But what Yoko Shimazu didn't expect was that after the arrival of the "Kyushu Rebellion", the government would be so strict with the Shimazu family.

The government first sent military and police to surround the Shimazu family's home in the Tokyo city, forbade the Shimazu family to enter and leave, put everyone under house arrest, and allowed only a few servants to go out to buy food, and if anyone did not obey the order, they would be arrested immediately.

As the Satsuma offensive expanded and the government forces retreated, rumors arose that became more and more unfavorable to the Shimazu family, and after the fall of Kumamoto, there were rumors that the Shimazu family who remained in Kagoshima were involved in the rebellion; After the fall of Shikoku Island, there were rumors that the Shimazu family was a lobbyist for Saigo Takamori, and that the Tosa tribe responded to the rebellion; And after Osaka, an important economic center in Japan, was captured by the Satsuma army, there were even rumors that the Shimazu family in Tokyo was going to respond to the incident!

After the fall of Osaka Castle, Yoko Shimazu knew that the Shimazu family was about to be in trouble, and it was time for her to realize her escape plan.

For Yoko Shimazu, after the outbreak of the Southwest War, her heart was more inclined to the Satsuma Army, which held high the banner of the Shimazu family's "Cross Maru" and was led by the admired General Saigo Takamori. In her impression, General Saigo was a very kind person, and he was her grandfather's right-hand man, and the government led by Okubo Ritsu not only deprived the Shimazu family of the territory and power of the fallen Shimazu family, but also wantonly exploited the property of the Shimazu family, giving Shimazu Yoko a very bad impression, because when the Satsuma secret envoy came to the Shimazu family to lobby, Shimazu Yoko urged the family to sneak out of Tokyo and go to Kagoshima to participate in the incident, which did not hesitate to anger her grandfather Shimazu Hisamitsu.

But in the face of her grandfather's resolute opposition, her indecisive father ultimately did not follow her advice. That day Yoko Shimazu knew. I don't want to give my family a funeral. You have to leave.

Although she had been well prepared before. But she still encountered a lot of trouble, and if it wasn't for someone secretly answering and creating some chaos for the military and police who were watching, it would have been difficult for her to successfully escape.

Although until now, she still doesn't know who is helping her (at this time, she doesn't know what earth-shattering events are happening in Tokyo City).

There was a long whistle from the steamer, and Yoko Shimazu put down the book in her hand. When I came to the window, I looked out and saw that the coast in the distance had become a long, thin line.

"Grandpa, grandma, father, mother, you ...... Are you all right? Yoko Shimazu called softly, tears welling up in her eyes in an instant. After all, she is a woman, and in this lonely moment, she still shows her vulnerability.

"What if...... You guys really ...... Misfortune has befallen you. I'll avenge you! Certain! ”

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"What? Yoko she ...... Fled? ”

Hearing the servant's secret report, Shimazu Hisamitsu's face suddenly turned pale.

"How did she escape? Why tell me now! Yoko Shimazu's father, Tadayoshi Shimazu, was also shocked.

"My lord. Miss Yoko has been closed these days, and the food and drink are all sent into the room, and she uses it by herself. The servant said in fear, "Everyone thought that the young lady had been in their room all along, but who knew that she was gone......"

"Could it be that he was secretly arrested by the police? No way! I'll have to go to them for a theory! Shimazu Tadayoshi remembered the bird's spirit of the military and police these days, stood up sharply, grabbed the katana on the antler rack, "Quick! Tell that guy to come to me! ”

Hearing that his master was going to ask him to call the supreme commander of the Tokyo police, the Great Policeman, the servant was frightened, but he did not dare to refuse, so he just prostrated on the ground, cowering and refusing to get up.

"Lord, I heard that the police have been dispatched to chase Miss Yoko......"

"That's Yoko who escaped by herself, not by the police." Shimazu Hisamitsu stopped his son and said in a deep voice, "According to Yoko's temperament, she should have been making such preparations for a long time." ”

"Father, do you mean ......" Shimazu Tadayoshi understood a little, and couldn't help but sit on the ground all of a sudden.

At this moment, there was a sonorous sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"My lord, the great police officer asks to see you." Another servant came to report.

"Ask him to come in." Tadayoshi Shimazu said.

The servant retreated, and after a while, the sliding door of the room opened, and a big police officer in a black military uniform walked in.

