Chapter 654 Wooing (I)

The bell in the bell tower rang. It's already afternoon.

Beijing, East 'Jiao' Min Lane.

As usual, the British Minister to China, Mr. Zhu Erdian, had lunch at the Six Nations Hotel, and then hurried back to the British Legation in the carriage with the insignia of "Foreign Legation".

Unlike usual, when Zhu Erdian returned to the legation, he did not go back to his bedroom for a lunch break, but asked his secretary to bring him a new dress.

With the help of the secretary, Zhu Erdian changed into this brand-new dress, and then looked at the time, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

"Is the news from the Japanese Legation confirmed? Hasn't the time changed? Zhu Erdian asked the secretary.

"Yes, sir. According to the original plan, Mr. Yukichi Kohata, Japanese Minister to China, will leave Beijing by train at 2 o'clock this afternoon for Tianjin, and will depart from the port of Dagu in Tianjin to return to Japan. The secretary nodded.

"Please summon at once all the British staff of the Embassy and tell them to be ready, that at half past one o'clock in the afternoon we will depart from the Embassy and go to the railway station to see off the Japanese Minister Minister. Tell everyone that it's not just out of politeness. It is also because of the alliance between Britain and Japan, and at such times we in the UK must tell by action all those who are concerned about the situation in the Far East that Britain will support Japan's position at all times as a commitment to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty. ”

Zhu Erdian instructed his secretary to gather the British staff in the legation, and taking advantage of this time, Zhu Erdian handwrote a draft of the telegram, sent someone to take it to the telegraph room, and ordered the telegraph operator to immediately photograph the telegram back to England.

At half past one o'clock in the afternoon, the British Minister to China, Zhu Erdian, led all the British staff of the Legation to the Daqianmen Railway Station in Beijing in several carriages, intending to see off the Japanese Minister in China who had returned to China.

As 'belligerent' countries, China and Japan have actually severed their diplomatic relations, and the two countries have expelled each other's foreign 'diplomatic officials'. The Japanese envoy to China will also leave China this afternoon and return to Japan, although it is indeed a bit provocative to see off the Japanese envoy at such a time, but the British envoy knows that his approach is very necessary, and as the situation in Europe becomes more and more tense, it is indeed necessary for Britain to further consolidate the Anglo-Japanese alliance.

At 1:45 p.m., Zhu Erdian rushed to the railway station and met with the Japanese minister to China, Yukichi Kohata.

"Mr. Minister, I am sorry. The British-French mediation proposal was not accepted by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But please believe, Mr. Minister, that as long as the East 'Jiao' Minxiang still exists, then the peace efforts of all countries will never be abandoned, and now Britain and Japan are still firmly standing together, and as long as the "Anglo-Japanese Alliance" is still in force, the British Empire will support the position of the Japanese Empire, no matter what setbacks Japan suffers. ”

Zhu Erdian was polite, and the meaning of these words was also very clear, whether for Britain or Japan, the current Anglo-Japanese alliance is no longer just an international treaty, but also a responsibility and obligation, related to the interests of the two countries.

"Thank you, Mr. Minister, for coming to see me off. Although Britain and Japan are far apart, the interests of the two countries are identical, especially in the Far East, and as long as Britain and Japan maintain close friendship, the interests of the two countries in the Far East can be guaranteed, both now and in the future. Although at the beginning of the war, the Chinese army relied on a surprise attack to achieve a temporary small victory, but please believe it, Mr. Minister. As long as the Empire of Japan mobilized, China's defeat was inevitable, and once China was defeated, the Empire hoped to be able to obtain the full support of the British Empire in the subsequent negotiations. ”

Kohata Yukichi is also official, and he seems to be confident in this war.

But Jurdon was cautious about Kohata Yukichi's confidence in his victory over China, and in his opinion, the Chinese army showed a very surprising aggressiveness at the beginning of the war. Spirit and vigorous fighting spirit, such an army is very terrible, just like the Japanese army on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, there is a pride in the current Chinese army, they believe that they can defeat any opponent, and compared with the Japanese army, the Chinese army's research on new tactics is more frightening, an army with both fighting courage and advanced tactical thinking is difficult to defeat, the current Chinese army, and the Russian army of the year is very different, whether the Japanese army can win the war, Zhu Erdian really does not have much confidence, war is not only a contest of military strength, but also a contest of national strength, with Japan's current economic situation, apparently unable to support a long war.

After all, although the Japanese navy has suffered heavy losses, the main force is still there, and the Japanese Combined Fleet is still a maritime force that cannot be ignored and can still dominate the Far Eastern Seas, so Britain must continue to win over Japan.

"Mr. Minister. I heard that Mr. German Ambassador to Japan had a meeting with Mr. Japanese Foreign Minister yesterday afternoon, and it is clear that the German government is still dreaming of a 'mysterious' dream of a wedge between Britain and Japan. ”

Jule returned to the basics, reminding the Japanese minister of the delicate situation in the Far East at present. The British government took a fancy to Japan's naval strength, and the German government also took a fancy to Japan's naval strength, and the two countries have always been engaged in foreign 'diplomacy' in the Far East.

"Rest assured, Mr. Minister, that our people have always regarded Britain as the most important international power, and that Germany is far less important than Britain, and that no matter what German government does, it will not shake the foundation of the Anglo-Japanese alliance."

Kohata Yukichi swore that he had also received news last night that the German ambassador to Japan had held a foreign 'exchange' meeting with the Japanese foreign minister, and although he did not know the specific content of the talks, he understood that at such a time, Japan must not sit down with Germany, and even if Germany promised to give up its support for China, the Japanese government would absolutely not have any contact with the Allied bloc. This will lead to a sharp turn in the strategic situation, and Japan can no longer afford any turmoil in the international situation.

