The fleet was annihilated, and the Meiji government forces did not have the strength to launch a sea-crossing operation for the next year. In the face of this great victory, the representatives of the Ezo Republic celebrated with a grand banquet. Hakodate is an international port and an important waterway where ships from all over the world dock. After the battle in the Tsugaru Strait, the Qingdao did not return to port at all, and it went directly south with the transport ship to return to China. Even when it arrived in the Tsugaru Strait, the Aoshima did its best not to be seen by observers from other countries. It's easy to give other countries a whole new idea, and even if it's unavoidable, it's a process that can be a day late.

After the reception for the European and American consuls, the leaders and representatives of the Ezo Republic had a reception with the Chinese troops. Takehiro Enomoto, the Grand Commander of the Ezo Republic, frankly told the representative of the Chinese Army, "We hope to be able to counterattack Honshu one day." I also hope to get China's support. ”

"It's impossible for us to attack the Fallen Shogun Army with you, that kind of war is too big for us to bear." Zhou Xinhua, the political commissar of the dispatched army, said calmly.

To the ears of Takehiro Enomoto and the heads of the Ezo Republic, there was nothing insulting about it. Japan is also a very self-respecting people, and if China arrogantly says that it can easily conquer Japan, it will make the heads of the Ezo Republic feel insulted.

Zhou Xinhua didn't want to say this, he continued: "Since the Ezo Republic is playing the banner of the republic, we might as well really implement the republic's system. ”

"What do you mean?" Takehiro Enomoto was surprised by this.

"Let's start with a distant question. Mr. Saitoichi, who withdrew from the Aizu Domain, said that the shogunate suppressed the Akaho Clan, and when the Aizu Domain broke out, it was the sympathizers of the Akaho Clan who let go of a way and let everyone break out. Zhou Xinhua recounted what happened not long ago.

Hearing the name of the Red Newspaper Team, the faces of several leaders and leaders of the Ezo Republic turned a little ugly. The Red Newspaper Brigade, an organization active in the Dongshan area, spread propaganda in various places that the new government had promised to reduce the annual tribute by half, and it was this propaganda that made the peasants support the new government one after another. Although the peasants did not go into battle, in order to reduce the annual tribute by half, they delivered news to the Meiji government army and led the way for the Mingzhi government army. The role played is even much stronger than that of the local officers and soldiers.

Zhou Xinhua is a Chinese soldier in the new era, and as a member of the Chinese vanguard, the education carried out in the military's political work and the current situation in Japan are completely different.

"The problem with the Republic of Ezo right now is that the population is too small. There is no massive agriculture, there are no ironworks, there are no shipyards. In such an environment, if the monarchs still insist on the previous system, a large number of privileged classes are entrenched in the upper echelons, and those who do not work hard will receive huge profits. How long do you think you'll be able to hold out? Speaking of China's truth, Zhou Xinhua is confident. The remnants of the old shogunate were dumbfounded, and some even showed expressions of hatred.

It is not uncommon for Japan to say this, and the Meiji government even put forward the idea that "the four people are equal". But the Meiji Restoration was completely corrupt by the shogunate, and the Japanese elite felt that they could replace it. Essentially, it is a process in which the new privileged class replaces the old privileged class. It is indeed very difficult to get the remnants of the old privileged strata to jump directly into the revolution.

"Why was the Red Newspaper Team able to set off such a storm in Japan, and why was the Red Newspaper Team killed by the Fallen Shogun. Why is it that after the Akashi team was killed by the Shogunate Army, there were still troops in the Shogunate Army who helped the Aizu Domain because they supported the Akasho Army. Ladies and gentlemen, many of you are shogunates, that is, all of you who have received this place are scholars. I have some clear reasons for keeping you going until now, because you have benefited greatly from this old system. However, I must explain that the shogunate has really collapsed, and it is no longer possible for the shogunate to be restored. Just as the sun goes down into the night, and the next day it rises with a new sun. If you don't let go of the sunset, it's impossible to see tomorrow! Zhou Xinhua said sonorously and forcefully, even if the leaders and leaders of the Ezo Republic on the opposite side obviously did not accept this statement, Zhou Xinhua also said his words calmly.

