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Volume One Sino-Japanese War Chapter 88 Demonstrations and Conspiracies

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    [Second update] On May 20, 1894, just as Yang Shixiang was rushing to Lushun on the naval training ship Jikang, a massive naval exercise was taking place on the sea outside Dagu, Tianjin. The Governor-General of Zhili and Beiyang  Minister Li Hongzhang deliberately invited senior diplomats and military attach¨¦s from more than ten major powers, including the British Minister to China Organa, the American Minister to China Tianbei, and the Russian Minister to China Casini. At the same time, he also invited the Japanese Minister to China Omura.  Jutaro attended the naval parade that day.  Accompanied by the rumbling salute, the main force of the Beiyang Navy "Ba Da Yuan" led by Dingyuan and Zhenyuan came in formation in the distance with billowing black smoke. On the Dingyuan ship in the center, the command flag was fluttering, and Navy Admiral Ding Ruchang was in high spirits.  Standing on the bridge, he held a Zeiss monocular telescope purchased from Germany in his hand and observed the changes in the fleet from left to right with great satisfaction.  On the chart in front of him, several drill formation diagrams were laid out one by one. Liu Buchan, the Zhenyuan commander and the right wing commander, looked at the Qing, a large merchant ship of the China Merchants Steamship Bureau, which was following the naval formation with a strange expression. Today's  The purpose of this strenuous exercise was to let the hurried onlookers on the top deck of the large merchant ship understand the combat power of the Beiyang Navy!  Soon, a wooden fishing boat, dragged by the Guangjia torpedo boat, slowly passed in front of the crane-wing-shaped fleet from a distance of less than 2,000 meters. Immediately, as the order flag on the Dingyuan ship  As soon as the change occurred, the 100mm or above caliber artillery guns on each ship opened fire one after another, and the fierce firing of the 305mm twin heavy guns of the two ships in Dingzhen was particularly spectacular!  Although there are no new rapid-fire cannons installed in the eight far reaches of the Beiyang, the firing speed of small-caliber single-mounted 120mm and 150mm artillery in this era is not too slow. In addition, considering the left and right shaking of the hull, in fact, even if it is a rapid-fire cannon with fast loading and automatic reset, it is really  For target practice, the rate is 2 to 3 rounds per minute at most.  Beiyang's small-caliber artillery firing was obviously well-done. Just 5 minutes later, the target ship was hit by multiple artillery shells, and flames shot up into the sky In order to highlight the effect, the target ship was sprinkled with flammable gunpowder in advance.  and kerosene, which are also important means to ensure target accuracy.  Li Hongzhang was surrounded by a group of Western diplomats. His tall and thin body stood upright. He looked at the property he had saved with all his hard work in the distance, and at the firelight rising from the target ship. He smiled at the British Minister Eugenne next to him.  He said: "Minister Organa, our country's determination to safeguard the vassal states, from His Majesty the Emperor to the Navy, is very firm. Therefore, I hope you can explain your country's position to the Japanese government in order to avoid conflicts in the Far East that affect regional stability.  "After listening to the translation by the bearded British man, Customs and Taxation Department Hurd, who stood between the two, Minister Organa smiled and raised the exquisite glass in his hand to pay tribute to the most powerful old man in the Far East, "  Dear Lee, Rear Admiral Philip Mantel, Commander of the British Empire's Far East Fleet, has led 4 warships to Seoul, North Korea. We will focus on the situation in North Korea Rear Admiral Phil Mantel believes that your country's ironclads still have absolute control over the war.  In terms of maritime control, the naval generals are also top-notch in the Far East!" Hearing the praise from the British minister, the Huai officials standing behind Li Hongzhang were all smiling. It was obvious that as the largest maritime power today!  The British Empire's statement on this matter is absolutely convincing, and even Li Hongzhang smiled with relief at this moment.  Not far away, several Japanese officials with lowered heads and cold faces looked nervously at the retracting Beiyang Fleet in the distance, while Japanese Minister Komura was discussing the two countries' positions on the Korean issue with Russian Minister Cassini.  , However, it is obvious that the Russians, who had long wanted to get involved in North Korea, did not give the Japanese a good look All of this obviously fell into the eyes of Zhang Peilun behind Li Hongzhang. Today's military exercise obviously achieved the originally expected purpose.  , at least, the British, Russians, and French have begun to express their willingness to actively mediate the Korean dispute to Li Hongzhang. For these powers, any form of situation change in the Far East is unnecessary instability.  To his surprise, later on, the Japanese Minister in China, Komura, came over to express his congratulations to Li Zhongtang on the success of the exercise. After the two were diplomatically polite, Komura actually mentioned the North Korean issue directly, "Dear Mr.  Your Excellency Governor Li, our government is also deeply concerned about the civil unrest in North Korea and hopes that your country can help the North Korean royal family restore political stability as soon as possible. In that case, it will be of great help to the economy and trade between China and Japan!"  Li Hongzhang's eyes flashed, and he closed his eyes tightly and stared at the short Japanese diplomat in front of him, wearing a Japanese dress. He immediately asked: "Your Excellency Komura, do you represent your country's Prime Minister Ito?  