Chapter 59 3. Dilemma

Ryoma Sakamoto left Shimonoseki and returned to his base in Nagasaki, but what awaited him was a predicament: he had no boats, no money, and only food in his hand, which was the five grains that Changzhou gave to Satsuma and fell into his hands after being rejected by Satsuma. Hundred stones of rice.However, this only property was also sold by the natives of the merchant society when they stopped in Shimonoseki for money, or used to fill their stomachs, and there was not much left. Comrades from Ryoma and other trading companies did a great job in the Shimonoseki Strait, but because it was not a "business", they didn't make any money.Not only did he not make any money, needless to say that the weapons and ammunition in the war were provided by the Changzhou Domain, but the fuel and soldiers' rations were all paid by Ryoma himself.They can therefore only be said to be reinforcements at their own expense.Although they won, they did not get paid from Changzhou.

This is really poor and white.Since returning to Nagasaki, Ryoma has been having a headache about this matter. Every day, he travels between the shop of the wealthy businessman Osone, the Satsuma domain, and the Gulab office on the coast of Oura, paying attention to everything and thinking about how to make money. People in Nagasaki would see Ryoma hurrying to and fro on the streets every day, his cold face being blown back and forth by the wind.His face was covered with moles, and his body turned iron blue under the sea wind and scorching sun.He had a stern face, without a trace of a smile, his eyes were unusually sharp, shining brightly, his tall and strong body was wrapped in baggy clothes, and his hair was tousled.

People in the city talked a lot: "It's been a while since I saw this general from Kameyama, what a terrifying face." I'm afraid they never thought that Ryoma was invited to be the fleet commander of Changzhou. There was a battle between the Guanhai Strait and the shogunate army. Only the officials of the shogunate's executive office in Nagasaki felt very suspicious, so they focused on Ryoma and others.However, just because Nagasaki has always been open, the executions here do not like the strict surveillance like those in Edo and Osaka. Since the Guishan Trading Company is in a difficult situation, and can't even pay the salaries of the waterman and the fireman, why not take this opportunity to destroy it.The Executive Office came up with such an "economic" countermeasure.Through the shogunate's boat company, they set out to buy the watermen and firemen hired by Ryoma.

After Ryoma returned to Nagasaki, he had racked his brains, but he still couldn't come up with a good solution. On the morning of the tenth day, Mutsu Yonosuke came to visit.Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ryoma even said: "Just disband the trading company." Mutsu was startled. "Aren't you kidding me?" Once the Kameyama Trading Company was dissolved, Ryoma's vision of a new Japan would come to naught, which meant that Sakamoto Ryoma would no longer be a thing in this world. "The salaries of the waterman and the fireman cannot be paid out, and it is hard to say whether they will be able to raise money in the future."

"It seems that even Mr. Sakamoto is at his wit's end. I thought that the only men in the world who are invincible are Takasugi Shinsaku from Changshu and Sakamoto Ryoma from Kameyama. It seems that I was wrong." "What do you mean by an unstoppable man?" "I heard this in Changzhou." Mutsu wanted to cheer up Ryoma, so he explained.Takasugi is a genius in Changzhou. He has fantastic ideas like a powerful and unconstrained style, and he always hits the target every time.He is like Sun Wukong who soars through the clouds and rides the fog. Even if he sometimes falls from the clouds and gets stuck in a dead end, he can summon the somersaulting clouds again and gallop in the three thousand worlds.This person can be regarded as a hero who appears once in two thousand years.Mutsu's words subtly stimulated Ryoma.

"In the words of Changzhou people, Takasugi has only one secret, and that is not to say 'difficult to handle' no matter what. It is said that this is his self-discipline." "I say that often." "Takasugi never said." Shinsaku Takasugi said to his comrades in the same domain: "My father once taught me that a man must never say something like 'difficult to handle'." Doing anything must be considered carefully before taking action, and it must be guaranteed in advance Things can be done smoothly.Even so, when you are still in trouble, you will never say "it's difficult".Because from the moment people say "difficult to handle", people lose their wisdom and the ability to distinguish, and the predicament will become a dead end, and there is no way out.

Takasugi once said this to Mutsu: "It's okay even if you are in trouble, because you will find a way out from an unexpected angle. But once you are in a dead end, everything is over. So I never say 'difficult' This." Ryoma couldn't help feeling agitated: Takasugi was born in a famous family, and he was favored by the father and son of the feudal lord, and he could mobilize the entire feudal kingdom for his use at any time. "Gakasugi is a sergeant, but I'm just a vagrant who wanders the world and has nothing. No matter how talented Gaoshan is, if one day he has to support the entire Changzhou Domain by himself, he will say it's difficult."

