The sun never sets

, Chairman Lin is a dragon. "

"Ah, is it really like what Miyazaki Toten wrote?"

Emperor Taisho's enthusiasm made Akiyama Saneyuki a little overwhelmed at first, but after all, he was a general who had fought in the battlefield many times, so he quickly calmed down and answered the Emperor's questions one by one.

"Chairman Lin has an unparalleled aura, Your Majesty, that is something I have never seen in my life... Taiyuan? Taiyuan is more like a large construction site. When I went there, roads and houses were being built everywhere... There were many four-story buildings built for the workers to live in, and they looked almost exactly the same from the outside..."

The conversation continued until the evening, and the Emperor Taisho had food brought up, and it seemed that he wanted to have a candlelit night talk. Ito Hirobumi listened for a long time, smiling and silent. At this time, he coughed and said, "Your Majesty, General Akiyama has just returned. Let him rest for a few days. It won't be too late to summon him to the palace later."

Emperor Taisho was reluctant to leave, but as the sky outside darkened, he had no choice but to agree. However, he suddenly came up with a good idea, "Prime Minister Ito, do you think I can go to China? I want to see the changes in China. Just listening to you guys talk about it doesn't seem real. By the way, Lord Ito, you haven't met Chairman Lin either, right? Why don't we go together!"

The Emperor enthusiastically proposed a suggestion, but Ito Hirobumi could not help but feel distressed, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is against the rules."

Emperor Taisho said disapprovingly: "What rules? Times have changed, sir!"

"Well...let's let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicate with China first."

"Then I'll be waiting for your good news!" Emperor Taisho deliberately said "I" very loudly.

After coming out of the Imperial Palace, it was already completely dark. Ito Hirobumi shook his head, stretched his arms, stretched his muscles, and then said to Akiyama Saneyuki: "Even if the French will send a fleet again, it will be several months later. Akiyama, you can go back and rest for a few more days."

"Yes. I will visit the Prime Minister in two days." Akiyama Saneyuki paused and said, "In less than two months, the war will be over."

"Oh? Isn't the fighting still going on in Hanoi?"

"The French are no match for the People's Army on land. Besides, it hasn't rained in Vietnam for three days."

Ito Hirobumi pondered for a moment and said, "I understand."

Know what? Akiyama Saneyuki did not ask. With Duke Ito's intelligence, some things did not need to be explained so clearly. With Prime Minister Ito's intelligence, perhaps he did not need to remind him.

Yoshihito, the Taisho Emperor, went to see the retired Emperor Meiji the next day and informed him of the victory in the South China Sea. Meiji obviously knew about it a long time ago, so he did not seem very excited. After abdicating, Meiji's health deteriorated rapidly, and he was diagnosed with uremia not long ago. In this era, uremia is an incurable disease. Even as the retired emperor, he can only die slowly in pain.

"What does it matter if we win?" Meiji said slowly, "Japan can only crawl under China's feet and let Lin Yongchang drive it. If Togo Heihachiro was still alive, he would only fight better than Akiyama Saneyuki!"

"That may not be the case... Father, I am not here to argue with you. In a few days... or even a few months, I will go to China and meet with Chairman Lin!"

Meiji's face twitched, "Ito Hirobumi actually let you do this?"

"Father, the times have changed! From now on it is the era of the people! If Japan does not want to be divided up by the great powers, it must enter a new era!"

Meiji sneered, "I think you have been deceived by Lin Yongchang's fallacies. Aren't Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire all monarchies? I don't see the new era you mentioned, I only see a hopeless future for Japan."

"......." Emperor Taisho was about to retort, but suddenly a good idea popped up, "Why don't you come to China with me, Father? You must also want to know what kind of person Chairman Lin is, and you must also want to know what kind of changes have taken place in China!"

This time it was Meiji's turn to remain silent. The Japanese extremely respected the strong. They could harbor hatred towards China, but they had to admit that China had become strong again, surpassing Japan in national strength and becoming one of the great powers. Although Japan still had a naval advantage, how long could this advantage last?

Meiji really wanted to know what kind of person Lin Yongchang was. After being forced to abdicate, he thought about it for a long time and found various books and newspapers to find out where Japan lost. After decades of hard work, why did it still fail? Is it really the era of the people? Is the system of the People's Party more advanced? Oyama Iwao and Nozu Michitsugu are both outstanding people. If the system of the People's Party was not more superior, how could the army be defeated?

