C650 Japan-French Alliance

The secret plan of cooperation between Tokugawa Yoshinobu and Minister of France was not false. In the real history, Luo Shen had once tried to change the Mu Clan in a western-style way, and provided $9 million in loans and a large amount of arms support. Furthermore, the French officers had also helped the Mu Clan to train new recruits.

Arms and ammunition, a new type of warship, and a Japanese law joint venture to develop their business. The real Tokugawa Yoshinobu had even proposed the tempting concept of a military fusion.

The combination of the martial arts and the martial arts was a kind of political theory in the late period of the Edo period in Japan. The main theme was to combine the imperial court (the Gong family) and the Mu Mansion (the martial arts family) to reform the power of the court.

The main purpose of this political theory was to combine the imperial authority with that of the imperial government and to suppress the imperial movement, so as to avoid the fall of the emperor and to further strengthen the position of the emperor.

In Japan in 1867, change was already a common pursuit in the hearts of all people, unlike Qing Dynasty, which was still firmly ruled by Confucianism.

Everyone agreed that Japan needed to reform, but how it should be reformed and how power should be distributed was the trigger for all sides to fight over it.

The core of the idea was to let the Sky Emperor regain the power that he had lost for a thousand years, let the Sky Emperor return to the political stage, and lead Japan to reform and reform. As for the Mu Clan, you'd better get the hell out of here.

After all, the Mu Clan had ruled over Japan for almost seven hundred years, from the first Sakura Temple, which was also known as the Chunxi City, to the south of China, where it had evolved all the way to the Machi City. In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, it had then gone through the war between the states of war and the middle Ming Dynasty to develop into the Tsurukawa's Palace. It had been nearly seven hundred years since the rule of the generals.

Such a long history of domination had already given rise to a kind of inertia in Japanese society towards the rule of the generals. The Tokugawa had not lost all of their hearts, there were plenty of people who supported the generals in the various vassals and commoners of Japan.

Especially in the northern part of Japan, which was where the Mu Clan resided, there was no need to doubt the loyalty of the famous people towards the Tokugawa, in their eyes, the Sky Emperor was secondary.

Under such a situation, how could the Tokugawa give up on him so easily? Although the Mu Clan had suffered a crushing defeat in the second Changzhou War and even lost to fourteen generations of generals, Tokugawa Mao, the Mu Clan's prestige was still very high.

In order to cooperate with the French, to put out the bait of a military alliance, and then to accept the reform proposed by the West, the Tokugawa had played a very smart role.

However, no one knew that, in this successful alliance between the Tokugawa and the French, the person who should return the credit was actually their enemy, Xiao Letian.

In the real history, although Luo Shen and Tokugawa Yoshinobu had reached a secret cooperation plan, in July 1866, the new French external phase, Mostey, took over the government. He no longer supported the diplomatic route of the Minister of France, and instead took the same line with the British, preferring to form a public system that would remove the Mu Clan.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight the Wuten War while being attacked from both inside and outside. Even if he failed, he had no choice but to comply with the suggestion made by Dugu Ji and in the end, opened the door of the River City to surrender.

Xiao Letian's appearance had changed the course of history. Because with the same enemy, not only did the Government of France, who was filled with hatred, not oppose Luo Shen, but he had even increased his support for him.

interest-free loans, latest weapons and equipment, the best military instructors... France was even planning to sell a few new warships to the Tsurukawa's Palace.

The enemy of the enemy was his friend. Since Xiao Letian had already secretly helped the Four Soldiers, then France could help the Tsurukawa's Palace.

At this moment, the weak Japan could only stand between the two great powers, becoming a tool for the struggle between the great powers. The fresh blood of warriors could only become the sacrifice of new weapons, and the island country's land could only become the testing ground for new weapons.

"Your Excellency, I have already explained the pros and cons of this transformation many times. I believe that you will not hesitate to tell me about it. Let us now talk about the reality …"

"This time, I brought a new weapon that is sufficient enough for three thousand soldiers. May I ask where you, Sir General, would like to train this army?" "Where can I keep this secret?"

"Forgive me for my bluntness, but this army needs to be strictly confidential. Only if the enemy is completely unaware will we be able to catch them off guard and finish them off on the battlefield!"

"Where is Japan now?"

Tokugawa Yoshinobu nodded towards Hidden Fog Kid, the biggest informant in the Tokugawa said to Minister Luo Shen with a smile, "There are two treasured lands that can be used for military training in secret. One is the Huizinfan, and the other is the Hokkaido Correspondence Hall …"

"The location of the Huizinfan is extremely important, guarding all the important transportation routes in the central plain and the northeast region. If you want to head south, you must pass through the Huizinfan. This is the northern barrier of the RiverClan …"

"Not only that, Huizinfan Lord Matsudaira Katamori's loyalty to the Mu Clan is also trustworthy. I think nothing will happen if he secretly trains a portion of the new army!"

