Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 498: Demolition of the Ear Tomb and Assassination!

Shortly after the Battle of Manassas, the federal government urgently formulated an operational plan to send the navy to raid the Confederacy, blockade the Confederate coastline, and seize the port of New Orleans.

However, this is different from the historical Battle of New Orleans, which was not carried out until 1862.

The Union Army suffered a devastating defeat in the Battle of Manassas. In order to save the situation, the Union side pushed forward the plan to capture the port of New Orleans as quickly as possible.

The plan was formulated in early August 1861, and it took two months to make preparations, and then the troops were dispatched without stopping.

In just mid-November 1861, the Union Army captured the port of New Orleans!

The efficiency is frightening!

After capturing the Port of New Orleans and successfully gaining control of the largest port in the South, dealing a heavy blow to the Confederacy, the Union Navy blockaded the Southern coastline and cut off the South's foreign trade.

Successfully reversed the defeat on the battlefield of Manassas.

The situation facing the Confederacy today has taken a sharp turn for the worse!

As he spoke, Zhang Jinglin handed the document in his hand to the Allied Ambassador Wales in front of him for review.

Wales took the document handed over by Zhang Jinglin, opened it and looked at it, and the expression on his face twitched visibly.

Everything in front of his eyes was dark and dark!
Because he knew that things were going to be troublesome!
The Port of New Orleans is the largest port in the Confederacy and also the place where the Confederacy receives aid from the Tang Dynasty and Britain.

Once the Port of New Orleans is occupied by the federal side, the Confederacy will lose its most important external support.

Once external support is lost, it would undoubtedly be very difficult, or even impossible, for the Federation alone to stop the Confederacy from moving south.

"Mr. Minister, is this true?"

Wales asked in a somewhat intrusive and hoarse voice.

Zhang Jinglin nodded slightly.

"of course it's true."

"This is the latest news from North America."

"There is no need for the Tang Dynasty to deceive you about this matter."

The expression on Wales' face was conflicted for a moment, but he finally spoke.

"Your Excellency, the Confederacy needs the help of the Tang Dynasty. We ask the Tang Dynasty to send troops to help us recapture the Port of New Orleans. The Confederacy is willing to pay any price for this!"

Zhang Jinglin heard this, but did not agree, but just spoke.

"I think it would not be too late for Your Excellency the Ambassador to consult with your country's Congress before making a statement!"

"Even your president's promise cannot be fulfilled in time. I think the weight of your words should not be heavier than the president's, right?"

What Zhang Jinglin was talking about here was that Jefferson Davis had promised to lease a port to the Tang Dynasty, but had never fulfilled his promise.

Well, the Tang Dynasty doesn’t necessarily need the Port of New Orleans.

The next-level ports such as Mobile, Windsor, and Virginia Beach are also negotiable, as long as they are not those useless small ports.

But the problem is, looking at the current situation of the Confederacy, not to mention the Port of New Orleans, and the next-level ports such as Mobile, Windsor, Virginia Beach, even some small ports have not been able to deliver.

At present, Congress is still haggling over this matter.

It's obvious that he wants to default on his debt.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Tang Dynasty is putting a stranglehold on the Southern Confederacy over military trade orders.

When Wales heard this, there was an obvious embarrassment on his face.

But he said it anyway.

"Mr. Minister, I think there must be some misunderstanding here..."

Zhang Jinglin just waved his hand.

"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, you and I both know it."

"I only hope that the allied countries can give me a reply from the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will not be able to convince the cabinet and His Majesty to continue to increase investment in the Americas."

"No one can treat Datang as a fool!"

"If someone wants to deceive the Tang Dynasty, then the Tang Dynasty will definitely make him pay the price!"

After saying that, Zhang Jinglin signaled his secretary to see the guest off.

Well, what he said when he met with the ambassador of the northern United States and made an appointment with the British ambassador for afternoon tea was not a lie.

