Chapter 49 10. Satsuma line

Sakamoto Ryoma has a notebook, which is a horizontal booklet with many words written in a mess, making it difficult for outsiders to read.The content includes both diary-style descriptions and occasional thoughts, which can be described as varied.Moreover, this notebook is not divided into front and back, yesterday it was written from the beginning of the book, but today it is written from the end of the book.From this we can see that Ryoma's character is very interesting. In order to rush to Kagoshima, Ryoma boarded the Satsuma Clan's ship, the Butterfly, in Tempozan Bay, Osaka. Also on the same boat were Satsumo's elder brother Matsumoto and Saigo Takamori.Ryoma's comrades, including Mutsu Yonosuke, were also on board.They didn't just sit on the boat, they piloted the boat.

"Let the Satsuma people see everyone's technology." When boarding the boat, Ryoma divided the people into three groups: the deck, the cockpit, and the engine room, and he himself acted as the captain to command. "Oh, this is really great. We will definitely learn a lot!" The Satsuma domain sergeant, who has not yet mastered the skills of sailing, is very happy.After all, the sailing skills of Ryoma and others were taught by Katsu Kaishu, who is known as Japan's number one naval expert. "Mr. Sakamoto is really amazing. The swordsmanship is learned from Chiba, and the sailing skills are trained by Masaru himself. The masters on both sides are the best in Japan!" Everyone in Satsuma said so.In fact, Ryoma's nautical skills are not that good, but he has been honored by the name Katsu Kaishu.

On the mast, the Satsuma flag fluttered in the wind. Ryoma looked up at the flag, feeling emotional in his heart.The Satsuma people even allowed outsiders to enter the domain.Satsuma has always been a mysterious domain, never allowing outsiders to enter easily.Even when the authority of the shogunate was at its peak in the early Edo period, it was difficult for spies to enter the domain.They were either driven back or secretly executed by the checkpoint.Therefore, in Edo, "Satsuma Messenger" is even used to describe those who go and never return.Hikokuro Takayama, one of the "Three Miraculous Men of Kansei" who was the first to advocate King Jin, was also questioned by sentries at the Nomahara Pass under the jurisdiction of Satsuma.He wrote a poem:

There is also the chikuzen patriot Hirano Kuniko, who is considered a slightly older senior than Ryoma and others. He was determined to enter Satsuma. When recruiting comrades, he also chanted two poems: "I want to pass the customs with all my heart, but Satsuma is closed tightly." One can imagine how difficult it is. But now the Satsuma clan wants to open the door to Ryoma.On the one hand, Ryoma finds it unbelievable, on the other hand, he thinks this shows that Satsuma is very interested in his plan. On the first day of May in the first year of Qingying (1865), the Butterfly under the command of Ryoma entered Kagoshima Bay, and soon sailed into Neiwan Kinjiang.

"Where is the anchor?" Ryoma asked the Satsuma vassal. "There." The Samoan pointed to a place on land.The direction he pointed was the urban area, and the mountain could be seen in the slightly raised place. "That's Chengshan. It's due east of Chengshan, just stop at a water depth of 212 meters." Longma put down the sail, switched to the engine, and drove into the depths of Jinjiang Bay at a low speed.On the right stands Sakurajima.The steamer belched beautiful vermilion smoke that streamed in the clear May sky. Ryoma couldn't restrain his inner emotion.How many foreigners have successfully entered this secret vassal state that has been heavily guarded since the Warring States period?Lai Shanyang was once invited as a poet.Takayama Hikokuro couldn't come in in the end.Hirano Kuniko was able to enter by dressing up as a monk.I'm afraid I'm the first one to come in dignifiedly.I have to write a letter to tell Otome sister.

At the mouth of Jiatu River, Ryoma saw the fort.A fort with cannons appeared in Biantian Continent, and the blue cannons stretched out to the surface of the sea.These were the groups of batteries that had launched an artillery battle with the British fleet of seven warships in July of the previous year.Ryoma began to study land and sea warfare when he was in Kobe, and has become an authority in this area.So when he saw these fortresses, it was as cordial as seeing an old friend he hadn't seen for many years. The flagship of the British fleet, the Uriars, was hit by a twenty-nine-pound mortar shell fired by Narita Hikojuro of the Benten Fort, and the shell rolled down to the deck and exploded. The deputy captain, Lieutenant Colonel Wilmot, died in battle, and more than 20 gunners were killed or injured.Another shell pierced through the ship, opening a large hole in the hull, causing the warship to lose its ability to fight.

