In late January 1936, the downward trend of the world revolutionary camp seemed to have been temporarily suspended. The Indian Red Army had already established itself on the battlefield in India, and after the Chinese invading army seized Delhi, Kolkata, Dhaka, Karachi, Lahore and other large cities, it stopped its offensive and focused on the Republic of Pakistan (also known as the Republic of West India) and the Republic of East India.

In the Middle East, after seizing the entire Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean coast, the Chinese, German and Argentine teams did not continue to attack. Rather, it was because of a series of open and covert battles over the Iraq and Kuwait issues, and the Germans, despite the opposition of China and the Arab Empire, brazenly announced the establishment of a Greater Israel Republic on the land of Iraq and Kuwait with German Jews (including Polish Jews) as the core! This move naturally aroused the extreme disgust of the local Arabs, and also caused the relations between the Arab Empire and Germany to fall into a freezing point quickly and instantly, although it did not cause a war between Germany and Afghanistan, but the security alarm in the south of the Soviet Union and Persia was basically lifted. Trotsky was also able to draw a large number of Indian internationalist fighters from the Middle East to the Soviet Union's western and eastern fronts, and with the onset of winter, the Soviet-German and Sino-Soviet battlefields were once again silent, although in the past 1935, the Soviet Union lost a large area of land on the eastern and western fronts, lost millions of troops, but still resisted the enemy's offensive, and now can take advantage of the cold winter cover to rest well.

As for Japan, which belongs to the three giants of the Soviet camp in the world, although it is facing a war with China that is doomed to be unwinnable. But before the start of the Chinese offensive, Soviet Japan seemed to be at its peak both in power and in territory. The Fifth Battle of the Hawaiian Islands had not yet begun, and the flag of the golden sun on a red background was still flying over the entire Hawaiian Islands except Oahu. Although the islands in the South Seas under Japanese rule were invaded by a large American fleet, the Americans did not have ground forces to land and seize any of the islands. And in the South Pacific. Japan's Red Navy Combined Fleet has achieved another brilliant victory, at least from the map. The fleet under the command of Isoroku Yamamoto escorted more than 100,000 landing troops to break through the blockade established by the British in the Bismarck and Solomon Islands, and entered the Coral Sea, landing near Port Moresby to engage in a bloody battle with the Anzaz forces defending Port Moresby. It only took a few days to capture the gateway to the Australian continent!

Seeing that Adjutant General Chen Xinrui pinned a small red background gold sun flag to the location of Port Moresby on the map with a small needle, Chang Ruiqing nodded with satisfaction, turned his head to Ren Yijiang and Wang Jingwei, who were sitting opposite him, and asked in a low voice: "Have you seen the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang?" What is he asking for? Are you willing to support the reunification of Greater East Asia with concrete actions? ”

"As soon as the Duke of Xiyuan Temple arrived in Nanjing, I met him."

Federal Foreign Minister Wang Jingwei frowned slightly and shook his head, as if he was unhappy with the stubbornness of these "Japanese friends": "But. Saionji refused to accept the post of provisional prime minister of the Republic of Japan, hoping that Japan would become a sovereign and independent democracy after the war. But...... He could accept Japan as a dominion of the Commonwealth of Greater China, as Canada, Australia, and Britain did. ”

He glanced at Chang Ruiqing, saw that the other party's expression did not move, and said in a low voice: "Prime Minister, the public hope of Xiyuan Temple also proposed a compromise plan. In Japan, the emperor system was restored, and one of your sons became the emperor of Japan, so that post-war Japan would not only be a federal dominion, but also the position of emperor would be held by our people, and this would be regarded as the unification of Greater East Asia...... Saionji also said that if we did not agree with his plan, then he would return to Japan after the war and form a political party against the Sino-Japanese alliance. We are also confident that we can rely on elections and referendums to thwart our attempts to annex Japan to the Commonwealth of Greater China. ”

"This Xiyuan Temple actually offered such a condition, using the emperor's throne to fool me, what kind of person does he think I am!" Chang Ruiqing scolded with a smile.