He really has a plan for this!
It was the British Ambassador Bruce who took the initiative to meet him and was going to talk to him about Crimea.

Well, it is worth mentioning that just half a month ago, Crimea opened fire again!

Tsarist Russia and Britain fought again, but this time France did not participate.

Therefore, Britain wants to drag the Tang Dynasty into the fight to beat the Russians!
Seeing this, Wales opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end he could only turn around and say goodbye.

……

Kyoto, Japan!
A convoy of cars drove slowly through the streets of Kyoto.

Civilians and warriors on the roadside all gave way, and many even bowed subconsciously.

Because the flag this convoy flew was a red flag with the sun, moon and stars.

This is the national flag that the Tang Dynasty uses today to externally target the outside world!

In Japan, there is only one person who can use this flag publicly, and that is Chai Zhixin, the Tang Dynasty's ambassador to Japan.

Given Chai Zhixin’s current status in Japan, it is no exaggeration to say that he is the emperor emeritus.

Soon, the convoy arrived at a temple on the outskirts of Kyoto.

At this time, many people were marching and demonstrating outside the temple gate.

"Protect the Ear Mound!"

"Tang people get out of Japan!"

"Long Live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"..."

Most of the people who came to protest outside the temple were local residents of Kyoto and samurai.

These people sincerely regarded the ear mound built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a glory in Japanese history. Now that the Tang Dynasty wants to demolish the ear mound, they naturally cannot accept it.

So, they were organized and marched outside the temple to protest.

But, all they did was in vain.

It can't change anything!
The car stopped and the accompanying guards drove the demonstrators away from the temple gate.

But it was just a drive away. Only a small number of Chai Zhixin's guards were Tang people, and most of them were sent from the shogunate.

These people are not willing to take harsh measures against the protesting teams.

Therefore, although the demonstrators no longer blocked the road, they still surrounded it.

Chai Zhixin stepped out of the car and glanced at the parade teams still surrounding him, but he sneered in his heart and did not take them too seriously.

The shogunate's elder councilor Ando Nobumasa took the initiative to step forward to greet him and shook hands with Shiba Tomohisa.

"Master Chai, long time no see!"

"Thank you for the long journey!"

Chai Zhixin also said with a smile.

"It's been a long time indeed."

"I heard that Mr. Horita is seriously ill. I wonder how he is doing now? Is his health improving?"

Generally speaking, it was Masamune Horita who came forward to receive Shiba Tomoshin.

The reason why Ando Nobumasa was replaced this time was because Horida Masamune was seriously ill and could not get up from the hospital bed.

That's why Nobumasa Ando was asked to take over!

Chai Zhixin had naturally heard about this.

Hearing this, Ando Nobumasa smiled bitterly and said.

"Mr. Horita is in very poor health and needs to rest. I'm afraid he won't be able to handle matters in the short term."

Chai Zhixin nodded and said.

"I hope Mr. Horita will recover as soon as possible..."

As they talked, the two walked into the temple.

Soon, they entered the temple and came to a large Buddha hall.

Not far from the Great Buddha Hall is a huge mound.

This is where the ear tomb built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi is located.

Chai Zhixin stood in front of the ear tomb, looked it up and down, and then said.

"Ando-kun, let's start!"

Upon hearing this, Ando Nobumasa immediately agreed.

"Hi!"

As the order was given, a team of shogunate soldiers stepped forward carrying hoes and shovels and began digging.

Chai Zhixin stood there, a smile on his face, just watching.

In fact, this kind of thing does not necessarily have to be done by the Japanese.

It’s actually okay to let people from the Tang Dynasty do the digging!

However, Chai Zhixin still asked the shogunate to send people to be responsible for the excavation.

The reason for this is very simple.

Chai Zhixin knew the emperor's temper too well, with his vengeful character.

Since the ear tomb was built by the Japanese, it must be dug by the Japanese.

Although this matter may not necessarily reach the emperor's ears after it is done.