Seeing Meiji silent, Emperor Taisho knew what was going on. "Then it's settled. We'll go to China together then!"

Chapter 419 Today

The situation on the battlefield in Southeast Asia did not change. As many people expected, the French went from one defeat to another. The French counterattack on Hanoi had no effect. The encirclement was tightening step by step.

The French troops who arrived were short of food and ammunition, and their resistance was becoming weaker and weaker.

Le Figaro vividly described the arduous and heroic resistance of the French soldiers, and pointed out that it was the wrong decisions of the current cabinet that led to 100,000 French youths being trapped in a desperate situation and in imminent danger. Some newspapers called for more troops to be sent to the Far East immediately to rescue the "young men of France".

“It’s all bullshit!”

Joseph Joffre threw the newspaper away, took a sip of wine, kissed the girl's lips, and fed the wine into her mouth. Just as Joffre was twisting a pink grape, the door was suddenly pushed open. "Ah!" The girl screamed and pulled her clothes to block the spring light.

"What? What are you doing? So rude!"

Joffre jumped up naked and shouted at the two soldiers who appeared at the door: "It's early in the morning, can't you let me have fun?"

"Major General Joseph Joffre?"

"it's me!"

"Please come with us!"

"Oh, what's the reason? I don't think I violated military discipline?"

"The Minister of the Army has summoned you. Please put on your clothes as soon as possible." The naked body of a man in his fifties is not very aesthetic. Xiafei has been exercising, but after all, he is old. His physical strength is still good, but his figure has changed. Women may still be interested in this body, but men, normal men, will not like it.

"Is that so? Well, dear, it seems that our happy time together will have to be postponed."

An hour and a half later, Joseph Joffre stood in front of the Minister of War and senior cabinet officials, and detailed his understanding of the People's Army. In the end, he made a suggestion, "Don't think about attacking Hanoi. Make peace immediately. This is the only way out! Otherwise, we need to consider defending Saigon."

As soon as this was said, there was an immediate commotion. The Minister of War said, "The only way out? Major General Joseph, do you know what peace talks mean?"

Joseph Joffre said calmly: "It's nothing more than ceding territory and paying compensation. What else is there? Indochina has always been China's sphere of influence. Unless the Chinese are completely defeated, they will come back sooner or later."

Someone slammed the table and shouted, "France will never accept the terms of ceding territory or paying compensation!" After fighting a war with the Chinese last year, France did not cede territory or pay compensation. Although the land hundreds of miles east of Hanoi became more expensive to the Chinese, on the surface, France did not cede any land.

Joseph Joffre took off his hat and said, "Alsace and Lorraine are still in the hands of the Germans. Gentlemen, if I had to choose, I would rather fight the Germans for Alsace and Lorraine than go to Indochina and fight the Chinese!"

The French people had accumulated too much hatred towards Germany, and the lower-level officers and soldiers were full of anger for revenge. Joseph Joffre was well aware of this, and he was also eager to declare war on Germany. Whether it was the left or the right, or the rational and objective centrists, there would be no disagreement on revenge against the Germans.

But unfortunately, the top leaders of the French government did not dare to declare war on Germany alone. France gave up developing a large navy and handed over the battle at sea to Britain. The French navy was not as good as the German navy. After the defeat of the Far East Fleet, the French navy could no longer threaten the German fleet. If they could not defeat Germany at sea, the French army would not be stronger than the German army on land. In order to deal with the world's number one army, France wooed Russia and formed a Franco-Russian alliance.

The top leaders played a big game and found helpers on both the sea and land, including the world's first naval power, the absolute maritime hegemon, the British Empire, and the "European steamroller" Russia. Logically, with these two powers as allies, France should have firmly suppressed its hostile Germany, but the top leaders still did not dare to make up their minds to go to war. Britain would not take the initiative to intervene for the benefit of France. Britain and France are now very close, but after all, they have not concluded a military alliance. If there were only France and Russia, they might not be able to defeat Germany.

You know, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will definitely stand on the side of Germany. Forty years ago, Austria was the leader of Germany, and Prussia was just a little brother at that time. Now Prussia has transformed into the Second German Empire, and Austria is the most loyal ally of the German Empire.

