Nagasaki, Japan, autumn 1802.

More than 100 years after becoming the first free city in Shenzhou, this westernmost commercial port and metropolis located in the Japanese archipelago facing China, because of the natural terrain restrictions, is a little narrow and cramped, and it is no longer the center of Sino-Japanese exchanges, but the intersection of Eastern and Western civilizations.

From the deck of the clipper, sailboats and sailboats from all over the world are moored on the sea. There are all kinds of styles, including clippers that can cross the ocean at a very fast speed when the wind is right, steam old lock ships with low manufacturing and use costs, Ming Navy battleships with towering masts and many naval guns, small gunboats of various naval forces in Japan, small and medium-sized old lock ships that are not equipped with steam engines and water wheels that Japanese merchants like to use, and some small and flexible Japanese-style fishing boats that shuttle between the open sea.

Between the coast and the hilly terrain surrounding the city, Japanese-style houses are lined up with Chinese-style courtyards, European-style buildings, and high-rise buildings that mix Chinese, Japanese, and European styles, forming a narrow street. From a distance, you can see that this port city is extremely densely populated, with three religions and nine streams mixed together, and commercial activities are of course extremely prosperous.

In the port area, it is a mixture of old and new unique to a bustling big city that has stepped on the threshold of industrialization. The human or steam cranes next to the wharf are densely arranged, and not far from the wharf are full of stacks of goods, full of early industrial-style stackhouses. Diminutive Japanese dock workers are busy, shuttling large and small cargo.

The slipway dock of the shipbuilding stands prominently in a corner of the harbor area, next to a factory powered by a steam engine with a tall chimney, and black smoke billows from the whole area, and dust and soot fly everywhere. All the slipways, docks, and factories were busy, and the clanging of hammers could be heard from far away.

Sailors of all colors huddled on the deck, looking at this free city that has been known for freedom, chaos, prosperity and adventurer's paradise for more than 100 years, with expectant eyes.

Although the country of Japan has been in turmoil for more than 100 years, the chaos caused by the lords' attacks on each other has not ruined Nagasaki's prosperity, but has served as a ladder to promote Nagasaki's extreme prosperity.

And Nagasaki, a free city, has also become a help for all forces in Japan to continue to move forward in the troubled times!

The existence of this free city, which was sheltered by the Great Tomorrow Dynasty, provided a safe haven for business capital and scholars in Japan who were disgusted with warlordism.

It also gives the players of this "post-Warring States turmoil" in Japan a way out of this "power game" - no matter which daimyo is, as long as conditions permit, they have to buy a good property in the Nagasaki Free City, and at the same time deposit a large amount of silver in the Daming Bank in Nagasaki, so that if they fail, they don't have to use a knife to cut their belly!

At the same time, Nagasaki, a free city, also gave the various forces on the Ming side who wanted to make a fortune in the chaos of Japan's troubled times a stage to play to their heart's content.

The military experts of the Ming Military Department and the General Staff, because of the existence of Nagasaki, have a platform where they can study military technology and tactical progress at close range - all kinds of new weapons and new tactics still have to be tested in actual combat, or directly produced from actual combat!

Da Ming himself can not fight, but there must be a platform where you can observe the war and even test the water in person. In this way, the Ming Dynasty will not fall behind in terms of military technology and military tactics.

The capitalists in the Ming Dynasty who wanted to get a piece of the demand in the military industrial market, because of the existence of Nagasaki, there was a large market where they could assemble, sell, and test all kinds of new and old weapons.

And the royal ministers of the Great Tomorrow Dynasty also used Nagasaki as a platform for them to recruit mercenaries for their sons and nephews who "went abroad to seek their titles" - the current Great Tomorrow Dynasty is really not enough to roll up! If you want to recruit an army that can fight in Daming and can deploy overseas for a long time, the price is a little high!

If you have to use high-priced Ming mercenaries, it will be difficult for feudal colonization to afford!

Therefore, since a few decades ago, Japanese mercenaries have become special thugs for the Great Tomorrow Dynasty to engage in overseas separation.

But such a good platform has times when it fails!

In the troubled times of the Warring States, in the final analysis, it was a process of mutual annexation. After more than 100 years of fighting, those who are not very good at fighting and have poor martial luck have either perished, or have become rich people in Nagasaki, and some simply followed the children of the Ming imperial family to overseas fiefdoms. And the forces that remain at the table of Japanese power games are fiercer than the other, and each is stronger than the other.

