"Mr. Cooper, I have a small question." Kolchak spoke in a soft, but very calm voice: "I think you Americans have also heard of the fable that Emperor Napoleon's China is a sleeping lion, right?" It is a large country with a land area of more than 10 million square kilometers and tens of thousands of people, and they have been the leading country in the Eastern world since the beginning of written records. They have thousands of years of glorious power, and their decline is only in the last few decades, and I don't think any European or American should underestimate their potential, right? Especially a few months ago, their army also crushed the Russian army under the command of General Semenov. ”

The representative of the United States to the Provisional Government of Russia, John Brown. Cooper, of course, understood what the Russian admiral meant: does a fictitious 247th have wishful thinking and a monthly pass? A weak China is in the interest of the entire white world, so why should the United States now help a China that is struggling to rise? They have now completed the revolution and achieved reunification, but this is still far from becoming a great power in the true sense of the word. After decades of exploitation by the Great Powers, as well as their own civil strife, the country is now desperately short of capital. And they are firmly tied by a large number of unequal treaties. Without external help, they won't be able to do anything big in the next 10 or 20 years.

But the United States is now arranging for Kolchak and his more than a million followers, as well as 600 tons of gold, to settle in China! These are two very great fortunes - gold, and part of the essence of the Russian nation! Among the more than a million people, in addition to soldiers, monks, women and children. There are also a lot of people in engineering and education! Although the most outstanding talents will certainly not stay in China, those second-rate and third-rate engineers and technicians who cannot find good jobs in European and American countries can only stay in China. However, for China's industrial construction, which is just starting out, the knowledge they have mastered is completely sufficient.

If the 247th has wishful thinking, is there still a monthly pass? If the Chinese can make good use of those 600 tons of gold and Belarusian technicians, the speed of their rise will be greatly accelerated! This is not a good thing for the entire Western world, including the restored Russian Empire or the republics.

But President Wilson and Secretary of State Lansing, who are now in Paris, do not see it that way. China's backwardness and poverty, and the ignorance of the Chinese have long been deeply reflected in their minds and have lingered. In their opinion, even if China has 600 tons of gold. At most, it is just to buy some weapons and equipment left over from the war from the United States, and it will not really become an industrial power. In fact, not to mention the Chinese, even the Russians are somewhat stupid in the eyes of most Western civilized countries, and this million White Russia is a treasure in the eyes of Kolchak. In the eyes of Wilson and Lansing, it is just a burden, and it is in the best interests of the United States to use them to divide China and Russia and contain Japan.

Of course, these words could only be put in Mr. Cooper's heart, and he tried to pretend to be merciful on his face: "Mr. Archon." President Wilson and the American people are now most concerned about the lives of more than a million Russians here in Omsk! In addition, we do not want your gold to fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks or the Japanese, compared to the Bolsheviks and Japan. China is clearly a much smaller threat to U.S. interests. And as soon as China accepts your gold and your subordinates, their relations with the Russian Bolsheviks will immediately break down! The same. Japan will also be hostile to China because of concerns about its rise. ”

Kolchak nodded, accepting Cooper's explanation. In fact, he has no other choice now. You can't just wait for death in Omsk with his more than a million followers for the collective good of the entire white world, right? However, he was still a little uneasy about the rise of China, so he thought for a moment and began to put forward conditions: "Mr. Cooper, I hope that the United States will tell the Chinese government that although we are about to lose the war with the Bolsheviks, we will be forced to retreat to China." But each and every one of us, in the past, present, and future, is a patriotic Russian! If they want to get gold from us, they must promise that at any time, there will be no territorial claims against Russia! I need a written commitment and a U.S. guarantee. ”

The representative of the United States nodded, but wondered in his heart, what is the value of such a promise? It's just a psychological comfort. Kolchak continued: "After retreating to China, we also need to keep a maximum of 200,000 troops, as well as a garrison close to the railway, easily accessible and relatively close to Russian territory, until the moment of the counteroffensive comes.

In addition, China must allow the safety of the lives and property of Russian citizens who have retreated to China with the Provisional Government, and also ensure the safety of the lives and property of Russian nationals currently in China, and I do not want any more Red Brigade attacks against Russians!

Finally, I also need the former Russian concession in Tianjin, China, as the seat of the Russian Provisional Government. The defense and law and order there must also be taken care of by the troops of the Russian Provisional Government until we retake our country!

If they agree to these conditions, and the U.S. government provides a guarantee, then we can hand over 500 tons of the 600 tons of gold we have to the Chinese government. The remaining 100 tons of gold and some jewelry and antiques will be used for investment and business activities in China, and the profits generated will be used to maintain the operation of the provisional government and the army...... There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world! Seeing the series of conditions put forward by Kolchak sent by the American Minister Reins, Sun Yat-sen sighed in his heart, and set his eyes on Chang Ruiqing, who was sitting beside him.