The French top leaders understood that they had to continue to be patient and had to wait until Britain made up its mind to go to war with Germany before France had a chance to defeat its old enemy. The top leaders were playing a big chess game, but the people would not care so much. No matter which faction came to power, as long as they continued to be tolerant of Germany, they would be ridiculed and mocked by the people. More than one cabinet was described as "cruel at home and tolerant abroad", cruel to the people at home and tolerant of Germany. The left, the right, and the center, as long as they did not declare war on Germany, they would be ridiculed and mocked.

Joseph Joffre said he would rather fight for Alsace and Lorraine, which made everyone in the room embarrassed. After a moment of silence, Joffre looked around, "If you have no other questions," he put his hat on his chest, "then I ask to leave. After all, there is a lovely girl waiting for me."

Paris is too far away from Southeast Asia. The distance makes it impossible for France to use even half of its strength on the battlefield in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia is not North Africa. It is half a world away from mainland France. Although there is a telegraph, Paris cannot directly rule Indochina.

When the situation took a turn for the worse, the French army could not get reinforcements and replenishment in time. The British government's attitude towards France was completely different from that of Russia. It opened the Suez Canal for France to use, but even so, it took several months for ships to travel from the port of Marseille to Saigon.

Before the French reinforcements arrived, the People's Army had taken advantage of the rare good weather to launch a general attack on the French troops in the encirclement. The French troops in the encirclement tried to break out several times, and some French troops escaped, but few people were able to escape. The vast majority of those who broke out were either killed or captured.

When the People's Army launched a general attack, the French troops in the encirclement almost collapsed. Wherever the People's Army went, the French did not resist, but raised their hands, revealing their dark armpits.

Chapter 420 Consideration

Forty miles east of Saigon, the French army was building a defense line. The brother troops in the encirclement were finished, and the French army withdrew from the Hanoi front, or retreated back. The French were not thinking about attacking, but defending. Hanoi had been lost, and if Saigon was lost, the French army would have no place to stand in Southeast Asia. In order to keep the second largest city in Indochina, the French used their last strength.

“Dig faster!”

The officers were wielding whips and shouting at their blacks and Vietnamese to speed up. But suddenly, "bang!"

The clear sound of gunfire, like dripping water, startled the birds in the woods. Birds of different colors flapped their wings and flew into the air. As the gunfire rang out, a French officer was shaken all over, half of his head was blown off, and he died instantly. The surrounding French soldiers shouted, "The Chinese are coming!"

The soldiers dropped their shovels and ran away without even picking up their weapons. The same thing happened to the officers who were still shouting. They threw away their half-dug trenches without any resistance and ran towards Saigon. The French came to the colonies to make money. If they could just fight the local natives, they would be happy to do so. There was no need to fight the Chinese.

Ten minutes later, several [Guards] soldiers with branches and leaves stuck in their hair carefully touched the edge of the trench. After checking, they confirmed that the French had really escaped. Pang Xing scratched his head and asked in confusion: "They only lost one person, how could they escape?"

Yang Yuting took out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to smoke one, but the inside of the cigarette box was soaked, so he had to put the "Panda" cigarette back. He said angrily, "A bunch of rotten fish and shrimp, that's all. Haven't you heard of that saying? Those who run away when they see the enemy are the bravest people."

Pang Xing answered honestly: "I have never heard of it. How can someone who runs away be considered the bravest? Are you wrong, Commander?"

"I........." Yang Yuting touched the cigarette in his pocket again. He didn't want to explain. He waved his hand and said, "What do you care if I'm wrong? Comrades, let's keep moving forward!"

For the French, bad news came one after another. Hanoi was lost, the Far East Fleet was destroyed, the 100,000-man army on the front line was annihilated, and now the Chinese have reached the outskirts of Saigon. The city was in a state of panic three times a day, and the local dignitaries and wealthy people fled one after another. The capable ones took a British ship and fled, while the less capable ones took their valuables to Burma and other places. The French Army Department found that Joseph Joffre's words were becoming a reality, and they were about to lose Saigon.

