"Why did Lord Gu teach me?" Li Hongzhang gave a deep salute.

The person who tied the bells must be untied. Li Hongzhang was the best among the Han ministers of the Qing Dynasty. He was a talented man. He understood the whole story in just a short time and did not hesitate to bow down to the nobles and worship them in order to find a plan.

What he visited was not the person in front of him, but the noble Majesty behind him.

Gu Zhixue received this gift calmly, feeling so relieved that he ate ginseng fruit, 36,000 pores revealed the word "cool". He was secretly surprised that it was not as expected by his brother-in-law. His admiration was like a surging river...

Not everyone can receive the honor of Li Hongzhang, the Prime Minister of Beiyang, who is extremely powerful at the time of the dynasty, and you must know that the extremely high-ranking minister in front of you was highly trusted by the Empress Dowager Cialis, and even Emperor Guangxu did not take it seriously.

As a servant, you can't be half-hearted.

"Prime Minister please do not be too polite. I want to know how the court is dealing with the Sino-Japanese peace talks now?"

"Oh, the Zongli Yamen has already made a statement. It is planned to send Zhang Yinhuan, the Minister of Revenue, and Shao Youlian, the Governor of Hunan, as the Minister of Plenipotentiary, and hire US Secretary of State Kosda as the advisor to seek peace in Japan. The related matters are under preparation, and the order of the Japanese is issued."

"Since the original arrangement does not need to be changed, just do it as soon as possible. I expect that the envoy of the court will return in vain this time. The Japanese will be humiliated. If the Minister of the Shun talks, the Fusang people will never give up. This is also good...it will help to see the true face of the Fusang people."

That's fine?

When Li Hongzhang heard Gu Zhixue's light words, he was speechless. His heart was shrouded in great fear and crisis, and he even wanted to beg for bones from the court and return to his hometown to raise him.

What people seek in this life is a reputation behind their backs. Emperors and court ministers from ancient times, China and abroad all attach importance to the title of death after death. Therefore, they are very cautious during their tenure, and are afraid of falling into a stigma for eternity. That is really a matter of death and will never be able to keep their eyes open!

To be honest, he was scared.

It is precisely because he is clear about the pros and cons and thinks clearly about the key points that Li Hongzhang feels more and more frightened.

The governor of Northern Zhili in front of him did not represent the Gu family, but the great hero who established a vast emerging kingdom in the depths of the South China Sea, and a respectable existence.

"Mr. Gu, please be sure to pull Li. I am polite." Li Hongzhang left again and gave a deep gift.

This ceremony was a serious prayer to Gu Zhixue.

Gu Zhixue stood up happily and straightened his clothes and replied with a respectful hand, "Mr. Li, please sit down and talk."

"I'm confused at this moment, so how can I sit down?"

"Mr. Li just sit down and listen to me."

"It's better to obey your order than to be respectful."

Both sides sat down again, Gu Zhixue said seriously;

"Now the war situation is in corruption, the minds of the imperial court's soldiers and horses have changed. They cannot resist the fierce rushing and fierce attacks of the elite Fusang army. The defeat is a foregone conclusion and cannot be saved by human power.

The plan now is to put it to death and live.

The key battlefield is in the battle of Weihaiwei and even Liugong Island. The next step of the Japanese army's head will be directed directly to the Beiyang Navy and will try to annihilate it quickly.

If this is not the case, it cannot be strongly shocked to the court. If this is not the case, it cannot be stripped of the backbone of the court's maritime defense and let it do its own arbitrarily.

Without this, you cannot get enough chips to open your mouth, and then seek to cede the three northeastern provinces and Taiwan, and obtain huge compensation of 300 million taels of silver.

Therefore, the key to everything lies in the Beiyang Navy and the Battle of Liugong Island.

The Shujin must transfer the elite troops of the Huai Army to fight a bloody battle. This battle must press the coffin to make it bloody and exert momentum, and make the Fusang people feel painful in order to win a good start for the next step of signing a contract and war compensation.

There are dozens of forts and hundreds of artillery on Liugong Island. As long as there is enough troops to guard tenaciously, it is enough for Fusang people to drink a pot.

This is the first step, the second step... When the defenders of Liugong Island are out of support, the Beiyang Navy must attack and fight to the death, strive to deal with severe damage to the enemy and create conditions for the next step of intervention among countries.

This matter is difficult, but the Beiyang Navy is a new type of army built by the Prime Minister. Admiral Ding Ruchang is deeply loyal to the righteousness and is not afraid of death. He will inevitably execute the order without fail, which is very gratifying."

After listening to Gu Zhixue's words, Li Hongzhang pondered for a moment and asked solemnly, "Mr. Gu, I can do these two things, but the Beiyang Navy lacks ammunition and the ships have suffered severe damage. Now many artillery damages are greatly reduced, and even if you go to sea, it may still be..."

