When Hirobumi Ito heard Shigenobu Okuma's words, he couldn't help but laugh dumbly. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Okuma-kun, how can you be so sure that the Qing pirates will have steamships?" Hirobumi Ito asked with a smile.

"Of course I do!" Okuma Shigenobu glared at Ito Hirobumi, "I remember that it was the first year of Keio (1865), when the Qing people captured a steamship belonging to pirates in the waters near the port of Xiamen, confiscated it, and used it by the Qing government. It was a sensation at the time, and I remember it very well. By the way, its captain, named Lu Wenjing, is said to have been adopted by an Englishman. Now he is the captain of the cruiser 'Royal Princess' that Britain gave to the Qing Kingdom! ”

Hearing that Shigenobu Okuma could remember the events that happened eight years ago so clearly, Ito's eyes flashed with admiration.

"Okuma Jun is a great talent, worthy of being one of the 'Eight Sages of Saga'!" Hirofumi Ito clapped his hands and praised.

Hearing Ito Hirobumi's praise, Shigenobu Okuma's eyes couldn't help but flash with a look of self-satisfaction.

I am proud, but when I think back to my political career, Okuma Shigenobu is also full of emotion in his heart.

Shigenobu Okuma was relatively open-minded and close to Western thought since he was a child, and when Okuma was 7 years old, he entered the feudal school of Saga due to his father's relationship. We are brought up as future human resources of Saga clan. Influenced by his father's teachings in his early years, Okuma looked up to his father, who died young, as a role model, so he was not interested in learning Japanese traditions. In 1854, in the first year of Ansei, Okuma and several comrades co-founded the Kusu Righteous Festival League, a reformist organization within the domain. The first thing the alliance did was to appeal to the feudal lord Naomasa Nabeshima to reform the feudal school, which was Okuma's first appearance as a political reformer.

Naoma Nabeshima was a famous enlightened monarch at the end of the Edo period, and out of multiple economic and political considerations, he inherited and carried forward the enlightened policy of several generations of Saga feudal lords, and welcomed Western science, not only encouraging scholarship, but also began to imitate Western weapons. The construction of Japan's first reverberatory furnace for this purpose was an epoch-making initiative and of great significance. The reverberatory furnace heralded the beginning of Japan's path to industrialization. In particular, the Saga clan also began to build steam locomotives and successfully completed models. He also built several steamships on his own. With the gradual deepening of the accumulation of refining techniques in the Saga Domain. In the end, it could even successfully imitate the most advanced Armstrong gun in the world at that time. Thanks to the support of the feudal lords, scholarship flourished in the Saga Domain, and it gathered technical masters such as Nakamura Kisuke, Tanaka Hisashige, and Ishiguro Kanji, as well as Ran scholars. Due to the import of Western-style weapons, the soldiers of the Saga domain were strong and strong. He excelled in several wars at the end of the Edo period. Nabeshima is therefore among the famous kings at the end of the shogunate. He, along with Okuma and others, is known as the "Eight Sages of Saga".

[Saga Hachiken: Saga Hachiken is the head of the Saga Kodokan, a national scholar, the chief leader and theorist of the Saga Domain, Eto Shinpei (Japan's first Minister of Justice, the founder of Japan's modern law), Oki Joren (Japan's first Secretary of Education, one of the six major educators of the Meiji era), and Vice Island Tanetomi (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, who handled many difficult diplomatic incidents. Famous calligrapher of the Meiji period. Brother of Edadyoshi Kami), Yoshiyoshi Shima (Governor of Hokkaido, known as the Father of Hokkaido), Sano Nagamin (inventor, Orchid scholar, founder of the Japanese Red Cross Society, theorist and one of the leaders of the Freedom and Civil Rights Movement), Naomasa Nabeshima (lord of Saga, the first Hokkaido Pioneer Envoy, leader of Japan's Industrial Revolution) and Shigenobu Okuma. The eight sages of Saga are all members of the Bunchu Nan Righteous Festival Alliance. Author's note. ]

Naomasa Nabeshima appreciates Okuma's talents. He was protected and promoted, and in 1855, Okuma and others were eager to reform the school administration, resulting in a riot at Kodokan, and Okuma dropped out of school. The following year, Naomasa Nabeshima ordered Okuma to transfer to Rangakukan. Officially became a professor at the Orchid Academy. Soon after, Naomasa Nabeshima succeeded in purging the conservative influence, and after Shinbu Okuma, he decided to merge the Kodokan and Rangakukan into one. It is officially listed as the mainstream academic in the domain. Okuma was appointed as a professor at Kodokan because of his advanced words. He was in charge of lecturing Western constitutional theories to Nabeshima, so he attracted much attention.

Since the "Black Ship Attack", the whole country of Japan has been in horror, and various trends of thought have emerged one after another, such as the founding of the country, public discussions, and respect for the king. Okuma was also actively involved in the Restoration, and when the Kodokan riots ended and Okuma was forced to leave, Naomasa Nabeshima instructed him to switch to studying under the famous teacher of Kodokan at the time, and he soon transferred to the Rangakukan.

