Super dictator.

& nb

"Dig three feet of ground in the whole city, and never leave any enemy behind!" Wei Jichen lit a cigar, and immediately issued this order with a calm face.

Although Wei Jichen didn't want to let any of the Japanese go, his order was actually aimed at the treasures the Japanese looted, but he was ashamed to say that the whole city was looking for the money left by the Japanese.

"Yes, Wei Shuai!" Several messengers looked down in admiration.

Wei Jichen seized Jinzhou, besides playing a beheading operation, the most important thing was to plot those treasures, so he would not stick to Jinzhou, because Jinzhou is located in the center of Fuzhou, Dalian Bay, and Lushunkou. All directions swarmed to attack.

Therefore, as soon as the city was captured, he considered retreating. Of course, a symbolic occupation of two or three days was still necessary, which could give Li Hongzhang some bargaining chips on the negotiating table.

"Wei Shuai, a warehouse was found in the west of the city, and there are countless gold and silver in it."

"Wei Shuai, I found a warehouse in the east of the city, and there are like mountain copper coins inside."

...

Wei Jichen was meditating with his eyes closed, and a sergeant had already come to report to him happily.

Wei Jichen, who had already explored the true and false situation of Jinzhou City, was not surprised, with the same expression on his face, he stood up and said, "Let's go and have a look."

Dasi Anchun led a group of remnants and defeated generals, and fled back to Dalian Bay in panic. While reporting to the base camp in a hurry, he actively contacted the Japanese army in Lushun and Fuzhou, preparing to take back Jinzhou City.

Our own side has two brigades in Fuzhou, and more than 5000 people who have just arrived in Dalian Bay. In addition to the defenders at Lushunkou, Dasi Anchun does not believe that Jinzhou cannot be regained.

It's just that when he thought of the countless jewels and money in Jinzhou City, he felt a dull pain in his heart.

Shimonoseki, Japan, Chunfan Tower.

China and Japan have gone through the first negotiation, and today is the second confrontation.

Soon, Chinese and Japanese negotiators entered the venue one after another. After everyone sat down, they entered the negotiation process.

In addition to Li Hongzhang, the Chinese representatives included counselor Li Jingfang, counselors Luo Fenglu, Ma Jianzhong, Wu Tingfang, and translators Lu Yongming and Luo Gengling.

The plenipotentiary ministers of the Japanese side are Ito Hirobumi, Mutsu Munemitsu, and several members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Li Hongzhang exchanged pleasantries with Ito Hirobumi first.

Ito Hirobumi couldn't hide the pride in his eyes, but Li Hongzhang was submissive and didn't dare to speak loudly.

Li Hongzhang took a sneak peek at the bottom and saw that the chairs of his own peace negotiators were half shorter than those of the Japanese side. He couldn't help but feel very sad. He thought that Li Hongzhang had traveled all over the world for more than ten years, and no matter which country he went to, he would not be treated like a distinguished guest. , but now is here to be insulted.

Fortunately, the Japanese themselves are short in stature, so the representatives of China and Japan seem to be about the same height.

Li Hongzhang took out the edict and the terms of the armistice and handed it to Ito, and Ito also took out his own edict, handing it to Li Hongzhang while asking with a smile: "What position does Wei Jichen in your country have?"

Li Hongzhang was taken aback for a moment, unexpectedly he would ask about Wei Jichen, but fortunately Li Hongzhang also paid close attention to Wei Jichen, and replied, "Song Qing's subordinates are working now."

Ito Hirobumi laughed with a bit of sarcasm, and said: "Your country Wei Jichen has caused a lot of trouble for the empire. This minister thought he would lead the army alone, but unexpectedly it is a small job."

Li Hongzhang smiled awkwardly and did not reply.

At this time, Luo Fenglu had already translated and explained the terms of the armistice that the Japanese replied.

The so-called truce clause is the price paid by the two sides in order to stop the exchange of fire during the period of peace talks.

Of course, judging from the current situation where the Japanese army has the upper hand, the Chinese side can only accept the move. In Li Hongzhang's mind, it is lucky to be able to stop the war.

"Zhongtang, the Japanese asked us to do the following before agreeing to the truce: The Japanese army should occupy Dagu, Tianjin, Haicheng, and all the cities and forts there. The Chinese troops stationed in the above places must All barracks and military supplies shall be handed over to the Japanese army for temporary management. During the period of the armistice, the military expenses of the Japanese army shall be covered by the Qing Dynasty.”

Li Hongzhang was taken aback. He didn't expect the Japanese to be so harsh.