The warship Reshaus, which was engaged in the battle with the Gionzhou Fort, ran aground due to wind and waves, and the bottom of the ship was smashed.Two support ships came to tow, and one of the warships, the Argus, was hit by three shells and was able to sail barely, but was unable to participate in the battle.In this battle, a total of 63 people were killed and wounded on the British side, and suffered heavy losses, while one person was killed and seven were injured on the Satsuma side. However, the artillery fire of the British army burned down 500 households in the city. "The news that the British Oriental Fleet fought a Japanese domain and failed was published in the "Times". This hit the British government deeply." Ryoma once heard Katsu Kaishu say this.In the British Parliament, some members even condemned Admiral Cooper, who was responsible.After this battle, Britain's foreign policy began to change, to "shake hands with Samo".

"I'm afraid it won't work for everyone to enter the feudal domain." The official of Satsuma said.So Ryoma had no choice but to leave the comrades from the former Kobe Academy on the Butterfly, and went ashore alone accompanied by Saigo and others. Ryoma walked in the town of Kagoshima, everything he saw was so fresh, it was like being in a foreign country.The shape of the house is different from other places, but I can't tell what is different.The appearance of the samurai walking on the road is also different from that of other feudal clans. Tsukiyo has a larger shaved head, a smaller topknot, a shorter hakama, and a pair of large and small swords that are almost vertically worn.

This is where the samurai reign supreme.Ryoma deeply understands this.Xixiang and a group of people were walking on the street, and the businessmen and farmers who were coming towards them hurriedly avoided the eaves, bent slightly, and waited for them to pass.In Tosa, although the treatment of samurai of different ranks was very different, for example, the distinction between senior sergeant and villager was very strict, but there was almost no difference between villager and commoner.At least when Ryoma was at Kochi Castle, the merchants in the neighborhood never worshiped him like this.In such a feudal clan, if you were born a farmer, you will suffer, he thought.

On the way, Xixiang took Longma to visit the lathe factory and glass factory.Ryoma had seen lathes in Nagasaki before, but he never expected to see lathes in Satsuma, so he couldn't help but be amazed. "This is the inheritance left by the former Lord." Xixiang said.Qi Bin originally planned to use this lathe factory to manufacture rifles and cannons, but unfortunately died young, and now the factory is full of dust.Xixiang said that the current Shimadzu Hisamitsu is conservative, and Qi Bingong's enterprising spirit has been abandoned. But Ryoma doesn't think so.Saigo said this because he hated Hisamitsu, and Hisamitsu also had a fearsome courage.Soon after the Anglo-Samoy War, he immediately joined forces with John Neal, the acting British envoy, and sent an envoy to the United Kingdom to say: "You British must have experienced the power of the Satsuma warriors. My family has also seen the power of British civilization. In this case So, in order for our Satsuma clan to keep pace with the UK one day, can we accept foreign students from our clan?"