The rumor that Ryoma wanted to disband the trading company somehow reached the ears of Waterman and Fireman.Some of the non-commissioned officers in the club lived in Osone's residence, and some lived in rented houses in the city, but the watermen and firemen all lived in the dormitory in Kameyama.The leader is Shikichi, who was born as a fisherman on Shiobu Island in Sanuki. "I'm the son of pirates!" the funny old man often boasted. Most of the watermen and firemen are from Iyo and Sanuki. Most of them have worked in the shogunate navy, so they are more familiar with the operation of Western-style sailboats and steamboats than non-commissioned officers.In addition, some people violated the shogunate's ban and worked as watermen on foreign ships from Shanghai to Nagasaki. Because they were well-informed, they had more experience than non-commissioned officers.

When they were in Nagasaki, if they were free and there was news that the Satsuma domain was recruiting watermen or firemen, Jinji would take over the job and send people to Satsuma.This is how they survive. But Ryoma's trading company is different.Because of the dedication to building the company, it is necessary to hire water and fire for a long time, and there are often 20 people boarding in Guishan. "Bastard! I'm against disbanding!" It was the old man Shiji and the young fireman Matsujiro who said this.Their opinions were agreed by everyone, and a group of people flocked to Ryoma's residence in Osone Mansion.

"Oh? All the staff are dispatched." Ryoma sat on the seat.The old man Shiji stepped forward. "I heard that you want to disband the trading company?" He said rather dissatisfied. "Everyone is against disbanding?" "Of course I don't! Although the big guys are just watermen and firemen, they all escaped from the gunfire of Shimonoseki under the leadership of Mr. Sakamoto. Please don't say such heartless words." "I don't have the money to pay you salaries." Ryoma shook his sleeves. "Follow me, there is no food." He said briefly.After speaking, he felt very useless, and burst into tears. "Let's find a good place to work." Now all the domains in the west are scrambling to buy steam ships. As long as this group of people stay in the base camp of Nagasaki, they can support themselves without any problem.However, Shikichi still patted the tatami angrily and said: "Everyone has already made up their minds. No matter what you say, Mr. Sakamoto, we will not leave you. We will wait until you have a boat. Before that, we will go to the city. earn some food money to support myself. Please don’t worry.”

Ryoma was very moved. In Kochi City, there is such a person as Mizobuchi Hironojo.As long as you talk about "Gouyuan's gourd face", everyone in Kochi City knows it, and everyone knows it.Some vicious young samurai even made fun of him and said: "If Hironojo stands under the gourd shelf, the other gourds will all grin." People even used his story as a conversation piece over wine. Mizobuchi was seven years older than Ryoma, and he was obsessed with swordsmanship when he was young. He once went to Edo to live in the Kajibashi domain, and traveled to the nearby Momoi Martial Art Museum.It happened to be the time when Ryoma went to Edo for the second time to study, and the two got along day and night in the feudal mansion, and their relationship was very close. "Ryoma laughs like that." Every time Mizobuchi imitated Ryoma's characteristic smile in front of everyone, it would make everyone lean back and forth. Later, the fate of the two people was different.Longma left the domain, but Gouyuan remained. It was only natural for Gou Yuan to stay, he had a gentle personality and was not suitable for such a tumultuous career as King Qin, nor could he do such a thing.Moreover, his age is not suitable for participating in such vigorous activities.A few days before Ryoma's renunciation, he happened to meet Ryoma at the Suido-cho intersection in the city. "The cherry blossoms are blooming," Ryoma said. "Are you going to see the cherry blossoms?" Longma replied, "No, I won't go this year." He had already made up his mind to leave the feudal clan.After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ryoma asked, "Gouyuan, are you still practicing sword?" "Exactly." "You have a good memory, don't you want to learn foreign language? Go learn it." Ryoma made such an abrupt suggestion. "Are you talking about Lan Xue?" "Lan Xue is outdated. I heard from Mr. Kawada Xiaolong that Britain is now the world's most powerful country. You learn English and read some books about cannons and machinery. If you don't read those books quickly, quickly create Machines, Tosa will perish, and Japan will perish. We will repeat the mistakes of the Qing Dynasty." "Why don't you do that?" "Everyone has what they are good at and what they are not good at. I am not good at memorizing things." Because of Ryoma's suggestion, Mizobuchi followed Kawada Xiaolong to learn some English, and then went to Edo. Whenever he visited someone who knew English, he would take