Date's statement temporarily calmed the doubts of Western countries. But it immediately sparked a fierce infighting. The first resistance came from the Satsuma and Tosa feudal lords. The Satsuma and Tosa feudal domains were the main contributors to the Restoration, and they were powerful within the government. Therefore, I have been privately minting inferior gold coins, and no one dares to ask. Seeing this, the other feudal clans turned a deaf ear to the government's ban and kept minting gold and silver coins. As a result, Japan's economic turmoil intensified, and the Meiji government was questioned and faced a great crisis.

The Meiji government ordered Shigenobu Okuma to be in charge of preparing a plan for dealing with bad and counterfeit money. Shigenobu Okuma's plan was basically the same as Date Munejo's statement. However, the power of Satu and other feudal lords to take the lead in announcing the "return of copyrights" has greatly increased, and their arrogance is monstrous. The feudal faction, led by Okubo Ritsu, vigorously opposed Okuma's plan. On 30 March, the conflict heated up. Shigenobu Okuma and others had just received an order from the Taisei to announce their agreement to Okuma's monetary reform measures, and even the "flying feet" (the person in charge of postal delivery) were sent out. As a result, Flying Foot was captured by Okubo Ritsu's people. Okubo Ritsu directly wrote to the Imperial Governor Minoru Sanjo, accusing Shigenobu Okuma and others of being "businessmen" and "shallow knowledge", and insisting that any currency reform be stopped. The reason why Okubo Ritsu is like this is for the selfish interests of a feudal clan. Because Satsuma has benefited a lot from minting bad coins. Therefore, Okubo was afraid of losing his financial resources. In fact, this kind of intention to harm the public and private interests has in fact split the Japanese government, and because it is afraid that the government will split, the success of the reform will fail. Therefore, Kido Takayoshi decided to intervene between the two factions, and because of Kido Takayoshi's intervention, and the promise that the feudal faction would enjoy the benefits even after the currency reform. In the end, both sides agreed to give in. So Shigenobu Okuma's plan was finally approved. Kido Takayoshi appreciates Shigenobu Okuma. Therefore, at the behest of Kido Takayoshi, the Meiji government announced that it would promote Shigenobu Okuma to full-time accountant and deputy governor for the purpose of negotiation, and on July 6, the Ministry of Finance was established. Due to the collapse of the previous Yuri justice due to the problem of the Taizheng official book. Shigenobu Okuma was chosen as a substitute for Daisuke Okura. Officially became the Senior Minister of Finance of the Ministry of Finance. Shigenobu Okuma's promotion kicked off what became known as the "Okuma Fiscal Reform."

When the infighting subsided, Shigenobu Okuma issued a series of proclamations and passed several new laws from April 6 onwards, successfully stabilizing the financial order and heralding the beginning of monetary reform. On the other side, however, British Minister Parks became more pressing on the Japanese government. Now that the economy is stable, Parks believes that the government's monetary reform should also be on the agenda. And Parks has heard about a series of practices of Okubo Ritsu. Therefore, Parks was afraid that the Meiji government would use the excuse of the return of the copyrights to repay the debt. This was because the feudal domains not only made counterfeit money, but also borrowed a lot from foreign countries. Satsuma, in particular, purchased large amounts of arms and borrowed money from Britain during the end of the Edo period in order to raise armaments and war expenses. If the Meiji government had paid off its debts on the grounds that the copyrights had been returned, many British merchants would have gone bankrupt. So Parks, together with the ministers of the four countries, jointly demanded that the government must come up with a solution immediately. In order to negotiate the specific details, a delegation headed by Foreign Secretary Nobuka Sawa on 10 July, Shigenobu Okuma as the chief representative, and Hirobumi Ito as deputy representative set out for the talks, and the negotiations began in earnest on 12 July.

It was at that time that Shigenobu Okuma and Hirobumi Ito formed a deep fighting friendship.

The negotiations were very difficult, and the issue focused on two issues: how to compensate for the losses and how to reform the currency system. In the end, thanks to Shigenobu Okuma's efforts, the Meiji government did not pay a large amount of money for the bankruptcy of the infantiling Meiji government due to the demand for compensation. Shigenobu Okuma's diplomatic skills succeeded in saving the government from a financial crisis caused by external pressure. In particular, he formulated the first monetary reform plan in the Meiji period, and he attracted attention as a leading figure of the reform faction. Kido Takayoshi appreciated Okuma Shigenobu very much, thinking that Okuma Shigenobu was a rare talent, so he let Okuma Shigenobu be the leader of the Young Zhuang faction to unify the Young Zhuang faction bureaucracy. At that time, Okuma Shigenobu built a new home in the Tsukiji area of Tokyo, because Okuma Shigenobu was a hospitable person and often hosted banquets at home. As a result, a large number of young Zhuang bureaucrats frequented Shigenobu Okuma's home. Hirobumi Ito is also a frequent visitor to Shigenobu Okuma's house.

The Meiji government survived a fierce war and became recognized as the legitimate government. However, many factors caused this government to stumble during the initial period, and it could disintegrate at any time. Even a small thing can split the government. One of the biggest problems is the dire fiscal situation. It's almost a crisis. In the early days of the government, the old rules were followed, and taxes in kind were collected. But with the evolution of the times. The tax system in kind is riddled with flaws. And because of the devastation of the long war and the expenditure of war expenses. Real income is significantly reduced. Especially at that time, the government did not have enough strength to suppress the feudal domains. As a result, government rent can only be collected from the municipalities directly under the central government. The government's real revenue accounts for only a quarter of the country's land rent. Moreover, the mass printing and distribution of non-convertible banknotes actually exacerbated the poverty of the people, so that the Japanese economy was in chaos in the early years of the Restoration (this is the truth of the "myth of the Meiji Restoration" that later generations of indignant young people talked about, thinking that as long as the "Restoration" was completed, the transformation would be successful overnight).

Because of the extreme poverty of the people, many women have to do everything they can to earn money to support their families, just like the two girls just now, they can be said to be lucky to be able to perform on the streets, and more girls like them are forced to cross the ocean to engage in "cheap work" in foreign countries.

The reason why Ito Hirobumi gave these two girls a large reward just now was not only to appreciate the beauty and skills of the two girls, but also to sympathize with their misfortunes and apologize to them.

The price of the country's rise should not be borne only by them!

The attendant returned to the carriage, and Ito Hirobumi turned his head and told the coachman to move on, and just as the carriage had moved forward for a while, a sentence that Shigenobu Okuma had said to him suddenly flashed in his mind.

“…… Even a pervasive ninja will find it difficult to enter Kagoshima......"

In an instant, Hirobumi Ito's mind flashed like lightning.

"Maybe, they can help me get the information I want." Ito Hirobumi made up his mind in an instant, he turned his head and said to his entourage, "Ryoichi, you go back in a while and invite those two girls to your house, I have some things that I need to consult with them." ”

――――Dividing Line――――

Collect! Ask for recommendations! Click!