Section 14 Emergency Consultation

On May 30, the Tokyo side learned the news that the dispatched fleet was wiped out in the Taiwan Strait by the British Consul in Fujian. At the same time, it was also heard of the full text of the official declaration of war by the Qing Dynasty Masahiro - it is said that Emperor Meiji cried all night in Chiyoda's palace, half hurting the losses of his own soldiers and half frightening the unknown future.

When I met with the court minister, I saw His Majesty’s red rabbit eyes. The Cabinet Minister Hiromoto Ito knelt on the mat and bowed deeply. "Because of my mistakes, it affected Your Majesty’s restlessness at night, all the incompetence of me and others."

Katsuhiba curled his lips, "It's too late to say this now?" He asked the cabinet ministers, "When Saigo Congdao proposed the proposal to conquer Taiwan, didn't you vote for it? And Saigo Takamotojun?" His words turned around and started to attack Saigo Takamoto again, "Because of the actions of your brothers, the current situation has led to. How do you solve this problem?"

Since Takamoto Saigo heard the news of the navy's failure on the whole line, he seemed to have changed his body, and he was a little old-fashioned, "I didn't expect this."

"Didn't expect it? Do you think you can shirk responsibility just by saying this? The lives of more than 3,000 naval soldiers are wasted in vain! Do you want me to tell those relatives who are waiting outside the naval department for their children, husbands, and brothers. All this is caused by some people who did not expect that such serious consequences would have been caused?"

Takaho Saigo was speechless.

"His Excellency Navy, it's too late to talk about these things now. Should I consider how to deal with the current situation?" The Emperor interrupted Katsukaizhou's words and said bluntly, "How many ships can the Navy go to sea to fight?"

"Although the current situation is very unfavorable to us, please rest assured that the naval soldiers are absolutely confident that they can ensure the safety of the archipelago!" Katsukai said loudly, "In addition to the four iron-clad ships of our side that were sunk by the Qing Dynasty's South Ocean Navy, there are also the unscathed Four Scenic Ship. They have just been launched and have not yet formed combat power, but as long as they seize the time, they will definitely play the role of defending the archipelago. In addition, there are many cruisers with tonnage of more than 3,000, including Takachiho, Fusang, Hiei, Chiyoda, etc., which can be dispatched by the two naval admiral offices in the east and west. As long as they can support the first round of fierce attacks of the Qing Dynasty, the war can be extended endlessly. At that time, it will be impossible to fight or reconcile, and even ask Western countries to come forward and mediate from it."

"The Qing Dynasty's naval power was far better than ours," the emperor felt a little guilty, thinking that although the words of Victory Haizhou were nice and could it be realized, it was between the two. "If it was defeated in the naval battle, what would it do?"

"So I think that instead of letting the battle take place in a sea area that we are not familiar with, it is better to shrink the defense and retreat most of the navy to the offshore of the archipelago, so as to respond to each other with shore defense cannons, so that there can be no worries."

"Your Navy is wrong. Japan is located in an island country and the coast is long. Do you know where the Qing Dynasty will attack? If it was beyond your expectations, the naval fleet waited for several days to get the enemy close to the port from the subterranean road, what if it would do?"

The old god of Shenghai Zhou smiled, "The Foreign Secretary is really wrong. But this is because you are not understanding the naval battle, so you can't do anything."

"Oh?" The one who succeeded Terashima Sono as Foreign Secretary was the former Minister of Ambassador to China, who was also from the Satsuma clan. He was stunned when he heard this, "Is this a saying?"

"Please let me explain it to you. The Qing Navy is divided into the North and South Oceans, and the South Oceans Navy is stationed on the coast of Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong. The Beiyang Navy is located in the two military ports from north Shandong to Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island, both within the scope of the Beiyang Navy's control. Taking the Yama-class, the main battleship of the Beiyang Navy, set off from Ludagang and headed to the battlefield as an example, the maximum displacement of this ship is 34,000 tons, of which 4,200 tons of coal is loaded and 220 tons of daily coal is 220 tons. That is to say, if there is no supply, it can sail on the sea surface for about 30-40 days."

"Is this wrong? You can't do arithmetic?" asked Omura, "How can 4,000 tons of coal be consumed every day? How can 4,000 tons be sailed for 30 days?"

