Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Character Relationship Diagram

After realizing the importance of his responsibility, Ke Taro's worries disappeared. To put it bluntly, his task was to try to monitor the important figures of the Qing government so that they would not be bribed by the Russians. It is estimated that there are some people with the same mission as him, who used other channels to monitor the whereabouts of Qing government dignitaries and Russians.Cetaro's task is to understand the situation of Wen Baotai, an important channel for contacting dignitaries of the Qing government. But he thought again: After the target is narrowed, better results will be received.But he was also worried that in this way, it would be difficult to see the whole situation clearly.

A person is always unwilling to let himself be used as a tool. He wants to use his own mind to think about problems and act according to his own will. Only in this way can he be regarded as a real person. After Cetaro came to China for the second time and met Wang Liying again, he always felt a little uneasy for some reason.However, when Keigo Nasu clarified the important responsibilities he shouldered, he not only clarified the importance of his responsibilities, but also secretly rejoiced in his heart, because in the future there will be sufficient reasons and excuses to approach Wang Liying and others.

"If you have the opportunity to associate with some people who care about politics, you may be able to obtain unexpected information." These young people often come and go to various places, and they are likely to obtain information. Li Tao and other young people often gather at Wang Liying's house, and many of them have studied in Japan. They were not wary of Taro.Wang Liying once said against Taro: "Mr. Doi, we all sympathize with the revolution." At that time, what troubled the revolutionaries of the Qing Dynasty most was their own isolation.They welcome foreign friends very much, even the famous Sun Wen is no exception.

Doi Sakutaro is a member of the Kahara Chamber of Commerce in Japan. On the surface, he came to China through the business relationship of the Chamber of Commerce.While espionage, he must still use the cover of a businessman. At that time, most people knew that the trading of calligraphy, painting and antiques was concentrated in the outer city of Beijing, that is, the famous Liulichang area. In the past, this area was a kiln that specially supplied glazed tiles to palaces.Over time, this area was called Liulichang."Xiu Gu Tang", which has a very close relationship with Wen Baotai, opened a shop here.

Wang Liying lives in her uncle's house.Her uncle's house is in Jixiang Ertiao Hutong near Liulichang.Later, the owner of the family went south with his family, moved to Shanghai, and entrusted Wang Liying to manage the house.Wang Liying's friends went to Jixiang Ertiao Hutong to look for Wang Liying without any scruples.Young people gather together, talking and laughing happily, without restraint. Since Ce Taro was an antique dealer, he naturally went to Liulichang often, and often set foot in Wang Liying's home, and established a good relationship with her.Ce Taro really wanted to go to her house every day, but he didn't dare to be so presumptuous, so he went to play every other day.In this way, he can often listen to the views and debates of young people on the current situation.

Ce Taro was complacent, he thought: what a good source of information this is! One of the topics that young people often talk about is the current conflict between Japan and Russia.Whenever this matter is mentioned, almost all people say indignantly: "It would be unreasonable to wage war on our sacred land!" From time to time, Keitaro also heard different opinions.This opinion comes from the mouth of a young man who had studied at the Japanese Higher Normal School.This young man has fair skin, a long face, and tired eyes.He said: "We should warmly welcome the war in the three eastern provinces of our country. Why do we say that? Because that is the homeland of the Qing Dynasty. Once the war breaks out and turns it into ruins, the nobles of the Qing court will definitely be exhausted psychologically and materially. Of course, once the three northeastern provinces become a battlefield, it will be extremely unfortunate for the local residents. They should be allowed to take refuge in advance, and there is no other way. After the territory of the Tartars is abandoned, the fate of the Qing Dynasty will be over. We revolutionaries, You should be happy that the Russo-Japanese War broke out on the land of Manchuria...."

Instead of arguing impassionedly, the young man stated his point of view with great calm and persuasiveness. The term "Tarbaru" he mentioned is a contemptuous name for the Manchus by the Han people.It goes without saying that "Tar" means the Tatars. China was conquered by the Bomans more than two hundred years ago.The Qing Dynasty was, of course, a dynasty of the Manchus.Most of the imperial relatives and nobles of the Manchu nationality occupied territory in the three northeastern provinces, from which they received annual tribute every year and lived a luxurious life.

