"Prussian interests in China are like a piece of fat that attracts everyone's attention. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Info Fuso is just one of them. In fact, even if you defeat the Fuso Army, it doesn't make any sense. Albion, Yankee, Cape...... The Taixi powers were all watching Shandong, and no one would allow the Gonghe government to take back the mines and railways that had been mortgaged to Prussia to be nationalized again. In other words, your government does not have the ability to protect these wealths, they are destined to belong to the strong, and even if you shed your blood, you can only end up watching it belong to someone else. A losing battle and a waste of strength is not worth it for either of us. ”

Otomo's attitude was surprisingly sincere, and he was not so much a negotiator on the Fuso side as a diplomatic adviser invited by Shandong.

"The contemptible people have been fighting with your Excellency in the battle outside the Guan, and for your Excellency, the contemptible people sincerely admire you, and an Asian hero like you should be an ally with our country, not an enemy. Therefore, from beginning to end, I never thought about expelling the crown commander from Shandong, and my country's government did not have similar thoughts. The Prussians relied on military might to forcibly squeeze the wealth of Shandong, which was the plunder of the white race over the yellow race. As far as I know, there was a large number of racists in Prussia who decided that we were inherently inferior and that we should be enslaved by white people. If Albion or Capet inherited the Prussian legacy, then the wealth that God had given to the yellow race would still be owned by the white race. I hope that Your Excellency can look at the problem from a higher level, and that it is not better for the yellow race to protect the wealth of the yellow race than for the white race to own it. ”

Zhao Guanhou sneered, "Otomo-kun, I heard Aoki-kun tell me something similar." At that time, it was still a fist, and not long after he made this argument, he met with misfortune. It can be seen that this argument itself comes with a curse, and you yourself should be careful. ”

Goro Otomo shook his head, "Your Excellency Aoki is my teacher, and my talent is less than one-ten-thousandth of my teacher's. Not yet qualified to be cursed, the life of a man like me is like a candle in the wind, which can be extinguished at any time. Since the day I set foot in Shandong, I have been ready to let my family live on pensions. Compared with me, it was the brave and combative soldiers of the Lu army that made my heart ache even more. Speaking from the heart, their technical and tactical level is not below that of the Imperial Army. If it is used on other battlefields, it will definitely shine. Let them make senseless sacrifices, how can the crown be handsome? ”

"Other battlefields?"

"Not bad. If the Prussians win in Tessie, they will inevitably take revenge on you. When the time comes, these excellent soldiers, the sharp weapons in your hand, can cut through obstacles for you. The Imperial Army will fight side by side with the generals of the Lu Army, and fight to the end together to protect the honor of the yellow race. Besides, Your Excellency is a smart man, so I don't need to say anything more. Whether it is the Overseer or the Patrol of the Two Rivers, it is because of the army. If you lose your army and territory, you will only end up with a general's emblem, and maybe even the martial character will become a prestige character. Although the general's mansion in the capital is also a beautiful place, but in my personal opinion, the scenery of Jinan is better than the capital after all, and the general Wuzi is more proud than the general Weizi, what do you think? ”

Zhao Guanhou's face was as usual, "Oh? Your Excellency, this time I am doomed? ”

"This is a fact that does not need to be discussed, the government of your country has declared its neutrality, and now the behavior of your army is actually disobeying the orders of the government of your country, so it is impossible to get any support from the government. And you first betrayed the Prussians, and now you refuse to surrender Tsingtao, and the Albians also regard you as an enemy. At the same time, with the two alliances of the Alliance and the Entente as enemies, do you think anyone else will help Shandong? With all due respect, although the Lu army is heroic, how long can it last to resist a country with a single army in one province? Even if Shandong's finances are the first in the joint, it is unlikely that a battle of this scale will last long. ”

Otomo said while calculating: "The large-scale migration of Jiaodong began, and now the two armies are facing each other, and if there is a large-scale battle in the future, the flames of war will move westward, and the residents of your country will be further relocated." These migrations are costly. The soldiers' weapons, rations, and bereavement allowances will completely collapse Shandong's financial system. Moreover, the welfare system of your province is even more developed than that of Tessie, and this heavy burden, even in peacetime, will overwhelm the provincial finances. If Japan pursues the same welfare system, officials in the Ministry of Finance will commit suicide en masse. In a state of war, such a system simply cannot be maintained. The people have always been able to accept that it is getting better and better, and cannot accept that it is getting worse. If you have to sacrifice the welfare of the people for the sake of war, even the people you are bent on preserving will stand up and rebel against you. At that time, the internal and external difficulties will be difficult, and this marshal's mansion will have to change its owner. ”

