The Battle of the Siege of Hakodate did not end until three o'clock in the evening. The Meiji government forces also tentatively pursued the Ezo Defense Forces, and the forward of the pursuing troops fell into an ambush circle under the Ezo Defense Forces. Both sides had no intention of fighting, but after fighting for a while, they withdrew their troops.

In the early morning, Vice Admiral Pope, commander-in-chief of the British fleet, saw through his telescope that the Hakodate fortress was still billowing with smoke, and a large area had been completely burned. In the binoculars, you can see that the coal bunker is completely finished, and the place where the water supply is completely finished. The buildings collapsed under the flames, and they were not even in ruins. I don't think about being able to find food.

It was true that this important seaport fell into the hands of the Meiji government forces, but the port did not just have berths. Modern ports need to be able to fill coal, water, and food. At this time, Hakodate no longer had the conditions to become a supply center.

At the breakfast meeting, Vice Admiral Poppe announced his decision that the British fleet should withdraw from the Tsugaru Strait and return to Tokyo Bay.

This matter has long been discussed within the fleet, and the Chinese Navy, which has left the Tsugaru Strait, did not reappear. Each of the six Chinese warships that fought in the naval battle suffered fifty or sixty guns, and four of them were hit by 9-inch guns. The armor was cratered. In this state, it is impossible to bring out the best combat effectiveness of the warship. The Chinese warship that disappeared will definitely return to the base for repairs, which will take a certain amount of time. When the Chinese fleet reappears, this fleet will inevitably be repaired. In other words, this young and fierce fleet will be just as terrible, if not more terrible, than it was when it fought in the Tsugaru Strait.

No one in the fleet objected. Originally, in the British plan, the huge British Royal Fleet first cut melons and vegetables to solve the Chinese North Sea Fleet, and helped the Japanese Meiji government to take the Ezo Republic. Then the ironclad ships of the British Empire took advantage of the north wind to move south and bombarded important cities along the coast of China. If China's remaining fleet dares to come out and resist, take out China's remaining warships.

Once the Chinese navy has been eliminated or greatly weakened, unarmored hybrid warships can roam freely along China's coast under the escort of a small number of ironclad ships. Sinking ships along China's coast and blocking Chinese ships for several months will mean that China will have to think about suing for peace. At that time, the British Empire had all gained face, and whether it was war or peace depended on what kind of benefits could be knocked out.

This plan now seems to be completely bankrupt, and it turns out that the British fleet does not have the strength to sink the Chinese ironclad ships, and the British unarmored fleet will suffer a terrible fate if it encounters even one Chinese ironclad. At this time, there was only one option left, and that was to hurry back to Singapore when no ship sank.

After Lieutenant General Pope announced the order to go south, a wave of regret hung over the breakfast, but it was only regret. In its more than 300-year history, the Royal Navy has encountered countless strong enemies and challengers, some of which have a comprehensive advantage, some of which have a partial advantage, and some of which are very tricky. More than 300 years have passed, and the opponents have disappeared, and only the British Royal Navy can have the last laugh.

The young Chinese Navy is not the first challenger the Royal Navy has faced in more than 300 years, let alone the last. For more than 300 years, the soldiers of the British Royal Navy have learned that failures and setbacks are inevitable, and there is no need to feel uneasy or hopeless about encountering such things. Naval warfare has its own laws, and the process of the Royal Navy's growth and growth is the process in which the British Royal Navy turns the lessons of every failure into its own nutrition and motivation to continue to move forward.

This defeat was nothing compared to the thrilling losses and setbacks in the history of the Royal Navy. Even if this defeat was more tragic than the historical defeat, the Royal Navy would not have been devastated by it. This perseverance is the spirit of the British Navy that has been inherited and accumulated for more than 300 years.

After the breakfast meeting on October 18, 1874, the warships of the Royal Navy anchored in a neat line and headed south for the port of Tokyo.

On the 22nd, the British Royal Navy arrived in Tokyo, and when the British Grand Fleet went north, there was another task, which was to hand over seven ironclad ships ordered by Japan in the United Kingdom, and these ironclad ships had also been handed over to the Japanese Navy, and at this time the British instructors were leading the Japanese Navy for training.

Kido Takayoshi and Okubo Toshitsu immediately invited the British ambassador to Japan to come over, and after the two sides sat down, Kido Takayoshi took the lead in bowing his head, "The Japanese government requests that your fleet can continue to help the Japanese government. ”

Of course, the British ambassador to Japan knew what Kido Takayoshi was referring to, and the ambassador shook his head, "We have received an order from home to immediately move south. We would love to help the Japanese government, but we can't do it. ”

Listening to this blatant lie, Kido Takayoshi and Okubo Ritsu looked at each other in disappointment. It seems that it will be very difficult to convince the British Grand Fleet to stay in Japan.

Takayoshi Kido and Ritsu Okubo's original plan was to cooperate with the British fleet to solve the Ezo Republic together. Now the British fleet is heading south, and it is clear that it is going to run away. After the British fleet ran away, who would resist the wolf-like Chinese navy?

