Chapter 9, shall we have a go with the old Russian as well

For instance, the true hero of the Battle of Daito Bay, Rear Admiral Pingjing Kozo, was conferred the title of Baron and promoted to Vice Admiral, serving as the Commander of the Permanent Fleet. However, after less than two years, he was transferred to the Yokosuka Naval District to serve as Commander, ostensibly to investigate why the First Mobile Force did not turn back to follow the main fleet, but instead remained in a position opposite to that of the main fleet.

The opposition from the external parties is futile; Japan is preparing to engage in combat in Xiamen again.

This remote place, far from the imperial court, is Xiamen in Fujian.

What about the commander of the督战队, Huashan Ziji? He was immediately promoted to General and became the first Governor-General of Taiwan. Huashan was a tough guy with strong luck; during the Battle of Daitonggou, torpedoes missed him. Later in his old age, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma for a week. Everyone thought the old man was beyond saving and began preparing for his funeral, when suddenly he woke up by himself. Aside from some paralysis on his right side, he robustly lived for another ten years, passing away in 1922 at the age of 85.

The prospect of going to war with Russia is truly terrifying. When engaging in conflict with the Qing Dynasty, even if defeated, the good-natured Qing would not take severe actions against Japan; at most, they would refrain from visiting Korea for a few years. By saying a few kind words to the Qing and offering some respect to Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai, it would not be impossible to remain in Korea under such circumstances.

The situation in the south is stagnant, while in the north, others are on the move. Japan's circumstances have suddenly become quite difficult.

Ito said with a wry smile: "Indeed, since you have said so, what other option is there but to endure? Let us wait for the next opportunity."

Aside from the Foreign Minister, no one opposed this plan, as the Army Ministry and the General Staff were aware that the Navy already had a set of plans for occupying the Xiamen fortifications. This was due to Yamamoto Kamebei having issued a research assignment to the commanders of the Japanese Navy ships stationed in Taiwan regarding the "safe anchorage positions in the waters off Xiamen and the feasibility of occupying the Xiamen fortifications in case of an emergency"

Heilongjiang is by no means the endpoint for the Russians; one only needs to look at the unfortunate name they changed to after occupying Vladivostok, which means "to conquer the East". They still aimed further east. The outcome of the First Sino-Japanese War was an unexpected turn for the Russians. The good-natured Qing Dynasty surprisingly ceded the Russians' next target, the Liaodong Peninsula, to the Japanese, which left the Russians feeling quite uncomfortable. From experience, the Russians knew that the Japanese were not as accommodating as the Qing, as their repeated requests for Japan to open its doors had been met with refusal. Thus, the Liaodong Peninsula falling into Japanese hands meant that the Russians might have to expend considerable effort persuading these non-Russian-speaking "yellow monkeys", and they might even have to resort to force to intimidate them. The Russians preferred straightforwardness; just six days after learning the contents of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, they jointly visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the German and French ministers, raising objections to the cession of the Liaodong Peninsula. Their reasoning was: "Japan's possession of the Liaodong Peninsula not only threatens the safety of the Qing capital but also undermines the independence of Korea, creating significant obstacles to lasting peace in the Far East. Therefore, the government of His Majesty the Tsar of Russia advises the government of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan to relinquish its claim to the Liaodong Peninsula." Meanwhile, the Russian Far East Fleet entered a state of alert, patrolling simultaneously in the waters off Zhifu, China, and Kobe, Japan.

However, one cannot avoid the situation by not engaging. Beyond occupying the entirety of Northeast China, Russia was steadily advancing towards Korea. In 1896, following the assassination of Queen Min, the Russian consulate in Seoul sheltered King Gojong, who was also being pursued by pro-Japanese forces, allowing him to use the consulate as a royal palace. Russia dispatched military and financial advisors to Korea, as they viewed Masanpo (now Masan City) on the southern coast of Korea as a superior naval port compared to Dalian and Lüshun. Economically, the Russians may have placed greater emphasis on Manchuria, but in terms of military strategy, they were more fervently interested in Korea. Russia dispatched military and financial advisors to Korea, as they viewed Masanpo (now Masan City) on the southern coast of Korea as a superior naval port compared to Dalian and Lüshun. Economically, the Russians may have placed greater emphasis on Manchuria, but in terms of military strategy, they were more fervently interested in Korea.

In 1896, when Li Hongzhang went to Petersburg to attend the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, he was bribed with 500,000 gold rubles in exchange for the "Sino-Russian Secret Agreement," which granted Russia the right to traverse the Northern Manchuria section of the Siberian Railway. In 1898, Russia also leased Port Arthur and Dalian, obtaining the right to construct the South Manchuria Railway. From then on, the Russian Far East Fleet ended its winter of dependence in Japan's Sasebo Port and could proudly gaze upon the Far East from the ice-free port.

