Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 259: The anti-Qing faction admitted defeat.

When the new Foreign Minister Zheng Xin took office, the first major issue he had to deal with was the impact of the changes in Fusang Kingdom on Chu State, which was the current urgent matter.

Experts will know if there is one as soon as they take action.

Foreign Minister Zheng Xin made an urgent visit to the Governor-General's Office in the British Straits. Within a few days, he contacted diplomatic envoys from six countries, including Britain, France, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia, and jointly began to put pressure on the new government of the Fuso Emperor.

It was required to publicly commit to abide by and uphold the unequal treaties reached between the previous shogunate and various powers, recognize the interests of various countries in Fuso, and maintain regional peace and stabilize East Asian trade.

At that time, in Fuso
Under the pressure of the surging anti-shogunate forces, the desperate last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu wrote a letter requesting to "return the power to the emperor", and the Meiji Emperor thus stepped onto the political stage.

In January 1868, the fourth year of the Keio era, the anti-shogunate faction launched a coup d'état, forcing the Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, to hand over power to Emperor Mutsuhito.

At that time, in Fuso, the anti-shogunate army was fighting with the conservative feudal lords loyal to the shogunate. When the news came, the whole country was in an uproar.

The anti-Qing army, supported by Britain behind the scenes, took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack, forcing the conservative forces supported by France to lose cities and territories, retreat repeatedly, and gradually show signs of collapse.

Just at this time, the major powers of the world jointly sent a diplomatic note to put pressure on Emperor Meiji.

September 22th, 2025

Outside the city of Kyoto where a large army was gathered, an emergency meeting was held headed by the lords of the four powerful domains of Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa and Hizen. However, everyone's faces were gloomy and there was an atmosphere of oppression and solemnity.

Kido Takayoshi was the first to break the silence. He looked around at the people sitting on the tatami mats without saying a word, and said in a tone of grief and indignation;
"What an embarrassing shame! We are so dedicated to innovation, emulating the advanced experiences of Western countries, hoping to use industry to revitalize the suffering Yamato people. But we are forced to sell out our national and ethnic interests first. How difficult it is!"

No one responded to his words. The diplomatic note of joint pressure from the six countries had already been delivered. This was a heavy blow to the anti-Qing faction, which was currently in the limelight, and made everyone silent.

If you want to be crowned, you must bear its weight.

The demands of the great powers are understandable. Since the "monarchy is restored", shouldn't the treaty commitments with other countries be clarified?

The implication is self-evident
The unequal treaties signed previously must be implemented unconditionally and must not harm the interests of the major powers. Otherwise, they will inevitably be met with a large number of enemy ships and troops.

The international order of this era is so rough and direct, victory or defeat is determined by the size of the fist. If you don’t give me what I need, I will beat you.

All those sitting together were famous Western scholars in the modern history of Japan, similar to the ministers of the Westernization Movement in the imperial court, and they brought together the elites of Japan.

Among them, prominent figures from the four most powerful southwestern clans were particularly present. Imperial aristocrats like Iwakura Tomomi and Sanjo Sanetomi also participated in this important secret meeting.

"The damned traitor Tokugawa Yoshinobu should have committed seppuku to thank the people. This bastard is a sinner of the Yamato nation."

"Give me 800 brave men to charge into Edo Castle and take this thief's head."

"Sanjo-kun, I'd like to go with you. The blood-boiling battlefield is really something to yearn for."

"Hey, what are you all talking about? Tokugawa Yoshinobu has already stepped down. What the great powers want is the Nagasaki Concession, not his stinking head."

"The great powers, how can they rely on a small, Southeast Asian nation like Chu? They are nothing but bandits and rebels who have secretly inhabited the Luzon Islands. They have a population of over a million and a military of only 20,000. They are a bunch of bullies who abuse their power. My Hizen Domain will not submit to them."

"Saito-kun, be careful with your words. The powerful nations have formed camps. Provoking any one of them will be seen as a provocation to the entire camp, and we cannot afford the consequences."

