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Of course, Falkingham is not sure about this, because some people in the German government want to make a fuss about the Qingdao issue, tie China to their own chariots, and drag them into the quagmire of war.

Chen Wenqiang said it lightly and sincerely, and Fa Jinhan certainly did not know what Chen Wenqiang really thought, and he was secretly rejoicing at the success of the visit. A secret agreement has been reached, tanks, airplanes, penicillin, although not all of them have been obtained, but the tanks that will take time to manufacture can be obtained as desired, relying on the strong industrial strength of Germany, it is completely possible to build a powerful armored force in a short time. The German Army, which was already the first in Europe, is now even more powerful, and what could make Falkingham more happy as a soldier!

Chen Wenqiang did behave very easily at this time, Qingdao can receive it peacefully, and if it can't receive it peacefully, then use force to snatch it over. Although this is not fair to Germany, it involves the rights and interests of the country and does not allow for other considerations.

Of course, it would be best if it could not be used without force, and the supply of German penicillin was also based on this consideration. Penicillin's significant role in military value may have had some beneficial effects on Germany.

As for the question of money, in addition to Germany, there is also the United States, and the United Kingdom can also consider it. In the final sprint before the war, a penny is also good. With the president's backing, Congress has passed a proposal from the Treasury Department to provide more lenient and preferential lending support to domestic businesses, with the central bank's reserves at the expense of the central bank if necessary.

In short, for China to obtain the greatest benefits in World War I and to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise, Chen Wenqiang is doing his best, and he is also pulling the people around him to fight for this goal. Seeing that the time was getting closer and closer, he was full of longing and a little anxious to wait for that day.

Opportunities and challenges coexist, and that day was indeed too important for China. As long as you resist the pressure of Oriental Japan, the future is bright; On the contrary, there is nothing to do otherwise, and if we defeat it, we will drag Japan along and continue together, and we will never compromise or talk about peace. We must no longer use Chinese blood to feed the little Japanese devils and let them climb up on the backbone of China.

Although this is not the best time to compete with Japan, it is not possible to tolerate it. Moreover, China needs an excuse to completely or almost cut off Japan's supply of resources.

Therefore, Chen Wenqiang not only wanted not to give the Japanese a reason to meddle in Qingdao, but also hoped that Japan's brutal action in China policy, just as in history when the Yuan Shikai government was forced to sign the "21 Articles," not only failed to bring Japan the expected benefits and rights, but on the contrary aroused the vigilance of Britain and the United States in the international community and aroused great resentment in China.

Time passed slowly in Chen's anticipation, and the situation became more and more tense, but China's situation became more relaxed.

Penicillin began to be put on the market, not only saving the lives of countless patients with pneumonia, meningitis, abscess, and sepsis, but also causing a huge sensation in the world, and its great significance to the war also began to be highly valued by all countries.

At that time, the wounded and sick of the war, limited to medical conditions, were the most susceptible to infection, and the patients with sepsis were basically lifeless.

But now penicillin has created a miracle that has made it easier to treat the wounded and sick, and the treatment of the wounded and sick will directly affect and restrict the recovery and regeneration of the combat effectiveness of the troops.

As Falkingham put it in his report to Wilhelm II: "A few vials of penicillin may save the life of a wounded, and the wounded is more likely to become a braver and more experienced soldier when he recovers." In the war, there will be thousands of wounded waiting to be treated, and even if a third or a quarter of them are treated with penicillin, it means that the German Reich will have another regiment, a brigade, and a division. The fact that a large number of wounded can be turned around will not only greatly boost morale, but optimistically, may even turn the tide of the battle......"

Although China regularly supplies German penicillin, such quantities are not enough even for use in hospitals, let alone several times or even more than ten times the amount needed in wartime.

In view of this situation, Germany appointed the Minister to China to begin negotiations with the Chinese government on the transfer of penicillin production technology. After several rounds of negotiations were fruitless, the German government finally began to weigh the importance of ceding Qingdao after the war.

