"For the world, China seems to have reversed its fortunes overnight through a naval battle, and has achieved the transformation from a weak country to a strong country, and the navy is undoubtedly the hero of this war, and the victory of the navy adds the latter chip to China's victory in this war.

In Nanjing, in the heart of the Chinese Empire, for the past few days, almost every day, thousands of people would gather in front of the Imperial Palace, chanting the slogan Long Live His Majesty the Emperor, cheering for the victory, to which all attributed the victory, to which the wise decisions of the Emperor led the country to victory, as he had promised, and which would lead China from one victory to another.

Of course, no one has forgotten the navy, and whenever a naval officer or sailor appears on the street, there will always be people who try to drag him into a restaurant or restaurant, and even excited young people will shout the slogans "Long live Your Majesty" and "Long live the navy" and throw the navy soldier into the air

…… But in the end, the real victor was His Majesty the Emperor who was in the palace, and he was the real victor, which was a heavy blow to the constitutionalists in China, and the victory in the war, or at least the imminent victory, won the Emperor himself unprecedented prestige......"

"China after the Battle of the South China Sea" Morrison

"Hui, have you heard? Britain and the United States have stepped in to mediate."

In the evening, Yuan Shikai invited Yang Du to take a walk along the river, which seemed to be a normal conversation between officials and members of the Senate.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped and asked Yang Du, Yuan Shikai's question only startled Yang Du, and after pondering for a long time, he spoke.

"There are some rumors in the market, but it seems that the State Department does not know the Senate yet"

Yang Du replied truthfully, and at the same time pondered in his heart what Yuan Shikai meant by saying this.

"What does that think about this?"

"Minister Yuan, I think Your Majesty already has an idea."

Yang Du smiled in his heart, does it matter what he thinks? Only what His Majesty has determined can no one change.

"Hui, after all, this still has to be considered by the Senate"

Yuan Shikai said earnestly, and deliberately accentuated his voice when mentioning "deliberation", Yang Du pointed to a small fishing boat on the riverside and said.

"Let's get on the boat and talk."

"Row"

Yuan Shikai nodded and agreed, he knew that when Yang Du said this, he undoubtedly believed in himself.

Yang Du walked to the side of the boat first, helped Yuan Shikai to get on the boat, untied the cable, picked up the penny, and gently touched the stones on the shore, and the small fishing boat went smoothly and steadily in front of the river.

Looking at Yang Du's appearance, Yuan Shikai nodded and said.

"Hui, you're still an expert at holding the penny."

"Hunan people are born to drive boats, otherwise how could they come to the Hunan army sailors who shocked the world?"

Yang Du said proudly. He put down the penny, sat opposite Yuan Shikai, and let the fishing boat float on the water, in fact, the fishing boat is not far away, this is the river between Jiangxinzhou and the river bank, and the current is not urgent.

"Britain and the United States have asked to mediate the Sino-Japanese war, and in any case, Your Majesty will give them faces"

Yuan Shikai sat in the fishing boat, holding a rattan cane in both hands. Yuan Shikai's left leg was injured in North Korea, but after being healed, he did not leave much trace, and he usually walks like an ordinary person, but he can be seen to be less flexible when he walks forward. He had never used a cane before. But I don't know why, he came to Nanjing, and since then he has been carrying a rattan cane, as if he really suffers from a foot disease.

And His Majesty the Emperor himself, after seeing his appearance, personally rewarded him with a walking stick, but the walking stick was placed in the main hall by Yuan Shikai, supported by a frame, and covered with a layer of red cloth, all of which were offered as holy products.

"Well, that's right, Britain and the United States always have to be given."

Yang Du nodded and said obediently.

"Hui, tell me, if we want to refuse the mediation between Britain and the United States, and we have to give them faces, what should we do?"

Yuan Shikai asked very seriously, and the rattan cane "clicked" twice on the ship's board.

Seeing Yuan Shikai so number one, Yang Du was not without caution and silence, since he came to Nanjing, he has too much understanding of the political situation and politics, and he does not need to use a knife to kill people in the political arena, and His Majesty is undoubtedly one of the masters.

"There are a few points, I think you must have thought of a long time ago, if we want to return to them, but we can avoid hurting the faces of Britain and the United States, I am afraid that we will have to put forward a peace condition that Japan cannot accept, and I think this is the only way to come."

Yuan Shikai nodded. This is not difficult to deal with foreigners, in fact, it is no different from dealing with Chinese. ,

"From our side, North Korea and Ryukyu, these two places, will definitely come back, and if the government makes this request, it will be in line with the people's will."

"This can be mentioned, and even if the Japanese don't want to, they have to spit out these two places."

How could Yuan Shikai not know about these two places, His Majesty must be coming back, not to mention that His Majesty over there has made up his mind to let himself go to the governor of North Korea.

"So, if we put forward this condition, it will be counterproductive"

Yang Du sneered in his heart, he knew that Yuan Shikai asked him this question, but in fact, he was just talking nonsense, but he said with a serious face.