In ancient times, the navy had a penchant for scavenging, fundamentally because the navy and pirates share the same roots. Notable navies were often derived from pirates, or the distinction between the navy and pirates was blurred. For instance, in 1588, the British navy that defeated the Spanish Armada was said to have 197 ships, but only 34 of these were truly owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I; the rest were private "privateers," which were essentially pirates licensed by the Queen. After their exploits, they would share the spoils with the Queen, and it is said that her return on investment was 6000%. Subsequently, many of these privateers became part of the Royal Navy, thus making the tradition of scavenging a characteristic of the navy.

Thus, through evasion and procrastination, a situation finally emerged: Battleships: Fushimi, Asahi, Hatsuse, Mikasa; First-class cruisers: Yakumo, Azuma, Asama, Tokiwai, Izumo, Iwate; Second-class cruisers: Kasagi, Chiyoda, Takasago, Shinkō, Tsushima, Otowa; Along with the previously constructed Fuji and Yahagi, which did not participate in the First Sino-Japanese War, this "66 Fleet" has been assembled. Can Yamamoto Gonbei feel at ease now

The deployment of Russian troops in Manchuria placed immense pressure on the Japanese. This was not only due to Manchuria's proximity to Korea, but also because the Russian military presence disrupted Japan's strategic plans

After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan's presence in Korea was recognized. However, even Japan itself did not regard Korea as significant; at that time, Korea was a poor place where even a rabbit would not defecate. To what extent was it impoverished? On the eve of the First Sino-Japanese War, a high-ranking official in Korea would travel in a unicycle, comparable to a young bride returning to her family in Northeast China. The opportunistic Japanese were unwilling and unskilled in managing such a destitute area; for Japan, Korea's so-called importance was merely reflected in its role as a passage to the mainland. Looking at the fifty years of Japanese colonial rule in Korea, apart from conscripting laborers, soldiers, and comfort women during wartime, the only activities that could be termed "construction" were the building of roads, highways, and railways, as Korea served as a transport route for Japanese troops to the mainland, necessitating reliable transportation. Beyond that, nothing else was done, and during Japan's fifty-year rule, the Korean Peninsula saw no development.

In the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan achieved a complete victory

What should be done? Avoiding the fight is impossible, yet engaging in it offers no hope of victory

The contention between Japan and Russia still revolves around Korea

In July 1900, Russia took advantage of the Boxer Rebellion, deploying over 100,000 troops from Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Shuangchengzi, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, and Dalian in six routes to the Northeast, occupying the entire region by October. It must be noted that this military action was entirely unrelated to the Boxer Rebellion; it was merely a specific implementation of the eastward expansion policy that had begun with Ivan the Terrible. However, it also marked the last concrete execution of this policy.

However, the Japanese overlooked one thing: Xiamen was within the sphere of influence of the British, and the British would not allow the Japanese to gain any ground in Xiamen. The four nations of Britain, America, Russia, and France urgently dispatched warships to Xiamen and lodged a strong protest with the Japanese government. What was the protest about? It was a protest against the Japanese deliberately creating incidents: the Higashi Hongan-ji incident was caused by Japanese monks setting fire themselves, and the British consul stationed in Xiamen was a witness to this. As a result, the plan for the Taiwan Governor-General's military deployment was halted on August 28. This incident left Japan in a very awkward position internationally, ultimately forcing the Yamaguchi Cabinet to resign en masse.

In fact, preparations for war with Russia had been ongoing. In June 1895, shortly after the conclusion of the First Sino-Japanese War, Saigo Takamori summoned Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, who had just been promoted to the position of Major General in the Military Affairs Bureau: "Everyone is gearing up to fight Russia; we cannot go to war without ships. Please calculate how many ships we will need." By the end of the year, Yamamoto submitted the "11th Naval Expansion Plan," also known as the "Six-Six Fleet Plan," which proposed six battleships and six first-class cruisers, to be implemented in two phases.

