The official called Ikeda is Ito's right-hand man, and the official who is now in charge of northern exploration affairs, has a very strange expression at this time, "Ito-sama, the Hyogo military port has been attacked, and the Hyogo shipyard has been destroyed!" ”

"Baga!" At this time, even Ito, who has always been steady, couldn't help but burst into foul language, the Qing fleet is really a scoundrel, this is completely a style of kicking the nose and face, this is definitely a kind of coercion of Chiguoguo, but at this time, he actually found that in the face of the threat of the opponent's strong ships and guns, the Meiji government after the Restoration was as helpless as the black ship era thirty years ago.

Iwakura Gushi on the side thought for a moment, and said loudly: "Send an urgent telegram to Foreign Secretary Goro Sasaki, the Japanese government is willing to compensate General Qin Kai's fleet for military expenses, but ask him to temporarily stop military operations and negotiate, so that he can negotiate with this Chinese official on this,!" ”

Ito's expression is strange, one country's government pays bribes to another's army, this is really a big oolong, but now...... Is there any other way? This one...... Maybe you can give it a try! Ikeda looked at Hirobumi Ito, and after receiving his nod of approval, he hurried out to deal with it.

In the past three days, Du Ping, who presided over Japanese commerce, has lined up many groups of people to meet with Qin Kai in the open sea, and at present, all the industries of Mawei shipping on the Japanese island are under the name of the Englishman Smith, and after more than a year of operation, Smith is gradually becoming famous among British businessmen in Japan, after all, he controls the ready-to-wear industry and a large number of products from Mawei.

Du Ping's activities are usually carried out as British employees, carefully concealing their identities, and any exposed personnel will be immediately sent back to Mawei and assigned to other places to engage in Mawei business and intelligence gathering. This feat, the arrival of his own fleet in Japan, made Du Ping so excited that he didn't close the night all night.

After the merchant ships sent to contact the fleet in the open sea, they immediately secretly transported the information they had collected and the supplies they had collected to the warship, but now there were no Japanese ships and fleets in the open sea, and they hardly had to worry about leaking news.

The purpose of this time is the Japanese Second Fleet's garrison - Kobe Hyogo Military Port, the news sent by Du Ping confirmed the situation of Japanese ships in Hyogo Port, there are only seven or eight offshore gunboats, and they are very honest warships, and the more important news is about Hyogo Shipyard, which is currently the largest government-run shipyard in Japan!

Early in the morning, the fleet broke into Hyogo Harbor led by the 501 ship, and it was obvious that little Japan had made some preparations, and some improvised batteries were arranged in the port, and the gunboats in the port were also on high alert.

However, the small Japanese gunboats were immediately overwhelmed by the barrage of the 601 ship that was killed later, and the improvised batteries on the shore were even more powerless...... A fixed battery with no cover, completely a target, after a few shots, completely disappeared after naming the heavy guns on the battleship.

The army units that rushed to reinforce were obviously stupid by the thunderous counterattack of the Nanyang Naval Division, and the plan they thought they could rely on the port terrain to counterattack was completely ruined, and in the roar of rapid-fire guns on the battleship, several army forces were immediately beaten and retreated.

Half an hour later, there was no target worthy of the attention of the Nanyang Naval Division in this Hyogo military port, and the warships immediately began to shell the Hyogo shipyard adjacent to the military port, and in the roar of artillery fire, the nearest docks of the shipyard were completely destroyed, and the spreading fire set fire on fire to the shipyard building, and black smoke billowed from the shipyard along the coast.

The Hyogo Shipyard was a huge area and was laid out along the coast, so the fleet moved slowly, shelling the targets in sight, and soon the Hyogo Shipyard, which the Japanese government had invested millions of yen and was very important to the Minister of Industry Hirobumi Ito, was in ruins this morning.

