Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 23

Everyone quieted down a bit and looked down. After half an hour, an officer finally couldn't help but shout, "What are you instructors doing? Get closer and fire! Why are you circling around him?"

The instructors below glanced up at the upper floor, then continued their operations without saying a word. Just then, the referees began to determine that the Sixth Fleet had suffered casualties. Finally, one instructor, dissatisfied, went to the referee team to argue: "His speed was consistently maintained at 19 knots, which I won't say anything about. But why is his shelling accuracy so much higher than ours? Isn't that cheating? The shelling accuracy at a distance of 1 meters should be slightly over 1%."

The judging panel glanced at the calculations in their hands, shook their heads, and replied, "No, his fleet uses a unified observation and aiming system with mechanical calculation assistance, resulting in a 5% hit rate. Furthermore, he has eight main guns, while you only have four, so his destructive power is doubled..."

The instructors were stunned and immediately objected, saying, "This is completely unreasonable. According to this calculation, if we hit him once, he can hit me ten times. Aren't we doomed to lose?"

Seeing the wargame simulation suddenly stop below, Togo finally frowned and asked Kawahara beside him, "What's going on down there?"

Kawahara then asked the referee team and both sides of the deduction to come up to the second floor to inquire what had happened.

Chapter 79 Wargaming Simulation II

Before Principal Kawahara and Commander Togo, the instructors and judges explained their doubts about the data of the new battleship imagined by the students. At this moment, Staff Officer Akiyama Saneyuki suddenly interjected, "If you have doubts about the long-range shelling accuracy of the new battleship, then I can explain that point..."

Then, everyone listened with blank expressions as Akiyama explained the principles of mechanically assisted calculations combined with unified main gun firing. Finally, Akiyama concluded: "...Considering all these factors, I believe a 5% hit rate is possible, which is also the data I suggested Lin submit."

In fact, according to Lin, the main gun caliber should have been increased to 356mm (40 caliber) main guns. However, my country did not have data on that type of main gun, so I suggested using the 305mm (40 caliber) main guns from the battleship Fuji. Although the power was slightly less, it was more convincing.

Akiyama's proof was quite strong, and Togo naturally sided with his subordinates. He asked the instructors and referees, "So, besides the accuracy rate, do you have any other doubts?"

Akiyama's answer was too technical, and the instructors and judges lost the courage to continue arguing about the issue. The instructors could only shift the focus to the high speed of the new warships, while Togo turned his attention to Hayashi Shinichi and asked him, "What explanation do you have for this?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xinyi said, "Regarding the concept of this next-generation British main warship, since we have chosen the timeframe of the next five to ten years, the technologies we use on the new warship are all based on practical technologies that have already appeared in reality, and we have not made any bold imaginations in terms of technology."

Therefore, the best way to verify this data is through time. If the British actually build such warships, it will prove that the concept of this warship is achievable.

Regarding this war game exercise, I only want to say that our purpose was precisely to verify whether our 66th Fleet would become obsolete once such new warships appeared. Discussing the outcome without considering this objective defeats the original intent of the exercise. If the instructors and judges truly cannot accept a failure in the simulation, then the Navy must be prepared to fail in reality.

"Kid, you're way too arrogant." "What do you mean by the Navy's failure in reality? Do you want a beating?"

Before the instructors and referees could speak, the officers of the standing fleet standing behind Commander Togo could no longer tolerate Lin Xinyi's arrogant attitude. They all spoke up and reprimanded Lin Xinyi, and some even gestured with their fists.

Togo merely frowned, but felt powerless to stop his subordinates' agitation. The military was a place where violence was the preferred method of resolving problems. If reason couldn't silence you, then fists would; this was the military's long-standing teaching for its officers, and even a general like him couldn't change this prevailing atmosphere.

Kawahara Yoichi noticed that Lin Xinyi merely glanced at these senior naval officers before nonchalantly looking away, showing absolutely no fear—a rare sight in military academy. Even the most brilliant scholar, when faced with an unreasonable senior, must eventually bow his head, because there's no reasoning with them. Unless you decide to quit the military, you must submit to the unspoken rules of this circle.

