Master Yuan, start!

Listening to Jin Bingshi's poor pronunciation and incorrect expression of Japanese, Ito Hirobumi smiled calmly and replied in fluent Chinese:

"Master Jin, it would be more convenient for you and me to communicate in Mandarin."

Jin Bingshi was a little surprised to hear Ito Hirobumi speak Mandarin with a slight accent but correct. He didn't expect that Ito Hirobumi spoke Mandarin so fluently, and was not inferior to some Korean people who were just starting to learn Mandarin.

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In fact, what Jin Bingshi didn't know was that Ito Hirobumi had been living in a temple as a servant since he was a child, and had been exposed to Buddhist culture for a long time. In his spare time, he also learned to write under the guidance of monks.

Moreover, after Ito Hirobumi went to Nagasaki at the age of 16, he studied under Yoshida Shoin, a great thinker in the late Edo period and the theoretical founder of the Meiji Restoration, and learned authentic Chinese.

Although there is a slight difference in accent, Ito Hirobumi's official language is indeed official language, but it is more inclined to Jiangnan official language such as Hongwu Zhengyun.

"Lord Yuan is waiting in Shengjing, please go north to meet him, Lord Ito." Seeing this, Jin Bingshi stopped talking nonsense and told Ito Hirobumi what he was most concerned about on this trip.

"Just call me sir. I'm no longer an adult," Ito Hirobumi said, gesturing to his kimono. "I'm just the honorary president of the Constitutional Research Society now. I've been out of office for years."

Although Jin Bingshi heard what Ito Hirobumi said, he still did not dare to neglect it. After all, Ito Hirobumi's name was well-known in Japan 15 years ago. At that time, he had just been valued by Queen Min and was able to enter and leave the palace and participate in the confidential affairs of Korea.

Moreover, Jin Bingshi understood that Ito Hirobumi was just being modest. Although he had resigned as prime minister for six years, his power in Japanese politics had not diminished in the slightest.

Ito takes the position of Speaker of the House of Peers in the name of elder and frequently interferes in government affairs. He is not just an "honorary president" as he claims.

Without the position of prime minister, he was freed from the shackles, freed from the political struggles among the feudal lords, and able to exert more influence on the cabinet government.

One year ago, under the pretext of "the Constitution of the Empire of Japan has been established, please resume legal proceedings," he pushed for the abolition of Britain's consular jurisdiction in Japan.

After abolishing extraterritoriality and completing this feat, Ito Hirobumi's position in Japanese politics became unshakable. He was hailed by Japanese society as the greatest prime minister in a thousand years and the Bismarck of the Far East.

Therefore, looking at the harmless, even short and crude Japanese man in front of him, Jin Bingshi did not dare to neglect him at all.

"Okay, then please get in, Mr. Ito." Jin Bingshi pointed to the brand new rickshaw beside him.

"Thank you."

Hirobumi Ito was already accustomed to the rickshaws that had appeared on the streets of Tokyo for many years, and he sat on one familiarly without any introduction.

Seeing this, Jin Bingshi turned around and got on another rickshaw. Under the escort of the police, the two of them drove slowly towards the station in Incheon City.

"Master Jin, this official road seems quite flat and solid. I wonder how much manpower it took to build it?"

The distance was not short and the speed was not fast, so Ito Hirobumi simply started chatting with Jin Bingshi.

"Mr. Ito, this is not a road, it's cement."

"Concrete floor?"

Hirobumi Ito frowned. It's not like he had never seen cement before, but to use such a large amount of cement, and to pave an entire road, was unheard of.

Moreover, this cement seemed to be different from the cement he had seen in Japan. Not only was it flat and smooth without any debris, but he also did not see any rotten or broken cement blocks along the way.

Hirobumi Ito saw that some places in Tokyo also used cement to build docks, but they would corrode and crack within a year, and would even explode under the high temperatures in summer. He had heard of many cases of cement collapse and injuries.

Second, why doesn’t North Korean cement explode when exposed to heat?

Kuito Hirofumi didn't ask out loud, but just kept this idea in mind, planning to explore it carefully in the future.

