The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 694: Xianfeng: If we can’t get elected, we’ll march on Washington!
In early spring in Osaka Castle, the wind is still cold. The water of the moat is shimmering, reflecting the towering city walls. This military fortress, which originally belonged to the Tokugawa shogunate, has now fallen into the hands of the Shin-Yoku sect and has been transformed into the residence of the Shin-Yoku sect's Japanese archbishop.

Friedrich was standing on the high wall of Osaka Castle, nodding his head and looking at the samurai standing on both sides of the road outside the city. They wore the same black military feather garb with a golden "rice ear cross pattern" embroidered on their chests, and wore long swords on their waists. On their shoulders, they carried brand new rifles of the Tianli Year 3 type - this was the standard weapon of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Korean Heavenly Kingdom Army, and Hong Daquan also equipped the True Covenant Faction with it.

"How can this be called a sect?" Bai Siwen held his pipe in his mouth and squinted at the True Promise Samurai Group outside the city. "This is clearly a feudal lord of Japan!"

Friedrich lowered his head and recorded what he saw and heard, the tip of his pen rustling on the paper: "The Second Part of "Travels to the East", February 1860, Osaka. The Shinyo sect in Japan has obviously been completely Japanized, from a progressive sect that preached "Great Harmony for All" to a religious military group."

Bai Siwen glanced at Friedrich's notebook and sneered, "It's not just Japan. Hasn't the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom become a country ruled by bureaucrats and nobles? Two hundred thousand 'old brothers' have become nobles, and their children can be recommended to the Army and Navy Youth Academy, while others who want to become officials have to take exams. The imperial examination system is back!"

Friedrich nodded and said, "In fact, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was relatively fair. Although they opened a back door from the Youth Military Academy to the Army and Navy Academy, if these noble children wanted to become civil servants or go to college, they still had to take the same exams as ordinary people."

"Isn't this the same path as the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties?" Bai Siwen exhaled a puff of smoke. "And Yang Xiuqing's Taiping Army in Korea is also becoming the 'new two classes'! They have already monopolized the path to becoming an official."

Friedrich smiled bitterly and said, "The opportunities for the Kingdom of Korea are too few. Yang Xiuqing has 100,000 new and old brothers under his command. Even if he monopolizes the upward channels, there won't be enough for them to share!"

As he was talking, he heard the sound of orderly footsteps in the distance. A team of armed shrine maidens and samurai slowly approached, with more than two thousand people. The shrine maidens wore white clothes and red hakama, held long swords, and chanted Japanese poems in unison: The descendants of Amaterasu descended to Penglai, and the rice ears fell to cleanse the dust. Serving the two kings and following the will of heaven, cherry blossoms fell and the gates of heaven opened.
The singing was melodious, but with an almost fanatical piety. In the center of the procession was a red lacquered sedan chair carried by 36 people. The curtain of the sedan chair was lowered, and a figure sitting inside could be vaguely seen - Daozi, Yang Xiuqing's "concubine", the woman who was about to take over as the deputy archbishop of the Japanese True Contract Sect.

When the team arrived at the gate of the cathedral, the Japanese believers on both sides of the road bent down and bowed in unison, as if they were welcoming a feudal lord, or a "female general"!
Inako's sedan chair moved slowly on the road outside Osaka Castle. The footsteps of thirty-six strong men were in unison - they were all warriors of the Shinyoku faction, and also her "direct advisers" of Kusumoto Inako.

Daozi sat in the sedan chair, her fingers unconsciously stroking the golden cross on her chest. This was the one Yang Xiuqing put on her the night before she left. The four Chinese characters "东王永耀" on the back of the cross were her mission in Japan.

"Japan is nothing but a silver mine." She remembered that when Yang Xiuqing said this, his fingers were running across the city of Pyongyang on the map of Korea. "What I want are the steel mills and the arsenals here." His fingernails left a shallow scratch on the Korean Peninsula, but he didn't even look at the map of Japan spread out next to him.

Daozi was kneeling at his feet, carefully pouring wine for him. "Your Majesty, the Japanese warriors are brave and good at fighting. If we can subdue them, they will be very powerful."

"Ha!" Yang Xiuqing suddenly laughed and stretched out his hand to pinch her chin. "My Japanese female general is loyal. But..." His thumb rubbed her lips heavily. "Korea is the foundation of the Korean Heavenly Kingdom. As for Japan, you can dig as much silver as you can, and recruit as many able-bodied men as you can!"

The sedan suddenly jolted, and Daozi came to her senses. Through the gap in the curtain, she saw the people bowing on both sides of the road, and the fully armed warriors saluting her. These would become her subjects, her warriors.
"Your Majesty the King of the East!" Daozi whispered in an inaudible voice, "I will definitely bring Japan to your feet with both hands, and I will also let you know that Japan is your sharpest samurai sword! Korea is not worth mentioning at all!"

In the hall, two hundred representatives of the various fiefs of the True Promise faction and nobles knelt on both sides, and the atmosphere was solemn. Hong Daquan sat on the main seat, and next to him was his female samurai director and chief family elder, Chiba Yona. This female swordsman, who was famous in Japan, now led three hundred "Archbishop Direct Samurai" and was about to follow Hong Daquan to North America.

