Germany simply ignored Japan's ultimatum. Perhaps, in their opinion, this crappy apprentice from the Far East is not worth paying attention to at all. It was only after this that they and Austria-Hungary significantly accelerated the pace of withdrawal, and it was expected that they would evacuate Qingdao by August 20 and embark on a journey back to Europe.

Seeing that Germany and Austria-Hungary were about to slip away and that they were about to lose their excuse to intervene in Shandong, Japan could no longer ignore Britain's repeated increase in constraints, and resolutely announced the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and Germany on August 15, and immediately declared war on Germany. The Japanese Diet soon approved the Okuma Cabinet's provisional military budget of 120 million yen to cover the Japanese army's attack on Qingdao.

Less than two hours after Japan declared war on Germany, Sun Yuanqi, who was inspecting Shanghai, addressed the nation through Zhonghua Radio:

"Earlier today, the Japanese government officially declared war on the German Empire, stating that the two countries would be at war from 2 p.m. on August 15, 1914, Tokyo time. The Government of the Republic of China is strongly concerned about this and will continue to monitor the subsequent developments of the times. In order to maintain peace and stability in the Far East and effectively ensure the safety of the country and the people's lives and property, Sun, on behalf of the government of the Republic of China, reiterated the following three points to both sides of the belligerents:

"First, the Government of the Republic of China has consistently maintained its status as an absolutely neutral country during the war, has not entered into alliances with any of the belligerents, and has ensured that the relevant trade practices comply with relevant international conventions and that the country remains objectively neutral in name and in fact.

"Second, no belligerent country shall fight in the territory, territorial waters, concessions, or leased territories of the Republic of China. We will reserve the right to make further responses and take corresponding measures against any act that infringes on the territorial integrity of the Republic of China and endangers national sovereignty and the safety of people's lives and property. Corresponding measures include, but are not limited to, protests, condemnations, economic sanctions, military actions, etc.

"Third, the German Empire and the government of the Republic of China have signed an agreement on the return of the leased land and related industries in the Jiaoao area free of charge on June 27, the third year of the Republic of China (1914), which is expected to be completed before August 27 of this year. This agreement was signed before the declaration of war between the two countries and was not affected by the outbreak of war. From now on. The Government of the Republic of China will be committed to promoting the neutralization of the Jiaoao area, and no belligerent country will use the Jiaoao area for war purposes.

"Fourth, in order to ensure that the interests of the Republic of China are not violated, the whole province of Shandong will enter a state of first-level combat readiness from 0:00 on August 16, the third year of the Republic of China, Beijing time, and the provinces of North China and Northeast China will enter a state of second-level combat readiness."

Subsequently, this speech was broadcast on a rolling basis in the China Broadcasting, and the major newspapers also quickly published the news according to this speech, conveying the news to the people as quickly as possible.

Although Sun Yuanqi vowed to remain neutral in his speech. However, people with a little common sense know that this is only a superficial statement, because it is impossible for Japan to give up the opportunity to attack Qingdao, and it is impossible for Sun Yuanqi to allow the Japanese to attack Qingdao. What's more, Sun Yuan first said that he would ensure that national interests would not be violated, and then he said that he reserved the right to take measures such as economic sanctions and military actions, and finally demanded that the whole province of Shandong enter a state of first-class combat readiness. In connection with the previous large-scale military exercises on the border of Sulu, Henan and Anhui, as well as the frenzied procurement of grain. The intentions have long been revealed.

Although Sun Yuanqi has not personally commanded any famous battles over the years. did not show outstanding military talent, but the army under his command was really powerful, whether it was against the Qing army, the People's Party, or the Ji army, the Beiyang army, and even the Outer Mongolian rebels with the background of Tsarist Russia, they all won a complete victory, and became the strongest army in China. Therefore, when the young students from the north and south of the river heard that the Northwest Army was going to compete with the Japanese army, they could not help but cheer and rush to tell each other. I feel that the country can finally have a chance to have a bloody Sino-Japanese War and the shame of the Gengzi National Revolution!

However, the middle-aged and elderly gentry who had experienced the First Sino-Japanese War and the Gengzi Revolution were strongly skeptical: at that time, the Beiyang Naval Division was also known as a strong army in East Asia, and young students also thought that victory was in their hands. In the government and the opposition to make a big noise about the war, what is the result? The defeated army died, the land was ceded and the reparations were paid, and the power was lost and the country was humiliated! Although the country has improved a little at present, it cannot be compared with the Dongying powerhouse, which has risen for forty or fifty years. The so-called "gentleman's revenge, ten years is not too late", now we should endure the humiliation, even if it is temporarily ceding Qingdao and even Shandong, and then secretly accumulate strength in order to make a comeback!

However, now Sun Yuanqi and the New China Party occupy a monopoly position in the political, military, economic, cultural, educational, and scientific and technological circles, and in particular, there is no one in the Congress and the cabinet, so the voices of suspicion and criticism can only circulate privately in wine tables, tea shops, bathhouses, Qinglou, and other gathering places, and it is difficult for them to show their heads in the mainstream media.

