Recognize it deeply. Most of the city's inhabitants fell asleep......

As a veteran diplomat, Zhu Erdian has not rested, and he is still in the office to conduct official business. Now that war was going on in the Far East and about to begin in Europe, it was the busiest time for diplomats to do so, and Jurdian had to think hard for the benefit of Britain.

Zhu Erdian is now drafting a report to the British government's foreign affairs department on Weihaiwei, a British leased land in China, and in a few days' time, it will be the agreed time for Germany to formally return the Jiaozhou Bay leased land to China. China will soon regain sovereignty over Jiaozhou Bay, full sovereignty, and there is no doubt that by this move, Germany has won all-round praise from Chinese society. There is no shortage of voices advocating an alliance between China and Germany in China's public opinion circles, and in the face of the German Government's initiative on this issue, the British Government seems to be somewhat sluggish, which is not conducive to Sino-British relations.

After Germany revealed its intention to return the leased land in Jiaozhou Bay to China, Zhu Erdian had actually made a similar proposal to the foreign affairs department of the British government, and he suggested that Britain should also follow Germany's action and return the leased land of Weihaiwei to China.

In Zhu Erdian's view, the reason why the British Navy chose Weihaiwei as a lease site and naval base in the first place. There was no long-term plan, it was just a matter of following the trend and getting a piece of the pie behind the other powers, and the excuse of "spying on the Russian fleet" was really very reluctant, and this excuse seemed very ridiculous immediately after the end of the Russo-Japanese War. Although it seems that Weihaiwei can be used to contain China, Japan, and Germany, in fact, the strategic significance of the Weihaiwei lease has greatly declined, it is far less important than Hong Kong to the British, and with the return of the Jiaozhou Bay lease by Germany, the strategic significance of Weihaiwei to the British has further declined. Zhu Erdian insisted that in the context of Britain's large-scale strategic retrenchment, it was entirely possible to return the Weihaiwei leased land to China, which would not only save naval expenditures, but more importantly, repair China's relations with Britain through this cost-effective move.

After all, the Germans have set an example, and if the British government still wants to maintain its influence in the Far East, it should take the initiative to show goodwill to China and repair the state relations between the two countries, and the return of Weihaiwei is obviously a breakthrough in repairing relations between the two countries, and as long as the British government can take the initiative on this issue, Britain's Far East policy can take the initiative.

More importantly, in this local war between China and Japan, China has shown surprising military potential, given the time it takes. Whether or not the British government wants to see China replace Japan as a key player in East Asia, the fact is that the strategic landscape of East Asia is about to undergo major changes, and Britain must prepare in advance to adjust its Far East strategy. Maintain Britain's global hegemony.

I am stepping out of this purpose. Jurdian decided to draft another formal report and submit it directly to the British diplomatic department through government channels, no matter what. It is also necessary to act as soon as possible to prevent the continued proximity between China and Germany, and now that a full-scale war in Europe has actually exploded in the legal sense. The more times like these, the more necessary it is for the British government to take the initiative, which has nothing to do with the face of the UK, only with the interests of the UK.

Finally, Zhu Erdian finished the report on the return of Weihaiwei's leased land, he looked up at the alarm clock on his desk, it was already half past eleven in the middle of the night, but he still didn't feel sleepy at all, so he simply put the report on his desk. Then he picked up the stack of telegrams that had just been sent by the secretary from the basket, and planned to look at these telegrams from other places, which were usually taken by consuls stationed in various places, including military information, social information, and some work instructions.

The other telegrams were just that, but one of them caught the interest of Zhu Erdian, but this telegram was not taken by Consul Yingmu. It was transferred by the British diplomatic department in Hong Kong, and the person who took the report was the British Governor-General of the Straits Settlements, and the content of the telegram was somewhat surprising. Because judging by the description on Telegram. The port of Singapore seems to have given birth to riots by North Korean laborers. The situation seemed to be getting out of hand, and the British Governor did not hesitate to send a telegram to the British Minister in China, asking him whether the "Far East Peace Commission" had been dissolved, and if not, the Governor General intended to ask for the help of the Commission in resolving the problems caused by the Korean labourers.

