I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 242 Milestone Event

The news that Parkes was going to negotiate with Yagyu Hide only circulated within the government. As for the citizens and people from other countries, they only knew that the Japanese navy had sunk a British armored battleship.

The navy had not participated in the war before, which disappointed the citizens who had high hopes for the navy. Now the invincible British naval fleet was sunk by the Japanese navy and a battleship was sunk. This once again expanded the scale of the celebrations on the streets of Kyoto, almost blocking traffic. the point.

People in other countries have different senses.

The first person to be pleasantly surprised was the German ambassador. He did not expect that the Japanese naval fleet did not suffer a big loss in front of the British naval fleet, but was actually tied.

If a rising star is tied with the world's No. 1 player, from a political perspective, Japan wins and Great Britain loses.

The German ambassador immediately wrote a very detailed battle report to Germany, writing down the entire conflict word for word. He believed that Prime Minister Bismarck would be happy when he read it.

Secondly, the Tsarist Russian ambassador was both happy and worried. What he was happy about was that the myth of the invincibility of the British naval fleet had been broken.

The worry is that Japan is a country close to Tsarist Russia. Although the relationship between Japan and Tsarist Russia is not bad now, international relations are not static.

Assuming that there is a conflict of interest between Tsarist Russia and Japan due to the Qing Dynasty's Northeast and the Korean Peninsula, the powerful Japan will contain Tsarist Russia's energy. Tsarist Russia does not want to fall into a disadvantage, so it has to give up some interests in Europe and the Middle East to ensure the security of Siberia.

Parkes did not directly sign his name, and today was just a preliminary discussion, but he relaxed and said: "Although I have no problem with Prime Minister Yagyu's new contract, I still have to ask Mr. Prime Minister about this matter."

For the sake of Daiying's dignity, Yagyu Heiyan naturally gave a step forward, that is, industries invested by Daiying in Japan or joint ventures will have preferential taxation and policy support. In addition, there will be a 5% discount on tariffs, tentatively. is twenty percent.

There are also some officials who feel that they can learn from Japan and take revenge on Great Britain in the future.

The current economic situation around the world is not very good. The UK used to have zero tariffs. However, with the economic downturn, in order to protect domestic industries, the UK's tariffs are gradually increasing, reaching 25%, and will reach 100% in the future. More than fifty.

Several officials headed by He Ruzhang were worried that powerful Japan would become a thorn in the side of the Qing Dynasty, especially since a large number of people in Japan were advocating an invasion of the Qing Dynasty.

……

This is a milestone event in Japan's modern history.

Parkes was quite satisfied with the new treaty proposed by Yagyu Heiyan, and he also had an explanation to the Congress, but this incident would definitely affect his career.

By the end of the century, the highest tariff rate was 70%.

In addition, the French ambassador did not seem to care about this matter. In fact, he was also laughing at the British. Now it was not only the French navy that was embarrassed. The first battle was a draw, so it is not surprising that I lost the second battle.

Next, Japan started its second industrial revolution and caught up with established powers such as Britain and France.

Yagyu Heiyan did not push too hard. When the matter reached this point, there was no need to add any unnecessary extravagance.

In London, William Ewart Gladstone held a cabinet meeting. He handed Parkes' telegram to others and said: "Gentlemen, take a look at the special operations of our navy in Japan. We suffered a major setback, nearly four thousand troops were captured, one battleship was silenced, another was seriously damaged, and we lost at least thirty million pounds!"

But Tokugawa Keiki, Iwakura Tomomi and others were worried, especially Tokugawa Keiki. Just a few days ago, he was just one step away from the highest power.

But now, all this has become a fantasy.

The one with the strangest reaction in the end was the Qing Embassy.

The Minister of the Navy was surprised: "How could this happen? Does the Japanese Navy have more warships than our British combined fleet?"

Japan, at the center of the whirlpool of public opinion, is engaged in a negotiation that will go down in history.

At the end of the first negotiation meeting, Yagyu Heiyan and others had smiles on their faces and their postures were very relaxed. Without the unequal treaty, Japan would not have to be sucked by Great Britain.

Yagyu Heiyan's demand was very simple, that is, to recover Britain's extraterritorial rights and customs rights in Japan.

The neutral faction headed by Acting Ambassador Doron had no opinion on the matter. Doron only knew that the war was almost over. After all, the British fleet had left, and he could do business and make money again.

