Chapter 27 Five, the minister of pillars

"So it was to kill Haizhou." Long Ma touched his chin and said. "You do not want it?" "Ah, first of all..." Ryoma picked up the jug, pretending to be confused, "What kind of person is Sheng Haizhou?" "Traitor!" Shigetaro said very simply and simply. Ryoma smiled and said: "That's for sure. The guy who even wanted to kill Chiba Shigetaro, the nephew of the late master Zhou Zuo, must be a big traitor that everyone can punish. His appearance is also similar to the evil spirit of Dajiangshan On par." "Xiaolong." Shigetaro looked displeased, he felt that Ryoma was laughing at himself.

"You know Sheng?" "I don't know." Shigetaro said angrily. Sanako laughed beside him. Ryoma loves boats, and has heard of this former shogunate warship Xianlin, who is now the current generation warship, Feng Sheng Haizhou, and knows what kind of person he is.Although he was also a vassal, he came from a humble background.If it weren't for the shogunate's desire to recruit talents, in the shogunate where clan doctrine is prevalent, his background would never have made it to the top. Katsu Kaishu is often called Rintaro.He was born in Kamezawa, Honjo, in the first month of the sixth year of Bunsei, twelve years older than Ryoma.He was poor when he was young.From the "Experiencing World Changes" he dictated and recorded after the Meiji era, one can imagine the tragic situation at that time: "I was poor when I was young. At the end of the year, every family decorated Kadatsu, but my family didn't even have money to make rice cakes. Some relatives said they wanted to give us rice cakes, so I asked me to pick them up, so I went. On the way home, I wrapped the rice cakes in a cloth and carried them back home. I passed the Ryogoku Bridge. For some reason, the bundle broke, and the rice cakes I finally got spilled. All over the place. The road was dark, I managed to pick up two or three, but because they were too dirty, I threw them from the bridge into the river."

His mother, A Shen, and his father, Xiao Ji.Xiaoji is righteous, and he can be said to be a knight-errant in the city. He is happy and cares about his family.When recalling his marriage, Sheng Haizhou said: "My father lived in seclusion and didn't care about family affairs. He was really poor at the time." Xiaoji wrote a memoir called "Meng Drunk Alone", which wrote: "Now I can support my life, thanks to Rintaro. If you have a son who is not Rintaro but an old man, I am afraid that you will not be as leisurely as you are now." He can be said to be an honest person.

What kind of person is Katsu Kaishu who Chiba Shigetaro wants to assassinate? Sheng Haizhou himself said: "The only thing I have really learned is swordsmanship. My ancestors are swordsmen." As Sheng Haizhou said, Xiaoji is a master of swordsmanship even though he wanders around the market all day. Xiaoji, known as Saemon Taro, was born in the Nanya family of Hatakemoto, and later went to the Katsu family of the poor retainer as an adopted son.Although his family is poor, he is well-informed, born righteous, and loves to fight against injustice.Although he is a direct cadet, he hangs out with the neighborhood scoundrels and is regarded as "Mr." by everyone, and he never tires of it.Three hundred years of Edo culture gave birth to such a man named Xiaoji.Unlearned, reckless and desireless, frivolous but somewhat clever.This is what can be called a "know-it-all" character.

Xiaoji left such a passage: "I did a lot of evil things before, but I was not punished by God. I felt strange. But while doing so many bad things, I did not hesitate to help many people. Perhaps It is precisely because of this that I have been favored by God.” His so-called blessing from heaven means that God gave him a good son.It can be said that he is very naive to say such a thing with the cheek. "My son is smart. He often makes good friends and never makes bad friends. He learns martial arts and respects his father. I am enjoying my life now. I hope that my children and grandchildren will be like Yibang (Haizhou) and flourish."

Although Xiaoji is different, he is a warrior who enjoys a salary after all, so he also prays for the prosperity of his descendants. Then the incompetent father gave some lectures to his children and grandchildren: "A man should abandon other things at the age of nine, concentrate on studying literature and martial arts, and read a lot of books. These are much better than those low-level knowledge. Get ahead with one skill, To be loyal to the general, to be filial to the parents, to be the wife and children..." At the end, he also said something that was not often said by people at the time, that is: "Make friends with friends with faith." The so-called friendship is the "imported morality" after the Meiji era. The morality between the upper and lower.This is probably the natural morality that Xiaoji has summed up in half his life.

His son Haizhou is somewhat similar to him. "I have lived at such a great age, and I have dated many people. For example, Xinmen Chenwulang, Yaoguanba, Bangjian Juntaifu, Yabaishong's A Song, and Songyuan's mother-in-law have all become my best friends. .” "Anyway, my father tried his best to get me to learn kung fu, and took me to meet a swordsman named Susumu Shimada Torano." Haizhou said. At that time, Haizhou was sixteen years old. He had learned swordsmanship from his uncle Tani Seiichiro, but when he was nine years old, he encountered a strange disaster. When he was seven years old, he was ordered by the shogunate to serve as the shogun's son as the playmate of the 12th shogun, Kayei Gonan Hatsunojo.But when he was nine years old, he was attacked by a bulldog on the road and bit his testicles.The doctor who rushed over even thought that he was hopeless, but he still tried his best to sew up the wound, and unexpectedly he recovered later.After that until he was sixteen years old, he never practiced sword again.

