Chapter 640 Kurokawa's arrival (Part 2)
In Uragasho, the howling sea breeze was blowing, and the raging waves were beating against the rocks along the coast.
The fishermen who had harvested a lot parked their small sampans on the shore. They dragged their fishing nets and prepared to put the day's harvest into boxes and then take them to the market to sell them for money.
It’s just that there are many uninvited guests on the shore. Looking at their clothes, you can tell that these people are not here to buy fish. Many of them carry knives and sickles, and even long objects wrapped in white cloth. Needless to say It must be an iron cannon.
Naturally, these fishermen on the beach will not go up to seek bad luck for themselves. They only care about the catch in their hands and hope not to be robbed by those people.
Since the Dutch had already spread the word, in addition to a large number of orchidists, many people who were concerned about the fate of their country also gathered on the shore.
Among these people are samurai, feudal lords, monks, ronin, as well as powerful feudal lords and famous officials. There are both octogenarians and childish urchins.
Their only purpose in coming here is to see what the Dutch call "the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Uncle, it has been almost a month since we came here. The fleet that the Dutch said has still not appeared."
The person who spoke was a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old. Although he had a clean face, he was undoubtedly a corporal in his cotton clothes and straw sandals.
(Corporal refers to low-level samurai. It is stipulated that they cannot wear clogs and silk clothes. Cotton clothes, straw sandals and a rusty knife are standard.)
Next to the boy was a middle-aged man with a sluggish look. He kept coughing even though he was wearing thick cotton clothes, but he still touched the boy's head lovingly.
"Torajiro, you are the legal heir of Yamaga Ryuubi and the Yoshida family, a genius of Zizuki City, how can you be so uncontrollable?
Remember the story of cuckoo? Patience and perseverance are the secrets of success.”
(Yoshida Shoin’s childhood name is Torajiro. Refers to Tsukijo, a small town in Fukuoka, Japan.)
A wise man asked: "If the cuckoo doesn't cry, how can I endure it if I want to hear its cry?"
Nobunaga said: "If the cuckoo doesn't crow, kill it."
Hideyoshi said: "If the cuckoo doesn't crow, it will crow in a funny way."
Ieyasu said: "If the cuckoo doesn't crow, wait until it crows."
Three celebrities from the Warring States Period gave three different views, but everyone knew that it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who survived to the end.
However, before Torajiro's uncle could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sergeant wearing silk clothes and wearing clogs.
"Baga! How dare a mere corporal compare himself to Ieyasu-sama?"
"I'm extremely sorry!" The sickly man lowered his head.
"Asshole!" The luxuriously dressed sergeant deliberately prolonged his voice, and then an evil smile appeared on his face.
"Give me hara-kiri!"
The people accompanying them burst into laughter. Due to the huge difference in status, it was difficult for the sergeant and the corporal to have empathy. In other words, due to the rise of Jin Quan, the originally proud sergeants had no choice but to bully the corporal for fun.
In a hierarchical society, it is not uncommon for people to be forced to death. There are also people with corporal background around who feel humiliated, but they can only watch helplessly.
The monks on the side even began to recite scriptures, and more people were not attracted by the human tragedy that was about to happen around them, because it was just commonplace.
At this time, a lazy voice came over.
"Hey! Hey! Why do I run into you scum wherever I go?"
The visitor was a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old, holding a grass stalk in his mouth. The samurai sword that should have been tied to his waist was carried on his shoulder. He looked like the most unfashionable ronin, but under his feet The clogs prove his original identity.
"Serizawa! Don't think you are great. There are five of us. Besides, it was their fault first."
The arrogant people before were now very nervous. The young man opposite also deliberately took out the Shinto Wu Nian Ryu sign from his arms and waved it in front of him, but he did not rush to do it, but said.
"What did they say? I didn't hear it, but you guys actually dared to call the ancestors by their first names. They were really bold."
The five sergeants were immediately rendered speechless.
"Very good, you are brave and resourceful!" A middle-aged man walked out of the sedan chair.
Everyone around him immediately knelt down and saluted.
"See Shimazu-sama."
"Everyone, get up! With wise people like you here in Japan, no matter whether it's the United States or England, we will never lose!"
Everyone responded in unison, but this atmosphere did not last long.
A sharp whistle sounded, like a sharp sword cutting through the air, which made the majesty of the heaven and earth crashing on the shore somewhat inferior.
Immediately afterwards, huge "black iron" warships emerged from behind the rocks with rumbling black smoke.
Like a giant beast peering at its prey, it finally revealed its true appearance.
It was ferocious and terrifying. The monks stopped chanting, the wise men stopped thinking, and the brave warriors pulled out their swords and roared in despair at the slowly approaching steel giant.
However, the terrifying monster did not stop at all, and did not even look at the humble creature at its feet.
The fishermen fled in panic, and their catches, which they had previously regarded as treasures, were scattered on the ground.
The big man who enjoyed the admiration of everyone before was now left with a shameful mark on his body as if his soul had been hollowed out.
The ear-splitting rumblings and black smoke gradually faded away, but the dark clouds that shrouded the hearts of these heroes lingered for a long time.
Even those orchid scholars couldn't calm down. After all, the scenery in front of them was far beyond their imagination.
In Edo Castle, as the young man most valued by the chief shogunate, Ryota Atobe was undoubtedly a decent samurai.
However, this decent warrior was now in a dusty state, with several scratches on his face caused by tree branches, and all the shoes on his feet were missing.
"What did you see? A huge... unbelievably big black ship. There were countless cylinders emitting black smoke standing on top of it. There were so many cannons on both sides of the ship that it was terrifying... The speed was beyond the reach of Anzai and his ilk."
Anzhai refers to the Anzhai ship, which was Japan's largest maritime warship during this period. Its speed usually did not exceed 3 knots.
"Ryuta, is the Austrian fleet really that scary?" Masahiro Abe asked in a low tone, hoping that the former could regain his senses.
Atobe Ryuta's pupils were dilated and he spoke incoherently: "It's really too huge...it covers the sky and the sun, and you can't see the head or tail."
Abe Masahiro sighed and ordered, "Convene a pre-screening meeting immediately!"
The subordinates immediately responded and then split up to inform other senior shogunate officials.
Abe Masahiro stood up and walked past Ryuta Abe and said, "Go on committing seppuku." Then he headed towards the main hall without looking back.
An hour later, the main hall.
"Lord Yishou, the fleet of the Austrian Empire has arrived just as the Dutch said, but they have not made any demands yet.
Lin Qi Zhongbei, whom Uraga followed, felt unable to resist the enemy and committed seppuku. It seems that the enemy is more powerful than we thought. "
Abe Masahiro frowned. Lin Qi Chubei was a guy who even dared to contradict the previous generals. He was definitely not a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death.
Abe Masahiro asked: "With the twenty artillery pieces from Edo, can we repel the Okuni fleet?"