Chapter 738: The Law of the Jungle (Second update, please subscribe)

February 14, 1875, afternoon.

Japan's Emperor Koka died in the bombardment of Tokyo by the British and American navies. The high officials of the Meiji government fled after being defeated.

People in troubled times are not as good as dogs. Those who escaped from Tokyo became a group of homeless dogs.

A group here, a cluster there, in twos and threes, the area outside Tokyo was full of them, both fleeing civilians and some soldiers. Whether they were soldiers or civilians, they were all in rags, the men had unshaven beards, the women had disheveled hair, and some of them only had a pair of torn socks on their feet that exposed their toes.

They walked forward with numb expressions. Where were they going? No one had an answer, but they could not go back to Tokyo. After all, Tokyo had been occupied by Westerners.

"How did Japan become like this..."

As he said this, tears welled up in Ito Hirobumi's eyes. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then he sighed and said to Okubo Toshimichi beside him:

"Now, Japan has really lost its country..."

Yes, the country was really destroyed this time. Tokyo was occupied by Westerners, and even the emperor died in the Western artillery bombardment.

"Hey, Japan..."

Okubo Toshimichi sighed and said.

"We thought that the Meiji Restoration would make Japan rich and strong, but in the final analysis, we thought too simply. When we wanted to learn from Westerners, we never thought that we would end up like this today."

The current situation is something they never even thought of in the past. Once upon a time, they still had fantasies, fantasizing that one day Japan would be able to leap into the ranks of the world's great powers and join the club of world powers.

But now, the naked reality has made them completely desperate, and has also made them truly realize the law of survival in this world where the strong prey on the weak.

Okubo Toshimichi kept shaking his head and said:

"Ah! The great powers didn't even give us a chance! In this world where the strong prey on the weak, the strong will never give the weak a chance to turn things around! They have now occupied Tokyo, and after stabilizing Tokyo, they will definitely attack other places, Japan..."

"It's very dangerous!"

Ito Hirobumi asked:

"Now that things have come to this, what should we do next?"

"What else can we do? We can only go to Hiroshima!"

Okubo Toshimichi said directly.

"Now only the Ming Dynasty can suppress the ambitions of Westerners. If the Ming Dynasty does not help us, Japan will probably be destroyed..."

Okubo Toshimichi's tone was full of despair. If all the thoughts about the country's destruction before were just an unforeseeable future, then now the country's destruction is no longer a prophecy, but a reality!

Japan is about to perish!

How did the country come to this?

Okubo Toshimichi's mind was full of questions, but one thing was certain: Japan could not survive in this world relying solely on its own strength.

"Fortunately, we have the Ming Dynasty!"

Ming Dynasty...that's Japan's only support.

"Da Ming..."

Ito Hirobumi was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Do you think that the Ming Dynasty's intervention now will make them hesitate?"

The Ming Dynasty intervened!

Of course not militarily, but diplomatically.

When the British and American sailors landed, the Ming consulate designated a safety zone near the embassy, ​​and more than 20 marines from the consulate guarded the intersection. It didn't matter if there were not enough people, they pulled some nobles from the safety zone, gave them Ming military uniforms, and even gave them a hat. They became Ming troops, and then under the command of the Ming army, they stationed at the intersection and guarded the safety zone.

On the day Britain and the United States occupied Tokyo, all they could do was stand there and watch facing the streets guarded by the Ming army, unless they wanted to go to war with the Ming. Finally, through diplomatic negotiations, they made Britain and the United States recognize this safe zone.

Even if it is only temporary, the people of Tokyo finally have a shelter.

As a result, in the chaotic city of Tokyo, a rare piece of pure land appeared, and hundreds of thousands of people were sheltered in the safe zone, protecting them from the invasion of British and American troops. Hundreds of thousands of Tokyo residents were saved.

Of course, there were not only ordinary people in this safe zone, but also many officials who did not have time to escape, including the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Kido Takayoshi.

After everyone left Tokyo, Kido Takayoshi stayed behind. In order to avoid being arrested by British and American sailors, he lived in the Ming Consulate. In the consulate, he witnessed the atrocities of the British and American sailors with his own eyes. Countless people were killed and many women were raped.

In the past, he thought Westerners were civilized, but what about now?

After occupying Tokyo, the British and American sailors turned into demons. They killed men, raped women, and robbed property. Amidst all the atrocities, there was only one quiet spot - the area near the Ming Embassy.

"I heard that yesterday afternoon, a Chinese lady and her daughter were raped by sailors. They both committed suicide afterwards..."

In the consul's office, Kido Takayoshi's tone sounded extremely sad and angry. He had heard of too many atrocities in the past few days.

"Alas, when prosperity comes, the people suffer; when decline comes, the people suffer."

Zhao Teng said in a heavy tone.

"Sir, is it possible to get them to withdraw their troops from Tokyo?"

Kido Takayoshi raised his head and said.

"This...I'm afraid it's difficult."

Zhao Teng replied,

"Usually, they either occupy Tokyo or prepare to hand it over to their puppets, but now an accident has occurred..."

Looking at Kido Takayoshi, Zhao Teng said.

"They killed the emperor, so whoever accepts Tokyo will become an accomplice in killing the emperor, so Tokugawa Shigemasa's attitude is not clear at the moment."

What is not clear is that when Tokugawa Shigemasa learned that the emperor was killed by British and American artillery, he not only immediately publicly stated that he had no cooperative relationship with the British, but also took the initiative to withdraw from Nagoya. As for Saigo Takamori, he directly called for expelling the foreigners and announced the withdrawal of troops from Kumamoto Garrison.

The death of the Emperor made the situation in Japan a little delicate.

"However, it may be because of this that Britain and the United States have denied that the emperor was killed by them!"

"Damn British and American bastards, who else could it be but them? They are the ones who killed people, and now that they found out there might be a bad impact, they are the ones who deny it. Damn these Westerners!"

No one would doubt that it was the British and American sailors who killed the emperor. After all, there were at least eighty witnesses at the scene, if not a hundred. They saw with their own eyes how a large group of Western sailors attacked the emperor's convoy. Not only did they kill the emperor, they also looted the property the emperor brought out of the palace. They not only insulted the female officials in the palace, but even the emperor... In short, those damn Westerners were simply insane.

When Kido Takayoshi said this, he turned his eyes to Zhao Teng.

"Sir, now only you can save Japan. As long as your fleet sails to Tokyo Bay, you will be able to force them to withdraw, sir! Now the only one Japan can rely on is the motherland Ming. Now that the emperor has been killed, Japan has become an orphan without a master. If the motherland Ming abandons Japan again, Japan... I am afraid it will really fall into the hands of the Western devils!"

In response to Kido Takayoshi's request, Zhao Teng hesitated for a while and said.

"I'm afraid this is not something I, a diplomat, can decide, but don't worry, the Ming Dynasty will definitely not ignore Japan,"

Now, apart from verbal comfort, Zhao Teng is simply powerless. In the absence of clear instructions from the country, even if he wants to help Japan, what he can do is very limited.

What can he do?

That is to say, just like now, before the British and American sailors go ashore, a safe zone is demarcated, and then the national flag of the Ming Dynasty is used to protect the people in the safe zone.

After all, in this world of great contention, the weak are at the mercy of others.

(End of this chapter)