Chapter 37 of 100

Chapter 37

14 min read3,405 words

The next morning, Shen Wanqing and a comrade went out early. By evening, only Shen Wanqing returned. As soon as she came back, she saw Lin Yuan coming up to her, asking anxiously, "How did it go? Was everything smooth?"

Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "It couldn't have been smoother. We didn't even have to try hard to send Shang Tai out of his home. He's already on the passenger ship. If everything goes well, we can contact our people tomorrow morning. How did today's negotiations go?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "The negotiations made no progress. I heard that the Japanese have already started to withdraw their troops from Korea. If I were the Emperor, I would just issue an order, and all the Japanese in Korea would become our captives. But the Qing court won't issue such an order."

Shen Wanqing said, "Why don't we march to Beijing and make you the Emperor? Being the Emperor is great, with thousands of beautiful concubines. Isn't that the dream of every man?"

Lin Yuan smiled but didn't say anything. Shen Wanqing suddenly asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Lin Yuan said, "No, what about you?"

Shen Wanqing said, "I don't have one either."

After that, both of them fell silent. Shen Wanqing then said, "What do you plan to do for the next round of negotiations?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I plan to make concessions to Ito Hirobumi."

Shen Wanqing's eyebrows furrowed, and she angrily said, "How can you make concessions to the Japanese?"

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "Who says making concessions means losing out?"

The next day, before the meeting, Lin Yuan had a call with the Beijing warship and learned that Shang Tai had already arrived. Lin Yuan felt much more at ease.

At 10:00 AM, a new round of negotiations began. Both sides looked exhausted. Outside, Japanese civilians were shouting slogans and cursing the Chinese.

Lin Yuan spoke first, "Mr. Ito, our negotiations can't be delayed any longer. I can't bear the blame from higher-ups."

Ito Hirobumi spread his hands and smiled bitterly, "Two hundred million taels of silver, such a large sum, we really can't come up with it."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Then let's each make a concession. We don't need you to cede the Ryukyu Islands or pay war reparations. The Japanese army only needs to withdraw from Korea and recognize China as Korea's suzerain, retaining the most-favored-nation treatment and extraterritorial rights. We can sign this treaty."

Ito Hirobumi was overjoyed, but as a seasoned politician, he maintained his composure and said, "We cannot agree to the extraterritorial rights. Chinese criminals who come to Japan are likely not good people in China. Helping your country punish these criminals would be a great help to your country."

Lin Yuan nodded and said, "That makes sense. Let's do it this way. We'll finalize the principles, and we can hammer out the details later."

Ito Hirobumi smiled and said, "Alright, let's finalize it. If there are no issues, we can sign the treaty tomorrow."

Ito Hirobumi felt a wave of relief. Lin Yuan had finally yielded. What he didn't expect was that the Ryukyu Islands, which were part of the Japanese Empire, were gradually falling into Chinese hands.

After the Beijing warship picked up Shang Tai, it immediately set sail for the waters near the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyu Islands consist of the Yaeyama Islands, the Miyako Islands, and the Okinawa Islands. Naha, the capital of Okinawa, was the core area of the Ryukyu Kingdom, so the main Japanese military and administrative offices were located in Naha.

In the combat meeting room of the Beijing warship, Captain Han Mingguang was presiding over the meeting. Han Mingguang said, "First, let me introduce the current deployment of Japanese forces in Okinawa. Since Japan has occupied the Ryukyu Islands for some time, and the resistance is not very strong, the Japanese have not deployed a powerful combat force. According to our reconnaissance, the Japanese navy is mainly stationed in Naha Harbor, with sixteen old-style gunboats, the largest of which has a displacement of no more than 500 tons and is powered by sail. They are no match for us."

Han Mingguang paused and continued, "Next, let's talk about the army. There is only one regiment stationed in Okinawa, with fewer than a thousand people, all stationed on Okinawa Island. The outer islands of the Kerama Islands and Iejima are unoccupied. The Japanese soldiers on Okinawa Island are distributed around the main cities of Naha, Shuri, and Motobu, with very weak combat capabilities."

Han Mingguang then said, "Now, let me introduce our strength. The shortage of our amphibious forces will be somewhat alleviated this time. The reason for this, I will let King Shang Tai explain."

Ryukyu, as a vassal state of China, shares the same culture. Official documents in the Ryukyu Kingdom were written in Chinese characters, and the Ryukyu Kingdom used Chinese era names from the Ming Dynasty until it was occupied by the Japanese. Shang Tai, having grown up reading Chinese classics, spoke fluent Chinese and had a good impression of the Chinese.

Shang Tai said, "Ryukyu has always been a part of China. The Japanese have occupied our land and homes, and the people of Ryukyu have always hoped that the central government would send troops to save us from the suffering. Today, we finally have this day." As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.

Han Mingguang smiled and said, "King, you don't need to say more. Tell us about the situation in your country."

Shang Tai quickly said, "Although I was under house arrest in Japan, I could still gather some information. The Japanese are tyrannical in Ryukyu, and the people have long been dissatisfied. In Ryukyu, some of the police and army are made up of Ryukyuans. Once the central government sends troops, these people will be the first to stand up and kill the Japanese."

Han Mingguang asked, "King, how many of these people are there?"

Shang Tai said, "There are fewer than five hundred police and about a thousand soldiers."

Han Mingguang smiled and said, "That's enough. Now, let me announce the battle plan: The first phase will involve our carrier-based aircraft attacking the Japanese warships in Naha Harbor. The second phase will involve a part of our amphibious forces attacking the Japanese garrison near Naha. Note that this is a feint; the real goal is to draw the garrison in Shuri to Naha. The third phase will involve inciting an uprising in Shuri, which will depend on the King's influence!"

Shang Tai proudly said, "Please rest assured, I can definitely rally the people of Ryukyu to kill the Japanese!"

The East China Sea is like a beautiful blue silk, and Ryukyu is like a pearl on that silk. On this day, the residents of Ryukyu, as usual, cursed the Japanese who lorded over them. They didn't realize that the moment to drive out the Japanese was fast approaching.

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