Chapter 67 11. Eight strategies in the boat

During this period, in Nagasaki, Sakamoto Ryoma was having a hard time with the Iroha incident and Kishu.However, he still heard about the extraordinary changes in the situation in Kyoto through Nakaoka's letters and from the mouth of Sacho Zhishi who came to Nagasaki. One evening, a visitor came to Tosaya in Nishihama Town, where Ryoma handles business, was Goto Shojiro, who participated in politics. "There is a big event." Goto whispered as soon as he entered the soil.Ryoma was sitting on a chair in front of the desk in the corner of Doma, and he looked at Goto. "What's the matter?" He was still unkempt.His eyes were squinted, his eyes were sharp, his temples were disheveled, no matter how he looked, he looked like a slovenly acting master in a martial arts school.Goto took his seat. "I received a summons letter from the old feudal lord."

Hearing this, the quick-witted Ryoma immediately understood that it was a matter of the meeting of the four sages. "Are you allowed to enter Beijing?" "You guessed it right, you said that you want me to go to Kyoto." "It seems that there will be some turmoil in Kyoto." "What level of turmoil?" "I'm afraid it's a war. It seems that Satsuma should have already made preparations for this. The goal is to regard the Tokugawa clan as an enemy of the dynasty and order them to attack them." "Who will win?" "It's hard to say." Ryoma folded his arms across his chest.He is obviously one of the giants of the Suppression Sect, but he behaved so calmly in front of the high officials of the Tosa Domain, as if he was talking about things that had nothing to do with him. "According to the current situation, there should be a tie."

"Oh." "No, perhaps Sa Mo has a slight advantage. Unlike the heyday of Changzhou during the Wenjiu period, this time it is the Satsuma people who hold the dominance. The Samo people are not like the Changzhou people. They will not act based on theory alone." In stark contrast to the idealism of the Changshu people, the Satsuma people are down-to-earth realists.They will use realistic eyes to judge the actual conditions. After repeated calculations, they can conclude that they will "win" before they will act with the momentum of a beast preying on them.Since they have shown the determination to take action to the world, they must have very favorable conditions secretly.Ryoma infers that, he doesn't know that at this time the chief manipulator, Iwakura Tomohiro, is secretly operating and is about to receive the young emperor's order to punish the screen.

However, although Chief Sa has made careful preparations, if he wants to fight the Tokugawa shogunate, he may not be able to do so in terms of military strength, and he needs help anyway.I am afraid that only when the Sa Changtu is complete can the discussion be possible.Now that Tosa's position is vacillating, he will naturally become the object of contention between the enemy and us. "Anyway," Goto Shojiro put the fan on the table and begged with his head bowed, "Please, Ryoma, come to Beijing with me." He was desperate now.The ever-changing political situation in Kyoto has begun to get out of control. How to sort out this mess, even Goto, who has always called himself a great counselor, does not have this kind of wisdom.

"It's like an unsolvable endgame," Goto said. Goto's words are very ingenious.In this volatile situation, Tosa was also at a loss as to what to do. The two vassals of Sa and Chang are about to break away from the Tokugawa shogunate and become vassal states directly under the emperor.Before long, they would turn on the shogunate and establish a new government.What will happen to the Tosa domain by then? Tosa's old vassal, Koyama Content Hall, was originally a fan of kingship, but because of his friendship, he believed that the Tokugawa family had a great favor for the Yamauchi family, and on the contrary, they supported the shogunate even more than Tokugawa's pro-vassal and Pudai daimyo.To be king in thought, to be a supporter in action, this is Rongtang's standpoint.Rong Tang kept these two diametrically opposite things in his belly, and stood in this chaotic world.The diligent kings and nobles in the world will naturally pin their hopes on him, and in turn, the shogunate will also rely on him as an invincible bodyguard in the world.

"The Tosa clan has been holding on." Ryoma stared straight at Goto Shoujiro, pulled his hand from his arms, and stroked his chin. "Huh?" Goto raised his head. "I'm right, Goto, this method worked well in the early days of the revolution. Mr. Rong Tang, the owner of 240,000 shi, has been flattered by both parties, and he is of course happy." "Ok." "It's like a woman who has two lovers at the same time. At first, the woman just said something pleasing to the two lovers, but the enthusiasm of the two lovers gradually heated up, and finally began to force the woman to marry herself. What should I do when?"

"no way." "I can only hang myself to die." "Don't be rude!" After all, Goto was involved in politics, and he was panicked for a while, his face flushed. "Goto, I'm afraid you have to understand that there is no more difficult problem to deal with than this in life." Ryoma gradually gloated.Presumably, it was because of the incredible double-edged sword of Lord Tosa, including Takeichi Hanpeita, Ryoma did not know how many friends and confidantes lost their lives! "Not yet awakened?" Ryoma wanted to yell at the bureaucrats of the feudal kingdom.Now in front of him, a person as arrogant as Goto is almost like a thug who was caught in the prison and dejected.

Afterwards, Goto conveyed various news from the Kyoto domain.Ryoma nodded while listening, and said: "I understand. But I must give me one night to think about it. If I decide to go, you will see me on the Xiyan at four o'clock tomorrow morning." Xiyan It was the Tosa feudal ship sent by Rong Tang, it was already anchored in Nagasaki Port, and it was waiting for Goto to board the ship. "Ryoma, I want to say one last thing." Goto got up, grabbed the table with both hands, and leaned over to Ryoma, "You are very indifferent to the Tosa clan, I know that. You only have Japan in your heart, not Tosa, and I know that too You are a countryman, and a countryman has the feelings of a countryman. However, even if it is only once in a lifetime, please find a way to save Tosa from danger!"