"It's okay, the Ocean Kingdom has already prepared sufficient ammunition in the British Concession of Weihaiwei, as well as twelve new 152mm Krupp rapid-fire cannons, 5,000 rifles, and 40 Maxim heavy machine guns. As long as you receive the order, you can send it to Liugong Island to help the fleet restore combat effectiveness and help the defenders fight a bloody defensive battle."

"This is great." Li Hongzhang blurted out excitedly, but then he thought about it and asked with a little puzzled look; "Why did he prepare so many guns and ammunition in advance?"

"The Shujin is a mystery to the authorities. The Fusang people have been carefully preparing for this national war for more than 10 years. The surrounding powers were very clear when they watched coldly. The Ocean Kingdom just made a small layout in advance, which is not a big deal." Gu Zhixue explained indifferently.

"Oh, I'm old, so stupid!" Li Hongzhang shook his head with a wry smile, then looked at Gu Zhixue and said, "Mr. Gu must have something to ask?"

"That's right, the world is bustling for profit, so we can't avoid the vulgarity." Gu Zhixue didn't look embarrassed on his face. Now when it comes to the show, he naturally needs to get what he should do, otherwise wouldn't he have done useless work?

"First of all, my father is old, so I want to ask for a position as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. After all, the Gu family has been in charge of many years and has no shortage of connections."

The first condition is heavyweight. Gu Yanchuan served as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi for more than ten years, and then replaced his son Gu Zhixue. This is the rhythm of building Guangdong and Guangxi into the base camp of the Gu clan!

However, in the face of the crisis of family and country, Li Hongzhang had no choice at all. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded with a wry smile and said, "But, I will start the report of the Empress Dowager Cixi and strongly recommend Lord Gu to take office as the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi."

"Secondly, at some point early next year, the Admiral of North Vietnam, Gu Zhiwenhui, announced the founding of the country, and the scope is the current northern part of the Vietnamese Kingdom. I hope the court can give it a default and enthrone it after the above table."

"However, the Kingdom of Vietnam has always been a vassal of the Qing Dynasty, and now it has been in the hands of the French. The court cannot help it. If a new country can be established and requested asylum, it will not be difficult for the court to pass it."

"Article 3: The Ocean Kingdom requires that all regions shall not obstruct the opening of schools in Guangjitang, and the relief of orphan children, and shall not obstruct immigration to the Ocean Kingdom."

"But, I will protect it with all my might."

"Article 4: If Taiwan is successfully protected, the Ocean Kingdom requires the opening of two commercial ports, Taipei and Kaohsiung, and the establishment of concessions garrisons, the conditions are equivalent to those of Weihaiwei, the British concession."

"I will report this...the Queen Mother Cixi to this matter, explain the greatness of it in detail, and make efforts to promote this matter."

"Okay, let's talk about how to operate the follow-up negotiations of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895..." Gu Zhixue lowered his voice and said mysteriously to Li Hongzhang. After a long time, the other party stood up with relief and worshiped him, saying, "If this can be done, it will be a blessing for all people in the world!"

"This matter must be explained to me and you will hear it. If the situation is not secret, it is a big deal that will be difficult to accomplish!"

"This... Prince Gong of the Zongli Yamen is a fool, and it is not difficult to hide it from him, but what Lord Gu asked for is extremely important. The current Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 is related to the honor and disgrace of the country. It is not decided by Li. Many major matters need to be reported to the Queen Mother of the West, which cannot be avoided in every section."

"Then I can only ask Lord Li to present the Empress Dowager Cixi in the face. I don't need to say much about the power of it. Now the court has leaked like a sieve. As long as the news leaks, the people of Fusang will definitely know that our major affairs will be difficult to implement. I am afraid that the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace will not be reliable, and I hope Lord Li will do it himself."

"Please rest assured, Lord Gu, I have recently entered the palace to report secretly, but the news will not be leaked and it will be a big mistake."

"If this is possible, of course it would be better."

The Governor General's Office of Saigon, Vietnam

When the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was in full swing in the north, the great powers of Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and other countries were not idle, but carried out intensive diplomatic activities in private, unifying their respective positions, and preparing for the next step of dividing the interests of East Asia.

The situation on the battlefield is very clear now. The Qing Dynasty was a fat lamb to be slaughtered.

In the Governor's Office, Montapero, Governor of Saigon in France, was reading a secret letter written by His Excellency Arnoto, the secret letter said:

"According to the information provided by our envoy to Tokyo, Taiwan will become the target of the Japanese attack starting from Hiroshima, and the Penghu Islands are also the destination of this expedition...

This area has special interests for France, especially the Penghu Islands...

So to say

The region marks the northern boundary of the region closely related to our Indochina territory and we especially want to maintain the status quo in the region.”

The current northern war situation touches the hearts of the French. In his correspondence with the French ambassador to Japan, Halmann once bluntly stated:

"If Fusang State demands the cedes of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands as a condition of peacemaking, France will protest its infringement of interests."

