Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 7

Ito Miyoji was somewhat taken aback. Ito Hirobumi hadn't mentioned Ogawa Heikichi since his last meeting with him, and he assumed Ito hadn't taken a liking to him. But now, hearing Ito's sudden instruction, he suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Is Ogawa's junior really that outstanding?"

Ito Hirobumi thought for a moment and said, "That depends on whether his prediction will actually come true. However, it's quite remarkable that he was able to write such an interesting piece during his middle school years."

The article shows that he is still worth nurturing.

Lin Xinyi was unaware of Ito Hirobumi's evaluation of him, nor was he aware of the subtle changes he had brought to the era. After the three Qing Dynasty figures left, he returned to his quiet campus life.

On the other hand, at Ito Hirobumi's suggestion, Minister Nishitoku Jiro began to devote some of his attention to the changing situation in northern Qing China. Initially, the situation was improving; on October 11, Pingyuan County Magistrate Jiang Kai attempted to disperse a Boxer rebellion rally, but this time he was repelled by force.

Jiang Kai immediately reported to his superiors. At first, the court thought it was a rebellion by rioters, so it immediately ordered Yuan Shikai, who was stationed in Dezhou, to lead the Right Army of the Wuwei Army to quell the rebellion. Yuan Shikai's subordinate Ma Jinxu quickly defeated the Boxers in Pingyuan and captured their leaders, including Zhu Hongdeng and Monk Xincheng.

Just when the Western Minister thought that the Qing court was not confused and knew that these rioters should not be allowed to grow too powerful, Shandong Governor Yu Xian made a baffling move. He dismissed the Pingyuan County Magistrate who was suppressing the Boxers and ordered the Right Army of the Wuwei Army to return to its garrison, which seemed to be a show of support for the Boxers.

However, Yu Xian's actions angered the foreign powers. Under repeated pressure from the American minister and others, the Qing court finally dismissed Yu Xian from his position as governor of Shandong and replaced him with Yuan Shikai, whom the foreign ministers favored. Just when the Western minister thought the situation was beginning to improve and that the Boxers were about to collapse under Yuan Shikai's suppression, he suddenly realized that the Boxers were actually mobile, and that Yuan Shikai had no intention of going beyond Shandong to suppress them; he only wanted to drive them out of his own territory.

Therefore, the Zhili region, which is close to Shandong, became a refuge for the Shandong Boxers. The peasants in Zhili, who had also long suffered under foreign influence, also formed their own local Boxer groups after receiving help from the Shandong Boxers. The situation in Zhili began to deteriorate.

Although Zhili Governor-General Yulu did his best to suppress the Boxers, the North China Plain was already teeming with potential for conflict. Once the Boxer Rebellion spread across the plain, it quickly ignited into a raging inferno. If the Boxers' primary target in Shandong was foreign religions, their opposition shifted to the imperial court upon reaching North China, and many prefectures and counties were captured by them.

Recommended by Prince Duan and other conservatives, Yu Xian was summoned by Empress Dowager Cixi and advised her that the Boxers could be used. Yu Xian then returned to office as the governor of Shanxi, and the situation began to deteriorate rapidly.

Chapter Twenty-One: New Year

Looking at the sockeye salmon sashimi on the table in front of him, Nishitoku Jiro felt his appetite whetted. Although years of living abroad had made him accustomed to Western food, being able to eat sockeye salmon sashimi during the New Year truly made him feel the joy of the new year.

Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, Uchida Yasuya suddenly burst in and shouted at him, "Something terrible has happened! The Empress Dowager Cixi has issued an edict to protect the Boxers and recognize their legitimacy."

Nishitoku Jiro was so surprised that he dropped his chopsticks. Without thinking, he said, "Has this old woman gone mad?"

He then realized his slip of the tongue and glanced at Counselor Uchida, who had barged in. Uchida quickly understood and withdrew, then knocked on the door. After receiving permission from Nishi Tokujiro, he came back in and reported to Nishi Tokujiro again. Both of them had forgotten the little incident that had just happened, as if it had never occurred.

Nishitoku Jiro then calmly addressed Uchida Koya, saying, "Send a telegram to Tokyo; it seems there's a possibility of internal strife breaking out in Qing China..."