"If there is a way, of course I will." Ryoma also stood up. Goto wandered in the soil for a while, then walked into the rain. Not long after, Ryoma also left Tosaya.He covered the lantern with his sleeve, and without opening an umbrella, he sprinted on the stone steps, and ran into Mutsu Yonosuke on the way. "Sir, where are you going?" "Ah, you came just in time. I may go to Beijing on the Xiyan ship. At four o'clock in the morning, you and I will meet on the Xiyan ship." "Is it just me?" "Call Nagaoka Kenkichi, and the others will stay in Nagasaki. I would like to explain a few things about the team's business. Tell Kanno Kakuhei and the others that we will gather at Tosaya tomorrow morning at Yinshi. Everyone seems to be having fun in Maruyama tonight." .”

"Has the matter of going to Beijing been confirmed?" "have no idea." "What are you going to do after you go?" "Mutsu, that's the unknown. Stopping the flood, changing its flow, can these things be done by one person? I don't know." Ryoma stepped forward in the wind and rain.As soon as he entered Kosone's mansion, he heard the sound of Yueqin playing from the depths of the house.It should be Aaron. Recently she has become obsessed with Yueqin. Long Ma walked into the house from the kitchen, the sound of the piano stopped soon, and Aaron came out.

"Oh, look at you, you're all drowned!" "Dry the clothes. Is the hot water hot? I want to take a bath." Ryoma kept undressing as he walked, throwing the clothes all over the floor, and then got into the bathtub. "Aaron, come in too." "I want to fold clothes." Aaron said.But Ryoma went against the norm and insisted on letting Aaron take a bath.In desperation, Aaron had no choice but to take off his clothes in front of the bathroom door and go in.However, just hearing a thud, Ryoma jumped out of the bath and walked straight out. What is wrong with this person.Aaron snickered.I thought I wanted to take a bath with him, but that didn't seem to be the meaning. About a quarter of an hour later, Ryoma grabbed the dried fish and drank the wine. Drinking before going to bed has never happened before. "Aaron, you should drink some too." Long Ma handed over the wine. "So many?" Aaron said so, and still took the wine glass obediently.She had learned official dance when she was a child, and her posture was very graceful. After taking the wine glass, she straightened her back and her arms were as majestic as a man's.He held it up in a stern manner, his snow-white throat trembled at night, and slowly drank the wine in the glass. "Ah, it's so spicy!" "Why are you so obedient today?" Long Ma looked at Aaron in surprise.Normally, even if Ryoma asked her to drink, as long as she shook her head and said no, no matter how much Ryoma persuaded her, she would definitely refuse to drink. "Of course, because of fear." "Afraid of me? Am I so scary?" Ryoma rubbed his face vigorously, "Probably because I'm naturally stern." "No, today is especially scary." Aaron didn't even dare to look Ryoma in the eye. It seems that after parting with Goto, Ryoma thought too much, even his expression changed. "Is there anything to worry about?" "Have." "What day is today?" "Ninth day." "The fourteenth is Takasugi's death day. I'm not at home, you go to the temple in Teramachi to worship him." Two months ago, on April 14th, Takasugi Shinsaku's condition worsened and he died. He was only 27 years old when he died, which can be described as an untimely death.Ryoma learned about his dying situation and the death poem he wrote from the Changzhou people who came to Nagasaki. "If God hadn't allowed Takasugi Shinsaku to be born in this world, I'm afraid no one knows what Changzhou would be like now. Half of the current world situation is achieved by Takasugi." Ryoma always thinks of Takasugi repeatedly, and at this moment, he can't help but wonder what countermeasures the elusive and strategic Takasugi Shinsaku would take in the face of the current situation. "Shishi Waka is also like his style." When Takasugi's condition improved slightly, he stroked the head of his youngest son, Dongyi, and said, "You must remember your father's voice and appearance well." After finishing these two sentences, Nomura Wangdongni, who was thinking hard and was taking care of the sick, continued the next sentence: "Ask the king, how can you, the fun comes from your heart." Gao Shan nodded in approval: "It's really interesting." After speaking, he fell asleep quietly and never woke up again... With a dazed expression on his face, Ryoma drank one cup after another. When Takasugi was still alive, there was a time when Ryoma and his comrades from Changshu drank in a tavern in Shimonoseki.Everyone accidentally chatted about how to live after the world is peaceful.At that time, there were Katsura Kogoro, Inoue Wenta and others at the banquet, and in the