Simply put、if both sides are walls、while adding synergistic effects (reaction force is applied to it at all ground contact points)、shock waves blow through the front and rear naturally.

Monday, 5 November 2012

messenger of peace

"The current war situation is too disadvantageous for Tokugawa、so we must quickly calm down the front and reorganize our army."

Yoshinobu's first military action ended up being to explore the possibility of a truce with Choshu.

As a result of discussions with the staff、Katsu、who was believed to have good relations with the Choshu clan、was selected as the peace envoy.

(One of the main reasons why Katsu was chosen as the messenger of peace seems to be that no one else wanted to take on this difficult role.)

He had been demoted since the Ikedaya Incident、but here he reappeared on the stage of history、and peace negotiations began on Miyajima、Hiroshima.

※I previously said、"didn't a huge tsunami caused by an earthquake hit Hiroshima City on July 6, 1945？"、aside from that、is it possible that a large tsunami caused by the atomic bomb explosion hit Itsukushima？※

・・・・・・・・・

"I had always been proud that no one in the Tokugawa Shogunate was as knowledgeable about the modern navy as I was、and I have now been appointed to serve as the Tokugawa Navy Governor-General.

That being the case、I was determined to assemble the strongest fleet we could、rather than build a small fleet like we had done up until now、and challenge the Choshu Navy to a decisive battle.

However、as I am sure you all already know、our Lord recently passed away.

He was a truly wonderful lord.

Naturally、we must mourn his death with deep sadness.

As such、our new lord does not wish to continue the war with the Choshu clan any further.

(At this point、Katsu stopped talking for a moment.)

'What is absolutely necessary for Japan today is dialogue、not conflict.'

Rather than say、in the first place、he did not want war with Choshu at all.

However、he had a position in which he had to follow the opinions as the Tokugawa shogunate organization.

That situation may not have changed at all.

The Tokugawa shogunate is too large for the actions of the organization to be determined by the will of a single individual.

Yes、he wants to end this war because this is a good opportunity."

Katsu continued speaking.

"This is just my personal opinion、but it is true that Choshu has the upper hand in the current war situation.

The current Tokugawa shogunate is similar to the Choshu clan、which frequently bombarded Western ships.

As you all probably know、very few troops under the direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate have yet participated in this war.

Because、even the navy was often interfered with by outsiders、and when it came to sending 30,000 Western-style infantrymen under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate to the front、there were many opposing opinions、making it difficult to implement.

However、Choshu fundamentally changed this difficult situation we faced.

※This is simple.

It is true that the Tokugawa Army is no match for the Choshu Army in terms of its wealth of practical experience、but…in terms of combat experience against a fully armed army、you guys have only experienced battles with Western fleets？but there are 30,000 members of the Tokugawa Modern Army, armed and trained just like you.

We will divide this into units of 10,000 each and will soon begin advancing on Choshu from three directions.

We、the entire Tokugawa Navy、will now use our full strength to support the army's actions and carry out an all-out attack on Choshu. 2023123115:45(japan time).

※We will definitely win this war、but that doesn't matter.

Will it cause you all to perish？That can't happen.

No、to put it bluntly、you guys shouldn't perish.

We win the war、you're wiped out、and then what happens？

It will only spread low-quality pathogens throughout Japan.

Do something like that、what will happen to Japan's future？

It is no longer possible to change the great trends of history with human power.

The only thing we can do is carry out necessary flood control measures to ensure that the river flows safely into the sea. 2023123116:14(japan time).

The key to success is knowing when to stop.

I think it would be foolish to lose track of when to stop and lose all the profits you made.

In conclusion、the entire troops of the Tokugawa shogunate will gradually withdraw to Osaka.

We intend to quietly carry out it、but we would like to request that Choshu not launch an attack on us at that time."

"In fact、we are currently formulating a plan for an all-out attack on Osaka.

The entire Choshu army、together with patriots from all over Japan、intends to march on Osaka、overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate、and rescue the Emperor from the hands of bandits.

However、news reached us that the Tokugawa Shogun had died.

Although he was the cause of the Emperor's suffering、as a fellow samurai、we can understand the Tokugawa's desire to mourn his death.

There is nothing we can do to attack such pathetic people.

We agree with Tokugawa's proposal to end this war.

However、we have one concern.

Until now、the Tokugawa envoys had always told us things that seemed to come to mind at the time and did not correspond to the facts.

Therefore、we don't know whose statement to believe.

Are we okay with believing your word？"

　

"It's okay."

This is just a truce、it doesn't mean the war is over.

Of course everyone there understood that.

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

coronation

After concluding an armistice with the Choshu clan、Katsu returned to Osaka.

Although he could not deny the feeling that he was acting a bit arbitrary、there was no doubt that he achieved a certain degree of diplomatic success in difficult circumstances.

"It is strange that Choshu agreed to an armistice agreement with us so easily.

He may be liaising with Choshu."

However、Katsu was suspected of being a Choshu spy at the Tokugawa shogunate military headquarters in Osaka Castle、and in the end he had to return to Edo.

※However、there seems to have been an aspect of Katsu's personality that he was an "automatic political enemy manufacturing machine"(lol). 2023122910:39(japan time).

※"I have been appointed the Tokugawa Navy Governor" was probably Katsu's bluff.

Or perhaps it was an appointment based on extremely ambiguous words and deeds.

(That may be the usual method of the "Tokugawa Shogunate Cabinet Ministers".)※

※I don't know now whether this story is a fabrication that I made up or a historical fact (lol). 2023122614:57(japan time).

※Just now、I made up the "30,000 infantry" part to keep the text consistent(lol). 2023122708:31(japan time).

Well、this war is over anyway.

However、this war further accelerated the soaring prices of goods、which had been a problem for some time、and riots occurred frequently、especially in the metropolitan areas of western Japan.

Its situation was similar in Edo、Japan's de facto capital.

This war、in which the Tokugawa shogunate invested a huge amount of money、ended in the Tokugawa shogunate's complete defeat.

So they planned to overcome their huge debt with donations from Osaka's large merchants.

Although it was called a "request for donations"、it was in fact an order from the powerful Tokugawa shogunate to the common people (this was their usual method).

"The root cause of this worst situation was the mismanagement of the Tokugawa shogunate.

First、we would like the Tokugawa Shogunate to show us what concrete improvement measures they will take in the future."

However、Osaka's merchants were already unwilling to accept this "request" uncritically.

・・・・・・・・・

　

Then、at the end of that year、a major event occurred that would decisively change the course of Japanese history.

The Emperor Kōmei suddenly passed away due to illness at Kyoto (he may have been the most understanding person for the Tokugawa Shogunate).

Accordingly、a young man was enthroned as the new Emperor.

The end of this war was officially declared in his name.

(He was later called "Meiji Ten'nō" and "Meiji Taitei"、becoming Japan's first constitutional monarch.)

During the political upheaval in Kyoto a few years ago、the Choshu faction aristocrats within the imperial court were punished、and several aristocrats were expelled from Kyoto.

They were now forgiven for their crimes and decided to return to Kyoto (however、at this point、it seems that there were still many restrictions on their words and actions).

From now on、changes in the world will gradually become apparent.