The Minister of Defense immediately responded and said: "Mr. Prime Minister, this is a shame for Great Britain. We must not let it go. I propose that a new navy be formed immediately to support!"

The Minister of Justice immediately raised his hand and said: "I object. According to the intelligence in the telegram, we must form an army no less powerful than the combined fleet. The number of the army must be at least 30,000 to 50,000. Going from Great Britain to the Far East will require millions of pounds." .

Moreover, Japan's resistance is not as weak as that of the Qing Dynasty. Once time is delayed, military expenditures will be spent in the millions.

In addition, the Prime Minister is undergoing reforms, and the Tories have always been dissatisfied with this. Now if the Prime Minister forces a new, large-scale war, it will inevitably put great pressure on the national finances. Mr. Parkes’ negotiation strategy is most suitable. "

The Army Secretary said: "The Prime Minister only started new reforms in the Army Department last year. The internal situation of the Army is still a bit chaotic. If large-scale military operations are carried out, the Army Department will be difficult to sustain."

Prime Minister William did not stop the discussion of several ministers. They were all right. A tie would cause great damage to Britain's reputation, and at the same time it would also hit his reputation as prime minister.

Although this was the golden era of Prime Minister Wilhelm's administration, he personally ordered the arrest of those leaders of the strike, including seven women.

They were sentenced to prison terms by bourgeois judicial organs just because they pointed at strikebreakers and shouted "Ah!" when they saw them. These events greatly damaged the reputation of Gladstone's government among workers.

Also, Prime Minister William started out as a Tory;

In 1859, Prime Minister William left the party with a group of Tories who advocated free trade and joined the Liberal Party, which evolved from the Whig Party, officially breaking with the Tories.

He served as finance minister in the Palmerston cabinet and advocated Britain's participation in the Crimean War.

From the 19s to 50, except for a few short periods, Prime Minister William served as the government's Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He followed the trend of historical development at that time and tried his best to safeguard the interests of industrial capital.

In the face of heavy resistance from the Tory opposition, Prime Minister William overcame all difficulties to formulate a free trade budget plan for the bourgeoisie, abolished the protective tariff system, and signed trade treaties with France, Belgium, Italy, Austria and other countries, so that the British bourgeoisie could With its industrial strength, it successfully defeated competitors in the entire world market and seized world industrial hegemony.

The bourgeois free traders deeply feel that Prime Minister William is the most powerful expresser of their own interests.

Now is an important period of reform, and Prime Minister William also feels the threat of Tory Disraeli, so he also needs to properly resolve this matter.

"There is still great uncertainty in continuing the war with Japan. Because of previous events, the cabinet has been criticized, and the Tories are like a mad dog looking for our faults. We must not make mistakes again.

I agree with Parkes' proposal and agree with the new covenant proposed by Japan on the pretext that Japan is a civilized country. "

The matter was not kept secret for long, as spies within the Liberal Party broke the news to the Tories. Disraeli immediately seized this opportunity and mobilized newspapers to criticize Prime Minister William's decision-making, and advocated continuing to send troops to retaliate against Japan.

Such remarks have been pursued by some people. After all, the economic situation is getting worse day by day. Those monopoly capitalists are no longer optimistic about the free market, and some people are already inclined to plunder colonies.

It's just that Prime Minister William didn't realize that his decision-making was running counter to the forces behind him.

In October, almost two months after the Osaka Bay conflict, Parkes received instructions from the Prime Minister to agree to the new treaty proposed by Japan.

On October 16, Parkes officially signed a treaty with Yagyu Higen in the presence of the ambassadors of France, the United States, Russia and Germany. From this day on, Japan was a truly independent country and was no longer a colony of European and American powers.

With a smile on his face, Yagyu Shengxi shook hands with the somewhat lonely Parkes and said, "Mr. Parkes, it's a pleasure to work with you."

Parkes' expression was a little stiff and he was not in a good mood. He forced out a smile and said, "Congratulations to Prime Minister Yagyu."

Parkes left quickly, and Yagyu Shengxiyan raised the New Testament in his hand and said loudly: "Everyone, our efforts have finally paid off.

Seven years ago, with the support of the late emperor, I signed treaties with various countries here and started the restoration. At that time, I promised the late emperor that I would definitely make Japan stronger. Today, seven years later, I have done it. Clean up the weak national destiny behind the scenes! "

"Long live the Prime Minister!"

"Long live Japan!"

"Long Live His Majesty the Emperor!"