At that time, Shimada Toranosumi, Seiichiro Otani of Edo, and Susumu Oishi of Yanagawa were known as the Three Musketeers of the World.When Haishu started, Shimada just came to Edo from his hometown Buzen Nakatsu and opened a martial arts gym in Asakusa Shinbori. "He is different from ordinary sword masters in the world." Katsu Kaishu paraphrased Shimada's words: "Everyone dances swords, but it's just the form. The opportunity is rare, and you should practice real swordsmanship." Haizhou boarded in the martial arts hall.Shimada has high hopes for Haizhou and gives him special guidance.In addition to doing daily exercises, in the evening, he would make Haizhou wear exercise clothes and run to Prince Quan.

First, he let Haizhou sit on the stone slab in the worship hall to exercise his heart and gallbladder through meditation, and then let him dance the sword alone, and then meditated again.Do this until dawn, repeat five or six times.Then go back to the martial arts gym for morning exercises, and then go to Prince Quanxian in the evening.Every day. So when does he sleep?Haizhou was originally an eloquent and somewhat outspoken person, even if he discounted what he said, it can be seen that he was very persistent when he was young. "At that time, I didn't wear socks in cold weather, even if I only wore a jacket, it didn't matter. I didn't know the cold and heat at all, and I really felt as strong as iron."

Later, Shimada Toranosuke suggested that if one wants to thoroughly study the mysteries of swordsmanship, one must study Zen, so Katsu Kaishu went to Hongfuji Temple in Ushishima to practice for four years. "Meditation and swordsmanship became the foundation of my future development and brought various benefits to my life. At that time, I was intimidated by many assassins, but I was always able to subdue them. My courage and courage come from these two practices in the final analysis." Sheng Haizhou gave up swordsmanship at the age of 22 and began to learn Lanxue, especially the art of war in Lanxue.When it comes to Lanxue, people often think of medical skills.From the point of learning the art of war of foreigners, Sheng Haizhou is still different.

The shogunate had a yamen called the Planetarium, which was a department for observing astronomy and formulating calendars. It existed as early as the Genroku era, and it was not brought by foreigners.In Japan, four years before the Nara Dynasty, Emperor Tenmu built an astronomical platform in Asuka, Yamato, and set up Yinyang Liao to watch the sky, which lasted for thousands of years.Later, the planetarium of the shogunate took over this responsibility.Initially located in Kanda, then moved to Ushigome, and finally to Asakusa. When Katsu Kaishu was young, the planetarium set up a Dutch translation bureau.In the translation bureau, there was an authority on Edo Lanxue named Ji Zuo Ruan Fu. Ruan Fu was originally an attendant doctor of the Jinshan clan of the state.Years later, Ruan Fu's adopted son, Kisaku Qiuping, became the principal of Tokyo Normal School. His second son, Kikuchi Ororo, later became the principal of Kyoto Imperial University. His son Minsaku Rinshō became a famous legal scholar after the Meiji era and was granted the title of Baron.These are things for later.Let me first talk about Ruan Fu, a scholar of Lanxue Jizuo. Sheng Haizhou finds Jizuo and asks him to take him as his apprentice. "Are you a direct gin?" Keisaku asked. His lower lip is rounded, his eyes are bulging like copper bells, more white than black, always staring round. "Please be sure to accept students as apprentices." "no." "If you are dissatisfied with the students, the students must change." "With all due respect, the descendants of Banner and the royal family have lived in Edo for generations, and I am tired. I came to Edo from the Tsuyama domain and was appreciated and promoted by the shogunate. Therefore, I also wanted to cultivate some talents among them, and it took a lot of effort. It turned out that none of them had the talent. Learning Lanxue requires a lot of hard work, and it is not suitable for those who grew up drinking Edo water. This way is still suitable for country people.” Sheng Haizhou was very annoyed, but he couldn't get angry.He himself is very clear that the children of the ministers are not promising. "Lanxue is not like learning ditties and shamisen." Ji Zuo also said, "Looking at the situation of the children in my school, you can see that it is the country people who shoulder the future of the country, not the children of 80,000 banners." At that time, the black ship had not yet arrived in Japan.But it was from this time that Katsu Kaishu felt a sense of crisis, that is, the shogunate might perish in the near future. Katsu Kaishu had no choice but to say goodbye to Minsaku, and found a scholar named Nagai Sukichi who lived in Chikuzen Kuroda Prefecture, Akasakata Town at that time, and worshiped him as his teacher.For this reason, Kaishu moved to Akasaka Tamachi.The next year after his marriage, his eldest daughter, Mengzi, was born.The family of six lived in three houses. "At that time, life was poor, and my wife wore a belt bought in Riyin Town for three years. I