Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 513: National Tour and Japanese Civil Unrest

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Batu and Suke arrived at Tianjin Port by boat from Alaska.

As the ship docked, the hustle and bustle of the port suddenly hit us, with the voices of pedestrians talking and the hawkers shouting together creating a prosperous scene.

Batu took his wife off the boat and walked out to the dock according to the instructions.

When they walked out of the dock, the first thing that caught their eyes was the crowds of people.

The sound of car horns continued to ring out.

On the asphalt road, cars can be seen passing by from time to time, and pedestrians have to avoid them.

Although cars are still a luxury in the Tang Dynasty today, they are no longer a rarity in important cities like Tianjin.

There are often cars on the road!

In addition, there are trams slowly passing on the street, with people getting on and off from time to time.

The driver pulled the rickshaw and ran past quickly, leaving behind a gust of wind.

In the distance, tall buildings come into view. The buildings on the street are planned quite neatly, and the glass curtain walls reflect the sunlight.

A scene of a bustling city!

Batu and Suke couldn't help but be amazed.

"Oh my God, the Tang Dynasty is developing too fast."

"Yes, yes, when we left Datang, Tianjin was not like this..."

Bafang on the side was even more surprised.

Before coming to the Tang Dynasty, in her eyes, Fuyuan City in Alaska might have been the most prosperous city in the world.

Because apart from the Fuyuan City of the Tang Dynasty, these Inuit had never seen any other large cities.

But now that she had come to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty, she realized how narrow-minded she was.

In her opinion, the city before her was no different from the legendary paradise.

"This... is this the Tang Dynasty?"

Bafang couldn't help but let out a low exclamation.

She knew that the Tang Dynasty was one of the most powerful countries in the world, but she didn't realize until today how valuable the word "Tang Dynasty" really was.

Batu on the side patted his chest and said with a proud expression.

"This is the Tang Dynasty!"

"However, Tianjin City is not the most prosperous city in the Tang Dynasty."

"If you want to talk about prosperity, you have to look at the capital, because it is under the feet of the emperor!"

Seeing this, Su Ke also said with a smile.

"Let's go to the train station and buy tickets."

Batu and his wife followed quickly.

They quickly bought tickets to Beijing in Tianjin.

Although the Tang Dynasty has now built a railway line connecting Beihai, if you want to go to the grassland from Tianjin, you need to change trains in the capital.

Soon, they boarded the train to the capital.

The new thing called train shocked Bafang again.

Only then did she realize that life in the Tang Dynasty was completely different from theirs.

In the eyes of the Inuit, steel is a rare thing, but the Tang Dynasty used steel to pave roads.

The group got off the bus in Beijing and then changed buses.

The train departs from the capital, heading north, passing through Zhangjiakou, Ulanqab, Suiyuan City, and heading towards Kulun.

With the completion of the railway connecting the grassland, the Tang Dynasty's policy of developing the grassland was also put on the agenda.

Nowadays, various nomadic tribes on the grassland have almost abandoned their traditional nomadic life and have been concentrated to mine coal and iron minerals in various places.

Then, the mined minerals are transported to the interior by train for profit.

Although mining is hard and dangerous, it is profitable because it guarantees a stable yield regardless of drought or flood. Both ordinary herdsmen and the Khan on the grassland can benefit from it and naturally will not resist the court's policies.

The imperial court could also use this to stabilize the grasslands and eliminate the problem of nomadic people.

This matter is beneficial to both parties, so naturally the policy was implemented smoothly.

Naturally, most of the herdsmen changed their careers and became miners.

The same is true for the tribes of Batu and Suke.

According to Batu's previous correspondence with his family, his family has now settled near Kulun.

He made a living by building railways and mining for the court every day. Although it was hard work, life was much better than before.

After several days of travel, the train finally arrived in Kulun.

Batu and Suke got off the car and started asking people where their tribal headquarters was.

A passerby heard this and pointed in the direction of Kulun City.