After a moment of silence, Togo asked Lin Xinyi, "You said you didn't make any bold assumptions about the technology. So, based on your bold assumptions, do you think the data of the new warship can still be significantly improved?"

Upon hearing Commander Togo speak, the officers finally quieted down again, but they still glared fiercely at the boy in front of Togo, as if they could rush up and throw the boy off the building if he gave an answer that didn't suit their taste.

Inoue and Takano, standing next to Lin Xinyi, couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Lin Xinyi, however, seemed completely oblivious to their gazes. After a moment's thought, he calmly addressed Commander Togo: "Based on our research over the past few months, the design direction of the battleship is like a steel fortress capable of high-speed movement at sea."

Provided sufficient power is available, larger battleships can be fitted with more main guns and armor, thus gaining a greater advantage in naval battles. Just as the installation of steam engines on ships immediately rendered sailing battleships obsolete, because coal could provide far more power than natural wind power.

From what I understand, oil burns four times faster than coal, meaning that burning oil yields four times the heat energy of burning coal in the same amount of time. Therefore, if we replaced the coal-fired boilers on our warships with oil-fired boilers, we could not only significantly reduce the number of personnel burning coal, but also provide much greater power, allowing warships to exceed 20,000 tons and achieve speeds exceeding 20 knots…

I believe this is truly a bold departure from reality in terms of imagination.

"Is what this kid is saying even possible?"

"That's not impossible. Aren't there already tractors powered by kerosene abroad? The Germans seem to be able to plow fields using stationary diesel engines..."

Hearing the discussions from the officers behind him, Togo glanced at Hayashi Shinichi in front of him before saying to Kawahara Yoichi beside him, "I think there's nothing wrong with this war game simulation."

With a slight smile, Kawahara said to the school instructors, whose expressions were not very pleasant, "If you have no other objections, then please go down and complete the wargame."

At this moment, Lin Xinyi suddenly interjected, "Principal, I actually think there's no point in continuing the war game. The purpose of this war game exercise is to verify the performance of the new warships in naval warfare, not to determine the outcome of a hypothetical battle. Based on the data we've collected so far, I believe this goal has been achieved."

After a moment's thought, Kawahara Yoichi understood what Hayashi Shinichi meant. The Mikasa hadn't even returned home yet, and they had already defeated the Six-Six Fleet in this war game. Where would Minister Yamamoto, who had strongly promoted the Six-Six Fleet construction plan, put his face? Minister Yamamoto's toy fleet? There was really no need to make an enemy of him. In any case, the Six-Six Fleet's defeat was inevitable, and there was no need to show the result and directly slap him in the face.

He then turned to Commander Togo and asked, "Commander, what do you think?"

Togo Heihachiro stood up, nodded slightly to Kawahara, and said, "A very interesting wargame, as excellent as the cherry blossoms of Etajima."

Kawahara Yoichi immediately stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you for the compliment, Commander. Why don't you come to my place for a cup of tea..."

As they talked, the two headed towards the stairs. Lin Xinyi stepped aside, and when Togo Heihachiro passed by him, he paused, nodded slightly, and then continued walking forward.

The officers following Dongxiang suddenly stopped as they passed Lin Xinyi and asked him, "What's your name?"

Lin Xinyi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Lin Xinyi, 32nd Marine Class".

Then he received a heavy pat on the shoulder, and the officer said to him with ill intent, "Looking forward to the day you come aboard the ship, junior Lin Xinyi."

Lin Xinyi was trying to memorize the appearance of the officer who was intimidating him, but every officer behind him asked him the same question as they passed by, then slapped him hard and said the same thing.

Akiyama Saneyuki walked at the back. When Lin Xinyi saw him extend his hand, he couldn't help but step back and say, "Akiyama, would you like to join me?"

Akiyama Masayuki laughed and finally patted him lightly on the shoulder, saying, "Your last bit of imagination was indeed very interesting. I hope you don't lose that kind of imagination at school, or it would be a great loss."

