Japan's hard-line attitude toward the Republic of China has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the Chinese people, and various anti-Japanese demonstrations have occurred one after another in various localities. President Li Yuanhong did not expect that he would just follow the trend and issue a tough declaration, which would lead to a fire. With his intelligence ability, although he does not know the specific situation of the war in the Northeast, but looking at the tough attitude of the Northeast Governor's Office, I am afraid that little Japan has not taken advantage of the Northeast Security Army.

"Damn little Japan, I can't do the Northeast Security Army by myself, and I actually came to trouble President Benda!" Li Yuanhong walked around the study anxiously. Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the anti-Japanese trend of the Republic of China to sit firmly on his presidential throne, but as for the government and the Japanese going to war, he only dared to say it, and he did not have the troops under direct control in his hands, and the warlords directly related to Feng Guozhang, who relied on him, were also resolutely opposed to a war with Japan. The pressure of the Japanese on the government of the Republic of China gave hope to Duan Qirui, the head of the Anhui faction. If Li Yuanhong is forced to step down, then there is hope for him to come to power.

However, Duan Qirui is not an ordinary person after all, and knows that such a rash decision to oppose the government will trigger a strong backlash from the government, although the presidential palace is facing pressure from the Japanese empire abroad, but the people at home are highly respectful of Li Yuanhong's tough posture. Whoever explicitly opposes such a government that dares to safeguard national sovereignty will be a sinner of the nation.

However, if you don't explicitly oppose it, it doesn't mean that you will support it, and the War Department led by Duan Qirui clearly declared: "At present, the Republic of China has no ability and the intention of the great powers to go to war." The government of the Republic of China should learn the best way, which is to settle the dispute through peaceful negotiation between the two sides. ”

Li Yuanhong was very embarrassed by the War Department's statement, but the Japanese spies in China immediately sent the declaration of the Republic of China War Department back to Japan, and the Japanese Okuma government was overjoyed. Without the support of the military, Li Yuanhong's presidential palace would not have been able to represent the entire Republic of China at all.

"Order Tegaoke to find out the movements of the top level of the Republic of China government at all costs. It seems that the toughness of the Republic of China government is just a deceptive act taken by politicians led by Li Yuanhong in order to improve their political status. It is a shame for the Empire of Japan to be intimidated by such weak politicians. Okuma Shigenobu said it was a shame, but there was a look of joy on his face. Since the beginning of the war in Tohoku, the toughness of the Republic of China government has indeed greatly distressed Shigenobu Okuma's cabinet.

But now the situation is gradually becoming clear, the government of the Republic of China is not monolithic, Li Yuanhong does not really grasp the dominance of the government of the Republic of China, this is like a crack in an egg, how can it be possible to stop the chase of flies. Although Shigenobu Okuma never thought of the Great Japanese Empire as a nuisance fly.

China as a great power other than Japan. Although it has been invaded and oppressed by foreign powers in the past few decades, and countless unequal treaties have been signed, China is too big. The land area is dozens of times that of the Great Japanese Empire, and the accumulation of power for thousands of years has made China's influence in Southeast Asia greater than that of the newly rising Japan. In recent years, Japan has also been trying to reduce China's influence on other Asian countries and strive to build a new Asia dominated by the Japanese, which is also the prototype of Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Plan.

Japan's ambition to invade and occupy the three eastern provinces was already established during the time of Emperor Meiji. Annexation of Korea, invasion of China. This is the development course that Japan has established since the time of Emperor Meiji. In the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan seized the advantage of the Beiyang Fleet's lack of military pay and the shortage of artillery shells, and mobilized the forces of the whole country to purchase several of the most advanced warships. The war against the national fortunes, and finally with the help of Cixi Lafayette, he was finally invincible, and the powerful Beiyang Fleet was also bombed and sunk by the Japanese in his own harbor.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Japan finally mustered up the courage to start a war with the Russians by relying on the reparations it received from China, and finally won a crushing victory with the spirit of not fearing death. In addition, Japan did not receive much compensation in the Russo-Japanese War. The old Russian Maozi were not the rotten Manchu government, but they never admitted that they had lost to; In the case of yellow Japan, reparations should not be even thought about. To this day, the war reparations from the Russians against the Japanese remain unpaid. The Japanese did not dare to ask for it.

