This time Xu Tong was disgraced by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, not only did not achieve the goal of letting the emperor withdraw the holy decree, but instead demoted the official two levels and was fined for one year. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

may have hated too much, Xu Tong unconsciously chattered in his mouth, not noticing the disgust in the eyes of the two little eunuchs who were supporting him beside him.

After sending Xu Tong away, when the two little eunuchs came back, they saw that there was no one around, and whispered quietly.

"The whole palace is busy with the celebration of the longevity of Lord Xifo, but this Xu Lao'er is in a hurry to report the funeral at this time, do you say that the queen mother can give him a good face? He didn't use his mind to think about it, he was really stupid......"

"That's it! Today was going well, but he came to report the funeral! What a bad luck! ”

"Did you just hear that? I still hate Lord Lin! Do you want to report his words to the second manager? ”

"Gotta say! Didn't the second chief steward give orders? Anything related to Lord Lin, you have to pay attention! Look at today, this old killer will definitely make trouble for Lord Lin in the future! Gotta let the second manager know about this! ”

The plan of the two little eunuchs has been decided, and they are ready to go to Li Lianying to make a small report after the duty trip, and Xu Tong at this time does not know what kind of impact today's events will have on his life.

At this time, Lin Yizhe did not know that this scene in the palace was closely related to him, but was actively preparing for the upcoming meeting with Prince Gong Yixin and Minister of Military Aircraft Wenxiang.

On the other side of the ocean, in Japan, there is also a group of people who are preparing to meet with another important person.

The east has just appeared a faint white belly, but the deck of the Japanese gunboat "Settsu" floating alone on the sea is already a busy scene, a group of **** sailors are scrubbing the wooden deck of the warship, they are unusually silent when they work, and no one even looks at Ito Hirobumi who is walking by them.

Ito took out his pocket watch and looked at it at 5:45 a.m.

After staying up all night reading the "Public Law of the Nations", his eyes felt extremely sour at this time, but when he saw these busy sailors on the "Settsu" ship, he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

In his memory, since the day of its creation, the Japanese Navy after the Meiji Restoration has always followed the example of the West and established an extremely strict work and rest system, regardless of the officers and soldiers, they have to get up very early every morning, and the non-commissioned officers organize the sailors to wash the deck, then open the sails, arrange the ropes, scrub all kinds of bronze and iron tools, and only have breakfast after work, and then a series of duties such as washing the cabin, until the evening duty officer on duty finishes the roll call, and the sailors who have been busy for a day can get a short rest.

However, since the "uncrowned emperor" Yama Prefecture Aritomo seized military power, the navy, which had always been ranked ahead of the army, lost its original status, and the "navy and army" became the "army navy." Since the post of secretary of navy became vacant, it has lost its chief officer with leadership and has completely become a vassal of the army, and the navy's daily training and military discipline have since become increasingly slackened, and even many warships have often coped with routine maintenance.

The evil consequences of not paying attention to the navy have been thoroughly manifested at this time......

The Japanese Navy, with two ironclad ships unique in Asia, will be completely wiped out in the face of a steam fleet consisting of only cruisers and gunboats, which the decaying Qing Empire had just built up in a few years!

Although he had learned the details of the two naval battles through various channels, in the face of such a tragic fact, from the bottom of his heart, he still didn't want to believe it!

He knew that although the Japanese Navy after the Meiji Restoration was nothing compared to the navies of Western countries, it was not without the strength to fight in the face of that decaying and declining neighbor on the Asian continent!

His original idea was that the Battle of Taiwan would result in the worst possible outcome, that is, the Navy would protect the Army and withdraw to the Japanese mainland, but what he didn't expect was that the Navy and Army would all be wiped out by the Chinese army!

"The battle between countries really can't be risked! ......," Ito said to himself.

Now, he feels extremely remorseful for not stopping or even conniving at the military adventures of Aritomo and Saigo in Yamaguchi.

Because the price of this adventure is not only the lives of five or six thousand officers and men of the Japanese Navy and Army, but it is very likely that it will cost Japan's national fortune!

