Princess Katrina Kafu nodded and said: "Yes, the most important thing is the Japanese island of Kyushu, if we completely occupy the island of Kyushu and completely stand on our feet, there is no way for the British to do what they want, the terrain of Japan is originally very conducive to defense." ”Li Hongzhang was personally in charge of the politics of Kyushu, and militarily Xuan Jianzhang was in charge of the two brigades of the First Field Division of the Chinese Army.Because there is not enough ammunition, Li Hongzhang and Xuan Jianzhang have been stretched, and Princess Katrina Kafu used to think that she was going to do something to Afghanistan now, and Emperor Hua was a little anxious, which was also due to this consideration.With China's existing industrial strength, it cannot support the needs of large-scale warfare, at least, it cannot support the needs of two-front operations between Japan and Central Asia, not to mention that the two places are still separated by 108,000 miles.The advantage of China is that the area is vast, but sometimes there is a bad place in the vast area, transportation is a big problem, and there is a problem, because it is necessary to concentrate the industrial scale, China's heavy industry is mainly concentrated in Qinhuangdao and Northeast China, and light industry is mainly concentrated in East China, and many military supplies, especially those to be transported to Afghanistan, belong to the category of light industry, which needs to be transported from East China to Beijing, and then transported to Central Asia Province through the long Northwest Railway network, which is time-consuming and laborious.This is also the reason why President Meng wants to build a municipality and industrial base next to the Caspian Sea as soon as possible outside Almaty in Central Asia, so that the problem of long-distance transportation will be solved, but it is impossible to build a new city and an industrial base in more than five years.Kyushu Island is the third largest island in Japan, located at the southwest tip of Japan, facing Honshu Island across the Kanmon Strait in the northeast, Shikoku Island across the Toyo Strait and Bungo Waterway in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the southeast, the Korean Strait in the northwest and South Korea as neighbors, and the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in the west.In the past, it was Chikuzen, Chikugo, Bunzen, Bungo, Hizen, Higo, Hinata, Satsuma, and Osumi, a total of nine countries, so it was called Kyushu.In a broad sense, Kyushu refers to the Kyushu region, including Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Saga, and Nagasaki prefectures on the main island of Kyushu, including the Goto Islands, Tsushima Island, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Kagoshima Prefecture.Now, the entire island of Kyushu, except for Satsuma Kawanachi, which is still in the hands of Saigo Takamori, is under the control of the Chinese army.However, the problem that Li Hongzhang and Xuan Jianzhang had to face was not only to fully occupy the entire island of Kyushu with limited military force, but also to prevent a possible counterattack by the Japanese, the British and French forces from the direction of Kitakyushu, as well as various ports.In this way, it became important to clear the remnants of Saigo Takamori as soon as possible.If it was the original history, Saigo Takamori should have died a long time ago, but due to the arrival of Emperor Hua, the course of history was changed, and for the first time, Saigo Takamori fought against the Japanese government army, and was picked up by the Chinese army from the side, and Saigo Takamori was given a way to live.Later, Xuan Jianzhang ambushed and captured Xixiang Takamori twice in a row, but Xuan Jianzhang released him after asking Emperor Hua, so Xixiang Takamori has survived until today.The reason why Xuan Jianzhang and Emperor Hua let go of Saigo Takamori was not because of compassion, but more from a political point of view, even with Li Hongzhang.Saigo Takamori's prestige in Japan is too high, and if the Chinese army rashly kills Saigo Takamori, it may cause an even greater backlash.This is out of political considerations, and Xuan Jianzhang believes out of military considerations that if Saigo Takamori dies, after that, in the face of Kyushu Island, which is mostly mountainous, the Japanese samurai will still continue to resist, and they will all turn into the shadows and disperse, and will not be as concentrated as they are now under the leadership of Saigo Takamori.For