Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 51 What to do after lying on the beauty's lap
Sun Gang didn't know what to say for a moment. He really couldn't find any fault with the Japanese proposal. He now felt that he was still not as sophisticated as the Japanese in this regard.
"Also, your navy has laid a large number of mines in the waters between North Korea and our country. In order to avoid damaging friendly ships, please provide a map of the locations of the mines to avoid unnecessary disputes." The Japanese man said again.
The Japanese are really tall! Sun Gang thought bitterly in his heart. They wanted to eliminate the threat of mines to them with just a few words, and their reasons were very sufficient. Sun Gang didn't know how to answer for a while. But the Lord Zhongtang was old and shrewd. He had already prepared a large nail rake and hit him back fiercely with the rake.
"I have never given such an order to my Beiyang Navy." Li Hongzhang said confidently, "Mines are used for defense in Haikou, and my navy's mine-laying ship was sunk by your army's surprise attack. How could it be possible to lay mines there? Could it be that your country deliberately laid mines there to prevent our ships from passing by? The thief cried thief, and then falsely accused our army of doing it. Your navy has done this once in the waters of Fengdao, so it should be familiar with it, hehe."
Old Jiang is still very sharp! He cleared himself of all charges with just one sentence. Sun Gang looked at Master Zhongtang with great admiration, and Master Zhongtang looked very proud when his eyes met his.
"The mines need to be controlled by someone on the shore to be detonated. It is possible that the Koreans did this out of indignation because your country has occupied their territory." Zhang Yinhuan, the minister of the Zongli Yamen, said this. This sentence implicitly implied that Japan's invasion of Korea was unpopular, which made all the Chinese present feel very happy.
The two Japanese exchanged glances and said nothing more. Mutsu Munemitsu said, "In this case, can we consider that the ceasefire will officially take effect from today?"
Li Hongzhang thought about it and nodded.
"Regarding your country's proposal, we need to consult the country immediately." Mutsu Munemitsu said again.
"You'd better hurry up, we don't have that much time to waste on arguing with you." Lord Zhongtang yawned and said.
The remaining time was for both sides to sign a temporary ceasefire agreement and immediately start exchanging prisoners. China sent the "Jiyuan" ship and Japan sent the "Chikushi" ship to monitor the military operations of both sides in the Korean waters together with the British Far East Fleet.
After the meeting was over, Sun Gang finally understood why the Japanese were so concerned about mines.
According to information obtained from the British Far East Fleet that was watching the battle, it turned out that when Liu Buchan and his men were returning, the Japanese sent the four ships "Takachiho", "Chiyoda", "Kaohsiung" and "Kongō" to follow the Beiyang Fleet in preparation for a sneak attack. "Takachiho" suddenly exploded for some reason and soon sank. The British sailors believed that it was hit by a mine. Sun Gang asked someone to inquire about the direction where "Takachiho" sank. It was not too far from where they laid mines last time, but there was still some distance. Sun Gang estimated that there must be something wrong with the mine laying by Fang Boqian last time, and the sea water washed a mine to that vicinity, causing "Takachiho" to "win the first prize" inexplicably. As a result, the Japanese navy never dared to leave the port again!
When Sun Gang thought of this, he immediately asked Lord Zhongtang to notify the Beiyang Fleet not to go to that area in the near future to avoid causing unnecessary losses to his own people.
"You need more experience." After delivering the telegram to his servants, Li Hongzhang looked at the young man in front of him and smiled, "You almost fell for the Japanese trick today."
"This has also taught the younger generation to be more careful. When dealing with these bandits, we have to be extremely alert," said Sun Gang.
Li Hongzhang waved his hand to signal him to sit down. "I can see that you are honest and sincere, and your personality is very similar to Ruchang. This kind of thing is indeed not suitable for you." Li Hongzhang said gently: "It is better to leave the bickering with them to us old men. You just need to judge what tricks they will play from your own eyes and remind me anytime and anywhere." He sighed, "I have been engaged in foreign affairs for a lifetime, but I still know little about some things. The last time I signed the Tianjin Treaty, I accidentally let Ito Hirobumi and others take advantage of the loophole, which gave the Japanese an excuse to interfere in Korea. This time, we must not repeat the same mistake."