Walking on campus, Togo Heihachiro stopped under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. After admiring it quietly for a moment, he suddenly said to Kawahara Yoichi beside him, "After you finish compiling the records of today's wargame, give me a copy as well. Perhaps we really need to understand the design direction of the future capital ships of the British Navy."

Kawahara nodded and said, "Yes, I will have someone prepare it and send a copy over..."

The cherry blossoms on Etajima Island were in full bloom, but the Chinese people did not feel the beauty of spring. 1901 was a season without spring for the Chinese, because in this season of warmth and blossoming flowers, newspapers published various harsh demands made by foreign powers against the Qing government, as if a blizzard had fallen on the hearts of the Chinese people.

Faced with such harsh demands, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi, and other powerful local governors only thought about exonerating Empress Dowager Cixi, rather than trying to alleviate the unreasonable demands of the foreign powers.

The Southeast Protection Conference began to focus its criticism on Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai, believing that the reason why the powers were able to make such harsh demands was because the two men were acting as their inside agents. The secret Sino-Russian treaty signed by Li Hongzhang and the Russians was also the root cause of the Russians' occupation of Manchuria and their refusal to withdraw their troops.

Some radicals, led by Tang Caichang, pointed out in the newspapers, "Which of Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai's assets wasn't over ten million taels? How did these people acquire their wealth? It was through selling out the country. Li Hongzhang sold Manchuria to the Russians, and it is said that he still hasn't received the balance of 50 rubles. Every time Li Hongzhang met the Russians, he would demand the balance, and he didn't care at all whether the Russians withdrew their troops or not."

Dissatisfied with the harsh conditions imposed by the foreign powers, and powerless to do anything against the foreigners with their superior ships and cannons, the anger of the Chinese people, guided by public opinion, began to focus on officials of the Huai clique, such as Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai. In gatherings throughout the southeast, whenever the topic of foreign powers was raised, Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai were invariably mentioned, as the two were seen as spokespeople for the foreign powers' interests in China.

Chapter 80 Beijing

At this time in Beijing, the Eight-Nation Alliance announced that, apart from "two small courtyards under the jurisdiction of the Qing government," the rest of the city would be occupied by the armies of the various nations. The "two small courtyards" referred to by the Alliance were the Prince Qing's Mansion, where peace negotiations were held with the Alliance, and the Xianliang Temple, where Li Hongzhang resided after returning to Beijing.

However, for Li Hongzhang, this trip to Beijing was clearly not the dramatic turn of events he had envisioned, but rather another meeting at the Shunpanro Pavilion. No matter how he maneuvered with the various nations and attempted to use one power against another, for the diplomatic corps of the powers, who had already reached a consensus on the principle of mutual respect, Li Hongzhang's greatest role was simply to sign the peace treaty, not to discuss its contents with them.

Therefore, each of the twelve demands presented by the foreign powers was accompanied by a note stating that they could not be altered, leaving the Qing government's plenipotentiary representatives only the option to agree or disagree. In the twenty-seventh year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, urged by letters from Xi'an (which was then experiencing a severe drought in Shaanxi), Empress Dowager Cixi was not comfortable in her stay in Xi'an. She was very worried that staying away from the capital for an extended period would cause her to lose control of the central government. Therefore, she repeatedly urged Li Hongzhang and Prince Qing to reach a peace treaty with the representatives of the eleven nations as soon as possible so that she could return to the capital.

On January 15th, Li Hongzhang and Prince Qing finally signed the "Peace Negotiation Outline," which stipulated that not a single word could be altered. After this news spread, public pressure began to focus on Li Hongzhang, with Gu Hongming even directly accusing him: "The traitor Qin Hui is the one who sold out the country, and the one who misled the country is Li Hongzhang!"

When the Southeast Protection Conference initially targeted Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai, most people did not agree, believing that the two were merely enduring each other for the sake of the country. They argued that only Li Hongzhang could save China from its current predicament. Consequently, some people occasionally defended Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai in newspapers, accusing some members of the Southeast Protection Conference of stabbing Li Hongzhang in the back and trying to plunge China into a state of national subjugation and extinction.