practiced sword in the severe cold, and I only wore single clothes." For a long time, Sheng Haizhou lived a life of poverty and was underappreciated.In the sixth year of Jiayong, Perry came to sail, so he finally had a chance. At the age of thirty-three, he was ordered by the vassal to learn the art of naval warfare with the Dutch in Nagasaki.At the age of thirty-seven, he became the chief instructor of the warship drill station. In July of that year, he moved to the foot of Akasakamoto Glacier, and finally had a decent home. Haizhou's birthplace, Honjo Kamezawa, was dilapidated. His father, Xiaoji, was punished by the shogunate and had to live with his family in a colleague's house.When he left, he called the owner of the furniture store and sold everything in the house.The owner of the furniture store estimated the price, but only gave it 422 cents. "Even these, I bought them because you are a warrior." The house of the colleague who had to live with Xiaoji's family under the order of the vassal had only two rooms, which was also dilapidated.Nearly ten people were squeezed into the two houses.From this, we can see the living conditions of the lower royal family members at that time. "Later I was promoted and received a salary of 1,000 shi. I was able to live more comfortably, but was soon dismissed. My wife was very embarrassed because many diners came to the house to make a living. I was promoted and dismissed from time to time. Life is hard." Sheng Haizhou is always outspoken. He hates his boss's incompetence very much. Not only that, he is always sarcastic, so naturally he can't please his boss. When I came back from the United States on the Xianlin, something happened. On the fifth day of May in the first year of Wanyan, Sheng Haizhou and his party returned to Uraga by boat.On the third day, he and Kimura Settsushou paid homage to General Jia Mao. An old middleman next to the general said: "Sheng, your vision is extraordinary. There must be something new in this trip to the country of Yi. Let's talk about it in detail." "What people do, ancient and modern things are the same, even in the United States, there is nothing special about it." "No, no, no. This is in front of the general, let's tell some anecdotes." "Yes." Sheng Haizhou smiled slightly and said, "I see that in the United States, regardless of the government or the people, people with higher status have the same talents as their positions. In this point, it is completely different from our country." His implication Yes, the powerful Tokugawa shogunate has no way out. But Lao Zhong thought he was teasing himself in front of the general, and said angrily, "Go down!" After traveling to the United States, Katsu Kaishu's thinking has changed a lot. His first thought is no longer the shogunate, but Japan.As a minister, this is really dangerous. "The barbarians, the barbarians." Chiba Shigetaro frowned, "Katsu Kaishu has a barbarian smell in his bones, and the first step in getting rid of the barbarians should be to get rid of the barbarians, Xiaolong." Shigetaro was already drunk. "A Zhong, your words are getting more and more incomprehensible." Long Ma picked up the cup and smiled. Shigetaro's idea of ​​fighting against barbarians actually comes from the current Mito studies, which is the only knowledge that I respect.It is not limited to Japan to regard the residence of a nation as sacred land, and if foreigners set foot on it, it is considered that the sacred land has been trampled on.The aborigines of New Guinea had it, and so did ancient Europe.Mito studies is a theory centered on the Chinese thought of respecting the king and despising the hegemony, using this folk thought as a seasoning.This is not so much an idea as a religious opinion.This kind of anti-barbarian theory with a religious nature was a popular trend of thought at the end of the Tokugawa period. A few years after Ryoma's dialogue with Shigetaro, Choshu and Satsuma turned this trend of thought into a tool of political struggle.After discovering the shortcomings of the anti-barbarian theory, Chief Sa secretly teamed up with foreigners to overthrow the shogunate with a Western-style army organization.This is the Meiji Restoration. Prior to this, Takeichi Hanpeita, Katsura Kogoro, Saigo Takamori, Kiyokawa Hachiro and others had not realized this.What's more, under their influence, Chiba Shigetaro unknowingly became a barbarian. Ryoma is also a child of the times, and he also pursues "the barbarians must be expelled", but he always doesn't quite understand the "Shenzhou" that Takeshi and Shigetaro and others say. It is precisely because he has not learned those strange knowledge that he can look at all things in the world more simply. He thought, why is there China?In Japan, the so-called gods are all uncivilized people from ancient times.Go back to the uncivilized era and move against the trend of the times.I don't understand the reasoning of those big fools possessed by gods. He is very clear, interacting with people, but not arguing with people.He thinks this will only turn into a debate of purpose.In this world, there is nothing more meaningless than excluding others.Therefore, he always