Thinking of his mission this time, Ito Hirobumi couldn't help but shudder.

The destination of his voyage this time was China.

The "Settsu" carried the official Japanese diplomatic mission for peace this time.

After deciding on the decision to negotiate peace with China as soon as possible, Emperor Meiji convened several imperial councils to discuss the matter of sending an embassy to China to sue for peace and how to negotiate peace with China. As the head of government, Okubo Ritsu's attitude was very difficult, and he believed that "the Qing government is likely to put forward harsh conditions for land cession and compensation." Okubo simply adopted a method of evasion of land cession, saying nothing but that "if the amount of compensation proposed by the Qing government is too large, Japan's finances will not be able to bear it." Emperor Meiji was very annoyed by Okubo Ritsu's words, and seeing that the momentum was not good, Shigenobu Okuma, who held the financial power, quickly took over the conversation, saying that as long as the land could not be ceded, no matter how much compensation the Ministry of Finance could raise. However, both Saionji and Ito Hirobumi believe that the Chinese side is likely to make a request for land cession, and if they do not agree, it is likely to trigger a full-scale war, and they should still prepare accordingly.

This time, the Imperial Council did not come out of nowhere, and Emperor Meiji was so worried that he fell ill. But then he reluctantly set out and convened another imperial council to discuss the issue of peace. This time, Okubo Ritsu was very active, and he asked to go to China in person to negotiate, and he brought with him a large group of experts who were proficient in public international law, and was prepared to take advantage of the weakness of the Chinese side that they did not understand public international law and the "theory that the land has no owner" to "strive for the need not to cede land to the Qing State" and even strive to "not need to pay compensation to the Qing State." Emperor Meiji was very happy to see that Okubo Ritsu was very reasonable, and it seemed that he was sure that he would pay the reparations without cedement, and even his illness seemed to be much better. Emperor Meiji then encouraged Okubo Toshitsu and asked who else the members of the mission needed, Okubo Toshitsu invited Ito Hirobumi and Saionji Konobo to go with him on the spot, Ito Hirobumi agreed on the spot, and Saionji Konobu also agreed, but Okuma Shigenobu thought that "Qing people don't like to deal with young people", and thought that although Saionji Konobu was respected in Japan, he was too young, and he was afraid that he would be despised after he went, which would damage the dignity of the Japanese aristocracy, and cited the matter of Yanagihara Maemitsu touching a nail in Beijing, Emperor Meiji also agreed, and asked Ito Hirobumi to do the work of Kido Takayoshi and Saigo Takamori, who had already been dismissed from their posts and idle at home, and asked them to serve as members of the mission and go to China to negotiate together.

After Ito Hirobumi received the order, he first went to invite Kido Takayoshi out of the mountain, Kido Takayoshi agreed with him, without the slightest concern about his past suspicion and personal reputation, and Emperor Meiji was very pleased when he heard Ito Hirobumi's return, and immediately appointed Kido Takayoshi as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of Education, and summoned him to the palace to personally comfort him.

Then Ito Hirobumi wrote a long letter with sincere words and sent someone to Kagoshima Prefecture to ask Saigo Takamori to come out of the mountain, but Saigo Takamori's reply disappointed him, and Saigo Takamori rejected him on the grounds that he was "too ill to travel far and wide".

Due to the urgency of time, after learning that Takamori Saigo had refused to leave the mountain, Emperor Meiji ordered the mission to depart, and assigned the Settsu, the only remaining Western gunboat in the navy, to the mission.

But after the departure of the "Settsu", Ito Hirobumi thought about it and hoped that Saigo Takamori could take this opportunity to make a comeback, so he discussed with Okubo Toshitsu and others, and suggested that he go to Kagoshima Prefecture and meet Saigo Takamori in person, Okubo Toshitsu and Kido Takayoshi both agreed, and Okubo Toshitsu even joked that if Saigo can come out, this time it will be "three heroes together", and it will be a "good story for the ages" in the future (he would like to accompany the target as a "Qing Detective" one more).

So, after going to sea, the "Settsu" sailed at full speed to Kagoshima Prefecture.