However, after Li Hongzhang signed the "Outline of Peace Negotiations," these voices defending him almost disappeared overnight. Even those who had previously defended Li Hongzhang now sided with the Southeast Protection Conference, believing that "Mr. Li is indeed a traitor."

Faced with widespread criticism of Li Hongzhang and the Huai Clique officials within the country, Li Hongzhang remained silent, offering no response whatsoever to the outside criticism. Meanwhile, Prince Qing, Na Tong, and others who were also responsible for the negotiations turned a deaf ear to public opinion, as if the negotiations were entirely Li Hongzhang's doing.

This puzzled Li Hongzhang's nephews and subordinates. For example, on the way to the Prince Qing's mansion for a meeting that day, Xu Shoupeng, Li Hongzhang's foreign language translator, couldn't help but advise his superior: "Your Excellency, public opinion in the southeast is raging right now, and it's almost to the point of killing Your Excellency and Lord Sheng to appease the people. Your Excellency, why don't you continue to be ill and postpone the negotiations for a few days to ease the public opinion first?"

Sitting in his green sedan chair, Li Hongzhang closed his eyes to rest, remaining silent. Several of his teeth were missing from his right side, so when he was not smiling, his left cheek appeared full while his right cheek was sunken. The scar left by the gunshot during the Treaty of Shimonoseki was slightly prominent; it is said that the bullet was never removed, making his face look quite frightening.

Seeing this, his son Li Jingshu, who was standing nearby, also advised, "Father, this country doesn't belong to our Li family, but to the Aisin Gioro family. Why should our family suffer for them? If this continues, I think our family will be the first to die for the Qing Dynasty..."

The curtains of the sedan chair were finally drawn back, and Li Hongzhang's piercing gaze fell upon the two men outside. Li Jingshu immediately fell silent, while Xu Shoupeng met Li Hongzhang's gaze for several seconds without flinching. Li Hongzhang's gaze quickly passed over his son and subordinates, landing on the foreign soldiers standing guard by the roadside. These foreign soldiers, carrying guns, curiously stared at the sedan chair, their necks and wrists adorned with various gold, silver, or jewel ornaments.

Li Hongzhang sighed and said, "The most important thing right now is to get the foreign troops to withdraw. Look at this capital city, does it still look like a capital city? If we continue to allow foreign troops to be stationed in the capital, the people in all regions will lose all respect for the imperial court. Can a country without discipline still be called a country?"

If the Qing Dynasty as a nation ceased to exist, other countries wouldn't just offer exorbitant prices; they would simply carve up China. I merely wish to preserve China's vitality so that more capable individuals could one day restore its former glory.

Xu Shoupeng sighed and fell silent. He felt that what the Grand Secretary said wasn't without merit, but Li Jingshu, who was beside him, seemed to have taken the wrong medicine and inexplicably chimed in, "But I saw in the newspapers that they said China perished more than 200 years ago, and that the Chinese people today are nothing more than slaves of the Manchus. Now they want to be slaves to foreigners too? Wouldn't that mean being a slave to a conquered nation twice over? Rather than being slaves to the Manchus, it's better to be slaves to foreigners directly..."

"Nonsense!" Li Hongzhang suddenly roared in anger, followed by a violent coughing fit. Startled, Li Jingshu immediately stopped talking and ordered the sedan chair bearers to stop. Li Hongzhang glanced at the blood in the thick phlegm he had coughed up with a handkerchief, crumpled it up, and threw it out of the sedan chair, saying, "Let's go. Don't keep Prince Qing waiting."

Now Li Jingshu and Xu Shoupeng dared not persuade him any further, and they walked in silence to the Prince Qing's residence. Li Jingshu helped his father into the residence, and soon someone brought in a wheelchair on someone's back. Then Li Jingshu pushed his father into the inner courtyard of the residence.