far distance sat Ito Shunsuke, Yamagata Yutomo and others.These people all became prominent bureaucrats of the reform government in the future, and they were among the ethnic Chinese, so I won't say anything later. "I," Ryoma said immediately, "then I will throw away my swords and escape from Japan neatly, traveling around the world by boat." "Then what do I do?" Takasugi was tilting his head thinking, Ryoma immediately said: "You can make some slang songs to make your day." Afterwards, Ryoma played the shamisen, and Takasugi sang a ditty composed by himself, so happy. At that time, Ryoma admired Takasugi's talent in creating popular ballads very much. Although they were human love songs sung at banquets, each capital had Takasugi's melodious and melodious style, which was wonderful. "It is said that remembering the old people from time to time is a tribute to them, so let's sing Takasugi's ditty tonight." Ryoma said to Aaron, asking her to take out the shamisen. "It's getting late at night, play lightly." Long Ma crossed Aaron's knees, put his head on it, and lay down casually.He wants to sing while thinking about the countermeasures to clean up the situation. "Just sing "Three Thousand Worlds." Long Ma said. Aaron's knees were warm.Ryoma really wanted to go to sleep like this, but he had already accepted Goto's request, not to mention sleeping until dawn, he might have to fly to the Xiyan before dawn and rush to Kyoto. "Who is Gao Shan?" "He was a strange man. He died forty or fifty years before I was born." Ryoma said.Takayama Yankuro was the pioneer of the Qinwang movement, and he was a strange person at that time.He lobbied the feudal lords, lamented the world and sentient beings in Kurume, Kyushu, and then committed seppuku.Longma said that he is a strange person because, like him, he has the blood of a man. "Aaron, do you feel very moved after hearing this sentence?" Long Ma was lying on Aaron's lap and giggling. Ryoma shouted, "Bring the wine!" Aaron picked up the wine glass, took the cold wine in his mouth, and approached Ryoma's lips. "The taste is too bland." Ryoma frowned after drinking. After the ditty was sung, Ryoma quieted down as if he had lost his breath, and remained silent. "What are you thinking?" Aaron finally couldn't help it, and asked. "Thinking of a woman." "Ah! Miss A Yuan?" Aaron's knees stiffened.Yuan, a geisha in the city, has recently become obsessed with Ryoma, and Aaron has heard about it. "Yes or no?" "no." "So you have another woman? Or is it Miss Tianzuru who is thinking about Dazaifu!" "No." Long Ma sat up and stared at Aaron, "Aaron, there is such a woman." "What woman?" "She has two men." "Ah! There are other people besides you?" "It's really nerve-wracking." Longma told Aaron his theory of one woman and two men, and he was talking about Shan Content Hall. "It turned out to be an analogy." "If Aaron was forced to this point, what would you do?" "There is only death." "Sure enough, there is only one dead end." "That's the only way to do it." It seems that Rong Tanggong still has only one death, Long Ma laughed.Although the old vassal is very kind, it is also the retribution he deserves for not conforming to the current situation.The double-edged sword of the old feudal lord has killed many Tuzhou heroes, and it seems that it is his turn to take his life this time.Ryoma rubbed his chin, thinking.To put it bluntly, Rong Tang's performance in this turmoil can be described as two-sided.It's time to settle this account.How could Shintaro Nakaoka, who was active as a military adviser to the samurai in Kyoto, forget this account? Nakaoka is a thorough bloody revolutionist.Recently, he also wrote a paper on this aspect, which was circulated among comrades.The argument of the article is clear, and the writing is easy to understand. It is a rare and good article recently.The revolution requires perseverance and patience, but only these cannot accomplish the great cause of the revolution. The ultimate means is force—should reverse history in the midst of artillery fire.This is Nakaoka's consistent position.Now he has pushed the course of events to what he says is the final stage.It was not so much the shogunate that brought the situation to this stage, but people like Rongtang. Ryoma unknowingly fell asleep on Aaron's lap. Aaron stared at Ryoma, he was sleeping very peacefully, as if he hadn't even had a dream.Aaron gently moved his knees and covered him with a quilt. She didn't know what Ryoma was thinking all day.To her, Ryoma is an inexplicable husband.Usually, he only goes back to Osone Mansion once a few days, and the rest of the time he either lives in Tosaya, or spends all day in the dormitory of the Haiyuan team in Kameyama, and sometimes even stays out at Ayuan in Maruyama. How nice it would be to be an ordinary man, it's the best for a