"I sincerely ask Your Excellency to support our proposal for a special wartime treasury bond!"

Several representatives of the Imperial Army's staff in the base camp were sitting in the seats in the conference room of the base camp, and they talked loudly about all the dantian qi.

The object of their speech was Hirobumi Ito, who was sitting in the middle of the conference table.

In just a few days, the once high-spirited and mighty Prime Minister of the Empire, though still neatly dressed, sat there with impeccable attitude, and struck a posture of listening attentively. But I don't know why, but everyone in the meeting could feel that something from heaven was suddenly taken out of Ito Hirobumi's body.

It turned out that he was just sitting lazily, and even the note-taker in the corner could feel the coercion of this middle-aged man, and he could feel that this conference room, and even the four islands of Ben, were in the hands of this middle-aged man.

Now, that control is gone.

In other words, in just a few days, Ito Hirobumi has become a national thief who knows the inside story by word of mouth of the emperor [***].

In just a few days, he rejected the plans for further mobilization proposed by the army and navy. In addition, he left Hiroshima with representatives of the Anglo-American faction such as the foreign minister and other political axes, and held talks with the ministers of various countries stationed in Tokyo like a whirlwind. And in a special hearing convened by the Imperial Diet, he categorically declared that he was seeking peace on the East Asian continent. He said that he could have withdrawn from all the places that had already been occupied, and only asked the Qing to ensure that the question of the Ryukyus, which had been swallowed up by the empire, was not raised.

The envoys of the Western powers in Tokyo are all observers representing their countries and their influence. If before and during the war, their tendencies were basically biased towards the original surname, now their attitude has become completely neutral. He has expressed his opinions, both formally and informally, and expressed his strong agreement with Hirofumi Ito's opinion. They also believe that the war between China and China is tragic, and they are happy to see the two sides quickly achieve peace on a just standpoint.

Ironically, the Russian minister, who had been sneering at the war before the war, had now become a fellow traveler in the war, and in his meeting with Ito Hirobumi, the Russian minister expressed his support for the already civilized and civilized war against the ignorant Qing Empire, and declared with the characteristic rudeness of the Russians that in the Far East, Russia had 100,000 bayonets ready to join the war in the northeast at the invitation of the emperor. At the same time, Russia said that it could buy the war bonds issued by Ben in the international financial markets -- God knows that this is Russia, which is still obtaining loan after loan from those Gallic bankers on the most demanding terms to prop up their flawed financial system!

Under such conditions, any overture by any Western power country can arouse the agitation of its own people. For several days in a row, people spontaneously went to the front of the Russian legation to lay flowers. And the tune of the Russian minister is getting higher and higher.

In the eyes of most people, no matter how many white countries are involved in this war, there is a rivalry between the backs. Anyway, it's good that someone supports them to fight with the Qing Kingdom. Wasn't it the Emperor's navy that won the victory of the total annihilation of the Qing Fleet? Isn't it true that the Imperial Army has already occupied Shandong and Northeast of the Qing Kingdom?

Ito and others, on the other hand, only smiled faintly at the proposal of the Russian minister, and did not respond, but used the tools of public opinion that they partially controlled to trumpet the necessary surname for the Qing Concord. The most common tone is that the Empire has demonstrated its presence in the world, has gained prestige, and all it needs to do now is to withdraw its troops in a measured manner, just like a civilized and civilized nation.

The stiff-mouthed hard-mouthed dead ducks like Ito Hirobumi certainly provoked even greater opposition. At a special session of the Imperial Diet, the once-respected Prime Minister was met with unprecedented boos, and around his private residence and the Prime Minister's official residence, ill-intentioned ronin swam around. The remnants of the southwestern feudal lords, who had been suppressed by him with an iron fist, began to attack Ito as an Anglo-American, and everything he did was to seek the benefit of the Western ghosts. And they, the orthodox warriors, have become rebellious ministers and thieves......

Even the Meiji emerging chaebols, who had been raised by Ito and made their fortunes in the Shokusho Industrial Plan, began to work through various channels to see if there was any possibility of bringing Ito down. The appetite of the emerging chaebols is unlimited, they have contributed a lot of financial resources to this war, and they also need to reciprocate, if the war ends like this, they cannot get reparations, and they do not get special rights and interests, then those national bonds in their hands are waste paper!

Under all kinds of resistance, Ito's original plan to bypass the army and navy, pass the Imperial Diet to form a resolution on the end of the war, and then play it to the Meiji Emperor, naturally failed. The Imperial Diet did not make any decisions, but louder voices demanded that the war continue. Ito made one last show of his iron fist, immediately adjourning the Imperial Diet indefinitely and turning to the tool of the base camp again. Originally, the base camp was the staff agency directly under the emperor, and legally it was also possible to pass the proposal for the end of the war through this body, and then join forces with the Emperor Meiji to force the end of the war!