"Are you asking about the Naiyan Department?"

"In the city, the Naiyan Residential District in Xicheng District is right there."

"After you enter the city, you can find out by asking anyone."

After saying this, the passerby left in a hurry. He was in a hurry to go to work and didn't have time to waste talking to a few strangers.

Batu and his group entered the city and soon found the Naiyan community where the Naiyan tribe lived.

They had just entered the community when someone on the side of the road recognized them.

"Batu? Suk?"

"Is it you?"

"Didn't you immigrate to the New World? Why are you back?"

The person who spoke was a bald man named Manglidai, also from the Naiyan tribe.

He used to be a minor noble, but now he has changed his career and become a miner's foreman. He is no longer the dark and skinny guy he used to be, and he has become fat and big-eared.

"Brother Manglidai?"

"We are back home to visit relatives, and we have to leave again after the New Year..."

Manglidai said with a smile on his face.

"Okay, okay, just come back."

"Wait a moment, I'll go inform the clan leader..."

Under the leadership of Manglidai, they soon met the head of their family.

This is a man with a round beer belly, a pair of sunglasses on his greasy face, and a cigar hanging from his lips.

There is a big gold chain hanging around her neck, shining brightly!
If you live a comfortable life, it is easy to gain weight.

After exchanging greetings with the patriarch, he arranged for someone to take them to find their families.

Batu and Suke separated and went home.

Batu took his wife back to his home. After knocking on the door, an old woman appeared behind the door.

It was Batu's mother.

Batu opened his mouth and said.

"Mother, I'm back..."

When the old woman heard this, she was stunned at first, and the next moment her eyes were wet.

"My child, my child!"

"You are finally back!"

"Come in quickly..."

Soon, Batu brought his wife into the house, and the whole family couldn't help but hug each other and cry.

……

Li Yi made a plan to start from the capital and conduct a nationwide tour.

All departments have begun to make corresponding preparations.

In the tenth year of Kaitai, at the beginning of 1865, just after the New Year, Li Yi's imperial carriage set out from the capital.

His first stop was to head north.

He planned to go to the grassland first. It had been such a long time since the Tang Dynasty conquered the grassland, but he had not been there yet. This was not acceptable.

Li Yi wanted to personally inspect and examine the development progress of the grassland.

Li Yi’s first battle was in Zhangjiakou.

The imperial train stopped in Zhangjiakou, and Li Yi personally came out and gave a public speech.

"I hope that Zhangjiakou can take on the important task of connecting the grasslands with the interior of China, expand trade volume, and continue to make outstanding contributions to the development of the grasslands for the Tang Dynasty..."

After inspecting Zhangjiakou, Li Yi continued to head north and stopped in Suiyuan for inspection.

Today, Suiyuan City is one of the most important cities of the Tang Dynasty on the grassland.

Not only are the mineral resources rich, but the breeding, animal husbandry and agriculture industries are also developing very well.

The future is promising!
After finishing the inspection in Suiyuan, Li Yi continued to head north, and then went to Kulun, Kyakhta and other places.

Finally, the last stop of his northern tour was Beihai.

Li Yi stood by the Beihai Lake, looking at the endless lake in front of him, his eyes full of memories.

It is said that the highest achievement of ancient military generals was to seal the Wolf's Lair and carve a stone at Yanran.

The Tang army reached the North Sea and made it an inland sea, which was no different from the previous one.

As soon as Li Yi traveled through time, he not only maintained the territory of Begonia Leaf, but also expanded it further, reshaped the East Asian order and the world structure, and even took over Australia and intervened in the situation in North America...

His life was wonderful enough!
Even if you die immediately, your name will definitely go down in history.

After finishing his northern tour, Li Yi's next step was to tour the west. He planned to go through Shanxi, Shaanxi, and then to Gansu.

Well, if the railway connecting the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions had not yet been fully built and had only been built to Hami, Li Yi would even want to set off to the Western Regions for an inspection.

……

Xi'an, railway station!

