Just as Europe was in a state of madness, Rì Ben was also agitated like a drug. Before Britain was involved in the war, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly stated that it was ready for everything, and that if Britain entered the war, it would take all necessary measures to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty of Alliance.

As Rì Ben wanted, Britain soon declared war on Germany, but they did not pay much attention to Rì Ben's request for assistance, because they were worried that Rì Ben would use the Far East to play a tricky water, and second, because Europe was too far away from the Far East to be long at all, not to mention that RìBen's whip was not long in the first place? However, due to the alliance between the two countries, Britain sent a note to the British ambassador to the Far East in the following days, hoping that if the European war reached the Far East, causing the British leased areas in the Far East to be attacked by the alliance, Hong Kong and Weihaiwei, would be attacked by the alliance, the British concession in the Far East, and so on, the British would be able to provide appropriate assistance in accordance with the "British Treaty of Alliance".

Obviously, Britain was wary of catching and biting anyone like a mad dog, and only allowed it to provide assistance when the British Far Eastern colonies were invaded by the Allied ** team, but everyone in the British Far East ignored this point, intentionally or unintentionally, and was overjoyed to learn the news, because this reason was exactly what the Rì Ben desperately needed!

That night, the Cabinet convened an emergency meeting to discuss the entry into the war and the use of force against China. Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma drooped the corners of his mouth and glanced at the cabinet members majestically before he said slowly: "You should all know that just earlier today, the British Zhèngfǔ formally requested assistance from our Empire through Minister Green. At present, the situation in Europe is disturbed, and a major war is imminent. It has a great impact on the political landscape of Europe and the world, and the Far East is unlikely to be immune to this catastrophe. However, whether or not should I intervene, how should I intervene, and how deeply should I intervene. And how to respond to the British request, and ask you to express your opinions! ”

It is said that Shigenobu Okuma not only served as a member of the first Ito Hirobumi Cabinet, the Kuroda Kiyotaka Cabinet, and the second Matsukata Masayoshi Cabinet, and formed two cabinets, but he also founded Waseda University, the most famous university in Rìmoto. Because of this, many people have compared him to Sun Yuanqi, who founded Jingshi University and also served as prime minister. There have even been articles comparing Sun Yuanqi, Shigenobu Okuma, and the French Panleve (a famous mathematician, and there are many terms named after him in mathematics, such as the Paseleve transcendental function, the Paineve equation, the Paineleve substance, the Painel analysis, and so on. He was Minister of Education and Minister of Invention in the recent Briand Cabinet, if the trajectory of history does not shift. He will also serve twice as Prime Minister of France in the future), the current President of the United States, Wilson (the only President of the United States to hold the title of Doctor of Philosophy to date, and former president of Princeton University), and finally came to the conclusion that scholars in politics have the advantages of one, two, three, four and the necessary ABCD, which will become the norm in the future. As for whether anyone believes it, it is unknown.

The Minister of the Navy, Yashiro Rokuro, immediately took over: "Now that the situation is like this, the navy and army have completed mobilization, is it still a question whether to intervene?" The outbreak of the European war is a good opportunity for the development of the country and the blessing of God in the new era of Taisho. Our great empire must unite the whole country and take advantage of the situation to expand the fortunes of the country, and enjoy this blessing of God. Could it be that there are still people who dare to go against the general trend of the imperial army and the world? As for how to intervene and how deeply, this is the question that we need to discuss at today's meeting! ”

War Minister Okaichi Nosuke also said, "Shogun Yashiro is right, it is no longer a question of whether to intervene, but how to intervene and how to respond to the British request is a question that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to consider. Only how deep the involvement is that we and other soldiers are most concerned. According to the information sent back not long ago by our acting minister to China, Yukishi Kohata, the atmosphere of the whole country in China is extremely strong, and the attitude of the cabinet of the Chinese cabinet towards the country is extremely arrogant, and some people are even clamoring for the recapture of South Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, and the Ryukyus. If the people of China are so violent and ignorant, shouldn't the imperial army take this opportunity to punish them? ”

Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato said slowly: "Just now, Yatsushiro-kun and Oka-kun both mentioned the question of how deeply our country should be involved in the European war, but in fact, before answering this question. We must carefully read the request sent by the British zhèngfǔ. From the wording of this document, it can be seen that Britain has both expectations and concerns about our empire. It is hoped that with the help of China's strong military strength in the Far East, it will destroy its opponent, Germany's armed forces in China, and maintain peace and stability in the Far East. The concern was that our country would take the opportunity to expand its strength in China and affect British interests in the Far East. Therefore, in the document, they have repeatedly defined the conditions for the use of force by our country. ”

Yashiro Rokuro was furious and said: "The ghost is the most hateful, he wants to use my country to eradicate Germany, but he doesn't want to give my country any benefits, what do you think of my empire?" A summoned servant who comes and goes? Sooner or later, we will let those ghosts know how serious the consequences of despising my Great Rì Empire are! ”

Okuma Shigenobu glanced at Yashiro Rokuro, and then said to Kato Takaaki: "Kato-kun, you can clearly reply to the British zhèngfǔ that the Great Rì Ben Empire will not infringe on the British sphere of influence in the Far East, nor will it harm any British interests in the Far East, and if necessary, it can even guarantee that the Rì Ben zhèngfǔ will not attack areas outside the German occupation zone." But we also want the British to give assurances that the British will not be able to interfere in any way with their military operations in China, as long as they do not violate the above conditions. ”

