The changes in the war situation in Vietnam and the change in attitudes towards war between China and France were transmitted back through various channels. The RB originally planned to take advantage of the opportunity of the Sino-French war to expand its power in North Korea. The RB people who immediately stopped military preparations.

"The soldiers in Kumamoto have been withdrawn, right?"

Hirofumi Ito took a sip of tea and continued to ask Nishinoji Koo in front of her.

"Yes. Although 4,000 soldiers were arranged to take a boat to North Korea, after news from France came, the loading of the ship was immediately stopped. The soldiers then returned to their headquarters." Nishiyuanji replied.

As Ito Hirofumi's most proud disciple, Nishimotoji Komaki participated in almost all Ito Hirofumi's political actions, and the current struggle between the North Korean issue and the Kiyoshi Kuroda faction is no exception.

Hirobu Ito nodded and said, "If France can continue to fight with the Qing Dynasty, we still have a chance to gain some benefits in North Korea, but now it seems that the time is not right. If France cannot defeat China in Vietnam, then we will definitely not win in North Korea. Judging from this Sino-French war, the disadvantages of the Qing Dynasty are fully demonstrated in the navy. Only when we start in this direction can we truly defeat this old Eastern empire in the future. Kuroda Kiyoshi just can't see this point clearly, so his promotion of active intervention in North Korea this time is doomed to fail."

"Yes. Now not only Inoue-kun is standing on our side, but even Yama Prefecture Akito and Saigo Congdo no longer support him. Currently, the only support that Kuroda can get is the Army Queer Daiyama Iwa and the Hiromoto Takeo in China."

"Your Masamoto Takeo doesn't have to worry about him for the time being, but we must fight for Oyama Iwa. Although he supports Kuroda's proposal now, it is mainly due to the army. As the head of the staff, Oyama has a very deep connection with the army. Our focus now is on developing the navy, so Oyama must try to open a breakthrough to earn financial support for the future army. This is the main reason why he supports Kuroda."

The King of Nishiyuan Temple nodded: "Just as the teacher said, our hope for defeating the Qing Dynasty is mainly in the navy, but at present, our navy has only a dozen small boats and less than 10,000 soldiers. The teacher's 'eight-year shipbuilding plan' has just begun, and the conflict between the navy and the army has already emerged. If this continues, it may be detrimental to the empire!"

Hirobu Ito shook his head and said, "This is not enough. Whether it is Saigo or Dashan, their views on the navy and the army are actually consistent. It's just that Dashan must help the army fight for benefits because of his current position. Don't forget that even Saigo Congdao came from the army. Now that he is a navy minister, he will speak from the perspective of the navy?"

The Nishiyuanji Gong nodded and said, "I understand. So, teacher, do we need to adjust our policies to North Korea?"

"No! You must remember that our desire for the mainland will never weaken. At any time, obtaining a piece of land will always be the goal that we rulers must adhere to. We only need a little time to prepare now. At present, our most important work is to formulate our own constitution, develop the navy and reform the political system. It may take five years, ten years or even longer to complete these tasks. But even fifty or one hundred years, we will not give up the demand for land!"

Hirobu Ito looked up and said affectionately: "The Yamato people are the best race in Asia, but they have been trapped on these small islands for thousands of years. And those inferior peoples occupy a large amount of fertile land. How unfair this is! Since three hundred years ago, our ancestors have been constantly trying to seek territory on the mainland. Until now, it coincides with a change that has not been seen in a thousand years. It is the glorious mission and responsibility of history to our generation. We have the obligation to lead the RB people to their paradise and gain a broader space for survival and development for RB. Nishizoji, you must remember that even if I die - no, you and I will die, but this policy purpose must never be changed!"

Nishiyuanji Gongwang bowed deeply to the great politician: "Please rest assured that we will definitely obtain the land belonging to RB, even if we sacrifice our lives, we will do whatever we can."

Hirobu Ito smiled slightly and continued: "As for North Korea, it is just a pedal for us. Judging from this incident, one thing is very beneficial to us, that is, with the opening of the North Korean gates, more and more North Koreans will hope to change the existing system, which provides us with the best space and opportunity to develop the power in North Korea. I have communicated with Inoue Kwan, and he will try his best to support new parties to replace the exposed Kaihua Party and make it our spokesperson for North Korea. In time, when these new parties enter the political stage of North Korea, we can enter North Korea without any effort. At that time, it is the most appropriate time for us to seek mainland territory."

"As for the moment, we can only make a step back first. However, the situation is not too bad. As the Sino-French war deepens, Russia has also discovered an opportunity to seek a port in the south. Now this polar bear is also actively trying to obtain a port in North Korea. Two years ago, China and Russia reached a secret agreement in an attempt to use a port in North Korea to exchange for Russia's support for its recovery of Ryukyu. Hum, but they did not succeed. Now the patience of the Russians has obviously been exhausted and they have begun to prepare to steal it themselves. The Chinese themselves cannot deal with this strong polar bear. Even if China is a tiger, the fight between bears and tigers will be a loss-winning ending. There is an opportunity for our big RB empire. Maybe the Qing people will take the initiative to invite us to North Korea. Haha, so I plan to go to the Qing Dynasty in person after a while to meet their little emperor and Mr. Li Hongzhang."

