On the surface, there is no result, but in fact, everyone knows that everything is irretrievable At the end of the Council of Ministers, it was late at night, on the way home, Ito Hirobumi, who was sitting on the Mustang car given by the dealer, looked at Tokyo outside the car window, his brows furrowed, he clearly knew that he was powerless to stop all this, the Council of Ministers was unanimously declaring war, and the people were also not hesitating to fight, how long could they stop it!

"We can only wait for international interference at the time of the border!"

Kodama made it very clear that only by taking advantage of the fact that there is still a 60% chance of victory, and after winning a temporary advantage on the battlefield at all costs, with the help of international intervention, there is a 90% chance that this war will be won.

"Kentaro Kaneko!"

On the car, Ito muttered the name of a man who was friends with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and should perhaps be sent as minister to the United States.

Kentaro Kaneko is a legal scholar who studied law at Harvard University in the United States for seven years. He had been an assistant to Ito when he was drafting the constitution. Kentaro Kaneko didn't feel new to the sudden summons from Ito, which was a common occurrence in the past.

After arriving at the Ito Mansion, Kaneko Kentaro entered Ito's study casually, but when he entered the study, he saw Ito Hirobumi sitting on the comfortable chair next to the table with his arms crossed, as if he was thinking about something with his face down.

When Kaneko Kentaro came in, Hirobumi Ito didn't seem to notice.

"Your Excellency, I received a call from you just now, do you have any instructions?"

Hirobumi Ito did not answer Kentaro Kaneko's question. In this way, Kaneko Kentaro stood silently for two or three minutes, and then asked again.

"What are you looking for me?"

This time, Ito Hirofumi pointed to the opposite side as if he had just discovered gold.

"Jinzi, you're here, you sit down first."

After Kentaro Kaneko did it, Hirobumi Ito asked.

"I heard that you have a good relationship with President Roosevelt of the United States?"

"Yes, good friends. Excellency. ”

Kentaro Kaneko nodded and said, although his expression remained the same, his face was somewhat proud, his old classmate and good friend was the president of the United States, which won him more respect in the political circles.

"How intimate is it?"

"Your Excellency is a classmate at Harvard University. To put it simply, it is a relationship that is commensurate with "you kid" and "me". ”

Kentaro Kaneko said with certainty that he and Roosevelt were not as simple as good friends, in addition to studying and exercising together, they even had the experience of prostituting together.

"Do you have any other friends?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, I have spent my time in the United States, from elementary school to college, and I have many friends in the United States, most of whom are now important members of American politics."

Kentaro Kaneko affirms that until now he is still in business and keeps in touch with his American classmates, especially those in prominent positions.

"Really? That being the case, I sincerely ask you for one thing -- but have you eaten? ”

After hearing his answer, Hirobumi Ito breathed a sigh of relief and became a little excited.

"Yes, I've eaten at home."

"I haven't eaten yet, let's talk while we eat."

After that, Ito Hirobumi called a maid, and then gave an order, and the maid served the meal in a short time. When it was served, there was only a bowl of clear soup, sashimi, a bowl of stew and white porridge. Hirofumi Ito sprinkled a pinch of salt into the porridge and said as he ate:

"I just came back. With regard to this war, a meeting of the elders and ministers conducted a study on a variety of fronts, and the army and navy authorities held that the army and navy did not have an advantage. However, if the situation is allowed to develop, Lu Guo will definitely invade Northeast China, and then invade Korea, and even endanger the security of our country. For 40 years, I have been hoping that war between Russia and Russia would be avoided and that the dispute should be resolved through diplomatic negotiations. Helplessly, the situation has reached this point, and there is no way out but to go to war, and six days later, the imperial council will decide to start a war with the Lu Kingdom. ”

"Huh? Are you sure? Excellency. That's a great thing. ”

Kentaro Kaneko was shocked at first, and then rejoiced, which was really good news.

"yes, that's a great thing."

Nodding, Ito Hirobumi said further earnestly.

"Since war is inevitable, even if there is no hope of victory, as long as the army can hold out for a year or two, there will definitely be foreign countries to mediate. From now on, that's the only thing you can rely on. Although the world is large, the only one willing to mediate is the United States. France is an ally of the open country, Germany has already shown signs that it is instigating the open country, Britain and I are allies and it is inconvenient for the allies to intervene, and the only one who is truly neutral and powerful is the United States. ”

Listening to Ito's words, Kaneko Kentaro vaguely guessed the purpose of Ito's summoning him here, could it be ...... "In this case, the best way is to explain the truth to President Roosevelt and ask him to intercede." You had contacts with President Roosevelt's former classmates at Harvard University, and I hope that you will immediately go to the United States to carry out activities, and I want you to leave for the United States immediately. We should engage powerful figures in political circles, headed by Roosevelt, and let them steer American public opinion in the direction that is favorable to them. Also, see the opportunity, make representations, and ask the United States to come forward to mediate peace?"

Hirobumi Ito put down his chopsticks and looked at Kentaro Kaneko seriously, with a sincere expression and even a hint of pleading.