Prince Qing, Yikuang, along with Natong and others, descended the steps to greet Li Hongzhang and personally helped him into the hall. After Li Hongzhang sat down, Natong said to him, "The imperial carriage has been away for almost half a year now. How can the dignity of the nation be maintained if this continues? Your Excellency, shouldn't we urge the governments of the various countries to withdraw their troops?"

Li Hongzhang glanced at Na Tong and said, "What's the rush? The two palaces are at least perfectly safe in Xi'an. Why are you in such a hurry to return to the capital? If something happens, who among us can bear the responsibility?"

Na Tong saw that Prince Qing remained silent. Li Hongzhang then looked at Prince Qing and said, "Your Highness, have you seen the public opinion in the Southeast? Being a traitor is not a pleasant experience."

Yikuang looked at Li Hongzhang and chuckled, saying, "As for traitors, it's not my place to be one. After all, I'm a Manchu, not a Han. I don't care much about public opinion in the Southeast. These people keep clamoring for the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, but the court didn't agree to it. If they're so capable, let them go find the foreigners to acknowledge it. Why are they trying to act tough with us who are handling things?"

All I know is that the Empress Dowager is concerned with when she can return to the capital to enjoy her remaining years. As for the rest, such as accusations of treason and harming the country, does Your Excellency truly care? I certainly don't. Whether you know me or condemn me, only history will tell.

Li Hongzhang was rendered speechless by Yikuang's retort. He knew in his heart that because of the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, he was now caught in a lose-lose situation. Although the Manchus in the capital hated the conservatives who were waging war against all nations, they also hated Li Hongzhang, the powerful figure who had first advocated the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact. They believed that he had betrayed the reformers first and then turned around and betrayed the conservatives, making him a true traitor who colluded with foreigners.

The people of Southeast China supported the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, but after he signed the twelve articles of the treaty, they all believed that he had betrayed the country and, incidentally, the people of Southeast China. According to the current contents of the treaty, the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, apart from allowing foreigners to occupy Beijing with little effort, did not demonstrate any intention to protect the people of Southeast China, because the powers were not punishing Chinese who participated in the Boxer Rebellion, but all Chinese people.

He didn't receive any favorable treatment from the foreigners either. Britain and Germany refused to acknowledge the existence of the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact. The Germans considered the death of their minister a great disgrace and therefore refused to make any concessions on the twelve articles of the treaty. The British, on the other hand, believed that under the current circumstances, Britain could not go against the wishes of other powers and grant leniency to China. Therefore, even though they expressed sympathy for the people of Southeast China, they did not intend to modify any of the treaty's contents.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. After all, national affairs have never been the domain of ordinary people; they've always been power struggles within the imperial court. Li Hongzhang knew that signing the peace treaty might draw criticism from the world, but at least Empress Dowager Cixi knew he was enduring humiliation for the sake of the country. After all, this was the Aisin Gioro clan's domain. As long as the Aisin Gioro clan was grateful, no one else could say anything.

However, the National Assembly, which was originally just pushed out by local governors to resist the imperial court, has now truly become a forum for the gentry and elites of the southeastern provinces. These gentry and elites of the southeastern provinces use this forum to insist that the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement is valid. Therefore, they will not pay a single penny of reparations for the peace treaty, nor will they accept a peace treaty that cedes the interests of the southeastern provinces to foreigners.

After this public opinion took hold, Li Hongzhang realized that signing the peace treaty could very likely create a confrontation between the southeast and Beijing. Because of the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Russian occupation of Manchuria, the north's strength had completely declined. Once a confrontation between the north and south occurred, the Qing Dynasty would inevitably collapse first.

At this point, even if Li Hongzhang felt that paying more indemnities was acceptable, as long as the Qing Dynasty's territory could be preserved, there was still a chance for a turnaround. But if the southeastern provinces declared their secession from the Qing Dynasty, what would be the point of maintaining the integrity of the Qing Dynasty's territory on the map?

Li Hongzhang had no choice but to swallow his anger and say to Yikuang, "If we rush to sign the peace treaty now, we might not be able to get Manchuria back. Does Prince Qing not even want Shengjing anymore? How will you face our ancestors after this?"

