mage in the late qing dynasty

Chapter 1051 I'm Here to Negotiate
It was a rare sunny day in Sakhalin.

Ken Nakamura carries grass to feed the sheep.

After feeding the sheep, he hesitated for a moment, took down a string of dried mushrooms hanging on the wooden beam and brought it back to the house.

Only after he came out did the wooden chimney start to smoke.

He passed by the sheepfold and said to the sheep, "I will try my luck in the tavern. If that doesn't work, I will have to sell you for money."

Levitan led the peacekeeping soldiers for early morning drills, and when they came back they were all dumbfounded when they saw the road near the stone tower.

Levitan yelled, "Who is it? Who did this? Come out now, don't think I don't know! You'd better come out and tell me now."

Ken Nakamura felt a little heavy.

He actually had a very hard time during this period, all because of that movie, which made him a rat on the street and everyone wanted to kill him.

People here want to blame him for all the bad things that happen to him.

And now he may be facing a fork in his fate in selling his sheep.

Just then he heard Levitan's roar.

Nakamura Ken's neck stiffened, and he was furious: "It was me, I did it, so what? What can you do to me? Haha, that's right, I did it all."

Levitan is always dull, but has a loud voice, so he gives people the feeling that he is an active volcano that can erupt at any time.

He walked towards Ken Nakamura with a group of male and female soldiers with an expressionless face.

After Ken Nakamura had been fooling around, he realized how to be afraid: What if it is a disaster of a huge magnitude? My impulsiveness will lead to my own downfall. Ken Nakamura, oh Ken Nakamura, you are really capable of causing trouble instead of helping others.

However, Levitan approached and patted Nakamura Ken on the shoulder: "You are really good, Nakamura Ken. Did you clear all the snow? Did you stay up all night to do it? You did the work of several people by yourself!"

Ken Nakamura was shocked for 0.1 second.

The time was so short that no one noticed anything.

He straightened his chest and raised his head: "That's right, Lord Levitan, apart from my kindness, diligence and sincerity, I don't have many advantages."

"Well, good boy, I was right about you. I'll have someone send you some bighorn sheep legs and fish as a reward. No need to thank me, you deserve it."

Ken Nakamura wanted to pretend to refuse, but he didn't open his mouth: What if the other party really doesn't give it to me?

After all, he just vented his anger by yelling and took the credit.

……

South Island Temporary Office.

Matsudaira Konyo, who is now the highest administrative officer in southern Sakhalin, is questioning the few people he brought to the Peacekeeping Bureau to follow yesterday.

The foreheads of these people were black and their expressions were listless. One of them had a toe frozen off, and another had a section of his ear frozen off.

After relaxing a little in the warm room, the capillaries on his face expanded and burst, making him look as if he was about to suffer a bloody disaster.

Song Ping Kun Yang drank hot tea and asked: "What did you do last night?"

“We cleared the snow.”

Songping Kunyang paused, spilling his tea. "What the hell is that?"

He immediately exploded with anger: "The Tokyo Imperial Palace was bombed, and I asked you to keep an eye on it, but you went to clear snow for the Peacekeeping Bureau? You are really kind-hearted people!"

The subordinates complained: "Tokyo bombed? That's none of our business... No, I mean, we have been keeping an eye on Zhao Chuanxin, and he has never left the house. If we don't clear the snow, we will freeze to death."

Song Ping Kun Yang was stunned when he heard this: "He didn't go out? Please tell me in detail."

His subordinates told him that Zhao Chuanxin returned from the Fuxiang Tavern, went out to urinate, and then turned back.

About four hours later, Zhao Chuanxin went out to urinate again and then went back. In the middle of the night, Zhao Chuanxin went out to smoke a cigarette, then went back to turn off the lights and go to bed.

Song Ping Kun Yang stared at his men and said, "Are you sure that Zhao Chuan Xin has been at home? Could it be that you are mistaken?"

