when he heard this. This was the plan he proposed.

But Shimazu Hisamitsu was very dissatisfied and said: "Your Majesty Prime Minister, returning the great power is just a delaying tactic for the shogunate. Now only the collapse of the curtain can allow the shogunate to return the true great power."

In fact, Tokugawa Keki did not really want the return of the great power. He had no choice but to bring this matter up before. He originally asked Yagyu to help him, but the situation still developed to the worst situation he imagined.

But Tokugawa Qingxi still said: "Shimazu Hisamitsu, don't slander others. Your false accusations will not be tolerated in front of His Majesty the Emperor!"

Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately retorted: "If the shogunate was sincere, then why did they send people to assassinate Sakamoto Ryoma? It's not because you are unwilling, so you want to kill the version that proposed the return of the big government to vent your anger."

Tokugawa Yoshiki was speechless for a moment. After all, it was indeed the Kaigumi team that did this, and what's even more damning is that Ryoma Sakamoto was not killed, and he was still in the police station.

Yagyu raised his hand and said: "Okay, no need to say more, the return of the shogunate's great government has been decided, and the cabinet will naturally urge the shogunate to hand over everything.

As for your Satsuma clan, as well as the Choshu clan, immediately withdraw all troops to the clan, and only allow necessary guard forces to stay, and the number shall not exceed 1000 people. "

Shimazu Hisamitsu was angry, clenched his fists, and said angrily: "We, the Satsuma Domain, will never withdraw our troops until we are sure that the shogunate is sincere!"

Yagyu scolded: "How dare you, Satsuma Domain wants to fight against the imperial court? Against His Majesty the Emperor!"

Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately looked at Emperor Meiji behind the curtain and shouted: "Your Majesty, we are loyal to our country. It is unjust for the Prime Minister to target us like this!"

Emperor Meiji was a little flustered, but he glanced at the calm Yagyu and said: "If the shogunate does not sincerely return the money, the imperial court will naturally send a guard division to fight against the thieves."

"what?"

Shimazu Hisamitsu's expression changed, and he lost all energy in an instant.

Yagyu said coldly: "Master Shimazu, the court has given you five days to withdraw. Please retreat."

Shimazu Hisamitsu left the palace like a zombie.

Tokugawa Yoshiki looked at Shimazu Hisamitsu leaving, then looked at Yagyu, secretly saying: Yagyu Heiyan is serious, he really wants to abolish the shogunate...

The superior Yagyu ignored the others and continued: "The imperial court will implement a new administration. The cabinet will assist His Majesty the Emperor in governing the country, and all officials of the imperial court will be incorporated into the cabinet.

Starting next year, our country will be renamed Japan. His Majesty the Emperor will be the head of state, and the cabinet will assist in handling national affairs. The specific content will be discussed by the cabinet and the constitution will be announced to the people and other countries around the world. "

This news was like a thunder, which made all the ministers unable to sit still. Shannei Tang, Songping Chunyue and several other powerful lords also hesitated to speak.

Tokugawa Yoshiki was the first to ask: "Does Prime Minister Yagyu want to comprehensively learn from Western countries?"

This time, Yagyu said without hesitation: "Yes, we will learn from Western countries and adopt a constitutional monarchy as the national government. If we want to implement the New Deal, we must return all power to the central government. Only by centralizing power can we concentrate our efforts on major things. Rapidly promote national development.”

Tokugawa Keki stared at Yagyu and asked, "Is this Prime Minister Yagyu's ambition?"

Liu Sheng said, neither humble nor arrogant, "Not bad."

"Okay, Prime Minister Yagyu is indeed a hero of a generation, I admire him." After Tokugawa Yingxi said this, he became quiet.

Yagyu understood that Tokugawa Keki still wanted to make a final struggle, but unfortunately, Tokugawa Keki had no chance of winning.

Although the court meeting dispersed, the impact had just begun. The content of the court meeting quickly spread around Kyoto with the spread of caring people.

The return of the great government has become a foregone conclusion, and the imperial court is serious about it this time!

Not only that, the Satsuma clan and the shogunate lost power at the same time. The feudal lords from all over the country watched from across the bank and discussed with their retainers how the central court would treat these vassals and so on.

In short, the streets of Kyoto are discussing things related to it.

The atmosphere in the Satsuma Domain's residence was a bit unpleasant. Everyone already knew that the imperial court ordered the Satsuma Domain to withdraw its troops within five days. Once the troops left, the Satsuma Domain would have no right to speak in Kyoto.

