The weather at the end of December has become quite cold.

For many well-developed cities, greening nature is also very important. However, with the onset of winter, the green color that used to be abundant has almost disappeared, and it has been replaced by the white color that symbolizes winter.

Streets, buildings, trees, and even some vehicles parked on the side of the road have almost all been covered in a thick layer of snow. All the qiē in front of people's eyes turned snow-white...

However, even though the green has disappeared without a trace, it is difficult to say which of the trees that have turned white because of the thick snow falling...

"Click" "Click"

A few pedestrians walked through the snow-covered streets, and these Japanese people in Japanese kimonos also left their own footprints on the snow as they walked. If it were the usual ones, maybe they would have complained about why the street sweeper didn't clean the street, and if they had a bad temper, they might even scold for it. However, at this moment, the atmosphere between these pedestrians, no, to be exact, the atmosphere on the whole street seems so oppressive...

The cold wind blew through the streets, and those who wore a little less could almost feel a biting cold, and even if they wore more, their expressions were slightly unnatural by the cold wind.

However, what made them even more unnatural was the news that came back from North Korea not long ago...

"Seoul is occupied!"

It has been a long time since Japan annexed Korea. In addition, Japan's compulsory education has always been very good. In terms of literacy rate, it is even likely to be higher than that of European and American countries. Naturally, it is impossible not to know about North Korea, let alone the former capital of North Korea. Seoul, which is also the largest city on the Korean Peninsula...

It is precisely because of this that they understand the importance of Seoul very well, and what the consequences of Seoul's occupation by the Chinese army will be...

They don't have a chance anymore ...

Although there are still many right-wingers in Japan who are clamoring for an all-out war. Carry out a full mobilization at home, and at the same time let the invincible navy attack, turning the entire coast of China into a sea of fire with artillery shells...

But it is clear to many more Japanese that they have already lost ...

It's not just the war in Korea that was lost. There are a few other things as well...

The Washington Post of the United States and The Times of the United Kingdom believe that what Japan has lost this time is not only the Korean war, but also the leadership of the East Asian region.

In the past, Japan has always emerged as the number one power in East Asia. Then with the end of this war, I am afraid that this title will be ceded to China. In the future, if Japan wants to continue to confront China, the only way is to rely on the support of Britain and the United States, and this will inevitably lose the Japanese government's autonomy in international affairs. It's just that it's also a helpless thing...

After all, for industry is poor and the land is barren. For Japan, which has no resources, the defeat of the Korean War this time has made them lose the bargaining chip to continue confrontation with China, and if they want to continue confrontation with China, the only way is probably to use the power of the great powers...

I'm afraid this is already the only option for the Japanese...

Because Japan, which once trampled China under its feet, will never allow itself to be trampled under China's feet again...

So, that's all they can do...

However, with the defeat of the war. An indelible shadow has always hung over the Japanese archipelago, and news from North Korea. It also cast a shadow on everyone's face.

Did the invincible imperial army, which they had worked so hard and fed under great pressure, failed like this? Is their hope of victory over China just a beautiful bubble?

At this moment, I am afraid that the only people who can feel no pressure in their hearts are those children who don't understand anything.

For the children, the defeat of North Korea and the cold winter of this year seem to be nothing―――――― maybe for them, the arrival of winter is a good thing, at least so that they can have snowball fights...

Look at the carefree children, running through the streets...

Even those adults who are worried about it, it is difficult to reprimand―――――― of course, it is not nothing, after all, there will always be many people who have nothing to do. This is especially true for right-wingers who are already angry about the defeat.

Fortunately, there are very few such people, and they don't affect anything...

But for those children who don't know anything yet, the only thing they remember is the fierce gods of the adults...

Of course, I believe that soon they will forget about the qiē just now, put on thick clothes and run into the snow again with the help of their parents, and play again...

――――――――――――――――――――――――――

In the middle of a courtyard, sitting in the room where the door had been opened, looking at the courtyard full of snow, Shan County Youpeng sighed softly with a teacup.

Outside the courtyard, faintly, Yama County Youpeng seemed to be able to hear the laughter of some children playing with them. This kind of laughter reminded Youpeng of Shan County many things, such as his own childhood, and his own children...

