I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1049: The North is in danger! Goryokaku is in danger! [4800]

If they don't fight, it's fine. Once they start fighting, the winner will be decided within two years... In this situation, any long-term plan is useless! Qing Deng must improve his combat power in a short period of time!

This is also why his conscription plan was designed to be very restrained and not to increase the number of troops crazily.

If you recruit troops crazily, it will take a very long time to build up combat effectiveness.

To sum up, Qingdeng is currently making three preparations at the same time.

First, use all possible means to improve the combat effectiveness of the Shinsengumi. Whether it is going to war or negotiating, it must be supported by strong strength.

Second, continue to lobby the western feudal lords and divide them as much as possible.

Third, launch a large-scale anti-corruption campaign, eliminate bad policies, liberate the shogunate's productive forces, and use the "deposits" of corrupt officials to enrich the national treasury.

The first and second items are in full swing.

As for the third item... after careful consideration, Qing Deng decided to entrust this important task to Tianzhangyuan.

Fighting corruption and eliminating malpractices is a very offensive job, and it requires a strong man in a high position of power to take the lead - Tianzhangyuan is the most suitable candidate.

Faced with Qingdeng's request, she agreed readily.

"Sheng Qing, just leave it to me! I'm bored of staying in this house every day!"

Eradicate corruption, reform the system, and make the world a new place - this has always been her wish.

Previously, due to her limited strength, she could only sigh in despair.

Now that she finally had the chance to realize her long-cherished wish, she became particularly motivated, her eyes were bright, and even her spirit had changed.

Tianzhangyuan is the kind of person who can't sit still.

If you let her spend every day leisurely, she will be listless; if you give her a lot of work, she will become energetic instead.

On the day Qingdeng entrusted her with the important task, she immediately set up an "anti-corruption reform task force" and officially got down to work.

Just like that, with Qing Deng's full support, Tian Zhang Yuan returned to the pinnacle of power, holding the power of life and death over countless officials, just like Qing Deng's incarnation.

Don't underestimate Qing Deng's current prestige.

Defeat the Fuchi coalition and save Edo... a true achievement in rebuilding the shogunate!
After expelling the "Ichibashi faction", he achieved a high degree of unification of power and monopolized the power of the "Southern Shogunate".

To put it bluntly, facing the anti-corruption campaign initiated by Qing Deng, the corrupt officials of the "Southern Shogunate" had no means of resistance. They could only keep their tails between their legs and secretly pray that Tianzhangyuan would not investigate them.

When the capital was moved to Otsu, Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshoin's private army and intelligence agency, the Shin-Oniwaban, was also moved there.

The warriors of the new Oniwaban are all well-trained and trustworthy ninjas, making them perfect for being the pioneers in the fight against corruption.

In this way, with Qingdeng's endorsement, Tianzhangyuan's hard work, and the full cooperation of Xinyiwan, corrupt elements were brought down one after another.

It’s a pity that these guys are all powerless “flies”.

Those "tigers" take care of each other and have formed an extremely exaggerated network of interests. They cannot be made to surrender by just a few words or chopping off one or two heads.

It's not that we can't deal with them, but this will distract a lot of energy and resources.

More importantly, hitting the "tiger" at this critical juncture may cause civil unrest in the "Southern Shogunate".

There is no other way but to let these "tigers" roam free for a while longer.

Although the series of anti-corruption work currently being carried out by Tianzhangyuan cannot fundamentally address the problem of corruption, it is better than nothing.

Catching corrupt officials can at most enrich the national treasury and deter the "survivors" from acting recklessly for a short period of time.

In contrast, institutional reform is the truly powerful way to liberate productivity!

Tianzhangyuan naturally knew the interests involved, so it focused its work on reforming the system.

One after another, outdated systems that could no longer keep up with the times - such as the establishment of the South and North Bugyosho in Edo, and alternating work hours on a monthly basis - were abolished one by one.