4. In fact, he had two purposes for coming to Korea. The first was to find a way to meet with Yuan Shikai, the President of the National Defense Army and Governor-General of the Three Northeastern Provinces, and to persuade him to reopen trade between China and Japan.

Of course, it was mainly commercial exchanges with the north. Commercial activities in the south had never been interrupted, while those in the north were banned by the Guangxu court after Cixi escaped.

After the Battle of Pi'an Gu, Yuan Shikai attacked the capital on the 50th day. Can I really achieve what the people at home want this time?"

Yuan Shikai's reputation is well known in Japan.

Ito Hirobumi knew very well that Yuan Shikai could defeat Japan on land by relying solely on Korea, even though the Japanese army at that time had been on a long expedition and had not done a good job of logistics, and the new army had just been formed and was far from being combat-ready.

But a defeat is a defeat, there is no need for so many excuses. Even though the army has updated a large number of weapons and equipment in recent years and hired German instructors for training, there has been no actual combat after all, and no one knows what the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is now.

Even if the army can now defeat Yuan Shikai, who occupies Korea and Manchuria, he still has half of China as his backing, not to mention that he seems to have the intention of moving south to unify the country.

Dealing with half of China is already difficult enough, and unifying China is something that the Japanese national policy absolutely does not allow.

Ito Hirobumi silently thought about the bargaining chips he could use, whether it was threats or inducements. The most important purpose of his trip was to support Yuan Shikai in continuing to divide China.

Chapter 197 Yuan Ito Talks

The entire west coast railway of North Korea has been opened to traffic, running from Gwangju, Jeolla Province, near Jeju Island in the southernmost part, to Uiju City on the Yalu River in the northernmost part.

After crossing the Yalu River, it continued northward, passing Fenghuang City, crossing the Liaodong Mountains, connecting with Benxi, and finally reaching Shengjing.

So far, this railway can be said to be the longest railway in China, and even in East Asia.

If you want to get rich, build roads first. Yuan Xiangcheng kept this sentence in mind since he was a child, so he attached great importance to railways.

Although due to technical reasons, the Yalu River Railway Bridge has not yet been built, the North Korean railway cannot directly reach the Northeast. Passengers and cargo still need to get off at Andong or Yizhou Station and take a ferry to the other side for transfer.

In 1869, Hirobumi Ito, against all odds, strongly advocated the construction of Japan's first railway, the Tokyo-Yokohama Railway, even at the cost of a loan from the British.

However, even so, he couldn't help but marvel at the astonishing length of North Korea's railways.

Accompanied by Kim Byung-si, Ito Hirobumi walked through the bustling and shouting Uiju Wharf and boarded a ship to the other side.

But at this moment, his attention was drawn to something happening on the shore.

"Gentlemen, come and take a look at this fine Jilin log!"

A burly man with a braid on his head was shouting on the shore.

Hearing this, the vendors around, whether they had braids or not, all came forward to take a closer look.

Hundreds of logs floated on the water near the dock, four of them tied together into a raft, pulled together by a hemp rope as thick as an adult's head, and tied to the back of a sand ship.

"Come here, sir, take a look. I can use this wood to make a new bed for your child. I guarantee that it will last for 50 years without collapsing." The sturdy man said to a bystander who was holding a child on his head.

"Can it really stand for 50 years?" the people who were asked asked tentatively.

"Look at what you said. Mr. Yuan has used the wood from our Heshengji to make chairs. How can he deceive you?" The strong man patted his chest, indicating that his products were guaranteed.

He turned and walked towards the shore, veins bulging in his arms, as he tugged on the rope to pull a single bundle of wood out of the water.

Immediately, the man took out a three-foot-long knife from behind and chopped at the wood without hesitation.

彡“Dang!”

There was a muffled sound, and the blade was stuck in the wood, unable to move.

The actual demonstration put the onlookers at ease. It was indeed as strong as the strong man said.

"Okay, give me one."

"I want ten."

"Don't grab it, I was here first!"

