Yamamoto Gonbei looks. Japan's old roots are the navy. As long as the navy can rely on its strength, it does not have to worry about foreign military invasion, and it is precisely because of this. He is the "intellectual" of the Japanese government's China policy. Representative figures. As a veteran of the Japanese Navy, Gonbei Yamamoto witnessed the entire exhibition process of the Japanese Navy, and he did not want to see the decline of the Japanese Navy in his lifetime. When the news of the death of the commander of the Combined Fleet, Heihachiro Togo, was transmitted back to Japan. Gonbei Yamamoto immediately advocated that the Japanese Navy withdraw from the war and advised the Japanese government to end the war immediately. Preserve the capital of Japan's rise.

In the Japanese government. There are many people who share the same view as Yamamoto Gonbei. Even the veteran of the Japanese Army, Aritomo Yamagu, was tired of the successive defeats of the Japanese Army in the Liaodong Theater. Many veterans of the Meiji era in Japan realized that in the face of the new combat methods of the squadron, the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy have lagged behind the times. Insisting on war against China can only bring Japan down completely from this war with no hope of victory.

Under the subtlety of this emotion. The Japanese Navy acted first to "return home to recuperate." Under the pretext of evacuating the Yellow Sea battlefield, the Japanese Army was thrown down, and then the veterans of the Japanese Army also sat back and watched the fall of Lushun and Dalian. and the total annihilation of the Japanese Kwantung Army, in this situation of total defeat in the land and sea theater. Those "hardliners" in the Japanese government had no choice but to agree to peaceful contacts with the Chinese side.

Under tremendous pressure from the public and public opinion. The Privy Council, which was controlled by Japanese political elders, soon sent a peace mission to Manila in the Philippines and began a difficult negotiation process with the Chinese peace mission. As the Chinese mission opened its mouth, the attitude of the Japanese elders also swayed from side to side, and they threatened to withdraw from the peace talks and continue the war on several occasions. However, for Japan at that time, it had become very unrealistic to continue the war, on the one hand, because of the continuous deterioration of the domestic economic situation, and on the other hand, because of the great stimulus of the European war on the Japanese chaebol. The economy is the foundation of everything, and in order for Japan to get out of its predicament, it is necessary to first solve the problem of economic development. And now, due to the explosion of the war in Europe. The Japanese chaebol saw a great opportunity to get out of its economic woes, as long as Europe was bogged down in war. So. As far as Japan's economy is concerned, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity to restore Japan's national economy, if it cannot be seized. Then Japan is likely to be devastated by this war against China, which has no hope at all. So. The Japanese chaebol forces, led by the Mitsubishi Zaibatsu and the Mitsui Zaibatsu, are also exerting pressure on the Japanese Government to end the war against China as soon as possible. Even if major concessions are made in the peace talks. A peace agreement must also be reached. Through the guarantee of this peace agreement, a favorable international environment will be created for Japan's economic recovery.

On the one hand, there is the attitude of political elders. On the one hand, there is the attitude of the Japanese chaebol, and the combined attitude of these two forces is enough to influence the decision-making of the Japanese government. As for the Japanese people, although there are many voices advocating fighting to the end, the call for peace can also be heard, because the war has increased the burden on the people at the bottom of Japanese society, and not only has the income of the Japanese people been seriously affected. In addition, Japan's domestic agricultural production has been greatly weakened. A large number of young adults were conscripted into the army. The shortage of labor in Japan's agricultural economy, which is heavily dependent on manpower, has further exacerbated the recession of the Japanese economy and the rise in rice prices. The extreme violence of the national mood made everything difficult for the Japanese government. If there are no more peace talks, Japan is likely to have a revolution like the Russian Empire in the past, and then all the jade will be burned. The whole of Japanese society was likely to collapse as a result, and the thought of the bloodshed of the French Revolution made all the upper echelons of Japanese society tremble.

Therefore, when the Chinese peace talks representatives were bargaining with the Japanese peace talks mission in Manila, the Philippines, there was a lot of noise in Japan, the bottom of the society was worried about the increasingly difficult life, and the top of the society was worried about the volcano that could erupt at any time, and these social emotions gradually converged and eventually evolved into a call for peace. In the end, however, a peace agreement was reached with significant concessions from the Japanese government.

