I

In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China, there were two battles to be fought.

One is to send troops to regain the Western Regions, and the other is to force Japan to found a country.

More than 20 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Datong China had enough money and food to fight two wars at the same time, with almost no impact on the economy and people's livelihood.

The eastern plains of Taiwan, the coastal areas of Luzon, and the coastal plains of Java Island are highly developed. Coupled with the rice in Guangnan Province, it can continuously provide China with food.

In the winter of that year, the Chinese envoys went to Edo and ordered the shogunate to establish the country immediately and return the confiscated property of Chinese merchants.

"China will not go to war over businessmen."

This is the consensus of the Japanese government and the public. They believe that they know China very well, and all the famous people have studied Confucian culture.

The spring breeze blows and the ice and snow melt.

A division stationed in Shenyang came to the seaside along the Hun River in advance, and then took a sea ship to station in Lushun Port. In the middle of the third lunar month, six warships, twenty troop transport ships, and more than twenty grain transport ships headed towards Osaka.

A division stationed in Nanjing came to Shanghai along the Yangtze River to station in advance. It was also the middle of the third lunar month, and eight warships, twenty troop transport ships, and more than twenty grain transport ships were heading towards Edo in a mighty manner.

These two divisions have not fought for ten years.

Especially the Nanjing troops, which had not seen blood for almost twenty years, took advantage of the opportunity to train in Japan.

Those grain transport ships are all private merchant ships.

When the imperial court was recruiting grain transport ships, Chinese maritime merchants who had been expelled by Japan enthusiastically signed up to donate their own ships. They even proposed that they would not need to pay shipping costs, and that Japan must be beaten so that they could resume trade and get their business names back in Japan.

The Shenyang troops set out from Lushun and did not go directly to Osaka. Instead, they stopped halfway to bombard Xiaguan.

Shimonoseki, Japan, is the only way to enter the Seto Inland Sea from the northwest. The fort here has long been in disrepair, and there are only a few dozen soldiers stationed there. They were successfully captured in less than ten minutes.

Two warships and ten grain transport ships were left behind, and Xiaguan was used as a transit base for the Northern Route Army, and 1,000 Datong troops were stationed here.

Tsunahiro Mori, the lord of the Choshu Domain, was living in Edo at this time. His son Moriyoshi was in the domain. When he learned that his port had been occupied, Moriyoshi yelled angrily: "Recruit all the troops and we must take back Shimonoseki! Also, send someone to Edo quickly to inform his father. And the shogunate!”

Take it back, the Choshu Domain at this time was not the vanguard of the Tokugawa Lord to fight against the barbarians.

Terumoto Mori was originally the general of the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. After the defeat, his title was reduced by the Tokugawa clan. Due to the reduction of the fiefdom, the Choshu clan could only re-measure the land and count miscellaneous taxes, wood and salt fields into the village height, in order to increase the height of its own stone. They also specialized in selling goods within the fiefdom to supplement the financial shortfall.

According to the original history, in more than ten years, the Maori family will issue a "Frugality Order" to reduce the salaries of retainers and samurai, and will eventually be so poor that they will be forced to implement reforms.

The Mori family had deep old grievances with the Tokugawa shogunate, and the Tokugawa clan was in financial distress. After finally making some money through smuggling, the shogunate wanted to close the country. What did the Maori family think?

The entire Choshu Domain, from the feudal lord to the samurai, all have their hearts set on China and wish the Datong Army could defeat Edo as soon as possible!

After trade was restored, the feudal lord could spend his money and the samurai would not be owed their salary.

Mao Liji clamored to recapture Xiaguan, but secretly sent his trusted retainers to quietly go to Xiaguan to contact the Datong army.

"Maori Family Genealogy Representative Fukuhara Hiroshi, pays homage to the Celestial General!" This retainer must have been in contact with Chinese businessmen for a long time, and he speaks Chinese very fluently, but his accent sounds uncomfortable.

The commander of the Datong Army stationed in Xiaguan was named Qian Hui. He smiled and asked: "What does your master want to say?"

Fukuhara Hiroshi said: "The Governor should live in Edo this year, but he was in the country (territory) last year. The Governor has instructions that if the Celestial Empire sends troops because the shogunate locks down the country, the Choshu Domain must not do anything to stop it. Before this time, I came here just to contact the Celestial Empire and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."

"Just tell me if you have anything to say." Qian Hui said.

Fukuhara Hiroshi said: "First, the heavenly soldiers have occupied Shimonoseki. Whether it is to explain to the shogunate or in the dignity of the Choshu clan, we will send troops to recapture it. But the speed of sending troops will be very slow. Even if the army reaches Shimonoseki , and please general not to use force, we are just showing off. Secondly, if the Heavenly Soldiers need any supplies, they can buy them from the Changshu Domain. The merchants of the Heavenly Dynasty can also trade in Xiaguan, and we will ask the merchants to come and eat them."

Good guy, the Choshu clan was just acting when they sent troops, and they didn't forget to continue doing business.

The Choshu clan was so cooperative, but Osaka was just the opposite.

Osaka merchants and craftsmen are extremely hostile to Chinese maritime merchants, and they can share the same hatred when facing the Datong Army.

First of all, Osaka merchants belong to one of the maritime trade monopoly groups, and smuggling by Chinese merchants broke this monopoly.

Secondly, Osaka is one of the centers of Japanese handicraft industry, with three to four hundred thousand handicrafts workers. The large amount of cheap imports of Chinese goods has wiped out Osaka's handicraft industry, and there are new unemployed people in the handicraft industry every year.

People in Osaka hate China, and China will attack Osaka.

Because Osaka is Japan's grain transshipment center, the annual tribute grains from each domain are transported to Osaka by sea, and then transported from Osaka to various places. Two million koku of grains are transshipped through Osaka every year.