The enmity between the Japanese and the Russians can be seen as inevitable from a certain perspective. For centuries, the Russians, trapped within the Arctic Circle, have dreamed of a route to the ocean, seeking passage to the warm southern paradise. Beginning with Ivan the Terrible's conquest of Siberia in the 16th century, they reached the Sea of Okhotsk by the 17th century. During the reign of Kangxi, the Qing Dynasty prevented the expansion of Tsarist Russia into the Heilongjiang River basin. The Treaty of Nerchinsk, signed in 1689 by Suxetu, Tong Guogang (as Jin Yong mentioned, also including Wei Xiaobao), and Count Golovkin, established the Sino-Russian border. However, following this, the Qing Dynasty began to decline, while Russia, after repeated failures in the Russo-Turkish War, shifted its focus southward entirely to the east. Starting in 1847, Nikolai Muravyov, who served as the Governor-General of East Siberia, adopted the slogan "We must never lower this flag in places where the Russian flag has been raised." In 1858, taking advantage of the internal turmoil within the Qing Dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion and the Second Opium War, he signed the Treaty of Aigun with General Yishan of Heilongjiang. This treaty not only ceded 600,000 square kilometers of land south of the Greater Khingan Range and north of the Heilongjiang River to Russia but also designated 400,000 square kilometers of the lower Heilongjiang River, known as "Outer Northeast," including Sakhalin Island, for joint administration by China and Russia. This territorial concession stands as the most significant among all unequal treaties, and it is important to remember that China's current land area is only 9.6 million square kilometers. Furthermore, the portion of Chinese territory in Outer Northeast was again ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Peking two years later.

They rushed in, discussing rewards and punishments from top to bottom, but this discussion of rewards and punishments is actually very unfair

This is the truth behind the "Intervention of the Three Kingdoms"

After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan received a war indemnity of 230 million taels of silver from the Qing Dynasty, which, including interest, was approximately 360 million yen. Of this amount, the Emperor took 20 million, about 6%, while the remainder was entirely allocated for military expenses. As for the claims made by the Japanese regarding the Yahata Steel Works, it actually received only 570,000 yen as "founding funds," which is about 0.2% of the total indemnity. The rest was all used for military expenses, with the navy consuming around 170 million yen, which is about half of the total.

However, since the Battle of Lissa, especially with the advent of steam warships, armored vessels, and high-performance artillery, the concept of "capturing enemy ships" has almost become impossible, and ramming enemy ships has become the trend. The Battle of Tsushima demonstrated that the ramming tactic was outdated and impractical for the high-speed maneuverability of steam warships. Of course, the formal disappearance of ramming from naval warfare would have to wait until the Russo-Japanese War a decade later. The First Sino-Japanese War highlighted the importance of artillery in modern naval combat. Therefore, it is quite natural that the construction of large warships and heavy artillery became the goal of naval development, especially for the Japanese Navy, making it an urgent priority.

Having charged in, let us summarize the experiences comprehensively. A summary has been made. However, due to the inexplicable nature of the victory, the navy found it difficult to distinguish between experience and lessons learned. Throughout the First Sino-Japanese War, what left the deepest impression on the Japanese was the "unsinkable Dingyuan" and the fact that a single shot from the Zhenyuan severely damaged the Matsushima. From then on, the principle of the Japanese navy became "big ships and big guns." In fact, what the navies of the world observed from the confrontation between the Chinese and Japanese navies were these four words. In the past, naval battles did not necessarily revolve around sinking the enemy's warships; the primary role of naval artillery was to inflict casualties on the opposing personnel, followed by employing the "boarding tactics" to capture enemy vessels.

Due to historical reasons, the Japanese army, especially the Imperial Japanese Army during the later invasion of China, is viewed by the Chinese as an extremely brutal and barbaric force. However, even the Japanese army that perpetrated the Nanjing Massacre had to willingly relinquish the title of "brutal and barbaric" when faced with the Russian army. While it is unnecessary to dwell on history, it is important for the Chinese to recognize that the Russians and their military surpassed all other armies in terms of brutality and barbarism

Yamamoto believes that the Sixth Fleet is the minimum requirement necessary for engaging in war under the conditions of forming an alliance with either France or Germany against Russia. The primary expansion goals of the first phase include: four battleships, each with a displacement of 11,400 tons; four first-class cruisers, each with a displacement of 5,200 tons; two second-class cruisers, each with a displacement of 3,800 tons; totaling nineteen ships with a combined displacement of 87,800 tons, requiring a budget of 200 million yen, while the national budget of Japan for the fiscal year 1895 was only 91.6 million yen

The navy certainly would not back down; instead, they straightforwardly presented the entire ten-year plan, costing 2.2 billion yen, for all six second-class cruisers and six third-class cruisers to the parliament, leaving it to you to decide. Here, they would play hardball as much as possible, and if that didn't work, they would resort to the idea proposed by Saigo, executing first and reporting later, showing you the evidence directly.