Ito's iron fist used to be absolute authoritarian, but this time it has stirred up an unprecedented trend. When the special train he was traveling on from Tokyo to Hiroshima, there was a crowd of angry protesters outside the window! All kinds of banners that are punished by heaven and heaven are covered by the sky. The police and army soldiers did their best to maintain order and stop the crowd from hitting the train Ito was riding. When the train started, all the sounds outside converged and turned into a Chinese word, national thief! Traitor!

At that moment, Ito's secretary found the iron-man prime minister, leaning his head weakly against the train window, his hair already gray.

"I can't fight anymore...... If a small country wants to rise, it can only rely on the general trend of the world...... Originally, the empire could have taken advantage of the opportunity to become a watchdog of the West in the Far East and gain a foothold...... It is said that there is a human life and a Yamato soul, and he can endure humiliation and bear the burden of watching Russia for the West for 50 years...... In these 50 years, the West will open its markets to us and turn a blind eye to our expansion in the Qing Kingdom...... Fifty years from now, the empire may be strong enough to challenge the old Western order in Asia! Let Asia be the Asia of this story! But now, the West has discovered that the Qing State cannot even be defeated at once, so how can it deal with a stronger Russia? In the next step, they either support the Qing country, or simply intervene themselves. Without their support, we have no money, no arms, no ships, no everything! The empire was too thin before the Enlightenment, even if we worked hard until now, we did not have the strength to defeat this huge Qing country alone, I used to think that as long as we obtained the support of the West, we had a chance to win this year, but I didn't expect that things were always unexpected...... Victory was once so close to us! So close...... It's all because of one person, just one person...... Do they understand? They don't understand...... It's so tiring......"

On the train, Ito Hirobumi muttered to himself for a long time, and from that moment on, the secretary found that the spiritual pillar that once supported Ito Hirobumi seemed to have collapsed all at once.

And at the meeting at the base camp, Ito's last effort was also declared hopeless. The representatives of the army and navy will never agree with Ito Hirobumi's peace plan, but will issue special bonds again, and take out the last share of their money to carry on the war even if they cooperate with Russia! Both the army and navy are under the command of the Emperor of Law, and they also have the right to play the throne. Ito suppressed the Imperial Diet, but he couldn't suppress them!

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After a few army generals finished spitting stars, Ito slowly turned his gaze away. Looking at one of them, he said lightly: "Kodamama-kun, are you also messing around with them?" ”

The person he was looking at was Lieutenant General Gentaro Kodama Vice-Minister of the Army. In the army, Kodama Gentaro and Kawakami Ryroku are both known as think tanks, but Kodama is relatively low-key. Now the deputy chief of staff of the army's military order department, Kawakami Yoro, has been killed by Xu Yifan, and the minister of war, Dashanyan, is now in southern Liaoning as the commander of the Second Army of the Qing Dynasty. Kodama is actually the number one in the army who stays in the country. In the base camp, he has always been Ito Hirobumi's right-hand man, and cautiously hid in the huge shadow of Ito Hirobumi, diligently handling mobilization, logistics, military stations and other operations, and also assisted Ito Hirobumi to try his best to suppress some hot-headed recklessness of the army. Ito also affectionately praised him as "Xiao He in the Qing War". At this time, even Gentaro Kodama was on the opposite side of Hirobumi Ito.

Kodama smiled bitterly and nodded slightly: "Your Excellency, please allow the army to request." Now is the trend of the times......"

With a bang, Ito Hirobumi slapped the heavy oak table hard and stood up suddenly: "What is the general trend?" You tell me, how many rifles does the army still have in stock? How many bullets? How much ship tonnage can continue to be requisitioned? How many trained reservists, even if the last treasury bonds are issued, despite the collapse of the financial system, how long will it take for us to buy arms and supplies? Kodama-kun, you are not a simple-minded person, you have to remember that this is a small country! ”

When Ito Hirobumi erupted like this, the crowd was silent. But at this time, most of the officers responded to Ito's forced gaze with vicious eyes.

Kodama smiled bitterly and lowered her head, and Ito's gaze turned to the officers of the navy. Although those admirals did not speak with their army colleagues, at this time, they all avoided Ito Hirobumi's gaze.

It is equally impossible for the Navy to admit defeat, they have not lost at sea at all. The navy is also the most closely related to the emerging chaebols, who need the navy to fight and promise to give the navy greater support so that the navy can protect their interests overseas!

