Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Takizawa Kanako walked quickly in the dark alley.The footsteps of high heels echoed loudly in the night sky. A young man followed leisurely.He was wearing a pair of jogging shoes and barely made any footsteps. A circular beam of light was projected on the concrete wall in front of Kanako.The beam of light fell suddenly and stopped abruptly at the level of her eyes.Kanako stopped in her tracks and stared at the beam of light. In the center of the light emerged the face of an old man with a white beard.Seeing that, Kanako turned around in surprise.At this moment, the man behind her rushed over and grabbed her shoulders from behind, and she let out a scream.

The circular beam of light disappeared, and a man's voice rang in his ears. "Being in front of God, in front of the gods... how about it, can you face the face of God?" Kanako didn't listen at all, just closed her eyes and screamed.The man gagged her mouth, and fell down with her on the slate floor. There was the sound of heavy breathing and the sound of clothes rubbing against each other, and the sand and soil beneath him also made a rough squeezing sound.While struggling, the man yelled: "You have blasphemed the gods. Ignored the will of the gods!" "Come on, help me! There's a satyr! A satyr! Help me!" Kanako yelled as hard as she could, shaking the bag in her hand vigorously while lying on the ground.The handbag hit the man hard on the head.The man felt the pain and shrank back.Kanako seized the momentary gap and kicked the man's body with all her strength.The man who was struggling to stand up was kicked down by her and rolled on the ground again.

"What's going on? What's wrong? Are you all right?" A man's voice came from beyond the darkness, and at the same time there was the sound of fast-sprinting footsteps.The man who attacked Kanako stood up abruptly, and fled with all his strength in the direction opposite to the sound of footsteps. A middle-aged man ran over, stood beside the woman, looked at her, and then extended his hand to her. Kanako prostrated herself on the ground, not seeing the hand.She hurriedly climbed up from the dark slate, pulled the messy short skirt, and covered her bare legs. "Well, I'm fine, sorry." She said hurriedly.

The man withdrew his outstretched hand and asked, "A pervert?" "Yes." After Kanako answered, she reached out to pick up her bag tremblingly. At this moment, another man led a patrolman in uniform over. "Are you all right?" the patrolman asked. "It is said that we met a pervert." The man who arrived first said to the police. The policeman nodded and continued to ask: "Are you okay? Are you injured? Do you want to go to the police station to rest for a while?" Kanako nodded and said, "No, I'm fine. I have to go to work tomorrow morning, so I'll go back first."

"Do you want to report the crime?" the policeman asked. "No, no need." Kanako replied. "Are you a company employee?" "No, I'm a teacher at Fukuyama City University." After speaking, Kanako bowed and left quickly. The next day, in the classroom of Fukuyama City University, Assistant Professor Kanako Takizawa was teaching Japanese history. She wrote on the blackboard, turned around, and began to tell. "During the Warring States Period, there was a man who established a sea kingdom based on the Seto Inland Sea. That man was the commander of the Murakami Navy, Murakami Takeshi. His city was located on an island in the Geiyo Islands, and that island was Noshima Island. This is an island with a circumference of only 720 meters, and its area is very small."

After finishing speaking, Kanako raised the long stick with a hook, pulled down the map of the Seto Inland Sea above the blackboard, and pointed out the location of Noh Island. "This is Noh Island. As you can see, it is a very small island. Wu Ji deliberately chose such a small island as the headquarters of the navy. Whenever a war broke out, he would gather 500 small boats under his command and take the island to the island. Surrounded by small islands." The morning sun shines into the classroom and shines on the podium.While flipping through the books in their hands, the students listened carefully to Kanako's explanation.

"Actually, the warship information attached with the picture book only appeared in Japanese history after the formation of the Murakami Navy. The city of Wuji in Noh Island is a complete city with Honmaru, Nimaru and Sanmaru. There are countless islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The reason why Wuji chose such a small one to build a city is to resist the invasion of the enemy. "The sea area around this island is also very narrow and the current is turbulent. It is a famous place of death in the Seto Inland Sea. If you are not familiar with this sea area, you will not be able to maneuver the ship smoothly. In addition, it is a tiny island, and you cannot expand the land. War. Most of the generals in the Warring States period were good at land warfare, but not good at water warfare. The Murakami navy is just the opposite, because they are familiar with every corner of the Seto Inland Sea, so they have absolute confidence in naval warfare. Let me explain with a slide .A few students over there, can you pull the curtains for me?"

Several students by the window stood up and closed the curtains beside them.The morning sun was blocked out, and the classroom immediately darkened. Kanako put away the map and put down the white screen for slideshows.She thanked the students first, then turned on the slide projector, and an image of a wooden boat appeared on the screen. "This is the small boat of the Murakami Suijun. The hull is slender, and the oarsmen have been trained to quickly burst into extremely fast speeds. The plates on the left and right sides are used to defend against arrows. "Bujimoto is an islander in the Seto Inland Sea. He has been engaged in farming on the island, but his life is very poor. Therefore, he decided to charge tolls for ships passing through the Seto Inland Sea."

The teaching assistant operated the remote control, and the image switched to the full map of the Seto Inland Sea. "As shown in the picture, there are three seawater entrances and exits in the Seto Inland Sea, just like a quadrangular swimming pool. Because it is an inland sea, there will be no big waves, and ships sailing on it are very safe. Therefore, this sea has always been a place for travelers from east to west. the thoroughfare. "For example, a ship traveling from Osaka to Kyushu will follow the inflowing sea current on the surface of Osaka and head westward. However, once the seawater in this large pool is filled, the seawater in the central part of the inland sea will stop flowing, and the ship will not be able to pass through. , must dock at a nearby port for six hours of 'waiting for the tide'.

