As for what Shikinori Kayama did, because the Japanese navy under his command had been completely wiped out, and there was no relevant report in Japan, the Japanese government still learned a certain amount of information from the relevant reports of foreign newspapers, and Okubo Toshitsu and Shigenobu Okuma and others were all shocked when they learned the news, especially when they learned that Shikinori Kayama's shelling had caused heavy losses to the foreign embassy area, including the Japanese consulate in Xiamen. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

That time, in front of a government official, Okubo Ritsu loudly scolded the words of "birch mountain thief"!

Because he knew that the stupid behavior of Shiki Kayama would bring great trouble to Japan!

In fact, the Japanese government has already paid a considerable price for this. After the embassy area was shelled by Japanese ships, Britain, France, and other Western governments that learned the news lodged strong protests with the Japanese government, demanding that the relevant personnel be punished and compensated for the losses. Under the joint pressure of the Western powers, the Japanese government was forced to compensate the countries for their losses and pay for the repair of the embassy, which cost a total of 600,000 yen.

For the financially embarrassed Japanese government, 600,000 yen is definitely not a small number.

And so far, the Japanese government has spent nearly 10 million yen on military spending for the war in Taiwan!

"Our government bears the responsibility for the ineffective management of the army, which caused the thieves in the army to 'run wild,' but it does not have the responsibility to start the war, these are two things that should not be confused." "And my government does not intend to shirk its responsibilities, but is willing to compensate your military and civilians for the losses caused by this tragic incident." ”

Hearing that Okubo Toshitsu, Ito Hirobumi and others absolutely did not say "war" or "army" in their negotiations, but replaced them with words such as "unfortunate incidents" and "thieves", Hayashi could not help but admire the cunning of the Japanese and the skillful use of diplomatic rhetoric.

"Since your Government is reconciled in good faith, the question of responsibility for war may be put on hold for the time being. Let's start with the issue of reparations. Hearing that the Japanese were willing to pay compensation, Lin Yizhe understood that the Japanese were in a hurry to reach a peace agreement, and knew that the time had come to knock on the Japanese bamboo pole.

"The Japanese government is willing to do its best to compensate for the losses caused to your country by the thieves." Okubo Ritsu stared at Lin Yoshitsu tightly, and a strange light flashed in his eyes, "I hope that the Japanese government's compensation can heal the damage caused by this unfortunate incident to the friendship between the two countries." ”

"It depends on how well your government makes the reparations." Guo Songtao and Chonghou Xia Jiahao exchanged glances and said with a smile.

Although Guo Songtao's words were very kind, Okubo Ritsu, Ito Hirobumi and Kido Takayo all felt a chill in their hearts.

"We are willing to compensate your country 500,000 yuan as compensation." Okubo Ritsu said as he stared into Hayashi Yoshizhe's eyes, observing his reaction.

Hearing the price offered by Okubo Ritsu, Lin Yizhe let out a loud laugh in his heart, but on the surface, he did not show any silence.

"Hehe, 500,000 silver dollars, that sounds like a lot!" Guo Songtao looked sarcastic and said, "Dare to ask your envoy, how did you get this number?" ”

"This figure is the result of our careful calculations after a detailed investigation of the various losses caused to your country by this unfortunate incident." Yanagihara Maemitsu said.

"You've been careful enough." Lin Yizhe sneered, and a fierce light instantly radiated from his eyes, startling Okubo Ritsu, who had been staring at him.

"Half a million silver dollars? Your country's currency is so valuable! Lin Yizhe said coldly, "Not to mention the losses caused by the burning, killing and looting of those thieves in your country in Taiwan, just the value of the two ships of our navy that the Japanese Navy sank in the sea near Fengshan Island is more than 500,000 silver dollars when converted into your currency!" Did the government of your country treat my Qing Dynasty as a call for food? ”

"This ...... It's because we're not thinking it through! Please forgive me, Minister! Hearing that Hayashi Yoshizhe's words were not good, Okubo Ritsu immediately led the members of the Japanese mission to get up and bow to Hayashi Yoshitsu.