French Foreign Minister Arnaulto also issued a similar warning in a public event in Paris: "If Fuso touches Taiwan, it will mess with us, and France will never allow such a thing to happen."

The war process is very clear now, and the defeat of the Qing Dynasty is almost a foregone conclusion. France has been closely monitoring the negotiation process and content of both sides. The focus that touches its nerves is whether Taiwan has been cedeed in the peace conditions, and the discussion of Penghu.

French Minister to Japan Halmann said bluntly: "If Fusang calls for the cedes of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands as a condition for peacekeeping, France will protest against infringement of its interests."

French Foreign Minister Arnoto recently issued a similar warning in Paris in turn public occasions: "If Fuso touches Taiwan, then it will mess with us!"

During the Qing Dynasty's negotiating envoys, France has been paying attention to Taiwan. Whether Pengerang would be seized by Fusang was even more concerned than the Qing government, and she was worried about it.

The reason is very simple. Western powers have long regarded the territory of the Qing Dynasty as a piece of fat on the plate. If the Fusang people want to take it, it depends on whether the French and Germans agree.

What's wrong with the Germans here?

In fact, many people don’t know that the Germans have always been ambitious about Taiwan and Penghu Islands and intend to occupy them. This may be the sorrow of a declining empire.

In 1860 and 1871, there were two calls within the Prussian government to occupy Taiwan in order to establish a stronghold similar to Hong Kong or Macau in the Far East, and it was eventually shelved due to opposition from Prime Minister Bismarck and other politicians.

November 2, 1894

German Emperor William II asked Prime Minister Holland to pay attention to the situation in the Far East at any time and interfere in the Sino-Japanese War in a timely manner to obtain Taiwan as a mediation compensation. This is different from the policy of the former German Emperor William I. This is William II's latest effort to acquire colonies in East Asia.

On November 7, German Emperor William II sent another telegram to Prime Minister Ho Lun and Luo Xi:

“We also need to obtain a permanent stronghold in China…

For this purpose, I suggest considering Formosa (Taiwan), so it is necessary to secretly reach a deal with Fuso quickly and train our fleet to quickly equip it.”

After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War

Germany is nominally neutral, but in fact it is pro-Japanese. "Secretly reached an agreement with Fusoon" was to mediate the Sino-Japanese war on the premise of favoritism and satisfaction of Fusoon, and to use this to seek credit from the Qing Dynasty and to adopt Taiwan as its own sphere of influence.

However, Foreign Minister Mashar sees it more clearly. He believes that Fuso is determined to win Taiwan. If Germany insists on obtaining Taiwan, it will be impossible to reach an agreement with Fuso. It will be detrimental to the neutral and friendly policy pursued by its government towards Fuso. It will also be detrimental to the Japanese-related evil interests in the Far East.

In the end, German Emperor William II adopted the suggestion of Foreign Minister Mashar and gave up the idea of ​​getting involved in Taiwan.

Taiwan is not an ideal target for Germany. As early as 1861, Earl Earl Ailinbo pointed out in a report, "Taiwan is not suitable for immigration to Europe, and its ports are not good, and none of them are suitable for being a stronghold in the Qing territorial waters."

The German ambassador to China, navy and diplomatic departments are more inclined to Zhoushan, Jiaozhou Bay and other places, and it is more appropriate to move the colonial target strongholds north to Zhoushan, Jiaozhou Bay and other places.

Considering that Taiwan is still a Fusang, the Kingdom of Ocean, an important transit station for trade between North Korea and the Qing Dynasty and South China Sea, Fusang Kingdom seized Taiwan and Pengerang, it will control the important maritime route in the Far East. The scale of its trade with China, the Kingdom of Ocean and South China Sea will also expand rapidly, and the commercial interests of the great powers in Taiwan and even in the Far East will undoubtedly be impacted.

Therefore, although Germany gave up its plan to colonize Taiwan, it did not want Fuso to occupy the land. In this regard, Germany and France coincided with it.

From this we can see that although the Qing Dynasty sent personnel to seek peace from Fusang on the surface, in fact, European and American countries were worried. Tsarist Russia stared at the development of the situation like a donkey egg. The United States enthusiastically mediated the good offices, and the US Secretary of State Kosda was dispatched. Can you say that he was just for world peace?

This kind of thing is not believed by fools, and the attempt to seek benefits is obvious.

Kosda's feelings for the Qing Dynasty were not so deep, and he himself was not so enthusiastic about public welfare. In other words, it was just for the benefit.

Of course, the Ocean Kingdom is not a good bird. It is making small gestures to take the chestnuts from the fire. By the way, although the Qing Dynasty was almost beaten and could not take care of itself, it was afraid that Fusang Kingdom would die. The Ocean Kingdom was not afraid at all, and its ability to attract hatred was first-class.
Chapter completed!