Today's train station is no longer as prosperous and bustling as it used to be.

Instead, the place was under martial law from inside to outside.

Soldiers armed with live ammunition can be seen everywhere inside and outside the station.

The reason is very simple. The emperor will take a train to Xi'an for inspection today.

In order to ensure the safety of the imperial carriage, all train services at Xi'an Station have been suspended. Today, only one train can enter and exit Xi'an Station.

Guo Songtao, the governor of Gansu and Shaanxi of the Tang Dynasty, stood in the station with his hands behind his back, waiting for the emperor's arrival with an anxious look.

Finally, a train whistle was heard in the distance.

Guo Songtao looked in the direction where the sound came from, and saw a train slowly approaching the station.

呲!
The steam engine begins to release steam from the cylinder.

The train slowly came to a stop.

Soon, a group of soldiers filed off the special train.

Soldiers began to take over the defense of the entire train station.

After these soldiers successfully took over the defense of the train station, the emperor's special train slowly entered the station.

After the train stopped, Li Yi stepped off.

Guo Songtao quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health!"

Li Yi reached out and helped Guo Songtao up, then said with a smile.

"Haha, no need to be polite, Qing family!"

"Thank you for leading many officials from Gansu and Shaanxi to the train station to welcome me..."

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao repeatedly said that he dared not.

Li Yi smiled and led the way out of the train station. When Li Yi arrived outside the train station, a motorcade was already waiting there.

Li Yi got in the car and spoke.

"How about Mr. Guo riding with me?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao once again said he dared not.

But in the end, Li Yi pulled him into the car.

The convoy started and slowly headed towards the post house in Xi'an city.

On both sides of the road, people came spontaneously to welcome the imperial carriage.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Although the kneeling ceremony had been abolished in the Tang Dynasty, these people still spontaneously knelt on both sides of the road and shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison to express their support for the emperor.

Ever since the Tang Dynasty came to power, grain production has continued to increase over the years with the development of industry and progress in productivity.

In addition, the Tang Dynasty court organized the distribution of land, reduced taxes and levies, and exempted agricultural taxes. The lives of the people were visibly getting better and better.

The people of Shaanxi are no exception!

I wouldn’t dare to say how many people died of starvation in the Tang Dynasty today, but at least there is basically no such thing as people starving to death.

Such days can be called a time of peace and prosperity no matter in which dynasty.

Because of this, the people were very supportive of the Tang Dynasty's rule.

My respect for Li Yi also comes from the heart.

The people’s demands are actually very low. As long as they can have enough food and clothing, the emperor is a good emperor.

As for whether the emperor is troublesome, warlike, or cruel, the people don't care.

All they want is for their lives to get better, and that's enough!

The common people’s demands are so simple!
Li Yi withdrew his gaze from the car window and asked Guo Songtao next to him.

"Mr. Guo, how is the recent development progress in Gansu and Shaanxi?"

Guo Songtao heard this and spoke.

"In reply to your Majesty, thanks to the policy support of the court, the development of Gansu and Shaanxi is quite good now."

"The Silk Road restart plan is progressing step by step. The railway has now been built through Zhangye and Jiuquan to Hami. I believe it will be opened soon."

"In addition, afforestation and soil and water conservation in Gansu and Shaanxi are also progressing continuously."

"According to calculations by professionals, the sediment content of the Yellow River this year has decreased by at least 17% compared to before I took office."

"According to the current progress, it is estimated that in another 20 years, the problem of soil erosion along the Yellow River will be completely solved."

"By then, the Yellow River will be clear again, and the flooding of the Yellow River will be greatly alleviated..."

Listening to Guo Songtao's work report, Li Yi nodded slightly.

Guo Songtao continued.

"Then, according to research by professionals, the western region has stronger sunlight and a greater temperature difference between day and night, which is very suitable for growing cotton crops."

"I hope to promote the expansion of cotton planting in the Western Regions, thereby driving the economic development of the Western Regions..."