The British side readily agreed.So the Satsuma clan selected fifteen talented and learned people, and without telling the shogunate, they set off from Kagoshima on the eleventh day of the first lunar month in the first year of Genji.The well-informed Ryoma knew all about this matter.Not only that, but he also knew that Satsuma had ordered a complete set of textile equipment from England in private in disregard of the shogunate's decree.Now, Britain is trying to join forces with Satsuma behind the back of the Japanese government.At least Ryoma thinks so.Satsuma is growing with astonishing momentum.I'm afraid that in two or three years, it will grow into a powerful vassal capable of fighting against the shogunate.A few years later, perhaps Tosa and Choshu will not be able to catch up.If this feudal clan and Changzhou can join hands... At this time, this idea shone brightly in Ryoma's mind. On the first day, I stayed at Xixiang's home.Saigo’s house is located in Kajiya Town on the north bank of the Kotogawa River. As soon as he settled down, Ryoma said he wanted to go shopping in the street and went out.This trip did not come back until dinner was ready.This is his habit.When you are in a strange place, you must walk around and go around in person.He asked an old servant from Xixiang's family to guide him. Kajiya Town is the place where samurai gather, with a total of seventy-five households.Ryoma knew that there was a merchant named Geta Zen among them.The remaining seventy-four households are all samurai families, and it is said that their salaries are not high. There is an alley called Maoshi Alley on the street.Walking along the alley towards the Kotocheon River, next to the embankment is Okubo Ichizo's house. "It turns out that Okubo's home is here." Ryoma said. The old servant nodded and said: "He and the master have known each other since childhood, so it can be said that they are closer than brothers." The old servant said that when Okubo was 17 or 18 years old, his family was in such a difficult situation that he couldn't even eat.So he came to Xixiang's house silently and sat in front of the food table without saying a word.The Saigo family has many brothers and is not considered wealthy. At this time, everyone will share a little food for Okubo. It turned out that the two had such a friendship, Long Ma sighed with emotion. When he came to a house in the north corner of Mao Shi Alley, the old servant said: "This is also a relative of my family." The head of the house is called Oyama Hikohachi, and his son Yasuke works as an official in Kyoto.After walking another five or six houses, I arrived at Kichiemon's house in Togo.When Ryoma passed by the door of this house, a thin young man of eighteen or nineteen came out of the door, wearing a local-made broken white dotted cotton shirt, Xiaokura hakama.He nodded slightly to Ryoma and walked over. Later, this young man named Heihachiro became the commander of the United Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War. He once said to people: "Before, I met a person who looked like Ryoma Sakamoto near my home." Say a few words to Ryoma, a senior in the Japanese navy. The purpose of Ryoma's coming to Kagoshima was to stir up a naval craze in the Satsuma domain. The people in important positions in the domain were persuaded, the Western-style army was left out, and the demand for a Western-style navy to establish a domain in the domain increased.The Satsuma Western Technical School "Kaiseisuo", established in the first year of Yuanji, was also changed to the Navy Bureau in the second year of Ryoma's arrival, teaching gunnery, sailing, astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, analysis, machinery, shipbuilding, etc. Knowledge.And Hei Hachiro also entered the Navy Bureau to study. From this point of view, he and Ryoma are not unrelated. Soon, Ryoma returned to Xixiang's home. The famous Xixiang's house is very dilapidated and crowded with many brothers. The owner doesn't know which room to put Ryoma in.In order to make room for Ryoma, the Xixiang family disappeared at sunset. "Where did everyone go?" Ryoma asked a little puzzled. Xixiang deliberately pretended to be confused, and asked his wife, "Where did they go?" Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xixiang failed to understand, and replied solemnly: "They all went to the neighbor's house to spend the night." During dinner, Ryoma drank some wine, but because Saigo only ate and didn't drink, Ryoma only drank once before closing the glass. Mrs. Xixiang didn't persuade him to drink, maybe she didn't like this cold Tosa person very much. "I can finally sleep on land tonight. Go to bed early." Probably because the long journey by boat made Xixiang feel tired, and he was sleepy just after eating.But what bothered Ryoma even more was that Xixiang at home looked at a loss, and completely lost his glory. Ryoma even wondered, "Could this be the staff officer of the Changzhou Conquest Governor who shook the world?" Longma said good night, stood up and wanted to leave, and suddenly said: "By the way, there is something I forgot to say. If your clan joins forces with Changzhou, it will definitely influence the situation in the world. I won't be entangled in this matter any longer Your clan should consider it." "But what's Changzhou's attitude?" Xixiang said while handing the pillow to Ryoma, "Even if my domain has this intention, the people of Changzhou will not agree. They call us Sa thieves!" "That's right." Ryoma took the pillow and said, "Changzhou is not easy to deal with. But I have a fellow villager