Matsudaira Yongho, Kondo Isamu and others raised their hands and shouted.

Yagyu Shengxiyan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and he continued: "Your Majesty has arranged a dance in the palace. Let's celebrate this memorable day together today!"

"Long live!"

Yagyu Heiyan immediately led everyone into the Imperial Palace, where Emperor Meiji and Queen Mary were waiting.

The dance party is still based on the buffet style, but some Japanese pastries and foods have been added, and the others are more European cuisines.

Emperor Meiji stood up first, raised his glass and said loudly: "Cheers to my father-in-law!"

"Chels!"

Immediately afterwards, the melodious sound of the piano sounded, and the music of "Für Elise" echoed in the hall. Emperor Meiji and Queen Mary took the lead in entering the center of the dance floor and started dancing ballroom.

At this moment, everyone was immersed in a happy atmosphere.

However, Yagyu Heeyan did not stay long, he still had some things to deal with.

After bidding farewell to Emperor Meiji, he left Kyoto and returned to Osaka.

Now that the war is over, the fortifications outside Osaka Castle are being dismantled, the trenches are being filled, and the owners of the damaged houses are being registered. The refugees who have returned from Kyoto are gathering outside Osaka Castle and need to be settled.

Also, the Navy has returned to Kizugawa Naval Port, and the bodies of the Navy soldiers who died in the Osaka Bay conflict have been burned into ashes and placed in the Unification Temple.

As for the pensions for soldiers killed in battle, the settlement of disabled soldiers, and the rewards for meritorious soldiers, he needs to go over them one by one.

While he was still in Kyoto, Yagyu Heiyan had already instructed Yokoi Konan and Shibusawa Eiichi to go to Osaka to deal with matters outside Osaka City.

The outside of Osaka City became a white land, and Yagyu planned to directly build a brand new metropolis. After some planning, some places were funded by the national finance to acquire land and plan them as commercial centers or industrial centers, etc.

The scope involved here is very large and the matter is very complicated. Yagyu Heiyan also needs to go to Osaka to take charge to avoid trouble.

In addition, the rewards for meritorious soldiers will have to be returned to Kyoto when the time comes, and Emperor Meiji will personally review the army and award medals to those who have made great contributions.

Among them, Yagyu Heiyan, as the leader of this conflict, will be awarded the title of Duke and the first-class Golden Hinomaru Medal.

But Yagyu Heeyan doesn’t care about this.

For him, he got everything he wanted.

The first thing Yagyu Heiyan did when he returned to Osaka was not to deal with Osaka's affairs. What he had to deal with was the incident that triggered the Osaka Bay conflict.

That was the Maria Louis incident.

The imprisoned captain and crew of the Maria Louis were imprisoned in accordance with Japanese law.

The more than two hundred Qing people who have been stranded in Japan will also be handed over to the Qing Embassy.

Duolong, the acting ambassador of the Qing Dynasty, had been waiting for Yagyu Hiyan in Osaka for a long time.

After all, the withdrawal of the British troops happened more than a month ago. Duolong had already reported the matter back to Beijing. Prince Gong of the Prime Minister's Office did not delay and immediately reported it to the two empress dowagers Ci'an and Cixi.

Subsequently, the Qing court issued a decree giving the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi full authority to deal with the Qing people in the Maria Louis incident.

When Duolong saw Yagyu Heiyan, his expression was a little flattering. He smiled and said: "I am the acting ambassador of the Qing Dynasty to Japan and Prime Minister Yagyu. I have admired him for a long time."

Yagyu Heiyan looked at Doron's oily face and the smell lingering on the tip of his nose, which reminded him of the secret police's information that Doron liked to smoke opium.

This made him less costly to Duolong, but he still had to take care of the Qing Dynasty's face. This was for the national interest.

He knew that Yataro Iwasaki imported a large amount of crude oil from the Qing Dynasty. In addition, 60% of the coal and iron ore needed for Japanese industry were imported from the Qing Dynasty, 30% of it was from several Southeast Asian countries that were repaying their debts, and only 30% of it was imported from the Qing Dynasty. Ten is self-produced.

Yagyu Heeyan said with a pleasant look: "Mr. Doron, you are welcome. Our country and your country are neighbors. We are separated by a strip of water. Naturally, we have to help each other."

Duolong breathed a sigh of relief. This Yagyu Shengxiyan was quite easy to talk to.

(End of this chapter)