】

The Changshu clan took advantage of the situation and colluded with the ministers in the court who were admiring and admiring the feudalism.

Because they had been away from politics for a long time, the ministers of the Kyoto court only knew how to recite poems and write poems all day long, so they did not have a clear understanding of the general trend of the times and the world structure at all.

They believe from the bottom of their hearts that the United States, Britain, France, Russia and other countries are despicable, ignorant of etiquette, and vulnerable barbarians.

It was entirely because of the incompetence of the shogunate that these barbarians set foot on Japanese soil in large numbers.

Sanjo Mimi, who advocated the idea of ​​respecting and resisting, and other ministers such as Sanjo Nishikichi and the Choshu clan hit it off, and they worked together to control the court in a coordinated manner.

These ministers who cooperated with the Choshu clan were collectively called "the ministers of the Choshu faction".

The lofty ideals of the Choshu Domain and the ministers of the Choshu faction always talked about how the emperor was doing and how the court was doing.

However... Judging from their current behavior, it doesn't appear that they have any respect for the Emperor.

Although there is not enough evidence yet, judging from various signs, it is enough to believe that the emperor was kidnapped by them!

They controlled the imperial palace, imprisoned and monitored the emperor in disguise, so that the emperor's voice could not reach the outside world.

In this process, they can conduct "black-box operations".

To put it simply, it means issuing a false edict!

At present, the emperor has issued several edicts, severely rebuking the shogunate for being weak towards the barbarians, and demanding that the shogunate and the feudal lords immediately drive all barbarians in Japan back to the sea.

How many of these edicts were written by the emperor himself? Which words were spoken by the emperor himself? Which words were completely fabricated? There is simply no way to verify them.

In the Edo period, supporting the imperial court was the greatest form of political correctness.

As long as you support the imperial court, you can occupy the natural moral high ground.

Therefore, these edicts whose authenticity was unknown put the shogunate and the feudal lords into a very passive and disadvantageous position.

Otherwise, Tokugawa Iemo would not have decided to go to Kyoto in person to discuss with the imperial court at the beginning of this year the matter of expelling the foreigners.

It can really be said to be "holding the emperor's hand in order to command the princes"!

What the Choshu clan did naturally aroused the vigilance of the shogunate and other clans.

However, when the shogunate and the feudal lords reacted, it was already a done deal. The court was under the control of the Choshu clan and it was difficult to touch them.

…

…

After listening to Matsudaira Yongho's detailed explanation, Qingden breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro, Kusaka Gensui... What a coincidence. Except for Kusaka Gensui, I have met the other two..."

Matsudaira Yongho raised his eyebrows:

"Tachibana-sama, have you met Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro?"

Qingden nodded slightly:

"Well, I have met them once."

With the powerful memory given by his gift of "photographic memory", Ayoto clearly remembered the faces of Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro.

In November of the first year of Wanyen (1860), Seito, who had just taken up the post of captain of the third division of the Hōfu Bandit Kai, teamed up with the captain of the fifth division, Kimura Suma, and the captain of the seventh division, Tsuchida Masaichi, to send troops to exterminate the remnants of the anti-barbarian group.

, met Shinsaku Takasugi by chance.

At that time, Takasugi Shinsaku single-handedly defeated the Seventh Division of the Hufu Thieves Kai, and his powerful combat power left a deep impression on Ayoto.

Qingdeng's talent "Berserker" was copied from him.

As for Katsura Kogoro, we have to go back even further.

In the first year of Wanyan (1860), on August 20, a fierce red and white battle took place between the Imperial Guard Hall and the Xuanwu Hall.

Yakuro Saito, the "Saito of Power" who admired Aoto very much, led his disciple to watch the whole game - at that time, the disciple he was leading was none other than Katsura Kogoro.

Compared to Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro is undoubtedly much more famous.

He was once a powerful swordsman in Edo.

At a young age, he received the Shinto Muken-ryu's Onsho Kaiden. With his absolute strength, he became the teacher of the training hall where strong men gathered. He was an outstanding figure with both civil and military skills.

At that time, after the game against Genbukan, Saito Yakuro and Katsura Kogoro came to say hello to Aoto.

This was the first time Aoden saw Katsura Kogoro, and it was also the last time he saw him.

Since then, he has completely lost contact with Katsura Kogoro.

