I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 222 Best-selling products, changing lives

As the news spread that the power company's new product was praised by the emperor, Ohara Shigenori and others immediately found Iwakura Tomoshi.

"Lord Iwakura, has His Majesty the Emperor really seen the new product of the state-owned electric power company?"

Iwakura Tomoshi said undeniably: "It is indeed the case. The day before yesterday, Yagyu Kigeon brought Mouri Koichiro from the electric power company into the palace. Yagyu Kigeon paid great attention to this thing. All the irrelevant people who were in the palace at that time went out."

Genda Yongfu frowned and said: "Looking at the situation, Yagyu Heiyan attaches great importance to this thing. We have to figure out what this thing is, and then..."

Iwakura Tomoshi immediately stopped him and said, "Lord Motoda, have you forgotten what happened to Shimazu and Eto?"

He said with a stern tone: "I'll say it again, our actions must not be directed against Yagyu Heiyan!"

Motoda Eifu hurriedly explained: "Lord Iwakura, I don't want to deal with Yagyu Hiyan directly, I just feel that Yagyu Hiyan has many enemies, not just us.

If we know the products that the electric power company wants to display and tell others about them, we can also destroy Yagyu Heiyan's arrangement. "

Ohara Shigenori agreed: "What a good idea. Then no one will know it was us."

But Iwakura Tomomi still shook his head and said: "We want to detect the power company's products, and there may be clues left behind, so it's better not to get involved."

Ohara Shigenori was dissatisfied with Iwakura Tomomi's cautiousness. After leaving Iwakura's mansion, he said to Motoda Eifu: "Iwakura-sama was frightened out of his courage by Yagyu Kige. I think we can do it secretly."

Motoda Eifu rolled his eyes, shook his head quickly and said: "I think Lord Iwakura's concerns are reasonable. Lord Ohara, you have also suffered a lot at the hands of Yagyu Higen, so I think it's better to forget it."

Ohara Shigetoku's gums itched and his face turned livid. He said with an angry look on his face: "Hmph, you cowards, I dare to do what you cowards don't dare to do, huh!"

Ohara Shigetori stamped his foot and left quickly.

Genda Yongfu looked at Ohara Shigenori who turned away angrily, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and murmured to himself: "A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist, so I can only wrong you, Ohara-sama."

Ohara Shigenori didn't know that he had fallen into Motoda Eifu's provocation. He returned to his mansion and immediately called his retainers to ask him to arrange for people to explore new products produced by the electric power company's factory.

Ohara's retainer immediately found the former villain. He gave the man a sum of money and asked him to find out the information.

The evil party took the money and asked several brothers to go to the electric power company's factory. Before they even got close to the factory, they were controlled by several secret police.

The evil party had seen the secret police when they were cracking down on crime, and they immediately knelt down and told them everything about how Ohara's retainers bribed him.

The secret police took these people away and handed the information to the headquarters.

"What kind of tricks is this old guy Shigenori Ohara doing?"

Yagyu looked at the information submitted by Isamu Kondo and felt speechless for a while. He cast the net and caught a stupid fish.

He had heard about Ohara Shigenori for a long time. He was very dissatisfied with him during the reign of Emperor Xiaoming and criticized him several times. By Meiji, he was still the same as before, thinking of ways to slander and make false accusations.

Now, he stopped talking and started taking action. However, he failed just at the beginning.

Okay, okay, this old guy is really persistent.

"Go and find out who Ohara Shigenori is with these days."

Kondo Isamu immediately said: "Prime Minister, this matter has been investigated. Ohara Shigenori has had many contacts since Iwakura Tomomi returned.

Before he sent someone to the factory to inquire about it, he went to Iwakura Tomoshi's mansion. When he came out, he and Motoda Eifu broke up on bad terms. "

"Iwakura Tomoshi...Motoda Eifu..."

Yagyu recited the names of these two people, and then said: "Then keep an eye on Iwakura Tomomi and Motoda Eifu. Maybe these two people use Ohara Shigetoku as their spearmen."

"Keep watching over at the factory and wait to see if any fish are hooked."

"I understand."

Kondo Isamu bowed slightly and then withdrew.

The Ohara Shigenori incident was just a small episode. In this matter, most people were mainly waiting to see the joke. In their view, the leaflet was just exaggerated propaganda and just a gimmick.

