Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 492 Recovering Ryukyu (8K to 10)

"As long as you work hard!"

"In the future, I will have fields, houses, wives and children!"

Village Chief Sun continued.

Seeing this, Zhao Wu couldn't help but ask.

"Village head, I just took a look and it seems that there are very few women in our village. I'm afraid we have nowhere to find a wife if we want to?"

Village Chief Sun smiled and pointed southward in the direction of the Yalu River.

"Everyone in our village immigrated from the interior, so of course there are not many women."

When the Tang Dynasty organized immigration, the first group it considered was young and strong people.

For example, a young child in a family who is not married.

People like the elderly, women and children are generally not counted as immigrants.

This is because even if these people succeed in immigrating, their efficiency in reclaiming land is very low, and they are likely to die on the way, so it is not worth it to have them.

What's more important is that the destabilizing factors in society are generally young and strong unmarried men, rather than the elderly, women and children.

When it comes to immigration, of course those factors of instability are given priority.

Village Chief Sun continued.

"But across the river is North Korea, and there are plenty of women there."

"Every winter, there are Koreans who can't make ends meet and come to Datang to look for food. Among them are many women."

"By then, if your family has a full warehouse and storehouse of grain, will you still be worried about not being able to find a wife?"

This is different from the Tang Dynasty, which was just founded and everything was renewed and prosperous.

Coupled with the improvement in productivity brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the quality of life of the people in the Tang Dynasty is improving little by little, and life is obviously getting better and better.

It is the real end of the dynasty in North Korea.

Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the rule of the Lee family of Korea lasted for more than four hundred years, nearly five hundred years. The internal class system was solidified, and the gap between the rich and the poor had widened to a rather alarming level.

To put it bluntly, the internal contradictions of the Joseon Dynasty have almost accumulated to a level that cannot be alleviated.

Most of the lower-class people in North Korea have basically no quality of life and are just struggling on the line between life and death.

Many people starve to death or freeze to death every winter!
In order to survive, many Korean people would cross the river on ice every winter and come to the Tang Dynasty to make a living.

Among them, there are naturally quite a few women!
This meant that it was not difficult for the people of the Tang Dynasty living on the border to marry a foreign woman.

Who says the Tang people have a higher quality of life?

Zhao Wu and the others couldn't help but smile when they heard this.

Because of Village Chief Sun’s words, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of superiority as citizens of a great country.

This feeling is still very comfortable.

As they were talking, a group of people began to allocate houses to each of them.

Village Chief Sun continued to speak.

"This thatched hut was not provided by the court. It was built by people organized by the village and provided free of charge to you newly arrived immigrants."

"Of course you're not living here for free. You should take advantage of the slack season to build a few more thatched houses as soon as possible so that the next batch of immigrants will have a place to stay when they arrive..."

Nowadays, the Tang Dynasty has a fairly mature resettlement system for immigrants.

Take house construction for example!
Generally speaking, the houses are built by the previous batch of immigrants for the next batch of immigrants, so that the new immigrants can have a place to settle down as soon as possible after arriving.

Zhao Wu found a house and walked in.

There were a lot of things on a table in the room.

He went forward and took a closer look at what was there.

Next to the table were farm tools such as hoes, sickles, and shovels. Two bags were filled with seeds and food, respectively. In addition, there were also clothes, bedding, and other sundries...

With these supplies, Zhao Wu could survive in the local area and live well.

In order to promote immigration and expand borders, the Tang Dynasty has made sufficient preparations in terms of materials.

The Tang Dynasty, which had begun the Industrial Revolution, was not short of these supplies.

Soon, Zhao Wu and others settled down.

Since it was not yet time for spring plowing, they were organized to build new houses and reclaim wasteland.

After the spring ploughing began, they began to work on the farm with the villagers...

Zhao Wu stood on the ridge of the field, looking at the land in front of him that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, his eyes full of expectation.

Because, part of the land in front of him belongs to him.

With the fertility of the land here, Zhao Wu believed that it wouldn't take long for him to build a house, get married, have children, and live a prosperous life...

Now he is grateful from the bottom of his heart, grateful that he made the decision to immigrate to Liaodong after he could no longer make a living in his hometown.

Otherwise, he would probably still be eating steamed bread at home...

……

Ryukyu's geographical location is quite special.

As an island country in the Pacific Ocean, Ryukyu is connected to Japan in the north, Taiwan in the south, and the South Pacific.

Due to its geographical location, Ryukyu's commercial activities are extremely developed.

