Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 189

On May [-]th, Deng Fei drove the Thor to Shachuan in Ezo.

Tuka, who knew Zhao Xin's intentions as early as the end of last year, has been preparing for a long time.At this time, Ainu warriors from various tribes in Ezo gathered in the area of ​​Pingyuan Town, and the number reached more than 3000.

The 200 Shachuan warriors who returned with the boat caused a great commotion among the Ainu people in Pingyuan Town.These [-] people have been trained in Beihai Town for more than four months, and their demeanor has been completely changed. They are no longer the kind of natives with a big beard, messy hair, and birch leather clothes.

These people have now become Tuka's personal guards, wearing blue and black spring long-sleeved uniforms (that is, security uniforms) issued by Beihai Town, and wearing training caps. No.On the armed belts around these people's waists, there is an "84-type" revolver produced by Beihai Town on the left and right.The leading captain is named Sea Dog, and that crazy nostril can catch rainwater.

"Sea dog, what is that hanging on your waist? Is it iron? I think there is wood on it." An Ainu warrior who knew the seal was standing a few meters away, pointing to the revolver on the belt of the seal and asked curiously. road.

The sea dog squinted at the other party and ignored him at all.

"Sea dog, I haven't seen you for a few months, why did you become dumb?" A group of Ainu laughed.

These Ainu warriors from other tribes wear colorful clothes, including dark birch leather clothes, animal skin clothes, Qing army cotton armor given by Zhao Xin before, and some tribal leaders are actually wearing a loose coat Python-patterned gown with large sleeves.

(Ezo brocade, the Ainu people rowed on Kuye Island and exchanged it with the Kuyufiyaka people; and the Kuyufiyaka people exchanged the python robes at the Wulin Appreciation Conference.)
The weapons in the hands of these people are also miscellaneous.Except for the sea dogs, everyone on the Shachuan tribe has a waist knife or long spear made in the Qing Dynasty, and they also carry the standard hard bow of the Qing army on their backs; Sharpened wooden spears; some held large wooden sticks; others held a steel bar, which looked like they were exchanged from the Shachuan tribe.

In the military depot in Pingyuan Town, the soldiers were packing up and gathering their troops, preparing to go back to Shachuan Town to board the ship.And Deng Fei is taking Li Ji to explain the matter to Shengshan Chuansan.

"We'll be back in ten days at the most. This time, we're going to solve the Matsumae clan's problem completely. Tell us about the situation over there first."

"My lord, you guys won't start killing this time, will you?" Although Katsuyama Densan got on the same boat as Beihai Town, he is still an islander, so naturally he has to think about his compatriots.

"No, our goal is to expel the influence of the shogunate in Ezo. As for other ordinary people and businessmen, if they are willing to live in the local area and obey the management, we will not wantonly harm it. On this point, Mr. Zhao and Tuka The patriarch made it very clear."

When Katsuyama Densan heard this, his expression relaxed slightly, and he quickly said: "That's good, that's good." Then he talked about the situation of Matsumae Fan.

Since Zhao Xin bombarded Songqian City in April last year, the eighth generation head of the Matsumae family, Matsumae Michihiro, was killed in the bombardment, and eight of his important ministers died and two were seriously injured.

More than half a month later, the news reached Edo, and the shogunate was shaken.The old Nakatanuma Yiji held an emergency meeting and dispatched an investigation team headed by Matsumoto Izu Morijurohei and the survey team head Tsuchiyama Soujiro to investigate the Matsumae Castle shelling incident.

Although the Matsumae family was attacked by unknown forces and suffered heavy losses, no matter who the assailant was, this northward investigation opened the way for Tanuma Giji to intervene in the affairs of Ezodi.So when he received a petition from the vassals of the Matsumae clan, he ignored the fact that Michihiro Matsumae's eldest son returned to Matsumae Castle to succeed the family governor, and kept pleading that the decision would not be made until the investigation was completed.

When Beihai Town launched a cross-sea combat operation before the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, the retainers of the Matsumae Domain were wrestling with the investigation team because of the heir, and at the same time they were active in Edo Castle, unable to look north at all.