Ito's throat was dry, and he himself seemed to know that there was nothing he could do, but he still insisted: "...... It is said that it is a small country, and the Qing country is a big country! We can hurt them, but if they don't surrender, they can drag us to death! The whole basis of our victory is twofold, one is the support of the great powers, and the other is the weakness of the Qing country...... Kodama-kun, you also understand that to start a war, you have to know how to end it, and if this premise does not exist, the war cannot continue...... At present, the Second Army and the Third Army are distributed in two different battlefields, and they need 6 million yuan per month for war and 300,000 tons of transport ships to transport materials to replenish the troops. And the empire has no reserves, the treasury is empty, and the tonnage of all the empire's own merchant ships is only 130,000 tons! We are a small country! And the chances and luck of a small country to defeat a big country are gone, you know, if you persist, it will only be an even greater fiasco, and everything we had before the war will not be able to be saved! ”

In the end, there was already a poignant tone in his tone, and it can be said that he never bothered to explain his decision-making move so clearly, and even a little lowly. But seeing him like this, the soldiers became even more arrogant. Some people also made a jetting sound from their nostrils.

Kodama Gentaro was the only army officer who still responded to Ito politely, and his expression was also a little bitter, as if he was saying something that he didn't believe in either: "The Second Army and the Third Army are always victorious and undefeated, and the previous said that it was only to show the goodwill of the empire that it stopped attacking, and now as long as the guidance of the Battle of Zhili is issued, the two armies will definitely advance bravely and join forces under Yanjing City......"

Ito Hirobumi's rebuttal came quickly and quickly: "The Third Army is stationed in the Weihai area of Shandong, the Songwu Army of the Qing Dynasty, and the Wu Yiming Army and other troops drawn from Xuzhou and other places, there are tens of thousands of people, even if they do not resist, how long will it take to reach Yanjing according to the normal brigade march?" What about the supplies that will sustain them on their way? What about arms? How are supply lines set up hundreds of kilometers long on land? Don't forget, that Xu Yifan, who defeated my two divisions in Korea, is now in front of the Second Army! Even if the Third Army could advance, what about the Second Army? Can they break through Xu Yifan's block? And it's all based on the fact that you can get the arms and supplies out of them empty-handed! The Qing people's morale has been stimulated by that Xu Yifan, and the Qing army may continue to be defeated and continue to retreat, but they will not surrender! If the war drags on like this, do you know what the Western powers will do? They will turn to support the Qing Kingdom, all they want is a quick end to this war! ”

Kodama was speechless, he knew that what Ito Hirobumi said was the truth, but the army had the position of the army, and as the spokesperson of the army in the base camp, his every move must be in line with the interests of the army. The Imperial Army has long been a living creature, it has its own will, for its own existence, it even does not hesitate to drag the entire empire to be buried together, what Yamato soul, what respect for the king, in the face of actual interests, are all words to coax the common people and soldiers...... Those important ministers of the Meiji era, with their ability and prestige, were able to suppress the army and navy, which were still immature. But what about these important ministers now? Death by death, as a traitor to the peace, Ito alone in power, but now, his prestige has long since plummeted, and he can no longer suppress the army and navy......

Gentaro Kodama didn't speak, but the other army officers couldn't hold back anymore and spoke loudly.

"What else is there to say to this national thief?"

"The British and American white ghosts see the wind and steer the rudder, but we can also get the support of other white ghosts! Russia pledges its support to us! Arms, supplies, and even troops! The Army can work alone with the Russian army in the Far East! ”

"Your Excellency Kodama, there is nothing to say to the national thief, the army and navy cooperate, let's go alone!"

Ito clenched his fists and stared at Kodama Gentaro: "You want to cooperate with the Russian army in the Far East?" ”

Kodama avoided Ito's gaze and muttered, "It's just a plan for discussion......"

Ito yelled out with all the strength of his life: "Do you want to destroy Samoto? ”

His roar shook the glass of the room!

A fishy, hot thing surged into Ito's throat, but he swallowed hard. Ito used the last bit of self-control, let himself sit down, and buried his head deeply in his hair. The dull voice seemed to be squeezed out of his chest, and every word was rapidly draining his life force.

Behind the words, there is a deepest despair.

“…… I want to put a stop to your solitary behavior, and I want to ask Your Majesty to dissolve the base camp and temporarily cancel the right of the army and navy, I am the prime minister! ”

There was a sound of standing up all around, and the army and navy officers stood up in unison, and they all let out a sneer. The chairs were bumped by the soldiers, and the officers turned to leave, and their riding boots deliberately made the loudest noise in the conference room. Only Kodama stood there, quietly watching Hirobumi Ito until he looked up.

“…… Your Excellency, the Army and Navy have jointly requested His Royal Highness Prince Nohisa Kita-Shirakawanomiya, the commander of the Guards Division, to exercise his authority to His Majesty the Emperor alone, and request His Majesty to dissolve the staff of the base camp and directly lead the Army and Navy to carry on the war...... By the time you left Tokyo, Kita-Shirakawa Palace was already in Tokyo......"

