"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers, the cause of death of the king of filial piety has become a mystery!"

"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers, the untimely death of the filial piety king, there are many mysteries!"

In one day, newspapers of all sizes in the southeastern provinces published articles in conspicuous positions, directly criticizing the conclusion that Xiaoming Wawang died of smallpox, that smallpox was a virulent infectious disease, that there was no large-scale outbreak of smallpox in Kyoto, and that it was suspicious that Xiaoming Wawang, who lived in the deep palace, had contracted smallpox for no reason, and that there was no spread of smallpox in the harem during Xiaoming's lifetime.

In the following days, Yuanqi newspapers disclosed detailed information about the Xiaoming Wawang before and after he contracted the disease, and several articles directly pointed out that the Xiaoming Wawang died of murder or assassination.

Although the Wa Kingdom was only a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, such a major event as killing the monarch has had a huge attraction since ancient times, and for a time the Qing Dynasty and the opposition were hotly discussed.

Jingshi, Xicheng District, Prince Gong's Mansion.

An inconspicuous green cloth sedan chair stopped outside the corner gate of Prince Gong's mansion, and a lantern immediately greeted it.

In the study, Gong Wang Yixun was pacing back and forth with his hands on his back, and Su Shun, who saw him, came in to salute, he waved his hand and said, "Su Xiang doesn't need to be formal." He then gave up his seat.

After taking his seat slowly, he said, "I don't know what the prince summoned him?" ”

"The newspapers in the south, Su Xiang should have read them, right?" Yi Xun picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea as he spoke, this action made Su Shun a little flattered, and hurriedly said: "The prince refers to the cause of the death of the king?" ”

"It's just appearances." Yi Xun said slowly: "Doesn't Su Xiang know Yuan Qi's intentions? ”

For the newspapers in the southeastern provinces, Su Shun has always been extremely concerned, and he immediately said with a smile: "Is the prince saying that Yuan Qi intends to use troops against the Japanese kingdom?" ”

"It was only a matter of time before Yuan Qi conquered the Wa Kingdom and incorporated it into the territory of the Qing Dynasty." Yi Xun said slowly: "Now that the Austro-Prussian War in Europe is over, Yuan Qi will inevitably suspend the northwest expansion, and this is the best time to conquer the Japanese state?" ”

Su Shun also vaguely guessed that Yuan Qi's move was a signal to the Japanese soldiers, and when he heard this, he bowed his head slightly: "Does King Gong mean to persuade the Queen Mother to make an order to conquer the Japanese Kingdom?" ”

"Yuan Qi's conquest of the Wa State is beneficial to the imperial court, once the Wa State is pacified, not only will the Wa State be included in the territory of the Qing Dynasty, but Yuan Qi's trade monopoly on the Wa will also be released." Yi Xun said slowly: "The imperial court should actively cooperate with Yuan Qi's expedition to the Wa Kingdom. ”

Su Shun glanced at him and said meaningfully: "What does King Gong mean to coordinate with the troops?" ”

"Yi Guocheng is right, elite soldiers are fought, not trained." Yi Xun said: "The Eight Banners New Army and the Beiyang Naval Division lack the opportunity to fight, and the conquest of the Japanese State is a rare opportunity for actual combat training. Moreover, with coordinated troops, there is always some advantage in terms of guns and ammunition. ”

These reasons are all high-sounding reasons that can be put on the table, and Su Shun's heart is actually like a mirror, this is to seize the military power with the opportunity of sending troops to the country! In the current situation, it is difficult for both him and Yixun to control the Eight Banners New Army and the Beiyang Naval Division, once they send troops to the Wa Kingdom, there will be a lot of opportunities for both of them.

After a slight sigh, he spoke: "Although the country is a small land, there are 30 million people, I am afraid that it will be difficult to decide in a war, the queen mother has always had the attitude that more things are better than less things, besides, the imperial court is financially constrained, and the imperial court coordinates the dispatch of troops, and the military expenditure is afraid that it will be a lot of ......." ”

"I went to the northwest to inquire, and the northwest has not made a major move to mobilize troops." Yi Xun said slowly: "The main force of Yuanqi's army is deployed in the northwest, there is no movement in the northwest, Yuanqi's expedition to the Japanese country will inevitably lack troops, negotiate with Yi Guocheng, and Yuanqi will bear the military expenses." ”

If there is no need for the imperial court to spend military spending, it will be a real advantage and no disadvantage for the imperial court to send troops to recruit Japanese, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an has no reason to shirk it, so Su Shun groaned for a while before saying: "I am afraid that it is difficult to explain this matter clearly ...... telegrams." ”

"This king is going to Shanghai." Yi Xun said: "The Queen Mother, Su Xiang must also blow the wind first, in addition, he also encouraged the Eight Banners New Army and the generals of the Beiyang Naval Division to take the initiative to fight, these things can not be delayed, Yuan Qi acted resolutely, at this time, maybe the Nanyang Navy has already begun to act." ”

"Don't worry, the prince." Su Shun hurriedly bowed his hand and said, this matter is very beneficial to the court and the two factions, and he naturally will not shirk.

