Welcome to 19th-century Europe, where strength reigns supreme

At the beginning of the plan, one of the fleets was sent to pretend to attack Osaka, and the rest of the landing force was placed in Kanagawa. Of course, the Prussian army also had a backup plan, but if it could capture the relatively densely populated Tokyo area, then everything the shogunate did in Kyoto would be It's all meaningless.

Of course, the Japanese are also very smart. They lost Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and other places in succession, so they were also very panicked. Tokugawa Iemo sent a letter to the Prussian Wartime Staff, saying that Japan could meet Prussia's requirements as much as possible. He wanted to say that the Prussian army Can you stop the attack first?

Of course Prussia can negotiate peace with you, but whether Japan is willing or not is another matter.

The Prussian Wartime Staff responded to a letter to Tokugawa, saying that the Prussian army could suspend the offensive for two days and let the Japanese government consider whether to accept the treaty.

First, all Japan must disarm within one week, disband all armies and militia groups, and allow Prussia to garrison.

Second, Japan must declare its annexation to Prussia, become an overseas province of Prussia, and sign a merger treaty. The Japanese government must respect the territorial sovereignty integrity of Prussia and Japan and oppose all actions that split Prussia and Japan.

Third, ban silver dollar transactions and switch all transactions in Japan to euros.

Fourth, Japan must adopt the same political system as Prussia. Prussia should have all administrative powers, taxation rights, and the power to amend the constitution in Japan.

Fifth, Japan must recognize that Prussians and Japanese people have common rights, that is, the right to vote and the right to be elected, and the laws of Japan and Prussia must be consistent.

Tokugawa Iemo saw Prussia's request and later generations were dumbfounded. Brother, this is not a peace treaty, but an merger treaty, right? Aren't you forcing me to continue having sex with you?

However, there is still a faction in the shogunate that supports this treaty, such as Nobumasa Ando. He is a veteran, and his position is roughly equivalent to that of the co-signer of the Kamakura shogunate and the leader of the Muromachi shogunate. It is an official directly under the general who conquers barbarians and is responsible for directing the national government affairs. It is the highest official position of the shogunate in situations where the elder has not set it up.

He advocated accepting the treaty. He believed that Japan could not escape the fate of defeat if it continued the war. Japan had already lost three important areas. If the treaty was accepted, according to the terms given by Prussia, at least the shogunate could transition into a parliament, and they included Germany. The Sichuan family can still unite to govern, but their power is a little smaller. At least the Japanese still have their own government, and the emperor can also retain it.

However, the left minister Konoe Tadahiro disagreed. The notorious Konoe Fumima was his grandson.

Of course he didn't agree with just handing over the emperor's empire to the Europeans. If he died in battle, he would at least have a good reputation. But if he surrendered and accepted the treaty, wouldn't Emperor Komei's martial arts be in vain? .

And as a left minister, he has the right to think about one thing, that is, after being annexed by Prussia, whether Japan's parliament is useful, whether it can legislate or support its own national leaders, and whether Japan will be looked down upon by Prussia when it makes reforms. for divisive behavior.

In the end, will Prussia really not liquidate their shogunate officers and soldiers? Did the Prussian guarantee really work? If Prussia encountered the danger of war, would Prussia really not sell Japan?

Moreover, Prussia was not the Ming Dynasty. If it was really in danger, Japan would have been captured long ago by the time the Prussian army came slowly from Europe. For the sake of national security, no important officials in the shogunate wanted to accept the treaty.

The shogunate officials in a small room have been arguing about this treaty. Those who advocated acceptance thought, "If you want to exist, you must accept it. Existence is everything. We could not defeat Prussia in the first place. We could still defend it by relying on the natural moat of the strait, but Prussia The army's foreign guns and giant ships have told Japan that Prussia not only has a strong army, but also a strong navy. If Tokyo is landed, even if the shogunate army holds Kyoto and is separated from the large amount of farmland and towns in the north, they will only be trapped to death. China region.”

The opposition used the banner of nationalism, "The Japanese nation cannot surrender. Our country has a population of about [-] million, and the Prussian army only has a few people. If we continue to fight, we will win. We will fight in the fields, in the towns, and in the mountains." Fighting in the streets, no matter what the cost, we will not surrender. Even if Kyoto is destroyed, we still have Osaka. Even if Osaka is destroyed, we still have Nara. For the national independence and territorial integrity of Japan, the shogunate should never be incompatible with Japan's national independence and territorial integrity. They just surrendered in the interest of Japan’s interests.”

But no matter how much the quarrel is, it is just a dispute of words. In the end, only Tokugawa Iemo can decide whether to surrender or continue to fight.

Emperor Takamei personally went to Tokugawa's house to find the general who conquered the barbarians. Tokugawa Iemo was seriously ill and had been tortured these days, but the battle had to go on. He didn't want to surrender, but he fought again and again. However, Japan's army is not as large as the Prussian army, and public opinion is not in favor of itself. Although Prussia can invest limited troops, the fact that Prussia is weak does not mean that Japan is strong.

Takaaki seemed more nervous than Tokugawa. Although he had no real power, he did not want to lose the throne. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Tokugawa pondering on a map.

Emperor Takamei asked, "General, should we surrender or fight again? If we fight again, how should we fight?"

Tokugawa said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, if we continue to fight, there is no doubt that we will be completely defeated. By then, you and we will not be able to escape death. However, if we do not fight, it will be difficult for us to maintain our prestige after the war. The shogunate and the Emperor Your Majesty has never been so closely connected, we will definitely lose, but I have another idea."

"General, is there anything else you can do?"

"Although Tokyo and the Kanto Plain are very important, we have to give up here due to the current situation. There are now only three landing points for the Prussian army, Toyama, Tokyo, and Nagoya. These areas are plains, and the Prussian army can only land in these places. And I bet they will land in Tokyo, which is connected to the Kanto Plain, the richest place in Japan, with a large amount of farmland and population, and will definitely become the target of the Prussian army."

"What should we do? Can we defend the Prussian landing?"

"We can't hold it. It's impossible for us to return to defend Tokyo now. The crisis in the south is obviously more serious. The Kwantung Army has less than [-] people. It's a fool's errand to stop the Prussian army on the Great Plains. Our goal is not to defeat the Prussian army, but to defeat it. It is to obtain a small victory and strive to negotiate better surrender conditions. We can accept Prussian military occupation, we can accept the use of the euro, and we can even accept annexation to Prussia, but in any case, the legislative and executive powers cannot be given away, no matter what. We can’t let it go, as long as the Kwantung Army can hold off the Prussian army in the mountains of Yokohama, it can gain diplomatic opportunities for us.”