All of you here are officers above the battalion level, who have participated in a little battle and seen some bloodshed and sacrifice, and they are not young children. However, most of the troops they are fighting against are domestic armies, and their weaponry and morale cannot be compared with the armies in the northwest at all. Under the crushing of the advanced weapons of the Northwest Army, it will soon lose its armor and collapse into an army. However, if they were faced with tens of thousands of Japanese troops who dared to launch a bloody charge against the enemy's position naked, would they still be able to win so easily? Everyone couldn't help but think about this question in their hearts.

Yes, advanced weaponry is not the only factor that determines the outcome of a war. If it is true that weapons and equipment decide everything, then why do countries around the world still train their troops to fight? It's better to switch all to research and make weapons! If there are any irreconcilable contradictions and disputes between countries, they only need to take out their best weapons and compare them with each other, and then decide the winner or loser.

Zhang Huizan said: "Chief of staff, don't destroy your own ambition and grow the prestige of others!" Zhang also studied in Japan for a period of time, and he has also seen the madness of the Japanese, they are indeed strong soldiers in East Asia, but that's all! No matter how powerful and bloody the Japanese are, after all, they are human beings and not gods, and bullets still leave holes in their bodies, and tanks run over and turn into bloody mud.

"As the chief of staff said, blood is not innate, but is tempered by beliefs, ideals, victories, wars, sacrifices, and other factors. From top to bottom, our northwest divisions and brigades do not lack conviction and ideals, still less do they lack victory and war. As for the bloodshed and sacrifice, we are not afraid, we just do not pursue it. I believe that we only need to achieve victory after victory under the leadership of Mr. Sun. In time, blood will come unexpectedly. And the Japanese are just a whetstone in our progress! ”

Yang Jie shook his head: "Brigade Commander Shihou's high opinion, Yang really doesn't dare to agree!" In my opinion, the bloodiness that has not been sacrificed by bloodshed is all a fake trick that is not practiced. It's like a new gun that hasn't been fired live, no matter how bright and murderous it is. After all, it is not enough to rely on, and it is better to carry a handful of battle-hardened Hanyang with a more reliable shot. The reason why Brigade Commander Shihou can have such confidence today is that the 47th Mixed Brigade under his command has experienced the baptism of large and small battles such as the Taiyuan Uprising, the Zhengding Mutiny, the Battle of the Guardian School, and the Battle of Kouwai. Invincible and invincible. But do our other divisions and brigades have such an experience? What's more, winning in the past does not mean that you can also win in the future; Defeating the Praetorian Guard and the Beiyang Army does not mean that you can also defeat the Japanese army! ”

Zhang Huizan suddenly glared angrily: "Then please wait and see if my 47th Mixed Brigade can defeat the Japanese army in the Battle of Qingdao." Extend your unbeaten streak! ”

Yang Jie was unmoved: "Commander Liu reported just now. At present, Japan has mobilized nearly 100,000 troops, including the 18th Independent Division, the 6th Independent Division, the 29th Infantry Brigade, and the Second Fleet of the Navy. Therefore, the battle of Qingdao requires the cooperation of our divisions and brigades to win, otherwise even if the 47th Mixed Brigade under the command of Brigade Commander Shihou is full of iron, how many nails can be hit? Can you still conquer the world? ”

Zhang Huizan took the case: "Although my 47th Mixed Brigade cannot conquer the world, it is more than enough to deal with a brigade of the Japanese army. Yang took the initiative to ask for help, hoping to face the 11th Brigade or the 36th Brigade of the 6th Division, and hope that the headquarters will be completed! ”

Only then did Yang Jie stroke his hands and praise: "If all the divisions and brigades of our Northwest Army must have the confidence and courage of Brigade Commander Shihou, how can a mere 100,000 Japanese troops be enough!" Immediately, the voice changed: "In order to deal with the situation of the sudden increase of the Japanese army, the headquarters studied and decided and reported to Premier Sun for approval. From now on, the difficulty of the exercise will be doubled, and the casualty indicators of each battalion will also be increased accordingly. In addition, in order to arouse the blood of each part. The 47th Mixed Brigade, the 1st Mixed Brigade of Hubei, and the 1st Mixed Brigade of Shanxi will play the role of the landed Japanese troops, and the rest of the units will play the role of the Chinese defenders. ”

In Beijing, because of Sun Yuanqi's special instructions in advance, the secret negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German side can be described as relaxed, and the overall progress is within the control of the Chinese side. The German side was eager to obtain information on the Kirin 13 tank and the Biluo 12 long-range bomber, so it repeatedly made huge concessions during the negotiation process, and even Shen Xiangyun, who participated in the negotiations, felt that Germany was sincere and had invested blood, which was difficult to refuse. Even so, the negotiations dragged on until the afternoon of June 27, the third year of the Republic of China, when the two sides finally signed a trade agreement.

