Ugaki Kazunari was talking to Nagata Tetsuyama when an officer hurried over and handed a piece of letter to Ugaki Kazunari, who took the letter and looked at it, and couldn't help but look at Nagata Tetsuyama with surprised eyes.

"The people of China are too arrogant." Kazunari Ugaki handed the letter to Tetsuyama Nagata, "They really sent an excuse to the door." ”

The letter was actually a copy of a telegram written in pencil about Vladivostok "that the army of Ben was attacked by the barbaric army of China" in Vladivostok.

Nagata Tetsuyama seemed to have judged the contents of this telegram copy from Ugaki Kazunari's words, he took the letter and looked at it, and said calmly, "Since the Shina army is deliberately provoking a war, let's try to meet their challenge!" ”

After sending off Ugaki Isseri, Nagata Tetsuyama's eyes fell on the huge map of Asia on the wall, and his eyes fell on the locations of Uragang and Mukden, but his face showed a gloomy color.

"No matter how clever the plan is, when it is implemented, it will change its flavor if it falls into the hands of fools." Nagata Tetsuyama said to himself alone.

Yanjing, Jurentang, the Great Presidential Palace of the Republic of China.

"I said that I finally showed my true appearance as a jackal," Acting President Feng Guozhang, who received the urgent telegram, handed the telegram in his hand to Premier Xu Shichang, and said hatefully, "This time he even openly made a move against our army." ”

Xu Shichang finished reading the telegram, and there was a look of surprise on his face.

"Vladivostok is not garrisoned by one of our troops, and Britain, France, and the United States all have garrisons, and it is really inconceivable that I want to forcibly seize Vladivostok, and I should have some scruples.

"I said that I kept increasing my troops before, just for this day." War Secretary Cai Yi said, "Now that they think the time is ripe, they can't wait to do it, and Britain and the United States refused to obey the will of Yue Ben at the Paris Peace Conference, and it is reasonable for Yue Ben to take revenge on him." ”

"The Vladivostok army launched a surprise attack on our army this time, and this time it was a deliberate provocation and an undeclared war, which is exactly the same as the story of the invasion of our country in the first year of the year and the war in the northeast of Russia in the year of the first day, which shows that the political axe was premeditated." Feng Guozhang said.

"I said that I have bullied us again this time, and the political axe should make it clear to the world, note all countries, and officially declare war on Yueben." General Wu Peifu, who had just arrived in Yanjing, got up and said loudly.

"There's no need to declare war for the time being." Hearing Wu Peifu's words, Yang Shuoming, who had not spoken, said, "Because this time it is not necessarily that this political axe deliberately provoked a war." ”

Hearing Yang Shuoming's words, Wu Peifu and all the military and political dignitaries in the room showed surprise on their faces. Wu Peifu turned to look at Yang Shuoming, as if he didn't understand what he meant.

"The details of the battle are not known at present, but it is certain that there was a fierce battle, how could an attack of such a scale not be instructed by the political axe?" Chief of Staff Zhang Xiaozhun leaned over and asked.

"It is indeed inconceivable that the army acts without the command of the political axe, but it is very normal in this country, because the national conditions of this country are different from those of our country and the European powers." Yang Shuoming said, "This time the surprise attack of the Japanese army on our army in Vladivostok is probably the work of some madmen in the army, and it is not out of the intention of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Yuan Yuan. ”

"How does Hanzhi know? I would like to hear about it. Wu Peifu seemed to understand a little, looked at Yang Shuoming and said.

