February 12, 15 p.m.

Toyo, the wartime base camp of Hiroshima.

Emperor Meiji, Hirobumi Ito, Saigo Shomichi, Shikinori Kayama, Kawakami Shoroku, Mutsu Munemitsu, Chief of Staff Kodama Gentaro of the Base Camp, Army Infantry Masatoshi Osaji, Navy Osa Yamamoto Gonbei, Chief of Attendant Military Attaché, Director of the Military Affairs Bureau, Army Major General Seiki Okazawa, Privy Counsellors, Vice Admiral Nakamuta Kuranosuke, Keisuke Otori,——

A group of core members of the wartime headquarters of the Hiroshima base camp of the East Ocean gathered to discuss the next course of action.

"According to the information fed back by the envoys of Western countries, the first army of the general of Shan County went straight to Tangshan, an important mineral town in the Qing Dynasty, after breaking through the customs; After the total annihilation of Luo Rongguang and Cao Kezhong's two nearly 20,000 Qing soldiers, they let go of the Luanzhou Coal Mine and went straight west to Yanjing. ”

Staff Army Infantry Nakatakagi Sakuzo, holding a slender wooden stick, stands in front of a huge map of Northeast Asia in the Qing Dynasty.

Careful explanation: "In Jizhou, Tongzhou, and Langfang, there are 10,000 Qing troops stationed in each; These 30,000 Qing soldiers are all provincial troops of the Qing Dynasty, one is from Wuhan, an important town of the Qing Dynasty, and the other two are border troops in the northwest and southwest, and it is estimated that they should have good combat power. ”

"The key now is that it is not clear what the losses of the First Army of the Empire were in the Battle of Shanhaiguan; Is there still the ability to carry out the next possible battle of annihilation of Jizhou, as well as the necessary battle of Tongzhou, and then seal Yanjing City before the Qing Emperor fled, and force the Qing Dynasty to sign an alliance under the city? ”

Kodama Gentaro said with a solemn expression: "For the 4,000 Tsukatsu troops that are close at hand and do not attack, this gives the Western countries, the Qing Dynasty, including the current base camp and the staff headquarters, have many interpretations and speculations; However, no matter which one it is, I don't want the commander of the county to make this kind of decision because of the problem of troops. ”

"According to the fact that all countries still know nothing about Shanhaiguan, and not even a single Qing army can escape back, it is speculated that the Qing army on the Shanhaiguan front should be wiped out; This shows that the empire is using a completely crushing combat power advantage, completely controlling and winning this battle, with small losses. ”

Hirobumi Ito couldn't help but have a look on his face at the mention of Yamaguchi Aritomo, but this did not prevent him from making keen judgments as the first person under the Daiichi Meiji of the East.

He lit a cigarette and continued: "There are two reasons why Shanxian County does not attack the Luanzhou coal mine, one is that he is afraid of destroying the coal mining facilities, and his dream of fighting is to annex the north of the Yellow River and the south of Shanhaiguan as imperial territory; How can you be willing to destroy the empire's industry? ”

"Haha-"

The ministers of the Japanese army, including Emperor Meiji, all laughed easily.

"Second, he's competing with us for time!"

As Hirobumi Ito said 'second', the hall suddenly fell silent.

There has always been a disagreement about the general and the base camp of the county, and this time it is just a plain expression of the First Army through military action.

"The general of Shanxian County and his army will definitely defeat all the Qing troops in the Yanjing area neatly, and they will also cut off their path before the Qing emperor escapes, and trap the emperor and queen mother of the Qing Dynasty in Yanjing City,—— I am very sure of this! Moreover, the 'goodwill' that Britain will convey to the Qing Dynasty today will also paralyze their emperor in the future, and he will not flee easily. ”

Ito Hirobumi said in a deep voice: "I'm only afraid of one thing, that is, he will directly capture Yanjing, thus dragging this Qing-Japanese war into a bottomless abyss!" Don't forget, gentlemen, since ancient times, there has been a matter of the emperor being captured and the following ministers re-electing the emperor. ”

"For the Earl of Shanxian County, the Empire has never doubted his great foresight and great military talent, but he has a completely different understanding of the Qing-Japanese War with the Empire; Moreover, this disagreement has now reached the point where it must be resolved, and it must not be allowed to continue! ”

As soon as Emperor Meiji spoke, everyone in the hall sat upright with their heads held high.

