Chapter 101 Okuma's Choice

At nearly four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, the Chinese ambassador to Japan finally submitted the decision of the State Council to the foreign minister. A few minutes later, Foreign Minister Kikujiro Ishii reported China's decision to Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma.

After China originally asked for the removal of its ambassador status and even withdrew its diplomatic passport, Okuma was extremely restless. For China's request, Okuma almost agreed without saying a word. He even took the initiative to propose to the ambassador in Japan that he would visit China in person to meet the Chinese emperor in person. Apologize.

Since then, he has fallen into a state of uneasiness. His own affairs know better than anyone else that hostility to China is common in Japan. On the surface, that kind of thing involves only one benefit, but in fact, there is no acquiescence of the cabinet, no support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or even his Indulgence, how can it be carried out until now?

Because of this, for Okuma, the most important thing is to calm China's anger to prevent China's anger from affecting the current opportunity for development. It seems that China does not intend to delve into it. Obviously, the Chinese are not willing to break up in this special period. Because of this incident, the two countries have completely broken up. As a result, China has fallen into an extremely passive situation.

But now, after listening to Ishii's request to mention China, Okuma stands up.

"What, let His Majesty the Emperor go to China to apologize!"

Okuma shouted loudly, and then said angrily.

"China has no sincerity to solve the problem at all!"

Okuma strode back and forth in the office a few steps, but woke up again. He said to Ishii:

"If the Chinese insist, that is to say, the emperor must go to China to apologize. This is absolutely impossible. Ishii, you go to China in person, meet the emperor, and tell him that if the emperor goes to China to apologize, it is likely to lead to hatred against China in China, which is by no means conducive to the unity of East Asia, and is not conducive to the future cause of Asia.

After a moment of silence, Okuma said again.

"Also, please tell the emperor that I have an inescapable responsibility in this incident, so I will personally go to China to apologize, and at the same time I will resign to apologize."

"Your Excellency! How can we talk about resignation at this most critical moment!"

Ishii said loudly that as the foreign minister, he knows better than anyone that Okuma has always been painstakingly running the "balance" way, and it is quite successful. If he resigns, many things may be abandoned.

"Sir, convene a cabinet meeting!"

Ishii immediately proposed.

"I'm going to discuss with the ambassador now to see if there is room for easing!"

At 2:30 p.m., all the important ministers arrived. The air was full of tension, and all the eyebrows frowned. They already knew the requirements of the Chinese side.

"I ask you to pay attention, if the emperor goes to China to apologize,"

Count Watanabe, the palace minister, warned at the beginning of the meeting, "The people will be extremely angry, and no cabinet will get the support of the people at that time."

As the palace minister, Count Watanabe Chiaki, at this time, he thought only one thing, that is, to maintain the dignity of the emperor, nothing is more important than the dignity of the emperor.

"However, if this is the final bottom line for China, then we must consider how China will react if we reject this proposal!"

At this time, Army Minister Okashinosuke raised an extremely realistic question, but then he said, "On that day, the emperor's dignity must not be damaged. If the cabinet makes a decision to refuse, I think we must take into account the reality of the main force of the army in China now, so I think it should be appropriate. It's going to be delayed!"

In fact, Okashi Nosuke's words are reminding everyone that although the army seems to have a strong military strength of nearly one million in the past, the main force of the army is in Russia and China. As for the strength of the local army, it can't even be compared with the Chinese garrison in the four countries and Kyushu.

"Reject or not, this is not the problem,"

Ishii interrupted.

"Now that the country is at a critical juncture, we must consider how to calm China's anger -- and as soon as possible, otherwise, we must consider how they will choose once the Chinese lose their surname!"

"How to choose? Do you want to enter Tokyo Bay to bombard Tokyo?

The Minister of the Navy, Rokuro Yatsudai, said in the side.

"If the bombardment of Tokyo can avoid the humiliation of His Majesty the Emperor, I think it is acceptable to the people, and this will further make some people truly recognize the Chinese!"

Obviously, the shadow of the South China Sea War still covers the navy, and the navy has always been a place where "[***] factions" gather. They are more happy to see that after the shelling of the mainland, everything painstakingly managed by the Chinese people went bankrupt, thus making the domestic travel into a real national unity. "The empire wants to get through the present. The great difficulty must inject new life into the spirit of the people. All citizens must work together and clearly tell the Chinese that His Majesty the Emperor must not go to China to apologize.

Minister of Justice Yukio Ozaki said.

"However, judging from this incident, the Chinese do have their reasons to be angry!"

As the Minister of Justice and also a legal expert, Ozaki certainly understands that China not only has reasons for anger, but even they have reasons to invade Japan again.

"The benefit is too much. How can we deal with terrorists?"