At this time, on the other side of the port, another shipyard was busy, workers were desperately carrying all kinds of things, and the billowing black smoke rising from the shelling of the Hyogo shipyard in the distance obviously made them very panicked, and a tall, thin, thoughtful middle-aged British man was anxiously walking back and forth at the factory gate, it was Kraber, a British investor from Kobe Iron Works. ,

The port of Hyogo is the second largest base of the Japanese Navy, but it has always been calm, so I didn't expect this to happen...... This made him very puzzled, and at this time he had to instruct the workers to transfer the important materials first.

At this time, a carriage came in a hurry, and an English gentleman in his 50s jumped out of the carriage before the carriage could be stable, poking his head out and shouting, "Crabber...... Crabber ...... Hurry up and raise the British flag around the factory, it is the Qing warship fighting in Japan! ”

"Hagen, is this news confirmed?" Kraber didn't want the large amount of gold he had just invested in to be wasted, so he sold all the real estate and properties he had purchased in Osaka in order to invest in the shipyard and devoted himself to this new business.

"It's confirmed, it's a friend from the British Consulate who brought the news, it is said that the British Minister to Japan, Sir Thomson, is mediating the matter, and it is estimated that there will be a ceasefire soon!" Hagen was the manager of the Kobe Iron Works, and the two now own 40 percent of the company's shares, with the other 20 percent owned by some British businessmen in the area.

Crabber finally grasped a life-saving straw and immediately sent someone around the small shipyard to plant a piece of British flag!

He stood on the roof of a small building on one side with a telescope and looked at the coastline, and soon, several armored warships turned into the mouth of the bay in the distance, and through the binoculars he could clearly see the rotating turrets on the opposite battleship, as well as the flames and black smoke that were constantly spewing out from the muzzles.

Every shot caused an earth-shattering shock, and the partner Hagen also looked at the small shipyard that originally belonged to him in the distance, which was acquired by the Ministry of Industry at a low price a year ago, and merged into the Hyogo Shipyard, at this time, under the ravages of the opponent's artillery, it was already thick smoke, and it was obvious that it could not continue production without long-term maintenance!

Seeing this situation, Crabber and Hagen did not have the slightest feeling of sadness, both of them obviously realized that this was the best development opportunity for their foreign-funded shipyard, and the two nervously looked at the slowly approaching battleship, the other party stopped at a long distance, and after the muzzle of the gun rotated, they quickly completed the U-turn and sailed back into the sea.

Kraber carefully observed the battleships in the distance, he is now also half an expert in shipbuilding, and soon found that the speed and artillery of the Qing warships seemed to be stronger than the Tokyo Fleet of the British Empire, which made him a little surprised, and secretly decided in his heart to investigate the shipbuilding of the Qing Dynasty.

In Beijing City, the Japanese Minister to China, Fumio Yano, was really taken aback after receiving the reply from the Imperial Minister, but he did not expect that this time Lord Iwakura would spend such a large amount of money to end the war immediately, it is obvious that the situation in the country has reached a very serious moment, and a peace agreement with the Qing State must be signed immediately in order to buy more time for the empire.

He waited early in the morning in the side hall of the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen, where the two sides agreed to negotiate, and the transcription of the telegram was placed in his pocket, and while Zeng Jize had not yet arrived, he secretly calculated his final bottom line during today's negotiations, and according to his experience, if he wanted to reach a contract in the midst of the huge contrast, he had to think about what the ancient Chinese Chen Longchuan said, and to overthrow the heroism of the matter!

He naturally didn't know the situation in Japan outside the East China Sea at this time, but what he was sure of was that the Japanese were much more anxious than him, and their willingness to reach a peace agreement was a hundred times stronger than his!