The gathering of a large number of merchants brought a large amount of goods and consumption to Ryukyu.

It’s a pity that Ryukyu is now being invaded by Japan’s Satsuma Domain.

Most of the profits from the Ryukyu trade were taken away by the Satsuma Domain, so that the Ryukyu people could only get a small share.

The Satsuma Domain also used the profits from the Ryukyu trade to establish domain schools, promote Western-style education, train a large number of talents, and promote the overthrow of the shogunate in the country...

Saigo Takamori, Ōkubo Toshimichi, Togo Heihachiro, Yamamoto Gonbei and others all came from Satsuma Domain.

However, Ryukyu today is a little different.

A large fleet appeared off the coast of Ryukyu.

Leading the way was the Tang Dynasty's newest steel battleship.

The slender hull, the thick gun barrel, and the turret with a metallic luster all demonstrate the beauty of industrial power...

The Tang army fleet arrived outside the Ryukyu port in a mighty manner.

Yang Yuebin, commander of the East China Sea Fleet, stood on the deck, holding a telescope and looking towards the port ahead.

"Is Ryukyu just ahead?"

"I heard that this Ryukyu port was quite prosperous. It's a pity that it fell into the hands of the Japanese."

Yang Yuebin smacked his lips and said with some emotion.

In fact, there was no such term as "Little Devils" in China at that time.

The name "guizi" comes from "fangui". "Fan" means a foreign race that came across the sea.

When the Chinese people who only recognize black hair, black eyes and yellow skin meet the Caucasians with green eyes and red hair, they find it very strange and can easily associate them with ghosts based on their physical features.

In addition, Westerners repeatedly provoked China, launched wars against it, burned, killed and looted, and the people suffered greatly. Therefore, the derogatory term "Fangui" came into being.

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Japanese also provoked incidents and invaded China many times. Therefore, the Western term "foreign devils" was also used on the Japanese, calling them "Oriental devils", and the Japanese were also short in stature.

So, the Japanese devils became the little devils!
In other words, the name "Little Japs" only appeared after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Now, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 has not happened at all, so this name naturally cannot appear.

But Li Yi said something bald at a banquet, and then it happened.

Many generals of the Tang Dynasty began to use this derogatory term when referring to the Japanese in private.

Of course, that's only in private.

On the surface, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Japan was still very friendly. Against the backdrop of friendly relations between the Tang Dynasty and Japan, no one would stand up and attack the Japanese head-on and destroy the friendship between the Tang Dynasty and Japan.

The adjutant on the side said with a smile.

"The commander is right!"

"It's a pity that such a good port fell into the hands of the Japanese."

"However, now that the Tang Dynasty has taken action, I think Ryukyu will soon be able to expel the invaders and restore its independence."

Yang Yuebin nodded, then ordered the fleet to speed up and prepare to dock.

In fact, as early as years ago, the Tang Dynasty had exerted diplomatic pressure on the Satsuma Domain, demanding that the Satsuma Domain withdraw from Ryukyu.

However, the Satsuma clan pretended to be stupid and tried to get away with it.

As it was the New Year in the Tang Dynasty at that time, most of the officers and soldiers in the East China Sea Fleet were on vacation, except for a part of the combat readiness force.

Therefore, there was no rush to take action.

As soon as the New Year was over, the East China Sea Fleet set out in a mighty force, heading straight for Ryukyu, ready to use force to teach the ignorant Satsuma Domain a lesson.

The military order was given, and the engine room crew began to add coal to the steam turbine in front of them.

As the steam turbines ran at full speed, the fleet's forward speed also increased significantly.

On the sea off the coast of Ryukyu, merchant ships saw the Tang Dynasty's warships heading towards Ryukyu.

Everyone chose to avoid it at the first opportunity!
Although many of these businessmen have backgrounds, no matter how powerful their backgrounds are, they would not be so desperate as to go against warships.

Avoiding in time is definitely their best option!

On the deck of the Yongheng Maru, a three-dimensional galleon merchant ship flying the Japanese flag, the ship owner Yongheng Taro stood holding the railing.

He looked at the Tang Dynasty fleet not far away, his eyes slightly complicated.

"Hey, the Tang Dynasty really sent troops."

"It seems that Satsuma can no longer protect Ryukyu."

Under the current situation, if Satsuma Domain wants to keep Ryukyu, it must be able to mobilize a fleet to fight the Tang army on the battlefield and ensure that it can win.

And this is, of course, impossible!

