From the sky to the land, from the sea to the sea, the figures of the soldiers on both sides of the war are simply everywhere.

In contrast, the ancient Asian land seems to be much quieter, but the calmest ice often hides the most turbulent undercurrents.

As a result of the initial setback of the offensive, the Japanese troops on the outskirts of Qingdao had been actively deploying troops since mid-September. In addition to the previous Japanese offensive to test the performance of tanks, the two sides have fought less than 10 small battles in the past month, and the distance between the two sides is only a few kilometers.

As the most primitive and legitimate owners of this land, the Chinese people made full use of the opportunity of the Allied and Allied powers having no time to look east due to the fierce war and vigorously developed national industry and commerce. Despite the Japanese desperate efforts to win over, the scheming Yuan Guangtou government had no intention of joining the war for the time being, given that Germany was still strong in Tsingtao and that the war situation in Europe had been moving in favor of the Allies.

British Embassy, Tokyo, Japan.

British Ambassador Lauren sat in his office with a sad face, he was not worried about the fate of his country now, it all came from the chubby guy in front of him.

"Mr. Ambassador, is there still no news from the Japanese?" The fat man sits on a thick cigar, and the room fills the room with the smell of a high-quality South American tobacco.

For Lauren, the taste was what he hated the most.

"Yes, Mr. Churchill! After all, you are now the intelligence director of the British Empire's Admiralty, and if you want to be received by Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma, Japanese Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato, Japanese Navy Minister Saitage Minoru, and War Minister Yusaku Uehara, I'm afraid it will take a while! ”

The fat man was silent and took another sip on his cigar.

"The Japanese are busy stepping up their offensive against Qingdao right now, so they're going to be a bit busier lately......," Lauren said with some gloom, in fact, after the British navy suffered heavy losses, the Japanese seemed to harden their attitude in front of them overnight. Churchill was not King George's envoy, as the king was strongly skeptical about the Japanese willingness to join the European war. Churchill thought he knew Japan as a nation and country very well, so he insisted on this trip to Japan.

Churchill shook his hand with his cigar, "If I wait like this, I'm afraid I'll never get a chance to be met by them!" No, we don't have much time to go on like this! Mr. Ambassador, who do you think I am most likely to meet? ”

Lauren thought for a moment, "Foreign Minister, Takaaki Kato!" I have a slight personal relationship with this person, and there is still a chance to meet him alone! ”

"Okay, let's meet him first!"

Two nights later, at the official residence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

"Mr. Lauren, we haven't seen each other in days! You brought such a valuable gift to me today, Lauren, you are so kind! Kato spoke fluent English while playing with the antiques that Lauren had brought, or Churchill had given him a gift to him.

Churchill felt that the world had really changed when officials of the British Empire had to rely on personal friendships and gifts to meet the Japanese minister.

"If you like Mr. Kato, it's fine! I have also brought with me a guest today, Mr. Churchill, the Director of Intelligence of our Admiralty! ”

Kato stared at Churchill carefully for a moment, and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Isn't this Mr. Churchill, Lord of the Admiralty of the British Empire? It turned out to be really you! Don't you remember? We met in London four years ago, when a delegation of our Navy went to your Vickers Arms Company to order a Kong-class battlecruiser, and I was a humble little person at that time, so naturally Your Excellency will not have any impression of me! ”

"Oh, I see! What an honor! Churchillton felt that the hope of achieving the goal of the trip was greatly increased, and this Kato was his first breakthrough.

"Let's not just stand, let's sit down and drink tea! The meal will be ready soon, and we'll have a few drinks in a while! Kato led the two of them to sit down at the small wooden table, so that he would not have the awkward feeling of looking up and talking.

Both Churchill and Lauren chose to sit cross-legged, but for Churchill's size, the shape was a bit comical.

"There is an old Chinese saying that you can go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, and since the two of you are my old friends, they brought such a good gift. If you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly! Kato knelt across from the British, who, as a foreign secretary, knew the way these Britons spoke bluntly.

