I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 169: Naming and welcoming Princess Mary

Emperor Meiji looked at thousands of soldiers shouting together. Even though his temper was relatively weak, in this environment, his heart was full of passion.

He raised a hand and waved to the soldiers.

Not only Emperor Meiji was excited, but Yagyu behind him was also a little excited. I ask a real man, who doesn't have a dream of becoming a general?

A real man will feel excited when he sees this kind of scene.

A carriage pulled by eight white horses slowly passed in front of the military formation. Japanese and foreign reporters on one side of the high platform took photos to record this moment.

A few minutes later, the carriage arrived at the foot of the high platform, and Yagyu and Emperor Meiji boarded the high platform together. There was a fixed copper horn in the center of the platform.

Yagyu took the lead to step forward and delivered a speech: “Dear guests, fellow officers and men, we are gathered together today for this grand event to witness the new starting point of our navy.

Our country is an island, hanging alone in the vast ocean. Since 16 years ago, the American General Perry led the black ship to open our country. Due to the decadence and cowardice of the shogunate, the turmoil of civil war and violence, our country has been in turmoil.

Thanks to the wisdom of the late Emperor, who did not regard me as a despicable person, he simply stayed in his humble state and implemented reforms. It has been nearly four years since the country took on a new look, and it defeated the navies of the Netherlands and Spain, making it famous far and wide.

Today, the Navy will add two new armored ships, and His Majesty the Emperor will personally name them. This is the honor of the Navy. I hope you will not disappoint the expectations of the country and His Majesty the Emperor! "

After Yagyu finished speaking, he stepped aside and gave up his position to Emperor Meiji, who applauded and welcomed him.

The soldiers below applauded together, and the applause was like thunder in an instant.

Emperor Meiji took a deep breath, stepped forward and said loudly: "Gentlemen, the current situation is that the navy is the first line of defense against foreign enemies. In the naval battle at the beginning of the year, if the navy officers did not fight to the death to kill the enemy, our country will never be able to turn around.

The Shikamaru, from the captain down, looked down upon death and crashed into enemy ships. This is a story worth remembering!

One of the two new armored ships joining the Navy will be named Shikamaru. I hope the new ship can inherit the spirit of Shikamaru, continue to shed blood and sacrifice for Japan, and live up to the expectations of the people! "

The new ship Shikamaru is captained by Tsugawa Kaibei. When Shannan Keisuke was the Navy Minister, he served as Shannan Keisuke's naval assistant. He also accompanied Yagyu in the previous battle and was one of his own.

After Emperor Meiji decided on the name of the first warship, he also said something and named the second warship the Carolini, with Takehiro Enomoto as the captain.

After all, these two battleships were going to Europe to welcome Princess Mary, so they chose her surname as the name of the battleships to show the sincerity of Emperor Meiji.

As for why Yagyu didn’t arrange Ryoma Sakamoto?This is naturally because he plans to let Sakamoto Ryoma take charge of the new main battleship as a balance beam within the navy's strength to prevent his direct lineage from fighting with the old officials of the shogunate.

This is also the reason why he will transfer Shannan Keisuke. He needs to control the power of the army and at the same time suppress the problems that arise in the navy.

The best way is to transfer Shannan Keisuke and arrange neutral faction Ryoma Sakamoto.

Sakamoto Ryoma is an idealist who is dedicated to serving the public good. With him in the Navy Department, there is no need to worry about conflicts. This person can fool others into being stunned by his mouth.

Perhaps it is precisely because of Ryoma's character that he can gain the trust of others.

The naming ceremony ended soon, but those Western reporters wanted to ask Yagyu some questions, but Yagyu avoided the important and took the easy, and did not fall into the other party's question trap.

Seeing that his plan failed, the Western reporter made an excuse to take photos of the warship. Naturally, Yagyu refused, but he asked Kyoto Daily News reporter Genichiro Fukuchi to take a photo of the new warship as a headline picture.

Although I took a photo of the new warship, the distance of the photo was a bit far. You can see the whole picture of the warship, but the details are blurry. This photo can show the ferocity of the new warship without revealing the details, which is perfect.

As Yagyu and the Emperor returned to Kyoto, the headlines about the new warships appeared in the daily newspapers and were heard by the people of Kyoto and Osaka. The citizens knew that the navy had two more warships of more than 3000 tons, and they took to the streets to celebrate.

The daily also mentioned: "Japan will independently build a new ironclad ship with a displacement of more than [-] tons!"