Ito froze there, and the civil servants in the room, who did not dare to speak, saw with their own eyes that the prime minister seemed to be aging at an alarming rate, and his expression changed, but in the end, it became calm. He took off his glasses, gently rubbed the lenses, and said lightly: "Is it the idea of the county government?" ”

Gentaro Kodama respectfully gave a military salute: "...... Your Excellency, that's right, it was the last order of Your Excellency Shan County. The power of the Empire is in your hands, and in the event that you do anything to interfere with the Empire and the Army and Navy, the Army and Navy will jointly exercise this last resort...... Please take care, Sir. ”

He flicked his riding boots, turned and strode out, leaving only the room full of civil servants.

"It's the most politically ambitious prefecture,......," Ito sighed in a low voice.

Everything is over, he has lost control of the situation, I don't know why, this time it is more calm.

Kita-Shirakawa Palace was not pushed out casually, this Meiji Emperor's own brother, was once pushed out as another emperor by the remnants of Sashoku during the end of the Edo War, known as the "Tobu Emperor". With the defeat of the alliance of the Ou-Etsu domains, the young emperor, who knew nothing at the time, was ousted from power, but was protected by the Choshu domain. At this time, this prince exercised the power of the curtain on behalf of the army and navy, and on behalf of the ruling class of the Empire, they united to tell Emperor Meiji that if Meiji did not carry out their will, then the Emperor Tobu was not without the possibility of being reinstated! (In real history, when the Imperial Road faction of the Imperial Army carried out the 226 Mutiny, there was also a certain prince of the palace who rushed to Tokyo by train to succeed to the throne with the support of the Imperial Road faction, and the so-called myth of the absolute authority of the Emperor of the Emperor among the people and soldiers of the Emperor was nothing more than this in the face of the real power of the interest group.

The chaebols were afraid of bankruptcy after the war, the army and navy were afraid of the inevitable disarmament after the war and even demilitarization under the supervision of the great powers, losing their current political status, and the nouveau riche were attached to these chaebols and warlords. It's time for the people to get their blood boiling...... They are reluctant to admit defeat......

I can laughingly think that history is in my own hands......

Ito smiled bitterly in a low voice and slowly stood up: "Gentlemen, go home...... the dream that has supported us in the past few decades is just a dream!" ”

With that, he staggered out of the conference room, and the secretary who was waiting at the door saw Ito stumble out and quickly helped him. Ito whispered, "Prepare the carriage ......"

"Your Excellency, are you going back to Tokyo? Then the station needs to prepare a special train......"

"No, go to Maguan, I want to see the ......"

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On October 5, the 14th year of the 14th year of the Common Era, the army and navy jointly exercised the power of the banner, and His Majesty the Meiji Emperor dissolved the staff of the base camp and directly led the army and navy. Emperor Meiji issued an edict and encouraged the army and navy to carry out the war to the end and punish the Qing country.

At the same time, Britain, France, the United States, and Italy announced that they would jointly mediate the war between China and China, and announced that they would jointly guarantee the neutrality and demilitarization of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea with the Far East Fleets of various countries, and that all ships carrying military supplies would be inspected and detained, so as to promote the rapid realization of peace. The Qing court was overjoyed and immediately accepted, but the empire remained silent for the time being.

At the same time, the Russian minister to the Qing Dynasty submitted a note to the Prime Minister's Yamen, claiming that the mobilization of the Qing State in the northeast had affected Russia's interests in the Far East, and that the war of the Qing Janissaries in Korea had also harmed Russia's commercial interests in Korea. Russia retains the right to protect its interests by all means. This time, however, Shi Duo, who was in charge of the affairs of the prime minister and the minister of military aircraft, strongly rejected the Russian note.

The wind and clouds are still stirring in the northeast land, and there is a faint thunder in this wind, as if to indicate that this war that is still going on will bring a century-old repercussions to the land of East Asia!

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"Your Excellency, you are to recuperate...... When you got in the car, you vomited blood......"

Ito struggled to get out of the carriage, and the railway from Hiroshima to Shimonoseki had not yet opened. And Ito insisted on getting there as quickly as possible in a carriage. Maybe it was a bump, or something else, and he vomited blood in the car. And then I was groggy and half-asleep.

With the support of his secretary, he insisted on sitting up, wrapped himself in a cloak, and looked out from the large window of the Western-style carriage, with the sea on the left and the mountains on the right.

"I had a dream, it's beautiful...... At the Chunfan Tower in Maguan, I asked Li Hongzhang to sign the treaty. We got Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, and 20,000 taels of silver in war reparations...... At the last banquet for Li Hongzhang, I invited him to eat puffer fish! His face was so ugly...... In this dream, there is no Xu Yifan! ”

(To be continued)