The so-called "Far East Peace Commission" has long since been dissolved, and it was originally a temporary international organization that was formed at the strong suggestion of the US Government, and the Americans have always been keen to form an international organization to mediate conflicts between countries. In the "Northeast Asia Crisis" a few years ago, the Americans did a good job, and they apparently thought they were doing a good job, although since then, the US government and the Chinese government have tried to keep it. "Far Eastern Peace Commission" but due to the cold attitude of Britain and France. and the uncooperative attitude of Japan and Russia, the international organization was finally dissolved invisibly, but without the same fanfare as it was when it was founded, and the British governor of the Straits Settlements was of course unaware that the committee had actually been dissolved.

Zhu Erdian flipped over the transcript of the telegram and wrote a reply to the British governor with a pen on the back:

"It is a pity, Mr. Governor-General, that the Far Eastern Peace Commission was formally disbanded more than a year ago. You can't possibly get help from it. I suggest that you immediately report to the country that Singapore is the most important strategic support point of the British Empire in the Far East, and I am sure that you will be able to manage it well. And to ensure the normal order there.

can

When he wrote back, Jurdian didn't realize that the colonial governor was far more suspicious than he had in the telegram. Jurdian only instinctively believed that the port of Singapore was important to Britain in times of war, and the reply merely re-emphasized this point.

Soon, Zhu Erdian had finished reading all the telegram manuscripts, and by this time, he was also a little sleepy. So he got up, walked out of the enlarged office, called the secretary, asked him to clean up the papers on the desk for him, and then rushed to the apartment to rest, drank a glass of wine, and slept until dawn.

When he woke up the next day, he felt that he was in a very good mental state, in the past he had insomnia because of the uncertainty of the policy, but now, the British policy has been determined, that is, to do everything to defeat Germany and the Allied bloc and ensure the interests of Britain, for this benefit, Britain can consider repairing the rigid relationship between the two countries with China, so Zhu Erdian has been sleeping well recently, and his mental state is also very good.

Zhu Erdian originally planned to practice cricket. But as soon as breakfast was eaten, the secretary hurried over.

"Sir, Mr. Stade, the U.S. Minister to China, has just called, and he wants to meet with you soon to discuss the question of the British Straits Settlements."

Buldian was very surprised. He remembered the telegram he had sent the night before. What happened in the Straits Settlements the next day that brought it to the attention of the United States Government?

Thinking of this, Zhu Erdian stopped playing cricket and instructed his secretary to invite the American minister to come and talk.

Half an hour later, the U.S. Minister to China, John Stade, arrived at the British Legation with his secretary. Zhu Erdian specially met with the American minister in his office.

Compare. ten thousand

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Minister, for my presumptuousness. I would like to inquire to you about the riots that took place yesterday afternoon in the British Straits Settlements. According to the report of the U.S. consul in Singapore, the situation seems to be dire, but since the Singapore cable telegraph network is basically paralyzed, it is impossible to know what will happen next. The U.S. government is very concerned about the safety of U.S. citizens there and not only asks the British government. I have also been informed to inquire about this matter with Mr. Minister, and if you have any more definite information, please let him know. ”

When he met the British minister, the American minister went straight to the point, and there was basically no diplomatic rhetoric, which may explain something to some extent.

Jurdian was astonished, and only then did he realize that the situation in the Straits Settlements might well be worse than he had expected, but it was indeed impossible for him to give Halberd much useful information now, and all he knew was the telegram that the British Governor of the Straits Settlements had sent him the previous evening.

"If only I knew the details. I will certainly tell Mr. Minister, but at the moment I know very little, except that yesterday afternoon, because two Japanese merchant ships anchored in Singapore were sunk with heavy bombs by unknown saboteurs, the British Governor in the Straits Settlements had to issue an order to search for suspicious and dangerous elements, according to which the British army arrested hundreds of suspects, most of whom were Korean workers, which apparently aroused discontent and protests from the Korean labor community, and the protests seemed to have begun in the afternoon. In the evening, it turned into a riot. According to the information I received, the situation seemed to be under control late last night. ”

Zhu Erdian's answer was basically honest. He just concealed the information that the British army had shot and killed dozens of North Korean laborers who participated in the protest, and he thought that with a perfunctory Stade, the American would leave satisfied, but he did not expect it. The American apparently knows more than he knows the inside story.

