After Chuemon left, Count Roche picked up the "Edict of the State" again and read it carefully. His request to visit Tokugawa Jiading had already been submitted to Chuemon, so he didn't have to rush to Edo and wait for the notification from Edo.

With the current good relationship between France and the shogunate, especially with Mrs. Atsushi, normally, it can be summoned tomorrow afternoon or the day after tomorrow afternoon. By the way, let the French doctor see what happened to the Tokugawa family.

Looking at the document again, Count Roche suddenly discovered an important point!

There is no mention of the Ryukyu Islands in the document!

I don’t know if the shogunate forgot it, or what kind of statement was made. Anyway, this document, which is going to be submitted to the governments and parliaments of various countries for approval and recognition, does not mention the Ryukyu Islands.

At this time, the situation in the Far East has also undergone considerable changes due to the arrival of Chuemon. France, which had no colonies in Japan, or concessions, had acquired Kobe settlements over five square miles.

France's influence in western Japan was greatly increased, and it was also responsible for planning and assisting in the construction of the main railway line of the Sanyo Railway in Japan, as well as the main railway line of Kyushu. French interests in Japan were greatly strengthened, and Napoleon III's plan to build a huge East Asian colony went a step further.

Then it has occupied the Indo-China Peninsula. France, which has taken over the settlement of the settlement area in Japan, what will be the next step?

He must want to get a few more supply points in the middle, or a transfer station. After all, Annan is thousands of miles away from Japan, and it is still a sea of ​​turbulent seas. It would be perfect if there were a few good resting places in the middle for the crew to rest and replenish fresh water to burn coal or something.

Therefore, before the British Elgin and the French Gero, after the passionate confrontation with Emperor Xianfeng and Prince Gong, the French forced the Qing government to open three new ports: Qiongzhou on Hainan Island, Tainan on Taiwan Island, and Danshui. Of course, there are other ports, which are not mentioned here.

Starting from Annan, Hainan Island and Taiwan Island, the French have obtained ports of call. If nothing else, the French will take an inch and try to gradually plunder the concession and establish a colony in the local area.

History has indeed proved that all this happened, as evidenced by France's forced lease of Guangzhou Bay afterwards. The French had a long and continuous plan and action to establish large colonies in East Asia.

Now that both Annan and Japan have been stabilized, and the trade ports of Hainan Island and Taiwan Island have been taken in the middle, what about the Ryukyu Islands between Taiwan Island and the Japanese Archipelago?

Earl Roche pondered. The first to break open the Japanese gates were the United Kingdom and the United States. After a fairly fierce war, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a treaty of friendship and commerce with the shogunate. France was not involved in this matter at the time, but the French had seen the text of the treaty.

How about forcing the shogunate to sign a treaty? We the French have to gain the benefits plundered by the United Kingdom and the United States, otherwise the Gallic Chicken will have to lose to John Bull in the future.

Anyone can give it to anyone, not to lose to the UK!

If I remember correctly, Count Roche has such an item in the memorandum of negotiation between the United Kingdom and the United States with the shogunate. The United Kingdom and the United States both requested to open a port in Naha, Ryukyu, except for Yokohama, Nagasaki and Hakodate. At that time, the shogunate's answer to Britain and the United States was straightforward.

Ryukyu belongs to a foreign country and has nothing to do with the shogunate!

Therefore, after the shogunate was over, the United Kingdom and the United States sailed to Ryukyu again, forcing the Ryukyu Kingdom to sign a treaty to open a country and a port, making Naha Port a port for foreign powers to enter and leave freely.

To some extent, the Ryukyu Islands are still an "independent" country. Independence is good, independence is really good. If Ryukyu is an independent country that is not controlled by foreign countries, is it possible for him to be a French protectorate and gradually transform into a French colony?

Although Ryukyu may not have any particularly important production, its own geographical location and good port advantages can definitely become a pearl in the crown of France's colonies in East Asia.

We must first test the mind of the shogunate, and then test the mind of Britain. As for the Americans, you America owe me France. I lost my life when Louis XVI sold my head to aid the United States. Do you still want to fight with me?

If I can still plunder a Ryukyu protectorate for His Majesty Napoleon III, I will definitely have a place for the chancellor of France!

With a little excitement in his heart, Count Roche ordered someone to immediately find a copy of the memorandum of the treaty signed between the United Kingdom and the United States and the shogunate. These things are stored in the embassy, ​​so that they can be taken out and consulted at any time when necessary.

Then the results of the inspection made Count Roche very satisfied. At that time, the main energy of the United Kingdom was trying to expand its trade aggression against the Qing Dynasty, while the United States did not have enough thoughts to manage the Pacific Ocean and East Asia because of the increasingly unstable domestic situation. thing. The two countries signed a treaty with Ryukyu at that time, and UU reading www.uukanshu.com directly skipped it.

Now the major powers in Europe and the United States are all lining up with Obiqing, and they have no time to care about Ryukyu.

It's my machine

Yes, Count Roche sorted out his thoughts a little and prepared some speeches. In the afternoon of the next day, he was summoned by the Tokugawa family.

Although the Tokugawa family was anxious about the abdication of Emperor Xiaoming, he could not neglect the French. The strength of the foreigners is so tyrannical, and they put Oi Qing to the ground again. The shogunate can't afford to offend them.

The two sides chatted briefly and drank a cup of afternoon tea. Count Roche said that Yokohama has a new French doctor with excellent medical skills. I heard that your Majesty has been feeling weak recently, and you can ask him to come and take a look for you.

Tokugawa Jiading himself does not reject Western medicine, just come, he actually cares about his own body, and he hopes to work hard to live to Shiwan's ten-year-old Yuanfu. In this way, he can successfully inherit the throne of the general, and he can be regarded as worthy of the ancestors of the Tokugawa family.

After some inspection, the French doctor didn't see anything wrong, except for the problem of brain damage, that is, the body is relatively weak, but because of the problem of the brain, the body is sometimes out of control, and the Tokugawa family will not be able to increase exercise. to improve fitness. So we can only live on and add more nutrition.

After confirming from the doctor's eyes that there was no major problem with the Tokugawa family, Count Roche completed one of the main tasks, and the rest was to understand the Tokugawa family's understanding of the positioning of the Ryukyu Islands.

If the Tokugawa family also confirmed that Ryukyu is a complete foreign country, then Count Roche is going to take advantage of the French army in East Asia to get another protectorate for France.