Of course, it was not only the Germans who coveted penicillin production technology, and as the danger of war deepened, penicillin, as an extremely important strategic material, the Entente countries also set their sights on the Chinese government and tried every means to test the attitude of the Chinese government.

Money is just a small issue, Chen Wenqiang's vision will not be so short-sighted, he wants to use the weapon of penicillin to obtain the greatest benefits for the country. Therefore, the production technology of penicillin is like fishing bait, which is always dangling, but it is never eaten.

Now the production of penicillin has reached 60,000 per month, and President Song Jiaoren is very proud of it, which country to sell penicillin to, and how much to sell, all need his personal instructions. The amount that can be supplied to other countries is very limited, excluding the supply to Germany, and the United States, excluding the domestic supply.

Moreover, Chen Wenqiang was very bad, he suggested to the president that a certain amount of penicillin be smuggled to other countries through secret channels, and the price of penicillin was inflated very high on the black market, almost the same price as gold.

"Will war really break out in Europe?" Ah Xuan asked Chen Wenqiang very casually, saying that women will become stupid after giving birth, and she is a good example.

"They are all preparing, Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, ......," Chen Wenqiang mused, and replied casually.

"For the assassination of the Austrian count?"

"It's a duke, a grand duke." Chen Wenqiang shook his head slightly, amused that his wife was focusing on the children and asking such a superficial question, "I'm going to work, and today I have met with ministers from several countries, but you want to confuse my head." ”

Ah Xuan smiled indifferently and said, "Tease you, although you don't say it, but how can I not know the severity of the situation." Relax, we have survived the most difficult times when we first founded the country, and now what can the war in Europe do to us? ”

Chen Wenqiang nodded with a wry smile, stood up, kissed his wife, and walked out.

The day of longing is coming, and when you don't come, you can't be in a hurry, and when it really comes, it makes people feel nervous, which is probably a common problem for many people.

After a busy day, Chen Wenqiang sat in the office, thinking about the layout in advance over and over again, hoping not to let go of even the slightest small loophole.

Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, the Chinese government was immediately running at full speed, and the National Defense Committee was formed; Shandong Front Command was established; In the name of military exercises, the troops assembled in Hebei and Henan began to secretly move towards Shandong; The Northeast troops were put on alert and closely watched the movements of the Japanese army in southern Liaoning; Navy ships have stepped up patrols and alert, and submarine forces are ready to go; The Ministry of State Security's intelligence gathering and reporting has accelerated its frequency......

Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and whether or not they can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity depends on whether this operation can be carried out smoothly.

Now Chen Wenqiang can predict the beginning of the war, but he is not very sure of the outcome of the war. The German minister confidently revealed to him that Germany had built and equipped hundreds of tanks, and it should not be surprising to defeat its old enemy, France.

According to Germany's industrial capacity, hundreds of tanks will be built in half a year, and Chen Wenqiang believes that even if there is moisture, it should not be very large. If Germany could indeed defeat France in a blitzkrieg, how would the war evolve? Where does China go from here? Maintaining neutrality and waiting to see what happens, now it seems that it is indeed a ploy of the old Cheng to seek the country.

The German minister today came up with a rather constructive suggestion: If war breaks out in Europe and Britain really declares war on Germany, Germany will return Qingdao to China. And after China declared neutrality, it withdrew the Jiaozhou Bay fleet within the specified time limit. As for the Qingdao garrison, the elite will be transferred first and return to Germany, leaving only a few thousand second-line troops. If war broke out, they would also rush by ship to the German colonies in the Pacific to strengthen their forces there. In the meantime, China will transfer penicillin production equipment and technology to Germany free of charge.

After receiving such a result, Chen Wenqiang's heart finally fell to the ground, and he generously told the Germans about the technology of the aircraft shooting coordinator, and promised on behalf of the president to immediately supply Germany with 50,000 pieces of penicillin for consumption in the early stage of the war.