"Yes, that's right. There are lights outside the Peacekeeping Bureau tower, which are usually on all night. When he came out, we saw it was really bright, it was definitely Zhao Chuanxin. After he went upstairs, we could vaguely see his silhouette swaying through the window."

Matsudaira Kunyang asked again, "Are you sure he was at home until midnight? Could he have read the time wrong?"

"No, we have three pocket watches and we have to check the time every hour to avoid mistakes."

The Imperial Palace was bombed at around 9 o'clock in the evening.

The Bank of Japan was bombed at 9:12 p.m.

After listening to his subordinates' report, he quickly reported the matter to Tokyo to let Emperor Meiji know.

Yes, Meiji was not dead, nor was he even injured, he was just a little scared.

The Japanese side is well aware of Zhao Chuanxin's deeds.

When Zhao Chuanxin didn't have so many tricks up his sleeve, he dared to go to the Forbidden City and bombard Cixi.

If something happens in Lugang Town, no one can guarantee that Zhao Chuanxin will not come to the Tokyo Imperial Palace to cause trouble.

So Meiji left the Imperial Palace early to avoid the limelight.

Unfortunately, his prediction came true and the Imperial Palace was bombed.

The Meiji Emperor was terrified.

With the signing of the Franco-Japanese Agreement with France the year before last and the signing of the gentleman's agreement, the Robert-Takahira Agreement, with the United States last year, the Meiji era has been deified by all the highlights.

He was seeking to sign the Third Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty with Britain. Once signed, Japan would be fully recognized by the Western powers, thereby gaining a long maritime interest line beyond Japan's sovereignty line. At that time, Japan would become a true overlord of the East.

So he felt that he could not die yet, even though he was ill at this time.

Prime Minister Katsura Taro took out three pieces of bomb fragments at the Emperor's temporary residence: "These were found at the scene."

Meiji took a look at them. There was a line of small words on each fragment: Surprising? Surprised? Yes, it's me again, the gangster.

The veins on the back of Meiji's hands bulged as he held the fragments tightly.

He felt seriously provoked.

He is the leader of the revival of the country. Who dared to treat him like this before?
If he hadn't dodged in advance, he would have been killed in the explosion.

Last night, he was so scared that his hands and feet were shaking for an hour before he recovered.

Then there was endless anger.

"What do you think?"

Katsura Taro is 61 years old, with a round head, short hair, a severely receding hairline, but not bald, a clean-shaven chin, and two hard beards on his lips that grow wildly and in uncertain directions.

He only needed to close his mouth tightly, and the drooping corners of his mouth would make him look extremely majestic.

He said in a deep voice: "Either it was done by someone from Lugang Town, or it was done by Zhao Chuanxin himself. But I am more inclined to believe that it was done by Zhao Chuanxin."

Mingzhi pressed the metal fragments on the table: "Zhao Chuanxin wants to kill me! We didn't provoke him, is he provoking me?"

Katsura Taro looked at the Emperor in surprise.

It seemed to be saying: How dare you say that? Are you sure you didn't provoke him?

He said tactfully: "Although the Anti-Zhao Society is a civilian organization, the military and local authorities did not interfere, but rather were happy to see it happen. After the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shirked responsibility and asked the consulate in China to intensify the occupation of land near the railway. These were all motives for Zhao Chuanxin's revenge."

"Even if he wanted revenge, wouldn't it be enough to blow up Karafuto and Hokkaido? Must he blow up our Imperial Palace? And what about blowing up a bank? The bank manager said that more than 600 million yen was lost in the bombing! Ask Zhao Chuanxin what exactly he wants to do?"

Katsura Taro pointed at the fragments in the Emperor's hand and said, "This alone does not prove that it was Zhao Chuanxin who did it. Liu Baogui of Lugang Town said that they wanted us to cede land as compensation. Baron Matsudaira Kunyo of Sakhalin said that Zhao Chuanxin demanded 4 square kilometers from various places."

"4 square kilometers?" Meiji was shocked.