On the way to Kagoshima, Ito Hirobumi and others did not sit idle, but discussed the details of the negotiations day and night, and the initial policy was to use international law to argue with the Chinese side on the grounds that "Taiwan has no owner" and "the Qing State had promised Japan to send troops" to try their best to win reparations for not ceding land. If the debate loses at this stage, the responsibility for sending troops will be shifted to the "rampage" of Saigo and other dead people, arguing that the Japanese government is not responsible, in order not to bear the responsibility for starting the war. If the purpose of this stage is still not achieved, and it is really necessary to cede the land and pay compensation, then the Ryukyu issue will be pushed out, and the Ryukyu issue will be made with the concession of "recognizing the Ryukyus as a vassal state", and a small amount of monetary or material compensation can be given to China. At the same time, in the course of the negotiations, we should try our best to draw the Americans into this troubled water through the "Monaken" incident, so that the United States can exert pressure on China and achieve the goal of peace talks.

In order to be able to take the lead in future negotiations, Ito Hirobumi and others have been immersed in the "Public Law of Nations" for the past two days, and whenever they have time, they have sought advice from a large number of international law experts in Japan who accompanied them.

"Ito-kun." A familiar voice sounded behind Ito Hirobumi, and it also succeeded in awakening Ito Hirobumi, who was still meditating.

"Kido-kun." Hirobumi Ito turned his head and his gaze fell on Takayo Kido behind him.

"It's still early, why don't Kido-kun sleep a little longer?" Hirobumi Ito turned his head, leaned forward, leaned on the railing of the ship's side, and looked at the sea with some abruptness.

Kido Takayo smiled bitterly, "I can't sleep!" I had to go out for a walk. ”

"Oh." Hirobumi Ito sighed and did not speak.

"Saigo-kun said that he was seriously ill, and I don't know if it's true or not." Kido Takayoshi looked at the sea in the distance and said, "When this national disaster is in place, it's time to put aside the old suspicions, I thought that with his character, he would agree immediately......"

"Mr. Nanzhou is a straightforward person, he said that he is seriously ill, I think it should be true." Ito Hirobumi said, "After all, Congdao is his own brother, and no matter how different his political views are, blood is always thicker than water. Congdao's tragic death, he must be very sad. Maybe it's because of this. ”

"Hearing those foreign newspapers say that Congdao was beheaded by the Qing people...... Kido Takayoshi remembered the reports in the foreign newspapers about the Japanese generals and all the Japanese prisoners such as Saigo Shomichi, Akamatsu Norira and Tanigan Castle having their heads cut off by the Qing army, and his heart couldn't help but shrink.

"It's very likely, and I'm worried that the Taiwanese army is likely to have been executed by the Qing people by now. There will be no more captives alive......" Ito lamented.

The two of them were relatively silent, and the captain of the "Settsu", Captain Tsuboi Han, came over.

"Is Kagoshima coming? Tsuboi-kun? Hirobumi Ito asked, seeing the coast appearing in the distance.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Captain Tsuboi replied.

Ito Hirobumi looked at the simple-looking naval officer and smiled with gratitude.

At the moment when he saw the sailors on the ship "Settsu" busy with their duties, Ito Hirobumi had a great impression of the naval officer who had studied in the United States - although the old gunboat with a displacement of only 920 tons under his command was now in old condition, the "Settsu", which had been in service since 1868, was still in good condition with its engines and guns in good working condition.

The reason for this, apart from the captain's personal sense of responsibility and professionalism, does not seem to be better explained.

Kozo Tsuboi was born in the 14th year of Tenbo, Japan, in Mitajiri, Zhou Defense Province (now part of Yamaguchi Prefecture). His father was the doctor Hara Kenmichi, who was the second son in the family and later became the adopted son of the feudal doctor Tsuboi Shindo. At the age of 20, Tsuboi Kozo took part in the war against the bombardment of Shimonoseki by the allied forces of the Western Four Powers on the "Koshin Maru", joined the Choshu Navy in the same year, learned English and navigation in 1665, and was responsible for transporting troops from the Seto Inland Sea during the Boshin War. In the fourth year of the Meiji era (1871), he was promoted to captain in the navy and studied on the flagship of the American Far East Fleet, the USS Colorado. On the recommendation of Major General Rogers, George, who entered the District of Columbia? Studied naval technology at the University of Washington. After returning to Japan in early 1874, he served as the captain of the ship "Settsu".