Moreover, in recent years, in order to maintain its status as a great power in the Russo-Japanese War, Japan has spent a lot of material and financial resources to maintain a world-class powerful navy, and its treasury has not been rich for more than ten years. The fiscal deficit is increasing every year. Coupled with the fact that the military department has eliminated aggressive plans from time to time, the financial pressure on the government has increased. The First World War that broke out in the West, Japan's industry developed unprecedentedly, and this was the best period for Japan to recover its national strength.

But Japan's political system is a freak. The emperor has the highest power, but he does not care about small things, and the military elders have their own line, which affects the will of the emperor and the cabinet, and in many cases, the cabinet is just an ornament, and it is impossible to administer according to his own will. Therefore, if the cabinet wants to carry out its own policies, it must come up with terms or promises that will satisfy both the emperor and the military ministry.

Originally, during the Tohoku War, Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma urged the emperor to stop the war and let the Tohoku maintain the status quo because of the Japanese-funded companies scattered all over Mukden. However, Feng Yong's sudden action and the expulsion of the staff of the Japanese-funded enterprises by force completely disrupted this plan and pushed the Japanese Empire to a position where it had to go to war with the Northeast.

However, with the different voices of the president and the Ministry of War in the Republic of China government, the Japanese government is keenly aware of the internal peace of the Chinese government, which makes them ecstatic, you must know that a united and strong Republic of China government is definitely not what the Japanese want to see. If China has a strong government, the energy that bursts out is very terrifying. But a government with internal strife can easily be taken up by a country like Japan with a lot of benefits.

Beijing, Presidential Palace.

"He Duan Qirui made it clear that he wanted to work against President Benda, he was not an official of the Republic of China, who asked him to issue that statement without authorization. Isn't that a discordant relationship between President Honda and the War Department public? Duan Qirui's actions made Li Yuanhong very passive. You must know that according to the political system of the Republic of China, the president should be the supreme commander of the whole country and the spokesman of the government and the army. Only then will the government be cohesive. However, the statement issued by Duan Qirui's War Department, although it only said that the Republic of China Army was not suitable for war with foreign countries, was issued just after the government had issued a strong stance, and it was a clear plan to dismantle Li Yuanhong's platform. How could an old oilman in officialdom like Li Yuanhong not see it.

"Great President! Mr. Duan seems to be unwilling to lose to you and wants to dismantle your platform. We must deal with this matter well, otherwise it will easily lead to confrontation between the government and the military. Li Yuanhong's henchman Wu Tingfang said cautiously.

"Humph! Don't think that President Ben doesn't know what to do with them, and he doesn't want to negotiate peace with the Japanese and gain the support of the Japanese! Duan Qirui is embarrassing us, in order to prepare for us to step down! Li Yuanhong said with a gloomy expression. Li Yuanhong can be valued by Yuan Shikai, which shows that he still has some ability.

"President, what should we do?"

"Contact General Feng Guozhang, this matter is too involved, our people must unite, otherwise it will be easy to be broken by Duan Qirui."

Feng Guozhang was very open-minded, and when he received a call from President Li Yuanhong, he immediately rushed over. Although Li Yuanhong has no real power and is just a puppet for the Beiyang system, now Beiyang is divided into two factions, the direct line and the Anhui line, and the Anhui system has the upper hand in strength. Although Li Yuanhong does not have much strength, his prestige in the country is still very high. Otherwise, while the Southern Union Army is opposing Yuan, it will not regard him as an object of support. If Li Yuanhong is pulled into the direct line, it will be extremely helpful for the development of the direct line.

"Great President! I know you want to gain the support of the people and secure the presidency. But I hope you will consult with us before you speak. Japan is a powerful country, and even the fierce Russians are no opponent, let alone us? Feng Guozhang said it at the beginning, and it seemed that he was extremely dissatisfied with Li Yuanhong's actions.

"Huh! General Feng! This matter is indeed abrupt by Li. At that time, I just wanted to stabilize the presidency as soon as possible, and I had absolutely no intention of starting a war against Japan. However, I received information that Japan had fought a battle with the Northeast Security Army on the banks of the Yalu River, and it seems that they did not take advantage, so it seems that the Japanese are not as strong as they imagined! Li Yuanhong told Feng Guozhang the information he received from the Northeast.

