Li Xin boarded a special cruise ship on October 16 and embarked on the road back to China. Less than half a day after leaving the port, I received a telegram. The telegram informed Li Xin that China had negotiated with Japan and sent an ambassador to the Japanese Meiji government again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Li Xin about his attitude towards the new candidate.

Li Xin was very surprised by this news, did the Meiji government give in to China so quickly? Originally, he had to hold out for more than a year with a Japanese attitude, and even wait for Britain to return to Japan.

It is true that the Meiji government succumbed so quickly and temporarily. Kido Takayoshi sits opposite Okubo Ritsu, it is late autumn in Tokyo in October, and the maple leaves in the garden are as red as fire, and the falling maple leaves cover the ground with a thick layer of fiery red. A few maple leaves fall in the small waterhole in the courtyard, the canopy of the trees blocks the daylight, and the dark water is dotted with striking red leaves, half-sinking and half-floating, which has an intoxicating beauty.

Kido Takayo didn't appreciate this, he said a little anxiously: "Restoring diplomatic relations with China at this time will be considered treason!" ”

"They want to call us that, that's their business. The key now is whether we can make up our minds ourselves. Okubo replied in a rather calm tone. However, thinking of the current opponents in Japan, Okubo Ritsu couldn't help but sneer, "Hehe, Kido, those nobles cursed us and caused the defeat of the Hokkaido crusade. But now I think the crusade was a success. If they were really as loyal to the emperor as they claimed, why did the nobles complain about the tens of thousands of deaths? They should boast of their contribution to killing hundreds of thousands of rebels in Hokkaido. ”

Kido Takayo, like the samurai of this era, also killed people with his own hands. He was hunted down by the shogunate during his time as a warrior and continued to operate underground in Kyoto regardless of his life. The Choshu Domain was fierce and murderous in the Boshin War, and Kido Takayoshi also participated in the formulation of war plans and personally issued many orders. Listening to Okubo Ritsu's cold speech, Kido Takayo couldn't stand it anymore, and he said very unhappily: "Okubo, it's too much for you to say that!" ”

Okubo was not angry at Kido Takayo's displeasure, he calmly poured himself a cup of tea before continuing: "Kido, these people will rebel sooner or later. When they rebelled against the country, they would only be executed as traitors, and now that they are dying for the country, I am fulfilling their reputation. ”

This time, Kido Takayoshi did not immediately refute it, and what Okubo Toshitsu said was very cruel, but it hit the nail on the head. After the establishment of the Meiji government, the "Decree on the Appointment of the Feudal Domain" (unifying the feudal bureaucratic system and strengthening the government's supervision and control over the feudal domains; It is not restricted by the family and old habits, and promotes talents; The feudal administration was separated from the feudal lord's housekeeping), and then the "return of the copyright" was implemented together with Kido Takayoshi and Okubo Ritsu; At the same time, the four feudal domains of Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Hizen were asked to contribute troops to the imperial court and set up imperial soldiers; Later, the "abolition of feudal domains and counties" was implemented.

The purpose of these policies was to transform old Japan and promote industrialization. Replacing the old system with a new system is bound to be opposed by those with vested interests in the old system. After the abolition of the feudal domain and the establishment of the county, the old mainstream social system was completely destroyed. All officials under the new system are selected through layers of state-controlled education and examination systems. In this regard, Okubo and others completely copied the Chinese civil service system. The power of this system is easily revealed, the same selection criteria, the same questions for civil service examinations. A large number of people who supported the centralization became a reserve army of civil servants.

Saigo Takamori and others, who represented the interests of the Shi clan, came up with the "Theory of Conquering Korea", which was officially denied by the emperor after discussion at the Imperial Council. Saigo and other members of the Senate of the Han Dynasty resigned angrily, and a large number of officials and officers of the Guards who held the position of the noble clan also resigned. Public officials who supported the centralization of power easily took over the various levels of the Meiji government.

By this time, the contradictions between the two sides were approaching an irreconcilable stage. The military campaign against the Republic of Ezo is a last resort for compromise. In June, Okubo Toshitsu, who found that the situation was unfavorable, demanded that the Shizu army temporarily withdraw from Hokkaido. The Shizu army rejected Okubo Ritsu's suggestion and continued to fight in Hokkaido. When the situation of the war reached an irreparable point, the nobles asked the government army to dispatch to turn the tide.

Kido Takayo was under great pressure, but he couldn't help it. The navy of the Republic of Ezo is home to a number of excellent Japanese naval commanders, who do not seek to annihilate the Meiji government's navy, but rather try to hold it back. Government forces are no longer able to help.

The army of the Shi clan was annihilated, and there was no possibility of easing the contradictions between the two sides. The private gentry strongly demanded that the Meiji government resign en masse and that a new government be formed with members elected by the gentry. It was impossible for the Meiji government to agree to such a request, and Kido Takayoshi also saw through the hidden minds of these people.