woman, Aaron thought.Although a man like Ryoma is very interesting, once he gets married, he realizes that he is not a man who can satisfy a woman's wishes.A certain corner of Aaron's heart often has such thoughts and sighs. Aaron spread out his quilt, read a funny book for a while by the light of the paper lamp, then covered his face with the book and fell asleep.The seat lamp is still on, and it will go out after a while when the lamp oil is exhausted.Ryoma wouldn't say it was too wasteful.However, he didn't seem to feel good about Aaron's looseness. Sanshirō Sasaki, a Tosa domain inspector who is rare among the sergeants in the feudal clan, once came to Nagasaki. "Is that the famous Aaron?" When he saw Aaron, he whispered to Mutsu Yonosuke, "She is a beauty, but she doesn't seem to be able to tell good from evil." This comment reached Ryoma's ears, and Ryoma smiled and said: "Aaron has advantages that other women don't have. Among all the stupidities of people, the biggest one is to demand perfection from others. Aaron is indeed a strange woman , but only I know her strengths." "You're in love with her." Goto laughed at Ryoma after hearing these rumors. "How can you succeed if you are not obsessed?" Ryoma said.What he means is that if you don't have a character that is obsessed with something, it will be difficult to achieve various careers in the world... In the middle of the night, Ryoma woke up, and the paper lamp was still on.He took out the watch from his pocket, looked at it, and listened to the movement outside the window. The wind and rain seemed to have stopped.According to this situation, the ship should be able to sail.Thinking of this, he suddenly wanted to go to Kyoto.Although he has gone to the capital, he has no chance of cleaning up the situation, but he must do his best to fight hard. Ryoma sat up and wrote a message on the cover of the comic book: I went to Kyoto.If there is an accident there, please go to Sanji Shenzang in the Changfu. Miyoshi Shinzo was in Choshu's Zhifan Changfu Fan.When Ryoma was running for the Saga Alliance, he stayed with Sanyoshi in Teradaya and resisted the attack of the shogunate together.Among Longma's many comrades, the one who is most familiar with Aaron is Sanji Shenzang. Now I felt relieved, Ryoma threw the pen aside, simply packed his luggage, and left the Kosone Mansion.It was still dark outside.Going to Kyoto, Ryoma looked up at the sky, the sea and sky in the west, the stars were shining.If only I could come up with a brilliant idea. Ryoma's high-toothed clogs tapped on the dimly lit stone road as he headed west. Ryoma came up with a plan.The plan came to him suddenly when Goto asked him to do so.But he is not sure whether it will be realized, so he has been deliberating over and over again. This plan is "returning the great government": propose to the general to let him put down the power.If General Qingxi relinquishes the power of the 15th generation and 300 years since Ieyasu, and returns it to the court, the sharp blade held high by the Sachang revolutionaries may lose its use. During this period, a new government centered on the emperor will be established in Kyoto in one fell swoop.The new government should pursue a collegial system of virtuous princes, nobles and ministers. But will Qingxi give up his political power obediently?The moment he let go, the shogunate will die, and the Tokugawa family will also return to the ranks of ordinary daimyo.Will Qingxi choose such a path?It is almost impossible for people to change their own lives.The general wants to depose himself, can he do it?According to human nature, it will definitely not be possible.Even if Qingxi figured it out, the shogunate bureaucrats around him would never agree.But there is only one way to save Japan from the flames of war.Moreover, only by doing so can the Tokugawa family's ancestry passed down from Ieyasu be preserved and passed on to later generations; and only by doing this can the dilemma of Tosa's old feudal clan, Koyama Content Hall, be resolved.This can be said to be an earth-shattering ingenuity, but it is really difficult to realize.However, this method can solve the above three problems at the same time. When Ryoma arrived at Tosaya, he found that Kanye Jubei and others were already there. He stood in the soil and said: "I want to go to Beijing. Although I don't know if I can succeed, but if I leave it alone, Japan will break out of war. Just like the French Revolutionary War and the American Civil War, disasters will hit farmers. merchants, the dead bodies of women and children will fill the streets." Nakajima Sakutaro, the youngest, was taken aback. "Mr. Sakamoto, this is different from what you said before! You clearly said before that no matter what the cost, let the Tokugawa family fall under the gunfire, so many wars are unavoidable." "Now