"That'...... It's hard for me to do such a big task. ”

Although he was excited, Kentaro Kaneko hesitated again when facing this burden.

His hesitation, Ito Hirobumi saw in his eyes.

"Really? You don't want to accept it because you don't have much hope of success, right? ”

"That's right, Your Excellency."

Kentaro Kaneko nodded, friends are friends, but interests are interests.

"To be honest, no one dares to say that they can overcome it now. Even so, this war must be fought. Even if you don't fight, it's the same thing as defeat??"

Ito's words continued.

"Most of you also think that this work is too difficult, there is little hope of success, and you feel that you can't make a deal if you fail, and your face is gloomy, so you resign. In this war, it doesn't matter whether it is successful or not. Everybody's out of the way. If all of our land forces were to be defeated from Manchuria, and all the ships of our navy were sunk in the Benhai, I, though I was an old man, would be determined to mix among the soldiers and carry my rifles. As long as there is still a breath, block the Russian army and prevent it from landing a single soldier. In our hearts, we waited tremblingly, not knowing what kind of tragedy would happen. In this war, how many lives will be lost, maybe several times and dozens of times more than in the last war! There is nothing more contrary to the will of the people who have not yet recovered from the wounds of the last war to rush into the battlefield again. But if we don't take the risk resolutely, we will perish. In wars between countries, sometimes it is necessary to build a fortress with the body of a living person, and use ** as a cannonball to resist it. What do you think?"

Ito's words were impassioned, a kind of "patriotic" education for Kaneko, and when he was unable to avoid this military adventure, he began to plan with all his might how to win the war.

He continued.

"Let's talk about you. Because of the importance of the mission, if you think of the disgrace and shamelessness when you can't finish it, maybe it's wiser to resign. But now is no longer the time to think about personal reputation and responsibility. You need to lend your knowledge, friendships, and all other abilities to save the country. You have a lot of friends in the United States, and that's a valuable asset. You throw all this out to do your best for the country, can't you? ”

Kentaro Kaneko was moved by Hirobumi Ito's words, but because the matter was too serious, he still got to the bottom.

"Your Excellency, I ...... I wish I could consider a night before replying. ”

This night, when I returned home, Kentaro Kaneko thought a lot. The United States has had deep exchanges with Lu Guo for a long time, and the history of exchanges with Lu is still very short. It's hard to squeeze in on your own, which ...... In any case, it is impossible for the United States to abandon the country and turn around!

This is clearly something that is not up to the task!

When Kentaro Kaneko was making a decision about what he could not do, another big ship that was about to collide with two large ships, St. Petersburg, the "captain's room" of the ship named "Russian Empire", and Akashi Genjiro Nakasa, who arrived as military attache in the Legation in Lukuni two years ago, was working hard for his own "beyond the reach of manpower", and perhaps the generals or politicians still wanted to avoid the outbreak of war, but three years ago, after Russia occupied Manchuria, Akashi Genjiro Nakasa, he was convinced that this war was inevitable, and because of this, Almost as soon as he arrived, he immediately began to speed up the collection of information about Lu Guo's operations in the Far East.

However, his intelligence gathering did not go well, and he bribed an official of the Lu Army's logistics department to obtain important information such as the Russian army's response plan in the Far East, transportation plans, and plans for the operation of trains on the Siberian Railway. But soon after the buy-out, he was found guilty of death and executed. This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Akashi's intelligence work.

"Ueda-kun, I've heard of it with Vladimir? Ilyich? Did Mr. Karpov have a relationship? ”

When Ueda Sentaro poured wine for him personally, Genjiro Akashi asked, Ueda can speak Russian fluently, has many friends from all walks of life in St. Petersburg, and last time he was able to buy the officials of the Lukuni Army Logistics Department, thanks to Ueda's help and contact.

Recently, Akashi Genjiro has come up with the idea of getting acquainted with and associating with the leader of the Lu country [***]. This was inspired a while ago by working as a tutor and talking to a college student Brown, in which Brown blindly accused the Russian Empire of having problems and vented his dissatisfaction with the political axe, and it was after that conversation practice that Akashi had the idea of starting from within.

Based on the study of the history of the country and the analysis of the current situation, Genjiro Akashi concluded that there was discontent in the country of Lu, and even if it was a spark, it would soon form a good situation for the prairie to be burned. I am sure that the strategic work I have designed will be successful.

"Stratagem is the sin of the country itself", Lucia is brewing a revolution due to the tyranny of the successive rulers of the country and the long-term poverty of the people. And the first step in Akashi's work began from here, and the first person to come into his sight was Vladimir of the Ming Cook Labor Party in the Bright Cook Labor Party of the Akashi Society? Ilyich? Karpov.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Mr. Karpov and I are very good friends! In fact, Karpov was very good friends with many foreigners. ”

Ueda Sentaro nodded and said, while becoming curious about the reason why the big sa in front of him asked about this.

"So, Mr. Ueda, can you help me get in touch with Mr. Karpov?"