Katsura Taro hesitated for a moment and said, "Zhao Chuanxin obviously has a point. I secretly calculated that the only place that can meet the requirement of 40,000 square kilometers is Sakhalin Island, which is about the same number."

Meiji's vision suddenly became blurry and he began to feel weak in his limbs.

He held onto the table and shook his body twice: "It will explode. Don't we have gunpowder?"

Meiji has diabetes.

Just as Katsura Taro was about to speak, someone suddenly came to tell him the news that Matsudaira Konyo had brought from Sakhalin.

On the night Tokyo was bombed, Zhao Chuanxin did not leave the Peacekeeping Bureau.

"What?" Katsura Taro seemed even more surprised. "If it was only the Lugang Town Security Team or Intelligence Group, then the threat to Lugang Town cannot be ignored."

The fact that they were able to bomb so many places silently at least shows that there were many Japanese spies in Lugang Town.

Meiji asked in a fluke: "Could it be that the gangsters really did it?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Katsura Taro insisted.

At this time, the guard came to report that Baron Aritomo Yamagata, the President of the Privy Council, wanted to see him.

Meiji and Katsura Taro looked at each other meaningfully.

First of all, Aritomo Yamagata was Katsura Taro's teacher.

Ever since Ito Hirobumi was killed by Zhao Chuanxin, newspapers have commented that: Yamagata Aritomo has more power than the Army Minister and the Chief of Staff, and the government cannot disobey his orders. The evils of arbitrary politics have reached the extreme.

But the current Prime Minister is Katsura Taro.

Yamagata Aritomo came in. I don't know if he was in a bad mood or if it was just his nature, but he had to keep a stern face even when greeting Meiji.

He was ugly to begin with, like a giant macaque, and looked even scarier when he had a gloomy face.

He said bluntly: "I am here to remind your Majesty that just like the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the war between the civilized country Japan that promoted the internal reform of Korea and the uncivilized country Qing Dynasty that refused to reform was just our propaganda rhetoric. In fact, it was the blind optimism of Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu at the time that led to misjudgment during the negotiations, which led to the deterioration of Japan-Qing relations and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Now we are making the same mistake, thinking that the anti-Zhao Society bombing of the meeting of people in Lugang Town is a suitable excuse. This is completely blind optimism. This incident must have been done by Zhao Chuanxin, there is no other possibility."

Katsura Taro felt that Aritomo Yamagata was calling him stupid.

He said in a deep voice: "But our surveillance personnel in Sakhalin told us that Zhao Chuanxin did not leave there last night."

Yamagata Aritomo said disdainfully: "Prime Minister, do you think Zhao Chuanxin is an incompetent person who can be manipulated by you? Can a few people keep an eye on him? Back then, the Russian Empire divided its troops into six routes with a total of 17 troops to besiege the Northeast, and the area outside the Great Wall fell in just four months. But ask Nicholas II, would he dare to do that now? If nothing else, Zhao Chuanxin alone makes it difficult for him to transport troops and makes it impossible for him to communicate with the east and the west, not to mention that Zhao Chuanxin is no longer the same as before, he has troops. Therefore, even if the Russian Empire can win, it will inevitably pay a price ten or a hundred times that of the past."

Although Katsura Taro was a little angry, he didn't dare to show it. He just argued: "But we can't just let this go. Otherwise, how will the people and the great powers view us?"

The emperor has been deified, and if nothing is done about it, the Meiji era will become a joke.

Everyone would say: Look, the emperor is afraid of Zhao Chuanxin.

Yamagata Aritomo wandered around with his hands behind his back: "First, we should speed up the signing of the Third Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty with Britain. Once the contradiction between our country and Zhao Chuanxin intensifies, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance can effectively prevent the United States, Qing and Zhao from forming an alliance against Japan.

Second, before the United States completes the construction of the entire railway outside the Great Wall, we should unite with Tsarist Russia to at least prevent them from causing trouble and be fully prepared to go to war with Zhao Chuanxin at any time. Tsarist Russia was also dissatisfied with this railway.