The king of the Kingdom of Siam under the current Federation of Great China is the eldest son of Chang Ruiqing, but the Kingdom of Siam is not a sovereign and independent state, but is a part of the Federation of Greater China like the Republic of Indochina, the Republic of the Far East, the Republic of Myanmar, the Republic of Malay and the Republic of China, and it is not a dominion.

Seeing that Chang Ruiqing was not moved by the throne of the Japanese emperor, Wang Jingwei and Zhang Guotao both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, it is one thing to engage in family affairs, and it is another thing to seek the position of a foreign monarch for his son! The former is a matter of course in the eyes of the people of the Great Chinese Federation at present. So there is no problem, and it will not damage Chang Ruiqing's image as a leader. And the latter...... In particular, the use of war to seek the throne of the Japanese emperor for his son (the Siamese throne of Prince Chang was obtained through guò marriage, and he was only a match, so the influence is not bad), I am afraid that the support of Chang Ruiqing and the GC, the Gongeikai and the Kokusha will greatly decline.

However, the Japanese democrats represented by Saionji Konobo are still somewhat influential. So after thinking about it, Chang Ruiqing still decided to recruit them as much as possible: "Zhaoming, please arrange for a lobbyist to meet Xiyuan Temple Gongwang, find someone from the Hezu chaebol to talk to, explain our policy to him clearly, and make an appointment for me to meet with him, and the meeting place will be in the Tangshan Mansion." By the way, I would like to convey to him that as long as he fights by legal means, we will not intervene by extraordinary means. However, I also hope that he can clearly understand the general trend of the reunification of Greater East Asia, and that Europe and the Americas are also moving toward reunification at present, and if we want to occupy a strong position in the world in the future, we must unite as a whole, otherwise sooner or later we will be suppressed and enslaved by Western civilization. He should know this better than me! ”

"Okay, I'll go back and go to Tuan Zhuan and ask him to come forward."

After Wang Jingwei left the prime minister's office with his briefcase, Ren Yijiang, director of the State Secrets Bureau, lowered his voice and said to Chang Ruiqing: "Prime Minister, do you really want Xiyuan Temple Gongwang Group to return to Japan?" They are most likely Americans behind them! Everyone knows that the Saionji Gongwang clique stayed in the United States for a long time, during which time they had a close relationship with the Roosevelt administration, and it is very likely that they returned to East Asia with secret instructions from the Americans. As he spoke, he waved his hand and made a murderous gesture: "The Ministry of Occupation is built yì." It's better to have a hundred, so as not to have endless troubles! ”

Chang Ruiqing glanced at Ren Yijiang and smiled noncommittally: "Since we want to establish the Great China Federation that unifies Greater East Asia, we don't have to be afraid of any troubles. As for the likes of Saionji Gongwang, there is no need to worry, he represents the social elite forces such as the aristocracy and chaebol of old Japan. During the Japanese Revolution, these people were nothing more than two places to go, one was to come to China to be peacers; The second is to stay in Japan and be killed by the Japanese GCD. If Saionji Gongwang wants to deceive the Japanese people. Then it is necessary to first deceive the citizens of the He tribe in the Federation. Yichen, don't you say? ”

These words seemed to make Ren Yijiang suddenly realize: "I know!" If the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang can't even say anything about the big chaebols of the Japanese clan in our country, then he will be discouraged and will cooperate with us instead! ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled and shook his head: "Yichen, according to the Federal Political Parties Law, all political parties established in accordance with the law within the territory of the Great China Federation. Donations from outside the country cannot be accepted. And engaging in politics is inseparable from money. If Saionji Gongwang can't get donations from the Japanese chaebol, then what capital does he have to engage in politics and prevent us from merging Japan into the Great China Federation after the war? ”

This time, Ren Yijiang finally understood what Chang Ruiqing meant, he leaned forward slightly, patted his chest and promised: "Please rest assured, Prime Minister." Xiyuan Temple Gongwang will not get a penny of donations from any Japanese capitalist! ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded with satisfaction, and raised his hand to signal that Ren Yijiang could retire. He is fully confident in this matter, even if he does not use Ren Yijiang's spies, he is also convinced that the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang will not be supported by the chaebol of the He clan. The reason is very simple, those who are the same as the Jiangsu-Zhejiang chaebol, the Nanyang chaebol, and the Beiyang chaebol are all beneficiaries of the rapid economic growth of the Greater China Federation. Their property, their careers, and their future are firmly tied to the Great Chinese Federation.

