This time, in addition to the Third Squadron stationed in Taiwan, Shang Yi decided to dispatch the First Squadron to Ryukyu to participate in the war. The two fleets combined have a total of sixty-seven main battleships, forty-three auxiliary battleships and nineteen flying shears.
There are five ships, including the only first-class battleship Yue Fei in the merchant navy, three second-class battleships Yinhe, Pixiu and Taotie. The total number of soldiers, sailors and crew is more than 11,000, among which land combat troops can be dispatched.
About three to four thousand people
Although this war is not aimed at occupying Japan's mainland, it is still possible to launch several landing operations according to war needs. In addition, there are more than 10,000 Japanese troops on Ryukyu Island, so there will definitely be a ground war. Therefore, relying solely on
The fleet's own land combat personnel were not enough to complete the task of ground combat. Shang Yi also decided to transfer the First Brigade from the First Army to go to Ryukyu with the First Squadron.
Including the Spanish mercenaries stationed in Ryukyu, the total number of troops dispatched this time is about 20,000, and a battle of this scale is still fully supportable.
Shang Yi handed over the logistics and transportation tasks for this war to the shipping company. After Japan unilaterally stopped the direct shipping trade, the shipping company's business was reduced by nearly half. The logistics and transportation tasks for this war were outsourced to shipping.
On the one hand, the company is responsible for supporting the shipping company and reducing the pressure on the government; on the other hand, Shang Yi intends to try another war model, allowing caravans and armies to fight together. This is normal in colonial wars.
matter
The leader of this battle will be Cheng Gang. His current official title is Commander of the Combined Fleet of the Navy. Another deputy commander of the Navy, Huang Zhen, is responsible for staying in Hangzhou.
In fact, it is more appropriate for Alexandra to be the commander in this battle, because the last battle to attack Ryukyu and defeat the Satsuma Domain was under the command of Alexandra. The situation in Japan is also more familiar; on the other hand, Asia
Alexandra's understanding and methods of colonial war are also clearer, and now the merchant army basically recognizes Alexandra's identity.
But Shang Yi still didn't let Alexandra go to war. The reason was quite good. Even Alexandra herself had no objection and stayed in Nanjing with peace of mind because Alexandra was pregnant.
Since Shang Wan was born, Shang Yi's other wives and concubines, except for the unmarried Zhu Aina, Lin Fengwu, Chen Yuanyuan, and Akashi Ji, all eagerly hope to get pregnant and have children.
Not only did everyone have a statue of Guanyin in their room, but they also visited all the temples in Hangzhou.
But no one expected that the second pregnant woman in Shang Yi's family would be Alexandra, who had no intention of becoming pregnant. This result was enough to make the other wives and concubines very depressed. Fortunately, the relationship between the wives and concubines was still very harmonious and Shang Yi
Yi didn't have any preference for Alexandra, so it didn't cause conflicts within the family. Some people were eager to ask Alexandra if there was any secret recipe or if the Western gods were more effective.
The only person who was really affected was Zhu Yurao, because Zhu Yurao's filial piety period had already expired some time ago, and it had been postponed due to the intensity of the war. Now she has become an old girl. Shang Yi originally planned to marry Zhu Yurao in the second half of the year.
We can hold a wedding, but now we can only take care of Alexandra first, and Zhu Yuluo can only wait until next year. After all, she still has the status of a princess. We can't be careless about the wedding. We can't hold two weddings in a row in the remaining few months.
Fortunately, Zhu Ailao is also a sensible person and knows that there is nothing that can be done. Anyway, she has been waiting for more than three years, almost four years, and she doesn't care if she waits for a few more months.
But things can't end like this. Although everyone within Shang Yi Group has acquiesced in Alexandra's identity, an embarrassing fact is that Alexandra and Shang Yi have not officially married yet. She can only be regarded as Shang now. It would have been okay if Yi Ji was his public lover before, but now that Shang Yi has become the king, even if he is not the emperor yet, when the child is born, the boy is the heir apparent, and the girl is the princess. They cannot let their own identity and origins give birth to a son. Bar
The top priority now is for Shang Yi to hold a wedding with Alexandra immediately so that Alexandra can have a formal status. Although Alexandra doesn't want to get married yet, she has no other way but to agree to the result now. One more thing Shang Yi has to do is to prepare for the wedding
However, considering taking care of Alexandra's emotions, Shang Yi also decided that the wedding of the two would use a European-style wedding ceremony in the newly built St. Paul's Cathedral in Hangzhou and asked Tang Ruowang to preside over the wedding ceremony. Therefore, the preparations for the wedding were also mainly done. Let Tang Ruowang and other foreign monks arrange the arrangements
And this group of foreign monks were very excited when they learned that, because in their opinion, Shang Yi is almost the future emperor of China. He will hold a wedding in the church and marry a European aristocratic lady, a loyal believer of Catholicism. However, it was a major event in the process of the spread of Catholicism in China. Therefore, while Lao Tang actively organized people to organize the wedding, he must hold it according to the standards of the European royal family. At the same time, he also wrote to the Pope in Rome to report this important event to him. good news
Of course, Shang Yi also knew that the news of Alexandra's pregnancy out of wedlock must not be hidden, and Shang Yi was not prepared to conceal his generous acknowledgment to the officials. Although Shang Yi was now the King of Jingbei, when he came Being with Alexandra is consensual and there is no compulsion.