Meanwhile, Lin Xinyi was enjoying a leisurely New Year at his sister's house. In such a cold season, the Japanese countryside was mostly deserted due to the cold. Even though Nagano Prefecture was a famous producer of raw silk, the farmers were not wealthy. The real money was made by the landowners and raw silk merchants, not the laborers who were responsible for production.

Therefore, people were reluctant to go outside to burn heat, preferring instead to sit by the kotatsu and play simple games. The kotatsu at this time was nothing like the cozy and comfortable ones seen in later Doraemon movies. It was simply a hole dug in the ground, a charcoal stove placed inside, and a table and blankets on top. Because it used an open flame, it was extremely dangerous for children, as it could easily cause a fire.

However, sitting inside, it was so warm that one didn't want to leave. After all, there were no clothes made of industrial fibers in this era, and clothing was still very valuable to farmers. Even if all industry was focused on light industry, Japanese farmers could barely afford basic warm clothing; keeping warm was a luxury.

Even so, the farmers felt much happier than during the Edo period, an era when even samurai had to lift stones for warmth. At least they no longer had to go out naked, a testament to the Meiji Restoration. Of course, in Hayashi Nobuyoshi's view, this was simply a benefit brought about by increased productivity.

Whether in China or Japan, no one will think about whether the distribution is fair or not until they are starving. They will only regard the benefits brought about by the development of productivity as the good achievements of the officials.

Therefore, in an era of rising productivity, when someone stands up and says that the officials are taking too much, others will not only not side with you, but will also think that your poverty is due to laziness. In the era before the time travel, those who raise this question are even labeled as wanting to return to the past when there was a shortage of food and clothing, as if China's productivity improvement came not from the creativity of the workers, but from the leadership of the officials.

Such a social value system, which contradicts the materialistic view that labor creates social wealth, is clearly incapable of protecting the interests of workers. As a result, incidents of "good-faith wage arrears and malicious wage demands" are rampant. Furthermore, Meiji society never claimed to be socialist, and naturally attributed the improvement in people's living conditions brought about by increased productivity to the Meiji Emperor.

Sitting by the kotatsu eating boiled black beans, Lin Xinyi had to endure his sister's father-in-law reminiscing about the past, recalling his childhood of lack of food and clothing and his current happy life of being able to eat white rice during the New Year, while also praising the emperor's boundless grace.

"If it weren't so cold outside, I'd rather go out and brave the cold wind than listen to slaves praising their slave owners, and they're even saying it from the bottom of their hearts," Lin Xinyi lamented silently. This was why he preferred to be a boarding student rather than rely on his sister. Of course, his independence made things much easier for his sister in the family.

After all, in a Japanese farming family like this, the difference in living standards between having one more person to eat and having one less person to eat is quite significant. But just then, the village chief's voice suddenly came from outside the house calling for help. In Japanese villages, the head of the household, who had been praising the Emperor, immediately climbed out of the kotatsu and ran outside to greet the village chief.

Lin Xinyi slowly stood up and helped his sister clear the table. Just as he was helping his sister take the tableware to the kitchen, his sister, who hadn't had a chance to be alone with him, secretly took out a coin and slipped it to her brother, whispering, "This is the money I saved from working for others. Take it."

Although it was just a one-yuan silver coin, Lin Xinyi knew very well how difficult it was for his sister to save up that coin, because her mother-in-law was still the head of the household, so his sister couldn't possibly have any savings. Just as he was about to refuse, seeing the worry on his sister's face, he changed his mind and instead said thank you.

Seeing that her younger brother was willing to accept the money, the older sister finally smiled a little. Just as she was about to say something to her brother, her husband ran over and called out to her brother, "Xinyi, come here quickly, Mr. Xiaochuan has come to visit you."

Lin Xinyi asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why is the shopkeeper here to see me at this hour?"

The brother-in-law obviously couldn't answer the question, but the sister patted him on the back and said, "Go and see, maybe they're just passing by and stopped by to see you."

When Lin Xinyi returned to the living room, he discovered that it was Ogawa Heikichi who had come, not the owner of the clothing store. Although he didn't know why the other party would come to this small village more than 20 miles away from Kobe, he still greeted him with New Year's greetings according to Japanese custom.