"As far as the navy and army are concerned, the military administrative power of the navy and army is divided into the navy and the army ministry, but its command power belongs to the navy's military command department and the army staff headquarters." Yang Shuoming said, "For example, the decision on the strength of the navy and army normally belongs to the category of military administration and is under the control of the minister of the navy and army. However, the generals of the Navy and Army did not think so, and they believed that without the consent of the Navy Command Department and the Army General Staff Headquarters, it was an infringement of the so-called 'Emperor's commanding power.' ”

"It is said that the Ministry of the Navy and Army, which is under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Navy and Army, is the political axe yamen, which is equivalent to our Navy and Army Department. The so-called 'Navy Command Department' and 'Army General Staff Headquarters' are actually the names of the Navy and Army Staff. Zhang Xiaozhun, who used to be the same as Cai Yi, was the "Three Heroes of Non-commissioned Officers" and said on the side, "What Hanzhi means is that the commander-in-chief of the Navy and Army is actually in these two staff departments, but not in the Navy and Army Province of the Political Axe Yamen. In other words, the political axe cannot control the army! ”

"The political axe can't control the army?" Listening to Zhang Xiaozhun's words, Feng Guozhang, Xu Shichang and others were taken aback.

"yes, that's it." Yang Shuoming smiled, and then said, "What's even worse is that, on the contrary, in Yueben, the army can manage the political axe!" Yang Shuoming said, "There is a provision for the 'military minister and current military attache system', which means that the minister of war and the minister of the navy must be active military personnel. In 1913, this was changed to allow retired reservists to serve, but in practice it was never realized. ”

After listening to Yang Shuoming's explanation, Wu Peifu's face couldn't help but change.

"The great thing about this 'current military attaché system' is that as long as the military department is not satisfied with the political axe cabinet, the two military ministers can resign. And if you have the 'current military attaché system,' you won't be able to go outside the Diet and pull two people to make up the numbers." If you don't send a new minister, your cabinet will only collapse. ”

"It's a really powerful move." Wu Peifu sneered and said, "What's the matter with that 'Emperor's Command'? ”

"The command of the army belongs to Emperor Samoto in name, not to the political axe." Yang Shuoming said, "According to the explanation in the 'Commander's Program', the essence of the so-called 'Emperor's Commanding Power' is power, and its role is supralegal. The exercise of the 'Commander-in-Chief' and its consequences are not accountable to Parliament. The parliament also has no right to question, explain, or criticize the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and their results. In other words, the political axe is only responsible for recruiting and raising soldiers, and as for what these soldiers are going to do and what they are doing, the political axe has no right to ask. ”

"'Commander-in-Chief'? Why haven't I heard of it? Zhang Xiaozhun glanced at Cai Ye in some surprise and said.

"This 'commander-in-chief program' is said to be a top secret in China, and only a very small number of high-ranking generals know about it." Yang Shuoming said.

"That is to say, in this book, the army can be lawless and above the political axe!" Cai Yi frowned and said in a deep voice.

"Not only that, but these soldiers raised by the political axe are also very evil. Because the commanders who command them, the commanders of divisions and brigades, are commanded by the staff officers of the lower ranks. Yang Shuoming said, "As we all know, staff officers should draft combat plans for senior officers and then help them implement their combat plans. That is to say, it is common sense for the chief officer to manage the staff officer, but in the army, the military administration and military orders are completely separated from the dual system, and the chief of staff is the chief of staff at the next level, not the commander. ”

"Like our country, the army follows the example of Germany and the navy follows the example of the British, how can there be an army that reads the political axe and the parliament? How can an army have two lines of command? Feng Guozhang asked.

This situation began in the Southwest War, when Saigo Takamori raised troops to rebel, and the military strength of the whole country was said to be extremely expensive, so there was no salary after the war, and then there was a Takebashi Mutiny artillery bombardment of the Tibetan Prime Minister's residence and the Emperor's Palace with heavy artillery. Since the death of Saigo Takamori, many of his supporters have entered the parliament and advocated freedom and civil rights, which is the beginning of the liberal faction. The military and political leaders feared that the Diet would be controlled by the liberals, so the Minister at the time, Yamayama Aritomo, handed over the command of the military directly to Emperor Morimoto in the name of "not letting domestic politics control the military." Yang Shuoming said.

"If that's the case, this so-called 'Emperor's Command' is actually nonsense, and it should have been proposed by Yama Prefecture out of personal ambition." Cai Yi, who strongly advocates the "nationalization of the army", thought of Youpeng in Shanxian County, who is still alive today, and couldn't help but sneer and said.