While having sex with the proprietress, the mother of the girl from before, the door was kicked open again, and Joffre was dragged in front of the Minister of War and senior cabinet officials again. Frightened to the point of ejaculating immediately, Major General Joffre said depressedly: "Negotiations, what else can we do? Or send 300,000 ground forces to Indochina. But I have to remind you that two years ago, when the Chinese government only had half of China, it already had a million troops and at least 3 million in reserve. 300,000 ground forces can probably only defend half of Indochina... maybe not even that."

Adofo Messimi frowned and said, "The Chinese disbanded their huge army last year. They don't have that many troops anymore."

Joseph Joffre had great respect for Mr. Adofo Messimy. It was because of Messimy's appreciation that Joffre was able to be promoted quickly in the army and became a major general in the peaceful era without war. If it weren't for some inappropriate remarks he made before, he might have become a lieutenant general now. There are a lot of old men living in the past in the French Army. Joffre is not young anymore and is not very familiar with modern warfare, but compared to those old men, he is already considered young and promising with extraordinary knowledge.

"Mr. Messimy, China has 450 million people, and they are not short of weapons. Even if the army is disbanded, it will take only one month to rearm. If one month is not enough, then two months. Gentlemen, Indochina is on the other side of the earth, far away from France, but it is right next to China."

France is a highly developed financial imperialism, so their population has always been small, only two-thirds of Germany's. With a small population, there are fewer troops that can be mobilized, which is one of the reasons why France did not dare to take the initiative to declare war on Germany. People of insight have realized the harm of too small a population. The previous and current cabinets have tried to get people to have more children, which cannot be said to be useless, but compared with Germany to the east, France's fertility rate has always been insufficient.

Germany's population

Crushing France, but compared to China, it's nothing. Germany has a population of nearly 60 million, France has only 40 million, and China has 450 million. The population of Germany and France combined is only a quarter of that of China. Russia has only 140 million people, but it is called the "European steamroller", while China's population is more than twice that of Russia. Why don't the British want to fight China on land? There are too many Chinese, and they are so cruel.

Adofo Messimi felt a headache when he thought about China's large population. He actually didn't agree to fight with China in Indochina. Even the British were scared, so why should France be so tough? But he was not the Minister of the Army, so he could only make suggestions, not make the final decision. Moreover, the people's grievances needed an outlet. If the cabinet went against the people's voice, it might fall at any time.

The war adventure failed, and the fall of this cabinet is inevitable. This is good news for Adofo Messimi, because he can become the new Minister of War when the current Minister of War steps down. However, how to solve the problems in the Far East?

"Let's make peace, just like we did last year." Joseph Joffre gave advice again.

"If, I mean, if you were asked to command the troops in Indochina, what would you do?"

"Dig trenches, build fortifications, and use fortifications to offset the Chinese's numerical advantage. However, this requires control of the sea." Joseph Joffre said: "Even if the British are willing to help us transport troops and supplies, I still don't think it is a good idea to go to war with China in the Far East."

"Okay, thank you for your contribution to the country. Please go back and wait for notification."

Joseph Joffre picked up his hat and said, "Gentlemen, before I leave, I want to say one more thing. The Chinese defeated 400,000 Russian troops. They are not native Africans, but members of the great powers."

"We'll consider it, Major General Joseph."

Chapter 421 Resignation

"The British government hopes to mediate the war between us and the French!"

Foreign Minister Komura Jutaro excitedly reported the good news to Ito Hirobumi, "Prime Minister, the French can't fight any longer. We won!"

The French had already won. They had lost 100,000 elite troops and Hanoi, the economic and political center. The French Far East Fleet was almost completely annihilated. Unless the British came to an end, the French resistance would be a dying struggle. But as long as the French did not surrender, Japan would have to spend more military expenses. The so-called "mediation" was just a little better than surrender.

Now, it's time for their diplomats to show their skills!

"Oh, the British government hopes to mediate?"

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

Ito Hirobumi smiled and said, "In that case, let's send our request to Taiyuan."

"Hai!"

The Ainu Principality, also known as Hokkaido, was used by many people as an excuse to attack Ito Hirobumi. This time the Japanese navy had won a brilliant victory, and it was time to take Hokkaido back. As for other things, such as special interests in Southeast Asia and war reparations, Japan would not hesitate to ask for them.

