Episode 27 Declaring War?

At noon on 23 May, several important ministers of the Ming Cabinet in Nanjing gathered to guard the radio, and at the same time, the officers in the headquarters also listened to the sound echoing over the central command hall.

After a majestic "Internationale", a rich, impassioned voice said in Russian:

"Moscow is broadcasting, Moscow is broadcasting...... Here is Radio Moscow. Citizens of the Soviet Union, comrades, brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters of workers oppressed by the bourgeoisie all over the world, people of imperialist aggression all over the world! …… In the early hours of this morning, the heroic and fearless International Volunteer Brigade has crossed the Tianshan Mountains and plunged into the struggle to support the Ili people in resisting imperialist aggression!

"Under the merciless blows of the heroic International Volunteer Brigade, the Ming imperialist invading bandits collapsed in just a few hours. Up to now, the volunteer brigade has killed more than 10,000 bandits, captured more than 2,000 bandits, destroyed 215 tanks, shot down 386 planes, captured more than 400 vehicles of various types, more than 500 artillery pieces of various types, and countless guns and ammunition...... The 1st Armored Division of the Ming Bandit Army, which invaded and entrenched in the Ili Kingdom for half a month, has been completely wiped out by the International Volunteer Brigade. The division commander Gao Dayi was killed, and the fate of the bandit chief Xiang Xiaoqiang is unknown.

"During this half month, the Ming bandit army committed heinous crimes in the local area, bringing great suffering to the people of Ili. The land of the Ili Kingdom was sprinkled with the blood and tears of the Ili people everywhere. The Soviet people, like the people of Ili, love peace and justice. The Soviet people have also suffered from the barbaric aggression of imperialism, and the suffering of the people of Ili is felt by the Soviet people. As a member of the League of Nations and a major country with a sense of responsibility, it is our responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability, stop aggression, and protect the freedom and freedom of weak and small countries.

"At present, however, the Soviet Union is in the stage of making every effort to build the Second Five-Year Plan for Socialism, and is fully supporting the Spanish people in their resistance to fascism, and is really unable to interfere too much in the affairs of other countries. Thus, the 'International Volunteer Brigade', another international righteous organization after the 'International Column', was born, which was mainly composed of left-wingers, proletarians, anti-fascist fighters, progressive youths from all over the world, and of course, volunteer fighters from the Soviet Union...... Inspired by the same flag, they fought together......"

……

In the living room of the official residence of the First Auxiliary Minister, after listening to the Russian-language radio and listening to the translation of the Jinling Radio Station, several important ministers all looked at each other, their faces turned pale, and sweat was like rain.

The headquarters of the 1st Division of the People's Guard could not be contacted two hours ago. A final telegram was also sent from Dihua Airport, saying that the airport was about to be lost and that reinforcements should not land here again......

In other words, the first division of the People's Guard has been annihilated by at least more than half!

That division had about 18,000 men, and except for half of them, which was not in Dihua, the numbers reported by the Soviet Union added up to about the same! Even the division commander Gao Dayi was martyred, so presumably the division headquarters failed to break through...... Xiang Xiaoqiang and Princess Liaoyang are estimated to be more auspicious......

"Alas......" Shen Rongxuan's face was blue, he was silent for a long time, and sighed, "I don't know how Princess Liaoyang and Xiang Xiaoqiang are safe." ”

War Minister Li Gaoting glanced at him and said:

"I'm afraid it is...... Everything points to disaster. ”

Several of the other ministers also nodded. For a moment, no one was speechless.

For the cabinet, Xiang Xiaoqiang's death must be a good thing. However, they could not be happy in any way. Xiang Xiaoqiang was "removed" in this way, which they really couldn't afford. What's more, he also hitched a ride with a princess.

At the beginning of the Imperial Council to agree on the national policy, the ministers of themselves strongly agreed with the United States, Japan and the Soviet Union. The only one who objected to this matter was Xiang Xiaoqiang. Although Xiang Xiaoqiang later participated in the negotiations with Japan and the Soviet Union, it was only after the decision of the Imperial Council was made that Xiang Xiaoqiang went to implement it. At the imperial meeting, Xiang Xiaoqiang put down all the words in advance.

The Foreign Secretary held back a sentence:

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty knows, right? ”

Shen Rongxuan said coldly:

"Your Majesty will know in the morning."

"Oh......" he hesitated, tentatively, "Your Majesty...... What about the mood? ”

Shen Rongxuan glanced at him and seemed to guess his thoughts.

