December 10, 1873, Nagasaki, Japan, Harumi Building. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Nagasaki's famous brewery "Tao Ran Ya" makes the finest sake with a subtle aroma in fine Chinese blue and white porcelain cups, and the tatami mats are filled with dishes such as fugu and sashimi, as well as a variety of sushi. In front of the tatami mats, a slender young geisha in costume is singing and dancing to the sound of a harp and flute.

"Good! Good! As soon as the song ended, Ito Hirobumi, who was in the main position, struck with both palms and couldn't stop cheering loudly.

"Akura," he said with a smile as he turned to the older geisha who was kneeling in front of the couch holding pots for a few people, "whether it's poetry, piano, tea ceremony, calligraphy, or flower arrangement, Chiyoko already has the style of your old days." Dance, in particular, is already three or four tenths of what you were when you were successful. ”

"Ito-kun, are you complimenting me?" The older geisha, who was called "Akura" by Ito Hirobumi, glanced at Ito slightly and asked with disgust.

Shiki Kayama, who was sitting on the left hand side of Hirobumi Ito, was slightly stunned - since entering this room, most of his attention fell on the young geisha who was dancing, until he saw the glance of Akura slanting at Hirobumi Ito a moment ago - the eyes in his slender and long eyes flowed, and in addition to the amorous style, there was a bit of wisdom that was rare among women in the dust, so that Shiki Kayama, who was originally anxious in his chest, couldn't help but feel a wave in his heart, and he also somewhat understood why Hirobumi Ito would often linger in this spring sea building and never want to return.

He took a sip of the wine glass in front of him, calmed down slightly, but heard Ito Hirofumi say: "To have three or four tenths of your Acang singing and dancing, this is not a compliment, what is it?" ”

"Kayama-kun probably doesn't know, right?" He suddenly turned to Shikiri Kayama, "Mr. Toyuki (i.e., Takayama Shinsaku) is dying of a serious illness due to tuberculosis, and one of his last wishes is to watch Akura's song and dance again. ”

"It's a pity!" Hirobumi Ito's voice suddenly became more sentimental, "At that time, Akura was far away in Choshu, and although I had collected several of the best geisha in Kyoto, none of them could dance like Akura...... In the end, I can only ask Ah Cang to go to Xiaguan to dance a song for him at the tomb when Mr. Dongxing is in his life, and talk about comfort......"

There was an inexplicable silence in the room for a while, and a faint sadness enveloped the faces of everyone except Chiyoko, who was still ignorant.

Thinking of the amazing talent who once founded the Wonder Soldier Team Takasugi Shinsaku, the hero who was in the single-ship camp in the Battle of Kuga Chong, unfortunately died young, and an inexplicable sadness rose in the hearts of several people.

In the long history of the Meiji Restoration, Shinsaku Takasugi is a heroic figure worthy of attention. Although his political career was short, it was impressive, mighty and majestic, and full of turbulent turbulence. In the process of regrouping various political forces at the end of the Edo period, he was diligent in learning, good at thinking, and often prepared for rainy days, and witty. An overview of Takasugi's life, although there were shortcomings, his thinking continued to develop and mature. Its theory and practice have always been consistent with the pulse of the changes of the times, and it is worthy of the title of pioneer of the Restoration.

However, while the dawn of victory of the Meiji Restoration was still in sight, Takasugi Shinsaku, who was recuperating in Sakurayama, died of tuberculosis on April 14, 1867 (May 17, 1867) in Shimonoseki Shinchi, and was buried in Yoshida, the garrison of the Wonder Army, at the age of 28.

"The 80,000 soldiers of the Hehedong Domain, attacking in Langhua City, I Cao is about to die, and I will laugh at the neighbors when they hear the sound of cannons." Reciting Takasugi Shinsaku's posthumous work, and thinking of the Restoration who was two years younger than himself, but died at the age of 27, Kayama Shikinori couldn't help but sigh, "The untimely death of Mr. Toyuki is really a great misfortune for the Empire, otherwise with his talents, the great cause of the Restoration will be greatly beneficial." ”

"There is a proverb in the Qing Kingdom: 'When a country is in trouble, think of a good general,'" Shiki Kayama continued with a gloomy expression, "Now that the Imperial Navy wants to defend itself against foreign enemies, it makes people miss Mr. Toyuki, who led the 'Bingin Maru' with one battleship and dared to single-handedly challenge the Shogunate's naval headquarters and win the battle...... If he's still here. Our Great Japanese Navy only needs to ask him to lead a warship, and he will definitely be able to sink the entire navy of the decaying Qing Kingdom into ****** waves! It's a pity, it's a ......."

