The rise of Europe was not so much the superiority of the white race as it was a continent of many peoples of similar abilities, who established their own states, imitated each other, influenced each other, mixed with each other, fought each other, and finally made their power superior to that of other peoples in the world.

When the French invented the pulley, the Spaniards immediately imitated it, and after the Spanish invented a sailing ship suitable for ocean voyages, the British also built the same ship, and the British broke out into industry** and was immediately accepted by other countries in Europe, and those countries on the European continent, after hundreds of years of strife, understood that any one step slower would be in danger of national destruction.

And when Europeans continued to develop in order to survive, when Europe used the history of wars to expand the strength of countries to compete for colonies, Europe's "human civilization" developed.

However, China, far away in Asia, has lagged behind, and under the rule of foreign races, he not only became self-contained, but even regressed, and finally the so-called "peaceful and prosperous era" under foreign rule brought about a comprehensive regression of the entire country in terms of culture, science and technology, and even personal civilization, and a nation that had led the world for thousands of years and created the most developed civilization in the world was reduced to "half of the Tatars."

The Far East, which has been influenced by Chinese civilization for thousands of years, has also become a European colony after losing its source of influence, and there are only three independent countries in the whole of Asia, China, Japan, and Siam, and Japan after experiencing the Black Ship Incident, in the face of the strength of European and American countries, immediately abandoned the civilization of Xi from China, and turned to learn from Europe and the United States.

And this xiǎo and strong country, a year ago, through the attack on Russia, which is the traditional power of Europe, proved his ability to the world, he has completed the evolution of the prey in the mouth of the great powers to the beast that bites the prey, and the victory on the battlefield has made the poor people of this country shout long live in rags.

Glory of the empire, glory of the people

What an intoxicating thing it is

But on May 13, 1905, everything changed.

On this day, tens of thousands of newsboys were shaking brass bells in their hands and shouting on the streets, and the extra numbers that usually needed to be bought for three pennies have become free today, and the shouts of the newsboys accompanied by the flying slaps and big pieces of paper have been rushed madly on the streets of every city in Japan.

"Loss of power and humiliation of the country, Taiwan returned to China"

Amid the shock and anger of the people, anger enveloped the city of Akira near Tokyo Bay, known as the "heart of the Japanese Empire." Columns of white smoke rising from the tops of towering chimneys of suburban power stations and factories are visible under the clear sky. At noon, many windows in the city's Japanese-style houses are filled with white paper and red sun flags, and more families hang white mourning flags.

Disgrace!

At this time, Tokyo, and not the whole of Japan, was immersed in an unprecedented humiliation, a shame that was by no means the glorious event of the "Black Ship Attack" that had led to the founding of Japan half a century ago, and angry Japanese could be seen everywhere in the streets, waving their flags and shouting with all their might.

And the content of the shouting is only two words...... disgrace

Hibiya Park, located in the center of the city, is Japan's first Western-style park, and it is a testament to Japan's "civilization" in the eyes of the Japanese.

At this time, there was silence in Hibiya Park, and the park was full of people who had gathered here, and the park did not appear to be confused because so many citizens had gathered, but was unusually quiet, and the faces of the Japanese were full of humiliation at this time, and there were tears in the eyes of the people, and people spontaneously convened a national assembly here, no one gathered, no one shouted, and there was only anger at the humiliation suffered by the Empire.

“…… Shame, we defeated Lucia, but today we are going to cede Taiwan to China, responsibility! Can we remain silent in the face of responsibility? Anger in the face of boundless grief, can the people be silent? Of course, we can't be silent, it took so much money for us to defeat Lucia, but the ministers chose to cut the land in humiliation under the sneak attack of the despicable Chinese people, and we died so many people in order to defeat the Lu army, is that it? The despicable and shameless people of China chose a sneak attack, not only did they steal, but we killed Manchuria that so many people seized from the Lu people, they cut off Taiwan, they were invading Japan, can it end like this? …… Can we remain silent at this time? ”,

With the speech of an old Japanese man standing on the fountain pool, the atmosphere of the people in Hibiya Park was aroused to the highest point, and the anger that had been suppressed in the hearts of the people was instantly ignited.

As a result, the citizens who refused to remain silent suddenly shouted slogans from the heart and lungs.

"General attack of the Manchurian Army that declared war on China"

"Truce war against the country and severely punish the bad branches"

"Chopping Ito's head to comfort the ...... of the people"

"The navy will attack and level Nanjing off the map"

Angry people are irrational, they may know that this will have to wait a long time, and it is obviously not appropriate to vent the anger in their hearts.

"Burn down the ministers' mansions!"

I said that I really wanted to burn the minister's official residence, but I still didn't dare. Don't you dare to burn the minister's official residence, and don't you dare to burn the foreigner?

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Go to the Embassy of China, burn down the Embassy of China, and kill the Ambassador of China"

The angry crowd seemed to have found its target with this shout, and people rushed out of the park, some Japanese dressed as làng people walking in the front, and the angry crowd walked and gathered in the streets, their shouts resounding throughout the streets of Tokyo.