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but nodded repeatedly.

He originally thought that Guo Songtao was only capable in diplomacy, but unexpectedly, he was also an expert in domestic affairs.

He really has something!

Apart from anything else, just the reopening of the Silk Road and the promotion of cotton planting in the Western Regions show his foresight.

Li Yi said with a smile.

"The Qing family has a good idea, we can try to promote it."

Suddenly, Li Yi seemed to remember something and asked again.

"By the way, how is the cultural and educational work going?"

Datang is currently working on promoting compulsory education. Influenced by this, Li Yi now attaches great importance to cultural publicity and education.

When he inspected the grassland before, he also asked about the cultural and educational work there.

Guo Songtao heard this and spoke.

"In reply to your Majesty, the cultural and educational work in Gansu and Shaanxi is currently going pretty well."

"Shaanxi and Gansu provinces currently have a total of six universities, nineteen middle schools, and nearly thirty vocational and technical colleges, which have trained a lot of talents for the rise of Datang."

"In addition, I have also established public libraries in various states, prefectures, and counties in accordance with the instructions of the court. The libraries are open to the public. After registering, the people of the Tang Dynasty can borrow various books for free."

Compulsory education in the Tang Dynasty is still in the advancement stage.

However, this did not prevent the Tang Dynasty from insisting on lowering the cost of education and allowing more people to receive education and learn knowledge.

Li Yi nodded slightly again.

Guo Songtao continued his report.

"Your Majesty, other than that, it's all about publicity."

"At present, in addition to printing newspapers and posting big-character posters, the propaganda work in Gansu and Shaanxi also combines the local Shaanxi Qinqiang opera to write ideological propaganda operas and sing them in villages across the country."

"Also, at present, the size of religious temples in Gansu and Shaanxi is mostly restricted, and most of the temples that do not comply with the court's regulations have been demolished..."

Well, the reason for doing this is not aimed at Buddhism and Taoism.

But it’s a certain religion!

Because of the H riot that broke out in the northwest region a few years ago, the Tang Dynasty strictly investigated the spread of certain religions and basically adopted an attitude of banning the spread of them.

Violators will be severely punished!
Thanks to Shi Dakai's ruthless killings in Gansu and Shaanxi, the Tang Dynasty's policies were advanced quite well.

Of course, there is resistance.

But that's it!
The Tang army stationed in Gansu and Shaanxi are no pushovers and can handle the situation.

Listening to Guo Songtao's report along the way, Li Yi took a car all the way to the posthouse and then prepared to rest.

That evening, he summoned important officials of the Tang Dynasty government in Gansu and Shaanxi to have dinner together.

At the dinner table, Li Yi highly praised everyone's work and affirmed everyone's work results.

Afterwards, Li Yi conducted inspections inside and outside the city of Xi'an.

After finishing the inspection in Xi'an, Li Yi set out to continue westward, passing through Lanzhou, Xining, Zhangye, Jiuquan and other places along the way.

His final destination on this journey west was Hami.

It is also the westernmost point that the Datang Railway has been built to.

After finishing his inspection tour westward, Li Yi boarded a train and started heading eastward.

Henan, Shandong and other places are among his inspection targets.

……

Kyoto, Japan!
Wang Ju!

Xiaoming stood under the eaves, took a last look at Wang Ju behind him, turned around and asked Iwakura Tomomi who was standing beside him.

"Iwakura-kun, have you arranged everything?"

Iwakura Tomomi heard this and nodded.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything has been arranged."

"After you leave the palace, the personnel we have arranged in advance will escort you to Kyushu Island."

"The southwestern fiefdoms will send people to pick you up. When you arrive at Kyushu Island, you can call on the people of the world to support the king and overthrow the shogunate together."

"I believe you can avenge His Highness Mutsuhito!"

Although the Tang Dynasty currently has troops stationed in Kyoto, they are not responsible for the defense of the royal residence.

In addition, the imperial family has ruled Japan for so many years and there is no shortage of die-hard fans.

