June 10, 1927, Vladivostok.

Eight battleships (battle cruisers) of the First Fleet of the Navy are now moored in a swaggering manner above the sea facing the Amursky Bay to the west of the city of Vladivostok. The heavy iron anchors were also lowered, and the muzzles of the main guns and the secondary guns on one side of the battleship were all pointed at the city of Vladivostok! pointed to the hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of the Soviet Red Army who were still relying on strong buildings for street fighting!

The ultimatum of the army has been delivered to Yegorov, if ...... Within twelve hours, the Soviet Red Army defending the city of Vladivostok surrendered to the Japanese army without laying down their arms, and what awaited them was the merciless shelling of the battleships! The city of Vladivostok will be razed to the ground...... Due to Stalin's order to hold Vladivostok, Yegorov had no way to move his troops to Ussuriysk, far from the sea, and could only sit and wait in the city of Vladivostok. In fact, it's just waiting for death. In the city of Vladivostok, right next to the sea, what could be used to fight the eight huge battleships and battle cruisers moored in the ocean? Is it necessary to use the 1904 type 152mm cannon? This is the most powerful weapon in Yegorov's hands right now. But does this thing work for battleships? If he had withdrawn to Ussuriysk by now, he would have been able to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese army by using the original fortifications there and these 15-gram artillery. But now...... It's all over, and there seems to be no way out except surrender and death.

Just when the top brass of Yegorov and the Vladivostok defenders were struggling with whether to save the lives of the 200,000 people in the city, or to die honorably to save the lives of their wives and children. In the luxurious officer's cafeteria of the battleship Nagato, a buffet party to celebrate the achievement had already been held.

Snow-white tablecloths were laid out, bottles of whiskey, brandy, gin, champagne, Italian sparkling wine, and Ben's own beach wine, Yongjiu, and roasted crane...... It's all over the place. Every bottle of wine was opened, and every glass seemed to be filled with wine. The restaurant was full of people, navy uniforms, army uniforms, and Western dresses. This is Tanaka Yoshiichi leading a group of high-ranking officials of the political axe and high-ranking officials of the army and navy to the front line in Vladivostok to "labor the army" and inspect military affairs by the way.

The war seems to be ...... Won! It is said that the army and navy of this empire are indeed elite, and the Soviet port has been a great victory! Boli Victory! Now there is an even more brilliant victory in Vladivostok!! According to the statistics of the army, the Soviet Red Army was wiped out by hundreds of thousands! Even if it is a hard discount, there are more than 100,000 people, and their own casualties are less than 20,000! This army and navy are really invincible! Especially those battleships of the Navy, they are so useful! The fortress of Vladivostok was basically smashed open by the huge cannons of the battleships, and the losses of the battleships themselves ...... It's just a little bit of paint wiped off!

"It seems...... The Empire still needs better and newer battleships! Admiral Keisuke Okada's voice rang in Tanaka's ears with a slight intoxication.

At present, the mainstream of the navy is still the warship faction, and the aircraft carrier is just a new thing that has just started, and two ships have also been dispatched in this war, and one of them is the Chicheng, which was just completed in March this year. And all the casualties of the Navy in this Battle of Vladivostok were taken by the Chicheng! Several planes had accidents during takeoff and landing, and two planes flew out and never returned. Therefore, after this battle, the Navy's fascination with warships has become even greater than before, and the status of aircraft carriers has declined slightly.

"A better and newer battleship?" Yoshiichi Tanaka furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Battleships or something is good...... But don't we have no money?

The commander of the Combined Fleet, Kanji Kato, also came to Tanaka with a glass of foreign wine, and took advantage of the slight drunkenness to open his mouth: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, now the battleships of the Navy, except for Nagato and Mutsu, are a little weak, especially the four Kongo-class. This...... After the Soviet Union's reparations are in hand, can the Imperial Navy be equipped with newer warships to replace the Kongo-class? The empire was already at a disadvantage to the United States in the Washington Naval Treaty, so it should no longer use the precious capital ship quota for the Kongo-class, which was not very combat-effective, but for warships with strong firepower and defense like the Nagato-class. ”

"You mean to scrap the four Kongo-class! Replaced with three new battleships? Tanaka was shocked when he heard this, and stared at Kanji Kato with a pair of triangular eyes, apparently condemning his wasteful behavior.