Kato Takaaki bowed slightly to show that he understood, and then continued: "There is another piece of intelligence worth paying attention to, that is, the German army in the Jiaoao area is constantly shrinking the defensive line recently, some soldiers have packed their bags, and the naval ships are also adding water and coal, we have reason to suspect that Germany has reached an agreement with His Majesty to return Jiaozhou Bay, and this agreement is really being implemented in full swing!" ”

Everyone immediately sat up straight, and Yashiro Rokuro couldn't wait to ask: "What, Germany intends to return Jiaozhou Bay and withdraw from the Far East?" When did this happen? ”

Takaaki Kato smiled bitterly: "About a month ago, the German defense line began to shrink, and the naval ships also showed signs of sailing. At that time, our army was just beginning to mobilize the 6th Division, plus the 19th and 22nd Divisions approved by the Congress. Our spies also thought that the German army was adjusting its deployment to cope with the changes in our army. It wasn't until a few days ago, when the German officers and soldiers in Qingdao began to pack their bags and sell furniture and other belongings, that we discovered the anomaly and speculated that China and Germany had reached a secret agreement. However, there is no information to corroborate it from China.

"In the past year or two, China's sense of secrecy has been significantly enhanced, and a lot of information that used to be easily learned now takes a lot of twists and turns. For example, there was no news about the secret talks between China and Germany before. Another example is the exercise of the Northwest Army of China in the border area of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan. It is said that we have tested a very powerful weapon, but we have tried to investigate it in every possible way, and we still do not have a clue. ”

Okuma tapped his fingers on the table, thought for a moment, and then commanded in a deep voice: "This matter is very important, we would rather believe it than not." Kato-kun, after the meeting is over, you will telegraph to the Minister of the Acting Republic of China, Yukishi Kohata, and ask him to visit Prime Minister Sun Yuanqi of China early tomorrow morning. Sue him with the most severe mouth, before the Zhina zhèngfǔ did not inform and consult the British and the Rìben on this matter, if the sī reached an agreement with Germany to take back Jiaozhou Bay, the great danger and serious consequences caused by it would be borne by the Zhina zhèngfǔ alone!

In addition, Kato-kun will summon the British minister Green-kun as soon as possible tomorrow morning to inform him of the relevant situation. Let's just say that Germany has been shrinking its defensive line in Qingdao recently, and naval ships are also adding water and coal, and all soldiers are ready to go to war, and their target is likely to be Weihaiwei or Hong Kong; And according to intelligence, the shina zhèngfǔsī Xiali provided a lot of assistance to the German army. In view of the fact that the war has spread to East Asia, the British alliance is on the verge of a major threat. According to the treaty of alliance signed by the two countries, this request for a declaration of war on Germany and China! ”

Kato Takaaki bowed deeply: "Hai! ”

The Minister of Finance, Reijiro Wakatsuki, hesitated: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, do you really plan to declare war on China?" And are you going to threaten China with this, so that they will not dare to make peace with Germany? "The Ministry of Finance is the zhongyāng fiscal organ in charge of finance, finance, and taxation, similar to China's current Ministry of Finance plus the People's Bank of China plus the State Administration of Taxation, and the Minister of Finance is naturally the Minister of Finance.

Before Shigenobu Okuma could answer, the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, Oura Kanetake, who was sitting next to Reijiro Wakatsuki, jumped out: "Wakatsuki-kun, what do you mean by this?" Are you still planning to propagate your appeasement rhetoric of reducing the army, reducing finances, and maintaining stability? ”

Rejiro Wakatsuki shook his head and said, "No! After the mobilization of the 6th and 18th Divisions and the formation of the 19th and 20th Divisions, the government was already unable to make ends meet, and with all kinds of foreign debts and interest, the state's financial bankruptcy was in sight. Rather than cutting the army and reducing finances now, it is better to give it a go. I just want to know how long the war with China is likely to last, and I want to assess the impact and pros and cons of the war on our finances. ”

It can be seen from this that the Okuma Shigenobu cabinet was all militants who supported aggression against China, and the main disagreement between them was not whether or not to invade China, but when was the most appropriate time to invade China.

The faces of Okaichi Nosuke, Yashiro Rokuro and others turned slightly: "How long the war will last does not depend on our attitude, but on whether Shina zhèngfǔ is willing to cooperate." If they knew each other, then the declaration of war would be nothing more than a threat; If he doesn't know each other, then we have to beat him until he admits defeat. However, judging from the current military force of Shina and the experience of the two wars of the Qing Dynasty in the 27th year of the Meiji era (1894) and the 33rd year of the Meiji era (1900), even if the war broke out, it should not take more than three months! ”

Rejiro Wakatsuki breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good to be no more than three months." According to the statistics of the previous year, China is one of the most important trading partners of our empire, and the total trade between China and China exceeds 300 million taels of silver, of which the main commodities exported to China are cotton yarn, cotton cloth, steel, etc., with a commodity value of more than 150 million taels, accounting for about 1/2 to 20 percent of the total export value of China; in addition to important raw materials such as ore and coal, the export commodities of China also include medicines, fast food, engines, munitions, and other materials.

"It can be said that the vast majority of the goods exported to China can be replaced, while most of the goods exported by China are necessities. If there is a war in China, China's industry will not only not regress, but will flourish because of the withdrawal of rì goods; But the opposite is true, as they are forced to reduce production or even stop production due to a lack of raw materials. Therefore, it is better to start a war with China for no more than three months, otherwise the domestic economy will collapse as a result. Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Okama-kun, Yashiro-kun, and all of you, please! ”

After that,!。