notes. He also went to Yokohama and bought some English books.Later, the Tosa clan began to focus on the development of Westernization. Mizobuchi was exceptionally promoted from a rural scholar to a tube-holder, and was sent to Nagasaki to study Westernization in the first year of Qingying.After that, he went back and forth between Nagasaki and Kochi, and this time he came to Nagasaki under the order of the vassal, with the purpose of inquiring about the movements of the vassals after the Shogun War. It is already autumn in Nagasaki.The Nakajima River flows deep through the city, and in the courtyards of people on both sides of the river, the fiery red leaves of maples and sumacs complement each other, making it a picturesque scene.There is a bridge of glasses on the river.On the west side of this exotic stone bridge is Nishikogawa Town, where there is a mansion with black walls.In the past, concubines of merchants on Xibin Street lived here, and the sound of playing music sometimes made passers-by stop and linger.But now the plaque of "Shibata Foreign School" hangs majestically in front of the door, telling people who rented this house. The world has really changed.The people in the town thought secretly.They are not just referring to the concubine's other courtyard turned into a foreign school.Since the mid-Edo period, Nagasaki has become a place of longing for doctors who are interested in studying in Lanzhou. They come to this city from various vassal states to learn Dutch and Western medicine.However, in recent years, since the shogunate opened Nagasaki to foreign powers in accordance with the trade treaty, many foreigners began to set up businesses and churches here, among which the British were the most powerful. As a result, a British craze quickly arose among the discerning Japanese. To meet this need, private English schools have sprung up one after another.The Shibata Foreign School in Nishikogawa Town is one of them. Mizobuchi Hironojo came to this school at least once every two days to learn English.The largest number of students is the famous Progressive Dahan Hizen Saga clan, in addition to Satsuma, Chikuzen Fukuoka and other clansmen.Mizobuchi was the only one in Tosa Domain. One day, a young samurai with dark skin and a round face came to the school.Speaking in a strong Tosa dialect, the young man greeted the students. "Ah, isn't this Nakajima Sakutaro from Tsukaji Village?" Mizobuchi greeted him. "Ah! It's Mr. Mizobuchi. It's too bad." Nakajima Sakutaro was very embarrassed. Nakajima is a comrade of Ryoma Trading Co., and is always called and loved by Ryoma.Because he was a vagrant from Tosa, he was a little flustered when he suddenly saw Mizobuchi. "Don't be afraid. I'm not a catcher." Mizobuchi said with a smile.After school, he invited Nakajima to a restaurant in Xibin and went up to the second floor.The store is full of low-footed food tables, and the meals are served on large plates and served on the table.Adjacent tables are separated by screens. "Is Ryoma okay?" Mizobuchi asked directly. Mizobuchi didn't know it when he was in the feudal clan, but as soon as he left the feudal clan, he learned that Longma had already become famous all over the world, and he was very surprised by this. "Mr. Sakamoto is fine." Nakajima Sakutaro replied very cautiously.After all, he is a man who left the feudal clan, and Hirozhi Mizobuchi is a feudal official, so he doesn't know how much he can say. "Nakajima-kun, you are very vigilant." Mizobuchi Hironojo sensed it sensitively, "It's no wonder, let's see what the feudal kingdom has done so far." "Tosa killed Takeichi Hanpeita." Sakutaro said, staring at Mizobuchi. "That's right. And what happened to Madam." Mizobuchi said.He is an old friend of Ryoma, and a vassal official from a rural background, and he is quite angry at the sergeant's tendency to be a vassal. The thing that happened to the wife mentioned here refers to the fact that after the shogunate issued a military order to conquer Changzhou, the Tosa Domain Hall decided to cater to it.Toshiko, the wife of the feudal lord Feng Fan, happened to be from a Maori family. In order to avoid suspicion, the family elders moved her outside Kochi City, forcing her to separate from the young feudal lord. "This approach is too despicable." Gouyuan doesn't like to act, he is more like a pedant.Regarding this practice of the Tosa Domain Hall, he criticized sadly and indignantly: "It is despicable and hopeless." Nakajima Sakutaro was quite surprised, it seems that this gourd gentleman still has a bit of blood, he thought while chewing the fish. Regarding the matter of his wife going out of the city, the elders also thoughtfully submitted a "request for instructions" to the shogunate in the name of the feudal lord Feng Fan: "Zhuojing's family is Maori. Although it is only a female generation, it is reasonable to have no crime, but it happened During this expedition, if you let it go, you will be really terrified. Therefore, I quickly ordered him to retreat outside the city and