The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 355: Heavenly King, our Heavenly House has expanded again! (Please subscribe, please vote)

In early March of the fourth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign in the Qing Dynasty, a large delegation of "welcoming the bride, giving gifts, buying official positions and sowing discord" finally chartered a steamship, the Mistress, which had just been bought from the British by Tongshunhang, led by Weng Tonghe, the manager of HSBC, Xi Pinfang, the "Dongting Mountain Man", and Yu Wanqing's adopted son Yu Dabao. They left the increasingly busy Huangpu River and embarked on a journey north to Tianjin.

After seeing off this delegation with multiple tasks, Luo Xueyan's work in Shanghai finally came to an end, and he could return to Suzhou to serve as Luo Yaoguo.

Of course, even if he becomes Luo Yaoguo again, he still has to take care of Luo Xueyan's affairs!

Except for the days when he went to Japan, he held two positions at the same time. When he was Luo Xueyan in Shanghai, he also had to deal with official documents sent from Suzhou.

After he returns to Suzhou to serve as Luo Yaoguo, important official business in Shanghai will be sent to Suzhou for him to handle personally.

Before General Luo left Shanghai for Suzhou, he also made some adjustments to the personnel and administrative systems in Shanghai.

The first step was to set up a "five-member committee" to assist him, called the Military and Political Department of the Governor's Office, with Wang Kuiyi, Cheng Fupei, Yu Wanqing, Zhang Sanxiang and Xu Yuegui serving as "members of the Military and Political Department."

When Luo Xueyan is out "supervising the army", this five-member committee can act as they please!
Secondly, he executed first and reported later, establishing the Shanghai Prefecture, and bringing several counties and prefectures that were originally under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Prefecture and Taicang Prefecture under the Shanghai Prefecture. The Shanghai Prefecture was responsible for the administration of the entire Shanghai Military Governor's jurisdiction, and at the same time, the Shanghai Advisory Council and the Shanghai General Town were established to be responsible for local legislation and military affairs in Shanghai respectively.

Wang Kuiyi, Cheng Fupei and Yu Wanqing served as the prefect of Shanghai, the director of the Shanghai Advisory Council and the general of Shanghai respectively.

Third, Luo Yaoguo established the "Shanghai Headquarters of the Lecturers' Group", which was fully responsible for the "group affairs" in Shanghai, with Zhang Sanxiang as the head.

As for Xu Yuegui, she is still Luo Yaoguo’s most trusted housekeeper of Yu Garden and Sister Yuegui of Sanxin Company.

Finally, in order to facilitate his handling of the affairs of Shanghai and Suzhou at the same time, Luo Yaoguo set up a secretariat. The members of the secretariat included Zeng Guohua, Zhao Liewen, Weng Tongjue, Qian Zhenlun, Qian Zhenchang, and Yu Dawen. Except for Zeng Guohua, the others were all outstanding scholars in the area of ​​Suzhou, Songjiang, Taichang, Hujia, and Jiaxing. The hometown elders and their wealth were all in Luo Yaoguo's hands.
After Luo Xueyan adjusted the administration and personnel in Shanghai, he boarded an official ship towed by a small steamer and left the prosperous Shanghai.

And the very next day after he left Shanghai, in Osaka, Japan, a city that had become an open port, a Chinese-style church had just opened, and a somewhat strange prayer ceremony was being held.

Unlike other churches where people either worship the cross, the holy image, or both, this church worships a tablet of "Heavenly Father Hao Tian Huang Shen Di". Moreover, what is read in this church is not the New Testament or the Old Testament of the Bible, but the True Testament, which is said to be more authentic than the New and Old Testaments!
“Praise God as the Holy Father of Heaven, the only true God who is recognized as the Lord; praise Brother Heaven as the Savior, the Holy Lord who sacrificed his life for mankind; praise the King of Heaven as the True Holy Lord who came to earth to save mankind; praise the King of the East as the Holy Wind, the Holy Spirit who redeems the sick and saves people; praise the King of the West as the Rain Master, the noble man of heaven; praise the King of the South as the Cloud Master, the upright man of heaven; praise the King of the North as the Thunder Master, the benevolent man of heaven; praise the King of Wings as the Lightning Master, the righteous man of heaven; praise the King of Wu as the Holy Angel who descended from heaven; praise Amaterasu for having a son with the Holy Father of Heaven.”

In the lobby of this Chinese-style church, Hong Daquan, wearing a black robe with crosses embroidered on the front and back, was leading a group of Japanese believers kneeling in front of the tablet of "Heavenly Father Haotianhuang God" and chanting scriptures in somewhat awkward Japanese.

