Shanghai Zhangyuan, the venue of the North-South Peace Talks.

Just when Comrade Mao ZD went deep into the tiger's den to Hengyang to fool the Beiyang warlord Wu Peifu. However, the negotiations between the Beiyang government and the military government of the Protector of France on "inter-provincial autonomy and peaceful reunification" encountered an unexpected trouble.

"Ren Gong, my brother just doesn't understand, who do we China want to establish diplomatic relations with, and with whom to break off diplomatic relations, why do we still listen to Britain and the United States? Moreover, now that our own domestic affairs have not been settled, and there is only a truce between the north and the south, why should we send troops to interfere in the civil war in Russia? Besides, it has nothing to do with us how the Russian Bolshevik government is dictatorial in their country, but they are still very good to us in China, according to the "Sino-Russian New Covenant", we can take back the Eastern Railway, we can recover the Russian concessions throughout the country, and we can stop paying reparations to Russia, but instead of fulfilling this equal treaty, your Beijing government is still clinging to a bunch of unequal treaties and not letting go, and will break off diplomatic relations with the Russian Soviet government, which is waiting for me, to support the enslavement of us. The remnants of Tsarist Russia who oppress us! What else do we have to talk about with such a government? I think it's better to forget about the North-South peace talks this time, let's see you on the battlefield! ”

It was Chen Jiongming who made the threat of war, and he never imagined that this "diplomatic issue with Russia" would actually become the main topic of the North-South peace talks! The autonomy of the provinces and peaceful reunification were thrown aside, and no one paid attention to them.

The cause of this "diplomatic problem with Russia" was the "Brest Peace Treaty" signed by the Russian Soviet Government with Germany, Austria, Turkey, and other countries in early March. What this peace treaties do to Russia is left to rest for the time being. However, as soon as Britain, the United States, and France heard that Russia had unilaterally launched a war, they turned their faces at that time. On the sixth day after the signing of the peace treaty, the first British intervention forces landed in Murmansk, an important port in northwestern Russia, aboard the cruiser Glory!

At the same time, the British, American, and French envoys in China also jointly exerted pressure on the Beiyang government to immediately sever diplomatic relations with the Russian Soviet government and to abolish the "Sino-Russian New Treaty." Slightly different from the historical situation, the current Beiyang government is because of the "Sino-Russian New Testament" and the Red Brigade's anti-Tsarist terrorist activities. Diplomatic relations with the Russian Soviet Government were not severed after the "January Upheaval". It became the only country in the Entente bloc that still maintained diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia.

Britain, the United States and France are naturally dissatisfied with this. However, considering the lawless Red Brigade, they still maintained a certain restraint before Russia officially launched the European War. It's just now. Britain, the United States and France had already reached an agreement on armed intervention in the Soviet Russian revolution. And the Japanese side has already decided in principle to send troops to Vladivostok!

Under such circumstances, the envoys of the three countries in China finally mustered up the courage to make representations to the Beiyang government. Demand that the Beiyang government be consistent with the Entente group on the issue of Russia!

By the way, it is worth mentioning. The British Minister to China, Sir Jurden, who had worked diligently in China for most of his life, had retired to his hometown in early March, and was replaced by Eston, the former Counsellor of the Legation.

However, our weak Beiyang government has become surprisingly "tough" this time. He refused to immediately sever diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia, but promised to continue to pay Gengzi indemnity to the remnants of Tsarist Russia (in fact, they were not allowed to withdraw, and the British directly deducted it from the customs duties), and the Middle East Road and the Russian Concession also maintained the status quo (while also continuing to let the Red Brigade do evil there).

However, the Beiyang government did not reject the request of the foreign powers to sever diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia. Instead, he told the envoys of Britain, the United States, and France that such a major matter must be discussed with the military government in the south that protects France, and that Beijing cannot make arbitrary claims. Of course, Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui are not fools. They knew that the Protector Military Government would definitely not agree to the severance of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, and they wanted to let the Protector Military Government be the wicked person who offended the foreign lords.