But what if?
If the emperor knew about this, Chai Zhixin might be in the emperor's favor.

By then, won’t you be able to soar into the sky?
Anyway, this thing is not difficult to do and has no cost, so Chai Zhixin naturally does not recommend giving it a try.

Soon, the mound where the ear tomb was excavated was flattened and replaced by a large pit.

There were quite a few wooden boxes in the pit.

When opened, the boxes contained ears and noses pickled in salt and lime.

During the Wanli Korean War, the Japanese army invaded Korea. In order to record their military achievements, they used ears and noses instead of heads to count.

After these ears and noses were transported back to Japan, they were buried together in the suburbs of Kyoto for use in sacrifices and to honor military achievements.

The total number is approximately 12.

This is no small sum!

Chai Zhixin personally took a few steps forward and walked into the big pit.

He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and opened a box to check.

Looking at the human remains in the box, Chai Zhixin couldn't help but frown. The stench was quite obvious.

Because they were pickled with salt and lime, the remains still have their outlines even though they have been buried for hundreds of years.

He looked away and then spoke.

"Let's get lucky!"

Upon seeing this, several shogunate soldiers stepped forward, closed the box again, then carried it out, ready to pack it and ship it away.

Chai Zhixin went to talk to Ando Nobumasa.

The two of them talked as they walked out of the Buddhist temple together.

Arriving at the gate, Chai Zhixin glanced at the parade still surrounding the gate, turned to Ando Nobumasa and spoke.

"Ando-kun, how about taking my car today?"

Hearing this, Ando Nobumasa nodded with a smile on his face.

"Sorry to bother you down there!"

The two walked towards the parked car together.

The secretary was very tactful and opened the back door in advance, then stood aside waiting.

However, at this moment, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd outside the Buddhist temple.

A Japanese samurai with a shaved head, wearing a samurai uniform and wooden clogs rushed out from the crowd and went straight to Chai Zhixin before the guards had time to react.

"It's dark, get on board!"

boom!Boom!

Several gunshots rang out throughout the street.

Chai Zhixin was stunned at first, then he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his head and saw several balls of blood bursting out of his chest.

Blood gushed out from the wound, staining his official uniform red.

"Protect your lord!"

"Catch the assassin, take him down quickly!" "Someone come..."

"Quick, send the adults to the hospital..."

In the chaos, the guards finally reacted and placed Chai Zhixin in the center.

Then, Chai Zhixin was stuffed into the back seat of the car.

In the chaos, the guards escorted the car away from the scene and headed all the way to the medical clinic in Kyoto City...

……

Tokugawa Shogunate!

Several senior Chinese leaders including Masahiro Abe, Tadamichi Matsuda, and Nobumasa Ando gathered together.

Even the seriously ill Masamune Horida was dragged up from his sickbed and came to participate in the meeting.

“That’s the current situation.”

"The Tang Dynasty's ambassador to Japan, Lord Chai, was assassinated in Kyoto. We interrogated the assassin and found out that the person who did it was a samurai under Prince Komatsu-kun Akihito..."

Ando Nobumasa reported the situation to everyone with a grim expression.

The public servants he mentioned are members of the imperial family. Princes and princesses-in-law are all considered members of the public servants.

Prince Komatsunoki Akihito was the eighth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie and the adopted son of Emperor Komei.

Among the public, he is considered to be a very influential person.

Masamune Horita couldn't help but burst into a violent cough.

"Cough...cough...cough..."

"what is going on?"

"Why did Prince Komatsukan Akihito attack Ambassador Shiba?"

Ando Nobumasa shook his head.

"I do not know."

"As soon as the incident happened, I sent someone to ask Prince Akihito of Komatsu what was going on."

"However, His Excellency the Prince refused to meet with the officials sent by my shogunate."

Matsuda Tadatsugu took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Prince Komatsu-kun Akihito was most likely instigated by those anti-shogunate factions."