The National Assembly is no longer as resolute in outright rejecting the navy's budget requests as it was before the First Sino-Japanese War; it has lost that edge, especially with the Emperor backing them. After the war, the Emperor is no longer seen as an inconsequential figure, known to only a few. The image of the "military Emperor" has been firmly established, with portraits of the Emperor in military uniform displayed everywhere. Children begin reciting the so-called "Imperial Rescripts on Education" daily; who could possibly compete with the Emperor

However, if we were to be defeated by the Russians, the situation would not be so simple, and it would certainly not be resolved merely by paying reparations. From the history of Russia, one can deduce what would happen if Japan were to lose the Russo-Japanese War. Even with the intervention of Britain and the United States to mediate, Japan would not face total annihilation, but Hokkaido and the northeastern regions would undoubtedly be ceded entirely to Russia. The coastline along the Sea of Japan would also be lost. If fortune favored us, perhaps a quarter of the territory under the Rising Sun flag might remain, but for the Japanese in the three-quarters of the territory that could not escape, it would be a dead end—encountering the Russians in the Far East, where they harbor a deep-seated hatred for yellow-skinned people, is not an easy matter. The Russians are quite adept at killing Asians.

According to the Treaty of Sino-Japanese Commerce and Navigation signed after the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government agreed to allow Japan to establish a concession in Xiamen. From the first Governor-General of Taiwan, Admiral Shōzō Hata, to the seventh, General Genjiro Akashi, all were military personnel. Japan was very eager to leverage its position in Taiwan to open the gateway to the southern Chinese mainland from Xiamen. Meanwhile, in the north, the "Boxer Incident" was causing turmoil (the term used by the Japanese for the event), and the Japanese were planning the "Southern Qing Incident" in Xiamen. On the night of August 24, 1900, at midnight, a fire broke out at the Higashi Hongan-ji missionary site established by the Japanese in Xiamen. The Japanese government responded with unusual speed, immediately convening a meeting attended by Prime Minister Yamagata Aritomo, Foreign Minister Aoki Shūzō, Army Minister Katsura Tarō, Navy Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, and Chief of Staff Ōyama Iwao to discuss the proposal put forth by Governor-General Kodama Gentarō to dispatch the cruisers "Izumi" and "Takachiho" from Keelung to support a mixed brigade, primarily composed of an infantry battalion, to land in Xiamen and occupy the Xiamen fortifications.

The true reason for this issue lies in the fact that the signal flags displayed by Itō Yūhō were incomprehensible. However, instead of investigating Itō, the focus shifted to Tsuboi Kōzō, which is clearly an act of scapegoating. As a result, Tsuboi Kōzō, who had been in office for less than a year, died in despair at the age of 55. This was largely due to Tsuboi's origins from the Chōshū domain, while at that time, the navy controlled by the Satsuma domain harbored a deep-seated animosity towards the army dominated by Chōshū. The First Sino-Japanese War brought about another byproduct in the military sphere: a complete rift between the army and navy. The main reason for this was the operational command system, which placed the Chief of the Army General Staff above the Navy Minister, creating a sense of imbalance within the navy. Tsuboi Kōzō's Chōshū background became a fatal flaw. Meanwhile, Itō Yūhō, the commander of the Combined Fleet, who performed rather mediocrely throughout the war, was not held accountable for repeatedly displaying incorrect signal flags during battles, which delayed opportunities for engagement and demonstrated cowardice. Instead, due to his Satsuma origins, he was promoted to Navy Minister, became a naval admiral, and later entered the Marshal's Office. Where is the justice in this?

On the other hand, the scale of Russia's national budget, converted into Japanese yen, exceeds 2 billion yen, and its economic scale is ten times that of Japan. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan's military budget hovered around half of its national budget under the slogan of enduring hardship, resulting in an army combat strength of 200,000 and a navy combat strength of 264,000 tons. As for Russia, the total number of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers amounts to 2.08 million, with the army strength in the Far East alone exceeding 200,000, 544 artillery pieces, and the Pacific Fleet possessing 7 battleships, with a total tonnage reaching 192,000 tons. Not to mention, the seven-year plan for the expansion of the Pacific Fleet announced by Tsarist Russia after deploying troops to Northeast China in 1900 had a budget equivalent to 230 million yen.

However, the 1.7 billion yen is insufficient even for the first phase of the 66th Fleet project, let alone the naval operating expenses after the ships are completed. Therefore, although the Cabinet approved this plan, Parliament still made significant cuts, agreeing to only 950 million yen. They approved only one battleship, two first-class cruisers, and added one second-class cruiser, but completely eliminated all third-class cruisers and below.

