The so-called appearance, to be precise, is a superficial phenomenon, which refers to the most obvious performance characteristics of things that can be seen or heard intuitively on the surface of things. It is often reflected in the contrast of the color, size, shape, and so on.

At this time, the appearance of the naval fleets of the Qing and Japanese navies was that the combined fleet of the Japanese navy was far superior to the Qing navy in terms of displacement, number of naval guns, speed, firepower projection capability, and combat capability of the main battle ship. At the same time, the Qing navy's voluntary retreat in the face of the Japanese navy further confirmed the fact that these appearances were stronger than the Qing navy. When it comes to naval battles, it is naturally the United Kingdom, which has the title of the empire on which the sun never sets, has the most right to speak, and the British admiral said: He can rely on the strength of the Japanese European fleet to fight all the way from Singapore to Japan, which is undoubtedly the best commentary on the strength of the Japanese Navy. A series of appearances have proved the strength of the Japanese Navy, so it is natural for a powerful naval fleet to go out and show off.

The so-called truth is the manifestation of the ability of things to be true. In contrast to the intuition of appearances, it often takes a while for the truth to manifest. For example, the same nickel steel. According to the analysis of the Materials Department of the Scientific Research Institute, the high-nickel steel installed on the main drive shaft on the Huludao four ships. The physical and chemical properties of strength, toughness and corrosion resistance are much higher than the material properties of the mainstream European transmission shafts. But this analysis is still only a surface, whether the high-nickel steel developed by Daxin can really surpass European materials in actual use. It takes a long time to be practical, and this embodiment is the truth.

Therefore, if we want to discover the truth of things, we need to explore and pursue the meaning of the characteristics of the appearance in the complex appearance, and then analyze it according to various related or unrelated information around it, and finally we can see the "truth" without the appearance. It's just that this truth is still only an estimate or a guess, because there is only one way to test the truth - practice. For example, if you want to confirm who is really strong in the Qing and Japanese navies, the only way is to fight a real battle. However, the admirals of both countries understand that their fleets have advantages and disadvantages, and how to exploit their strengths and avoid weaknesses to strike at the enemy's weaknesses. It became the most intense issue discussed by the admirals of the two countries before the war.

In the Qing Kingdom, the admirals knew that their greatest advantage was that they had a group of veterans who had experienced a hundred battles, and this group of veterans was much stronger than those rookies in little Japan in terms of wartime adaptability and wartime stability. Therefore, how to use changeable tactics and flexible maneuverability to disrupt the deployment of Japanese ships to form a local advantage, and then use a far higher hit rate than Japan to attack the opponent.

And in Japan, the Japanese Navy, having lost a large number of experienced naval generals, could not cope with the changing situation on the battlefield. Therefore, they could only think about how to get rid of the Qing attack, in order to maintain the size of the fleet, take advantage of the superior firepower and speed, and sink the Qing ships one by one in the way of Mount Tai pressing the top, so as to achieve the final victory.

In the final analysis, what Qing Guo thinks about is how to allocate thousands of pounds in four or two. Japan is thinking about how to reduce the ten-meeting with one force.

If it were just a battle between the fleets, it would seem that both sides would have a chance of winning, and it would seem that Japan would have a better chance of winning. But this is a war between two countries, and there are many things involved.

In the Qing Kingdom. Sufficient funds and huge maintenance capabilities gave the Qing State the ability to continue fighting, so the discussion within the Qing Navy was not to decide the outcome of the first battle, but to weaken the enemy through multiple naval battles to achieve the final word. In contrast, the battle plan formulated was more mobile and long-range attack, and even if the ship was damaged, it was not sunk as the focus of the plan. And, most critically. The external environment of the Qing state was favorable, and the imperial court only had requirements for victory or defeat in naval battles, and there were no other requirements such as time or additional political needs.