"What's wrong?" Sitting opposite Youpeng in Shanxian County, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang asked a little strangely.

"Nothing." The very old Shan County Youpeng said with a smile. "It's just a sigh of relief, how long has it been since I've enjoyed the scenery quietly like this..."

"Don't you often appreciate it so much..."As the biggest rival of Youpeng in Shanxian County, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang is very aware of some of the habits of his old rival. For example, I like to be in a Japanese-style room, where you can open the door and enjoy the scenery in the courtyard.

Naturally, at that time, there must be a cup of tea in the hands of Youpeng in Shanxian County.

Although Shan County has a friend's hobby, not everyone is very clear. But at least in their circle, everyone knows about it.

However, hearing what the public of Xiyuan Temple said, Youpeng of Shanxian shook his head with a smile. "Those are not the same as this," he used to enjoy the scenery as he used to. He was also thinking about how to defend his rights and status, in other words, he never calmed down...

Unlike now, you don't have to think about anything, you can completely focus on the scenery around you.

Hearing Shan County Youpeng say this, after noticing his face that seemed to be even older than before, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang's heart couldn't help but move.

As the most powerful patriarch in Japan. At the same time, he was also the founder of the Japanese Army. Almost all of the rights of Yamaguchi Aritomo are related to the Japanese Army. If the Japanese Army can continue to win victories, the rights of Yamaguchi Youtomo will naturally become more and more stable. Vice versa...

And at the moment, there are friends in the county, but it is not very good.

If the power of Yamaguchi Youtomo had not been shaken much during the previous Shandong Campaign, then this time the Japanese Army suffered a crushing defeat in Korea. It completely shook the rights of friends in Shanxian County...

And. It's comprehensive...

It is not surprising that the last defeat did not have much impact on Japan, although it caused great losses to Japan. At most, it is just giving up many of Japan's rights and interests in China, and if it hurts, it is not enough...

The only adverse effect is probably the dissatisfaction of the Japanese people.

After all, they are used to victory, and suddenly and suddenly they lose. And it's such a fiasco, so naturally you will feel dissatisfied. It's just that the war took place in Shandong. It doesn't matter to them, so apart from a few right-wingers, no one will come out and make trouble.

But this time it was different, this time the war took place in Japan's 'homeland', and almost the whole of Korea was destroyed. This undoubtedly affects the interests of many Japanese people, those Japanese civilians don't mention for the time being, these people who have no rights, no matter how lively they are, they can't affect anything, but those chaebols are different...

These people already have great influence on Japan, and most of Japan's industries in North Korea belong to these chaebols. Now that their industries in North Korea have been almost completely destroyed, and the war has not been won, so their losses cannot be compensated for, you can imagine how these people will feel...

If Yama Prefecture Aritomo is not the strongest patriarch in Japan, I'm just afraid...

But even so, the rights of Youpeng in Shan County have been greatly shaken, and it has also made Youpeng in Shan County a lot older.

――――――――――――――――――――――――

Putting the teacup in front of him, Shan County Youpeng, who already looked extremely old, sighed, and then turned his head to look at the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang.

"You say, can we get back on our feet..."

"Yes!" Saionji Temple is a firm way.

He knew very well what the so-called 'we' of Youpeng in Shan County meant.

"Our conditions are much better now than they were back then, aren't they? At that time, we seemed to be at a disadvantage, both on land and at sea, but we still defeated the enemy, and now, despite our defeat on land, we already have a very powerful navy, plus the spirit of the Yamato nation that we have accumulated since the Meiji era...", said Saionji Gongwang with a stern expression and looked at Yamachi Youtomo, full of confidence. "Since we stood up once, we can stand up again, and I'm sure we'll be smoother this time than the last!"

Hearing what the public of Xiyuan Temple said, Shan County Youpeng looked at him deeply, and then bowed deeply. "In this case, I will leave it all to you..."

Seeing that Xiyuan Temple was like this, Youpeng in Shan County also hurriedly turned around.

More than ten days later, with the signing of the Treaty of Seoul, Yama County Youpeng himself also passed away peacefully with the signing of the treaty.