Compared to this cramped and dirty farmhouse, Ogawa Heikichi felt that his place was about the same as Ito Hou's mansion, so he was unwilling to stay here any longer. After giving red envelopes to Lin Xinyi and several other juniors to wish them well, he explained his purpose to Lin Xinyi: he had decided to become Lin Xinyi's patron, but hoped that Lin Xinyi would go to Tokyo to complete the rest of his middle school studies.

Ogawa Heikichi said to Lin Xinyi with no small amount of pride, "Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School is the best ordinary junior high school in the country. The college entrance rate from First Junior High School to First Senior High School exceeds 50%, so this school generally does not accept transfer students. This is a really rare opportunity."

If Ogawa hadn't added that unnecessary comment, Lin Xinyi might have given in, since his sugar daddy was always right. But after Ogawa's last sentence, Lin Xinyi felt that things might not be so simple, because Ogawa couldn't possibly have gotten him into such a middle school; otherwise, Eijiro would have already gone to study in Tokyo.

After thinking for a few seconds, Lin Xinyi said tactfully, "Actually, the principal gave me a few sets of test papers to do before the New Year, and my scores were pretty good. The principal said that as long as I can maintain my current level, getting into No. 1 High School will not be a problem. I think there is only one year left, no, not even one year left. Transferring to Tokyo now is probably not a good thing."

Before Ogawa Heikichi could say anything after hearing Lin Xinyi's reply, the village chief sitting to the side scolded him, "Lin, how can you speak to your elders like that? That's so disrespectful."

Hearing the village chief flexing his muscles in his own home, his brother-in-law's family stood by, too nervous to utter a sound. Lin Xinyi, however, calmly said, "Of course I'm grateful for Uncle Xiaochuan's kindness. But Uncle Xiaochuan's sponsorship is for Lin Xinyi who can get into the top high school, not for Lin Xinyi who can't. So of course, getting into the top high school is my top priority. Uncle Xiaochuan, don't you agree?"

Looking at this very opinionated boy, Ogawa Heikichi was also a little troubled. Although he was also a troublesome guy who often rebelled against the decisions of adults when he was young, he now disliked those juniors who always went against him. It can be said that obeying elders is a Japanese tradition.

Of course, Lin Xinyi was different from the others because the other party had become a bridge for him to enter high society. For the sake of this bridge, he did not want to have any conflicts with the other party. After all, Lin Xinyi's analysis of the current situation was more profound than his own, and now he had gained the appreciation of important figures. He was a young man with unlimited potential. Why should he offend such a young man?

This is the Meiji era, where talented individuals rise to prominence very quickly. Yamagata and Ito, despite their humble origins, have become influential figures who wield significant power in the country. If Hayashi Nobuyoshi were to rise to prominence, it would be truly good news for him.

Ogawa Heikichi stopped the village chief from reprimanding Lin Xinyi. Seeing that the room was crowded with people, he immediately changed his mind about asking them to leave and instead said to Lin Xinyi, "Why don't we go outside and talk to each other alone?"

Watching Ogawa Heikichi get up and leave, Lin Xinyi nodded to the village chief and elders before following them out. Watching the two figures disappear from the room, the village chief said to his father, Abe, with a touch of melancholy, "It seems our little village is about to produce a remarkable person."

"Kobayashi isn't from our village..." Old Man Abe was still a little confused and replied with a puzzled look, but under the village chief's gaze, he quickly changed his words and said, "Yes, Yukiko really brought a good little brother."

Standing under the eaves, looking at the snow-covered ground and forest in front of him, Ogawa Heikichi finally breathed in a breath of fresh air. He felt much better and then said to Lin Xinyi beside him, "The person who helped you with the transfer procedures was Mr. Ito. He was the drafter of the Japanese Constitution and the founder of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. It will be good for you to get in touch with him."

After a moment of silence, Lin Xinyi said, "Transferring to Tokyo to study won't mean much to me, but it will increase opportunities for Eijiro and Toyo. Please ask Mr. Ito to help with their paperwork as well."

Ogawa Heikichi turned back to look at him in shock, and after a long while, he said, "That's Ito Miyoji, a close aide to the elder statesman Ito-kun. Apart from Ito-kun, no one dares to order him around like this..."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Entering the Meiji Era

Lin Xinyi, dressed in thin clothes, stood under the eaves, yet felt no cold at all. He calmly replied to Ogawa Heikichi, "No, I just want to know whether Mr. Ito's kindness is a reward or an investment. If it's a reward, it's too meager; if it's an investment, then the amount should be increased. Giving me what is already mine is not a reward."