Japan, on the other hand, is different. Britain was premised on sacrificing its interests in the Qing state. In joining forces with the United States, France, Austria, Italy, and other countries to rearm Japan, in addition to thinking that it can profit from arms exports, it is more a political need -- regional balance. The British thought very clearly, supporting Japan's naval victory over the Qing state, then in this way, they could force the Qing state to develop an army to defend the territory, so that the Qing army could become a barrier to stop Russia from moving south. The navy is not only a huge gold-swallowing beast, but also requires a huge variety of materials and quantities. As a result, after the Qing Dynasty and Japan completely turned around, Japan, which could not obtain ores and other materials from the Qing Dynasty, could only rely on Britain. As a result, the Qing State, which had lost its main naval force, needed to be on constant guard against Japan and Russia, and Russia needed to face the Qing State with a strong army and a strong navy Japan, while Japan had to rely on Britain to maintain its strength in the Far Eastern Seas. In this way, Britain could well implement its own policy of regional balance in the Far East, and the leader who led all this could naturally get his hands on it, and the benefits it could gain were incomparably greater than what it had lost in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Britain put diplomatic pressure on Japan, demanding that Japan must achieve the goal of completely defeating the Qing navy through one or two naval battles in a short period of time.

Similarly, in Japan, the people and officials who wanted to recast the glory of the Great Japanese Empire invisibly gave too high hopes to the Japanese Combined Fleet, which made the Japanese Combined Fleet reach a point where it could only win but not lose, and even a draw could not be accepted. Yamamoto Gonbei could not care about the ideas of the British, but he had to take into account the thoughts of the people and officials at home, so he formulated a set of tactics that should be the most suitable for the combined fleet at present, exchanging time for victory, and in the case that neither Qing nor Japanese sides could obtain ship replenishment, it would take about half a year before and after: no matter how the Qing navy tactics changed, he only gathered all the main battleships of the fleet together. The other ships surrounded the formation to defend against the Qing surprise attack, not greedy for merit, not rash, and step by step. With a speed higher than that of the Qing fleet, he bit the last battleship of the Qing Navy and slammed it, sinking this one and replacing the next one. Until the ship returns to repair the ship. And then again.

Yamamoto thought very well, in fact, Qing Guo also had a headache about this problem, in case Japan really couldn't beat Japan in terms of speed, the Qing Navy really couldn't think of a way to deal with it, except for sacrificing part of the ship. But what Yamamoto didn't expect was that the request put forward by the cabinet was to let him fight the Qing Navy once and there was no strength to fight again.

"It can't be." Today's meeting was already holding back the fire in his stomach and was about to send out, but when he saw Prime Minister Yama Yama Aritomo, who was sitting at the top, he also held back his anger with a solemn face: "I can't do it, so I suggest that the cabinet choose another fleet commander." ”

"Since your report is confident that you will defeat the Qing people in a row, why can't you combine these together and completely defeat the Qing people in one go?"

Faced with a reproach from the Minister of Finance, Masayoshi Matsukata. Yamamoto really wanted to dig a pit and bury him. You have to eat three meals a day, why don't you eat all three meals at once? Isn't that a truth? Did the combined fleet once crush the strength of the Qing State? If you're afraid of starvation, you're not afraid of dying.

Yamatomo stopped Yamamoto, who was about to get angry: "If you are given two months, is it enough?" ”。

"The lower officer thinks it's better to change to a commander who can do it." After Yamamoto Gonbei finished speaking, he stood up and turned around to walk out of the conference room regardless of etiquette.

"Stop. As an imperial general and naval commander, there is no etiquette at all? How your elders taught. Saigo said, "Sit down." ”

Yamamoto saw that it was Saigo who reprimanded him, but he only mentioned the elders, so Yamamoto snorted heavily or sat down in a proper manner. I only heard Saigo say: "Yamamoto is the only experienced admiral in the empire, I think we should listen to his opinion." ”

"I'm okay with that."

"Yamamoto-kun, the national fortune of the empire is in your hands, now is not the time to be angry." Saigo said loudly.

