In war, reason is always a scarce resource, and when the two groups are in a life-and-death dilemma, more helpers are involved. For the first time, the whole world was torn apart, and not only the great powers entered the war, but also the vassal states joined in, and the world became a "meat grinder". Because the main battlefield of the First World War was in Europe, it was customary* to call this battle the "European War" in the Far East.

But there are always exceptions, the First World War, known as the "European War", actually has a main battlefield in Asia, that is, the Viceroyalty of Jiaoao. Historically, in order to seize control of Qingdao, Japan and Britain of the Entente and Germany and Austria of the Allied Powers fought fiercely, and Russia, France, and other countries watched from the sidelines, staging all-round three-dimensional operations by sea, land, and air, in the form of the "Japanese-German War." The complexity of its tactics and the brutality of the battle now seem to be thrilling.

At 3 a.m. on November 2, the sixth year of the Republic, an Austro-Hungarian (Austrian) cruiser with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons roamed the waters near Qingdao, and it was pitch black all around. After firing the last shell, the officers and men of the ship opened the valve located at the bottom of the ship and sank the ship in the main channel between Tuandao and Huangdao, and with the sinking of this battleship, the German rule in Qingdao was about to end.

Fifty years later, an international team of professional divers who had discovered the sunken aircraft carrier and submarine in World War II set their sights on the shipwreck, the Queen Elizabeth (known as Princess Sissi), and made a plan to find the ship. Predictably, on a day when weather and hydrological conditions allow, the diving team's underwater exploration is likely to pay off, and the century-old shipwreck is likely to see the light of day.

The sinking of the "Queen Elizabeth" was only a small episode near the end of the "Qingdao War", and we must start with the situation in the Far East about this war far from Europe. Qingdao has been leased to Germany for 17 years and is a symbol of the German presence in the Far East.

At the outbreak of World War I, a once-small country was watching every move on the European battlefield: Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan has become the largest power in East Asia, and then through the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, it has completely established the hegemony of East Asia, but Japan has never shown its face on the world stage, and the outbreak of World War I has made Japan see an opportunity. Earlier, Japan had entered into an Anglo-Japanese alliance with Britain, and Japan was eager to make a fuss about it.

Here's the opportunity. On August 4, the 6th year of the Republic, Britain declared war on Germany on the grounds that the German army had invaded Belgium's neutrality. Three days later, the flames of war had spread to East Asia. On August 7, a German destroyer ambushed a British convoy in the South China Sea, and China began to passively get involved in the war. On the day of the ambush, Japanese Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato summoned the British ambassador to Japan and proposed to join forces with Britain to fight against Germany at sea. Of course, Japan would not spend more than 20 days on a long-distance attack on the European battlefield by sea, and Japan set its sights on Tsingtao, a German leased place not far from its own country. Unfortunately, none of them seem to notice that a powerful Chinese regime is also watching the situation at this time.

"Lu Sang, what does this mean?" The minister to China had been replaced by the cunning Lin Quansuke, but he was still stunned by such a diplomatic note submitted by the so-called United Parliament.

"You can take this document as it is." Lu Zhengxiang's smile seemed to be very kind, but his attitude made Lin Quanzhu still feel a hidden threat: "Although we have no obligation to declare war on Germany, we must still defend the right to safeguard national independence and territorial integrity." As we have proposed, we can respect the fact that your country has declared war on Germany, but your country cannot conduct military operations on our territory. Of course, if there is an exchange of fire outside China's territory and territorial waters, we will remain neutral, which is also a universal diplomatic principle. ”

"Hehe, Lu Sang, you are also a veteran of the diplomatic community. You should know that we will not fight on Chinese territory, but the German troops deployed in the Viceroyalty of Jiaoao seriously threaten the security of the Entente countries, at the invitation of the British Empire, our country will send troops to annihilate the German forces in this area, if it is necessary to march with the help of your territory, please bear with us, we will ensure the integrity of your territory, and will not have the slightest coveting of your territory. ”

"Of course, your country has already declared war on Germany. Your right of belligerence is legitimate, but please note that the Jiaoao Governorate you are talking about is leased to the German government, not ceded, so there is no doubt that the territorial sovereignty of Qingdao and the surrounding areas belongs to us, China. Therefore, please respect our neutral position and not allow acts of war on Chinese territory. ”

"Joke, Lu Sang, then Hong Kong is also Chinese territory?"