Coupled with Katsura Taro, who had died a few years earlier, the Changzhou faction has completely lost its leader, and at the same time, the rise of the faction led by Saionji Gongwang seems to have become inevitable...

After the news of Youpeng's death in Shan County spread, it immediately caused a sensation.

No matter how the previous fiasco had affected the prestige of Yama Youpeng, or how annoying the old man was. After all, he is the founder of the Japanese Army, and he is also one of Japan's most prestigious veterans.

His death. Meaning heavy dà...

Of course, this is not only because of his fame or influence, but also because with his death, the rise to power of the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang faction is inevitable.

And after learning the news, even Yan Shao couldn't help but sigh slightly.

For Yan Shao, it is beneficial for him to continue to sit in his current position in Shan County, or it is more beneficial for Xiyuan Temple to come to power. He really didn't have a choice.

Theoretically, if Yamaguchi had Aritomo in power, Japan would have continued its radical policies of the past. In particular, we have gone further on the road of army expansion. Naturally, a strong Japanese army is definitely not what Yan Shao wants to see, but on the other hand, if Japan goes farther and farther on this road. Then Japan's current economy will inevitably not be able to support it. After a long time, you can imagine the collapse of the Japanese economy―――――― naturally, Japan is also somewhat industrial, but in this era, trade protectionism is not very uncommon.

Historically, the first thing China did after getting its tariffs back was to raise tariffs on Japan to an unimaginable level. In retaliation, there is also the protection of the domestic industry.

Naturally, Yan Shao would definitely not do this. Because at present, China's industrial capacity is much stronger than that of Japan, and in terms of industries such as cotton textiles, which Japan relied on in the past. It seems that it is also starting to be much more developed than Japan. It can even be said that the cotton textile mills under the Yushi Group alone can already be compared with the cotton textile enterprises in Japan, especially the number of spindles, which may even be 20% more than the number in Japan.

Coupled with other cotton textile enterprises in China, in general, China's cotton textile industry has been far ahead of Japan.

This is true not only for the cotton textile industry, but also for other industries.

In other words, Japan is now unable to enter the Chinese market with its own goods, even if Yan Shao does not raise tariffs on Japan. If Japan wants to grow its economy, there is only one way, and that is to expand its colonies and sell its goods to them.

This is also an important reason for the beginning of the colonial era, and it is also the reason why Americans have always looked at Britain a little unpleasantly. Because the colonies were basically occupied by Britain, France, and other countries, American goods could not be sold to the colonies of these countries at all.

Of course, the cotton textile industry is definitely not good, because the labor cost in the United States is too high, if it is not for the relevant tax protection, the cotton textile industry in the United States may not even be able to protect the domestic market, and it is not competitive at all...

As for Japan, at present, there are only a few colonies such as Korea, Taiwan and islands in the Pacific Ocean, which cannot meet the current industrial and commercial needs of Japan.

And if there is not enough economy, but it is going farther and farther on the road of heavy army, Yan Shao can fully imagine what the fate of Japan will be. In other words, if Yan Shao wants to continue to fight with the Japanese, Yamaguchi Youpeng is the best opponent. This is because this kind of opponent who only knows how to develop the military is too easy to deal with.

In contrast, the Gongwang faction of Xiyuan Temple is obviously much more rational and knows how to rely on the power of Britain and the United States. Compared with the guys who only have blood and no brains in their heads, the people of the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang faction are obviously much more difficult to deal with.

Because they are not only aggressive, but also much more sensible.

But on the other hand...

"It's also easier for them to communicate, and at the same time, they are more aware of current affairs..."Sitting in the office, Yan Shao looked at Duan Qirui in front of him and said softly. Our goal is not only to defeat the Japanese, but more importantly, to re-establish our East Asian civilization in the world. I believe everyone knows very well that the white people, the so-called Western civilization, who dominate the world at the moment, are lucky for us this time, because the Europeans themselves killed each other, gave us a chance to develop, and even took away at least two-thirds of Russia's territory by our good fortune. ”

"It is very likely that the size of our country is not inferior to that of England in some respects, but even so, the sense of superiority of the white man has not disappeared. In their eyes, we were always just yellow-skinned monkeys. Now they are suffering from the European war, and they can't trouble us for the time being, but when they recover their strength. I'm afraid the situation is a little more delicate. At least at this stage, no matter how strong we are, we can't compete with the whole world, especially when there is such a bad wolf as Japan next to us..."

