Li Xiande smiled bitterly: "At the beginning, you gave President Grant 200,000 US dollars as soon as you made a move, and I knew that Taiwan would definitely not be able to compare with the US president, but my 60,000 US dollars is really the lowest friendship price." Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

President Meng smiled and made a gesture with his hands folded, "Thanks, thanks, Zhan Kui, let people take Mr. Li Xiande to rest first, and say hello." ”

"Yes!" Wang Zhankui also wanted to talk more to President Meng and strive for Li Xiande, who could get some benefits now, and invited him out.

"President, president, Meng president......" Before Li Xiande was invited out by Wang Zhankui, he still looked back and wanted to speak from time to time.

President Meng smiled and waved his hand, signaling him to understand, don't say any more.

On the one hand, President Meng wants to confirm that this information is true and effective, on the other hand, President Meng also wants to see how much money Taiwan is worth in the eyes of Li Xiande, judging from Li Xiande's attitude, Taiwan is really worthless in this era!

In other words, it is not very valuable, in the eyes of the great powers, the importance of Taiwan is only as a trade transit point, and it has not risen to a strategic level.

From the perspective of being a trade transit point, Taiwan is definitely inferior to Hong Kong, but Hong Kong is on the belly of the golden hen.

Taiwan's geographical location is important, but don't overestimate the development capacity of this era, any part of Taiwan, including the chicken coop, is not as good as a leg of Hong Kong, which was already quite developed in 1874.

However, this does not prevent Taiwan from becoming and has always been the focus of contention among the great powers.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, in order to balance the trade deficit caused by the import of Chinese tea and other goods, British merchants smuggled a large amount of opium, mainly from its colonies, to China, which caused serious social problems to China. The large import of opium caused the trade between China and Britain to change from China's surplus to Britain's surpass, resulting in a large outflow of silver from China, and the Qing Dynasty's finances were seriously damaged.

Taiwan was one of the first places where the British launched an invasion of China, and the power of the British has always been there, and President Meng meddled in Taiwan's affairs and would once again be involved in the struggle with the Qing court, the Japanese and the British.

Among these three aspects, it is natural that the Japanese and the Qing Kingdom attach more importance to the power of Taiwan, especially for the vassal power of the Ryukyu Kingdom!

In the sixties and seventies of the nineteenth century, the spearhead of aggression by the Western powers was directed at China, causing crises in China's borders.

Taiwan's strategic position is prominent, and it has become the focus of armed aggression by the British, the United States, France, and other powers.

At the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, Japan established a general policy of aggression in its foreign policy, which was to "expand its territory."

The Ryukyus and Taiwan, located in Japan's southwestern Pacific Ocean, became the top targets for its expansion.

The Japanese planned to invade Taiwan, so naturally they had to find an excuse.

The cause of this incident was that in December 1871, more than 60 Ryukyuan people were caught in a typhoon and drifted to southern Taiwan, 54 of whom were killed by the indigenous people of Taiwan, and the others were sent back to China by the Qing government.

Under the pretext that the Ryukyus drifters had been killed in Taiwan, and with the assistance of Li Xiande, the US consul general in Xiamen and a self-proclaimed "Taiwan expert," Japan immediately attacked the Qing government and seized the opportunity to invade Taiwan.

In November 1873, the Japanese government sent Foreign Secretary Yanagihara Maemitsu to the Qing Premier Yamen to inquire about the killing of the Ryukyu drifters.

Yanagihara Maemitsu proposed: "The land of your country's Taiwan...... Your country governs only half of the island, and in the eastern part of the island, your country has not exercised any political power, and the people of your country have remained independent. In the winter of the previous year, our people drifted to this place and were plundered and killed by them, so our government will send an envoy to investigate the guilt. ”

Prime Minister Yamen Minister Mao Changxi and others replied: "The killing of the people of Liumin by the people has heard about it,......。 The husband and the two islands belong to the land, and the people who belong to the land kill each other, and the verdict is on me. I have my own measures for the people, so why bother to ask about your state affairs? ”

Yanagihara Maemitsu argued that Ryukyu was a Japanese territory and that the Qing government should punish the Ryukyu people for killing them.

Mao Changxi said: "The murderers are all born, so they are left out." …… None of them accept the king. ”

Yanagihara Maemitsu said: "If you are born and hurt people, your country will not be treated, but I will ask the people of the island to sin." ”

The Japanese actively invaded Taiwan on the one hand, and negotiated with the Qing court in Beijing on the other, which was really a very good strategy.

It's also a very shameless strategy.

The Japanese this is confusing!

Ryukyu has been the land of China since ancient times!

President Meng looked at the map and said secretly: Special mother, even Japan is part of China, and you dare to be indiscriminate.

"Prepare for it, prepare for an attack on Taiwan, just bring an infantry regiment and a battery, and immediately notify the General Staff and the General Logistics Department." President Moe said to Princess Katrina Cafe.

"President, have you decided to send the Chinese army to Taiwan?" Princess Katrina Kafu asked in surprise.

Why is Princess Katrina Kaave so surprised?

Because the Chinese state in Guangdong, still faced very severe pressure from the Qing court and the British, after continuous troop deployment, the Qing court's strength in Fujian is not weak, although the British after a major war with the Chinese state, the army has been withdrawn a lot, but still in Guangdong and Hainan, there are more than 20,000 people in the army, and a huge navy.

President Meng said firmly: "Yes, I have made up my mind to keep every piece of land in China!" Moreover, Taiwan's geographical location is very important and has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. The first target of Japan's foreign aggression and expansion was Taiwan, China, which sounded the alarm for the Qing government and exposed Japan's ambition to occupy Taiwan. However, this Qing court, we can't count on it, we can only rely on ourselves. The British, for the time being, will not attack us again, there has just been a cease-fire, and besides, there is no problem with the signing of the convention of the member states of the South Seas Treaty, and even if the British were to fight again, we are in a much better position now than we were then, because we have increased our strength after changing our standard rifles. ”

Princess Katrina Kafu nodded, "Since the president has decided, how many people will we bring over?" ”

President Meng thought about it, cross-sea operations, this cost is really too high, the ammunition supply carried, transportation is difficult, it must be more ammunition, than more people to be effective.

According to a battle plan provided by Li Xiande to the Japanese government, "The Essentials of the Punishment of Taiwan", the Japanese would send three or four thousand troops, and the Qing court had tens of thousands.

President Meng believed, "At least one infantry regiment and one artillery regiment!" Just take the Hongpu Military Academy Teaching Brigade to it. ”

"Huh? Just take an infantry regiment and an artillery regiment? Only bring such a few people? Princess Katrina Kafu was puzzled. (To be continued.) )