Isn’t it a joke that mortals have the power of gods?

The popularity of new products from power companies is still not as high as the House of Commons elections.

Time flew by and the day came when the power company’s new products were showcased.

The electric power company was established on Sanjo Avenue. The building was a combination of Japanese and Western styles, with a height of four floors.

Banners have been hung above the fourth floor, and promotional banners are also hung on both sides.

On the wide field outside the gate, employees of the power company are building a high platform.

Citizens who had already known the news gathered smartly after get off work. In less than half an hour, the high platform was surrounded by three circles inside and three outside.

Mouri Koichiro saw that the sky was getting dark and the time was almost up. He took two deep breaths to relieve the tension in his heart. After a minute, he stepped onto the high platform resolutely.

The onlookers saw someone walking up to the high platform, and the sound of discussion instantly enveloped the venue.

Mouri Koichiro shouted with a copper trumpet: "Everyone, be quiet and listen to me!"

After Koichiro Mouri reminded him many times, the citizens below calmed down and looked at the things on the high platform.

Koichiro Mouri adjusted his mood, and then shouted: "Everyone, our ancestors' way of life has always been to work at sunrise and rest at sunset. We don't light oil lamps at night if we can.

Oil lamps are not only expensive, but they also pose a risk of fire. Even lanterns have such concerns.

For thousands of years, we have been unable to do anything about it.

But there was a foreigner who discovered a power similar to thunder and lightning. Now, the foreigner has built such a machine that can generate electricity! "

When the citizens heard this, they immediately exploded.

What the hell? Have foreigners mastered electricity?

"I just said why foreigners are so powerful, it turns out they have mastered the power of gods."

"Then we in Japan are even more powerful. The Prime Minister led us to defeat the foreigners!"

"You know nothing. There are many kinds of foreigners. Who knows what kind of foreigners have mastered electronar."

The citizens discussed enthusiastically, and their voices directly drowned out Koichiro Mouri.

But the speech was only halfway through, and it wasn’t finished yet!

Mouri Koichiro shouted hurriedly: "Everyone, be quiet, don't be anxious, wait until I finish!"

The citizens who were still discussing gradually became quiet after hearing the shouts of Koichiro Mori and other power company employees.

Koichiro Mouri quickly shouted: "Everyone, although foreigners have mastered electricity, they have still rarely used it. After our Japanese craftsmen learned about it, they quickly discovered the use of electricity. In our new products, will show this.

Everyone, please open your eyes wide and get ready to see the next miracle! "

At this time, the sky gradually became dark, the moon was still hidden among the clouds, and the surroundings of the high platform were somewhat invisible. However, after Mouri Koichiro shouted a miracle, an employee below pulled down the gate.

"Weng buzz!"

The generator buzzed like crazy.

The next second, the sky seemed to brighten around the platform, and light bulbs lit up, illuminating the area around the platform and both sides of the street.

"What's wrong? The sun is out again?"

"Spell, it must be a spell!"

"What the hell is this? It's so dazzling!"

This sudden scene overwhelmed the citizens around the platform. They had never seen such a scene before. Even the British businessmen who were staring at the joke from a distance were stunned on the spot.

They had to say that this thing has never been seen in Europe. So many light bulbs are connected together and light up together. From a distance, this piece of light looks like a lump of sun.

Mouri Koichiro looked at the shocked, confused, and even frightened citizens. He immediately shouted: "Citizens, this is a miracle. The power company's new product can bring light to the night, the safest light!"

“For only three yen, you can buy one and take it home!”

Many people below were moved, but some smart people asked: "This thing requires electricity. We are only mortals and cannot control electricity."

Koichiro Mouri immediately said: "Don't worry, our power company will build a power plant and pull up wires, and then we will pull out wires for residents who have purchased electric lights.

Of course, you have to pay for electricity. We have instruments to record the electricity used. One unit of electricity can be used for several hours and costs only 5 cents, which is cheaper than candles and oil lamps! "

Although citizens don't know much about power plants, wires, and meters, they are very excited about the unit price of electricity.

As Koichiro Mori said, using oil lamps is very expensive, and the brightness is not as bright as electric lamps. At the same time, you have to be careful not to cause a fire.