If they get nothing from their lands, they will undoubtedly decline.These imperial relatives and aristocrats will definitely regard the three eastern provinces as the "Ping Fan" of the Qing Dynasty.When they were exhausted, who would maintain the Qing Dynasty for them?In this way, they are near to perdition. The above argument is clear and well-organized, and it also comes from the mouth of that young man. Some people listened and nodded frequently: "Ho ho! It's really good. It does have unique insights." Those who disagreed, however, countered: "It is true that the three eastern provinces are the territories of the Tartars, but aren't all the Han brothers who cultivated that land?... Once there is a war, the Han brothers will be involved. No, we must avoid war!"

When the heated debate calmed down slightly, Li Tao stood up calmly and said: "No matter how much we argue, assumptions are not reality. Gentlemen, I don't think war will happen! ... How do you say that? This is reality! Even if Japan wants to start a war, they have no excuses, isn't it in vain? ... " Tatsutaro couldn't help being taken aback.From the tone of his speech, Li Tao seemed very confident. "How do you know?" Wang Liying asked. Coincidentally, this is exactly the question that Cetaro wanted to ask. "Anyway, this is my conclusion. My conclusion comes from reliable information from relevant parties. First of all, it can be said that it cannot be wrong... I can only say so much, and I can't go on. Otherwise, I will give the person who provided me the information cause trouble."

"But why can't the Japanese side find an excuse?" Wang Liying asked. "Liying, you lack research on the international situation. I think we must have a rough estimate of the situation... Now Prince Qing is following Li Hongzhang's line. Maybe it's right to do so!" After Li Tao finished speaking, he laughed ho ho. At this moment, Stratarou's heart had already flown to Nasu Keigo's residence in Jinyu Alley. Even if it is a legend in the streets and alleys, Cetaro should report to Nasu.If the intelligence is correct, that is a really important question about the bigger picture.