Because Tsuboi Kozo was from the Choshu domain, and although he was very capable, he was very hostile to the navy controlled by the Satsuma faction, and it was because he and the "Settsu" ship under his command were excluded from this battle to Taiwan, and they were lucky enough to escape the catastrophe.

Now he is one of the few outstanding naval officers left in the Japanese Navy.

"Tsuboi-kun, do you know everything about the Navy's operations in Taiwan?" Ito Hirobumi had been trying to figure out the reason for Japan's defeat this time, and when he saw Kozo Tsuboi, he asked.

"I have collected a lot of information about the Imperial Navy's operations in Taiwan, Your Excellency." Tsuboi nodded, "It's still being studied." ”

"What mistakes do you think the Imperial Navy made in this operation? Is there a chance of victory? Hirobumi Ito asked.

Hearing Ito Hirobumi's question, Kozo Tsuboi looked a little excited, and his face turned red.

"I don't know much about the technical side of the Navy, so I'd like to hear your opinion." Hirobumi Ito said again.

"Your Excellency, I don't think there is anything wrong with our navy in terms of command and operations!" Tsuboi replied in three voices, "The loyal and courageous performance of the naval officers and men can be regarded as a model for soldiers!" ”

"Oh?" Listening to Tsuboi's words, Ito Hirobumi was taken aback, "Then why did the Imperial Navy fail?" ”

"The Imperial Navy loses mainly in weaponry, Your Excellency." Tsuboi replied in a loud voice, "Of course, there are also strategic mistakes. ”

"Our ships are older than the Qing Navy." Kido Takayo interjected at this time, "But the gap is not very big, right?" What's more, there are still two ironclad ships in the Imperial Navy......"

"Nope! Your Excellency, Chancellor! The gap is huge! Tsuboi Kozo said excitedly, "The two ironclad ships of the Imperial Navy are very old ships, and their speed is very slow!" And their cannons, albeit of a large caliber, are backward breech guns! Not only is the launch speed extremely slow, but also the power is not good, it is difficult to hit the enemy ship in battle, and even if it does, it will not be able to cause fatal damage to the enemy ship! Although they have strong iron armor, this is only good for defense, not for attack! ”

"On the other hand, the Qing Navy is equipped with all the new cruisers that have just been launched, and the speed is almost twice that of the Imperial Navy! And it is also equipped with advanced breech guns, which not only fire fast, but also very powerful! Although the Qing warships are not as protected as ours, they can dodge with high speed! Moreover, the number of warships of the Qing Kingdom surpassed that of the Imperial Navy, so no matter how heroic the officers and men of the navy were, they could not defeat the enemy! Tsuboi Kozo looked at Hirobumi Ito and Takayo Kido, "We are now facing the situation of the Qing Navy, which is similar to when the 'black ship sailed'!" ”

Hearing that Tsuboi Kozo used "the black ship is sailing" as a metaphor for the situation on both sides of the battle in the Taiwan Strait, Hirobumi Ito and Takayo Kido all changed their faces.

"How can the gap be so big?" Hirobumi Ito gasped.

"That's just the way it is!" "If Your Excellency doesn't believe me, this time when you arrive in Tianjin, China, when you see the Qing warship with your own eyes, you will understand!" ”

"I see......" Ito sighed and nodded.

"After this peace talks, we must immediately speed up the pace of building up the navy." Kido Takayo said categorically, "Even if it's to cut down on food and clothing, you have to add new warships to the navy!" Otherwise, Japan will perish! ”

"Yes." Ito Hirobumi remembered Aritomo Yamaguchi, who originally held the power of the navy and army, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes, "The importance of the navy is fundamentally incomparable to the army for Japan!" It's just a pity that we're only realizing this now! ”