Ogawa Heikichi stared at Lin Xinyi, feeling somewhat at a loss. He had never expected such a response before coming, so he hadn't even prepared a plan and didn't know what to say now.

At this moment, Lin Xinyi continued, "Nagano Prefecture is just a rural place. Although it's not far from Tokyo, it's more convenient to go to Osaka than to get here from Tokyo. It's too difficult for people here to get ahead. Uncle Ogawa is planning to go into politics, right? Then you need to cultivate a few younger generation from your hometown. Is there anyone from your hometown who is closer to you than Eijiro? If you can get Eijiro and Toyo to go to No. 1 Middle School together this time, then when they get into No. 1 High School, they will definitely be grateful to Uncle Ogawa."

Hearing this, Ogawa Heikichi was no longer angry. He nodded and said, "You're right, Nagano Prefecture is indeed lacking in talent. However, aren't you afraid of offending Mr. Ito by doing this? Perhaps he'll think you're being unreasonable, and maybe this matter will be dropped?"

Lin Xinyi said nonchalantly, "As long as I can get into No. 1 High School, Uncle Xiaochuan will still sponsor me, so what do I have to be afraid of? Uncle Xiaochuan and I are family. As for Mr. Ito, I'm not familiar with him."

Hearing Lin Xinyi's words, Ogawa Heikichi's last bit of discomfort vanished. He chuckled and scolded, "Are you trying to cling to me now? But you're right, we're on the same side. Those Choshu people won't consider us one of their own. Hmm, I'll go back and send a telegram to Ito and see what he says. If he accepts, I'll prepare transfer paperwork for the three of you. If he says no, then that's it. We Nagano people don't necessarily need to rely on the Choshu people to stand up for ourselves. Come on in, it's too cold outside, and you're dressed too lightly..."

Although Ogawa Heikichi's arrival was just a minor incident, it significantly elevated his brother-in-law's family's status in the village. His brother-in-law also gained the favor of the village chief and was assigned a position in the village.

Four days after Ogawa Heikichi returned, he sent a letter to the Abe family addressed to Hayashi Nobuyoshi, asking him to prepare and return to Tokyo with him. It seems that Ito Miyoji wasn't so difficult to talk to after all.

Two days later, Ogawa Heikichi left his sister's house and returned to Ogawa's clothing store in Kobe Village. Ogawa Eijiro readily accepted the transfer, but Takenouchi Yutaka struggled with the news for several days before finally heeding his father's advice and deciding to go to Tokyo to study.

Although the school was very reluctant to let go of Lin Xinyi, the top student, the principal had no choice but to sign the agreement after Ogawa Heikichi intervened. In this respect, Japan at that time was quite similar to China in later years, placing great importance on the school's college entrance examination pass rate.

On January 15th, Lin Xinyi and the other two, seeing off by the Ogawa and Takenouchi families, boarded the carriage with Ogawa Heikichi and his wife. Compared to Eijiro and Toyo, this was Lin Xinyi's first long trip, which he found particularly exciting. Of course, this was the novelty of traveling by carriage. Ogawa Heikichi was not surprised by Lin Xinyi's behavior; on the contrary, he thought it was more like a young man.

However, when Hachioji saw the steam train, Hayashi Shinji was much calmer than Eijiro and Yutaka. Takenouchi Yutaka, curious about this, asked him, "No matter how many times I've seen a train, I still think it's a miracle. How can you be so calm?"

Lin Xinyi smiled and said, "I know that when you first came back by train, you said you wanted to be a train driver. However, our era is a miracle in itself, so I don't think trains are a miracle."

Hearing this, Ogawa Heikichi chimed in with great emotion, "Nobuyoshi is right. The Meiji era itself was an era full of miracles. When I came to Tokyo, I never imagined that Tokyo would change more in just over a decade than it had in the previous two hundred years of Edo. Let's get on the train; it won't wait for anyone..."