Therefore, the Japanese call Osaka “the kitchen of the world”.

As long as Osaka is captured, Japan's grain can be controlled. Even if the shogunate organizes a large army, grain transportation will be a big problem.

The Osaka Castle built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi was destroyed in the Battle of Osaka.

Today, this castle was rebuilt by the Tokugawa shogunate, and the garrison is only over a thousand people.

When the Tatung Army landed at the port, the Japanese defenders began to respond. Their troops are weak, but they dare not recruit ronin temporarily. Following the lessons learned from Tsurumaru Castle last year, Japanese nobles now have great distrust of ronin.

It is normal not to trust ronin. There are one hundred thousand ronin living in Osaka, many of whom make a living by doing odd jobs. They have long been resentful of the shogunate.

Seeing that the Datong Army was coming to kill them, hundreds of rogues came to surrender that day, just hoping to make a living with the Datong Army.

"Don't rush to attack the city first, control the industrial and commercial streets of the castle town." said the division commander Han Shouxin. He had a scar on his neck, which was left when he attacked the Tatar city. At that time, he had more than ten wounds all over his body, he fainted due to excessive blood loss, and his tibia was broken by the Tatars.

Thousands of Datong troops dispersed, in teams of 150 people, to blockade various street corners in the industrial and commercial district.

The industrial and commercial people in Osaka were first afraid of the Datong army burning, killing and looting. Then I was confused because the Datong Army only blocked the passage and did not rush into workshops and shops to rob.

The next step was to post a notice, the content was simple: During the war, no commercial activities are allowed.

"Teacher, there is a Japanese businessman asking to see you!"

"Bring him here."

A Japanese young man in his thirties bowed his hands and said, "Sumitomo Tomonobu, pay your respects to the General."

Han Shouxin asked, "What's the matter with you?"

Sumitomo Tonobu said: "Please general, please don't attack the city for now. I would like to go to Edo and ask the shogunate to open the sea."

Han Shouxin smiled and said: "You don't have to go, there are heavenly soldiers over there in Edo."

Sumitomo Tonobu was speechless for a moment, and then sighed: "At this time, war can be turned into friendship. There is really no need to fight each other."

"What kind of business do you do?" Han Shouxin asked.

Sumitomo Tonobu replied: "We do all kinds of business including copper, silver, cloth, silk, sugar, and Chinese medicine. One-third of the copper ingots sold by Japan to China come from my Sumitomo family. Seventy-one percent of the silver shipped by Japan to China One was from my Sumitomo’s house.”

This Sumitomo family was the predecessor of the Sumitomo Foundation and the main steel supplier to the Japanese invaders.

The prosperity of the Sumitomo family stems from Mr. Shiraizu's teaching of silver extraction, which is the technology of refining silver from copper-silver mines (previously, the Japanese only knew how to refine copper). This is Ming Dynasty's mature technology, and Mr. Baishui is Chinese.

The Sumitomo family moved to Osaka. In order to gain a foothold, they directly disclosed the silver-drawing technique and gained acceptance from Osaka businessmen.

Today, the Sumitomo family is also supported by the shogunate and provides silver, copper and other raw materials for the shogunate's coinage.

Han Shouxin said: "You are a businessman, don't interfere. After Japan opens the sea, you businessmen will also be able to make more."

"That's the case." Sumitomo Yunobu immediately apologized, but in fact he was complaining in his heart.

He has a good relationship with the shogunate, and the Sumitomo family is a monopoly. For them, opening the sea had only disadvantages and no benefits at all. They encouraged the shogunate to strictly investigate smuggling, and the Sumitomo family also made great efforts behind the scenes.

But I never thought that the shogunate locked down the country last year, and the heavenly soldiers would arrive this year.

To be honest, Sumitomo Tonobu has already regretted it. Monopolies hate invading wars unless they are attacking other countries.

"You just stay in the army and watch the battle." Han Shouxin refused to let this man go because he was a big copper and silver merchant.

Sumitomo Tomonobu slept one night in the military camp, and followed Han Shouxin towards Osaka Castle the next day.

With his face full of doubts, he saw the Datong Army measuring the wind direction and speed.

While the artillery positions were being deployed, twelve hot air balloons were launched into the air.

The hot air balloon dragged a long rope, slowly floated across the moat, and reached the sky above Osaka Castle to adjust its position.

"Boom boom boom!"

Sumitomo Tonobu was stunned by the explosion. Those hot air balloons actually dropped explosive bombs into the city.

Immediately afterwards, three artillery positions opened fire on Osaka Castle at the same time.

For the Datong Army, Osaka Castle is easier to fight than Tsurumaru Castle in Kagoshima. The terrain here is relatively flat, and artillery and hot air balloons are very easy to deploy.

A thousand Osaka defenders faced hot-air balloon bombings and parallel artillery fire. Soon no one dared to stand on the outer city walls on the southeast sides.

The observation balloon sounded a semaphore, and Han Shouxin immediately ordered the infantry to attack the city.

Effortlessly, the Datong Army occupied the outer city.

The next step is the same routine, let the hot air balloon bomb first.

The garrison was originally small and had not fought for decades, so its morale had collapsed.

Sumitomo Tonobu thought that the sturdy Osaka Castle could last at least two or three months. But when they encountered the Datong Army, they could only hold out for less than a day.

"The Tang people are indeed invincible!"

Sumitomo Tomonobu was frightened. He originally wanted to support the shogunate, but now he planned to cooperate with the Chinese army.

We dare not cooperate openly, but it is still possible to provide support privately. We must have a good relationship with the Chinese military. As for the opening of the sea, although it is not good for the Sumitomo family, it is obviously irreversible.