Li Hongzhang sat in a carriage, under the protection of 200 elite Huai soldiers from the Beiyang Governor's Palace, and hurried all the way, and after arriving at Beijing, Li Hongzhang did not stay for a moment, and entered the Forbidden City, meeting the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

Li Hongzhang told the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu about Japan's undeclared war, attacking the three returning warships of the Beiyang Naval Division, and sinking the Japanese ship Qiujinzhou by the Xinghai, a training ship of the Naval Academy.

When the Qing Emperor Guangxu heard this, he immediately said excitedly: "The small country of Japan is really daring!" A few years ago, he invaded and occupied Ryukyu, a subject country of the Qing Dynasty, and he also wanted to occupy my Taiwan Prefecture! Now not only is it making waves in Korea, a subject country of our Great Qing Dynasty, but it has launched a coup d'état to abolish the Korean king canonized by our Great Qing Dynasty and set up a new Korean king! Now you dare to attack our Qing warship, it's really unbearable! War! War must be waged! Teach the arrogant Japanese a good lesson! ”

After listening to Guangxu's words, Li Hongzhang did not say anything, but turned his eyes to the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Empress Dowager Cixi actually didn't care much about North Korea, Japan or anything in her heart, and she now thought that her upcoming 60th birthday was the most important!

Therefore, the Empress Dowager Cixi still didn't want to fight with the Japanese on her 60th birthday, which affected the joy of her 60th birthday. Even Cixi agreed to send troops to Korea, but she only wanted not to weaken the face of the Qing Dynasty in Korea, and did not want to start a dispute with Japan on her sixtieth birthday.

The Empress Dowager Cixi said: "It's better not to fight or not to fight!" Fighting a war is spending money, and the silver in our Qing treasury has never been enough! According to the meaning of the mourning family, Li Hongzhang, you go to the Westerners in Britain and Germany to help mediate! It is better not to fight or not to fight! Anyway, our Qing Dynasty didn't suffer a loss, didn't we sink a big Japanese ship! Li Hongzhang, you give the emperor and the mourning family a copy of the list of meritorious personnel, and the imperial court will reward the meritorious personnel! ”

Emperor Guangxu heard Cixi say this, and the young and vigorous Guangxu still wanted to get Cixi to agree with his idea and start a war against Japan, so Guangxu said: "Dear father, I feel ......"

Guangxu had just said a few words, but was interrupted by Cixi, "The emperor doesn't need to say it, this matter will be done according to the meaning of the mourning family!" Li Hongzhang, you should contact the Western ministers and have a good talk with Japan, the 60th birthday of the mourning family is approaching, try not to fight! ”

As soon as Li Hongzhang heard the words of the Empress Dowager Cixi, he looked at the pale Emperor Guangxu again, and said: "The Empress Dowager, the emperor, then the old minister will go to the Western ministers and ask them to mediate and try not to fight with Japan!" ”

It's a pity that the Empress Dowager Cixi's wishful thinking was not correct, she didn't want to affect her 60th birthday, and the Japanese were not afraid of affecting the 60th birthday of the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty.

When the two Japanese cruisers, Yoshino and Naniwa, converged with the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy, the entire combined fleet of the Japanese Navy was taken aback, and did not expect that the cruiser Akitsuzu was sunk by the Qing warships! Immediately, the Japanese Navy was furious and demanded that war be declared immediately with the Qing Dynasty and avenge the Akitsu Island!

The commander of the Combined Fleet, Ito Yuhiro, reported the sinking of the Akitsuzu to Japan, and reported the request of the navy to declare war on the Qing Dynasty to the Japanese headquarters and Emperor Meiji.

Emperor Meiji of Japan received a telegram from Ito Yuhiro, discussed with Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, and brought Japanese Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu into the Imperial Palace.

After Mutsu Munemitsu came out of the Japanese Imperial Palace, he immediately summoned the ministers of various countries stationed in Japan and announced that the Beiyang Naval Division of the Great Qing Dynasty had attacked the Japanese Navy, causing the sinking of the cruiser Akitsuzu of the Japanese Navy, and the cruiser Yoshino and Naniwa were slightly injured, resulting in 310 dead or missing and 80 injured.