Cetaro wanted to leave immediately, but he was afraid of arousing suspicion, so he had to wait patiently.Only in such tense moments would he forget Wang Liying's existence.Soon, the people present changed the topic. Seizing the opportunity wisely, Cetaro stretched deliberately, and then said: "I'm leaving, and I still have to do business. Alas! It's hard work as a clerk... If you have time, please come to Liulichang's small shop..." Ce Taro left Wang Liying's house, got on a rickshaw and rushed to the city. He came here specially to report important information to Nasu.However, when we arrived at Nasu's house, he was nowhere to be seen. Only the old lady hired by Nasu said in a blunt southern accent: "Oh! My master didn't say anything when he went out. I don't know when he will come back." "I can't help it. I have something to look for him, but he went out for a stroll..." Cetaro was angry and anxious, and complained a few words. But in any case, you must wait patiently for him. About half an hour later, Nasu came back.To Taro, these thirty minutes seemed like a long wait. When Nasu saw Tatsutarou, he looked perplexed. "What's the matter with you? I'm busy right now!...Well! Well, I have something to see you anyway. Come back in two hours, okay?" Nasu said impatiently. At this time, Cetaro was really angry.He thought that if the information he heard was true, then this information might influence the fate of the country.However, when he saw Keigo Nasu's bewildering attitude, he was really angry... "Come back in two hours? I can't wait that long anyway." Said Taro sternly. "Oh!" At this moment, Nasu felt that Zetaro's expression was unusual. "I got an important piece of information," Saitaro said, suppressing his eagerness. "Maybe it's a groundless rumor. But I have to report it to you immediately, so I came here specially..." Nasu stared at Zetarou for a while, then folded his arms and said: "I want to hear it anyway, but I hope you keep it short." "I've heard what we've been dreading. There will be no more war." As Taro said, he glared at Nasu. "Where did you get the information?" At this moment, Nasu lowered his arms. "I heard it from a Qing Dynasty student studying in Japan who I met in Tokyo. His uncle is an official of Li Hongzhang's faction, and he seems to be in charge of the official department now. This person usually doesn't just talk about it." "Hmm, um!,...As expected, another element that is in line with the actual situation has been added." "What do you mean by that?" "Last night, we have already grasped some developments in Russia... The Russian-Chinese Bank has recently had a huge flow of funds. We suspect that the large amount of money was used as an activity fund? Immediately afterwards, one of Yuan Shikai's staff also revealed some information. Well, that's it. It is said that a geisha who was close to this staff member said that she was afraid of war and was terribly frightened. The staff said, "It doesn't matter, the war cannot be fought. If you don't believe me, I dare to bet with you." This person has always been He is also very cautious, and will not make false statements. The envoy was very worried, and hurriedly called a meeting with the relevant personnel. Well, I just came after that meeting. The officials of the second department of the staff headquarters also thought that there was nothing to do but try to bribe them. He's gone. Even Major Sakanishi is advocating bribery...Yeah, you also got the same information...You worked hard. You did a great job. Now it shows the importance of Wen Baotai's communication channel .You come back in two hours. I'm going to a meeting to discuss the confidentiality fee." Keigo Nasu, who has always been calm and unhurried in his work and maintains the spirit of "Oriental Heroes", is also showing a flustered look at this moment. Perhaps because he was too panicked, Nasu opened the drawer, poked around in it randomly, picked out a few documents and quickly stuffed them into the inner pocket of his clothes, then hurriedly opened the briefcase to check it, and muttered: What, closed the briefcase again. Before Nasu left home, he tilted his head and looked at his own room, as if reluctant to leave.At this time, Nasu was so similar to the disgusting villain he often talked about. He opened the door with one hand and patted the pocket of his clothes with the other hand, as if he was afraid of missing something, and he seemed more and more panicked. When he closed the door, he seemed to remember that Zetaro was still in his room. "Hi! I'm going, see you later. Hey, I just said what time do we meet?" Because of being too nervous, he even forgot what he said just now. "You said we'd meet again in two hours." "Ah, is that right?... It will take less than an hour to get to the legation for a meeting, and it's not yet four o'clock. Let's have dinner together when I get back to Mi. Excuse me, can you tell the old lady to prepare dinner? I can eat it as soon as I get back." Come on...I want to discuss with you while eating. Oh! I'm so busy!..." It is rare for Keigo Nasu to speak so flustered. As soon as the door was closed, I heard the rattling sound of leather shoes hurriedly walking down the veranda.But Nasu came back soon, and it turned out that he had forgotten something. "Oh, I'm really...too flustered, no way! Calm down! Calm down!" Nasu returned to the house, opened the drawer talking to himself, and rummaged through documents and notebooks.After a while, I finally found what I had forgotten.Only then did he show a relieved expression, and carefully put a piece of paper into the briefcase. Perhaps, Nasu felt that Ichisaku Taro had seen his embarrassment, he smiled embarrassedly and said: "You might get bored here waiting for me to come back, take a look at this..." As he spoke, he took out a few papers from the stack of papers in his breast pocket and handed them to Cetaro. "what is this?" "You will understand after reading it. It can be regarded as a kind of learning... Well, now I_really going out. If you want to leave, you must tell the old lady to lock the house. Please!" Nasu deliberately slowed down before leaving the house.As soon as the door was closed, hurried footsteps sounded immediately. Sitting alone at the table, Cetaro thought to himself, now is a critical moment related to the fate of the country.People like Keigo Nasu, who control the destiny of the country, act in a hurry. Doesn't it mean that they are dealing with and making important decisions nervously? ...Thinking of this, Cetaro couldn't help feeling uneasy. He opened the file that Nasu had left for him before he left. It looks like a list. The document was printed in lead, and many places were blurred.It must have been stained with fingers when the ink was still wet. There is a list of Chinese on it.Most of these names have been heard. It seems that this group of people are all important officials of the Qing court.Some have been filled out in pencil, and lines of different colors, circles, double circles, triangles, and X's have been drawn around the lists. As Taro looked at it, he thought: This may be a list of different factions. It is likely that someone attended the secret meeting of intelligence work, and explained the complex faction relationship of the Qing government's people, as well as the reference materials of each character.It must have been printed in a hurry due to urgent