Forty-eight years of Qianlong

On June 1794, 6, that is, April 3th of the sixth year of Kansei in the island country, the "Jaguar" carrying Omi and his party arrived at the sea outside Ishinomaki Port.When this large and slender sailboat appeared in the port, it immediately attracted countless eyeballs, and everyone who had nothing to do came to watch.

Today's Ishinomaki Port is no longer the dilapidated small fishing port when Zhao Xin and the others first came, but has become a distribution center for the entry and exit of goods in the entire Mutsu area.

After the beginning of spring, there are many sails and masts in the port, and the boats and boats meet each other, making it extremely noisy and busy.The original small wooden pier was replaced by a large stone pier standing in the sea more than 200 meters away from the shore.The wharf is connected to the land through a ten-meter-wide stone base trestle bridge, and there are more than a dozen berths that can dock thousands of stone boats.

The pier was built when Cao Peng first came here. It was all built with stone and concrete, and it has not been completed until now.The stones used are all from Mount Kamuro in the west of Sendai. If it weren't for the help of Beihai Town to blast the mountain and provide some engineering equipment, it would not be possible to build it even if the Sendai Fan was killed.

Beihai Town's help in building the wharf is not out of kindness.After years of development, Ishinomaki Port has become one of the two major distribution centers for the island country to export labor to Beihai Town, the other being Yokohama.Now every spring in these two places, [-] to [-] laborers gather here and board a ship to Beihai Town to repair the railway.If the wharf is not strong enough, the turnover rate of personnel will not be fast.

Since Khabarovsk's iron and steel plant went into trial operation last year, especially after the hot-rolling workshop was also put into operation, the output of rail tracks has greatly increased, and several railway lines will all start this year.The three main routes are from Yaksa to Ulan-Ude on the east bank of Baiber Lake, from Khabarovsk to Fuldan City, and from Fuldan City to Jilin Ula via Ninggu Tower.As a result, Beihai Town's demand for labor from island countries has soared. It is estimated that the total number of migrant workers going to Beihai Town this year will exceed 5.

Seeing that more and more people gathered to watch the commotion, hundreds of guards with ten hands and sticks came running from the direction of Ishinomaki Town.They drove away the crowd gathered in front of the trestle bridge, and moved wooden fences to separate a large open space.Half an hour later, when everything was properly prepared, more than 20 warriors opened the way, and two extremely exquisitely crafted "female vehicles" were also carried by two strong bearers.Its gorgeous appearance and ingenious craftsmanship made all the people present gasp, squeeze forward desperately, and compete to watch.

The surface of the car, which is less than one meter high and less than one meter wide, and the thick car bars are all painted with dark and shiny paint as the background color, with various patterns painted with gold paint and patterns made of gold flakes all over the surface. Corner decoration.For example, the bamboo sparrow pattern painted on the sliding door, the peony and vine pattern around the front, rear, left, and right sides, and the vertical flame pattern on the window grille and the four corners of the car.When these patterns are illuminated by the sun, they are golden and dazzling.

Among the crowd watching the excitement, a knowledgeable shop owner exclaimed: "Who is here? They actually took out all the things that Chunji used to get married back then?!"

Speaking of Japanese sedan chairs in the Edo period, that is, driving cages, there are a lot of specialties, and they have different appearances and names according to social classes.

The sedan chairs used by Tokugawa generals and feudal lords are called "Chengmon", and there are various styles such as gilded Zongwangdai. The bearers are called "Six Chi"; " and "Xing Fu", there is not much decoration on the outside except the emblem; the common people can only sit in the four-handed cages with no cover on both sides, which are divided into mountain cages and overnight cages according to their functions.

According to the provisions of "Samurai Laws", only generals, Tokugawa Ichimon, feudal lords, city lords, sons of daimyo who have received more than 50 koku and own a country, castle lords, legitimate sons of attendants and above, people over [-] years old, and doctors , Onmyojis, patients and others are allowed to ride in sedan chairs, while others are not allowed in principle.

That is to say, as long as the above requirements are not met, no matter how rich you are, you have only one choice to go out, which is the 11th road.In addition, if the status is not enough, mules and horses cannot be ridden, and they can carry things, but they must be led away, otherwise they will be hit by warriors and have the right to kill them.

