Chapter 257 Rejected peace talks
"That's good!" Concubine Zhen sighed, "Zhang Zhidong became a local official and was much more enlightened. He, the governor of Huguang, has a much wider vision than others. I think he is stronger than Li Hongzhang! Brother, did he agree to that?
Zhirui looked around and whispered, "Zhang Zhidong doesn't say anything. However, he asked Sheng Xuanhuai to receive Zhou Charter and send him to the Grand Year.
"This old fox!" Zhenfei sneered: "He wants neither side to offend!"
"It is valuable for Zhang Zhidong to be able to do this!" Zhirui said.
Zhenfei was silent for a long time and suddenly asked, "Brother, what does Zhou Charter look like? I heard that he looks like a scoundrel.
Zhi Rui smiled and said, "You probably heard what Minxiu said, right? Only Minxiu said this about the girls under the world. This week's charter, it's not good to offend anyone, but it's just offended the hot grid.
"What did the other girls say?"
"Handsome and handsome, comparable to Pan An!"
"Nonsense, how can a martial artist be so handsome!"
Zhirui smiled and said, "He is a proud disciple of Jin. He is familiar with four books and five classics. Speaking of which, he should be a scholar and can't be regarded as a martial artist."
Concubine Zhen sighed, "It's almost the Spring Festival. He is a scholar and has to fight with the Japanese in the ice and snow!"
Zhirui restrained and said, "I'm afraid Zhou Charter's trip will be nine dead! His troops are only 2,000, while the Japanese have 20,000!"
There was a gust of atmosphere, and the plums above her head swayed and dropped pieces of snowflakes. Zhenfei couldn't help shivering.
Zhirui bowed his head and said, "Sister, the emperor doesn't know about this! If Zhou Charter fails, neither the Empress Dowager nor the emperor will let you go!"
Thinking of the emperor, Zhenfei was upset.
That was her last fight for the emperor! However, she did not tell the emperor.
She loves the emperor. The emperor can have many women, but he has given her all his favors. As the emperor's woman, what else can he ask for?
If you fail, let her stand alone!
She can only stand alone! Because Emperor Guangxu is not a man who can stand it! He just knows, what can he do?
Concubine Zhen remembered the clothes and the staff. At that time, the emperor could only watch silently and dared not argue with the empress dowager!
Concubine Zhen gently lifted her bangs blown by the wind. He whispered, "If Zhou Charter fails, the Qing Dynasty will not exist!"
This time, it's Zhirui's turn to tremble!
......
January 24, 1895, the twenty-ninth month of the first lunar year, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
Zhang Menghuan, the plenipotentiary of the Qing Dynasty, and Shao Yourian, the governor of Hunan, have been sitting in the living room for half an hour, while the Japanese negotiator, Foreign Minister Lu Ao Zongguang, has not appeared for a long time.
Out of the window, there was a blue sea. The waves rolled up fine sand and shells, rushed to the beach and retreated calmly. Except for the sound of waves, the beach was very calm.
This is a calm day. The Lunar Spring Festival is coming. This is regarded by the Chinese as the most important festival of the year, and has also been regarded as the top priority in life by the Japanese. For the arrival of this festival, the Japanese will also hold a variety of festive ceremonies, including preparing rich food, hanging Spring Festival couplets, and pasting wedding invitations...
However, today's Japan no longer has the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
This fully westernized nation did not hesitate to abandon the Chinese customs handed down from the prosperity of their ancestors in the Tang Dynasty. A movement of de-Chineseization unfolded quietly but completely in Japanese society!
A declining country is not worthy of respect, and the culture of this declining country is not worthy of preservation!
This is the general mentality of the Japanese, which has prompted them to quickly accept Western culture, from political, economic and military to ordinary folk festivals.
Japan easily abandoned the Spring Festival, and New Year's Day became a grand New Year for the Japanese, and another important holiday for them was Christmas.
Zhang Menghuan picked up the teacup, put it down again, and looked at Shao Youlia, who smiled helplessly.
The two were ordered to come to Japan for peace talks. For this reason, the court also specially improved their grades, and both of them were promoted.
With their original grade, they were not qualified to serve as the plenipotentiary peace talks representative of the Qing Dynasty.
However, as soon as the news of the court sending representatives for peace talks came out, the ministers of the Manchu dynasty dodged one after another, and the military ministers complained that they were ill one after another. Some ministers even found out a variety of reasons to resign and returned to their hometown.
Everyone knows that this job is to jump into the fire pit!
The so-called peace talks are actually land cession compensation.
If the peace talks fail, the Empress Dowager and the emperor can't forgive them. If the peace talks are successful, the Chinese can't forgive them!
The Empress Dowager finally found Zhang Menghuan and Shao Youren. In the garden, the Empress Dowager's voice was fierce, and the two no longer dared to push.
In this way, the two bravely came to Hiroshima.
According to the procedure of the peace talks, the two should be the first meeting with the plenipotentiaries of Japan.
According to international etiquette, representatives of both sides should enter the negotiation room at 8:00 a.m. at the same time.