"Your Excellency the Chancellor is really cheerful, so Mr. Churchill, am I going to avoid it?" Lauren looked at Churchill and sat down when he shook his head to say it didn't matter.

"That's right, Mr. Kato, I think you are very clear about the situation in Europe, and the war situation is very unfavorable for our Entente countries! Since the successive naval defeats of our navy in naval battles, the British Isles are facing the encirclement and blockade of the Germans, and on the European continent, Russia can no longer pose a threat to Germany and Austria for the time being, so the Germans have been able to concentrate their land forces on the French battlefield, and now our French allies are only struggling to support them. As Churchill said this, Kato's maid brought in some bottles of sake, filled the glasses in front of them, and sat aside.

Looking at Churchill's alert eyes, Kato had already understood the importance of this meeting, so he waved his hand to let the maid out.

"Mr. Churchill, we are well aware of these circumstances, and we are sympathetic to the plight of our allies, but we are too far away from Europe. It took the Russians half a year to sail their fleet from Europe here, and then we were crushed in one fell swoop, so Mr. Fei hoped that our navy would also spend half a year from here to go to Europe to participate in the war? The German Pacific Detachment still exists, and we cannot transfer the main forces of the Navy on this basis, otherwise even our mainland will be in danger of being attacked by German ships! ”

Kato's train of thought was as fluent as his spoken English, which Churchill admired.

"As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kato is so proficient in strategy is really impressive!"

"You're welcome!" Kato picked up his glass and stretched out his hand to signal the British to enjoy it.

For those who are accustomed to whiskey, there is nothing special about sake, which is as light as Chinese rice wine. While Kato was pouring wine for the two Englishmen, Churchill spoke slowly:

"Now we do need your help, and only by working together will the Entente countries have a chance to defeat a temporarily powerful enemy. If both England and France are wiped out by the Germans, the next target of the Germans will be your country! ”

"Oh? I don't think the mighty British Empire will be defeated like this! And France, which is known as the world's army power, will be completely occupied by the German army in just a few months? If the Germans really came from Europe to fight our country, then we would have made them a second Russia! Kato replied nonchalantly.

"But Mr. Kato, with the absolute support of Turkey, the German army can enter Asia completely by land, and after crossing Iran and India, they will stand on the pedal of China and North Korea and attack your country at any time! As for their navy, I have to reveal very bad news here......" Churchill lowered his voice with a mysterious look, "I am afraid that the Suez Canal will soon fall into the hands of the German-Turkish forces!" By that time, the time for the German fleet to come from Europe to Asia will be greatly shortened! ”

"Oh? Do the Turks have such capabilities? Kato was a little surprised, it seems that the Japanese did not pay much attention to the situation there.

Churchill looked disappointed, "Under Kemal's leadership, Turkey is no longer what it used to be, and their army has been trained by German instructors and equipped with German weapons, and its combat effectiveness is extraordinary!" When Russia was busy with the civil war, the German-Turkish army even transferred the main force to the Damascus line, and the Anglo-French forces in Egypt could not compete with them at all! ”

"What bad news!" Kato shook his head, picked up his glass and drank it down.

"Therefore, proceeding from the fundamental interests of your country, it is absolutely not permissible for a Germany to emerge that dominates Europe. I have always believed that your country should be involved in the war in Europe, especially your powerful navy. If we Britain, Japan, and France form a combined fleet, there must be great hope for confronting the German Navy. As long as we succeeded in containing the German navy, we could transfer the million-strong British Army defending the British Isles to the French battlefield, and the tide of the war in France could be turned around. When the time comes, we will be able to divide up the German colonies all over the world, and your country will not have to be confined to tiny Asia, but how coveted it will be to colonize Africa, the Americas, and even Europe! The more Churchill spoke, the more energetic he became, as he had done to the Italians, and a spectacular scene came to life in his depiction.