"In this case, let's just ask for more places, and by the way, ask for more compensation."

"Place, well, didn't the Japanese force us to cut Taiwan? As for the reparations, the Japanese themselves have been tossing a lot in the past two years, and Japan's treasury has probably been emptied by them, and it seems that those who want to pay reparations will have to borrow from foreigners. ”

Yuan Shikai's casual words surprised Yang Du very much, and he vaguely understood that he was afraid that this British and American intervention in mediation was not only not a rumor, but even His Majesty himself thought of taking the opportunity to get off the donkey.

"Hui, have you heard? The delegation led by Minister Zhang is about to return to China."

"Well, I'm sure I'll get a lot out of it."

"Yes, Minister Zhang and his entourage may return to China, I am afraid that these reforms will be fully implemented, Hui, you are an expert in constitutionalism, and you will definitely show your strengths when you want to come."

Yuan Shikai's words made Yang Du silent.

"There's one more important thing for you to consider, do you think of it?"

"What?"

Yuan Shikai withdrew his cane back to his chest and listened intently.

"The human heart."

Yang Du leaned towards Yuan Shikai and said something that he thought deeply.

"Minister Yuan, you have also watched, if you win this war, Your Majesty's prestige will definitely be in the sky, and the people's hearts will go to Your Majesty, Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Ages, so far...... I'm afraid that China's constitution will be dead. ”

Hearing this, Yuan Shikai groaned and did not make a sound. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

"Hui, I finally know, why did you hold the boat here, it turned out that I was afraid that others would hear your words of rebellion against the court and your majesty, aren't you afraid that I will denounce you?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Du was stunned, and then smiled again.

"I'm a powerless House voter, and am I worth your denunciation?"

"Go on, Hui"

Yuan Shikai smiled and waved his hand, he waited for Yang Du to say something.

"Your Majesty has promised that a constitution will be established in a period of nine years, but it can be ......."

"Hui, you need to know that Your Majesty has submitted a large number of bills to the Council for deliberation, and Your Majesty's sincerity is not visible?"

Yuan Shikai stared at Yang Du, his eyes containing untestable deep meaning.

"Yes, Your Majesty is the Holy Monarch of the ages, Your Majesty is a rare Ming Jun for a thousand years, and it is a blessing for a hundred years for China to have Your Majesty."

Yang Du frankly admitted that although His Majesty has many means, he still can't help but admit this, and His Majesty is far superior to others in terms of the amount of tolerance.

"But who can keep him alive...... After His Majesty, he is also a Ming Jun."

A question made Yuan Shikai silent, he looked at Jiang Mian for a long time and was silent, he knew that most of the things he and Yang Du were talking about here today were big rebellions, but he also understood that he had to seize the opportunity, next year, maybe he would go to North Korea to take office, and he had to leave something in Nanjing.

In Yuan Shikai's eyes, when he takes office as the governor of North Korea next year, the governor of North Korea is just a springboard, and the next step is the prime minister, and the prime minister he wants to be is not a "minister who doesn't care" like Zhang Xiangshuai, and what he wants to do is the prime minister who holds real power.

So at this point, he needs Yang Du's help, only the constitution, his own can be the official of the Chinese empire, and only the constitution, can make himself the prime minister with real power, but, just like Yang Du said, after this war, His Majesty, who has won the hearts of all the people, can make a constitution if he wants to, if he doesn't want to, naturally there will be no resistance from the people.

What does it matter if there is no constitution or not, and now that there is no constitution, won't our Chinese empire also defeat the Orientals? In a few years, as China becomes stronger day by day, the concessions and extraterritoriality are recovered, and the recovery of these rights and interests will only make His Majesty's country more and more stable and win the support of all the people. ,

"Hui,"

Yuan Shikai leaned forward and spit out something in front of Yang Du.

"I'm afraid I still have to rely on you for this constitutional matter."

The meaning revealed in every word made Yang Du stunned, and after being stunned, Yang Du smiled bitterly for a while.

"Fear of constitutionalism lies in the public"

What does it taste like to win?

In the past, even when he became the emperor, Chen Moran never really experienced it, but when the news of the defeat of the combined fleet came, Chen Moran was excited all night without sleeping, and even in the past few days, he has been in excitement, as a king of a country who is in danger of dying at any time, it is by no means a good errand.

And now?

With a smile on his face, Chen Moran looked at Zhang Zhidong and Guan Mingtang who were sitting there.

"Roosevelt stepped in"

Raising the official letter handed over by the U.S. Ambassador to China Rou Keyi in his hand, Chen Moran was so proud in his heart, now he is also the monarch of a big country that affects the world pattern, until this meeting, he really deeply understands the feeling of being a big country, in the past, even he was the emperor to give those big country ambassadors face, but now, ......

"The same words,"

With a sneer, Chen Moran spit out another sentence.

"For lasting peace in Asia"

"Roosevelt also wanted us to stop the war?"

Zhang Zhidong asked lightly, this is undoubtedly nonsense.

