Faced with Frederick III's question, Jochen replied: "If the Japanese had premeditated, then we have reason to believe that their army was already ready to be sent into Korea in the shortest possible time in the event of war." On the other hand, the Qing were unprepared for war, and once the war began, it was much slower than Japan to gather troops and send them to Korea, so I think that the Qing had no chance of winning a war on land.

In order to win the war, the most important thing is to stop the Japanese army from transporting and constantly sending its own troops into Korea, and to do this must rely on the navy. Therefore, whoever can completely control the waters near North Korea will win. ”

"The strength of the Beiyang Naval Division is much stronger than that of the Japanese, Alexander, how much do you think the Japanese have to win." Frederick III turned to ask the Admiralty Muntz.

"The 7 main ships of the Beiyang Naval Division were built by our country, and we know very well their performance, and the Dingzhen 2nd ship alone is far from being comparable to the Japanese." Muntz replied.

Muntz's point of view is also the view of most naval powers, because from their point of view, as a mature navy, Japan will never challenge the Beiyang Naval Division if it weighs its own strength, and the Beiyang Naval Division will never have any possibility of failure.

But it's a pity that both navies are rookie navies that have been established for less than 20 years, so they don't care about your "mature" judgment

"Simply looking at the number and tonnage of ships, it is true that the Qing State has the advantage, but their main five cruisers are all protective cruisers, and they use old-fashioned frame guns, while the main cruisers of the Japanese Navy all have tube-back rapid-fire guns. I don't think I need to repeat the concept of rapid-fire artillery to protect the cruiser. ”

"Your Highness, but even so, the Japanese can't help the second ship of Dingzhen?"

"Since the Japanese are ready to fight. Then they must have also thought about how to deal with the Dingzhen 2nd ship. The Beiyang Naval Division was also unprepared for this war, so the Japanese still had the advantage in preparation. In addition, the equipment of the Qing army ships is aging. The Oldenburg, Irene, and Corolla classes have been refitted and overhauled, and now most of them are not reaching the speed they had when they were first built, and I don't think the Qing warships will be in a better situation than ours.

Then the Japanese came prepared, and the state of the ships of the Beiyang Naval Division was not ideal, so I don't think it makes much sense to simply look at the superficial power comparison. Of course, Jochen can't assert that Japan will win, and the Japanese navy itself has no confidence in it, but at least let everyone know that the Beiyang Naval Division is not as strong as imagined.

"So you mean that the Japanese are more prepared, and this battle is bound to start, right?" Frederick III asked.

"Yes. Father. ”

Soon the Japanese confirmed Jochen's judgment with their actions.

On June 22, Mutsu Otsu sent a "First Letter of Renunciation" to the Chinese Government, in which it was written: "The Imperial Government will never withdraw its troops stationed in Korea unless it is contrary to what your government has seen." ”

The Japanese said that they would never withdraw their troops, and Li Hongzhang's illusion that he wanted both sides to withdraw at the same time was shattered, but at this time Li Hongzhang still believed that the two sides would not go to war, and neither took the initiative to withdraw nor reorganized their armaments for war.

The Japanese, on the other hand, quickly brought ashore the second group of troops of the 1st Mixed Brigade.

June 27th. The 8,000 men of the 1st Mixed Brigade of Oshima Yoshimasa had all landed at Incheon, and they had an absolute advantage in the face of the 2,400-strong Qing army that had arrived at Asan two days earlier.

In fact, the situation at this time can be said to be quite obvious, Nie Shicheng proposed to Admiral Ye Zhichao as early as the 10th that in order to avoid provoking incidents, we should withdraw our troops. On the 11th, Ye Zhichao agreed. A telegram was sent to Li Hongzhang, saying: "The Japanese have taken the opportunity to use the land and water brigade to suppress South Korea, and they have been planning for a long time in light of the danger. "It means that we are here to quell the rebellion. The mission is accomplished, let's get out of here.

As a result, he was rejected by Li Hongzhang. At this time, Li Hongzhang was still dreaming that the Japanese would withdraw first, and he could continue to strengthen his control over Korea. Therefore, he called back: "At present, the peace agreement has not been decided, and I am temporarily stationed in Asan." ”

After learning that the Japanese army had landed at Inchon on the 13th, Nie Shicheng persuaded Ye Zhichao again: "The division has been stationed in Asan for a long time, and it is advisable to ask the Neidu side as soon as possible." Ye Zhichao sent a report to Li Hongzhang again, but was rejected again.

If the Army, after all, has not met with the Japanese and cannot make accurate judgments, then if the Navy does not pay attention to the warnings given to Li Hongzhang, then it can only be said that it is No-zuo-no-die and Why-you-try.

June 29, off the coast of Incheon, Pyeongwon

Lin Tai, the chief soldier of the left wing of the Beiyang Naval Division, once stood on the bridge, and the Pingyuan pipe took Li He to stand aside.

"Li Dusi, how is the situation of the whole ship now?" Lin Taizeng asked with a solemn face.

"My lord, the whole ship is in good condition. The adult's face is worried, is he worried about the Japanese sailor? "The Pingyuan ship is not taken seriously in the Beiyang Naval Division, and Li He is only the capital division, but Li He's ability is not bad, so he naturally knows that it is not safe in this sea area.

"There are more than 10 Japanese warships in Incheon Port, and we are very likely to meet them here."