With the demise of backward systems, the current situation of redundant officials, redundant staff and redundant expenses has been greatly improved, saving a lot of manpower and material resources.

Just based on the size of the "Southern Shogunate", even if it only liberates a little bit of productivity, it will be enough to form a significant advantage over the Western Countries!

The current priority is to win the next "East-West War".

Any affairs at this stage must give way to this goal!

Eliminating the "tigers", reforming the system from the root...these extremely troublesome and important tasks can be left for later.

……

……

Compared with the previous "first large-scale conscription", the scale of this conscription is much larger.

Qingdeng is divided into five major regions: Gyeonggi, Nobi, Kai, Kanto, and Ou, and each region has a recruitment point! Select the most elite soldiers in the widest range!
At this moment, in the southern suburbs of Otsu, the selection for the "Gyeonggi Region" has officially begun.

Looking up, I was shocked to see that the selection site was crowded with people.

The person in charge of coordinating the conscription work in the "Gyeonggi Region" was Shinpachi Nagakura.

At this moment, Nagakura Shinpachi slowly walked up to the reviewing platform.

When Nagakura Shinpachi appeared, there was an immediate uproar.

"It's the captain of the second squad, Shinpachi Nagakura!"

"He is one of the strongest swordsmen in the Shinsengumi! It is said that besides Niou and Tenken, Nagakura Shinpachi is the strongest!"

"So strong... As expected of the captain of the Shinsengumi's second division, his physique alone is intimidating."

After following Qing Deng through life and death for many years, Nagakura Shinpachi has become much calmer, with a more resolute look on his face, and he no longer exudes the same irritable aura as before.

Nagakura Shinpachi pursed his lips, held the sword at his waist, and looked around the audience.

"Everyone listen up!!"

The sudden roar spread throughout the venue and reached everyone's ears.

The noise gradually faded away, and soon it became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were focused on Nagakura Shinpachi, and everyone at the scene listened attentively to his next speech.

Nagakura Shinpachi was not good at speaking, so he skipped the pleasantries and flowery words and spoke directly and loudly:
"The number of admissions allocated by Ino to the 'Gyeonggi region' is 1500!"

"But so far, 6000 people have come to participate in the selection! And this number is still rising!"

"In the end, there were at least 2 to 3 people who came to apply!"

"That is to say, only 1500 out of tens of thousands of people are lucky enough to become Niou's comrades!"

"Those who want to join the Shinsengumi! Those who want to fight alongside Nioh! Those who want to win fame! Treat this selection as a battle! Give it your all!"

Although Shinpachi Nagakura doesn't know how to give a public speech, he is not a fool.

He knew very well that the vast majority of applicants present either admired Qing Deng and wanted to fight alongside him, or they were craving for fame, fortune and attempted to achieve a class leap.

Therefore, in his speech just now, he cleverly used words such as "comrades of the King" and "win fame" to inspire the applicants' fighting spirit.

Facts have proved that the effect is remarkable.

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene erupted in cheers! Even within Ozu Town, one could hear the shocking shouts and feel the abundant heat!
……

……

While the conscription work was being carried out steadily, the supply and storage of materials were also carried out in full swing.

After achieving the breakthrough from "0" to "1", the subsequent increase in production at the Otsu Military Factory became much easier.

The production of muskets and cannons has been increasing steadily and rapidly.

Qingdeng placed large orders with the Kai, Tokai, Noo, and Ou domains - Noo produced grain; Tokai produced salt; Kai and Ou produced horses - strategic materials such as military horses, sugar, salt, and medicines were also purchased in large quantities.

Kinoshita Lin is worthy of being Qingdeng's biggest financial backer, and she continues to spend lavishly as always.

Not only did he provide material support in terms of money and food, but he also continued to help Qing Deng connect with overseas arms dealers to purchase weapons in large quantities to fill the gaps in muskets, cannons, and ammunition. In fact, Kinoshita Lin is no longer Qing Deng's biggest financial backer - now, Qing Deng himself is his own biggest financial backer!
Again, Qing Deng’s authority is now terrifyingly high.