He recited a sentence, and the Japanese behind him followed suit!
Those Japanese believers included both men and women, businessmen, samurai, townspeople, geishas and prostitutes, and their number was probably as many as one or two hundred.

Outside the church gate, the Osaka castle lord, Tsuchiya Toranao, who was in his thirties, with a square face, a mustache, big eyes, and wearing a gorgeous haori, was watching this strange Christian prayer ceremony with a troubled look on his face, surrounded by a dozen servants of the Osaka castle lord.

Hmm, is this the "Kirishitan religion" that must be strictly prohibited in the legend?

Tsuchiya Toranao was a little unsure.

Why is there a "Amaterasu" in Christian religion? Who is she? Why does it sound like Amaterasu? Did she give birth to a son with God? Could this son be the grandson of the emperor? That's the ancestor of the emperor!
This, this, this. Lord Tsuchiya is a little confused.

Catholicism has been strictly prohibited in Japan for more than 200 years. Lord Tsuchiya actually has no idea what true Catholicism is like.

However, even if those guys chanting in front of him were really Christians, he, as the Osaka Castle Lord, had no right to arrest them, because the shogunate had signed a treaty allowing various Christian sects to spread freely in Japan's open ports.

In other words, these Christians are all legal!
In addition, the treaty also gave the Qing Dynasty extraterritoriality in open ports!
The priest who led the believers in chanting was a Qing Dynasty man, and the Osaka Castle had no right to arrest him.
Thinking of this, Tsuchiya Toranao could only curse "Baga" in a low voice, then turned and left.

Before he could walk far, cheers came from inside the church: "Board! Board!"

"Sir, Lord Tsuchiura has already taken his men away!" Tsuchiya Toranao had just left when a woman in her twenties with fair skin, tall figure, deep eyes and a high nose, who was obviously a Eurasian, stood up from a group of believers kneeling in prayer, walked quickly behind Hong Daquan, then knelt down respectfully and reported Tsuchiura's departure to Hong Daquan in stiff Chinese.

Hong Daquan was also very nervous just now, fearing that the Japanese officer would rush in and arrest people!

Although he had the protection of Lord Shimazu and the Qing Consul in Nagasaki, Rosen, who could help rescue people, as Archbishop Hong, who was sent by the second son of God to Japan to preach, if he was caught and beaten by the Japanese samurai in Osaka, his prestige would be destroyed.

Without divine power, it would be difficult to fool people!
Now that the Japanese official has backed down, that's great. The situation of the "True Treaty Faction" in Osaka has been improved.

"Inako, don't make a fuss. With God's blessing, Lord Tsuchiura won't dare to do anything to us."

Although he was very nervous in his heart, Hong Daquan managed to keep a straight face, looking calm and composed, as if he had everything planned out.

"Hai!"

The Japanese woman named "Inoko" looked at Hong Daquan's tall and majestic back with admiration and nodded slightly.

Hong Daquan stopped praying, stood up, and turned to face the believers below, raising his arms and shouting: "Chezhidan, unite and board!"

The believers below also shouted together: "Chishidan, unite and board!"

After shouting this slogan, the prayer ceremony of the Japanese True Covenant sect was over. Hong Daquan was about to lead his followers to the streets to distribute the True Covenant when Daozi suddenly approached Hong Daquan and whispered, "Sir, there is a visitor from Kyoto. It is Xiaosong, a retainer of Satsuma, who brought a sword with him."

"Who is it?" Hong Daquan asked.

"It's the attendant Iwakura-sama!" Inako whispered.

"Attendant Iwakura." Hong Daquan nodded and said with a smile, "Okay! The Emperor's attendant."

Attendant is the official title of the Japanese imperial court. An attendant from Kyoto must be a minister under the Emperor. He must have come to recognize his relatives - he should be recognizing his father on behalf of the Emperor!
Hong Daquan waved his hand to call over a skinny warrior believer: "Sakamoto, take people to distribute "True Covenant", I have a very important guest to meet!"

"Hai!"

The samurai named Sakamoto agreed, turned around and called on the believers below to go out and distribute "The True Covenant".

Hong Daquan led Daozi to a room deep inside the church, and asked Daozi as they walked, "Daozi, have you decided? Do you really want to lead the team to Tianjing to pay homage to His Majesty the Heavenly King?"

"It's decided!" Daozi nodded and said firmly, "I heard that Tianjing is a paradise on earth, so I really want to go and see it."

Hong Daquan nodded: "Then what about those sisters? Are they all willing to serve the Heavenly King and the kings?"

"Yes!" Daozi nodded again, "It's their honor!"

"Okay," Hong Daquan reached out and took Daozi's slender white hand, "Stay with me for another night, and I will personally send you to the boat tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)