Your personal opinion! If our two countries can reach an agreement on the North Korean issue, I will be happy to have a more in-depth exchange of views with you tomorrow! " "Mr. Governor Li, what I am conveying is naturally the opinion of the Japanese cabinet. Our government believes that  , if China and Japan do not assist the Korean royal family, North KoreaThe political situation may undergo unpredictable changes As far as I know, the Donghak Party rebels have captured Jeonju, and the Korean royal family's army is further disintegrating!  "Xiao Cun had a serious expression on his face and affirmed Li Hongzhang's questioning very decisively. Li Hongzhang made a soft noise and glanced at Zhang Peilun behind him. The man immediately realized the meaning and stepped forward.  Taking a step forward, he raised his hand towards Xiaocun and said, "Minister Xiaocun, since both of us have a very close understanding of the North Korean issue, why not invite Minister Organa today to discuss how to solve the North Korean issue and form a written diplomatic agreement as soon as possible You  See if this works!  ¡± To the surprise of Zhang Peilun and diplomats from various countries, Komura immediately agreed to start diplomatic consultations on the North Korean issue as soon as possible. However, he was very embarrassed to start discussions on the same day and said that he must immediately ask Prime Minister Ito for instructions and obtain relevant information.  Li Hongzhang felt a lot better after receiving an unexpected statement from the Japanese. That night, at the Zhili Governor's Mansion, he summoned the Navy Admiral Ding Ruchang, who was about to return to Lushun, and made it very clear about his current military situation.  He thought, "Yu Ting, it is not easy to build a navy, and we must not use troops lightly at sea. Remember this!"  I have asked the British Minister Eugenia and the Russian Minister Cassini to mediate in North Korea. Both of them have interests in North Korea that cannot be given up. And I have ordered the Minister to Japan Wang Fengzao to hold talks with Ito Hirobumi as soon as possible!  " Ding Ruchang was naturally relieved when he heard Li Hongzhang's grand strategy in diplomacy. This was indeed a great way to defeat the enemy without fighting. After 30 years of coastal defense construction, Li Zhongtang purchased more than 300 German Krupp cannons.  Dozens of fortresses known as iron walls were built along the entire empire's coastline. Based on his knowledge of running the navy for many years, any fleet would have to pay a sufficient price to break through the impregnable coastal defenses from the front. Early the next morning, Beiyang!  The main force of the navy pulled anchor in a mighty manner and returned to Port Arthur. On the same day, Yuan Shikai, the Minister of Commerce in North Korea, received a telegram from the Minister of Beiyang Li Hongzhang, asking him to immediately investigate the opinions of the Japanese minister in North Korea on the Qing government's sending troops to North Korea. Soon,  Yuan Shikai's telegram was sent. After discussing with Japan's Acting Minister Jun Sugimura, the Japanese Minister also urged China to assist North Korea as soon as possible. This young and decisive new leader of the Huaihe system was very sure that Japan seemed to have no other intentions. There seems to be intrigue between China and Japan!  During the diplomatic negotiations, Lu Hong, who was in Port Arthur, got several important clues, and the source of the information was Cai Tingqian, who seemed to have a good relationship before. Then, when Yang Shixiang came to visit Wang Renkan on behalf of Li Hongzhang, Lu Hong had already  Realizing that the seemingly difficult-to-obtain information in his hands was obviously suspected of being manipulated by Yang Pingshi However, the problem is obviously not the source of the information, but the accuracy of the information. After Yang Shixiang and Wang Renkan talked in secret  Afterwards, Lu Hong suddenly took over the military supply station at the east gate of Lushun with the imperial envoy Yong Ying. On that day, Lishan, the deputy assistant of the Navy Yamen, was not here, but went to the Shanghai Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau with the China Merchants Bureau. But, this time.  However, important physical evidence was obtained during the search. Tateyama, a naval official who controlled the procurement position of the Beiyang Navy, had obviously completely lost his vigilance in years of corruption. Lu Hong almost didn't put in much effort.  The daily navy's yin and yang accounts were copied from the cabinet of the third aunt of the servant What's more terrible is that an account that Tateyama submitted to the superior officials was also found. However, Lu Hong immediately sealed the account.  After handing it over to Yang Shixiang, who was blocking the door, he only took a few glances. Among them were the names of many senior officials of the Huai Clan. However, this was not the purpose of coming here!  The old man actually married 12 concubines in a row. As a result, there were so many people arrested that Wang Renkan had to temporarily escort them to the naval camp fort, otherwise there were not so many cells. And Yang Shixiang immediately represented Li Hongzhang.  An impeachment package was drafted for Tateyama, and a memorial to support the inspection of the Navy's imperial envoy Wang Renkan was rushed to Beijing. Of course, on the day of the arrest, Wang Renkan had actually informed Weng Tonghe in a secret telegram. Apparently, Mr. Weng Ge, who saw the opportunity to restrict the Beiyang Navy, immediately came to Beijing.  There was a big discussion on the issue of military corruption in the court, and the Qingliu generals began to lash out at the blatant corruption in the army one by one By the 28th, the Military Aircraft Department had quickly issued this order.  The former confidant of Prince Chun's Palace and the naval yamen aide Tateyama's approval to seize the official position and be escorted to Beijing for trial. In the exchange of telegrams, Lu Hong also immediately discovered a major opportunity!
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