Kato Kanji nodded his head: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, this is also a matter of no choice!" The future Imperial Navy may have to face both the powerful United States and the newly rising China! Your Excellency may not have seen the latest information on the development of the Chinese Navy obtained by the Naval Intelligence Department, right? ”

"What do you say? China...... Navy? Tanaka Yoshiichi narrowed his triangular eyes and looked at Kato, in addition to surprise and suspicion in his heart. Shouldn't this die-hard warship faction of the Navy invent some "theory of the threat to the Chinese navy" to fool themselves?

"Kato-kun is right." Keisuke Okada, the Minister of the Navy on the side, suddenly interjected: "The armaments department of the Kuomintang in the south of China is spending a lot of money to expand the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, in addition to expanding the newly built Guangzhou Shipyard!" Moreover, they also provided a huge financial subsidy to China Iron and Steel Company, allowing them to import 12,000 tons of hydraulic presses and large wide and heavy plate rolling mills from Krupp, Germany! These are all preparations for the construction of the navy! And the news about Blom in Hamburg, Germany? Engineers from the Foss shipyard have now arrived in China......"

"Yes, our friends in the Admiralty in South China have also told us that they are working on a huge plan for the development of the navy!" Kanji Kato and Okada Ichikazu threw out new arguments:

"The Admiralty of South China plans to build two 35,000-ton battleships with the help of Germany! And is also ready to purchase a 27,000-ton aircraft carrier from the United States! According to our estimates...... These two 35,000-ton battleships will be built using the latest German technology, except for the Nagato and Mutsu ships of the Imperial Navy, the other battleships are not their opponents! If these two warships are built, the superiority of our Navy will no longer exist! ”

Is it that serious? Tanaka glanced at the two admirals with sad and angry faces, and he couldn't make up his mind for a while.

"Your Excellency, Commander, news from Vladivostok, the Soviet defenders refuse to surrender to the Reich!" At this time, a staff officer dressed in a naval uniform hurried into the dining room and reported that Vladivostok was determined to resist to the end...... An unprecedented massacre is about to be staged by the battleship's cannons, and it will also set off a battleship fever around the world!

......"Comrade Stalin, Vladivostok (Vladivostok)...... Lost ......"

In Stalin's office in the Kremlin, Voroshilov and Budyonny were standing in front of Stalin with their heads down. Both of them were pale and had tears in their eyes, and they didn't know if they were sad or frightened by the ferocity of themselves and Stalin.

Stalin's face was pale, and he had lost almost a full circle of weight, and now he looked a little thin and small, not like a Russian bear. Now he sat behind his desk, gritting his teeth and unable to utter a word.

I don't know how long it took for Voroshilov to raise his head slightly and ask tentatively in a low voice: "Comrade Stalin......"

Stalin sighed, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare: "Yegorov's 80,000 Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ......"

"It was the battleship that said Kou did it! The city of Vladivostok was close to the sea, and eight battleships and a dozen cruisers of the Navy approached and bombarded them repeatedly with heavy artillery...... It took eight hours to bomb all the buildings into rubble...... Tens of thousands of our workers' and peasants' Red Army and hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens...... The casualties were extremely heavy...... Comrade Yegorov also died! These are all the news that has just been announced by this side, and it is estimated that they are all true. ”

With tears in his eyes, Voroshilov heartbroken Stalin reported the latest news from Yenching, which had been cut off from Moscow and Vladivostok for several hours.

Stalin muttered: "Battleship! We, the USSR, also want to build advanced battleships! Be sure to make ......."

