Chapter 190: The Meiji Restoration (6)

If you want to disguise the Qing Dynasty, the most worrying thing is not the identity document, let alone the old and young, but the big braids at that end, however, Mitsui Takasui is a person who has been sleek all his life, although he doubts, he will definitely not say anything "unbelieving", let alone ask where Huang Xuan's big braid went.

He made a smile and no longer answered, but said, "Come on, send this adult back to rest." ”

He said to Huang Xuan again, and said, "Your Excellency, please rest here first, if you are going to Kyoto, we will prepare your bags early tomorrow morning." ”

Mitsui Gao Sui was not ready to verify his body at all, this kind of thing was not something he could do, and he got into a "commotion" for no reason. His current thoughts are naturally to send Huang Xuan away peacefully, and as for any problems in the future, it is all a matter of the "government".

Huang Xuan also regarded himself as a businessman, so he naturally understood his thoughts, he smiled slightly, and said, "Your Excellency Mitsui, Your Excellency Iwasaki, take a step to speak?" ”

To be exact, it is more or less rude to call the two businessmen Your Excellency, but in the ears of the two, they naturally like it.

Mitsui and Iwasaki glanced at each other, but Mitsui still spoke, "Then let's go inside." ”

Next to the Kabuki theater is a small room for resting, and it is a Japanese-style sliding door structure where people can sit and drink tea, but of course, there is a fee.

Huang Xuan staggered and followed, ignoring the hateful gazes of several ronins. It can be seen that Mitsui Takasui doesn't really want to talk to Huang Xuan about something, this kind of lounge is really not for talking.

After taking off his shoes and sitting down, Mitsui squinted his eyes and stopped talking, Huang Xuan knew that at this time, he must make the other party interested or have confidence in the talks before he could continue, otherwise, everything just now would be in vain.

He thought for a moment and said, "Does Your Excellency Mitsui want to make your own foreign guns?" ”

"Huh?" Both men looked up.

Dian Wei sat at the door with a majestic face, but he didn't pay much attention to the conversation between the three people.

Huang Xuan pondered and said: "I got the complete drawings of the mechanical manufacture of foreign guns from the Germans, and if the two of you are interested, they can be transferred to you at a very low price." ”

At this time, China had just begun the foreign affairs movement, and Mitsui Takasui knew about it, and he also specially inquired about the shippers who came to China and Japan, and learned that the Chinese had established industrial institutions called the "Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau" and the "Anqingnei Ordnance Institute", and used foreigners' technology to produce foreign guns and foreign bubbles. When he heard the news, he felt very strange.

He was originally prepared to develop the military industry, especially the shipbuilding industry, after the successful downfall, and the production of foreign guns that Huang Xuan mentioned immediately opened his eyes.

If we could produce our own foreign guns, it would be the only one in Japan. Nowadays, in workshops such as Osaka, muskets are produced by hand, and their "sex" is clumsy, and in order to equip the shogunate with new weapons, Osaka's merchants have shed a lot of blood.

Mitsui Takatsui didn't look at Iwasaki, smiled on his thin face, and said, "What does the envoy mean?" ”

Huang Xuan disguised himself and took out two drawings, both of which were made by Lorraine from biomass, which were costly.

Due to the urgency of time, Lorraine took out the design drawings of the "Mao" gun, although only the most basic design parameters and dimensions and other graphic annotations, but still made Mitsui Takasui look at it intently.

Both he and Iwasaki are Japanese who are familiar with the West, and they don't understand much of this kind of thing, but they can always get a rough idea.

"Can you leave us and have a look?" Mitsui Takasui said very carefully, he naturally wanted to find someone who knew how to take a look. At this time, he no longer cared about whether the other party was from the Qing Dynasty.

In the face of real interests, an aging empire thousands of miles away is actually not important at all.

