I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 137: Power returned to Kyoto, the First Congress

The defeat of the shogunate and Sasho clan was too quick. In just one day, both of them were defeated. The Yodo clan and other vassals near Kyoto did not dare to accept the shogunate's defeated troops, and the shogunate's defeated troops retreated to Osaka.

Yagyu ignored the shogunate. He took the lead in targeting the two Sacho clans. The [-]st Guards Division pursued the two clans all the way to the Choshu clan. Maori Jinqin also wanted to defend the city.

However, the cabinet sent an envoy into the city to persuade them to surrender. The envoy said to Maori Jingqin: "Now that Choshu will hand over the principal criminal, return the feudal lord's title, and hand over control of the army to the cabinet, then the Maori family can be forgiven and treated like a count. ."

After some deliberation, Mouri Keuchi and his son decided to surrender to the cabinet, and handed over Omura Masujiro, a close confidant of Mouri, to the cabinet, and the Choshu domain was abolished and established as a county.

The Choshu clan quickly surrendered, and the new army was confiscated by the official army and temporarily detained.

The [-]st Guards Division continued to march towards the Satsuma Domain. The feudal states along the way only dared to wait and see and did not dare to intervene.

At this time, the Satsuma Domain had lost most of its troops and had less than [-] remaining soldiers for defense.

Facing the menacing officers and soldiers, Shimazu and his son also decided to follow the example of the Choshu Mori family and surrender.

As soon as the envoy arrived, the Shimazu and his son agreed to the cabinet's conditions. Like the Maori family, Komatsu and Saigo Takamori would be escorted to Kyoto, and the Shimazu family's crimes were pardoned.

The Satsuma Domain will abolish the feudal domain and establish prefectures, return the official status, and the remaining military and naval warships will also be handed over to the cabinet for processing.

The Satsuma clan surrendered and was deposed, and the princes of the world were shocked. They did not expect the Satsuma clan to stir up trouble. The Choshu clan, which defeated the shogunate, was suppressed by the cabinet. Coupled with the shogunate's disastrous defeat, many feudal lords were uneasy.

When Mori Kaiki and his son and Shimazu Hisamitsu and his son entered the capital again, Komatsu brought a knife, Saigo Takamori and others carried out public executions in Sanjo Kawara, the vassal states near Kyoto trembled and came to the capital to pay homage to the emperor.

When the vassal was deposed, the British ambassador, Pasha Li, cursed loudly. Things changed so fast that he had no time to arrange the situation. The matter was over and he had no excuse to intervene.

Now he can only hope that the French-supported shogunate can persist for a while, and he intends to seize the time to negotiate with Rosius to gain some benefits.

However, Yagyu didn't want to give other countries a chance to intervene, so he solved the problem of Sacho in the [-]st Konoe Division. The [-]nd Konoe Division set off from Kyoto and marched towards Omi Country.

Follow the route via Mino, Owari, and Tokaido to fight towards Edo.

At the same time, the navy will also go to war, escort along the way, and attack the shogunate navy by the way, completely annihilating the shogunate's power and cutting off Tokugawa's hope of celebration.

As soon as the Second Konoe Division entered Omi Kingdom, the Hikogen clan surrendered directly, submitted to the cabinet, and the lord of the clan entered the capital.

With the surrender of the Hikone Domain, other vassals no longer resisted, and even the Gosan clan like the Owari Domain showed no sign of resistance.

Only Kuwana Domain Castle in Ise Province resisted. Domain lord Matsudaira Sadaki led the remaining soldiers to harass the [-]nd Konoe Division, and was subsequently defeated and surrendered.

Matsudaira Sadaki saluted Edo in the east from Kuwana Castle and said: "Shogun, I have tried my best."

The Kuwana clan surrendered, and Matsudaira Sadaki was escorted back to Kyoto and imprisoned.

Subsequently, the Second Guards Division encountered no resistance and marched all the way into the vicinity of Edo Castle.

At this moment, the people of Edo lost their mood to celebrate the New Year and took refuge in their homes.

Tokugawa Yingxi learned that the cabinet officers and soldiers had arrived near Edo Castle. Knowing that he had no chance of winning, he planned to surrender.

In fact, Yagyu gave Tokugawa Kei a step up.

Although the naval commander who came to attack the shogunate was Shannan Keisuke, he was actually accompanied by Katsu Kaishu and Sakamoto Ryoma.

Katsu Kaishu smiled and said: "Looking at the state of Edo, the war should be over soon."

He took Ryoma Sakamoto with him, and the two of them arrived outside Edo Castle, and were then introduced into the imperial palace.

Tokugawa Kexi was a little happy to see Katsu Kaishu, but he suppressed his feelings and kept a straight face.