Shanghai, Zhennan Wangfu, Changle Book House.

"The conquest of the Japanese state, the students thought that they should adopt a strategy of dividing and exterminating them." Yan Yangtian glanced at Yi Zhicontent, and said thoughtfully: "First unite the shogunate forces, exterminate the four feudal clans in the southwest, then conquer Kyoto, and finally destroy the shogunate." ”

Zhao Liewen glanced at him and said: "Yuanqi's big and small newspapers directly pointed out that the king of the Japanese Dynasty Xiaoming died in assassination, and the heart of the conquest of the Japanese State can be said to be the heart of Sima Zhao, which everyone knows, but how can the Japanese Kingdom not know?" ”

Yan Yangtian said in a deep voice: "The East China Sea Fleet was already assisting the shogunate to pacify the four southwestern feudatories, but it was mainly based on the shogunate, supplemented by the East China Sea Fleet, and the newspaper propaganda could also be interpreted as Yuan Qi's justification for sending troops to exterminate the four southwestern feudatories. ”

"Send troops to destroy Korea, and the whole country will expect to follow in the footsteps of Korea." Zhao Liewen said unhurriedly: "Once a large number of troops are dispatched, how can the whole country not be suspicious?" Don't leave anything to chance. ”

Seeing the two arguing, Yi Zhizu waved his hand and said: "It's naturally a good thing to be able to stabilize the shogunate first, but it is also necessary to take strict precautions against the shogunate, and there is no need to unite the shogunate, with the combat power of the navy, it is enough to crush the Japanese army, you can first use the guise of quelling the chaos to destroy the four feudal clans in the southwest, and then attack Kyoto and Edo!" ”

As he spoke, he looked at Yan Yangtian, "The General Staff will draw up a detailed plan as soon as possible." After a pause, he looked at Xie Xiuyuan, "From now on, cut off all trade with the Japanese country, and strategic materials such as grain, medicine, iron, nitrate, and cotton are the focus." ”

Hearing this, Xie Xiuyuan hesitated before saying: "Big treasurer, the country has been in turmoil over the years, and grain production has been greatly reduced. ”

"The Japanese country is just a small land, but the population is as high as 30 million, compared to Luzon, where the indigenous people are only more than 1 million, don't you think the population is too much?" Yi Zhizhi said coldly: "There has never been a shortage of people in the Qing Dynasty!" ”

Is this to be massacre? The hearts of the few people sitting here were tight, and even Yan Yangtian, who had led the army all the year round, was a little unbearable, there were 30 million people in the Japanese country, I don't know how much will be left after the war is over? He really didn't understand what kind of place the Wa State provoked Yi Zhi, the Yuanqi New Army had never ordered such a large-scale massacre in all directions over the years, and even Southeast Asian countries were forbidden to kill civilians indiscriminately.

Seeing that no one spoke, Xie Xiuyuan stubbornly said: "Big shopkeeper, Alaska, Kamchatka, and Sakhalin are all vast and sparse.......ly populated. ”

Yi Zhisuff didn't answer this at all, and said to himself: "In addition to cutting off commerce, we must also carry out a financial crackdown, print and distribute a large number of paper money, which will greatly depreciate the value of paper money and make it financially collapse." ”

Xie Xiuyuan didn't dare to hesitate, and hurriedly said, "My subordinates obey orders." ”

"Let's get busy." Yi Zhizhi said and lit a cigarette casually, Zhao Liewen didn't move, and Yan Yangtian and the two of them retreated, and then he said: "The big shopkeeper seems to be very disgusted with the Wa Kingdom? ”

After taking a sip of tea, Yi Zhizhi said: "The island nation is the same as capital, it is born with a strong expansion and aggressiveness, which is the innate national inferiority, the land is narrow and the people are dense, and the living conditions are poor, which dooms them to take the road of expansion and aggression.

In dealing with the Japanese state, we must adopt iron-blooded means to carry out brutal suppression, massively reduce their population, so that they will never have the strength and capital for foreign expansion and aggression, and once they are strengthened, they will pose a great threat to us. ”

After hesitating, Zhao Liewen said: "The natives of Luzon and Java are also ...... island nations. ”

"That's different." Yi Zhixiang shook his head, "It's completely different, because the Nanyang natives have superior natural conditions and are easy to survive, they are lazy, enterprising, and united, so it is difficult to pose a threat.

