At this time, Sendai was already the base for the shogunate to go to Hokkaido, the old shogunate army that opposed the Meiji government army, the remnants of the Ou Domain Alliance, and people from other regions who were unwilling to submit to the Meiji government gathered here. Everyone was a defeated soldier, and although they were united by hostility to the Meiji government, the depression that was characteristic of the defeated army lingered.

When they arrived at Sendai Port, these people were in good spirits. Ten medium-sized steamships are moored on the docks, and these steamboats are constantly transporting people from the harbor to the larger ships in the distance. Four or five small warships were cruising around the harbor, and in the distance were at least seven or eight large steamships. There were more than 20 warships as far as the eye could see, and this number was far beyond the imagination of the defeated soldiers.

Sendai Port is not very large, and thousands of mountains are clustered, which makes the port even more cramped. But this seemingly endless number of people were sent onto the big ships in a steady stream, and those big ships with hazy figures seemed to pretend that no matter how many people were dissatisfied. For the people on the docks, this is simply a deposit zài that defies common sense.

After getting on those ships in person, the defeated soldiers understood how huge the ship they were on. This is a freighter mobilized by the Liberation Army, and the cargo ship has a large space, and the one-way journey from Sendai to Hakodate is at most a day, so there is no need to set up a bed for resting. The defeated soldiers will not pay much attention to it, except for a very few, all the people on board are on a large ship with a tonnage of more than 7,000 tons for the first time in their lives. The Tsugaru Strait has high winds and waves, and the coal carriers of more than 7,000 tons are very stable in the wind and waves, and there is no feeling of turbulence.

The cargo hold and deck were crowded with people, and they boarded the ship at noon the first day and arrived in the waters near Hakodate the next afternoon. There, small and medium-sized steamboats descend people from the big ships and take them to the shore.

Hokkaido is an undeveloped area, and most of it is wasteland as far as the eye can see. The people who got off the boat were first sent into a circled place and began to be screened. The remnants of the old shogunate army and the Ou Domain Alliance are better to say, they all know each other and have reliable people to vouch for them. They were divided into their respective belongings.

Regardless of whether they had luggage or not, no one first gave them a set of army-green covers, and then they were given tools, and they began to go to the areas designated by each unit and start building their own camp accommodations. The scattered personnel are more troublesome, and they must be investigated at this time when they are not clear about friend or foe.

These camps are located around the Western-style armed castle of Hakodate, the Goryoko, where the heads of the Ezo Republic are meeting. On one side of the long table were the five commanders of the Chinese Dispatch Army, and on the opposite side were the five heads of the Ezo Republic. Among these cadres were not only Japanese, but also French. France has always supported the shogunate, and even in the present period of desperation, some French soldiers have not abandoned the remnants of the shogunate.

"What do you mean by asking us to start farming in Ezo?" Takehiro Enomoto asked in surprise.

Zhou Xinhua, the political commissar of the Chinese military dispatch, replied: "It is not what we ask your country to do, but your country claims to establish a republic of Ezo." Since it is your goal that we have proposed, we believe that it is necessary for your country to implement a national system in Ezo now. ”

The leaders of the Ezo Republic are all determined people, and there are many smart people among them. But after listening to Zhou Xinhua's words, they also felt quite confused for the time being. Isamu Kondo, the director of the Shinsengumi, had known Zhou Xinhua for a long time, and fought side by side with Zhou Xinhua in the first Battle of Fushimi Toba, and defeated the shogunate. Based on this sense of identity, he was the first to understand what Zhou Xinhua meant. Isamu Kondo asked, "Zhou San, do you think your navy can stop the rebels' navy?" ”

Zhou Xinhua nodded, "Yes, I think of course our navy will be able to block the naval army of the Fallen Curtain Army." However, we are now shipping all the supplies to the Ezo Republic, and I think it is clear to everyone that it is impossible for Japan to overthrow the Meiji government, which is now in control of the emperor. Therefore, forcing the Meiji government to recognize the existence of the Ezo Republic is our primary goal. If the Republic of Ezo wants to continue in this way, it is imperative to complete a self-sufficient national system. ”

The leaders and cadres of the Ezo Republic discussed Zhou Xinhua's words for a while, and the big chieftain Enomoto Takeyang asked, "If the traitors finally recognize the Ezo Republic and we can be self-sufficient, will your country cut off the aid to us?" ”

"We may cut off our aid, but we have something we want to do with you." Zhou Xinhua said.

"How to cooperate?" The heads of the Ezo Republic were holding their breath a little. This time, the Liberation Army did not come empty-handed, and they brought tens of thousands of sets of summer clothes, bedding, axes, iron plows, sickles, and other tools. Most importantly, they brought in rifles, artillery, and enough rice for 20,000 people for a year. Of course, this is the rice of the "Japanese rice amount".

With these supplies, the whole Ezo Republic is greatly relieved. Even if the Japanese are able to survive on one rice ball a day. But with so many people crammed around Hakodate, food availability is a big problem. These supplies are all provided by China, and China can bring so much aid when it comes, once China leaves behind, what will the Republic of Ezo do in the future?