think about his mistakes. Please give me your instructions on what measures should be taken in the future." This is how the Tosa clan sold their loyalty to the shogunate.Not only that, but it also approached the shogunate and asked the shogunate delicately: "What should I do in the future?" It flattered the shogunate to such an extent that even Qinfan and Pudai had never done it before. "During the three hundred years of Tokugawa, these foreign vassals have been fighting all day long, fearing that their territory would be confiscated by the shogunate, and only thinking about how to please them. This servile nature is now fully exposed." Mizobuchi resented. "And then?" Nakajima Sakutaro asked, "What happened to Madam?" "Speaking of this, it is very interesting. When it was conquered for the second time, beyond everyone's expectations, Changzhou won consecutive battles and was unstoppable. The shogunate made peace with Changzhou on the grounds of the general's death, which also nakedly told the world , the shogunate is nothing but a bluffing paper tiger. As a result, the Tosa domain hall panicked." "This time they started to flatter Changzhou again?" "They couldn't be so blatant, so the sergeants ran to the lady and quietly begged her to go back to the city." Mizobuchi seems to imply that the situation in Tosa Domain is changing. "Anyway, I want to see Ryoma." Mizobuchi Hiroyuki said. "But," Nakajima Sakutaro tilted his head slightly, "Mr. Mizobuchi, you are a feudal official. From your standpoint, if you meet with the leader of the ex-vassal, you will inevitably be reprimanded in the feudal hall afterwards, right?" "I'm a coward. I'm ashamed. Although I have the same ambition as Ryoma, I dare not leave the feudal domain. I am such a coward and now I want to meet Ryoma. Even from this point, you should know Tosa It's changing." Judging from the meaning in Mizobuchi's words, it seemed that he wanted to talk to Ryoma about something. "So that's what happened." "I have something to tell him. So Nakajima-san, please recommend me." "Mr. Mizobuchi's attitude makes me very concerned. When you say you want to see Mr. Sakamoto, do you want to see Mr. Sakamoto as a feudal official or as an old friend?" "Both." "Please allow me to put the ugly words up front. Mr. Sakamoto is a person who left the feudal clan twice. In the eyes of the feudal hall, he is even more heinous. Even if he is killed, it is difficult to relieve the hatred in his heart. And he is also Takeichi Hanpeita who was killed by the feudal hall. My dear friend. The reason why I told you this repeatedly is because this matter is too dangerous. I don’t think Mr. Mizubuchi will betray Mr. Sakamoto. But we must be cautious. Anyway, Mr. Sakamoto is not only our leader, now There is still hope that Japan can be saved from suffering." Nakajima Sakutaro was young after all, and his words were undisguised, which deeply hurt Mizobuchi. "You said I would betray Sakamoto?" "No, I didn't say that. It's just that if I want to introduce you, I must understand why Mr. Mizubuchi wants to see Mr. Sakamoto, otherwise I can't convey it for you. I am not a child who was sent out to buy soy sauce." "You speak too directly and too young. I can't tell you such an important matter to you, a brat who doesn't know the depth." "Old stuff!" Nakajima was furious. "Please calm down." Gou Yuan didn't know what to do. "Then, let me reveal a little bit. The situation of the Tosa Clan is just as I said just now. Now, the only person Tosa wants to rely on secretly is Sakamoto Ryoma. Presumably Nakajima-kun is smart, and he should have guessed what I'm going to say. Bar." "I'm very stupid." Nakajima patted himself on the head, "That's the only thing I still don't understand." "As long as you tell Ryoma these words, he will definitely understand. I want to introduce him to a certain important person in the domain, and this is what I want to talk about. I can only say this." After Nakajima Sakutaro returned to the trading company, he reported the matter to Ryoma in detail. "That's what Mizobuchi said about the situation in the clan?" Ryoma pondered.When he met Nakaoka Shintaro in Maguan, he also told Ryoma that since the victory in Changzhou, the vassals have been shaken very much.Of course, the stubborn conservatives are still the same as before. However, although the young feudal officials around Rongtang will not break with the shogun this time, they have also begun to change their minds, thinking that it is better to have a good relationship with Satsuma and Changzhou in the future.The same is true for Gan Taisuke, Goto Shoujiro and others.Not to mention Gu Shoubu, who is already planning to do so.Nakaoka's words coincided with the situation in the feudal clan revealed by Mizobuchi this time. "The late Mr. Takeshi once said that the high-level officials in the feudal clan were all scumbags, and it seems to be true." Nakajima Sakutaro stayed in Changzhou for a while, not only accepted the radical ideas of Changzhou people, but also learned the Changzhou dialect. "Speak