"Mr. Minister, it seems that you know no more than I know, according to the report of the American consul before the interruption of telegraph communications, when the British troops were organizing protests and demonstrations in the Korean labor force. The brazen shooting, which killed dozens of North Korean laborers and bargainers, apparently angered the North Korean diaspora and led the protest to turn into riots, which seem to have led to the burning of British barracks and colonial offices. It didn't work out just because of the arrival of a storm

Speaking of which, Stade was concerned about another topic.

"According to the estimates of the U.S. Consul in Singapore, there are currently more than 20,000 Korean expatriates living in the vicinity of Singapore, and if these Koreans riot because their compatriots were shot dead by British troops, I am afraid that the situation on the ground will deteriorate further. In my opinion, counter-guerrilla warfare in the rainforest area. It is much more difficult than conducting counter-guerrilla warfare in the Korean concessions or in the South African steppes. ”

Halberd put it mildly, but it was actually a reminder to the British to beware of guerrilla warfare by the Korean diaspora.

"Twenty thousand? How can there be so many North Korean expatriates living in Singapore? If I'm not mistaken. At that time, the Far Eastern Peace Commission. Only a few thousand North Korean laborers have been exported to the local area. Zhu Erdian's brows furrowed.

"On the one hand, the local economic situation is better than in other regions, which has attracted more North Korean expatriates to move to Singapore, and even the North Korean laborers who were resettled in the Philippines at the time are trying to find a way to move to Singapore, and on the other hand, it seems to be because of illegal immigration. This is reported by the US consul. Every year, tens of thousands of North Korean expatriates immigrate to the Straits Settlements through illegal means through various parts of Southeast Asia, and most of them choose to settle in Singapore.

Stade's words made Jurdian even more worried, he had never imagined that the situation would be so tricky, and that the migration operation of the "Far East Peace Committee" in Southeast Asia seemed to have thrown a hot potato into the hands of the British, and now. The Governor General of the Straits Settlements of Great Britain was apparently burned by the potato.

While Jurdian was talking to Stade, a secretary to the British minister walked up to Jurdian with a telegram, whispered a few words, and handed it over.

Zhu Erdian glanced at the telegram, frowned tighter, stood up, and then immediately sat back down. There was a long silence.

"What's the matter with birth? Mr. Minister

Stade couldn't help but ask, in his opinion. The British government has apparently been in a bit of a hurry lately, with wars in Europe on one side and the chaos of Channel colonization on the other, for a power that is in decline. These troubles in front of us obviously do not bode well, but the United States is much luckier in that it can watch the excitement across two oceans, and it can also take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune.

So, the position of the U.S. government now is: No matter what happens in Europe, the United States will not be far away in the early stages of the war, and in order to prevent the local unrest from spreading to the Philippines, the US government has decided to pull the British government in this matter. It's better to stabilize the situation first, after all. There are also many North Korean workers in the Philippines.

It is worth mentioning that the "Far East Peace Commission" came out of the whims of Si Dai at the beginning, but without the full support of the Chinese president, this plan to resettle the Korean anti-Japanese elements in Nanyang would not have been implemented, but the place proposed by Si Dai at the beginning to resettle the exiles was Mongolia. However, the president did not agree, so he finally changed the resettlement location to the Nanyang area. This also came out of the proposal of the president.

But to be honest, the U.S. government is very reluctant to place North Korean anti-Japanese militants in the Philippines, in the eyes of the U.S. government. Although they laid down their arms, it did not mean that they had abandoned the ideal of Korean independence, as it turned out. The U.S. government's fears are well-founded. Now, the North Korean anti-Japanese militants have indeed taken up arms again, but this time, they are rebelling against the British.

It is for this reason that Stade insisted that if the situation in the South Seas became destabilized because of these North Koreans, the president should take responsibility with him and do his best to mediate between them.