Chapter 585 Japan - Living Hell in East Asia
In the early morning mist on June 6, 1857, the whistle of the British steam sailing ship Albatross tore open the veil of Nagasaki Bay.
Moore, standing on the deck, took off his foggy monocle glasses and saw the national flags flying on the flagpoles in the six "country countries" on the shore: China, North Korea, Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States.
Near the pier in Nagasaki Hua Concession, twenty carts were sending rice bags with the words "Saga" to the steam merchant ship "San Francisco". The samurai warriors in the Hoshimaeba who were responsible for escorting each other pressed the handle of the knife and stepped on wooden clogs. While moving forward, they looked at the steam sailboats of various countries on the pier.
"Welcome to Japan." The British Consul in Nagasaki Sir Althorp Sutton knocked his rattan on the wooden board of the dock, shocking several mice gnawing at the fish bones. The gray eyes behind his golden glasses suddenly narrowed - not far away, three samurai from the Saga clan were pressing a coolie who transported rice on the dock next to the San Francisco. The cold light of the knife flashed by, and a piece of arm had been cut off by a knife. The thin coolie screamed and rolled on the ground with the wound of the broken limbs.
This scene was also seen by Moore, who was observing around. The great thinker who had seen armed Chinese immigrants and indigenous fights in Johor and witnessed a True Takka uprising in Batavia was also stunned.
What exactly happened? Why did you cut people in the street? Is the public security in Japan so bad?
Sir Sutton was no longer surprised. He sighed and said to Moore: "That coolie may have stolen some raw rice because he stole some raw rice because he was too hungry, and was discovered by the warrior in charge of escorting!"
"Just because of a bite of rice." Moore was a little unbelievable. Although some "advanced countries" in Europe these days would steal a piece of bread and arrest them in Guankui Kiln because of the poor, at least there was a judicial process, and they would not cut people with one piece of bread just because of a piece of bread. How can they exploit surplus value if they cut them?
"This is Japan," Sir Sutton smiled bitterly, "the living hell of East Asia!"
Moore looked back at Bai Siwen. The former minister of the Qing Dynasty to the five Holy Sees Britain, France and the Olympics, has now changed into a dress, put on a top hat, and has an expensive Cuban cigar in his mouth. When he saw Moore's eyes, he vomited smoke and smiled: "I have said that Japan is a bit too feudal!"
When a feudal aristocratic bureaucrat of the Qing Dynasty thought that Japan was too feudal, Japan was probably already a helpless "late feudal" patient.
Sir Sutton shook his head and said, "The feudal system is only one aspect. Japan's biggest problem is that it has too many populations and the arable land area is too small. This island country is full of mountains, and there is very little land for growing food. However, their population is around 30 million, and there is not enough food at all! The hundreds of thousands of feudal warriors' bone-knocking and marrow sucking on farmers has only made Japan more like hell."
Bai Siwen added: "In Japan, samurai will always be samurai, and farmers will always be peasants. It is passed down from generation to generation and it is almost impossible to change. In China, samurai-like classes did not exist two thousand years ago, so beggars also have the opportunity to become emperors!"
Friedrich took out a pen and notebook and recorded: "The feudal system in Japan is similar to that in Europe, the samurai is similar to that of knights, while the peasants are miserable serfs. Moreover, due to the large population and the small land, the pressure of survival is extremely serious, so the oppression is even more serious!"
At this time, Shigeru Yoshida, an official from the Nagasaki Pursuke who came to welcome the British delegation, arrived. The Japanese samurai who looked a little malnourished came to the foreigners on the dock and said in English with a flattering look: "The Lord has prepared a welcome banquet, so I wish you a visitor to the country's guests."
“Those North Korean madmen are promoting their division of land and abolishing feudal hierarchy!”
Consul Sutton took everyone into the four-wheeled carriage of the British Consulate. When he passed through the Korean Concession next to the Chinese Concession, his rattan pole pointed to the newly built notice wall, "This will ruin the existing order in Japan!"
As soon as the carriage stopped near the notice wall, a priest in black clothes, with a cross hanging on his chest, holding a North Korean version of the True Covenant in his hand, putting a flyer on Bai Siwen and shouting: "Long live the Eastern King of the North Korean Heaven!"
Bai Siwen took the leaflet and saw that it was a classical Chinese "The Heavenly Father's Order of Juntian", and he whispered: "Heavenly Father God is kind, and the Eastern King is sings. Now, he has observed that the people of Korea have been trapped for a long time, and all the rich are returned to two ranks. He specially issued a new system to eliminate the old corruption. All my innocent children, regardless of their noble status, are the flesh and blood of heaven, and the son and son of Chen Hongfan, who are the most important food; Zhou Gong set up a well-field, and the important thing is to be equal. Now he inherits the order of Heavenly Father and restores the ancient system of the three dynasties. All the fields and roads are rich and all the farms are returned to the farm. This is not my personal kindness, but the Heavenly Father's way of saving the world. Everyone should obey them and let them know!"
"What is it written?" Friedrich asked curiously.
He is already a little good at speaking Chinese, but the classical Chinese "The Father of Heavenly Father Jun Tian Ling" is still a bit difficult for him.