This is heavy news, especially for the three countries of Britain, France and the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a small country. Especially after competing with the United Kingdom in the [-]th century, it gradually declined. At the beginning of this century, it was ravaged by Napoleon. In addition, at the beginning of the year , the Far East Fleet suffered heavy losses.

Now that Japan has added two new warships of more than [-] tons, their fleet in Dutch India is no match for the Japanese navy.

As for the Spanish fleet, it is no match for the Netherlands at all now. The destruction of the few broken ships in Spain was a waste of other people's artillery shells.

Van Pols hurriedly found Parkes and asked: "Mr. Parkes, Japan is so ambitious. We have to guard against it."

Parkes remained calm and said helplessly: "Mr. Van Bols, what are you worried about? Our British Empire is already the strongest in the world. There is no need to be afraid of Japan."

Van Bols said anxiously: "Mr. Parkes, we in the Netherlands have been in contact with Japan for almost 300 years. We know very well that these people are a group of hypocrites, who think one thing on the surface but another behind the scenes.

I have learned about the history of Japan. 1000 years ago, Japan learned advanced civilization from a perished dynasty on the land of the Qing Dynasty. In this way, 700 years have passed.

300 years ago, a man named Toyotomi Hideyoshi coveted the land of the former Qing Dynasty and attacked North Korea, but was defeated by the Eastern power.

It can be seen from this incident that the Japanese are ambitious. Once they become stronger, they will inevitably become enemies of England. It is better to deal with Yagyu Hiyan first. "

Parkes was a little helpless and said: "I know what you mean, but the Parliament does not agree at all to send the Far East Fleet to go to war with Japan."

Fein Bolsi was a little bit off guard and asked helplessly: "Why?"

Parkes looked at him like an idiot and said, "Why else? Mr. Van Pols, for us, making money is the most important thing.

Even if the Far East Fleet defeated the Japanese navy and marched straight in, even if the opponent's navy was annihilated, there was still an army on land. Our country still doesn't know how much it will cost to pacify Japan.

Mr. Van Boers, I think you are scared out of your wits by Yagyu Heiyan and are a little confused. Even if Japan's navy becomes stronger, he cannot attack you at will. Don't worry. "

Parkes was very relaxed. This was his confidence as an official of the British Empire. In his opinion, the current Japanese navy was vulnerable to Britain and France. The Netherlands was the younger brother supported by the British. As long as the British did not fall, he was sure that Yagyu would not be defeated. Dare to reach out to the Netherlands, otherwise the British gentlemen must let Yagyu know what it means to be an empire on which the sun never sets.Van Pols watched the confident Parkes calm down. After a while, his face showed joy and said: "Mr. Parkes, I understand. I was confused just now."

He also realized what Parkes meant when he said these words. Since there was no danger, Van Bols breathed a sigh of relief.

Japan's ability to build warships of more than 3000 tons is also something worth noting to Boatman in the United States. If Japan builds a battleship of more than [-] tons, it will impress Boatman.

However, the most important thing recently is that Emperor Meiji has set a wedding date with Princess Mary of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Botman knows that Japan's strength is rising, and perhaps Japan and the United States will establish diplomatic relations as equals in the future.

In fact, the naming ceremony was a farewell meeting for Emperor Meiji to bid farewell to the two warships.

The day after the Shikamaru and Katsumaru were named, they organized a fleet and headed for Europe.

This wedding fleet consists of a total of 23 ships, including [-] warships such as Jiazi and Tianlong, and ten steam transport ships, which carry supplies and Japan's betrothal gift to the Grand Duchy of Hessen.

These betrothal gifts include exquisite specialties from all over Japan, such as Japanese paper, lacquerware, tachi produced by famous artists, armor, etc.

In addition, there were silks, porcelain, etc. purchased from the Qing Dynasty that were specially supplied to the royal family.

The total value of such a batch of betrothal gifts is as high as 360 million yen, equivalent to 20 pounds.

This data is no longer cheap, equivalent to the price of an ironclad ship of about 1865 tons built by Britain around [-].

The wedding fleet was reorganized in Osaka. The fleet set off from Osaka and sailed along the four outer seas of Japan to Kyushu and then transferred to the seaport of Ryukyu. After replenishing a batch of supplies, it went to Hainan to rest.