Huang Xuan smiled and nodded, and explained in his mouth: "It was originally shown to you, Lord Li Hongzhang specially instructed that Greater East Asia must be co-prosperous, hehe, if it weren't for the wind and waves on the ship, the braid was entangled and cut off, I might have arrived in Osaka a long time ago." He said, looking at the other party's face, and said, "There are a lot of drawings, and some of them have to be drawn by me, so don't worry." ”

He was anxious in his heart, but of course he couldn't say that, Mitsui Takatsui immediately put away the drawings, and Yataro Iwasaki couldn't let him put it away, and immediately said: "Your Excellency Huang Xuan, let's have a light meal tonight, many people want to meet you." ”

"It's fine." Huang Xuan finally returned to his beat.

……

Before it got dark, Yataro Iwasaki and Mitsui Takatsui came together, and this eager attitude made Huang Xuan secretly amused in his heart. In his impression, the Japanese are still very smart when it comes to business. It is not an exaggeration to be respectful all the way and regard the opponent as God, but in terms of efficiency and the purpose of negotiation, the Japanese are indeed world-class.

There were also three or four businessmen accompanying the two, all of whom were in their fifties and sixties, and they did not talk to Huang Xuan directly.

If Huang Xuan hadn't participated, the businessmen at this time should have been busy dealing with the Fallen Curtain Army, but a guy like Mitsui didn't have to be so low-end.

In a restaurant in the east of the city, which was almost hidden in the corner, Yataro Iwasaki knelt and poured sake for Huang Xuan, and said, "Your Excellency has come from thousands of miles away, and the road has been hard. ”

The so-called ryotei, in fact, is some of the more secret shops, usually the first time, only regular customers can enter, some like those clubs in modern China, but the Japanese are long ago, about the beginning of the 18th century, because the shogunate forbade the daimyo from all over the world to secretly gather in Beijing, and the daimyo did have such a demand, the pavilion hidden in the corner was born, and after the fall of the shogunate, the vitality of the pavilion was more vigorous. In Huang Xuan's memory, Huang Liming once boasted that when he went to a restaurant in Japan, the four of them spent tens of thousands of dollars, and they were only half-full......

Huang Xuan looked around, the owner of this restaurant pavilion was also a short and fat middle-aged man, who spoke pleasantly, and bent over humbly forever, just like his waiter, but apart from these, there was nothing special at all in terms of decoration and other aspects.

After a casual greeting and a few words, and then drank two sips of sake, the atmosphere became warm, and the businessmen who accompanied the wine looked at Huang Xuan, Yataro Iwasaki and Mitsui Takasui very consciously, they never took the initiative to speak, nor did they participate in the process of conversation, so that Huang Xuan also sighed: In Japan in the 19th century, business rules were very strict.

After three rounds of drinking, Mitsui Gao Sui said happily: "Lord Huang, we have shown today's drawings to His Excellency Takayoshi Kido...... Oh, I'm sorry I didn't have your consent, but Mr. Takayoshi Kido liked the drawings very much. ”

Kido Takayo is one of the three heroes of the Restoration, formerly known as Katsura Kogoro, the Japanese at that time, can change several names in a lifetime, but no matter which one, Huang Xuan doesn't know, so the look on his face is just faint, and he said simply: "The drawings were originally intended for you, but Lord Li Hongzhang has not yet come, and I can't give them to you now." ”

"Huh?" Mitsui Takatsui was a little surprised, Iwasaki had already reached an agreement with him, and hurriedly said: "We know that the people of the last dynasty like to eat abalone, and this time we specially invited Master Kazuhito Komoto from Edo to cook, you can taste it." ”

He clapped his hands as he spoke.

Huang Xuan naturally smiled and stopped talking, and the little girl in her own kimono brought up 7 servings of abalone.

Speaking of which, Huang Xuan actually doesn't often eat abalone, this kind of thing may be more suitable for treats, rather than daily consumption, at least the Huang family has very few people who have invited a master to make abalone at home, and with Huang Xuan's age, naturally there are not too many opportunities to taste it. In fact, if you invite guests to your home, it is a sign of cordiality, but if you serve abalone at this time, this kindness will be diluted.