And the reactions of the Protector Military Government and Chang Ruiqing were not as expected by Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui. Sun Yat-sen gave Chen Jiongming an order almost immediately: resolutely oppose the severance of diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia!

The Chinese GCD and the Red Brigade have issued strong statements, pointing out that the abolition of the "Sino-Russian New Covenant" is a traitorous act, and if the Beiyang government dares to do so, they will fight it to the end!

And so. Chen Jiongming, who has always been relatively light and handsome, had no choice but to raise his head against it. quarreled with Liang Qichao in the peace talks venue in Zhangyuan, Shanghai, one after another, and the two of them quarreled at the venue, and finally broke up unhappily.

I heard Chen Jiongming say the words "see you on the battlefield" again. Liang Qichao also felt powerless in his heart, and he didn't understand, couldn't those people in Beijing be a little tougher on the powers? If the issue of negotiations with Russia provokes another civil war in China, it will be a little unacceptable.

Thinking of this, he smiled bitterly. In a gentle tone, he said to Chen Jiongming: "Mr. Jingcun, please don't be so excited, if you have something to say, you can't be rash about diplomatic issues, now the Russian Soviet government is unjustifiable and helpless, not only the international powers such as Britain, the United States, France, and Japan are ready to send troops to support the legitimate government of Russia, but they are also a voice of opposition in their own countries, relying on the suppression of the Red Army to maintain power, I am afraid that it will not be long before the situation of collapse." At that time, the "Sino-Russian New Covenant" signed by us and the Russian Soviet Government will still be a piece of waste paper after all! What is the willingness of such a peace treaty, even if it is more preferential?

Now the Ministers of Great Britain, the United States and France, on behalf of their respective Governments, have assured us that, once order is restored in Russia, they are willing to persuade the new Russian Government to conclude a truly and equitable treaty with us, no less favourable than the Sino-Russian New Treaty! Therefore, I would like to advise you to proceed from the overall situation of the country and not to oppose the domestic and foreign affairs of the Beijing government just because it opposes them! ”

Chen Jiongming already wanted to nod in favor of Liang Qichao, and the other party's analysis was indeed reasonable! The Russian Bolsheviks are known to be unpopular, and the so-called one who wins the hearts of the people wins the world! A regime like the Bolsheviks, which relied blindly on the Red Army and the secret services for suppression, simply did not last long. If China deviates from the mainstream international society. If we are friendly with them, once the legitimate Russian government returns to power in the future, I am afraid that it will inevitably take retaliatory measures against China, right?

But the problem is that Sun Yat-sen doesn't know what evil he has fallen into? It seems that he is determined to make friends with Soviet Russia, even if Tang Jiyao from Yunnan comes forward to persuade him, he ignores it. He even sent a telegram threatening the Beiyang government that if Beiyang dared to break off diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia, his French protector junta would establish diplomatic relations with it! Where is the meaning of "inter-provincial autonomy and peaceful reunification"? It is clear that they want to confront Beijing to the end! But he acted as a negotiator. It's not good to make concessions on this issue!

His face turned blue and white for a while, and it was easy to straighten his heart and look at Liang Qichao with a sincere face. He smiled bitterly: "Ren Gong, I don't think this issue should be discussed anymore, right?" It's not like the two of us can quarrel with a result, let's discuss the matter of Hunan. Our side has a plan to peacefully unify Hunan with 'inter-provincial autonomy'. Here's how it works."

On the Zhangyuan side of Shanghai, China's north and south are at loggerheads over the "issue of negotiations with Russia." In the official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Masashi Terauchi was worried about how many intervention troops would be sent to Russia.

A beautifully printed military map of Northeast China and the Russian Far East, one in 200,000, had been spread out in front of him. On the map, there are many tactical symbols dedicated to the Japanese army, as well as some unit numbers. Anyone who is proficient in military affairs will know that this is a plan to intervene in the Russian Civil War made by the elites of the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters after repeatedly comparing the intelligence in Russia and making the most precise calculations of the forces possessed by both sides. Of course, this qiē is only the most preliminary and simple draft.

