Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 67: Questions in the Car
"Kim Ok-gyun was already a wanted traitor by Korea and was despised by the Qing Dynasty. He was assassinated and his body was tortured to death. Why do you want to talk about him, my Lord?" Jin Shunji said calmly, but Sun Gang could see that she must be very excited inside.
"Mr. Kim's starting point was good. He hoped that North Korea could emulate Japan and become strong, but his approach was wrong and he chose the wrong friends," Sun Gang said. "So Mr. Kim is somewhat to blame for the chaos that North Korea is in today."
"I would like to hear the details." Jin Shunji opened her eyes wide and looked at Sun Gang, listening attentively to what he said, afraid of missing a word.
Sun Gang couldn't help but laugh at her concentration. He cleared his throat and said, "I haven't met him, but I really want to know why he is so sure that the Japanese will help him make Korea strong? Even if the Qing Dynasty did not interfere in his last coup and he succeeded with the help of the Japanese, do the Japanese really want Korea to be strong? Or do they have other intentions? How does he know that the Japanese are not using him to control Korea?"
"Mr. Kim said that Korea and Japan are culturally connected. What the Japanese can do, we can do too..." Kim Sun-hee looked at him, blinked, and said softly, (Another victim of the "same culture, same race" doctrine.)
"Then, Mr. Jin, do you know that the Japanese are ashamed to associate with Asian countries and want to 'leave Asia and join Europe'? Not to mention the distant past, the Japanese warships bombarded Ganghwa Island. Was it helping North Korea? Japan hoarded rice and grain for export in North Korea, which led to widespread starvation in North Korea. Can it be said that it was helping North Korea to become strong?" Sun Gang laughed and said, "Japan took advantage of the civil unrest in North Korea to launch an attack and pointed its troops directly at the Qing Dynasty. We can imagine that if Japan wins this war, what will be the outcome of North Korea? I'm afraid that North Korea will be independent in name, but actually become a colony of Japan! It will become a springboard for Japan to advance to the Asian continent! How long can North Korea last without the protection of the Qing Dynasty?"
Sun Gang saw the shock on the beautiful woman's face again. She calmed herself down for a long time and said slowly, "Then according to your opinion, what is the way out for Korea? We can't always rely on the protection of the Qing Dynasty, right? And can the Qing Dynasty have the power to protect Korea forever?"
"Regardless of the size of a country, if it wants to be strong, it depends on the awakening of the ideology of the entire nation from top to bottom." Sun Gang said to her: "If the ideology of the nation cannot be truly awakened, even if there are a thousand uprisings and ten thousand coups, even if they succeed, they will only return to the original starting point and there will be no new changes. This is the same for the Qing Dynasty, Korea, and Japan."
Jin Shunji was completely shocked by his words. She looked at Sun Gang in a daze. Sun Gang looked at her beautiful face with surprise, confusion and admiration on it. He looked at the mobile phone in his hand and couldn't help but want to play a prank. He opened the back cover of the phone, pointed the camera at her and pressed the record button.
"Ouch!" She let out a soft cry and made a slight evasive motion. When she came to her senses, she found that the Minister of the Beiyang Shipbuilding Bureau of the Qing Dynasty was grinning at the thing in her hand that had scared her.
A clear and beautiful picture is displayed on the mobile phone.
A beautiful girl was startled by something sudden and came back to her senses. The expression on her face showed surprise, joy, and a hint of natural shyness. It is really not easy to capture such a wonderful moment of a beauty.
Seeing the beautiful woman in front of him looking stunned and puzzled, he handed her the phone with amusement. She took it with both hands and looked at herself on the phone. She was so surprised that a blush appeared on her face.
Along the way, with the beautiful woman accompanying him to talk, time passed quickly. Sun Gang showed off in front of her the "great principles" he had learned in later life, which made the beautiful Korean student admire him very much. Even Zhan Shuxiao felt that the Minister of the Navy talked a lot today.
Students, especially beautiful students, need to be cultivated slowly.
After arriving at the Beijing Posthouse and settling everyone down, Sun Gang took Zhan Shuxiao and several guards to visit Sun Yuwen, who was actually watching a play at home again! It seemed that this military minister was also a fan of plays. In this era, China had no television or movies, so watching plays should be the main form of entertainment.
Sun Yuwen was very happy to see him coming and immediately came out to greet him. If he had tried to win him over last time, this time his intention seemed sincere.
"I rashly submitted a memorial last time and caused trouble for you, old sir. I am extremely ashamed." Sun Gang said after the two men sat down. He did feel a little sorry for this matter.
"What are you talking about? If it weren't for your memorial, would I have been able to keep my ears clean like I am now?" Sun Yuwen laughed loudly, waved his hand and said, "I have been troubled by these scholars who only know how to gossip all day long. I didn't expect that with your memorial, I could just go to the Queen Mother and cry a few times and the problem would be solved. How happy I am!"
"The emperor has summoned me to the capital, but I wonder what it is for . I'm afraid that my performance would go against the emperor's will and fail to live up to his majesty's wishes, so I've come to ask for your advice." Sun Gang said to him. He still hadn't completely digested the can of milk from last time, so he really had to think it over before he spoke this time.
Sun Yuwen seemed to have remembered the last audience and couldn't help but smile. "It's okay, these are all questions you are familiar with, and you will definitely be able to answer them fluently," he said.
"I feel uneasy, please tell me clearly, old man." Sun Gang was still a little worried and said again.