Saigo, who had always spoken softly, suddenly changed. This shows that he is really angry. As Yamamoto's respected boss, Yamamoto was still willing to listen to his opinion, so he immediately sat up straight and said: "The reason why Qingguo is avoiding outside Tokyo Bay is that the lower officials think that Qingguo just doesn't want to start a war with me in the coastal waters of the empire. Otherwise, the slower Qing fleet will be chased all the way back to Lushun by our army. Therefore, Xia Guan believes that the purpose of the Qing State is to lure our army to the coastal waters of the Qing State to start a war, and if you win, you can pursue and kill our army all the way. If defeated, they can retreat within the range of shore artillery and take refuge for the time being. Although our combined fleet is stronger than the Qing State, it is only a little stronger. On the premise of not having the assistance of the army, it is necessary to annihilate the Qing navy. can only knock out the Qing ships little by little. Coupled with the time it takes to repair the ship, half a year has already been estimated in a very smooth situation. But there are some twists and turns. This time will be extended indefinitely. ”

There was a cold voice in the audience, and only Masayoshi Matsukata strictly ordered Yamamoto to achieve a decisive result within two months.

"Yamamoto-kun, please don't blame Lord Matsukata. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was responsible for the Empire's finances. In fact, in order to maximize the support of the Combined Fleet, the Imperial treasury could only support it for another three months. Prime Minister Yama Prefecture Aritomo's words not only surprised Yamamoto, but also surprised other cabinet members, so Yama Prefecture Aritomo said with a serious face: "If you can't achieve a decisive result against the Qing State within two months, even if you achieve a decisive result later, as long as the Qing State delays in negotiations, then the empire can only go bankrupt." ”

Quiet, deathly quiet, so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed to have stopped. Only Yamamoto's brain was running wildly, but until his brain crashed due to overload, he couldn't come up with a way to completely defeat the Qing Navy in two months. Unless Qing Guo goes crazy and wants to fight him.

"Why can't you issue bonds like you did in '94?" This may be the only way Yamamoto can come up with.

"Those who are unwilling to support the Empire still do not support the Empire, and those who are willing to support the Empire have suffered huge losses in the last Sino-Japanese War, and this time they also choose to stand on the sidelines. Because everyone believed that even if the Qing navy was defeated, as long as the Qing emperor did not surrender, the imperial army would not be able to defeat the Qing army. Therefore, we can only defeat the Qing navy as soon as possible, and then approach the Qing coastline, forcing the Qing emperor to pay reparations to the empire in order to preserve the existing industrial capacity. Yamamoto-kun, please forgive me for my presumptuousness, because it is not like this. The empire can only sell its fleet to pay off its debts, and from then on the empire can only become a vassal state. There is no way to achieve Yamato glory again. Matsukata stood up and bowed deeply to Yamamoto: "The fate of the empire." Please. ”

"Unless the Qing fleet can get close to the imperial coast, such a pursuit can defeat the main force of the Qing fleet." Yamamoto said with certainty.

Shan Youpeng's eyes lit up, so he wanted to confirm again: "As long as the Qing fleet is close to the imperial coast, is it okay?" ”。

"If you're lucky, you can sink the main ship of the Qing Navy at one time."

"That's it." Shan County Youpeng smiled, smiling very happily: "August 15 of next month is the day of the Qing Emperor's wedding, if our Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet suddenly shells Lushun on this day, what will the Qing Congress do?" ”

"The Qing Emperor will definitely take revenge for the sake of face." Yamamoto stood up: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the lower officials will definitely complete the task." ”

At a meeting of the Japanese cabinet, it was decided that the date of the declaration of war on the Qing Dynasty would be set on August 15, the day of the Qing Emperor's wedding, and that the attack would be the same as the previous Qing-Japanese war. Undeclared war. In this regard, there was already a consensus within the Qing State that once the Japanese fleet completed maintenance, war could break out at any time. Therefore, the Qing spies who had been infiltrating Japan since the first year of the First Sino-Japanese War had been investigating Japan's movements from all sides, but the infiltration time was not short, and this was a high-level secret meeting in the Japanese cabinet, so no unusual movements were found.