The terms of the truce were only prepared for peace talks. The two sides stopped fighting and sat down to negotiate with peace of mind. Unexpectedly, the Japanese wanted to obtain through the terms of the truce that they had not yet obtained on the battlefield.

Li Hongzhang quickly shook his head and said: "These three places are dangerous places. If the truce expires and the negotiation fails, and your army occupies this place, then our army will have no danger to defend."

Ito Hirobumi said impatiently with a blank face: "The current situation is like this. Your country has no intention of negotiating peace, and this minister has always wanted to negotiate peace. If there are no such three places as hostages, I am afraid the situation will change again. Besides, our army The generals of the Ministry do not agree with the truce, and hope to invade Beijing. If we don’t get these three places, how can I persuade the generals of the army.”

Li Hongzhang knew that his army was at a disadvantage, and during the peace negotiation period, the Japanese might be able to take these places with guns, but he couldn't do it if he wanted to hand over to others, so he had to say: "This is extremely difficult to agree."

Ito raised his eyebrows, and said with a sneer: "Nakataka should think about it carefully after going back, and then give an answer. I will give you three days, and I will give you the answer after three days."

After Ito finished speaking, he led a group of Japanese negotiators out slowly.

Li Hongzhang was so angry that his beard turned up again and again, but he was helpless.

"Go back, send a telegram to inquire about the Prime Minister's Office." Li Hongzhang stood up feebly.

However, Hirobumi Ito and Mutsu Munemitsu had just returned to the place where they were staying, but they received a secret telegram from the Hiroshima base camp: "Wei Jichen broke through Jinzhou City, and Yuanji Shandi was unfortunately crushed by the imperial jade."

Ito Hirobumi turned pale with fright. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment of the peace negotiation, this incident happened. He immediately called back to the base camp: try his best to regain Jinzhou City at any cost.

"This bunch of trash from the Ministry of War even lost the Golden State." When Mutsu Munemitsu was the only one left in the room, Ito finally couldn't help but burst into anger.

"We must not let Li Hongzhang know about this matter. We must delay for a few days until Jinzhou returns to the hands of the Japanese Empire before we can renegotiate." Mutsu Munemitsu said with a frown.

"Don't worry about this. The calls between Li Hongzhang and the Prime Minister's Office of the Qing Dynasty were all sent through the telegraph department of the empire. It will not be a problem if it takes a few days. I am just worried about whether the army can regain Jinzhou." Ito Hirobumi looked annoyed He said, if he had pushed Li Hongzhang a little more just now, maybe Li Hongzhang would have agreed.

"The imperial army must strengthen the offensive on the Shandong Peninsula, weaken the impact of the destruction of Jinzhou City, and immediately send troops to Penghu to prepare for the acquisition of Taiwan in the next peace talks." Ito Hirobumi walked around the room a few times and thought of it. These methods.

After Li Hongzhang returned to his residence, he also sighed.

"The terms of the Japanese truce are really unimaginable. Father, in my opinion, we should put aside the negotiation on the terms of the truce and discuss the terms of peace first." Seeing this, Li Jingfang, who was next to him, had no choice but to persuade him.

Li Hongzhang shook his head and said: "If I don't negotiate the terms of the truce, I will feel uneasy. If the Japanese increase their troops and expand the war during the peace negotiation period, the terms of the peace negotiation will be even harsher."

"Let's see how the Prime Minister's Office responds first." Li Hongzhang said wearily.

That night, Li Hongzhang telegraphed the Japanese armistice terms to the Zongli Yamen.

At this time, in the Zongli Yamen, Guizi Liu, Sun Yuwen, Xu Yongyi and others were all there. Not long ago, they received a telegram from Liaodong to recover Jinzhou. Surprised, they hurriedly sent a telegram to Japan to let Li Hongzhang decide discuss.

Unexpectedly, not long after the telegram was sent, the Japanese side's truce terms were withdrawn. Looking at the above terms, even the faces of those who insisted on making peace completely sank.

If these places were handed over to the Japanese, the Japanese army would be able to herd horses in Beijing at any time. Who knows if they will abide by the armistice agreement, if not, there will be no place to cry.

"The Japanese ignored our army's recovery of Jinzhou. It seems that they are determined to continue the war." Xu Yongyi said worriedly.

"Well, at this time, we can only ask Li Hongzhang to negotiate peace as soon as possible. As for the armistice agreement, we can put it aside first, and get the terms of the peace talks as soon as possible to end this war." Guizi Liu and Li Jingfang agreed in the opinion that they should ask for the terms of the peace negotiation first.