that I think about it, I was young and frivolous." Ryoma touched his chin. "cunning." "Yes, I am cunning." "Also, the world will accuse you of not keeping your promises, reneging on your promises, and calling you a liar!" "It seems that I cannot escape this disaster." Ryoma's expression was very painful, and he had been drinking this pain alone since last night. "Mr. Sakamoto. You said before that once the time came to crusade against the shogunate, the sea aid team would transform into a navy and march towards Edo. Are these all false?!" "It depends on General Qingxi's attitude. If Qingxi does not listen to my suggestion, please fill the ship with shells and set sail from Nagasaki." Everyone is silent. The young Sakutaro still seemed a little annoyed, "If you don't resort to war, it will be difficult to achieve the great cause of heaven. History since ancient times has proved this. Mr. Sakamoto, do you want to betray the comrades who have fought side by side for a long time, as well as Satsuma and Nagao?" State?" This really hit Ryoma's sore spot.The leader of Sa Chang is an outright war faction. They have always planned to shoot the shells of Western-style weapons at the Tokugawa clan and the ruling daimyo, and establish a new regime after eliminating the enemies.However, if Ryoma's ingenious strategy is adopted, Chief Sa will lose the enemy, and the weapons in his hands will have nowhere to put them, and the people with lofty ideals may suddenly become clowns. "At that time, Chief Sa was really pitiful, but I didn't fight all the way so far for Chief Sa." Sakutaro fell into confusion, and he almost shouted: Are you doing this to support the Tokugawa shogunate? "It's for Japan." Ryoma said in a low voice.He always puts the basic point of revolutionary justice here, which is his unique way of thinking.From the time he received the influence of Katsu Kaishu, after these years, this kind of thinking has grown into a big tree in his chest. "Mr. Sakamoto, I'm afraid you will be alone." "I'm mentally prepared." Ryoma got into the boat from behind Tosaya, and six team members were in charge of paddling.At this time Nakajima Sakutaro suddenly ran out and jumped into the boat from the stone steps on the river bank. "Let me row the boat too." As he spoke, he grabbed the oar and started rowing. Ryoma is at the helm at the stern. "Go!" he ordered.The six oars entered the water together, piercing the calm water surface of the Nakajima River. The sun had not yet risen, and only the lights of the estuary sentry floated in the darkness. "Mr. Sakamoto, I'm sorry just now." Nakajima Sakutaro waved the oar. "what?" "I said you'd be a loner. I said too much." "It's not your words." Long Ma said in the night wind, "This is exactly what a man wants." The original wish that Ryoma said was to become a loner who became the trend of the times.Today, the trend of the times is flocking to the side of Sa Chang, and moving with the times, it may be a great joy to achieve a great cause.However, it takes more courage to abandon this trend and sing justice independently of the situation. What a weirdo, thought young Sakutaro. Before that, Ryoma was completely on the side of the chief samurai, not just supporting them!It was Ryoma, who united Satsuma and Changzhou who were incompatible with each other, and personally created a huge power to suppress the curtain. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the leader of the Satsuma Alliance.But now that he has reached the critical stage of getting rid of the curtain, he wants to withdraw and look for other good strategies. "May I ask again?" Sakutaro said, stopping his rowing. "Ok." "Mr. Sakamoto hates bloodshed so much? In the past, you have always said that recovery can only be achieved through force. It is for this reason that you persuaded Sacho Erzhou to purchase a large number of Western-style weapons, and then enriched the sea rescue team. , advocated defeating the shogunate fleet and attacking Edo by sea. You even said that you can consider inciting Catholics as a last resort. Why have you changed these policies now?" "I haven't changed," Ryoma said. "The great cause of returning to heaven will ultimately be achieved by military force, and I have made preparations for this. However, if there is a way to avoid war, it must be tried first." "I don't think General Qingxi will honestly return power." "Qingxi is stupid and stubborn. If he disagrees, I will regard him as an enemy of the court and be the first to stand up to beat the drums and summon the army to attack Qingxi." "That would be a bloody war." "It's only at this point that some sacrifices have to be made." "But..." Nakajima Sakutaro retracted the oars and straightened his body. "But what?" Ryoma looked at Nakajima Sakutaro. "May I ask?" "of course can." "Then I'll say it: Sakamoto-san