Episode 155 The legendary Xiang Xiaoqiang

August 5th, noon, Tokyo,.

A rickshaw stopped at the door, and a middle-aged man wearing trousers, a vest, small glasses, and a mustache got down and rewarded the driver with a few dollars. The coachman bowed his head and thanked him, pulling the cart and trotting away.

The man strolled to the door of an embassy with a briefcase in his hand, showed his ID to the Japanese military police standing guard at the door, and then walked through the gate with his head bowed. The sign at the gate of the courtyard reads: Embassy of the Qing Empire in the Imperial Japan.

The man's name was Kogoro Kondo, and he was a senior employee at Oyama Co., Ltd. in Tokyo. Tokyo Oyama Co., Ltd. is a tea trading company, which imports tea from Daming all year round and then sells it to the Northern Qing Dynasty at a high price. The Ming and Qing dynasties divided the north and south of China, and each had something that the other did not produce but needed. But since the two sides are in a state of hostility, it is impossible to do business directly, so a middleman is needed. And Japan plays the role of this middleman. There are many companies in Japan like Oyama Co., Ltd., which specialize in being second-hand dealers between the Ming and Qing dynasties and making huge profits.

However, unlike other companies, Oyama Co., Ltd. is a company registered in Japan, the nominal legal person is also Japanese, and the employees of the company are all Japanese, but it is a company with a Ming background. Its real behind-the-scenes boss is Daming East Factory, and almost all the senior executives within the company are Daming people, but they are all Japanese nationals. Kogoro Kondo, who just entered, is actually a Ming man.

24 hours after Xiang Xiaoqiang spoke in front of the Shoufu residence, Daming took the initiative to contact Beiqing through this company in Tokyo. Now the relationship between the Ming and Qing dynasties, neither side recognizes the other, so any official, open contact is impossible.

24 hours, this is the time set aside by the Ming Dynasty to Emperor Guangwu of the Northern Qing Dynasty. These 24 hours were enough for the Northern Qing spies in Nanjing to react to Xiang Xiaoqiang's speech and spread it to Emperor Guangwu layer by layer. Or it should be sooner, if the sticky pole in Beijing had done its job, it would have been heard on the radio while speaking to Xiaoqiang. Either way, Emperor Guangwu had at least 12 hours or more to think about it.

An hour after Kogoro Kondo entered the Northern Qing Embassy, a "clerk" of another Northern Qing background company in Tokyo also entered the "Ming Imperial Embassy in the Imperial Japan" with his head bowed with his bag in his hand. Soon, he came out. He was not there to negotiate, nor to "return visit", but only to confirm.

As a result, the Northern Qing Embassy in Japan confirmed the identity of "Kondo Kogoro", which was indeed sent by the Ming Dynasty, and began to talk to him with confidence. At the same time, a string of encrypted radio waves flew from the air to Beijing.

Two hours later, Kogoro Kondo still had his bag in his bag and came out of the Northern Qing Embassy with his head down. This contact is complete.

……

Beijing, Qing Palace Forbidden City, North Study.

Emperor Guangwu was lying in the cool Ming-style red sandalwood circle chair, enjoying the air conditioner that had just been installed this year, holding a small cup of iced sour plum soup, sipping it, and immersing his whole body in the comfortable air conditioning.

Private air conditioning, the most extravagant summer treat of this era.

But instead of wandering with the air conditioner for nine days, his thoughts were all focused on a tightrope tape recorder in the back of his head.

The tape recorder on the small shelf behind him slowly rotated, and the two coils of steel wires rotated with it, releasing sound signals.

It was Xiang Xiaoqiang's voice:

“…… Your Majesty the Emperor, this is boring, really boring. What good is it to do things that harm others and not to oneself? What else can you gain but vent your frustration at not being able to invade the south and make us suffer a little......

“…… Your Majesty the Emperor, if I were you, I would think about it, if you have such a good deck of cards in your hand, you should play it well and not waste it. Wouldn't it be a pity if the opportunity to make better use of it was lost in a hurry......

