"In my opinion, this is a war with no suspense at all, especially after the Qing army and army have completely withdrawn from Korea, and the navy has completely given up the struggle for sea supremacy, there is no suspense; The Qing Dynasty will be defeated! ”

Kliman, a reporter for the New York World, took a sip of champagne and continued: "But readers in New York like to be suspenseful, so I won't write this answer for granted until the war is over." Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info"

The surrounding Western reporters and military observers nodded their heads, apparently agreeing with Kliman's inference.

"This war is far from the time when it is possible to determine who will win and who will lose;"

Fermante smiled and said: "The territory of the Great Qing Dynasty is vast, as long as they are determined not to die, they can drag the East Ocean down alive; After all, the current economy of the East is close to collapse, and the Qing Dynasty has no shortage of food and soldiers, and it seems that there is no shortage of silver. ”

Toyo Combined Fleet, flagship Hashidate.

The battle between Vice Admiral Ito, commander of the Oriental Combined Fleet, and Count Oyamaiwa, commander of the Second Army, Minister of War, has been back and forth for three days.

By now, both Ito and Oyama Rock knew that the army could not be delayed any longer, and that a unified landing plan must be reached today.

It's just that neither of them is willing to compromise first, so there is a suffocating silence in the entire war room.

All the army generals and navy captains sat upright with their mouths closed, not daring to make a sound.

"Our Navy reiterates that Huayuankou is the most ideal landing site; First of all, there was no Qing army stationed there, and the troop carriers could directly approach the coast, and they were far enough away from Jinzhou to be able to calmly establish a solid tidal flat position before the Qing army could react. ”

Ito Yuhiro stood up and pointed out the map of Liaodong hanging on the bulkhead with a wooden stick: "And the sea area of Piziwo, a hundred miles southwest of Huayuankou, is surrounded by shallow sea areas that troop carriers cannot approach, so you can only use small boats to consume a lot of physical strength and carry out a long transportation; Moreover, it is less than 100 miles away from Jinzhou, and there is a cavalry defense of the Qing army, once the Qing army is heavily assembled and fortified, the soldiers who have just gone through a long rowing boat have no physical strength to fight. ”

After saying this, Ito Yuheng looked at Dashan Yan very seriously and said, "Your Excellency, all for the sake of the empire!" ”

As soon as Ito's last sentence came out, the army generals in the war room all showed a slight anger.

You're capable of Yuhiro Ito, isn't it?

You navy bulls, noble, all for the Empire.

Isn't it our Army!

After Ito said these words, he stopped talking and sat in his seat, quietly waiting for Oyama Iwa's decision.

"Click!"

Dashanyan took out a cigarette, lit it slowly, and took a long puff.

Spit out slowly.

In the silent war room, this slight 'click' shook the hearts of all the generals.

Because this Imperial Count sitting in front of them is the third most important minister of the Empire in today's Empire, except for Prime Minister Ito and Count Yamagu.

"Our army still adheres to its own point of view, and Piziwo is the best landing site."

As soon as Oyama Iwa's words were spoken, all the generals of the Oriental Army looked at the naval captains across the long table with a provocative expression.

And Ito Yuheng is crying out in his heart.

Obviously, this matter cannot be delayed any longer, and if the army and navy do not compromise, then they can only go to Pyongyang as soon as possible, telegraph to the Hiroshima base camp, and the emperor will decide.

Moreover, Ito believed that with the prestige of Oyama Iwa, His Majesty the Emperor would support the Army's wrong decision.

It was not that the emperor favored the army, but that time was running out and that the Hiroshima base camp was not allowed to figure out the actual situation on the Liaodong coast.

Therefore, the emperor will obviously choose the decision of Oyama Iwa, an old minister.

Besides, it was a quick horse to go to Pyongyang, and the delay back and forth was another day or two.

And the empire is now in a race against time.

Because the winter in Liaodong is very cold, and it is coming.

A heavy snowfall that could fall at any moment would put the Imperial Navy and the Second Army in an awkward, dilemma.

Ito sighed in annoyance, ready to compromise.

"Your navy's victory in Dadonggou is indeed good, but you are proud;"

Oyama Iwa didn't allow Ito to open his mouth to defend himself, stared at Ito and asked, "Who isn't for the empire?" ”

As Dashanyan's words fell, all the army generals puffed up their chests, while the admirals sitting opposite felt their big faces hot and were slapped hard.

"Hey!"

Ito Yukobetsu Army caught the word and had to bow his head and admit it.

"Let's land from the garden entrance,"

Dashan Yan smiled: "For the Imperial Army, it is to land from Incheon, and now we have also hit the Yalu River?" It's just a few more steps; And our valiant army has never been afraid to walk and fight. ”

"Long live the Emperor, the army is victorious!"

Suddenly, there was a roar in the war room.

At this point, the multi-day dispute over the landing site between the sea and land in the East Ocean finally came to an end, and the battle plan for the landing in Liaodong in the East Ocean was immediately drawn up.

The opening up of the second battlefield in Liaodong, which has been clamored by the East for a long time, has finally entered the final countdown.

Liaoning South, Dalian Bay.

After seven days of rapid marching, Shen Zhaoao finally led more than 200 troops of the cavalry battalion headquarters and the first cavalry company to join the soldiers of the second and third phases of the new army on Monk Island in Dalian Bay.

When Shen Zhaoao sent the arrival telegram to Jiulian City, Zhao Huaiye, the general of the Dalian Bay garrison, also hurriedly sent the news that the two sentinels of the Korean reinforcement army had arrived in Dalian Bay and joined the new army where the Korean reinforcement army was staying secretly sent to Jinmen.

At this time, Li Hongzhang was discussing the defense of Lushun with Sheng Huaixuan, Luo Fenglu, Wu Yanfang, and a group of Beiyang young heroes.

Because of Song Qing's change of banner, Li Hongzhang was angry and acted as a shopkeeper for the defense line of the Yalu River, but Lushun is the foundation of Beiyang after all, and Li Hongzhang's efforts for more than 20 years are integrated into it.

Although Li Hongzhang already has some understanding of his fate in the near future, Yu Guo is in Beiyang, as well as for himself, he still wants to build Lushun, the first military port in the Far East, into an insurmountable fortress.

In this way, even if the defense line of the Yalu River collapses, as long as the Lushun Military Port is not lost, the Beiyang Naval Division still has military strength, and the imperial court can only slowly figure out Beiyang, and most of the subordinates of the township party who have followed him for decades can also have a good end.

Two days ago, after learning the news that He Changying had put more than 1,000 soldiers of the second and third phases of the New Army in Dalian Bay, and then stopped and did not leave, Li Hongzhang was very happy in his heart, glad that his old eyes did not see the wrong person.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that everyone was making money, Li Hongzhang really wanted to pull the reinforcement army and the Luyu defense army, these two Beiyang elite soldiers who still had combat strength back to Dalian.

Then on the other side of the Yalu River, with Song Qing, they tossed around.

At this time, Zhao Huaiye's urgent telegram came.

"The Korean reinforcement army actually came with two more cavalry, or Shen Zhaoao and Mao Chao led the team, what does He Changying want to do?"

Li Hongzhang held the telegram, his face full of surprise.