Hearing that the Republic of Ezo has the opportunity to cooperate with China in the future, the heads of the Republic of Ezo and its officials are all pricked up and waiting to hear how to cooperate.

"Ezo is a great place for horses, and we want to build a horse farm here. Our country will contribute capital and technology, and your country will sell the land of Yanmar and the manpower of Yanmar. Moreover, there are coal mines and iron mines in this place. We will also want to invest in iron ore mines here to help your country build its own industry. In the future, your country can make its own guns and weapons, and build all kinds of civilian ships and ironclad ships. When the time comes, our investment will be profitable, and your country will be able to protect itself on its own. It's good for everyone. What do you think? Zhou Xinhua asked.

The Republic of Ezo is just an organization of old-time samurai who are determined not to submit to the Meiji government, and all that comes to mind is to fight and not lose. But what Zhou Xinhua described to them was a new future. This future will not only allow the Ezo Republic to be completely independent, but also be able to build its own rifles, artillery and ironclads, and raise military horses. With such a powerful force, it is not impossible for the Republic of Ezo to counterattack Honshu and overthrow the Meiji government in time.

It's just that the sudden change from the end of the road to the hope of recovering the country is too unreal for the leaders and officials of the Ezo Republic. They wanted to believe in such a glorious future, but they couldn't believe that such a future would actually befall them.

Looking at the excited and confused expressions of the leaders and cadres of the Ezo Republic, Zhou Xinhua looked calm, but his heart was not calm. Zhou Xinhua is an excellent soldier, and he is barely competent in the ideological and political work of the army. But he was not a civil servant. All of this was told to Zhou Xinhua by Wei Ze after meeting Wei Ze before leaving for Beijing.

To build the country by its own strength, Zhou Xinhua can also understand this problem. However, the so-called Republic of Ezo is only a small country, and the population is even smaller, probably hundreds of thousands. How could such a small country and such a small population be able to compete for a long time against the Meiji government of Japan, which had a population of 40 to 50 million? Even if Wei Ze's statement that Ezo has coal and iron is true, no matter how you look at it, China is very simple in supporting the Ezo Republic. The Republic of Ezo is a big burden for China.

Weeser has a completely different view, "The small population of the Republic of Ezo means that they have a small market. There's no way to grow cotton in such a hellish place. If they do business with us, we can trade textiles for coal and iron. We can even set up a military base in the Republic of Ezo, set up a supply depot. You should also be well aware of what a supply depot capable of producing its own coal mines means to the Navy. ”

When Zhou Xinhua heard these words, he didn't quite understand the significance of the supply depot of the self-produced coal mine, but after participating in this military operation, he immediately understood it from practice. China's fleet has a total of 22 warships, of which 6 are transport ships with a tonnage of more than 7,000 tons, and the largest logistical material carried by the transport ships is coal. After the coal was unloaded at the port, the coal carrier returned to the port of Tianjin to continue loading. If this thousands of miles of transshipment can be directly saved, it will save too many resources and time.

Originally, the strongest in the Ezo Republic was their fleet, and the core of this fleet was the ironclad ship "Kaiyang", as well as several other warships. Not long ago, these boats were damaged due to wind and waves. The damage to the ironclad ship "Kaiyang" could not be repaired at all in the ports of the Ezo Republic, and after the loss of this powerful ironclad capable of suppressing the enemy, the superiority at sea was lost. If the Republic of Ezo had a certain amount of industrial capacity, not only could their own warships be built and repaired in Ezo, but China would also have a new repair point, which would be very important for the fleet to sail.

Ran to Japan to fight for the remnants of the shogunate, Zhou Xinhua was willing to obey orders, but he always felt unhappy in his heart. After talking to Wei Ze, Zhou Xinhua suddenly became enlightened. In the long run, the shogunate could not support it, so the Chinese troops withdrew. On the contrary, it was possible that the remnants of the shogunate would support it, so the Chinese army returned. This recognition made Zhou Xinhua feel that his career had suddenly become a lot bigger. Strong and weak, winning and losing, suffering and taking advantage, these seemingly opposing things have an inherent unity. Even the fact that Seon lost his horse and knew what was not a blessing is not enough to explain the change.

China, which has an absolute advantage, can have its own long-term arrangements, but the Republic of Ezo cannot indulge in beautiful fantasies about the future. Enomoto Takeyang "dressed out", he stared at Zhou Xinhua and said seriously: "Your country has supported us so much, and I would like to express my gratitude to the princes of the Republic of Ezo below." It's just that the future can be discussed later, and the key now is to first defeat the rebel thief's armor and iron number, and at the same time to defend the pentagram. But I wonder what your country can help us in these matters? ”

Zhou Xinhua said confidently: "We can provide you with a heavy artillery to defend against the five-edged outline, and the range is longer than that of the Fallen Curtain Army." As for the Iron Horn, if we find him after he appears, we will sink it. ”