As for candles and lanterns, they are not even comparable to oil lamps, let alone electric lamps.

Among the crowd, there happened to be someone who was the owner of the Girl's House in Huajie. The Girl's House needs to be open late and requires long-term lighting at night. Candles and oil lamps are very unsafe. It would be much more convenient if electric lights were replaced. You can also save some money.

"I want to buy ten!"

The owner of Younu House waved his hand, and there was no shortage of money at all.

Mouri Koichiro was stunned for a moment. The person below was not the one he arranged.

But the first business is here!

He immediately replied: "Our electric lamps are also cheap, only 30 cents each. If this customer buys ten, we will give them a 20% discount, only 2.4 yuan!"

It just so happened that another owner of the Younu House saw his competitor buying it. Not to be outdone, he wanted to buy twenty of them!

Although this time is a good time for Yumeya to open, new products have appeared in Kyoto, and if Yumeya does not have them, the price will be very low, especially if the Yumeya next door has it but not at our own, customers will have to ask for it. Went to the one next door.

It's just that they didn't expect that this new product was a bit shocking.

As the owners of Younu House competed to buy them, some wealthy citizens also bought a few.

In just half an hour, the power company's 3,000 electric lights on site were bought out.

Koichiro Mouri quickly reassured those customers who had not bought anything: "Don't worry, our factory is already producing, and there are still 10,000 in the factory warehouse. They will be shipped to you immediately!"

The electric power company's lamps suddenly became a best-selling item in Kyoto, and the supply began to exceed demand the next day.

Newspapers followed suit with great publicity.

"Electric light, an epoch-making product that has changed thousands of years of living habits!" 》

"Shock! Not only did we master electricity, but we also mastered light! 》

"We have discovered areas that have not been discovered by Europeans!" 》

This eye-catching headline attracted countless Kyoto citizens.

The citizens commented one after another: "Is this electric light so powerful?"

"That's amazing. I was there last night, and it was as bright as the sun. I couldn't even open my eyes."

"It's not expensive. I'll buy one to try."

The sales volume of electric lights increased due to the publicity in newspapers. At the same time, the stocks of electric power companies also rose along with the trend.

The power company's new product is a great success, and Yagyu, who is leading the matter, once again makes others tremble.

In the British Chamber of Commerce, a group of British businessmen directly broke through the defense.

"Damn thief, Japan is a thief, they didn't invent the electric light at all!"

"It's just, it's so abominable, the electric light belongs to us British!"

"Damn it, even the theory of generators was discovered by our British scientists!"

Several British businessmen were furious, slapping newspapers and shouting curses.

It's been a long time since the British have been so angry!

“We must let the state take action!”

"Yes, we want Japan to return its technology to us!"

"Let's go to the embassy now."

A group of people went directly to the British Embassy to complain to the British Ambassador.

Parkes had a headache about this, but he still had to listen carefully to the merchants' appeals.

The business representative said impassionedly: "Mr. Parkes, Japan's behavior is very rude and has offended the British Empire!

The last one to offend the British Empire was the Qing Dynasty. This great country in East Asia is already crawling at our feet!

As for Japan, an arrogant small country, do they think that if they defeat France, they will be able to oppose Britain? It’s simply wishful thinking!

Mr. Parkes, we should teach Japan a lesson and make it bow to us like the Qing Dynasty! "

Parkesli replied: "Gentlemen, I understand your mood, and I am also very angry about this matter, but to deal with Japan now, we have to consider the cost of war.

But we will not remain silent. Japan is not worthy of this. I will write to the Cabinet and let the Prime Minister and Parliament decide the matter. "

In fact, he could decide this matter by himself, but Parkes still hoped to get a positive answer from the country.

Parkes immediately sent people to inform the Japanese government and asked the power company to immediately stop selling electric lights. If they want to sell electric lights, they must pay royalties.

Yagyu listened to Tokugawa's joyful report and said with a straight face: "Oh, the British are really greedy, the damn thing they invented is not as good as the German carbon filament electric lamp.

Tokugawa-sama, you can argue with your reasoning on this matter without worrying about anything, but you can also talk to him about abolishing the previous unequal treaties and we can share the technology of electric lights. "

(End of this chapter)