is the one who abandoned Tosa, this is..." Sakutaro wanted to say that this is the charm of you Ryoma.Sakutaro and other Tosa vassals have always had a strong resentment towards Tosa, so Ryoma, who has always insisted on ignoring Tosa, will have great charm in their eyes, and they will gather around him, regard him as a leader, and go through life and death . "However, the current avoidance strategy seems to be conceived to save Tosa." "From the point of view of the result, it should be like that. If this strategy succeeds and Tosa is saved, it will push out the head of Sa, and rise to the top of Fengyun." "Why are you so enthusiastic about Tosa?" "I'm not enthusiastic," Ryoma said. "I'm not the leader of the Satsuma and Changzhou people, but I'm not Tosa's lackey either. I'm just a Japanese among the sixty or so prefectures. That's my position." "and then?" "You are really stupid." Ryoma reached out and poked Tsukuru Taro's temples, "You also stay in Nagasaki and deal with people from foreign companies every day, so compared with other people, especially Xixiang and Nagao from Satsuma Compared with Guizhou, there should be a different perspective..." Saying that, Ryoma fell silent. The Satsuma people approached the British very early, and the Changzhou people approached the British through Ryoma.Therefore, Sa Chang began to use the influence of Britain. According to Ryoma's usual thinking, he encouraged them to do this, but now they are getting too close.Once civil strife occurs, the British powers are happy.Ryoma is now starting to feel scared.The shogunate joined hands with France and accepted French assistance both militarily and financially.Napoleon III was well-known as a strategist in European political circles. His real intention of aiding the shogunate was to turn Japan into a colony, and Ryoma knew this well.Because of this, he will advocate the overthrow of the shogunate as soon as possible with great fanfare.However, Sa Chang seems to be inseparable from Britain.In the future, once Sa Chang overthrows the shogunate, how will Britain act? "In short, it would be difficult for the British to win the war if Sasha won the war. If the war is not launched, the British and French can only be stunned. The Japanese completed the independent revolution through their own strength. We will let Tokugawa Yoshiki also participate in the revolution and make him a hero of the revolution. In this way, Britain and France can only be dumbfounded, and there is no chance to make a move." The boat rowed out to sea. "Where is Xiyan?" the person at the bow asked.The surrounding area was still pitch black, and there were no shadows of ships moored in the port. "Where is the lighthouse on Yidao?" "It should be there." Sakutaro said with good eyes, pointing his finger. "The Yidao lighthouse is in the north. If you row slowly, you should be able to touch the side of the Xiyan ship." Everyone rowed a boat.Soon, the starboard light of the Tosa feudal ship Yugao loomed in front of my eyes. The Xiyan was a steamship bought by Goto Shoujiro from a local British firm called Jardine Matheson when he went to Shanghai. It was originally called the Shulin. After a while, when the ship arrived, Nakajima Sakutaro raised his head and shouted: "Sakamoto Ryoma is coming!" A cry was heard above, and someone on the deck ran over. "Oh, we've been waiting for you. I'll put the rope ladder and the lamp down." With a sound, the rope ladder dropped down.Ryoma grabbed the ladder and stepped in with his right foot. "Mr. Sakamoto!" Nakajima Sakutaro hugged him. "Sakutaro, let go." "I apologize to you. I said so many unreasonable things just now." The young Sakutaro looked at the back of Ryoma who was about to leave, and thought of him throwing himself into the storm of the capital, suddenly felt an unbelievable touch, and shed tears for a while Come. "Mr. Sakamoto, we will act according to your instructions. As long as you give the order, I will go through fire and water, and I will do whatever I want. After arriving in the capital, please be careful!" "Sakutaro, why is this so?" Ryoma laughed like a hero in a storytelling book. "I'm leaving." He raised his hands above his head, clung to the ladder tightly, and quickly climbed up. At this moment, as if auspicious from heaven, the sun came out.All the people who looked up on the small boat were shocked and speechless.They saw a magnificent scene: the dragon horse climbed up in the sun, and everyone looked up at the picture and lost their voices in awe. Ryoma jumped onto the deck. "Ah, Sakamoto-kun!" Goto ran over, "Thank you so much! I thought you wouldn't come." "It's a little late." Sergeant Tosa and Captain Yuhikaki Saburo also came over and nodded to Ryoma. "I'm going to sleep." Ryoma said hello to Goto, and entered Ryoma's room. "You must listen carefully to what