"yes!" Hearing Yan Shao say this, Duan Qirui, who already looked very old, bowed slightly. "Especially important are the oil fields in the Middle East, because the fundamental reason why they gave up the Middle East to us so easily in the first place was because they didn't know that there was oil there. That's why it's so light, but if they know what's there......... I'm afraid that both the British and others will want a piece of the pie..."

Albeit historically. Duan Qirui's appearance seems to be a little not very good, but this does not mean that he can't see many things clearly, at least some things he can see clearly. For example, the threat of the Great Powers to China, and if the Great Powers know what is really going on in the Middle East. What exactly will they do then?

Equally. He is also well aware that it is simply impossible for China to give up their territories in the Middle East.

Because what is there, whether it is China or to all mankind, is very significant. As long as it masters it, China can become the most powerful empire in the world with its oil resources.

According to the statistics of the oil sector, the oil resources found in the Middle East are even likely to be several times more than those in Mexico. You know, Mexico is currently the country with the largest oil resources. The oil resources it has developed are almost comparable to a country's fiscal revenue for a year or even several years. And the oil resources in the Middle East are several times that of Mexico. The significance of this can be imagined.

So if Britain or other countries are eyeing there, then there seems to be only one way in front of China―――――― war!

"So..."Lying back, leaning his back on the sofa, Yan Shao's face showed a smile. Finding someone to communicate with makes a lot of sense to us. The Saionji Gongwang and his faction were very intelligent and sensible, and I like to deal with people like to deal with, and our aim is not to conquer all of Asia, but to liberate East and Southeast Asia, and even all of Asia, from the rule of the whites, and finally form a huge alliance against the whites. The problem is that it is too difficult for us to accomplish this task on our own, so we need a strong enough helper, although Japan is not particularly strong, but at least it is much stronger than Thailand, and it is a very useful helper for us, and it can even be said that it is the only helper that can be used. ”

Yan Shao's current situation is too difficult, or what he is walking on is a difficult path.

If before the industrial age, the balance of power between Western civilization and East Asian civilization was relatively balanced, and even East Asian civilization was stronger than Western civilization. Then after the beginning of the industrial age, and even the colonial era, the balance of power between the two sides began to be unbalanced...

Especially now, East Asian civilization still lives in East Asia, while Western civilization has expanded to become the whole world, and even to the nest of East Asian civilization.

The entire East Asian region, with the exception of China, Japan, and Thailand, has basically become a colony of Western civilization, and Yan Shao is already on the verge of being cornered. If it weren't for the two collective suicides of Western civilization, even Yan Shao couldn't imagine what would happen to Eastern civilizations, including China, in his original history?

But even if Europeans have just committed mass suicide once, the comparison of power between them is still exaggerated. At this time, Yan Shao needed a helper to help him. But for now, the only things he can rely on are Thailand and Japan...

Thailand, in the case of Thailand, is too weak to help at all, and the country that survived in the cracks did not die because Britain and France needed a buffer zone between their colonies, not because of their strength.

In contrast, Japan is relatively strong, but it is full of hostility towards China.

The problem is that there is only one country that may help China and can help at the same time, which really makes Yan Shao feel helpless and a little crying and laughing at the same time.

I can only say that providence makes people...

In order to make Japan have enough strength. Yan Shao could not allow Korea to become independent, so as not to cause too much damage to Japan's overall strength―――――― if Japan's strength was damaged too strictly, it would not be useful. Yan Shao didn't plan to fight 10 of them!

It is precisely because of this that the gang of people in Shan County will give Yan Shao a headache, because it is usually difficult for these old rightists to bow their heads. Unless Yan Shao can be like the United States in later generations, he will beat them up and obey them. But now that Britain and the United States are by his side, Yan Shao has no way to do this.

Fortunately, a group of people have come to power now, and they are obviously much smarter and more rational. Although this type of opponent is usually difficult to deal with, on the other hand. At least they can communicate. It's not like the original gang of people, who only know how to fight! Beat! Beat!

"If they're willing to work with us, I don't mind giving them more benefits."