Sun Gang knew what he was talking about. In the "Tianjin Conference Articles" signed last time (March 1885), the Japanese just picked out words and made a fuss, and managed to obtain an equal status with China on the Korean issue, which gave them the opportunity to launch this war!
What else do the Japanese want to do? Sun Gang thought about it and felt that the burden on his shoulders was heavier than he had imagined.
In the final analysis, there are too many problems in China, which makes it impossible to maximize victory even when the battlefield situation is favorable to itself! If there is an army with similar quality to the navy, even if the number of people is not too large, the idea of landing on the Japanese mainland will not seem so ridiculous!
The unremitting efforts of countless Japanese reformists have contributed to the prosperity and aggressiveness of today's Japan. And what methods can I use to promote favorable changes in the ancient empire of Qing Dynasty?
Japan was defeated this time, but it was not completely defeated. It has become a true modern power. This defeat can only suppress it for a few years. It won’t be long before it rises again!
What about Qing China? Can it seize these few years to stand up?
Can this butterfly effect created by China itself help China prepare for the next challenge?
His head started to hurt again from thinking so much.
When he returned to Ma Yue, she saw that he looked unhappy, so she came over, hugged him and kissed him gently on the face. His loving and considerate gesture from his wife made him feel a lot better.
The two of them hugged each other and sat on the bed. "Is the negotiation not going well?" Ma Yue said, "The Japanese are very tricky. Sometimes they scold you in front of you without you even noticing."
"How do you know?" Sun Gang couldn't help but ask.
"That was when I was working in a company of our era." Ma Yue said, "I accompanied my boss and several colleagues to discuss business with the Japanese. We had dinner at a restaurant at night. The Japanese always looked at me with that kind of eyes. I was annoyed, so I sat farther away. During the meal, the Japanese said something in Japanese and laughed. We didn't understand what they said. I saw that the translator looked like she was about to cry, so I asked her what was going on. She said that the Japanese called us pigs. I got angry at the time, picked up a pot of soup and poured it on the Japanese opposite, scalding them and making them scream. The boss was dumbfounded at the time and asked me what I was doing. I told him. I thought he would scold me, but guess what happened?"
"He was fired." Sun Gang looked at her with some heartache and said.
"No, the boss and several male colleagues just stepped on the table and rushed over, fighting with the Japanese. I was stunned at the time. When 110 arrived, all the Japanese were already lying on the ground." Ma Yue recalled the scene at that time, and the corners of her mouth were full of smiles. "110 knew what happened and let us go. Then they closed the door, and screams came from inside again. After we left, I stupidly asked the boss, I ruined your business, you must hate me to death, right? The boss said, I don’t need that little money! Let’s go! Let’s go to another place to continue eating!" She smiled and let him lie in her arms, "As a result, I got drunk for the first time that day. Later, when I changed jobs, the boss was still reluctant to let me go, saying that I didn’t give him face."
"There is such a thing!" Sun Gang looked at her and laughed, "No! Tomorrow I will find some fault with them and vent my anger on them in the treaty!"
"Alright, alright, end the war quickly so we can live in peace." She looked at him with tenderness in her eyes, "Stop pretending to be so high and mighty here. You really think you're a navy man."
"Aren't you also a navy soldier?" Sun Gang looked at her and said, "You are also a serious girl who has participated in a real naval battle. How many times in a person's life can they have such precious experiences?"
"Yes." Perhaps she felt that he was a little tired, so she gently moved his head to her legs, making him feel more comfortable. "During those days, I realized how important you are to me." She looked at him steadily, "Whatever you want to do, just do it. I will always support you."
"I have already achieved lying on a beautiful woman's lap." Sun Gang looked at her and smiled, "All I have left is to take control of the world."