Hiroshima

The sparkling waves of the Seto Inland Sea are gently swept by the sea breeze, and the warmth of the spring sun still does not take away the cold. Outside the window, the cherry blossom trees are dotted with white, and the white buds are about to bloom. In this city built by Mori Terumototo, one of the five great ministers of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Warring States Period, in the 15** year, the season of cherry blossoms and maple leaves is always so beautiful.

In a small conference room at the Hiroshima branch of the Imperial Bank, Hirobumi Ito stood quietly in front of the window, looking out the window at the white sails of the harbor and the seagulls rising and falling on the beach, his eyes filled with an indescribable meaning.

On the other side of this blue ocean is the vast expanse of land that the Empire could only dream of, with abundant resources and inexhaustible manpower. However, how to conduct a decisive battle with the Qing State, the base camp is still wavering......

Immediately after the Cabinet approved the decision to protect the embassy and expatriates to send troops to Korea, a wartime base camp was secretly established in Hiroshima in accordance with the Wartime Base Camp Regulations. Chief of Staff, Prince Arisugawa, Vice Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Kawakami, and Vice Admiral Nakamuta Kuranosuke, Chief of Naval Orders, served as chief of staff of the wartime base camp, army staff officer, and naval staff officer respectively. At the same time, Admiral Oyama Iwa was appointed Minister of the Army, and Admiral Saigo Norimichi was appointed Minister of the Navy, presiding over the specific affairs of the War Department and the Navy Department.

The former Minister of War Yama Aritomo and the Minister of the Navy Kayama Shikiri will lead the First Army of the Qing Dynasty and the Combined Fleet of the Zoben Fleet respectively, and will be responsible for land and sea operations. However, the army and navy quarreled over whether to focus on naval warfare or land warfare.

"Tell me what you think. I've heard you come up with some different insights. Ito Hirobumi looked at Gonbei Yamamoto, who was still a little restrained standing in front of him, and said gently.

"The Empire is an island nation. In the future, the Empire's land operations will be cross-sea operations. Therefore. Securing sea supremacy would be the first strategic priority of the Empire. It doesn't really matter whether the navy or the army should be the main debate. The two are complementary and interrelated. However, the conquest operation was a sea-crossing operation, and the current combat situation showed that the First Army of the conquest was about to land in Korea. However, before the navy seized control of the Yellow Sea, all ships transporting troops and grain were under the threat of the Beiyang Fleet, if the Beiyang Fleet cut off the supply lines of troops, munitions, grain and grass to the army. No matter how many people landed in Korea, and no matter how good these people were, there was only one outcome, defeat. After speaking, Yamamoto Gonbei bowed.

"In this way, are you in favor of the strategic idea of a decisive battle with the Qing State based on the navy?" Ito Hirofumi stared intently at the map on the wall. Frowning.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Yamamoto Gonbei bowed, and then strode to the map by the wall: "The strategic plan established by the wartime base camp to fight a decisive battle with the Qing State in the Zhili Plain must be based on the destruction of the Qing Beiyang Fleet. Only by completely destroying the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing State can the land of the empire land army land The greatest and ultimate task of the Imperial Navy was to find all the advantageous fighters and destroy the Qing Beiyang Fleet. ”

Yamamoto Gonbei, who was later called the "Father of the Navy," gushed out: "The most important task of the empire at present is to continue to increase the number of troops in Korea. The Qing State was forced to mobilize the main forces to gather in Korea and lengthen the supply lines of the Qing State. The Qing Beiyang Fleet will have to go to sea to escort and transport troops and supplies, and at that time, the land waiting for them will be the Imperial Combined Fleet......"

Sea power first. This is not the first time Ito has heard such a view. He subconsciously looked back at Kawakami Moriroku, who was standing aside. But at this moment, he saw that the deputy chief of staff of the army staff headquarters was showing a strange smile.

The plan of action to be taken differently in response to changes in the territory of sea control was proposed by Kawakami after hearing Yamamoto's advice and recommending him to Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito. The plan is very simple, if the combined fleet of the empire defeats Beiyang, then it is needless to say that the army will attack the Qing State with all its might; If the war is drawn, then try to protect North Korea; If the war is defeated, then all of them will be retreated to the country to defend it.

The army mobilized the Beiyang departments of the Qing State, lured the Qing Beiyang Fleet to go to sea, and then used the combined fleet to inflict a destructive blow on the Qing Beiyang Fleet, gaining the initiative in the war in one fell swoop...... However, after all, the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing State had two giant warships, Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, and the combined fleet of the empire was sure to win the battle?

"What if the Combined Fleet can't defeat the Qing Kingdom's Beiyang Fleet? Is there only one way to return home? Ito asked with some concern.

"There are no ifs, and there can be no ifs, only a fight to the death. If the empire can't even conquer the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing State, how can it talk about the great cause of conquering the Qing Dynasty? The answer was Kawakami Yoroku who belonged to the army: "The Imperial Army is ready to fully cooperate with the actions of the navy, gain sea supremacy, and open the door to the Qing State. ”

"Report." The door was suddenly pushed open, and a young man took a telegram and said excitedly: "The Beiyang Fleet has come out." The Jiyuan escorted two troop carriers to Asan on the 22nd. ”

The corners of Ito Hirobumi's mouth slowly showed a smile, as the situation is so, the great cause of the empire is just a struggle, and at this moment, the power to move the general trend in East Asia is in his own hands, and it is time to make a decision.

He nodded slowly but firmly to Kawakami Yoroku and said, "Immediately convene a meeting of the wartime base camp, and invite Yama Prefecture Aritomo and Kayama Shiki to participate together...... There is nothing to hesitate to waver, the First Army of the Qing Dynasty and the Combined Fleet will set off together, the Empire must resolutely seize the sea dominance, the rest of the matter, Kawakami-kun, the Qing Kingdom will open the door to your army, waiting for the Imperial Army to gallop across the country, pointing directly to the Zhili Plain of the Qing State......"