Yamaguchi Aritomo was one of the most important ministers of the Meiji era, and served as Secretary of the Army (later Minister of the Army), Minister of the Army, Chief of Staff, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, and Prime Minister (Prime Minister). After Ito's death in 1909, Aritomo Yamaguchi became the most powerful senator in Samoto, and had an important influence on the change of the Samoto cabinet and major domestic and foreign affairs. He is known as the "Prime Minister-Maker" and is famous, but he is also famous for the infamous Public Security Police Act, which prohibits the registration of political groups and political gatherings, and has the power to dissolve political organizations. It is forbidden for the military, police, religious persons, female surnames, teachers, minors, and persons deprived of citizenship to participate in political activities; restricting trade union activities; It is notorious to prohibit strikes in the same industry, etc.

"There was no shortage of capable people at that time, and no one could see through and block the proposition of Youpeng in Shanxian County?" Xu Shichang asked.

"Because at that time, there was constant news of rebellions in various parts of the country, and the political axe was in a hurry, and what I was most afraid of was the collusion between the rebel forces and the army. The military's non-involvement in politics is undesirable. Even if someone sees it, so what? Even Hirobumi Ito, who was the Minister of the Interior (later called Minister of the Interior), did not oppose the so-called "drinking water to quench thirst", but also strongly supported Yamaguchi's proposal. Yang Shuoming said, "In order to achieve the ability to read the commander's power?" It was convenient for the emperor to take charge of the army, so there was a dualization of military administration and military orders, and the General Staff Department of the Ministry of War was first separated from the Ministry of the Army, and the General Staff Headquarters was established. The General Staff Headquarters is directly under the Emperor, so that the Emperor does not have to consult the Minister of Imperial Affairs (later the Prime Minister), the Secretary of Army, or the Secretary of the Navy, and as long as he has the help of the General Staff Headquarters, he can directly control the army. And the first chief of staff was Youpeng of Shanxian County. ”

"The fact that the General Staff Headquarters has come out of the political axe means the separation of military administration and military orders, to put it more seriously, that is, the separation of politics and military affairs. However, for a country, whether it is peacetime national defense or wartime operations, it requires the consistency of political strategy and strategy, and in this sense, the reading power of the General Staff Headquarters is simply a perverse act. ”

"This perverse behavior of the army aroused the envy of the navy, which was unwilling to be controlled by others, and later followed the example of the army and set up a similar organization, but with the name of 'Navy Command Department' to distinguish it from the army. At that time, some people in Japan saw that such a separation of the military, government, and military orders would lead to the navy and army going their own way, so on the eve of the First Sino-Japanese War, Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi invented the so-called "wartime base camp" in order to unify the navy and army in wartime. ”

"Ito Hirobumi used the 'wartime base camp' system to temporarily solve the problem of the dualization of the navy and army, and then stuffed the land and sea ministers into the base camp to solve the problem of the dualization of the military, government and military orders, but Ito did not realize one, he was only doing things with his own qualifications and prestige, and did not solve the problem organizationally. Although the base camp system played its due role in the First Sino-Japanese War, as the important ministers of the Meiji Restoration gradually withdrew, the flaws in its system inevitably appeared. ”

"Hanzhi is really knowledgeable," Wang Zhengting, vice minister of foreign affairs who had studied in the United States and was considered an expert in law, looked at Yang Shuoming with incredulous eyes, and said, "'The emperor commands the navy and army' is clearly stated in Article 11 of this constitution, as Hanzhi said, it is not 'the emperor is the commander of the army and navy,' but 'the emperor commands the army and navy' What a big opening. ”

