Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 527 Japanese Political Situation
The Iranian delegation left Shanghai after spending nearly six months in the Far East. Abdullah met with Prince Gong in Beijing and with Li Hongzhang in Shanghai. These were the two men most interested in new ideas. Of course, Zuo Zongtang was transferred to the post of Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, so he did not meet with them.

The fleet was en route to Japan as planned, and had just arrived at Nagasaki port when it received new news: Emperor Komei had passed away.

On January 30th, Emperor Komei, who was pro-shogunate, passed away. This was not good news for the shogunate, as his successor was Mutsuhito, who was inclined to overthrow the shogunate. He had close ties with the Choshu and Satsuma domains, and it was feared that war might break out in the future.

At this time, the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu accepted the advice of the French minister, Roche, and conducted French-style military training. Under the leadership of Enomoto Takeaki and others, he established the Shogunate Navy. Centered on figures such as Oguri Tadashi and Kurimoto Riun, he also consulted with France on large-scale loans. It seemed as if a powerful nation was standing before him.

With the shogunate attempting a comeback, Satsuma and Choshu realized that the only way to salvage the situation was through force, and they tried to win over the Tosa and Gishu domains. They also rallied around the emperor, attempting to seize power from the shogunate by overthrowing it.

However, even the Emperor now faces an undeniable problem: a lack of funds. Since the establishment of the shogunate, the Emperor's finances have consistently remained at a state of barely surviving. For over six hundred years since the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the Emperor has even had to sell his calligraphy on the streets to earn money. Now is a perfect opportunity to consolidate power, and Mutsuhito will not let it slip by.

But as mentioned above, great ambition is nothing without money. Historically, the anti-shogunate forces were able to rise up thanks to financial support. This money naturally came from the Mitsui family, Japan's richest family, but now, the entire Mitsui family should be in elementary school—time really flies!

After the Iranian navy captured Osaka, the local economy recovered quickly. However, due to the absence of the financial magnate Mitsui, Britain filled the gap.

"The Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen domains all support Your Majesty. All we need to do now is assemble a large army to defeat the shogunate's forces in one fell swoop."

Kuroda Kiyotaka told Mutsuhito that all the major daimyo in the southwest now supported the emperor, and that if he raised his arm, he would have more than 60,000 troops at the emperor's command.

"Furthermore, the three ships anchored at Tokushima will join us and fire on Edo, forcing them to surrender. In addition, Britain will also be on our side."

"Your Majesty, we have a very good chance of winning this time!"

Yamagata Aritomo also indicated that now, with the right timing, location, and popular support in Kyoto, the day has come to reclaim power from Edo!

Mutsuhito nodded; his only thought now was to restore the glory of his ancestor, Emperor Jimmu. But at that moment, a discordant voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, colleagues. The Iranian delegation is currently en route to Edo. It is understood that this delegation includes not only Iranian officials but also members of their royal family."

Kuroda Kiyotaka asked, "Ito-kun, what are you talking about?"

"Please don't forget who led the war a few years ago. Now Iran is here. Although we don't know what their purpose is, given Iran's inclinations, we will probably encounter many difficulties."

Hirobumi Ito presented materials from Toshimichi Okubo's previous visit to Iran, explaining, "Okubo had previously visited Iran, and although their government remained lukewarm, there was some easing. They were particularly interested in commercial orders, and this delegation's visit reflects that. If we want a greater chance of success, Iran's support is indispensable."

Everyone's faces darkened at this, because they all knew what Iran had done in Nagasaki and Osaka. It was a national disgrace, and the local samurai held a deep grudge against them, which could have serious consequences.

"Ito-kun, do you think Iran will support us? Would it really abandon its investments in Northeast China and turn to help our enemy? On what grounds?"

“Based on geographical location!” Ito Hirobumi said. “Our country, like Qing Dynasty to the west, borders Russia. And Iran and Russia are mortal enemies. If we can prove that we can withstand a Russian attack better than the Shogunate, then they will support us.”

"But what if Iran supports Edo? The French will definitely support them, and if the plan doesn't work out, then..."

"No, Iran will definitely agree. Their wariness of Russia is paramount, as long as we can make concessions on trade."

Hirobumi Ito was convinced that Iran would side with them. In fact, during his studies in Britain, he had learned about the Malayan crisis and the Austro-Prussian War from newspapers. Whether as the leader or an ally, Iran played a significant role in these conflicts. The world order was altered by Iran's involvement.

Iranian money, Iranian goods, and the Iranian military are reshaping the world's trade, military, and political landscape. Hirobumi Ito realized that without cultivating good relations with Iran, Japan's future would likely be locked in, even with British support.

Furthermore, he was also aware of the rift between Iran and the Shogunate. Although Iran had previously provided much assistance to the Shogunate, in recent years the Shogunate had clearly become closer to France and less enthusiastic about Iran.

Furthermore, Iranian loans in Japan have been defaulting one after another. Some daimyo have defaulted on their loans, and those who went to collect the debts were even beaten and thrown out. This angered the Eastern Bank, which cut off all lending channels and planned to close down its factories and retreat to Edo to do business with merchants – a perfect opportunity indeed.

"So, Ito-kun, do you think it's possible to persuade Iran?"

"If Your Majesty grants your permission, I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life, to bring Iran into Your Majesty's camp."

Since Ito Hirobumi had said so, Mutsuhito decided to let him give it a try. After all, he was one of the few people sent abroad by the Choshu Domain, so he must have made this suggestion after careful consideration.

Russia, with its wolfish ambitions, is a double-edged sword. The British want money, the Russians want lives. Japan also needs to be careful and defend itself. Of course, it would be even better if they could get a loan from Iran. The British are too stingy, only giving £10; what can that amount of money do?

In February, Emperor Meiji officially ascended the throne, taking his era name from the "Shuogua Zhuan" (Commentary on the Trigrams) in the Book of Changes, which states, "The sage faces south to listen to the world, and governs by facing the light." He then began a series of preparations, the most important being the anti-shogunate alliance formed around the Satsuma and Choshu domains. Their plan was to first persuade the Shogun to return power to the Emperor; if he refused, they would resort to force. Everything was ready; it was simply a matter of whether the other side would agree.

(End of this chapter)