Knowing it is impossible yet doing it anyway

  "This is a deliberate attempt to destroy our country! They are treating us like we're the second North Korea!" Yuan Shikai's roar echoed through the room, and all the civil and military officials stood there cautiously, listening to their president raging.

  "We just proposed to them today to cancel the Shandong battlefield, and both British and Japanese teams retreated completely. But they didn't even bother to respond, not taking us seriously at all. Now it seems that if things go wrong, they might still be laughing at us like fools! The knife is already at our throat and we don't even know!"

  Perhaps too excited, Yuan Shikai's heart felt unbearable, his pale face turned green as he struggled to walk to the chair, sat down slowly and started coughing.

  As soon as Yuan Shikai's emotions had stabilized a bit, the Minister of War Duan Qirui asked: "If the Japanese envoy really proposed such a treaty to our country that would lead to its destruction, what does the President plan to do?"

  "If it is an equal treaty that promotes friendship between the two countries, I will certainly welcome it. If it is a humiliating and unequal treaty, I will resolutely oppose it to the death." Yuan Shikai replied in a deep voice.

  "The President is determined to resist, and our army and navy must be prepared for emergency situations, rather than waiting passively like now," said Duan Qirui. "We don't have much time."

  "Go and make arrangements immediately, Zhiquan. Gather as many troops from the provinces that can fight and prepare for defense as soon as possible," Yuan Shikai nodded, "However, try not to alarm the Japanese."

  "Yes." Duan Qirui raised his hand and gave a military salute to Yuan Shikai, without saying anything else.

  "Now the situation is not yet clear, and it's rash to deploy troops. If the Japanese find out, they will have an excuse." The Presidential Palace Secretary-General Liang Shiyu said anxiously, "Please think thrice, Mr. President."

  "When the situation becomes clear, it may be too late." Cai E said on the side, "If there is more time, our army will gather its strength and wait for the enemy with several times the enemy's strength. The Japanese army may not dare to act rashly."

  "Viewed in this light, it is not much different from the protectorate treaty that Japan proposed to Korea in the past. Its authenticity should be beyond doubt," said Gu Weijun, a counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Although we are weak and the enemy is strong, which is an undeniable fact, our current strategy should be to use both military and diplomatic means simultaneously. In addition to necessary military preparations, we can also reveal the information to Britain, America, and other countries, so that we can work together internally and externally to resolve this crisis."

  Yuan Shikai nodded in agreement with Gu Weijun's approach, "But I'm afraid they may not believe that the Japanese would do such a thing. However, we can first reveal some information to them." He turned to Liang Shiyi and said, "Later, please arrange for me to meet with British Minister Jordan and American Minister Reinsch, tell them I have important matters to discuss with them."

  Jiangxi, Gan West Town Guardian Mansion.

  Yang Shuo Ming suddenly woke up from his dream, he sat up straight, got out of the quilt and found that he had broken out in a cold sweat.

  Huang Yunzhi, who was sleeping beside him, was awakened by her movements. She saw Yang Shao Ming involuntarily touch his eyes with his hand and shake his head, which made her very curious.

  "What's wrong? Had another nightmare?" Huang Yunzhi asked with concern.

  "It's nothing." Yang Shuo Ming's eyes flickered with a hint of daze, he stared steadily ahead, as if there was something there.

  Huang Yunzhi looked at him with some concern, just wanting to ask again, when the sound of a child's cry came from the crib not far away. Huang Yunzhi's attention was drawn to the child, and at this time she did not notice that her husband was still sitting there in a daze.

  Huang Yunzhi, of course, did not know that at this time Yang Shuoming's eyes were flashing with multiple maps, on which some color-coded arrows and symbols were moving back and forth like a game of chess.

  "Is it impossible to win no matter what...?" Yang Shuo Ming muttered as he watched the various battle simulations in his eyes.

  These days, as long as he had time, even in his dreams, he was always simulating various scenarios of a war breaking out between China and Japan, and the final result was always what he didn't want.

  At this moment, he deeply felt how difficult it was to change the course of history!

  Yang Shuo Ming raised his head and glanced at the calendar on the wall, which clearly displayed today's date.

  January 17, 1915.

  To many people in later generations, this day is an ordinary and unremarkable day in history.

  Yang Shouming, however, was well aware that tomorrow, the newly appointed Japanese Minister to China, Kikujirō Ishii, would find Yuan Shikai and directly bring up with him those "Twenty-One Demands" which made the Chinese people's hearts ache at the mere thought of them.

  The Twenty-One Demands that ruined China!