"Six hours later, the water in the big pond began to flow out, and the boats would depart from the port, continue westward along the outflowing current, and finally reach Kyushu. The Seto Inland Sea is like a natural conveyor, a very convenient ocean. "Before the appearance of modern machinery such as steamships, ships were sailing by ocean currents and winds. The currents flowing into and out of the Seto Inland Sea were undoubtedly very important. Because of this, since ancient times, the Seto Inland Sea It is the main road of transportation that goes beyond the land. Before civilization, whether it is military, missionary, or economic, it is all the way to the west or east through this sea area.

"However, there are many inconveniences in such a journey. The first is the 'waiting tide' just mentioned.There will inevitably be a tidal break throughout the journey, which cannot be avoided under any circumstances.Whether it is Empress Jingong, Kukai and Saisumi, or Minamoto Yoshitsune and Ashikaga Takaji, famous historical figures of different eras have to dock at the same port for six hours to wait for the tide.And that port is here, in our city of Fukuyama.That is Tomo. "Another inconvenience is pirates. This stable and safe sea area is perfect for pirates, suitable for activities. At the same time, the calm sea is good for naval training. Ancient and modern, every piece of stable sea area is active. Pirates, such as the Vikings in Northern Europe, also developed from a vast bay. "That's why Takekichi Murakami, the general of the Murakami Navy, concluded that tolls must be received on the Seto Inland Sea, an important traffic route. Such a convenient and safe passage is hard to find elsewhere. But the countless islands here will make the ocean currents at any time. In the era when ships did not have engines, the best route would change according to the season and time. People who wandered in this sea area for a long time could not grasp it at all. "In the troubled times of the Warring States Period, the land route was very dangerous. To transport a large amount of goods at one time, the best choice was ship shipping. But there were pirates on the sea route. The Murakami Navy took advantage of this to collect road taxes from various merchant ships. Once they are rejected, they will turn into pirates and do robbery. For ships that honestly pay tolls, they will resist pirates for them and provide pilot services. "The Yiyu Islands, which they occupy as their base, are composed of more than a hundred islands. The waterways between the islands are narrow, and the currents sometimes become very turbulent. It is the most troublesome place to die in the Seto Inland Sea. , used the corresponding water strategy to control this sea area, and chose the narrowest island, Noh Island, to build his own city. It can be seen from this that Murakami Takeshi is a very clever person. "However, the toll he charges is very high, which is 10% of the value of the goods. If you transport a thousand shi of rice, he will charge you a hundred shi. But that is better than being robbed. All ships that pay the toll , will draw the sign of "Up", and will also insert a red ship mark on the bow. In this way, you can get the escort of the Murakami navy." Kanako operated the remote again to switch to the image of the flag. "Even the daimyo are no exception. They all have to pay tolls. Why? Because although the daimyo have a powerful army, once they reach the Seto Inland Sea, no matter how powerful the daimyo is, they can't defeat the Murakami navy. "Admiral Bukit gave rigorous training to the young people around him, and trained them to be sturdy sailors. Then he ensured their stable income, ensured that the islanders lived well, and realized the separation of soldiers and peasants. In other words In other words, the young people on the island became independent from agriculture and became professional sailors." Having said that, Kanako glanced at her watch. After finishing the class, Kanako walked out of the classroom and met Assistant Professor Fujii Terutaka head-on in the corridor.Assistant Professor Fujii waved his hand and said to her with a smile, "Mr. Takizawa, I have a call for you." "Ah, really? Who's calling?" Kanako responded, and Fujii slowed down. "It's Tominaga from the Fukuyama History Museum." "Oh, is that so? What is Mr. Tominaga looking for?" "He said he found an incredible piece of information, and he must let the teacher see it too." The two stood facing each other. "Ah, really? What is it?" Kanako asked. "It is said that it is a very extraordinary thing." "Wow, really? I'm looking forward to it. Could it be related to the Murakami navy?" "He didn't say that. Speaking of which, I recently found a very good store. Why don't we go and try it together tonight?" "Ah." Kanako was a little surprised. "What, what's the matter? Why are you so surprised, you promise me once in a while." Fujii said. "Thank you for