"It's been a while since Shigenobu Okuma went to Tohoku, right?" Emperor Meiji asked.

Because it wasn't a formal meeting, the atmosphere wasn't so strict, so Ito Hirobumi nodded and said, "It's been more than a month." ”

Shigenobu Okuma is currently participating in border negotiations between Tohoku and the Russian Empire in Morikyo in the Tohoku Autonomous Region, and he is actually a spectator with little practical role. Although it is very important to observe the ceremony, and it can also make the Japanese feel a sense of zài, but this is not the main reason why the emperor sent him to Tohoku, it is just a reason. Shigenobu Okuma's more important work was to liaise with world powers such as Britain, France, Russia, and the United States, introduce technology, strengthen armaments, and expand investment, while at the same time trying to ease tensions with Tohoku, and collect information on all aspects of Tohoku and the Qing Dynasty.

Emperor Meiji pondered for a moment, then his eyes fell on Yama Prefecture Aritomo, and said, "I heard that Tohoku has started a garrison in Hokkaido?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yama Prefecture Youpeng's face was not very good, and he said: "In June this year, Tohoku sent a regiment to Hokkaido, with an army of nearly 2,000 people. In addition, a new army of 2,000 men was recruited in Hokkaido itself. Just three days ago, Tohoku once again sent a new army to Hokkaido, this time on a much larger scale than the first, with three special operations regiments. Although it is not an integrated division, it is unified in dispatch, and the scale of a integrated division in the northeast is not much different. ”

"It is said that the Tohoku army sent to Hokkaido this time was all captured by the Russian army from the battlefield of Eastern Russia? And the defense of the entire Hokkaido army, which was also handed over to a Russian general named Vasilyevich? Ito Hirobumi was a little skeptical about the authenticity of the news.

"This news has been confirmed!" Aritomo Yamaguchi affirmed Ito's statement.

Saigo Congdao was obviously a little surprised by the arrangement of the Northeast, so he hurriedly said: "If this is the case, can we use it?" Didn't the Qing people pay attention to the so-called non-self race, and their hearts must be different? They are clearly not going to be in the same boat as the ethnic Russian soldiers, and that is the key to what we can exploit. ”

"What Aiqing said is very true!"

Emperor Meiji agreed with Saigo's mention of the province, but Aritomo in Yamaguchi sang the opposite.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy!" Kuroda Kiyotaka, who had not spoken, also opened his mouth at this time. His position in the Meiji government was no longer below that of several other bigwigs.

"What do you mean by that?" Saigo Congdao is not very interested in Kuroda Kiyotaka, not to mention that the other party still directly denies his opinion.

"Before the formal border talks, the two sides held preliminary talks of intent, and one of the important agreements was that the two sides should exchange prisoners. However, the Northeast side had far more prisoners than the Russian side, and in order to make up for the gap in numbers between the two sides, the Russian side was finally forced to give in, and the solution was that the Northeast Autonomous Region exchanged prisoners for the families of the Russian surrendered soldiers. ”

As soon as Kuroda Kiyotaka explained, everyone present understood.

"Are these family members going to Hokkaido with the army?" Hirobumi Ito asked.

"No, they still stay in the northeast, most of them have been allocated land, and some of them have stayed in the towns to work and earn a living."

Kuroda Kiyotaka simply said that although the king sent Vasilyevich's troops to Hokkaido, the families of these soldiers were left behind in the Tohoku mainland. As long as these people are not firm in their will, it is estimated that they will not be able to see their parents, wives and children in this life. Of course, this is not just against Vasilyevich's army, but, in fact, this is the consistent policy of the insurance team.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks he should try it." Saigo is not dead, and Ito Hirobumi agrees with his idea that a dead horse should be a live horse doctor.

There was a gust of wind blowing outside, and although the weather in Tokyo was not cold now, Emperor Meiji did not use any heating equipment in the house in order to set an example for the Japanese people, save public money, and support national construction.

"It's cold in my heart!" Emperor Meiji said secretly in his heart. Regarding Saigo's mentions, although he also wanted to support it, he also knew in his heart that there was little hope of success in this matter. If nothing else, just two points. First, Vasilyevich lives in the barracks, and ordinary people do not see it at all! How to get in touch with it is a big question. The second point is that Vasilyevich is Russian, and to come into contact with it, at least be able to speak Russian. And at this time in Japan, how many people can really speak Russian?

"Your Majesty, let me go!"

When the monarchs and ministers took a look, it was Enomoto Takeyang who took the initiative to sign up!

Speaking of which, this person is also an exception in today's Meiji government. He had deep ties to Hokkaido, having founded the Republic of Ezo (Ezo is Hokkaido) and was himself president. Later, he was exterminated by Kuroda Kiyotaka, who is also present at the scene, and after surrendering, he became Japan's ambassador to Russia, and also served as ambassador to Daqing. Now in his fifties, he is able to write and fight, except for the early years of the government in favor of the shogunate, hating the Satsuma domain and Nagasu, and hating Katsukaishu's surrender to Edo (that is, Tokyo), these are somewhat against the shortcomings of the Meiji government, and his own talent is indeed highly regarded by later generations of Japanese, and some even compare it to Sakamoto Ryoma.

After exchanging glances, Emperor Meiji discovered that Takehiro Enomoto was indeed the most suitable candidate to go to Hokkaido as a lobbyist at the moment, but Tohoku was also known for being strict with spies. In the past, a British person stole secrets related to the electronics industry at the University of Commerce, and was later caught by the Northeast Intelligence Bureau. In order to rescue this person, the British ambassador to China personally interceded, and even the vice king of India wrote a letter of apology to the northeastern government and sent a special envoy to mediate. But in the end, the Northeast Supreme People's Court still went its own way, and sentenced the spy to death by hanging in accordance with the autonomous region's secrets law. The only thing that can be said about the ambassador and the vice king's face is that the Northeast side did not execute him immediately, but gave the spy and his relatives the opportunity to meet before he died, which is a very remarkable humanitarian concern.

The British are still like this, and if the Japanese engage in espionage activities in the Northeast Autonomous Region, I am afraid that in the end it will not be as simple as the death of a spy. It is likely to cause the last diplomatic dispute that the Meiji government wants to see, and may even trigger a war between the two sides.

You know, now the war between the Northeast and Russia has basically come to an end. For the Russians, of course, this is long-awaited good news, giving them time to recuperate and regain their national strength for the future. But for Japan, it's really bad news! Because everyone understands that once the Northeast loses such an enemy and such a concern as Tsarist Russia, then Japan will be officially served on the table.

Man is a sword, I am a fish!