Tosa dialect!" Ryoma's expression was quite terrifying.What he wanted to say was that people should have their own opinions, but he couldn't find the right way to say it. "But, sitting on the wall..." "What does that matter! It's not easy for Tosa to get to this point." The young Nakajima Sakutaro still refused to give up. "Isn't it the most shameful behavior for civilians and samurai to follow the wind? The Tosa feudal government is in the hands of those despicable and shameless sergeants, and it has degenerated to such a degree. It is simply intolerable." "You can talk about this at the round lectures of the Four Books and Five Classics. The trend of the times is determined by the final actions of the fence-sitters. Whether it is the current situation or history, it is the same reason. The new forces and the old forces are fiercely fighting. , In the end, one side will win. At that time, there will be a large number of fencers flocking to the winner, and the tide of the world can rush forward. So those people should not be underestimated." "Mr. Sakamoto is different from Mr. Takeichi." Nakajima said a little unconvinced, "Mr. Takeichi absolutely cannot tolerate such impure things, but Mr. Sakamoto allows them to exist. You not only allow them, but even want to take advantage of them." power to do things." "Takeichi is a good man, and I am an evil person." Ryoma said with a straight face, "Takeshi Banheita is in the same category as Sakyamuni, Confucius, and Socrates. I am not the same person as him. I belong to Qin Shihuang, Han Gaozu, Oda Nobunaga, Washington and others, I will use people's evil, impurity, and impurity to do something." After Long Ma said, hope rose in his heart, maybe he could break the predicament of Guishan Trading Company in this direction, and his heart was surging. "I want to see Mizobuchi." The fact that Ryoma wanted to meet Mizobuchi, an official of the Tosa clan, was opposed by most people, including Nakajima Sakutaro, and even Mutsu Yonosuke, who was born in the Kishu clan, severely criticized Said: "You have left the domain twice, and you have always looked at the Tosa domain with cold eyes. Are you really going to meet a layman of this domain now?" "The Tosa's neck is too stiff." Ryoma said, "It's good to have a stiff neck, but once the situation becomes complicated, the neck will not be able to move, and it won't work. The Tosa people in the trading company have this tendency. I thought you, a Kishu native, would say something like that." The next morning, with the faded scabbard on Ryoma's waist, Mutsu Mori Yoshiyuki walked out of the Osone House in Moto Hakata Town wearing crumpled clothes as usual.He had sent Nakajima to tell Mizobuchi, meet at Shimabara House in Nishihama. Shimabara House is a homely restaurant whose signature dish is steamed egg custard served in a sea bowl. After Ryoma entered, he greeted him and took off his shoes downstairs.The old man in charge of looking at shoes was shocked when he saw Ryoma's pair of dirty clogs beyond recognition, and couldn't help muttering: "I've been looking at shoes for almost forty years, and this is the first time I've seen such dirty clogs." The old man's complaints were heard by Ryoma who was going up the stairs, and he couldn't help laughing. "Old man, next time I will wear leather boots!" He said with style. For some reason, Ryoma has a soft spot for high boots and perfume, and will buy them as long as he has money.However, one or two pairs of leather boots is enough, so they are often given to comrades in the club.As for the perfume, he would sometimes try to spray it on his dirty collar, but it was mostly given to Aaron, the geisha and maids of Hikada House, or sent back to his hometown to Chunzhu and others. The dragon horse went up to the second floor.The two rooms on the upper floor are connected, at least twenty stacks in size.A low-leg dining table is placed in the space of two stacks, and it is separated from the neighbors by a screen. Before it was time to eat, there were no guests, only Gou Yuan was waiting for a long time in the corner of the room.Ryoma walked towards the ditch. "Ah." He looked at the ditch, took off the long knife, and hurried up. "How many years have we not seen each other?" He said and sat down.This is Wen Jiu's first meeting since March of the second year. Gouyuan looked up at Ryoma with tears in his eyes.Thinking of the leisure time they spent together in the vassal mansion of Kajibashi in Edo, the two couldn't help but lament that the world's circumstances are changing, like a dream. Mizobuchi Hironojo spoke in a very low voice, but he was eloquent. "Mr. Kwon Ping, Miss Otome and Miss Harubo are all fine." "Have all the girls in Caiguwu found their way?" Ryoma's main family, Saitaniya, is a businessman, and the house is just behind the Sakamoto's house. It is the leading wealthy businessman in Kochi City.The women in this family have been beauties for generations, which arouses people's amazement. "Ah, it's all settled." Mizobuchi told them where