"Okubo, do you believe you can convince China not to support them?" Kido Takayoshi turned the conversation back to the original question. China is supporting the Ezo Republic, and with the civil war, China will continue to support the Shi people.

Okubo replied: "If you look at the books from China, the Chinese emperor Wei Ze has been attacking the feudal system in their country, and if he supports the Shi clan, it will be contrary to his political philosophy. I don't think it's possible for him to support the nobles in the current situation. ”

"But we have formed an alliance with the British, and the gentry are advocating to get rid of British control and complete the mission of conquering the country. China and Britain have already fought a war and should continue to do so in the future. From this point of view, supporting the gentry is not a bad thing for China. Kido Takayoshi pointed out what he was worried about.

"The resumption of diplomatic relations is a gesture of goodwill to China. Since Kido is so worried, it is all the more important to promote liaison with China. Okubo pointed out the logical error of Kido Takayoshi.

When Kido Takayoshi was speechless, Okubo continued: "We Japan have never been a vassal of China, and of course we need a foreign policy that can best meet Japan's interests. It is inherently beneficial for Japan to communicate with other countries around the world, and I don't think China understands this. As for the matter of the Ezo Republic, they once said that if the emperor sent a member of the Tokugawa family to Hokkaido, we might as well promise them and send someone from the Tokugawa family. Now that the situation has reached such a point that we just need to recognize the vassal status of the Ezo Republic so that China cannot take away the Ezo Republic. More on that later. ”

"But the new constitution of the Republic of Ezo ......," Kido Takayoshi said, something that is causing a huge stir in Japan right now. The Meiji government was still a monarchy, and the new constitution of the Ezo Republic stated that the purpose of the establishment of the Ezo Republic was to ensure that the people lived an equal and happy life, did not recognize the existence of privileged classes, recognized the equality of all people in the legal situation, and did not establish a state religion and religious freedom. Such a political concept is somewhat deviant in the eyes of the more radical and intellectual class in Japan.

"I think that's good. Even if the whole of Japan implemented this system, it would be a hundred times better than turning the noble clan upside down. Okubo said something that even radical intellectuals would not dare to say, "Hokkaido like this will promote Japan's progress." For Japan today, we lack nothing, only progress. Let it be settled! ”

The conditions put forward by the envoy of the Meiji government were interesting, and the Meiji government demanded that the Republic of Ezo be renamed the Hokkaido Special Administrative Region of the Great Japanese Empire, and that this special administrative region be allowed to have its own regional flag, regional anthem, and an independent administrative and taxation system with an army. Diplomatically, it is possible to establish a formal diplomatic presence at the level of a consulate in other countries. The Japanese government effectively recognized Hokkaido as a state within a state, but did not accept Hokkaido's secession from Japan.

In order to reassure Hokkaido, the Meiji government also proposed a military demarcation, and the Meiji government army was not allowed to enter a certain area in the north without Hokkaido's permission. The Hokkaido Autonomous Government, on the other hand, has the obligation to defend Japan's northern territories and territorial waters.

For China, that's fine. It is still too early for China to establish hegemony in the western Pacific and then seize hegemony in the entire Pacific Ocean. But at least the world's major industrial powers already know that China is building hegemony in the Western Pacific step by step. At the current level of world industry, countries that are capable of participating in this process can be counted on one hand. The only countries that can decide this process are China and the United Kingdom. The strategic value of the Republic of Ezo to China has been reduced to the level of providing port services.

To the concern of the sending forces, the Japanese government proposed that no foreign troops should be stationed in Hokkaido until the agreement was finally signed. This is a domestic agreement that does not allow foreign interference. The Meiji government was preparing for the Ezo Republic to sever military cooperation with China on its own.

The CMC's reply told Zhou Xinhua that the matter was in operation in China, and that Zhou Xinhua needed to make sure that the final decision was made to ensure that the democratic mechanism that had been initially built in the Ezo Republic would not be undermined through democratic decision-making.

How can we protect the democratic system of the Ezo Republic from being undermined? Zhou Xinhua sent a telegram to the Military Commission again. The military commission's reply was, "We will send people to the Ezo Republic in the near future, and the specific issues will be discussed after the arrival of the dispatched personnel." ”

The Military Commission doesn't care about Zhou Xinhua's unhappiness, and the focus of its work has recently shifted back to China. For a large country with an area of more than 17 million square kilometers, the three tasks to be determined in the Third Congress are to thoroughly solve the western problem, prepare for the next war with Britain, and roll out compulsory education throughout the country in the Second Five-Year Plan. There is also a nationwide sanitary and anti-epidemic system to eradicate smallpox, plague, scourge, and schistosomiasis. More subtlely, it is necessary to eliminate intestinal parasites and popularize iodized salt for the people of the whole country. Compared with these big things, the Republic of Ezo has to be considered a small thing in the small things.