the invitation." Kanako bowed her head. "Why are you suddenly stiff? It seems that you really realize that you are in your thirties. Didn't you say that you are interested in Vietnamese cuisine last time?" "I have always wanted to visit Hoi An." "Hoi An? Not bad. But let's start with the cooking first. You have to do things step by step." "Step by step?" "Yeah, eat first, then drink, and then..." "Stop! Well, I might have to go to the museum." "It should be over soon, it's just a copy of the materials." "It's hard to tell. Even if you don't go today, the store won't close down, right?" "Then can I go to that history museum with you?" "Your major is different. It's communication." That's the name of the course Fujii is in charge of. "How about that, I'll wait for you in the park next to the museum." "Why does it have to be today? Vietnamese cuisine doesn't have long legs and can run." "Anyway, you must have a drink with Mr. Tominaga before arriving at the station, and discuss the newly discovered information together." "Let's go step by step. First eat, then drink, and then..." "Hey!" "Let's do this first, everything will be decided after I call him back." Kanako said. Kanako walked quickly into the teaching assistant's office, walked straight back to her seat, picked up the phone, and dialed the number she had memorized in her mind.There was only one ring, and Fuyong answered it. "Ah, Mr. Tominaga, you called me just now, right? Sorry, I was in class just now." Kanako said. "Oh, Takizawa-sensei, I just started eating lunch," Tominaga said. "Ah, I'm sorry, I'll call later." Kanako said hastily. "Can you wait?" Toyonaga asked while chewing. "what?" "Maybe what's waiting for you is explosive news. We found something extraordinary. Can you wait, according to your character?" Fu Yong said, swallowing the food in his mouth hastily. "Well, I can't wait." Kanako replied honestly. "Really? I think so too." "Is it a new discovery?" "Absolutely. It's a new discovery. And it's a mystery. We've discovered a great mystery." "Wow, I like this one the most. What kind of mystery is it?" "Do you like mysteries?" Fuyong deliberately kept it off. "I have dedicated my whole life to the mystery of history," Kanako said. "Come on, you are a girl, shouldn't you have a better object of dedication?" At this time, Fujii walked into the office, and just heard this sentence, so he answered.Then he pulled out the chair next to Kanako and sat down slowly. "Well, that is indeed a mystery." Tominaga said. "Don't be a fool," Kanako said. "An incredible piece of information was found in the warehouse of Abe's family, which is related to Masahiro Abe. Although it doesn't look like Masahiro's own handwriting..." "Is it a material from Abe's middle age?" "There are only materials about his old age. Because he has hardly been back to Fukuyama." "What the hell is it?" "Isn't it Perry who was the first to come to Japan? He landed in Uraga on a black ship." Tominaga began to state. "Yes, Jiayong for six years." "Masahiro Abe, who was the head of the Laozhong at the time, finally signed the "Japan-US Affinity Treaty" almost in an arbitrary way." "Well, seven years in Kayong. If Abe was not the head of the old middle school at that time, maybe Japan would go to war with the black ships, because the shogunate has not responded for a long time." "Yes, Perry himself has plans to go to war, because he believes in shell diplomacy." "Ok." "Although later generations also commented on Abe's indecision, that's not the case. I came to this conclusion from this document. We found a battle map." "The battle map..." "Well, to be more precise, it should be called 'Immortal Out of the Imperial Army', and the time marked is the second month of Jiayin Spring in the seventh year of Jiayong." "Ah, it's the year the peace treaty was concluded." Kanako said.This era happens to be Kanako's specialization, so it's natural that she comes at her fingertips. "Hmm. Although the founding of the country is the ultimate goal, for Japan, there is still a bottom line that cannot be compromised, right?" Tominaga said. "Yes, there are. Such as colonization, and the spread of opium and other issues." Kanako said. The shogunate learned about the situation in the world and Asia through the Netherlands, so it is natural that it is very clear about the focus of its own vigilance.The head of foreign affairs of the shogunate was actually more capable than people think today. "Exactly. Although Japan in the Abe period had not yet established a country, there was already a tendency to establish a country. Therefore, the Japanese government at that time absolutely could not accept any dangerous things, such as things that caused China to fall into a deep disaster before then." "Yeah, with the precedent of China, the heads of the shogunate are naturally a little bit more vigilant." In Asia, there is no colonization or territorialization at all, and I am afraid that Japan is the