Chapter Five: Who in the world does not know you?

  The war between China and Japan in Korea has attracted the attention of countless people around the world. On August 1, 1894, China and Japan formally declared war on each other. In his declaration of war, Emperor Meiji said, "Korea is an independent country that was first awakened by our empire to join the ranks of nations." He claimed that the reason for going to war was that "our empire advised Korea to reform its government... Although Korea had agreed, China secretly interfered and obstructed us at every turn... and even sent a large army to Korea to attack our ships in Korean waters, which is utterly outrageous." The purpose of the war, he stated, was to "ensure that Korea will forever be free from turmoil," "maintain peace and stability in East Asia," and "proclaim the glory of our empire to China and the world."

  The first round of PK, in the naval battle, the Battle of Feng Island caused the Beiyang Fleet to lose Guangyi, Jiangguang and Gaosheng, Jiyuan retreated, and the Qing Dynasty lost its ability to send troops to support Korea by sea. The Japanese Navy won a great victory. In the land battle, the Battle of Seonghwan, both China and Japan suffered losses. Due to the participation of Ye Zhikui, Japan's losses were more severe. Both sides retreated to their respective positions, and the battlefield was at a stalemate.

  On the evening of August 3, in the political center of the Qing Dynasty, a knock at the door was heard from outside the Beixiang Temple on Bingxue Hutong Street. Li Hongzhang, who had just lain down to rest, sighed and got out of bed to open the door. The over-70-year-old Li Hongzhang was already old and frail, his energy greatly diminished compared to before, and the recent defeat of the Beiyang Navy made this Grand Minister even more disheartened, wanting nothing more than to retire with a clear conscience.

  Li Hongzhang coughed up a mouthful of phlegm, opened the door and took a look. Standing outside were his trusted advisors Wang Kaitai, Chen Tai, Zhang Peilun and others. Li Hongzhang thought to himself: "It's so late, has something big happened? Is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet short of money? Have the Japanese invaded Beijing?"

  Li Hongzhang had not yet spoken, when Zhang Peilun stepped forward and grasped Li's hands, his voice filled with excitement, saying: "Your Excellency, a great victory! We have just received a telegram from Korea, Ye Zhicha and Nie Shicheng clashed with the Japanese army at Seonghwan, annihilating over 3,000 of their troops, two Japanese colonels and five lieutenant-colonels were killed, and the Japanese were unable to advance an inch.

  Li Hongzhang's face lit up with joy as soon as he heard the news, and while leading everyone into the house, he secretly thought about the pros and cons. These past few days, Li Hongzhang had been worried sick, the defeat of the Feng Island naval battle made him worry that the Beiyang Fleet would suffer more losses, so he had to order the warships to retreat to the harbor, which led to the strong dissatisfaction of Emperor Guangxu, and the Empress Dowager was also dissatisfied with the Navy because of the issue of silver coins for the construction of the garden. This time she even said that if all the silver coins were used on her own garden, it would be better than sinking them into the water. The pressure from both the Emperor and Empress Dowager made this Grand Minister need a victory to show off his abilities.

  Zhang Xinxia thought to himself: Among these three thousand or more people, most of them will have to be discounted, but even if the Japanese army suffered a loss of over a thousand, it would still be considered a rare and great victory. Tomorrow, he would submit a memorial to request rewards. As for the death of so many Japanese officers, Li Hongzhang found it somewhat strange. He believed that Ye Zhicha was not daring enough to make false reports, because it was too easy to verify.

  Li Hongzhang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then asked: "You Shao, have you verified the news that many Japanese military officers were killed?"

  Zhang Peilun patted the silver ticket in his arms, which was just sent by Ye Fu. Before he could warm it up, he nodded and replied: "Yes, according to the telegram, it was Ye Zhi's nephew Ye Zhikui who was killed by a cannonball. Ye Zhikui fought bravely and strategically, leading his troops from the front, and I heard he was also seriously injured."

