At the Palace of Versailles, while a whole group of prospective allies had backed down, the Japanese Government still insisted on honoring its agreement. Napoleon IV was deeply moved and, for the first time ever, elevated diplomatic relations with Japan.
Nor was there any lack of tangible reward. The French Government now needed to set an example, to let everyone know that cooperation with them brought benefits, thereby attracting more partners and reversing its political disadvantage.
Because of the war, France was not wealthy at present. But even a starving camel was bigger than a horse; even plucking a single hair from it was a handsome profit to the Japanese Government.
Besides money, there was something else in this world called technology. Even in this era, when technological blockades were not particularly strict, it was still fraught with difficulties for Asian nations to import advanced technology.
Leaving aside the difficulties of communication, even if someone was willing to sell technology, you still needed the ability to tell the genuine from the fake—and a bulging wallet.
Open the history of industrial development during the Meiji Restoration, and one would find that it was also a history of the Japanese Government being swindled in every conceivable fashion. Much of the imported technical equipment found itself ill-suited to local conditions once it reached Japan.
Perhaps it was because they had been deceived and suffered losses too often in the early days that later generations of Japanese learned to stand on their own feet, strove to catch up, and gradually erased the gap between the two sides.
Having finally established ties with the European powers, the Japanese naturally would not let such a fine opportunity slip away. Still unaware of the plans back home, Honda Ichiro, Japan's minister to Paris, was at this moment