However, the Japanese people are different, the Japanese have a long history, a strong sense of national independence, not only unity but also a strong sense of self-esteem, and a strong sense of competitiveness, once they become stronger, they will inevitably pose a threat to our country, and we cannot give them the slightest opportunity to be strong. ”

Zhao Liewen was obviously a little unacceptable, and couldn't help but say: "Even if the Wa Kingdom can become strong, how strong can it be, and it can still pose a threat to my Qing Dynasty?" ”

Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said, "Isn't England the best example?" ”

Listening to this, Zhao Liewen didn't know how to argue, England is also an island country, the area does not seem to be as large as the Japanese country, but it is a real world hegemon, and it has a great threat to the entire European continent, however, to compare the Japanese country with England, is it too much to exalt the Japanese country, England is the world's largest industrial power, but the Japanese country is an agricultural feudal country closed to the country, the two are simply worlds apart.

Although he didn't understand why Yi Zhixiang attached so much importance to the Wa Kingdom, he couldn't argue, so he said instead: "Does the big shopkeeper have the intention of assimilating and merging the Wa Kingdom?" ”

"Assimilation and integration are a must." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "It is precisely because of assimilation and integration that all of them must reduce their population massively, making room for immigrants in general, and besides, the smaller the total population, the easier it is to assimilate and integrate." ”

While the two were talking, Lin Meilian Jin Lingyu reported: "Big shopkeeper, King Gong is here." ”

Yi Zhishu didn't seem to be surprised by Yixun's visit, and when he heard this, he glanced at Zhao Liewen and said with a smile: "Huifu said, what is the matter with King Gong coming?" ”

"King Gong came to Shanghai at this time, it must be for the purpose of conquering the Japanese kingdom." Zhao Liewen said without thinking: "Yuan Qi's expedition to Annam, the conquest of Nanyang, and the conquest of Korea were all the first to use newspapers to guide public opinion, and suddenly led public opinion to question the cause of the death of King Xiaoming. The student pondered that the imperial court should want to get a piece of the pie, after all, the imperial court gained a lot of benefits from the battle between Beijing and Tianjin. ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, got up and said, "Go and greet you." ”

greeted Yixin at the gate of the courtyard, and after greeting him, Yixin said in a relaxed tone: "The west is not bright and the east is bright, Brother Guocheng pressed the northwest, but do you want to focus on the country?" ”

"The time for northwest expansion is not enough, so it can only be pressed down temporarily." Yi Zhizhi said disapprerovingly: "The Wa Kingdom has made a lot of trouble over the years, and it was originally intended to be delayed for a few more years, and it was presented as a congratulatory gift when the imperial court implemented the constitution, but it was forced to do it in advance. So saying, he stretched out his hand and gave way.

After humbly entering the study and taking a seat, Yixun said tentatively: "The main force of the Yuanqi army is in the northwest, and the expedition against the Japanese kingdom needs the help of the imperial court?" ”

Yi Zhixiang smiled and said: "No need, it's not enough to worry about it." ”

Seeing that he refused so simply, Yi Xun couldn't help but smile, "Brother Guocheng shouldn't be worried about the imperial court's share of the credit." ”

"I'm already a vassal king, how can I care about the credit?" Yi Zhizhi said: "The reason why I don't want the imperial court to send troops to help, one is because it is not worth raising the army and mobilizing the people, and then Yuanqi's financial resources are limited, and the scale of the army is too large, which is difficult to support. ”

Hearing this, Yixun immediately reacted, the other party must have been clear about his intentions, and he blocked his words as soon as he came, he collected the smile on his face, and said in a sincere tone: "There are only three years left in the preparation period for the constitution, and the emperor and queen are now actively cultivating forces, and we need the opportunity to send troops to coordinate the conquest of the Japanese state." ”

Yi Zhifen glanced at him and said, "Will the Queen Mother agree?" ”

"If there is no need for the imperial court to allocate military spending, the Queen Mother has no reason to disagree." Yi Xun said in a firm tone: "The officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners New Army and the Beiyang Naval Division are extremely eager to fight in coordination with the navy, and they will inevitably actively ask for battle, after all, the Eight Banners New Army and the Beiyang Naval Division have not experienced a decent actual battle, and this expedition to the Japanese State is a rare opportunity for them to fight." ”

It is precisely because of this that he did not mobilize the troops in the northwest, and he knew very well in his heart that this expedition was different from the first time, this time it was to completely destroy the Japanese state, and it may encounter extremely strong resistance, and the war may last for two or three or even three or four years.

The reason why he refused as soon as he opened his mouth was that he was afraid that the other party's lion opened his mouth and groaned slightly, so he said: "How many troops does King Gong plan to send?" ”

Seeing that he was relieved, Yixun secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and said, "Sixty thousand navy and army, how about it?" ”

Sixty thousand? Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "There is only one Japanese country, and the imperial court has sent 60,000 troops, and Yuan Qi does not need to send troops." As he spoke, he stretched out two fingers, "Twenty thousand, don't fool with recruits, the battle of conquest is a war to destroy the country, and it may be unexpectedly cruel and difficult." ”