"This is because when sailing at a cruise speed, the coal consumption will decrease. What I mean by 220 tons is the average number counted during wartime and peacetime." Sheng Haizhou explained to him, "The actual coal consumption is less than this number."

This time, Omura and others stopped interrupting, and listened to him continue to tell, "If there is a war, the power will increase and the coal consumption will increase, but no matter what, thirty days is already the limit of the mountain-class cruise on the sea surface; if you look at other naval ships on the same flight, such numbers will be reduced. Regardless of the decrease, it is %% from any of the two military ports in Ludagang, Vladivostok, and Sakhalin Island, based on the sea route and navigation time, it is about to reach the ports of the archipelago within the combat radius of the Qing Dynasty's naval forces."

Sheng Haizhou's words are easy to understand, and everyone can understand them, but there are loopholes in their words, "Where is Weihai Military Port? Where can the enemy ships starting from here choose to attack?"

"This is something I can't confirm." Sheng Haizhou was honest, "but I think if the war could determine each other's strategic intentions from the beginning, it would lose its mysterious significance."

The emperor pondered for a moment and asked, "Then do you think the attack direction of the navy in the three places will be?"

"If I were the commander of the Qing army, I should use the Tsugu Strait as the key target of the first attack wave." Without waiting for everyone to ask questions, he gave his own answer, "Tsugu Strait to the north are Matsumae, Fukushima, and Hakodate of Hokkaido; to the south enter the Hirado Strait, Aomori, as long as you can occupy and control the Tsugu Strait, the next step for the Qing army..."

His topic came to an abrupt end, causing the Emperor to look at each other, "What's wrong? Why don't you continue talking?"

The Shin-Haizhou suddenly stirred up a tide in his heart! Once the Jinqing Strait was controlled by the Qing Dynasty's navy, it would be too threatening to Japan! He was not worried about the defeat of the naval war - no matter how powerful the ship was, he could not go ashore with his feet. What he was afraid of was that if the Qing Dynasty really took this opportunity and sent the army to land, it would be that Japan's doomsday would have arrived!

But he always felt that these words were his own worries. The Chinese really had such a great determination to launch a battle to destroy the country. Therefore, the following words were not expressed.

The Emperor waited for a while, and saw that he didn't say a word, thinking that his thoughts were not complete, so he stopped asking, "Then, if we can determine the enemy's route, how should we deal with it?"

Katsukaishi silently calculated the trump card that he could play in his hand. The more he calculated, the more he felt panicked. The Tsuga Strait could also defend against the four-scene ships of Tsuka-level, Yangcheng-level, and Shangquan-level, but what about the Nanyang Navy from the coast of Weihai and Fujian? What kind of resistance? The scale of ships such as Fusang, Hiei, Chiyoda, Akitsushi and others was too small. I just said that just to relieve the depression in His Majesty's heart. What role can it play when a war breaks out on the sea?

"Your Majesty, I think that at this moment, I have to ask the Western countries for help in the name of the imperial state."

"Eh?" Emperor Meiji was stunned, "What do you say?"

"I think it's better to temporarily rent large gunboats from Western countries by lending, and use our imperial customs as collateral to fight against the Qing navy."

"Then...why, how can it be too late? Western countries are thousands of miles away from Japan. When their ships arrive, I am afraid that the war will be over long ago!"

"This is okay. I think that even if the Qing navy is invincible, it is absolutely impossible to wipe out our imperial naval fleet within a few months - this is not a matter of each other's combat power - I can guarantee it to Your Majesty."

Katsukai was not lying to the Emperor and others. The navy was not as good as the army. One side fought, and the other side had no other way except to deal with it. On the sea, if the Japanese army passively avoided the war just to extend the time, there was a vast sea area for them to choose from. He was not worried about this.

The emperor nodded, "Since that's the case, please contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs and His Excellency the Navy immediately for the following matters! At present, everything is to ensure the defense of the imperial maritime border as the top priority!"

"yes!"

Japan's plan to request the Western countries to lease warships has encountered various misfortunes from the beginning. France, which has the best relations with Japan, made a tactful statement, saying that the ironclad ships that were being equipped had not yet been launched, and it was slow and urgent. The ironclad ships that were in service would inevitably not be transferred to the Japanese for use as a reason, and the words were pushed back, which disappointed Shenghaizhou.

