Beiyang Dream

Chapter 264? Guangxu vs. Meiji: A Slap in the Face!

Noon on July 25, outside Tokyo Bay.

On the observation deck of the British cruise ship "Empress of China," James Kleeman was enjoying the sea breeze while contemplating his trip to China.

He was a reporter for the New York Century, and he was given a mission—to go to Tianjin and see how the Japanese occupied this port city in northern China.

He originally planned to take a boat directly from Yokohama to Tianjin.

When they arrived at the dock, they learned that Tianjin Port had been blockaded by the Joint Fleet and that mines had been laid, so no one could get in.

With no other option, he had to take the "Empress of China" cruise ship to Shanghai first, and then try to transfer to Tianjin from Shanghai.

During the days he waited to board the ship, he read a lot of Japanese newspapers in Yokohama, and every single one of them was praising how Japan had won.

A newspaper reported that Weihaiwei Port was under the control of the Imperial Army, and the remnants of the Beiyang Fleet had all fled to Lushun.

Kleeman thought to himself: If the news is true, then Japan is indeed about to win!

Another newspaper reported that the Qing troops in Yantai Port had fled, and the Combined Fleet would soon be able to replenish coal and water in Yantai before heading straight for Lushun.

Kleeman knew that Zhifu Port in Yantai was the second most important trading port in the Bohai Bay after Tianjin!

Moreover, the port conditions are excellent... If it falls into Japanese hands, Tianjin will indeed be in danger.

Another newspaper went even further, envisioning their invincible imperial army storming into Beijing and capturing Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi, then taking them to Japan.

That's utter nonsense... The Qing Dynasty wouldn't even reach that point; they'd have to cede territory and pay reparations!

At that moment, several Americans were chatting around Kleeman.

Judging from their attire, they should be senior employees of some foreign firm. One of them was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a telegram, speaking animatedly.

"Reliable sources say the Japanese government is prepared to demand 1 billion taels of silver in reparations."

A fat man nearby whistled, "A billion? Could the Qing Dynasty afford that?"

"It's alright if they can't come up with it." The man with the gold-rimmed glasses chuckled. "Even if they only get 20%, that's still 200 million taels. Japan has made a killing from this war. Do you think Japanese government bonds won't rise?"

The fat man nodded: "What about silver? I've seen silver prices drop sharply lately."

"That's for sure," said the man with the gold-rimmed glasses. "If the Qing Dynasty loses, silver will definitely continue to fall. I've already had people double their short positions in silver."

Another tall, thin man chimed in: "The Qing Dynasty doesn't have two hundred million taels of silver in its treasury at all. If it wants to lose money, it can only borrow from foreign banks, specifically pounds. Our Citibank should be able to lend out a large sum."

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses nodded: "Yes, we definitely have to fight for this loan. The British will certainly want to take it all for themselves, but we at Citibank aren't going to sit idly by."

Kleeman thought to himself: These merchants...while others are fighting a war, they're settling accounts.

Just then, he suddenly heard a sound that sounded rather strange.

It was booming, like thunder.

But right now the sky is so clear there isn't even a single cloud!

Kleeman looked up, and sure enough, the sky was cloudless!

He listened again, and the sound came from the sea to the south.

"That's the sound of cannons," said a British businessman nearby. "The Japanese are probably conducting exercises at their fortress at the entrance to Tokyo Bay."

An exercise? Probably...

Then Kleeman heard someone yelling at the top of their lungs, "My God! That ship is being shelled!"

Artillery fire?

it's here?

People on the observation deck rushed to the ship's side, and Kleeman followed suit, grabbing a good spot to watch the excitement.

In the distance, on the sea outside the entrance to Tokyo Bay, a not-too-large merchant ship was billowing black smoke and tilting to one side!

Not far from that merchant ship, two warships were firing their cannons!

One big and one small.

The big one looks to be at least eight or nine thousand tons!

The smaller one also weighs about three or four thousand tons.

This is a battleship and a cruiser?

Whose property is this? They're just firing on the very gates of Tokyo Bay?

Kleeman squinted at it for a moment, then froze.

On the two ships that were firing cannons, it seemed that the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty was being flown.

He quickly took out his binoculars and held them up to look again.

That's right, it's the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty!

"My God, Qing Dynasty warships are blocking the entrance to Tokyo Bay!"

The others recognized him too!

"That's the 'Changyuan'! It was a birthday gift ship that our emperor sold to the Qing Dynasty!"

This guy must be German... his voice is so proud!

"How is this possible? Didn't Japan advance to the Bohai Bay?"

No one answered him.

Everyone was focused on the naval battle in the distance... This kind of excitement doesn't come around often!

