On October 16th, Li Xin boarded a special cruise ship and set foot on the road back to China. Less than half a day after leaving the port, he received a telegram. The telegram informed Li Xin that China had negotiated with Nippon and would once again send an ambassador to the Nippon Meiji government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs inquired about Li Xin's attitude towards the newcomer selection.
Li Xin was very surprised by the news. Did the Meiji government give in to China so quickly? He originally thought that Nippon's attitude would persist for more than a year, or even wait for Britain to return to Nippon.
Indeed, the Meiji government gave in so quickly for the time being. Kido Takayun sat opposite Okubo Toshimichi. It was late autumn in October in Tokyo. The maple leaves in the courtyard were red like fire, and the falling maple leaves covered the ground with a thick layer of red. A few maple leaves fell into the small pond in the courtyard. The canopy of the trees blocked the sunlight, and the dark water was dotted with striking red leaves, half sinking and half floating, with an intoxicating beauty.
Kido Takayun did not appreciate this. He said anxiously, "Restoring diplomatic relations with China at this time will be considered treason!"
"If they want to scold us, that's their business. The key now is whether we can make up our minds. "Okubo Toshimichi replied calmly. But thinking of the current opposition in Nippon, Okubo Toshimichi could not help but sneer. "Oh, Kido, those aristocrats curse us for causing the failure of the Hokkaido crusade. But now I think the crusade is very successful. If they are really loyal to the Mikado as they say, why would the aristocrats complain about the death of tens of thousands of people? They should be boasting about killing hundreds of thousands of traitors in Hokkaido. "
Kido Takayun, like the samurai of this era, had killed people with his own hands. He was chased by the shogunate when he was a warrior, and he continued to operate underground in Kyoto regardless of his life. The Choshu Domain was fierce and murderous in the Bochen war. Kido Takayun also participated in the formulation of the war plan and personally issued many orders. Hearing Okubo Toshimichi's cold words, Kido Takayun couldn't stand it anymore. He said unhappily, "Okubo, you've gone too far!"
Okubo Toshimichi didn't get angry because of Kido Takayun's unhappiness. He calmly poured himself a cup of tea and continued, "Kido, these people will rebel sooner or later. When they rebelled against the country, they would only be executed as traitors. Now that they are dying for the country, I am fulfilling their reputation. "
This time, Kido Takayoshi did not immediately refute. Okubo Toshimichi's words were cruel, but they hit the nail on the head. After the establishment of the Meiji government, it issued the Order of Vassal Governance (unifying the official system of each vassal, strengthening the supervision and control of the government over the vassal; not being restricted by family status and old habits, promoting talents, and separating the vassal governance from the domestic affairs of the vassal lords). Then it implemented the Order of Return of Vassal Governance in Kido Takayoshi and Okubo Toshimichi. At the same time, it required the Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Feichen Domains to contribute troops to the imperial court and set up the Imperial Guard. Later, it implemented the Order of Abolishing Vassal Governance.
The purpose of these policies was to transform old Japan and promote the development of industrialization. Replacing the old system with a new system was bound to be opposed by those with vested interests in the old system. After the abolition of the vassal states, the old mainstream social system was completely destroyed. All the officials under the new system were selected through the state-controlled education and examination system. In this regard, Okubo Toshimichi and others completely copied the civil service system of China. The power of this system was easily revealed. The same selection criteria, the same civil service examination questions. A large number of people who supported the centralization of power became the civil service reserve army.
Saigo Takamori and others who represented the interests of the landowning families came up with the "Theory of Conquest of Korea," which was officially rejected by the Mikado after discussion at the Imperial Conference. Saigo and other representatives of the five Koreas resigned in anger, and a large number of officials and guards who supported the landowning families also resigned. The civil servants who supported the centralization of power easily took over the various official positions of the Meiji government.
At this time, the contradiction between the two sides was close to the stage of irreconcilable. The military campaign against the Republic of Prawn was the last possibility of compromise. In June, Okubo Toshimichi, who found that the war situation was unfavorable, asked the landowning families to temporarily withdraw from Hokkaido. The landowning families refused Okubo Toshimichi's proposal and continued to fight in Hokkaido. When the war situation was irreversible, the landowning families asked the government forces to mobilize to reverse the situation.
Kido Takayun was under great pressure, but he couldn't do anything. The Navy of the Republic of Prawn gathered a group of excellent Japanese naval commanders. They didn't seek to annihilate the Meiji government's navy, but they did their best to delay the Meiji government's navy. The government forces were unable to help.
