Chapter 29

The next morning at six o'clock, Shen Wanqing finally returned. She pushed open the gate and saw Lin Yuan doing push-ups in the courtyard. When Lin Yuan saw her come in, he thought, "I don't know where she went. I should ask, but given her attitude last night, she probably won't tell me. I'd better not ask."

Shen Wanqing, seeing that he didn't ask where she had been the night before, couldn't help but think, "Why doesn't he care about me at all? He doesn't even ask where I went?" Despite her dissatisfaction, she raised the bag in her hand and said with a smile, "Captain, you're up so early. Look, I bought breakfast for everyone." She then placed the bag on the stone bench.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Great, let's eat together." He then sat down on the stone chair next to the bench.

Human hearing seems to become especially acute at the mention of food. Chen Fei, Zhang Hua, and Tang Fan all appeared suddenly. Chen Fei opened the bag and stuffed several sushi rolls into his mouth, saying while eating, "This is the most authentic Japanese cuisine!" Zhang Hua looked at the contents of the bag and thought, "The things Shen Wanqing brought back seem to be enough for only two people."

Zhang Hua smiled thoughtfully and then called the others to come and eat. In the meantime, Chen Fei had already eaten most of the breakfast. Shen Wanqing said with a smile, "You guys eat. I'll go back to sleep. I won't go to the negotiation later."

After the preparations, they arrived at the Chunfan Building at ten o'clock. The meeting took place in a room on the second floor. Lin Yuan volunteered to replace one of the translators. Besides the editors from both sides, the Chinese delegation included Li Hongzhang, Li Jingfang, and Lin Yuan. The Japanese delegation was led by Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu. The others waited in another room.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and the verification of each other's government authorization documents, the negotiations began. Itō Hirobumi said first, "According to international practice, negotiations should be conducted under a ceasefire. We have drafted a ceasefire agreement for your review, Li Zhongtang."

Although the fighting had effectively ceased in Korea, the lack of a formal ceasefire agreement meant that the state of war still existed.

The translators took the document, which was simple: the Qing army would withdraw from Korea, and the Qing government would bear the costs of the Japanese troops stationed there.

Lin Yuan laughed when he heard this. From historical records, he knew that the negotiations in history had started with the discussion of a ceasefire agreement. At that time, the Japanese had made exorbitant demands, insisting that China hand over Shanhaiguan, Tianjin, and Dagukou to the Japanese as collateral and bear the costs of the Japanese troops. But the situation was now completely different, and the Japanese still dared to make such demands.

Li Hongzhang said, "Korea is a vassal state of the Great Qing. I sent my trusted subordinates to assist the Korean king in suppressing the rebels and restore peace to the Korean people. Now you want me to withdraw my troops, which concerns my honor. I ask, Minister Itō, how would you feel in my position?"

Itō Hirobumi replied, "Li Zhongtang, the two countries have not yet ceased hostilities. We each serve our own masters. If we want a ceasefire, this is the only way."

Li Hongzhang said, "China and Japan are neighbors separated by a mere thread of water. Although we have had a temporary disagreement, we will eventually reconcile. If you do not leave room for China's dignity, the reconciliation will be difficult to maintain."

Lin Yuan thought, "If we continue like this, we'll be led by the nose by the Japanese." He then had an idea and wrote something on a piece of paper, whispering to Li Hongzhang, "Zhongtang, negotiations can't be one-sided. I have drafted a ceasefire agreement. I hope you will present it to the Japanese."

In such a setting, it was unimaginable for a mere translator to offer advice. However, Li Hongzhang, seeing Lin Yuan's actions, not only did not get angry but also developed a favorable impression of him, thinking that this young man was truly bold and skilled.

Lin Yuan wrote directly in Japanese, which Li Hongzhang could not read. He gestured for Lin Yuan to translate it for him. But Lin Yuan, as if he didn't understand, handed the document directly to Itō Hirobumi. Upon seeing it, Itō Hirobumi's face changed dramatically!

The document Lin Yuan had written clearly stated: Ceasefire Agreement, the Japanese army will withdraw from Korea, and Pyongyang and Seoul will be handed over to the Qing army for occupation. The costs of the occupation will be borne by the Japanese side.

Itō Hirobumi then laughed and said, "It's getting late. It's time for lunch. The fugu at Chunfan Building is famous. Why don't we invite Li Zhongtang to enjoy it? After lunch, we can send a special envoy to accompany you on a tour. We can resume negotiations tomorrow. What do you think?"

Li Hongzhang agreed. As soon as Lin Yuan returned to the base, he saw Shen Wanqing calling him. He entered the room and saw Shen Wanqing and two comrades listening to something with headphones. Lin Yuan immediately understood that Shen Wanqing had installed a listening device the night before.

Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "See how capable I am. I not only heard your conversation but also the conversation between Itō Hirobumi and Mutsu Munemitsu."

Shen Wanqing continued, "I feel that today's negotiations were more about probing each other. Neither side seems to know the other's true position."

Lin Yuan frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Shen Wanqing said, "I think neither side is clear about what happened on the Korean battlefield. The Qing officials seem to consider themselves the defeated party, so they don't dare to outright reject the Japanese proposals. The Japanese, on the other hand, also seem to consider themselves the defeated party, so they found an excuse to stop the negotiations after you presented them with a draft."

Lin Yuan said, "Your analysis is very insightful. I also think that neither side is clear about the situation on the battlefield. After all, a carrier from the future capturing the Japanese Combined Fleet is something no one could have imagined."

At that moment, Itō Hirobumi's voice came through the headphones. He seemed to be discussing something with a group of people. The sound in the headphones was very noisy, and he said, "Do you think the Qing government doesn't understand our situation, or are they up to something else?"

Then a voice that Lin Yuan recognized very well came through the headphones—Itō Sukeyuki. It turned out that after the Beijing left Kalin Bay, the Japanese had sent other ships to pick up the Combined Fleet's soldiers.

Itō Sukeyuki said, "The mysterious power used by the other side far exceeds our imagination. They can even attack Tokyo directly. Our Combined Fleet is now under their control, but the Qing officials seem unaware of this. They look like a defeated nation."

Itō Hirobumi said, "That Lin Yuan is very mysterious. Our intelligence department can't find any information on him. It's as if he appeared out of nowhere. Although he is ostensibly Li Hongzhang's translator, he doesn't seem to care about Li Hongzhang at all, and he doesn't act like a subordinate."

Itō Hirobumi continued, "Commander Itō, we have organized experts from Tokyo Imperial University. You will meet with them shortly to see if we can uncover Lin Yuan's mysterious identity and the flying weapons. If we can get these things, we can drop hundreds of tons of bombs on the Chinese and the Western barbarians."

Mutsu Munemitsu said, "We should be more assertive in tomorrow's negotiations to secure greater benefits for the Empire of Japan!" After he spoke, the attendees agreed and left, and the room became quiet again.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Agent Shen, you've really done us a great favor. Now we know the Japanese's true position, and we won't have to worry about getting a good deal at the negotiating table! Wanqing, can you try to get the content of Itō Sukeyuki's conversation with the professors?"

Shen Wanqing felt a strange sensation when he called her by her name.

Just then, a guard rushed in and said, "Mr. Lin, is there someone in your group named Tang Fan? He's in trouble."