Chapter 189: A Single Stone Stirs up a Thousand Waves

"You said that Colonel Hijima has led the mixed detachment to attack Gaiping, and it has been two days since they set out?" Dashi Yasuzumi stood up at once. He had just arrived in Fuzhou City and had not even sat down when he heard this news, which he did not know whether it was good or bad.

Dashi Yasuzumi paced back and forth in the house. When the several regiment commanders next to him were about to get impatient, he suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and said quickly: "First, send a telegram to the commander to explain the situation here. Second, all troops gather, we are ready to go to support the mixed detachment."

"Hi!" Several regiment commanders responded and were about to turn around and leave.

But there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Not good, not good, the mixed detachment was defeated by the Chinese army at the foot of Gaiping City." The Japanese signalman crawled in from outside.

"What!" Several Japanese shouted in unison.

Dashi Yasuzumi was shocked and asked, "Why did the mixed detachment lose so quickly?"

The signalman didn't even dare to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and quickly replied, "Colonel Hishijima fell into the trap of the Chinese. When the mixed detachment was attacking Gaiping City with all its strength, a Chinese army lurked on the side and launched a sudden attack. The mixed detachment was defeated, and Colonel Hishijima was fleeing back with the remaining troops."

Dashi Yasuzumi sat back on the chair dejectedly, and asked after a while, "What are the losses of our army?"

"The mixed detachment lost more than half of its troops!" The signalman knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

"Alas, Hishi-kun, my order just now is invalid. The whole army is on alert and ready for defense." Dashi Yasuzumi waved his hand weakly and ordered.

"Hai!" Several Japanese generals responded weakly.

After the Zongli Yamen responded to Li Hongzhang's telegram of "every bit of benefit is a bit", Prince Gong and others were all ashamed. The military minister Xu Yongyi went to the Summer Palace again and told Cixi the situation in detail.

Cixi was originally very dissatisfied with the terms, but when she heard that the Japanese had assembled more than 60 transport ships ready to invade Tianjin at any time, she still couldn't muster up the courage to fight the Japanese again. She didn't say a word, which was considered as tacit acceptance of the result.

The central ministers of the Qing court are now waiting for the treaty sent back by Li Hongzhang after another peace talk with the Japanese. They hope that Li Hongzhang can create a miracle and perhaps fight for every bit of benefit.

"A telegram has come, a telegram has come." The official of the telegraph office quickly walked into the Zongli Yamen with a telegram.

The atmosphere in the Zongli Yamen was very dull. Prince Gong coughed twice and asked Sun Yuwen beside him: "Isn't there still two days left for the Japanese? Li Hongzhang should think about how to make the Japanese give in a little soon. Why did he sign the contract so early?"

Sun Yuwen was also puzzled and said: "Li Hongzhang is indeed too hasty."

If the treaty is not signed, several central ministers still have a little hope in their hearts, dreaming that Li Hongzhang will do everything he can to turn the tide. Once it is signed, there is no other way except to break the contract.

"Your Highness, this is a telegram from Liaodong." The official of the telegraph office was sweating profusely. After saluting, he said in a hurry.

"A telegram from Liaodong?" Several central ministers gathered around without knowing why.

Prince Gong took the telegram, put on his reading glasses, and read it carefully.

On this day, almost at the same time, Wang Wenshao, acting Beiyang minister of Tianjin Governor's Office, and several ministers of the Beijing Zongli Yamen received an urgent military telegram from Liaodong, signed by Song Qing, Wei Jichen, Nie Guilin and others.

"Now the Japanese general Xi Kuanjiro died for some reason. The Japanese falsely accused us of being injured by our army. Using this as an excuse, 10,000 troops pressed on the border. Fortunately, we saw the opportunity early and attacked in time to defeat the Japanese army, killing and wounding more than 5,000 Japanese pirates. Now I heard that the Japanese peace treaty is harsh, unprecedented in ancient and modern times, and unheard of by Chinese and foreigners. It strangles my throat, controls my life, and blocks my path to self-strengthening. I humbly pray that the emperor will make a decisive decision and never approve the treaty. Order the ministers to negotiate again. We are willing to sacrifice our lives for the country with the best soldiers in the world. The outcome is still unknown! Why talk about ceding land and paying compensation?"

