"Why did Master Gu teach me?" Li Hongzhang gave a deep salute.

Li Hongzhang is the best among the Han ministers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and he figured out the ins and outs of it in only a short time, and did not hesitate to pay homage to the noble gifts in order to get a plan.

He was not paying homage to the person in front of him, but to the noble Majesty behind him.

Gu Zhixue accepted this gift calmly, and his heart was as comfortable as eating ginseng fruit, and the 36,000 pores revealed the word "cool", and he was secretly surprised that his brother-in-law expected, and his admiration was like a surging river......

Not everyone can be worshiped by Li Hongzhang, the extremely powerful prime minister of Beiyang, you must know that this extremely popular minister in front of him is very trusted by the Empress Dowager of the West, and even Emperor Guangxu is not in his eyes.

Slaves, you can't be half-hearted.

"Please be polite, I want to know how the imperial court is dealing with the Sino-Japanese peace talks now?"

"Oh, the Prime Minister's Yamen already has a plan, and plans to send Zhang Yinhuan, a household minister, and Shao Youlian, the governor of Hunan, as ministers plenipotentiary, and to hire US Secretary of State Kostec as an adviser to Japan to seek peace.

"Since there is no need to change the original arrangement, it is good to make the trip as soon as possible, I expect that the imperial envoys will definitely return in vain, and the Japanese will be humiliated, and the prime minister will not come forward for peace talks, and the Fuso people will never give up, so it is fine...... It is more helpful to see the true face of the Fuso people. ”

Is that okay?

Hearing Gu Zhixue's fluttering words, Li Hongzhang was speechless for a moment, his heart was shrouded in a huge sense of fear and crisis, and he even wanted to beg for bones from the imperial court and return to his hometown to be raised.

What people seek in this life is a posthumous name, ancient and modern Chinese and foreign emperors and court ministers all attach importance to the posthumous overflow, so they have many scruples during their tenure, and they are afraid of falling into a reputation through the ages, which is really dead and not blind!

Seriously, he was scared.

It is precisely because he knows the stakes and thinks clearly about the key that Li Hongzhang feels more and more frightened.

The governor of Beizhili in front of him does not represent the Gu family, but represents the world-famous man who has established a vast emerging kingdom in the depths of the South Seas that is not inferior to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, an admirable existence.

"Master Gu, please be sure to pull Li, I'm polite." Li Hongzhang left his seat again and gave a deep salute.

This ceremony is to worship Gu Zhixue in the Eight Classics.

Gu Zhixue got up happily and straightened his clothes, and returned the salute with his hand; "Master Li, please sit down and talk."

"I'm in turmoil at the moment, how can I sit down."

"Master Li, just sit down and listen to me one by one."

"So...... It is better to be respectful than to obey fate. ”

The two sides sat down again, and Gu Zhixue said with a straight face;

"Now that the war situation is erosive, the minds of the soldiers and horses of the imperial court have changed, and they cannot resist the fierce attack of the elite army of Fusang, and the rout is a foregone conclusion, and it can be reversed by non-human power.

The plan now is to put it to death and live later.

The key battlefield is the battle of Weihaiwei and even Liugong Island, and the next step of the Japanese army will definitely be directed at the Beiyang Navy, which will be annihilated as soon as possible.

Otherwise, it cannot give a strong shock to the imperial court, otherwise, it cannot strip away the backbone of the imperial court's coastal defense and let it act recklessly.

Otherwise, he would not be able to get enough chips to open his mouth, and then seek to cede the three eastern provinces and Taiwan, and obtain a huge compensation of 300 million taels of silver.

Therefore, the key to everything lies in the Beiyang Naval Division and the Battle of Liugong Island.

The prime minister must transfer the elite of the Huai army to fight a desperate and bloody battle, and this battle must press the coffin book, fight bloody, play with momentum, and fight the Fusang people in pain, in order to win a good start for the next step of signing a contract and war reparations.

There are dozens of forts and hundreds of artillery pieces on Liugong Island, as long as there are enough troops to defend tenaciously, it is enough for the Fusang people to drink a pot.

This is the first step, the second step...... When the defenders of Liugong Island were exhausted, the Beiyang Navy must fight to the death with all its members, strive to inflict heavy losses on the enemy, and create conditions for the next intervention of various countries.

This matter is difficult, but the Beiyang Navy is a new type of army built by the prime minister, and Admiral Ding Ruchang is deeply righteous and not afraid of death, and will inevitably carry out the order to the letter, which is gratifying. ”

After listening to Gu Zhixue's words, Li Hongzhang pondered for a moment and asked solemnly; "Lord Gu, I can do these two things, but the Beiyang Navy is short of ammunition, the ships have been severely damaged, and now many artillery pieces have been damaged, and the combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced, even if I go to sea, I am afraid it will be ......."