"Burn the embassy of China"

It seems that this is the only way for them to vent their anger, at least until Ito does not return home, it seems to be their only option.

However, when they arrived at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, they saw a group of "Imperial Army" with at least one squadron of loaded guns standing outside the embassy, and the 30-Type 30 rifles in their hands had bayonets on their heads, and the bayonets glittered in the sunlight.

"It's Lord Zhentai"

Almost as soon as they saw the soldiers sent by the Guards Division outside the Chinese Embassy, the originally angry crowd immediately calmed down, and the hearts of the people seemed to be slowly calming down, for the Japanese, they obeyed the authority in their bones, even these ordinary soldiers were enough to make them fearful.

And these soldiers are the soldiers of the Emperor's Praetorian Guard Division that Katsura Taro specially requested before Ito signed the "Joint Communique", they are the Emperor's Guards, even if the people are angry, they will not dare to attack them, at this time, neither Katsura Taro nor the army wants to cause trouble, in case the angry people really rush into the Chinese Embassy, maybe the joint communiqué will become a piece of waste paper.

"What to do? Is there a town lord? ”

The soldiers outside the embassy did not dare to burn the minister's residence, so the Japanese who came to burn the Chinese embassy became hesitant, and there seemed to be no other way than to throw stones and bricks at the embassy, and the Chinese embassy seemed to have been prepared for a long time, and there were wooden planks nailed to their windows.

"The Cunning Shina"

The Japanese who threw the stones watched the stones that had crossed the town and were bounced off by the planks, and then began to curse loudly, if it wasn't for the fact that the town was there, maybe they would have rushed in, but the problem was, now the town was standing outside the big mén, with guns and bayonets, who would dare.

"Prescient"

Listening to the sound of the window, Cai Jun secretly screamed in his heart that he was lucky, Cai Jun, who had been a minister to Japan in the Qing Dynasty in the past, and now he was the imperial ambassador to Japan, knew the Japanese very well, almost after the outbreak of the conflict in the northeast, he ordered to close the mén window with wooden boards, and even dug two fire pools in the courtyard of the embassy, all just in case.

"Qingping, is there enough food and noodles in the hall?"

"Ambassador, enough to eat for half a month"

"That's good, that's good, half a month, it is estimated that the rumors will go down, and in this half month, the people in the museum are not allowed to go out."

Cai Jun admonished, and then he looked through the wooden plank at the six rows of Japanese soldiers outside the embassy, jumping and jumping, and couldn't help but be happy.

"Dog's day of the Oriental xiǎo nose, you also have today"

With such a beautiful heart, Cai Jun couldn't help humming Peking Opera, from now on, in front of Japan, he can be regarded as able to raise his neck.

"It's the people of the United States who threaten that if we don't stop fighting, they won't give us a loan"

It is not news that the crowd will not know who is shouting there, but what they are shouting is indeed the truth, that President Roosevelt was first the middleman for Lucia, and now he is the middleman for China, threatening Japan with loans at every turn.

"Go to the embassy of the United States"

With a roar, the originally surging people rushed towards the U.S. Embassy, where there should be no Zhentai Lord to protect it In just ten minutes, countless angry Japanese surrounded the U.S. Embassy, except for a few policemen, there was no Zhentai Lord. ,

Tell it to secretly shield the people of China, and everyone throws stones.

With the shouts and curses of the people, paving stones like raindrops were thrown towards the embassy in an instant, and the originally beautiful windows of the American Embassy suddenly changed, and even the American ambassador who tried to persuade them was knocked to the ground by a flying brick, thanks to the desperate rescue of several American soldiers, who dragged him back to the embassy.

The unprecedented victory made these "patriotic" citizens excited, and after filming the US ambassador, the task is over, what should be done next?

Shrouded in victory, the citizens were pondering whether to go back and continue throwing stones at the Chinese embassy when a majestic European-style church came into view.

"The Church of the Westerners"

"The Red Cross Society of Westerners donates money to the people of China"

In the midst of the anger, it is difficult for people to keep their senses, "the church is full of Western ghost animals", the angry Japanese directly burned the church, and all of them are "Western ghost animals". He didn't dare to burn down the minister's official residence just now, but now he did, so the official residence of the interior minister was burned down, and even the "National News" office, which believed that "returning Taiwan to China is conducive to the future of China and Japan," was also burned.

When the police were sent to maintain order, the angry people burned even more when they saw the police coming to stop them

Damn it, why are there so many traitors in Japan? How dare the police protect traitors? Dare to suppress everyone's patriotic behavior?

Even the police station was burned!

"Well, I don't know how long the anger of the people will last."

Katsura Taro, who was sitting on a tatami mat in a kimono, took a sip of sake and said to Xiǎo Mura Shoutaro in front of him, although the burning incident in Hibiya was really upsetting, but what could be done about it? Although martial law has been imposed, it is always understandable for the people to vent their anger.