As Lin Xinyi climbed the train steps from the wooden platform, he glanced back at the station and looked at the Japanese people in kimonos and suits on the platform. The weighty feeling of a set of historical photos overwhelmed him, and he seemed to feel that he had finally entered the Meiji era.

On February 26, Ito Hirobumi, who had just returned from giving a speech out of town, saw the latest telegram from China and finally made up his mind. He instructed his secretary to contact the Imperial Household Agency and express his intention to report to the Emperor on matters concerning Qing China.

Although Ito Hirobumi, during his first term as Prime Minister, enacted the Six Articles on State Affairs, which clarified the responsibilities and powers between the Emperor and the Cabinet, thus greatly reducing the Emperor's interference in national affairs, as the supreme symbol of the Empire, obtaining the Emperor's support is fundamental to governance. Due to party politics, the Emperor is being treated as the ultimate arbitrator, which in fact violates the Japanese Constitution.

However, even Ito Hirobumi could not resist this trend of the times, because he had seen that after the introduction of democratic ideas into Japan, the Japanese people, who originally did not know what rights were, were learning from the West and trying to establish a democratic system in Japan, thereby overthrowing the bureaucratic system of alternating rule by the feudal clans. While this democratic idea strengthened the cohesion within Japan, it was also becoming a powerful weapon against the feudal clan politics. Even he had to start seeking to form a political party to fight against political parties, and the Emperor, the symbol of the country, was moving from mythology to reality.

Although Ito Hirobumi had not fully considered the opportunities that the Northern Qing Incident presented to Japan, he was very clear about one thing: the hardline approach of confronting Russia did not seem to be very advantageous to Japan at present.

However, the hardline approach of confronting Russia was the diplomatic line advocated by Yamagata. Without the Emperor's approval, Ito could not persuade the other elders to oppose Yamagata and thus force Yamagata to change his hardline approach towards Russia.

On March 6th, Yamagata Aritomo suddenly received an imperial edict from the Emperor, who wished to consult with the elder statesmen about the current situation in Qing China. Unaware of anything amiss, Yamagata went to the palace without warning.

Hirobumi Ito, Aritomo Yamagata, Masayoshi Matsukata, Kaoru Inoue, Tsugumichi Saigo, and Iwao Oyama were the six senior ministers who consulted Emperor Meiji on national policy. In reality, it was a meeting held in front of the emperor to decide national policy under his witness, and the emperor himself generally did not express his opinion.

After arriving at the palace, Yamagata Aritomo first briefed the Emperor on the current situation in Qing China: "...Since the Qing Empress Dowager declared the Boxers legal in January, the Qing government has stopped interfering with the Boxers' activities in the local areas and has even distributed rations to some of the Boxers, which has greatly increased the Boxer's power in the northern Zhili region."

Especially after Zhili Governor-General Yulu invited Boxer leaders to Tianjin, large numbers of Shandong Boxers, driven out by Yuan Shikai, flooded into Zhili. From Tianjin to Zhuozhou and Baoding, Boxers erected altars to worship gods, burned churches, killed foreigners and Qing soldiers, and destroyed railways, telegraph poles, and other foreign-owned items. It is said that Zhuozhou Prefecture was already occupied by 30,000 Boxers…

Saigo Tsugumichi was stunned upon hearing this and said, "Even if the Qing Empress Dowager is really senile, have those Qing officials also gone mad? Do they really think the foreign powers are sheep that don't eat people? Ito, didn't you go to Qing China the year before last? What exactly does the Qing government want to do?"

Under the Emperor's watchful eye, Ito slowly began to speak: "The Qing reformers were eager for reform, but they refused to join forces with powerful figures like Li Hongzhang, which ultimately caused the reform to lose the support of influential figures in Qing China."

The Qing dynasty's diehards were ignorant and foolish. Although it was already the 20th century, their minds were still thinking like they were when the Manchus entered China in the 17th century. They seemed to think that as long as they killed all the opponents, the world would be at peace.

Therefore, after the failure of the reforms, I believed that the Manchu dynasty was beyond saving. They were unwilling to learn from their history of conquering China and were still trying to rule China in the ways of their ancestors. However, the great powers would not allow them to succeed.