need, and the ink was sent to the relevant people before it was dry. The printed list is jumbled and arranged in a mess.They are all representative figures in the political circles of the Qing government.For this reason, the name of Wen Baotai, who has no official position, does not appear on the list. However, in the notes written in pencil between the lines, Wen Baotai's name was found, and a double circle was drawn on it.In addition, the names of Wen Baotai and Natong were connected by two parallel lines with spots, and the names of Natong and Prince Qing were also connected by the same line. As for the connection between Prince Qing and Yuan Shikai, they are connected by toothed lines.Yuan Shikai and Zhang Zhidong were connected with a blue line and marked with an X-shaped symbol, which probably indicated that their relationship was not good. Even the name of the late Li Hongzhang was printed on this form.This obviously shows that although Li Hongzhang is dead, the power of his faction still exists.At the same time, between these names, they are connected with various lines.Anyone who is connected to Li Hongzhang with a red thread is probably a direct descendant of Li.Like Yuan Shikai, Wu Tingfang, Sheng Xuanhuai and so on. When Cetaro was looking for the names of the people with whom he was connected, he found Natong's name, he was slightly surprised, and thought, "Natong is really powerful!" Natong's name is like the axle of a wheel, surrounded by different radial lines, none of which is marked with an X.This shows that Natong gets along well with everyone, thus confirming the rumor that "Natong is the champion of political swimming skills".Natong and Prince Qing are specially connected by a red line. Among the dignitaries of the Qing government, those who had the deepest relationship with Japan, needless to say, belonged to the diplomatic circles. In the past, Chinese dynasties have always paid little attention to foreign affairs.In fact, rather than not paying attention to it, it would be more appropriate to say that none of them recognize the importance of this work. It is for this reason that there is the so-called "Chinese thought." The so-called "Chinese thought" means that the "world" is China. Tribes far away from the "world" and in every corner, although they can barely be regarded as countries, are actually regarded as poor foreign nations by China because they do not receive the favor of the Chinese emperor.The people there wanted to get the emperor's gift very much, and they traveled thousands of miles to come to worship with tribute. Chinese rulers of all dynasties believed that countries outside of China were nothing more than protectorates or land lords.Of course, China cannot adopt a reciprocal attitude towards them, and can only communicate with them in a soothing way. Under the guidance of this kind of thinking, whether it is the United Kingdom or Portugal, they are all regarded as foreign countries.The transactions they conducted with China in Guangzhou are considered to be "tributes" to China.They dedicate various special products to China from distant places, and in order to appease them, China also rewards them with its own special products. From China's perspective, it was probably after the Opium War that we knew that there were still equal countries in the world. China's six-part system originated in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and this system continued until the Qing Dynasty.The Qing government established six ministries as follows: Department of household - management of taxation, finance. The Ministry of Officials - manages civil affairs and personnel affairs. Ministry of War - manages the military. Ministry of Industry - manages water control, civil engineering, and construction. Ministry of Rituals - manage ceremonies and ceremonies. Ministry of Punishment - Administering the judiciary. In the past, when Chinese dynasties communicated with foreign countries, the "Ministry of Rites" mostly handled the etiquette and reception. The "Household Department" is in charge of doing business with foreigners, collecting import taxes and other matters.Due to many problems, it took a long time after the Opium War to establish the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" with great difficulty. For three thousand years, Chinese dynasties have continued to use the six-part system.Since the number of six parts is six, people have always paid homage to six.But after the Opium War, we could no longer stick to the number six, so the military department was divided into the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Navy.In addition, the postal department and the academic department are also set up. All ministers of the Qing government are called "Shangshu".Each department has a Manchu and a Han Shangshu.The Manchu Shangshu of the household department in charge of finance is Natong, while the Han nationality Shangshu is served by what is called a "hard-boned man". In short, the Chinese government is quite complicated, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an even more complicated institution. In addition to the Minister, there are also "Prime Ministers" and "Lobbying Ministers". At that time, the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was concurrently served by Prince Qing, Minister of Military Aircraft, a powerful faction in the Qing Dynasty. Prince Qing is the grandson of Yonglin, the seventeenth son of the famous Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.No matter in terms of family background or talent, this post belongs to no one other than Prince Qing. When Cetaro saw Prince Qing in the list, he marked them all with a pencil: "This person is very stingy." Next to Prince Qing's name, two names were written in pencil: Tao Dajun - in charge of administrative chores. Sayintu - Russian translation. It seems that the appointment of Tao Dajun has something to do with Natong's emphasis on Wen Baotai.The latter Sayintu may be a Russian translation set up because of its close relationship with Russia. The lobbying minister who assists the Prime Minister was originally Wang Wenshao, but recently Na Tong himself took the post. At present, Qu Hongji is serving as the Minister of Han nationality in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Natong is concurrently serving as the Minister of Manchu nationality. From this point of view, the real power of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is held by Prince Qing and Natong, and they belong to the same faction, so it can be said that they are deeply in the same breath.As for Wen Baotai, who has a close relationship with the two, he is an important figure who handles chores. To bribe these people, it is impossible to spend less money, and it is necessary to spend an astonishingly huge amount of money.Of course, on the surface, Prince Qing and Na Tong would not directly stain their hands.The so-called agency chores, of course, must be Wen Baotai. Cetaro put his arms on the table to support his body, while carefully looking at the list, while thinking about various issues. At this moment, he seemed to feel that his country was about to be drawn into a huge vortex, and suddenly he felt that his eyes were dark. Thinking of this, his body couldn't help shaking, and it took a long time before he calmed down.

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