smiles naively. "Xiaolong, when are we going to kill Sheng Haizhou?" "Okay, any time." Ryoma replied heartily. "The first step on the battlefield, the first step on the battlefield." Long Ma murmured.That night, he drank a lot of wine. On behalf of the warship, Katsu Rintaro would go to the warship training center in Tsukiji every five days. "Let's lie in ambush by the side of the road and kill him when he passes by." Chiba Shigetaro said, "Xiaolong, how is it? Isn't it a good plan?" "right." For some reason, Ryoma's eyes sparkled. The next day, when Ryoma woke up, he heard Sanazi's voice outside the door: "Brother said, when you wake up, go to his room to find him." Ryoma jumped up, quickly put on his clothes, randomly stuffed the quilt into the closet, and ran out. Sanako was still kneeling in the corridor. "What's wrong?" "I'm monitoring Mr. Sakamoto." She pointed at Ryoma.Ryoma didn't wash his face or comb his hair when he got up in the morning, so Sanako always complained. "What a nonsense." Ryoma suddenly became listless. He walked to the well, washed his face, then stroked his temples with his hands, and went to Jutaro's room. "Xiaolong, let's go out." What a pair of good brothers and sisters.Shigetaro drank so much last night, and now he is ready to go out, waiting for Ryoma. "To kill Haizhou?" "yes." "Why is there such a hurry to kill someone? Sanako is nagging me to wash my face." "Mr. Sakamoto." Sanako shouted from behind. Ryoma scratched his head and smiled.The two walked to the entrance side by side. Ryoma always felt that something was missing from his waist. "Mr. Sakamoto." Sanako called from behind again, "Where's the thing on your waist?" Ryoma knew—forgot to bring a knife. Shigetaro couldn't help frowning and said, "Xiaolong, be serious." What he was talking about, Ryoma thought, is there any assassin who forgot to bring a knife? "You've been a little confused lately." "It's like this after leaving the domain." They walked out the gate. Sanako watched their backs, and immediately went back to the room, starting to prepare in a hurry.Although she is a woman, she also wants to slash the traitor Sheng Haizhou, at least to take a look.Their destination was the Tsukiji Warship Drilling Station, not far from Aki Bridge, and she probably knew the place.So she called a sedan chair and followed far behind. Going east from the first bridge of Tsukiji Honganji Temple is Minami Odawara Town.The smell of the sea can already be smelled here.Going further east, you will arrive at the former lower mansion of the Yizhou clan. Until recently, the shogunate still set up a lecture hall here.Opposite is the sea. Ansei four years later, the shogunate set up a warship drill station here. "This is the warship training center?" Ryoma was as excited as a child, his eyes were full of curiosity, and he looked up at the tiled wall in front of him from the era of the military training center.He likes the sea and boats. "Xiaolong, there are several ways to get here. There is Honganji Bridge in the west, Aki Bridge in the south, Suma Bridge and Bizen Bridge in the north. Katsu Kaishu should take Aki Bridge or Honganji Bridge to get here from home. .” "Oh." "However, in the area leading to Anyi Bridge, there are residences of the Yihashi family and the Asano family, and there are fewer pedestrians on the road. With his current status, Katsu Kaishu is also afraid of encountering assassins. He will definitely not go to such a deserted place. He will often go. Honganji Bridge with many businesses.” "You are so clear." "No, this is all imagination. Xiaolong, you have to be serious. So we should choose Honganji bridge to ambush." "OK." Still squinting, Ryoma looked at the three masts of the warship tied to the shore, which was the training warship Sightseeing.It was a Dutch schooner with outer wheels, powered by steam, and carrying a load of two hundred and fifty tons. "A Zhong." Long Ma called out, pointing at the boat under the blue sky. "what?" "I want a boat like that." Shigetaro stared at Ryoma. "Are you serious? We are here to assassinate the Dai Warship Shing Katsu Rintaro!" "right." "Cheer up, or else I'll be sorry for Beichen's one-sword skills." "But Beichen's one-sword skill can't shake that warship. If it can't move, it can't defend the country, and it can't overthrow the shogunate." "Xiaolong." Shigetaro looked unhappy.He hated the West very much and couldn't tolerate the shogunate's flattery to foreigners and the purchase of foreign ships, and believed that the culprit for Japan's Westernization was Katsu Kaishu. "Xiaolong, why don't you have a trace of blood?" "I'm always like this." Ryoma ignored Shigetaro and walked slowly along the tiled wall towards the shore. He wanted to learn how to operate a warship, but there was a stumbling block.That is the shogunate, the biggest clan system since Ieyasu Tokugawa. Can't get in.The more Ryoma walked forward, the more depressed he felt. The door of the shogunate warship training center was only opened to the children of the shogunate.Even daimyo's retainers must be "people who are particularly appreciated by the master".But Ryoma is only a villager in the Tosa domain, and the domain will