they were going one by one, then straightened his sitting posture, and said, "There have been changes in the domain." He repeated what he said to Nakajima Sakutaro I said it again. Ryoma nodded while listening. "Have you heard about the opening of the museum?" "En." Ryoma replied ambiguously.However, this is not important to the gully. "That's amazing. A castle was built on the banks of the Mirror River in the city." The Kaiseikan was built by Laofan Gongrongtang and Goto Shojiro, who participated in politics, to advocate the New Deal.This is the center of the Tosa Clan's pursuit of modern industrialization.Fanli believes that money is the first thing to be rich and powerful, so all the businesses run by the feudal state are under the command of here.The important products of Tosa, such as the manufacture and sale of paper and camphor, were all managed by Kaiseikan.Kaiseikan is also subdivided into various departments, including the department for finding and developing gold, silver, copper and other mineral resources, the department responsible for whaling, the department responsible for purchasing foreign books and machinery, the department for researching Western medicine, and even the department for whaling. A Western hospital was also built on Wutai Mountain outside the city, and a naval bureau was even built. "Ryoma, Tosa is gradually changing." "Yes." Ryoma nodded and changed the subject. "I'm afraid the old school is full of complaints." No matter which domain you are in, no matter your status is high or low, there are a group of stubborn, conservative, and fanatical anti-barbarians.These people think that Japan, the majestic dynasty, should go to learn from those foreigners, how decent it is!Even Qin Wang Zhishi Takeshi Banpingtai failed to get rid of this stubborn and conservative thinking. "Yeah, it's more than just complaining." Mizobuchi said, "It looks like there's going to be a bloodbath. Mr. Goto Shoujiro, who has been pushing Narukan all the time, has been targeted by those stubborn guys who are fighting against barbarians. His life is in danger, and now he has secretly fled to Shanghai to avoid disaster." "Oh?" "The old feudal lord was kind, and Goteng Fang was able to take refuge in Shanghai and purchase gunboats there." "What an interesting person." Ryoma became interested in this young politician who now bears the fate of the entire Tosa domain. "Goto-sama will depart from Shanghai and return to Nagasaki soon. He has admired you for a long time, and he is very hungry." Goto Shoujiro was born in the ninth year of Tianbao, Xiaolongma was three years old, and he was under twenty-nine years old.He thinks about problems carelessly and lacks detailed plans in doing things, so he can't be regarded as a capable official in governing the world.But if you are in troubled times, you will be born at the right time, because he can grasp the essentials of things, has extraordinary courage, and has the ability to act decisively, and he can readily accept all kinds of good and bad dispositions in people.It can be described as a hero in troubled times.People like him might be more interesting if they were born in the Warring States Period. The end of the shogunate was also in troubled times.However, at this time there were stubborn traditions, which were different from those in the Warring States Period.However, this system has come to an end with the trend of the development of the times. Tosa's Laofan Gongrongtang wanted to imitate the West and let the sergeants learn to use rifles, which aroused the opposition of the sergeant. "Don't tell me the old prince and the lord want to turn us into ashigaru?" Since the Warring States period, firearms have been used in ashigaru, and the sergeant has always brandished a spear on horseback.This has become an old case.In other words, judging identities based on the weapons they use is very different from Western armies.Rongtang hurt the self-esteem of the sergeants and dealt them an unbelievably serious blow, naturally there was a surge of opposition in the domain.Those who hold opposing views are basically conservative anti-barbarians. Under such circumstances, in order to break the old rules and launch a new policy, it requires practical ability and a strong will like a chariot.The reason why Rongtang promoted the young Goto Shoujiro to participate in politics was precisely because of this consideration.Goto's task was to subtly change the old order while gradually establishing a new one.Goto is unrestrained, cheerful, and decisive, making him the most suitable person for the job. "Love to talk big" is people's evaluation of Goto.He can speak eloquently, never caring about the details, and always boasting so much that the listeners are at a loss.Some people say that this situation is like the resurrection of ancient Chinese debaters.But he can penetrate the current situation, grasp the trend keenly, and when resolving disputes, he can also grasp the psychology of the other party very cleverly, and guide things to develop in the