The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 720: Master Karl, do you believe that France will turn red?
Fushimi Castle, Japan, August 1861.

In August, Fushimi Castle was shrouded in hot and humid air, and the sound of cicadas tore the air. Yang Xiuqing stood on the terrace of the castle tower, looking at the military camps stretching out below the city. The red flags of the Korean Heavenly Soldiers and the rice cross flags of the Shintoism were hanging low in the windless afternoon. In the distance, the steam from the Kizu River rose up, enveloping the Osaka Castle in a blurry green shadow.

"Father!"

A clear shout was heard. Yang Xiuqing turned around and saw a young man striding through the corridor, the hem of his bright yellow jacket fluttering with his steps. The boy was about twelve or thirteen years old, almost as tall as an adult. The samurai sword on his waist collided with the spurs on his leather boots, making a crisp sound of metal. His face was somewhat similar to Yang Xiuqing, with prominent cheekbones, bright eyes, and a high forehead. One could tell at a glance that he was someone who was not easy to mess with.

This is Yang Xiuqing’s eldest son, Yang Chengtian.

The boy stood three steps in front of his father, clasped his fists and saluted. The forearm exposed by the sleeve was wrapped in a bloody bandage. Yang Xiuqing's eyes lingered on the dark red for a moment: "Is it a cannon injury?"

"The Armstrong breech-loader is always leaking." The boy said in a clear voice, "I tried to find a solution, but ended up getting burned by the heat." He suddenly raised his arm, with wounds under the gauze, "This little injury won't cause any harm!"

Nanmu rice came out from behind the pillars, and the cuffs of the white priest's robe were embroidered with a cross pattern of rice ears. She looked at the wound on the boy's arm and sighed softly: "Why does His Majesty Tiansun have to test the firearms himself? There are craftsmen in the army..."

"A craftsman can only make some repairs, but the problems with the Armstrong cannon were built into its design!" Yang Chengtian laughed, "If I hadn't tried it myself, how would I know that there are still many areas where this cannon can be improved?"

Yang Xiuqing raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and put his hand on his son's shoulder: "Iwakura Tomomi is coming, you go change your clothes."

The young man raised his head and said, "I will wear this to receive the imperial edict! I want to teach the Japanese princes to see clearly that the grandson of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is not a puppet raised in the deep palace!"

Not even three moments later.

When Iwakura Tomomi entered the hall holding the bright yellow imperial edict, twelve Satsuma warriors followed closely behind carrying six red lacquered wooden boxes. The copper wrapped around the corners of the boxes made a harsh sound on the bluestone floor, and the breathing of the nobles in the hall suddenly became heavy - the boxes contained the head of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, as well as the sword, horse seal, and armor of the Tokugawa family's general.

"The Emperor, by order of Heaven, proclaims"

Yang Chengtian knelt before the emperor, his back straight. The young man deliberately exposed the blood-stained bandage outside his sleeve, and the hem of his quiver spread out like a crouching tiger. When Iwakura read "Tokugawa thief chief, usurping the sacred weapon", the young man suddenly raised his sword, startling the two nobles and kneeling back.

"Has the head been identified?"

The whole hall was silent. Iwakura winked, and the samurai opened the head box. The eyes of the head treated with lime were wide open, and Tokugawa Yoshinobu's distorted face was frozen in the last moment of fear. The young man strode forward, grabbed the head by the bun, and lifted it up, his nose almost touching the dead man's face.

"Two hundred and sixty years of Tokugawa rule..." He suddenly sneered, and threw the head towards the ranks of nobles. The head rolled on the smooth floor tiles, and finally stopped in front of the knees of a Higo samurai.

"Ah!" The warrior retreated quickly, and his sword slipped half a foot out of its sheath.

“How dare you!” Yang Chengtian shouted, suddenly speaking Japanese. “The head of a defeated general can still frighten you, how can you say that you are a samurai!”

A bell rang from behind the Nishijin Orihime curtain. The fifteen-year-old Prince Kazumiya lifted the corner of the curtain to peek, only to see the boy suddenly turn his head. The girl fell to the ground, and the folding fan in her hand fell out of the curtain.

"Tian'er!" Yang Xiuqing shouted in a deep voice, but there was approval in his eyes.

The young man knelt on one knee and shouted in Japanese: "I, your son, will be the vanguard. Within three months, we will destroy Edo Castle and completely overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate!"

Moore wrote in the corner of the hall: "The violence of this grandson of heaven is definitely not the whims of a young man. He insulted corpses in public, intimidated ministers, and threatened the royal family - he used the most brutal methods and the shortest time to establish the authority of the Yang Dynasty in Japan."

At the beginning of the afternoon, the weather became even hotter and more humid.

When Iwakura Tomomi unfolded the second edict, Yang Xiuqing patted his son on the shoulder. The young man understood and stood up and walked to the center of the hall. His black leather boots stepped over the head of Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

"Look, everyone!"

The sword was suddenly unsheathed, and a cold light flashed where the blade passed. Amid the exclamations of the nobles and samurai, Yang Chengtian put away the sword with his backhand, and the tip of the sword lifted up Tokugawa Yoshinobu's hair: "From today on, Japan and the Kingdom of Korea will form a federation. Anyone holding a cross flag is my brother, and anyone who violates the true covenant is my brother."

The bun was thrown into the air and the knife flashed again!
The bloodstained head was split in half, making a dull sound when it fell to the ground. The young man raised his foot and stepped on the remaining skull, shouting: "How can such a beast be so powerful!"