Because Naomasa Nabeshima was good at management, the Saga domain itself was strong, economically developed, and had cutting-edge weapons, which could be called the best in Japan, and the Saga domain was equipped with Spanish-style muskets with seven bursts, and the artillery team had Armstrong rear-loading guns and mortars. Not only the weapons, but also the military uniforms of the feudal lords were greatly superior. The black kapok uniforms, woolen cloth, and rubber rain feathers imported during the Boshin War were all the latest equipment of the world standard at that time. In such an atmosphere, Okuma's views on Western science and military affairs were naturally higher than those of the Japanese in other domains.

Although he has now served as the secretary of the treasury, Okuma's emphasis and understanding of the military and military affairs are still not comparable to Ito Hirobumi.

After the Battle of Toba Fushimi, the power of the Shogunate faction increased greatly. Subsequently, the Bojin Civil War broke out. As a result of the civil war, the Japanese feudal domains could no longer choose a wait-and-see attitude. As a result, some of the feudal clans joined the shogunate, while others joined the new government. At this time, due to the efforts of Okuma and others, public opinion in the Saga domain was leaning towards the new government. After much consideration, the new lord Nabeshima decided to abandon his wait-and-see attitude and join the side of the new government. The addition of the Saga clan greatly strengthened the power of the Shogunate Army. The strong strength of the Saga Domain itself made it possible for the Saga Domain to join the Shogunate faction late, but it came from behind and surpassed the other Shogunate Clans. As a result of the Saga Domain's active participation in the Civil War, the Saga Domain fought for the Meiji government in various places with its advanced weapons and strong military capabilities, and made many achievements. After the establishment of the new government, the Meiji government hoped to promote some open-minded scholars and eliminate outdated regulations and forces. At the same time, it was also conducive to the division of power among the new government of the Shogunate Domain. Although the Saga clan is a latecomer. However, he has been active in combat, has made outstanding meritorious deeds, and has great strength in his own right. The feudal lords of the clan were relatively open-minded, so the government did not dare to ignore Saga. In the first year of the Meiji era, the government ordered the acquisition of scholars in each domain. to establish a new modern government. Okuma, as a reformist celebrity in Saga, once helped Choshu. He performed well in mediating the diplomatic crisis in Choshu, so he was appointed as an official of the new government and served as a judge in the Foreign Affairs Bureau. We embarked on the road to building modern Japan.

Okuma's first task after taking office was to deal with the so-called "Urakami issue." Since the establishment of the shogunate, the spread of Christianity in Japan has been strictly prohibited. In June of Keio 3, the Nagasaki Office arrested and convicted 68 Christians. Western countries are very dissatisfied with this and have lodged strong protests. It made the shogunate anxious. This is known as the Urakami Incident. After the fall of the shogunate, the Urakami issue became the most pressing of the many diplomatic cases left behind by the shogunate. By protesting against the Urakami incident, Western countries attempted to meddle in Japan's internal affairs. Therefore, he publicly demanded that the new government rehabilitate these Japanese Christians. This is a matter of considerable distress to the new government. It became the most difficult of the many diplomatic issues at that time. So Okuma was ordered to negotiate the matter as a judge of the secretariat. The venue for the negotiations is located in the lobby of Higashi Honganji. The most protestant of the nations at that time was Sir Harry Smith Parkes, the British minister to Japan. Parks believed that Britain was powerful and arrogant, and his previous negotiations with the shogunate began with a loud shout. As a result, the representatives of the shogunate were always intimidated by this shout, and often became emboldened and agreed to sign unequal treaties. This time, he did not show weakness when he negotiated with Okuma, and when the negotiations began, Parks shouted and threatened Okuma, saying, "I don't negotiate with someone of very low status like Okuma." Okuma, who was 31 years old at the time, retorted in a loud voice in front of ministers and colleagues: "If you are not willing to negotiate with the representative of the new government established in the name of the Emperor, just take back your protest papers!" Parkes, who was accustomed to seeing the servile Japanese, was taken aback, so he didn't dare to underestimate Okuma. Next, Okuma and the ministers of various countries engaged in a six-hour debate. Okuma, who is well versed in the history of Christianity and the public laws of various countries, has not budged an inch on the issue of safeguarding Japan's sovereignty, and has refuted attempts by various countries to take advantage of the opportunity to interfere in Japan's internal affairs. Defeated all opponents with eloquence. It broke the conspiracy of Western countries to interfere in Japan's internal affairs and effectively safeguarded Japan's independence and national interests. Okuma's passionate eloquence convinced the ministers of the powers, and in the ensuing negotiations, the nations gave up their intention to intervene. This was Okuma's first rise to prominence as a famous politician and reformer in the Meiji period. Due to his outstanding service in the negotiations of Higashi Honganji, Okuma was appointed as a part-time accountant and deputy governor.

"Okuma Jun knows so clearly about the situation of the Qing navy, does he think that now the empire can go to war with the Qing country?" Hirobumi Ito's words put an end to Shigenobu Okuma's thoughts of recalling his glorious journey and pulled him back to reality.

"War with the Qing Kingdom? Ito-kun, are you crazy? Okuma Shigenobu looked at Ito Hirobumi in surprise and asked loudly, "Although the Qing Kingdom is decaying, it is still a powerful country, and although Japan's national strength has increased significantly, it is still far from the Qing Kingdom, how can it be easy to start a war with the Qing Kingdom?" ”

"But just now you said that the Qing Navy was so unbearable, Okuma-kun," Ito Hirobumi stared into Shigenobu Okuma's eyes, "This easily gives me the impression that Japan now can challenge the Qing Kingdom and seek its own interests." ”