direction he wants. Although there are divergent opinions, people have not noticed this when Goto borrowed the authority of the old vassal hall to show his talents.The troubled times ended and the Restoration began. Goto, as a hero who survived the Restoration Movement, became a councilor and an earl.Only then did people notice "Count Goto", and the way the world looked at him began to change.Goto always made some huge plans, but no matter what he did, he ended in failure.He spends money like water, has no concept of financial management, and uses money regardless of public and private interests. "Goto is too extravagant. He should have been born in the emperor's family in the Qing Dynasty." Sheng Haizhou and others often say this. During the most hectic period of the Restoration, Goto, as the elder of the family, made a decision without authorization.He said to his favorite vassal Iwasaki Yataro: "I have handed over the Osaka vassal mansion, Edo vassal mansion, and steamships to you, and you use them for business." Many of the property that Goto randomly gave to Iwasaki belonged to Ryoma Trading Company.Iwasaki took these properties and inherited Ryoma's business, laying the foundation for the later Mitsubishi Corporation.Although this is mostly an afterthought, it can also be seen from this that Goto's handling of things is interesting. "I give these to you, but there is a condition - you will repay the debts of the Tosa clan." The debt problem of the clan was then resolved.Iwasaki quickly paid off old debts with the company's profits. After the Restoration, Goto wanted to enter the new political circle, so he used Iwasaki as his financial backing.Goto's campaign expenses were like a bottomless pit, and he couldn't fill it up no matter how hard he tried. In the end, even Iwasaki couldn't help crying and wailing, claiming that he couldn't take care of this mess anymore.So Goto began raising funds on his own.Still using Ryoma's trading company as a copy, he came to Osaka and established a foreign trading company called "Horaisha".At the beginning of its establishment, he borrowed huge sums of money from wealthy businessmen such as Iwasaki, but soon his business failed, and he became the biggest debt king in history.His debt was two million yen, which was more than the budget of Osaka Prefecture at that time. The creditors rushed to Goto's residence in Osaka and found him taking a nap as if nothing had happened.In addition, his old friend Itagaki Taisuke (Kan Taisuke) came to visit and was stunned to see him taking a nap. Goto said: "The so-called heroes will never think about what to do if they fail when they start an incident. That's why I fell into this predicament." There are too many such things that happened to Goto.In short, this person is too heroic to be useful in the secular world. How did Goto reach the top of Tosa's political circle?First of all, he was born well.The family's salary is one hundred and fifty shi, and he has served as a horse-riding warrior in the feudal clan for generations.In terms of family property, the Sakamoto family of the countryman is much richer.The territory of the Sakamoto family is one hundred and sixty-one stone, which is more than that of Sergeant Goto's family.However, the Sakamoto family is a villager and cannot participate in the feudal administration.As long as Sergeant Goto has talent, he can even become a politician. Goto Jiro's uncle Yoshida Toyo was also born in a sergeant's family. Later, he stood out and was promoted to participate in politics, and then became a powerful person in the domain. Goto has been fancyed by Yoshida Toyo since he was a child.When Dongyang lost power, he opened a private school in Changbin Village outside the city.At that time, Goto went to school with Kantaisuke and others, and received the influence of Toyo.Dongyang loves Goto's heroism and intelligence very much, and wants to cultivate him into a talent and inherit his mantle. Once, Toyo left a question for the students to write a paper on trade. Although Goto was talented, he didn't have the mind to write a rigorous essay. He had an idea and asked a ronin from Jingguchi Village, Aki County, who opened a private school in Kamoda Village, to write an answer sheet. Dongyang was shocked after reading the answer sheet submitted by Goto, because even he himself could not write such an excellent article.So he called Goto, and under pressure, Goto admitted that he had asked someone to write it for him. "Who is the ghostwriter? What identity?" "It's an underground wanderer." The so-called underground wanderers are those who have sold their status as peasants, reduced to become wanderers, and settled down in the local area.Although this kind of person still wears long and short swords, he is no different from a farmer. "There are such people among the local ronin?" Toyo, who has a strong sense of family status, was taken aback, and asked someone to bring the humble man named Iwasaki Yataro here.Yataro took this incident as an opportunity to get in touch with