On this map, a large red arrow extends north from the Japanese mainland. Crossing the Sea of Japan and landing in the fortress city of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Then the troops of a division drove along the Trans-Siberian Railway and went straight to Chita, more than 500 kilometers east of Lake Baikal. At the same time, in the northeast of China, a Japanese division also attacked from Kwantung Prefecture, advanced along the South Manchurian Railway and the Eastern Railway to the Manchuria line, and then divided the troops into two routes. Continue all the way west to Chita City; All the way to the southwest, into the Mongolian region of China, in an attempt to completely turn Outer Mongolia into Japan's sphere of influence.

Yoshiichi Tanaka, director of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Army Ministry, and Senior General Yusaku Uehara, chief of the General Staff Headquarters of the Japanese Army, sat side by side opposite him, watching His Excellency the Prime Minister in front of him carefully examine the huge map for a long time. In addition, there is also an exaggerated French mustache, a thin army chief Bi Bi stands respectfully behind Yoshiichi Tanaka. There was an eager glint in his eyes.

The room was quiet, and after a while, I heard a low sigh from the temple Masatsuki: "The Russian Provisional Government will not agree to cede the entire Far East to the empire, Russia is a behemoth after all, and the strength of the empire is still too weak compared to them. ”

Tanaka Yoshishi snapped his head and gave a military salute, and said in a calm voice: "As Your Excellency said, the national strength of the empire is far inferior to Russia, so the empire should take advantage of this golden opportunity to inflict maximum damage on Russia and at the same time enhance the strength of the empire itself!" As he spoke, he turned his head to the big man behind him and said, "Araki-kun, you are the military attache of the legation in Russia, and you can be regarded as a Russian expert, so it is up to you to introduce the rich resources of the Russian Far East to His Excellency the Prime Minister." ”

This one with a strange mustache is Sadao Araki, the banner figure of the Japanese Imperial School in history, although he is a little "brain-dead", but he is very eloquent and particularly eloquent. Today, he finally had such an opportunity to show himself in front of His Excellency the Prime Minister, and of course he came prepared.

He first bowed to the temple and bowed, and then took out a stack of papers from the briefcase he was carrying and placed it in front of the prime minister. He said loudly: "Your Excellency, this is the approximate distribution of resources in the Russian Far East, which the lower officials obtained from high-ranking officials of the Tsarist government through special channels when he was a military attache in Petrograd. The Far East refers only to the four regions along the Far Eastern Section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, namely the Amur Oblast, the Primorsky Oblast, the Sakhalin Oblast, and the Trans-Baikal Oblast, with a total area of about 1.2 million square kilometers.

Topographically, this large area of land encircles the Manchuria region of China from three directions. Historically, it was mostly the territory of China, and it was part of Manchuria. If the empire can occupy it, it will be equivalent to holding Manchuria in the palm of its hand. Moreover, it was far from the developed areas of western Russia, and communication with the west was completely maintained by a Trans-Siberian Railway, and the limited capacity was simply not enough to support large-scale military operations, as evidenced by the Russo-Japanese War.

As for the resources of the Far East. In particular, coal, iron, forests, various non-ferrous metals, and oil are more abundant than in Manchuria! And the population density there was extremely low, before the outbreak of the European war. The entire Far East has a population of only a few million, which is very conducive to the colonization of the empire! Once the empire took possession of the Far East, it could not only solve the problem of narrow land and poor resources in one fell swoop. And it can also be completely occupied by the future empire. Lay a favorable foundation for becoming the hegemon of the East Asian continent!