This time, Lin Yizhe did not get up and salute as usual, but sat there proudly without moving. And Guo Songtao, Chonghou and Xia Jiahao saw that Lin Yizhe did not move, and they did not leave their seats, they all sat there.

"Please ask your minister to propose the amount of compensation for our reference." Okubo sat down after the salute, and saw that Lin Yizhe did not speak, but kept there with a gloomy face, and he couldn't help but feel apprehensive in his heart, and when he spoke, he became a little urgent.

When Ito Hirobumi heard Okubo Ritsu's question, his heart couldn't help but hang.

At this time, Kido Takayo and Yanagihara Maeko were also in the same mood as him.

At this time, the other three negotiators on the Chinese side, Guo Songtao, Chonghou and Xia Jiahao, also focused on Lin Yizhe.

Although Lin Yizhe had previously discussed with them on the issue of Japanese reparations, the amount of reparations had not been finalized.

Due to the influence of the traditional Chinese culture of "forbearance" in the way of founding the country, Chonghou believes that there is no need to persecute Japan too much, if Japan is willing to compensate, it can symbolically refer to the "precedent" of Lin Yizhe's assassination in France, and ask for 500,000 to 800,000 taels of silver, after all, "the border provocation is easy to open, and it is not easy to make up, if the two countries exchange troops because of the demand, the Russians look at the northwest, and I will reopen the war in the southeast, and the enemy will be attacked on both sides, and I am afraid that the cost at that time is far from being compensated by the indemnity." "We advocate that the conditions for the Japanese be appropriately relaxed and that a peace agreement be reached as soon as possible.

Xia Jiahao thought that the amount of compensation proposed by Chonghou was too small, after all, this time it was tantamount to a local war between China and Japan, and the military expenses alone would cost a huge amount. ”

Because Guo Songtao had "communicated" with Lin Yizhe in private in advance, he thought that he had guessed how much silver Lin Yizhe wanted to squeeze from the Japanese, so he did not express his opinion at that time, but listened to Lin Yizhe's opinion.

However, whether it is the "symbolic" indemnity amount of 500,000 taels to 800,000 taels of silver proposed by Chonghou, or the amount of 2 million taels of silver proposed by Xia Jiahao, they are far from the amount of 500,000 silver dollars proposed by the Japanese.

Lin Yizhe looked at Okubo Ritsu, slowly raised his hand, stretched out his hand, opened his thumb and index finger, and made a traditional Chinese "eight" gesture.

Seeing Lin Yizhe's gesture, the nervous expression on Okubo Ritsu's face suddenly became relaxed.

"Your minister wants 800,000 silver dollars? Or 800,000 taels of silver? Okubo was overjoyed in his heart, but on the surface, he was forced to forbear, worried that Lin Yizhe would change his mind and regret it after knowing that he had no opinion on this number, so he hurriedly asked.

Even if it was 800,000 taels of silver (about 1.6 million Japanese silver dollars), it was acceptable to him.

Lin Yizhe shook his head.

"That's ......" Okubo Ritsu thought of a terrible number, and couldn't help but change his face.

"It's not 800,000, it's 8 million." Guo Songtao replied for Lin Yizhe as if he was playful. He watched as all the Japanese changed their faces, and he felt a secret joy in his heart.

Hearing Guo Songtao say the number of "eight million", Chonghou and Xia Jiahao were also a little frightened by Lin Yizhe's lion mouth.

"What? Million? Okubo Ritsu got up, "This ...... Whether it is a silver dollar or a silver tael, it is impossible for our country to accept it! ”

"I didn't say it was a silver dollar, nor did I say a silver tael." Lin Yizhe looked at Okubo Ritsu, who was already a little out of shape, mockingly, and said leisurely, "The indemnity of 8 million, please pay in pounds!" ”

Listening to the "sky-high price" offered by Lin Yizhe, the faces of Ito Hirobumi, Kido Takayo and Yanagihara Maeko suddenly turned pale.

8 million pounds, if converted into Chinese silver taels, that is nearly 40 million taels of silver!