As long as he was prepared for the worst, it was not impossible for Xiaoming to leave Kyoto.

Komei's position was originally close to the shogunate, but since Mutsuhito was beheaded in public by the Tang Dynasty for the crime of killing the Tang Dynasty ambassador, Komei's position changed.

Start flirting with the anti-Qing Dynasty faction!
Now, he is preparing to leave Kyoto and go to Kyushu Island, which is ruled by the anti-shogunate faction.

The purpose is self-evident!

He wants to support the anti-Qing movement!

The reason for doing this was not only for the future of Japan, but more importantly, he wanted to avenge his son Mutsuhito.

The current shogunate is simply a vicious dog kept by the Tang Dynasty in Japan, and its loyalty to the Tang Dynasty is even greater than that to the emperor.

In Xiaoming's view, it was simply a pipe dream for him to expect the shogunate to help him take revenge.

Now the only people he can count on are the anti-Qing Dynasty faction!

Taking a deep breath, Xiaoming took a last look at Wang Ju, where there was little light behind him, and turned away.

He said silently in his heart.

"Muren, father, I will definitely avenge you!"

……

After inspecting Henan and Shandong, Li Yi changed trains in Shandong and headed south along the canal, preparing to conduct an inspection in the south.

Soon, Li Yi traveled around the south and his final destination was Guangdong and Guangxi.

Li Yi did not stay in Guangzhou for long. After a brief inspection in Guangzhou, he set off for Guangxi.

His first stop when he arrived in Guangxi was Xunzhou Prefecture.

Li Yi returned to his hometown this time for two reasons: first, to pay homage to his ancestors, and second, to sweep the graves of the Tang army and the rebel soldiers who had died in the anti-Qing war.

Including Feng Yunshan!
Li Yi was able to obtain resources from the Taiping Army and quickly rise to prominence thanks to Feng Yunshan's appreciation and help.

Li Yi still misses his former benefactor very much.

Outside Xunzhou City, Jintian Village!

Li Yi stood in front of a tomb with the epitaph "Southern King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" and looked a little nostalgic.

He reached out and took three incense sticks, then bowed and burned them.

Li Yi stood in front of Feng Yunshan's grave and spoke in a low voice.

"Mr. Feng, I have accomplished the anti-Qing cause that you had high hopes for."

"Now, this Qing demon has been exterminated, and the world has returned to the Tang Dynasty."

"I came here to see you."

"If you knew about this in the afterlife, you would be very pleased now..."

As he spoke, Li Yi fetched a jar of wine and poured it on Feng Yunshan's grave.

The wine fell to the ground, splashing some dust, and Li Yi couldn't help but smile.

After doing all this, Li Yi prepared to go back to his old house to take a look.

It is not actually accurate to call it an old house, because this old house has been renovated.

When Li Yi started an uprising against the Qing Dynasty, the Li family was ransacked by the Qing Dynasty.

The house was burned to ashes by a fire!
After Li Yi ascended the throne and became emperor, he ordered people to rebuild the old house.

The royal motorcade stopped outside the old house. Li Yi got out of the car and walked inside.

Looking at the house in front of him, which was exactly the same as in his memory, a smile appeared on his face involuntarily.

However, at this moment, Li Yi's secretary Gu Shen came trotting to Li Yi and said.

"Your Majesty, something happened in Japan!"

When Li Yi heard this, the expression on his face froze obviously.

I couldn't help but frown.

"What happened?"

Gu Shen took a deep breath, handed a military report to Li Yi, and then explained on the side.

"Your Majesty, the powerful feudal lords in the southwest of Japan have formed an anti-shogunate coalition, raised the banner of respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians, and officially declared war on the shogunate."

"And the Japanese King Xiaoming also secretly broke away from the control of the shogunate and went to Kyushu Island, openly supporting the anti-shogunate faction and becoming a banner of the anti-shogunate faction."

"Japan today is in complete chaos!!"

(End of this chapter)