"It doesn't matter, the Ocean Kingdom has already prepared sufficient ammunition in the Weihaiwei British Concession, as well as twelve 152 mm Krupp new rapid-fire guns, 5,000 rifles, and 40 Makqin heavy machine guns, which can be sent to Liugong Island as long as they receive an order, so as to help the fleet restore its combat effectiveness and help the defenders fight a defensive and bloody battle."

"That's great." Li Hongzhang blurted out excitedly, but after thinking about it, he asked with a slightly puzzled expression; "Why do you have so much guns and ammunition in advance?"

"The prime minister is a fan of the authorities, and the Fuso people have been carefully preparing for this national war for more than 10 years, and the surrounding powers are very clear that the Ocean Kingdom has just made a small layout in advance, and it is not a big deal." Gu Zhixue explained indifferently.

"Alas, old man, so faint!" Li Hongzhang shook his head with a wry smile, then looked at Gu Zhixue and said; "Lord Gu must have something to ask for, right?"

"That's right, the hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, and we are naturally not exempt from vulgarity." Gu Zhixue didn't have a look of embarrassment on his face, now that he talks about drama meat, he naturally has to get what he wants, otherwise wouldn't he have done useless work?

"First of all, my father is very old, so I want to ask for the position of the governor of Liangguang, after all, the Gu family has been in business there for many years, and there is no shortage of contacts or anything."

The first condition is heavyweight, Gu Yanchuan has been the governor of Liangguang for more than ten years, and then his son Gu Zhixue will be replaced below, this is the rhythm of building the Liangguang region into the base camp of the Gu family!

But in the face of the crisis of his family and country, Li Hongzhang had no choice at all, just hesitated, then nodded with a wry smile and said; "However, I will play the Empress Dowager of the West and try my best to ensure that Lord Gu is appointed as the governor of Liangguang."

"Secondly, at a certain time early next year, the Governor of North Vietnam, Gu Zhiwen, will announce the founding of the country, and the scope is the current northern part of the Kingdom of Vietnam, and I hope that the imperial court can acquiesce to it and canonize it after the table."

"However, the Kingdom of Vietnam has always been a vassal of the Qing Dynasty, and now it has fallen into the hands of the French, and the court cannot help it.

"Article 3, the Ocean Kingdom requires that all localities not obstruct the opening of schools in Guangjitang, provide relief to orphaned children, and not obstruct immigration to the Ocean Kingdom."

"But, the old man will do his best to defend it."

"Fourth, if Taiwan is successfully secured, the Ocean Kingdom requires the opening of two commercial ports in Taipei and Kaohsiung, and the establishment of a concession garrison, on conditions equivalent to those of Weihaiwei in the British Concession."

"This ...... I will present this matter to the Empress Dowager Xi, elaborate on it, and make a contribution to this matter. ”

"Okay, let's talk about how to operate the follow-up negotiations of the Qing-Japanese First Sino-Japanese War......" Gu Zhixue lowered his voice and said to Li Hongzhang mysteriously, and after a long time, the other party stood up with a sigh of relief and bowed, and said; If this can be done, all the people in the world are lucky! ”

"This matter must come out of my mouth and into your ears, if the opportunity is not secret, I am afraid that it will be difficult to achieve a big thing!"

"This ...... Prince Gong of the Prime Minister's Yamen is a straw bag, and it is not difficult to hide it from him, but what Lord Gu asks for is extremely important, the current Sino-Japanese War is related to the honor and disgrace of the country, and it is not a matter of Li's words, and many major matters need to be decided by the Empress Dowager Mingxi, which cannot be bypassed. ”

"Then only please Lord Li face to face the Empress Dowager Xi, I don't need to say more, today's court has leaked like a sieve, as long as the news leaks Fusang people will definitely know, then our major affairs will be difficult to implement, I am afraid that those eunuchs and palace maids in the palace are unreliable, I hope Lord Li will do it himself."

"Please rest assured, Lord Gu, I will enter the palace to perform secretly, but I will not let the news leak and delay the big event."

"Of course it would be nice if it did."

Governor's Palace in Saigon, Vietnam

When the First Sino-Japanese War was in full swing in the north, Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia, and other powers did not sit idle, but privately carried out intensive shuttle diplomacy activities to unify their respective positions and prepare for the next step of dividing up the interests of East Asia.

Now the situation on the battlefield is very clear, and the Qing Dynasty is a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

In the Doge's Palace, Montapero, Governor of Saigon, France, was reading a confidential letter from His Excellency Arnoldto, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in which he said:

"According to the information provided by our envoy in Tokyo, Taiwan will be the target of the Japanese attack from Hiroshima, and the Penghu Islands will also be the destination of this expedition......

This area has special interests for France, especially the Penghu Islands......

So to speak

The area marks the northern boundary of the area that is closely related to our Indochina possessions, and we particularly want to maintain the status quo in the area. ”

The current war situation in the north affects the hearts of the French, and the governor of Saigon, Montapero, in a correspondence with the French minister to Japan, Harman, once bluntly stated:

"If Fuso demands the cession of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands as a condition for peace, France will protest against its infringement of interests."