――――――――――――――――――――――――――

January 1920 AD. After a long period of negotiations, the Chinese and Japanese governments finally reached an agreement on the agreement.

Subsequently, at the request of the Nationalist Government, the Nationalist Government and the Japanese Government met in Seoul, the largest city on the Korean Peninsula, under the watchful eyes of the representatives of various countries. An armistice was signed.

According to the content of the agreement. The Japanese government will assume full responsibility for this war.

Not only does it need to apologize to the Kuomintang, but it also needs to bear at least 500 million Chinese dollars in war reparations. At the same time, the southern part of Sakhalin was ceded to China. In addition, the few remaining unequal treaties between China and Japan, which were also the only ones left after the Battle of Shandong, of course, this was also because these treaties themselves did not have much impact, so Yan Shao would allow them to survive.

In addition to these, there are many other details...

For example, in addition to the more than 500 million yuan in war reparations, the Japanese government also needs to pay a huge amount of compensation to the soldiers of the Wehrmacht who were wounded and killed in Korea―――――― and this time Japan's losses are of course the greatest. Pyongyang and Seoul, the two largest cities in North Korea, fell one after another. Especially in Pyongyang, half of the city was burned to the ground. It is conceivable how many Japanese troops originally stationed in Pyongyang burned to death.

Together with several other battlefields, in this war, which lasted almost a year, the Japanese army lost at least 80,000 or 90,000 casualties, and if you count the missing and seriously wounded, the number may even be as high as 1230,000. And the highest-ranking among them is naturally the very aggrieved Utsunomiya Taro who died in the bomb shelter.

Naturally, Utsunomiya Taro also became the highest-ranking soldier ―――――― general in the Korean battlefield because of this reason!

But then again, Utsunomiya Taro is indeed a little aggrieved, after all, he is the highest-ranking general of the Japanese army in North Korea anyway, he didn't die on the battlefield, he actually died in the bomb shelter, and he died because of the high temperature and suffocation...

For Utsunomiya Taro, I'm afraid there is nothing more humiliating than this.

On the other hand, Utsunomiya Taro is by no means an ordinary Japanese soldier.

Utsunomiya Taro, a Japanese intelligence magnate and one of the three Taro of the Meiji Army.

At the same time, he is also the founder of Saga's left shoulder valve, and the so-called imperial sect is all his disciples. The fourth son of Saga Domain, Sadaichi Kamegawa, the fourth son of Saga Domain, Utsunomiya Shibei, adopted son. In April 1879, he entered the Army Infant School. In August 1882, he entered the 7th term of the old Lu Shi and was awarded the rank of second lieutenant on June 18, 1885. He successively served as attached to the 5th Infantry Wing and the 4th Guards Infantry Wing. On December 23, 1890, he graduated from the 6th class of the Army University (summa). He successively served as a member of the Second Bureau of the General Staff Headquarters on a business trip to India, and served as a staff officer of the base camp during the First Sino-Japanese War. Member of the Third Department of the General Staff Headquarters, Military Attache attached to the British Embassy, Military Attache attached to the Swedish Embassy, Army Officer, Commander of the 1st Infantry Wing, First Director of the General Staff Headquarters, promoted to Major General on January 28, 1909. Second Chief of Staff Headquarters, Commander of the 7th Division, Commander of the 4th Division, Commander of the Korean Army.

Utsunomiya Taro is one of the Meiji "Army Santaro" with Katsura Taro and Senba Taro, who has been engaged in intelligence work for a long time, and when the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded China in 1900, the governor of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong, conspiracy to establish himself as the king, he was approached. He was an assistant to Akashi Motojiro Osa during the Russo-Japanese War, in other words, he also had a part in Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. At the same time, he also concealed the truth about the massacre in Jeam-ri while he was the commander of the Korean army.

In his later years, he mainly fought against the forces of the Changzhou lords of Shan County. A "Saga Left Shoulder Party" was created. The backbone includes Masataro Fukuda (the 9th period of the University of the Continent, promoted to general in 1921), Nobuyoshi Muto, Juro Hayashi, Shizaburo Masaki and Sadao Araki. They were all cultivated by Utsunomiya. And after his death in 1922, he maintained the faction. Later, he attached himself to Marshal Yusaku Uehara and became an important force against Chosu. After his death, Yoshiichi Tanaka also opposed Ugaki Kazusei and became a powerful force in the army in the early years of the Showa era. After the death of Muto and Uehara. Masaki and Araki became leaders and developed them into an imperial sect.