Around 1800, Japan, which was originally full of daimyos, had evolved into the Kyushu Shogunate of the Yang family, the Shikoku Shogunate of the Shimazu family (which also governed Satsuma and Osumi on Kyushu Island), the Mori family's Jinsai Shogunate, the Maeda family's Koshin Shogunate, the Uesugi family's Jinhoku Shogunate, the Date family's Tohoku Shogunate's Shogunate, the Tokugawa family's Seiyi Shogunate's Mansion, and the Japanese Imperial Court controlled by the Heavenly Emperor, the Hotta family, and the Yamauchi family, a total of eight separatist forces!

This Japan has now developed to the stage of "Warring States Hachio"!

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the next step will be to divide into eight, or to unify the eight countries, that is, it will be a matter of the past twenty years!

And because Japan's Warring States Eight Heroes are all fought all the way with real swords and guns, each family has 56,000 elite infantry. Once the final major merger begins, it will be extremely difficult for Rao is Ming to intervene.

And once Japan was completely unified by one of the Eight Heroes. Then this new Japan is undoubtedly an emerging military power!

And if the Ming Dynasty forcibly starts to intervene in Japan, it may be dragged into the quagmire of war!

Looking at the vitality of the Nagasaki Free City in front of him, which far surpassed Constantinople, Kangxi, who had been drifting on the sea for more than a month, had begun to adapt to this bumpy life, and finally saw the hope of reversing the Ming Dynasty and restoring the Qing Dynasty.

Qingping was already very familiar with Zhu Xuanye, and at this time, he was also standing on the deck of this clipper ship with Zhu Xuanye. When I saw the prosperity of Nagasaki, I couldn't help but sigh: "I really didn't expect Nagasaki to be so prosperous. There are so many people here! ”

Kangxi nodded silently: "If I'm not mistaken, Japan has a population of 25 million today, although it is not as good as the 300 million population of the Ming Dynasty, but it is still a populous country. If you put it in Europe, it is second only to France and Rakshasa in the New World, and if you put it in the New World, I am afraid it will be the most populous country, right? Even in Shenzhou, it is only less than Daming and India! The country was divided for more than a hundred years, so it became a recruiting place for mercenaries in the East. If Japan can be reunified, its future is limitless! ”

Qingping's eyes moved: "Third prince, do you think Japan can be reunified?" ”

"Of course!" Kangxi said, "The general trend of the world is to be divided for a long time, and divided for a long time." Now that Japan has been divided for more than 100 years, it's almost time to reunite! ”

The mediator Qingping shook his head slowly: "It is also possible that it will become eight countries forever."

"Divided into eight nations?" Kangxi glanced back at the investigation office, and found that the angular face of this mixed-race man was suddenly covered with gloomy clouds, "Investigation officer, do you know any inside story?" ”

On the way across the Pacific Ocean, Kangxi had already figured out the situation of the transfer office. Originally, this house was a family of high-ranking samurai in the Satsuma domain, and the head of the family was qualified to serve as the head of the family. Later, because the lord followed Geng Jingzhong to establish the Aztec Republic, the Japanese mediator was weakened for a while. Later, however, the Satsuma clan and the Aztec clan became closer because they became the founding fathers of the Aztec Republic, and even the Japanese clan made a comeback and became loyal servants of the Shimazu clan.

And the Shimazu family is now one of the eight heroes of Japan, and was canonized as the general of the four countries by the Japanese court - although there are "eight heroes" in Japan, they are still roughly divided into the east and the west, the western army has the Japanese court, the general of Kyushu, the general of Zhenxi, the general of Shikoku, and the general of Zhenbei, a total of five, and the eastern army is the general of Zhengyi, the leader of the Koshin, and the leader of the northeast.

Five to three, it seems that the Western Army is strong, but the Western Army is not united. The Yang clan in Kyushu was bent on unifying Kyushu and wanted to establish an independent state in Kyushu and get rid of the nominal rule of the Japanese emperor.

And the Shimazu family can't afford to lose Satsuma and Osumi no matter what!

As for the Maori and Uesugi families, they are bent on Kamiluo.

On the other hand, on the side of the Eastern Army, the Tokugawa family's emaciated camel is bigger than a horse, and they still control the entire Kanhachi Prefecture, and it seems that they can still suppress Maeda and Date, so the Eastern Army is relatively united.

