Tokyo, the Imperial Palace of Japan.

It was originally the official residence of the Tokugawa clan, but after the Meiji Restoration, the shogunate was restored, and the emperor not only moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo, but also directly turned the official residence of the Tokugawa clan into an imperial palace.

In present-day Japan, it is a symbol of the power and spirit of the entire Yamato nation. Ever since the army set out to conquer the Taiwan Strait, hundreds of Japanese people, who have wolf ambitions in their bones, gather in front of the palace every day, cheering, jumping, and shouting support.

At eight or nine o'clock in the evening, the bustling streets of Tokyo have slowly quieted down. Because of the 'conquest of Taiwan,' the vast majority of the Japanese people were still immersed in jubilation, and they did not care about any urgent conscription or delayed conscription. They just need to know that the imperial kingdom is strong.

If you're not strong, can you go and pick up the tiger whiskers of the old empire in the west? Although many people also worried that this would lead to a war between the Qing Empire and the Imperial State, the Japanese today have a desire and passion for war that is far from comparable to the madness of twenty years later. But isn't there still a superficial article that the Japanese government has come up with? Avenge the people of the Ryukyus!

So, they cheered and shouted and cheered, because so many Japanese people believed that they were righteous. In the eyes of some enthusiastic militaristic expansionists, the final victory must have belonged to the Imperial Kingdom of Japan. This will be the first step of the Imperial State's military deployment to the outside world!

As for the Manchus, that would not be an obstacle. The Imperial Kingdom will definitely be able to handle it. Otherwise, how could the wise and wise Emperor Xià agree to attack Taiwan? That's sure to be certain. In particular, it was reported just two days ago that the army of the expedition to Taiwan had killed the direct creators of the murder of the Ryukyu Miyako Islanders, the chief of the Wanwan Indigenous Peony Society, Alugu and his son. Then Tokyo was even more surging for a while, and all strata supported and wanted to attack Taiwan and expand. One level higher.

"Dada, dada!" The crisp sound of horses' hooves resounded in the streets. Horse-drawn carriages rushed to the gate of the Japanese Imperial Palace, Iwakura Gushi, Okubo Ritsu, Kido Takayoshi, Okuma Shigenobu and so on. These bigwigs of Japanese politics and the political giants of the Restoration government entered the palace one after another.

The Japanese soldiers guarding the palace gate knew with their toes that something must have happened. The Imperial Officials, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Great Treasury, etc., these people went deep into the palace at night, making the faces of these Japanese soldiers guarding the palace gate stiff and pale.

The government senator and the secretary of the Japanese navy, Katsu Haizhou, had a gloomy face that was almost dripping water. Previously, Nagasaki had sent a telegram for many days saying that there were no ships coming back to Taiwan to dock, and he had an ominous premonition in his heart. But I didn't expect it to turn out like this in the end.

Nisshin, Mengchun, Mikuni Maru, Takasago, Osaka...... and many civilian steamers. Except for one merchant ship that escaped by chance, it was all annihilated!

"Your Excellency!" The emperor was about to be met, and the captain of the guard beside Katsu Haizhou reminded him in a whisper.

Sheng Haizhou came back from his endless anger, and after tidying up his clothes a little, he walked into the palace quickly.

In the main hall, Emperor Meiji sits high on the throne, but the current Emperor Meiji has a pale face, as if he has just recovered from a serious illness. He didn't look like an emperor at all, more like a sick man.

Under the throne, Iwakura Gushi, Okubo Ritsu, Kido Takayoshi, Okuma Shigenobu and other Japanese important ministers knelt on the left and right.

"Ladies and gentlemen. The navy was defeated, and the victory or defeat of the battle for Taiwan can be imagined, and thousands of Yamato warriors are afraid that they will shatter the territory. Such a situation. How should my kingdom choose? Is it a formal declaration of war on the Qing State, or forbearance. I want to hear what you have to say! ”

Really declare war with the Qing State, see a victory or a life and death? Meiji was really scared. My family knows my own business. The current Japanese family foundation is very weak, and it is not ready to fight at all, and if it starts a full-scale war with the Qing State, it will almost be a warehouse. Ten points of force, it would be good to be able to use five or six points.