“…… Really, Your Majesty the Emperor, be pragmatic. If everyone had been more pragmatic, we should have been able to get a mutually satisfactory outcome this time...... There are bound to be thousands of results that will make you more satisfied. I think there must be a lot more that the Qing Dynasty needs......

“…… As long as he makes an offer, we can negotiate how high the price is for the safe return of our relatives......"

Emperor Guangwu stared at the sour plum soup in the cup with great attention, listening to the "legendary" voice of Xiang Xiaoqiang.

…… This is the kid who captured my 150,000 troops to Nanming at the beginning of the year...... Earlier, this kid ran to my hinterland, bloodied my sticky pole and train, and abducted my cousin to Nanyang......

…… But listen to the voice, this kid is not such a capable person! A mouthful of authentic Lunan dialect is not like learning at all, it is simply a fake Qing Dynasty person! Why did anyone who had some ability in the Qing Dynasty end up running to Nanming?

Alas......

He "clicked" and put the porcelain cup in his hand on the table. The two military ministers behind him were frightened, looked at each other, lowered their heads, and did not dare to raise their eyes.

Emperor Guangwu didn't have a seizure, but stood up expressionlessly, and slowly paced to the small rosewood wooden frame where the tape recorder was played. He raised his hand, his fingers flicking on the casing of the tape recorder again and again, slowly, and his face became more and more gloomy by the second.

The tape recorder played repeatedly, and the arrogant voice of Xiang Xiaoqiang kept coming out:

“…… So, the anti-Qing fighters who went into exile in the Ming Dynasty, the writers who wrote articles to expose the darkness of the Northern Qing Dynasty and criticized the Northern Qing Dynasty, the Dongchang commissioners who organized and led the Northern Qing Resistance Organization, and even our cabinet ministers, the princess of Liaoyang, and even the first auxiliary ministers and His Majesty himself...... As long as the number of people kidnapped by the Qing captives is large enough and weighty, who can't extort it? …… So, it's not something to talk about at all! ”

Emperor Guangwu listened to these words that stimulated him one by one: anti-Qing fighters in exile of the Ming Dynasty...... A writer who wrote articles to expose the darkness of the Northern Qing Dynasty and criticize the Northern Qing Dynasty...... There is also the so-called "Princess Liaoyang", and Pu Hengbeiler, who just defected a few days ago, the tank expert...... These are all defectors from my Qing Dynasty to Nanming...... From the peasant at the bottom, to the cousin of He Shuoge and me at the top...... From low to high, there are people from all walks of life...... Nanming is like magic, making everyone desperately run there...... If this continues, one day, the people of the Qing Dynasty will run out!

He suddenly raised his hand and was about to slap the tape recorder to the ground.

However, his palms hung in the air, his eyes fixed on the tape recorder, staring at the slowly turning steel wire on it, and hesitated.

“…… If I were you, you would think about it, if you have such a good deck of cards in your hand, you should play it well and not waste it. Wouldn't it be a pity if the opportunity to make better use of it was lost in a momentary hurry......"

The two military ministers behind him desperately lowered their heads and shrunk their necks, so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe, and their eyes were half-open, glancing at the emperor's high-raised slap.

However, Emperor Guangwu's hand slowly fell. The fury that was close to a volcanic eruption just now disappeared without a trace in two seconds. He smiled, patted the tape recorder lightly, and said with a smile:

"Interesting. Hehe, kind of interesting. ”

After a while, he turned around and asked faintly:

"So, the representative of Nanming in Tokyo implored me to negotiate?"

The two ministers of military aircraft behind him looked at each other, and they both let out a sigh of relief, their faces returned to blood, and they smiled together:

"Emperor Shengming, exactly."

Emperor Guangwu lightly flicked the tape recorder with his fingers again, and said with a smile:

"Yes. Let's arrange it. ”

……

In Tokyo, the "Japanese staff" of the company with the background of the Northern Qing Dynasty once again quietly walked into the Ming Embassy. Soon, a string of encrypted radio waves flew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nanjing.