In the whole of East Asia and Southeast Asia, there is no force that can threaten the Tang Dynasty!
Although Nagahiro Taro was not from Satsuma Domain, he was from Hizen Domain.

However, Hizen and Satsuma were both among the four most powerful feudal domains of Japan's outer daimyo, and their relationship was quite good.

Now seeing that the Satsuma Domain was about to suffer a loss, or even a great loss, at the hands of the Tang Dynasty, Nagahiro Taro couldn't help but feel a sense of grief.

Now that Satsuma has suffered a loss at the hands of the Tang Dynasty, who will be the next?
Thinking of this, Yongheng Taro couldn't help but complain.

"The Tang Dynasty is being too overbearing!"

At the side, Huo Haidong, the captain of the Yongheng Maru from the Tang Dynasty, raised his brows and spoke upon hearing this.

"Boss, what you said is wrong!"

"Although the Tang Dynasty acts in an overbearing manner, it has a legitimate reason for doing so."

"Ryukyu is also a vassal of the Tang Dynasty. Is it right for Satsuma to oppress Ryukyu?"

"Since Ryukyu asks the imperial court to administer justice, the imperial court cannot sit idly by."

"The same goes for the situation. Last year, when Japan was invaded by the British, didn't the Tang Dynasty help? Earlier, when the Mughal Khanate was almost destroyed by the British, wasn't it me, the Tang Dynasty, who helped turn the tide?"

"There must be rules in this world!"

"Since Satsuma has overstepped the line and refused to repent, don't blame the Tang for punishing him!"

"Otherwise, if the Tang Dynasty does not deal with Satsuma today, more countries will break the rules and invade other countries in the future."

"If the world is in chaos, won't the people suffer? Won't it be us merchants who need to travel all over the place?"

"Our business can only continue if the world is at peace!"

After being scolded by Huo Haidong, Yongheng Taro looked very unhappy, but in the end he didn't get angry.

She just stood there with a gloomy face, not saying a word, like a wronged young wife.

He silently swore in his heart that he would change the captain when the ship docked in Ryukyu!
Well, although Japan is also engaged in maritime trade today, due to the shogunate's policy of isolation, Japan does not have people who can operate ships.

Therefore, if Japan wants to engage in ocean trade, it can only hire people to be captains.

It was in this context that Huo Haidong became the captain of the Yongheng Maru.

Of course, it wasn't just Huo Haidong. A considerable number of the sailors on the ship were his fellow men.

This is also the reason why Huo Haidong dared to confront his employer directly.

As for whether you will lose your job after arguing with your employer?
Let me put it this way, these days a captain who can lead a ship on the sea is a rare talent.

Huo Haidong has such a talent that he will never lack food wherever he goes.

……

Ryukyu Island!
The Ryukyu Magistrate's Office established by the Satsuma Domain.

Since the Satsuma War, the Satsuma Domain began to gradually invade Ryukyu.

The Re-Fan Bugyo were successively established in Miyako Island, Okinawa Island, and the Yaeyama Islands to take over the political affairs of Ryukyu and arrange for garrisons.

In other words, today's Ryukyu has actually been completely occupied by the Satsuma clan, and almost all military, administrative, and taxation matters have been taken over by the Satsuma clan.

The King of Ryukyu has completely lost all his power and is now just a symbol.

The magistrate Nakajima Hisaharu was originally drinking tea and reviewing the relevant affairs on the Ryukyu Islands in recent times, calculating how much money and food could be provided to the domain.

But at this moment, a servant rushed in from outside in a panic.

"No...it's not good!"

"Something bad has happened, Lord Fengxing! The Tang army's fleet has appeared off the coast of Ryukyu."

"Heading towards Okinawa!"

When Nakajima Hisaharu heard this, the expression on his face froze.

"Nani?"

"Is the Tang fleet really coming? How many ships are there? How many people are there?"

In fact, Nakajima Hisaharu knew that the Tang Dynasty was putting pressure on the Satsuma Domain and demanding that the Satsuma Domain withdraw from Ryukyu.

But when he really heard that the Tang Dynasty had sent a fleet to attack him, he couldn't help but feel frightened.

After all, that was the Tang Dynasty’s fleet!
The Tang Dynasty fleet that could even defeat the British!
The Satsuma Domain couldn’t even defeat Britain, so how could it have the qualifications to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty?
Whenever he thought of this, Nakajima Hisaharu couldn't help but feel scared.

The attendant said with a serious and solemn expression.

