Expedition to Europe

In late October, Japanese Prime Minister Hara Takashi and Army Minister Tanaka Giichi arrived in Coconut City, ready to start negotiations with Lan Fang on a ceasefire.

Since it was the Japanese Prime Minister who came in person, Huang Bohan went to the dock to greet him in person, based on the principle of equality, and then all the negotiations were handed over to Lu Zhengxiang.

"... You are too rude. This is a neglect and an insult to the Great Japanese Empire. If you maintain this attitude, then this peace talk will not have any results. Our 2 million soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire will fight to the end..." Tanaka Giichi was furious.

Knowing that their own troops were retreating on the front line, the Japanese were very eager to cease fire. On the night of their arrival in Coconut City, Hara Takashi and Tanaka Giichi refused to rest and started negotiations immediately.

As expected, when he found out that Huang Bohan was not present at the negotiations, Army Minister Tanaka Giichi was very angry.

"Your Majesty has something urgent to do and has urgently summoned the Prime Minister, so the Prime Minister cannot attend. If you insist that the Prime Minister must attend, then just wait for the Prime Minister to come back..." Lu Zhengxiang spoke softly and slowly.

Lu Zhengxiang is a pure diplomat. When he needs to put on airs, Lu Zhengxiang can still hold his head.

While speaking, Lu Zhengxiang was slowly wiping his glasses with a glasses cloth, and occasionally he would breathe on the glasses, wiping them so seriously, as if the glasses were not Lu Zhengxiang's, but Qin Zhiyuan's.

Only Lu Zhengxiang himself knew how happy Lu Zhengxiang felt when he said those words slowly.

Looking back to 1895, 24 years ago, perhaps Ito Hirobumi treated Li Hongzhang with such an attitude, but Lu Zhengxiang was not sure about this.

What Lu Zhengxiang can be sure of is that just four years ago, when Japan proposed the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China, Lu Zhengxiang was in charge of the negotiations on behalf of the Republic of China, and the Japanese envoy at the time, Hioki Yoshi, treated Lu Zhengxiang with this attitude.

At that time, the Republic of China was poor and weak, and even though Lu Zhengxiang suffered great humiliation, he had to compromise and do his best to deal with the Japanese.

People often say that things change over time, but only four years have passed, and everything at the beginning is still vivid in my mind. Now I have the opportunity to return all the contempt and indifference to the Japanese intact. Lu Zhengxiang's pleasure can be imagined.

"Mr. Lu, who will negotiate is not the main issue, the key is sincerity. We can come to Coconut City from Tokyo, which represents our sincerity in wanting to end this war. I hope that for the sake of the people of Lan Fang and Japan, you can also correct your attitude." Hara Takashi was also neither hot nor cold.

This is also a consistent combination of negotiations, one plays the good cop and the other plays the bad cop, and the two of them can better achieve their goals.

"Our attitude has always been very upright, and we have never taken the initiative to provoke trouble. If you had not repeatedly and unreasonably detained our ships and personnel, we would not have been unable to bear it. We said before the war that it was not said that we had not warned you. It was because of your provocation that the war broke out, so it is you who should correct your attitude. Make it clear that it is not us who want to negotiate peace now, but you who want peace. If this gentleman continues to maintain this attitude, I suggest that we temporarily adjourn and talk about it after the New Year." Qin Zhisheng said in support.

Of course, Lan Fang also played the good cop and the bad cop. Lu Zhengxiang played the bad cop, and Qin Zhisheng played the good cop.

There were actually only these four people present. It is not surprising that even Hara Takashi and Tanaka Yoshiichi used Chinese, and their pronunciation was quite standard, at least there would be no slurred speech.

Qin Zhisheng's words mercilessly tore off the fig leaf on the faces of Hara Jing and Tanaka Yoshiichi. After listening to Qin Zhisheng's words, the expressions on the faces of Hara Jing and Tanaka Yoshiichi were very wonderful. Hara Jing was silent with a sad face, and Tanaka Yoshiichi's face turned red and white, but he still managed to hold back and did not get up and leave to stop the negotiations.

"Yes, the minister is right. We have lost this war, so now we ask to stop fighting and stop innocent lives from being hurt. Please stop all this." Hara Jing stood up and wanted to make a standard 90-degree bow, and his head hit the table directly.

Height is a flaw!

"We don't want innocent lives to be hurt, but since it is a national war, there is no innocence or not. In peacetime, the people enjoy the fruits of victory, so when it comes to war, the people have to bear the cost of war. This is fair." Lu Zhengxiang did not comment.

There are indeed no innocent people.

For example, the Japanese expatriates living in the Republic of China came from Japan to the Republic of China before the war, cultivated land that did not belong to them, enjoyed superior super-national treatment, and plundered the wealth that originally belonged to the Chinese. How can such people be called innocent?