In fact, getting pregnant out of wedlock is not a big deal in this era. It will happen a few times in ordinary big families. As for the royal families of official families, it is even more common. Of course, if it happens to a faint king, then this matter may be regarded as a serious matter. It is a crime of his wickedness, but if it is placed on Mingjun, it will be regarded as a romantic affair at most, and it will be used as a talking point by the public. It will not have much impact. After all, this is not a major matter of principle, so except for a few defenders. Most other people turned a blind eye to this and forgot about it. Most people even expressed their congratulations to Shang Yi after learning about it.
The only thing that worries Nanjing officials is that if Alexandra gives birth to a boy, he will be Shang Yi's eldest son. In the future, this child will be qualified to inherit Shang Yi's great cause. Everyone is definitely not willing to let a foreigner A nv was born to inherit Shang Yi's great cause, but this worry is not serious because Shang Yi and Ye Yaoyao are still young and their current love situation cannot guarantee that they will not have trouble in the future. The boy is the eldest son of Shang Yi. According to traditional etiquette, he has the absolute right to choose the first to inherit.
And to take a step back, even if Ye Yaoyao doesn't give birth to another boy in the future, Shang Yi still has other wives and concubines, and I'm afraid he will take more concubines. There will always be a boy born, as long as it is not the son of the other wives and concubines of the main wife. In terms of inheritance rights, the basic equal competition is based on comprehensive factors. Younger elders are only one of the factors, and in the eyes of others, Alexandra is just a concubine of Shang Yina. Her status is not high, so the possibility of inheritance is xìng not big
But no matter what, Alexandra must stay at home this time to raise her baby with peace of mind while preparing for the wedding. Therefore, the only general who sent troops this time was Chenggang. At the same time, the Japanese business group also sent Naito Masahiro and Shinsuke to guard the men.
The two of them went to war with the army mainly as consultants.
As the identity of Chenggang, they provide various information about Japan to the merchant army. When necessary, the two of them can also come forward to negotiate with the Tokugawa shogunate. Andre will serve as Chenggang's adjutant. On the one hand, it will allow him to experience it, and on the other hand, it will also be a company.
Tie a link between steel and Spanish mercenaries
Although the navy is stationed in Hangzhou Bay, Shang Yi still held a troop dispatch ceremony at the pier outside Jinchuan Gate in Nanjing. He solemnly announced the troop dispatch. At the same time, the navy also sent twelve small and medium-sized warships to participate in the ceremony, which attracted tens of thousands of people.
People watch
At the ceremony, Shang Yi emphasized that the dispatch of troops this time was entirely caused by the barbaric and stupid behavior of the Japanese shogunate. China had to take the last resort to protect the lives and property of overseas merchants and required that the dispatched officers and soldiers must complete it satisfactorily.
The mission is to rescue the trapped people and implement the merchant army's customary purpose of protecting the environment and the people.
At the same time, we also invited the families of those trapped in Ryukyu and Japan to attend the ceremony and arranged for representatives to give speeches to toast and bow to the soldiers who went out to thank them for their heroic actions in rushing to the battlefield to save their families. The scene was of course very touching. Cheng Gang also represented the entire army.
He said that he must complete this mission, rescue the trapped compatriots, and teach the evil Japanese shogunate a lesson. As a result, this actual colonial war has been covered with a sacred cloak full of justice.
Until hundreds of years later, Chinese official historical materials unanimously believed that the cause of this war was entirely caused by the Japanese shogunate's ambition, greed and overestimation of its capabilities. In order to protect the lives and interests of its overseas merchants, China had no choice but to
A self-defense counterattack was not carried out...even the final summary of the results of this war was written as:
Although this war was the first step that led to Japan becoming a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society for hundreds of years, objectively speaking, China helped Japan open up its country, understand the world, broaden its horizons, and step by step
After getting rid of ignorance and backwardness and moving toward openness and civilization, modern society finally developed into what it is today in Japan.