Third, before merging Korea, I still advocate explaining our position to the great powers, emphasizing that we are the victim, and it is best to let them share the same hatred of the enemy. After all, Zhao Chuanxin, this thorn, has provoked many countries. Before completing this great cause of merging Korea, try not to go to war with Zhao Chuanxin, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable. "

Meiji stood up with the help of the table and said calmly, "Everyone says that I am the overlord of East Asia, but I can't even do anything to a little Zhao Chuanxin? How ridiculous is the word overlord? He wants Sakhalin, does the Duke of Yamagata have any countermeasures?"

Meiji was of course unhappy.

The old nest was bombed, and when someone else took over, Meiji had to fight back regardless of whether he had evidence or not.

Even if it's Zhao Chuanxin, at most he can only postpone the revenge, but revenge is necessary.

"We will continue to search for evidence of the bombing, negotiate secretly with Zhao Chuanxin, extend the negotiation period by one year, and keep the public in the dark until the North Korean issue is resolved."

He meant to put it on display for the world to see.

Although he guessed that it was definitely Zhao Chuanxin who did it, as long as there was no evidence and Zhao Chuanxin did not admit it, no one could force the emperor to declare war.

That makes sense.

Katsura Taro pursed his lips, feeling somewhat dissatisfied, and said, "The Anti-Zhao Society is a non-governmental organization. In my opinion, we should secretly help them and let them go abroad to cause trouble."

"can."

……

Liu Baogui and Er Feizi were reading newspapers in the teahouse.

Fatty smokes Peacock brand cigarettes, which are American cigarettes.

Liu Baogui was holding a Luzon cigar. The fat man suddenly sat up straight, pointed at the latest news in the Ta Kung Pao and said, "Oh my god, look at this photo, it's the work of the gangsters again!"

Liu Baogui took a look and saw a piece of metal on the photo with the words: Unexpected or not, Surprising or not…

Major newspapers named the bombs that destroyed Karafuto Hall, Hokkaido Hall, the Imperial Palace and banks as "gangster bombs."

"Haha, I strongly agreed with the bombardment of the Forbidden City back then..." Liu Baogui laughed heartily, then stood up suddenly with a serious face: "Oh no, we have to tell Zhongyi to prepare for a fight!"

Er Feizi also realized the seriousness of the matter.

Not only did they go to find Zhao Zhongyi, they also sent telegrams to the Beishui Army and Lubin Prefecture.

The relationship between Tsarist Russia and Japan at this time was ambiguous and strange.

They had a grudge against each other, but because of Zhao Chuanxin they shared a common hatred for the enemy.

If the two sides form an alliance, Lubin Prefecture and Yanbian will be the first to bear the brunt.

……

Zhang Shouzeng's scalp tingled after receiving the news, and he hurried to find Yao Jia and Hu Da: "Oh no, it seems that the adults have blown up the Japanese Emperor's Imperial Palace."

"What? Your Excellency is being too ridiculous." Yao Jia sighed and said, "Why didn't you tell me in advance so I could prepare fireworks!"

Hu Da and Zhang Shouzeng: "..."

Hu Da's face was solemn: "We must prepare for war."

Yao Jia held him back: "No hurry, no fight. Maozi can't even open the door when he goes out in the morning. If he wants to fight, it will be spring when the snow melts."

Hu Er was stunned.

That makes sense.

Zhang Shouzeng was also relieved: "What about Yanbian? Does the Lord have any instructions?"

"No. There is no explanation. It is an explanation. Don't pay attention to it. Let's just wait for the news."

……

When Sun Gongwu saw the bombing of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, his eyebrows twitched uncontrollably and his hair stood on end.

In his opinion, this was more shocking than Zhao Chuanxin's bombardment of the Forbidden City.

After all, Japan has risen in recent years, won many battles, and the emperor is called the overlord of East Asia.

But what happened to the Overlord? Didn’t he get bombed too?

The newspaper was ambiguous, only saying that Japan was looking for the culprit, but did not say that it was Zhao Chuanxin's doing, nor did it mention Lugang Town.