Hearing Lin Yizhe's final number, not only Chonghou and Xia Jiahao's faces changed, but even Guo Songtao almost jumped up from his chair.

"You...... This is blackmail! Okubo Ritsu stared at Lin Yizhe, and his voice suddenly became hoarse, "8 million pounds? Excellency? Are you crazy? How did you arrive at such numbers? ”

"How did you get it? The Japanese burned, killed, looted and plundered Taiwan, causing losses of hundreds of millions, and the Japanese navy bombarded China's cities and ports, cut off sea lanes, and plundered merchant ships. How much does our government spend on food and ammunition in order to get rid of these thieves? Lin Yizhe said in a deep voice, "My land and water soldiers fought fiercely with the thieves, and there were tens of thousands of casualties, wounded and sick in the battle, and there were countless people and Han people in the platform who were killed by the thieves!" Can these countless lives be bought back with money? ”

Lin Yizhe's roar resounded through the house, and the roof was buzzing for a while.

"This is blackmail! Blackmail! Okubo slammed his fist into the long mahogany table, and the blue and white porcelain teacup on the table jumped up and fell to the ground, and the water in the cup splashed out and spilled onto Okubo Ritsu's pants, but Okubo Ritsu was unaware.

"Whatever you say." Lin Yizhe stared at Okubo Ritsu's face, "The 8 million pounds compensation is not a penny!" ”

"The 'Monaken' incident is also the result of its soldiers disobeying the orders of their own government and raising the flag of rebellion to attack your country, and your government has not been held accountable by the US government, so why is it so tight on Japan?" Okubo exclaimed.

"That's because the Monaken was captured by our navy shortly after the start of the war! No serious consequences have happened! Lin Yizhe said angrily, "If he slaughters our people like a thief in your country, my country will not be spared by the US government!" ”

Okubo Ritsu's eyes widened, looking at Lin Yizhe with fire-breathing eyes, and his originally straight body seemed to be a little weak.

After a while, Okubo fell back into his chair with a dejected face.

Yanagihara Maemitsu knew that Lin Yizhe must have remembered the dead Eya at this time, so he was so angry and made such a move to persecute Japan, he wanted to persuade Lin Yizhe not to ask for such a ruthless price, but he hesitated for a moment and still did not speak.

"Please also ask your minister to raise your noble hand, this figure is simply beyond the financial resources of our country." Ito Hirofumi saw that Okubo Ritsu could no longer continue to argue with Hayashi Yoshizhe, so he took over the conversation and said in a sincere tone.

"We have come to your country with sincerity and sincerity for the friendship and peace between the two countries, and the whole country has the same intentions. I am Daisuke of the Treasury and the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, and I am well aware of the financial situation of my government, and I cannot come up with such a huge amount of money! Hirobumi Ito said, "Please also put yourself in your shoes and think about us, we are all loyal people for the country, just like your minister!" I hope that your Minister will consider the overall situation of the friendship between the two countries! Japan has never wanted to go to war with your country! The tragedy that occurred this time is completely the sin of the Xixiang bandits! At this point today, how can our two countries, which are neighbors separated by a strip of water, remain in a state of hostility for a long time because of this incident? After a long time, it is inevitable to restore reconciliation! But in order to restore reconciliation, it is also necessary for your country to be able to reserve a point of détente for Japan! And if the conditions for reconciliation are too harsh, even if peace can be reached, the whole country will be saddened by this, and peace will not last after all! ”

Listening to Ito Hirofumi's earnest words, the anger in Lin Yizhe's eyes subsided slightly.

"Peace will not last? If your government and His Majesty the Emperor think of today's results, they should not rashly start this so-called war of 'punishment and punishment'!" Lin Yizhe said coldly.

"However, the indemnity of eight million pounds cannot be raised by our government at all!" Seeing that Lin Yizhe didn't have the slightest intention of loosening, Ito Hirofumi became a little crazy, "This is something we can't do at all!" ”

"Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan's national strength has become stronger and stronger, and it is common to all countries to see that this money is not a problem for your government." Lin Yizhe snorted and said.