"In reply to Lord Fengxing, the Tang army fleet that is invading this time has a total of twelve large and small warships."

"The leading ship is the Tang Dynasty's newest 10,000-ton steel battleship. From a distance, the battleship looks like a small mountain. There's no doubt about it."

"The rest are mostly steam-powered ironclad ships..."

After listening to the servant's report, the expression on Nakajima Hisaharu's face froze and he was even more shocked.

A 10,000-ton battleship?
Even though he hadn't seen the real thing yet, just hearing the name made Hisaharu Nakajima feel his heart tremble.

That’s a 10,000-ton battleship!
How could the Satsuma clan deserve such a powerful weapon from the Tang Dynasty to deal with it...

Seeing that Nakajima Hisaharu didn't say anything, the attendant asked.

"Master Fengxing, what should we do?"

Hearing this, Nakajima Hisaharu took a deep breath.

"Quick, pass the order down, all the samurai and foot soldiers stationed in Ryukyu must gather and prepare to meet the enemy."

"In addition, send someone to Kyushu Island immediately to ask for help from the feudal lord and report the matter."

Although Nakajima Hisaharu knew that Satsuma was definitely no match for the Tang Dynasty, and was not even qualified to be a rival of the Tang Dynasty, he was still unwilling to accept his fate and was ready to give it a try in Ryukyu!
In his opinion, the Satsuma Domain had been managing Ryukyu for such a long time that it had a solid foundation.

If the Tang army chose to land and fight, the Satsuma soldiers could rely on the geographical advantage and their familiarity with the local environment of Ryukyu to resist step by step, and there would be a chance of victory.

Well, although Nakajima Hisaharu is ugly, he has beautiful thoughts.

……

Ryukyu Port, Fort!
Since the Satsuma Domain occupied Ryukyu, it began to manage Ryukyu as its own territory.

A fort was set up at the port of Ryukyu Island to deal with threats from the sea.

It’s a pity that the overall structure of this fort was built two hundred years ago, and it is already very old now.

Almost all of the artillery pieces are muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons, and some are even antiques that have been used for dozens or even hundreds of years.

It is really unknown how much combat power such a fort can still have.

The sound of horns resounded throughout the Ryukyu Islands, and the soldiers of the Satsuma Domain quickly prepared for war.

Gunner Shinji Sato hurried out of the room and led his men onto the turret.

He held the fortifications with his hands and looked out to the sea in the distance.

On the endless sea, a fleet slowly appeared.

Leading the way was a steel battleship as big as a hill.

The battleship is slender and full of beauty, stretching across the sea, giving people a great sense of oppression.

Looking at the warships flying the Tang Army's flag, Sato Shinji felt heavy-hearted.

"It's broken, it's broken!"

"The Tang fleet is invading. I'm afraid we can't defend Okinawa anymore..."

Well, Okinawa is the Japanese name for Ryukyu.

Of course, the Tang Dynasty would not recognize it!
Sato Shinji felt very complicated. Seeing that the Tang army fleet was getting closer and closer to the port, he could only shout at the top of his voice.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"Prepare for war now!"

"Load the artillery and prepare to meet the enemy..."

However, before he could finish his words, he heard a loud roar of artillery firing suddenly coming from the sea.

A cloud of smoke first rose from the Tang army's warships.

Immediately, a cannonball flew across the sky and landed on the artillery platform in the Ryukyu port.

The next moment, a loud bang was heard.

Sato Shinji only felt a shock wave coming towards him, and he was blown away.

Smoke and dust filled the sky, sand was flying everywhere, and Sato Shinji fell to the ground, covered in sand.

When he stood up, he felt the world in front of him shaking.

Shaking his head vigorously, Sato Shinji stood up with great difficulty and looked around.

Then, he couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.

This artillery shell from the Tang army almost destroyed half of the artillery position.

The point where the bullet impacted was a huge crater with a radius of one hundred meters.

The entire artillery position was blown to pieces, the artillery was tilted and deformed, the fortifications collapsed, and the gunners that the Satsuma domain had trained with great difficulty were turned into broken limbs in the blink of an eye.

The air was filled with gunpowder and the smell of blood. Sato Shinji opened his mouth and vomited a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

The bombardment just now also caused him great damage.

The entire person's internal organs were almost shattered by the shock wave!

Even though he is still alive, he is actually on the King of Hell's list.

It won’t be long before he dies!
At this moment, several roars were heard from the sea.

Boom! Boom!
Several shells were fired at the battery from front and back.