"If the lord leads the Zhenyuan ship here, why be afraid of the Japanese sailors."

"The second ship of Dingzhen is the pillar of our Beiyang Optimus, and how can it be dispatched lightly. However, the Japanese are so aggressive, I am afraid that the situation in North Korea will not be good. Lin Taizeng could naturally see that the Japanese were acting abnormally, and if this situation continued, I am afraid that they would have to meet each other.

"What my lord taught me is that my Beiyang ships are strong and sharp, how dare the Japanese people pick quarrels and provoke trouble. If the Japanese people lightly start the incident, then let them see that my Beiyang Naval Division is the first in Asia, and it is not in vain. Li He, like most people, believed that there was no possibility of failure for the Beiyang Naval Division.

Lin Taizeng was not so optimistic, smiled slightly bitterly and was just about to say something, when a shout from the mast interrupted him.

"A column of smoke was found on the starboard side! Unknown ships! ”

"Pull the alarm and get ready for battle." Lin Tai had quickly ordered.

"Huh!"

The Pingyuan ship was originally sailing in dangerous sea areas, and Shui Yong had already stayed at his respective posts, and now he was even more preoccupied when he heard the alarm.

Soon, the owner of the pillar of smoke in the distance revealed his figure.

"The Langsu of the Japanese people, the speed of the Pingyuan is only 14 miles, you can't dodge, keep the course, I want to see what tricks the Japanese can play." Lin Tai had stared at the rapidly approaching Japanese ship with a telescope and ordered.

And the same thing happened on the Naniwa.

"Order, let each gun position prepare salute shells and real shells at the same time, follow my orders, don't give me the wrong shell!" Heihachiro Togo looked at the Pingyuan that was getting closer and closer, and gave an order.

Although he wanted to strike first, the cautious Dongxiang found that the general soldier flag hanging on the Pingyuan, and the pipe band of the Pingyuan was only the capital division, so since the general soldier flag was hung, it means that there was a chief soldier on the ship, so it could only be Lin Taizeng, the chief soldier of the left wing.

"It's worthy of Mr. Lin, it looks the same as my thoughts." Heihachiro Togo, who was holding a telescope, found that the deck of the Pingyuan was empty, and the main gun in the bow of the ship was also pointed over, apparently also prepared.

For this man, who is considered to be "the most capable and tricky general of the Qing Navy", everyone was taught by British teachers, and it is estimated that the approach on his side is exactly the same on the other side, and Togo Heihachiro knows that it is unlikely that he wants to strike first.

"Order, salute, flag at half-mast, salute." Knowing that his goal of striking the stick first could not be realized, Togo Heihachiro ordered to pay tribute to Lin Taizeng, who was higher in rank than himself.

The two sides exchanged sabre-rattling and lowered their flags in salute, and then staggered.

However, Lin Taizeng still judged the urgency of the situation from Dongxiang's operation, and immediately reported to Li Hongzhang that the Japanese were plotting against him, and if he wanted to protect the Qing army in Asan, he would need to strengthen the vigilance near Asan Bay and send additional ships to support.

However, Li Hongzhang ordered all the ships in Korea to return to Lushun, and pinned his hopes on the mediation between Britain and Russia, and telegraphed to Ding Ruchang: "Now that Russia is mediating, the Japanese are gradually yielding, and do not be impatient!" ”

On July 14, Komura Shoutaro, who was promoted from temporary minister to Japanese minister to the Qing Dynasty, sent the Japanese government's "second letter of renunciation" to Prime Minister Yamen, saying: "The Japanese government has always hoped for a peaceful resolution of the current situation and has taken various measures, but the Qing government intends to cause trouble. The Japanese government will not be responsible for any unforeseen changes in the future. Again, all the blame was placed on Qing Guo.

On July 16, Japan concluded the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with the British at the cost of halving the import duties on sugar, which was signed by Shuzo Aoki in London.

On July 17, Emperor Meiji issued a special directive: "Revoke Vice Admiral Muta Kuranosuke from the post of chief commander of the navy, and appoint Vice Admiral Shikinori Kayama as chief commander of the navy." ”

On 19 July, according to the plan put forward by Gonbei Yamamoto, chief of the Chief of the Office of the Military Command Department, the garrison fleet and the standing fleet, which had been renamed the West Sea Fleet, were formed into a combined fleet, with Vice Admiral Sukehiro Ito, commander of the standing fleet, as the first commander, and Ishinojima as the first chief of staff.

For the first time, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy appeared before the eyes of the world.

On the same day, the Japanese government issued an ultimatum to the Qing government: "Any reinforcement of the Qing army in Korea is regarded as a threat to Japan." The deadline for an ultimatum to demand an answer from the Qing government was July 24.

On July 23, Keisuke Otori commanded the 1st Brigade of the 1st Mixed Brigade to attack Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Joseon royal palace, and staged a grand drama to force the palace and welcome Daewonjun back to power.

One of the first decrees issued by Owon-kun after his reign was to appoint Keisuke Otori as the political advisor of the Kingdom of Joseon.

On the same day, the main force of the combined fleet departed from Sasebo, and Kozo Tsuboi received an order from Shiki Kayama: "After the 25th, if you encounter a Qing warship, you can only launch a preemptive attack." ”

At this time, the two sides had not yet declared war, but the war had already begun. (To be continued......)