"If you want to cease fire, you have to follow our conditions. Our conditions for a ceasefire are that Japan must give up Yingzhou, Goryeo, the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands. At the same time, Japan needs to take responsibility for this war and should compensate Lan Fang for 1.2 billion Lan Fang yuan in military expenses. This money must be paid in gold..." Qin Zhisheng began to make the conditions for a ceasefire.

Among the conditions offered by Qin Zhisheng, the Penghu Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, the Kuril Islands, and the Japanese-occupied areas on Sakhalin Island were not involved. The above-mentioned areas have been occupied by Lan Fang. Even if you use your toes to think about it, you know that Lan Fang will never spit it out again.

Compared with the conditions Qin Zhisheng offered last time, this time there are more conditions, more territories involved, and more military expenses to be compensated.

It is conceivable that if time continues to drag on, Lan Fang's conditions will be further raised. With each day of delay, Lan Fang will make more demands.

"You are blackmailing! We absolutely cannot agree to it. Unless all of our citizens die in battle, you will never succeed." Tanaka Yoshiichi was really angry this time.

No one would agree to such conditions. If the Japanese agree, it would be like the Japanese spitting out all the dividends they have gained since the Meiji Restoration, and it would be like all the efforts of the entire Japanese people for hundreds of years have gone to waste. If Hara Takashi and Tanaka Yoshiichi dare to agree to such conditions, then Hara Takashi and Tanaka Yoshiichi would not have to return to Japan after signing the contract. It would be better for them to commit seppuku directly off the coast of Coconut City to apologize.

"We can talk about Yingzhou and Penghu Islands, but Korea, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, and Ogasawara Islands have nothing to do with Lan Fang and Chinese. Why should our negotiations involve the above areas?" Hara Takashi also expressed his dissatisfaction.

The original text is available at 6 # 9 @Books/Bar!

Yingzhou and Penghu Islands are territories that Japan directly seized from the former Qing Empire. Before Lin came, Hara Takashi was not mentally prepared for these areas. Korea and Ryukyu Islands used to be vassal states of the Qing Empire. After Japan's efforts, they have now merged with Japan. It can be considered that Japan has legally annexed these two countries. However, if Lan Fang insists on talking about these two places, it is not impossible to talk about them.

As for the Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, and Ogasawara Islands, they have nothing to do with the Qing Empire and Lan Fang. Lan Fang's talking about these places, Hara Takashi believes that it is not reasonable either from a legal or logical point of view.

"Yingzhou and Penghu Islands had nothing to do with Japan before, but after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, why did you force the Qing Empire to cede Yingzhou and Penghu Islands? Goryeo and Ryukyu Islands had nothing to do with Japan either, but why did you brazenly start a war and annex them even at the cost of extinction of the royal families of the two countries? What we are doing now is just repeating what you did before. You can refuse, then we will continue to fight, our fleet and our tanks will take back everything we want from Lan Fang!" Lu Zhengxiang was rarely tough.

Twenty-four years ago, when Li Hongzhang and Ito Hirobumi were negotiating, Ito Hirobumi insisted on Liaodong Peninsula, Yingzhou, and Penghu Islands. When Li Hongzhang expressed his opposition, Ito Hirobumi once said something similar. Now it is finally the Chinese's turn to speak. For a moment, Lu Zhengxiang felt that his eyes were wet.

"If 6,000 Yamato people unite and fight to the end, Lan Fang will have to pay a huge price even if they take those places. We admit that we are not as good as you militarily. By then, Japan may become a ruin and lose the ability to pay compensation. In that case, Lan Fang will not get any compensation. Is this what you want?" Hara Takashi was still relatively calm.

"No, never! We will never agree to such conditions. If we agree to such conditions, we will be sinners of the Yamato nation. I would rather die than agree to such conditions." Relatively speaking, Tanaka Yoshiichi's reaction was much more intense.

"When you detained our merchant ships, when you detained our personnel, when you provoked us Lan Fang, you should have foreseen this day. In fact, whether you agree to these conditions or not, you are already sinners of the Yamato nation. There is no doubt about this, and it is not just you two. All the important officials of the country who have supported this matter and all those who have fanned the flames in this process are sinners of the Yamato nation!" Qin Zhisheng wished that Tanaka Yoshiichi would commit suicide by seppuku now.

Speaking of Tanaka Giichi, many Chinese may not have much impression of this person, but if you mention the "Tanaka Memorial", many people will immediately think of it.

Yes, the "Tanaka" in the "Tanaka Memorial" is Tanaka Giichi.

It was this person who proposed the "Tanaka Memorial" that intended to destroy the entire Republic of China.