The shells landed on the battery and exploded. In the blink of an eye, the entire battery was completely destroyed.

The quality of the artillery batteries built by Japan was so poor that the Tang army's fleet only fired a few shots to clear the biggest obstacle to the landing operation.

The Tang army fleet continued to move forward!
Suddenly, a roar was heard from a forest on the shore.

Several solid artillery shells whizzed towards the Tang army's ships on the sea!

The Satsuma clan had long known that their own artillery would most likely not be able to withstand the bombardment of the Tang fleet, so they would naturally make preparations early.

The solution they came up with was to ambush artillery in the woods on the shore, wait for the Tang fleet to approach, and then open fire.

Unfortunately, this did not work.

The shells landed heavily on the side of the Tang army warship, and then nothing happened.

A solid shell hitting the side armor has no other effect except leaving a dent.

The next moment, the sound of artillery fire rang out again.

The Tang army warship's secondary guns adjusted their muzzles and aimed at the dense forest where the gunfire had just been heard.

Boom! Boom!
Several shells landed in the dense forest, explosions sounded, and shock waves swept across.

Fire and smoke spread instantly with the point where the shell landed as the center.

Among them, there are a lot of broken wood and green leaves.

There was a scream in the woods. The Japanese artillery position hidden in the dense forest was destroyed by the artillery fire in the blink of an eye.

The gunner and his artillery were completely destroyed.

The gunpowder was ignited by the explosion, causing a secondary detonation, and flames shot up into the sky again.

Soon, the Tang army fleet, having cleared all obstacles, successfully docked.

Just as the Tang army was preparing to land, a samurai and foot soldier from the Satsuma clan rushed out of the port, ready to block the Tang army from landing.

Dada! Dada!

The escort machine guns on the battleship's side began firing.

The muzzles of the guns spewed out smoke and flames, and bullets were fired at the Satsuma samurai and foot soldiers gathered in the harbor as if they were free.

Machine guns fired and bullets rained down. In the blink of an eye, a large number of charging samurai and foot soldiers were knocked down like mowing the grass.

The air is filled with the smell of blood!

As the sea breeze blew, the strong smell of blood and gunpowder drifted into the port.

Under the suppression of superior firepower, the Tang army successfully completed the landing.

Yang Yuebin received a report from his subordinates and immediately gave orders again.

"Order our marines to continue the offensive, capture Shuri Castle as soon as possible, and rescue the Ryukyu royal family that is controlled by the Japanese devils..."

The Tang Dynasty intervened in the Ryukyu war in order to justify itself, under the banner of upholding justice for the Ryukyu royal family.

In this case, we naturally have to make the most of the show.

Their most important task at the moment is to control the Ryukyu royal family as soon as possible.

As for Satsuma Domain?

that's not important!

Once the Ryukyu issue is successfully resolved, the Tang Dynasty will have plenty of ways to deal with those disobedient Japanese devils in Satsuma Domain.

……

The Tang army successfully landed at the port, and then marched towards Shuri Castle in a mighty manner.

boom! Boom boom!

As the Tang army advanced, the samurai and foot soldiers of Satsuma were defeated and retreated.

Although these samurai and foot soldiers were equipped with Western guns and trained according to Western military tactics.

However, when faced with the Tang army using breech-loading weapons, they had no ability to fight back at all.

The Tang army quickly rushed all the way to the outside of the Ryukyu King's city.

And prepare to launch an offensive against the Ryukyu Royal City!

However, just before the Tang Dynasty was about to launch a general offensive, the Satsuma clan soldiers who had retreated to the Ryukyu royal city, under the leadership of the magistrate Nakajima Hisaharu, chose to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

……

Satsuma Domain, Kagoshima Castle!
The feudal lord's residence.

The current lord of Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Tadayoshi, sat in the main seat.

Important officials of the domain, such as Shimazu Hisamitsu, Shimazu Saigoi, Saigo Takamori, and Ōkubo Toshimichi, sat on both sides.

Just now, Satsuma Domain received the latest news from Ryukyu.

The Tang army took action against Ryukyu!

The domain magistrate Nakajima Hisaharu led his army to resist, but was defeated and has now surrendered.

In other words, Ryukyu has changed hands!

"Everyone, please tell us what you think!"

"Ryukyu changed hands and was captured by the Tang army. How should our Satsuma domain respond next?"

Born in 1840, Shimazu Tadayoshi is only in his early twenties this year, at the peak of his youth and passion.

So, he felt a little bit unacceptable about this matter.