What he is most worried about now is how long the anger of the people will last, and any minister with the slightest sense knows what the consequences of returning Taiwan to China will bring, but now they cannot but accept this extremely harsh condition put forward by Chinese.

"After a few days, you will calm down, Your Excellency Prime Minister, you know the Japanese, they are just momentary anger, and they are ......"

Xiǎo Mura Shoutaro continued with Katsura Taro with a worried face.

"Their anger will only last for a few days, not to mention, the sensible person knows that the problem now is that if we do not return Taiwan, the Chinese can starve to death the Manchurian army, and only those fools will believe that we can defeat Lucia and defeat the Chinese"

Nodding his head, Katsura Taro didn't say anything, how could he not be clear about the words of Xiǎo Village, but it is one thing to be clear, and the facts are another, and the anger of the people is something he can't help but consider.

"Now I'm really worried about Ito's safety, I'm wondering if Ito should ...... if Ito returns home."

Katsura Taro's voice was not loud, but anyone could hear a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the era of President Ito is over"

Xiǎo Mura Shoutaro's voice was not loud, but with a hint of coldness, he continued with his glass in his hand.

"I believe that when Dean Ito signed the joint communiqué, he already expected what was waiting for him, perhaps this is the greatness of Dean Ito, he understood that his time and mission were over, so he took this responsibility and signed this joint communique, and in the end, if the people were angry, it would be better to attribute all their anger to one person than to the entire government, what do you think? Your Excellency the Prime Minister"

Politics has always been the dirtiest thing in the world, and there will never be any soft-heartedness in this industry, and Xiǎo Village is just putting some words more bluntly.

"Maybe there will be a second Otsu incident"

On May 11, 1891, when the Russian Crown Prince Nikolai was visiting Japan, the Otsu City Guard in Shiga Prefecture suddenly appeared with the intention of assassinating the crown prince. And this incident can be said to have made the best preparation for this war. Nicholas, who vowed to break the neck of the "savage macaque", took a sharp turn for the worse in relations between Japan and Russia after he succeeded to the throne as tsar.

When Katsura Taro said this, the most fundamental reason for his remarks was that he was worried about whether the actions of the so-called "patriots" against Ito Hirobumi would affect the fate of Japan. ,

As for Ito's fate, it is not something he can care about, and this may be Ito's last "contribution" to Japan.

"Your Excellency, do you think it is possible for us to avoid a war between him and the Chinese?"

Xiǎo Mura Shoutaro asked rhetorically, and without waiting for Katsura Taro to speak, he continued.

"From the moment we were forced to compromise with the Chinese and return Taiwan, a war between Japan and China could not be avoided, and this war, although the Lu country was our number one enemy, but after the defeat of the Lu country, after the signing of the peace treaty, if the navy and army still had the strength to fight a war, then, under the pressure of the people, we will inevitably find a reason to go to war against China, which may be the reason why President Ito did not insist on China's redemption of Taiwan's Japanese assets, and the conflict of assets in Taiwan will become the reason for us to declare war on China. I'm afraid that Britain and the United States will not be able to stop our retaliation"

Katsura Taro nodded, but did not deny that the cession of Taiwan to China was not satisfied with the government, the army, and the people, in short, no one was satisfied, and even the General Staff Headquarters had begun to formulate a plan to attack Taiwan after the armistice with Lu State, so as to reoccupy Taiwan when the Chinese army was not stable in Taiwan.

And at that time, the freed fleet can completely defeat the Chinese army, and the army can easily defeat the Chinese army on the island of Taiwan without any backup, peace? Perhaps only after China pays another 200 million taels in compensation and cedes another piece of land can there be peace between the two countries.

"Your Excellency, I very much agree with the plan of the Ministry of War, China's financial revenue is several times that of Japan, and once they have a navy that is not inferior to Japan, it will undoubtedly increase the risk of future war against China, so the best time is to defeat them completely at any cost when their navy is weak......"

"But ......"

Interrupting Xiǎo Village Shoutaro, Katsura Taro raised his own concerns, the army became a tired division in this war, allowing the Chinese to pick up the cheap, but the navy is different, the Japanese navy is far from being comparable to the Chinese navy.

"If there is a war, it will need money, and now Japan has no money"

Money is the foundation that sustains the war, and without money, the war cannot go on, but Japan has no money.

"Then I hope that the navy will beat the Lu Guojun miserably, in that case, if Britain and the United States want Japan to cease the war, they must give us a substitute loan, and at that time, we will use this loan to fight this war, and if we get an advantage, the loan will naturally come, so the money is not worth worrying about"

"Hey, I'm afraid that's the only way, by the way, I heard that the Chinese ordered their fleet to return home?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, it is a Zhenhai and Haiqi and Hairong ships that have returned to China, saying that they will return to Surabaya after the renovation is completed, but you understand, they are back to escort the landing fleet."