"I heard that in February of this year, the investigation team from Edo finally came to a conclusion. They believed that the unidentified attack last year was done by Chifa Ezo, which gave Mr. Tanuma even more reason to intervene in the affairs of the Matsumae Domain Now there is a gossip from Edo, saying that in view of the ineffectiveness of the Matsumae Domain in guarding Ezo, the General intends to confiscate the territory of the Matsumae Domain and transfer the five thousand stones of Saitama County, Musashi Kingdom, as a substitute."

Deng Fei asked curiously: "What about the successor of the Matsumae clan?"

Katsuyama Densan explained: "Your Excellency Fuhiro is only nine years old this year, and he can't be the master at all. Since the death of his son-in-law, the general has heard that he has been in poor health and has no intention of handling government affairs; After the death of his son, his energy is not as good as before, so this matter has been shelved. Now Matsumoto Izumori is in charge of Matsumae Castle. He is a member of Marquis Sagara. They are all trying their best to break the stumbling block, and now the two sides are in a very stalemate."

At this point in the conversation, the guards came to report that the troops had assembled and were ready to go.According to Zhao Xin's instructions, Deng Fei transferred the general battalion to Katsuyama Densan's staff to guard it.

Boss Shengshan is also different now, he is no longer the small owner of the winery.Since the development of coal mines began, there is no shortage of food, tools, weapons, and manpower.He and the boss of Murata House recruited many ronin warriors from China to work as supervisors in coal mines and as bodyguards in warehouses.

Now is the age of famine, food is expensive and money is cheap, three shi of grain for the settlement, two shi of grain per month salary, a lot of wanderers will rush to come.

When he thinks that the Beihai firm that he, Zhao Xin, and the owner of Murata House will monopolize the bright future of Ezo trade, Denzo Katsuyama will wake up from his dreams.

When Deng Fei walked out of the barracks with Li Ji and Pan Xiucheng's two companies, he found that the outside became bustling, just like a rural fair.The Ainu people waiting here to set off together have all set up stalls!
"Look at this bear skin. The fur is shiny and shiny. If you want it, you can exchange it with an iron knife."

"If you don't give me the iron knife, I'll exchange five seal skins for the bundle of arrows."

"Seal, do you want to change your clothes?"

The only ones who didn't set up stalls to sell goods were the Shachuan people.At this moment, Tuka was in high spirits, and beside him stood two hundred warriors with guns led by Sea Dog.He looked contemptuously at the hopeless looks of other tribes, and said to himself, I am the one who wants to be king, so what are you fighting with me for?

But the only thing that makes Tuka dissatisfied now is that Zhao Xin has not married his sister until now.Although I sent someone out, how to deal with it is Zhao Xin's business, but you have been married before!

On May 22, the [-] Ainu fighters who were dawdling finally boarded the Thor.Many people who saw the big boat for the first time were too scared to get on the boat and knelt on the shore to pray.After finally getting on the boat, these Ainu people were surprised to find that the boat was full of iron!
This is trouble!Liji, Pan Xiucheng, and the seals had nothing else to do on the ship with their men. They kept order and prevented the Ainu from secretly unloading various parts and tools on the deck.What pliers, wrenches, plastic buckets, plastic brooms, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, etc., etc., they do not want.

After being caught, these Ainu people would not become angry with embarrassment, but generously took out gold dust or leather goods from their bodies and stuffed them into the soldiers' hands, and kept saying "I will exchange things."

Tuka took the chiefs to the cafeteria on the second floor to drink and brag. As a result, the kitchen next to the wall suffered disaster. All kinds of pots and pans were divided by these people, and even the door handle of the freezer was broken off.Fortunately, it only took one day to drive from Shachuan to the foot of Matsumae Castle. By the time they arrived at the destination, the group had already begun to figure out how to use tools to remove the cargo hatch cover on the deck.

It was the first time for Deng Fei to lead a team on a mission alone, and he was overwhelmed by the various strange behaviors of the Ainu people.