"Divid the land and land, and defeat two groups of nobles." Bai Swen paused and suddenly asked, "Yang Xiuqing invaded North Korea, replaced the king of the Lee Dynasty, became the monarch of North Korea, and at the same time allocated land to the lower-class civilians of North Korea, eliminated the two groups of nobles, and practiced the farmer to have the land, so that the Korean people could have a good meal. Is his behavior considered colonial rule?"
Moore looked at the Japanese gathered in front of the notice wall - many of them were samurai (Ronin) with swords, and whispered: "He liberated productivity to a certain extent to a certain extent. North Korea has developed well in the past two years, right?"
Consul Sutton, who was standing beside him, nodded: "Yes, North Korea is rising! Moreover, the Korean priest sent by Yang Xiuqing to Japan is more able to win over the lower classes of Japan than the Chinese priests sent by Luo Yaoguo and Wei Changhui."
Bai Siwen smiled and said, "That's for sure. The two squads of North Korea are similar to Japanese samurai, and the North Korean civilians are naturally similar to Japanese civilians. The Chinese are not quite the same as them. Chinese beggars also have the opportunity to be emperors!"
When the wheels of the carriage rolled again, twenty North Korean priests wearing red scarves were distributing relief food in front of the "Shengdong King Xianyou Hall".
The thin town people lined up in a long line. Every person who received the rice bag with the "Grain of Heavenly Father" printed on it would kneel down and kiss the tip of Yang Xiuqing's boots. Moore saw that the Japanese coolie who had just cut off one of his forearms had been bandaged by the warrior at this time, and with the help of two companions, he appeared at the end of the team.
"There will be land and food." The leader of Father Jin preached in stiff Japanese, "Remember, China and North Korea today are Japan's tomorrow! Heavenly Father, Heavenly King and East King will definitely come to save the poor in Japan!"
The shouts of "The King of Heaven on the Dragon! The King of East on the Dragon!" gradually sounded, and it seemed that the North Korean True Regiment Sect had gained many believers again.
At noon, in the British Concession, a scene that appeared outside the Lactula paper door of the material pavilion of the "Qingyue Temple" was eye-catching.
The official from Nagasaki Town, Shigesuke Yoshida kneeled and presented the twelve knot-me golden cakes. A "Yellow-clothed Bishop" of the Shifu School who was sitting in a sedan chair carried by eight people just hummed in contempt and said in Guangxi official language: "This time I will spare Naoshima Naoshima and ask him to have a better memory. In the future, no matter how rude the believer is!"
Yoshida Shigerusuke couldn't understand what the Archbishop of the True Request School was saying? Anyway, he just kept agreeing "Hai, Hayi".
"Last month, the samurai of the Saga clan cut down a peasant who blocked the lord's ceremonial lords and appealed to reduce the annual offer. In Japan, this is called 'rude conspiracy'. The samurai has the right to kill civilians who were rude to them." Sutton took a tea bowl and took a sip, then pointed to Shigesuke Yoshida outside and said, "This kind of thing was nothing. It was very common in Japan, but the one who was hacked to death was a believer of the True Tak Sect. So the True Tak Sect archbishop Fu Xuexian immediately asked Kyushu Naoshima Naoshima to compensate Naoshima. After being rejected, he immediately issued an assassination order for the Kyusama family! The Kyusama family could not stand it anymore, so he had to ask Yoshida to mediate and pay a lot of gold."
When Shigesuke Yoshida sent away Archbishop Fu, who had received the compensation, the reception banquet at Nagasaki-cho Journey Institute finally began.
The newest ⊥小⊥小⊥ said⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥!
Several Japanese maids in exquisite kimonos brought them food boxes that were painted with golden lacquerware, like works of art.
But the moment the food box was opened by the Japanese waiter, Friedrich's fork and spoon stopped above the food box - the thin slices of pufferfish were arranged in the shape of a chrysanthemum in the mother-of-pearl plate, each piece was just like a cicada wing; the cracked glaze pattern of the pottery steamed in the Matsutake earthen bottle looked extremely elegant, but the soup inside was only enough to drink a sip.
Yoshida Shigerusuke knelt outside the Rakko door to demonstrate dining etiquette. His withered fingers were pinching three-inch-long maple chopsticks, as if fiddling with the silk thread woven by Kyoto's Nishige.
"The consulate also prepared a sumptuous afternoon tea." Consul Sutton picked up a piece of pufferfish sashimi with chopsticks, and the texture of the fish was glowing with pearly luster on the Echizen celadon plate. The small sushi made of dozens of vinegar rice was served in a lacquer vessel, and the small number was sympathetic.
Bai Siwen, who was used to eating and drinking, was not interested in the exquisite and shabby foods of the Japanese. His eyes were always staring at the white skin of the Japanese girl who was serving her, as if he had to spend a few kilograms of rice to exchange for her service for one night.
When the last dish was served, Moore counted all the ingredients: four slices of snapper, two mushrooms, and three shrimps. These delicacies in the exquisite tableware of handicrafts are not even enough for the dock workers to work half a day.
"This is actually the aesthetics of hell!" Moore wrote in his notes that night: "This behavior of subliminating the food necessary for survival into aesthetic objects cannot solve the despair caused by insufficient total amounts. This also explains why the True-Yeons brown rice bag can attract thousands of believers - when civilization becomes a hunger game, any way to fill the stomach is truth."
Chapter completed!