And once this war starts, Japan will almost have to gamble its national fortunes. If Japan loses the war, it will be much more difficult to rise again in the future than it is now.

Meiji himself was also an internal ruler, and Japan was not fully prepared, and he was really unwilling to challenge the 2,000-year-old empire to the west.

Sheng Haizhou knelt on the ground. Regardless of whether he fights next or not, as the person who bears the blame for the 'war sinking' of the warships such as Rijin, he must take responsibility. It is inevitable to resign from politics.

"Shengjun, I want to know, if the Imperial Navy devotes all its strength to fight the Qing fleet, will there be a chance of victory?"

The face of Youpeng in Qingshan County is not much better than that of Sheng Haizhou at this moment. The sinking of the Rishin and other battleships made Katsu Haizhou's heart ache and bleed, and if the more than 3,600 Japanese soldiers in Saigo Congdao were wiped out, Yama County Youpeng should also have a heart like a knife.

"The odds are slim. The Qing fleet was based on Fujian's shipmaster and sailors, and the four ironclad gunboats of the Qin army were its minions. The strength is already better than that of the Imperial Navy, especially after the sinking of the Nisshin and other battles. The gap is even bigger! ”

Youpeng of Shanxian sneered, and glared at Sheng Haizhou fiercely, "So what else can I do?" Is there a second way for the Imperial Kingdom other than to admit defeat? ”

Sheng Haizhou was naturally angry in his heart, but he thought that it was indeed because of the lack of naval strength that he ended up in such a situation, so he had to endure it. However, Katsu Haizhou is not a vegetarian either. The facts on the battlefield cannot be overturned, but they can still find another way to attack the Japanese Army represented by Aritomo in Yamaguchi.

"Your Majesty, for the failure of this expedition to Taiwan, the Navy Provincial Council will assume its own responsibility, and I will apply for resignation! However, it can also be seen from this that the strength of the navy was related to the survival of Japan. The Imperial State is an island nation, and the importance of the navy is irreplaceable and incomparable. However, at present, the annual expenditure of the navy is less than one-third of that of the army, and it is too overwhelming for the navy to use such a pitiful amount of funds to safeguard the victory of the imperial state in foreign wars. ”

Youpeng in Shan County heard it harshly, and his heart was furious. If it weren't for Meiji's presence, he would have jumped up. Sheng Haizhou's calm eyes glanced at Shan Shan Youpeng, but Shan County Youpeng only felt that under the calm inside, it was covered with undisguised irony.

"Perhaps we are too pessimistic about the outcome of the campaign to conquer Taiwan. The brave and loyal army will not disappoint the expectations of the Yamato nation, even without the navy. Temporarily cut off the logistics line, it is also possible to defeat the ...... of the Qing Army that came to the stage"

"Baga-" Youpeng in Shanxian couldn't hold back the anger in his heart anymore. Cursed. But the next moment the mind clears up and understands what the occasion is. Hurriedly knelt down and asked Meiji on the throne to plead guilty, "Your Majesty pleases punishment, the minister is rude." ”

Meiji blinked his eyes and said, 'Something went wrong in a hurry, and the circumstances were excusable' brought the matter to light. As a superior, you should have this skill of checks and balances. Throughout the ages, which emperor is willing to see his subordinates monolithic? The same is true in the current Restoration government.

Among the civil officials, there are the British faction and the moral rule faction. They advocated "the immediate establishment of the National Assembly" and the "formation of a new cabinet". It is proposed that "the heads of the political parties with a majority in the House of Representatives should be summoned by the Holy Lord himself, and appointed to form a cabinet"; He also advocated the adoption of the German political model, believing that the top priority was not to open a parliament and establish a cabinet, but to "first determine the monarchy's power and limit the people's rights, so that the people can be at peace with the immortal heavenly throne of eternity, so that the people can protect the natural natural heaven", and "take our country's unique imperial unification system and the people's enlightenment process as a reference." Consider the pros and cons of the gains and losses, and formulate a code charter".