In Matsumae Castle, Matsumoto Izu Mamoru, who was born as a junior accountant, looked distraught. The exploration team he sent failed again and returned.

Since he came here last year, the top and bottom of Matsumae Fan have ostensibly cooperated wholeheartedly with the shogunate investigation team, showing a comprehensive look.However, the Matsumae family, who guarded Ezodi for a long time, harbored ulterior motives towards the investigation team. In addition to seriously investigating the attack, the whole family of the feudal clan tacitly prevented the shogunate from exploring Ezodi.

In fact, everyone understands the reason here, and no one just says it outright.

Although the Matsumae domain belongs to the Wanshi level in the shogunate system, there is no rice grain in the domain, and there is actually no actual stone height.Since Nobuhiro Takeda (Oysteraki) fled here from Wakasa and founded his family, the prosperity of Matsumae was mainly due to the increase in tax revenue and the maintenance of the trade with the Ainu people and domestic feudal clans.

The source of taxation in Ezodi is mainly to collect taxes and fees from the trading ships entering the port, the goods loaded, and even the passengers.The owners of the Matsumae family in the past dynasties were almost all good at flattering the shogunate both left and right. They successively obtained taxation permission from Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, and enjoyed the rich benefits of Ezo for generations.

It can be said that the prosperity of Matsumae was built on the exorbitant taxes on Ezo.For this reason, the Matsumae clan was unwilling to the shogunate to control Ezo, but hoped to monopolize the rights and interests of Ezo as always.In this way, it is not difficult to imagine the role of Matsumae's "guide" in the shogunate's exploration team, and it would be strange not to be a hindrance!

This time, the northbound exploration team was led by Junzo Aoshima, and explored the coastal areas from Yamakochi to Fuhuo Bay, and from Cape Eritaka to Cape Shiretoko.As a result, as soon as they arrived in Yamakoe, the people of the Matsumae Domain began to slow down the investigation process.After a while, it was said that the south wind was coming, and the weather might be abnormal, so he urged Qingdao Junzang to return as soon as possible.

Aoshima Toshizo knew nothing about the local geography and climate before he came to Ezo. Under the intimidation of the evil consultants sent by the Matsumae Domain, he had to end the exploration and return to Matsumae Castle.

"These bastards! No, we have to continue to send out exploration teams, otherwise we will not be able to complete the task assigned by Mr. Tanuma." After listening to Aoshima Shunzo's report, Matsumoto Jurohei said angrily.

Soujiro Tsuchiyama, the head of the survey team sitting at the bottom, didn't say a word.The news from Edo recently is not good. The general's health has become very poor, and he has fainted several times since the beginning of spring.The relationship between Matsumoto Izumori and Matsumae Fan is so bad now, it would be bad to delay Tanuma Yiji's plan.

The two were thinking about their own thoughts, when there was the sound of hurried footsteps from the corridor outside the door.

With a sound of "crash", the barrier door was pulled open by someone, it was Sato Yukinobu, his subordinate.

"Master Izumori, it's not good! A huge barbarian ship is coming from the sea!"

Matsumoto Jurobei was taken aback, and quickly asked, "Where did the ship come from?"

Soujiro Tsuchiyama also quickly asked, "Is it the ship of Chifa Ezo?"

Yukinobu Sato said with an anxious expression on his face, "Your subordinates can't tell. The soldiers at the seaside post said they had never seen it!"

"Hurry up, take me to the sky to see the scull wall." Matsumoto Jurohei subconsciously wanted to go to the tower, but then remembered that the castle tower of Matsumae Castle had collapsed, so he could only go to the scull wall.

When the group reached the scull wall and looked south, they saw a huge blue and white ship approaching the harbor, and the fishing boats and merchant ships outside the harbor were rushing out of the way.Everyone looked at the huge boat that was approaching, and they were surprised to find that the huge boat was so big that they had never seen it in their life.Compared with this ship, the three thousand stone house boats anchored in Edo Bay are like a small sampan.

"Quick, send a boat to stop the barbarian boat from entering the port!"

"The ship has been dispatched."