But Sun Gongwu believed that it must have been done by Zhao Chuanxin. No one else would have the ability to know except him, right?

……

In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II gloated to Hans von Plessen and Prime Minister Bethmann Hollweg: "The Meiji government claims to be the overlord of East Asia, but I think it is nothing more than that. He hid before he went there. At his age, it would be better for him to die, which would boost morale."

Hans von Plessen said confidently: "It must have been Zhao Chuanxin who did it. It must have been him."

William II snorted coldly: "It would be best if Zhao Chuanxin could provoke the whole world. Then he would have nowhere to hide and would die without a burial place."

……

Instead, it was the local Japanese newspapers that claimed that Zhao Chuanxin did not leave Sakhalin on the night Tokyo was bombed. They mentioned some "witnesses" in a very emotional way, saying only that they were local residents and even forged their testimonies.

This hasty and anxious explanation seemed as if he was afraid that the Japanese people would think that Zhao Chuanxin was the real murderer.

Aoki Nobuzumi, who was hiding from the spotlight, read the newspaper with a frown on his face: How did Zhao Chuanxin place the bomb, and how did he detonate it? The Imperial Palace was heavily guarded, so how did he carry such a large explosive pack into it without anyone noticing? Could it have fallen from the sky?

He didn't even suspect that the murderer was someone else and concluded that Zhao Chuanxin was the murderer.

……

At noon, Zhao Chuanxin walked out of the stone tower, stretching and yawning.

The clothes he wore were very special, with fur inside and outside, thick, warm and windproof.

This is actually a double-layer cashmere sweater that Xingyue made for Zhao Chuanxin as pajamas.

It was so damn cold inside the stone tower that Zhao Chuanxin could hardly bear it.

He was wearing furry pajamas and furry boots that were easy to put on and take off.

Secretary Shirasaka Noriaki had just arrived and looked at him strangely: "Sir, you..."

Zhao Chuanxin put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let's go to the tavern to work."

Normally, when you hug a shoulder, you have to raise your arm, but when Zhao Chuanxin hugged Shirasaka Inori, his arm was hanging down...

Even with her arm around her shoulders, Shirasaka Norihime could feel the warmth.

Although this outfit is weird and ugly, it will definitely keep you warm.

After walking a short distance, Zhao Chuanxin saw many ragged Russians on the road.

They begged for money from the Peacekeeping Bureau passers-by.

The free citizens of the Peacekeeping Bureau, who had only eaten for a few days, actually felt a little compassion, and some people would throw them one or two kopecks as alms.

When Zhao Chuanxin arrived, a skinny exile from the north cried out miserably, "Sir, please be merciful. You look like a rich man..."

Zhao Chuanxin was shocked: "My Chao, how do you know that I just became a nouveau riche?"

The exile reached out to grab Zhao Chuanxin's pajamas.

"Sir, please give me some money to buy bread. I am starving."

"I can see you're starving," Zhao Chuanxin said, wearing a furry Santa Claus nightcap and holding a cigarette in his mouth. "But if you dare to touch my pajamas with your dirty paws, I will break them for you."

The exile either pretended not to hear or just didn't care, and continued to reach out to grab.

It looked like Zhao Chuanxin would grab him by the clothes and not let him leave unless he gave him the money.

Gaba.

"Ow..."

Shirasaka Noriyuki next to her turned pale.

I watched helplessly as the exiled prisoner's hand was broken by Zhao Chuanxin.

Zhao Chuanxin took out a rag to wipe his hands, then threw the rag on the exile's face, flicked off the ash, took out 5 yen and threw it on the ground.

That was a drop in the bucket from the money withdrawn from the bank of the Bank of Japan in Tokyo.

"There's a doctor at the west end of town. His skills are pretty cool. I'd like to see if he can help you."

The exile tried to bend down to pick it up, but another exile who came out from the next field took the money away first.

"Give it back to me, it's mine..." The exile started to chase after him.