"Boss Gutianya, who do you think used this?"

The boss of Gutianya explained: "Don't you know the second daughter of the former lord, Your Highness Junhime? She is the one who married the Uwajima Domain."

"Oh! It's the female highness. Remember to remember!"

It is said that Date Shigemura's eldest daughter died young, so the second daughter Junhime became the actual eldest daughter.The eldest daughter got married, and the face-saving Date family naturally had to make a big deal of it. This female vehicle was specially made for her to marry.This thing is usually locked in the warehouse of Qingye City, and it has not been taken out for many years.Today's appearance shows that the person to be picked up is definitely no less than the world's second-largest feudal princess-level nobleman.

Just as everyone on the pier was discussing, the "Jaguar" had entered the berth and stopped. Several sailors set up the gangway. The vassal's eyes were wide open, and he didn't dare to breathe.

No wonder they were afraid. Everyone in the Northern Navy was fully armed, with camouflage green uniforms, helmets, and tactical vests. They all wore black cut-resistant neck guards around their necks; the vests on their chests were equipped with triple bombs. The bag is bulging; the weapon in his hand is not a semi-automatic rifle used by the ordinary North Navy, but a full-automatic weapon; there is also a quick-draw holster tied on the outside of the thigh, and a black lacquered gun is inserted. pistol.

Now the entire Beihai Navy can have this kind of equipment, except for the special warfare battalion, only Zhao Xin's guards.

After the guards disembarked, they quickly formed a formation along both sides of the trestle bridge, with each person separated by three meters.After confirming that everything is safe, a signal is sent to the ship.Then, a strong man in military uniform stepped out of the boat.

This person was only in his twenties, about 1.6 meters tall, with a neither humble nor overbearing smile on his face.Unlike other soldiers, he has no other equipment except for a pistol bag hanging on his belt around his waist. A pair of slightly squinted eyes sized up several Sendai officials, and then stared at the crowd on the pier. He said: "My name is Li Wenqing, and I am the company commander of the Beihai Guard Battalion. I will be fully responsible for Miss A Miao's security affairs this time. Please tell me directly about the follow-up itinerary and arrangements, and I will trouble you."

Ever since Ishikawa Murakami made up his mind to fight Edo against Beihai Town's thigh, he asked the officials of the Sendai Domain to learn Mandarin. In the first few years, he sent his two sons and elite children selected by each family to study in Beihai Town.These people have stayed in Fuldan City for two years, and they have a good understanding of the various systems of Beihai Town, and they also know that the only one who can call themselves the "Guard Battalion" is the army around Zhao Xin.

The leader of the vassals did not dare to neglect, and immediately bowed to Li Wenqing and said in a strange Mandarin: "Master Li is serious. I am in Shichuan Village, and I will be the messenger this time. Miaoji can pass by this time when she returns home." This feudal lord, dare not treat her wholeheartedly. Mistress Yu Ding sent me here to welcome Miao Ji to stay in Qingye City."

Speaking of receiving A Miao, the Sendai Fan really took a lot of thought.A Miao is not yet married to Zhao Xin, and because of Beihai Town's system, even if she does, she will not have a legal status.Ishikawa Cunwen and other bigwigs have had a headache for several days because of this, they can't let the head of the family and the elders come forward to entertain them, right?It would be a joke to spread the word, even if you want to curry favor with Zhao Xin, you can't be so lowly that you don't respect the etiquette.

In the end, everyone decided to invite Mrs. Yu Ding, the mother of the owner of Yidaqi Village, to come forward to receive them, and asked the family to take the initiative to use the precious things that the Yida family married their daughter; this will not only avoid embarrassment, but also give Beihai Town enough face.

Li Wenqing nodded slightly when he heard this, and asked the accompanying soldiers to return to the ship to inform.Not long after, A Miao, who covered her face with a light veil, led Chen Erya, who was also in military uniform, down the springboard.