Wei Ze is always the one who walks in the front, and when he was in China, Zhou Xinhua was just a follower. Having personally participated in the battle to annihilate the small Manchu court and witnessed the fall of China's former rulers, Zhou Xinhua faced the remnants of the Japanese shogunate's losers, and the political education he had received suddenly became fully integrated. The times will definitely move forward, and China has crossed the old era and entered the new era because Wei Ze led the Guangfu Army to destroy the old era. Now these guys from the Ezo Republic have actually experienced ruin and have to embark on the road of the new era, if they still can't move forward at this time, it will be a pity in Zhou Xinhua's opinion.

In the next few days, among the leaders and leaders of the Ezo Republic, many people refused to see Zhou Xinhua again. Others asked Zhou Xinhua for advice on how China had succeeded in the revolution. After the success of the revolution, how did New China form its own government?

Zhou Xinhua's construction is very simple, "land is state-owned", "the people are equal", "the state manages all taxes", "the state invests in industry", and "compulsory military service". These are all policies that China has implemented and have worked well so far. After the elimination of feudal forces, the productive forces were liberated and the vitality of society was greatly increased.

The elected general of the Ezo Republic, Enomoto Takeyang, "distributed dresses" and wrote the "Outline for the Founding of the Ezo Republic" together with Zhou Xinhua. In this outline, it was established that the four people were equal, the land was owned by the state, and everyone had the obligation to serve in the military. After retirement, both men and women must obey the government's arrangement, which allocates land and arranges jobs. To put it bluntly, it is the word that all the people are soldiers.

Zhou Xinguo originally knew that the shogunate actually planned to establish a parliament, but the parliament itself at that time was only to maintain the rule of the shogunate. Therefore, he was quite surprised that Takehiro Enomoto had proposed that those who served in the military should be given the right to vote after the end of the war. Similarly, Enomoto Takehiro does not quite agree with the fact that all people have the right to be elected. He believed that those who served in the military could have the right to vote, but the right to be elected was to be firmly controlled by those loyal to the Republic of Ezo.

The main point of dispute between Enomoto and Zhou Xinhua was the judicial issue, and China has made a lot of publicity about judicial equality, but it has also encountered great resistance. But Wei Ze was not a traditional emperor, and the judiciary of New China, without an aristocratic system, did not exist without a person that could not be touched. Although no one dares to trouble Wei Ze, in theory, Wei Ze will also be investigated and punished by the law after breaking the law. This is where the idea of judicial equality lies. It is one thing to enforce the century, but it is another thing to have people who cannot be governed by the law.

Seeing Enomoto Wuyang's embarrassed expression, Zhou Xinhua suddenly realized the greatness of the Chinese revolution. The military's political education makes it clear that as long as there is a person who is not subject to the law as long as it is recognized by the law, it will not be long before more people become people who are not subject to the law. The law will only be taken seriously if the law does not recognize that anyone can be exempt from the law.

After the "Outline for the Founding of the Republic of Ezo" was written, Enomoto Takeyang and the people who formulated this article together were busy themselves, Zhou Xinhua was an outsider after all, and his title was only the general political commissar of the Chinese dispatch army. Moreover, when Wei Ze talked to Zhou Xinhua, he warned him not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ezo Republic. Influencing the direction of the Ezo Republic and forcibly intervening are two different things, as the Chinese saying goes, a twisted melon is not sweet, and pulling out the seedlings to help it grow is a very inefficient move.

At that time, the French adviser Bryne was very interested in discussing the views of Zhou Xinhua on the rise of politics. This man, who was a military advisor to the shogunate, ignored the French government's instructions to return home when Enomoto went to Hakodate, and went to the Ezo Republic with Enomoto and six other advisors. After the French Revolution, the republican ideology stood firm after several restorations, even if Nasan became president and then became the emperor of France, but this does not mean the fall of the republican system, but makes the republican system more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Brunne was not a royalist, and he was interested in the shogunate's desire to establish a parliamentary system, and was very unimpressed by the atrocities of the shogunate. He didn't expect to meet Chinese revolutionary soldiers in Japan, which naturally meant to be very close.

Zhou Xinhua went to a military academy, studied world history, and was also interested in the French Revolution. After severely damaging the Meiji government's navy, they did not have to worry about being attacked by the enemy for the time being, and the two often talked about the history of France and Europe together. As the days passed, the relationship between the two grew closer, and Brune said that he liked Japan very much, and if the Republic of Ezo could be successfully established, he would like to be the French ambassador to the Republic of Ezo.