He knew that there was no suitable warship and was all excuses. He was worried that Japan would lose to the Qing army in the war and that the warships would be damaged, and even the cost of renting warships would not be recovered. The main reason for foreigners to lose both people and money in the end was the main reason for foreigners to lose! This perception made him feel extremely shameful! No wonder Emperor Xianfeng of China once said that the only thing that lasts forever is interests!

The French are really a group of villains who forget their righteousness when they see profit! They were not going to seek the shame of losing to the Qing navy when they were defeated? Are they worried about their interests in China, or do they think that the Japanese navy must be no match for the Chinese? They didn’t even have the courage to try it?

"What if our country buys warships from your country? What will happen?"

"Purchase?" French Minister Louis Safiel smiled, "It is certainly possible to buy it, but the cost of a warship is more than 2.37 million francs. It is equivalent to the silver dollars used by your country, which is more than 5 million. Can your country's government afford it?"

"It's not a matter of worrying. I just ask your country if you are willing to sell it?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer your question for the time being. We will decide until the news is sent back to my country."

Sheng Haizhou sighed. Even if the speed of communication can be increased through the Russian telegram network, it would be difficult to hand over such a matter to the cabinet. I don’t know how much time it will take. When the warships reach %%, it will be at least half a year later. He thought that if it was a one or two months of sea journey, he would still be sure to support it. In half a year, I am afraid that when I arrived at the Japanese port, the Qing army’s warships would have been surrounded overseas.

Compared with the indifference of the French, the British attitude towards this matter was beyond Sheng Haizhou's expectations. The British Minister made it clear that as long as the Japanese could afford the money, the gunboats of the British Royal Navy could be rented and purchased by the Japanese! Of course, the premise is that the Japanese would seriously hurt a fortune.

The Emperor was also very troubled about the increase in the bidding issued by the British. "The monthly rental fee for a Queen-class ironclad ship exceeds 1.3 million pounds? What if we buy it?"

"If you buy it, you need to approve the Queen of England and the Cabinet. Can you helplessly!" Sheng Haizhou smiled bitterly. The British also saw that the Japanese could not wait, so they deliberately offered such a sky-high price. "Your Majesty, the current situation, even though we knew that the British were trying to make things difficult for us, we had to nod and agree."

"Then... OK." The emperor also understood what the British were doing. He looked at Okuma Shigenobu Okuma who was sitting on the side. The old man nodded slowly and signaled that he could still take out the money. "Sign an agreement with the British as soon as possible. We will rent it for three months first. If the war cannot stop at that time, we will renew the contract."

"yes!"

"What else?"

In order to sign a gunboat lease agreement with the British, the Japanese paid a high price and rented a total of six Queen-class ironclad ships, four Fearless Class ironclad ships, and eight Dresden-class gunboats, all of which lasted for three months, and the cost of 26 million yuan! After taking out this money, the emperor didn't even have the inventory to pay the Cabinet Minister!

Considering the tight time, the British and Japanese dispatched gunboats from the United Kingdom to join the war in Japan for fear that time would not be too late. After research, Britain and Japan decided to temporarily transfer the Fearless Iron Crafts, led by Henry IV, stationed in Hong Kong, and the two Dresden-class gunboats, Lexington and Coventry, one Nelson-class gunboat, and the first Queen-class ironboats docked in Australia, the first ship of Victoria, Brey and the first ship of Dresden-class Dresden, to Japan and hand it over to the Japanese for use.

This is certainly excellent news. The Queen and Fearless Class are both big guys with tonnage of more than 10,000 mark, and the Dresden class is more than 7,000 tons. Even the second-class Nelson class gunboats are powerful armed forces of more than 5,000 tons. Sheng Haizhou secretly planned that with the assistance of these British ironclad ships, he would have a greater grasp of China's combat.

In addition to the pain, the emperor felt even more regretful of the Chinese people far away on the other side of the strait, but he could not solve the problem, so he still considered serious matters. "His Excellency Navy, before the arrival of British ironclad ships and gunboats, I don't care about any method you use, and I must stop the Chinese people's route on the sea! The security of the imperial country is all on your shoulders!"

"Please rest assured that I will do my best to obstruct the advancement of the Chinese Navy."

*
Chapter completed!