Hearing his words with deep meaning, Ito Hirofumi only took a sip of his wine glass. Then he just smiled and said nothing. And the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang, who was sitting opposite the Shiki of Huashan, had already frowned slightly.

"Listening to what Huashan-kun means, it means that the Imperial Navy does not have the determination to win in battle when facing the Qing Navy now, is that so?" In addition to the initial greetings, the 24-year-old has long hair, a slender face, and beautiful eyebrows, but there is a hint of coldness at a glance.

"The officers and men of the Imperial Navy have never lacked the determination to die for His Majesty the Emperor." Before the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang's words fell, Kayama Shiki's eyes were already cold, but he still looked respectful when answering his questions -- although in terms of military rank, he, the vice admiral, did not seem to have the need to treat the young man in front of him with no official position, but when it came to his background, neither of the two "Nine Qinghua" families of Xiyuan Temple and Dedaiji Temple behind this person could be compared to the Kayama family that he only entered when he was 2 years old.

Born in Japan on December 8, 1849, he was the second son of the Tokudaiji Kosumi family, and passed on to the Saionji family as a child. Both of them were one of the "Kuga-sei" families (Kuga, Sanjo, Saionji, Tokudai-ji, Hanayama-in, Okai-gomon, Imadegawa, Hihata, and Daigo) after the "Five Regents" (Konoe, Kujo, Nijo, Ichijo, and Takaji). The "Five Regents" were families that had served as regants and Sekihaku since the Kamakura period, and the "Kyu-Qinghua" were nobles who had been able to become ministers since the Shogun Konoe. Saionji Gongwang became the patriarch of the Saionji family at an early age. At the age of 4, he was appointed as the "attendant" of Emperor Xiaomei, and at the age of 8, he was awarded the title of Major General of the Right Guard, and at the age of 13, he was awarded the title of Lieutenant General of the Right Guard. By the time Emperor Meiji ascended the throne in 1867, the 18-year-old Saionji was already a veteran of the imperial court. As a young man, Saionji was dissatisfied with the corrupt rule of the shogunate and was deeply worried about the future of the Japanese nation after the founding of the country. At the end of 1867, as a close minister of the Emperor, he participated in the "Kogosho Conference" that was a turning point in history, and formulated the policy of "reinvigorating the imperial government" with Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimitsu, the leaders of the Shogunate faction, and supported the emperor to personally manage the affairs of the country. After the establishment of the Meiji government, he held an important position in the Senate. At a critical juncture when the shogunate was approaching the castle in the name of the Qing monarch and the new government was in danger, Saionji resolutely opposed the compromise in the imperial court and advocated that it should unite with the forces of the Saga and the Naga-vassal kings to fight against the great enemy. Xiyuan Temple's high opinion greatly surprised the important ministers of the imperial court, and Iwakura Gushi blurted out and said: "This gentleman has great knowledge. During the Boshin War, the 19-year-old Saionji Gongwang served as the governor of the mountain **** town, the governor of the second army of Higashiyama Province, and later the envoy of the northern country, and led the army to participate in countless battles such as the Battle of Toba Fushimi, and later served as the governor of Echigo Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture, and made meritorious contributions to the establishment and consolidation of local power.

After the Meiji regime was basically stabilized, Saionji Gongwang could have been an official and enjoyed glory and wealth, but considering the long-term goal of building a modern Japanese state, he resolutely resigned from his army and went to France to study for further study. During his time in France, he focused on the French political system. The purpose of returning to Japan was to report to Emperor Meiji what he had earned.

But what surprised and worried the prince of Xiyuan Temple was the sound of foreign expansion in the country that he heard after he returned.

