The sun is scorching. It was the time when the temperature was at its highest at noon...

Beijing, Dongjiaomin Lane, British Legation in China.

It's lunchtime, and it's different than usual. Lunch was made today in the shade of a tree in the garden, and with the British Minister to China, Mr. Jurdian, with the exception of his wife. There is also Mr. and Mrs. the Minister of France in China, which is a lunch and a party. Now the situation in Europe is becoming more and more tense, as allies. The friendship between Britain and France must be further strengthened. Especially the diplomats of the two countries, even as far away as Asia. They still can't forget to strengthen the friendship between the two countries.

Originally according to the romantic advice of the French minister's wife. They should have had a picnic in the mountains at the West Hill Villa by now, but in view of the complexity of the current situation in the Far East, the two ministers decided to hold a picnic in the back garden of the British Legation, and according to the arrangement, before the sun went down in the afternoon, they would also hold a cricket match.

Now, the picnic is basically over. The two ministers' wives were sitting in the shade of a tree, talking in French, while the two ministers' husbands were standing under the awning of the cricket pitch, exchanging views on the current situation in the Far East.

"In my opinion, the current war shows that the Chinese, especially the United Front government, have the full ability to change the strategic pattern of the Far East, and from any point of view, the Chinese are fully prepared for this war, and I fully agree with the Russian minister's view if the war continues. Japan had no hope of victory at all, and if the war expanded and turned into a protracted war, Japan would be completely dragged into this quagmire by China, and if that was the case, the Entente bloc would not be able to use Japan's naval power if a large-scale war broke out in Europe. So. In the eyes of the French government, rather than waiting for the Japanese government to be dragged down by this war, it is better to take effective measures now to restore peace in the Far East, and. If an armistice between China and Japan can be reached, the French government does not mind further enhancing the good relations between France and China.

The French Minister to China, Marsley, did not hide the change in the French Government's diplomatic stance in the slightest, and his remarks showed that the French Government had seen tremendous changes in China's national strength and political situation from the Sino-Japanese War, and that France would strengthen its relations with China if Britain did not oppose it.

The British minister to China, Jurdian, apparently agreed with the French minister, but he also had his own opinions.

"Mr. Minister, your opinion is not unreasonable, but for the time being, it is difficult for Lenin to stress the truce of war. On the one hand. The successive victories of the Chinese on the battlefield have boosted their fighting spirit and increased their ambitions, and in such a situation, the Chinese are unlikely to accept the mediation proposal. Unless the Japanese make significant concessions; On the other hand. The Japanese army suffered heavy losses in succession both on land and at sea. This is unacceptable to both the Japanese government and the Japanese people. So. Even if the Chinese want to stop the war now, I am afraid that the Japanese will not necessarily agree, unless the Chinese are willing to pay war reparations or even cede territory.

However, both the US Government and the Russian Government oppose the mediation proposal in favor of either side, and this is unacceptable to the Japanese Government; although there are differences of opinion within the Japanese Government at present, this does not mean that the Japanese are willing to give up their interests in China, and the Japanese Government is not opposed to holding talks now, but they absolutely do not agree to give up the island of Taiwan, and as for the interests of South Manchuria, Japan also regards them as interests that have a bearing on the future of the country. The Chinese will not give in easily.

Under such circumstances, how could China and Japan immediately accept the mediation of the great powers? If the situation in Europe had not been as tense as it is now, perhaps the great powers could have joined forces and exerted political and military pressure to force the warring parties to come back to the negotiating table and settle their disputes peacefully, but now that Europe is facing a war on a larger scale, it is impossible for anyone to pay full attention to the situation in the Far East, and only the Americans have the leisure to pay attention to the Far East at present. However, it is completely impossible to calm down the warring parties with the military power of the United States in Asia alone, and coupled with the hostility of the Americans towards Japan, it is impossible for the United States to solve the current war in the Far East alone.

To tell the truth, the fighting will and fighting courage shown by the Chinese in this war really surprised Yuliang, especially the squadron's bold use of new weapons and new tactics. This makes many Europeans even more curious, perhaps the "madman president, Mr. is indeed a political wizard and a military wizard, but with the current national strength of China, it is far from changing the strategic pattern of the entire Far East, at best it is just a balance of Japan's power, this is obviously a situation that the US government is happy to see, and the countries in Asia that have confrontation are the most in line with the interests of the US government in the Far East."

So, I don't think the U.S. government's mediation stance is resolute, at least until the outcome is decided. The U.S. government will not go all out to mediate.

Compared with the vacillating US government, the British government is most worried about whether Japan will lose this war, but the political trend in Japan, and if some politicians in Japan see China's military potential through this war, then no one dares to guarantee that the Japanese will not reach a settlement with the Chinese. Thus "Pan-Asianism." If Japan and China can live in peace from now on, it will be a profound change in the strategic pattern of the Far East. ”

Seeing Zhu Erdian's analysis of Sino-Japanese relations in this way, the French minister was very surprised.

"So, is the British government worried that China might one day form an alliance with Japan?"

To tell the truth, at the time of the imagination of the British government, the French minister was very impressed, obviously China and Japan were at war, and the British read the latest children's day to wash the stream of books and dry the concave umbrella mouth, "but began to worry about the future" This Eastern Yellow Race military group threatened China's ancient adage, which may be the so-called "unfounded worries." bar.

