@@@@@@

In mid-January 1926, there was no end in sight to West Borneo.

The decisive shelling of the Hunhe and Feihong was effective, not only frightened the rioters into fleeing deep into the rainforest, but also the ordinary local people who had seen the excitement began to evacuate West Borneo one after another. The Dutch colonial government in Batavia also did not dare to slack off, not only transferred the only two cruisers, but also sent more than 700 soldiers to maintain law and order to arrest the murderers who participated in the riots and killed the Chinese, hoping to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.

But to Lord Decor's dismay, more and more warships were converging off the coast of West Borneo. No one expected that the British Empire, which was mired in post-war recession, would be so resolute this time, not only dispatching the entire Far East Fleet, but also transferring three cruisers from the Mediterranean Fleet to Malaya, ready to support the Far East Fleet if necessary.

Not to be outdone, the young Chinese navy also sent a fleet of two battle cruisers, four heavy cruisers, and 15 other ships amid fierce protests at home. What is most troubling to Britain is that, unlike the last Sumatra oil field crisis, the Chinese Navy has also dispatched a large number of submarines this time, and in the past three days alone, five new submarines with a displacement of about 800 tons have been discovered, one of which even appeared at the entrance to the South China Sea in the Strait of Malacca.

In the Bass Strait, the Balintang Strait, the Palawan Islands and other areas, traces of submarines have been found!

This undisguised massive mobilization of naval forces into the South China Sea has taken the world away, and even the most optimistic European newspapers have reversed their tune and believed that war would break out in a matter of weeks. Japan, which has always coveted the South Seas, will naturally not let go of this opportunity to study the Chinese and British navies, and as the two sides continue to move troops southward, there are also heated discussions within the headquarters of the Tokyo Combined Fleet, and this is a good opportunity for them to peek at the cards of China and Britain. But when it comes to action or participation, even the most optimistic Japanese generals shake their heads.

The reason is simple: no money.

The impact of the Great Kanto Earthquake on Japan was so great that two years later, the hardest-hit areas in Tokyo are still full of shantytowns, and food prices have skyrocketed several times again. Faced with this situation, Crown Prince Hirohito strengthened the power of the Imperial Road faction after taking charge of the country. Nagata Tieshan was appointed to be responsible for exchanging machinery for resources in trade with the Soviet Union, and also imported scrap steel from the United States for heavy refining. Due to the huge need for the reconstruction of the Soviet Union, Moscow, which lacked gold reserves, was eager to exchange precious metals for industrial equipment and save foreign exchange and gold. In the end, Nagata Tetsuyama also suggested that the Soviet Union should be nationalized. Wantonly weaken the power of the domestic chaebol and make the chaebol a manufacturing tool for the state in exchange for resources. Hirohito then appointed Okamura Ninji as the head of Guinean immigration, and it was his active work that led to 470,000 Japanese arriving in Guinea under the pretext of "cultivating grain for the empire", and in just three years cultivated millions of acres of land for the cultivation of rice and rubber.

Although the two worked hard and the national treasury gradually became richer, they could not change the fundamental situation of the worsening of the people's suffering and the shrinking of the manufacturing industry caused by dumping by the United States.

The chaebols also hated Nagata Iron Mountain. Because all their exports are repatriated, the wealth goes into the treasury instead of their pockets. The entire army unanimously accused Nagata Tetsuyama of being an army traitor, as the tank division's plan was once again rejected. The Japanese navy, however, was supportive of the policy diametrically opposed, as most of the revenue from this trade was used for naval expansion. Hirohito's support made the Navy very happy, and in order to counter the island-class heavy cruisers of Taiwan, the construction of four more Myo-class heavy cruisers was started when the Aoba-class with eight 203mm naval guns was only launched. However, the four heavy patrols that almost emptied the treasury finally passed the budget, and the news of the 1925 naval plan was approved by the National Assembly of the Republic of China. The plan for 2 battleships of the 1st class, 4 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 2 aircraft carriers, 26 destroyers and 4 auxiliary ships was very worrying to the whole of Japan.