"The Tang Dynasty has now made it clear that they are supporting our shogunate. If they want to overthrow the shogunate, they must alienate the relationship between us and the Tang Dynasty."

"If the Tang ambassador to Japan is assassinated, their conspiracy may be accomplished in a hundred years..."

The Tang Dynasty's ambassador to Japan was assassinated. It is impossible for the Tang Dynasty to remain indifferent.

By then, if the shogunate cannot give a satisfactory explanation to the Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the shogunate will inevitably break down.

Even the Tang Dynasty might send troops to invade Japan!
In this way, the conspiracy of the anti-Qing Dynasty faction was naturally achieved.

Of course, if the shogunate wants to maintain relations with the Tang Dynasty, it doesn’t matter.

Because the person who took action was a public servant, and an important figure like Prince Komatsu no Kanehito.

If the shogunate handed over such an important figure to the Tang Dynasty, then first of all, the relationship between the shogunate and the emperor would inevitably deteriorate, and the integration of the imperial court and the military previously promoted by the shogunate would naturally fail.

Secondly, if the shogunate really did this, then the banner of respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians would be useless, and the shogunate's prestige would inevitably plummet.

No matter how you look at this matter, the anti-Qing Dynasty faction will be able to profit from it!

The shogunate is now truly caught in a dilemma.

Abe Masahiro asked with a serious expression.

"What do you think the Tang Dynasty's attitude will be?"

Hota Masumu smiled bitterly.

"The Tang Dynasty is the Celestial Empire. The ambassador was killed in the street. This matter can never be covered up."

"If we can't give the Tang Dynasty an explanation, there is a high probability that the Tang Dynasty will send troops to Japan..."

"By then, I'm afraid we won't be able to resist!"

Masamune Horita was in a very pessimistic mood.

But there is nothing we can do about it!

The Tang Dynasty today is at the peak of its national power at the beginning of the founding of the Central Plains Dynasty. During this stage of the Central Plains Dynasty, if an envoy was killed, it would absolutely not tolerate it in silence.

"Do we really have to hand over Prince Komatsu-kun Akihito?"

Matsuda Tadamori said with a serious expression.

When everyone heard this, they fell silent for a moment.

Prince Komatsunoki Akihito is too important. If the shogunate chooses to hand him over, the integration of the imperial court and the military will most likely fail.

It is even possible that His Majesty the Emperor would simply stand on the side of the anti-shogunate faction.

This impact is huge!
"Just handing over an assassin may not be enough to appease the anger of the Tang Dynasty."

Ando Nobumasa spoke.

The assassin was just a low-level samurai. Japan would definitely not be able to satisfy the Tang Dynasty by just handing over a low-level samurai.

"Then send some high-ranking members of the anti-Qing Dynasty faction out..."

Horita Masamune spoke up.

When everyone heard this, they instantly understood what Horida Masamune meant.

They are responsible for interrogating the assassin, so the assassin's confession can naturally be controlled.

Under the great memory recovery technique, the assassin has to say whatever they want him to say!
In this way, the shogunate can ignore the existence of Prince Komatsu Kan Akihito through the assassin's confession and directly push the matter onto the anti-shogunate faction behind the scenes!
At that time, the Tang Dynasty would send people to question the crime, and hand over the anti-shogunate elements, and the matter would be over.

In this situation, even if the anti-Qing Dynasty faction had a point, they would not be able to explain themselves, not to mention that they were not innocent at all in this matter.

Everyone was silent when they heard this, and the expressions on their faces were visibly changeable.

But soon, a group of people began to add details to the matter.

……

Tang Dynasty, capital!
Old Summer Palace!
In the study, Li Yi was flipping through a workbook.

This exercise book is the homework of Crown Prince Li Zai.

Li Yi had nothing to do today, so he decided to check his son's homework himself.

Li Yi was flipping through his homework. Opposite him, Li Zai stood respectfully with a nervous expression.

Although the person in front of him was his father, his father had been very strict with him since he was a child and always played the role of a strict father.