"Oh? Are the teacher going to go there in person?"

"Yes, if I don't go there in person, I'm worried that there will be deviations in the future policy formulation. And I'm afraid that many things will not be fought for by others, so I can only go there in person."

"Thank you for your hard work in the teacher. I don't know when the teacher is going to set off, so students can prepare for the teacher in advance."

Hirobu Ito waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I have to see how far China and France will go. The French fleet is still there, and I'm afraid it won't be so simple to give up. In addition, the attitudes and actions of the Russians, Britain and the United States must be clearly seen before talking about it. So, it may take at least three or four months to wait. During this period, we should calm our emotions in the country first."

Just as Hirobuki Ito said, within a few days, the war situation between China and France changed again.

Because of Liu Shaoqing's surprise attack on Saigon, after receiving a telegram from Lu Mei and He Luomang, on the 7th, the French army in Keelung, Taiwan suddenly launched a large-scale attack on the Lion Flag Ridge area, hoping to open the door to Taipei by occupying the Lion Flag Ridge, forcing Liu Mingchuan to surrender, and then threaten the Qing army to evacuate Saigon, Vietnam, to achieve the goal of rescue of Saigon.

Chen Yonglong, who was stationed in Lionball Ridge, led the local militia to fight fiercely with the French army based on the terrain. A few days ago, the two sides alternated in offense and defense, and the French army's strategic goal of attacking Taipei was not achieved. In desperation, Courbet had to temporarily abandon Taiwan and lead his fleet to Saigon, intending to rescue the captured French officers, soldiers and merchants.

But Liu Shaoqing was prepared for a long time.

Although France had occupied the entire Cygnus twenty years ago, the Vietnamese's anti-French struggle in the six provinces of Cygnus never stopped. Among them were the Xishan Dynasty that was overthrown by the Nguyen tribe, the royal family of the Nguyen tribe, and even the so-called successors of the previous Li Dynasty and Mo Chao. Liu Shaoqing began to contact these resistance organizations the day after entering Saigon and chose a pro-China armed force as the spokesperson to support it. At the same time, he secretly contacted the ruling minister of the Vietnamese government in Hue and said.

By supporting the anti-French forces in Nanqi, Liu Shaoqing quickly ignited the sparks of anti-French in the six provinces of Nanqi. When Courbet rushed to the coast of Saigon, he was surprised to find that the resistance army he had to face was no longer Liu Shaoqing's black flag army, but tens of thousands of guerrilla armed forces distributed throughout the six provinces.

What annoyed Courbet the most was that Liu Shaoqing actually used thousands of French people in Saigon as a bargaining weight, making it impossible for Courbet to use the artillery advantage of warships to bomb Saigon. According to Liu Shaoqing's original words, "If you have the ability, come here and see who dies first!"

Faced with Liu Shaoqing's "rogue" approach, after several unsuccessful negotiations, Courbet decided to temporarily abandon Saigon and Hanoi and instead attack the Qing Dynasty's coastal ports. He planned to use the occupation of one or two Qing Dynasty coastal ports as a condition of exchange in exchange for the Qing government's order to withdraw troops from Nanqi.

At the same time, in order to support Taiwan's Liu Mingchuan, the Qing court ordered the Beiyang Navy to draw warships to assist Taiwan. However, because the Beiyang Navy wanted to assist in the defense at the same time, the only one who could support Taiwan was the Nanyang Navy.

As the governor of Liangjiang and minister of Nanyang, Zuo Zongtang was always a firm pro-war faction, but because of the absolute advantage of the French navy, Zuo Zongtang was powerless against the war situation in Taiwan. At this time, Zuo Zongtang finally realized the feeling of Li Hongzhang's firm support for the vigorous development of coastal defense. As Courbet led the squadron to leave Taiwan to rescue Vietnam, Zuo Zongtang, who had been waiting for a long time, finally waited for a glimmer of opportunity.

"Our action this time is not to defeat or annihilate the French fleet, but to transport troops and supplies to the island. Therefore, your fleet should attract the attention of the enemy as much as possible, but try to avoid contact with the enemy ships."

In the Liangjiang Governor's Office, Zuo Zongtang gave a face-to-face message to the visiting naval admiral Wu Ankang.

After the French naval forces in Taiwan were dispersed, Zuo Zongtang was preparing to take advantage of this opportunity to provide support to Liu Mingchuan in Taiwan. Although Zuo Zongtang and Liu Mingchuan belonged to two different camps, and even the historical entanglements of the Hunan Army and the Huai Army were quite dirty, it was a national war and the court issued a clear order. Although Zuo Zongtang was dissatisfied with Li Hongzhang, he still had a great family and country.

Just as Zuo Zongtang said just now, the focus of this military operation is to support Taiwan, so the Nanyang Navy fleet actually exists as a bait to lure the enemy. The real purpose is to ensure that the British foreign ships secretly rented by the court transport the Xiangyong Eighth Battalion and military pay, and weapons support Taiwan.

Therefore, Zuo Zongtang decided to send five ships "Nanchen", "Nanrui", "Kaiji", "Chengqing" and "Yuyuan" to form a fleet of enemy lures, and used "Kaiji" as the flagship, commanded by Wu Ankang, the general of the admiral.
Chapter completed!