Western Coast of Japan, Designated Trade Port.
Mid November 1836.
The agreement did not stay as words for long.
Only days after the meeting in Edo Bay, both sides moved to act. The Japanese took the first step, as expected. Control mattered to them, and they made sure to keep it from the start. A coastal port was chosen, far from Edo and already used to limited foreign contact. It was small, quiet, and easy to monitor.
That choice was not accidental.
The port could be watched. It could be managed. And if things went wrong, it could be shut down without much difficulty.
On the French side, the response came fast and without confusion. Orders moved across the fleet from the Rivoli to its escorts. Smaller ships broke away, each carrying men, supplies, and equipment needed to establish a presence on land.
Guizot stayed aboard the Rivoli during the early phase.
