Chapter 640 Kurokawa Arrives (Part 2)

In Uraga, the whistling sea breeze was whistling, and the surging waves were hitting the reefs along the coast.

The fishermen who had harvested a lot of fish moored their small sampans on the shore. They dragged their fishing nets to put the day's harvest into boxes and then pulled them to the town to sell them.

However, there were many more uninvited guests on the shore. From their clothes, we knew that these people were not here to buy fish. Many of them were carrying knives and sickles, and even long objects wrapped in white cloth. Needless to say, they were definitely iron cannons.

These fishermen on the seashore would naturally not go up to find bad luck for themselves. They only cared about the catch in their hands and hoped that they would not be snatched away by those people.

Since the Dutch had spread the news long ago, in addition to a large number of Dutch scholars, many people who cared about the fate of their country also gathered on the shore.

Among these people were samurai, samurai, monks, ronin, as well as powerful feudal lords and celebrities... There were both octogenarians and childish children.

The only purpose of their coming here is to see the "Heavenly Kingdom" mentioned by the Dutch.

"Uncle, we have been here for almost a month. The fleet mentioned by the Dutch still hasn't appeared."

The speaker is a boy of about 14 or 15 years old. Although his face is clean, his cotton clothes and straw sandals are undoubtedly corporal.

(Corporal refers to low-level warriors. 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 is a middle-aged man with a sluggish face. Even though he is wearing a thick cotton coat, he keeps coughing, but he still touches the boy's head lovingly.

"Torajiro, you are the legitimate heir of Yamaga-ryu military science and Yoshida family, the genius of Shizuki Castle, how can you be so impatient.

Remember the story of the cuckoo? Patience and perseverance are the secrets to success"

(Yoshida Shoin's childhood name is Torajiro. Shizuki Castle is a small town in Fukuoka, Japan.)

The wise man asked: "If the cuckoo doesn't sing, what can I do if I want to hear it sing?"

Nobunaga said: "If the cuckoo doesn't sing, kill it."

Hideyoshi said: "If the cuckoo doesn't sing, tease it to sing."

Ieyasu said: "If the cuckoo doesn't sing, wait for it to sing."

Three celebrities in the Warring States period gave three different opinions, but everyone knew that it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who survived to the end.

However, before Torajiro's uncle finished speaking, he was interrupted by a sergeant in silk clothes and wooden clogs.

"Baga! How dare a mere corporal compare with Lord Ieyasu?"

"I'm so sorry!" The sick man lowered his head.

"Asshole!" The sergeant dressed in luxurious clothes deliberately dragged out his voice, and then a wicked smile appeared on his face.

"Seppuku to apologize!"

The people accompanying him laughed. Due to the huge difference in status, it was difficult for the sergeant and the corporal to empathize with each other, or because of the rise of money and power, the originally proud sergeants could only bully the corporal for fun.

In a society with clear hierarchy, it was not uncommon to force people to death. People who were born as corporals around felt humiliated, but could 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! How come I can meet you scumbags everywhere I go."

The visitor was a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old, holding a grass stem in his mouth, and the samurai sword that should have been tied to his waist was carried on his shoulder. He looked like a most inferior ronin, but the clogs on his feet proved his original identity.

"Serizawa! Don't think you're great. We have five people. Besides, they were wrong first."

The arrogant people before were all nervous at this time. The young man on the opposite side deliberately took out the Shinto Wunianliu sign from his arms and shook it in front of the other party, but he didn't rush to do it, but said.

"What did they say? I didn't hear it, but you dared to call the name of the previous general directly. It's really bold."

The five sergeants were speechless immediately

"Very good, brave and resourceful!" A middle-aged man walked out of the sedan.

The people around immediately knelt down and saluted.

"Greetings to Lord Shimazu."

"Everyone stand up! Japan has you knowledgeable people here. Whether it's America or England, we won't lose!"

Everyone responded in unison, but this atmosphere didn't last too long.

A sharp whistle sounded, like a sword cutting through the air, making the power of heaven and earth with waves hitting the shore a little less powerful.

Then, huge "black iron" warships emerged from behind the reefs little by little with rumbling black smoke.

Like a giant beast peeping at its prey, it finally revealed its true appearance at this moment.

Ferocious and terrifying, the monks stopped chanting, the wise men stopped thinking, and the brave warriors drew their swords, roaring desperately at the slowly approaching steel beast.

However, the terrifying monster did not stop at all, and did not even look at the humble creatures under its feet.

The fishermen fled in embarrassment, and the catch that they had previously regarded as treasures was scattered all over the ground.

The big man who had enjoyed the worship of everyone before, now left a pool of shameful marks under his body as if his soul had been hollowed out.

The deafening roar and black smoke gradually faded away, but the dark clouds hanging over the hearts of these heroes did not dissipate for a long time.

Even those Dutch scholars could not calm down, after all, the scenery in front of them was far beyond their cognition.

In Edo Castle, as the young man most valued by the chief elder of the shogunate, Atobe Ryuta is undoubtedly a decent samurai.

However, this decent samurai was now dusty, with several scratches on his face caused by branches, and his shoes were lost.

"What did you see? Big... incredibly big black ship. There are countless cylinders with black smoke on it, and there are so many cannons on both sides of the ship... The speed is beyond the reach of Ataka and others."

Ataka refers to the Ataka ship, which is the largest Japanese naval warship during this period, and its speed usually does not exceed 3 knots.

"Ryuta, is the Austrian fleet really that terrible?" Abe Masahiro asked in a low voice, hoping that the former can regain his sanity.

Atobe Ryuta's pupils were dilated, and he said incoherently: "It's really too huge... It covers the sky and the sun, and you can't see the beginning or the end."

Abe Masahiro sighed and ordered, "Hold a meeting immediately!"

The subordinates immediately responded, and then went to notify other high-ranking officials of the shogunate.

Abe Masahiro stood up and walked past Atobe Ryuta and said, "You should commit seppuku." Then he walked towards the main hall without looking back.

An hour later, the main hall.

"Lord Ishimosuke, the fleet of the Austrian Empire has indeed arrived as the Dutch said, but they have not made any demands yet.

Uraga Sugata Hayashi Qi Chubei felt powerless to resist the enemy and committed seppuku. It seems that the enemy is stronger than we thought."

Abe Masahiro frowned. Hayashi Qi Chubei was a guy who dared to contradict the previous general. He was definitely not a coward.

Abe Masahiro asked, "With the 20 guns in Edo, can we repel the Austrian fleet?"