At the University of San Francisco in California, USA, due to the impact of the Chinese exclusion trend, a graduation ceremony specially prepared for Asian American students officially opened after a delay of two months.

Attending the graduation ceremony included 13 local Chinese youths, 10 self-financed students from the Han Kingdom, four young students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Shanghai Concession areas of the mainland, three beautiful students studying in the United States, dozens of students' family members and friends, and Dongying's minister to the United States who came from New York to commemorate the first batch of female college students who received bachelor's degrees in the United States.

In keeping with the tradition of women first, Yamakawa was selected by the University of San Francisco as the representative of the graduates, and was the first to take the podium and deliver a graduation speech.

"Before I give my speech, first of all, I would like to pay my respects to Mr. Dean, Professor Henry, Professor Robert...... Mr. Bacon, Mrs. Bacon, and Miss Marianne expressed their gratitude for the help they had been giving. …………

I'm sorry for your trouble. ”

Yamakawa Shamatsu was dressed in a gorgeous kimono, and the people under the podium bowed in a dignified manner.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" ...... Amid the applause, Yamakawa stood up and began to give a lecture on "British Foreign Policy Toward Japan."

"Dongying and Japan are both island countries far away from the mainland, the two countries have a common island culture and maritime culture, the British Empire is the leader of the world's civilized society, is the disseminator and defender of modern culture, Dongying Kingdom as a country that pursues civilization and civilization, hopes to establish close cooperation and close ties with the British Empire and the United States,

However, the current series of provisions imposed by the United Kingdom and the United States on the East Ying Kingdom are not in keeping with the spirit of freedom and equality. If Britain and the United States of America continue to pursue a policy of extraterritoriality in Toei under the unequal treaty, the friendly and civilized Yamato nation will be forced to engage in a confrontation with neither country that they want to see for the sake of national independence. …………”

Before the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Dongying, like the Far Eastern mainland, was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties by the Western powers, but in the face of the invasion of the foreign powers, Dongying carried out a reform from top to bottom to imitate the West, and vigorously sent officials to study scientific and technological knowledge in Europe and the United States.

In 1871, Shigeko Nagai (born in 1863), Yamakawa Samatsu (born in 1860), and Umeko Tsuda (born in 1864), who were less than 10 years old on average, followed the Toei mission and set off for the United States to begin their study abroad.

Yamakawa Shematsu was born in the family of the lord of the Dounantsu domain, his father was killed by the royalist cadre Oyama Iwa in the end of the Edo War, and after the end of the war, the people of the Dounan domain were in difficulty, and the new lord of the Dounan domain, the eldest brother Yamakawa Hiroshi, who was fifteen years older than Samatsu, led by example and lived a life of rough clothes and poor food. In the second year of Keio (1866), Hiroshi Yamakawa visited Russia with foreign governors of the shogunate in order to sign an agreement between Japan and Russia

Si is a character who has experienced life in European countries.

However, even if the feudal lord was wise, in such a situation, he could only let the young people go around as foster children. Although she was the sister of a feudal lord, she was fostered by a French family in Hakodate, like the other children.

In 1871, at the beginning of the Toei Restoration, because the powerful families were unwilling to let their daughters go to the ocean to study abroad, Shematsu, Shimoko, Umeko, and two other thirteen or fourteen-year-old daughters of feudal lords from shogunate rebel families were eager to treat the elders of the family who were eager to make meritorious contributions, half encouraged and half forced, to embark on the road of studying in the United States.

After entering the United States, two older girls could not bear the bullying and discrimination of white Americans in all aspects, and were sent back to China by the minister to the United States in 1872, while Shematsu persevered at the request of his third brother Kenjiro Yamakawa.

Kenjiro Yamakawa and his brother are both the children of Yamakawa Hiroshi who have suffered from the influence of modern Western culture and retain the traditional samurai spirit of Toei, before his sister studied in the United States, Yamakawa Kenjiro had rushed to the United States to complete his college education at Yale University, after Yamakawa Shematsu arrived in the United States, Yamakawa Kenjiro was worried that his sister would lose her patriotism and become an admirer of the United States

Girl, once a week, teaches her sister Japanese and teaches her the truth of loyalty and patriotism.

In 1880, after Kenjiro Yamakawa returned to Japan, he repeatedly sent letters to his sister to explain to her about international politics and other matters. Under the influence of her two elder brothers, Yamakawa Shematsu, although on the surface she is no different from the other two female students, has gradually become a woman who has been trained in Japanese bushido.