After Shimazu Tadayoshi finished speaking, Saigo Takamori spoke.

"My Lord, if only Ryukyu was conquered, it wouldn't be a big deal."

"But I am now worried that after the Tang fleet conquers Ryukyu, it will further invade our Satsuma Domain..."

Okubo Toshimichi also continued.

"Not just the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty really sends troops to invade Satsuma, the shogunate will probably follow suit and add insult to injury..."

The relationship between the shogunate and Satsuma had always been tense.

Once the shogunate sees an opportunity, it is not impossible for them to take advantage of the situation.

Upon hearing this, Shimazu Tadayoshi's biological father, Shimazu Hisamitsu, the younger brother of Shimazu Nariakira, the previous lord of Satsuma Domain, could not help but frown and asked in a worried tone.

"So what do you think the Satsuma Domain should do?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

After a moment, the oldest person present, Shimazu Qixing, the grandfather of Shimazu Tadayoshi, spoke.

"If that doesn't work, then ask for peace with the Tang Dynasty."

"The Tang Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, and it has always valued etiquette. If our Satsuma clan had been more sincere, the Tang Dynasty would not have felt embarrassed to kill us all..."

To some extent, what Shimazu Qixing said is not wrong.

The Tang Dynasty was the Celestial Empire and had some dignity. As long as they admitted their mistakes sincerely, the Tang Dynasty would most likely not kill them all.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Tang Dynasty needed to use the Satsuma Domain to balance the power between the shogunate and the anti-shogunate faction.

The Tang Dynasty did not want to see the power of the shogunate expand too much, to the point that it would become the only dominant force in Japan and have inappropriate thoughts.

Naturally, it will not weaken the power of the anti-Qing faction too much.

Instead, they would try to maintain a balance of power between the shogunate and the anti-shogunate faction, so that both sides could focus their main energy on internal struggles.

Lest the Japs awaken!
So to some extent, Satsuma Domain still has its value in existence!

Shimazu Tadayoshi frowned.

"Is this really all there is?"

He was somewhat reluctant to accept such a thing.

Shimazu Qixing didn't say anything, but just looked at the other three people.

He signaled that they should persuade Shimazu Tadayoshi so that the young man would not be so stubborn.

The current situation is that Satsuma Domain is no match for the Tang Dynasty.

They are not even qualified to be a rival of the Tang Dynasty.

In this situation, there is no other choice except to surrender and save your life!

Seeing this, everyone started to persuade Shimazu Tadayoshi.

After everyone's persuasion, Shimazu Tadayoshi finally softened his attitude and spoke.

"All right!"

"Then go and ask for peace with the Tang Dynasty..."

……

Just as the Tang Dynasty and Satsuma Domain were arguing over the issue of Ryukyu.

The situation on the North American continent has also undergone fundamental changes.

Late last year, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.

Then, the North and the South officially split.

South Carolina was the first to announce its withdrawal from the Union, followed by several slave states including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana, who subsequently announced their withdrawal from the Union and formed the Confederate States of the South.

And began to seize Northern assets on Southern state lands, including military facilities.

Later, several southern states united to establish the Confederate States of America in Richmond, with Jefferson Hamilton Davis elected as the president of the Confederate States.

More than a month later, Texas also announced its joining the Confederacy.

From now on, civil war is about to break out!
Montgomery, Alabama!

This is now the temporary capital of the Confederate States of the South.

A convoy of cars drove slowly along the streets of Montgomery, raising a cloud of dust as the wheels of the cars rolled over the road.

Huang Weiqi, the Tang Dynasty's ambassador to the United States, sat in the back seat of the car, feeling the bumps on the road.

He looked through the car window at the pedestrians gathered on the street outside, waving their arms and cheering, looking very excited, with a strange expression on his face.

Because he knew that the civil war in the United States was about to begin.

He didn't understand what these foreigners were so happy about.
Do they think war is a good thing?

The convoy traveled all the way to Montgomery's City Hall, which is now the temporary Congress of the Confederate States of America.

The car stopped, the door opened, and Huang Weiqi stepped out.

Then walk up the steps in front of the Capitol.

Seeing this, the guards on both sides of the stairs bowed their heads and saluted with a respectful attitude.

……

PS: I have finally paid off the updates that I owed during the Chinese New Year, and now I feel debt-free.

Also, it’s the end of the month and I’d like to ask for monthly tickets. It’s still the same as before, two hundred monthly tickets plus one more chapter.

(End of this chapter)