It is no exaggeration to say that he is now in a state of "holding the imperial power, being the only one in the cabinet, and having the imperial edicts written by him"!
The resources that Qing Deng can now mobilize are no longer limited to the Qinjin clan. He can now mobilize the resources of the entire "Southern Shogunate"!

He gathered the strength of the "Southern Shogunate" and devoted all his efforts to developing the military industry and the technology tree.

It would be a pipe dream to catch up with the accumulation of Satsuma and Hizen domains over more than ten years in just one or two years, but we should narrow the gap as much as possible.

Not only the Huluya, the various feudal domains, and the "Southern Shogunate", all the forces that can be borrowed must be fully utilized - so Qing Deng set his sights on Miss "Maria Anna".

[Note: Marie Anne: national symbol of France]

Since there is currently intelligence indicating that Satsuma is linked to Britain, Qingdeng believes it is necessary to seek help from France in order to fight against the British Empire.

Let “foreign forces” deal with “foreign forces”!
The shogunate had a good relationship with France, so Qing Deng hired industrial and military consultants from France in the name of the shogunate.

The latter's reaction was more straightforward than Qing Deng had expected.

Minus the time for delivering the credentials, he received the French government's reply of "full agreement" almost as soon as he proposed the contract.

France must have received intelligence about Britain's frequent activities in Satsuma and was unwilling to allow Britain to act recklessly in Japan.

When it comes to criticizing Britain, France is professional!

If nothing unexpected happens, French industrial and military advisers will arrive in Japan in June this year.

Gyeonggi is the front line against the Western Kingdom, so Qingdeng concentrated most of its resources here and built it into a bridgehead for the "East-West Decisive Battle".

Qing Deng never considered himself a military genius. He fought with one strategy: be cautious, be cautious, and be cautious again! Be invincible first, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated!
So, he armed the capital with all his strength while preparing for its fall.

He did not concentrate important facilities such as military factories and granaries in Gyeonggi Province, but dispersed them in Nobi, Kanto and other places, preparing for resistance at every step.

According to his strategic plan, once Gyeonggi fell, he would retreat to Nobi.

If Nobi was also lost, he would retreat to Tokaido and use Sunpu Castle as a base to continue fighting against the western region.

If Sunpu falls again, he will retreat to Kanto; if Kanto falls, he will retreat to Aizu; if Aizu still fails, he will go to Goryokaku... In short, Aoto will fight with the western feudal lords until the last moment!
The Eastern Kingdom was busy preparing for war, and the Western Kingdom was not to be outdone.

After Katsura Kogoro gained control of Choshu, he devoted all his efforts to healing the deep wounds left by the previous war.

Faced with the full-scale recruitment of the "Southern Shogunate", the Satsuma domain showed an eerie silence and did not make any movement, making it difficult to guess what the Satsuma domain's leadership was planning.

Tosa and Hizen showed an attitude of favoring the shogunate, but in fact they were still in a state of wavering and did not completely lean towards either force.

From elites like Aoto and Katsura Kogoro to ordinary civilians, everyone firmly believes that the "East-West Decisive Battle" will be the next "main issue of the world" and no other event will be more popular than it.

However...what the world never expected was that when the "East-West Decisive Battle" was about to break out, in a corner that everyone ignored, a war that was destined to go down in history and might even change world history suddenly arrived!
……

……

January 1865, 7 -

The northern border, Hakodate, Goryokaku——

This Western-style bastion, built under the supervision of the Edo Shogunate, designed by Takeda Hisaburo, and with technical guidance from French military advisers, was finally completed last year.

Construction began in 1857 and was basically completed in 1864, taking a total of 7 years.