named Nakaoka Shintaro, who lives in Changzhou and is quite prestigious among the people with lofty ideals in Changzhou. If I can represent Sazhou, Shintaro represents Changzhou, we join hands to negotiate, maybe things will be successful." After finishing speaking, Ryoma walked into his room, took off his clothes and got under the covers. The whispers of Xixiang and his wife came from the next room.I only heard my wife begging unrelentingly: "The house at home is broken and leaking, please think of a way." Xixiang remained silent. Somehow Ryoma found it funny, buried his head in the blanket and laughed. Before going to bed, Xixiang was full of thoughts about Longma's talk about the cooperation between the chief Sa and Mrs. Xiang, but Mrs. Xiang caught her husband who came back after a long time, and complained about the unsatisfactory family.Hearing these trifles and the family's complaints, Xixiang was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his anger, and he couldn't say clearly that he had no money, so he had to stop his wife's mouth with words like "it's not just our house that leaks, but the whole of Japan is leaking". The next morning, Xixiang had to go to the city and got up very early.After washing, the sun has not come out yet.He was just about to tell his wife not to disturb the guests and let Ryoma rest well, when he suddenly heard the sound of water coming from the backyard.He hurried to the corridor, only to see Longma standing by the well, bathing himself, very happy. What a weirdo.Last night, he clearly said that he hated taking a bath, and he refused to go into the bathtub no matter what, Xixiang thought to himself.Ryoma hates two things: combing hair and bathing.But he also has a habit of taking a cold shower by the well every other day. After the dragon and horse were washed, they walked over with only a loincloth around them, and their strong and full muscles were bulging.As soon as he saw Xixiang in the corridor, he yelled, "How are you thinking about the Sachang Alliance?" Xixiang couldn't help being dumbfounded. "I've been thinking about it. But today I don't plan to talk about it with other people." What Xixiang thought was that if he discussed this issue with Shimadzu Hisamitsu and those stupid people, it would make things more complicated. What could have been done Also get screwed. "Once Okubo Ichizo returns to the feudal domain, I will speed up the matter." Saigo said.Jiuguang has a good impression of Okubo, and Xixiang intends to persuade him through Okubo. Ryoma said impatiently: "Then I have to proceed with this matter." "Okay." Xixiang nodded to express his thanks, and soon left home and went into the city.Longma also went out under the leadership of the old servant of Xixiang's family.From this day on, Ryoma lives in the mansion of Dao Dao, the old man of his family. There was an endless stream of people who came to visit Ryoma, including officials in important positions in the Satsuma domain, and many people with lofty ideals. Ryoma told them one by one about the establishment of the company. "Usually it's business," he said.This point is extremely attractive to the officials in the Fanzhong who were originally keen on trade. "With Nagasaki as the base camp, if we do domestic trade, we go back and forth between Nagasaki and Osaka, and if we do overseas trade, we go back and forth between Nagasaki and Shanghai. Huge profits can be obtained during this period." "What if the shogunate finds out?" the Satsuma official asked uncomfortably. During this period, the trade between the vassals and foreign countries was actually illegal.Although the shogunate signed a trade treaty with European and American powers and started trade in Yokohama and other places, it was always the business of the shogunate, and all domains banned it.Therefore, all the vassals who were salivating aside were indignant.This is also one of the many inside stories about the barbarians.Repelling barbarians is no longer just repelling foreigners as it was at the beginning, but gradually includes aversion to the shogunate's monopoly trade, which has become an excuse for crusade against the shogunate.This was the case with the much-debated opening of the port of Hyogo.Countries forced the shogunate to open the Hyogo, and the shogunate also wanted to overcome the resistance to realize it. However, due to the firm opposition of the imperial court, the shogunate was in a dilemma and had to delay day by day.The reason for the imperial court's objection was: "Hyogo is different from Yokohama. It is close to Kyoto. If the barbarians are put in the territory, it will not only pollute the sanctity, but once the barbarians become evil, Kyoto will easily fall into the hands of the barbarians." , Desperately opposed to the opening of the Hyogo port.Behind these ministers is Samo.That is to say, the Satsuma persuaded the ministers who had no opinion to oppose the opening of the port.When Saigo was in Kyoto and Osaka, he dealt with the Choshu issue while constantly helping with this matter. Now one of the purposes of Okubo Ichizo's stay in Kyoto is to make the imperial court more firmly opposed. If Hyogo is forced to open the port, the shogunate will benefit from trade and become stronger, the shogunate regime will be consolidated, and it will be difficult to overthrow it in the end.This is the true intention of Satsuma.Satsuma is not the only one who has this idea.Even the samurai vassal was quite indifferent to the shogunate's proposal to open the port of Hyogo.It can be said that there is no one in the world who does not oppose