Among the military attachés, there were disputes between the navy and the army, and there were disputes between the Choshu faction and the Satsuma faction.

Because of this, the position of the emperor of Meiji is so comfortable.

The strife between land and sea was crushed by Meiji. The focus of today's meeting is not on the previous things of the Navy and Army. It's the direction in which Japan will take the road!

A declaration of war, or patience?

Iwakura Gushi, the chief political officer, and the secretary of the interior, Okubo Ritsu. He has expressed his opinions. Without exception, both of them were patient. He also requested that Britain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, and other countries be promptly invited to participate in mediation.

The feelings of the people need to be taken care of, but in the present day when the feelings of the people are not stirred up at all. It will not be difficult for the new government to seize the limelight.

War, the fortunes of the country, the major affairs of the country. If you don't make all the preparations that can be done, you will start a war in a hurry, and the two of them will not be the internal governance faction, but the urgent conscription faction like Saigo Takamori.

Such a decision would hurt the morale of the Japanese people and the army, and they themselves would feel uncomfortable. But that's the harsh reality. More cruel than anything else, the law of the jungle is the only criterion and the only truth of the international community today. Who made Japan weak? And it is only necessary to detain the despicable 'sneak attack' of the Qing fleet, and it is very easy to set off the fierce feelings of the people again. And you can directly target the Qing Empire.

Secretary of the Treasury Okuma, who was also the representative of the British democratic model of the Restoration government, immediately stood in the ranks of Iwakura Gushi and Okubo Toshitsu after telling all the Japanese ministers and Meiji about Japan's current financial revenues and expenditures and the minimum amount of military funds needed to expend a full-scale war.

As a matter of fact, there are almost no people in the current Tokyo Restoration government who are willing to send Japan to fight the Manchus immediately. Don't look at the Japan of later generations, the gambling of the national fortune again and again is so crazy, paranoid, and so intense. These are not the Japan of 1874!

It takes time to accumulate and cultivate.

And what did later generations say when they commented on the rise of Japan? In the Meiji era, the Japanese government was an outstanding person with the most strategic vision and long-term goals. It is by no means comparable to the short-sighted, but extremely greedy Japanese politicians and military leaders of later generations. In fact, with Saigo Takamori's resignation from the Restoration Government last year and his return to the Satsuma Domain, the power of the Rapid Expedition faction rapidly faded and diminished in the Restoration Government. It's all the inner faction that is in charge!

The same is true for Shan County Youpeng. Don't look at the fact that he was fighting with Sheng Haizhou just now, it was just his trick to take advantage of the opportunity to fall into the well. But it is by no means an all-out war with the Manchus!

The decision of the meeting was decided, and Meiji's face was very unsightly. When he was the country, the first foreign war in the years since the Restoration ended up in such a situation. But he also knows very well that Japan's national strength is really insufficient.

Yamaguchi Youpeng didn't care about Emperor Meiji's mood at this time. To the Imperial Minister, Iwakura Gushi, and the Secretary of the Interior, Okubo Toshitsu, the two giants of the new government, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Muneru Terashima, said: "In this case, I would like to ask the government to promptly contact the ministers of Europe and the United States to mediate the matter." The safety of Saigo-kun and thousands of Yamato athletes depends on you. ”

Although Yama Prefecture Aritomo is the Choshu Domain, it is less than a pot of urine with the Satsuma Domain of the Saigo Takamori lineage. But as a bigwig of the army faction, there is absolutely no shortage of necessary literacy and sense of responsibility. He is now worried about the safety of the army that died in Taiwan.

Although Yama Prefecture Youpeng has a lot of confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Satsuma Army, and also knows that Saigo Congdao is not an incompetent person, even if he loses the support of the sea, relying on the strength in his hands, the army should be able to hold out for a period of time, and it is not impossible to even win a few battles.

However, modern warfare is about logistics. The army that conquered Taiwan won for a while, but it could not win for long. If this mediation drags on for a month or two, then he can go to Taiwan to collect the bones of the army that has conquered Taiwan.

"Please!" (To be continued......) R1292