When Ogasawara Nagayuki saw Katsu Kaishu, he angrily shouted: "Traitor, you still have the nerve to come see the general!"

Katsu Kaishu ignored Ogasawara Nagayuki and said directly: "If the shogunate continues to confront the cabinet now, it will be charged with rebelling. Lord Shogun, Prime Minister Yagyu does not want to eliminate the Tokugawa family. Since the cabinet can forgive the two Shoguns, The feudal lord can also forgive the Tokugawa family.

As long as the shogun surrenders and makes meritorious service, the Tokugawa family can still have a place in Japan. shogun, this is the best ending. "

Tokugawa gave a sigh of relief and said: "If things have reached this point, if I continue to go forward and let the Tokugawa family be charged with committing crimes against the enemy in my hands, then how will I go to see Lord Kami after I die? That's all, I am willing to surrender. "

Katsu Kaishu continued: "Shogun, you still need to hand over a worthy person to bear all the blame, so that you can give an explanation to His Majesty the Emperor."

Several ministers looked at Ogasawara Nagayuki. Ogasawara Nagayuki's expression changed, and he looked at the superior Tokugawa Keiki. Seeing Tokugawa Keiki's sad look, he could only salute and said: "All the blame lies with me and the general. It has nothing to do with adults!”

At this point, Katsu Kaishu hadn't stopped yet. He continued: "The shogunate will hand over all the information to the country. The cabinet will divide the states and counties and hand over the army. In this way, the Tokugawa family can obtain the title of Duke."

Tokugawa Qingxi was silent for a moment, then nodded and said: "Okay."

As Tokugawa Yoshiki came out of the city in white clothes and surrendered, Edo opened the city without blood. Seeing this, the nearby vassal states all submitted to the cabinet.

Contrary to history, the Northeastern vassals did not raise troops to resist, and the cabinet accepted the submission of each vassal with gentle methods.

Although the world has stabilized, the next reforms are likely to trigger a second round of turmoil, and Yagyu has been mentally prepared.

Now it is January 1868, the second year of the Meiji period. The cabinet declared that Japan is a constitutional monarchy, and the emperor is the "supreme leader" of the head of state, the supreme judicial officer and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Formally, it has the power to appoint and remove the prime minister, ministers, senior judges, military officers, diplomats and senior clergy, etc. It also has the power to convene, stop and dissolve parliament, approve laws, declare war and make peace, and at the same time represents the image and quality of Japan.

But the real power lies with the cabinet.

The Diet is the highest judicial and legislative body, consisting of the Emperor, the Upper House, and the Lower House.

The House of Lords (House of Nobles) consists of royal descendants, hereditary nobles, newly created nobles, and judges of the Court of Appeal.

Clergy are not allowed to participate in politics.

Non-political appointments to the House of Lords will be recommended by a dedicated royal commission.

The House of Commons is also called the House of Commons. Members are elected by universal suffrage and adopt a first-past-the-post electoral system for a five-year term. However, the government can decide to hold an early election.

The government implements a cabinet system, in which the emperor appoints the leader of the political party that wins the majority of seats in the parliamentary election to serve as prime minister and form a cabinet, responsible to the parliament.

However, there is only one party in Japan, which is a one-party dictatorship, and the leader of the party automatically becomes the candidate for prime minister.The cabinet, which had been prepared for a long time, then promulgated Japan's first constitution. Many of the contents were copied from the regulations of Western countries, but Yagyu also modified some to make it suitable for the country.

The promulgation of the Constitution, coupled with the surrender of the shogunate, officially returned the power of the world to the emperor and the cabinet.

But this is only the beginning.

There are still a large number of vassal states in Japan that have not been abolished, and those lords who have abolished vassals also need to be dealt with properly.

The most important thing is the handling of the samurai class.

Eliminating the samurai class is what Yagyu must do. The samurai class is the remnant of the shogunate's power and must be eliminated.

And Yagyu didn't plan to waste too much time dealing with the samurai's problem.

Regarding the issue of the samurai class, Yagyu drafted several legal provisions and submitted them to the parliament.

Japan officially held its first parliament.

The speaker is Prince Asahiko of the imperial family. Because Tokugawa Yoshiki finally went to war with the imperial court, Yagyu vetoed the position of speaker.

Tokugawa Keiki is now a member of the Wuzhou Assembly and also the cabinet minister of foreign affairs. Yagyu attaches great importance to Tokugawa Keiki's political skills. Having him communicate with Western countries will definitely lighten his burden.

Other members of the council include Nijo Saitaka, Iwakura Tomoshi and other ministers, Matsudaira Harugaku, Yamauchido and other feudal lords, Kido Takayoshi, Okubo Toshimichi and other samurai.