It was at this time. Wang Rongbao, a representative of the Kuomintang and former ambassador of the Republic of China to Japan, returned to Japan with a desire to seek support. However, the Japanese government is lukewarm to the former ambassador, which shows that they do not believe that the KMT can do much. On the contrary, it attached great importance to the Washington Naval Treaty China Monitoring Group, which suddenly and quietly visited early.

In order to monitor States for non-contravention of the Treaty, States parties to the Treaty have similar monitoring bodies that regularly check their compliance with the Treaty. Leading the Chinese regiment this time was Zheng Zuyi, chief of the general staff of the Navy, and it was he and Cheng Biguang who joined forces to fight the first real naval battle of the Republic of China in the Yellow Sea. But from a naval point of view, the Battle of the Yellow Sea was a failure! Not only did the losses outweigh those of Japan, but the damage to the Yasukai and Zhenhai was also very serious. The navy has even downgraded its use, and if it weren't for the naval treaty's restriction on unwarranted retirement, perhaps the two ships would have been removed from the Republic of China Navy sequence.

At the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard, Zheng Zuyi led a naval delegation to inspect the heavy cruiser Myoko, which had just been laid with a keel. Naturally, Japan will not open its top secrets to the eyes of possible enemies, but in fact, all countries have tacitly accepted it. Everyone checks the hull size and then makes a plan as long as it's not too obvious. After the inspection, the Japanese Navy held a banquet to entertain the Chinese delegation, and not only high-ranking officials of the Japanese Navy came, but even the current Minister of Finance personally came from Tokyo to attend the dinner.

The luxury of the navy is unimaginable, and even as Japan is reeling from the aftermath of the earthquake, the table is still filled with expensive delicacies such as cod, shellfish and caviar. Wines that are prevalent in Europe. Japanese rice wine and Chinese baijiu are consumed more like running water.

In order to find out the specific data on the 1925 battleships of the first rank in the Chinese naval program, Zheng Zuyi was almost surrounded by Japanese naval officials, and all the topics were not far from the two new battleships and the crisis of West Borneo.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, I heard that your country is planning to build 2 new battleships? Is it the use of American 40mm naval guns? Your country already has 8 capital ships, are you not afraid of causing disputes between our two countries and undermining peace in Asia? The question was Vice Admiral Gentaro Yamashita, who led the fleet to Taiwan after the Battle of the Yellow Sea, but finally faced the Chinese Navy without a tiger.

This question made the Japanese naval bigwigs such as Caibu Biao prick up their ears, they didn't really care about the two battleships. Because in the eyes of the Japanese Navy, China is a typical mainland country, and the navy's talent reserve is too poor, and it is difficult to say whether the four such good Taiwan Island-class heavy cruisers can play their full level in their hands, but they are deeply worried about the vague Sino-US cooperation.

There is a chance of victory against the Chinese navy, but it is very bad against the Chinese and American navies to flank them. Although this possibility is extremely small, the Japanese Navy does not dare to relax its vigilance, especially since the current trade complementarity between China and the United States is obvious, and Yang Qiu suddenly visited the United States despite the crisis. The associations brought are too great.

Before coming to Japan, Zheng Zuyi had been instructed by the General Staff Headquarters, so he had already thought of a statement: "Vice Admiral, you are wrong, my country currently only has 6 capital ships, and 2 American battleships have been returned. As for the two Combined Forces-class battleships purchased from Europe, they will be decommissioned and dismantled after the new ships enter service, so we do not think that the new ships will cause regional tensions. On the contrary, the European colonizers who returned to Asia were the source of the unrest, deliberately creating ethnic contradictions and desperately dumping goods on our two countries, as I am sure you must recognise. ”

After finishing speaking, he also deliberately sighed and asked: "As for the artillery." China did propose to the United States to buy 40 mm guns, but unfortunately the offer is too expensive, I wonder if your country's 41 mm guns can be sold? ”