only one. "Abe once sent an order to the feudal vassals, saying that if the United States made excessive demands, it would prepare to go to war with it. Presumably this map was prepared for this. The troops on this map are composed of 400 soldiers stationed in Edo. It was composed of twenty-five Fukuyama vassals." Tominaga said. "Ok." "According to the formation on the map, once a war breaks out, the samurai of the Fukuyama domain will stand at the forefront of defending Japan. Abe will detail his horse position, the configuration of the soldiers around him, and the positions of the various soldier squads within the army. It’s reflected in the map.” "Ah, I found something like that." "Yes, we found the real thing." "That's really a major discovery!" Kanako couldn't help shouting excitedly. "Yes. However, the existence of such a thing was expected a long time ago. Many documents related to the Affinity Treaty have been discovered so far. The most striking thing about the documents discovered this time is that they are Abe's personal instruction." "Then, what about the mystery..." "Here's the problem. At the end of this 'Record of the Imperial Guard', there is a very unbelievable text." "Unbelievable words?" "Well, there is a word with unknown meaning written in the last part of the map." "Words of unknown meaning..." "Well, at least in the materials I have read, that word has never appeared. Therefore, I can't understand its meaning. It is a very strange word, and it looks beautiful and full of poetry." Toyong said . "What word?" "I don't know how to pronounce it, so you..." "Can I take a look?" Kanako said hastily. "Of course." Fuyong said, "Come on, of course I want to show you, otherwise why would I call you? Come over here and have a look. I don't know if you have seen this word before, maybe you have. Something like that. Anyway, I want to hear your opinion." "it is good." "Why do you attach so much importance to this word? That's because, this word is written next to 'Black Ship'." In the Fukuyama Museum of History student's office, there are propaganda posters from the end of the Tokugawa period on the wall, and a black ship is painted on the painting.Tominaga covered the half-eaten bento, stared at the picture, and was talking to the phone. The sunlight outside the window passed through the gaps in the leaves and fell on the desk, where the thread-bound materials were turning to important pages.When Tominaga was eating, he still held down a corner of the document with his right hand for research, so he was still wearing a white glove on his right hand at this time. "The black ship... is it Perry's black ship?" Kanako's soft voice came from the other end of the phone.Fu Yong looked away from the black boat, and said to the phone: "Yes, so, judging from the characteristics of this document, I think this word might be a weapon." Fu Yong looked serious.There were several apprentices sitting around him, all silently eating their bento. "Ah, is it a weapon?" Kanako's excited voice became even thinner. "Yes, and I think it is very likely that it is a special weapon specially used by Japan to deal with black ships." Hearing what Tominaga said, Kanako's voice became sharper: "Ah, how could it be!" Hearing her reaction, Toyong laughed: "Well, I don't think it's possible either." He nodded and said. "I've never heard of such a thing. I've done a lot of research on Masahiro Abe, but..." "Is it? It's all common sense. But you have to know that common sense is the most dangerous thing." "Ok." "Aren't you here just to study Masahiro Abe?" "Yes, and my mother's natal family is also here... But I really have never heard of that kind of thing, never heard of any weapons against the black ship." "Is it? That's why I said it's a mystery." "Also, did the shogunate at that time really have the will to attack the black ship?" Kanako said, "Probably not." Toyonaga immediately responded. "According to the thinking of the Japanese at that time, yes. At that time, whether it was the vassals or the vassals, they all thought that the black ship was an invincible monster, and they were terribly afraid. After all, the black ship looked very big, like Like a hill." "Ok." "The big guy is still floating on the sea. Who has seen this kind of thing. Just hearing the word 'black ship' makes you tremble badly. After all, there were no such big ships in Japan at that time, let alone cannons. Ah, something like a steam engine, that is a powerful weapon that can’t be compared with Japan. At that time, it was impossible for Japan to have a special weapon that could fight against the black ship.” "That's right. And the so-called maritime weapons must first have a navy before they can be imagined. Japan at that time..." "There is no navy. Although the army is constantly firing on land, it is sad that it can't reach people at all. As you said, Japan has no navy at all, and it cannot fight on water. But the shells of the black