In addition, Emperor Meiji also attended the parliament. Regarding the bill, the emperor had the right to veto and the right to approve. However, if the majority of members proposed a second meeting and the majority passed it, the emperor could not oppose the bill.

The Congress was held in the Qingliang Hall of the Imperial Palace, which was transformed into something similar to the Western Upper House. Emperor Meiji moved to the Eastern Imperial Palace.

At seven o'clock in the morning, a member of the House of Representatives had arrived at the House of Lords. Everyone was seated according to the rank of the prince and uncle. People like Kido Takayun, Okubo Toshimichi, Takeda Kanryusai, Ogata Shuntaro, Katsu Kaishu and others could only sit in those seats. Behind the Viscount MP.

A few minutes after everyone sat down, Prince Yagyu and Prince Asahiko walked in and sat on either side of the table. Finally, Emperor Meiji appeared in a suit and sat at the highest position.

Prince Asahiko struck with a wooden hammer and said: "Gentlemen, the first parliament has been officially held! Now let's ask Prime Minister Yagyu to propose a bill."

Yagyu, who was also wearing a tuxedo, picked up the document and stood up and said: "Everyone, today's bill is to deal with the issues left after the abolition of the shogunate. First, how to deal with the samurai."

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Yagyu, and some people were even surprised.

Yagyu did not explain. He continued: "In the past, samurai were supported by the feudal lord and the shogunate. They fought for the feudal lord and the shogunate. But now that the shogunate system has been abolished, the samurai should also be abolished."

Kido Takayun was the first to stand up and retort: ​​"How is this possible? I have been waiting for samurai for hundreds of years!"

Aritomo Yamagata also spoke fiercely: "This move will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the samurai, and the newly settled Japan will inevitably trigger riots! Prime Minister, think twice!"

"Yes, Prime Minister, this is too rash."

"Think twice, Prime Minister!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor, I firmly oppose this bill!"

Prince Asahiko immediately hit the wooden hammer and shouted: "Quiet, listen to Prime Minister Yagyu."

Everyone calmed down and looked at Yagyu.

However, Yagyu didn't panic at all. He said in a serious tone: "Samurai will only serve the feudal lord and have no national concept. Moreover, the defeat of the shogunate shows that the samurai are no longer as good at fighting as they used to be.

The country will not support a bunch of incompetent warriors, abolish the previous samurai, and create new honorary samurai. Only those who contribute to the country can become samurai in the new era.

As for the previous warrior class, as long as they passed the national examination, they could become honorary warriors and serve the country. "

Ogata Shuntaro and others immediately shouted: "Yes, what are you raising a bunch of useless trash for?"

Takeda Kanryusai also shouted: "National reform requires money. Where can we get so much money to support them? The capable will be promoted and the mediocre will be demoted!"

Tokugawa stood up and asked: "Prime Minister, what if the samurai riot?"

Yagyu put down the document, looked at Tokugawa Qingxi, and said without a trace of emotion: "Wherever there is a riot, the Guards Division will go to suppress the rebellion, and these people can be sent to Hokkaido and Alaska to develop."

Tokugawa Yingxi was horrified and said: "Prime Minister, this is too cruel!"

Yagyu looked around at the crowd, and then said with a stern voice: "We don't have time to waste any more time. We must get rid of all the stones blocking the road to reform. Gods who stand in the way will kill gods, and Buddhas who stand in the way will kill Buddha!"

Everyone was frightened when they saw Yagyu's murderous words.

Everyone still remembers that the Guards Division was killing everyone. At this time, if you oppose Yagyu Heiyan, you are afraid that you will be used as a target and kill the chicken to show the monkey. No one wants to be the chicken.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Prince Chaoyan said: "Now please show your hands to vote. Those who agree will raise their hands."

As Yagyu raised his hand, the members of the cabinet raised their hands in agreement. Nijou respected him, and Prince Asahiko also favored Yagyu. Among the other feudal lords, Matsudaira Harugaku and several others also raised their hands in agreement.

"Hands up if you disagree."

Tokugawa Yingxi said directly: "I abstain."

"I also abstain..."

Those who did not raise their hands in favor abstained, and only Shimazu Hisamitsu and Mori Nori himself raised objections.

Prince Asahiko said: "45 votes were in favor, [-] abstained, and two were against."

He tilted his head to look at Meiji above and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you think of the bill?"

Emperor Meiji nodded and said, "I agree."

Prince Chaoyan immediately announced: "The bill is passed!"

This motion was passed not only because of Yagyu's strength, but also because the honorary warriors proposed by Yagyu safeguarded the interests of everyone present. As for the group of people whose status as warriors were abolished, they were of little use to everyone present, so Naturally, no one dared to fight Liu Sheng to death.

(End of this chapter)