"As expected of a nation that has been our suzerain for hundreds of years. Even though it's just a force scattered to Southeast Asia, its performance is still so amazing."

"Iwakura-kun, what do you mean?"

"Faced with the facts, they still stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the strength of Chu. How tragic!"

"Are you mocking me? How abhorrent! We are working together to implement reform policies. Aren't we doing this to strengthen ourselves and become a great power through hard work?" "That's not contradictory. Developing yourself and respecting others are two different things. I heard that the King of Chu once lived as a minor official in the south of the Yangtze River. This reminds me of the story of 'sleeping on firewood and tasting gall' in the Spring and Autumn Period. Oh, right... you, with your rudeness, will definitely find it difficult to understand such an ancient and wise strategy."

"It's absolutely abominable. Is it so great to know these stories?"

Everyone in the secret room sat around on the tatami, talking at once and soon started arguing, but they were getting further and further away from the topic and it was completely incomprehensible.

Saigo Takamori, who was sitting at the head of the table, had a dark face. He was one of the pioneers of the anti-shogunate faction in Satsuma Domain.

In March 1866, he concluded a secret agreement on the Satsuma-Choshu anti-shogunate alliance with the anti-shogunate leader of the Choshu clan, Kido Takayoshi, and others in Kyoto, which triggered the vigorous Fuso Civil War.

In the current Boshin War, he served as an important staff officer of the Governor-General, commanding the anti-shogunate coalition forces to fight at Edo Castle, and the current war was about to break out.

When Saigo Takamori heard everyone's talk getting more and more outrageous, he coughed twice and waited until the noisy arguments gradually died down before he said:

"Gentlemen, before we achieve the final decisive victory, I hope you will all unite and not be torn apart by internal strife.

I believe that as our army of justice continues to achieve victory, all differences can be bridged.

The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation and avoid any further complications.

Regarding the joint pressure from the great powers, I would like to hear your opinions."

His words brought silence to the scene again. The Yamato people inherited the Chinese tradition and had historians who specialized in recording historical events. Right and wrong, honor and disgrace were all recorded in the vast history books.

The joint pressure from the great powers was, after all, an unequal treaty that was humiliating and detrimental to the country, and continued the shogunate's previous weak attitude. No wonder it made everyone angry.

But the situation is stronger than people. The current conservative shogunate forces are still entrenched in Edo Castle. They have more than 1.7 hatamoto, family samurai and new troops gathered together. Their strength should not be underestimated.

The shogunate's new army was equipped with French-supported muskets, and the number of townspeople gathered was unknown, making them extremely dangerous.

The anti-shogunate army gathered outside Edo Castle, and support troops from various feudal domains arrived continuously. The two hostile sides were on the verge of a war.

At this moment
It is unwise to offend the great powers. This problem must be solved sooner or later. The current internal and external troubles are a good opportunity to shirk responsibility.

After some discussion, everyone basically reached a consensus.

That is, being a coward.

Saigo Takamori concluded by saying, "As an ancient Chinese proverb says, if you want to take something, you must first give it.

I want to learn from the advanced experience of the West, spread Western learning, and enlighten the people. Trade with other countries is the only way to do this.

What you all said makes sense, but before we can resist foreign aggression we must first stabilize the country and ensure that foreign affairs do not cause unnecessary setbacks to the great cause of restoring the monarchy, which would be counterproductive.

I give it to you today and you can take it back tomorrow. What do you think?"

This statement is a cunning way of shifting the blame. Anyway, we have all discussed it together, and we all bear the responsibility together, so no one can be blamed.

The opinions are very clear, and the major powers cannot afford to offend them.

He is an old fox, and the other parties are not easy to deal with either. They are all Meiji elites and naturally know how to make choices.

So everyone spoke in agreement and finally reached a consensus, which only needed to be reported to His Majesty the Emperor for his decision, but that was just a procedure.

Emperor Meiji was just a 16-year-old boy with no soldiers and no men. Everything he did depended on the full support of the anti-shogunate ministers. What could he use to oppose the unanimous decision?
(End of this chapter)