The Germans, until now, were not very convinced that Britain would declare war on Germany. Moreover, thanks to the mastery of the technology of manufacturing tanks, the armament has been greatly strengthened, and confidence in the war is also full.

In the minds of the Germans, Qingdao's status was declining dramatically, and there was no precondition for the return of Qingdao as the Chinese government had assumed. Even if it happens, as long as the war is won, the vast number of British and French colonies will be included in the territory of the German Empire, and there is no need to lose such a friendly country as China because of the Qingdao issue.

Moreover, Germany will also receive such an important strategic material as penicillin, and it will be clear which one will lose and which one will gain. Chen Wenqiang felt this emotion clearly from the words of the German minister.

But things often turn out unexpectedly, and Chen Wenqiang does not regret the miscalculation of the Germans, but secretly rejoices in his heart.

In the aftermath of the assassination in Sarajevo on 28 June, the world would allow Austria to retaliate if Austria had been able to discover the facts known to the Serbian Prime Minister and Cabinet in advance.

In fact, at first everyone sympathized with Austria; The British ambassador in Paris reported to London that if Russia had waged war against Austria for such reluctant reasons, France would most likely not support its allies. The British ambassador to Vienna also accused Serbia of being rather shameful.

Austrian Foreign Minister Behtord believed that the time had come to "settle scores" with Serbia, and that the most severe demands must be made on the country, and that the Austrian army should strike at it as soon as it was refused. He also considered that Russia would still support Serbia. However, Russia's power was growing, so if war was inevitable, it would be better to start it now, because most of the Yugoslavs in Austria were still opposed to secession from the Empire.

The first thing Bechtodd wanted to know was whether Germany could support his hardline policies, and he hoped that Ferdinand's death would provoke Wilhelm II's personal feelings.

This was indeed the case: William felt that any attempt to assassinate any prince would represent an attack on the entire monarchy, especially since Ferdinand was his friend. At the same time, William believed that the Russian emperor would never help the assassins of the royal family, especially since Russia had not yet completed its military preparations. So it seems clear that Austria can punish Serbia without triggering a major war in Europe.

But he had to act quickly and act before the anger subsided. Wilhelm II then told Austria that he would stand by Austria as a loyal ally, no matter what. That is his position, and he does not give any opinion on what Austria is doing.

Getting such a good blank check was something Bechtodd could never have dreamed of. The German ambassador to Austria made it even clearer to the Austrians that if Austria did not have a showdown now, Germany would not treat it as an ally. This was a powerful stimulus to Behtod, and he persuaded the Emperor to start war as soon as possible.

On July 28, Austria declared war on Serbia. Thus, the matter was simple, and Russia, in accordance with the secret treaty, supported Serbia and announced a general military mobilization on July 30. When Germany learned of Russia's order for a general mobilization, it issued an ultimatum to Russia demanding that it cancel the mobilization and give a 12-hour deadline for reply.

At the same time, Germany declared that the country had entered a "state of imminent danger of war". It was only then that Germany remembered to ask Britain whether Britain would be willing to remain neutral if Germany promised not to annex any of France's European territories after the war, and at the same time restore the sovereign integrity of Belgium. Subsequently, the British ambassador to Germany formally stated to Germany that Britain could not accept this request.

The war machine was in motion, and everyone thought it was inevitable. Despite the British rejection of Germany, Germany still considered the present time to strike, because both Russia and France were not yet fully equipped militarily, and the season was favorable - most of the areas had already been harvested in autumn, and this year's recruits had already completed their training.

On August 1, the German Empire declared war on Russia; On August 3, the German Empire declared war on France; On 4 August, Britain declared war on the German Empire, and the First World War was in full swing.

A few years before World War II, Japan was in a difficult situation both internally and externally. Domestically, the military department has long forced the government to expand its military and build ships and expand its foreign affairs, resulting in huge expenditures, heavy taxes, high debts, and depreciation of currency, and the people's living standards have deteriorated day by day. The resulting wave of mass tax cuts and abolition and the movement to protect the constitution merged into a powerful torrent that smashed the cabinets of Katsura Taro and Yamamoto Gonbei in succession, and the newly inaugurated Okuma Shigenobu was also troubled by this and was embarrassed to deal with it.