"It's very simple to make a bad start to anything, but it's impossible to think about a good result after making a bad start. Former Prime Minister Katsura Taro once said: "There are two main purposes for building military strength: a second-class country that defends the country from foreign attacks and maintains neutrality, and a first-class country that is mighty and brilliant and can resort to force to fight against each other when needed, and is not bullied by foreign countries and can move freely overseas." Although the army was built for a short time, it could not always stop at the first goal, but should pursue the same goal as the European powers. Therefore, everything starting with conscription should serve this goal. His words make it clear that the army has been aiming for outward expansion since its founding. Yang Shuoming said, "Since the Meiji Restoration, because of this 'military priority' relationship, the people's livelihood has been embarrassed, and now it is said that the original Yuan Jing cabinet is the first to say that the party politics precedent, and wants to improve the people's livelihood in accordance with the will of the people, and does not want to use military force, so it has the intention of showing goodwill to our country." This move will inevitably have a big conflict with the military's purpose of expansion, and will be opposed by the military. If the military wants to force it to submit to the political axe, provoking a war is the most convenient way. ”

Speaking of which, all the participants understood what Yang Shuoming meant.

"According to Hanzhi, how should my country respond?" Feng Guozhang asked.

"They said that they could have done their own political and military affairs, but we in China should not learn from him. Since China has not declared war on China, there is no need for China to be in a hurry to declare war on China. Because now that the war in Europe has ended, the European powers want to recuperate, and once war is declared, they must strictly maintain neutrality, and our foreign aid will be cut off. Yang Shuoming replied, "Since the political axe and the military are not in the same step, we will treat them separately." Militarily, because the strength of our frontline is still insufficient relative to the army, the navy and army should seize the time to deploy in order to cope with the arrival of a major war. ”

"This time, our troops are much more abundant than the last time, and we can teach me a good lesson." Feng Guozhang looked at Army Minister Cai Yi, Navy Minister Liu Guanxiong, and Chief of Staff Zhang Xiaozhun, and said with great expectations.

After listening to Feng Guozhang's words, Cai Ye and Zhang Xiaozhun were all high-spirited, but Liu Guanxiong's face suddenly showed a trace of pain, and he involuntarily covered his abdomen with his hands.

"Is Ziying having intestinal disease again?" Yang Shuoming noticed the change in Liu Guanxiong's face and immediately asked with concern.

"Hmm." Liu Guanxiong nodded a little uncomfortably, "It's okay, it's okay." He endured the pain, took out a bottle of medicine from his pocket, opened it and poured out a few white tablets, Feng Guozhang got up when he saw this, took the thermos kettle with his own hands, poured him a glass of warm water, and brought it over. Liu Guanxiong put the pill in his mouth, took the cup and took a sip, and swallowed the pill.

Yang Shuoming looked at Liu Guanxiong's appearance, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

Of course, he knew how Liu Guanxiong's intestinal disease fell.

After the "Haitian" ship ran aground that year, Liu Guanxiong knew that his guilt was inevitable, and he had a mental breakdown and almost committed suicide. Later, after becoming the Minister of the Navy, the heavy official duties of the Admiralty aggravated his illness, which made him feel exhausted.

"In the same war, naval battle is the key, Hanzhi thinks, how should our navy use troops?" After Liu Guanxiong took the medicine, he felt better, he noticed Yang Shuoming's concerned gaze, and couldn't help but smile slightly and asked.

Yang Shuoming didn't expect Liu Guanxiong to ask such a question, and he couldn't help but be slightly stunned, but he had been concurrently serving as a patrol envoy to the maritime frontier for some time, and he had not been thinking about how the Chinese navy should deal with the navy for a day or two, so he immediately replied: "Our navy can take the initiative to attack, gain sea supremacy, blockade the coast of Korea and Japan, and cut off the connection between its mainland and the mainland." Specifically, it is to carry out combat patrols in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, blockade the western waters of Korea and the Yellow Sea, gain sea supremacy from Jiaozhou Bay to the Liaodong Peninsula, and then attack the coastal areas of the country, take the initiative to find the Japanese fleet to launch an attack, shell the coast and ports of the Japanese army, and force the Japanese navy to be unable to support the army in operations, and form a fleet of light warships to cooperate with submarines to attack and cut off the connection between the Japanese mainland and the Korean and Manchurian and Far Eastern land forces. ”

(To be continued)