the Chinese army, which has a strong advantage in individual combat, it is natural to hope that the Japanese civil opposition forces will be as concentrated as possible, and when it is not enough to resist, it will mean that the Chinese army has completely occupied Kyushu Island.Saigo Takamori was born in Shimokajiya Machiyama under Kagoshima Castle in the Satsuma Domain of Japan, and received strict samurai training from an early age, which made him develop martial habits and have a strong feudal moral concept such as loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness.In the first year of Honghua, he served as the assistant of the county secretary.He then served as a county clerk for a total of 10 years.Okubo Ritsuichi, another of the three masters of the Restoration, studied Yomeiga and Zhuzi's recent meditation from Ito Shigeemon, and Zen from the Musan Monk of Fukushoji Temple.He followed the county magistrate to tour the countryside, contact the peasants, and was familiar with agricultural politics.During this period, the county magistrate Sukita resigned angrily because of the famine year's request for the feudal government to reduce the annual tribute, which left an unforgettable impression on him.Born into a low-class samurai class on the verge of bankruptcy, he served as a low-level official for a long time, which gave him a certain understanding and sympathy for the lower class people, and an awareness of the political decay at the end of the shogunate, so that he embarked on the path of reform.After Shimazu Saibin succeeded to the lord of the Satsuma domain, the "Seitaka-gumi" headed by Saigo Takamori wrote a book on the issue of reducing the burden on the peasants.His political ideas were appreciated by Shimazu Kibin.In 1844 he became a junior official.In 1854, he became a close confidant of the enlightened feudal lord Shimazu Saibin, and lived with him in present-day Tokyo, Edo, where he participated in the feudal government and campaigned for the Emperor's Rebellion.In 1854, in the first year of Ansei, he lived in Edo with Shimazu Saibin for three years, and was active in the "Gongwu Combination" movement, which was initiated by Saibin and others, and gradually became a well-known reformist.On the "issue of the general's heir", he and Qi Bin embraced a bridge to celebrate.In 1858, due to the outbreak of Shimazu Saibin's violent illness, Shimazu Tadayoshi became the lord of the domain, and the real power was in the hands of his father Shimazu Hisamitsu.When Xixiang heard the news, he planned to die for Qi Bin.After the persuasion of the monk Yuezhao, he dispelled this idea and vowed to inherit Qi Bin's legacy and carry out shogunate reforms.After that, he continued to travel back and forth between Kyoto and Edo, carrying out the activities of King Qin, and plotting to get rid of the top administrator of the shogunate, Elder Ii Naobi.In September, Jing Yi created the "Anzheng Prison" and brutally suppressed Qin Wang Zhishi.Saigo and Tsukizhao escaped from the capital before they survived.The two returned to Kagoshima one after another, but were ordered to leave the Satsuma Domain.They felt that King Qin's momentum was gone, and in desperation, they sailed to Jinjiang Bay and committed suicide by hugging each other and throwing themselves into the sea.When he was rescued, the moon had passed away suddenly, and Saigo was dying.Shimazu Hisamitsu exiled him to Amami Oshima.In 1862, in the 2nd year of Bunhisa, Saigo Takamori returned to the Satsuma Domain with the help of Okubo Ritsu, who had already held great power in the domain.After the punishment is lifted, he begins to act as a venerable faction.Hisamitsu originally wanted to use Saigo's prestige in order to realize his plan to enter the king of Beijing and continue to engage in the "combination of public and military forces".Unexpectedly, Saigo objected, ostensibly thinking that Hisamitsu's prestige and status were not enough.In fact, his new political proposition of "honoring the king and destroying the king" contradicted the feudal lords' "combination of public and military forces", and Saigo was in contact with the radical feudal lords.In a fit of rage, Hisamitsu exiled him to Tokunoshima, and two months later to a prison on Okinagabu Island, where he was exiled to death row prisoners.However, he was exiled to the island again.During his two years in prison, Saigo endured many hardships, but he read a lot of Confucian works and recited poems from time to time.One of his poems reads: "When the morning is blessed and the sun is burned, life is like a gloom."