Just kidding, of course, you can't sell Nagato's 410mm gun, it's a technology that took Japan decades to break through! However, the Ministry of Finance was surprised that China was willing to dismantle the two Combined Forces-class battleships, although this kind of battleship is too old, but it is still possible to defend the Bohai Strait and other coastal waters. Unbelieving: "Is the general telling the truth?" Is your country really going to dismantle 2 capital ships? So is it to dismantle and build 2 more to replace it? ”

"We were supposed to submit four 35-mm capital ships, but the Minister of Defense considered the technology insufficient. Congress also agreed to allocate funds for the construction of only two. Hey, these Army-born people don't understand the Navy at all. Zheng Zuyi shook her head as she spoke. His words are true and false, the Navy did submit a plan for four ships, but it was cut into two. In the end, in order to consider the speed, the 360mm naval gun was also preferred, and the navy was very dissatisfied with this.

36 mm? Finance Biao and the Japanese naval officers didn't believe it, Yang Qiu actually chose this caliber! Could it be that there has been no breakthrough in large-caliber naval artillery technology? This is possible, after all, the United States sold 305mm naval gun technology at the time of the Anhai class. If it weren't for the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Japan would probably not be able to manufacture a 41-mm super naval gun. Since it is 35 mm, it is nothing more than the level of the Fuso and Ise classes (Japan has designated the two British Lion classes as the Ise class), and even if they are built, they will not pose a threat to Nagato.

However, the Ministry of Finance was still not at ease, and blurted out: "Your country really wants to build a 36-mm first-class battleship? ”

Zheng Zuyi pretended to realize that he had leaked his mouth, and looked around before snoring: "Soon my country will announce the details in accordance with the provisions of the treaty." Wait patiently. ”

Seeing that he was reluctant to answer directly, Gentaro Yamashita gave a toast and put on a very worried look: "Why build such a small-caliber battleship?" Britain, France, and the United States are eyeing our Asia, and even the Netherlands are inciting the natives, and this caliber cannot at all dispel their hostility. ”

Zheng Zuyi agrees with this sentence: "Lieutenant General Yamashita is very right, and this is what I am most worried about. For various reasons, our country is not yet able to build larger-class warships, so the countries of Britain, the United States, France and the Netherlands are becoming more and more unscrupulous! I think. Although our two countries have had misunderstandings and unhappiness before, as the only two big countries in Asia, there are not only our nationals but also your country's expatriates in the South Seas, and they are all engaged in some lowly jobs, many resources and oil have been plundered by colonizers, and even small countries like Portugal control the eastern part of the island of Timor to explore for oil! So I think we should form a cruising fleet and go to the South Seas on a regular basis to protect the diaspora from oppression. ”

Before tonight's banquet, the Japanese Navy had actually thought about supporting China. Because there are also many Japanese expatriates in Nanyang, supporting China's autonomy is equivalent to giving its own expatriates greater opportunities, and Japan now also has the idea of breaking the jar, after all, the country is already like this, who is not supporting? The key is how much benefit you can get.

Zheng Zuyi knows Japan, which is also the key to his sudden early inspection of Miao Gao. Because the navy is now almost the dominant force in Japan, and the army is very suppressed, the support of the navy plays a key role. I saw him put down his wine glass and said in a slow tone: "Maybe I'm too abrupt, and the formation of a cruising fleet is just my personal idea." However, when I arrived, the Presidential Office heard that your country was slow to develop land in the hilly and forested areas of Guinea and could not solve the serious food shortage in your country, so it was very worried about the livelihood of the Japanese people, and specially asked me to bring 100 small tractors for the mountains and hills. We, the Admiralty, have also raised 3,000 tons of rice in the hope of alleviating the food shortage in your country. ”

"In addition!" He took a deep breath and took out the last card he had brought: "I also take your hospitality to send a message to your country." Our Prime Minister hopes to visit Tokyo in the near future to look for opportunities to renew normal relations between our two countries! ”…… (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )