Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 47: The Parable of Breastfeeding
He was still daydreaming, and Emperor Guangxu said to him excitedly: "I have read your article, and it seems as if I were there. When I close my eyes, I can see the scene of artillery fire on the sea." He walked towards him, took his hand and looked at the shocking scar on it (Ma Yue said that looking at his hand made her want to cry), "It was these hands that threw the Japanese pirates' shells into the sea. I dare not imagine what the situation was like at that time." He sighed, "I have never summoned a loyal and righteous man like Deng Shichang. It is a lifelong regret."
"I cannot express in words the loyalty and bravery of our navy officers and soldiers in the naval battle ." Sun Gang felt sad when he heard this. "I just hope their blood was not shed in vain."
"When our Celestial Empire's mighty troops set foot on the Japanese mainland, the Emperor can also comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers in heaven." An old voice said. Sun Gang then realized that there was an energetic old man in the room. Well, from what he heard, he should be the famous Master Weng.
Sun Gang did not know much about the life of this "first mentor" of the Reform Movement recorded in history textbooks. He only knew a line of poetry: "The prime minister in Hefei makes the world lean, and the minister of agriculture in Changshu makes the world barren." "Hefei" refers to Li Hongzhang, and "Changshu" refers to Master Weng. The two men fought openly and secretly all their lives, so why were they scolded together after their deaths? Sun Gang often couldn't figure it out. It would have been fine if Li Hongzhang was scolded because of the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" (looking at the current situation, it should be unlikely to be signed), but why was Master Weng, who taught Emperor Guangxu to reform, also scolded?
"Yes, use the navy to escort an army of 100,000 to attack the Japanese mainland and force them to withdraw their troops for rescue. What do you think of this plan?" asked Emperor Guangxu.
"I think that the Japanese are currently short of military supplies and have no help. They are crying out for food. It is not appropriate for us to offer them milk and satisfy their wishes."
He regretted the moment he said it. He had chosen a word carefully, but in the end he came up with this breastfeeding metaphor. He couldn't see what Sun Yuwen's expression looked like now, but he estimated that his expression was comparable to that of the Hulk.
Just because you have insulted the emperor with one sentence, you don't have to die so quickly, right?
Back then, when his friend Qu Dapeng was explaining to his mother why there was a girl from Yueyang in his room, he ruined the whole thing with just one sentence.
What he said at the time was, "I'm not the first one."
This incident became a joke among his friends, and today, in the imperial palace in the Forbidden City, he re-enacted this joke.
The expected "beheading at the Meridian Gate" was not what he expected. Perhaps it was because Emperor Guangxu had never heard of this creative metaphor before. Fighting and breastfeeding were two completely unrelated things that blocked the emperor's thinking for a while. However, Master Weng beside him could not help but asked loudly, "What do you mean?"
"The Japanese army was short of artillery and weapons, so it was difficult to fight for a long time. However, our army was defeated whenever we met the enemy. Our guns, ammunition, food and supplies were all given to the enemy. In the Battle of Haicheng, the Japanese laid out more than a hundred large and small cannons abandoned by our army. Their firepower was several times greater than ours, and they fired at full force, causing our army to be defeated and Haicheng to be lost." Sun Gang quickly replied, "The enemy's artillery was given to us, and we fought against each other. The combat effectiveness of the army is really worrying. Even if we have enough artillery, weapons and supplies, it is like driving a flock of sheep into the mouth of a tiger to lead a weak army of 100,000 across the sea to the east. This should never be done. That is why I made the analogy just now."
This remark choked Master Weng, who was speechless for a long time. Emperor Guangxu sighed, returned to his seat, and said, "You are right. If the army could be half as strong as the navy, this war would not have turned out like this."
Sun Gang then realized that he was already soaked with cold sweat. The young emperor didn't seem to blame him. Fortunately, he had passed half of the gate of hell.
He looked up slightly. Emperor Guangxu might have remembered his metaphor and had a slight smile on his face. The Empress Dowager Cixi next to him was also smiling and seemed to nod. Yes, the emperor has married and is ruling the country himself, how could he not understand?
"How should we use military force in the current situation?" Emperor Guangxu asked again.
"Your Majesty, the Japanese navy has been badly defeated. The sea power is in our hands now. However, my advantage at sea may not be able to reverse the situation on land. We can use our naval ships to bombard one or two famous cities in Japan to chill the people's hearts and force them to not dare to fight again and ask for peace. Then the war can be stopped. This is a strategy of using war to promote peace." Sun Gang said, "Besides, the great powers are all around us and they all want to take advantage of this war. There are signs that Britain and Japan are secretly colluding. The Japanese main fast ship 'Takasago' that raided our port the day before yesterday was originally ordered by Japan from Britain. When the war started, we had not heard that the ship had returned to the country, but it suddenly appeared in the ranks of the Japanese troops in the Great East Channel, which was a clear proof that the British secretly helped the Japanese. I sneaked into Nagasaki by submarine, and the Japanese ship I sank was also a new British ship. I think that if the British and Japanese form an alliance, the consequences will be worrying. It is better to stop the war as soon as possible, and our Qing Dynasty will calmly reorganize the army and plan for the future. "He looked at the face of Emperor Guangxu and said carefully: "If it is delayed for a long time, the Japanese will be barbaric and violent, and disturb the mausoleums of the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty. It is very worrying."
"I didn't expect you to be so mature at such a young age." Empress Dowager Cixi, who had been silent, suddenly said, startling Sun Gang. "Your Majesty only knows that you drive submarines to destroy the enemy, and you are a rare brave man in the Qing Dynasty. I didn't expect you to have such insight." She turned to Emperor Guangxu and said softly, "Your Majesty, you just heard it. The Japanese invaded our territory. How can we forget this hatred for a day? But we must gradually become stronger. It is not enough to kill a few people and burn a few houses to avenge ourselves. If, with time, our Qing Dynasty can build ships overseas and destroy the Japanese pirates in the sea, Your Majesty, only on that day can we truly avenge ourselves."
Sun Gang did not expect that Empress Dowager Cixi would actually say such words. This was completely different from the impression given to him in the textbooks. It is really better to have no books than to blindly believe in them!
"The Empress Dowager is right." Sun Gang added, "The Qing Dynasty has exposed many problems in this war, which cannot be changed overnight. We should take this opportunity to stop the war as soon as possible, then cut down the old army, train a new army with Western methods, and quickly increase the navy. We will strive to compete with the Japanese one day and avenge today's hatred."
Emperor Guangxu paced in the room for a while, and suddenly asked: "According to you, can peace talks make the Japanese withdraw from Liaodong?" No wonder Sun Yuwen told him not to forget to worry about the Japanese digging up his ancestral graves. Emperor Guangxu still attached great importance to this matter.
"Your Majesty, if we want to negotiate, we must first cease fire. Only then can we tell the Japanese that if they dare to act rashly, our navy will bombard all their coastal cities in retaliation. I believe the Japanese will not dare to disobey." Sun Gang replied.
"That's great." Empress Dowager Cixi looked at him and said, "If you have any other opinions on the peace talks, you might as well tell the emperor."
"I think that peace or war are both strategies of governance and are subject to national interests." Sun Gang saw that Emperor Guangxu was not very happy, so he carefully enlightened him: "When both sides have won or lost, trying to overwhelm the opponent at the negotiation table and gain what they did not get on the battlefield is also a means. We can ask the Japanese to withdraw troops, pay compensation, cede territory and other conditions during the negotiations to strive for the greatest interests for our Qing Dynasty, which is also the best strategy."
The Emperor Guangxu is still young and energetic. It would be better if he could be calmer when encountering things.
Being able to stay calm in the face of adversity is an essential quality for a good leader.
Emperor Guangxu was stunned when he heard his words. "Cede land? What land? Will the Japanese agree to this?"