Mutsu Munemitsu, who is now Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially declared war on behalf of Emperor Meiji against the Qing Dynasty!

Li Hongzhang was about to invite Western envoys to mediate the contradictions between the Qing Dynasty and Japan, when news suddenly came from Japan that Japan reversed black and white, saying that the Qing Dynasty had attacked the Japanese navy, causing one sinking and two casualties, and officially declared war on the Qing Dynasty!

At this moment, Li Hongzhang no longer had to mediate with the Western ministers, and immediately rushed to the Forbidden City to meet the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

When Guangxu heard that Japan had declared war on the Qing Dynasty, not only was he not angry, but he was also a little secretly happy in his heart, and looked at Cixi, aren't you afraid of delaying your 60th birthday and not letting you go to war with Japan! Now the Japanese don't give you face, they have declared war on the Qing Dynasty, now it's up to you to do what the queen mother does!

Cixi was very angry at this time, originally for her sixtieth birthday, the Japanese sneak attack on the warships of the Qing Dynasty, and she was not ready to use the sword soldiers, but she did not expect the Japanese to reverse black and white, saying that the Qing Dynasty attacked the Japanese warships, and officially declared war on the Qing Dynasty in front of the ministers of various countries.

The Empress Dowager Cixi said in a deep voice: "Since the Japanese don't know what to do, let's teach them a lesson, and let the Japanese know that they know how powerful I am in the Qing Dynasty!" Your Majesty, Li Hongzhang, I'll leave the rest to you! The mourning family was tired, and went back to the palace to rest! ”

After speaking, the Empress Dowager Cixi, with the support of the palace maid and eunuch Li Lianying, immediately went to this palace and returned to her Xinuan Pavilion.

After the Empress Dowager Cixi left, Guangxu excitedly said to Li Hongzhang: "Li Aiqing, you immediately convene the ministers of various countries to clarify the fact that the Japanese Navy attacked our warship of the Beiyang Naval Division of the Qing Dynasty!" Then on behalf of me, declare war on Japan! ”

Li Hongzhang was ordered to leave the Forbidden City, and then the Qing Dynasty officially declared war on Japan!

At the port of Weihaiwei, at this time, the main officials of the Beiyang Naval Division, including Admiral Ding Ruchang, were standing on the wharf. Lin Daxin took some students from the Navy Academy who were already the main commanders of the navy and army and also stood on the dock.

At this time, someone in the crowd at the dock shouted, "It's back!" ”

The people on the pier immediately saw a few wisps of black smoke appear on the sea in the distance, and slowly several ships became clearer and clearer. It is the Jiyuan and Guangyi of the Beiyang Naval Division, the Xinghai and Anhai of the Naval Academy, a total of 4 warships.

After the Battle of Toshima, the four warships escorted the Gao Sheng, which transported nearly 1,000 elite Huai troops, and the Caojiang, which transported ordnance and materials, and arrived at Asan in North Korea, and when the personnel and ordnance materials were transported to the shore, the four warships immediately returned to Weihaiwei.

On the route back to Weihaiwei, the four warships did not encounter any more Japanese naval warships and arrived at Weihaiwei safely.

After Fang Boqian, the commander of the Jiyuan ship, Lin Guoxiang, the commander of the First Fleet of the Naval Academy, and the commander of the First Fleet of the Naval Academy, and Jiang Chen, the captain of the Xinghai of the Naval Academy, descended from the warship to the dock, Ding Ruchang said with a smile on his face: "All the officers and soldiers have worked hard! As long as there are meritorious soldiers in naval battles, the old man will ask the court for merit in the merit to the court! Walk! The old man has already chartered the largest restaurant in the Weihai Acropolis, and today the old man invites you to drink celebration wine! ”

The crowd at the dock applauded, thanked the Admiral, and walked into the Weihai Acropolis all the way.

Sun Xitao and Jiang Chen, who were full of red light, walked up to Lin Daxin's side, "General Office!" Mission accomplished! "Headmaster, we sank the Akitsu Island!" The two said excitedly.

Lin Daxin patted the shoulders of the two of them and said with a smile: "Good job!" It's a shame for our Sailor School! ”