The first update

Recent tensions have led Japanese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda to make frequent visits to China, hoping to maintain peace between the two sides and avoid spilling over into the island nation, which is already suffering from economic slowdown. Of course, Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto is also considering another way out, after all, with the current military strength of Japan's Shanghai Self-Defense Force, he is really worried that once a war is launched, Japan will be wiped out.

At this time, Akio Kuma, who was director of Japan's Self-Defense Agency, proposed a plan to purchase missiles from China, but it was vetoed by Ryutaro Hashimoto, and a series of military giants such as Lockheed and General Motors in the United States are sharpening their knives and hollowing out Japan's military budget, and if Ryutaro Hashimoto openly buys armaments from China, he will inevitably meet with opposition from US forces. You must know that the rope around Japan's neck is still firmly controlled by the United States.

Still, Ikeda's trip to Beijing paid off. Perhaps in appreciation of the Soviet Union's generous arms sales, Beijing brokered a brief discussion on arms sales between the two countries, introducing the Soviet agent in charge of contacting the arms sales to Yukihiko Ikeda.

Japan needed a solid shore defense weapon to prevent the enemy from landing on the island, and the Soviet Union had already prepared a new type of fortress system, also known as the monkey version of the fortress.

"The USSR sold such shore-based missiles to Japan?" Yukihiko Ikeda shook his head, "Then the Japanese side will definitely not get what it wants, think about it, how many American military-industrial giants who are ready to sell fighter jets and tanks to Japan are eyeing the budget of the Self-Defense Forces?" The Soviets wanted to intervene and were destined to cancel the deal due to pressure from all sides. ”

"Who said we're going to trade directly with your Self-Defense Forces?" Yukihiko Ikeda was taken aback by the Soviet reply: "We are ready to join forces with the Japanese government to establish a cooperative organization to cooperate in the development of a new type of shore-based missile. In this way, the American side naturally has nothing to say, of course, if those military-industrial giants want to use some shady means, hum. ”

Given the high quality and low cost of the Soviet shore-based system, Ikeda was a little impressed, and the fortress system, which was claimed to be able to carve out a death zone within a 300-kilometer radius, was also very much in line with Japan's defense needs.

"Let's think about it." "And we have to convince the Naval Self-Defense Force to accept this kind of defense weapon when we go back, and if we don't accept it, it will be difficult for us to cooperate in this area." ”

The representative of the Soviet Union did not speak, but he could clearly feel that Ikeda Yukihiko was already moved, and then he only had to ask the other party to report the news to Ryutaro Hashimoto. In addition to the electronic technology industry, the Soviet Union also revealed that it wanted to carry out deeper cooperation with Japan in other industries, which also means that Ryutaro Hashimoto has at least more than 60 percent chance that he will agree to this arms sale.

The bait hook has been thrown, and the next thing is to wait quietly for the other party to take the bait.

Sure enough, after Ikeda returned to Japan, he immediately reported to Ryutaro Hashimoto about the Soviet Union's plan to sell arms to Japan, and provided the latest shore-based weapon fortress system, which was a good thing for Hashimoto Ryutaro, compared with those arms lobbyists who only fooled Japan to buy some F15 or Patriot missiles all day long, the simple and practical fortress system is more in line with the needs of Japan's defense strategy.

In such a sensitive period, arms sales to the Soviet Union are a matter of prudence, and if they are not properly handled, they may become the trigger for conflict. But Japan's move is also full of helplessness, who does not want to seize a favorable opportunity before the war starts.

"What did the Soviet side say?" Ryutaro Hashimoto asked.

"They hope that a decision will be made before Yanayev's visit to Japan." Yukihiko Ikeda replied, "The purpose of the Soviet visit was obvious, to facilitate this deal, which amounted to several hundred million dollars. As for any economic cooperation, it is just a façade, and the most important thing now is how can we resist the pressure from the United States? Will they let go of this perfect opportunity to sell Patriot missiles? ”

"Americans are not stupid, they will certainly not give up. However, the Soviet Union has already given a plan, and the sale of the fortress system is ostensibly a joint military research and development between the Soviet Union and Japan, but in fact it is an arms sale under the banner of joint research and development, and all shore-based missiles will be disassembled into parts, and then transported to Japan by large ships for assembly. As long as it does not show its feet, the United States will be helpless even if it is aware of it. Yukihiko Ikeda said.

The head of the Defense Agency, who was silent on the sidelines, asked, "Isn't this a trap?" The Soviet Union still has a dispute with China over the four northern islands, and now it is said that it will sell us the fortress system, and unless they have other purposes, the Soviet Union will definitely not be so kind. ”

"For any other purpose?" Ryutaro Hashimoto pondered for a moment, and he asked, "The Soviet Union probably won't sell us the original version of the Bastion system, right?" ”

Yukihiko Ikeda was stunned by this question, and he looked back at the history of arms sales to the Soviet Union, and indeed there was no record of selling original weapons, at most selling some second-hand obsolete originals to third-rate countries, and undermining military expenditures.

"Sure enough, the United States is not the only country that wants to use this strait crisis to make war money."

Ryutaro Hashimoto figured out why the Soviet Union suddenly became so generous, "No wonder the Soviet Union hastily eliminated a number of active warships, and even the Kiev-class aircraft carriers were hurriedly sold at a lower price, in order to continue to deepen the conflict, so as to achieve the effect of selling armaments to earn a large amount of foreign exchange." Now that China has assembled its own aircraft carrier fleet, the Soviet Union has also provided an opportunity for Southeast Asian countries to sell obsolete Soviet ships. Similarly, the outbreak of the crisis also deepened the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and the Soviet Union took the opportunity to sell arms to the two Koreas to arm their national defense forces. It seems that Yanayev's target is not just Japan. ”

In Akio Kuma's panicked eyes and Yukihiko Ikeda's somewhat convulsive expression, Ryutaro Hashimoto revealed a very cruel truth.

"The entire Asia-Pacific region may be involved in this turmoil, and the countries are the objects of arms sales by the Soviet Union! They are trying to set off an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region! (To be continued.) )