Omura Masujiro of the Choshu Domain said anxiously: "What else can you do? If this continues, our previous efforts will be nothing! If it doesn't work, just start a war with the Guards Division!"

Saigo Takamori shook his head and said: "If there is a war, the shogunate will also intervene."

Katsura Kogoro sighed and said, "I'm really under attack from both sides."

Everyone sighed, as if things had reached a dead end.

Okubo Toshimichi, who had been silent, said: "The imperial court must return the shogunate's power. The purpose is similar to ours, except that Prime Minister Yagyu has no intention of taking action against the Tokugawa family. In fact, the imperial court stands with us on this matter. I want to come to the shogunate." Some people are definitely hostile to the imperial court now.

I think we can talk to the shogunate, defeat the Guards Division first, drive away Yagyu Hien, and then we can fight with the shogunate again. "

Katsura Kogoro raised his head and said: "It seems possible, but will the shogunate cooperate? Even if they cooperate, will they contribute?"

Saigo Takamori smiled and said: "Just find a way to leave a clue and force them to take action."

Several people immediately discussed the details, and then asked Komatsu to come forward with a knife to discuss with the veteran Ogasawara Nagayuki.

Tokugawa Yingxi learned about this and hesitated for a long time. For the last hope, he agreed.

After the Great Court Meeting in October, the soldiers and horses of the Satsuma Domain did not retreat. Even the troops in Osaka had withdrawn and assembled on the outskirts of Kyoto. At the same time, the soldiers and horses of the Choshu Domain gathered.

At the same time, the shogunate's [-] new troops also assembled in the Toba Fushimi area.

After receiving the news, Yagyu understood that war was inevitable.

In fact, what prompted this war was England behind the Sarang and France behind the shogunate. They both liked the forces they supported to gain national power.

In order to gain a greater chance of victory for the two feudal lords and the shogunate, Parkes and Rosius put pressure on the court, demanding that the court immediately return previous debts, totaling nearly 400 million U.S. dollars in foreign debt.

Yagyu asked the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with Britain and France to slowly repay the debt and delay time.

At the same time, Yagyu also began to arrange for the [-]st Guards Division to dig trenches and set up positions outside the western city of Kyoto.The Second Konoe Division approached Fushimi District to seize a favorable position.

As for the security of the city, it is left to the police station, and the palace has a guard camp to protect the emperor's safety.

It has started to snow in Kyoto in November. It is very difficult for the soldiers to be stationed in the wild in such weather, but everyone knows that the war is about to break out, and they can only endure it until the war breaks out.

In the palace, some ministers were still trying to persuade him whether to go to war, but Yagyu never made a comment. Finally, the emperor asked: "What does Xiangfu mean?"

Yagyu, who had closed his eyes to repose, opened his eyes, and a majesty came from within. Even Meiji was a little scared.

Yagyu said in a deep voice: "This battle is to maintain the majesty of the imperial court. If the Satsuma clan is allowed to show off its power, next year's constitution and new policy will be a joke.

Everyone, let this battle tell everyone in the world that the world has changed. From now on, His Majesty the Emperor and the Cabinet will have the final say in Japan! "

Yagyu looked at Emperor Meiji and said, "Your Majesty, give the order."

Emperor Meiji saw the fighting spirit in Yagyu's eyes, and he nodded vigorously and said: "Well, I understand, let's start the war!"

Yagyu stood up immediately, walked to the door of the small imperial palace, and shouted: "Raise the banner, we are here to punish the thieves!"

"Get out!"

Yagyu took the guards with him, quickly left the palace, and then rode to the front line.

Yagyu Sheng ordered to the two division commanders and other officers: "The emperor has issued an edict, and you will quickly go out to fight against the thieves!"

"Follow the order!"

The officers immediately mounted their horses and rushed back to their positions.

Half an hour later, artillery from the Mikanomiya Shrine on the northern hill of Fushimi was the first to open fire.

The shogunate army and the Mikai group here encountered fierce artillery attacks from the official army and could only defend passively.

At the same time, the shogunate army position in Toba Street was attacked by the Infantry Regiment of the Second Guards Division.

The artillery of the Second Guards Division used Krupp breech-loading field guns, which could fire from one kilometer away. Within one minute, they fired seven rounds of artillery shells at the shogunate army's position, disrupting the shogunate army's position.