French Foreign Minister Arnault issued a similar warning in a public forum in Paris: "If Fuso touches Taiwan, it will provoke us, and France will never allow such a thing to happen." ”

The course of the war is very clear now, and the defeat of the Qing Dynasty is almost a certainty, and France has been paying close attention to the negotiation process and content between the two sides, and the focus of its nerves is whether there is a proposal to cede Taiwan and Penghu in the terms of peace.

The French minister to Japan, Halmann, bluntly said: "If Fuso demands the cession of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands as a condition for peace, France will protest against the infringement of its interests." ”

French Foreign Minister Arnoldto recently issued a similar warning in a public forum in Paris: "If Fuso touches Taiwan, it will provoke us!" ”

During the period when the Qing Dynasty sent negotiation envoys, France has been concerned about whether Taiwan and Peng will be occupied by Fuso, which is even more concerned than the Qing government, and it is as heartbroken as an old mother.

The reason is very simple, the Western powers have long regarded the territory of the Great Qing Dynasty as a big piece of fat on a plate, and if the Fuso people want to take it, it depends on whether the French and Germans agree with it.

What's the matter with the Germans here?

In fact, many people don't know that the Germans have always had ambitions for Taiwan and the Penghu Islands and intended to occupy them, which may be the sorrow of a declining empire.

In 1860 and 1871, there were two calls within the Prussian (German) government to occupy Taiwan in order to establish a stronghold in the Far East similar to Hong Kong or Macao, but they were finally shelved due to the opposition of Prime Minister Bismarck and other dignitaries.

November 2, 1894

Kaiser Wilhelm II demanded that Chancellor Ho Lun Loch keep an eye on the situation in the Far East and intervene in the Sino-Japanese War at an appropriate time in order to obtain Taiwan as mediation compensation, which is different from the policy of the previous German Emperor Wilhelm I, and this is the latest effort made by Wilhelm II to acquire colonies in East Asia.

On 7 November, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent another telegram to Chancellor Holen Loché:

"We also need to get a permanent foothold in China......

For this purpose, I propose to consider Formosa (Taiwan), so it is necessary to secretly quickly conclude an agreement with Fuso, and to instruct our fleet to be quickly equipped. ”

After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War

Germany was nominally neutral, but in fact pro-Japanese, and "secretly reached an agreement with Fuso" in order to mediate the Sino-Japanese war on the premise of favoring and satisfying Fuso, and then use this to solicit credit from the Manchus and include Taiwan as its sphere of influence.

However, Foreign Minister Machar saw it more clearly, he believed that Fuso was determined to win Taiwan, and if Germany insisted on acquiring Taiwan, it would be impossible to reach an agreement with Fuso, and it would not be conducive to the neutral and friendly policy pursued by its own government towards Fuso, and bad relations with Japan would not be conducive to its long-term interests in the Far East.

Eventually, Kaiser Wilhelm II took the advice of Foreign Minister Marchar and abandoned the idea of getting involved in Taiwan.

Taiwan was not an ideal target for Germany, as Count Elimpaught pointed out in a report as early as 1861; "Taiwan is not suitable for European immigration, its ports are not good, and none of them are suitable for serving as a base in the territorial waters of the Qing Dynasty."

The German ambassador to China, as well as the naval and diplomatic departments, preferred Zhoushan and Jiaozhou Bay, and it was more appropriate for the colonial target to move north to Zhoushan and Jiaozhou Bay.

Considering that Taiwan is also an important transit point for trade between Fuso, the Kingdom of the Great Ocean, and the Korean and Manchu Qing Dynasty and the Nanyang Kingdom, after the Fuso State occupies Taiwan and Peng, it will control the Far East, a major maritime route, and the scale of its trade with China, the Ocean Kingdom, and the South Seas will also expand rapidly, and the commercial interests of the great powers in Taiwan and even in the Far East will undoubtedly be impacted.

Therefore, although Germany gave up its plan to colonize Taiwan, it did not want Fuso to occupy the place, and Germany and France coincided in this regard.

From this, it can be seen that although on the surface the Qing Dynasty sent personnel to Fusang to sue for peace, in fact, European and American countries were heartbroken, Tsarist Russia stared at the development of the situation like a donkey's egg, the United States enthusiastically mediated up and down, and the US Secretary of State Kostec was dispatched, can you say that he was only for world peace?

This kind of thing is not believed by fools, and the attempt to seek profit is obvious.

Crestec's feelings for the Qing Dynasty are not so deep, and he himself is not so enthusiastic about public welfare, so it is just for profit.

Of course, the Ocean Kingdom is not a good bird, it is doing a small action in the fire, having said that, don't look at the life of the Great Qing Kingdom that was almost beaten and can't take care of itself, the Fusang Kingdom that is afraid is going to die, the Ocean Kingdom is not afraid at all, and the ability to pull hatred is first-class strong.