"As for the Hokkaido, from ancient times onwards, it has been a bitter and cold place. Very few people in the great name of the Japan have set their eyes on it, so it's easy for the vast Hokkaido to hide a few thousand soldiers. As long as we're careful, these two secret strongholds are enough for us to train a new army of ten thousand …"

Minister of France Luo Shen sneered and said, "Ten thousand? I'm afraid that the money we provide for military assistance... It's not really enough, how much money can your Tsurukawa's Palace raise? "

Europeans have never disgraced themselves by saying that it is only natural for envoys to ask for money, and that $9 million in low-interest military aid may seem like a lot, but it is hard to support such a big military plan.

The new army could not just rely on rifles to maintain their combat strength, they also needed a few of the latest type of field gun, so there should at least be a few of the cannons that would attack the city, right?

There was also the navy. Even if the Japanese could not equip their latest battleships, they would still need to add a few new cannons to their old battleships. Otherwise, they would be beaten when facing the threat of the southern seas.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu clenched his teeth and clapped his hands, the sliding doors behind him opened, Xiao Xing was already prepared, a heavy lacquer plate was placed on him and large chunks of gold was placed on it.

This was the 200 year old treasury of the Tokugawa, many of the gold ingots were even marked with astronomical, elemental and historical imprints, it was the Japanese year when the Tokugawa was young, it could be seen just how old this wealth was.

Xiao Xing shuttled back and forth without stopping, the number of gold ingots in the Heaven's Tower continued to increase, until finally, bags of gold were brought out. Although Luo Shen had seen many things, under the shine of the golden light, he was still dazzled.

The drunk minister could no longer calculate the value of the gold, but he was well aware that, together with the $9 million in low-interest loans provided by France, the House of Commons could easily train an army of 10,000 men and equip them with a large amount of advanced artillery.

As for the navy's ability to purchase the most advanced battleships, it would be sufficient for them to modify the old battleships with cannons. After that, they would be able to build a batch of cannons.

"Minister, as long as France can bring victory to us, why would we, the Tokugawa, care about the treasures that have been kept for more than two hundred years? However … "This money is not easy to come by. We have to see the results with our own eyes before we can pay!"

Tokugawa Yoshinobu bowed his head and said, "Please forgive me for my rudeness. Japan is simply too barren, and it is not easy to get every bit of wealth … Minister, please forgive us, if we do not have the military power and instructors in place, it would be difficult for us to pay.

"Hahaha …" Where did the general get his words from? " Luo Shen's face reddened. He had thought of taking away this wealth, but he did not expect the Japanese to be so pragmatic as well.

"France is sincere in its support of the House of Representatives, otherwise we would not have offered a low-interest loan of 9 million dollars. Your Excellency, you are thinking too much … "You can rest assured, with these reserves, I can get our merchants to prepare a few more batches of arms, and our chances of victory will be even greater!"

The atmosphere in the Heaven's Tower immediately became harmonious. Under the shine of the gold, the wine that was being drank at the back was extremely easy to drink, and the Minister even accepted the two maids that the General bestowed upon him.

Only the Hidden Fog Kid was a little disappointed, "We are indeed well-prepared, but the biggest change is not on our island, but in the Ryukyu! Would Xiao Letian intervene? "

Xiao Letian's name was the reason for the depressing atmosphere of the banquet. The general and envoys put down their wine and became serious.

Minister Luo Shen said in a low voice, "I admit that Xiao Letian is very powerful. His new army is not something you can handle, but the situation in Europa is very delicate.

"So, we must keep our actions a secret. This new army must be used as a trump card. We must not reveal it, and other than the Elite Armament's victory, we have no other choice …"

Speaking till here, Minister Luo Shen suddenly laughed, "I think we also forgot a very important factor, and that is the formation of the enemy and his allies. "Since ancient times, the Mu Clan has always been a steel board. Our advantage is that we have to use a technique. There will be no internal constraints …"

"But what about the Inverted Pie s? The four marquis of the southwest had their own thoughts, and now with the addition of the Sky Emperor and Xiao Letian of the Ryukyu, the benefits are different.

"Hahaha …" If I guessed correctly, the Southwest Four Soldiers would definitely not let the New Army directly intervene, the Chinese common saying is that it would be easy to send a god to hell, once Xiao Letian's regular army ascends to the Japanese Islands, it will not be easy to escape! "

Luo Shen was really a Japanese, Chinese, he understood the thinking of the Asian very clearly, his words struck the nail on the head.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu and Hidden Fog Kid looked at each other, their eyes filled with admiration and shock!

"The wisdom of the Minister is worthy of respect. From today onwards, Tokugawa will show weakness again. He will let the enemy's heart relax completely … "

On the River Family's Heaven's Tower, the Japanese and French Alliance was officially established.