Seeing Osako Sadaharu coming in, Shimazu Tadayoshi and Shimazu Hisamitsu were both sitting there, not moving at all, and Shimazu Hisamitsu still closed his eyes.

Osako Sadaharu noticed the appearance of Shimazu father and son, sighed secretly in his heart, he bowed slightly to the two, and sat down in front of the two of them.

"Jiuguang Gong, Zhongyi Gong, I came today for Miss Yoko's business, and I have a few questions that I want to ask." Da Qiang Zhenqing said straight to the point, although it was equivalent to asking the two of them, but his tone was very respectful, without the slightest disrespect.

A native of Kagoshima Prefecture, he was a low-ranking samurai and was one of Kawaro Toshira's right-hand men who established the Japanese police system.

He still retains considerable respect for the former feudal lords, the Shimazu family, even though they are now his subordinates.

He had just heard about Yoko Shimazu's escape from home, and he hadn't paid much attention to a young woman's escape, but it was only when he heard that the two spies who had gone to track her were all dead in the streets.

After listening to Osaharu's questioning, Shimazu Hisamitsu still looked deaf and sat there with his eyes closed.

"Oh Force-kun, excuse me." Shimazu Tadayoshi said, stretching out his hand slightly and making a "please" gesture.

"Did Miss Yoko's departure know about Tadashi in advance?" Da Sakuharu asked.

"I don't know." Shimazu shook his head.

"Miss Yoko, has she been behaving strangely lately?" Da Qiang Zhenqing asked again.

"Ever since you came, she has shut herself up in her room all day, not seeing anyone, not coming out during meals, and not behaving out of any way." Tadayoshi Shimazu replied.

Hear Tadayoshi Shimazu's answer. A hint of embarrassment appeared on Da Force's face.

"Loyalty. Can Miss Yoko be connected to the Kagoshima bandits? ”

"What does Osako-kun think of our Shimazu family?" Didn't wait for Shimazu Tadayoshi to answer. Shimazu Hisamitsu suddenly opened his eyes and said sharply, "Our Shimazu family, who have been loyal and good for generations and dedicated to the country, how can we have a connection with the Kagoshima bandits?" ”

"That's, that's, I'm just asking." Da Qiang Zhenqing hurriedly said with a smile. But in his heart, he secretly slandered.

Obviously, Shimazu Hisamitsu and his old man forgot about the fact that he "led his troops to Beijing" back then......

On March 3 of the first year of Manen, the shogunate boss Naobi Ii, who had adopted terror and high-pressure methods to rule, was attacked and killed by an assassination group centered on the Mito feudal clan outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle. After this incident, the shogunate suddenly lost its power. At the same time, the shogunate began to reflect on Ii Naobi's political mistakes, and felt that it would not be possible to rely on the shogunate alone to exercise national government in the future, so it launched a movement to combine the forces of the imperial court and the shogunate to exercise national government together, and this movement was called the "Gongwu Movement of the Combination of Public and Military Affairs". However, the Imperial Court demanded that the shogunate abolish unequal treaties with foreign countries, which put the shogunate's public military alliance movement in a difficult position. It was at this time that Masaku Nagai of the Choshu Domain began to influence Japan's national politics.

At that time, the Choshu Domain dominated the feudal government with the "Maritime Strategy" advocated by Nagai Masaku. Masale Nagai proposed: First of all, the current national disaster in Japan is at the forefront. The unification of national policy was a priority, so the unification of power between the imperial court and the shogunate was a necessary condition for the development of the country. Second, the Imperial Court frequently appealed to the shogunate to abolish various unequal treaties, but this was not something that could be done easily. Just as the Imperial Court pointed out, the policy of "locking off the country" is not an old tradition in Japan since ancient times, and it is also beneficial for Japan itself to open its ports to foreign countries and trade with foreign countries. As long as Japan's own national strength rises, foreign countries cannot easily insult Japan. This is indeed a very sensible view. For the shogunate, which was caught up in the predicament of the Gongwu Movement, this policy was a good step forward. And because Nagai Masaraku's theory is very realistic, it is also acceptable for the imperial court. As a result, a great whirlwind swept through Kyoto. Together with the Satsuma Domain, the Choshu Domain was the driving force behind the Meiji Restoration. The fact that the Choshu Domain was able to officially dominate Japan's national politics began with this theory of navigation.

