Hurd really did his homework, and he knew more about this incident than Wu Chongyao. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

But the focus is different, Wu Chongyao doesn't pay attention to this matter, there is a reason not to pay attention to it, the Manchu Qing Dynasty doesn't pay much attention to this small island where the Han Dynasty is miscellaneous, Wu Chongyao is the director of the Ming Dynasty Foreign Affairs Department has no reason to care more.

Hurd looked at this issue from the perspective of the world, and he didn't really attach much importance to Japan, but he felt that there were Americans behind this incident.

Hurd believes that in this Japanese invasion of Taiwan, the American Li Xiande played a huge role.

HD has already done this through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Li Xiande was originally the U.S. consul in Xiamen, and there had been similar incidents of Ryukyu merchant ships in the U.S. merchant ships before. In February 1867, the American merchant ship Luo Mei ran aground and sank on Hongtou Island off the coast of eastern Taiwan, and its survivors were also killed by the Langqiao aborigines, triggering negotiations between the United States and the Qing government.

Later, he also personally landed on the shore to negotiate with the local aborigines, and reached an agreement with Zhuo Qidu, the head of the 18th Society, that the aborigines promised not to harm the Western shipwrecks who were drifting here. Because of his activities in Taiwan, Li Xiande also learned the Taiwanese language and became a Taiwanese expert.

In 1872, Li Xiande resigned from his post as consul in Xiamen, and on his way back to the United States, he transited through Yokohama, Japan, and met with the Japanese Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Shima Tanetomi, under the introduction of the American minister. Knowing that similar incidents had occurred in the Americans, the vice-island minister visited the US minister to Japan on several occasions and repeatedly solicited the views of the minister on the issue of Taiwan's "birth" and the "clan" between China and the DPRK.

After meeting with the Japanese Foreign Secretary, Li Xiande was very active in giving advice to the Japanese, telling the Japanese that the land that the Qing government said about the transformation of foreign land corresponds to the terra nullius land in international law, and Japan can occupy it. Li Xiande also provided maps and photographs of Taiwan, and said that it would be easy to occupy Taiwan with only 2,000 troops. Frightened by this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Lee Sen-tak as an adviser in November of that year as a quasi-second officer. Li Xiande began to plan in detail for Japan to send troops and colonize the colony.

Since Japan sent troops to Taiwan, a U.S. consul was helping to resolve international law issues, so Hurd suspected that the U.S. government was involved in the matter. Hurd believes that Taiwan and Daming's territory of Fujian face each other across the sea, and if the Americans get involved here, it will be a huge threat to Daming, so Daming should be highly concerned about this matter.

Of course, Zhu Jinglun has also heard the story of Li Xiande. This is an important figure in the history of China-Japan-US relations.

Chinese historians regard this person's involvement in Japan's invasion of Taiwan as evidence of imperialism's involvement in China, but this formulation is too politicized and is not accepted by historians.

There is a great deal of controversy in the historical circles as to whether or not the United States intervened in Japan's invasion of Taiwan. From the various documents published by the United States and Japan, it is impossible to prove what role the US government played in this.

Later, Li Hongzhang protested to the US Government, and the United States also arrested Li Xiande, and although he was finally released, the United States believed that it reflected that the United States undoubtedly pushed Japan to invade Taiwan.

The Japanese also believe that this is a personal act of Li Xiande, and their documents show that during his time as an adviser to the Japanese government, Li Xiande did solve the international law issue of sending troops to Taiwan for Japan. However, the Japanese government promised that after the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, Li Xiande was appointed governor-general.

The only suspicion is that some information indicates that after Li Xiande demanded that after Japan occupied Taiwan, the United States would have the right to monopolize Taiwan's trade.

Zhu Jinglun was inclined to believe that the US Government did not directly intervene in this matter, but he was happy to see it come to fruition, and if it really had great ambitions for Taiwan, the Americans could do it on their own, and the Qing government at that time had no resistance at all.

Compare Li Xiande's background, this person is not an American, but a Frenchman, because he married an American wife, he became an American citizen, this is a guy who has the taste of an adventurer in this era, this kind of person is indeed willing to do anything whimsical for personal ambitions, so this person's personal behavior is more reasonable, but Americans should be aware, and they are happy to get a piece of the pie after Japan seizes Taiwan, which is true.

Zhu Jinglun, who knows the cause and effect of this incident better than Hurd, is not at all worried about the US ambitions for Taiwan, but he cannot and does not want to say anything.

He asked Wu Chongyao to immediately send a note to the US Government, questioning the US Government's attitude on the Taiwan issue and lodge a protest with the US Government, holding that the behavior of the American Li Xiande has seriously affected peace in East Asia and also affected the interests and security of the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, a note was sent to Japan, telling the Japanese that the Ming Dynasty was seriously concerned about the Taiwan issue and asking Japan to explain its intention to use troops against Taiwan.

A diplomatic statement was issued to Britain and France, telling them that Ming was concerned about the Taiwan issue, and that Ming was doing everything possible to maintain regional peace and stability, safeguard the trade interests of relevant countries, and hoped to get the support of Britain and France.

Zhu Jinglun also ordered the navy to dispatch 10 warships to immediately blockade the relevant waters in the Tainan area and not allow a single Japanese ship to dock until the incident was satisfactorily resolved.

"Should we send a note to the Qing court?"

Wu Chongyao felt that he already knew international law very well, and he felt that this matter should be negotiated with the Qing court.

But Zhu Jinglun went around in a circle, but he didn't say to the Manchu Qing that he intended to bypass the Qing court. So Zhu Jinglun didn't explain, and asked Wu Chongyao to do what he said.

Wu Chongyao was puzzled, and on the way out of the palace with Hurd, he asked Emperor Hurd what he meant.

Hurd told him with a smile that let the foreign affairs department be ready to negotiate with the Manchus on the ownership of Taiwan, and he also told Wu Chongyao that Taiwan, a beautiful island, can be developed into a very rich place, tea, silk can be produced, the most important thing is the geographical location, once the Ming Dynasty controls Taiwan, then it controls the Taiwan Strait, and the European merchant ships sailing to Shanghai in the future will be under the control of the Ming Dynasty.

Wu Chongyao was very surprised, he really couldn't understand that the emperor would be interested in this place, but if he could get a piece of land by diplomatic means, it would be regarded as expanding the territory, and the credit would be completely attributed to him, the head of the foreign affairs department.

Hurd clapped his hands and got into the carriage, while Wu Chongyao got into his official sedan chair.

Zhu Jinglun is also in a good relationship in the palace, he is very satisfied with Hurd's attitude, or he is satisfied with Hurd's changes in the past few years.