When Li Zai saw him, he couldn't help but be nervous.

Finally, Li Yi finished looking through Li Zai's homework and closed it.

Li Yi raised his head and glanced at Li Zai who was standing respectfully in front of him, and said in a gentle tone.

"I got three wrong out of 100 math questions, which is not bad, but these three questions should not have been wrong."

"Remember to be more careful next time and don't make stupid mistakes again..."

Li Yi took Li Zai's education very seriously.

A fairly complete educational program was worked out for him.

From Chinese, arithmetic, to politics and history, physics and chemistry, different subjects are covered.

Of course, he is still young now, only nine years old. In later generations, he would only be in the third or fourth grade of elementary school.

I haven't started learning more advanced subjects such as politics, history, physics, chemistry, etc.

They just learn Chinese and mathematics first, and acquire basic scientific knowledge.

Li Yi does not ask Li Zai to become an all-rounder. He only hopes that Li Zai can establish a qualified outlook on life, values, and world view through education, and have a basic understanding of the world.

Because only in this way can he sit firmly on the position of emperor in the future and not be fooled by others.

Upon hearing this, Li Zai nodded obediently.

"My son understands!"

Li Yi smiled, raised his hand to ask Li Zai to sit down, and then asked.

"What have you learned from your teachers recently?"

Lee Jae preached honestly.

"In reply to your Majesty, I have recently been learning equations and calculating the area and volume of figures from my math teachers."

“I learned Mr. Su Dongpo’s Red Cliff Ode and Water Melody Song from my Chinese teacher.”

"I also learned from the science teacher about the refraction of light, how steam engines can move away from each other, etc."

"In addition, I also learned horse riding from an equestrian teacher..."

Obviously, it's all basic knowledge.

But for Li Zai's current age, it is enough.

No matter how complicated it is, it is difficult for him to understand it at his age.

Hearing this, Li Yi continued to test other things with a smile.

The father and son were talking in the study, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the door outside the study.

Li Yi looked up and said.

"Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhong walked in from outside with an anxious look on his face.

After coming to Li Yi, he reported with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, something happened in Japan!"

When Li Yi heard this, his expression changed slightly, but he was not panicked.

Because in his opinion, nothing serious would happen on the Japanese side.

He just frowned and asked.

"Tell me what's going on!"

Wang Zhong said with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, the latest news has been sent back from Japan."

"Tang Dynasty Ambassador to Japan Chai Zhixin was assassinated on the streets of Kyoto, Japan..."

Li Yi was stunned at first when he heard this.

Immediately, my mind exploded.

At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

That is, the Han envoy is dead!

The damn Han envoy from the Tang Dynasty is dead!

Taking a deep breath, Li Yi's expression remained calm, and he continued to ask.

"What on earth happened? Tell me in detail!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong began to tell Li Yi in detail the entire process of Chai Zhixin's assassination.

After listening to Wang Zhong's story, the expression on Li Yi's face became obviously ugly.

"Your Majesty, how should our Tang Dynasty handle this matter?"

Li Yi sneered and said.

"First, immediately send an envoy to Japan to question the shogunate and demand an explanation from the Tang Dynasty."

"Second, order the Bohai Sea Fleet to conduct live-fire exercises in Kyoto, Japan and the waters off Edo to deter the Japanese authorities."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong nodded to show that he understood, then turned around and went out to make arrangements.

Li Yi sat on the chair with a changing expression.

Although he is a little angry now, he also understands that the dead cannot be resurrected.

Now that Chai Zhixin is dead, the best option for the Tang Dynasty now is to take advantage of the situation and make a big profit from Japan.

This is the only way to maximize benefits!

As for Chai Zhixin?

Of course, his death would not be in vain!

His family will receive certain special care.

Lao Chai was assassinated while on duty. To some extent, he could be considered a martyr for his country, so he should not be treated unfairly...

(End of this chapter)