Guangxu naturally knows nothing about Japan's preparations, and for Guangxu, on the day when the newly married daughter-in-law returns to the door, the mother and daughter are whispering in the room. And Guangxu is carefully drinking tea with his father-in-law at the moment. Guangxu only knew that today's father-in-law suddenly spoke a lot, maybe it was the credit of the bride price, in short, it was better not to offend the father-in-law. How did Guangxu know, in fact, it was Yang Qishan who was carefully drinking tea with his son-in-law.

On the day of my daughter's wedding. When Liu Shutang, the prefect of Ningbo, sent a congratulatory gift, he paid a greeting to Yang Zaoer, and from that moment on, Yang Qishan began to believe that his daughter said that she would be a second-class waiter from the Ministry of Rites. From that moment on, Yang Qishan was extremely suspicious of the identity of this son-in-law. What is a general's ability to send his wife to such a high position. The point is that this is not a false title such as an edict, but a dignified and upright member of the court. What kind of general is he?

Yang Qishan wanted to know. This question has made him restless in the past two days. I wanted to take this opportunity today to ask, but I just need to ask this question. The son-in-law always excuses himself on the grounds of military secrets.

"Newspaper—" A guard handed over a folder in both hands. Yang Qishan stood up after seeing his son-in-law take it: "Order the guards to start preparations and set off for Beijing today." At this moment, Guangxu's eyes were full of murderous energy.

"What happened?" The jujube in the house heard the movement outside and walked out.

"The Japanese Combined Fleet has left the port, and the target is Arthur." After speaking, Guangxu stepped forward to support Zao'er with a smile on his face: "Will you go back with me today?" ”

"So? Alright then, let's have lunch and go. The leap girl went back to the door and left without even eating lunch, if this was spread out, she would not be scolded to death. Yang Zao'er was really helpless, and the original plan was to leave in a few days. As soon as Guangxu came, he had to give himself a holiday, and in the past few days, Guangxu went to the sea to swim every day. Second, Zao'er still has something about the education plan that needs Liu Shutang's opinion.

"Okay, if you don't want to go back, just say it." Guangxu coaxed Zao'er: "Then I'll go first, and you can stay at home for a few more days." Five days at most, no more, there are a lot of things to do in the capital. ”

According to the local marriage customs in Ningbo, the daughter-in-law who returns to the door must leave her mother's house before sunset. In the eyes of the people of Yangjia Village, the newly married son-in-law of the Yang family set off to return to Beijing alone, but the prefect of Ningbo came to visit Yang Nuzao'er with gifts. Note that the prefect of the house visited the daughter of the Yang family and not the father of the Yang family, and this alone can make the patriarchal society think about it.

Guangxu didn't care about this, since the Japanese combined fleet had already moved towards the Great Qing Dynasty, then all the previous plans and preparations should be implemented. Therefore, Guangxu returned to the barracks and issued five orders in succession.

"Order Shanghai Province to immediately prepare a special train, order officers above the rank of lieutenant general to report to the General Staff Headquarters, order the Prime Minister's Office to start pre-war material preparations, order the Marine Division to start assembling and stand by, and order Korea, Ryukyu, and Taiwan to prepare for anti-landing operations."

The two task forces of the Navy were stationed in the harbor for maintenance in preparation for the next major battle, so the fleet commander and staff officers rushed back to the staff headquarters. Everyone understood that this would be the last meeting before the start of the war against Japan, and the content of the meeting would not be how to fight Japan but to set a date for the start of the war.

When all the generals and staff officers were in place, the emperor came to the command platform and asked, "Can the generals celebrate my wedding with a great victory?" ”

All the generals in the audience said: "Yes." ”

The Qing Dynasty and Japan unanimously set the day of the war on August 15, 1897, the wedding day of the Qing Emperor. (To be continued......)