In today's Japan, it is true that because of the Meiji Restoration, a large number of samurai classes have fallen into difficulties, and the entire Japanese society is in turmoil, but in the view of Saionji Gongwang, what the government should do now is by no means the so-called "conquest of Korea" and "conquest of Taiwan" style of external expansion to divert the dissatisfaction of the domestic people, but should work hard from the system to solve the domestic contradictions!

The day after arriving in Nagasaki, Saionji Koki came to visit Ito Hirobumi, and it happened that Kayama Shikiki was also there, and after Saionji learned that Kayama Shikiki was also a hard-line "Seitai" faction, he did not talk much, but kept listening to the conversation between Ito Hirobumi and Kayama Shiki. It wasn't until Shiki Kayama said the words "thinking about good generals in national distress" that he finally couldn't help but open his mouth.

"I have always believed that the Imperial Navy can compete with the Qing Navy at sea." Shiki Kayama's words reveal a strong sense of confidence.

"The Imperial Navy has the strength to do this." Ito Hirobumi took over the conversation, "However, the Imperial Navy does not have a figure like Mr. Tohang now, but the Qing Navy has a powerful figure comparable to Mr. Tohang!" ”

Of course, Shiki Kayama knew who this figure that Ito Hirobumi was talking about was comparable to Takayama Shinsaku, and he couldn't help but be angry for a while, he didn't speak again, but poured a big sip of sake, and as a result, he choked and couldn't help coughing again and again.

Akura glanced at Shiki Kayama in some surprise, wiped the wine sprayed on the corners of his mouth and chest with a handkerchief, and filled the wine glass for him.

"Oh? Who is this person? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang asked in surprise.

"This person is Lin Yizhe, the governor of Fujian in the Qing Dynasty." Hirobumi Ito.

"I have heard of this man, who once served as an envoy to the Qing Emperor on a mission to Europe. He is said to have a very close relationship with the French royal family. Xiyuan Temple Gongwang's words show that he has also heard of Lin Yizhe's name, "However, this person is just an ordinary civil official of the Qing State, although he has become a governor, but except for his diplomatic methods that appear to be more clever than ordinary Qing officials, there seems to be nothing outstanding in other aspects." It can't be compared with a hero like Mr. Dongxing. ”

"You're wrong, Saionji-kun." Ito Hirobumi shook his head and said, "This person's talent is no less than that of Mr. Toyuki." ”

"Why did Ito-kun come to such a conclusion?" Xiyuan Temple Gongwangqi Road.

Ito Hirobumi was about to express his opinion, but he heard the geisha who greeted the guests outside say softly, "Ito-kun, Yanagihara-kun has arrived." ”

"Yanagihara-kun is here! That's great! Hirofumi Ito clapped his hands to welcome Yanagihara Maemitsu's arrival, and Kayama Shikiki couldn't help but change slightly when he heard that Yanagihara Maezitsu was also coming.

Yanagihara Maemitsu entered the Japanese room, and greeted everyone present, he saw Kayama Shiki sitting there, and he also felt very awkward, but as a civilian official, his cultivation was obviously higher than that of a soldier like Kayama Shiki, so he still greeted Kayama Shiki politely, and Kayama Shiki also greeted Yanagihara Maezitsu for the sake of face.

"Come, come, come! Yanagihara-kun, we just happened to talk about the young governor of the Qing Kingdom, Lin Yizhe, you come to tell Xiyuan Sijun what you think of him. ”

"This is a very terrible person, a dangerous enemy. But also a very respectable opponent. Yanagihara Maemitsu sat down, and Akura took the wine glass and poured him wine, but he didn't move the wine glass, but sat opposite Huashan Shikiri and took a big sip of the cow.

"This man is the grandson of Lin Zexu, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, and he is very knowledgeable, and although he is still essentially a scholar of Chinese Confucianism, he has an extremely deep understanding of the Western world." Yanagihara Maemitsu said, "In just six years, he built the steam fleet of the Qing Navy, and I visited the gunboats of the Qing Navy in Taiwan, and the Qing sailors who drove these gunboats were very skillful, and the officers who commanded them were also very shrewd and capable......