"Smack!" Zhao Guanhou clapped his hands a few times and gave a thumbs up, "Admire!" Compared with Fusang, Shandong's education is still worse than that of Fusang. There are a lot of secretaries trained around me, but when it comes to eloquence, there are few who can compare with Otomo-kun. These words are for my sake, if I don't appreciate it, I just don't know what to do. ”

"The handsome man has won the prize. There are some chaebols in my country, and I hope that Shandong Yidu will even do this. In my opinion, this is extremely stupid behavior. Guanshuai is currently popular in Shandong, and it is impossible for any new overseer to achieve a smooth reception. And the sooner order is restored in Shandong, the better it will be for both of us and you. If Your Excellency can surrender Qingdao now, I can assure you that the war between the two sides will end here. We recognize each other's land, and in the days to come we can cooperate with each other, just as you and Prussia have cooperated. In fact, I think we could have worked better together. As long as the two of us join forces, even the people of Albion will have to act according to our faces in Shandong. ”

"Well said! From the point of view of interests, this is indeed the case, even if my staff officer in Shandong analyzes the general situation for me, he will support me in cooperating with Fuso, ceding Qingdao, and stopping the war. ”

Zhao Guanhou's face suddenly changed, "However, Mr. Otomo seems to have forgotten one thing!" ”

"What?"

"Your army still owes me some debts, which have not been paid off. My woman's uncle, three hundred old soldiers in Shandong, a general of the first battalion of Longkou Fortress, Pingdu, Laiyang County, Xiahe Village and Maojialing! When I presided over the public sacrifice today, I personally promised those ghosts that I would give them an explanation. Now, if I cooperate with you, what I say to those people is not tantamount to a liar? I've done a lot of deceitful things, but when it comes to deceiving ghosts, I'm still a little scared. This explanation has not been given, the account has not been settled, and I will be asked to withdraw from the battle, even if I live in this marshal's mansion, I am afraid that I will not be able to sleep well! ”

His face became more and more solemn, "Indeed, fighting a war is a money-losing business, especially in one's own home, and it is even more compensating." But if there are robbers in the house, and if they want to rob me, then they can only fight it, and there is no other way. It's better for me to break something than to be snatched away, and if I can't get it, I'll destroy it, and it's better for no one to get it than to be a cheap outsider. You Fusang people said that you want to transfer Qingdao to Gonghe, then good, I took it back myself, and I didn't work hard for your army. But you still drove the fleet, and the brigade immediately came ashore to attack Qingdao, and wherever you go, there is no reason for this! I admit that I cannot share the interests of the Prussians alone, but who I want to develop with is my business, and it is up to outsiders to make decisions. Fighting for the interests of the yellow race? Don't talk to me about the interests of the race, I just know that my interests have been violated, so I don't have to talk about it! ”

He suddenly turned his face, and Otomo was also stunned, but then, he regained his composure. "Your Excellency, please calm down. I can understand your thoughts, but I would like to ask you to see the situation clearly. ”

"The current situation? You mean the neutrality pact of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? I approve of that thing, but only if the Prussians are in Shandong. Now there are no Prussians, and the actions of your army are aggression! As a communist soldier, I have the responsibility to defend the territory, and I can only fight to the end. Of course, it is impossible to win with the province of the enemy, but if I lose, you may not win. You merchants in Fusang are worried about the wealth of Shangshan and want to grab a piece of meat to eat. After I squeezed the oil and water out of this piece of meat and made Shandong into a mess, I don't know how interested the chaebols of your country are to take this plate? ”

"You are right in saying this, if Shandong becomes a mess, perhaps our businessmen will also lose interest in developing it. However, the premise is to do it to the end. Qingdao Fortress is impregnable and indestructible. A fortress with a large number of soldiers will be turned into a meat grinder. I admit all these facts. But since ancient times, spear and shield are symbiotic things, Qingdao has a strong fortress, and our country also has a fortress cannon of amazing caliber. Do you think that by hoarding heavy troops in fortresses, you can make the empire give up? This would be naïve. ”

"Your country's ideas are equally naïve. Shandong Guijun is the guest, our army is the mainstay, and it is better to treat the guest as the host. The ancients said that the time is not as good as the place, and the location is not as good as the people, your country thinks, who side is the people in? ”

"Since the Duck War, your country's traditional military science writings have never helped your country win a battle. Sticking to the ancient sayings of the sages is not what a military strategist should do. ”