Even if you don't return to the sun, if you don't have luck, you can push sincerity.Luoyang's confidants are all ghosts, and the Nanyu prisoners are alone.Life and death are not suspicious of talent, and I am willing to leave my soul to protect the imperial city. ”This expresses his remembrance of the people who died in Anzheng Prison, and also clarifies his view of life and death and his ambition to be loyal to the king and the king.In 1864, due to the growing power of the Shogunate faction and the demands of the feudal lords, Hisamitsu ordered the recall of Saigo and entrusted him with the important task of taking over the real power of the army and navy of the Satsuma domain.The next five or six years were a period of maturity for Saigo's thought.He began as a general of Hisamitsu, and later became the leader of the Shogunate faction.He worked closely with Okubo Toshitsu to carry out political reforms within the Satsuma Domain, and made great contributions to the completion of the great cause of the Restoration of the Shogunate in Japanese history.In July 1864, the shogunate suppressed the Forbidden Gate Rebellion initiated by the Choshu feudal lords.Saigo, who was in Kyoto, was commended for following Hisamitsu's orders and participating in the suppression, but was wounded in battle.In September, Saigo met with Katsukaishu in Osaka.Katsu knew the West very well and also had a deep understanding of the inside affairs of the shogunate.This meeting broadened Saigo's horizons, recognized the decay and decline of the shogunate, and changed his thinking.However, at this time, Saigo still had a sense of the local consciousness of the "main body of the Sahatsu domain", so he was very wavering in his actions.When the shogunate organized an army to attack the Choshu domain in September, Saigo participated in and commanded the expeditionary army of the commander in the interests of his own domain.However, when the shogunate organized the second crusade against Choshu in April of the following year, Saigo had already carried out his idea of a strong feudal alliance against the shogunate, and resolutely refused to send troops despite the shogunate's repeated orders.In December, he sent people to contact the Choshu Domain, and in the first month of 1866, he concluded a secret treaty with Kido Takayoshi, the leader of the Choshu Domain's Shogunate faction, in Kyoto.Since then, as a leader of the Curtain Dumping faction, he has carried out a wide range of Curtain Fall activities throughout the country.In July 1866, Tokugawa Ieshige, the shogun, died and was succeeded by Tokugawa Yoshiki.In December, Emperor Komei, who had always suppressed the Shogunate faction, died mysteriously, and was succeeded by Emperor Meiji, who was only 14 years old, after the mysterious death of Emperor Komei, who was believed to have been poisoned by the minister, Iwakura Gushi and others.Taking advantage of the situation in the court, the Shogunate began to prepare for the armed Downfall.Under the mediation of Sakamoto Ryoma, a native of Tosachi, the Satsuma Domain and the Choshu Domain formed the "Sacho Alliance".Later, Satsuma also formed an alliance with the Tosa Domain.These "powerful feudal clans in the southwest" seized the power of the emperor's government and jointly crusaded against the shogunate.Saigo and others also formed a "Saxa-British Alliance" with the British, hoping to buy weapons and obtain financial assistance from the British, but they were wary of the British invasion attempts.On July 27, 1867, Saigo met with the British Legation official Hutto in Osaka, saying: "It is up to my generation to do our best to change the Japanese political system, and it would be undignified to consult with foreigners." ”Saigo's answer shows that he already has a strong sense of nationality.In September 1867, Saigo and Okubo, through Iwakura and other ministers, prepared in advance to issue a secret edict in the name of the emperor.On October 14, the two feudal clans received a secret decree.After the deployment was ready, on December 9, the downcast faction such as Saigo and Okubo staged a coup d'état, issued a decree on the revival of the royal government, announced the abolition of the shogun system, etc., and demanded that Tokugawa Yoshinori immediately "resign from the government and accept the land".On the same day, the Shogunate faction organized a new government, and Saigo, Okubo, and others took real power over the new government.The old shogunate represented by Tokugawa Yoshiki was unwilling to withdraw from the stage of history, so a civil war broke out, and because it was the Boshin period, it was known as the Boshin War.In January 1868, in the Toba and Fushimi areas south of Kyoto, a large-scale military clash broke out between the shogunate army and the government army.Saigo commanded the decisive battle.Thanks to the courage of the soldiers and the support of the people, the government army defeated the shogunate army, which was three times its size, and won the victory.Saigo was appointed head of the army and navy by the new