Yikuang looked at Li Hongzhang and thought this old traitor was truly disgusting. "Our ancestors were our Aisin Gioro ancestors, what business is it of yours, a Han Chinese? With the Qing Dynasty in such a state, it's not my place to be ashamed to face our ancestors." However, he also knew in his heart that these words were politically incorrect, and saying them would give him ammunition for criticism.

After a moment's thought, Yikuang said, "I'm not very knowledgeable about this negotiation, so it's up to Your Excellency to make the decision. I just hope Your Excellency won't forget that last year was filled with chaos and war, and the Empress Dowager didn't get to celebrate her birthday peacefully. This year, surely we can at least ensure she has a peaceful birthday? As subjects, it's one thing if we lack other abilities, but if we lose even this last bit of loyalty, wouldn't we be worse than pigs and dogs?"

Li Hongzhang's face turned ashen, and he stared at Yikuang with a deep gaze, ultimately saying nothing more.

Chapter 81 New Deal and Revolution

On a small steamer bound for Hankou from Nanjing, two key figures of the Revive China Society, Yang Quyun and Xie Zuantai, were standing in a quiet spot at the bow, watching the riverside scenery and chatting idly.

In April, the banks of the Yangtze River are naturally covered with green hills and clear waters, with large areas of paddy fields being reclaimed, presenting a scene of peace and prosperity. However, the occasional sighting of foreign warships on the river brings this beautiful picture back to reality.

Xie Zuantai watched as the small wooden boats scrambled to avoid the warships amidst their whistles, and couldn't help but clench his fist and pound on the railing, saying, "Our beautiful land has been ravaged and trampled by these foreigners. It's all the Manchus' fault for ruining China!"

Yang Quyun felt the same way, but he was more composed than Xie Zuantai. Watching the warships sail past triumphantly, with the British sailors on board yelling and cursing at the small wooden boat that almost couldn't avoid them, he said coldly after a long while: "Therefore, we cannot drive the foreigners out of China until we overthrow this foreigner's court."

Xie Zuantai spat fiercely as he watched the warship pass by. Only after the warship had gone far away did he say to Yang Quyun, "Our Revive China Society and the Labor Party share the same goal, so why are they unwilling to launch an uprising with us? Are they worried that we will take their territory?"

Yang Quyun shook his head and said, "Tang Caichang and Zhang Taiyan were both impetuous. They were quite supportive of overthrowing the Manchu court. However, they didn't have the final say within the Workers' Party. The assessment of the situation within the Workers' Party was that the time for revolution was not ripe. The fact that Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong had previously shifted from sympathizing with the reformists shows that the Workers' Party's judgment of these local governors was accurate. The failure of the Wuhan Uprising is also proof of this."

Xie Zuantai arrived from Guangdong relatively late and had less contact with the Workers' Party. Therefore, upon hearing Yang Quyun's words, he clearly disagreed and said, "The time for revolution is not ripe, but when has the time for revolution ever been ripe? Sun Yat-sen launched so many armed uprisings and was still able to continue. Are these Workers' Party members scared out of their wits just because they failed once?"

Yang Quyun disagreed, saying, "If the Labor Party had really given up on the revolution, they wouldn't have invited us to Wuhan for a meeting. Given the Labor Party's grasp of the current situation, I think there's still a good chance of cooperating with them to carry out the revolution."

As Yang Quyun spoke, he turned his gaze to the west and looked around at the so-called revolutionary parties in various parts of the country. At most, they could only talk about anti-Manchuism and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. When it came to discussing the future of China, they all showed their weakness. However, only the Workers' Party had begun to discuss the reconstruction after the revolution. This was a point of common interest with their Revive China Society. This was also why Yang Quyun was willing to go to Wuhan to meet another leader of the Workers' Party.

At this time, Tian Bangxuan, another leader of the Labor Party whom Yang Quyun was concerned about, was discussing the work of the Lianghu Daily and the rural survey report with Zhang Shizhao, Huang Xing, Fan Zhui, Liang Huanyi, Zhou Zhenlin and others at his residence in Wuchang Prefecture.