Generous, able to learn Western scientific knowledge, but also adhere to the traditional culture of the powerful and powerful, and have the different characteristics of tenacity between the East and the West, Shanchuan Shesong quickly became a celebrity among the Asian American international students at the University of San Francisco, not only recognized by Asian American students, but also favored by white professors and teachers at the school.

Unlike Shematsu, who is in the public center and always attracts the attention of classmates and teachers, Shigeko Nagai and Umeko Shibata, who are three or four years younger, cannot forget the hatred of their family members and relatives who were killed by the soldiers of the Shogunate faction when they were young.

Watching Yamakawa Samatsu speak in a man-like voice on the podium, Umeko Tsuda and Shigeko Nagai raised their hands and applauded on the surface, just like the other students, but they were thinking about something else.

"Shigeko, did the Minister agree to our request?"

The applause stopped, Yamakawa Shamatsu stepped off the podium, and Shigeko Nagai asked in a low voice.

"No, Minister Okazaki did not agree to our request to delay our return to China for two years, and in half a month, we will return to Dongying by boat with Shematsu."

"I don't want to go back to Dongying, my brother promised me to the soldiers of the Fallen Shogunate faction, they are the murderers of my father, I will not marry him!"

"To marry or not to marry, it is not up to us to decide, now the government is in power, and in order to gain power, the elders of the family will definitely let the women of the clan marry the fallen soldiers to marry, which is a fate that we cannot escape."

"Is it the same with Sister Shesong?"

"Yes, I heard that Shesong is going to marry the enemy who killed her father, and the fallen shogunate sent an officer Oyama Iwa, and the wedding will be held when she returns home."

…………

In the United States, the University of San Francisco is one of the few places that is quite friendly to the Chinese, but the Chinese students sitting under the podium cannot be completely isolated from the outside world after all, and outside the university, their compatriots and relatives who have the same skin color as them are suffering from the persecution and discrimination brought about by the "Chinese Exclusion Act", and it is impossible for them to ignore the situation of their compatriots and relatives living in various parts of the United States.

"Brother Ouyang, Brother Juncheng, something is wrong!"

A Chinese student ran over from the teaching area of the University of San Francisco and said eagerly, "Rongguang, Jingyang, and Zhixuan have been imprisoned by the Americans, and there are nearly ten students who have been arrested in the second and third phases of studying in the United States!" ”

"Could it be that there is a mistake that students studying in the United States are official factions of the imperial court, and even if the United States promulgates the Chinese Exclusion Act, it cannot arbitrarily arrest students studying in the United States?"

"It's true! Chen Lanbin, the minister to the United States, personally notified the U.S. government, asking the San Francisco city government to cooperate with the Qing court in arresting and repatriating the students who insisted on staying in the United States! ”

"Ridiculous! Ridiculous! Rongguang, Jingyang, and Zhixuan studied abroad and studied hard, but the Qing court did not know how to encourage them, but punished them arbitrarily, and accused them of persisting in their studies and delaying their return to China, which is really a big joke in the world! ”

A student with braided hair said angrily, "Everyone, Glory, Jingyang, and Zhixuan are all my classmates and close friends, and my classmates and friends have been wronged by the court!" How can we ignore this and be willing to petition the Minister to the United States, requesting the release of the arrested classmates and follow me to the Embassy in the United States! ”

"Go along! Let's go! ”………

"What's going on over there?"

"It seems that more than a dozen Qing students studying in the United States have been arrested by the San Francisco City Government."

The news of the arrest of the Chinese students spread quickly, and the three daughters of Meizi, Shesong, and Fanzi squeezed into the crowd, and when they heard that there were people they were familiar with among the arrested international students, Tsuda Meizi said anxiously, "Has Xu Jun also been arrested?" ”

"After Rongguang and Jingyang were arrested, Brother Zhixuan confronted the foreigners without anger and was also arrested in prison."

"Then what can I do, will Xu Jun be in danger?"

Umeko Tsuda grabbed a Chinese student she knew and kept asking.

"Meizi, don't worry, we are going to petition the legation together, asking the minister to release the arrested classmates, Brother Xuan, they will not be in danger!"

"Nope! I'm going to go with you, Xu Jun is a good person, he has helped me many times, I can't do nothing when he is in danger! ”

Recalling in his mind that Xu Zhixuan fought with two white hooligans who were making trouble in order to help him and Fanzi, Meizi suddenly threw away the entanglement that had been hesitating for a long time, and made a major decision in her heart.