Seeing Fumio Yano's pensive look, Marquis Zeng smiled, "Minister Yano, regarding the conditions of yesterday's negotiations, your country can have a new construction, if not, I don't think there is any need to talk about it today!" How about another day? ”

Seeing Zeng Jize looking like he was about to run away after speaking, Yano Fumio was somewhat anxious, when the Chinese were so cunning and scoundrels, and hurriedly said loudly: "Lord Zeng, stay behind, regarding the content of the six contracts you proposed, our government has put forward some amendments, let us discuss them in detail!" ”

"Oh ......" Zeng Jize was taken aback by the speed of the response of the Japanese government, what was negotiated yesterday evening, and there is a conclusion today, this efficiency is really extraordinary, he laughed, waved his hand, and responded: "Minister Yano, then today's negotiations still seem to be very necessary, please!" ”

The negotiations in Beijing are going on in an orderly manner, Zeng Jize has a very good control over this negotiation, this is much easier than the negotiations with the Russians that began the year before, those long-haired ghosts are far stronger than Yano Fumio, although there is the army of Zuo Dashuai sitting beside him, it is also enough to talk for half a year, and he has been planning with all his strength in half a year! ,

This negotiation with the Japanese State was much easier, and he was in control of the vital news, which made him full of confidence in the outcome of this negotiation! However, the queen mother's request was still to reach an agreement as much as possible, so he didn't open his mouth after sitting down, just waiting for Fumio Yano to speak, so that he could understand the bottom line of the Japanese.

Fumio Yano is naturally not a chick at the negotiation table, and now he must come up with some materials that make Zeng Jize feel meaningful to stay and negotiate, otherwise the other party will become a cup for this time, pondered for a while, and offered a new price with yesterday's terms.

The compensation is 3 million taels, Yano Fumio looks like a crying mourner, the maximum compensation that the Japanese side can come up with is 1.5 million taels, but the conditions for cutting the land are absolutely not good, I hope to take Anmi Oshima as the boundary, open ports, most favored nation, half tax and other terms Yano Fumio accepted all of them, anyway, the Taixi powers are enjoying it, and there is not much more Qing Dynasty.

However, on the Korean issue, Fumio Yano insisted that Japan and Korea had only developed legitimate diplomatic relations and had no intention of invading Korea, and hoped that this article would be changed to that Japan should not create trouble in Korea and affect the relations between Korea and the vassal states of the Qing Dynasty.

Zeng Jize thought about it, this is a common method of subject change in negotiations, the issue of sending troops to the relationship between countries, both of which are beneficial to the Qing State, it stands to reason that after the defeat of this war, the Japanese State will definitely settle down a lot, which is an acceptable plan......

The negotiations between the two sides found a common problem, and it was naturally convenient to continue bargaining, but no one expected that a farce would be staged in the court, which would have a serious impact on the ongoing Sino-Japanese negotiations.

Early in the morning, the king of Doluo County loves Xinjueluo? Brother No, Prince Lidun, love Xin Jueluo? Chenghou, Prince Zheng loves Xin Jueluo? Zhaoxu's three iron hat princes attacked together to meet the queen mother and the little emperor, although now these princes do not control any power in the court, but this iron hat king is already the top official position of the Qing Dynasty, and they actually entered the palace together, and the middle-aged woman in the west palace was also a little surprised.

To the Liyang Heart Palace, this time it was not Brother Nuo, who has been very active recently, but the half-old man Prince Zheng Zhaoxu, these people came to see the Queen Mother for nothing else, but to talk about the old topic of the Manchurian soldiers, this Prince Zheng actually heard from the Japanese about the Nanyang Naval Division shelling the port in Japan, and today I came to talk about this matter!

The Empress Dowager Cixi behind the curtain is naturally inconvenient for these relatives and nobles, and she is busy giving people seats, and she invites Prince Gong, who is now in charge, to let the Manchurian people take charge of the army, then she has already talked about this matter with Yi, and I don't know what plan the military aircraft yamen has!

Prince Gong is naturally concerned about the negotiation with the Japanese in the Prime Minister's Yamen today, and the Queen Mother also sent a message to understand this matter earlier, he is naturally very concerned, and is thinking about urging Zeng Jize, but he didn't expect the Queen Mother to come to ask again. When I entered the palace, I realized that it was these iron-hat princes who were eating and drinking......

