Chapter 33

Lin Yuan chuckled and said, "Lord Itō, why are you angry?"

Itō Hirobumi, a distinguished diplomat, quickly regained his composure and smiled, "Lord Lin, if you truly seek peace, we can continue our talks. But with your exorbitant demands, what is the point of continuing? Restarting the war would surely be unacceptable to both our emperors!"

Lin Yuan said, "The Korean Peninsula is surrounded by sea on three sides. To win a battle, one needs a navy. I wonder if Lord Itō can gather another fleet in a few days?"

Itō Hirobumi knew that Lin Yuan was the mysterious captain who controlled the Combined Fleet. He knew that pretending to be strong in front of Lin Yuan was futile, so he said, "Lord Lin, Japan and China are neighbors separated by a mere strip of water. As Lord Li said during the last peace talks, we need to maintain each other's dignity for a long-lasting peace."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Where does this treaty fail to give the Empire of Japan its dignity?"

Itō Hirobumi inwardly cursed, "You bandit! Asking us to cede territory and pay reparations, and you still claim to give us dignity!" But he could not show his anger and said with a smile, "Just the reparations alone, 200 million taels of silver, is an unreasonable amount. I hope Lord Lin can provide us with a detailed list. How could military expenses amount to 200 million taels?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Our vast empire makes it difficult to mobilize troops, hence the enormous costs. For example, Song Qing's troops, who are from Sichuan, had to be moved to Korea. Lord Itō, how much do you think it would cost to feed and transport them along the way?"

Itō Hirobumi knew that Song Qing's base was in Lüshun. Seeing Lin Yuan's stance, he knew Lin was deliberately making exorbitant demands, so he said, "200 million taels is too much for Japan to bear!"

Lin Yuan said, "If we go to war again, the costs will be even higher."

Itō Hirobumi said, "Japan is a small country with a poor population. 200 million taels is simply unsustainable!"

Lin Yuan said, "Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has made rapid progress. In just a few years, you have built a formidable fleet, which shows the effectiveness of your Prime Minister's policies. I believe 200 million taels of silver is not an insurmountable amount for you."

Itō Hirobumi said, "If Lord Lin can manage to secure 200 million taels of silver, why don't you become our Prime Minister?"

Lin Yuan said, "Since 200 million taels is too much, why don't you suggest a number, and we can report it to our emperor for further consideration."

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "The issue of war reparations needs to be reported to the Emperor for a decision. As for ceding Okinawa, it seems unreasonable. Okinawa is our inherent territory, and its people are descendants of the Sun Goddess. How can we cede it to China?"

Lin Yuan said, "Why are you pretending to be ignorant? Okinawa was originally the Ryukyu Kingdom, a vassal state of China. Japan forcibly occupied it. Now, we are asking the Japanese government to return it. What is wrong with that?"

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Ryukyu is a barbaric land. With the help of the Empire of Japan, it has become civilized. Leaving Japan would be like a hungry infant leaving its mother. I hope Lord Lin considers the well-being of the Ryukyu people."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Speaking of civilization, China has a long history of civilization. We can certainly educate the Ryukyu people. Lord Itō is overthinking this."

After a heated debate, they had to adjourn the meeting temporarily, with the next session scheduled for the following day.

Itō Hirobumi returned to his quarters, and a servant brought him a cup of water. Itō Hirobumi angrily threw the cup to the ground. The servant, not daring to clean it up, silently left.

Mutsu Munemitsu and Ito Sukeyuki were both present, and their moods were extremely gloomy. Mutsu Munemitsu said first, "We have been humiliated in these negotiations because our Combined Fleet is now under Lin Yuan's control. We lack sea control, and the Beiyang Fleet is now active in the Daedong River. Occupying Pyongyang would be a simple matter."

Ito Sukeyuki, as the commander of the Combined Fleet, felt ashamed and turned away. Itō Hirobumi noticed his embarrassment and said, "Commander Ito, don't be upset. You are thinking of the Empire of Japan. After all, Lin Yuan has the ability to directly attack Tokyo. If you hadn't endured the humiliation, the Emperor might already be dead."

Ito Sukeyuki felt a sense of pride and said, "I have already devised a plan that I believe will turn the tide in our favor!"

Itō Hirobumi also sneered, "The Qing court wants us to cede territory and pay reparations. They think they can get what they want, but do they have the strength to invade Japan? Not to mention Japan, they don't even have the strength to take Okinawa!"

Lin Yuan heard all of this and inwardly sneered, "We'll see if they have the strength to take Okinawa!" But he remembered Ito Sukeyuki's words and felt a sense of doubt, thinking, "They have a plan. What could it be?"

It was late when Shen Wanqing and Tang Fan returned. Tang Fan looked gloomy and, after a brief greeting, went to sleep. Lin Yuan asked Shen Wanqing, "What's wrong with Tang Fan? Did the princess dump him?"

Shen Wanqing laughed and said, "Dumped? How could that be? Today, Tang Fan was a photographer all day. His Leica M9 probably hasn't taken so many photos in a single day before."

Lin Yuan asked, "Did you go to see Princess Yunlan and her family today?"

Shen Wanqing covered her mouth and laughed for a moment, then said, "Of course. Do you think he would take photos of me all day? I had to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't steal my electricity."

Shen Wanqing went back to her room, and Lin Yuan wanted to ask about the plan to rescue Yunlan's family, so he followed her. When he reached the door, he hesitated to enter, but Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "We are from the 21st century. What's the problem? Come in and talk."

As soon as Lin Yuan entered, Tang Fan followed and asked Shen Wanqing with a smile, "Agent Shen, can I borrow your power bank to charge my camera?"

Shen Wanqing laughed and said, "This is the last time. You can't borrow it again. My surveillance equipment relies on it."

Shen Wanqing then took out a small box and handed it to Tang Fan, who smiled and left. Lin Yuan looked at the box in confusion, and Shen Wanqing explained, "This is an energy storage device that uses an electromagnetic field generated by superconducting coils to store energy. The superconducting material inside is the latest high-temperature superconducting technology from our country, which is planned for use in the next generation of tokamak devices."

The tokamak device is used to produce controlled nuclear fusion. Since the temperature required for nuclear fusion is extremely high, reaching tens of millions of degrees Celsius on Earth, no material can withstand such temperatures. Therefore, an electromagnetic field is used to confine the plasma in the air, which is the tokamak device.

Lin Yuan was delighted and said, "So, our country has achieved controlled nuclear fusion?"

Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "I don't know about that. Are you asking how we will transport Yunlan and her family out?"

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "Are you agents mind readers? That's exactly what I wanted to ask."

Shen Wanqing said, "I have already gathered information today. The Japanese government has strict control over her family. They are secretly followed whenever they go out. Therefore, I plan to use disguise techniques to help Shangtai escape."

Lin Yuan, hearing the word "disguise," immediately thought of scenes from martial arts novels. Shen Wanqing added, "Tang Fan is unhappy because the materials I brought are only enough for one person to be disguised."

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