Toyo and Goto.However, what he got because of this was nothing more than a low-level police officer in the feudal clan. As Dongyang regained control of the vassal regime, Goto was promoted again and again and became a young bureaucrat.After Dongyang was assassinated, Goto was favored by the old feudal lord Rongtang.Rongtang intends to train him to be Dongyang's successor, so he has a lot of trust in Goto.Soon, Goto was promoted to the chief inspector of police in the domain, which can be said to be the chief inspector of the Tosa domain.Under the order of Rongtang, he began to suppress the King Qin Party formed by the corporals one after another.Whether it was the killing of Takeshi Hanpeita and others, or the encirclement and suppression of the twenty-three strong men including Kiyooka Cyclops gathered in None Mountain, Goto Shojiro participated in all of them.King Qin did not dare to hate Rongtang, but he hated Goto deeply. It didn't take long before Goto was promoted to participate in politics again.Needless to say, this is still what Rongtang meant. Rongtang, Goto's unique patron saint, once said: "Xiang Erlang's looseness seems to me to be heroic and open-minded." This is how he protected this young political participant.Yamato, who is bold by nature and prides himself on being a hero, may have seen his shadow in the young Goto. At the beginning of this year, Goto presented a new policy to Rongtang. "The world is chaotic today, and the situation is unclear. I think the most important thing is to cultivate the strength of our vassal. When the world is peaceful in the future, it will be used as the foundation for the development of the vassal state. To this end, it is necessary to purchase foreign ships, occupy the Nanyang Islands, and expand the territory. .” "Okay!" After hearing Goto's majestic suggestion, Rongtang clapped his knees happily, "Do you need a boat so much?" Warships and ships for transporting armies are essential.However, Tosa's financial resources of 240,000 koku were close to bankruptcy, and he could not afford the money to buy Western ships.Rong Tang didn't care about these things. "You need money to buy a ship. You should go to the veteran to discuss it quickly, and use all the money in the clan to buy a ship in Nagasaki." The "all money" that Rongtang said was only three thousand taels.Goto took his subordinates to Nagasaki, played day and night, spent money like water, showed off to outsiders how rich the Tosa domain was, bought guns and ships from foreign businessmen one after another, and incurred huge debts. For this reason, the remarks of "Goto squandering official fees" flooded the domain for a while, and the domain lord even sent an inspector to Nagasaki urgently, which can be described as an uproar.However, Goto survived the crisis safely.But the hardliners in the domain refused to stop there, and even clamored: "For the sake of the lord, get rid of Goto!" Worried about Goto's safety, Rong Tang sent him to Shanghai under the pretext of being out of business.When he arrived in Shanghai, Goto still did not accept his lesson and bought three gunboats.However, since only the deposit was paid but not the payment for the goods, these also became debts. Foreign trading companies forced Goto to pay the full payment.无奈之下，后藤想到暂时请萨摩藩帮忙塾付这笔救急的款项，于是提出在长崎与五代才助会谈。五代是萨摩藩负责购买西式机械的釆购官。 在申请借款的谈判席上，后藤反倒吹嘘起土佐如何如何有钱。“毕竟我们的樟脑、纸和鲸油天下第一！”如此大肆宣扬，大概后藤想暗示把钱借给土佐是安全的，但是，他的这番大话却被五代误解了。 “我藩大意，买了一艘预算外的轮船，现在正在为还不了债而发愁，不知能否请土佐藩替我们买下来。” 在五代的步步紧逼之下，后藤只好被迫承诺给五代买一艘四万两的船。 如此种种，于是沟渊广之杀便要极力促成龙马与后藤象二郎会面。 “拜托了，龙马！这全都是为了土佐。” “为了土佐？”龙马歪了歪头。为了区区土佐藩，这当然令他很不爽。“广之丞，我对土佐已断念。我是脱藩之人，土佐对我也无善意，如今还在虎视眈眈。” “这本在情理之中。你脱藩时，东洋正好被暗杀，你遭受怀疑也是正常的。” “这正是令我愤怒之处。” "why?" “难道他们认为我坂本龙马会偷袭暗算吗？一想到故乡的人是这样看待我，我就感到无比遗憾。广之丞，我对于土佐的怨恨，只源于这一件事。” “只是这一件事？” “男子汉大丈夫，为了捍卫德行，可以不惜一死。坂本龙马自认为是一个光明正大、堂堂正正的大丈夫，岂是暗算偷袭之辈？仔细想来，唯有故乡是最不了解我的。” 沟渊广之丞被龙马的感伤和愤慨感染，不由得含泪道：“龙马啊，故乡就是这样。反过来说，你对待故乡的感情也一样，既有怀念，又有怨恨，情感如此之深，以至于令你爱恨交加。你对于土佐藩的感情，是爱之深，恨之切。” “沟渊，你不愧年长几岁，你的话句句进到我心里。” “那是当然。像你这般豁达无比的男人，一遇到和土佐藩相关的事情，就会说一些不痛快的话。这正说明你有这种心情。” “葫芦果然厉害！” “请不要辱我。”沟渊沉下脸来。 “好了。不知不觉说了些牢骚话。我决定与后藤象二郎见上一面。” “啊！你肯见面了？若是后藤大人和你联起手来，那将是天下的幸事啊。天下的风云变幻将由你们二人掀起了。” “我也有自己的想法。这次会面，并非为了土佐一藩，而是为了天下的利益。请把这一点告诉后藤，让他作好思想准备。希望他能明白，我已经不仅是土佐人了。” "I understand that." “还有，”龙马说，“后藤害了武市半平太，我的同志有可能会杀他。请提醒他在长崎最好不要走夜路。” 龙马和沟渊会面后，又过了一天。这一天，中岛作太郎去大浦海岸办事，注意到有一艘从上海来的轮船停靠在港口。 这艘船好像在哪里见过，船的桅杆上挂着英国国旗。中岛仔细一看，原来是驻在长崎的英国商人理查德逊的阿米斯蒂号，这艘船不定期往来于上海与长崎之间。 不一会儿，从码头上的商行里划出来两艘小艇，看样子是去迎接船上的乘客。 中岛躲在了码头上堆积的货物后面。在他观察的时候，乘客转移到了小艇上。乘客有五名，其中四个是英国人，有一人撑着阳伞，做贵妇人打扮。此外那一人是个日本武士。武士傲慢地将剑作为手杖支撑，矗立在小艇的船头。一旁的英国人频频向武士说话，但武士根本不屑回答，他看起来十分文雅大方，又威仪十足。 那人不是后藤象二郎？中岛真想看得更清楚一些。 不一会儿，武士上岸了。他上穿黑色纺绸礼服，下着仙台平袴，大小双刀则是白色刀柄、银色柄头，涂得黑亮的刀鞘，用朱绳系在腰上。足蹬白色短布袜和白系带草鞋。如此一身豪奢的装束，简直就像是大名家的少爷。虽说不是个大胖子，但是肩膀上的肉很厚，腰粗壮。中等个头，浓眉大眼，一脸刚愎之色，却又不知为何透着一股顽劲。 正是后藤。中岛心叹道，真是个了不起的人。身为土佐家老，竟然轻而易举地远涉重洋，到上海去了，这在他藩是不可想象的。 后藤在理查德逊职员的欢迎下，走进了码头的商行。 中岛怕继续盯下去会被人盘问，便匆匆离开了码头，返回商社。他想去通知社里的同志，如果是非杀不可的家伙就杀掉他。为武市报仇雪恨的想法令年轻的中岛热血沸腾。 而后藤进了商行，刚在客厅里落座，便傲慢地对英国人说：“把土佐的家伙都叫来。” “立刻派人去请。”英国人通过大清国的翻译说道，“诸位大人是在财津屋吧？” 后藤的下属们此时在财津屋暂住。后藤一旦回到日本，就又是大藩的家老，独自一人行走是不成体统的。 “我在这里等着。”他喝了一口端上来的咖啡，立刻放下了，大概是觉得太苦。