In the imperial study of the Forbidden City, Shen Rongxuan, Xiang Xiaoqiang, and several ministers were gathering here to wait and discuss. Zhu Yourong took a nap in the dormitory. As soon as there was an echo from the Northern Qing Dynasty, they would immediately ask someone to wake up Zhu Yourong and hold a small imperial meeting.

Several ministers and Xiang Xiaoqiang were all smoking cigarettes, without saying a word, and each looked at the various newspapers in front of them. People from outside would also keep buying newspapers that published relevant news and sending them to the palace. Moreover, there are special personnel in the palace who listen to the radio stations of various countries 24 hours a day to listen to the latest views of international public opinion on this matter. More important is the domestic radio station of Daming. These broadcasters all have political discussion programs, and each of them has invited famous political activists and celebrities as guests to discuss and comment on the matter between the Qing Dynasty. The letters sent to the radio company by Daming listeners will also be selected as representative readings.

All of this is what the decision-makers of the Ming Dynasty need to understand around the clock.

The Minister of Information walked in briskly. All eyes in the study were on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the Minister of Information, with a slight smile on his face, "that Beijing has agreed to arrange secret talks. ”

The study room was filled with an atmosphere of joy. Everyone smiled relaxedly, picked up their teacups and drank. Because the decision-making level of the Ming Dynasty has already reached a consensus: I'm afraid that the Northern Qing Dynasty will not talk to you at all. As long as Beiqing is willing to sit down and talk, then he is not afraid that it will open his mouth. Anyway, two months later, the Northern Qing will be opened. As much as it eats now, it will have to vomit twice as much as it eats.

"Wake up Your Majesty."

The Home Secretary said with a smile.

Soon, Zhu Yourong was dressed neatly and walked into the imperial study with a smile. She had already heard what Wei Zijin said, and she already knew that there was a good result over there.

Several people immediately began to discuss what conditions the Northern Qing might put forward and what conditions the Ming could promise to the Northern Qing.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is somewhat concerned:

"What if the puppet Qing makes a request that we can't accept? For example, it requires us not to organize a southward escape in the future, not to continue to support the Taihang Mountain Column, and to repatriate important southward escapees, such as Princess Liaoyang...... How should we respond? ”

Shen Rongxuan shook his head and said with a smile:

"Emperor Guangwu is more intelligent, and he should not make such a request. You can think about it, if he asks us not to continue to organize a southward escape in the future and not to continue to support the Taihang Mountain Column, then what means can he have to ensure that we will not continue to do these things in the future, except for a treaty? We now regularly organize a southern escape and regularly support the Taihang Mountain Column, and the Northern Qing Dynasty has no way to deal with us. Then even if we continue to do it in the future, it will be the same and we can't do it. As for the treaty, the whole world knows that it was signed by the Northern Qing Dynasty under despicable means to coerce us, and even if we tear it up afterwards, there will not be much moral obstacle.

"Actually, even if we really abide by the treaty, no longer organize a southern escape in the future, and no longer airdrop to Taihang Mountain, it doesn't matter. The Northern Expedition will be in October, that is, two months. When the time comes, it will be torn up as well. What's more, the Taihang Mountain Column is now basically self-sufficient, and the only thing that needs to be airdropped regularly is ammunition. Now they have plenty of ammunition, and it doesn't matter if there is an interval of two months. As for the repatriation of important southern escapees...... I don't think Emperor Guangwu would be fooled enough to make such a request. What is the root cause of this incident? It's that we don't want to hand over people to the north. Guangwu should be very clear, for Daming, it can be negotiated to hand over things and money, but not to pay people. It's a game of tiger for us. He should know. ”

……

After discussing for an afternoon, at dusk, the Ming Embassy in Japan came with news that the Northern Qing side had set a place for negotiations. Beijing rejected the Ming Dynasty's proposal that "each side send a cruiser to the high seas and then negotiate on a civilian yacht in between," saying beyond doubt that negotiations must be made on land, and they must be on the land of the Northern Qing Dynasty. And the other party specified that there must be Xiang Xiaoqiang in the Nanming delegation.

When the foreign secretary finished reading the telegram, everyone was stunned.