On the other hand, after the death of the lord of the Satsuma domain, Shimazu Tadashi, the son of Shimazu Hisamitsu, became the new lord of the domain. Later, after the death of Shimazu Saiko, the father of the de facto ruler Shimazu Saibin, Shimazu Tadayoshi gave his biological father Shimazu Hisamitsu the same status as the feudal lord - Taishang. Because in the turmoil of the imperial family called "Oyuro Riot", Shimazu Saiko did not want to make Shimazu Saibin the prince, but wanted the side room to be succeeded by Shimazu Hisamitsu, the son of Ra. However, in the end, it was Shimazu Saibin who became the lord of the domain, and his younger brother Shimazu Hisamitsu could only work under Shimazu Saibin as a vassal (retainer). Tadayoshi Shimazu, the son of Shimazu Hisamitsu, is a very intelligent and loyal figure. For Shimazu Tadayoshi, if his biological father is treated as a retainer, then it will be difficult for him to fulfill his filial piety as a son, so he gave his father the status of "Taishang" and enjoyed the same treatment as himself. However, Shimazu Hisamitsu is a stubborn conservative who often insists on carrying out his will, and he is also a very scholarly figure in Chinese studies. When he saw that the Choshu domain had cultivated great power between the imperial court and the shogunate, he also wanted to promote the integration of the public and military forces, and also wanted to participate in national affairs, so he considered implementing the plan of "leading troops to Beijing" that Shimazu Saibin had planned but failed to achieve.

At this time, Okubo proposed to Shimazu Hisamitsu that in order to implement the plan to lead his troops to Beijing, it would be better to recall Saigo Takamori, the favorite of the former monarch. So on February 11, the second year of Bunhisa, Saigo Takamori returned to Kagoshima after three years of exile. But Saigo Takamori, who had returned from the island, had the opposite idea of Okubo Ritsu, and he fiercely opposed Shimazu Hisamitsu's plan to lead his troops to Beijing. Saigo Takamori believes that the situation in which Shimazu Saibin was considering this plan at that time was very different from the current situation, and that the preparations for leading troops to Beijing were not yet complete, and if the plan was carried out rashly, an unexpected situation would inevitably arise. Moreover, compared with Shimazu Hisamitsu and Shimazu Qibin, the gap in ability is not only one or two grades. So Saigo Takamori openly explained his reasons for his opposition in front of Shimazu Hisamitsu, which made Shimazu Hisamitsu very unhappy.

For Shimazu Hisamitsu, he wants to participate in national politics with high spirits. How can you allow a little vassal? Of course, it was very unpleasant. So to speak. It was at this time that the feud between Saigo Takamori and Shimazu Hisamitsu began. However, Okubo Ritsu persuaded Saigo Takamori with great patience and asked him to take on part of the tasks in this plan. Under Okubo Ritsu's attitude, Saigo Takamori had no choice but to say, "In that case, let's do our best!" "Reluctantly accepted Shimazu Hisamitsu's order, and was responsible for going to Shimonoseki to understand the situation in Higo a month before Shimazu Hisamitsu led his army to set off, and waiting for Shimazu Hisamitsu to arrive there.

However. Saigo Takamori arrived at Shimonoseki and learned about the situation, and found that, as he said, the situation was far more violent and turbulent than Shimazu Hisamitsu and the upper echelons of the Satsuma clan could have imagined. Hearing that Shimazu Hisamitsu led his troops to Beijing and planned some of the aspirants and ronin, the feudal lords of other feudal clans, and the rapid feudal clans of Satsuma mistakenly thought that Satsuma was about to participate in the tide of the downfall, and they continued to gather in Kyoto and Osaka, and the situation was quite chaotic. Shimazu Hisamitsu was originally a conservative person and did not want any major reforms. What's more, in Shimazu Hisamitsu's mind, there was not the slightest thought of going to collapse. Shimazu Hisamitsu's wish was nothing more than to implement a policy of integration of public and military forces and to be able to participate in national politics. When Saigo Takamori learned of these urgent circumstances, he immediately considered if Shimazu Hisamitsu arrived in Kyoto and Osaka in this way. I'm afraid that something will happen that is difficult to manage. In order to prevent trouble, Saigo Takamori ignored Shimazu Hisamitsu's order for him to wait in Shimonoseki. Rush to Osaka immediately.