ship can hit the land Come up." "It is said that the range of the black ship is four times that of the Japanese cannon." Kanako said. "Well, four times." Toyong nodded and said, "When the Japanese shells were still like meatballs, the others' shells would already spin and explode." "Is it the Armstrong cannon?" "Well, the power is simply a world of difference, so we can only keep begging people to go back." "Yeah, after all, without a navy, we can't fight at all." "But Abe doesn't seem to be afraid of the black ship. Maybe it's because he has that weapon... However, this is probably just my wishful thinking..." "I'm going! That's written in that document, right?" Kanako exclaimed. "Well, I think there is that possibility." "Great! I'm going." Kanako yelled again. "Maybe this is a rare discovery as a researcher in his life. I advise you not to miss it." "I have class in the afternoon, so I'll be there right away after class. Mr. Toyong, please don't leave work early, please." "Since you said you would come, of course I won't go back early." Fuyong said. "I should be able to pass by four o'clock, just wait for me." "Four o'clock? Since you have said so, I will definitely not leave. I can wait until the morning." "Won't keep you waiting too long." "Okay, then I'll wait for you in the student's office." "Okay, see you later!" After speaking, Kanako hung up the phone.Tominaga also put back the receiver, took another look at Kurofune's painting, and continued eating his bento. "Don't get off work, please. Don't get off work, please." Seeing Kanako put down the receiver, Fujii imitated. Kanako, who hadn't sat down all this time, began to walk around in the office, with her finger on her lips, muttering softly: "The new weapon of the shogunate, the new weapon of the shogunate..." Fujii also stood up from the chair, pretending to be coquettish, and said exaggeratedly: "Please don't go back, Mr. Tominaga!" "That's for the new materials." Kanako said while pacing. "Oh? Did you say it about the new materials? Did Mr. Tominaga think the same?" Fujii stood up and said while patting his knee. Kanako was still thinking. "A new weapon against the black ship..." "Will the new material run home on its own? It's all because of Masahiro's new weapon. I'm going to eat alone again tonight. It's the box lunch from the convenience store again." "Masahiro's secret weapon? The secret navy..." "Okay, okay, I was completely ignored." "Masahiro at the end of the shogunate had a secret navy?" "You are really absent-minded. What's the matter, like a high school girl, your voice is floating. You will be misunderstood like this." Fujii gave up struggling, returned to his seat, and pulled out the chair. "If the shogunate has that kind of thing, history will be overturned." Kanako suddenly stopped, looking at the sky and said. "I'm about to be subverted too, I'm starving to death!" "Let's go to lunch." Kanako said suddenly. "Uh." Fujii snorted and looked at Kanako. "I'm hungry. Fujii-sensei, shall we go to the cafeteria? Let's have lunch. Today, let's talk about lunch for comfort." After speaking, Kanako strode towards the corridor.Fujii hurriedly stood up and hurriedly followed. Kanako Takizawa and Terutaka Fujii eat together on the cafeteria terrace.Because the lunch time was slightly staggered, there was no one around. "By the way, there are not many people who know that Abe is the lord of Fukuyama, right? After all, he has never returned to his territory, don't you think so?" Fujii said while putting curry rice in his mouth. "No, he came back once. But at the time of the national crisis, he was too busy to manage the affairs of the vassals. Didn't he entertain Perry from the United States?" Kanako said. "They did entertain each other, and they had parties on the Black Ship." "Well, it made the faces of the samurai flushed." Kanako said as she rolled up the pasta with a fork, "I came home drunk." "Perry also wrote, 'The Japanese samurai was speaking the English he had just learned on the deck, and he kept saying that the United States and Japan had one heart, and rushed to him, wanting to hug him'." Kanako put the pasta into her mouth, and then Say. "Well, I've heard of this too. There are also samurai who want to take a whole roast chicken home as a souvenir and make their kimono greasy." "Ah, I know that, pack it home, right? That was the custom in Japan back then." Perry also wrote that he was surprised when the Japanese wrapped up all their meals in paper Well. Abe also invited Perry to the dinner party, but it didn’t get much praise, because all the meals were too light and the portions were very small.” "Well, for sure, where did Americans eat Japanese cuisine at that time?" Fujii said while chewing hurriedly. "At that time, the Japanese side specially dispatched a batch of Tomo sake from the Fukuyama Domain to treat the Americans as liqueur." "Ah, is it? It seems that he has not forgotten his hometown. But, what is the