Tian Bangxuan rented a small, secluded courtyard house by the scenic Dunzi Lake. In the warm spring season, sitting in the lakeside courtyard drinking and chatting was naturally a delightful experience. However, Tian Bangxuan, along with Zhang Shizhao, Huang Xing, and other top students from the Lianghu Academy, had no time to appreciate the beauty around them.

Wearing a long gown, Tian Bangxuan walked back and forth in front of everyone, waving his hands as he said, "What we need to do now is to win the right to publish the Lianghu Daily."

Since Empress Dowager Cixi ordered all provinces to submit memorials to discuss the new policies in January, the governors and viceroys of the provinces have indeed put forward many suggestions for improvement. Among them, the three most important ones are: to establish schools and abolish the imperial examination system; to build a new army and abolish the old army; and to publish newspapers to enlighten the people.

However, people should not be deceived by the Qing government's tricks. For Empress Dowager Cixi, the purpose of implementing the new policies was to restore the prestige of the central government and make people in various places still believe that the court could be saved. However, implementing the new policies was not the court's goal. The real purpose was to use the implementation of the new policies to divide the anti-Manchu sentiment in the local areas.

Some may worry that the new policies implemented by the court will win back popular support, but I assure you, everyone can rest assured. The court's purpose in implementing these new policies is to consolidate, not weaken, Manchu rule. Therefore, if the new policies exceed the Manchus' tolerance, they will stand up to stop them, and the world will then know that the court's new policies are nothing but a deception.

What we must do now is not to oppose the court's new policies, but to contend with the court for control over them. As long as the revolutionaries hold the reins of the new policies, they will become the source of strength for the revolution. When the corrupt and conservative court tries to renege on the policies, we can crush them with the revolutionary power accumulated by them.”

Zhang Shizhao, Huang Xing, and other students of the Lianghu Academy were originally seen as the future force of the Westernization Movement, on which Zhang Zhidong placed high hopes. However, after the Boxer Rebellion, these young students immediately leaned towards nationalism. When Tian Bangxuan, who had returned from Japan, recounted the trajectory of national development several times at the academy, these young students closely surrounded him.

Tian Bangxuan actively contacted the students of Lianghu Academy in order to win them over to the progressive side. After several months, he recruited more than ten new members of the Labor Party from among these students.

Zhang Shizhao and Huang Xing were among the students most inclined towards immediate revolution, and they were the most active in studying the revolutionary theories promoted by Tian Bangxuan. However, they still couldn't quite understand Tian's approach of using the new policies to develop revolutionary forces. Therefore, they couldn't help but raise their questions to him: "Mr. Tian, ​​you just said that the court wants to implement the new policies to maintain Manchu rule, so wouldn't our support for the new policies be maintaining Manchu rule? How can this accumulate revolutionary forces?"

Tian Bangxuan's past ideas were the same as these students': if we were to carry out a revolution, we could not collude with the Manchu Qing dynasty; we should oppose any revolutionary party supported by the Manchus and support any revolutionary party opposed by the Manchus.

However, as he worked more and more in the past six months, he finally realized that his previous views were indeed somewhat naive. So he patiently said to Zhang Shizhao and Huang Xing, who raised questions, "For example, a table can be used by Manchus and can also be used by us Han people. We can't say that we can't use a table that Manchus have used and that we should burn it."

What exactly is the revolution trying to overthrow? I believe it is the Manchu and scholar-official's destiny. Why overthrow their destiny? Because without overthrowing it, the country cannot progress, and the nation cannot be liberated.

Why are the great powers great powers? Is it simply because they have powerful ships, cannons, and steam engines? No, I believe the reason they are great powers is because the people of these countries have come to regard social progress as an inevitable trend. They are happy to see society continuously progress, and this progressivism is the fundamental reason why the great powers are powerful.