government.In February, the Shogunate army set out from Kyoto and besieged Edo.At this time, Katsu Kaishu, who was defending Edo Castle, explained the situation at home and abroad to Keiki, prompting Keiki to make up his mind to surrender.In March, Saigo made seven terms of surrender to the shogunate and went to Edo to meet Katsukaishu.In the end, the Shogunate surrender agreement was signed, and it is known as the "Bloodless Castle of Edo".In August, Saigo led the shogunate army to fight in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, conquering the remnants of the shogunate and winning successive victories.After returning to the division in triumph, Saigo was rewarded for his outstanding military achievements.In September, for his exploits in the Shogunate Restoration Movement and the Bojin Civil War, he was awarded three official positions and a reward of 2,000 stones, becoming the highest official and the most prestigious among the vassals.Saigo, who had achieved great fame, resigned in January 1870 and returned to Kagoshima as an advisor to the feudal domain, and later served as a feudal advisor to the feudal lord, and later as a feudal advisor.Saigo left the central government and returned to the local area because he was dissatisfied with the Meiji government's policies that were detrimental to the interests of the lower-ranking samurai.He was sympathetic to the misery of the lower ranks of the samurai after the Meiji Restoration.Saigo Takamori wrote in a letter requesting relief from the Satsuma Domain government for relief from a soldier who had participated in the civil war: "When the situation of life and death is imminent, it is like a personal property, and when the matter is settled, it is immediately discarded, which affects morality." ”One of his widely circulated poems wrote: "After several bitter and bitter aspirations, my husband is full of shame.Does the bereaved family know if they don't buy beautiful fields for their children and grandchildren. ”Saigo Takamori was not accustomed to seeing many high-ranking government officials chasing fame and fortune and being poor and extravagant, and accused them of forgetting "righteousness" for "profit".Saigo's personal character has always been admired in Japan.It was on these internal issues that Saigo had a conflict with Okubo and others.Although Saigo, Okubo, and others had contradictions, they all realized that in order to establish a modern state and extricate Japan from the semi-colonial crisis, it was necessary to eliminate feudal separatism and establish a centralized state power.From 1871 onwards, they united with this goal and made every effort to reform the abolition of feudal prefectures.In July 1872, Saigo was appointed Field Marshal and Governor of the Guards.In July of the following year, the government promulgated five documents, including the Regulations on Land Tax Reform, to implement the land tax reform that reformed the feudal land ownership system and established the modern land system.Around this time, the government also carried out a number of bourgeois reforms politically, economically and militarily.Saigo presided over and participated in these reforms, and although he did not make any special achievements in the content of the reforms, it should be said that he commanded the military forces and ensured the smooth progress of the reforms with the backing of force, which should be said to be his unique contribution.Saigo, Okubo, and Kido are known as the "Three Heroes of the Restoration" for their roles and contributions to the Restoration.Around this time, he participated in bourgeois reforms such as the abolition of feudal counties and the reform of local taxes.In October 1873, he resigned and returned to Kagoshima to establish a military and political school called a private school, in opposition to the issue of sending envoys from Korea, and Okubo Toshitsu and others.In 1877, he was promoted as the leader of the old Satsuma clan and launched an armed rebellion against the government, known as the Southwest War.Due to the intervention of the Chinese Emperor and Hua Guo, this Southwest War, which was originally completed in a few months, was simply extended by the Chinese army indefinitely, and it cannot be regarded as a complete end until now.Li Hongzhang and Xuan Jianzhang received a telegram from Emperor Hua almost at the same time.Li Hongzhang was in Nagasaki Castle, and Xuan Jianzhang was in Fukuoka, which was a headquarters of the Chinese army on the island of Kyushu and a transit point from Nagasaki Castle to the front line of the army.Now there are less than 5,000 samurai troops in Saigo Takamori's hands, and most of them are cold weapons, which almost do not pose a major threat to the rear of the Chinese army, and the key is still from the direction of Kitakyushu, the pressure of the Japanese government army."
According to His Majesty's instructions, it seems that we are going to take the initiative to fight with the Japanese recently."
Xuan Jianzhang asked Li Hongzhang for instructions on the phone.t1706231537: