Not long after, Noda Yoo and his party arrived on the deck of the flagship.
Li Zhenduan sat still, showing no intention of getting up.
Takasugi Shinsaku glanced at Noda, with deep disdain on his face. He despised this person who betrayed women for short-term benefits from the bottom of his heart. However, when Takasugi Shinsaku saw the person behind Noda Yoo, his eyes widened. He stood up immediately, and the expression on his face changed, becoming more respectful.
Because the person following Noda Yoo was Anhito, a member of the royal family, a member of the royal family and a nobleman of the Tenhui family, Takasugi Shinsaku maintained sufficient respect.
Even though the imperial family currently supports the shogunate, he still maintains respect.
Noda Yoo came over and saluted respectfully.
Li Zhen waved his hand for Noda and his party to sit down, pointed at Shinsaku Takasugi, and said with a smile: "This is Shinsaku Takasugi, a disciple of Yoshida Shoin, I believe you know each other."
"We know each other, of course we know each other."
When Noda Yoo heard this, he became furious.
Li Zhen added: "Shinsaku Takasugi, like you, also invited me to Japan."
Hearing this, An Ren also frowned.
He knew Takasugi Shinsaku, and he knew Yoshida Shoin even more. Both master and apprentice were active in the country. Yoshida Shoin was outstandingly talented, and Takasugi Shinsaku was also a young and talented person. However, the master and apprentice gave Anren a headache. On the one hand, , the master and the apprentice are quite talented and courageous, but on the other hand, they are people who do not follow the rules and are difficult to control.
Takasugi Shinsaku bowed to Anhi and sat down directly, ignoring Noda Yoo.
Noda was very dissatisfied with this.
This young boy simply ignored him.
Li Zhen saw the expressions of both parties in his eyes and said in a neutral tone: "Just now I asked Gao Shanjin why he wanted to help the reformers, and he gave the reason, saying that the reformers are all people with lofty ideals. Vibrant and energetic people are easy to cultivate. On the contrary, the people in the shogunate are like a pool of water, and the officials of the shogunate are still fighting with each other in a pool of stagnant water. Let me leave you aside. I agree with his statement. What do you want? Said."
Noda Yoo gritted his teeth and thought, he hated Takasugi Shinsaku so much. Takasugi Shinsaku slandered the shogunate, it was so shameless.
Takasugi Shinsaku sat next to him, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.
The conversation between him and Li Zhen was all recounted by Li Zhen in an embellished manner. It was clear that Li Zhen wanted to irritate Noda Yoo and deliberately aroused Noda Yoo's anger. After listening to this, Anren, who was sitting aside, looked at Takasugi Shinsaku. His eyes were filled with coldness, and he wanted to slap Takasugi Shinsaku to death.
Li Zhen's words started a fight between the two sides.
Noda Yoo took a deep breath and said slowly: "Your Majesty, Takasugi-kun's words are purely fabricated. There are many talented people in the shogunate. They are all people who only think about strengthening the country. They are definitely not thinking about intrigues. I want to say something from my heart. If so, do you think you can rest assured about a person who speaks ill of others behind their back? Such a person is inherently unreliable."
Takasugi Shinsaku stared with a fierce look in his eyes.
Noda's words had a huge impact on him, forcing Takasugi Shinsaku into a corner.
Li Zhen laughed, spread his hands and said: "Noda, it's not good for Takasugi Shinsaku to speak ill of people behind their backs, but I think he is honest and can tell me a lot of things I don't know. The Japanese royal family married the eldest princess, and you took the initiative to tell me Two sisters were sent out, but if you had an affair with one of them, why did you send them out?"
The tone was sinister, with a chill in it.
Takasugi Shinsaku was overjoyed. Fortunately, the attendant told him about Noda Yoo's affair with his sister, so that he could stimulate Li Zhen and get Li Zhen to side with him.
Noda's heart skipped a beat, wondering how Li Zhen knew.
Undoubtedly, it was Takasugi Shinsaku who said it.
Noda Yoo had no time to care about the whole process of sending away his two sisters. He was focused on defeating Takasugi Shinsaku. He rolled his eyes and immediately said: "Your Majesty, Yu Masako and I are in love, and it has not hindered anyone. Moreover, Yu Masako and I have nothing to do with each other." Everyone knows that we are related by blood. When the eldest princess got married, I lacked the help of smart people, so I reluctantly gave up my love and let my younger sister accompany me. This is to take good care of the eldest princess. I can learn from my hard work with every passing day. , please give me a clear warning, Your Majesty."
Li Zhen immediately hesitated and said, "You really think about me. Well, you are serious."
It seems that Li Zhen fell to the side of the shogunate again.
Noda breathed a sigh of relief, and Anren also relaxed temporarily.
However, Takasugi Shinsaku frowned. He did not expect Noda Yoo to have such a move. The eyes of both parties collided, and they both stared at each other fiercely, wanting to kill the other party and complete their respective tasks.
Li Zhen glanced at him and said calmly: "Everything you said moved me, but I will carefully consider which side to choose. What I can be sure of now is that after I solve the Taiwan issue, the next step will be The Standing Committee will lead the navy to Japan to tell Japanese people with lofty ideals what they have learned over the years and to start Japan's road to self-improvement."
Li Zhen had a smile on his face and was full of expectations for the upcoming schedule.
He has already made arrangements for everything.
After hearing this, Shinsaku Takasugi and Yoda Noda looked at each other even more unkindly. Li Zhen hadn't decided which side he was on yet, so the competition between the two sides had to continue. The two stopped lingering and stood up to bid farewell to Li Zhen. , took their respective people away from the flagship, and after landing ashore, the people on both sides parted ways.
Zeng Guofan came to Li Zhen and said, "Your Majesty, are you really going to Japan next?"
Li Zhen said: "In order to make their fight more intense, why not do it."
Zuo Zongtang came over and said with a smile: "The prince did not clearly indicate who he would support. This is a clever move. After they return to Japan, the fight between the two sides will definitely be more cruel. There will definitely be a storm when the prince arrives. When we were in Japan, it was definitely an exciting scene with clothes.”
After a pause, Zuo Zongtang said: "Your Majesty, which side do you plan to stand on?"
Li Zhen smiled and said: "Guess who I will support."
Zuo Zongtang shook his head, expressing his ignorance.
Zeng Guofan's aide Zhao Liewen said: "Your Majesty, I think you don't want support from anyone. You just want the two sides to keep fighting and let them fight each other. Only when they are defeated can I reap the benefits."
"well said."
Li Zhen clapped his hands and praised, with a look of appreciation on his face.
This Zhao Liewen is indeed talented.
…
After two distinct factions in Japan came to visit Li Zhen, things gradually calmed down without any changes. As time passed, officials from the eight counties and four offices of Taiwan's two prefectures rushed to Kaohsiung Port, setting off another wave of turmoil. It indicates that a grand event is about to begin, and both officials and people are focusing on Kaohsiung.
Countless people speculated about what Li Zhen summoned officials for, which caused ripples in peaceful Taiwan. On March 28, officials from two governments, eight counties, and four departments arrived in Kaohsiung, waiting to be received by Li Zhen. .
In the military camp, Li Zhen summoned Zheng Zaoru and Su Lei and talked with them in detail for a long time before taking them to the place where the meeting was held and sending people to invite all the officials.
ps: First update; getting ready to go to Little Japan.