"Please look at the overall situation of friendship between the two countries and raise your noble hand." Kido Takayo saw that Ito Hirobumi was also a little confused at this time, and said, "Your and our two countries are neighbors with a strip of water, with a long history of friendship, and they are both important countries in Asia, and they have many cultural similarities. The two countries should not be at fault because of this! If our two countries lose their fortune because of this tragedy, and cannot reach an agreement on the issue of reparations, and eventually go to war, the result will not only be a defeat for both sides, but will also give the Western powers a chance to take advantage of the gap! I hope your minister will think twice! ”

"A strip of water? Hmph, I'm afraid it's a bloody cloth, right?! Lin Yizhe sneered, "Japan and China are navigable, and the people of your country are accustomed to breaking their promises. Once the rebels and rebels collapse, our coastal mouths will be in danger. The misfortune of the next season can be used as a reference to the car ahead! How can a peace treaty be made today and that peace will be eternal? In order to ensure that Japan will never be a disaster to China, such reparations must be demanded! ”

After listening to Lin Yizhe's words, the Japanese present finally understood, and they lowered their heads one by one with a dejected face.

Since the two Opium Wars, China, which was originally a behemoth in the eyes of the Japanese, has plummeted, and the whole country of Japan has shown contempt for China. The idea of invading China and Korea like Western countries, seizing land, and extorting huge reparations has a market among many Japanese. But this time, they finally got a taste of being blackmailed.

Thinking that the purpose of Hayashi Yoshizhe's demand for such a huge amount of reparations was to weaken Japan's national strength and make Japan no longer a threat to China, Ito Hirobumi actually fought a cold war.

"The amount of this indemnity is fundamentally unacceptable to our country, and I ask your minister to reduce it." Yanagihara Maemitsu said, "We can't report this amount to our government at all, and even if we do, the government will never agree to it." ”

Listening to Yanagihara Qianguang's words, Lin Yizhe shook his head, he saw Yanagihara Qianguang's face full of pleading, and slowed down his tone, "There is no reduction." Please tell your government the facts, there is no shortage of people of insight in your government, and they will understand the stakes. ”

Hearing that Lin Yizhe did not let go at all, Okubo Ritsu, whose face had lost its blood, suddenly stood up.

"We can't accept such conditions."

Okubo Ritsu had regained his calm at this time, which surprised Chonghou and the others, and secretly admired his strength in their hearts.

"It's a pity." Okubo Ritsu said, bowed to Hayashi Yoshizhe, put away the briefcase, and turned around to leave.

"That means the negotiations have broken down." Lin Yizhe's cold words made Okubo Ritsu's footsteps stop unconsciously.

"In a moment, I will send a note to your embassy, and since your envoy does not allow it, we should take necessary action to protect our rights and interests." Hayashi said, "This minister hereby informs your envoy in advance that in view of the breakdown of the negotiations, this incident was caused by the drifting people of the Ryukyus, and that the ships of our naval division should go to the Ryukyus to comfort our overseas Chinese and inform the lords of the state to deal with the aftermath. ”

Listening to Lin Yizhe's words, Okubo Ritsu's heart shook violently, but he still forced himself to calm down and did not look back, but strode forward.

Cold sweat oozed from Ito Hirobumi's forehead, he had already gotten up and was going to leave with Okubo Ritsu, but after listening to Lin Yizhe's words, he was worried, but he still turned around and asked Lin Yizhe calmly: "Dare to ask your minister, does this mean war?" ”

"Ryukyu was originally a vassal state of China, and sending ships to Xiaoyu is China's internal affair and has nothing to do with your country." Hayashi did not directly answer Ito's question, but became official.

Ito Hirofumi sighed and bowed to Lin Yizhe: "The amount of compensation, please consider it!" Give less! Please! ”

"Irreducible." Lin Yizhe returned the salute and said.

Hearing that Lin Yizhe's tone was no longer as cold as just now, Yanagihara Maemitsu moved in his heart, but after thinking about it, he still didn't make a plea like Ito Hirobumi at this time.