not recommend him to come here, not to mention that he has left the domain now, and he is not even a villager. "Ah Chong." He turned back, "I think that instead of killing Sheng Haizhou, it is better to change the world so that people can follow their own aspirations." "Oh?" Chiba Shigetaro didn't understand, he stood there blankly. The black hull of the sightseeing ship stood in front of the two of them like a mountain. "A Chong, in my hometown there is a painter named Hetian Xiaolong, who is well-versed in the world. He told me that in the United States, the son of a woodcutter can also be the president. As long as you like it, even the son of the president can become a tailor. Nobody was surprised." "So what?" Shigetaro was very unhappy. "It's nothing. It suddenly occurred to me that there is no distinction between soldiers, farmers, businessmen, and samurai. When you talk about samurai, there are different types of samurai. People can't get rid of their inherent identities. Why is this? In order to protect the general, the identities of 30 million people in Japan have been fixed. .” "Xiaolong, keep quiet." Two people who looked like trainees who were patrolling the training center came from the opposite side. "Ah Chong, I want to turn the world into a world where the emperor is at the center and all people are equal." "Little Dragon!" "What's there, show me three warships, I'm sure I can overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate that has bound Japan for three hundred years." "Xiaolong, what are you talking about? There are generals and daimyos, and there is Japan." "Hahaha, if you give me three warships like that, I can wipe out all those daimyos." "Xiaolong, let's go back. You are a bit weird today." "Humph!" The two were walking, when the inspector stopped them: "What are you doing there?" "visit." Ryoma and Jutaro walked away after speaking.From their steps and backs, anyone could tell that the two were first-class swordsmen.The inspectors were frightened and did not continue to ask questions. When they stepped onto the Anyi Bridge, a sedan chair came towards them and stopped in front of the two of them.It's Sanako.Immediately after she got off the sedan chair, she asked, "What happened?" She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. That night, Shigetaro came to Ryoma's room and opened the door with a straight face. "Xiaolong, what do you really want to do? If you don't want to, I will definitely..." "Must be?" Long Ma leaned on his arm, frowning. "I'll do it myself, too." You will definitely do it, Ryoma sighed in his heart.Ryoma had never seen Shigetaro's expression like this: deep eyes, intoxicated by his own passion.He was now in a strange state of excitement, unable to speak quickly.Before, Nasu Shingo, Oishi Danzo and Yasuoka Kasuke who followed Yoshida Toyo also had such a face. "I just want you to say something, do you want to do it or not?" Shigetaro said. Ryoma sat up. "A Zhong, if we do it, we shouldn't ambush in Tsukiji, I always feel..." "What's wrong?" "I think assassination is something only ants will do." "Little Dragon!" "No, no, listen to me. Do it, I will do it. As long as I, Sakamoto Ryoma, say it, I will definitely go." "I can rest assured that." "But I don't want to ambush him. I want to go to Sheng Haizhou's house to meet him in Dabai Heaven. If there is something wrong, we will kill him on the spot. That's what a man should do." "Okay!" Shigetaro understood what he said. Early the next morning, just as Fujihei came to bed, Ryoma told him, "There is Katsu Rintaro in Akasaka Motoglacier, please check for me who goes in and out of his house every day." "What to do?" "kill him." Fujibei turned pale with fright and went out. As a result, Ryoma could hear rumors about Sheng Haizhou every day.The same goes for Jutaro. "Whether it's good or bad, this person really attracts people's attention, and there are a lot of reviews." Long Ma said. "He is good at opportunistic drilling." Shigetaro heard all the bad things about this person.If a person doesn't like another person, then all he hears will be bad things about that person.As a result, Shigetaro disliked Sheng Haizhou even more. "It is said that that man's Lan Xue is a trick to fool people, and his reading and writing are also poor. Anyway, people don't think well of him." "Oh." Ryoma squinted his eyes and listened with gusto.In fact, all Ryoma heard was good reviews, and he even started to worship Qisheng Haizhou. "What's wrong?" Ryoma asked. At this time, there was a young scholar named Sugi Kyoji. He was the grandson of Nagasaki scholar Sugi Keisuke.Sugi Hengji is knowledgeable and talented. Because of his growing environment, he is good at Dutch, and he is especially interested in law and economics in Dutch books.His knowledge is now a miracle.However, he is an unknown person.He wanted to be famous, so he came to Edo, but he had no one to rely on.He lived in a two-story rented house in Fuyuki-cho, the main office. One day, he heard about Sheng Haizhou.It was the end of the third year of Jiayong, Haizhou was twenty-eight years old, and was living in poverty.At this time, he already had two daughters, parents and