"Although the possibility of a military alliance between China and Japan is very small, but even if there is only a slight possibility, the Entente must find a way to nip it in the bud, and it is enough for Asia to wake up only one day, and if the whole of Asia awakens, it will be a great threat to the world order, compared to this threat. The threat from Germany and the Allied bloc was nothing. You must know that before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, "Pan-Asianism" arose in Japan. Their slogan "Asia is Asia's Asia" can actually be seen as the Monroe Doctrine of Asia, for which all European countries must be vigilant. ”

"But Mr. Minister, it seems to me that the "mad president" of China. It seems less like a pan-Asianist, more like a fanatical nationalist who is extremely hostile to Japan. On the other hand, in the face of a powerful Europe, is it a bit stupid for Japan to put such a tempting piece of fat as China and not eat it, but to attack European interests? The French minister said it was difficult to accept the British minister's view.

Zhu Erdian shook his head, very unimpressed by the French minister's knowledge.

"Mr. Minister, I am afraid that Europe will soon be too busy to take care of itself, and once the war breaks out in Europe, the British and French governments will probably not have enough strength to maintain control over the colonies of the Far East, now. China is already a hard bone, and the Japanese government can't gnaw it if it wants to, and if Japan dared to go to war with Russia back then, won't it dare to go to war with Britain or France now? Although Japan was an ally of Great Britain. ”

"Are you worried that the Japanese government will take advantage of the outbreak of the Satoshi War to send troops to Southeast Asia?"

Hearing this, the French minister laughed, and laughed very happily.

"It turns out that the British are also very funny when they have a sense of humor. Mr. Minister, your worries are unfounded, the Japanese government has always wanted to become a first-class power, and now that Britain and Japan are military allies, how can Japan take advantage of the fire to rob it? How can a country that does not abide by the Covenant become a first-class power? Even if war broke out in Europe, Japan would not have sent troops to attack the Asian colonies of Britain or France, but the German government should be worried about the German islands in the Pacific Ocean and the German leased territories in China

"It's just my personal opinion, my personal opinion. It does not represent the position of the British Government, I am merely expressing the concerns of some British diplomats, Mr. Minister, which is not unfounded. It's a rainy day. As for Germany, it is difficult to judge what kind of measures Germany will take in the Far East, and the German minister is currently negotiating with the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the return of Qingdao, and once Qingdao is successfully handed over, Germany's relations with China will only become closer, and if war breaks out in Europe and Germany pulls China into the Allied bloc, Russia will probably be attacked on both the east and the west. In view of the courage and wisdom shown by the squadron in this Sino-Japanese war, the Entente must not take it lightly. ”

"I heard that Russia has sent part of its cavalry units to the Far Eastern border region to strengthen its defenses. The French minister probed.

"I have also heard, but the Chinese in Mongolia have given Russia great benefits, and I do not think that the Russian government is determined to intervene directly in the Sino-Japanese war, and Germany has officially issued an ultimatum to the Serbian government with Austria-Hungary, and the Russian tsar is now troubled by the situation of his Balkan allies, and it is impossible to extend his hand to the Far East again."

At this point, Juerdian stopped. For he saw a legation worker hurrying towards the cricket ground, with a telegram in his hand.

The staff member of the Legation went up to Zhu Erdian and presented the telegram to Mr. Minister.

"Sir, this is an urgent telegram just taken from the consulate in Tianjin, according to reliable information from Mr. Consul, just today on the sheep, in the German concession in Tianjin. The "Independent State of Goryeo" was officially established with Ahn Joong-geun as the brain, and not only did it express its declaration of independence, but Ahn Joong-geun also called on all Korean nationals to return to Korea to participate in the War of Independence. The Japanese government was very annoyed by this, and the former Japanese consul in Tianjin told the British consul that the Japanese government thought. This is a conspiracy by the Chinese and German governments to undermine the existing international order, and Korea is under the guardianship of Japan, which is recognized by the international community. Now the Chinese and German governments openly support Korean independence. This is undoubtedly a provocation to the entire civilized world

Looking at the contents of the telegram and listening to the narrative of the legation staff, Zhu Erdian's brows furrowed, and he did not speak for a long time.

The French minister walked over, took the telegram from Jurdian's hand, looked at it a few times, and then furrowed his brows.

This is indeed a provocation, it is not only Japan that it provokes, it is provoking the entire colonial order of the great powers, and Korea was annexed by Japan, which is a fait accompli tacitly accepted by the great powers, but now. This scene of the birth of the German concession shook this fact.

The Koreans issued the Declaration of Independence, why didn't they choose somewhere else, but chose the German concession in China? Does this indicate that the Japanese government's guess is correct? Are the Chinese and German governments really blatantly supporting Korean independence? If this is the case, then the British government cannot stand idly by.

"Please inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and convey it to Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs. Suffice it to say that I will meet with Mr. President before sunset in the afternoon and consult him on certain international issues.

Zhu Erdian immediately decided to be a concubine, no matter what. He had to figure out what the hell that "mad president" wanted to do. Read the latest Children's Day, wash the stream, dry the book, and shake the umbrella