"Knowing you would come, I asked someone to find out, and with the court meetings these days, I already know almost everything." Sun Yuwen said, "The Russians forced the lease of Lushun. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were furious. The Emperor learned that the two iron ships were overhauled and could not go to war. The Russians were so anxious that he couldn't eat. Later, you called to say that the Russian ships were forced to retreat. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were very relieved. The Emperor has decided to strengthen the coastal defense and add more navy ships. It's ridiculous that Master Weng also said that the Beiyang Navy is all new ships. The Ministry of Revenue has very little resources and it may be difficult to raise funds. I heard from the eunuchs that the Emperor and Master Weng had a big quarrel."
How could this happen? Sun Gang was very puzzled. Weng Tonghe and Emperor Guangxu had been teacher and student for many years, and they could even be said to be as close as father and son. How could they have reached the point of quarreling? What was the problem?
"After the last naval battle, Japanese warships invaded various places along the southeast coast, and all provinces suffered greatly. I have asked someone to collect some reports for you. Take them back and have a look. If anyone opposes the purchase of ships tomorrow, you can use these to respond to them." Sun Yuwen asked his servants to bring him a large stack of reports, which shocked Sun Gang. Can you read it? This is too much, right?
"If you are still worried, go to Li Zhongtang later and hear what he says." Sun Yuwen said.
After saying goodbye to Sun Yuwen, Sun Gang sent the copied newspaper back to the post station and asked his beautiful secretary and students to sort it out first, then he took Zhan Shuxiao to find Li Hongzhang.
"What's wrong with you?" Sun Gang couldn't help but ask curiously as he saw Zhan Shuxiao looking around vigilantly for something.
"I always feel like someone is following us." Zhan Shuxiao replied, still looking around. The guards also became nervous. Because they were in the capital, Sun Gang asked them to hide their pistols in the dark. At this time, some people wanted to take them out.
"Could there be Japanese spies in this important area of the capital?" Sun Gang said in surprise.
"I have killed seven people in total in Huayuankou." Zhan Shuxiao said, "The war is over, what else do they want to do?" As he said this, he stopped his subordinates' actions.
The two men observed for a while and found nothing unusual. Sun Gang then came to Li Hongzhang's house. Strangely, Lord Zhongtang was also watching the show.
Li Hongzhang was very happy to see him coming. He took his hand and asked him to sit down. "Thanks to your memorial, every time I take action now, there is less criticism. I am actually not used to it, haha." The old fox seemed to be in a very good mood.
"What do you think of the ship purchase plan I have given to you, Lord Zhongtang?" Sun Gang asked carefully. Some time ago, he had written a letter to Li Hongzhang to explain his plan. He wanted the Beiyang Navy to add two battleships, five cruisers and five torpedo boats in the next three years. He has already ordered two submarines, which are expected to be completed in the first half of next year.
"I have already reported this to His Majesty. It should be a feasible plan." Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "But it is very expensive. It is probably enough to mobilize the whole country. If we still rely on each province to share the cost as before, I am afraid it will be difficult."
Sun Gang felt a little depressed after hearing his words, but there was nothing he could do. As the Minister of the Beiyang Navy, he had already known these days that the funding for the Beiyang Navy was mainly from coastal defense (not the Navy Office funds embezzled by Cixi), which was paid by various provinces from likin taxes and donations. This method of robbing Peter to pay Paul was bound to be stretched to the limit and easily aroused conflicts from all sides. It was impossible for the navy to obtain sufficient funds for long-term development.
"The Russian occupation of Port Arthur has caused a great shock to the government and the public. I heard that the Emperor had a big quarrel with Master Weng, and the Emperor even talked about selling the throne to buy ships. This makes me very scared." Li Hongzhang said. Sun Gang looked at him carefully, but he couldn't tell what was "scared" about him. Instead, he seemed to want to laugh.
"Master Weng, why don't you understand that without the stronger ironclad ships like Ding and Zhen, the coast of our Qing Dynasty will still be in danger." Sun Gang couldn't help but say worriedly.
"He doesn't want to understand at all." Li Hongzhang snorted and said, "Let's not talk about him. The governors of various provinces have submitted memorials requesting the expansion of the navy. Your plan may not be fully approved by the emperor and the empress dowager. The main issue at the court meeting tomorrow is whether to buy ironclad ships or fast ships. The emperor called you here this time to listen to your opinions and ask you to explain it to the court officials. After all , there are very few people in our Qing Dynasty who understand these things. Now the Qing Dynasty is in a state of revival and needs money everywhere. It is true that the Ministry of Revenue is short of funds, but it is still possible to buy two ships for emergency."
It seems that the Russian action was not entirely a bad thing. It was equivalent to helping him inadvertently, making senior officials in many provinces realize the importance of coastal defense.
If we can truly get financial support from the court and have stronger battleships, it will no longer be a dream!
"By the way, the Japanese Minister Komura proposed a few days ago that he wanted to pay the indemnity in one lump sum. What do you think about this?" Li Hongzhang asked.
"Japan has been preparing for this war for a long time. I heard that it even borrowed foreign debts, suffered heavy losses but to no avail. The domestic economy is in recession, and it is facing pressure from the Russians. Will it come up with so much money at once?" Sun Gang said with some doubt.
"I also doubt whether they can come up with so much money." Li Hongzhang said, "But the navy is in urgent need of funds right now. If they can pay all the indemnity at once, it will just solve our urgent needs."
"That's true." Sun Gang's heart was also moved. Thirty million taels of silver, how many warships could he buy?
"Notify the Japanese tomorrow and ask them to bring the money quickly!" Li Hongzhang patted the table and said.
