Episode 135 Going Left? To the right?

After Shen Rongxuan asked "what should we do", he did not immediately express his opinion, but listened to the discussion of other ministers. According to the usual practice, the courtiers did not discuss until the critical moment, and Zhu Yourong did not speak. She now sat at one end of the long conference table, quietly listening to the ministers' discussions.

Because the Spanish army announced the takeover of power only one day, a lot of information could not be transmitted back to the Ming Dynasty in time, so many of the cabinet discussions were based on speculation.

But one thing is clear to everyone is that it is not a conflict between the left and the right in Spain, but the two ideologies of fascism and Bolsheviks, to put it bluntly, the Soviet Union and Germany and Italy, the two great powers, are competing on the land of Spain.

The situation in Spain has not been chaotic for a day or two, and many people have long predicted the possibility of a civil war. It is also clear who and which countries are behind the left and right forces in Spain. Shen Rongxuan's meaning of "what should we do now" is actually this:

First, whether to remain neutral or to support one side or the other.

Second, if you support one side, then which side you support.

Third, if so, to what extent.

Foreign Minister He Ziguang said:

"The old minister reminds you to pay attention to the fact that the Ming Dynasty now has an imminent enemy, and there is no interest in Europe, so you can't pay too much attention to that side. So even if we support either side, we have at most moral support. Do you have any comments on this? ”

Admiral Minister Fan Yaochen looked left and right, and said in a deep voice:

"But the USSR and Italy ...... It is quite possible that these two countries are going to intervene. Spain's position in Europe is too important, and what ideological government will hold Spain in the future is too important for both sides. As our Daming...... Should there be some more active role? In order to pursue the greater national interest? ”

Shen Rongxuan interjected:

"Not only the two sides, but also the third party in Europe, that is, the United Kingdom and France and other intermediate countries. Spain is geographically the closest to France. Spain may be on the edge of Europe, but it holds the Strait of Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean. The Strait of Gibraltar was an important gateway to the British colonies in the East. Britain also had a naval base in Gibraltar. What kind of government will be in the hands of Spain in the future, Britain and France must also be very concerned. ”

Foreign Minister He Ziguang nodded and said:

"Yes, Spain was very important to both the Soviet Union and Germany and Italy...... But what Shen Ge Lao said is also very right, the attitude of the third-party forces in Europe, that is, some democratic-sovereign countries, is also very important. The main ones are Britain and France. The ideology of such countries is pluralistic and relatively moderate. If you only consider the ideological level, it will be difficult for them to decide which side to support. Because on one side there were fascists, and on the other side there were Bolsheviks, and they both had a hard time accepting it......

But Elder Shen Ge has pointed out the key problem, that is, for them, in addition to ideology, there are also tangible interests. For France, Spain is a direct border with it. For Britain, Spain held its access to its eastern colonies. They have to make a choice and don't sit idly by. …… And this involves our Da Ming. Lao Chen believes that the attitude of our Ming Dynasty should stand with the attitude of Britain and France.

"If it were only the fascists and the Bolsheviks who were fighting for Spain, then we could stay out of it and show neutrality. But now there are also Britain and France. We are not in Europe, and the Anglo-French are in Europe, and they have more reason to care about Spain than we do. Therefore, Lao Chen believes that in this matter, we will follow the tone of Britain and France, and that will be fine. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of the Navy, Fan Yaochen, was dissatisfied:

"Just follow the English and French tunes...... Lord He, is this like the words of a foreign secretary? ”

He Ziguang said:

"Master Fan, what do you mean? How is this not like the words of a foreign secretary? ”

Fan Yaochen frowned and said:

"Yes, our center of interest is not in Europe...... But we do have some interests in Europe. …… We are far away from Europe, but not far enough away, and we are still on a planet. For such a big matter, we must have our own considerations, and we cannot and cannot stay out of it. Moreover, we have just formed an economic and technological partnership with Germany, and the Soviet Union is close to the north of our old enemy, the Manchus, and is geographically encircled. …… So, should we maintain our partnership with Germany and side with Germany? Or did they take the opportunity to win over the Soviet Union and contain the Manchus from the north, and side with the Soviet Union? …… As Foreign Minister, Mr. He should have a clear view. ”

Fan Yaochen said a few unkind words, which made He Ziguang angry. If it weren't for the fact that this was the Imperial Council and Her Majesty the Empress was also present, then according to the style of the previous cabinet, it would have been almost time to pour tea now.