four younger sisters. It was not easy for the whole family to live on a salary of forty-two shi.Although he only studied Lanxue for five or six years, he wanted to make some money with this knowledge, so he opened a private school at home.Due to his limited nature, he is not suitable for learning languages.Although he studied very hard, he could not become a language teacher after all. At this time, Sugi Henger came to visit him. "I went to see the situation. His house is supported by wooden sticks inside and outside, which is really dilapidated." Many years later, Shan once said so. A few days later, Shan came to visit Sheng Haizhou again. "Mr. Sheng, there is a man of good character who is proficient in Lan language. I suggest you hire him as your assistant. How about it?" Sheng picked up the pen next to him and scribbled a line of words on the paper.They are written talks.It's not that there are language and hearing impairments, but that the disciples in the next room are afraid of hearing. "Please tell me the man's name." Shan immediately picked up a pen and wrote: "It's my humble servant." "If it's your Excellency, let's start today." Sheng wrote, deciding to give him 20% of the private school's income as remuneration. Sugi becomes the tutor of the private school.In fact, he is the de facto teacher, and he is more proficient in Lan Xue than Sheng.Later, after Katsu was promoted, Sugi Hengji became a professor at the Kaisei Institute of the Shogunate under the recommendation of Katsu, mainly studying statistics, and suggested a census at the end of the Shogunate.Later, he also suggested that the Meiji government conduct a census and implement it in Yamanashi Prefecture.He can be said to be the originator of statistics in Japan, and he is also a doctor of laws.He died in Taisho six years at the age of ninety. "Katsu Kaishu is a businessman." Shigetaro said. Instead, Ryoma sighed: Sheng Haizhou is really amazing.If it is only Tonglan, it is just a language teacher.And cooperating with language teachers to make money to make ends meet, this is by no means a talent possessed by an ordinary banner boy.Moreover, Sheng asked the hired teacher to translate Lan Shu to expand his overseas knowledge.With his talent, he will definitely be able to apply this knowledge to governing the country in the future. "There is another bad comment." Shigetaro said, "That fellow is the Dai Warship Admiral, who claims to be the founder of the Japanese Navy. People who study the art of war say: No matter how victorious you are on land, you will faint when you get on the boat. I have never seen anyone like him.” This is a fact.Although Sheng is in charge of the warship, he will faint as soon as he gets on the ship, and he is so dizzy that he can't do anything before the ship leaves the port. It was the same when taking the Xianlin to the United States. Katsuki himself said: "There were several winds and waves on the way, and the hull was almost twisted a few times. The sailors had expected these, so they didn't feel too uncomfortable. I am in my early thirties. , when he was young, he didn’t take it seriously. It was just that he vomited blood a few times because of fever before boarding the ship. Even so, when he arrived at San Francisco Port, he was all healed.” But this is somewhat different from the truth. Yukichi Fukuzawa on the same ship, Settsumori Kimura, and later Vice Admiral Daisaburo Akamatsu all said that Katsu was very seasick. "Sheng is nothing more than a landlubber navy." Shigetaro told Ryoma exactly what he heard the rumors, and cursed at the same time.Ryoma doesn't think so.That's what's so great about it, he thought.Obviously seasick but arrogant on land, this shows that he is not just a boatman.He is very interested in pursuing such a generation of warships. At this time, I waited for Fuji Bingwei to come. "Master Sheng is at home this morning. It looks like he won't be going out today." "Great." Shigetaro said, "Xiaolong, we went straight to the enemy camp today and caught him off guard. Get ready." He ran out of the room after speaking. "That young master!" Fujihei said with emotion, "The current situation is really terrible. Such a kind young master is also shouting Tianzhu Tianzhu all day long, and is going to kill people." Da Laojing Yi Zhibi was killed the year before last.In the first month of this year, old middle-aged Ando Tsushima Shoushin was injured by a bandit outside Sakashita Gate.Edo is like this. In Kyoto, the Saba faction and the Banba faction are assassinated every day. "My lord, you might laugh at me when I say this. For a person like me who walks alone in the dark, when he sees others making troubles, he also makes troubles. It always feels wrong." "you are right." "Killing people, can the world be changed?" "possible." Recall that in March of the first year of Wanyan, Mr. Jingyi was assassinated by ronin from Mito and Satsuma outside the Sakurada Gate.The Ii family is the most powerful of the Tokugawa Daimyo, and Naobi is the eldest.On the morning when Zhibi was assassinated, he was on his way to the city, surrounded by retainers known for their bravery.But several ronin rushed over and killed him.From