"Good! One more person and one more strength, Meizi, you can go with us, but you have to listen to everyone's arrangement. ”

"I can take care of myself and not cause trouble to everyone."

"Okay, let's gather classmates and friends separately and go to the embassy in the United States to petition before noon!"

Zhong Juncheng stood in the middle of the crowd and said loudly.

"The Qing court has no way! If the emperor of the Qing court could really listen to the advice, how could he cancel the plan to study in the United States!

You students listen to the next sentence of persuasion, it is useless to go to the embassy in the United States, only to ask for help from the Han Minister to the United States, Huang Shengui and Minister Huang, can we rescue the more than ten students who have been arrested! ”

On the periphery of the crowd, there were self-financed international students from Han who expressed different opinions.

"The South American Han Congress came to the rescue of the students sent by the imperial court?"

An international student leaning towards the Qing court questioned.

"They are both Chinese compatriots, when they are in crisis, where are they still divided into Han and Qing countries! Fellow students, Mo Yan listened to the words of the Manchu Tatars, the Han Kingdom is the orthodoxy of China! His Majesty the Han Emperor treats the descendants of China, regardless of overseas or local, all of them are treated equally!

Now every time the arrested students stay in prison, the danger increases, for their safety, we can't waste any more time, we must act immediately! ”

"Brother Ouyang's suggestion I think it is feasible, but the imperial embassy in the United States must also go there."

Zhong Juncheng made a decision on behalf of the self-financed students of the Far East studying in the United States, saying: "We divided into two routes, one to ask Lord Chen to release the arrested classmates, and the other to follow Brother Ouyang to the Han Embassy in the United States.

Time is tight, which way you want to go but on a voluntary basis, everyone hurry up and make a decision! ”

"I'm following Brother Ouyang,"

"I'll go too." …………

According to different political leanings, the Chinese students were divided into two groups and chose to go to the Han and Qing legations in the United States for help and petition.

"Meizi, you are from Dongying, how can you mix with them?"

Meizi was about to leave with the Chinese students, but Yamakawa Shematsu hurriedly grabbed her and dissuaded her.

"What is the difference between Dongying people and Chinese? I only know that Xu Jun used to help me a lot, and he used to save you, and now that Xu Jun is in prison by the Americans, as his friend and classmate, shouldn't we try our best to help? ”

"Xu Jun is a good man, and I am grateful to him for helping us get rid of the harassing white hooligans, but Meizi, you should understand what I mean, you have been promised to the eldest son of Count Miyamoto's family, and you can no longer have feelings for a Chinese! I'm not trying to stop you from going to the Qing Legation with them to petition, I'm advising you to retract your mind and stop continuing your dangerous actions! ”

"Shigera Miyamoto is the murderer who killed his father! I would never marry his son!

Shematsu-chan! During the Battle of Aizu Castle, Oyama Iwa was the cannon captain of the Inverted Mu Army, your father and uncle committed suicide because of the defeat of Aizu Castle, and the hatred between the Yamakawa family and Oyama Iwa was as deep as the sea, and Oyama Iwa (Oyama Iwa was the founder of the Japanese Army, in the First Sino-Japanese War, the commander of the Second Army of the Japanese Army, in the Russo-Japanese War, the commander-in-chief of the Manchurian Army, and later the official to the marshal, and was canonized as a duke by Emperor Meiji. Eighteen years older than you, with three children under your name, the oldest of whom is only a year younger than you, would you be willing to marry such a man? ”

"Marrying His Excellency the Senator is the decision of the eldest brother and the palace, and I cannot go against their opinion."

"Can you really give up your family's hatred?"

"Without the end of the Edo War, the country would not have moved towards the road of reform and self-improvement, and although I am sad that my father and brother were killed because of the fallen army, I will not blame His Excellency the Senator for this incident."

"Shematsu-chan, I respect your decision, but please also respect the wishes of Umeko, Umeko will never marry into the Miyamoto family!"

Meizi, who is usually weak and restrained, looked at the sisters who got along day and night, but suddenly became strangers, and resolutely said, "Meizi's heart only belongs to Xu Jun, where Xu Jun is going, Meizi will definitely follow him!"

Shematsu-chan, Shigeko-chan, when you return to Japan, please tell the Tsuda family that Tsuda Umeko will not marry the family's enemies, please forgive me! ”

Tsuda Umeko bowed deeply to the two, and then despite the repeated persuasion of the two women, she resolutely left with the Chinese students.

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