"I think it's very likely." Zhou Xinhua said with a smile.

"Is Mr. Zhou also willing to be the Chinese ambassador to the Republic of Ezo?" Brunne also laughed.

Zhou Xinhua shook his head, "We still have a lot of battles to fight in our country, so I naturally want to go back to China to participate in the war." ”

The elite policy implemented by the French soldiers, Brunne appreciated Zhou Xinhua's enthusiasm for the battlefield.

While chatting, Zhou Xinhua suddenly heard a gunshot, and Brune also heard it. Both are military men and are extremely sensitive to gunfire. They stood up as soon as they arrived, and the distant gunfire rang out a few more times, and by the time the two men rushed out of the tent, the gunfire was no longer heard.

Zhou Xinhua hurriedly asked the guard, "Where is the gun?" ”

The alert guard pointed to the pentagonal silhouette not far away, "Where should it be." ”

"Maybe it's military training." Brunne said.

"Probably." Zhou Xinhua replied. However, he was a little strange, if it was military training, it would never be just a few shots, but more gunshots. Who would have enough to eat and have nothing to do with just a few shots?

In the Ezo Republic meeting hall in Gorangko, it was already a mess, and seven or eight high-ranking officials fell to the ground. Inside the courtyard, the head of the Shinsengumi, Isamu Kondo, had stained his clothes red with blood gushing from the gun's chest, and several members of the Shinsengumi next to him had been knocked down by rifles, and more than a dozen others had been hacked to death.

The "Outline for the Founding of the Republic of Ezo" determined by Enomoto Takehiro caused great disputes within the Ezo Republic, and in the face of the current difficult situation, most of the cadres finally chose to follow Enomoto Takehiro. However, there are still some diehards who firmly disagree with Enomoto Takehiro's policy.

In this era of rampant "heavenly punishment", there are not many choices for many things. Enomoto Takehiro convened a meeting and demanded that the diehards hand over power and be dismissed from office. Of course, the diehards refused, so the purge that had been prepared for a long time immediately began.

The Shinsengumi are also completely divided internally, with the stubborn Isamu Kondo being the focus of care. Even after being attacked, Isamu Kondo still managed to get out of the conference room with the Shinsengumi members who were loyal to him, but he was blocked in the courtyard.

Knowing that he was going to die, Isamu Kondo put his Japanese sword back into its scabbard and sat up on his knees with all his might. As soon as Saito saw this, he knew that Isamu Kondo was preparing to seppuku. He put his knife back into the scabbard, "Mr. Kondo, if you don't mind, please let me make the mistake." ”

"Can you promise to punish the thief in the future?" Isamu Kondo finally sat down on his knees, and he asked breathlessly. Isamu Kondo purged the previous director of the Shinsengumi, and later purged many of his team members, including the Shinsengumi members who were selected as the emperor's guardians of the imperial tomb, in order to maintain the absolute independence of the Shinsengumi. The opposition to Takehiro Enomoto's outline for the founding of the country was only for Isamu Kondo to stick to his own ideas, and the Shinsengumi, a feudal hill that had been built with great difficulty, could not be eliminated. Now that he was at the end of his life, Isamu Kondo asked another question about his own decency. From a farmer to the director of the Shinsengumi, Isamu Kondo is unwilling to behave undignified when he dies.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Kondo! We're going to fight to the end. Saito said seriously. Enomoto Takehiro spent a lot of effort to convince these people, and what impressed Saito was the sentence, "Now that the sun has set in the shogunate, we can only go to the new dawn!" ”

Saitoichi didn't care about Takehiro Enomoto's founding outline, and if he wanted to survive in a ghost place like the Ezo Republic where birds don't lay eggs, he really had no choice but to work hard. But the purpose of this hard work is to save the old era or to usher in a new era, but there is a fundamental difference. Following the sunset or welcoming the rising sun, Saito made his own choice.

Isamu Kondo pulled out his Japanese sword again, aimed it at his abdomen, and stabbed it hard. Saito, who was already ready, unsheathed his long knife and slashed at Isamu Kondo's neck with lightning speed. If the knife comes out quickly, there will be the least pain after cutting off the head. Saito used all his strength on this sword, taking it as his last tribute to Isamu Kondo.