that day on, the authority of the shogunate gradually weakened.This is not a simple murder, but an assassination that changed history... However, Ryoma thought that the frequent Tianzhu incidents that happened afterwards were all tricks to deceive children, and those were the actions of lunatics who believed that the world could be changed by killing people. Ryoma has heard a little about the frequent Tianzhu incidents in Kyoto.He vaguely knew that the people behind the scenes were Hanheita Takeichi and Izo Okada.He is called "The Killer" and kills people everywhere. Respecting the king and fighting the barbarians appeared as an idea to save society, if it just turned into a killing movement, it would be too dangerous.It seemed that it was time for me to go out, and Long Ma suddenly became anxious.But in this situation, it is not yet time for him to go out.If there is such a time, death is worth it, life is given by God.Longma thought to himself. "Xiaolong, are you ready? Hurry up." "Ok." Ryoma picked up the long sword Mutsu Shouyoshiyuki and stuck it in his waist.He himself didn't know whether this big knife would kill Sheng Haizhou. Ryoma and Shigetaro checked the sword carefully, and then set off towards the Katsumi boat house under the Akasaka Moto Glacier.Shigetaro was very angry.Bedai Fujihei dressed up as a handyman followed them. Katsu Rintaro's house is no longer the dilapidated house supported by a few wooden sticks in Akasaka Tamachi.It has been three years since he moved under the Yuan Glacier.Although the building is a bit old, it occupies a large area, like a banner family with a salary of thousands of stones.Sheng likes this home very much.He lived here until his death.There is another anecdote about this home. Takahashi, the Minister of Finance who was shot and killed in the February 26 incident in the eleventh year of Showa, was when Qing was a twenty-year-old scholar, that is, at the end of the sixth year of Meiji.At that time, Sheng Haizhou served as the four councilors and concurrently served as the Minister of the Navy, and was very famous. Speaking of his fame, he is not actually a politician, but is popular with people like Okubo Hikozaemon in the Meiji government.He can speak eloquently, as long as there are people around, he will use his Edo-specific retroflex to talk about ancient and modern people, and belittle current high-ranking officials, because his praise and criticism are very extreme, and the listeners find it more interesting than listening to storytelling. At that time, Dr. Mo Lai, a foreigner hired by the government who lived in the Kagaya house in Hongo, said "I want to meet Mr. Katsuki", so Takahashi Shikio took him to Singer's house as his interpreter.It was also the first time for young Takahashi to see Haizhou win. A beautiful waitress in cotton clothes came out to greet her.She has an aura that ordinary maids don't have.After asking, I found out that she was Yizi, the third young lady of the Sheng family. Itsuko was only a two-year-old girl when Ryoma and Shigetaro went to the Katsuya.Many years later, Takahashi went to his house, she was thirteen years old.Takahashi and the others were shocked when they saw her beauty.It was only later that I realized that it was Mr. Sheng's intention.As long as there are assassins or critics who are difficult to deal with, that daughter will come out to frighten her. Then came out an old man who was leading the way, he was wearing a coarse cloth Xiaocang pray.Although the weather is cold, but barefoot. "Please, don't take off your shoes." After speaking, he led them into the living room barefoot.There are tables and chairs on the tatami in the living room. After Gao Qiao and Mo Lai sat down, the old man said, "I am Sheng." These words stunned the two of them again. Not long after, an old lady who was about his age, just like the female officer of the Chiyoda Castle General's Mansion, appeared in front of them, wearing a white-breasted dress and dragging a luxurious skirt. "This is my wife." After greeting the two, the old lady left quietly. The situation gave me goosebumps. Sheng is such a difficult and troublesome person to deal with. "right here." Chiba Shigetaro knocked on the closed door of the Katsuya.The old man at the door poked his head out. "We want to see Mr. Katsuki." Shigetaro took out a name card with his and Ryoma's names written on it. The janitor went back inside impatiently.Seeing Shigetaro's nervous expression, Ryoma laughed. "Your face is frightening. If you look like this, the porter will not inform the inside." "No." Sleeper Fujihei whispered, "There are no servants in his family." "There are no servants from the family of important ministers with a salary of thousands of stones?" "This house is really careless. Apart from the family and the maid, there is only the old man, and he doesn't even have a dog." "This kind of place, Fujibei must be salivating after seeing it." "No, there's nothing to steal." "I hate even thieves!" Ryoma exclaimed.This person is more ascetic than he imagined. Before long, the janitor returned. "Please come in." Everything went smoothly. While Ryoma was surprised, he also admired him very much.At this