"Of course, even the British government does not have any official documents stating that Hong Kong is not part of Chinese territory. I think with your cultural literacy, you can definitely distinguish between the meaning of lease and cession. Lu Zhengxiang did not flinch but did not speak harshly, and still maintained his demeanor: "Just like your family's land in Sendai Prefecture, your family leased it to the farmers for use, I wonder if the farmers can claim sovereignty over these lands?" ”

"Of course, oh..."Lin Quanzhu also understood the other party's intentions, but this is not the time to convince people with reason, and what can be won must not be compromised, "But according to the agreement of the Japan-Britain alliance, we believe that the German army in this area poses a huge threat to our side, and we must not act from a military point of view." If your country is worried that we will not return it, then we will assume the lease of the Germans with your country. ”

I have to say that this Japanese diplomat in the Meiji-Showa era, the governor of Kanto Prefecture is still a good person, he will not be as arrogant as the average Japanese, and he can still correctly measure the combat effectiveness of the national defense force in Shandong, although he thinks that it will not be stronger than the field division of the empire, but the opponent's home advantage is not so easy to resolve. Therefore, at the meeting of the Five Ministers, he once put forward a request to renew the lease of Qingdao, you must know that the Germans have leased Qingdao for 99 years, and now it is only one-eighth of it, and if Japan can take over, it will not be able to get another Kanto state.

This Lin Gonsuke was born in Aizu Domain (Fukushima Prefecture), his grandfather was the captain of the Aizu Domain's cannons, and his father died in Fushimi and Toba, and he lived with his widowed mother since he was a child. Later, he was sponsored by Kodama Minofumi, a military deputy of the Satsuma Domain, who advocated the integration of public and military forces, and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1887. Later, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was the Consul of the Consulate in Yantai, China. In 1898, he was appointed Counsellor of the Embassy and for a time acted as the Embassy's Officer. During the Guangxu Reform, he was the most important liaison between the governments of the two countries, and after the coup d'état in Beijing in September 1898, he vigorously rescued the Guangxu Emperor and the reformers. On the day of the incident, when Liang Qichao went to the Japanese legation to ask for the safety of Emperor Guangxu and the rescue of Kang Youwei, he immediately promised; Immediately called the Consul General in Shanghai, Oda Kiri Mansuke, and the East Asian Tongwen Association, asking for all-out rescue of Kang Youwei. On September 23 Liang took refuge in the Japanese Legation. He sent an escort to Tianjin. The Japanese warships and merchant ships were notified to assist, and finally Kang and Liang arrived in Japan. Later, he campaigned for the detention of Huang Zunxian, the minister to Japan, and finally made the Qing government release Huang Zunxian. He also sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Yamen with ministers from various countries, forcing the Qing government to assure that it had no intention of abolishing Emperor Guangxu. In 1899~1906, he served as the Minister of Xian in Korea. In 1905, on behalf of Japan, Japan and Korea signed the Second Japan-Korea Agreement. After seven years of activities, the DPRK was finally turned into a protectorate of Japan. In 1907, he was made a baron, and at that time, under Ito Hirobumi, he was known as the three masters of Han along with Katsura Taro and Komura Shotaro. In 1908 he was appointed ambassador to Italy, and he would not have been appointed again in a short time if it were not for special needs.

"Your attack on the German army in Qingdao will inevitably cause damage to our territory and residents, so we believe that this is an act that should not be allowed, and this is the sovereign position that our side has always adhered to, and I ask for your understanding." Lu Zhengxiang stated China's requirements without humility or arrogance, but Lin Quanzhu was such an easily persuaded person, and the two had several confrontations with each other, Lin Quanzhu emphasized that the German army in Qingdao was a huge threat to Britain and Japan, and insisted on sending troops to Qingdao anyway, and Sima Zhao's heart was well known to everyone.

"In this way, how long do you plan to take to conquer the Qingdao fortress, if it is more than a year like the last Northeast War, if it is not long, maybe'" Lu Zhengxiang's voice Lin Quanzhu certainly understands that China's diplomacy is still so weak, even if they already have a large national defense force.

"We need a month to be enough." Lin Quanzhu hurriedly reported the deadline given by the Ministry of the Army, and they thought that twenty days was enough through sand table deduction, but they still reported for a month for the sake of insurance.

"Well, we can open a road from Yantai Port to the Jiaoao Governorate, but your army can only move within the surveillance range of our army, and no disturbance is allowed to disturb the people, otherwise our army will open fire immediately without warning, and refuse your country's request for innocent passage. After your army enters the Jiaoao Governorate, we must not use all kinds of means to threaten the safety of the lives and property of our civilians during military operations, otherwise we can only counterattack. ”

"Okay, Lu Sang, I will report to my government as soon as possible." Lin Quanzhu was very happy, and the goal was basically achieved, but,

"But there is a limit to our tolerance, and if your country is not completely completed within a month of the start of the attack, our national defense forces will fully take over your country's positions, and promise to clear the German army and recover Qingdao within 15 days."

"That's right." Lin Quanzhu was a little wavering, but thinking about the appearance of those elite soldiers in China, he still felt that there was nothing wrong with this.

With the joint efforts of the two, the decision on the ownership of Qingdao after the war was put on the table like a bet. It's a pity that the Japanese, who are good at finding news, did not really analyze the odds of their opponent Wu Chenxuan, and they were doomed to lose their pants.