He Ziguang glanced at Zhu Yourong, who was sitting upright, suppressed his anger, and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Fan, you must know that the proposal of this minister to 'follow closely behind Britain and France' has been considered by you! Yes, Germany is a very important partner for us to make a letter of! At present, in our factory, there are advanced weapons, advanced equipment, precision machine tools, and precision parts based on German technology leaving the factory every day, German flight instructors are training in the sky with our pilots every day, and more than 10,000 German Wehrmacht officers and soldiers are also living and training together with our army in our barracks every day, and the quality of our Ming Army is also moving closer to the German army day by day...... Therefore, we must not give up Germany!

"But on the other hand, as you say, our greatest enemy is the Manchus, and the Soviet Union is just north of the Manchus. And because of this, the Manchus always placed a considerable number of troops on the northern border to guard against the Soviet Union. It was precisely because of the containment of the Soviet Union that the forces that the Manchus could mobilize during their southern invasion were reduced a lot, and it was possible for our Yangtze River defense line to be defended. However, if we stand clearly on the side of Germany and Italy, we will inevitably anger the Soviet Union. Then Stalin didn't need to say anything to us, he just needed to give the Manchus a little hint, a little friendly signal, such as transferring a few divisions from the Far East, then the Manchu emperor would have the courage to transfer more troops to the south. In that case, whether the Manchus invaded south or not, we would feel much greater pressure!

"Therefore, this minister thought about it again and again, and felt that both sides had to try to win over, at least not to offend. Just now, Shen Ge Lao said that in addition to the Bolsheviks and fascists, there is also a third-party force in Europe, that is, the democratic-sovereign state. And although we are not in Europe, the whole world naturally classifies us and Britain, France and other countries as third parties. That's a good thing. So we simply don't care so much, just keep an eye on Britain and France and play our traditional role well. We will do what Britain and France do. Because we stand with Britain and France and other democratic-sovereign countries, we stand on the moral high ground, and no one can say anything no matter who we support or condemn with them! ”

Fan Yaochen paused, still asking:

"Okay, Lord He, this official is reckless. But Lord He, I'm afraid things are not so simple. What if Britain and France not only paid lip service to support and condemn it, but also took further steps, such as providing arms support to one side and imposing an embargo on the other? Shall we do the same? ”

He Ziguang was stunned:

"Of course not."

Fan Yaochen shook his head, sighed, glanced at the other ministers, and did not speak again. But his gaze was read by all:

- In this case, Da Ming will only offend both sides, and it will not be good.

……

The cabinet meeting adjourned at noon, and Zhu Yourong instructed the imperial dining room to pass the meal, and entertain the ministers in the palace, and then the meeting would continue in the afternoon.

After listening to the cabinet quarrel all morning, Zhu Yourong was also full of upset. She originally had some opinions of her own, but after listening to various opinions all morning, her mind was now very confused.

After lunch, Zhu Yourong ordered the meeting to start at half past one in the afternoon. And at this time, it was only twelve o'clock, and she took this opportunity to quietly order the commander of the People's Guard, Xiang Xiaoqiang, to enter the palace. She wants to listen to Xiang Xiaoqiang's opinion.

Zhu Yourong's current intuition tells her that in this situation, there must be nothing wrong with trusting the person who has always made her trust.

And Xiang Xiaoqiang has been waiting for Zhu Yourong to take the initiative to consult him since yesterday. At this moment, he got into the car and arrived at the Forbidden City in only ten minutes.