On the day the peace agreement was reached, Gonbei Yamamoto was ordered by the Japanese government to board an American steamer from Tokyo. Direct flight to Shanghai. Then transfer from Nanjing to Pukou, take a train from Pukou, and travel north along the Jinpu Line to Beijing. And today he took part in the solemn signing ceremony of the peace agreement held in the National Assembly Building of China.

The next step is for the two countries to exchange the treaty, and once the exchange is completed, Japan will be able to lift the state of war and go all out to develop its national economy, and take advantage of the war in Europe to promote Japanese goods to a wider market.

However, before the official contract can be renewed, Yamamoto Gonbei must also complete one more task, which is to meet with His Excellency the President of China. Consult with him about the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and if possible, Yamamoto Gonbei also intends to test the "mad president" to see if he can re-enter the Chinese market for Japanese goods.

Since the start of the Sino-Japanese war, the Chinese market has been completely closed to Japanese goods. In this situation, Chinese customs refused to allow Japanese goods to enter the country, Chinese merchants refused to sell Japanese goods, and a small number of profiteers who were greedy for cheap soon became the targets of beating up by Chinese patriotic youth. It is no longer possible to dump Japanese goods into the Chinese market, even through intermediaries, and the Chinese market has always been an important market for Japanese goods. Now that the Chinese market has been lost, Japan's domestic industrial production has suddenly shrunk by half, many factories have had to close, workers have lost their jobs, and society has become more unstable.

One of the reasons why the Japanese government is in a hurry to agree to the peace agreement is to resume normal trade with China as soon as possible, but this is not an easy task, although it is in the peace agreement. The Chinese side did agree to immediately remove the "discriminatory tariff principle" on Japanese goods. But as long as the Chinese president does not cooperate, Japanese goods will still not be able to resume sales in China. Because the Japanese government is already well aware that in China. In fact, it is this "mad president" who dominates everything. His words work better than the laws of Congress.

However, the president could not meet with Gonbei Yamamoto today, because the old important guests wanted to meet today, and it is said that they were all soldiers who had made military achievements in the current war against Japan, compared to the special envoys of a defeated country. Mr. President clearly attaches more importance to those who are among the best.

Therefore, Yamamoto Gonbei can only go to meet the president tomorrow, and as for today, he can only listen to the sound of firecrackers outside the city in his guest room at the Rokkoku Hotel. The Chinese celebrate the victory with firecrackers, and it is said that in two days, a grand military parade will be held in the city, in which the Chinese National Defense Force units, who had been in the limelight during the Liaodong Campaign, will show off their demeanor to the people.

In the guest room, only his assistant and Tsutsusawa accompanied Denbei Yamamoto, and the British minister was also here, but just now, before dark, the British minister had already taken his leave and left. I'm ready to go to the dinner at the Presidential Palace.

"Is this the sick man of East Asia, the country? This is the country that was once disparagingly called "the land of pigtail slaves." countries? Is this the declining country where addicts are everywhere? Is this the weak country where the spirit of the people is languishing? Is this the ignorant country that is indiscriminately and blindly xenophobic? "Why don't I know each other at all?

Why is there a strongman in this country who can turn the fortunes of the country at this time? Is it just because the number of qi is not exhausted? Why can this Chinese strongman seize the opportunity and take the initiative everywhere? Why did Japan fall behind in the contest with him? Why does this Chinese strongman almost never make strategic mistakes? "Could it be that Japan is destined not to expand its influence on the East Asian continent?

Sitting on the sand in the guest room. Yamamoto Gonbei thought bitterly, but he couldn't find an answer, he only knew that if it weren't for this Zhao Zhenhua, maybe China would not have recovered its national strength so quickly, and Japan would not have adjusted its strategic direction so quickly, shifting the focus of its strategic goals from the East Asian continent to the Pacific Ocean.

Pinch persimmons to pick soft pinch, gnaw bones to pick soft gnaw. In the past, China was a soft persimmon and soft bone in the eyes of the Japanese government, which could be manipulated at will. But now, China is a hard persimmon and a hard bone, and the Japanese government can only give up the strategy of going head-to-head.