Once the first person pays, the second and third will follow soon.

"New ship keels, chairs and tables, beams and pillars, all made from top-quality Jilin logs. Buy them and they'll be guaranteed to be free of insects and mold!"

Seeing that more and more people gathered to watch, the strong man shouted louder and louder. He opened a bag he was carrying, took out a piece of white cloth, spread it out and spread it on the ground.

"Payment is in Northeast Dragon Dollars, two yuan each."

Ito Hirobumi on the boat looked at this scene and couldn't help but sigh.

I didn’t expect that in just a few years, the lifeless North Korea would have such a scene. Yizhou Wharf seems to be no less impressive than Guan Wharf.

He turned around and looked at Jin Bingshi beside him, but found that he was already used to it.

"North Korea's rise seems unstoppable."

Hirobumi Ito felt deeply moved that the Great Japanese Empire had missed a great opportunity.

However, soon, Ito Hirobumi put away his emotions, stopped paying attention to what he saw and heard along the way, and concentrated on recuperating.

After getting off the boat, he took a train north and soon arrived in Shengjing, the seat of Yuan Shikai.

...

When the famous Ito Hirobumi arrived at the Governor-General's Mansion of the Three Provinces in Shengjing, Yuan Shikai had been waiting in the mansion for a long time.

Jin Bingshi informed Ito Hirobumi in advance that he should wear casual clothes, but Yuan Shikai still insisted on wearing the new uniform of the National Defense Army.

The riding boots and military uniform seem incompatible with the soft kimono.

As soon as they met, the two exchanged pleasantries. Ito Hirobumi did not get to the point, and Yuan Shikai also deliberately avoided talking about business.

The two sat opposite each other, with matcha specially prepared by Yuan Xiangcheng placed in front of them.

"I'm truly honored that Mr. Ito has traveled thousands of miles north. I wonder if this matcha tastes like home?"

"Master Yuan, you're joking. I'm honored to meet this great general who is famous in the northern kingdom." Ito Hirobumi smiled calmly. "As for this matcha, it's not so to my taste."

"Oh? What's not to your liking?" Yuan Xiangcheng asked.

Seeing this, Ito Hirobumi did not respond. He simply sat upright on the cloth, took a sip of tea, and said calmly, "Master Yuan, you dominate the northern kingdom. How majestic is that? Have you ever thought about what will happen after your death?"

Yuan Xiangcheng put down his hand that was making tea and stared at Ito in front of him, his heart lost in thought.

Are you getting down to business so soon? I thought you were going to chat with me for another hour or so.

"Let me explain it more clearly." Ito Hirobumi thought for a moment and said, "Master Yuan, don't you think my Mandarin accent is different from yours?"

"It is different from the official language I heard in the capital," Yuan Xiangcheng replied.

"The Mandarin I'm talking about is the Nanjing Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty, the authentic Hongwu Zhengyun, not some Tartar language."

"But now, let alone Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture, even Nanzhili has been split into Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. China is full of blood and gore. Is Lord Yuan willing to speak up for the Tartar chieftain?"

Ito Hirobumi picked up the teacup and drank the tea silently, without forgetting to look at Yuan Shikai out of the corner of his mouth.

The reason why he dared to say this in front of Yuan Shikai was that he had made sufficient preparations, although seven years ago, with the disastrous defeat of the Japanese invasion of Korea, all the Japanese in Korea were driven into the sea.

But during these seven years, there were quite a few Japanese spies who went to North Korea under aliases through various channels. As intelligence continued to come out, Ito Hirobumi was already well aware of the changes in the atmosphere in North Korea in recent years.

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Yuan Xiangcheng must have a rebellious heart!

Japan had its own war to overthrow the shogunate, and the Qing Dynasty had its own war to overthrow the curtain.

In Japan, Yuan Shikai was compared to a patriot at the end of the shogunate, and Guangxu was compared to His Majesty the Emperor.

But can the two really be the same?

After the overthrow of the shogunate, all of Japan was unified and local feudal lords could no longer gain power.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the entire Qing Dynasty was divided into two halves.