However, Zhang Menghuan and Shao Youlian sat in the conference room for half an hour, and the Japanese representatives disappeared for a long time.
This is a serious rudeness!
However, Zhang Menghuan and Shao Youlin did not dare to protest to Japan.
The performance of the army of the Qing Dynasty did not give them the confidence to protest!
The winner can show arrogance to the loser, while the Japanese show disregard for the loser!
The door of the conference room opened, and a strong Japanese, dressed in a black suit, came in with his head held high.
Zhang Menghuan and Shao Youren stood up in a hurry.
The translator behind the man said, "This is Lin Dong, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan."
The Japanese were obviously not going to apologize for their lateness. Lin Dong strode to the negotiating table and sat down.
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs?" Zhang Menghuan was very surprised: "As far as I know, the plenipotentiary of the negotiations in Japan is Foreign Minister Lu Ao Zongguang."
As soon as the translator was about to answer, Lin Dong waved his hand and said in fluent Chinese, "I'm sorry, Japan believes that the time for negotiations is not ripe yet."
That means that the Japanese refuse to talk!
Shao Youru said coldly, "It seems that Japan refuses to make peace!"
Lin Dong shook his head: "Japan is a peace-loving country, but we reject peace that is harmful to national interests."
"National interests!" Shao Youruan said angrily, "Is Japan's national interests too broad?"
Zhang Menghuan said hurriedly, "The Qing Dynasty can make concessions to Japan."
Lin Dong laughed and said, "Concession? Do you mean Liaodong?
Zhang Menghuan nodded powerlessly, and the Empress Dowager had agreed to cede Liaodong.
Lin Dong laughed: "Liaodong has been under the actual control of Japan. In other words, it is Japanese things. You want to exchange Japanese things for peace. If you agree to do so, the Japanese people will call me as a traitor!"
Shao Yourun sneered: "Do you still want North Korea? Don't forget that your mixed brigade was completely destroyed in North Korea!"
Lin Dong's face turned pale: "Is it the Qing army that defeated the mixed brigade in North Korea? Is that person named Zhou Charter the general of your Qing Dynasty? Even so, what can he do? He was lucky enough to succeed, but he still had to attack Seoul by himself! He will immediately pay the price of arroation! The Japanese Empire will soon recover Pyongyang! Not only that, Shandong and Taiwan are the pockets of our Japanese Empire. In this case, would you exchange a small Liaodong for peace?"
"What? You still want to attack Shandong and Taiwan!" Zhang Menghuan was shocked.
"Get what you can't get from the negotiation table!" Lin Dong stood up and smiled sarcasticly: "Your army should have the ability to defend your land!"
Lin Dong'ang walked out of the conference room.
Zhang Menghuan and Shao Youlia looked at each other in connocent.
The Japanese are determined to fight! Moreover, it is a full-scale war. North Korea, Shandong, Taiwan, and the Japanese believe that it will not be long before these lands will fly their sun flags!
And the next target of the Japanese must be Beijing!
Zhang Menghuan sighed, "That's good. The Japanese refuse to negotiate peace talks. Let's go back and be easy to deal with in all aspects."
Shao Youren sat in the chair and shook his head without saying a word.
......
January 24, 1895, the 30th day of the twelfth lunar year, Jingfu Palace in Seoul, the palace of the Korean Empire.
This is a palace with a history of 600 years. For six hundred years, it has been the seat of the supreme ruler of North Korea. Its towering temple represents the highest power of the country, although for six hundred years, its name has been "the palace" rather than the "imperial palace".
The Li Dynasty, with a history of 600 years, has no emperor, only a king. For 600 years, North Korea faithfully defended her clan relationship with the Central Empire. Her king was a courtier who accepted the imperial title of the Central Empire!
However, just six months ago, this country that had been subject to the Central Empire for hundreds of years had its own emperor and palace, which marked her separation from the Central Empire and became an independent empire.
However, the owner of Jingfu Palace knows that this so-called "independence" is actually from a minister and degenerated into a slave!
For six hundred years, Chinese officials can enter the palace and meet the king of North Korea, but they cannot stay in the palace.
Now, Japan's military and civil affairs advisers have proudly entered the palace, and even the palace guards have let the Japanese army work for them.
On New Year's Eve, Jingfu Palace was decorated with lights.
North Korea or the Korean Empire has not abandoned the Spring Festival. The ancient Han culture has penetrated deeply into the body of this country. Even under the bayonet of the Japanese, the pulse of this ancient culture is still beating strongly!
This is the sorrow of North Korea and the sorrow of the Qing Dynasty!
Kim Hongji, the prime minister of the Korean Empire, crawled on the dragon chair in the north of the Qinzheng Hall, sitting side by side by the emperor Li Xi and Empress Min Ziying of the Korean Empire.
Under the house outside the hall, there are two soldiers of the Korean royal palace guard. They have no weapons on them, not even armed belts that reflect the military temperament.
Under the terrace ten meters away from the temple gate, there are two Japanese soldiers with Murata-style rifles standing with bayonets at the muzzle, emitting cold light in the winter sun.
The occupying army still gave the Korean emperor some face and did not let the soldiers stand directly in the hall.