"There is a possibility that the Americans will be on our side"

Guan Mingtang said with great certainty,

"Not necessarily, according to the current development of the situation, it is very likely that the Americans will be on the side of Japan"

Liang Dunyan shook his head and said that as a foreign minister, from his frequent meetings with ambassadors of various countries after the declaration of war, he could always find out from their words the meaning of the countries they represented.

"Whether it's Britain or the United States, they only value interests, and in the past, the Americans leaned toward us because we could balance Japan's pressure on the United States in the Pacific, but now, we may exert the same pressure on the United States, so for the Americans, in the face of this situation, out of interest considerations, they tend to tend to maintain Japan's interests rather than sacrificing Japan's interests, and a seriously weakened Japan is not in the interests of the United States."

"It is also not in the interests of the United Kingdom"

After Liang Dunyan's words, Chen Moran sneered.

"Whether it's the British or the Americans, it's hard for them to stand on our side and support our demands."

"Perhaps, we can use some brains from the German side"

Liang Dunyan put forward his own suggestions in a timely manner.

"In this war, Germany is clearly inclined towards our country, so I think that perhaps Germany can be considered to be drawn into mediation, and I believe that Germany is also willing to do so."

"Germany"

Frowning, Chen Moran pondered for a moment.

"The Germans want to expand their influence in Asia, and this can be considered, and even ......"

After a pause in his words, Chen Moran pondered in his mind about the ambition of the "Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet" and the contradictions between Germany and Britain, Germany was indeed a usable chess piece.

"Pull Germany in, we have to borrow Germany to block Britain's card, as long as Germany expresses its support, in order to prevent us from falling to Germany, Britain will inevitably make concessions, so that we can break each one"

"But Your Majesty, there are only eternal interests between countries, and it is difficult for us to guarantee that the introduction of Germany will not lead to unforeseen events, after all, we have Qingdao entanglement with Germany, and we must consider this, and likewise, the Germans will not ignore this, with the strength of China, it is only a matter of time before Qingdao is recovered, and this is very likely to be used by the British in future negotiations, thus creating an unfavorable situation for our country"

Guan Mingtang reminded His Majesty on a case-by-case basis.

Qingdao

Frowning, a little helplessness appeared on Chen Moran's face, this is what the Manchu Qing Dynasty left to China, from north to south, there are concessions and leased lands of various countries everywhere, and even in North China, there are still troops stationed in many countries, if it is not for his own capital Nanjing, I am afraid that I will not be able to sleep well.

"If we make a diplomatic endorsement......"

As soon as Liang Dunyan's suggestion came out, he regretted it, His Majesty would never accept this suggestion, and sure enough, before he could finish speaking, Chen Moran immediately interrupted him.

"The land cannot be traded, Qingdao must be taken back, Hong Kong is too, and we have to talk to them, so we don't need to think about it."

"Your Majesty,"

Yuan Shikai, who had been silent, took the initiative to speak. ,

"Now that the French are forcing Russia to turn to Britain with credit, Germany is facing unprecedented pressure from the East, and the Germans are aware of this, and if we can make Germany aware that in a future war we may choose to ally with Germany, I don't think they will mind supporting us in this mediation, or even willingly returning Tsingtao to us."

When a sentence came out of Yuan Shikai's mouth, Chen Moran glanced at him in surprise, this is exactly what he was considering, although he was triumphant in the past few days, but the intelligence briefing of the Intelligence Bureau was looking at it day by day, Russia is now in turmoil, the crumbling financial credit after the Russo-Japanese War made the tsar need a lot of money, but he could not get an external loan, and the French were using the loan to force Russia to sign an entente with Britain, it can be said that the nature of this loan will directly determine the direction of Russia in the future, If history does not change, Russia will definitely fall to Britain and France, and Germany does not lend billions of rubles to Russia.

"It is irrational to form an alliance with Germany"

Guan Mingtang directly vetoed it.

"Germany's maritime power is far inferior to that of Great Britain, and its geography determines that his future is not optimistic, and he needs to face the feud France and now the world's number one power, Britain, if you add Russia......"

"It's irrational, but it's ......"

Smiling slightly, Chen Moran said directly.

"But it's not unacceptable"

The U.S. wariness of China makes it difficult for China to carry out all-round cooperation with the U.S. in the future, but Germany seems to be a good choice, and Germany's military, technology, and science are all things that China needs to learn, and if you can get these as an ally, it seems to be a very cost-effective business.

"Your Majesty"

Listening to His Majesty's decision, Guan Mingtang couldn't help but be surprised, maybe others could say the benefits of Liande, but he could see the disadvantages of Liande.

"Germany simply did not have the capital to challenge the British, they did not have a navy stronger than the British, they could not cut off the British sea trade routes at all, and if they could not cut off the British sea trade lines, it would not be possible for them to defeat the British, if we were to ......"

"If you want to conclude an alliance, it's not impossible, the Japanese have the "Anglo-Japanese Alliance", and we can also conclude a "Sino-German Alliance", as long as it is ......"

With a sly smile, Chen Moran continued.

"Just set the time, for example...... Well, eight years"......

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