Then it went south into the Nanyang. It was more dangerous at this stage. Who knew whether France would use tricks to ambush the wedding fleet?
As the commander-in-chief of the wedding fleet, Takehiro Enomoto did not want to avoid the French warships. Tsugawa Kaibei did not know Takehiro Enomoto's thoughts. He said directly: "The Prime Minister has already fought a war with France before. Although it was a tragic victory, But it also showed the majesty of our country.

Although we shoulder the heavy responsibility of welcoming His Majesty the Emperor, we also have the heavy responsibility of protecting the dignity of the country. Enomoto-sama, we must not show our cowardice! "

Takehiro Enomoto thought about it carefully and realized that what Tsugawa Kaibei said made sense. Once the French discovered that they were avoiding French warships, it would only make the French feel easy to bully.

The reputation that the Navy has finally built up will be lost in one day, so they must not be afraid!
Enomoto Takeyang nodded and said: "I understand. Mr. Tsugawa is right. We must not show our cowardice. Tell everyone to brace themselves, be prepared for possible enemies, and sail according to the original planned route!"

The wedding fleet sailed along the side of the South China Sea close to the Vietnamese waters, which happened to be the area where the French navy sailed.

One day later, the wedding fleet came out of the waters between the six southern provinces of Vietnam and Dutch India, and happened to encounter a French warship and three Dutch warships.

The two sides are relatively far apart, and only the small figure can be seen through the telescope.

Tsugawa Kaibei immediately ordered the flag bearer to ask the flagship Carolini for tactical guidance.

On the flagship, Enomoto Takehi looked at the map drawn on the drawing, and the staff officer on the side said: "The French warship is about four nautical miles away from our fleet, and the three Dutch warships are three nautical miles away from our fleet.

Enomoto-sama, if the two sides want to be disadvantageous to our army, they should advance at full speed at this time to leave the enemy behind and avoid being attacked from both sides. "

Enomoto Takehi groped his chin, then shook his head and said: "No, speeding up at this time makes our army timid. Tell each ship to be on guard first, and for the rest, let's see what the other side does."

On the French warship, the French captain had also discovered Japan's wedding fleet. He was surprised and said: "That is Japan's fleet heading to Europe. The first two are new warships they built independently. They look weird."

The staff officer on the side said: "Mr. Captain, the opponent's artillery layout is different from ours, and it seems that the number of artillery is not large. I am afraid that the firepower is insufficient. Why don't we find an opportunity to attack this fleet?"

The French captain was a little hesitant. He knew how the French warship was sunk before. If he made the other party anxious and the Japanese launched a suicide attack again, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

Not only the French captain hesitated, but the three Dutch warships were a little frightened. Although they also knew that the Japanese fleet was going to Europe and passed through their colonial waters, the Governor of Dutch India was worried that this was an excuse.

Therefore, the governor asked the remaining Dutch fleet to sail in the nearby waters to guard against the sudden appearance of the Japanese fleet.

Now the three parties do not dare to act rashly. The French warships and the three Dutch warships keep a distance from the Japanese fleet and monitor all the way.

Enomoto Takehi watched for nearly an hour and found that the French and Dutch warships on the north and south sides were only observing from a distance and not approaching. He immediately laughed and said: "Hahaha, we are really scaring ourselves. You see, this is clearly because the other side is afraid of us. ah!"

The other naval officers also saw the clues and laughed out loud.

"It must be because we hurt them last time, and they know they are afraid!"

"These Westerners are so invincible."

"When we also have big guns and ships, we will drive away the Westerners here!"

Enomoto Takeyang smiled crookedly and said: "Everyone, please don't slack off, we will definitely have this day!"

On the Carolini, Genichiro Fukuchi is setting up a camera. He will follow the fleet to Europe and will take pictures of the scenery along the way. This is specially arranged by Yagyu. He plans to compile these photos into a book so that the people can have a clearer understanding of overseas affairs. world.

The officer on the side said: "Genichiro, did you see that? It's a French warship. Take a photo of it and write a report when you get back. The French warships are afraid of the reputation of our Japanese fleet, so they can only watch from a distance and dare not get close. "

Genichiro Fukuchi was surprised: "Isn't this too humiliating to France?"

The officer smiled and said: "Maybe, don't worry about this. After taking pictures of the French warships, you still have to take pictures of the Dutch warships."

Genichiro Fukuchi did not expect that there would be warships from both countries monitoring the fleet. He followed the officer's instructions and took photos of several warships. The distance was a bit far away and only small figures could be seen.

(End of this chapter)