secret weapon you mentioned just now?" Asked by Fujii, Kanako thought about it for a while, and then said: "Abe is a person who can always see the direction of things at a glance. He has an extraordinary imagination. In a sense, I think he is a genius." Fujii nodded: "Well, some of the policies he formulated after the founding of the country were indeed amazing. He immediately lifted the ban on traditional large ships and bought new-style steamships from the Netherlands..." "However, if the Japanese did not master the skills of sailing, all of this would be meaningless. Therefore, even after Abe's death, Enomoto Takehiro, who had a low status but had excellent talents, was sent to study in the Netherlands. He also studied the "Public Law of the Nations", and finally founded the Naval Training Institute in Nagasaki, which would become the foundation of the Japanese Navy in the future; although it was a lower-level banner, the very excellent Katsu Kaishu was also promoted and entrusted with important tasks; at that time, the only one in Japan who was proficient in English John Manjiro, a famous fisherman, was appointed as Tongci (translator), and the excellent talent Iwase Tadaki, whom Harris also admired, was promoted to Zheshou..." Kanako explained smoothly. "Yeah, he really deserves to be a history teacher. Although he had to be responsible for Japan's forced founding of the country, he stood on the cusp of the crisis without hesitation at the critical moment when Japan was about to be destroyed." "Those people I just listed are all talents who take state affairs as their own responsibility. Because Abe has long been tired of the older generation of vassal ministers who only seek peace in the world, he promoted many new talents regardless of their status and only asked about their ability. Although Japan was Abe bears some responsibility for forcing the founding of the country, but I think the situation would be even more critical if it were someone else." "Well, after all, it was an era that paid attention to status. He must have received a lot of criticism for doing such a thing." "Well, but there didn't seem to be very strong criticisms at that time. Not only that, but he also completely abolished the "foreign studies ban" in the seclusion era, established the Western Studies Institute, the predecessor of Dongda University, and the Lecture Institute, the predecessor of the Army. He is so active. It can even be said that the cornerstone of modern international Japan was laid by him. Few people know this.” "It's really amazing. He sees the future clearly. Compared with him, the subsequent Sachang Meiji government fought against North Korea and attacked the mainland. It angered the United States and launched a reckless Pacific war. , It should be said that their strategy of governing the country is wrong." "Well, maybe, at least the righteousness of that war is not clear." "The righteousness of war?" "We never figured out who we were fighting, did we? I can understand if it's about driving out the white colonizers from Asia. But if that's the case, why insist on invading China?" "The original policy of the government is not to expand the war." "In short, the later Chief Sa, who jointly founded the new government and the Ministry of Education, covered up Abe's achievements." "Another reason is his short life. It's a pity that he died at the age of thirty-nine. Speaking of which, he was about the same age as I am now, so I really can't hold my head up." Kanako said, Fujii smiled: "If Abe can live a few more years, will Japan be different..." "It will definitely be completely different." Kanako said, "I often think about this problem. If he is still there, Ii Naosuke will not appear, the Anzheng Prison will not happen, and the reason to crusade against the shogunate will no longer exist. What's more, Satsuma lord Shimadzu Qibin was originally a good friend of Abe, if Abe was still alive, the Meiji Restoration led by Satsuma would definitely not happen." "Oh, yes." "In short, Abe is such a smart person. I don't think he will recklessly start a country without any chance of winning." "You said he didn't follow the crowd?" Kanako put the last bite of pasta into her mouth, and said, "I don't think so. He might have some secret murder in his heart." "Kill Jue? For what?" "Of course it is at the moment of last resort, forcing the Americans not to speak up." "Oh, is that the so-called new weapon?" Kanako nodded slowly. "Is it the new information discovered this time?" "That's right. That's why I'm so excited." Kanako looked at Fujii and said. "Oh, yeah...you've been working on this all along." "That's right. Can't you?" After finishing speaking, Kanako looked at Fujii again, "A girl should devote herself to something more dreamy." "What girl? I'm thirty-five." "Can't you still have children..." Fujii said. "That's a girl's dream? Then I'll forget it. Men do too." Kanako said firmly. "Really?" "Ok." "Even