A few minutes later, the Japanese merchant ship began to sink, and the crew members jumped into the sea to escape.

Kleeman put down his binoculars, took out his notebook, and began to take notes.

Just then, he heard someone cursing somewhere.

It seems to be those few employees of the American trading company.

"Liars! Damn liars! The Japanese have lied to us! They say they've seized control of the Bohai Bay! They say the Qing Dynasty's navy is finished!"

"We need to sell all our Japanese government bonds as soon as possible..."

"And the short positions in silver. We're even now. Those damn Japanese, they ripped us off completely!"

"I'm going bankrupt..."

Kleeman ignored them and continued writing his press release in his notebook.

This is big news that could make the front page!

Just then, he heard someone shout, "That cruiser is coming towards us!"

He looked up and saw that the Qing Dynasty cruiser was indeed sailing towards the "Empress of China"!

The boat was not moving fast, but its direction was clear.

As the cruiser drew closer, Kleeman saw a set of flag signals hanging from its mast.

A British sailor nearby who knew flag signals read out: "This ship is to board for inspection."

The deck erupted in chaos.

"Board inspection? On what grounds?"

"We are a British ship! They cannot board!"

"Stop making a fuss, that's in accordance with international practice..."

'

Kleeman closed the notebook and put it in his pocket.

He actually hoped that Qing Dynasty naval officers and soldiers could board the "Empress of China." That way, he might have a chance to interview them.

In this way, he might be able to figure out how much of the "big wins, huge wins, and mega wins" reported in Japanese newspapers are actually true.

He glanced at the Japanese merchant ship that was almost completely sunk and thought to himself: The Japanese are the best at bragging in Asia!

However, at this time, Kleeman never expected that the Japanese, who were being humiliated by the Qing navy in Tokyo Bay, had not actually exaggerated their victories... the victories of betting on Tianjin Port, besieging Weihaiwei, locking down Lushun, and even seizing Yantai.

It's all true.

This Sino-Japanese War was somewhat like Emperor Meiji and Emperor Guangxu slapping each other in the face.

The faces of the two emperors were almost swollen like pig heads from being beaten!

On July 26th at noon, just over a day after Kamakura was burned down and Tokyo Bay was blocked...

Yantai, Zhifu Port.

Standing on the pier, looking at the scene before him, Da Shanyan felt incredibly comfortable.

At the dock, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the battleship "Hakusan," had already come to a stop. Several gangplanks were set up beside the ship, and groups of military laborers were carrying coal baskets up to them, while others were carrying water and food, all working busily.

Oyama Iwao and his chief of staff Inoue Hikaru both had flushed faces.

"Inoue-kun, look at this dock." Oyama Iwao pointed to the warehouse area of ​​Zhifu Port. "The Qing people really ran away cleanly; they didn't even have time to burn the coal in the warehouses."

Inoue Hikaru smiled and nodded: "Yes, Your Excellency. I just went to the warehouse and saw that there is enough coal alone to supply the Combined Fleet for a month. There is also a lot of rice and flour in the granary. The Qing army was in such a hurry that they even forgot to set fire to it."

Da Shanyan snorted: "Yantai is under the jurisdiction of the Shandong Governor, and Chang Desheng's Nanpu Army is not here... Apart from the Beiyang Nanpu clique's troops, the other Qing troops are no match for the Imperial Army..."

The two men walked up the gangplank and onto the deck of the "White Mountain" as they talked. The sailors on deck, seeing Da Shan Yan come aboard, immediately stood at attention and saluted. Da Shan Yan waved his hand, signaling them to continue their work.

Ito Sukeyuki was already waiting in the conference room. Seated next to him was Samejima Kazuki, the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet; both of them looked to be in good spirits.

"Mr. Ooyama, Mr. Inoue, thank you for your hard work." Ito Sukeyuki stood up and shook hands with the two men. "Please sit down, please sit down."

Good news.

Daiyama sat down, picked up a teacup offered by a sailor, and took a sip: "What good news this time?"

Ito Sukeyuki said with a smile, "Last night, the operation to blockade Port Arthur was a complete success."

Da Shan Yan put down his teacup: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Ito Sukeyuki picked up the nautical chart on the table and pointed to the location of Port Arthur: "Last night at ten o'clock, I dispatched three ships, the Yamashiro Maru, the Sagami Maru, and the Omi Maru, each loaded with stones, to sneak into Port Arthur under cover of darkness. The Yamashiro Maru was the first to rush in and sank itself in the main channel, its location was very accurate. The Sagami Maru was a little slower, but it also sank in the middle of the channel. The Omi Maru was slightly off course, but overall, all three ships sank in the main channel."