Therefore, in the face of the German government's co-optation, the Japanese government wisely refused.

"I would like to convey my greetings to your country, Mr. Prime Minister, upon your return to Japan, and I believe that Mr. British Ambassador to Japan has made the position of the British Empire clear to your country, and that Britain is on the side of Japan in any case."

Zhu Erdian duly ended the 'exchange' talks with the Japanese minister in China, but before he could put the other party on the train, a staff member of the Japanese legation hurried over. 'Hand' a piece of newspaper to Yukichi Kohata and whisper a few words in his ear.

"Yaga!"

Kohata Yukichi was a little annoyed, and couldn't help but scold in front of the British minister, then threw down the newspaper, took the attaché, and got on the train without looking back.

The train was immediately activated, and Zhu Erdian stood on the platform, watching the special train leave the train station, and then he picked up the newspaper that Kohata Youji threw down, but it was a supplement of the "Shuntian Times", which had just been reprinted at noon, and although this Chinese-language newspaper reported news and current affairs in the voice of the Chinese, in fact, this newspaper was funded and published by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Now, the front-page headline of this Suncheon Times is carrying a striking story.

"German Minister to China Rex said today that he is holding consultations with the Chinese Central Government on the issue of 'handing' over the return of Qingdao, a German leased land, on the instructions of the German government."

This news is very eye-catching, and it must have been the news that 'provoked' the Japanese minister just now. As a matter of fact, the newspaper supplement was full of comments and insults on this news, and those reporters who received subsidies from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that once Germany 'handed over' Qingdao to China, it would mean that China was about to join the Allied bloc.

Zhu Erdian was very surprised, he had never heard of the German government's 'surrender' of Qingdao and Jiaozhou Bay to China, either the "Shuntian Times" was talking nonsense, or His Majesty the German Emperor was 'trending' again, if it was the latter, then perhaps the Germans wanted to use this method to 'induce' China to join the Allied bloc, after all, the Lushun air raid showed that China's military strength could not be underestimated, and the Allied bloc had seen the combat effectiveness of this potential ally in the Far East.

Zhu Er immediately decided to go to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately to inquire with the Chinese side whether the Qingdao "handover" report was true.

Zhu Erdian's carriage left the Daqian 'Gate' railway station and headed for the old city of Beijing, but just turned onto East Chang'an Avenue. Blocked by the sea of people on the street, the British soldiers guarding the carriage suddenly became nervous, hurriedly turned the carriage to the side of the street, and looked at these "excited" Chinese in amazement.

"We won! We won! The first battle of Lushun, we Chinese won! ”

"The hat of the sick man of East Asia has been thrown into the Pacific Ocean by the Chinese soldiers! From now on, China is no longer a colony to be bullied! ”

"Rise up! Rise up! China rises! The Air Force is rising! ”

"Four Japanese battleships were sunk in Port Arthur by our Chinese Air Force! There is nothing to be afraid of Japanese warships, as long as they dare to come, our air force will call them come and go! ”

……

Sitting in the carriage, Zhu Erdian heard the loud shouts of the young people walking past the street, in a south-to-north tone, apparently students studying in the Beijing-Tianjin area.

Leaning out of the window of the carriage, Zhu Erdian looked at the dark crowd on the street, and he admitted that the scene was spectacular, and the carnival procession that occupied East Chang'an Avenue was tens of thousands of people, most of whom were young people, who were handing out leaflets to onlookers while singing 'exciting' songs, although the scene was a little 'chaotic', but the general order still existed, and they were all walking to the west, which was in the direction of the presidential palace.

"Fanatical youth, easily carried away by victory."

Zhu Erdian retracted his head and leaned back, he had also read the newspaper this morning, and he was deeply impressed by the photos of the Lushun battlefield, he did not think that the Chinese military deliberately exaggerated the results of the battle, perhaps there were some small deviations in the statistics of the results, for example, the "King Kong" was a battle cruiser, not a battleship, but the flaws were not concealed, the air raid by the Chinese Air Force on Lushun was indeed very successful, and according to Zhu Erdian's report from Morrison and the British consul in Dalian, he got more details, For example, submarines after an air raid will supplement the attack.

It must be admitted that the tactics of the Chinese are very bold and very intelligent, and Zhu Erdian once conducted a simple analysis with the military attache of the embassy, and the military attache told him that if this battle is really as Morrison reported in the telegram, then it will undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact on the development of naval tactics, just as the navies of various countries have installed medium-caliber rapid-fire guns on their warships after the Sino-Japanese War.

As a matter of fact, just after Zhu Erdian's briefing arrived in Britain by cable yesterday, British Admiral Churchill took a secret telegram late that night, urging Zhu Erdian to send the battlefield photos in Morrison's hand back to Britain "in the shortest possible time" through foreign "handover" packages, and the British Navy must "figure out" what was really happening in Port Arthur before the German General Staff could get the battlefield photos provided by China.

However, Morrison is still in Weihaiwei, and it will take at least two days to get to Beijing, and before that, the Chinese military has already selected some of the aerial reconnaissance photos of the air force and published them in the newspapers, so after receiving the newspapers today, Zhu Erdian immediately sent a special person to take these newspapers with pictures of the battlefield to Harbin, take the Trans-Siberian Railway to France, and then send these newspapers back to Britain.

In any case, Zhu Erdian has fulfilled his duties as a foreign 'handover' official.