According to the agreement, Germany exchanged submarine technical data and 1.28 tons of gold for the design drawings and related experimental data of the Chinese Kirin 13 tank and the Biluo 12 long-range bomber, and all transactions were completed by the end of July. After the deal is concluded, Germany will return the leased Jiaoao area to China free of charge, and the handover procedures will be completed by the end of August.

Mr. Hahausen, the German minister who participated in the negotiations, was very puzzled by the abrupt end of the negotiations and the return of the Jiaoao area, and could not help but ask when the agreement was signed: "Mr. Johnson, why did you choose this time to suddenly end the negotiations and sign the agreement?" Is there a problem in your country? If possible, we, the German Reich, are willing to intervene to help mediate! ”

Although Sun Yuanqi was grateful for Hahausen's kindness, he would never tell him that tomorrow the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, would be shot dead in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, and this would become the trigger for World War I. He said with a smile: "The reason why the negotiations and signed the agreement today is that, on the one hand, after nearly two months of arduous negotiations, all the provisions have fully reflected the willingness of both sides to cooperate, and now the signing is a matter of course; On the other hand, because Mr. Planck and his family are about to arrive in China for an academic visit, I would like to use this as a congratulatory gift to express the warm welcome of the Chinese people to the German people, especially to Mr. Planck's family! ”

Naturally, Hahausen was not convinced: "Then why does our government want to return the Jiaoao area to your country early, but you insist on delaying the handover until all the transactions are completed?" ”

Sun Yuanqi sighed and said, "Your Excellency, you don't know the extent of the infiltration of Japanese spies in China!" According to relevant intelligence, as early as the seventies and eighties of the last century, when China was still in the early years of the Qing Empire, the Japanese government used various methods to continuously send spy personnel to China, including school instructors, military instructors, government advisers, sightseers, businessmen, traveling students, monks, and so on, to spy on China's intelligence from educational, military, political, cultural, commercial, religious and other levels, and constantly bribed officials, developed offline lines, and set up multiple intelligence networks.

"To this day, we can no longer imagine how powerful this spy network is, but it is conceivable that there are intelligence officers from the central ministries to local prefectures and counties, and China has no secrets for Japan at all. Even our cabinet and your legation are not allowed to have Japanese spies! How can such a big matter as the handover of the Jiaoao area be hidden from the eyes and ears of the Japanese? Your Excellency, can you imagine what would have happened if they had found out that our two countries were secretly trading weapons information. ”

Hahausen blinked his lake-blue eyes: "Will they protest?" ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "Japan is salivating over Shandong, and has always wanted to open a gap in the Jiaoao area, and if you hear that your country has suddenly returned it to China, it is almost certain to protest." But Japan did not stop there, they also tipped off their allies, the British. Your Excellency the Minister should know that at the moment Europe is only barely maintaining a fragile balance, and that any disturbance could trigger a violent conflict. And your country's sudden possession of tanks and new bombers, two weapons that disrupt the strategic balance of power, is undoubtedly the most likely to upset this balance! Because one of them can threaten France and Russia from the land, and the other can threaten France, Russia, and even Britain from the air.

"The most direct and effective way for Britain to avoid Germany from possessing these two weapons that disrupt the strategic balance of power is to use the powerful British navy to sink ships carrying information back to Germany. If not, then start the war as soon as possible, avoid the production of these two weapons and equip the troops, and let the Entente ** fall into passivity. Of course, it is also possible to force our country to hand over the same weapons design drawings through coercion and coercion, so as to achieve another equilibrium in Europe. But whatever approach Britain takes, it will cause endless problems for both China and Germany. In that case, why can't we return the Jiaoao area after all the trade is done? ”

Hahausen thought for a moment and then asked: "But if Japan really has the ability to spy on the inside story of the transaction between the two countries from the return of Jiaoao, then even if we carry out the handover after the trade is completed, it is also possible that Japan will discover the truth, which will bring endless trouble to China and Germany!" It's just a matter of time. ”

Sun Yuanqi scratched his head and said: "Don't bother to tell you the truth to Your Excellency, the Chinese government has privately sent a note to the US government through Mr. Xia Kaifu, the minister to the United States, that China will maintain absolute neutrality from August this year and will not participate in any alliance of countries. It is hoped that the United States will come forward to ask the European countries to agree that no acts of war will take place in China's territory or leased areas in the future for any time and for whatever reason. At present, the US government is consulting with Britain, France, Russia and other countries on this issue, and it is expected that an agreement should be reached in August. When it drags on until then, we naturally don't have to worry about Japan and Britain looking for trouble! ”

"I see!" Hahausen nodded suddenly in realization, but he still had some reluctance: "Your Excellency is really unwilling to join the Allied Powers and jointly resist the suppression and restraint of the emerging countries by the great powers?" ”