"Yaoru, what do you think? Can we agree to General Kolchak's request? ”

Chang Ruiqing's brows furrowed tightly, although Kolchak's conditions were harsh, they were not unacceptable, after all, the other party was willing to pay five hundred tons of gold to China! And there should be a lot of available talent in the more than one million White Russians, right? What really worries him is the information that he has just received from the Military Intelligence Directorate that the mobilization of the Japanese Far Eastern Army is being carried out! By all indications. The Japanese Far Eastern Army is preparing to carry out an expeditionary program, the destination of which will most likely be Siberia!

But they are not friends with the White Russian Provisional Government at the moment, and Kolchak has agreed to go into exile in China, so he should not ask the Japanese for help anymore. As for the occupation of Siberia. Then it is even more impossible, the Japanese will not be stupid enough to drag thousands of kilometers of logistics line to Siberia to have a fierce collision with the battle-hardened Soviet Russian Red Army.

It seems that their purpose, which is also the six hundred tons of gold in Kolchak's hands, must be finalized as much as possible, so as not to cause trouble.

Thinking of this, Chang Ruiqing nodded slightly at Sun Yat-sen, smiled at the American Minister Rui Enshi, and said, "General Kolchak's conditions." We can all accept it! However, I would also like to make some requests to the United States. ”

"Make a request to the United States?" Minister Ruiensch was stunned for a moment and reminded: "General Chang, the role of the United States in this transaction is only the middleman. ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded again and again: "I know, I know that I don't think the conditions proposed to the United States are anything to be embarrassed about." ”

He smiled. He took out a list from the leather bag he was carrying with him and handed it to Reinsch. This is a list of weapons to be purchased by the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government for the US military procurement project, which is the most urgently needed weapons and equipment of the Chinese National Defense Forces (formerly the National Revolutionary Army) that is being reorganized, mainly large-caliber artillery and artillery shells. There are also molds for the shells needed to produce these cannons.

Rui Enshi took the list and glanced at it, and said with a smile: "There is no problem, all these weapons and equipment can be sold to China!" ”

Chang Ruiqing added with a smile: "We hope to get all the weapons and equipment on the list by the end of May, and the payment needs to be owed on credit for a period of time." Until we get the gold of General Kolchak. ”

In May? Rui Enshi and Sun Yat-sen were stunned. The artillery on the list includes 155mm howitzers, 155mm cannons, 203mm heavy howitzers, and 177.8mm shore defense cannons, Reinsch thought. There are more than 200 guns in total, counting the shells. The purchase amount of the whole child is as high as more than 20 million US dollars! However, given that China will soon be able to take over 500 tons of gold from Kolchak, it should be no problem to take credit for the time being. Moreover, the weapons and ammunition needed for this procurement are probably less than 1 percent of the mountains of weapons and equipment piled up in the warehouses of the US War Department.

So after thinking for a moment, the American minister agreed: "Well, as long as you agree to the conditions put forward by General Kolchak, I believe that President Wilson will instruct the War Department to ship the goods in advance, and I think that by the time these weapons and ammunition are shipped to China, you will almost have already received the gold." ”

Hearing this reply, Chang Ruiqing nodded with satisfaction and expressed his gratitude to Minister Rui Enshi. Sun Yat-sen thought at this time that Chang Ruiqing might have lost patience with the marathon negotiations between China and Britain and France, and that he was planning to take unilateral measures to recover the concessions and tariffs. It is estimated that after the gold of the United States and Kolchak is in hand, there will be another "Xiamen incident"!

However, the main reason why Chang Ruiqing is now anxious to obtain heavy weapons from the United States is that he is worried about Japan's reaction after learning that China has obtained Kolchak gold. Although he had heard about Japan's "ten-year construction" national policy from the Korean Liberation Association, Chang Ruiqing knew that it was based on the fact that Japan's construction speed was much faster than China's. Compared with China, Japan has completed the primitive accumulation of capitalism, has already reaped the first pot of gold, and now has obtained the resources of the Russian Far East, and the last bottleneck that restricts the rapid development of the Japanese economy no longer exists.

Although China claims to be a vast land, it is short of talents and capital, and it is also burdened with a large number of unequal treaties, and it is very difficult to enter the track of rapid development in the short term! However, after China obtains Kolchak gold and more than a million White Russia, it is very difficult to say who will stand in the position of the hegemon of East Asia, even after ten years of easy solving.

When the time comes, Japan will definitely do everything possible to suppress and hinder China's development, and even do not rule out launching a war against China! It is precisely on the basis of this judgment that Chang Ruiqing will do everything possible to speed up the arming of the Wehrmacht...... Maritime Prefecture, Far Eastern State, Japan. Yanpu City (Vladivostok).

Inside the headquarters of the Japanese Far East Army, officers stood together and chatted about the recent chaos in the territory of the Cimperian Republic. As the scale of the country's civil war continued to expand, so did the call for Japan to send troops to intervene, and the faces of these Far Eastern Army elites all showed knowing smiles. The territory of the Republic of Xianbeia is ten times the size of the Far Eastern states! If you can completely control it in the hands of the empire. What a remarkable feat it would be!