He stood up abruptly, his face flushed a little with anger or excitement: "Has Tukhachevsky been to the front?" When will the campaign for the counteroffensive of Khabarovsk be launched? The USSR needs a victory now! Victory is needed! To Tukhachevsky to do whatever it takes to win for the USSR!! ”

Voroshilov wiped his tears from his cuffs and replied in a trembling voice: "Comrade Tukhachevsky has now arrived in Birobidzhan and has now officially taken over the Far Eastern Front. We have concentrated ten infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions in the area around Birobidzhan, with a total strength of more than 150,000 men! In addition, the Chinese side has released the prisoners of the first battle of Zarainuoer, and more than 10,000 people can be immediately integrated into the army. ”

Stalin sneered: "Order Tukhachevsky to attack immediately!" It is necessary to recapture Khabarovsk (Boli), hum, there are no battleships on the Amur...... I'd rather see what I used to fight our heroic Soviet Red Army! ”

Voroshilov looked at Stalin's terrible face, his body trembled involuntarily, and finally he gritted his teeth and poured cold water on Stalin: "Comrade Stalin, I said that I have an armored cruiser sailing into the Amur River from the mouth of the Amur River, and it is now near Abarovsk. We currently have no heavy artillery on the Far Eastern front that can deal with it...... Do you see if you can ...... Delay the attack a little longer? ”

…… June 11 of the 16th year of the Republic of China.

In the conference room inside the Welcome Building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yanjing. Negotiations on the Soviet Union's participation in the Asian Peace Treaty have just begun, this time with the Soviet Union and China as the protagonists.

Probably Stalin was frightened by his own battleship, so when he heard that an armored cruiser had sailed into the Amur River, he accepted Voroshilov's suggestion very rarely, and postponed the Khabarovsk counteroffensive. At the same time, he also instructed Molotov, who was far away in Yanjing, to immediately begin negotiations with China, Britain, the United States, France, and the Netherlands on matters related to the signing of the "Asian Peace Treaty."

At present, there is no obvious conflict between the Soviet Union and Britain, the United States, France, and the Netherlands, but there is a Mongolian problem with China. The Mongolian question was like a dead knot that hindered the improvement of relations between China and the Soviet Union. It has also become the biggest obstacle in the Sino-Soviet negotiations this time.

Zeng Qi, the premier of the Yanjing political axe, who represented the Chinese side in the negotiations, and Luo Yaoguo and Wang Jingwei, the representatives of the southern national political axe. Zeng Qi is now wearing a tuxedo and a certain high top hat on the conference table. It's a civil official style of Beiyang political axe. Luo Yaoguo and Wang Jingwei sat next to Zeng Qi on the left and right, Luo Yaoguo was dressed in a straight military uniform, with a dazzling rank of general, and Wang Jingwei was an elegant Mao suit, with a smile on his face, and at first glance he was a master who was easier to bully!

The representatives of the Soviet side were Molotov and Zirnykh. There was no expression on the faces of these two people, as if they did not know the end of the fall of Vladivostok and the annihilation of the 80,000 Vladivostok defenders. It's just that...... This is not the USSR after all, they don't say that others can still get news about Vladivostok.

"The Mongolian issue is an issue between China and the Soviet Union, and it should not be discussed at such an international conference, so on behalf of the Soviet side, I suggest that the Mongolian issue be left to China and the Soviet Union to hold friendly and equal consultations in the future."

Molotov tried to remove the Mongolian question from today's negotiations as soon as he opened his speech. He smiled slightly, and said: "The most important issue at present is to curb the ambition of aggression and expansion, and other issues can be discussed and solved slowly in the future." ”

"Mongolia is Chinese territory! There is no doubt about this, even the Soviet political axe admits it! And...... The Soviet government also promised to withdraw its troops from Mongolia in the Sino-Soviet Agreement of 1924! Now is the time for the Soviet political axe to show that he is a responsible political axe. ”

Zeng Qi's answer was resounding, and he resolutely rejected the unreasonable demands of the Soviet side.