this matter.After the opening of the port, prices soared, and the lives of the people were miserable, which was completely different from before the opening of the port.All the benefits have been taken by the shogunate - because of this, the hearts of the world will naturally not turn to the shogunate. "Don't worry. Even if the shogunate finds out, it won't cause trouble to your clan. That's why we need to establish a company." Ryoma patiently explained to the officials. The so-called coincidence.It just so happened that the Kaisei Office of the Satsuma Clan wanted to buy a steamship in Nagasaki, and they even decided to name it, the Kaimon. "May I grant this ship to you?" Ryoma asked when senior officials from the Kaisei Institute came to Komatsu Mansion to visit Ryoma.But the other party said: "No way. This ship has been scheduled for training, so I can't give it to you. But there is a Prussian businessman named Giordi who is also selling it to us." "Oh? Is it a steamship?" "Unfortunately, it's a sailing ship." "Western sailboats are also available." Ryoma replied humorously in Satsuma dialect, "I will not make extravagant requests. First use the sailboat, and then buy a steamboat after earning money." "That ship is called the Giant Wave, and it's an old ship." "It doesn't matter, old ships are fine too." The price of the ship is 7,800 taels, and it is currently suspended in Nagasaki Port. Ryoma clapped his hands happily like a child. "It's settled!" Komatsu was also very happy with the knife, and the next day he persuaded the financial officer in the clan to make the livelihood of Ryoma and all the comrades in the Kobe Academy be borne by the Satsuma clan. After Komatsu came back from the city, he said to Ryoma, "Sakamoto-kun, everyone's food expenses have been settled." "Oh?" "Set at two or two cents per person per month." "Three two two points? Great!" He clapped his hands.Seeing this with a knife, Xiaosong couldn't correct it and said it was two or two, so he could only nod his head, thinking, let's say three twos and three twos.That's it for now. "There is one more thing to discuss. I will go to Nagasaki recently to deal with the purchase of the Haimen. Can you go with me at that time, and we can also discuss the matter of buying a house in Nagasaki." "no problem." Ryoma came to the coast by the way, boarded the Butterfly moored by the sea in a small boat, and told his comrades the result of the negotiation. "Three or two cents a month is too little." Mutsu Yonosuke, the youngest, complained, "When the Kishu clan sent government-funded students to Edo and Nagasaki, it was eight or two cents a month." "Earn the rest!" Ryoma said with a terrified expression on his face. "The maid's salary is only three taels a year. Even so, she won't starve to death." "There's no need to compare with the maid." Mutsu said angrily. Kakuhei Kanno said: "There is a famous fireworks alley in Nagasaki called Maruyama. There, you can eat a set meal with three dishes for only two cents, and you can drink as much as you want, and women will wash your socks for you And check the crotch cloth. These twos and twos are more than enough for us to live." After saying that, Ryoma immediately disembarked and returned to Xiaosong Mansion. When Ryoma lived in Komatsu Prefecture, an interesting incident happened. The activity of "visiting ronin" was once popular among young samurai in Satsuma.This ronin refers to Ryoma. In Satsuma, naturally there are no ronin.Only in big cities like Edo and Osaka can ronin support themselves and settle down, and people are not surprised.However, no matter which domain you are in, in principle, there will be no ronin.And the Satsuma domain has no ronin because it prohibits the entry of other domains.But recently people have started to say the word "ronin" frequently.From the change of Sakurada Gate to the continuous bloody incidents in Kyoto, ronin has been mentioned repeatedly.When a young samurai in faraway Satsuma heard this, he would wonder, "What is a ronin like?" The Satsuma domain is closed and remote, with less entertainment. Words like "Master Komatsu's mansion has a wanderer" spread quickly.The young warriors felt that they should go and see, so they came to "visit" together every day.They would ask the servants of the Xiaosong Mansion if the "ronin" was there, and the servants of the Xiaosong Mansion also regarded themselves as the money collectors of juggling, and proudly brought everyone into the courtyard.When these people came to the yard, they pushed each other and looked at the dragons and horses from a distance. This made Ryoma dumbfounded.redneck!Ryoma was so angry that he forgot that he was also a countryman. He thought to himself, although people say that Tosa is a wild place, Kochi City should be more open after all, and there has never been such absurd thing as viewing people as animals.Although Ryoma prefers Satsuma, but this really makes him unbearable.Satsuma's uncivilizedness is unbelievable, but his vision is jaw-dropping. One day, Longma was playing Go with others.It so happened that a group of young warriors came, and when they saw this scene, they couldn't help dancing and shouting happily: "The ronin is playing Go!" Some even ran outside the door to call for their companions. Ryoma was disturbed by the noise. "Everyone!" He shouted, "Be quiet! Ronin can also play Go, nothing unusual!" "Ah, Ronin is angry." Ryoma's reaction seemed to excite them again. A group of people huddled together, and some people were very happy to imitate Ryoma's Tosa accent. Ryoma was at a loss what to do about it.