The war in Europe broke out, and an unexpected "good opportunity" suddenly befell Japan. It diverted the attention of the people, helped the Japanese rulers to extricate themselves from the political and economic crisis, and coupled with convenient geographical conditions and relative military advantages, it was a blessed opportunity to dominate China.

The patriarch Inoue Xin hailed that this was "God's blessing to the development of Japan in the Taisho era...... The development of the Taisho New Deal will lay the foundation for Japan to work in parallel with the European and American powers and for Japan not to be left out of the world by world issues. Japan should immediately unite the whole country, stop political disputes, withdraw all demands for the interests of one party and one faction, such as reducing taxes and abolishing taxes, consolidate the national financial foundation, and unite with Britain, France, and Russia to establish Japan's rights and interests in the East. ”

This proposition was endorsed by Yamaguchi, Okuma, and others, who expected the Entente to win in the end, and considering that it would be easier to seize German possessions than to seize British, French, and Russian possessions, on 3 August, before Britain had declared war on Germany, Japan had already begun to draw up a plan for attacking Jiaoshu Bay, and the Second Fleet had been assembled in Sasebo.

Japanese newspapers also began to prepare public opinion for the war, and they incited war fanaticism, tried their best to exaggerate all kinds of new and old hatreds between Japan and Germany since the intervention of the three countries in the return of Liao, and attacked Germany for undermining peace in the Far East. Prime Minister Okuma even made a speech himself, emphasizing that Japan's entry into the war was a war of revenge against Germany's instigation of the intervention of the three countries, and that it was intended to cover up the real purpose of seizing Jiaozhou Bay and invading China.

Indeed, the outbreak of the European war provided Japan with a golden opportunity. But there are always accidents, just when the Japanese were complacent, a bombshell news was revealed, and then quickly spread to various countries, so that the Japanese were sniped before their wishful thinking started.

The "New Proposal between Japan and China," provided by a mysterious anonymous person, was first published in the British and American media, in which it not only made public's attempt to seize Jiaozhou Bay and Qingdao by forcibly occupying Jiaozhou Bay and Qingdao, but also took advantage of the diversion of the attention of European and American countries to dominate China and even Asia. What is even more shocking is that it also discloses in detail Japan's next demand for China, similar to the notorious "21 Articles" in history.

The content of these harsh clauses is basically similar to the protection treaties that Japan forced South Korea to accept after the Russo-Japanese War, and if China accepts these clauses, it will completely lose its status as an independent state. Once Japan had made China its protectorate, the next step would be to annex Korea, as had been the case with Korea.

The promulgation of the new proposal has not only caused a shock in China, but has also aroused the close attention and inquiries of European and American countries, and has even aroused the suspicion of the Western powers. The ambassadors of China, the United States, Britain, France, and other countries in Japan immediately raised questions with the Japanese Government, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of course flatly denied it, but it was unable to win the trust of the ambassadors of various countries.

This is because, as early as June 21, 1914, Japan's Asahi Shimbun published a total of six articles of the "New Sino-Japanese Protocol" that Japan was about to propose to China, which stated that "the Imperial Government of Japan may take temporarily necessary measures when a third country infringes upon the peace of the Republic of China or threatens the preservation of its territory," "The Republic of China shall not obstruct the above-mentioned actions of the Imperial Government of Japan and facilitate them," "The Empire of Japan may temporarily use them in places necessary for military purposes for the purposes of the preceding paragraph," and "The Republic of Japan may temporarily use them in places that are militarily necessary unless recognized by the governments of the two countries." shall not conclude treaties with third countries contrary to this Agreement", etc.

At first glance, the draft protocol is a copy of the Japan-Korea protocol. At that time, the Japanese government quickly denied the incident and severely punished the Asahi Shimbun, which was regarded as temporarily calming the criticism of public opinion. (To be continued.) )