In my country, building railways, mining, and manufacturing telegraphs first required overcoming the hurdles of the local gentry and the ignorant masses. In their eyes, these foreign gadgets were meant to disrupt Chinese feng shui and drain the souls of the people. The reason the Self-Strengthening Movement failed to enrich the country and strengthen its military was that these scholar-officials, when introducing machinery and cannons, did not think of promoting social progress, but rather hoped to solidify their rule and continue their system of keeping the people ignorant. This is the best proof that Japan, a small country, rose up to become strong, while my country, a large country, sank into obscurity.

If China wants to stand independently in the East and re-establish itself among the nations of the world, it must eradicate ignorance and superstition from people's minds. Simply put, revolution must eliminate all outdated ideas and systems that hinder social progress, not xenophobia or exclusion. We must overthrow the Manchu dynasty because it prevents us from becoming strong and independent, not because it is a Manchu dynasty. Everyone must firmly remember this point.

Huang Xing, still unconvinced, said, "According to Mr. Tian, ​​what exactly is the purpose of our current advocacy of nationalism?"

Without hesitation, Tian Bangxuan said, “To get the people to start thinking. Ninety percent of the people in this country are farmers, and more than half of them have only ever been to the county town in their entire lives. The remaining small half have never even been to the county town. If you talk to them about civilization, democracy, and progress, will they understand? If they don't understand, how can they join us in the revolution and overthrow those diehards? So, we need to talk about things they can understand, such as overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, or opposing the Manchus and foreigners. But this is only to get the people's attention to the revolution, not the real purpose of the revolution. We can promote nationalism, but we cannot become obsessed with nationalism and forget the real goal of the revolution.”

Huang Xing was speechless for a moment. He wasn't exactly quick-witted, but Zhang Shizhao, seeing this, quickly came to his rescue, saying, "Then, Mr. Tian, ​​what do you think we should do to use the new policies to gather revolutionary strength?"

Tian Bangxuan clapped his hands lightly, nodded to Zhang Shizhao, and said, "That's a good question. I called everyone here today to talk about how to use the new policies to accumulate revolutionary strength, and why the new policies couldn't save the court."

Let's start by talking about newspapers. In other countries, newspapers are called public opinion, essentially representing the public's oversight of the government. This oversight power is paired with elected representatives. However, in my country, we have newspapers but no representatives. This means that while people can raise questions, no one will care whether those questions are resolved.

Therefore, the Qing government's lifting of the ban on newspapers would ultimately only become an outlet for public criticism of the government. If the government rectified these problems, the newspapers would gain credit; if the government failed to rectify them, the government would be blamed for the resentment.

Therefore, by lifting the ban on newspapers, the Qing government was essentially handing someone a weapon. The resentment accumulated through past literary inquisitions would be unleashed in the newspapers within a few years. Any newspaper that sided with the government and tried to appease the public would ultimately lose their support.

Our aim in seizing the publishing rights of the Lianghu Daily is to seize the identity of the people's spokesperson, to let the people know who truly represents their interests and who is speaking for them. This will incite the people to lean towards change, towards us. Once the time is right, this newspaper, which has a profound influence among the people, will become the mobilizing newspaper that sounds the clarion call of revolution…”

Everyone in the courtyard held their breath, listening intently to Tian Bangxuan's words, afraid of missing a single one.

Chapter 82 Naval Internal Meeting

The first-year students made a name for themselves in the war game, even earning the approval of Admiral Togo, the commander of the standing fleet. This caused a huge uproar at the Marine Academy, but for the students, it was just a moment of surprise, and then it gradually passed. At most, the senior students like Fujita and Ominato stopped trying to save face in front of the new students.

After Lin Xinyi calmly and confidently presented his vision for the new warships to Principal Heyuan and Commander Togo, the senior students knew that his level was beyond what could be measured by the relationship between freshmen and seniors. After all, they had studied at the school for three years and rarely even saw the principal, let alone made a splash when the commander of the standing fleet came to inspect the school.

However, the students at the Marine Academy, and even most of the instructors, were unaware that the breeze stirred up by a butterfly on Etajima was turning into a real storm in Tokyo.