  "Oh, Ye Zhiwei, isn't he the one who just returned from Germany not long ago? He didn't disappoint his uncle who sent him abroad to study. I met this young man a few days ago, and he's quite good!" After a pause, Li Hongzhang scanned the crowd around him and continued: "Young people should be given more opportunities. Look at this big house, it's all old men in their seventies and eighties, how many years can they still live? Think back to when I met Wen Zhenggong (Zeng Guofan), I was also young then. Now I'm old too."

  Then a large house of old people began to reminisce about the past, and Li Hongzhang sent a memorial to the throne for Ye Zhi-chao and Nie Shi-cheng's merits. At the same time, he issued a circular telegram to various foreign embassies, stating that more than 4,000 Japanese pirates had been killed, and there was also a young hero named Ye Zhi-kui who had killed more than a dozen Japanese military officers of all sizes. The Guangxu Emperor saw the good news and was overjoyed, excitedly shouting and praising Ye Zhi-kui, saying that young people were great, young people could accept his reformed ideas, and that the Qing Empire was not something that small Japan could defeat. He shouted loudly that he wanted to give Japan a good look, and at the same time issued an edict urging Li Hongzhang to engage in naval warfare.

  Japan, Tokyo "Jiji Shimpo" August 3rd report: "The war between Japan and China has begun in Korea. A telegram arrived from Busan yesterday morning, bringing great news that the Qing army's Nie Shicheng and Ye Zhikui units launched a surprise attack on our troops on the morning of August 1st. Although our troops were caught off guard and forced to counterattack, under the bravery and good fighting of the Imperial Japanese Army, we occupied the Qing army's Yashan area, killing or wounding over 5,000 enemy soldiers. At this time of national celebration, I urge our citizens to enthusiastically purchase national bonds and contribute their efforts to the Sino-Japanese War."

  Outside the Meiji Emperor's bedroom in the Imperial Palace of Japan, Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu and Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito stood outside the door pacing back and forth anxiously waiting for the Meiji Emperor to wake up. The bedroom door creaked open, and Mutsu and Ito hastily approached. However, the person who came out was a disheveled but beautiful woman. Mutsu and Ito immediately stopped in their tracks, bowed down, and Ito took a surreptitious glance, feeling somewhat familiar with her. He exchanged a meaningful look with Mutsu, who whispered: "It's Crown Princess Sadako of the Imperial House of Japan." Ito hastily replied: "Be careful what you say, Minister Mutsu!"

  Before long, Emperor Meiji walked out with a gentle smile. The three men sat down in order and Ito spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Japanese Army has engaged in battle with the Qing army, both sides have their advantages and disadvantages. General Oyama sent a telegram requesting tactical guidance from the General Staff due to insufficient weapons. GHQ has agreed to the request, and the 5th Division has already entered Korea."

  The Meiji Emperor yawned and waved his hand, saying: "Just do as the General Headquarters says. The Ministry of War said that ōshima Yoshimasa's leg was injured in this battle, will it affect the next battle? Whose responsibility is this defeat?"

  Ito Hirobumi wiped away a cold sweat and replied, "Although Commander Oshima was injured, it's not serious, and he hopes to continue leading the 9th Brigade into battle. The defeat in battle was due to insufficient intelligence preparation, which led to Commander Oshima's misjudgment. The Qing army's Ye Zikuibu had been hiding near Seonghwan, and launched a sneak attack from behind, which is when Commander Oshima's leg was injured."

  The Meiji Emperor nodded and said: "Hakama Kō? It seems that the Empire's intelligence agency needs to continue expanding. Put this person on the assassination list."

  "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty." Seeing that Emperor Meiji did not pursue the matter further, Ito Hirobumi and Mutsu Munemitsu hastily agreed.

  As the first land battle between China and Japan, the Battle of Chenghuan made Ye Zhiqi's name enter the high-level vision of both China and Japan at the same time, and caused enough attention. Next, this name will be a lingering nightmare that accompanies an entire generation of Japanese people.