In the current Japanese government, the Meiji elders still play an important role, compared to these steady senators. The Young Zhuang faction in the Japanese military department is a potential force that threatens Japanese policy. Gonbei Yamamoto knew very well that, in fact, during the current peace talks with China, the young Zhuang faction in the Japanese Army had planned a mutiny in Tokyo in order to purge the government of the "Meizhi surrender faction and non-nationals." "On the assassination list drawn up by this group of young Zhuang officers. Yamamoto Gonbei's name is prominently listed, if it were not for the Japanese army veteran Yamaguchi Aritomo who suppressed these radical officers by forceful means. I'm afraid that the guns of the mutinous troops have already sounded in the streets of Tokyo.

However, Yamayama Senseo also refused to punish those army officers who tried to mutiny, and his excuse was to stabilize the morale of the army, but in Yamamoto's view, Yamamoto Aritomo's move was just to further strengthen his position in the army, so as to control the army and maintain his power in the military department.

Although Yamamoto Gonbei and Yamaprefecture Aritomo are political enemies, he still understands Yamayama Yamatomo's approach. Without Yamaguchi Youtomo, no one can guarantee that there will be no chaos in the Japanese Army, and once the Army no longer obeys the orders of the Japanese government, then the Japanese constitutionalists will lose control of the national strategy. Now the Meiji elders can still control the military department, but these people are old, once they die, how will the Japanese political situation unfold, Yamamoto Gonbei can't deduce it no matter what, these elders can be calm, but who can guarantee that the person who will succeed can also remain calm? Once the strategic decision is wrong. Japan is likely to fall into an even greater crisis.

Therefore, in Yamamoto's view, only by taking advantage of the fact that these Meiji era remnants are still alive can Japan's economic strength be strengthened, otherwise, a group of poor and resentful Japanese young Zhuang officers will go crazy and will probably drag the whole of Japan into the abyss of no return, then Japan may never rise to the rank of a great power.

Just when Yamamoto Gonbei was sitting on the sand thinking nonsense. A secretary walked up to him and whispered a few words to him.

。 Your Excellency the Earl, "President of the Association for the Promotion of Sino-Japanese Friendly Relations, Wang Yitang asks to see you

。 Wang Yitang? ”

Gonbei Yamamoto looked up, searching for the name in his memory.

The name was somewhat unfamiliar, but the term "Association for the Promotion of Sino-Japanese Friendly Relations" aroused Yamamoto's interest, and he immediately agreed to the other party's request to see him.

"Association for the Promotion of Sino-Japanese Friendly Relations. It is a non-governmental organization that was established in the British Concession in Tianjin just a few days ago, and the members of this organization are not only businessmen, but also some frustrated politicians, but the identity of this president, Wang Yitang, is not ordinary, because just the day before he became president, he had just been hired by the Chinese presidential office as a senior adviser to the presidential office, so this organization is likely to also have an official color.

Wang Yitang met Yamamoto Gonbei, and as soon as they met, his words surprised Yamamoto Gonbei.

。 It is a pleasure to speak to you, Your Excellency. I'm here to say a few words to you, and where you offend, I hope Haihan.

As a Chinese, a Chinese who is committed to promoting friendly coexistence between China and Japan, I regret the short-sightedness of the Japanese government. In fact, China and Japan are both East Asian races, and they have been bullied by European and American races in history, and in today's world, the law of the jungle eats the strong, and the Western powers are united to take stock of the East, so why can't we Easterners unite and work together to deal with Westerners? Japan's navy was strong, China's army was strong, and at this time Europe was at war, and there was no time to take care of the Far East. If China and Japan can cooperate with each other now, the day will come when East Asian races will run rampant in Asia and expel the Western powers! ”

Yamamoto Gonbei was very surprised, he understood a truth from Wang Yitang's words, that is. The other side is a "pan-Asianist". Moreover, talking so eloquently in front of these Japanese seems to make no secret of his "pan-Asianism" mentality.

It is quite intriguing that such a person chose such a time to visit Yamamoto Gonbei.