Molotov smiled slightly, showed a very sincere expression, and looked at the delegates in the venue: "Gentlemen, don't we need to listen to the voice of the Mongolian people when we discuss the Mongolian issue?" They...... Unwilling to be ruled by China! They are also qualified to pursue freedom and read! We should let them decide their own fate, not this so-called peace meeting! ”

Before Zeng Qi could refute it, Luo Yaoguo spoke first, and he also looked at the British and French representatives in the venue with a very sincere smile, and said with a smile: "The Mongolian people have the right to decide their fate, so do the people of India, the people of Annam, the people of Malaya, the people of Myanmar, and the indigenous people of all Western colonies have the right to decide their own destiny?" Isn't an important part of what we are going to discuss at this peace conference be to ensure the security of Western countries' colonies in Asia? If, according to Mr. Molotov's opinion, is it still necessary to sign this "Asian Peace Treaty"? Do we have any reason to stop this military operation? Shouldn't we listen to the opinion of the people of the Primorsky region of the Far East and ask them if they would like to remain in the Soviet Union? ”

Molotov still had a faint smile on his face, in fact, he also knew that the remarks of national self-determination just now had no market at all in today's meeting. The people sitting here are all representatives of imperialism! They only have to be able to support national self-determination. Moreover, it is true that the Soviet Union is now asking for China, and it is indeed delusional to let them give up the sovereignty of Mongolia...... However, this position must be adhered to.

The British minister, Lan Pusheng, knew that it was time for him to play his role, he smiled and opened his mouth to make peace between China and the Soviet Union: "Today, we are discussing the major issues of peace in Asia, not the small contradictions within China. The Mongolian issue is now China's internal affair, and whether or not to let the Mongolian people decide their own destiny should be resolved by the Chinese political axe and the Mongolian authorities themselves, and it is best for all foreign forces not to interfere...... I think this comment also applies to all Western colonies in Asia! This principle is the basis of the "Asian Peace Treaty" and the cornerstone of peace and stability in Asia. ”

Molotov glanced at Lan Pusheng, and said in his heart: "Just wait for you to speak, I will give in as soon as you speak, otherwise it will be a loss to give in to China?" Molotov was silent for a moment, and then nodded seemingly reluctantly: "The Soviet political axe can give one more step on the Mongolian issue." We can withdraw our troops from Mongolia...... But the [***] team can't enter Mongolia either! It should be demilitarized, and then it will be resolved through negotiations between China and Mongolia. ”

"May I ask what Mr. Molotov is referring to in the [***] team...... Who is it referring to? Is it the army of the Chinese Central Political Axe, or the army of the Southern Nationalist Political Axe? Or is it the Red Army in the middle of the G? Those Red Army...... It doesn't seem to obey the orders of the central government, right? They were under the leadership of the Soviet-sponsored GC International! Zeng Qi's words were slow, as if he was considering the words.

Now that the Soviet side has promised to withdraw its troops, there is a possibility that the Mongolian problem will be resolved...... However, everyone knows that the Soviet Union will not let go easily, and not allowing the [***] team to enter is probably a backhand. However, the current situation in China is special, because China's domestic military and government are not unified, and the central government is limited in what it can manage.

This question actually stumped Molotov at once, he frowned as if he was thinking hard, and after coming over for a while, he slowly replied: "If China's central political axe can ensure that all squadrons except the Red Army do not enter Mongolia, then the Soviet Union can withdraw its troops immediately." ”

"And what about the Mongols' own army? They are also in the middle [***] team, should they also retreat from Mongolia? Luo Yaoguo twisted his eyebrows and asked another question.

After listening to the translator's relay, Molotov didn't think much about it, and replied casually: "Of course, the Mongol army can enter Mongolia, which is their homeland!" China's central political axe only needs to prevent Chinese non-Mongol troops, other than the Red Army, from entering Mongolia. This article is to be written into the Peace Treaty, and as soon as you agree, the Soviet Union will withdraw its troops immediately. However, China should also immediately stop exporting strategic materials and raw materials to the country. ”

(To be continued)