After Japan's annexation of the Far Eastern Prefecture, a desire to make meritorious contributions swelled in the hearts of the middle and lower rank officers of the Japanese Army. Moreover, there is still a prevalent strategic thinking among them that "there will be a war between Japan and Russia, and it is better to fight early than later."

The Japanese officers who held these views believed that after Japan took over the Far Eastern Prefecture, the fuse of war had already been laid between Japan and Soviet Russia, and that once Soviet Russia defeated the White Russian unification of the country, it would inevitably look for an opportunity to fight Japan in order to regain the lost territory. Case. Then Japan should not maintain the national policy of "tolerance" towards Soviet Russia, but should take the initiative to seek war with Soviet Russia, and it is best to start a war with Soviet Russia when its vitality has not recovered! Moreover, the battlefield of the war between Japan and Russia should not be placed in the territory of the Far Eastern State of Japan. Rather, it should be on the territory of the Republic of Cimbella!

Japan should no longer treat the Republic of Xianperia as a buffer state between Japan and Russia, but should turn the country into a vassal state of Japan, and even consider annexing the Republic of Xianperia after the victory over Soviet Russia.

So, after the command of the Far Eastern Army gave the order for the 2nd and 14th divisions to carry out mobilization. These young Zhuang officers could no longer suppress the excitement in their hearts, and began to discuss how to completely control the chaotic Xianbeilian Republic.

"The Republic of Xianbeilian must not be allowed to fall into the hands of Red Russia!"

"Whatever the reason, the Imperial Army should be stationed in the territory of the Cimberian Republic!"

"More troops should be sent to the Republic of Simberia!"

"Prepare to defeat the Russian Red Army on the land of the Republic of Xianbelia!"

"Defeat Soviet Russia!"

The clamor soon reached the office of the commander of the Far Eastern Front, Lieutenant General Yoshiichi Tanaka. This great man who contributed to the capture of the Far Eastern states for the Japanese Empire is receiving guests. The other party was Major General Rihachiro Sakanishi, who had just arrived in Yanpu (Vladivostok) from Tokyo and was about to take over as chief of staff of the Far Eastern Army. This Japanese spy leader known in history as the "Seven Generations of Rise and Fall Tumbler". After Beijing was captured by the National Revolutionary Army, he did not receive a letter of appointment from an adviser to the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government. So he could only end his career as a Chinese general with tears and went to the Far East Army to become the chief of staff.

And with the arrival of the new chief of staff of the Far Eastern Army, there was also a top-secret operational plan called the "Simberian Intervention Plan". The top secret of this plan was not to send troops to the Republic of Zembria, but to an incidental plan to use the strength of one or two divisions to enter the area around Lake Baikal with the Republican Corps of Cimberia to "support" the Russian Provisional Government.

You must know that the Provisional Government of Japan and Russia is now in a "relationship between friend and foe," and although there is no formal declaration of war, if the two armies really want to meet, most of them will still fight in a big way. Under these circumstances, how should the Japanese army carry out this "support plan"? And this issue is not mentioned at all in the entire Schimberia Intervention Plan.

"Bansai-kun, has the Empire reached some secret agreement with the Russian Provisional Government?" After reading the text brought by Sakanishi, Yoshiichi Tanaka raised such a question.

"There is no agreement, and it is very difficult to reach any agreement!" Rihachiro Sakanishi shook his head slowly: "The Russian Provisional Government is not willing to contact us at all, and they are still resentful of our seizure of the Far Eastern State!" ”

"And how are we going to support them?" Yoshiichi Tanaka was puzzled.

Rihachiro Sakanishi frowned and lowered his voice: "The thing is actually this, according to the information we have, the Russian Provisional Government currently has a large amount of gold in its hands, estimated at five hundred to six hundred tons, which was captured by Kolchak's army when it captured Kazan. ”

"So much gold!" Before Sakanishi's words were finished, Tanaka Yoshiichi exclaimed: "The empire must get this batch of gold!" ”

Banxi also nodded heavily: "Yes, the empire must get them!" This gold must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks or the Chinese! This is the real purpose of this expedition! As he spoke, his face became solemn again: "But it is not easy to get this batch of gold, because Kolchak still has a very strong military force in his hands, estimated to be hundreds of thousands of troops. ”

Tanaka's face also turned pale, although Kolchak's army was demoralized and lacked ammunition, but the number was too large. This time, the Japanese army only dispatched two divisions, how could it be possible to seize gold from hundreds of thousands of troops?

"Your Excellency Commander, the subordinate also knows that this matter is difficult." Sakanishi Rihachiro considered the words and said: "The General Staff Headquarters also knows this, so there is no mention of seizing gold in this Simberian intervention plan, but only let the subordinate convey verbally that the military department means to let our Far Eastern Army handle it at its discretion." ”

Tanaka Yoshiichi still shook his head: "Having said that, as the commander of the Far East Army, Banxi-kun, who always has to try his best to seize gold for the empire, do you have any troubles?" (To be continued......) rq！！！