I'm going to say now." Ryoma sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to talk about the outline of the return of the great government in detail. Since they usually communicated a lot with the two, the two quickly understood. "So that's the case. Only this way can save the current chaotic situation." "If it goes well, the great cause of returning to heaven will be a success in one fell swoop." "Okay, okay." Chang Shan nodded and said yes while recording the essentials with a pencil, but can it go smoothly? "Everything is about timing. If this plan was proposed a few months ago, it would only be ridiculed by the world, but if it was proposed a few months later, Kyoto would have already been under fire, and this plan would be an afterthought, useless. Only now can this plan shine." "Exactly. The more ingenious the strategy, the more important the timing. Speaking of which, is this idea original to you, sir?" "No." Ryoma laughed.He heard this plan from two strange people three years ago.Three years ago, General Jia Moshang was still alive, so even Ryoma thought that this plan would be difficult to realize.Let the general voluntarily return the power?This is simply a fool's dream!Finding the right time to implement it depends on the practitioner's intuition. Three years later, Ryoma retrieved what he heard at that time from the memory drawer. "Who came up with it?" "Katsu and Okubo." Ryoma said frankly. Interestingly, both of them are ministers.They have genius-like minds. As early as the Wenjiu period, they had an insight into the fate of the Tokugawa shogunate.The shogunate has been unable to manage the world, and as shogunate ministers, they are more deeply aware of this fact.In the future, the contradictions will expand, and finally the shogunate will collapse and Tokugawa will perish.The Tokugawa family will become the enemy of the court, the general will be killed, and the descendants will be wiped out.After the fall of the shogunate, if you still want to save the life of the general and the lifeblood of the Tokugawa family, there is only one way, and that is to hand over the power in your hands and let the general personally bury the shogunate. Katsu and Okubo had said this to their favorite Ryoma, and Ryoma just took it as a joke at the time.It is this joke that has now been favored by the opportunity and endowed with a strong vitality, which is about to change history. "Go and tell Goto about this plan in detail. I will sleep for a while and wake up at dusk. When I wake up, I will meet Goto." The ship left the port in the morning light. When Ryoma woke up, twilight was already reflected on the porthole. It was Anmandake. From the shape of the mountain reflected in the porthole, Ryoma deduced that the ship was passing the east coast of Hirado Island. There is wind, and it is tailwind. If there is wind, instead of using it, let the engine run at full speed. It can be seen that this trip to Beijing can be described as extremely urgent. There is a bottle of wine next to the pillow, probably because of Goto Shoujiro's painstaking efforts, hoping that Ryoma will feel happy after waking up.What a flattering preferential treatment. It is estimated that the vassal state has never expressed such kindness to a villager.No, it's not so much good intentions as flattery. Ryoma poured red wine into the glass and raised his glass to the air. "Sister!" He toasted to Otome in his distant hometown. "The kid who used to wet the bed has now grown into a man who is deeply expected by everyone. It's all because of your influence." Otome would definitely sneer at Ryoma's overexcited, self-satisfied look.However, as Ryoma's "teacher", how could she be unhappy? After drinking a few glasses of wine, Ryoma got down from the bed and picked up his saber Mutsu Shoyoshi.At this time, someone sent by Goto came in and said, "Since you are awake, please follow me." Ryoma left the room. "Mutsu, Nagaoka, where are you?" He called to the next room.Before the words fell, the two rushed out immediately. "You slept for a long time." Lu Ao said a little unhappy.He was preparing pen and ink next door while waiting for Ryoma to wake up. He said that Goto had been waiting in the captain's cabin. "That's really pitiful." Ryoma turned his neck and made a creaking sound. "Before I was a little bit tired. Once I was tired, my thoughts would be very negative. If I got enough sleep, I would suddenly become very confident. After this sleep, I am now confident and will definitely make this plan work. " "It will definitely succeed." Mutsu Yonosuke said listlessly. Ryoma walked into Goto's room, only here was a new tatami mat.As soon as Goto saw Ryoma, he said, "I've heard that great things in the world have come to an end." He clapped his knees again excitedly, "In this way, the Tosa will be saved, the Tokugawa