Not only did he chase after him, but he also wrestled with the man. The most outrageous thing was that he defeated his opponent while dragging his broken hand.

Shirasaka Nosomi was stunned.

Many people in the Peacekeeping Bureau do not go to restaurants for meals, but to pubs instead.

Doctor Gavrilovich was one of them, and he came early in the morning to get drunk.

Zhao Chuanxin met him at the door: "Doctor, a patient with a broken hand is on the way to your house."

The tip of Gavrilovich's big red nose was shining in the sunlight.

His brain seemed to be a little slow, and he thought for a moment: "It won't be too late to go back after I finish my drink."

Zhao Chuanxin threw away the cigarette butt: "Wait until you finish drinking and go back. His bones will grow back in this time."

The doctor patted his head and said, "I'd better drink a glass first. Otherwise, I dare not break and reconnect the newly grown bones, or they will grow crooked."

Zhao Chuanxin lowered his head and said to Shirasaka Qimei: "See, you should try not to get sick in the Peacekeeping Bureau."

Shirasaka Norimi: "..."

Inside the Fuxiang Tavern.

Ken Nakamura went to find Peter Grebin with a shameless face.

Before he could say anything, Peter Grebin said, "Don't expect me to buy you salted eggs every day. That's impossible."

"Hey, I actually have something else to do. I want to borrow some money from you to get through this winter."

"Yesterday you said you didn't dare to take on a mortgage, and today you're asking me to borrow money?"

"Yes, I didn't borrow from the bank, I borrowed from you."

Peter Grebin just shook his head.

Ken Nakamura organized his speech: "Peter, you see, I can speak Russian, and then I became friends with you. The priest can speak Japanese, but he couldn't become friends with the female technicians. What does this mean?"

Peter Grebin thought for a moment and said, "Does that mean I shouldn't understand a language that you are fluent in, so that if you ask me to lend you money, I can use the excuse that I don't understand it to refuse?"

"This..." Nakamura Ken pointed his thumb at his chin: "This shows that I have good character and good reputation, while the priest does not, so you can lend me money."

Peter Grebin smiled awkwardly: "You can borrow money from Lord Zhao Chuanxin. Isn't he very kind to you?"

Seeing that he was not willing to give in, Nakamura Ken had no choice but to change the subject: "By the way, since you are so popular with women, let me ask you a question."

"Oh, just asking questions. If you don't want to borrow money, that's fine."

"I have a friend who has many flaws. Shouldn't he confess his feelings to the girl he likes?"

"..."

At this time, Zhao Chuanxin's voice rang out: "Aren't men's shortcomings meant to be discovered by women? Who is the woman you like?"

Nakamura Ken blushed and said, "Sir, I told you I have a friend, my friend."

"Oh, I hope your friend isn't a greasy, sleazy, opportunistic person who never takes a bath and smells like sheep."

"..."

Peter Grebin pushed Nakamura Ken and whispered, "It just so happens that the adults are here. Don't you want to borrow money?"

Just as Nakamura Ken was about to speak, Zhao Chuanxin said, "I don't know why, but these days there are exiled beggars from the north everywhere, begging for money. Just now, I broke the hand of a man who asked me for money."

Peter Grebin: "..."

Zhao Chuanxin looked at Nakamura Ken: "By the way, what were you going to say just now?"

"Um... I..." Nakamura Ken stammered, "I said that people with hands and feet should be self-reliant."

"My dear child, you are right. Robbery and cheating are more promising than begging."

Ken Nakamura left the Fukuka Tavern in frustration.

When he got home, he said, "His aunt."

After thinking for a while, he said again in Russian: "I'm back."

A Russian girl with a dirty face came out of the house timidly, holding a bowl with boiled mushrooms mixed with sheep fat and handed it to Nakamura Ken: "I left this for you."

……

At noon, Zhao Chuanxin went to the restaurant next door to have a Russian meal.

In the afternoon, Song Ping Kun Yang came to Fu Xiang Tavern again: "Master Zhao, I am here to negotiate!"

(End of this chapter)