The landowning families' army was annihilated, and the contradiction between the two sides could no longer be resolved. The landowning families strongly demanded the Meiji government to collectively resign and form a new government with members elected by the landowning families. The Meiji government couldn't agree to this demand, and Kido Takayun also saw through the hidden intentions behind this group of people.
"Okubo, do you believe that you can persuade China not to support them?" Kido Takayun changed the topic back to the original question. China is supporting the Republic of Prawn, and once the civil war starts, there is no guarantee that China will continue to support the landowning families.
Okubo Toshimichi replied: "You should read more books from China. China's Emperor Vézé has been attacking their domestic feudal system. If they support the landowning families, it is contrary to his political philosophy. I think in the current situation, it is impossible for him to support the landowning families. "
"But we are allied with the United Kingdom, and the landowning families advocate to get rid of the United Kingdom's control and complete the mission. China and the United Kingdom have already fought a war, and there should be another war in the future. From this point of view, supporting the landowning families is not a bad thing for China. "Kido Takayun pointed out what he was worried about.
"Restoring diplomatic relations was originally a show of goodwill to China. Since Kido has such concerns, you should promote contact with China. "Okubo Toshimichi pointed out the logic error of Kido Takayun.
When Kido Takayun was speechless, Okubo Toshimichi continued: "We have never been a vassal of China. Of course, we need a foreign policy that can meet Japan's interests to the greatest extent. Exchanges with countries around the world have always been good for Japan. I don't think China doesn't understand this. As for the Republic of Prawn, they have asked the Mikado to send a Tokugawa family member to Hokkaido. We might as well agree with them and send a Tokugawa family member. Now that the situation has reached this point, we only need to recognize the Republic of Prawn's vassal status, so that China can't take away the Republic of Prawn. We can talk about the future in the future. "
"But the new constitution of the Republic of Prawn …" Kido Takayun raised the matter that caused a huge shock in Japan. The Meiji government is still a monarchical system and ideas. The new constitution of the Republic of Prawn states that the founding purpose of the Republic of Prawn is to ensure equal and happy life for the people. It does not recognize the existence of privileged classes. It recognizes the equality of all people in the legal situation. It does not establish a state religion and religious freedom. Such a political concept is somewhat deviant in the eyes of the more radical intellectual class in Japan.
"I think this is good. Even if the entire Japan implements this system, it is hundreds of times better than letting the gentry overturn the sky. " Okubo Toshimichi said what the radical intellectual class dare not say. "With such a Hokkaido, it can promote the progress of Japan. For the current Japan, we don't lack anything but progress. This matter is settled! "
The conditions proposed by the envoy of the Meiji government are a bit interesting. The Meiji government requests the Republic of Prawn to be renamed as the Hokkaido Special Administrative Region of the Empire of Japan. This special administrative region is allowed to have its own regional flag, regional song, independent administrative tax system and army. In diplomacy, formal diplomatic agencies at the level of consulates can be established in other countries. The Japanese government actually recognizes Hokkaido as a country within a country, but does not accept Hokkaido leaving Japan.
In order to reassure Hokkaido, the Meiji government also proposed a military demarcation proposal. Without the permission of Hokkaido, the Meiji government army is not allowed to enter a certain area in the north. The autonomous government of Hokkaido has the obligation to defend the northern territory and territorial waters of Japan.
For China, this is nothing. It is still too early for China to establish the hegemony of the Western Pacific and then seize the hegemony of the entire Pacific. But at least the world's major industrial countries already know that China is establishing the hegemony of the Western Pacific step by step. With the current level of the world's industry, the number of countries that have the ability to participate in this process can be counted on one hand. The only countries that can decide this process are China and the United Kingdom. The strategic value of the Republic of Prawn to China has been reduced to the level of providing port services.
What concerned the dispatch army is that the Japanese government proposed that before this agreement can be finally signed, no foreign troops can be stationed in Hokkaido. This is a domestic agreement in Japan, and foreign forces are not allowed to intervene. The Meiji government is ready to let the Republic of Prawn cut off military cooperation with China.
The military commission's reply tells Zhou Xinhua that this matter is being carried out in China. Zhou Xinhua needs to make sure that the final decision is made through democratic decisions and try his best to protect the Republic of Prawn's initial democratic mechanism from being destroyed.
How can the democratic system of the Republic of Prawn not be destroyed? Zhou Xinhua sends another message to the military commission. The reply from the military commission is: "In the near future, we will send people to the Republic of Prawn. Specific issues will be discussed after the dispatched people arrive."
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