The artillery fire had not stopped yet, and the 201st and 202nd Regiments of the Second Guards Division began to advance in skirmish formation.

"Bang bang bang..."

The new imperial army armed with Dreiser's needle guns continued to approach the shogunate's position. Because the new imperial army was in a skirmish formation of three-by-three system, it was difficult for the new shogunate's army to hit anyone using Minie rifles. On the contrary, their density was The formation was hit a lot.

The screams of the wounded soldiers, coupled with the approaching new army of the imperial court, caused the morale of the new army of the shogunate to collapse and they fled. The new army of the imperial court quickly captured the first line of defense in Toba Street of the shogunate.

Then the imperial artillery began to bombard the second line of defense of the shogunate. In less than two hours, the shogunate army in Toba Street was surrounded and divided by the 201st and 202nd regiments, and finally surrendered.

On the contrary, the shogunate army and the Mikai group at the Fushimi Administrative Office persisted until night and were still fighting, but they were already in a semi-surrounded state.

Outside the west city of Kyoto, the battle between the imperial court's new army and Sacho's new army was the most intense.

In order to severely damage Sa Chang's effective strength, Yagyu asked people to use the Napoleon field artillery in stock to deceive Sa Chang's new army.

After the artillery battle between the two sides, the infantry began to engage.

The commander of the 101st regiment who was hiding in the trench shouted: "Slow down, let the commander's men get closer. Gatlin, don't fire yet, hide for me!"

At the request of the regiment leader, each unit fired at a rate of three rounds per minute to attract the two feudal lords.

Omura Masujiro observed for a long time and found that the opponent's weapons were similar to his own, so he said to Saigo Takamori: "Sir Saigo, don't worry anymore. The opponent has less than ten thousand people. Our army has the advantage. Let's march quickly!"

Saigo Takamori no longer hesitated, nodded and said: "Okay, we will launch an attack immediately."

The new army of Sa Chang, who was hiding behind sandbags to fight, heard the signal to attack. They immediately hung up their bayonets, rushed out of their positions in a swarm, and attacked the new army of the imperial court in a dense formation.

The leader of the 101st regiment was overjoyed when he saw this. He immediately shouted: "Stop it, listen to my order and shoot again!"

Soon, the enemy approached within 100 meters.

"Fire!"

The regiment leader picked up his revolver and fired a shot into the sky, and all the soldiers immediately opened fire with all their strength.

The gunner next to him immediately operated Gatling.

"Da da da…"

The suddenly intensive firepower caught Sa Chang's new army by surprise. The charging Sa Chang's new army fell on the battlefield one after another like straw.

This is completely one-sided massacre.

In less than a minute, there were hundreds of corpses on the battlefield, and the charging Sa Chang's new army were all blinded.

Omura Masujiro who was observing was so angry that he threw the telescope. Saigo Takamori's face turned pale. Choshu Domain General General Mori's confidant's lips trembled and said: "This...how can we fight like this?"

The new army of Sa Chang who had just launched a charge was quickly repelled by the terrifying firepower of the new army of the imperial court. Not only that, the new army of the imperial court directly launched a counterattack, and the rumbling sound of artillery fire sounded again. This time it was more powerful and denser than before. Sa Chang's new army was immediately in disarray.

The bombing had not stopped yet, and the new imperial army launched a full-scale counterattack towards the positions of the two armies of Sa and Chang.

"Kill!"

"Come on!"

"what!"

The soldiers of the imperial court's new army roared to dispel the fear in their hearts, rushed into the position of Sa Chang's new army and started a hand-to-hand battle. Sa Chang's new army, which had not yet recovered from the bombardment, was beaten and fled. Many Sa Chang's new army The long soldier dropped his weapon and knelt down to surrender.

"I lost..."

Seeing this result, Maori's cronies and others immediately led the remaining soldiers to flee, and Saigo Takamori and others had no choice but to admit defeat.

In the Battle of Kyoto, as night fell, only the shogunate army and the Mikai group at the Fushimi Administrative Office were still resisting.

As for Tokugawa Keiki, after learning that Toba's shogunate army was defeated as early as the morning, he escaped on the shogunate's steam warship, and the imperial navy did not stop him.

With the defeat of the two Sasho clans, the new army of the imperial court stormed the execution office at night, and the shogunate army surrendered. Seeing that the leader of the return group, Sasaki Gosaburo, was killed in the battle, the rest surrendered.

(End of this chapter)