After Komura Jutaro left, Ito Hirobumi thought for a moment, then asked his secretary to notify all the elders and cabinet ministers to come to a meeting to discuss where Japan should focus next. China can focus on economic development first, but Japan can't. Japan has no strategic depth. If the navy is not strong enough, it will be finished. And now is the time for the navy to be updated. If it doesn't keep up with the wave of "dreadnoughts", it will not be so easy to catch up in the future.

As soon as the notice was sent out, the secretary came in and reported, "General Akiyama requests a meeting with His Excellency."

Akiyama Saneyuki did say that he would come to visit in two days, but he actually came after only two days? "Please come over, General."

Ito Hirobumi walked to the door of the office to show his respect for Akiyama Saneyuki. "Akiyama-kun, why don't you stay at home and rest for a few more days?"

Akiyama Masayuki bowed to Prime Minister Ito, then took out an envelope from his bosom and said, "This is my resignation letter. Please have a look, Prime Minister."

Ito Hirobumi subconsciously reached out his hand, but then stopped. He was stunned and asked, "You want to resign? Why?" He had never been very confident about the navy. Although a round of purges had been carried out, the power of Satsuma was too strong. The navy's reputation was too high after winning the South China Sea War, and it could vaguely compete with the cabinet. No matter how respectful Akiyama Saneyuki was to Ito Hirobumi, the fact that the navy was too strong existed.

Akiyama Saneyuki held the resignation letter in both hands and said, "The war is over, and it's time for me to go home."

Retreating to advance? Or trying to force the emperor to abdicate? Ito Hirobumi thought of several possibilities in an instant. He frowned and said unhappily, "Akiyama-kun, if you have any dissatisfaction, you can just say it directly. There is no need to do this."

"Prime Minister, I have done what I should do. In the remaining time, I would like to meditate and chant in the temple to pray for my brother's soul." Akiyama Saneyuki's attitude was very sincere. "I hope Prime Minister Ito can allow it."

Want to become a monk?

Ito Hirobumi looked at Akiyama Saneyuki and felt that this problem was very difficult. After leading the Sino-Japanese fleet to a brilliant victory, Akiyama Saneyuki became a household name as a "war hero", and the Japanese government also intended to shape him into a "military god".

For the sake of Japan's face, the Taisho government needed the navy as a flag.

As the prestige of the navy and Akiyama Saneyuki himself increased rapidly, Ito Hirobumi was full of vigilance, but he could not let Japan's "war hero" return home to become a monk. If such a thing really happened, how would the people view the government? How would China and other countries view the Japanese government?

"Akiyama-kun, this is absolutely not possible!"

Ito Hirobumi had previously thought about how to weaken the influence of Akiyama Saneyuki and the navy, but now he was trying to find a way to dissuade Akiyama Saneyuki from becoming a monk. He raised his voice and said, "The country needs you!"

Akiyama Saneyuki's prestige is too high, and he needs to be guarded against and even more so, he needs to be won over. Ito Hirobumi sees Akiyama Saneyuki as a powerful chess piece, and he still needs this admiral to control the navy, so how can he let him become a monk? This must not be allowed to happen!

"I have finished my work."

"No, not yet! We need real battleships, super-dreadnoughts!"

Ito Hirobumi found a good reason in a moment, "This concerns the survival of Japan and even the whole of Asia!" No, it's not like that. Even if Japan is finished, there is still China. "Your mission has just begun, it's not the end yet!"

Akiyama Saneyuki was silent for a long time, then took back the resignation letter and said, "I understand."

Ito Hirobumi knew that he didn't need to worry about the navy, at least not for the next three to five years. What about five years later? Then it would be the turn of the next generation to worry. China has already promulgated a retirement system, and central government officials must bow down and step down after the age of 65... China is not as fond of bowing as Japan, but the age of 65 is set. If it follows China's practice, Ito Hirobumi will step down in a few years. He thinks he can work for a few more years, but he should also consider the issue of succession.

Who will be the next prime minister? The elders don't need to be considered. The Taisho Restoration was to break up the feudal politics. The elders would no longer serve as prime ministers, and no newcomers would join the ranks of the elders. So, will it be Kotoku Shusui, or Akiyama Saneyuki? Or Takahashi Korekiyo?

Ito Hirobumi thought a lot until his secretary came in and reminded him, "The adults have arrived."

"Oh. Let them in!"