The question of whether victory is a good or bad thing is not easy to answer, but it is likely that a victory achieved in a nouveau riche manner is not necessarily a good thing. Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War was such an example

The victories of the Japanese Army are not particularly commendable, as their opponent, the Qing Army, was indeed quite weak. However, the Japanese Navy can take pride in its achievements, having defeated another novice fleet that had nearly double the tonnage of their own. Up until the crucial Battle of the Yellow Sea, they were so cautious and on edge, as if walking on thin ice, and in the end, as Ito stated, they managed to push through relying on "divine providence".

The calculations of the Russians are quite clear, but how did the Germans and the French come together to join the fray? In Europe, Germany is a newly unified emerging nation, and in order to carve out a share in the competition against the established colonial powers of Britain and France, it must ally with the Russians. However, the French will never allow their most dangerous enemy, the Germans, to unite with the Russians; they will always seek to intervene, at the very least to understand the intentions of these two little rascals. Thus, these three nations, each with their own ulterior motives, surprisingly found themselves allied.

Because the Japanese and the Russians are about to engage in conflict

From any perspective, Japan has no hope of winning whatsoever

The stakes of this gamble are indeed too high, even surpassing those of the later Pacific War, as the subsequent opponents, whether Britain or the United States, are ultimately not as barbaric and perverse as the Russians

No, although Japan has made some progress in recent years, the annual fiscal budget has expanded to around 200 million yen, with approximately half of that being military expenditure. In 1895, the year the First Sino-Japanese War ended, military spending accounted for 32% of the budget, and this proportion increased to 48% in 1896, exceeding 50% in 1897. Japan's economic scale has not grown; only military spending has increased. In 1895, military spending accounted for 32% of the budget, and this proportion increased to 48% in 1896, exceeding 50% in 1897. Japan's economic scale has not grown; only military spending has increased.

In June 1903, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe earnestly opposed going to war with Russia at the Imperial Conference. In addition to Prime Minister Katsura Taro, Foreign Minister Komura Jutaro, Army Minister Terauchi Masatake, and Navy Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, the conference was also attended by five elders: Ito Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, Oyama Iwao, Matsukata Masayoshi (former Minister of Finance and the sixth Prime Minister), and Inoue Kaoru (former Foreign Minister)

Ito Hirobumi was not surprised by the "Triple Intervention." This was because, shortly after the Battle of Daito Pass, Yamamoto Gonbee had reported to him about the recent frequent contacts among Russia, Germany, and France. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not perceive the significance, while Yamamoto Gonbee anticipated that these three countries would exert pressure on Japan during the peace negotiations: "Prime Minister, Japan currently does not have the strength to confront these three countries. Whatever demands they make, we can only endure."

Due to the "Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship," the Russians gained their first access to the Pacific Ocean, making it quite natural for Muravyov, who was conferred the title of "Count Amursky" by the Tsar, to be revered as a national hero by the Russians. Today, the largest denomination of currency in Russia, the 5,000 ruble note, features a statue of Muravyov, which is currently located in Khabarovsk

Including the originally owed war reparations, the total amounts to 230 million taels of silver. Do not assume that the Qing Dynasty possesses such a large quantity of gold ingots; this is also guaranteed by the Russians and financed by the French with a loan of 250 million gold rubles.

Where does Japan's interest lie? The Japanese, particularly the Japanese Navy, have a keen interest in southern China. During the Boxer Rebellion and the subsequent intervention by the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Japanese were notably active, deploying eight warships including the 4,900-ton cruiser Kasagi. The commander of the standing fleet, Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, personally led the patrols at sea, providing cover for the Eight-Nation Alliance, which included 22,000 troops from the Fifth Division, as they landed in Tianjin. However, overall, Japan maintained a very low profile within the Eight-Nation Alliance, and the Japanese Army did not engage in any significant wrongdoing during this period. Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō personally led the patrols at sea, providing cover for the Eight-Nation Alliance, which included 22,000 troops from the Fifth Division, as they landed in Tianjin. Yet, Japan's conduct within the Eight-Nation Alliance was quite restrained, and the Japanese Army did not commit any notable acts of aggression. This restraint was partly due to the memory of one of the reasons for the intervention by the three powers being the 'threat to the capital of the Qing Dynasty.' In this complex web of interests, it is better to act with caution. If there is a need to stir up trouble, it is advisable to do so in a distant place where the emperor is far away.

At that time, Ito summoned Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu and said to him the four characters "endure hardship and wait for the opportunity." Now, what was meant to come has indeed arrived, and the Japanese were not surprised. They accepted the mediation of the three countries, allowing the Qing Dynasty to "redeem" the Liaodong Peninsula for the price of 30 million taels of silver.