When the Northern Qing Dynasty attacked Nanjing, no minister asked "how is Your Majesty's mood", after King Xianyanping was killed by a bomb, no minister asked "How is Your Majesty's mood", during the War of Unification, the Ming army suffered greater losses, and at that time no minister asked "How is Your Majesty's mood". However, this time only half of the division was lost in the northern frontier, and the foreign minister mysteriously inquired about His Majesty's emotions......

It seems that the relationship between His Majesty and Xiang Xiaoqiang is no longer a secret on a small scale. At least one of the ministers of the outer court is speculating......

Shen Rongxuan sighed and said lightly:

"Your Majesty is naturally very indignant. I can't imagine that the USSR was so treacherous......"

The Admiral said coldly:

"It's not just treachery, it's shameless! Hmph, people obviously named themselves 'Ili Empire', but when he came to him, it was changed to 'Ili Kingdom'. Why? Isn't it just shouting 'imperialism' for 20 years, and it's not good to support another 'empire' here? In my opinion, the Soviet Union is also cowardly enough, and it can be provoked or not, because it is obviously the regular troops of the Soviet Red Army that are attacking on a large scale, and they have to put on the fig leaf of an 'international volunteer brigade', making it seem as if the Soviet Union is an innocent bystander. It was clear that several armies were attacking, but there was only one brigade, as if there was a border friction...... Are you afraid that we will directly declare war on the Soviet Union? ”

Shen Rongxuan pondered:

"I'm afraid the Soviet Union really had this in mind. You are quite right, the Soviet Union did this, firstly, with an extra fig leaf, which looked like an 'international intervention operation', rather than a naked-naked invasion. Secondly, Stalin may also be using this to convey to us that he wants to control the war locally, that we hope that we will retreat in the face of difficulties, and that we will not cause a full-scale war between the Ming and the Soviet Union, which will not benefit either side......"

The four of them sneered. Even the most moderate ministers are gearing up at the moment, eager to declare war on the Soviet Union. …… But, after all, they are ministers, not those hot-blooded youths in the army and universities. It's just "I can't wait". As for whether to declare war, it still has to be discussed, and the opinions of the royal family and the army must be combined. And, of course, public opinion.

Shen Rongxuan says:

"The reaction of the royal family and the people to this matter must be the same, it must be dominated by grief and indignation, and the voices advocating a declaration of war against the Soviet Union must be overwhelming. As for the army, this one is difficult to say. The main person responsible for this sneak attack was the top level of the high command. It is not known if there will be any personnel changes. I will go to His Majesty in the afternoon to present to her the proposals of the Cabinet. Until then, I'd like to hear from you. ”

The Minister of War demanded a declaration of war on the USSR. In his opinion, there is no doubt about it.

"If we do not declare war on the Soviet Union immediately," said War Minister Li Gaoting, "in addition to swallowing national humiliation, it is tantamount to recognizing the legitimacy of this 'international volunteer brigade' concocted by the Soviet Union in disguise." That is tantamount to admitting that this is not 'the Soviet Union's invasion of the Ming Dynasty', but 'the international intervention of the Ming Dynasty and the invasion of the Ili Kingdom'......"

Shen Rongxuan nodded, then turned his head and asked:

"What about the Admiralty's opinion?"

The Admiralty Chancellor muttered:

"In the war against the Soviet Union, the Navy was only a secondary power, or even a bystander. Originally, I couldn't say anything more. But...... Maybe we should eat a trench and grow wise, and seriously consider Xiang Xiaoqiang's point of view. ”

"What's the point of view?"

"Keep an eye out for Japan." "The Soviet Union is a lesson." Let's not think that if we sign an agreement with the other party and give them a large amount of land, the other party will no longer attack our ideas...... The Soviet Union is a vast country with its center of gravity in Europe, and it is still like this, so if Japan is a small country with its center in East Asia, won't it have the heart to take advantage of the fire? Therefore, I think that it is natural to fight back with all our strength against the Soviet Union, but it is better not to declare war without declaring war, and we would rather tacitly fight with the 'International Volunteer Brigade'. In order to control the extent of the war, if something happens in the East, we will not be trapped in it and unable to get out......"

As soon as he said this, several ministers present also thought about it and nodded slightly.

The Foreign Secretary also nodded and said:

"A number of international issues should also be taken into account...... For example, the westernmost part of our railway is only to Lanzhou and Xining, and the remaining more than 1,000 kilometers are all by road. That means we need a lot of cars if we want to win this war. And even much more cars than the War of Unification...... There is only one way to get such a large number of cars in a short period of time: to buy them from the United States. If we do not declare war, then according to the US Neutrality Act, we can buy all war materials, including cars and weapons of all kinds, unhindered. But if we declare war, then we are belligerents and will have the same problems as last time. ”