Togo Hirahachiro held the pen in his hand tightly, and the eight characters on his lips were trembling slightly due to excitement. Togo Hirahachiro gritted his teeth and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Tang Jian, I protest, I don't agree with the last one."

Tang Jian threw away the cigarette butts in his hand and came to Hirahachiro Togo. The two faced each other, less than five centimeters apart. Tang Jian stared at Hirahachiro Togo and said word by word: "Protest is invalid! Please understand the current situation of the commander of Togo and I am the victorious side. You, Hirahachiro Togo, the joint fleet representing your country, is the defeated side. The defeated side is not qualified to negotiate terms with the victory side!"

"And even if you don't sign, I believe that Commander Dongxiang knows that I am fully capable of occupying Sasebo, but at that time I can't guarantee the safety of your naval officers and soldiers." Tang Jian added.

Togo Hirahachiro was stunned. He really didn't expect Tang Jian's attitude to be so tough and so unquestionable.

Togo Hirahachiro sighed heavily, shook his head helplessly, picked up the reading glasses that he had just thrown away, and trembled the pen.

The officers of the joint fleet behind Hirahachiro Togo all clenched their fists, their eyes filled with tears. Today's shame will always penetrate their hearts.

When Togo Hirahachiro signed his name on the surrender letter with difficulty, officers at all levels behind Togo Hirahachiro, including Yamamoto Iroku, fell heavily on the ground and cried in pain.

Tang Jian looked at the Japanese officers who were kneeling down on the opposite side, and now he was crying. Who should the tens of thousands of people of Lushun who died under the Japanese army cry? The Beiyang officers and soldiers who died in the Yellow Sea and above the Weihai Guard, so many leaders of the Beiyang Fleet, Ding Ruchang, Deng Shichang! Shouldn’t their death be held responsible for the Japanese?

Was the Sino-Japanese War caused by the Chinese? Or was it the warships of the Beiyang Navy that were the first to provoke the Yellow Sea? Why would you have to be the first to be today?

Those who invade our China will be punished even if they are far away!

This is the oath that Tang Jian secretly made when he watched the Beiyang Navy collapse in front of him.

After signing the letter, Tang Jian made a "please" gesture. In this way, all the officers of the joint fleet, including Hirahachiro Togo, walked out of the command center under the strict care of the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet.

On the dock are the troops transport ships that the Beiyang Fleet had already prepared. Ten troops transport ships escorted all the Japanese prisoners back to the country. According to Tang Jian's order, they were all placed in the Jiaozhou Bay Concentration Camp in Shandong.

On March 9, 1901, the Japanese Joint Fleet surrendered, and the Beiyang Fleet occupied Sasebo without bloodshed. Under the escort of the Beiyang Fleet, the 1,300 Joint Fleet Navy and the 14,000 Japanese Army Sakata Division were all escorted back to Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong.

It took ten Beiyang Navy troops to transport all prisoners of war back to their country. After the Beiyang Fleet completely accepted the Japanese Sasebo port, all military measures in the port were destroyed. Nearly twenty Japanese warships were classified as owned by the Beiyang Fleet, including the captured Japanese latest 10,000-ton Mikasa battleship.

After the Beiyang Fleet completely accepted the Japanese warships, it owned a total of three 10,000-ton battleships, thirteen first-class armored cruisers, seventeen second-class armored cruisers, twenty-one torpedo destroyers, more than 30 large and large torpedo gunboats, and other various troop transport ships and supply ships.

Since then, the Beiyang Fleet has once again become the number one fleet in Asia.

On March 29, 1901, the Qing government and the Russian government jointly issued an edict urging the Japanese emperor to surrender unconditionally, and the British, American and French powers also mediated from it, hoping that Japan would accept the ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.

At the end of the same month, 50,000 Russian enemy troops crossed the Yalu River. The Russian army was as powerful as a rainbow and had an unstoppable force. Although the Korean and Japanese troops fought desperately, the Russian troops were in a strong position and were in trouble in supplying the Korean and Japanese troops (the Tsushima Strait was controlled by the Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese sea supply line was cut off). On April 13, 50,000 Russian troops arrived at Seoul, the capital of North Korea.

In the same month, the Qing army general Nie Shicheng led 30,000 Beiyang Army and 30,000 Russian Cossacks to encircle the Third Division of the Lushun garrison.

The Third Division stationed in Lushun was cut off by the Beiyang Fleet and the Qing and Russian coalition forces respectively, and was trapped in Lushun Port and could not continue.

In early April, the Beiyang Fleet and the Russian Pacific Fleet sailed to the sea outside the Japanese Yokosuka port, ready to land at any time and arrive directly at Tokyo!

……………………

Tokyo Imperial City, Japan

In the 34th year of Meiji, Emperor Meiji held an emergency cabinet meeting in the Imperial City.

"His Majesty the Emperor, the empire is now facing an unprecedented change. I hope your majesty can put the country's destiny first and make the right choice!" The person speaking was Hirobuki Ito, who returned from North Korea.

"Hmph! Your Excellency Ito, since the beginning of the reform, the country is rich and the people are strong. Even if you suffer great defeat, how can you say defeat as others wish? As long as His Majesty the Emperor and the people of the Empire are united, you will be able to resist foreign humiliation and promote the power of our empire!" The ruling Prime Minister Kae Taro immediately retorted.

Since Japan retreated continuously at sea and on land, two major factions have formed in Japan's political arena. One is the ruling party led by Katsurao's cabinet, which is a radical war-oriented faction. The other is the opposition party of the constitutional community led by Hirofumi Ito, which is a conservative surrender faction.

Since its third failure to form a cabinet, Hirofumi Ito has traveled all over Japan to lobby and speak and always wanted to regain power. Hirofumi Ito wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of Japan's defeat to squeeze and overthrow the ruling party headed by Katsutaro's cabinet, so that it can form a cabinet again.

Emperor Meiji also knew the scheming of the two of them now, but the Japanese army in Korea and Lushun may be wiped out at any time. The empire's proud joint fleet has been completely wiped out by the Beiyang Fleet, and the Beiyang Fleet and the Pacific Fleet have even arrived in Yokosuka and may attack the imperial capital Tokyo at any time.

Emperor Meiji also knew that the empire was facing an unprecedented change. All the 100,000 elite troops of the empire went to Northeast China and North Korea, and Tokyo had no danger to defend. If we continue to resist, we might be in danger of overthrow of the country.

But when the Qing Dynasty was harmonious and Russia had harsh conditions, he still wanted to hear the remarks from the court.

"Your Excellency Ito, you must be clear about the unequal treaties between the two countries for the empire. Each country has a total compensation of 300,000 pounds, totaling 600,000 pounds, equivalent to 410 million taels of silver, and the annual interest rate reaches 4%. You must also ced the four northern islands, and the northern part of North Korea will be given to Russia. The Taiwan, Penghu Islands, Ryukyu Islands, and Tsuma Island will be given to the Qing Dynasty. Such a promise of losing power and humiliation will be given back!" Katsura said angrily.

"Do you have to wait for the empire to be destroyed? Lord Kitaro, you can hear the sound of enemy fleets' artillery attacks above Tokyo Bay!" Hirofumi Ito said with heartache.

Hirofumi Ito also knew that such a treaty was powerless and humiliating the country. However, given the current situation of the empire, if the empire still insisted on fighting, it would definitely be defeated.
Chapter completed!