Prince Gong and King Doro love Shin Jueluo? Brother No, Prince Lidun, love Xin Jueluo? Chenghou, Prince Zheng loves Xin Jueluo? Zhaoxu is an iron-hat prince and a hereditary replacement, but he doesn't have much intersection with these old princes who have been passed down for more than ten generations.

If you take the Qing Dynasty's Yulu and don't work hard for the Qing Dynasty, you are the loser of Aixin Jueluo! However, after meeting, Prince Gong's thoughts will not show any trace, he respectfully met the Queen Mother, and then he greeted these people with a grin!

An unchanged soft voice came from behind the curtain, "Sixth prince, several county kings and princes have heard a news, saying that Qin Kai, the governor of Guangzhou, provoked a war in Japan, can the military aircraft yamen have a say?" Is this a violation? ”

When Prince Gong heard this tune, wasn't he stumbling on this great fresh and sharp Qin armor, and under the brain teaser, he didn't figure out what the queen mother meant by a god...... Find a reason to convict this Qin Kai? It's impossible, this commotion, I, the Minister of Military Aircraft, will become the target of the public, the Huai Army, the Hunan Army, the Qingliu, plus the forces of the Nanyang family, this is not uncomfortable!

He stared at a few iron hat kings, and secretly sighed in his heart, it must be these masters who are thinking about getting power, how many big things have they done in this position before they sit up, this time the queen mother is thinking about letting the full people take charge of the army, these masters must have heard the rumors, and hurried to get the benefits! ,

This matter of the soldiers, no one is in charge of the palm of the descendant of Aixin Jueluo, but ...... He has long understood that now the banner people in the capital and the Eight Banners stationed in various places can pick out some capable characters there! Qianlong Ye said that the Manchu and Han families have been around for 300 years, and the current Manchurians have long since lost the courage of 300 years ago!

It is really not easy to hope to find a master who can lead troops to fight in the capital, and he has already pondered about this matter, so that the Jilin general Changshun in the northeast and the Shengjing general Yiketang A will select some capable military generals to meet the needs of the Nanyang Naval Division, and they will be placed in the Nanyang Naval Division at the will of the Tongguò Imperial Court.

Thinking of this, Prince Gong smiled slightly, this matter must be the first to start, "Empress Dowager Qi, this matter of Qin Kai, the governor of Guangdong and the minister of Nanyang, to attack the Ryukyus, is really a duty, if the war spreads, the imperial court will give the minister of Nanyang full authority to deal with overseas affairs!" Therefore, it is said that this move insists that he violates the system! ”

"What about the soldiers?" The three iron-hat princes naturally would not be far behind, and asked about the topic.

Prince Gong immediately briefly stated his plan, which was approved by the Queen Mother and several iron hat kings, but several princes proposed to recommend some children to accompany the army, and agreed to recruit some of the children of Aixin Jueluo for the request of these Manchu relatives and nobles!

The middle-aged woman behind the curtain spoke again, "Sixth Prince, I heard Prince Zheng say that this Qin Kai is still fighting in Japan and the Wa Kingdom, this person is very brave, but you hurry up and send an order to let them return to China earlier, if they toss any fame in Japan, this matter we discussed will not be easy to arrange!" ”

"Respect the Empress Dowager's order," Prince Gong immediately received the order in unison, this palace is still not worried about this Nanyang sailor to become bigger, and is anxious to send someone to divide power, how can he not understand the truth of this kind of political zhì old oil field plus the emperor's relatives and relatives, and the few iron-hat princes on the opposite side also don't show signs of it, and they are not speechless, thinking about how to go back and cast a way out for their children. ――

After the Hyogo military port was attacked in the early morning, in the afternoon, the port of Osaka, Himeji, and Shimotsu in Japan were attacked at the same time! This time, the Nanyang Naval Division divided its troops into three rounds, and it was a tactic of blossoming on all sides, and the news quickly reached the ears of Hirobumi Ito in Tokyo! This made him very mad again, and these warships were infested in ports all over Japan, and the whole of Japan was disturbed.