Chapter 272: Fire!

"The United States and Japan are currently in a state of war. Let me tell you, the lord, that he has two choices, either to welcome us into Nagasaki in glory, or to wait for us to bombard Nagasaki with cannons!"

With a tough attitude, Liang Yao issued an ultimatum to the Hizen Saga Domain who was responsible for guarding Nagasaki.

The young retainer Oki Qiaoren, wearing a kimono and wearing wooden clogs, looked around curiously on the Roland. After receiving Liang Yao's ultimatum, he returned to Nagasaki by boat and reported to Nabeshima Naomasa.

"Master, these Westerners are very arrogant and rude. They say that we have already started a war with them and want us to welcome them into Nagasaki, otherwise they will fight us with swords."

"Osawa-kun, the day I was most worried about has come."

Nabeshima Naomasa said to Nagasaki Osawa Kotetsu on the side, with a hint of reluctance in his tone.

"Are we in Japan going to make the same mistakes that the Qing Dynasty made ten years ago?"

The Feidon incident, the outbreak of the Opium War, and the disastrous defeat of the Qing Dynasty at the hands of the British army all made Namasa Nabeshima nervous.

Naomasa Nabeshima especially likes to collect intelligence about Britain and the Qing Dynasty. He knows very well what treaties the Qing Dynasty signed after the war, what losses it suffered, and what territories it ceded. Of course, the more he knows, the better Namasa Nabeshima will be. The more fearful they are, the more insecure they become, fearing that Japan will become the next Qing Dynasty.

The Feito time and the Qing Dynasty's disastrous defeat in the Opium War were also the motivation for Namasa Nabeshima to strengthen the coastal defense of Nagasaki.

Nabeshima Naomasa was very aware that as Japan's only trading port, Nagasaki would bear the brunt of the British invasion.

But what Namasa Nabeshima didn't expect was that his imaginary enemy, Britain, did not come, but the United States came first.

A few months ago, Nabeshima Naomasa had received the United States' declaration of war through Tanguan, and reported it to the shogun in time. However, those bugs in Edo did not take the United States' declaration of war seriously, let alone pay attention to it. Pay attention to this matter.

Nabeshima Naomasa was already prepared, but after seeing the American big black ship approaching Nagasaki with his own eyes, Nabeshima Naomasa still felt a little flustered.

"I once asked the Dutch people in the Orchid Hall about the situation in the United States. The Dutch said that the United States is alone outside the European continent. It is the barbarian of the European continent. It is a foreign land and a barbaric country. There is nothing to fear." Ze Kangzhe said.

"Osawa-kun, you can't believe what the Dutch say. Even if the United States is a foreign land and a barbaric country as they call it, I think the American warships are much stronger than the Dutch warships."

Nabeshima Naomasa doesn't know much about the distant United States, but he still has basic judgment skills.

He was fond of studying Dutch and had boarded a Dutch warship for inspection, so he still had some superficial understanding of Western ships.

Recently, steamships that are not powered by sails are the cutting-edge ships of the Westerners. Many of these warships stationed outside Nagasaki have no sails, and the chimneys on the top of the ships are spewing billowing black smoke.

I think these ships are steam ships. The Dutch also have steam ships in Nagasaki, but compared to the huge steam battleships of the Americans, the Dutch steam ships seem a bit compact.

The Dutch are currently the only Western trading country authorized by the shogunate. They naturally hope to maintain the status quo and monopolize trade with Japan. Therefore, in Nabeshima Naomasa's view, the Dutch's words cannot be fully believed.

"Master, how should we reply to those Americans?" Oki Qiaoren asked Nabeshima Naomasa for instructions, and then added as if he suddenly remembered something, "Master, a general from the United States, seems to be from the Tang Dynasty."

"An American Tang general?"

There were Tang generals in the American army, which confused Nabeshima Naomasa, but soon, Nabeshima Naomasa gave the order.

"Tell the samurai on the outer fort that the time has come for them to serve their country! If American warships insist on entering Nagasaki, use our cannons to drive them out of Nagasaki!"

"Yes! Patriarch!" Damu Qiaoren accepted the order and left.

After Oki Qiaoren left, Namasa Nabeshima, who had just given the order, was very worried. He held tightly in his hand the sword that Tokugawa Kesada had given him when the Nagasaki Outer Fortress was completed. He closed his eyes and prayed: Amaterasu, God, Let the divine wind bless your people again.

"Damn it! These bastards are hard-edged and not soft-hearted!"

After receiving Namasa Nabeshima's reply refusing to allow the fleet to enter Nagasaki, Liang Yao became furious.

Perry was relatively calm: "The ruler of Japan is in Edo. We can bypass Nagasaki and go directly to Edo to convey our demands to the shogun."

Liang Yao shook his head and said: "If we can't even cure the Hizen Saga Domain, the Tokugawa shogunate will not take us seriously. Since Nabeshima Naomasa doesn't know how to praise us and refuses us to enter Nagasaki, we can just take advantage of this This is an opportunity to teach Nabeshima a lesson, kill the chicken to show the monkey, and set an example for the other vassals to let them know the cost of rejecting me, America!"

"What if the Japanese resist tenaciously and cannot take Nagasaki for a while?" Perry expressed his concerns.

"There is no if." Liang Yao said in a tone that left no room for doubt.

If he can't even deal with the Hizen Saga Domain, he should just go back to California as soon as possible.

It is true that the Hizen Saga Domain is a strong domain, but it is only a force. According to the information provided to him by Liang Sen and Tangkan merchants, the Hizen Saga Domain's troops deployed in Nagasaki will not exceed 3,000 at most. people, half of whom were still on the outer fort.

When attacking Nagasaki, Liang Yao and the others had no disadvantage in terms of military strength.

"Sven, order all ships to fire at Waime Battery!"

Liang Yao ignored Perry's hesitation and gave the order decisively.

Without the support of Perry's American East India Fleet, he was still able to land in Nagasaki and force the Hizen Saga Domain to surrender.

"Yes! Colonel!"

Sven excitedly accepted Liang Yao's order.

August 13, 1852 was an unusual day for Nagasaki and even the whole of Japan.

On this day, American warships from across the ocean opened fire on Nagasaki Waime Battery, opening the door to Nagasaki and kicking open the door to Japan.

The defenders on Waime Battery had not yet reacted, and shells broke through the air and exploded on their battery.

The Waime Battery fought back, but the smoothbore guns, accuracy and range were a generation behind the French rifled naval guns equipped on the Roland, Chaoyong and Yangwei ships.

Even though the Waimu Battery had the advantage in terrain and numbers, it was still at a disadvantage in the confrontation with Liang Yao's fleet.

Most of the solid shells fired by the iron cannons on the Waimu Battery fell hundreds of meters away from the Roland, splashing waves and not reaching the Roland at all.

Of course, Liang Yao would not worry even if he reached it, because the Roland was not a pure wooden warship, and a thick layer of cast iron was wrapped on both sides of the ship.

Even if those solid shells hit, they would not cause fatal damage to the Roland.

And each of the explosive bombs fired by the Roland at the Waimu Battery could kill the Japanese soldiers on the Waimu Battery.

"Mississippi! Saskatchewan! Plymouth! Saratoga! Aim at the Waimu Battery and fire!"

Liang Yao privately ordered to open fire, which made Perry, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Expeditionary Force, dissatisfied, thinking that Liang Yao did not take him, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Expeditionary Force, seriously.

After the Roland, Chaoyong and Yangwei opened fire, Perry was not to be outdone and ordered the four warships of the American East India Fleet to open fire.

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