Shimazu Hisamitsu was the first to fall to the ground and shout, "Long live the grandson of the emperor!" The sound spread like a plague. The forehead of Sendai domain lord Date Yoshikuni hit the floor tiles heavily, and the swords of the Higo domain samurai fell to the ground without being sheathed.

A trace of panic flashed across Iwakura Tomomi's downcast face. The back of the old nobleman's brocade lapel was soaked with cold sweat - this young man from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom knew how to trample on the dignity of the Japanese better than any shogun. British Consul Alcock approached Moore quietly and said, "Do you know? Whitehall has listed this boy as a Class A observation subject." He handed over a telegram, "Parliament requires you to return to London immediately. They need someone to explain... what kind of country will be born after the Ming Dynasty-Japan Union?"

Moore looked towards the center of the hall. Yang Chengtian was accepting the "Nikko Ichimonji" sword presented by Nanmu Inako. This was Tokugawa Yoshinobu's sword, which was once owned by many generals of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Late August 1861, Shanghai.

At the end of the Shen period, a gust of east wind blew over the Huangpu River, dispelling the summer heat.

Bai Siwen stood at the Shiliupu Wharf, the rattan box in his hand was almost knocked out of his hand by the porter. He last came to Shanghai more than a year ago. At that time, the highest wooden building here was only three stories high. Now there are five-story brick buildings. On the river, a chimney imitating the French "Gloria" class ironclad ship was spewing black smoke.

Bai Siwen was attracted by another notice posted on the notice board: "Qiushi Academy is recruiting students for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Those who are proficient in mathematics will be given priority. There will be a subsidy from the court, and the monthly salary will be two silver dollars."

Next to the notice with the red ink not yet fully dried, a barefoot newsboy squatted and sorted a pile of "Shenbao". The headline on the front page was: "The second five-year plan of the Kingdom of Heaven is progressing smoothly. As of June this year, 43 new steam silk reeling factories have been established in Nanzhi Province. At present, there is a severe shortage of skilled workers in various places."

"Shocking?" Consul Parkes' voice came from behind. The Englishman held an ivory cigarette holder and wore a cool Chinese silk robe. "Last year, Shanghai exported raw silk worth 7 million pounds!"

Bai Siwen was about to speak when he was shocked by the scene on the street - five children wearing tiger-head hats were chasing a vendor selling malt sugar, followed by a woman carrying a baby.

"Equal distribution of land, economic development, social stability, and the strict prohibition of infanticide." Parkes blew out a smoke ring. "Last year, more than 30,000 babies were born in Shanghai alone. At this rate..." He suddenly fell silent because he saw Moore had taken out a notebook and started counting.

When Parkes approached, he heard him mutter to himself: "An increase of 5% per year... compound interest for thirty years..."

"What on earth are you calculating?" the British consul could not help asking.

Moore looked up, his eyes behind his glasses sharp as a cone: "If the current population growth rate is maintained, China will have a population of one billion by 1891."

Parkes's cigarette holder fell to the ground, and all that came out of his mouth was: "Yellow Peril!"

In the afternoon, at 3:15 pm, at the pavilion in the center of Yu Garden Lake.

Several cold dishes were already placed on a round table, and Luo Yaoguo invited Moore and Bai Siwen to sit down. The Shanghai brand pocket watch hanging on his chest jingled. This was the first generation of products made by the Shanghai Pocket Watch Factory, which opened only last year, using British machine tools.

"I heard that North Korea plans to build a 500-mile railway this year, and the Busan-Pyongyang railway line will be connected next year," Luo Yaoguo said with a smile while pouring wine for Moore and Bai Siwen. "In addition, the output of the Pyongyang coalfield is expected to exceed 100,000 tons this year, and the first Beisemai furnace of the Pyongyang Steel Plant will also be put into production within the year. British miners have also discovered very high-quality iron ore north of Pyongyang. The Busan shipyard also launched an ironclad ship, the Karl Tianshi, this year. You really deserve to be called Tianshi!"

Moore picked up the glass and took a sip of the dark red wine in it: "But North Korea is still not a workers' state. King Yang Dong recently completed the invasion of Japan!"

"It's just two messes!" Luo Yaoguo laughed, "One mess is a mess, but two messes are not messes? Yang Dongwang's path will never work. Even with the support of Britain, it will still not work in the future. By then, it may become a workers' state or a peasants' state."

Bai Siwen reminded: "By then, it might be the East Asian War!"

Luo Yaoguo smiled indifferently: "The war will start in thirty years. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom cannot be stopped by one billion people. The Asahi Federation may be able to stop one hundred million people! Is it possible that there will be no war with 1.1 billion people? But the war in Europe may not take thirty years!"

"Europe?" Moore looked up at Luo Yaoguo, "King Wu, you mean Russia will..."

"Not Russia. Russia is too backward and it is difficult for it to take that path in the short term." Luo Yaoguo looked at Moore seriously. "Teacher Karl, do you believe that a Red France will appear in Europe in ten years?"

"Red France? How is that possible?" Bai Siwen shook his head repeatedly, "The one who ruled France was Napoleon III!"

"Even Napoleon I was defeated!" Luo Yaoguo sneered, "What about Napoleon III? He was so good at fighting, so a miserable defeat wouldn't be too much, right?"

Moore looked at Luo Yaoguo: "Who did you lose to?"

Luo Yaoguo laughed and said, "Defeated to your home country, Prussia!"

"Lost to Prussia?"

"Yes!" Luo Yaoguo nodded, "A miserable defeat!"

(End of this chapter)