Inoue Kaoru, standing nearby, nodded in support, saying, "Lord Ito is right. As long as the Manchus continue to rule China, the country will not be able to become civilized. Sooner or later, they will be divided up by the great powers. However, this is actually disadvantageous to our country, because our country is not yet capable of competing with the great powers for China's interests. Therefore, it would be best to keep China unified for a while longer, until Japan is able to coexist and prosper in East Asia."

At this moment, Ito Hirobumi asked Yamagata, "So, what diplomatic approach will the cabinet take in response to the changes in the Qing Dynasty's political situation? Could you please explain, Lord Yamagata?"

Yamagata Aritomo has been busy with one thing since the beginning of the year: keeping an eye on the signing of the special trade treaty between Japan and Spain. This is a step towards the normalization of Japan's foreign relations, so he has not paid much attention to the changes in the political situation in Qing China.

Upon hearing Ito's question, he readily resorted to old rhetoric: "I'll reiterate my old stance: the Korean Peninsula is Japan's lifeline, and Manchuria is Japan's interest. Regardless of any changes in the Qing Dynasty's political situation, we only need to keep an eye on Russia's actions. We cannot allow the Russians to take ownership of Manchuria from the Qing. This is the Cabinet's final view on the Qing Dynasty's political situation..."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Imperial Conference

Matsukata Masayoshi disagreed with Yamagata's foreign policy. He was always concerned with the health of Japan's finances, and he did not want to see a repeat of the near-collapse of Japan's finances during the First Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, he immediately objected, saying, "Expanding military capabilities is for the defense of the Empire, not for challenging the Russians. Japan is incapable of waging war alone against a European power like Russia, especially since Russia has the support of France. I firmly oppose a foreign policy of confrontation with Russia..."

Inoue Kaoru glanced at his ally Ito Hirobumi and noticed that the other man remained calm and showed no intention of interjecting. On this issue, Ito and Matsukata were actually on the same side, but he was biased towards Yamagata's position. However, after thinking about it, he decided to remain silent for the time being.

Ōyama Iwao immediately countered Matsukata Masayoshi's objection, saying, "Precisely because Russia is a European power, a powerful nation that Japan cannot contend with, we must be even more determined not to allow Russia to occupy Manchuria. Otherwise, if a weak Qing Dynasty were replaced by a powerful Russia as Japan's neighbor, Japan would face a threat to its very survival..."

Saigo Tsurumi watched with great interest the argument between Oyama Iwao and Matsukata Masayoshi. Because his brother had chosen the wrong side and become a traitor, he had to transfer from the army back to the navy, becoming the leader of the Satsuma Domain. However, lacking knowledge of the navy, he couldn't offer any grand strategy for its development and could only watch helplessly as the army overtook the navy to become the main driving force behind foreign policy.

Saigo Tsugumichi's situation was actually quite bad. Of the six elders, only Matsukata Masayoshi and he were from the Satsuma Domain. The four Choshu people completely suppressed them, which was why he supported the Emperor's abolition of the Senate. The Senate's deliberative system not only suppressed the Emperor but also the people of Satsuma.

However, as a member of the Army and Navy, he had no choice but to stand with Yamagata Aritomo on the strategy of external expansion, because the Navy had no direction of development of its own, and by following the Army, it could still get a share of the increased military budget. This is the root cause of why the Navy actually supported the mainland policy.

Saigo Tsurumi knew that if things continued this way, the navy would become increasingly dominated by the army, but he himself could not change this situation. He could only cautiously endure and wait for the rising generation of the navy to counter the army's strength.

After the debate between Oyama Iwao and Matsukata Masayoshi came to an end, Ito Hirobumi asked Yamagata again: "The Cabinet is considering countermeasures against countries that launch attacks against Qing alone. So, if Qing launches an attack against other countries first, and those countries demand that a coalition be formed to punish Qing, what will the Cabinet's countermeasure be then?"

Yamagata was stunned for a moment, while Oyama Iwao bluntly said, "How is this possible? The Qing Dynasty would have to be insane to do something so crazy. Does the Qing Empress Dowager intend to destroy the Qing Dynasty? With the Qing Dynasty's strength, it can't even defeat one of our countries, let alone challenge the great powers together?"

