Episode 104 East Asia for Central Asia

After the Soviet representative said a lot of high-sounding words, both sides knew that to the extent that the Soviet side was telling lies. The Ming side knew that what the Soviet side was telling was a lie. The Soviet side knew that the Ming side knew that what the Soviet side was telling was a lie.

Next, the representatives of the Soviet side took the initiative to put forward their big conditions:

1. The Ming side recognizes the Uyghur-Er-Stein Republic and recognizes its status as a member of the Soviet Union.

2. The Ming side recognized the ** of the Ili Kingdom and promised not to infringe on it.

3. The Ming side promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ili Empire in any form.

4. The Soviet side promised to stop all aid to Japan and not to engage in any trade with Japan during the Sino-Japanese War.

5. The Soviet side promised to refuse to allow any Japanese ships to dock in Soviet ports and coasts during the Sino-Japanese War. The passage of any Japanese warship from the territorial waters of the USSR was denied. In accordance with humanitarian principles, ships that are shipwrecked, broken down, and run out of fuel are excluded, but only for civilian vessels.

6. The Soviet side promised that during the Japanese-Ming War, any military and civilian ships of the Ming side could carry out 'innocent passage' in the territorial waters of the Soviet Union. Any civilian vessel of the Ming side could dock in any Soviet port and be resupplied and repaired. With the permission of the Soviet side, any military ship of the Ming side could dock in any port of the Soviet Union, and be supplied and repaired.

7. The Soviet side will support the Ming side's territorial claims to Jilin, Heilongjiang, and eastern Outer Mongolia, and support the Ming side in recovering the above places. The Soviet Union will affirm on all occasions that the Ming country's claims to the above territories are completely justified and legitimate.

8. On the basis of Article 2 of the Ming commitment, the Soviet side will also promise to fully respect the Ili Kingdom, not to station troops on its territory, and to promise not to infringe on it.

……

After the Soviet deputies read out the conditions, they looked at the Ming deputies present with great anticipation and confidence. It can be seen from their expressions that they still think that their conditions are very attractive, and the two sides have a great grasp of making small changes on this basis.

Several of the main representatives of the Ming side looked at each other, all smiled, drank tea, and did not say anything. Several Soviets looked around, waiting for someone to speak.

After a while, Xiang Xiaoqiang coughed lightly, put down the teacup, shook his head and smiled:

"To tell you the truth, there is still a certain gap between the conditions in your country and what we imagined. To be honest, after your intelligence officer approached me a few days ago and told me these general conditions, I hesitated for a long time whether to report this matter to His Majesty. Alas, I'm afraid she will scold me: the Soviets first annexed a large part of our northern frontier, and then continued to annex to the east, all the way to Gansu...... Okay, now I can't swallow it, so I said: I'll spit out a little, the northern Xinjiang is still mine, I won't fight, quit and watch you fight. Beijiang will be mine from now on. …… Ladies and gentlemen, stripped of these beautiful words on your terms, isn't this the essence that is finally revealed? ”

When he said this, several Ming representatives around him shook their heads and sighed together. And a few Soviets were still listening to the translation with their ears turned to the side at this time.

Before they could answer, Xiang Xiaoqiang continued:

"Don't say it, as soon as I tell Your Majesty, Your Majesty really counted me down, and said that you will repay this condition...... Later, His Majesty also took into account his previous promise to the people: universal suffrage began after the war, and His Majesty allowed us to talk about it in order to avoid the suspicion of 'prolonging the war by 'prolonging the war by loving power', and also for the sake of the people being able to enjoy real political rights earlier. …… However, gentlemen, these conditions of your present are certainly not good. If we want to continue talking, we must make major adjustments. After all, no one likes to fight. You keep saying that you love peace, but you are not the only peace-loving person in the world. You love peace, and so do we. But isn't it strange that two so peace-loving countries are now fighting like two dogs. ”

After a while, several Soviets listened to the translation, all with slightly discolored faces, and looked at each other. Then one of them spoke. The translator said it again in Chinese:

"So, please talk about your conditions."

Vice Foreign Minister He Weibang said with a smile:

"Our conditions are simple. We are guided by the principle that a treaty must be fair, and what is clearly unfair is an unequal treaty. and unequal treaties, I don't think either of us would be happy to agree to. …… Such a vast land, such abundant resources, and such an important strategic position on the Eurasian continent in northern Xinjiang are by no means something that you can exchange for a few 'rejections' and 'disapprovals' of Japan. Tensions between your country and Japan have not been a day or two, especially in the Far East, where there are serious territorial and territorial disputes. Coupled with the war between your country and Japan at the beginning of the century, it is now even more of a 'quasi-enemy state' relationship. Now we can come together purely because there is a common enemy - we are just Ming. As long as we unilaterally cease war with any of you, the relationship between the two of you will quickly break down and return to mutual distrust and even hostility. Therefore, as far as your country is concerned, don't say that it refuses to aid Japan, even if you sever diplomatic relations with Japan, you will not lose much.

"But we're different. If these conditions are accepted, more than 100,000 square kilometers of land will be lost in vain. What you get is nothing but a little bit of charity. We have a Chinese proverb called 'pork sells tofu price', which refers to this situation. …… Of course, we fully understand the needs of your interests in Central Asia. You need to build up your forces in Central Asia and stabilize the situation. Northern Xinjiang is rich in mineral and oil resources, and it is also the geographical center of the entire Eurasian continent, so its strategic location is very important. What's more, Central Asia is closer to Europe, and it's much easier for you to run Central Asia than it is to run the Far East. ”

When the Soviet representative heard the interpreter say this, he gradually narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of suspicion, as if he was pondering the meaning of his last sentence.

Sure enough, He Weibang continued:

"Therefore, we have also drafted a negotiating basis, which can complement this 'negotiating basis' of yours and become a 'common basis' for our negotiations: if you want southern Xinjiang, we will give it. If you want the northern frontier, we will also give. But you can't give it for nothing. We must be compensated by the corresponding land elsewhere. This is the basis for us to continue our negotiations. ”

After he finished speaking, he stopped, picked up the teacup, and drank leisurely. The room was quiet, except for the interpreter next to the Soviets, who was leaning into his ears and whispering Russian.

A moment later, several Soviet deputies listened. Several people's faces changed, they looked at each other, and they didn't speak.

Obviously, their worst fears came up.

After a moment of silence, the Soviet deputy, led by the head, spoke:

"Can you elaborate on what that means?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't understand this sentence, but He Weibang, a veteran diplomat, understood. The Soviet representatives wanted to "explain the meaning", not that they did not understand what it meant. This meaning is so simple and obvious, how can you not understand it. The Soviets were reluctant to immediately ask, "Where do you want a place?" If you ask like that, it will give a clear signal to the Ming side: OK, we can talk, we are already mentally prepared. At present, the Soviets can only use the phrase "explain the meaning in detail" and ask the Ming side to explain the conditions in more detail in disguise, so that they can decide whether to refuse on the spot, the negotiations break down, or they can say that they cannot make the decision, adjourn the meeting and send a telegram to Comrade Stalin asking for instructions.

He Weibang nodded and said with a smile:

"Our meaning is simple, if you can give us a piece of land in the Far East, that is, along the coast of the Sea of Japan, we can consider ceding the northern frontier."