Does the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang still expect them to give up the qiē they got in the Great China Federation and return to post-war Japan to fight for independence? It seems that this old guy has been in the United States for too long. Those so-called "supporters" who had no idea that he had already changed their minds.

……

Nanjing, Plum Garden Hotel

The 18-storey luxury hotel was inaugurated just a few months ago and was invested by Mitsui Joint Stock Company, one of Japan's most famous chaebols, who had been exiled to China in 1924.

In the most luxurious presidential suite on the top floor of the Plum Garden Hotel, two white-haired old men were silently looking at each other. One of them was none other than the Japanese democrat politician Saionji Gongwang, who had just arrived in Nanjing from the United States, and the other was Tuan Takama, the general manager of the Mitsui Joint Stock Company. This presidential suite is the foothold of Xiyuan Temple Gongwang in Nanjing, and the room price is Tuan Zhumi's own pocket. The two of them have known each other since they were in Japan, and Mitsui Zaibatsu has always been the back-up financier of Saionji Gongwang.

But at this moment, the public hope of Xiyuan Temple turned pale. His eyes were fixed on a blank check that was placed in front of him. This is a "gift" from several major shareholders of the Mitsui chaebol to Xionji Gongwang, of course, there are conditions, as long as he is willing to join the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Association, he has no problem filling in any number on this check!

The room was quiet, and only the sound of the two old men breathing was heard in a hurry.

In the end. The Duke of Xiyuan Temple pointed to the blank check with a finger full of old age spots, and sighed deeply: "Tuan Jun, have you forgotten the original agreement...... You, Mitsui Zaibatsu, will always, always put the revival of Japan first! Now ......"

Tuan Zhuan bowed deeply and interrupted the public hope of Xiyuan Temple: "Your Excellency, the reason why our Mitsui chaebol changed their position is entirely for the consideration of more than 50 million Japanese people. Becoming a member of the Federation of Greater China is the way out that truly serves their interests. For more than a decade, everyone who has become a citizen of the Federation has held the same view. Excellency...... The unification of Greater East Asia is no longer something that our forces can stop, and it ......"

Listening to Tuan Zhuan's firm tone, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang's heart was sour, and he almost burst into tears. He really couldn't understand how these elites who came out of Japan really became citizens loyal to the Greater East Asia Federation now. Although when he left Japan, he also ordered that the big guys should use the face and identity of Chinese to survive in China until the day of Japan's revival - at that time, everyone did not expect that these Japanese elites would ride the rapid growth of China's economy and mix well in just a dozen years. Even richer than when they were in Japan! It seems that it is too easy for China to make a fortune in this era, it is a powerful country with a stable society, a huge market, an extremely rich labor force and resources, and a thriving national power. These exiles, who originally belonged to the elite class in Japan, were very close to the Chinese in terms of culture and appearance, and because of the great inclusiveness of Chinese civilization. All of them quickly integrated into China, and through their own struggles and efforts, they mastered great wealth.

But no one expected that the process of making a fortune for these people was actually the process of their integration into China and assimilation by the Chinese. In this era, China did not have the concept of super-national treatment, and the federal government also adopted a policy of "de-nationalization". All citizens of the Federation have only one identity - citizens of the Federation of Great China! As for the nationality or something, there is no official recognition, and only you know who is what nationality.

