Iwakura Kuhito is Mujin, the Meiji Emperor of Japan, who was pronounced dead in 1855, but in fact it was a ploy by Iwakura Kushi and perhaps Tokugawa Akiko. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info. ybdu。 I don't know for what purpose, Iwakura and Akiko did not choose to harm Muhito, but let him go to Singapore under the protection of the British Minister to Japan in the name of Iwakura Kuren. At the same time that Minister Baker had his wife escort Muhin to Singapore, he also sent a report to Whitehall explaining that at this time, he wrote to the Governor-General of the Straits Settlements, asking them to protect Kuhito Iwakura - what a conscientious diplomat!

After learning of this news, Whitehall did not slack off, and immediately instructed the Governor-General of the Straits Settlements to secretly protect Iwakura Kuhito, and at the same time asked the diplomatic agency in Japan to secretly investigate Iwakura Kuren's position in the Iwakura family. Because the British have been looking for other agents outside the samurai group, and Iwakura Kushi, who was born in a public family, is the target of the British's focus on supporting and wooing.

Such a policy was caused by the excessively strong pro-Chinese tendencies of the Tokugawa family and the Japanese high-ranking samurai clique -- this was of course also due to interests, and Zhu Jishi's idea of "using China in the West and using it in the West" was obviously more in line with their interests. And another path of radical westernization is bound to bring more egalitarian ideas, which will seriously infringe on the interests of the samurai group. Therefore, after the Meiji Restoration, Japan in history also underwent a transformation from leaving Asia and entering Europe to harmonizing with foreign use. In the early Meiji period, it was because of the "equality of the four people" and the "abolition of the sword order" that some frustrated samurai rebelled, and even Saigo Takamori rebelled.

It was for this reason that all of Britain's previous attempts to win over Japan had failed. Japan is still slipping into the arms of the Ming Empire step by step, and is even ready to welcome the prince of the Ming Dynasty as the king of Japan. And the country is full of public opinion about entering China. It seems that China has been regarded as a panacea for resolving a series of social contradictions that have arisen after the integration of public and military forces -- in fact, China has indeed been a solution. This is because the social contradictions in old Japan were, in the final analysis, a lack of resources. It is impossible for the majority of people to live a relatively affluent life.

Therefore, the high-ranking samurai had to monopolize the wealth and resources of society for the benefit of themselves and their descendants. And entering China and then sharing the living space created by the Ming Empire over the years is indeed the easiest way to solve Japan's domestic problems. Because of the influence of later Japan, Emperor Zhu has always attached great importance to Japan, and regarded the assimilation of Japan as the basis for the Ming Empire's eternal domination of the East. Therefore, they were also willing to let Japan enter China and share the dividends brought by the expansion of the Ming Dynasty -- in fact, the Japanese samurai had always been the vanguard of the Ming Dynasty's foreign expansion, and from this point of view, the Japanese were indeed qualified to enter China and share the fruits of victory.

Driven by such huge interests. Japan's entry into China seems to have become an irresistible trend. However, the diplomats of the British Empire, who have been European stirrers for hundreds of years, are the best at sowing discord, and they still find the slightest crack in the glue-like Sino-Japanese relations. Oh, of course it's not Iwakura Kuren's kid. Although the British side was guided by an anonymous letter sent by an unknown person, it was already known that his real identity was probably Emperor Meiji, who died in 1855. But after all, a "deceased" emperor is no match for real interests, otherwise Muhito would not have fallen to the current state.

What really gave hope to the British was the new Japan!

Because the old Japan, which was close to the Ming Empire, could enter China and share in the benefits of the Ming Empire in Central Asia, Northeast Asia, and the South Seas. The new Japan, on the other hand, is far away in South America, but it may not enter China with the old Japan. On the contrary, it is possible to compete with the Ming Dynasty for the old Japan. Previously, they were suppressed in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where the climatic conditions were harsh, and there was not much room for development. Therefore, there is no question of competing with the Ming for the old Japan.