When Daozi stepped into the hall, Qianye Yuna suddenly stood up, drew out a short knife, cut off a lock of his black hair, raised it above his head, and presented it to Hong Daquan, singing loudly: "The waves of the mysterious sea surge to meet the sky, and the holy envoy comes from the west to break the fog. The true promise is like a sword that cuts through the evil fog, and the red sun is seen in Japan for the first time."

The three hundred samurai also responded in unison, expressing their loyalty to their lord with waka.

Friedrich, who had already entered the hall to watch the ceremony, whispered to Bai Sven, "They are not seeing off a religious leader, but a feudal lord who is about to go on an expedition."

Bai Siwen sneered: "North America is not Japan, everyone there has a gun!"

At this moment, Hong Daquan suddenly stood up, then turned and looked at the altar in the hall.

Ten-year-old Kusumoto Takako knelt beside the altar, holding a simple-looking long sword in her slender hands - the Tenno Sword, which symbolizes the divine power of the Shinjo sect in Japan. She lowered her eyelashes, and her young face looked particularly solemn under the candlelight, as if she had long been accustomed to such occasions.

Hong Daquan walked slowly up to her and gently stroked her hair with his rough hands.

"Gaozi, from today on, you must serve Lord Daozi as you would serve me." His voice was low and majestic.

Gao Zi raised his head, his dark eyes clear and firm: "Yes, father."

Hong Daquan took the Heavenly King Sword, turned around and solemnly handed the sword to Kusumoto Inoko who was already kneeling at his feet.

"This sword was given by the Heavenly King to enforce justice on behalf of Heaven." Hong Daquan's voice echoed in the hall, "From today on, the Japanese Shinyoku sect will be temporarily handed over to you."

Daozi took it with both hands, her fingertips trembling slightly. She lowered her head and stared at the patterns on the scabbard, and said softly: "Master Hong... Daozi will not disappoint the expectations of the King of the East and the Duke." Hong Daquan's mouth slightly raised, but there was no smile, and he said no more. He just took a last look at Gaozi. The little girl was still kneeling like a pine tree, her eyes calm.

"Gao Zi, from now on, you will follow your mother!"

Gao Zi bowed deeply: "Yes."

Hong Daquan nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and strode out of the hall. Qianye and the three hundred warriors followed closely behind him.

Daozi watched Hong Daquan's back disappear into the sunlight outside the palace gate, her fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the sword. Gaozi still knelt quietly beside her, looking a little melancholy.

"Mother," Gao Zi suddenly spoke, his voice as light as falling snow, "Will you take me to see His Royal Highness the King of Wu?"

Daozi was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.

She whispered, "Yes. When you grow up a little bit."

Meanwhile, in the O'Hara family's banquet hall in Charleston, South Carolina, the Democratic National Convention was in the midst of a heated argument.

"Separating the Union? That's treason!" Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas slammed the table and stood up, the copy of the Constitution in his hand wrinkled by his fist.

"If the federation cannot protect our system, we have the right to withdraw!" Vice President John Breckinridge responded coldly. The handsome Kentucky man, who was only 39 years old, had a gloomy face at the moment.

Xianfeng sat in the corner, playing with the "Book of the Minor Prophets" given to him by Luo Yaoguo - this book recorded the Charleston Democratic Convention and the subsequent Baltimore Convention. The result of these two conventions was that the Democratic Party, which was already at a disadvantage, was split into two.

One party puts forward two candidates to compete for the White House!
This reminded him of the fierce battles he had with Gong Laoliu and Nara clan before the fall of the Qing Dynasty - when disaster was imminent, the internal fight was still going on.

The governor of South Carolina stood up suddenly, pointed at Douglas and roared: "You northerners are sucking our blood with high tariffs! The Port of Charleston was deducted $3 million in tariffs last year!"

The Pennsylvania representative slammed the table and fought back: "Without the federal army, your cotton would have been robbed by pirates long ago!"

When Douglas said "gradual abolition of slavery can be discussed", the twelve southern representatives slammed the door and walked out. Xianfeng noticed that Jefferson Davis' hand was on the holster of the revolver, but he didn't know who he wanted to shoot the bullet at?
Late at night, Davis and Breckenridge secretly visited Xianfeng.

"Bishop Zhao, what do you think we should do?" Davis asked in a low voice.

Xianfeng unfolded a map of the United States and drew a red line on the north-south dividing line with his pipe: "You should push Douglas to run for president. His approval rating is higher than yours!"

"What?!" Breckenridge almost jumped up, "The traitor?"

Xianfeng sneered: "Do you think he can be selected?"

"No!" Breckenridge shook his head. "Absolutely no. Right now the northern free states overwhelmingly support the Republicans. The party estimates that the Republican candidate can get at least 150 electoral votes. We Democrats have secured 11 of the 9 southern states, a total of 72 votes. There's also the damn Constitutional Union Party that's going to send someone to run this time, claiming to be a middle-of-the-road party, so they can get 20-40 votes. We have no chance of winning."

"Why are you fighting if you have no chance of winning?" Xianfeng stared at Breckenridge. "Are you trying to lose your composure?"

"I, I have to let the American people know that if they don't support us in keeping slavery, we Southern states will secede from the Union!"

"This..." Xianfeng shook his head repeatedly, "Quitting the federation is courting death! This is what you have to do if you want to win."

He opened the Anti-Scripture and pointed to a page. "Get your guns ready. Once the votes are counted, send troops to Washington on the pretext of 'election fraud'! Strike first and take control of the capital of the United States!"

(End of this chapter)