I saw her wearing a gauze hat, a moon-white palace silk jacket, and a lake-color silk skirt.Probably because of the strong wind at sea, she was wearing a silver-red and blue satin fox fur waistcoat and a lake-colored hooded cape over her upper body. As she walked, her graceful figure became more and more charming.But what is shocking is that behind the woman, there is actually a wobbly fat cat with a fat head and big ears.

Well, King Duofu is already used to A Miao's care, and if he doesn't see this "slave" for a day, he will feel uncomfortable.So when A Miao left home, this guy sneaked under the seat of the carriage while no one was paying attention.When it was found in Whale Harbor, the cat grabbed A Miao's skirt with its paws, howling and refusing to let go.Everyone who accompanied him knew the status of this guy in Zhao Xin's family, and they didn't dare to be violent, so Duofu succeeded in his treacherous plan and came with him.

Looking at A Miao, who is dressed in Han Chinese clothes, Ishikawa Village couldn't help feeling emotional in his heart.Over the years, his father and Edo have tried their best to please Zhao Xin. The beautiful woman gave him eighty if not a hundred, but that one didn't even see him, and they all retreated. Instead, he was a run-down samurai from the Takasaki Clan. His daughter is regarded as a treasure by him.

When A Miao saw the shining golden light inside and outside, she couldn't help but stop, thinking that it was too extravagant.While hesitating, Ishikawa Village Ren smiled and said: "Miao Ji, don't mind. Zhao Wangdian has a great favor from this feudal clan, and you are Zhao Wang's family, and your status is like a princess of the Celestial Dynasty. The mistress specially asked someone to withdraw from the treasury. Take it out for your ride."

Li Wenqing on the side also said: "Miss Miao, there are too many people here, so it's not suitable to stay for a long time. What can we talk about in Qingye City?"

A Miao nodded, declined the help of the two maids, and went straight forward to sit in the sedan chair.When Duofu saw it, Chiliu also followed. A maid was about to yell at the stray cat, but A Miao said in Japanese, "Let it come up, it followed me."

The maids were a little surprised when they heard this, and thought to themselves, why do you bring a big fat cat with you when you go out?

That afternoon, A Miao and his party arrived at Qingye City and lived in Cao Peng's house.It was the first time for the hostess Lin Sanyue to see A Miao, and because she was concerned about Zhao Xin, she spoke cautiously.But on the second day, as they got to know each other better, Sanyue quickly fell in love with this demure girl, and she spoke a lot more casually.

In the afternoon of the next day, Mrs. Yu Ding held a tea party in Ninomaru's back house to entertain A Miao, accompanied by all the female relatives of the big family in the feudal clan.Everyone was very curious about this girl dressed in Hanfu, but they didn't dare to ask more questions.On the contrary, Mrs. Yu Ding was very surprised when she saw that A Miao's eyebrows were still unopened, knowing that she was still a virgin.

Could it be that Zhao Wangdian just regarded her as his younger sister?If I had known this before, I should have asked Yigu Shoudai to propose to Zhao Wang on behalf of my son a few years ago and welcome him as his wife.

Mrs. Yu Ding was purely emotional, since Yida Zhongcun had betrothed her son a long time ago, and Yuanfu got married that year.And that little daughter-in-law is the daughter of the predecessor Guan Baiying Si Fuping who was burned to death in the fire, and she is also the only descendant of the Yingsi family.

A Miao went to drink tea, and Duofu who stayed at home was left without someone to take care of, so she began to wreak havoc on Cao Peng's garden.At the beginning, it sniffed here and there, but after a while, it rushed to the butterfly, climbed the tree to the house, and even broke the branch of a magnolia flower.When Cao Peng found out, he was so angry that he held his fire to lure Duofu with dried fish. When Duofu approached, he grabbed the back of its neck and slapped his butt twice. He was not used to this guy.Now Duofu is being honest, but from then on, whenever he sees Cao Peng, he will run away.

After staying in Aoba City for two days, everything was ready for the Sendai Fan, so A Miao set off under the joint escort of dozens of feudal vassals, maids and guards, and headed south along the streets of Oshu.This time, she didn't say anything about riding in that luxury car, and changed to a Faxian Temple car cage borrowed from the writer's family in Ishikawa Village.