But now, New Japan has expanded to Chile. With the possession of fertile and resource-rich land in the western foothills of the Andes, the food and financial problems that limited the development of New Japan (the copper mines in Chile and the gold mines in Tierra del Fuego could bring a lot of wealth to New Japan) were resolved. In the near future, the new Japan, like the Kingdom of California, may become a "country of choice" with no shortage of resources, no land, and no capital, and the only thing lacking is the population, the yellow race from East Asia.

"Robert, but there is no shortage of yellow people in East Asia! There are as many as the new Japan wants. "Will. Hai Ming listened to his old friend Qiu Fatzi talk a lot of big truths, but he still didn't quite understand what kind of medicine was sold in the other party's gourd.

Robert. Churchill just smiled and shook his head. Hemming didn't even understand such a simple truth. It seems that the old friend's official fortune will also reach the Governor of the Straits Settlements.

"It is true that there is no shortage of yellow people in East Asia, but the politicians of the new Japan must want the Japanese, the Japanese with a Japanese national consciousness, not the people of the Chinese Empire." Qiu Fatzi took a puff of his cigar again, and said with a smile, "If the old Japan is completely integrated into China, then the new Japan will not be able to get the Japanese they want." The consequence of the introduction of a large number of immigrants from the Chinese Empire was inevitably the entry of New Japan into China and the eventual entry of the Ming Empire into China. Will, do you know where our opportunities are now? ”

"You mean we're going to ...... Help old Japan keep their traditions alive? ”

Robert. Churchill shook his head again and again, and said with a smile: "No, of course not. Because to keep the tradition is to enter China! Japan is indeed a member of the Chinese circle, and the more traditional they are, the closer they are to China, and the faster Japan will enter China. If we want the Japanese nation to have its own national consciousness, what we want to promote is not to join China, but to join Europe! It is necessary to transform Japan with the idea of completely Westernizing Japan and turn Japan into a Europeanized country. We will use the resources and land of New Japan to resolve the contradictions in Japan. ”

Will. Hemming vs. Robert. Churchill couldn't help but admire a little, could it be that the bloodline of the Duke of Marlborough's family was really excellent? can actually come up with such a way to divide China and Japan!

"But...... It's not easy to succeed, is it? "Will. Hemming was still a little skeptical. "The pro-Chinese atmosphere in Japan is too strong, and the Japanese who have received a European education are usually more pro-Chinese than those who have not received a European education, and almost all of them have become Ming nationality."

"No, no, it doesn't matter if you have a Western-style education or not." Robert. Churchill waved his hand and said with a smile, "In fact, the Ming Empire itself is a European-style country, and most of the systems it implements are European-style. This is also the reason why those Japanese, who have a European education, are particularly pro-Chinese. ”

Robert. Churchill's status was much higher than Will's. Hemming, of course, had access to all the secret reports on China - the most important job of the Indian governor was now not to pacify India, but to defend against the Chinese threat. So most of his energy was devoted to the study of China, and under his governor's palace, a special committee for the study of China was also set up. Coupled with the fact that he himself has lived in China for a long time, he can certainly see through the essence of the Ming Empire.

This is the very foundation of a European-style state in the cloak of oriental tradition, that is, the system of elite scribes and monopoly of the countryside, which has been completely destroyed by Zhu Jishi. If Zhu Jishi's policy has anything to do with middle school, it must not be a middle school inherited from the Song Dynasty, but a pragmatist middle school directly from the Warring States.

Robert. Churchill waved his hand and said with a smile: "In fact, there is not much difference between joining Europe and joining China, the key question is whether Japan can maintain independence, whether the new Japan will lead the old Japan, or the Ming Empire will control the new Japan." And for our British Empire, no matter whether this struggle is won or lost, it will create endless troubles for the Ming Empire. ”

Will. Haiming has understood that entering Europe and China is not the key, the key is that Japan can make trouble in Japan, and the new Japan and the Ming Empire can clash.

"So what is the role of this Iwakura Kuhito......"

Robert. Churchill laughed: "He has the potential to become the banner of Japan's entry into Europe, a legitimate Japanese monarch in exile in Britain!" (To be continued.) )