"The purpose of General Shanxian was to completely defeat and then dismember the Qing Dynasty, and to divide China, like Europe and Southeast Asia, into several or a dozen small countries; However, this ——, is contrary to the ultimate long-term goal of the empire,—— the complete annexation of the Qing Dynasty. ”

"Once China is divided, the small countries will soon become protectorates of the Western powers, which will completely block the Empire's territorial intentions on the Asian continent!"

"Moreover, what the empire needs most at present is war reparations, which is to use a large amount of silver to repay foreign debts, develop industry, expand more army divisions, and purchase and build more new warships, which requires China to have a complete and stable government; As for the territorial issue at the present stage, just two thousand miles of North Korea is enough for the empire to spend more than ten or twenty years to slowly digest it. ”

Emperor Meiji said conclusively: "Now the First Army is advancing west to the Yanjing side, the Ludong detachment has captured Weihaiwei, and although the Second Army is suppressing the Beiyang armies of the Qing Dynasty in Lushun, it can be transported directly to Jinmen by ship at any time; The empire has shown the Qing that it can destroy them, and the Qing has also expressed its relenting and willingness to surrender in disguise, and this war can be suspended on the East Asian continent! ”

"I propose to bring the United States in,"

Mutsu Somitsu opened his mouth and proposed: "In the morning, I will discuss the issue of the First Army with Chu Enchi, and the British demand is to retreat to the non-urban area of Bohai Bay and station; However, after Lieutenant General Kuroki temporarily commanded the First Army, not only did not withdraw his troops, but further trapped Yanjing City; At this time, there is a great need for a country to balance the UK. ”

The hall immediately exchanged heads and ears, and there was a lot of discussion.

In the case that Britain had already arbitrarily intervened in the Qing-Japanese War, it was also necessary to introduce a second country to break the damage that Britain might do to the interests of the Eastern Empire.

And the United States, which has always had a good relationship with the East over the years, is the best choice.

But it must be weighed again and again, whether this move will anger the UK.

Choose between the pros and cons.

"The matter is put aside for the time being, waiting for careful discussion; Mutsu himself went to see Chu Enchi and asked him to send a note to the Chinese Government that if he sincerely wished for peace, he could appoint a duly qualified plenipotentiary commissioner, and that the Oriental Government would announce the terms of the armistice of the Oriental Government when the Plenipotentiary Council of the two countries consulted. ”

After Emperor Meiji finished speaking, he breathed a long sigh of relief, and his body began to relax, leaning limply on the top of his chair.

An inexplicable emotion surged in his heart.

It converges into a boiling hot stream, flowing along the limbs and five organs, surging and arbitrarily flowing.

Since 1853, when the United States was forced to open its doors by the "Black Ships", the empire began to embark on a road full of thorns and adversity.

In 1865, the people of the country woke up and the armed curtain fell.

In 1867, he ascended to the throne and vowed in the "Emperor's Imperial Letter" to "open up thousands of miles of waves and proclaim the prestige of the country in all directions."

Then, in 1868, the empire underwent a comprehensive restoration, leaving Asia and joining Europe.

Subsequently, the empire began to seek development while quietly annexing the territory of the Qing Dynasty.

The empire is too weak, thin, and poorly resourced.

Without colonial expansion and the flesh and blood nourishment of the fat pig of the Qing Dynasty, the empire will never be strong.

You can't lead the countries of East Asia and dominate the world!