family will be saved, and the new government will also be able to move forward." And build it up. What a brilliant idea!" "It's too early to be happy." "Yes, everything will have to wait until Kyoto." Goto wanted someone to prepare food and drinks, but Ryoma stopped him, because he still had something on his mind. "The general returned the great government, and the Kyoto court accepted the power. If the matter ends here, it will be useless." Since the Genpei War, the imperial court has never really been in power.During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Emperor Go-Daigo temporarily regained power, but that was only a flash in the pan.Later, Takashi Ashikaga gained power, followed by Oda and Toyotomi, and then entered the Tokugawa era. "The son of heaven should specialize in learning and singing." This is the strictest restriction that Duke Jiakang imposed on the palace.This situation continues to this day.虽然还有二百多名公卿，但是他们并无任何治国经验和能力。朝廷只是专门负责礼仪的机构，并非为政机构。就算告诉他们从明天起政权归还朝廷，朝廷恐怕只会惊慌失措。 “必须想个办法。”龙马说。只把大政奉还这个计策拋出来便不管后续如何，这样做太不周到了。 “你想得真周全啊。”后藤内心十分佩服。龙马平时总给人一种不拘小节之感，这次后藤当然有些意外。 “这是当然啊。”龙马指了指桌上的怀表，“送给人一块手表却不教给他使用方法，岂不是白送了？” "It makes sense." “我有八策。” 长冈谦吉摊开一大张纸，做好了记录的准备。 “且听我说。”龙马向长冈点点头，然后望向窗外。 “第一，将天下政权奉还朝廷，政令皆出于朝廷。”龙马停了一下，复朗声道： “第二，设上下议政局，置议员，使参赞万机，万机宜决于公议。第三，招揽有才之公卿、大名，及天下人才为顾问，赐其官爵，宜除去历来有名无实之官。第四，与外国交际，广釆众议，应新立至妥规约。第五，折衷古来律令，重撰永恒大典。第六，宜扩张海军。第七，设置亲兵，守卫帝都。第八，金银货物宜与外国设立平均法度。” 后藤大惊，自叹弗如。“龙马，你是从何处学来了这些智慧？” “智慧？”龙马苦笑。就算和后藤这样的乡下家老说了，他也理解不了自己这几年来的苦心。“从各种地方。” 也难怪后藤会吃惊，嘉永以来，天下志士可谓多如牛毛。其中大部分人都是信奉神国的攘夷派，一说到西洋，便以夷狄视之。萨摩与英国交战、长州与四国舰队交战之后迅速将军制西化，萨长两藩先于他藩抛弃了纯粹的攘夷思想，变成讨幕势力。虽说成了讨幕派，对于推翻幕府后之后该建立什么样的政体，二藩也并未仔细考虑。 “拥戴京都朝廷。”他们也就有这个打算。 “拥戴朝廷，让毛利做将军。”在某一时期甚至有人曾经这样想过。 事实上，萨摩的西乡隆盛等人观察了文久三年至元治元年长州的动向，断言道：“长州肯定有这个想法。”既然做出如此一番揣度，西乡心中也难保不会想想“岛津将军”。 见证了文久、元治年间长州藩的歇斯底里，西乡写了一封信：“我藩若是继续糊涂度日，必定会败给长州。故而首先要在军事上彻底打垮长州。”他将这封信寄回了藩国。这一时期，他心中一定有过“岛津将军”的幻想。准确一点说，这种想法并不是战国时代才有的野心，而是天下国家的正义立场。如今德川将军已经遭到了外国的蔑视，如果能够取而代之，拥护朝廷设立新将军，将会建立起一个强有力的政府。萨摩正是有了这样的自信，才会有这种幻想。但是从结果来看，这和夺取政权没什么两样。 连西乡尚且如此，其他为讨幕而奔走的志士们脑中更不可能勾勒出革命后的新日本框架了。天下之广，唯坂本龙马想到了这些。 龙马起初是攘夷论者，被胜海舟影响后，变得开化。但是，勤王的许多同志都是信奉神国思想的，龙马便声称：“我不会对着那些不明事理的人浪费唇舌。”所以，即使是对于其他藩国的同志，他也不怎么谈论自己在这方面的真实想法。就算是同他们开诚布公地谈开了，他也多会被当做崇洋媚外之徒。虽说都是勤王倒幕运动的同志，信仰却是五花八门。 总之，龙马结识了胜以后，对洋人的政治产生了极大的兴趣。龙马对各国的宪法着迷到如此程度。面对胜的友人、幕臣大久保一翁和肥后人横井小楠，他更是打破沙锅问到底，甚至到了纠缠不休的地步。尤其是他常住长崎以后，每逢见到各国的领事和商人，就会仔细询问：“贵国釆用的是何种政体？” 在种种制度之中，最让龙马着迷的便是上院下院议会制度。“就是它了。”龙马很早就这样想过。在“八策”中，他便提出了这种制度，理由便是：“只要提出这种议会制度，就可以避免萨长夺权的危险。” 龙马担心萨摩人和长州人组成萨长联合政府。如果让他们得逞，这么多年来各藩志士的鲜血岂不白流了？ 六月初十，船通过了马关海峡。 十一那日黎明前，在通过岩见岛时，左般遭到了撞击。 龙马猛地从床上跳起来，摸黑走到甲板上。 船仍旧航行着，船长由比畦三郎赶到了甲板上，命人检查船的受损情况，不过似乎没有漏水。 “是不是撞到鲸鱼了？”有人猜测道。 天亮以后，暂停发动机，对船进行了检修，结果发现左舷船腹有一处严重破损。 “触到暗礁了。”龙马对船长由比说。 "yes." “轮船航行时太靠近岛屿了。” 土佐的航海技术还停留在初级阶段，用的还是原始的沿岸航海法，因此到了夜里，看不见陆地，航行起来自然十分吃力。 “若是正面相撞，船怕早就沉了。” “我可不想再沉船了。”龙马说。海援队已经沉了两艘船，也因此失去了池内藏太这样优秀的同志。 “用仪表来开船不就行了？” “可是……”船长拿出了海图。 龙马被这简陋的海图逗笑了。“若是只有这种海图，再多的仪表也无济于事啊。” 船长也只能苦笑。 “我把海援队的海图给你。那是英国测量船制作的，还算精密。” 夕颜号继续向东航行，次日顺利到达兵库港。龙马在此登陆，从陆路前往大坂。 龙马一行抵达大坂以后，便住进西长堀的土佐藩府。 “来了一位稀客。”藩府上上下下，甚至是仆役都对龙马的到来诧异不已。其实，这也确实是件稀罕事。先前龙马在大坂停留时，要么住在萨摩藩府，要么住在客栈，总是会避开土佐藩府。 “龙马啊，藩府的人议论纷纷，就好像看见了稀奇的动物。”后藤嘲笑道，“为何此前不来藩府投宿？” “我多少也有些自尊。” 土佐过去从不曾珍惜过龙马，不仅如此，还曾经把他当做暗杀吉田东洋的凶手，还放出小吏跟踪他，要治他的脱藩之罪。现在形势变了，土佐家老后藤象二郎给龙马不一般的优待，藩府的人自然也对龙马毕恭毕敬。 且不管这些。后藤和龙马一行胸中揣着天下大计，正欲火速赶往京都的容堂处。 “不过，老藩公他……”藩府的官员说了一件令人意外的事，“已经回藩了。” “什么？”后藤顿时像霜打的茄子一般。正是因为容堂的紧急命令，他们才夜以继日赴京的。 “四贤侯会议怎么样了？老藩公不是说过，这次定要化作东山一杯土吗？不是下定了这番决心之后才进京的吗？” “正是。”大坂留守居役点点头，“大人确实是抱着这番决心上京的。可是在京都逗留期间，牙痛的老毛病又犯了。” “又动怒了？” 后藤就差没说，是否任性的毛病又犯了。 “不，是牙痛。” 生病是真，不过最主要的原因，还是他发觉如果继续留在京都，就会被迫卷入萨摩藩的倒幕战争中去，于是转身逃回去了。 龙马已经猜出了容堂逃跑的原因。 当天晚上，二人一室商议。 “后藤君，你立刻返回土佐，回去劝说容堂公。我就此进京，劝说萨摩人，为让他们赞成大政奉还做好铺垫。” “你的意思是分头行动？” “说服了容堂公，统一藩论以后，土佐藩就会像一团烈焰飞入这风石之中，到那时，即便是萨摩、长州，也绝不敢小觑土佐。” 后藤象二郎登上停泊在大坂天保山湾里的藩船空蝉号。他立刻拔锚起航，在海上漂泊了一日一夜，抵达高知的浦户港。他再从浦户策马疾驰。 “各位，加快速度！”后藤催促随行的藩士们快马加鞭，待到差不多可以看见高知城的天守阁了，还大喊：“快！”喊罢扬鞭策马，飞驰而去。必须尽早将大政奉还策略禀告容堂，唯有现在才是绝好的时机，如果晚了一天，说不定土佐就和时势擦肩而过了。 后藤进了城。太阳已经落山，万家灯火。 这一天，容堂在散田府。这是容堂的隐居之所，建在潮江川边，和笔山隔水相望，是城里风景最秀丽的地方。 是日天气闷热潮湿，容堂在天黑前便来到了庭院里，在青苔之上铺上毛毡，一边纳凉一边享用晚餐。照例是用大杯盛酒，太阳下山以后仍然酒不离手。 两名侍婢站在容堂身后摇着团扇，为他驱赶蚊虫。 退助这小子，似乎有所行动啊，容堂开始频繁地考虑这个问题。乾退助归藩后，变得跟此前的武市半平太一样，开始私下同下级藩士联系，这事已经传进容堂的耳朵里。 退助估计是和萨摩串通一气了。容堂虽然觉得伤脑筋，可是他却没有打算像对半平太那样加以镇压。形势变了，而且最重要的是，退助是他最为信任的人。 这时，墙外传来了马蹄声，不久近侍跑来通报道：“后藤大人刚刚回藩，请求立刻拜见大人。” 容堂放下了酒杯。“带他进来。”他立刻命人将四周的石灯笼点上，等候自己最信任的家老。不一会儿，后藤身穿无袖礼服出现，在碎石上跪拜。 “到毛毡上来。”容堂说。 后藤凑上前来，然后将大政奉还一一禀明。容堂挑起双眉，拍膝，大叫道：“象二郎，你竟然想得出如此妙策！真乃奇策！如今拯救天下之策非此莫属，我要将此作为我土佐藩论！” 后藤大为得意。最终，他也没有向容堂禀明这个妙策是何人想出。 容堂陷入狂喜，这位通古博今的才子，甚至知晓西洋传说中的“斯芬克斯之谜”。 “象二郎解开了斯芬克斯之谜。”他对近侍说，“说出来才知道是极其简单的事，可是，常人却总也想不明白，只有像后藤这样的人才能找到答案。后藤已经超过了希腊英雄俄狄浦斯。” 容堂对自己提拔的这位年轻人表现出来的意外才能满意至极。“这是只有象二郎才能做到的事。我起用象二郎时，藩内众门阀老人是怎么说的？他们不是说，象二郎只不过是带屋町的淘气小子吗？” 其实，容堂看中并提拔的后藤象二郎和乾退助，年少时都曾是城里武家府第大街上出了名的淘气包，让邻居们伤透了脑筋。被勤王派乡士暗杀的参政吉田东洋最先认为这二人“有异才”，起用了他们。容堂紧接其后才力排众议，对他们委以重任。在这一点上，容堂可以说是知人善任的。他本人对此甚是得意，平素就说：“我和织田信长公一样。” 信长拔擢人才之力，史上少有，比如丰臣秀吉。容堂便以“当世信长”自居。但是，他有一处不及信长：信长不介意出身，即便是给武士拿鞋的秀吉，也照样被提拔成大将，而容堂却完全无视龙马。 如果后藤向他坦言：“这是乡士坂本权平之弟龙马想出来的。”不知容堂又将作何反应？ 以容堂对礼序的理解，他最不愿意见到的，就是乡士议政。