Ito Hirobumi glanced at Oyama Iwao, then continued to press Yamagata, asking, "I'm not asking if such a situation is possible, but what the cabinet's countermeasures are. Once the various countries organize a coalition to punish Qing China, Russia will inevitably mobilize its forces to take over the entire Manchuria. So, what grounds will Japan have to resist Russia's southward advance? Will Japan oppose it within the coalition or outside of it?"

After thinking for a long time, Yamagata slowly said, "If that's the case, China will inevitably be partitioned, and Japan will certainly have to join the Allied Forces. Although we have no grounds to demand that Russia withdraw from Manchuria, we can seek a piece of land in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi to avoid getting nothing."

Saigo Tsurudo nodded in agreement, saying, "Although Fujian is not as good as Manchuria, its advantage lies in the fact that it is right across from Taiwan. If we send troops from Taiwan, we can still get there first."

Ito Hirobumi chuckled and said, "Lord Yamagata just said that Manchuria is Japan's interest and cannot be given to other countries. Now he says that when other countries are carving up China, Japan also wants a share, so if they can't get Manchuria, getting Fujian would be good too. So the cabinet's foreign policy is not consistent, but rather adaptable?"

Inoue Kaoru was somewhat confused about what Ito was doing. Wasn't it Ito himself who had always advocated for diplomacy based on improvisation? Now that Yamagata had chosen improvisation in practice, wasn't that exactly what he wanted? Why was he pressuring Yamagata on this issue?

Yamagata was also getting impatient. He was not a quick-witted person and usually planned things out before acting. This time, he was caught off guard by Ito at the Imperial Conference, and his mind went blank. He really couldn't think of how to respond to Ito's questioning.

Saigo Tsurudo, who was standing to the side, fell silent. He still enjoyed watching the people of Choshu fight amongst themselves. However, Oyama Iwao would not let Yamagata be so passive. He could only stand up for Yamagata and say, "The possibility of Qing launching a joint attack on various countries is very small. In the face of such a situation, it is not inappropriate for the cabinet to adopt a diplomatic policy of adapting to the situation."

Ito Hirobumi then asked Yamagata again, "Does the Cabinet truly believe that such a possibility does not exist, and therefore is not prepared to deal with such a situation? Or does the Cabinet simply not want to deal with such a situation, and therefore refuse to acknowledge this possibility?"

Inoue Kaoru pondered Yamagata's report for a moment, then interjected, "Yamagata-sama's report does not lack this possibility. With the Boxers' rampant persecution of foreigners and foreign religions, the Qing Empress Dowager's official recognition is a very clear indication of this trend, and the Cabinet should not turn a blind eye to it."

As Inoue uttered these words, Yamagata finally understood what Ito wanted to do: he wanted to seize the power to formulate foreign policy from him. He had no choice but to insist, "Does Lord Ito intend to insist on a policy of appeasement towards Russia? If such a situation were to occur, and Russia occupied the entire Manchuria, could Japan still appease Russia? Even if we wanted to appease them, would the Russians agree? Precisely because Japan cannot confront Russia alone, we must seek an alliance with Britain, and on this point, I have never changed my mind."

Upon hearing Yamagata's words, Inoue Kaoru was immediately rendered speechless. An alliance with Britain was precisely his diplomatic stance, a point on which he disagreed with Ito, who advocated for equidistant diplomacy with all nations. Even Matsukata Masayoshi and Saigo Tsugumichi, both from Satsuma, would not object to an alliance with the British.

Usually at this point, Ito would find himself fighting alone, and even if Yamagata couldn't win the argument, he could still secure a draw by overwhelming odds. But this time, Ito didn't emphasize his equidistant diplomacy stance. Instead, he asked Yamagata, "Yamagata-kun keeps saying he wants to ally with Britain, so I have a question for you: under what circumstances would Britain choose to ally with Japan?"

After a moment of silence, Yamagata said uncertainly, "Japan is protecting British interests in China in exchange for an alliance between Britain and our country."

Ito, now even more emboldened, sneered, "As a world superpower, does Britain need Japan to safeguard its interests in China? If Britain cannot protect its interests in China on its own and needs to rely on Japan, then what has Japan actually gained from the Anglo-Japanese Alliance? Isn't what we want to gain our own efforts and contributions? If so, what benefit does the Anglo-Japanese Alliance bring to Japan?"