Kato glanced up at Churchill's somewhat intoxicated face, picked up the small white bottle of sake and added it to his glass, and said lukewarmly:

"Mr. Churchill, I have to remind you that the primary concern of our country is what the chances of victory are for our army to join the European theater. Even if I refer you to the Prime Minister and the Ministers, this is the question they want to know the most, and we will never go into a battle without any hope of victory! ”

"No, Your Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, your country should be concerned about how much benefit it can achieve in the future, I am right! As for the outcome of the war, it is unrealistic to measure it by the odds of victory. Before the Battle of Waterloo, before the Battle of Trafalgar, or even before the Battle of Tsushima, who knows which side would have much chance of winning? Victory does not come by calculation, but by thorough preparation and determination to win, and this is not the belief that your army has always adhered to? ”

Kato looked at Churchill in some surprise, and the British also hit the nail on the head with his ultimate goal.

"Even so, can you really make a commitment to our country on behalf of the United Kingdom?"

Churchill was silent for a long time before he uttered a sentence in a deep voice: "No, I can't now!" ”

"It's a pity!" Kato sighed helplessly.

"Unfortunately, due to the defeat of the Navy, I have lost the position of Minister of the Navy. But I still hope to save the empire by my strength, and if we can reach an agreement on cooperation, I am fully confident in persuading my country, King George and his government, to formally sign an agreement with your country. ”

"Sir, you are really worried about the country and the people! So are the ports of mainland Germany, German South Africa, and German Poland within the scope of what we can offer? Kato's tone suddenly resembled that of a businessman asking for a price, perhaps this is the true face of a diplomat.

"Yes, of course, the premise is to defeat the German-Austrian army!" Churchill nodded earnestly, for the beleaguered British government, as long as it could curb Germany's aggressive momentum and win enough respite, everything was negotiable.

The shrewd Kato was aware of this, and he reported the two most wanted territories in Asia for Japan: "What about Hong Kong and Singapore? ”

Churchill was not so surprised, the Japanese were notoriously greedy, and he wanted nothing more than to let these dwarves fight the Germans, and when the British Empire recovered, the present promise would be forgotten.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask our king and government for this!"

Kato nodded, "Today can only be counted as a private meeting between the two of us, but I will convey your wishes to my government!" ”

Seeing that the first purpose of the trip had been achieved, Churchill and Lauren got up and prepared to take their leave.

"Won't you sit a little longer?" Kato asked politely, though he knew that the British were not interested in the delicate food on the table.

"No, Mr. Kato. Let's go back and wait for your good news! I hope our two countries can cooperate happily! ”

Three days later, the official residence of Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma.

Outside the residence, the guards were stacked on top of each other, armed with armed soldiers and vigilant plainclothes gendarmes, forming an almost airtight protective net. It seems that the coup d'état five years ago and the death of a large number of high-ranking army generals left a profound lesson for these people who are still alive.

It was only after a rigorous body search that Churchill and Lauren were allowed to enter the residence.

In a classical Japanese-style conference room, several people with serious expressions knelt on a mat. It was 76-year-old Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma who led the way, and Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato, Minister of the Navy Minoru Saiten, and Minister of War Yusaku Uehara also attended.

Churchill was very pleased with this, and it seems that the ambitions of the Japanese made them decide to take great risks to compete in the European theater. It was only with the Japanese that Churchill would do that. In the case of the Americans, this approach is almost unworkable, and the Americans are not only concerned about the lives of their own soldiers, but also about the outcome of the war.

"Mr. Special Envoy, please be seated!" The elderly Prime Minister Okuma seems to be in good spirits and speaks quickly, but unfortunately he speaks Japanese.

Lauren worked as a part-time translator on the side, carefully translating the Japanese words to Churchill.

"Our country has no interest in participating in the European war!"

"What?" Churchill looked at Lauren in a daze, but Lauren's expression told him that he had not mistranslated.

"Our country does not intend to enter the European war!" Prime Minister Okuma repeated it again.

All the other Japanese in the room were expressionless, even Foreign Minister Kato.