This telegram caused a thousand waves.

After the contents of the telegram were spread, it caused a great sensation. Guangxu received ten memorials that day, including four from the Imperial Censorate, one from the Imperial College, two from the Hanlin Academy, one from the Southern Study, and two from the Upper Study. All of them were jointly signed by 120 people.

The contents of the memorials all quoted the telegram from Liaodong at the end, "The victory or defeat is still unknown! Why talk about ceding territory and paying compensation."

Guangxu read this telegram more than ten times in a row. Seeing that so many memorials all had the same voice, and thinking about how harsh the treaty payment of the Japanese was, he also had the idea of ​​recalling Li Hongzhang and fighting again.

This matter alarmed Cixi in the Summer Palace, who immediately summoned Guangxu and Prince Qing Yixin.

"Public opinion outside tends to recall Li Hongzhang to continue the battle. Song Qing and others have also won a great victory in Liaodong. Should we continue the battle?" Although Cixi was strong, she was at a loss now. Most of the court officials, even herself, felt that the Japanese contract terms were too much, and public opinion demanded another battle. If they went against public opinion, they would lose the support of the people.

Prince Qing Yixin hurriedly said, "Song Qing's telegram was not clear. He said that more than 5,000 Japanese were killed or injured, but there was no real number of how many Japanese were killed. Moreover, his own losses were not reported. It is too early to say that it was a great victory. The Military Affairs Office has already sent a telegram to convey this news to Li Hongzhang. In my opinion, there is no need to recall Li Hongzhang. The Japanese may be more lenient with their conditions."

Guangxu knelt down and said: "Dad, it is true that the outcome is not yet known. The soldiers on the front line are still willing to fight. The Japanese are too bullying. It is better to move west to the capital and fight with the Japanese again."

Cixi thought for a moment and asked, "What did Liu Kunyi and Wang Wenshao say? Are they sure they can fight again?"

Guangxu quickly replied: "The Emperor has already given the two commanders an edict, asking them to understand the current overall situation and the various military affairs and wars, whether they are reliable, and express their own opinions. I believe they will call back soon."

^.^，

Cixi waved her hand and said, "In that case, let's wait until they call back before making a decision."

Shimonoseki, Japan, Umebo, Ito Hirobumi's residence.

Ito Hirobumi gave Li Hongzhang three days, and tomorrow was the deadline. He sat on the tatami with a cup of tea on the table, feeling very comfortable.

Just now Wu Tingfang came to him to inquire about the news and see if there was any room for Japan to make concessions.

Ito Hirobumi threatened him: "I might start a war before the armistice expires. If we continue to discuss changes to the contract payment and deliberately delay it, the peace treaty will be broken according to the armistice payment and the contract will be suspended."

Wu Tingfang was so frightened that he immediately went back.

Let’s see if Li Hongzhang dares to agree tomorrow. The Japanese Empire has already made an offensive stance, and the Qing Dynasty must not dare to fight anymore.

"Ito-kun, Ito-kun, something big happened in Liaodong again." Mutsu Munemitsu hurriedly walked in, disturbing Ito Hirobumi's dream.

"What big thing can happen in Liaodong?" Ito Hirobumi sat up straight and asked curiously.

Mutsu Munemitsu raised the telegram in his hand and said in a depressed mood: "Our army went to war with the Qing army in Liaodong, and our army was defeated miserably and suffered a lot of losses. Your Excellency Oyama Iwa has gone to Liaodong to take charge of the overall situation."

Ito Hirobumi swallowed the tea in his mouth, picked up the telegram and looked at it in disbelief.

"How could Hoshishima Yoshiki be so careless? If you want to fight, just win. Have you found out who did Nishi Kanjiro's death?" Ito Hirobumi had no choice but to think about how to clean up the mess.

"The murderer was not caught, but according to reports from Odera Yasumi, a soldier had seen the murderer, and the portrait he drew after recalling it was somewhat similar to Wei Jichen. Unfortunately, there is no conclusive evidence." Mutsu Munemitsu frowned, and when he mentioned Wei Jichen, he said: I'm in a bad mood.

"It's Wei Jichen again. He has done bad things for the empire several times. I'm afraid the peace talks may change." Ito Hirobumi sighed helplessly.