However, as far as Japan is concerned, the biggest problem is not the division of the Western Army and the unity of the Eastern Army, but the fact that the Great Tomorrow Dynasty is making efforts to "mediate" all parties in Japan in order to maintain the current status quo.

Thinking of this, the mediator Qingming sighed and said: "It's not a secret, the Ming Imperial Court has been trying to mediate disputes in Japan since last year, and the Nagasaki Peace Conference has been held several rounds. An eight-country plan was even proposed! ”

"The Eight-State Proposal." Kangxi Xin said: Li Zhongshan's disciples and grandchildren are really ruthless! So small Japan, it's going to be divided into eight, and the small ones are almost impossible to find!

In addition, the purpose of this investigation office Qingping came all the way to Japan across the sea, I'm afraid it's not really to marry a wife, right?

If you want a Japanese wife, let the Japanese mediator help you choose one, why bother to come all the way by yourself? With the financial resources of the transfer office, even if it is a young lady of the Shimazu family, it is not a problem, right?

Then why did he run on his own?

I'm afraid that the Japanese descendants in the Aztec Republic have also heard something...... They shouldn't want their home country to be divided into eight parts by the Ming Dynasty, right?

While Kangxi was pondering these things, the scissor sailboat he was riding with the bureau had already stopped at a pier in Nagasaki Port.

The spiral ladder was lowered, and immediately after that, I saw several men dressed as samurai running up as if they were flying. When they saw the family crest on Kiyoping's clothes, they came together and saluted him.

Qingping returned a bow, and then asked in Chinese, "How is the situation?" ”

"Returning to the young master of the proprietorship," a five-year-old warrior with a dark face and a beard replied in Chinese, "the situation is not very good...... Li Zhongtang of the Great Tomorrow Dynasty visited Nagasaki the day before yesterday and is currently staying at the Yang Annex. ”

"Li Zhongtang?" Kangxi interjected, "Which Li Zhongtang?" ”

The bearded man glanced at Qingping, and Qingping said, "This is the third prince of the Western Mansion of Daming Pingxi!" Also a good friend of mine. ”

"Disrespectful, disrespectful." The bearded man hurriedly bowed again, "Your Royal Highness the Third Prince, Li Zhongtang who came to Nagasaki is His Royal Highness King Ying of the Great Ming Dynasty!" ”

"King ...... England" Kangxi was shocked, isn't the King of England the prince of Li Yat-sen?

This Li Zhongtang turned out to be a descendant of Li Zhongshan!

"King Li Ying became the prime minister?" Qingping frowned, "The Heaven and Earth Society is in power again?" ”

The bearded man nodded, "That's right...... I was just elected this summer, and I haven't been in power for two months and I've come to Japan to preside over the damn Nagasaki Peace Conference! ”

"Tune the king," Kangxi asked, "this Li Zhongtang must support the Yang family, right?" ”

"That's a natural ......," Qingping gritted his teeth, "He and the Yang family of Kyushu are in-laws!" ”

Kangxi Xin said: I and the Kyushu Yang family are also relatives, right? So am I close to this Li Zhongtang?

Thinking of this, Kangxi said to Qingping of the Investigation Office: "I came to Daming to meet the ruler of Daming on the order of the first consul of France...... That's this Li Zhongtang!

Since he can be in Nagasaki, I'll go and meet him first. By the way, what is his bottom line for the division of Japan?

Maybe his idea was simply to make Kyushu independent...... Is this acceptable? ”

"Of course not!" The bearded Japanese samurai almost jumped up and objected, "Satsuma and Osumi are both territories that have been led by the Shimazu family for generations, and they must not be ceded to the Yang family!" ”

That's it? Kangxi didn't expect this seemingly fierce warrior to have such a ridiculous idea.

Could it be that the Yang family ensured the Shimazu family's territory in Kyushu, and the Shimazu family agreed to the Yang family as the king of Kyushu?

Thinking of this, he looked at Kiyohei again.

Qingping just smiled bitterly: "Shaman Shimazu's thoughts, I don't know very well. Third Prince, please ask you and Li Zhongtang to inquire...... Can the Yang family and the Shimazu family join forces and then preside over Japanese politics together? The position of general of Zhengyi can also be taken by the head of the Yang family! ”

"This is ......," Kangxi asked, "Who does this mean?" ”

Qingping stretched out a slap and said, "Third prince, don't ask me about this...... I won't let you do it in vain, though. I'll give this number, five thousand taels! ”

(End of chapter)