"What a bad guy!"

With the change of the topic, the cabinet meeting seems to have become a critical meeting, as if they really have no responsibility.

"If there is still a samurai sword in Zhiyi's heart, it should really be a caesarean section!"

"Enough!"

Everyone's words only made Okuma pay attention to frown.

"The problem now is not the problem of who is responsible,"

Okuma said with a wry smile.

"What we must consider is how to preserve the dignity of the emperor. There is nothing more important than this!"

From Okuma's tone, it can be heard that Watanabe finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Okuma would do everything possible to save the face of the royal family. So now there is only one problem left, that is, how to calm the anger of the Chinese people. Of course, there is still a reason to reject the Chinese. As a minister of the palace, Du Bian naturally has the right to look for that reason.

"Your Excellency, the Emperor's brain disease is getting worse and worse. Many times, it's like..."

After a moment of silence, there was a trace on Watanabe's face.

"Like the speculation in some newspapers, it's even more serious!"

As expected by Watanabe, when he said this, Okuma immediately nodded and said.

"Considering the health of His Majesty, he is undoubtedly not suitable to go to China to apologize!"

When he spoke, he looked directly at Hirota Kono, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. This pro-China member in the cabinet, unlike other pro-China activists, who are forced by reality, is a real pro-China member.

But at this time, he was smoking a cigarette, and the smoke rose, wrapped around the lampshade on his head. This guy... The people who understood that he was proving his uniqueness in this way just frowned and felt that the Prime Minister was looking at him. Kono raised his head.

"Please resign,"

Kono said in an extremely calm tone.

"First, His Excellency the Prime Minister will go to China to apologize and resign after returning to China, which can save the face of the country! Your Excellency, please resign and be responsible! This can ease the situation."

After smoking the last cigarette, Kono continued.

"When His Excellency the Prime Minister apologized in China, he informed China of His Majesty's physical condition, and then... asked His Royal Highness to go to China with the warship. Didn't we order a few warships in China? It is appropriate for the crown prince to go to China! You can ask His Royal Highness to comfort the wounded at the right time and donate a huge amount of money to China through the Red Cross. When you want to come, you can satisfy the Chinese people through negotiation.

In a few words, Kono came up with a plan, which undoubtedly preserved the face of the emperor's family, and also saved the face of the original.

Listening to Kono's advice, Okuma glanced at him and sighed deeply. Originally, Ishii and others, who originally wanted to prevent Okuma from resigning, were also silent. Perhaps this is the best choice. This is the only choice that may be accepted by the Chinese. The Prime Minister publicly apologized and resigned. The crown prince apologized in private. As for the condolences to the injured, through a certain explanation, it can be regarded as "the benevolence of the emperor's family. Kindness".

"I will pay apour to the emperor tomorrow morning,"

Then he said to the secretary, "Please write down the reason for my resignation in writing."

When Sato, the secretary of the book, sat down to write, he clearly knew in his heart that Okuma Chongxin was finished, and what about the book? Thinking of the book, his tears dripped on the paper.

In the evening of the same day, he said to Ishii in a tired tone with a bloodless face and no eyes.

"If I expected it to be good, maybe the Chinese will choose the next prime minister for us."

"Your Excellency, you mean Kono..."

Ishii frowned. If it was Kono, it would be all over.

After making the decision to resign, Okuma took a breath of relief. At least, from now on, he doesn't need to think about the danger of being assassinated every day. Now it's at least over. Next, I may understand his grievances for the country.

However, it is inevitable that he is always a little reluctant. "Kono is unlikely. This guy who married a Chinese wife is too close to China. The Chinese will definitely learn a lesson. They may increase their control over the political axe, so..."

After a moment of silence, Okuma continued to speak.

"I know, what am I most worried about now?"

Prime Minister's words made Kikujiro Ishii curious. He looked at Okuma and asked.

"What are you most worried about?"

"What I'm most worried about now is those [***] molecules. Don't do anything that people regret!"

"Is it too late to regret? Are you worried that they will attack the garrison base?

When Kikujiro Ishii's heart clicked, he immediately realized that if this happened, it might make all of Okuma's efforts go to nothing.

"Sir, should we inform the place to pay attention to the movements of those people!"

nodded, and Okuma replied.

"I have passed with the Army Staff Headquarters. They have sent maintenance troops near the base of the garrison. If anyone dares to attack the base, they will attack the imperial army's barracks!"

Although Okuma did not say "how to deal with it", how would Ishii not know what the crime was for storming the imperial barracks? It was a crime of rebellion, which meant that the army could shoot at will to suppress the rioters.

"Now, the most important thing is to ensure that the incident will not be further intensified, understand!"

"Hi!"

With a deep response, Kikujiro Ishii heard Okuma pay attention to it again.

