Reincarnated as Napoleon II

Edo Castle, Japan

Early December 1836

The reports reached Edo faster this time.

There was no delay, no confusion. The moment Abe Masahiro returned from the port, he asked for an audience right away. What he had seen could not be written down and passed around like a normal report. It had to be explained in person.

More than that, it needed a decision.

The council gathered without ceremony.

The room felt different now. Before, they had been discussing something distant, something unclear. Now, they were dealing with something real. Something seen with their own eyes. There was no room left to dismiss it.

Tokugawa Ienari sat at the center, calm as ever, his face giving nothing away. Around him were the same men as before, but their confidence had shifted. What they thought they understood no longer felt certain.

Abe knelt forward.

"They showed us their machines," he said.

No one spoke at first.

One of the advisors leaned slightly forward. "What kind of machines?"

Abe took his time before answering.

"Not just tools," he said. "Systems. The kind that change how work is done."

Matsudaira Nobuaki frowned. "That doesn’t mean anything. Speak plainly."

Abe met his gaze.

"They use engines powered by steam," he said. "Machines that run continuously without stopping. No fatigue. No loss of pace. They measure with a level of precision we do not have. They build faster, and they build consistently."

A low murmur passed through the room.

Another advisor spoke. "So they are more efficient."

Abe shook his head slightly. "No. They are different. That difference is what matters."

Matsudaira let out a quiet breath. "Every nation has its own way of doing things. That does not make them better."

Abe did not push back right away.

"They also have vehicles that move without animals," he continued. "Devices that carry voices across distance. Machines that complete tasks without constant attention."

That shifted the room.

This time, the silence carried more weight.

Matsudaira’s expression hardened. "Tricks."

Hotta Masayoshi finally spoke. "If they were tricks, they would not depend on them."

Matsudaira turned to him. "And you trust what they show us?"

Hotta gave a small shake of his head. "Not completely. But they showed enough."

"Enough for what?"

Hotta held his gaze. "Enough to prove they can do things we cannot."

The room fell quiet again.

Tokugawa Ienari finally spoke, his voice calm. "You saw this yourself?"

Abe nodded. "I did."

"And you believe it changes our position."

"Yes."

He did not hesitate.

Matsudaira exhaled slowly. "So now we are meant to be impressed. To look at their machines and decide that everything we have is no longer enough."

Abe’s voice stayed steady. "That’s not what I’m saying."

"It is what it sounds like."

Abe held his gaze. "I’m saying we need to understand what we are dealing with."

Matsudaira leaned forward slightly. "We’ve dealt with foreigners before. We controlled them. We pushed them back when needed. We did not change ourselves because of them."

Hotta spoke again, calm but firm. "Those foreigners did not come with this."

Matsudaira’s tone sharpened. "And you would reshape the country because of one demonstration?"

Abe answered before Hotta could. "No. I would prepare the country. So we are not forced to change later."

That line settled between them.

Matsudaira shook his head. "There is no difference. Preparation leads to reliance. Reliance leads to weakness."

Abe disagreed quietly. "I don’t see it that way."

The room grew tense.

This was no longer just policy.

It was about who they were.

An older advisor, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

"If what you say is true," he said, looking at Abe, "then these machines reduce the need for labor."

Abe nodded. "They do."

The advisor continued, slower this time. "Then what happens to the people who do that work?"

No one answered.

A samurai near the edge of the room spoke, his voice low but clear. "If a machine replaces ten men... what happens to those ten?"

The question lingered.

Matsudaira turned toward him. "That is exactly the problem. These machines do not strengthen us. They replace us."

Abe looked at the samurai. "They change how work is done. They don’t erase it completely."

The samurai frowned. "That’s easy to say. But if a craftsman can be replaced, then he is no longer needed."

Hotta stepped in. "Or he learns to use the machine."

The samurai shook his head slightly. "That’s not the same."

"No," Hotta admitted. "It isn’t."

Tokugawa Ienari raised his hand.

The room fell silent at once.

He looked at them, one by one.

"You are all focused on the machines," he said. "But that is not the real issue."

No one spoke.

"They represent change," he continued. "And change brings uncertainty."

He paused.

"And uncertainty brings risk."

Abe spoke carefully. "It also brings opportunity."

The shogun’s gaze shifted to him. "Explain."

Abe took a breath. "If we understand these machines, we can use them. Improve what we already have. Strengthen ourselves."

Matsudaira shook his head again. "And become dependent on those who supply them."

Abe did not look away. "Then we learn to build them ourselves."

That drew a reaction from several in the room.

Matsudaira narrowed his eyes. "You believe we can do that?"

"Not immediately," Abe said. "But we cannot begin if we refuse to try."

Hotta nodded. "If we shut everything out, we stay as we are."

"And what is wrong with that?" Matsudaira asked.

Hotta answered simply. "The world outside is changing."

Matsudaira’s voice rose slightly. "We are not the world."

"No," Hotta said. "But the world will not ignore us."

The room quieted again.

Tokugawa Ienari remained still for a long moment.

The weight of it all was clear now.

This was no longer about letting ships dock.

That decision had already been made.

This was about what came next.

And every path carried risk.

When he finally spoke, his voice was steady.

"We will not abandon our way of life."

Matsudaira bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

"We will not allow outside influence to spread without control."

Abe nodded. "Yes."

There was a brief pause.

"But we will not remain blind."

That shifted everything.

Abe looked up slightly. "My lord..."

"We will study what they have brought," the shogun said. "Carefully. Under strict limits."

Matsudaira looked up, ready to argue. "My lord, that—"

"It is decided," Tokugawa said.