It took only 7 years to build this huge bastion... In terms of the efficiency of the Edo Shogunate, this was already incredibly fast.

In terms of defensive capabilities, Goryokaku should be the most solid fortress in Japan today, no doubt about it!

It is named "Goryokaku" for its unique five-pointed star (five-sided) structure, which can maximize the artillery firing range and reduce defensive blind spots.

If the European stone structure was chosen instead of the earthwork + wood design, even a hundred cannons would have been difficult to blast open a fortress of this level.

Goryokaku is located in Hakodate, the southernmost tip of Ezo, across the sea from Honshu Oshima.

The original intention of building Goryokaku was to defend against possible invasion by foreign enemies - when we say "foreign enemies", they actually refer specifically to Russia.

As we all know, the Russians have an extraordinary desire for land. They want good land and bad land too.

As early as 50 years before the outbreak of the "Black Ship Incident", the Russians began to invade Ezo (1806-1807). Because it happened during the Bunka period, it is known in history as the "Bunka-Russian Incident."

The purpose of building Goryokaku was to guard against Russia.

Although the defenders of Goryokaku knew that they had a heavy responsibility, they also knew in their hearts that given the current situation, the possibility of Lukou attacking was very small.

Therefore, looking up, one could see that every one of the defenders of Goryokaku were slacking off as if they were seeking revenge, and there were very few people who stayed at their posts.

They were either playing cards or chatting in groups... they were doing everything except working.

"By the way, did you know? The captain of the Shinsengumi First Division, Okita Souji, is sick."

"Sick? What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. I just heard that she hasn't been seen in public for several months. The Shinsengumi said that she was recovering from her injuries, but everyone suspected that she was seriously ill. Some even said that she was dead."

"She can't possibly die! How could a wonderful woman like her die so easily!"

"Oh, I really envy Nioh. It's not enough that he married the 'most beautiful woman in Edo', he also married so many beautiful women. If I can marry Captain Okita, I will live ten years less... No, I'm willing to live twenty years less!"

"Come on! You've never met Captain Okita, have you?"

"I have never met Captain Okita, but her reputation as a 'beautiful girl' has long been known throughout the world! To be recognized as a 'beautiful girl', she must be an incredible beauty!"

Stupid conversations like this occur everywhere in Goryokaku.

Chatting as usual, slacking off as usual, living the same life as usual...the defenders of Goryokaku thought that today would pass as usual.

However, at this moment, in a moment without any signs -

boom!
A shell streaked across the sky and landed in Goryokaku! Immediately thereafter, an explosion was heard!

With the explosion of this shell, the tranquility in Goryokaku was broken.

"What, what's going on?!"

"A shell! It's a shell!"

"Is it an enemy attack?"

"do not know!"

"Did Lukou call?"

"I already said I don't know!"

"Return to your respective posts! Everyone, return to your respective posts!"

Although they were slacking off, in the face of the urgent situation, the defenders hurriedly returned to their posts in a chaotic but urgent manner.

An officer raised his telescope and looked outside the fort.

In a moment, his face turned as pale as if it had been painted with white paint.

A large number of enemy troops were seen pouring out of the fort.

However, they were not the Lukous with high noses and deep eyes, but had the same yellow face and wore strange clothes.

People from other places may not recognize these uniforms, but for the defenders of the Pentagon, these uniforms are very recognizable.

The officer swallowed hard, and then stammered:
"Yes, it's the Ainu! The Ainu are attacking!"

"Ainu? Are you sure?"

"There's no mistake! It's the Ainu who are attacking!"

It was indeed the barbarians who attacked—but they were another group of barbarians!
The indigenous inhabitants of Ezo - the Ainu - launched an attack on Goryokaku!
*******
*******
In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the month again! Book friends who have monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book! (tearful leopard head.jpg)

Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: The Goryokaku dungeon is now open! Since this is a theme about the end of the shogunate, how can I not write about Goryokaku? (豹嗨.jpg)