And the vast majority of the exiles who came from Japan did not have the idea of returning to Soviet Japan under the Iron Curtain to serve Takeda Hengdang as a submissive citizen. Therefore, they took the initiative to integrate into the Federation of Greater China, and a considerable number of people even changed their surnames to Han. Intermarriage with Han Chinese. After the outbreak of this world war, I don't know what kind of mentality, most of these Chinese and ethnic people, especially those who grew up in China, expressed that they loved China more than their Han compatriots (in history, the Japanese-American military in World War II also expressed that they loved the United States more than ordinary American soldiers, and among the Japanese Americans who were discriminated against by the United States and were imprisoned in internment camps, 75% of them were still willing to join the American army to fight against Japan). This kind of thinking of worshiping the strong is really deep in the bone marrow).

Tuan Zhumo took a deep breath, and said solemnly to the Xiyuan Temple Gongwang: "Your Excellency, Japan has already lost this war, if it is really as Your Excellency wishes, Japan after the defeat will not be incorporated into China, but continue to maintain independence, then what kind of suffering will more than 50 million Japanese suffer, have you ever thought about it?" ”

Xiyuan Temple Gongwang's eyes widened, and he just looked at Tuan Zhuan. Tuan pondered a long sigh and spoke eloquently: "The vanquished." Since ancient times, it has been difficult to escape the severe punishment of the victors, and it is natural that Japan will not escape such a fate after its defeat...... First of all, it will be a territorial cession, and the Nanyang Federation, which was invaded by the Japanese GCD, will definitely be lost, and the islands of Birch, the Ryukyu Islands, Saipan, the Truk Islands, the Kuril Islands and other places will definitely not be guaranteed. In this way, Japan will lose most of its coal, oil, iron ore and various non-ferrous metal collection sites, and it will be difficult for local grain to feed more than 50 million mouths waiting to be fed!

The second is war reparations. It has long been a natural practice for the victorious side to extort money from the defeated side, and if Japan is not incorporated into China after its defeat, it will naturally be difficult to escape the responsibility of paying reparations. At the time of the Sino-Japanese War, didn't Japan take advantage of the victory to demand 100 million taels of silver from China? When the Gengzi Kingdom changed, the great powers extorted 100 million taels of silver from China at that time, and if the interest is counted, it will support a total of more than 900 million taels! Now that it is Japan's turn to defeat the war, how much do you think China, Germany, Britain, the United States, Italy, and other powers will extort from Japan? What will the 50 million Japanese nationals who can't even eat enough to pay off these reparations?

The third is the loss of various rights and interests, every time China is defeated by a foreign power, it will lose all kinds of national rights, or tariffs, or concessions, or consular jurisdiction, or garrison troops at various military points in the country, or allow the foreign powers to sell opium and poison the people.

Your Excellency Saionji, is this what you want to bring to the future independent Japanese people? ”

"We defeated! Throw in the towel! The responsibility that should be borne can only be borne with gritted teeth, otherwise it will only push the whole of Japan to extinction! Xiyuan Temple Gongwang looked at Tuan Zhuan without giving in: "And the United States and other countries do not want Japan to become a country that has no resistance to China, they will definitely speak for Japan at the future peace conference, we only need to take advantage of this situation, it will not be difficult to save the fortunes of the country!" ”

Tuan Zhumo shook his head vigorously: "Xiyuan Temple-kun! You don't understand the strength of the Great Chinese Federation...... In the final analysis, diplomatic issues must be spoken with strength! The resources and population of the Great China Federation are far superior to those of the United States and Germany, and although heavy industry is slightly inferior, it also has half the strength of the United States. And China's military strength has been proven in the world wars of the past three years! China's army may be weaker than Germany's, but it is certainly much larger than the United States, and China's navy is stronger than Germany's. Although China's comprehensive strength is at the bottom of the world's top three in the future, it is not something that the two powers of virtue dare to insult. But how can the United States and Germany join forces**? We will not confront a big China for the sake of a small Japan.

Therefore, there are only two paths in front of the Japanese people in the future: one is to become a citizen of the Great Chinese Federation, one of the three major powers in the world, and become the owner of 30 million rich and fertile land; The second is to become a citizen of Japan, a public colony that bears the burden of defeat and is cramped to the barren land of the Japanese archipelago, and is oppressed and enslaved by the foreign powers.

Your Excellency Saionji, with your understanding of the Japanese people, what choice will they make at that time? ”

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