Therefore, I hereby ask Your Excellency the Prime Minister to support our plan to send troops to Russia. ”

Araki Sadafu said a lot of words, which sounded very reasonable, but Terauchi Masashi snorted softly: "Baga! I also know that the Russian Far East is a piece of fat, and the empire will be able to develop if it gets the Far East, but is the Far East really so easy to win? Not to mention the Anglo-American attitude, but as for the Russians, can they willingly give up such a big piece of fat? The representatives of the Russian Provisional Government, and the representatives of the Russian Royalists, never said a word about giving the Far East to the Reich! Saying that, he turned his gaze to Yusaku Uehara and Yoshiichi Tanaka: "Uehara-kun, Tanaka-kun, you all participated in the Russo-Japanese War. Do you think the Empire will be able to face a long war with Russia alone without the support of Britain and the United States? ”

Uehara and Tanaka glanced at each other, both feeling a little confused. Listening to the meaning of Terauchi Masatake's words, does Japan intend to interfere in the Russian civil war? Don't you want to take advantage of the fire to get a vote in Russia? This is not in line with the tradition of the Great Japanese Empire!

Just when two Japanese devils didn't know what to say. Terauchi Masatsuki stretched out his right hand and patted it lightly on the map. He said lightly: "You can take back the plan of sending troops and revise it again, the first step is to dispatch a small number of troops first, land in Vladivostok in the name of protecting overseas Chinese, and dispatch a mixed brigade, and strive to send troops in April." As for whether or not to send troops in a big way, to advance to the area of Trans-Baikal, and wait until we are with the Anglo-American French. There will be further contacts between the Soviet Union and Russia, and then a decision will be made! ”

Hearing Terauchi Masatsu's last words, Yusaku Uehara and Yoshiichi Tanaka jumped up almost at the same time. Tanaka's triangular eyes widened, staring closely at the prime minister in front of him, and asked loudly: "Your Excellency, you mean that it is possible for the empire to reach some kind of agreement with the Russian Soviet government?" ”

Terauchi Masaki shrugged his shoulders, looked at Tanaka coldly, and smiled as if mockingly: "Tanaka-kun, why can't the empire reach some agreement with the Soviet government?" Didn't China conclude a "Sino-Russian New Covenant" with them? Anglo-American law didn't take it, so what! And the empire is much stronger than China, so what is there to worry about? Maybe the Reich would have been able to conclude a treaty similar to the Peace of Brest with the Bolsheviks! ”

Uehara, Tanaka, and that Araki Sadao didn't dare to question the words of Terauchi Masatsu, the leader of the Choshu faction, so they could only sigh and bow and retire. The temple looked at the map they had left on his desk, and said to himself, "What a great Manchuria! There are more than 2 million square kilometers, if you can really get your hands on it, the empire's eternal foundation will have Toushan Jun, and the dog breeder will depend on you! ”

Mitsuru Toyama and Inukai Takeshi, two Japanese devils, are now on a dilapidated looking Japanese Navy bulk carrier. The vessel is now docked at the port of Mawei in China's Fujian province to unload its cargo. The ship was loaded with Japanese-made equipment and some molds for the production of Meiji 38-style rifles. These are all sold by the Japanese War Department to the Chinese ** Industrial Group, which claims to be the largest military industrial enterprise in China, and its construction speed does not seem to be infected by the peaceful atmosphere in China at all, and it is still being constructed at the fastest speed.

And Mawei Port has now completely recovered from the previous "Sino-British confrontation". The wharf was bustling with coolies waiting to load and unload goods and merchants coming and going. Cars and rickshaws picking up and dropping off passengers are crowded at the entrance to the pier. Chinese Mandarin, as well as Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese, were all shouted. It looks like it's a Chinese port city that's getting thriving.

A black Ford car with a Fu 009 license plate stopped at the dock next to the Japanese freighter. There were several people standing around the car, all wearing black cloth robes, looking around vigilantly, each with a bulging waist. Obviously with guys! Anyone who knows a little bit about China's national conditions knows that most of these people are Chinese gang figures.

However, few people would guess that they were not local gang members in Fuzhou, but members of the Axe Gang from Shanghai! The purpose of their coming here today is to welcome Toushan Man and Inu Yangyi who came from afar.

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