By the way, this general of Utsunomiya Taro was obtained during the Korean War. Perhaps the Japanese government gave him this rank in order to make Utsunomiya Taro work harder to win.

However, even if there was no such thing as the Korean War, Utsunomiya Taro would have been won at the end of 1919. Then in 1922, he died. In other words, if there is no Yan Shao's appearance. Although it won't be long before Utsunomiya Taro will still die, he will definitely not die so humiliatingly and so miserably...

And as long as this war happens at night for a year. I'm afraid there won't be Utsunomiya Taro or anything.

Because in the original history, Utsunomiya Taro happened to return to the mainland in 1920 to serve as a military counselor.

――――――――――――――――――――――――

As mentioned earlier, this time the Japanese army can be said to have suffered heavy losses, not only 80,000 or 90,000 Japanese troops were killed on the battlefield. A large number of Japanese troops were also wounded in the battle. Or even disabled by injury! If you count the 'missing' or those who are seriously injured, they may even answer the appearance of 1230,000―――――― so-called disappearance, and some of them may have been hit by bombs or shells during the battle, and even the bodies cannot be found. But there are probably more prisoners of war slaughtered by the Wehrmacht during the war.

During the war, many Japanese troops were captured by the Wehrmacht. The captives all ended up missing...

Well, it's not very strange to arrive, although North Korea is not a very large place. But if you dig a pit, bury a hundred and eighty people. It's definitely not easy to find out. And this kind of thing is definitely not less done by the National Defense Forces in North Korea, and even Yan Shao himself turns a blind eye to this kind of thing...

After the whole war, although no detailed statistics have been made, the number of them is probably around 300,000.

The casualties of the Japanese army were so large, and of course the Wehrmacht would not be less.

Compared to the Japanese army, the statistics on the Wehrmacht's side were relatively detailed, mainly because the Wehrmacht was captured by the Japanese during the entire campaign. In addition, the number of missing people is much smaller, and it is relatively easy to count.

According to the Wehrmacht's statistics, the Wehrmacht suffered at least 60,000 casualties in the war, and the overall casualties reached more than 200,000. The casualty figures are better than those of the Japanese army, but in fact they are also heavy casualties...

With such huge casualties, one can imagine how much money will be spent on pensions.

Over the years, due to the rapid development of the domestic economy, although the salaries of the Wehrmacht have never increased, in fact the salaries of the Wehrmacht have always been very high.

In particular, the pension and other aspects were raised to a higher standard by the Defence Force when it was just established.

According to this standard, the soldiers who are disabled due to injuries are included, as well as the subsequent alimony to their families. The government of the State and the Commune is afraid that it will have to pay hundreds of millions of yuan, and it is obvious that such a large amount of expenses cannot be borne by the Cabinet of the Communists. If the Commune Government really bears it, after deducting the consumption in this war and some other expenses, the Commune Government can be said to have fought in vain, and nothing has been gained...

It is precisely for this reason that, according to the treaty, after the end of the war, the Japanese government was required to pay almost 700 million yuan in war reparations to the Communist government.

In addition, Yan Shao did not ask for a demilitarized zone in North Korea. However, the treaty also forbade Japan to build any military facilities, even the most ordinary trenches, within 20 kilometers of the Yalu River.

Naturally, the Japanese Government made a solemn protest against this, because after all, if the agreement was signed according to this condition, the next time the Wehrmacht came again, the Japanese would not even be able to resist it.

It's a pity that in the face of the strength of the national government, in the end, the Japanese government could only choose to bow its head obediently and agree to this condition...

Because during the period of their protest, the Nationalist government launched another offensive in Korea, and very successfully encircled and annihilated the Japanese 17th Division, so that the Japanese government had to recount the casualties in this war...

With the signing of the treaty by representatives of the two countries, the war, which had lasted for nearly a year, was finally declared over. The East Asian continent is once again at peace... (To be continued......)