Only one day in the future, I learned from someone that he had resigned from his position as a teacher at the training hall and returned to his hometown alone.

After Aoto told the whole story of his acquaintance with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro, Matsudaira Yōho nodded thoughtfully:

"I see... Lord Tachibana, I didn't expect you to have such a connection with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro of the Choshu Domain."

"In the Changshu camp, the ones who need to be most vigilant are these two and Kusaka Genrui, who came from the same school as them."

"They are all outstanding heroes and extremely difficult people."

Speaking of this, Matsudaira Yongho paused and said,

"Then, let's talk about the Satsuma clan next..."

"Speaking of the Satsuma Domain, there are three figures that must be mentioned - Shimazu Saibin, Saigo Kinnosuke and Okubo Ichizo."

Shimazu Saibin... At the same time as he heard this name, Qingto's eyes froze uncontrollably.

…

…

The Shimazu family is a very old family.

Their ancestors are descendants of the Weizong family, descendants of the Qin family who claimed to be the descendants of Qin Shihuang.

Since the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Shimazu family has ruled the Satsuma region for generations.

Compared with the useless Mouri Qingqin who was unable to do anything and could only shout "Okay, let's do it!", the former lord of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Saibin, was truly an unparalleled hero.

Shimazu Saibin, the 28th generation head of the Shimazu family and the 11th generation lord of the Satsuma Domain, succeeded the Satsuma Domain in the fourth year of Kayei (1851).

He was keen on Western science when he was young, looked at the world, actively studied and absorbed advanced Western knowledge.

When he took office, he immediately started to carry out reforms to enrich the country and strengthen the army.

In the domain, under the leading policy of "promoting industry and promoting industry", Shimazu Saibin started the construction of Japan's first modern Western-style factory cluster centered on the Kagoshima area, which involved Western-style shipbuilding, ironmaking (

Reverberatory furnaces, construction of smelting furnaces), textile industry, military industry (artillery, mines, mines), manufacturing (glass products) and many other industries.

In addition, he saw the importance of warships, built a dock in a short period of time, and successively manufactured a variety of Western-style sailing ships and warships, which in turn led to the prosperity of smelting, textiles, military and other industries.

While preparing the navy, he also did not neglect the construction of the army.

He adopted Western-style military training methods and established a French-style cavalry unit. The Satsuma army installed the most advanced rifles and artillery on a large scale.

According to legend, the Satsuma Domain's arsenal was already capable of producing new weapons.

It is no exaggeration to say that Shimazu Saibin single-handedly created the power of Satsuma Domain.

Under his vigorous reforms, the Satsuma Domain emerged as a powerful entity that even the shogunate did not dare to compete with.

No matter which aspect you look at, Shimazu Saibin is undoubtedly an enlightened master.

However... However...

Tianzhangyuan's pretty face flashed through Qingdeng's mind.

Shimazu Saibin is the most staunch "One Bridge School".

In the sixth year of Kayei (1853), in order to expand the influence of the "Hitobashi faction" in the shogunate, he single-handedly led the marriage between Tenjoin and Tokugawa Iesada.

In other words - he was the one who made Tianzhangyuan's life a mess!

The misfortune of Tianzhang Yuan was all caused by him.

A girl who was originally carefree had to marry an incompetent loser because of his ruthless decision. She became a widow in her early twenties and was forced to get involved in the center of the trend of the times...

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel heavy in his heart.

To be fair, there is no way to criticize Shimazu Saibin for doing this.

In ancient times... no, correction, it should be said that women have been victims of politics throughout the ages.

Only by sacrificing an insignificant collateral descendant can the Satsuma clan's political influence expand... This deal is really a bargain.

However, Shimazu Saibin probably never thought that after Tenjoin married Edo, he did not support Hitotsubashi to take office as he wished, but instead turned against the "Nanki Sect".

Became a loyal fan of Tokugawa Iemo.

In addition to his great foresight, Shimazu Qibin also had a great eye for understanding people and promoted many talents.

Among the many talents he promoted, two were the most outstanding - Saigo Kinosuke and Okubo Kazzo.

To put it simply, these two men carried the two banners of the Satsuma clan, one civilly and the other military.

Saigo Yoshinosuke was born in the 10th year of the Bunsei reign (1828).
To be continued...