Hearing Yanagihara Maemitsu's words, the face of Shiki Kayama, who had suffered a great loss from Chinese sailors on the "Fusheng", suddenly turned the color of pig liver.

"I don't think the Qing sailors and their captains are as powerful as Yanagihara-kun said." Shiki Kayama looked at Yanagihara Maemitsu and interjected, "Has Yanagihara-kun forgotten that the Qing gunboat broke down at sea on the way to Tianjin and drifted for many days?" ”

"Kayama-kun, do you really think that the failure of the gunboat at that time was an accident?" Yanagihara Maemitsu sneered and asked rhetorically.

Shiki Kayama made Yanagihara Maemitsu sigh when he asked, "Then what do you say is going on?" ”

"That was Lin Yizhe's deliberate arrangement, and his purpose was to delay our arrival in Beijing so that Beijing's Prime Minister Yamen could prepare!" Yanagihara said, "From the day we arrived in Fuzhou, he saw through our attempt to go to Taiwan!" It was on that day that we fell into the trap he had laid for us! At the mercy of him like a doll, the terrible thing is that none of us could detect it at that time! ”

"Huashan-kun, our landing site was carefully chosen by you people, and the report you submitted said that on that coast, Qing warships and ships never appeared, why did a Qing steam gunboat appear there when we arrived?"

When Shiki Kayama heard this, his face suddenly turned pale. Apparently he also figured it out.

"After he caught us, why didn't he hand us over to the nearest consulate in Fuzhou? Do you have to send us to Tianjin by gunboat, and then from Tianjin to Beijing? ”

"Why did that gunboat run so fast when it caught the sailboat we were on? But when sending us to Tianjin, it kept sailing at the slowest speed? Do you really believe that the captain said it was to save coal? Why did the gunboat have such a serious mechanical failure in the middle of the way? Don't have a replacement part? Caused us to be adrift at sea for so long? ”

"Why is it that when we arrived in Beijing and negotiated with the Qing people, the Qing Prime Minister and the Yamen ministers who were used as monkeys by us a few months ago all became experts in the 'public law of all nations'?"

Kayama Shiki made Yanagihara Maemitsu's words speechless, and he could only lower his head and drink sullen wine, and after listening to Yanagihara Maemitsu's words just now, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang was shocked, and couldn't help but have a strong interest in Lin Yizhe.

"Sure enough, a terrible person."

"Just as Ito-kun said, if this person is still in office in Fujian, then the empire will not have the opportunity to seize even an inch of Taiwan!" Yanagihara Maekomichi.

Hearing Yanagihara Maeko's words, Shiki Kayama couldn't help but want to refute, but at this moment, Akura's gentle voice sounded again.

"Saigo-kun is here."

"Just in time! Saigo-kun! Hurry! Come in and sit! Seeing Saigo coming in from the road, Hirobumi Ito greeted warmly.

Saigo Congdao greeted everyone and said loudly: "I want to bring you good news!" ”

Saigo's words suddenly quieted everyone down, and everyone's eyes were all focused on him.

"Oh? What is the good news that excites you so much? Saigo-kun? Ito Hirobumi looked at Saigo Congdao, whose face was full of excitement and excitement, took a sip of wine, and asked unhurriedly.

"This is the reliable news we just got from the Qing Kingdom." Saigo took out a note from his pocket and shook it vigorously in front of everyone, "Lin Yizhe, the governor of Fujian in the Qing Dynasty that Yanagihara Jun said just now, has been forced to defend under the pressure of public opinion constantly exerted by the government and the opposition!" ”

"Shou system?" Ito Hirobumi was stunned, "When my parents died, I resigned from all official positions and kept filial piety for my parents for 27 months?" ”

"Yes! That's it! Saigo nodded vigorously and handed the note in his hand to Hirobumi Ito.

Ito Hirofumi quickly read the note and quietly handed it to the Saionji Gongwang beside him.

"This is really good news." Hirobumi Ito said thoughtfully, "It's just ......"

After reading the note, he passed it to Yanagihara Maemitsu, who read it and handed it to Shiki Kayama.

Shiki Kayama looked as excited as Saigo Komichi, and he almost rushed to take the note from Yanagihara Maemitsu and read it impatiently.