Inoue Kaoru finally couldn't help but defend the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, saying, "I don't quite agree with what Lord Ito said. If the Anglo-Japanese Alliance were to be formed, Japan's international standing would be greatly enhanced. Since the Napoleonic Wars, Britain has not formed a written alliance with any country. If Japan could be granted such an honor, it would mean that Japan has truly become a member of the civilized world, rather than an uncivilized and backward country in the East. This would be extremely beneficial for our country to regain its tariff autonomy and become a normal nation..."

Ito remained unmoved and said, "Isn't Japan's international standing derived from the hard work of its army and navy and the sacrifices of its people? If Japan's international standing came from the recognition of the British, then why are we spending so much money on military equipment? Don't you think so, Lord Yamagata?"

Yamagata could only refute Inoue's statement, "Of course, Japan's international standing is based on our victory over the Qing Dynasty, and the basis of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance is that Japan has sufficient military strength to suppress the Qing Dynasty. This will never change. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance is a strategy, hoping that Britain can help us fend off the backstabbing of other powers so that we can deal with the Russians alone."

Ito then said, "So the conclusion is that if we don't ally with Britain, Russia will deal with us alone; if we ally with Britain, we will deal with Russia alone. So, in the end, isn't our diplomacy just going in circles?"

Yamagata pondered for a long time, realizing he couldn't rectify his diplomatic errors in such a short time. Continuing the argument would only jeopardize the Anglo-Japanese Alliance option. As a soldier, he had no choice but to sacrifice one pawn to save the king, abandoning the debate with Ito on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and returning to the topic of the situation in Qing China. "So, Lord Ito, what does the Cabinet think should be done in response to the situation in Qing China?"

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Imperial Conference (Part Two)

Ito Hirobumi was not like Ogawa Heikichi, who would feel ashamed of plagiarizing Hayashi Nobuyoshi's deductions. In his view, in Hayashi Nobuyoshi's hands, these deductions could only become fiction, while in his own hands they could become tools to influence national policy. How could the two be saying the same thing? These words only had value when they came from his mouth, and naturally, they were his thoughts.

Moreover, after obtaining Lin Xinyi's novel, Ito Hirobumi did not remain idle. For example, he now has his own opinions: "I believe that before considering the situation in Qing China, the Cabinet should first consider another important issue, namely, whether the current world hegemon, the British Empire, has reached its peak. If the Cabinet cannot figure out this issue, how can it formulate the correct countermeasures in diplomacy?"

Aside from the Emperor, who remained composed, the other five elders stared at Ito Hirobumi in shock. Frankly, it was truly rare for all five to change color simultaneously. Under the Emperor's calm demeanor, the elders ultimately didn't lose their composure. However, Oyama Iwao and Inoue Kaoru questioned Ito's words, finding it hard to believe that the once-powerful British Empire had already begun its decline.

Of the other three elders, Matsukata Masayoshi was so shocked that he lost the ability to think and could only sit there pretending to be calm, while Yamagata and Saigo both used strong self-control to cover up their panic.

After listening to the questions raised by Oyama Iwao and Inoue Kaoru, Ito Hirobumi calmly said, "I don't know if you've noticed this, but on October 11th last year, the federal parliaments of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State declared war on Britain. I think the British Empire has indeed passed its most glorious moment."

Upon hearing Ito mention the war, Yamagata finally couldn't help but speak up, saying, "To conclude that the British Empire is finished based on just one or two defeats is far too arbitrary. With the British Empire's population and territory, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State are not even a fraction of the British Empire's size. The ultimate victor in this war will definitely be the British Empire."

Hirobumi Ito nodded and said, "I have no doubt that the British Empire will achieve final victory. Even if the British Empire begins to decline, it will still be the world's leading power, and that fact will not change."

Yamagata hesitated for a moment. He couldn't understand why Ito was so confident, acting as if the world was in his grasp. When Ito displayed this demeanor, it meant he was certain of victory. At this point, Ito would become exceptionally resolute and would not back down in the slightest. Yamagata was unwilling to confront Ito head-on in this state.

However, at this moment, Oyama Iwao jumped out and asked the question that Yamagata wanted to ask, "Since Lord Itō believes that the British Empire is still a first-class power, is it still necessary for us to discuss the decline of Britain? In any case, the British Empire is still a giant that we cannot challenge."