Genjiro Akashi suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked, the Social Mingzhu Labor Party is the largest revolutionary party in the country, although at the second congress of the Social Mingzhu Labor Party last year, due to internal strife, the Mingzhu Labor Party was split into a majority headed by him and a minority headed by Martov, but the Social Mingzhu Labor Party still has a certain influence in Russia.

"And Mr. Karpov's actions in the last six months have been very secretive! Your Excellency, you know, he has to hide from the Tsar's police. ”

"Mr. Ueda, you are a Lu Guo Tong, so you should know that with Lucia's size, it is impossible to break through Lu Guo by force, and there is plenty of room to carry out strategic work in Lu Country, so we must contact Mr. Karpov!"

Akashi's intentions surprised Ueda Sentaro, but then the whole person became excited again.

"Your Excellency Nakasa, the history of the formation of the state system in the country is relatively short, only equivalent to the Tokugawa shogunate period of the Moto, and the foundation is not solid. The outright monarchy[***] and the long tyranny and impoverishment of the people made the revolution brew in Lucia. However, the situation is far from being on the verge of breaking out. The first is that the political axe has always used a powerful army to suppress the revolutionary activities of the masses, and the second is that the revolutionary parties are not united among themselves, and in addition they are scattered in various places, the pace of action is not uniform, and there is a split even within the political parties, just like the Labour Party in the society in which Mr. Karpov lived, and the most important reason was ......"

"The revolutionary party lacks funds and weapons for its activities, does it?"

Interrupting Ueda's words, Genjiro Akashi said affirmatively.

"What they don't have is exactly what we can provide, the funds and weapons for the event, we can provide them when necessary!"

"But Your Excellency Dazuo, the people of Lu Guo may ......"

Although he was a Lu Kuni Tong, Ueda still did not believe that in times of war, those revolutionary parties would cooperate with him.

"Ueda, you don't know about those revolutionary parties, but they said that they wanted to defeat the political axe of Lu Guo, and the revolutionary parties of Lu Guo also wanted to seize power in their own countries, and the two sides had the same goal. This is what we all have in common! ”

Having served in the legation in the Qing Dynasty, Genjiro Akashi knew very well what was most important to the revolutionary party, and that it was always the butt that decided the head, and that the most important task for those revolutionary parties was to seize the political axe of their own country, not to safeguard the national interests of the "old regime", and who would think about the future?

"The revolutionary forces in Lu are strong and are brewing a revolution, but the armed forces to launch the revolution are still insufficient. On the other hand, although there are armed forces to counterattack the southward advance of the Russian army, they do not have the strength to break through and occupy the capital of Lu in one fell swoop. In other words, the two sides have each other's strengths and weaknesses and need to support each other. ”

There was a slight sense of helplessness in Akashi's tone, and Ueda also shook his head in a helpless manner, he was a Lu Guotong, of course, he knew that Lucia's war potential was far from what he could have imagined.

"When we attacked the Lu army in Manchuria, we forced the Lu army to be sent to the east in the European part, thus relieving the pressure on the revolutionary movement. In addition, the disruptive activities of the revolutionary political parties in the country of Lu have restrained the troops stationed in Europe, and in this way they have provided favorable conditions for our combat operations. In short, the activities of the revolutionary political parties in Lu and the battles of the army were both to contain and weaken the strength of the Lu army, and they played a complementary role. ”

"Yes, if this is the case, then maybe our country can win this war with the help of internal strife, and it is impossible for any country to defeat an external enemy when there is internal turmoil!"

Ueda Sentaro nodded in agreement.

"In the future, while helping the country to strengthen its revolutionary forces, we will strive to coordinate the activities of the various political parties in the country and the combat operations of the army, and cooperate with each other so that they can bring into full play their combined power. Only with the help of the chaos in the country of Lu can it be possible for Yuben to win this war! Ueda-kun, please, please contact Mr. Karpov through various channels! Facilitate my meeting with him! ”

As he spoke, Akashi Genjiro stood up and respectfully bowed to Ueda Sentaro, and when Ueda saw it, he also hurriedly stood up and bowed back ninety degrees.

"Please put it down, Ueda will definitely live up to your trust, and do everything possible to contact Mr. Karpov!"

"It's done!"

After Ueda Sentaro left, Genjiro Akashi excitedly slapped his left fist with his right palm, and whispered softly in his mouth, contact Mr. Karpov here, and his report over there was approved by the General Staff Headquarters, then everything could be decided.

"The power of proper stratagem is not inferior to that of thousands of troops on the battlefield!"

With a smile on his face, Akashi Motojiro muttered in his heart, for the forty-year-old, this may be the only chance in his life to go down in history, as a military attache of foreign legations, he is not likely to be like his colleagues, in the Manchuria battlefield against Lucia in the near future, but Lucia's domestic instability has given him another battlefield to make a contribution.

"Finland, Ukraine, Poland...... What a godsend! With the exception of the revolutionaries, the whole of Lucia is full of powder kegs, and if you set this powder keg on fire......"

Thinking about the future, Lucia set off a tide of revolution and division throughout the country, and then ...... Akashi Daisa seems to see the day when he will be rewarded by the emperor.

(To be continued)