Moreover  he  was  now  engaged,  among  other  things,
in  organising  military  schools  all  over  the  Satsuma
province.  These  schools  were  flourishing  apace  and
were  numbering  many  thousand  scholars.  Among
them  treason  was  rife  against  the  new  Government
and  the  disaffected  Samurais  easily  enlisted  these
bellicose  youths  in  formidable  numbers.  Then
Saigo  himself  was  induced  to  head  this  movement
which  afterwards  became  known  to  history  as  the
Satsuma  rebellion.  In  February,  1877,  he  marched
from  Satsuma  at  the  head  of  14,000  good  troops
straight  for  Tokyo,  in  the  expectation  of  raising  his
strength  to  30,000  men  before  reaching  the  capi-
tal, an  expectation  quite  possible  of  realisation  in-
asmuch as  there  were  still  the  slumbering  fires,  the
smouldering  embers  of  Samurai  discontent  all  over
the  country  including  the  new  Imperial  capital  it-
self. Had  he  marched  straight  on  Tokyo  before  the
defensive  forces  were  organised  he  might  have  dic-
tated terms  to  the  Emperor  there  and  reversed  the
new  Constitution  of  Japan.  But  unfortunately  for
him  there  stood  an  Imperial  castle  as  a  lion  in
his  path.  He  might  have  left  it  behind  him
as  its  garrison  was  slender;  however  he  resolved
to  take  it  if  he  could.  But  it  was  resolute-
ly defended,  and  he  spent  several  weeks  in  a  vain
siege.  In  that  precious  interval  the  Imperial  Gov-
ernment at  Tokyo  organised  a  large  force  and  sent
it  against  Saigo.  It  encountered  him  with  success
while  he  was  still  besieging  the  castle.    He  retreated


THE  EEIGN  OF  THE  EMPEROR  MUTSUHITO.  253.
hotly  pursued,  and  fighting  several  desperate  actions.