"Well, Ishii, you prepare to go to the United States. If you want to win freedom and get rid of China, you must get help from the Americans. Now the Chinese navy is expanding rapidly, and the United States is extremely vigilant. If it is not unexpected, the Americans also hope to get some contact with Japan. To ensure their safety in the Pacific Ocean, if they can succeed, they will win freedom in less than ten years! And..."

Thinking of the future of Japan, Okuma's face finally squeezed out a little smile. "The President Wilson of the United States is completely different from Roosevelt. He is idealistic and more inclined to support the weak. Some of his theoretical ideas may be unrealistic, but they are extremely beneficial to Japan. After you come to the United States, you should strive for it as much as possible. Wilson's understanding and support, if he can give us support, maybe the Chinese are likely to be forced to withdraw from Japan!"

For a long time, Okuma has been studying the elimination of China's garrison in Japan by means other than war. That's why he is extremely obedient to China's performance to eliminate China's hostility and vigilance to Japan. Of course, this is only one of them. The most important thing is external pressure. China is ostensibly a powerful country, but This powerful country is similar to the former Japan. He must take into account the pressure of the Western powers. Now the Western powers are limited by the European war and cannot put pressure on them, so they can run rampant in Asia. However, once the Western powers free their hands, China may have to consider their opinions.

"On the one hand, it is the United States, and on the other hand, it is the United Kingdom. Whether it is the United States or the United Kingdom, their East Asian policy is very simple, that is, balance, but after the signing of the Security Treaty, this balance has been broken. In the past, the Chinese have been careful to avoid stimulating the two countries, thus reducing themselves. Faced with pressure, but now, this war has exposed the ambitions of the Chinese people. After the war, for their own interests, the United Kingdom and the United States are bound to put pressure on China in various ways!"

Okuma poured a cup of tea for the two of them. While drinking tea, Okuma's face had a trace of expectation on his face.

"If expected, the United Kingdom and the United States will ask China to give up the newly occupied colonies, which is obviously impossible. Maybe the United Kingdom and the United States will eventually choose to compromise. They may compromise in a different way, by letting China control the colonies, but not occupying them in a legal way, of course, such as If the situation develops like this, it will be extremely unfavorable to Japan. Now, you must go to the United States and Britain to give them another choice!"

"Another option?"

"Yes, let the Americans and the British realize that it is impossible for China to hand over their colonies, and the two countries will fully understand this. None of the meat in their mouths is willing to spit out. Therefore, let the two countries consider putting the Japanese on the agenda and let the Chinese be between the colonies and the Japanese. Make a choice, in this way, there is no harm to the United Kingdom and the United States. If China chooses the Japanese version, they will lose their colonies. If they choose the colony, they will lose the Japanese version, lose the military power in the Japanese version, and lose the control of the Japanese version, which will become the most important link in the Far East policy of the two countries. It could have fully balanced China's strength. No matter what efforts are made, they must consider the Japanese book close at hand. In this way, the Japanese book will become a pawn of the United Kingdom and the United States. We can make full use of the support of the two countries and break through the security treaty step by step. Now the army has broken through, the sea The army is also breaking through. At that time, we can propose to revise the security treaty!"

Looking at Okuma Shigenobu, Ishii Kikujiro was completely stunned by all he told, and finally understood why Okuma would blindly stand on the side of China after the outbreak of the European War. Everything he had for the future and planned everything in his heart. In his heart, he had already planned everything. If... it's really hateful to benefit that guy. If it weren't for him, how could Okuma's plan be destroyed!

As a professional diplomat, Ishii naturally knows that this plan is very clever. This plan takes advantage of the Asian mentality of Britain and the United States, and also takes advantage of China's weaknesses - China is not a real power. Even if it is a powerful country, it needs to consider the attitudes of other powers, not to mention, He is not a real power yet. At least in the next ten years, he will not be separated from the support of Britain, the United States and other countries.

"Sir, this plan is indeed very feasible, but, sir, what you should know is that if you resign, I will lose the position of foreign minister. At that time, even if I make progress in the United States, I'm afraid it will be difficult to have legal effect. What's more, all this still needs the recognition of the new Prime Minister. But, so..."

"Don't worry about this. Even the pro-China faction still cherishes the country!"

tang�zhong xin smiled and then said.

"As for your position, as a condition to support them as prime minister, your position will be retained. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the focus of Chinese people's attention!"

"But, sir,"

nodded, and Kikujiro Ishii said again.

"If the whole plan is to be guaranteed, it must ensure the stability of domestic order. Any accident may lead to China's rebound!"

When he mentioned this matter, Okuma's expression became extremely indifferent, but he just drank tea and did not show any opinion...

(to be continued)