if that man is Masahiro Abe?" "Uh, if it's Masahiro Abe..." Kanako hesitated to speak, and lowered her gaze. "If it's Masahiro Abe?" "You can think about it." "That's right, you should understand what I mean, right?" Fujii put his hand on Kanako's leg. "I'm going to serve tea." "Don't be perfunctory!" Fujii shouted from Kanako's back. In the afternoon, Kanako continued to teach the students with the help of slides. "The eldest son, Murakami Takeshi, was the commander-in-chief, stationed in Noh Island in the Yiyu Islands; Murakami Tongyasu was stationed in Lai Island; Murakami Kichimitsu built a city in Indo Island, and slowly, they became one, and their sea army also became one. Known as the 'Murakami Mishima Navy'. They also built fortresses on other islands. Once the war broke out, the soldiers would beat the taiko drums when Bukit gave an order. People on other islands heard the taiko drums and would also rush to When the taiko drums are played, the Murakami warships stationed in the inner sea will gather immediately when they hear the sound of the drums. "The existence of Murakami pirates is undoubtedly a very convenient prop for the Sengoku daimyo who are busy taking over the world. They will hire water troops to transport food and grass, and even hire them as mercenaries during naval battles. "The reputation of the Murakami Navy was first shot in the Battle of Itsukushima in 1555. They responded to the invitation of Maori Motozuru to participate in the battle, defeated Zhou Fang's Tao Qingxian army in one fell swoop, and helped the Maori army win a big victory. Maori also borrowed With this opportunity, he became a famous daimyo in the San'in and Sanyo areas. However, there is actually insufficient information about the Murakami navy's participation in the Itsukushima Battle, and it has not yet been regarded as conclusive evidence that can prove historical facts." Kanako switched to another slide. "The next famous naval battle was fought with the army under the jurisdiction of Oda Nobunaga, who was known as invincible at the time. Oda Nobunaga was facing tit-for-tat with the Ishiyama Honganji faction at the time, but the Maori just mentioned provided food and grass for Ishiyama Honganji Aid. The Murakami navy stood against the Oda navy because of their relationship with Maori, and they manipulated the Oda navy with only 300 small haya boats, and finally defeated it in one fell swoop." Kanako switched the slideshow again, and the screen changed to Yuya's photo. "The secret of Murakami's victory is a well-trained army with uniform movements. Another secret is a new scientific weapon that has been studied repeatedly. What they are best at is to quickly burn down the opponent's ships. Use small early boats to destroy the enemy's ships. Surrounded, with the sail as the center, fire arrows were fired in one breath. Murakami’s fire arrows can burn longer than those used by other armies at that time, and they also contain gunpowder.” Switch slides again. "Next, there is a weapon called 'fireball'. This thing is now a competitive event in the Olympic Games, called the hammer throw. We have a player named Murofu in Japan, who is an athlete in this event. They set fire The black balls of gunpowder swirled overhead first, and then dropped a large number on the enemy ships. At that time, they were also equipped with small guns capable of firing gunpowder. These things exploded on the deck one after another, and the enemy immediately panicked and lost. Combat ability. At that time, apart from the Murakami Suijun, no other army had mastered this scientific weapon. “当时的船只全是木造的帆船。受到这种攻击后，船帆会首当其冲地燃烧起来，紧接着甲板也会遭殃。村上水军的船只，因为桨手经过严格训练，行动起来速度很快，进退非常灵活，因此他们发动的火攻是很难防范的。 “村上的船队甚至还考虑到了同伴船只受损的应对方案。哪条船没了，该如何变换队形，连这种细节都有对应的行动策略。 “此外，还有水军专用的武器——'手梯'。是勾到敌船之上，用来迅速登船的带铁钩绳梯。此外还有大熊手、小熊手等，各种各样精巧的道具。” 加奈子又换了一张幻灯片。 “好了，刚才讲到信长在海战失败后，身为一名战国时代的革命家，他把那个时代尚十分新锐的新武器带到了濑户内海，成为世界第一人。那就是这种巨大的铁船。他用铁板将巨船包裹，令其不可燃烧，船上还装配了破坏力极强的大炮。 这下，就连毛利，村上联合军也难以匹敌，迅速败下阵来。 “此后，这艘船以堺为中心，掌控了濑户内海的航线。在荒木村重试图谋反时，还从海上对有冈城发起了炮击。 “信长十分满意这艘巨型铁船，还坐着它行至淡路岛，为儿子们划定四国领地，又马不停蹄地制定了山阴山阳的远征计划。可惜在此之前，他就在本能寺遭到了袭击。有一种说法称，他只带很少的部队入驻本能寺，是因为那些是将乘坐铁船的随从。” 加奈子翻动手边的资料。这所大学坐落在海湾附近，海风会时不时从敞开的窗户吹进来。 “紧接着，发生了一件不可思议的事。信长死后，那艘巨型铁船就突然消失了，然后再也没出现在任何记录里。本来，它作为大破村上水军的著名军船，应该在历史上留下光辉的一笔，结果却销声匿迹，几乎不为世人所知。明明是一艘巨大得让人惊叹的铁甲船啊。 “那艘船后来应该是被丰臣秀吉继承，可是，在与秀吉相关的史料里也没有发现它的踪影，也没有被拆毁的记录。各位想必也不知道那艘船的存在吧？太不可思议了。它就这么突然消失了。究竟到哪里去了呢？” 下午的课程结束后，加奈子从福山市立大学正门走了出来。她加快脚步，赶往福山历史博物馆。 她刚一离开，背靠着墙壁一角的年轻男子就撑起身子，追了上去。加奈子用眼角余光发现了那名男子，感到恐惧万分。 糟糕的是，大学门前的大路上竟然看不到一辆出租车。加奈子迅速左右张望，迷惑了片刻，很快便决定往更容易拦到出租车的大路走去。她很想尽快看到那些资料。现在太阳还没落山，周围还有许多行人。 当她走上大路的人行道时，男人已经快追上来了。加奈子猛一回头，冲着身后的男人大声说道：“你有什么事吗？” 男人闻言，停了下来。 “不要跟过来。”加奈子说完，男人一动不动。 “你要跟到什么时候才罢休？不要再跟着我了！” 男人闻言，用诡异呆板的语调说：“我们……在神的旨意下结合。” “你说什么？”加奈子的语调变得尖锐起来。 “我们应该磨亮镜子，确认始祖意志，映照彼此心灵。我们二人在东方礼仪之国的神明旨意下，得到了既定的命运。这条项链……” 男人把手伸向自己的脖颈。但加奈子已经不再看他，而是目不斜视地看向前方，拦下了刚好路过的出租车。 “啊，等等！”男人说。加奈子则已迅速钻进出租车，催促司机离开了。 加奈子坐在福山历史博物馆的学艺员办公室里，出神地看着富永给她的毛笔字写成的资料。 她坐在椅子上，资料铺在桌上。一边看，一边缓缓戴上富永递过来的白手套。 