However, Huang Xuan naturally likes abalone itself.

Huang Xuan blinked, looked at the abalone the size of his palm, and couldn't help but ask Lorraine: "How much does this thing weigh?" ”

"800 grams." Lorraine is the weight of dried abalone by volume.

Huang Xuan almost hit his head on the table.

Everyone knows that abalone is enough for a catty (Hong Kong scale, about 600 grams), that is, how many abalones, the smaller the number, the more expensive the natural price. Usually better varieties of dried abalone, such as Mexico, Japan produced net abalone, the best abalone, the price of 20 heads is more than 20,000 yuan, due to the slow growth of abalone, the harsh environment, to the turn of the century, 4 abalone have been difficult to find, the so-called money is difficult to buy two abalone, as for 1 abalone, about from the 60s, it is already only in the legend.

Now many restaurants so-called a few abalone, in fact, are fresh abalone, and dry abalone is actually to shrink nine-tenths, in addition, the mainland is currently used to use the city pound to say a few heads, the same 20 abalone, it is 5 grams smaller than others, which is enough for abalone to grow for another two years. 200 years later, if any Hong Kong restaurant sees a Japanese net abalone, I am afraid that it will pay a sky-high price to become the treasure of the town.

And 800 grams, Huang Xuan's brain is a little messy, which is 0.7 abalone?

If you take it home, I'm afraid it's enough to buy a thoroughbred.

Seeing that Huang Xuan didn't move his chopsticks for a long time, Iwasaki asked puzzledly: "Isn't this ...... to the taste of adults?" ”

"It's not." Huang Xuan was actually sighing, I didn't expect that plane travel would have such benefits, when I was at home, I often heard people say that abalone eats one less head, and I am afraid that I will not be able to eat 8 abalone in the future, but I didn't expect that I can still taste 800 grams of abalone......

"That's good." Iwasaki said nonsense and said, "Lord Huang, I don't know when Lord Li Hongzhang will come?" ”

"It's going to take 10 days." Huang Xuan tasted the abalone and said vaguely: "This is abalone from Aomori County?" ”

Japanese net abalone is produced in Aomori Prefecture.

"It's from Chiba Prefecture." Iwasaki corrected, and Huang Xuan was stunned, he was looking at the energy screen and talking. He didn't know that the origin of the abalone was Chiba Prefecture, but later the sea pollution made Aomori Prefecture famous.

The craftsmanship of this master is really good, the entrance is tender and smooth, the umami is rich, Huang Xuan tasted it seriously, Mitsui Takasui and others saw this, and waited quietly.

It wasn't until he swallowed the whole abalone that Huang Xuan patted his stomach with satisfaction and said, "It's delicious in the world." As he said this, he looked at Mitsui Takasui.

Everyone hurriedly chimed in.

After eating abalone, Huang Xuan didn't want to eat anything else, and when he was at home, if he said that he was full of abalone, he was afraid that he would be said to be bragging.

Iwasaki moved his body slightly, and continued what he had just said: "Lord Huang, is Lord Li Hongzhang preparing to land in Nagasaki?" ”

"Probably so." Huang Xuan couldn't say unambiguously: "I came out early, and I want to wait for Master Li here." ”

"That's right." Several people laughed, and they didn't know what they were laughing at.

Huang Xuan also laughed twice and said, "But the drawings don't have to wait for Lord Li Hongzhang to come." ”

The laughter immediately stopped.

Mitsui Gao waved his hand, and several of the escorts got up to say goodbye, and then he said with a smile: "I don't know what Lord Huang thinks?" "He has already found someone to see the drawings yesterday, the "Mao" gun was invented two years ago, representing the world's highest design level, if there is no problem with the index, such a foreign gun, foreigners will never sell it to Japan, so the expectations in his heart are far more than Huang Xuan imagined. After all, in this day and age, it is easy to buy a machine, but it is even more difficult to want a drawing.