  As an unprecedented national humiliation in Chinese history, the "Twenty-One Demands" brought harm to China and created a new historical record. Unlike previous unequal treaties that China was forced to sign, this extremely vicious "Twenty-One Demands" had another destructive effect on China: it successfully made the legitimacy of the newly unified Chinese government non-existent, and China's political situation has been in continuous turmoil ever since, with the country fragmented and losing its development opportunities once again.

  How can we eliminate the pernicious influence of the "Twenty-One Demands" and give China time for development?

  Yang Shuo Ming from standing firm in Ganxi to now, everything he has done is actually for this.

  However, he also deeply knew that even with the help of his "supercomputer eyes", it was impossible to make China's strength take a qualitative leap in a short period of time and defeat Japan, which was pressing in on China step by step.

  The result of the war game simulation just now also told him the same answer.

  "The Super Computer Eye" has clearly told him through military chess and data analysis that the upcoming battle is doomed to fail.

  But now he has no other choice.

  Just a few days ago, Jiang Xueying in Beijing had sent back a secret telegram saying "the pigeon has flown".

  The images and data in his eyes suddenly disappeared, and Yang Shuoming, who came back to his senses, looked at Huang Yunzhi's gentle and beautiful back as she comforted her son to sleep, and suddenly felt a strange sense of sorrow.

  If I want to change the outcome of history, will I lose her and the child, as well as everything I have now, even my own life?

  "What's wrong with you? What's on your mind?" Huang Yunzhi was startled to see Yang Shuoming staring at her absent-mindedly after she had just put their son back to sleep.

  For her, it was the first time she saw him with such a lost and sorrowful look in his eyes.

  "Would you do something that you clearly know will end in failure?" Yang Shuo Ming asked softly, looking at her.

  Huang Yunzhi found it strange that he would ask such a question, she hesitated for a moment and replied: "It depends on the significance of doing this thing."

  After hearing her response, Yang Shuo Ming's eyes suddenly emitted an unusual glow.

  "I understand, thank you." He gratefully held her hand, lay back in bed, closed his eyes and fell into a sweet sleep.

  Huang Yunzhi looked at him in confusion, and at this time, that handsome face no longer had the worry and sadness of just now, but was filled with tranquility and joy.

  Huang Yunzhi looked at Yang Shuoming, who had fallen asleep with a sweet expression, and couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head. She leaned down and gently kissed his forehead before lying back down and slowly drifting off to sleep herself.

  January 18, 1915, Beijing, Jurintang.

  "The Japanese government expresses its highest sincerity to the Great President, hoping that the pending issues between Japan and China can be resolved properly as soon as possible, the friendly relations between Japan and China will continue to strengthen, and hopes that the Great President can ascend to a higher position as soon as possible."

  Japanese Envoy Hishiki Masayoshi spoke while carefully observing the facial expressions of Yuan Shikai, who was seated there, but what made him feel disappointed and surprised was that today's Yuan Shikai seemed to be somewhat different from his previous self.

  Yuan Shikai's face sank like water as he took the documents that had been placed on the table, casually flipped through them once, and then put the documents back on the table.

  "I understand." Yuan Shikai seemed to have known what was written on it all along. After listening to the translator's explanation, he looked at Ito Hirobumi and said in a low voice, "Later, please ask the ambassador to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk with Premier Lu."

  Yi was taken aback by Yuan Shikai's response, and the sudden change in his demeanor left him momentarily speechless.

  Just last August, when Ito Sukemasa replaced the late Japanese Minister to China, Yamaza, and arrived in Beijing, he immediately met with Yuan Shikai in secret and hinted that "China should have an emperor". When Yuan denied having any ambitions to become emperor, Ito bluntly said: "There is nothing wrong with the President becoming Emperor, but the most important thing is for the Chinese government to show goodwill towards Japan, only then can we gain sympathy and support from the Japanese government."

  It's already crystal clear at this point, Ri Shigen was actually telling Yuan Shikai in no uncertain terms that if he chose to side with Japan, Japan would support him as emperor.

  Nowadays, Ri Kui still remembers that when he said this, a strange light flashed in Yuan Shikai's eyes for an instant.

  After the Japanese army occupied Qingdao, Japanese Foreign Minister Katō Takaaki once called back Nishihara Kamezō to "instruct him on the machine", and after Nishihara returned to China in December, he requested a secret meeting with Yuan Shikai under the pretext of "returning to his post to see the President". In this secret meeting, Nishihara hinted again at Yuan's possibility of becoming an emperor, as instructed by Katō. This time, Yuan also showed great ambiguity.

  But today's Yuan Shikai seems to be a completely different person from that day's Yuan Shikai.