On the main deck of the Thunder God, the Ainu who were preparing to be the vanguard raised their weapons and yelled.After being bullied by the Matsumae clan for so many years, I can finally take revenge!

At the bow, a platoon of soldiers had raised their rifles and aimed at the approaching boat.

On the morning boat, a samurai of the Matsumae clan put his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly: "Stop! The barbarian boats ahead stop quickly! This is the territory of the shogunate, no one is allowed to trespass!"

Pan Xiucheng looked contemptuously at the samurai on the early boat, and when the other party entered a distance of 100 meters, he swung his arm violently and shouted: "Aim! Fire!"

"Bang bang." Amidst the dense shooting sound like popping beans, the two warriors on the early boat were shot several times, and fell into the sea with a "plop". I couldn't take care of it anymore, and threw away the oars and shrank into a ball.

"Woo~~" With the sound of the whistle, the Thunder God split the waves and passed the morning boat.

On the scull wall of Matsumae Castle, Matsumoto Juro Bingwei and others were shocked by the sudden shooting sound and didn't know what to do.The castle town was already in chaos, and the townspeople ran away in fright when they heard the sound of the siren.Those who had time took away the belongings of the family, and those who dragged their families ran to the mountains; those who had no time hid at home, closed the door, and shivered.

"Anchor, let them prepare to land." In the cab, Deng Fei gave an order to Li Ji.

More than half an hour later, as the Raytheon anchored and stopped, the seals and others as the vanguard boarded the assault boat wearing life jackets.The sailors on the Thor will drive them ashore in Zodiac boats.

In the second year of Yuanhe, the shogunate stipulated that all daimyo with a territory of more than 200 shi should be equipped with fourteen horses, three flags, ten bows, fifty spears, and twenty foreign guns.In fact, in addition to the samurai, plus the civilian husbands of gun owners, the total number of mobilized people can reach more than 350.As for the Matsumae Clan, because it is the sole domain of Ezo overseas and is responsible for guarding the northern waters of the island country, the total strength of the Clan is [-].

Because of the sudden incident, many samurai and soldiers of the Matsumae Domain rushed into battle without even wearing armor.These people hold samurai swords, long guns, bows and arrows, and tie bowls on their heads (to prevent the helmet from falling off, and to prevent sweat from flowing into the eyes during battle); they are divided into several parts and hidden under the back walls of various houses in the port, preparing to respond to the landing. The enemy launched a surprise attack.

The hammer of the revolver in his hand was already open when the sea dog's feet were on the land of the port.They had practiced similar landing training many times in Beihai Town, and Haigou and others followed the steps taught by Wang Yuanfang and the others, first finding and occupying favorable terrain.

And a group of Matsumae clan members hiding behind the house saw that there were only ten people who went ashore first, and their confidence increased greatly.Especially when he saw that the opponent was only holding a musket in his hand, and there were no knives or guns, he immediately roared and killed him with the knives and guns.

Seeing the twenty or so warriors rushing out suddenly, the seals and the others, who had been through many drills, were still a little panicked. They pulled the triggers in their hands one after another, and moved the hammer with their left hand, shooting out all 6 bullets in one go. .

"Tom tom tom tom~~!!!" With the white smoke rising from the burning of the black powder, dozens of .

A group of warriors who made a surprise attack did not expect that the short muskets in the opponent's hands could fire consecutively, but they all rushed out, wouldn't it be too shameful to retreat!So they just froze for a moment, then shouted and continued to rush up to fight.

The casualties on the sea dog's side soon appeared. The heavy arrows shot by several warriors shot down two Ainu warriors under the eaves.

The sea dog yelled: "Speed, slow down! Don't run out of bullets!"

After speaking, he took out another revolver, opened the hammer, and shot a samurai who was drawing a bow and nocking an arrow.

After a ping-pong-pong shot indiscriminately, the warriors retreated with their wounded companions.Sea Dog counted the number of casualties, and the other party only killed seven or eight people in total, and two of them died on his own side, and he yelled in anger.

(End of this chapter)