"Yes. Your Excellency the Prime Minister! Kawakami and Yamamoto Gonbei bowed a standard 40-degree deep, turned around and strode out the door.

In the silence, in the silent room, Ito Hirobumi could vaguely hear himself muttering, "The cherry blossoms are about to bloom." When the leaves fall, will it be the time for the empire to reverse its fate? ……”

On April 14, 1**4, the cabinet issued a second letter of renunciation to the Qing on the grounds that "China has assembled a large army in Pyongyang and wants to fight with it".

When the news came, the capital suddenly fell out. The most lively place these days is the teahouse, full of people are crowded, not for anything else, I heard that this sent a note to the Qing Dynasty, the second time said that it was going to break off.

Fresh, it's really fresh. For more than a thousand years, he has been following behind with a fart of fart, a posture that he can't wait to copy everything as it is, and he won't talk about learning nondescriptly, just look at the appearance of their acting minister in Daqing, Komura Shoutaro. With his short stature and rat-eyed appearance, even the ministers of foreign missions in the capital call him "Minister Rat" behind his back, so he dares to start a war with the Qing Dynasty? Hit it! Our Daqing has suffered from the sulking of Westerners for so many years, and we Daqing can't afford to provoke Westerners, and dealing with some Oriental dwarfs is not like playing.

The officials and people in the capital are all sitting and waiting for the good news from North Korea to start the fight. It just so happened that when the whole world celebrated, it added fun to the Qing Dynasty.

"If you want to say that this Oriental is really evil, a big fart place, he actually dares to argue with our Daqing, and it looks like the queen mother's 60th birthday. It's not intentional, is it? ”

"Just the surname of the Oriental Nade. Can you beat the Qing Dynasty? ”

"That's it, if you want me to say, don't just transfer the soldiers of Beiyang. Don't we flag people also have a magic machine battalion? Transferred up to give Xiao Dongyang such a couple of hits, then the little Oriental devil is not fart and urine, isn't it over! ”

"Seconded, seconded." Before the words fell, Ruixiang Belle, who had not been seen for a long time, slipped in with a birdcage. Everyone hurriedly gave up their seats to pour tea, and greeted each other with a greeting: "You can't find the Beiyang soldiers whenever you have something, then don't let people say that this Qing Dynasty is protected by him Li Hongzhang." Our flag people also have to show their faces, and let the world know that our flag people can also fight. ”

"Then Lord Belle is not thinking of a way to send a message to the palace. I have a brother in the Divine Machine Camp, and if he can get some merits, I will be able to get some light. ”

Inside the Cining Palace

"Dear Dad, there has been a commotion in the capital recently. Everywhere it was said that the Shenji Battalion of our Xinqi people would be transferred to North Korea, and he would teach him a lesson. Now these words have been handed to the sons. Dear Dad, look at this......" Guangxu gently placed the fold on Cixi's table.

Cixi didn't even take the fold, and waved the maid away: "The words have also been handed to the mourning family." Your Majesty, I'm afraid it won't work to look at this magic machine camp with the mourning family. ”

"Of course the Shenji Battalion can't, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that this Shenji Battalion must be hiding behind when it goes to the front line. If they win in the front, they will meet, and if they lose, the Shenji Battalion will be the first to run. Guangxu's words changed: "Erchen thinks that it is Beiyang who fights in front." It's better to transfer the Shenji Battalion up, and Beiyang will have a share of the flag people if he wins. If you lose, the Shenji Battalion will hide in the end and let people be hurt, and the Shenji Battalion can only consider itself unlucky. ”

On April 20, Dagu was on the wharf, crowded with people. The Manchus of the Qing Dynasty had the most elite Shenji battalion flying the British flag here. Countless flag men came to see them off. The captain of the Gao Sheng couldn't help but shake his head when he saw the figure everywhere, could it be that the Qing Kingdom had reached the point where there were no soldiers to send?

On April 22, 1**4, the sea off Asan. The protective cruiser Jiyuan of the Beiyang Navy exchanged fire with three warships, the Yoshino, Naniwa, and Akitsuzu, which were known for their speed. At 12:43, with the withdrawal of the Jiyuan ship from the battlefield, the first maritime encounter between China and China ended, the Great Qing Jiyuan was seriously injured, the British merchant ship Gaosheng was sunk, and the warship Gyang surrendered. The Shenji Battalion was almost completely wiped out, and thousands of officers and soldiers were martyred. And it is said that the Yoshino was only slightly injured, and the first naval battle in China is over!

"Nickname outside. It is said that he fought without declaring it, and the Jiyuan was defeated with one enemy and three battles, and the Shenji Battalion was completely annihilated. ”

On the evening of April 22, the same voice came from the newsboys in the streets and alleys of all the major cities of the Qing Dynasty. China said that the war had begun. With the fall of the Divine Machine Battalion. While hanging up the white flags, all the flag bearers in the capital petitioned in front of the palace to take revenge.

April 23rd. Qing Imperial Palace Taihe Palace.

"Sneak attack, naked and vile sneak attack." Guangxu slammed the edict declaring war in his hand on the face of Komura Shoutaro, the acting minister: "The war has begun. ”

There is only one sentence on the edict of declaring war: The Great Qing Kingdom declared war on Yueben. Komura Shoutaro smiled contemptuously: "Your Majesty, let the army speak for the following matters." ”

"Tell Meiji that old thing, in the middle of it, never die."

Komura Shoutaro, who had already walked out of the gate, couldn't help but tremble when he heard this. (To be continued.) )