As a matter of fact, hearing Sun Yuanqi's tough statement, the Japanese government was also bitterly happy, and even some generals in the Japanese military circles, who had always had no one in their eyes, were not very optimistic about the upcoming war, including Lieutenant General Akashi Motojiro, deputy chief of staff.

While petting the bobtail cat, he couldn't help but complain to Junzaburo Yamada, who came to visit: "Your Excellency the Prime Minister didn't even know the weapons and equipment of the Shina army, so he approved a temporary military budget of 120 million yen. If the temple is not victorious without a fight, is it considered a few'? War is a major matter of the country, a matter of life and death, not a family! ”

Junzaburo Yamada explained carelessly: "From the humble point of view, His Excellency the Prime Minister's hasty declaration of war was also a last resort, and now the state is unable to make ends meet, various funds are seriously scarce, and the foreign government is heavily indebted, so it has to rely on other means to obtain additional income. This is one of them. In addition, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, under the instigation of China, went so far as to promise to return the Jiaoao region to China free of charge, and would withdraw all officers and men and warships stationed in the Far East in the near future, so that China would soon lose the pretext for intervention. This is the second one.

Moreover, since Sun Wenjun went into exile in our country and Yuan Shikaijun died violently, under the rule of Sun Yuan Qijun, the country tended to be unified, the economy grew day by day, and the combat power of the army also increased significantly. If it drags on for another three to five years, the outcome of the war between the two countries will be even more unpredictable. We cannot allow a strong country to become an enemy country, still less can an enemy country become a strong country. Since the situation is already like this, it is natural that the long pain is better than the short pain! ”

Akashi Motojiro said: "Although the truth is so, but Shina should not be underestimated now, especially in terms of weapons and equipment. In addition to the various types of fighters and tanks and combat vehicles that we already know, there are also several extremely lethal weapons that are being developed or have entered the trial installation stage, which are likely to play a decisive role in future wars, but we do not know anything about this, and even the technical parameters of various fighters and tank fighting vehicles rely on speculation and imagination. Isn't it ridiculous that you don't even know the opponent's strength and hole cards before entering the casino, and you want to win by talking nonsense? ”

Junzaburo Yamada replied: "Your Excellency the Deputy Minister, don't worry too much, the real factor that determines the outcome of the war is people, not weapons and equipment, and the First Sino-Japanese Qing War and the First Sino-Japanese War have fully proved this. This time, the Japanese Empire sent elite troops such as the Independent Sixth Division and the Eighteenth Division in one fell swoop, and the commander and commander of the Sixth Division, General Umezawa, and the deputy commander and commander of the 18th Division, General Kamio, were also all veteran generals in the army. Coupled with the help of the Navy's First, Second, and Third Fleets, it should not be difficult to deal with the Northwest Divisions and Brigades that have not been in China for a long time! ”

Akashi Motojiro shook his head and said, "It's because the ordinary soldiers from the Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of the Navy, and the lower levels have such a contemptuous attitude towards Shina, that they will be worried in the future." As I said before, the weapons and equipment of the Chinese army have far surpassed that of our Imperial Japanese Army; In addition, according to intelligence, Sun Yuanqijun, the prime minister of China, has deployed three integrated divisions and five mixed brigades on the Shandong Peninsula, which far surpasses our Imperial Japanese Army in terms of numbers. Do we only pin our hopes of victory on the help of the Navy or the soldiers on the out-of-the-beaten-the-top?

"Another point is that the economic situation of our country mentioned by Yamada-kun is not optimistic, and it is already the best effort of the Prime Minister to be able to squeeze out 120 million yen of temporary military spending, right? How much surplus do we have in our treasury now? Once the war has lasted for more than three months, the country's economy is likely to collapse at any time as Sino-Japanese trade stalls and the foreign debt repayment date looms. Do we want to have the industrialists form a newspaper congress, and the women to engage in a movement to compassionate the soldiers, to mobilize the already poor masses to raise military expenses by issuing huge war bonds? ”

Junzaburo Yamada said: "The Chinese army may not be able to hold up for three months!" At the beginning of the Qing Empire, when the Qing Empire was in full swing, the navy and army tended to be at its peak, and the Japanese Empire fought against it, and the real war lasted only three or four months. What's more, now that China has experienced many wars and internal frictions, it has long been decayed? Moreover, Sun Wenjun has privately promised us that he will vigorously encourage the Chinese Revolutionary Party to launch riots in the provinces of China during the war and harass Sun Yuanqijun's rear!

In addition, Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato said that yesterday the cabinet had appointed Nippon Ichi Masaki as the Imperial Japanese Minister to China, responsible for liaising with the British Minister to China, the French Minister to China, the French Minister to China, and the Russian Minister to China, such as Kupensky, to jointly put pressure on the Government of China and demand that they immediately stop implementing the agreement on the return of the leased land and related industries in the Jiaoao area. Through diplomatic efforts, I believe that unexpected results can be achieved. ”

Akashi Genjiro is still not at ease: "Whether the Chinese army can survive three months is not up to us, nor is it for the ministers of various countries to influence the decision, but it depends on the determination of Sun Yuanqi and the New China Party." If it were me, there would be at least dozens of ways to prolong the war and thus bring down the other side's financially precarious government, especially if the country's fiscal crisis is well known! ”