Japan has been a country for so long, and it already knows the world very well. At present, Nanjing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are the top three major cities in China. Hong Kong, relying only on China's Guangzhou, threatens the southern gate and the most prosperous and wealthy city in mainland China. Now that China and Britain have gone to war, China cannot allow Hong Kong to remain occupied by the British. After the Chinese conquered Hong Kong, the only destination for the British fleet south was Singapore in the Straits Settlements. If the British fleet runs to Singapore, Japan will not see the British fleet again.

Unable to follow the path of the British ambassador, Takayoshi Kido and Toshitsu Okubo sent people to Vice Admiral Pope, commander of the British fleet, in the name of condolences, hoping to persuade Vice Admiral Pope to stay in Japan. Of course, the two had no illusions. If Vice Admiral Pope had supported staying in Japan, he would not have returned to Tokyo with the fleet.

After the messenger left, Takayoshi Kido and Ritsu Okubo sat down face to face. Kido Takayoyo sighed softly, "It would be nice if Saigo was here too." ”

Okubo straightened out the two beards that stretched from his upper lip to his cheeks, and said with a sneer: "He will not give up the theory of conquering Korea." ”

Kido Takayoshi, who came from the Choshu faction, was very determined when he overthrew the shogunate, but he was a little indecisive in governing the country. Hearing that Okubo Ritsu had no intention of reconciling with Saigo Takamori, he could only sigh again.

There was basically no Chinese factor in Japan's Meiji Restoration, and after the success of the Restoration and the overthrow of the shogunate, a considerable part of the Japanese upper class paid attention to China. They did not focus on the part of the Chinese revolution that completely destroyed the feudal system, but the mud-legged people turned over and made revolutions, which belonged to the category of great rebellion in this era. Japan's upper echelons are concerned about how China is growing its economy at an astonishing rate.

Transparent soaps, soaps, and rubber-soled leather shoes produced in China are very popular in the upper classes of Japan. Talented people like Okubo Ritsu saw and learned from China's policy of building water conservancy, opening factories, and promoting cash crops. What people like Saigo Takamori saw was China's rapid expansion of territory and seizure of territory. In the eyes of the group led by Saigo Takamori, strange fruits can automatically grow on the plants of the South China Sea, and when they are picked and peeled off, what is revealed is the soap and rubber inside.

Compared with those ignorant Japanese people, Saigo Takamori's idea is very close to reality. Regardless of the planting technology and processing process, this view is also in line with the facts. The problem was that the group led by Saigo Takamori also knew that they could not reach into the South China Sea for the time being, and they targeted Goryeo, which was only separated by the Tsushima Strait.

Of course, it was impossible for Kido Takayoshi and Okubo Toshitsu to agree to attack Goryeo immediately, so it was clear that they would go to war directly with China. Okubo was not opposed to the annexation of Goryeo, but he hoped that Japan would first be able to resolve the Republic of Ezo and develop its economy. Make friends with Britain, wait for China to turn against Britain, and then take the opportunity to seize Goryeo. He was convinced that now was not the time to annex Goryeo at all.

In May 1873, the Japanese fleet entered Goryeo and demanded that Goryeo open its country to Japan. In June, Chinese envoys informed Japan and Britain that China was obliged to protect Goryeo from foreign forces under the terms of the Treaty of Seoul signed between China and Goryeo.

On October 23, 1873, the Emperor announced in an edict that he had adopted the opinion of the Acting Imperial Minister, Iwakura Goshi, and overturned Saigo's conquest of Korea. Same. The "Five Senators for the Expedition to Korea" headed by Saigo resigned angrily. Officials and Praetorian Guard officers who shared Saigo's position also resigned. The Meiji government then began to split.

Okubo informed Michikido Takayoshi of his attitude, and he didn't want to talk too much about Saigo Takamori as the representative of the gang, and the contradictions between the two sides were so deep that there was no room for maneuver at all. Wasting words is not something Okubo likes to do. He asked Kido Takayoshi, "What is the war report in Hakodate?" ”

Takayoshi Kido introduced the latest information. Meiji government forces were killed and wounded more than 400 and more than 1,300 during the breakout of the Ezo Defense Army's Hakodate defenders. Combined with the previous battles, the Meiji government forces were killed 3,200 people and 9,400 wounded.

The Ezo Defense Forces had previously lost more than 4,000 casualties, taking all the wounded with them when they broke out, leaving less than 600 bodies in the fortified area. The troops involved in the night attack left more than 300 corpses, and the wounded were taken away. The total number of war dead is around six thousand, and the wounded are unknown.

Hakodate was completely burned down, and there was no loot. From a strategic point of view as well as from the actual battle, the Meiji government forces won a complete victory. The next thing to do is to take advantage of the victory and pursue it, occupy the whole of Hokkaido, and eliminate the Ezo Republic. Among the millions of people who entered the Ezo Republic, there were some spies from the Meiji government army, who sent back information that the Ezo Republic was desperately clearing the plains to grow wheat, potatoes, soybeans, and raising horses and cows with the help of China. Coal and iron ore were even mined. Once considered a barren land in Japan, Hokkaido now shows signs of becoming richer than the rest of Japan.

After introducing the situation, Kido Takayo said in an extremely firm tone: "Regardless of whether the British will help or not, Hokkaido must be taken." ”