"President, you have to make this simple! The most powerful thing in Japan is not the army, but the navy. Moreover, the Japanese Army has not changed its weapons and equipment for many years, and it is normal for the combat effectiveness to decline. But please don't underestimate the industrial capacity of the Japanese, if there is a real war, they will re-equip the army in the shortest possible time, and then take the most advanced Japanese warships to let the re-equipped army land at the Gyeonggi port and go straight to the Beijing headquarters, and this kind of attack is impossible for us to low-grade at present. Feng Guozhang said with a solemn expression.

Li Yuanhong was even more embarrassed. Leaving the army over the years has made him more accustomed to his identity as a political person, and he thinks more about the political aspect.

"General Feng! Now that things are like this, what should we do in the face of persecution from the Japanese government? It's okay to apologize and pay reparations. The only difficulty is that Japan's demand for the punishment of war criminals is difficult to fulfill. The Feng father and son in the Northeast are not vegetarians. There are almost 200,000 elite soldiers under his command. The fact that government forces were not always able to take them with all their might speak, and the fact that they were able to successfully resist the Japanese invasion also illustrated their fighting ability. Li Yuanhong was secretly envious, if he had such a strong team under his command, I am afraid that he would definitely be able to sit in this position in front of him like President Yuan.

"I don't deny that the Dongbei Security Army is indeed very combative, and Feng Delin's military ability is not bad. However, as the leaders of the Republic of China, we cannot infinitely expand their combat power just because of a victory in the Northeast Security Army, nor can we look down on the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. In the final analysis, the Northeast Security Army is only a local force. Situations that are not representative of the government. Feng Guozhang's face was expressionless, but when it came to the Northeast Security Army, there was still a trace of jealousy and jealousy in his words.

With an elite army of 200,000 people and a vast territory of the three provinces, Feng Delin is a veritable king of the Northeast, and with the current strength of the Feng family and his son, he doesn't even need to look at the face of the Republic of China government. Moreover, the Northeast Security Army successfully resisted the Japanese invasion, and the people of the whole country greatly appreciated the heroic behavior of the Northeast Security Army. These are all things that Feng Guozhang is jealous of. After all, at present, the only people who can confront the Feng family father and son in China are the Anhui warlords controlled by Duan Qirui and his own direct warlords. With more than 200,000 troops, the Feng warlords led by Feng Delin have become the third largest warlord force in the Republic of China. It's just that the center of power of the Feng warlords is in the northeast, and there is no sign of entering the customs at present, which makes Feng Guozhang jealous, and it is not hostile.

"We can't do anything with the Feng family and his son, but we can't afford to offend the Japanese. What is this called? The troublemakers didn't have anything to do, and those of us who joined in the fun became scapegoats. Li Yuanhong said extremely depressed.

"President, our government has to make a choice. It is impossible to go to war. Chief Duan would never let his Anhui forces fight to the death with the Japanese, let alone other troops! If you can't come up with a way to get the best of both worlds, I'm going to have a hard time helping you! Feng Guozhang's meaning is very clear, if Li Yuanhong can't settle this matter, the presidential throne that he has just ascended is likely to be taken captive, after all, Li Yuanhong only came to power to maintain the unity of the Beiyang system, but unfortunately, the contradiction between the current direct warlords and the Anhui warlords is irreconcilable, and a puppet like Li Yuanhong is destined to be abandoned, it is just a matter of time.

Li Yuanhong pondered for a long time with a gloomy expression, he was definitely not willing to be a puppet. He wants to be the real president of the Republic of China, a president who is full of words. It's a pity that it is difficult for Li Yuanhong, who has no soldiers and no power, to gain the right to speak, which is why Feng Guozhang spoke so hard in front of him.

"Tingfang, you go and draw up a new message to show that the government is willing to resolve the problem in the northeast through negotiations." Li Yuanhong said aggrievedly.

"Send a report to the Governor of Northeast China, Marshal Feng Delin, and ask him to go to Beijing to discuss major matters." Li Yuanhong eventually chose to give up part of the country's interests for the sake of his political career. And Li Yuanhong has already made the idea of pulling Duan Qirui into it. After all, without the nod of Duan Qirui's Anhui warlords, even if he agreed to the conditions of the Japanese, it would be difficult to achieve. That would be a heavy blow to the government's prestige.

(To be continued)