Huang Xuan didn't sell Guanzi either, drank tea, and said: "My duty, I have to wait for Lord Li Hongzhang to arrive before I can start the consolation work, but these days, Japan is not quiet." ”

"Huh." Mitsui smiled reluctantly.

"I heard you're going to march into Edo?" Huang Xuan pricked out with a needle, and immediately pierced the disguise of the two, and Yataro Iwasaki couldn't help but say: "This is a military matter, and it has nothing to do with us and other small people." ”

"Relevant." Huang Xuan dragged out his voice, and Lorraine translated it very well, so that the other party could clearly understand the taste.

He took the tea, covered his hands and said, "If Lord Li didn't come, Edo would be broken, and General Tokugawa Keiki would die, which I can't explain, because I didn't fulfill my duty." ”

Neither of them spoke.

Huang Xuan took out the drawings that had been prepared long ago from his arms and said: "This is what I drew in the afternoon, some drawings are soaked in oiled paper, and I always have to draw them, if I accidentally draw them wrong, it will be troublesome." That's all for now, take it back and look at it. ”

He said and put more than a dozen drawings on the table, then slowly stretched out a finger and said: "10 days, as long as the fallen army does not set off within 10 days, these drawings will be given to the two of them in vain." ”

Mitsui Takasui and Yataro Iwasaki glanced at each other, as if they didn't care about the coercion in Huang Xuan's words, and the latter said, "Lord Huang, how can I wait for a merchant to decide what the samurai think." ”

"If there are not enough bullets, any samurai is waste." Huang Xuan lowered his voice and said: "After 10 days, you will supply them with a sufficient amount of ammunition, armor, and food, and at that time, Lord Li will also come, and my duties will be done, otherwise Lord Li will be angry, not only me, but you will have nothing to fish." ”

He didn't say anything more serious, this is because as a later generation, he knew that the Qing Dynasty's dominance over Japan had fallen to the freezing point, but for the two Japanese businessmen, such a statement made it easier for them to accept, Mitsui Takashi received the drawings in his arms, but said: "In this way, I am afraid that it will have a lot to do." ”

Huang Xuan squinted his eyes for a long time before he took out another stack of drawings from his arms and whispered: "This is the design drawing of a small fire wheel, and there is a cannon on it." It's only half of it, so you can take it and see it again. ”

He spread the drawings on the table, and then said: "The shogunate is already at sunset, when it will end, it is only a matter of minutes, once the army goes, it is possible to surrender directly, at that time, if the Lord Xuanfu is here, you and I will look better on the face." He flicked his fingers and said: "Although Osaka is close to Kyoto, but the samurai do not understand the way of commerce, before several battles, the consumption of countless guns and ammunition, how can it be prepared in 10 days, wait for 10 days, it is beneficial to both sides, and I will not say much in the next, after the 10th, no matter whether Lord Li can arrive or not, I will hand over the drawings to you as promised." ”

Yataro Iwasaki has a low status, and if he offends people, he will say it, just for a moment, and then he said: "Although we believe in Your Excellency, but there are so many shops, it can't be just what we say, and I want Lord Huang to take out some real ones and show them to many people." ”

He wanted Huang Xuan to give the drawings first and then do things.

"I'm alone, can I still deceive you?" Huang Xuan said impatiently: "Okay, just pull it down." ”

"Why not 5th? These days, it is still dragged on in the inferior. Yataro Iwasaki began to bargain.

Huang Xuan didn't comply, there was a rainstorm after the 10th, but there would be no more after the 5th, he patted Yataro Iwasaki on the shoulder and said: "I don't only draw these two kinds of drawings, what are you anxious about." ”

"Huh?"

"How many more abalone do you have?" Huang Xuan cocked his legs and changed to a comfortable position.