"Feng Shui takes turns, and our country has paid enough price since the Duck Slice War, and it's time to turn over. Although your army is a country and Shandong is a province, it is difficult to decide which is the lone army. Your country believes that our army is alone and poor, but in my opinion, it is your army's labor expedition, and I am afraid that the victory or defeat of this battle is impossible to say. ”

Otomo Goro got up and bowed to Zhao Guanhou, "In this way, it seems that our negotiations can no longer proceed. We are very sorry to have wasted your precious time and disturbed your delicious meal. The rest of the food seems to be wasted. Please send someone to take me back to the prison, or the execution ground, anywhere. ”

"Otomo-kun is polite, your attaché, I have already ordered someone to arrange to go to the guest house, and later, I will send you to meet them. As I said, China is no better than Fuso, we have more money, more products, and when people die, things are wasted. Unlike your country, every penny has to be calculated to the extreme. It's too tiring to be friends with you guys. Come on, take out all these things and pour them out. Otomo-kun, please tell Your Excellency Kamio that someone Zhao has always had a problem: protecting food! Whoever touches the meat on my plate, I will break his head. Whether it is a Prussian, or a Fuso, it is no exception! ”

Zhao Guanhou did not lie, Dayou and his party have all been transferred to the guest house, including the injured soldiers, and they have also been treated. It's just that they were bandaged, all of them were five big and three rough Tiele military doctors, and after being treated in a unique way by the Tiele people, the injuries of several Fusang soldiers have deteriorated to varying degrees.

In terms of diet, the food here naturally can't be compared with the Dashuaifu, but for these Fusang missions, it is a blessing to be able to leave that black prison, and other things are not too particular. After learning the news of the failure of the negotiations, Otomo's deputy sneered:

"Otomo-kun, you, a China expert, have not been able to complete your mission. As I said, for Zhao Guanhou, we must implement decisive measures to completely eradicate this cancer. Any means of tenderness are meaningless to him. Now, you should die. Jinan ......"

He gritted his teeth and looked around the room, and said in a low voice: "Not long after, I will enter Jinan as a conqueror, and at that time, everything here will belong to my Fusang Empire!" Zhao Guanhou! He'd better run faster, or I'll show him how cruel the Empire is to its enemies. ”

Otomo's face is very bad, not because of the frustration of the failure of the negotiation, but because of the seriousness of dealing with a strong enemy. When he had a conflict with his colleagues for his lover, and even broke out into a conflict that ruined his future, he also had a similar expression, and finally decided to take action. This time, his expression was more solemn than the last time, and he pondered for a long time before he said:

"I had contact with Zhao Guanhou during the boxing turmoil. His character is not the firm and upright of a traditional soldier, on the contrary, he is never lacking in elasticity, obeying the strong like a chameleon, which is the norm for him. This time, he was acting extremely abnormally, and I had a feeling that he was ...... He had absolute confidence in war. ”

"Confidence? With Otomo-kun, do you think that with the military strength of Shandong Province, you can defeat the great Fuso Imperial Army? ”

"And don't forget, we actually only have three divisions. You don't count the navy as a friendly team, do you? I've always felt that it would be better to count them as enemy forces. ”

"No, I'm not talking about the Navy, just the Army. The Imperial Army of three divisions was enough to defeat twice as many Lu troops. What's more, we can still get support from home, but the Lu army in Shandong has no way to replenish. During this time, they have already lost a brigade, and the quality of those units is enough to prove to be their fundamental troops. Shandong's regular army has only two divisions and two brigades, and now it has lost one brigade, do you think that in the future, he will still have troops with the same combat power? There is no need to be nervous, although our troops will pay the price, they will win in the end. The beautiful Shandong girl, just like the wealth of Shandong, will belong to us. ”

The next morning, as soon as the Fuso envoy got up, he heard loud singing outside. Someone heard that most of the singers were women, so they excitedly went to watch, and after a short time, they ran to inform the companions, "It's female students from Shandong, and they are singing outside." ”

The beautiful female students in Jinan, wearing short skirts that exposed their knees and calves, and waist-cinching tops, have always been a magic weapon to encourage the army to move forward quickly. Even Goro Otomo was urged by his fellow travelers to climb the wall and look out.

I saw that outside the guest house, hundreds of delicate and lovely girls, holding high the cloth label of "vowing to live and die with Shandong", sang a song they had never heard before.

"The big knife slashed at the devil's head...... We are not alone, we are not alone, we are not alone......" (To be continued. )