Upon arriving in Osaka, Saigo Takamori relied on his prestige to calm down the commotion of the samurai, and he ordered no one to act rashly, and demanded that they strictly act according to their orders, and finally calmed down the commotion. But for Shimazu Hisamitsu, these things seem to have nothing to do with him. When Hisatsu arrived at Shimonoseki, he was furious at Saigo Takashi who ignored orders and acted without permission. When he entered the Hyogo, he issued an order to arrest Saigo Takamori. Later, under the persuasion of Okubo Ritsu, Shimazu Hisamitsu spared Saigo Takamori.

Shimazu Hisamitsu's "leading the army to Beijing" ended in failure, but it made a very bad start, and later the representative of the radical faction "Emperor Zongyi" Choshu Domain also followed suit, led troops into Beijing and started a major war with the army of the shogunate forces, which was the "Forbidden Gate Change".

Since the Satsuma Domain and the Choshu Domain were in opposition at this time, and the Satsuma Domain sided with the Shogunate, Saigo Takamori had already realized that radical "rebellion" could not solve the problem, and that the so-called "Shogunate must first be settled inside", and if the shogunate rule was not overthrown first, everything would be nonsense. However, the time was not yet ripe to overthrow the shogunate, and it was necessary to "save the country by curve", so he decided to get on the shogunate's "ship" first and then scuttle it. As a result, Saigo Takamori commanded the Satsuma army and defeated the Choshu army from the flank and rear in one fell swoop. Soon after, he participated in the "Sei Cho War" as a staff officer of the crusading army organized by the shogunate forces. Of course, he understood that the fundamental interests of Choshu and Satsuma were actually the same, and they both hoped to overthrow the old ruling order, establish a strong Japan, and resist foreign aggression. Therefore, he cleverly suggested disbanding the crusading army and "dismantling the Choshu Domain from within", but in fact, this move clearly put Choshu alone, and where is the dismantling of the Choshu Domain, it is clear that the crusading army is being dismantled from within. The shogunate was initially quite happy, agreeing to Saigo Takamori's suggestion and disbanding the crusade army. Later, I found out that something was wrong, and of course I was very dissatisfied. A year later, the shogunate was once again preparing to organize the Second "Seicho War", but by this time Saigo Takamori had openly refused to allow the Satsuma clan to join the crusade army. And actively liaise with the forces of Choshu, who was isolated at this time, and of course expected to have a strong feudal domain like Satsuma that could both fight and crusade against the shogunate as an ally, and the two sides hit it off. Another year later, under the mediation of Sakamoto Ryoma, a native of Tosachi, he met with Kido Takayoshi, the leader of the Choshu Domain's fallen shogunate, and formed the "Sacho Alliance". The unification of the forces of the two great feudal powers was a turning point for Japan in the new era, but of course this is a story for another time.

After the establishment of the new Meiji government, the Shimazu family was naturally very wary of "leading the army to Beijing", and although Shimazu Hisamitsu continued to hold power in the Satsuma domain after the Restoration, in the fourth year of the Meiji era, the "abolition of the feudal domain" issued by the Taisei officials led by Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimitsu, who were the heads of government, angered Shimazu Hisamitsu, who was living in Kagoshima at the time, and in protest, he set off fireworks for an entire day. Among the old daimyos, Shimazu Hisamitsu was the only one who was dissatisfied with the "abolition of the feudal domain". Later, he rebelled against the Meiji government's Westernization policies such as the "Abolition of the Sword Order", refusing to cut off his hair, and still going out with a double knife and wearing a kimono.

During the Meiji government's campaign to abolish feudal prefectures, Shimazu Tadayoshi, the last lord of Satsuma, was removed from his post as feudal governor, and by order of the Meiji government, he was forced to transfer his household registration to Tokyo Prefecture, and the Shimazu family moved to Tokyo. After the creation of a separate family Yuri Shimazu family. In the sixth year of the Meiji era, Shimazu Hisamitsu served as an advisor to the government's cabinet. Seven years as Minister of the Left, he proposed the restoration of old customs and was completely excluded from the decision-making process of government policy. In the eighth year of the Meiji era, he resigned as Minister Zuo, and after that, he devoted himself to the compilation and collection of historical books handed down by the Shimazu family. But after the outbreak of the Southwest War, the Shimazu family was pushed to the forefront again. (To be continued......)

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