time, when he heard that two swordsmen from Chiba were visiting, Katsu Kaishu could definitely imagine what they were here for. "Ah Chong, you have to be careful, there might be a hundred or ten people ambush inside with their swords drawn." "I'm afraid of that?" Shigetaro walked in with his head held high. He has completely become a man of lofty ideals.After thinking about it, Ryoma walked in unhurriedly. Next to the porch is an octagonal golden plate, which grows very lushly.If there is any style in this yard, there is only this thing, and there is not even a tree other than this. There is no interest in this home.Ryoma thought. The two followed the maid to the corridor.The house is very old, and every step I take, I feel the wooden boards below tremble, making it difficult to walk.The two of them later learned that the owner of the house didn't even ask the visitors why they were there.As expected of someone who has been to the United States on the Xianlin, there are still strong people in the shogunate. "This way please." The maid knelt down and opened the partition. This is a room with only eight and a half stacks and poor lighting. It is full of Japanese books, Chinese books and Western books.The whole room is like a small warehouse.There is a plaque on the wall, which reads "Haizhou Bookstore".在这房间的一角，有一个瘦小的男子，背对着二人，埋首书堆，并不回头看。此人应是胜海舟。 良久，他忽然转过身来。 龙马和重太郎依俗套致礼，然后抬起头来。 长得真怪，龙马先感叹起来。 他脸孔棱角分明，有几分像在横滨的洋人，只是个子小，肤黑，眼睛有些与众不同，那不像是一双大人的眼睛，就像充满了好奇心的顽皮小子那般闪着光。 胜海舟开口了。他身居高位，竟然说着市井之人的大白话：“咋了，你们俩？” “啊？”重太郎一惊。 “为什么把刀放在那边呢？你不把刀放在腿边，可杀不了我胜麟太郎。” “你们来不就是想杀我吗？哈哈哈，这些都在你们脸上写着呢。我也学过剑术，一看就知道，你们眉宇之间带着杀气。”龙马慌忙抹了抹自己的脸。 “你抹也抹不掉。不管怎么说你们都是耍剑的剑客。对于你们来说，刀比命重要，还是把那东西好好地放在自己腿边为好。但是……”胜海舟又看了一眼名帖，道，“你是千叶重太郎先生，啊，贞吉先生的儿子。” 然后，他又看了看龙马。他的习惯是盘腿而坐的时候将两只胳膊垂到前面，抓住自己的脚踝，那样子就像是用双手将脚吊起来。将近四十岁了，那样子还像一个顽皮的小子。龙马看了，觉得非常有趣。 “最近总是有刺客。我这里每天都来好几个。” 好几个！ “但真是怪啊。刺客这样的人也在担心国家的未来呢。他们只是头脑不好使，走了邪路。那也许就是所谓的赤心。所以我便与他们讲道理，他们听了我的话，都微笑着离开了。可是，你们比他们要好多了。你们肯定是想听完我的话再决定我的生死。坂本君，对吗？” 榻榻米上破了一个口子，龙马用手抠弄着那个地方。 “胜先生。”重太郎杀气腾腾，“我听说先生每天在幕阁内倡导开国论，鼓吹国人与洋夷交往。” “嗯。”胜海舟往烟管里塞上了烟，“我是这么说。” “可是，当今圣上觉得洋夷登陆，污染了日本大地。关于此事，您怎么认为呢？” “千叶君，你应该不是亲耳听皇上对你说的吧？你不过是道听途说，然后用那些话揣测圣心，再用自己的话说出来罢了。” “但是……”重太郎无言以对，心情却开始亢奋起来。“我们大八洲是神灵保佑之所，绝不能让那些污秽的夷人踏入半步。” 重太郎着迷于时下流行的水户攘夷思想，里面混杂着一些流行的国学者的攘夷论，宗教味道很浓。 胜点上烟袋，“噗——”往院子的方向吐了一口烟。“你们都长着眼睛吧。”胜海舟拽过烟灰盒，啪地拍了拍烟管，将烟灰装到里面，道，“你们看那个。”他指着背后的地球仪，“那蓝色的是大海，你说的世界其实很小，地球上大部分都是海洋。大海里呼呼地往外冒金银啊。” 这老头果然只认钱。重太郎皱起眉头。 “你们要是认为我说谎，就看看英国吧。虽然号称世界第一大国，其实也就这么一点大。他们很聪明啊。他们就是以地球上广阔的蓝色大海为家。因为他们拥有几千艘能够在大海上如履平地的大船，积极地与外国进行贸易，增加国家财富。因此铸就了大英帝国这个人类历史上最繁荣的国家。但日本如何呢？” 胜又点上烟。 “赤虾夷（俄罗斯）在欧洲被人称为野蛮国家，但是即便如此，他们也有自己的军舰。就在前年，他们开始考虑侵略远东，开始不断派遣军舰出没于日本周边，并宣称千岛和桦太是他们的。与盗贼无异。竹内下野守去了俄国的首都，却没有进展，外交劣势愈加突出了。这都是因为人家有军舰。如果我们依旧像现在这样挥舞着长刀整天喊着攘夷，日本早晚会任人随意宰割。” "but……" “好了，你听我说。”胜海舟打开日本地图。龙马第一次看到如此精巧的地图，瞪大了眼睛。“坂本君。”胜亲切地叫道，“为了日本国的大计，我想到的兴国计划如下。我现在就说给你听，如果有异议，不妨告诉我。” 其实今年五月，胜已经将他的意见呈递给了幕阁。为了保卫日本列岛，将海域分为东海、东北海、北海、西北海、西海和西南海六个海区，设置六支舰队。这个方案非常细致。比如，将江户大坂防卫舰队作为第一舰队，配置护航舰三艘（水手一千四百人）、轻型武装快舰九艘（水手两千零五十二人）、小型军舰三十艘、运输船一艘。这六支舰队中配置的军舰总数竟达二百七十艘，水手六万一千二百零五人。除此之外，还有运输船、测量舰和海防舰七十五艘。 胜介绍完他的设想，道：“幕府高官无能，他们给我的答复是资金不足。所以刚才我也对你们说了。从大海里掘金，打开国门与洋人贸易，用赚来的钱设立舰队。” 龙马和重太郎都已经被胜海舟呼出来的烟气包围。重太郎越来越按捺不住了。 真是太让人吃惊了。龙马越来越喜欢这个人。日本是一个仅仅种植水稻、麦子和萝卜的农业国，几乎没有任何近代产业，如今胜海舟竟忽然提出要设置一个拥有二百七十艘蒸汽机船的大舰队。若说吹牛皮，胜海舟无人可及，龙马暗想。胜海舟的确好大言，但他不仅仅是说，他精确计算出每一艘军舰上的水手人数，甚至想到设置舰队的经费应该从哪里来。那些经费的来源正是千叶重太郎等攘夷志士厌恶的“开国”。他想做海上贸易。 不仅如此，胜还主张日本自己建造军舰，而不是购置外国的整艘军舰。因此，必须创立制铁所，造机器。而在此之前就必须培养一些技术人员。这些就是他的兴国论。 幕阁听了这个，非常吃惊，斥他乃是痴人说梦，拒绝了他的方案。幕府若是釆用了这个方案，或许统治还能持续一百年，可惜，历史并没有那么多假设。 幕阁这么想自有他们的道理。收取大米作为国税，这是德川幕府的财政基础。幕府是一个非常朴素单纯的农业政府，他们让百姓种植食物，然后将其分配给武士，就这样持续了三百多年。近代国家的运营需要大量经费，因此幕府和大名还都没有资格让日本加入那种国家的行列。自从德川中期以来，商人势力不断壮大，积累了大量资本，仅仅扎根于农业的幕府和大名却屡屡陷入财政危机。大坂的巨商鸿池把钱借给天下诸侯，大名在他面前都抬不起头来。甚至当大名队伍从大坂经过的时候，藩主都会特意去鸿池那里打个招呼。在这种时势下，幕府和大名仍以农业为中心，陷入财政危机自是理所当然。这样的幕府怎么有能力实施胜海舟的方案？ “但是，不做就会亡国。”胜胡乱地将烟灰倒进竹烟缸里。 “果真如此，就得推翻幕府啊。”龙马大声道。 胜海舟哑然，然后依然笑道：“喂喂，我可是幕臣。” 就在这一刻，龙马心中确立了一种与幕末众多志士完全不同的倒幕论。 “但还是不行。”胜海舟道，“没有人明白。即便有，也因为出身低微，当不上大老和老中，没法实施这些政策。权力都掌握在门阀手中。诸大名也一样。幕府的高官和诸侯的家老都已老朽，比那边负责灭火的人夫还要差劲。这些无知的家伙在此内忧外患之时掌控着日本的政局。坂本君，你以为如何呢？” 听他的意思，似乎是想说要同时推翻幕府和大名。但是，与他表现出来的不同，他对德川家抱有一种至纯的类似于爱恋中的女子对爱人一样的崇拜之情。正是因为崇拜和喜欢，才不由得变成了那种腔调。 历史是很奇妙的。胜想到的幕府改造之法，在听入了迷的龙马脑海中，变成了另外一种东西——要是那样，不如掀翻无法实施这个计划的幕府，建立以京都为中心的政府，统一日本，创建一个人尽其才的国家，不更好吗？So much fun!龙马有些坐不住了。 这是一种非常朴实简单的实用主义倒幕论。拥有这种想法的倒幕主义者，在幕末，除了龙马，竟然几乎没有第二个人。此时大多数人都是像武市半平太一样的勤王复古倒幕论者，就连桂小五郎、西乡隆盛等明白事理之人，这种倾向也非常强烈。这三个人分别以长州、萨摩和土佐这三个强藩为后盾，以本藩的立场和利益为重。但是因为龙马已经脱藩，反而能够做到简单嘉落。 必须推翻幕府。胜开始不断地谈论外国的事情，他说得越多，龙马心里就越是只有这一件事。 然而，千叶重太郎的理解却和龙马完全不同，他只有对胜单纯的恨。 “胜先生！” 重太郎往前进了一步，杀气喷薄欲出。 龙马瞬间觉察到了这一点，俯身对着胜施了一礼，道：“胜先生，请收在下为弟子吧。” 龙马如此一来，重太郎的气焰立刻收了回去。就连胜也茫然地张大了嘴。 “小龙，你太过分了。” 千叶武馆重太郎的房间，佐那子也在一旁。晚秋的阳光洒满院子，“你！我要杀那个奸贼时，你竟忽然变得那么没骨气，要拜师。” “请原谅。”龙马低了一下头，然后抬起头来无所畏惧道，“但是，胜麟太郎可真算得上史上的大豪杰。阿重，越是良药，毒性越烈。在国家无病无灾的时候，所谓英雄不过是毒物，但是在天下危难之时却能成为一剂不可缺少的良药。只盯着别人的毒性，那是小人的做法。是君子就不能不看对方的药用之处。” “这么说，你也是毒物？” “是毒物与毒物会面。” “气煞我也。”重太郎已经不再剑拔弩张，变成了市井中的善心少爷。“你的变节真让人生气。自从上次带你去筑地的军舰操练所，我就觉得奇怪了。你跟着我去胜家，就是为了阻止我？这都是你的阴谋，对不？” “不，我是想看情况，说不定会把他杀了。但是……” “说谎。算了。谁让我敬你呢。这事儿我就不计较了。但是小龙，我有件事拜托你。”重太郎坐好，郑重地说道，“你能收我做徒弟吗？” “徒弟？”龙马笑了起来，“你可是千叶家的继承人啊。才是我的师父。” “那是剑术上的。但是在做人，以及为国事奔走方面，我想做你的徒弟，怎样……” 龙马慌忙打断他的话，转而向佐那子道：“佐那子小姐，你什么时候出阁啊？” "what?" 佐那子忽然听他这么一问，有点不知所措。屋内一片寂静。“我才不嫁人。” “哈，你也是个女毒物啊。” "you?" 佐那子面露愠色。但是龙马却微笑着说道： “一个女人家，不仅会舞剑，还那么聪明伶俐。要是生来没有什么才能，反而能平平淡淡度日，但是看来那不行啊。” 他这句话大概是说重太郎没有什么特殊的才能，做半吊子志士，不如做一个善心的市井小民。