Da Shan Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Is the waterway blocked?"

Ito Sukeyuki waved his hand: "It's not really a complete blockade. The waters at Port Arthur are over ten meters deep. Even if three ships sank, they could only stop large ships at most. Big ships like the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan definitely wouldn't be able to get out, but smaller cruisers and torpedo boats might be able to get through at high tide. However..."

He smiled and said, "As long as the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan can't get out, the Beiyang Fleet is essentially half useless."

Oyama Iwao then asked, "What about the combined fleet's warships? Were there any losses?"

"No, absolutely not," Ito Sukeyuki said smugly. "The forts at Port Arthur only fired a dozen or so shells the entire time, and not a single one hit its target."

Da Shan Yan laughed heartily: "Good, very good. The main force of the Beiyang Fleet at Lushun Port has been blocked, and Yantai is in our hands again. We have coal and water. In this way, the conditions for landing at Jinzhou Bay are ripe."

Ito Sukeyuki continued, "That's right. Right now, the main force of the Beiyang Fleet, apart from the Changyuan and Zhiyuan, is either trapped in Lushun or cowered in Dagu, too afraid to come out. The Bohai Bay is completely under the control of the Combined Fleet! If your army wants to launch a landing at Jinzhou Bay, the navy is ready to cooperate at any time."

Just as Oyama Iwao was about to speak, footsteps sounded outside the conference room. A staff officer from the Combined Fleet pushed open the door and entered: "Report! The Yoshino is entering port!"

Ito Sukeyuki was taken aback: "The Yoshino? Shouldn't it be searching for the 'Join' on the route between Incheon and Sasebo? How did it end up in Yantai?"

The staff officer said, "The Yoshino has hoisted a signal saying that there is an imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor on board, which must be delivered immediately."

Oyama Iwao and Ito Sukeyuki exchanged a glance—an imperial edict?

What happened? Are they going to commend us for capturing Yantai?

Oyama Iwao and Ito dared not delay, so they both stood up, straightened their uniforms, and left the meeting room.

When the group reached the deck, the Yoshino had already docked. Lieutenant Commander Kawahara Yoichi, the captain, personally carried a lacquered wooden box and stepped onto the deck of the Hakusan via a gangplank.

Kawahara then handed a lacquered wooden box to a naval captain who was with him, and personally opened the lid and took out a roll of paper edicts from the box.

"By imperial decree of His Majesty the Emperor." Kawahara Yoichi's voice was a little hoarse.

Everyone on deck stood at attention, removed their hats, and saluted with the utmost respect. Led by Oyama Iwao, Ito Sukeyuki, Inoue Hikaru, Samejima Kaminori, and all the officers and sailors present stood motionless, their gazes solemn as they looked at the imperial edict.

Kawara Yoichi unfurled the imperial edict and read it aloud.

"I, with my limited virtue, have inherited the great legacy of my ancestors, and have been constantly vigilant day and night, never at rest. Now, the Qing Dynasty has broken its alliance and arbitrarily started a war. Its warships have dared to invade our territory, burn our shrines, and humiliate our people. This is truly an unprecedented and unparalleled disgrace."

Halfway through reading the imperial edict, the Japanese naval and army officers and soldiers on the deck were dumbfounded!

What happened?

Invading my territory?

Burn my shrine?

From this, it seems... Qing Dynasty warships fled to Japan and even landed Qing soldiers on the Japanese coast?

How is that possible?

And the four Japanese devils, Oyama Iwao, Ito Sukeyuki, Inoue Hikaru, and Samejima Kanogi, all understood what had happened.

It must be that the "Changyuan" ran wild off the coast of Japan....

I wonder where the "Changyuan" went? I hope it didn't end up in Sagami Bay... Otherwise, the Emperor's face will be slapped in the face by the Qing people!

Kawahara Yoichi continued reading: "—You soldiers of the Second Army and officers and men of the Combined Fleet, you should be invigorated, work together with one heart and one mind, quickly take Tianjin, march straight to Beijing, capture its chieftain, and present him to the Emperor to avenge this humiliation. I will personally pray at the Ise Grand Shrine for your long-lasting military fortune. So be it."

The imperial edict has been read aloud.

The entire Baishan was deathly silent.

We must quickly take Tianjin, march straight to Beijing, capture its chieftain, and avenge this humiliation.

Is this "shame" really that great?

Could it be that the Qing people... burned down Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine?

Then, someone shouted out, "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Onboard! Onboard! Onboard..."

'

All the Japanese officers and soldiers on the deck raised their hands in salute at the same time and shouted "Banzai" three times.