富永早已戴好手套，站在加奈子身后，伸手按住资料的一角，另一只手指着上面的内容，说：“你看，这上面画着队列方阵。中心是'御马'，指的是大将阿部正弘。周围是他的贴身侍卫，都是'御近习'或'御供番'。每个武士的名字都用红笔标注了。比如篠崎仁左卫门、鹿野富三郎、嶋六助……” “嗯。”加奈子点了点头说。 “这个看上去虽然很像大名队列，但实际用途似乎是组队离开江户城，在海边布阵。因为这是阵列图，所以才像画卷一样长。上面虽然写有注解，但形式与画卷是一致的。你看，这里是大炮队和装弹队——也就是炮队后方管理火药的部队。整幅画卷就是这样延伸下去的。” 说着，富永在旁边的椅子上坐了下来。 “嗯。那……有可能是新武器的是……” “就是这个。”富永伸出戴着手套的手，小心翼翼地翻到夹有书签的那一页。 页面一翻开，加奈子就瞪大了眼睛，她屏住呼吸、弯下身去，出神地看着那一页。 “这是……”她小声嘟哝着，用戴着手套的手轻轻按住那一页。 富永则放开手，说：“没错。” “黑色的字和红色的字……” “嗯，对。”富永点了点头，“在这个船型的框里，你看，就是这儿，用黑字写着'黑船'。” "Ok." “这种船型框一共有四个。” “是的。”加奈子紧张地回应道。 “然后你再看这里。黑船旁边用红字写着'星笼'。” 加奈子把脸凑到富永所指的地方，小声说： “星笼（HOSIKAGO）……莫非念（SEIRO）……” “不管是SEIRO还是SEIRO……这到底是什么呢？你怎么看？有什么想法吗？” 加奈子疑惑地直起身子，靠在椅背上，然后说：“没有，我从没见过这些文字。” “黑船这两个字一共出现在四处，对吗？”富永问。 “是的。”加奈子回答。 “我觉得，这张图应该是阿部警戒佩里来航的图示吧。” 加奈子闻言，用力点了点头。 “很明显是这样的。这四艘船分别是萨斯喀那号（USS Susquehanna）、密西西比号（USS Mississippi）、萨拉托加号（USS Saratoga）和普利茅斯号（USS Plymouth）。” “哦，真不愧是专业人士。” “不过他们在嘉永七年返航时，已经变成了七艘船。”加奈子说。 “嗯。但那四艘军舰旁边，除了'黑船'两个黑字，还写有'星笼'两个红字，两种文字之间还有细线相连。黑船和星笼，你觉得这到底意味着什么呢？” 加奈子再次俯下身子，凑近资料。 “不知道……”她一边说，一边再次抬起头。 “星笼这两个字，有什么可能的意义呢？你才是研究阿部的专家啊。” “富永先生，你不也一样吗？”加奈子笑道。她看向富永，却见他忙不迭地挥着手。 “我才疏学浅，只是一介学艺员而已。你可是备受瞩目的学者啊。” “别这样，我才是一个再平凡不过、喜欢阿部正弘的粉丝罢了。”加奈子说。 “可那不是你的工作吗？” “正因为我能把这个当成工作，所以觉得自己很幸福啊。”加奈子说。 “那你再没有别的念想了？”富永问。 “没有了。”加奈子一边回答一边提高了警惕，心想这人又提起那个话题了。 “丈夫和孩子——” “在星笼这两个美丽的文字前都略显逊色啊。” 加奈子连忙打断：“你是真心的吗？不是善意的谎言？” “不是。”她表情认真，斩钉截铁地说，表示自己只想回到资料的话题上。 富永察觉到了，点头道：“这些文字的确很美啊。阿部的强悍秘密武器……是不是我过于期待了呢？” “照常识来说……应该是吧。毕竟，要对付的是水上的敌人，就算这是新武器，那幕府也得先有海军啊。”加奈子说。 “是啊，没错啊。那有没有可能是陆地上用的超级武器，可以攻击黑船……” “然后装到船上去吗？” "Ok." “你听说过幕府开发了那种兵器吗，富永先生？” "No." “阿部时代的江户幕府，是没有海军的。” "yes." 加奈子把一个夹子轻轻放在资料上，朝着被船型框着的黑船两个字缓缓推过去，然后说：“就算有新武器，也要把它装到船上，一路航行到黑船旁边，不是吗？在宽阔的海面上，黑船轻而易举就能把它击沉了。” “也对。那就不能叫强有力的新武器了。”富永说着，抱起双臂。 “如果幕府有海军，就会有装备了大炮的军舰，也就不会被轻易击沉了……啊！” 加奈子叫了一声，看向天花板，表情凝固了。 “怎么了？”富永松开抱着的双臂，问道。 “啊……没什么，就是突然想起来一些事情。虽然时代不同，有点不太可能，但信长确实拥有过一艘巨型铁船，对吧？” “就是信长命九鬼嘉隆打造的军船吧？”富永说。 “是的，你这么清楚啊。” “可别小看我。” "Uh, sorry." “开玩笑的。”富永马上说。 “如果有那艘船，还能稍微对抗一阵子。”加奈子边说边拿起旁边的橡皮擦，放在资料上。 “把那艘船弄来了？可就算有大炮，日本这边也只是铁蛋子啊。在靠火矢打仗的年代，整体包覆着铁板的战船还能被称为强有力的新武器，但到了幕末，已经是阿姆斯特朗炮的时代了，命中率和射程都不是火矢能比的。” “是啊，你说得没错。”加奈子马上承认道。 “毕竟那是日美之间的对峙，如果没有更加先进的火器……这么说来，所谓的新武器，果然只是臆想吗？星笼，难道只是阿部一时兴起写上去的？” “不，我不这么认为。”加奈子说。 “那你是什么想法？” “你看，这不是出阵图吗？上面画的是士兵和武器的配置位置。” “嗯，没错。完全不是书写风流的地方。”富永也赞同道。 “就是这里，你看看这个。”加奈子瞥了富永一眼，指着资料说。她正好指着写有“黑船”二字的船型框。 “只有这艘和这艘，在船体左右画了四角形的东西。” “啊，真的！还真的有，这是什么？”富永说完看着加奈子。 “我觉得应该是外轮，蒸汽引擎的外轮。” “哦哦！嗯。” “其实很多人不知道，那四艘黑船并不全是外轮船。” “呃，真的吗？”富永问。 “是的，很多人以为那四艘船都是蒸汽船，但其实萨拉托加号和普利茅斯号都只是帆船而已。” “啊，对啊，说是大型驱逐舰，但其实只是帆船啊。”富永一拍膝盖说。 “没错。只有这两艘船的船身左右画着四边形，因此，它们应该分别是萨斯喀那号和密西西比号了。” “是啊，没错，可是……这是什么意思呢？” “也就是说，幕府一方的观察其实非常仔细。他们不只是单纯地畏惧，而是在认真地观察着敌人。这样一来，这张图很可能展示了某个经过深思熟虑的战略。用德川家的历代人才相比，能与阿部匹敌的，估计只有家康了。” “啊，的确如此。”富永一脸认真地点了点头，又抱起双臂。 “原来如此，是这么回事儿啊。”富永又感慨了一番，之后沉默了一会儿，然后缓缓抬起头，说，“对了，泷泽老师，你肚子饿不饿？我们去吃点儿什么吧。车站前开了家不错的店，是意大利料理。” 加奈子马上抬起手，说：“啊，对不起，我已经吃过了。” “哦，真的吗？真不给面子啊。那就陪我喝点啤酒呗。我还没跟你聊够呢，这可是世纪性的大发现哦，我们再讨论一会儿吧。” “不如下次吧？今天我想早点儿回去准备明天的教案，还想把这份复印件带回去，一个人好好思考一下。等我明确了自己的看法，再来讨论……” “什么意思嘛，我可是为了你才这么拼命把这资料找来的呀。”富永说。 “真对不起。大学老师其实很辛苦的，净是些琐碎的事情。还有，不好意思，这份资料，我能复印一份吗？” “我早就复印好了，专门给你用的。星笼那部分还是用的彩印哦。” “啊，真是太谢谢你了。” 加奈子说着，行了个礼。 “要是再找到好玩的，我再联系你。”富永说。 “一定要！我等你联系。” “能哄你开心的礼物不是奢侈品，也不是戒指，而是这些新资料啊。”富永无可奈何地说。 加奈子一个人走出了福山博物馆大门。太阳早已下山了。 她向右转弯，朝着福山站的方向，独自在路灯下大步走着。附近的树丛中不断传来嘈杂之声。 一个高大男人的身影悄然从旁边的黑暗中冒了出来。 “结束了？”他说。 “啊？”加奈子猛地缩回身子，想要逃跑。 男人的脸渐渐出现在路灯之下。 “啊，原来是藤井老师。”加奈子霎时松了一口气。 “嗯，我等你好久了。”藤井说。 “哎呀，你吓死我了，原来是你。”加奈子说。 “你怎么被吓得这么厉害？是把我错认成谁了吗？”藤井说。 “啊，没什么……只是没想到你会来。” “不行吗？我只是担心你。” “那真是谢谢你了。”加奈子低下头说。 “我们走走吧。”藤井提议。加奈子只得与他并肩走在一起。 二人在虫鸣声中漫步，空气中散发着秋天特有的干草气息。这是夏天和春天都感觉不到的，安静休眠的气息。 向左转去，便能看到点亮了夜间照明的福山城天守阁，矗立在夜空中。 “这是我们国家面临最严峻的国难时，执掌国家前进方向的那个人的城池啊。”藤井看着那座城说。 加奈子点了点头：“嗯，真漂亮。乡野藩属的藩主，竟然在纸醉金迷的江户城中，代表国家与美国对峙。如今想来真是太不可思议了。” 藤井边走边看着亮如白昼的天守阁，也点了点头。然后，他缓缓收回视线，说：“自从阿部艰难地打开了沉重的国门后，日本名副其实地成了世界的一员呢。” “嗯，那次是日本最大的转机。”加奈子说。 “的确如此。在那之前，对日本来说，所谓的世界仅止于亚洲。日本的世界化，就是从这里的城主大人开始的。”藤井说。 “嗯，是啊。”加奈子说，“除了阿部之外，不管谁坐上老中首座的位置，肯定都无法如此当机立断地决定开国。当时的将军，肯定会做出跟天皇一样的判断。” “继续攘夷，锁国……” “没错。因为那是祖法。” “所谓祖法，就是儒教坚持的正义吧。” “是的。不过那只是怠惰的藏身之所。什么都不做，什么都不想，一味维持现状。”加奈子说。 “当时开国已经是必然之势了啊，正义也要看时代的。” “对，当时的国情和世界局势都需要开国。” “也曾存在打倒鬼畜美英的时代呢。” “嗯。同样地，对敌方而言，也曾存在歼灭日本这一正义观点抬头的时代。” “在某些国家，这种正义甚至持续到了现在呢。” 藤井说完，加奈子不发一言地点了点头。 “马修·佩里的东印度舰队，应该不是第一个来到日本的舰队吧？” “嗯，第一个是俄罗斯。” “在对待美俄的问题上，如果只想顾自己，那还是什么都不做比较安全呢。总比引发战争，搞得民不聊生，自己不得不切腹谢罪要好得多。” “即使江户变成一片废墟……” “也能借口说那都是鬼畜美国干的。可是一旦在开国文书上签字盖章，自己就要对将来发生的所有事情负责了。” 藤井说完，加奈子又说：“所以江户城内的幕臣们，全都一副事不关己的样子啊。总之，先把那些异国的船只打发走，等他们都走了，到时候山长水远，搞不好就把日本给忘了。江户的精英们也就只有这种程度的智慧了。” 加奈子最讨厌现代日本人的这种做法了。 “其实在那之前，真的发生过那样的事情呢。”藤井说。 “把我们忘掉吗？的确有过。但这次不一样，因为牵扯到了捕鲸的问题，美国是绝不会退让的，阿部很清楚这一点。荷兰利用别段风说书，事前告知了美国的蒸汽船即将来航的消息，阿部在事前已经与自己的副手商讨过无数次了。” “他还因此被斥为胆怯。阿部甚至提出了各藩合议制的议案呢。而这个议案的最终结果，就是削弱了德川体制。” “但那并不是胆怯。如果是国内问题，还可以独善其身，但在外交问题上，理应将国内所有的智慧集中起来一致对外啊。这两个问题从根本上就不一样。” “不过，当时的各藩都没有明白过来呢。” “是啊，毕竟在那之前从没发生过什么国际问题。” “是和平让他们变迟钝了。” "yes." “不过即使那样，各藩也只会辱骂阿部是胆小鬼，自己却什么都不说，什么都不做，让时间白白流逝。” “嗯。江户城内的幕臣也因为怕负责任而不发表意见，只会说要尊祖法行事。” “因为他们都害怕切腹嘛，所以阿部只能一个人做出决断了。” "yes." “其实看到美国那么绅士的态度，各藩很可能非常吃惊呢。是因为当时美国刚经历了独立战争，暂时还无法开辟殖民地。” “倒不是那样。一八九八年，美国就跟西班牙打了一仗，把菲律宾据为己有，还吞并了夏威夷群岛。不过，当时的欧洲帝国主义都被拖在中国。幕府得到的情报可不少哦，后来的萨长啊、土肥之类的，简直不能比。” “对啊，后来的幕臣岩濑和西周之类的人掌握的情报，也没法跟土佐的坂本龙马比较啊。” “嗯，坂本先生虽然身处市井，却熟知海外形势。” “坂本先生吗？那么，当时阿部也已经正确掌握了美国的动机？” “嗯，可以这么说。他甚至把来航船只的名称、装备和战斗力都掌握了