Li Wenqing, Chen Erya and others all rode horses.Fortunately, the Sendai Fan has bought a lot of Mongolian horses from Beihai Town in the past few years to improve the local horse breeds, otherwise they can only ride those southern horses that are like donkeys.

Two days later, the group arrived at the Koriyama camp in the south of Fukushima, and met the shogunate envoy and several guides who had been waiting here for two days.

"Lord Li, this is a document issued by the shogunate, so no one will stop you at the checkpoints along the way. Accommodation and food supplies will also be arranged." After finishing speaking, the envoy gestured to Li Wenqing for the two mountain people who were kneeling on the ground The dressed guy said: "These two are guides, and they are very familiar with the road to Takasaki."

Li Wenqing took the document, opened it, glanced twice, cupped his fists and said, "Thanks for taking care of me, thank you very much!"

It is said that A Miao's hometown is in the Takasaki Domain, which is the territory of the shogunate, so it is impossible for the Sendai Domain to eat alone in such things as escorting and currying Beihai Town.After the Edo side learned about it, they also summoned their retainers to discuss, and bargained with the people from the Sendai domain, and broke up many times during the period.

The Tokugawa shogunate means that you can send people to the northern checkpoint of the Shirakawa clan from Sendai, and the rest will be handled by the shogunate. After the festival is over, we will send people back to Edo, and then board the ship from Yokohama Port.

Sendai Fan said stop talking nonsense!This is impossible, Miaoji is a relative of Zhao Wangdian, and her status is very important.What's more, we have already made an agreement with Mr. Cao, we have to be responsible for this matter, and we must follow it from beginning to end. You just need to inform the places along the way and ask them to provide food and horse feed.

The shogunate said it was a good idea. You are taking this opportunity to spy on our intelligence, which is absolutely impossible.

The envoy of the Sendai Clan sneered, saying that we have already found out about your broken fortresses, who cares about spying on them!

The shogunate envoy said that since you want to send people to go to Takasaki, you must admit that the shogunate is the master of the world. Satsuma has been in the past for so many years, and there should be something to say.In addition, we also have a share of Palawan Island.

The envoy of the Sendai domain said I am bah!What about the fact that you teamed up with the Shimadzu family to poison the former head of the family? !

From the moment the Sendai clan decided to avenge the Patriarch Date Shigemura and join forces with Beikai Town to conquer the Satsuma clan, they had already violated the "Samurai Laws" formulated by the shogunate and became rebellious.

After the "Battle of Horse Ushima", although the two sides temporarily restored peace under the auspices of Beikai Town, the Tokugawa shogunate did not dare to rest assured at all, so they mobilized heavy troops and civilians to build outposts on the borders of Shirakawa, Aizu, and Nagaoka At the checkpoint, many concealed forts are set up, and some 12-pound guns bought from Beihai Town are deployed here.Naturally, the Sendai Fan was not reconciled to being left behind. They also had many checkpoints along the Suka River and built several forts.

The two sides were at a stalemate, and finally Cao Peng, who learned of the situation, gave a solution.Don't talk nonsense, it's just a return home to pay homage, making it look like the Celestial Dynasty inspecting the territory of an island country.We don't want anyone from your two families. If you enter the Baihe clan, you can just send two guides from the shogunate, and you don't need any guards of honor.If you really want to meet a thief on the road, the Beihai Navy accompanying you is not just a decoration!
In fact, Cao Peng is also full of bad water, obviously pulling sideways; Sendai Fan sent escorts no problem, but the Tokugawa shogunate can't do it if it wants to.But the Tokugawa shogunate dared to challenge the Sendai Fan, but it did not dare to challenge the Beihai Town.

Nobuaki Matsudaira, the head of the old middle school, was too lazy to argue after learning about it, and simply agreed to Cao Peng's plan; anyway, if I can't eat it, you don't want to eat it either.In the name of the shogunate, he then notified all the vassals along the way, and issued a document for the envoy to take over.

The function of the mountain driving cage is similar to that of a sliding pole for mountain climbing. Someone carries it on the mountain road.Suke cages are used to transport passengers between post station towns, because post stations in the Edo period were called "stations".