After sending Hahausen away, Yang Du asked with some curiosity: "Baixi, what did you say to that foreigner just now?" ”

It turned out that Hahausen came to Taiyuan alone for the sake of secrecy, and he didn't even bring a translator. The conversation with Sun Yuanqi was in English, out of my mouth and into the ears of the king, and it was indeed extremely secretive, and even Tang Shouqian and Yang Du, who were listening to it on the side, felt that the clouds covered the fog and did not know what to do. Sun Yuanqi hurriedly recounted the content of the conversation between the two at the moment.

After listening to Sun Yuanqi's translation, Tang Shouqian asked with some puzzlement: "Now Qingdao is indeed quite large-scale under the management of the Germans, and it is not too much for them to ask for 4.2 million yuan, after all, those buildings were indeed built with real money and silver." This money is not too much, but we can still squeeze it out as long as we are a little thrifty, why didn't Baixi agree to him? ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "What the stinger said is right, those buildings were indeed built by them with energy and money, but the mineral resources and people's fat and ointment they have grabbed from the Jiaoao area are definitely far more than that!" This is equivalent to a bully forcibly occupying our house, using our property to decorate the house, and finally when he pats his ass and leaves, he wants us to use the money to redeem and buy a house, how can it be reasonable in the world? And they are now giving up Qingdao, not because of kindness, but because Japan is sharpening their knives against him. He thought to himself that he was unable to cope with the lack of troops and major generals, and instead of letting Japan go for nothing, it would be better to sell it to China, not only to take the opportunity to make a profit, but also to get out safely. In that case, why should we be in a hurry? ”

Tang Shouqian said: "It is true that as Baixi said, Qingdao is now like a hot potato for Germany. I am afraid of being robbed by Japan for nothing, but I also want to sell it at a good price. The longer the time drags on. The lower they offer, the better it will be for us. But we also have to think of another question: If Qingdao is returned to China before the European war, won't Japan have no excuse to interfere in Shandong and invade China? If we really start a war with Japan in Shandong, the military expenditure and property losses will be more than 4.2 million yuan! ”

Sun Yuanqi was stunned for a moment: Why don't you ignore what Tang Shouqian said? I have always felt that Japan will take action against China, especially Shandong, which they have coveted for a long time, but there must be a reason to do it, so little Japan will direct and act to blow up the South Manchurian Railway near Wicker Lake and provoke the "918 Incident"; will fabricate that the Japanese soldier disappeared during the exercise. provoked the "77 Incident"; Only then will the monks of the Nichiren sect be instigated to provoke the volunteers of the Sanyou Industrial Society and provoke the "128 Incident...... If Qingdao were to be returned to China now, would Japan still have a reason to send troops?

Yang Du shook his head on the side: "What you said is too naïve, do you think that Japan will not send troops without an excuse to interfere?" It can be seen from the "Treaty of the Republic of China" signed by Japanese Minister Enjiro Yamaza and Zhao Zhi'an that Japan has been planning for a full-scale invasion of China for a long time, and once a European war breaks out, the European and American powers will have no time to look eastward. Japan can do whatever they want, and they certainly won't miss such a godsend. It's not easy to find a reason to send troops? If you want to add sin, there is no excuse!

"If Qingdao is kept now, we can at least know the direction of the Japanese attack in advance, and then actively start preparing to concentrate the elite forces in Shandong in advance. Occupy the right place and fight a prepared battle. If Qingdao is taken into the pocket in advance, who knows where Japan will provoke trouble, the Northeast? Tianjin? Shanghai? Fujian? At that time, we will be unprepared and unable to guard against it, and the quality of our soldiers will not be as good as Japan's. If you are tired of running around, what are the chances of winning in the end? ”

Tang Shouqian suddenly realized: "I see! If you keep Qingdao, you will choose the initiative on the battlefield. If Qingdao is not left behind, the initiative on the battlefield will be the other side, and after weighing the pros and cons, it is better for the Qingdao issue to remain unresolved. Baixi really thinks far-reaching, and Tang is out of reach! ”

Sun Yuanqi wanted to say in his heart: I'm innocent, I'm just a blind cat and a dead mouse!

Yang Du shook his fan again and said: "Although the Qingdao issue is unresolved, Shandong will become Japan's preferred battlefield, but the Japanese are stubborn and stubborn, and they have the arrogant spirit to not give up until they reach their goal. If Yang was Japanese, he would definitely leave a small number of troops in Shandong to contain him, and then the main force would be divided into two routes, all the way from Korea, Jilin, and Mukden to Gyeonggi, shaking the foundation of the country; All the way from the sea to Shanghai, and then up the river, conquering Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other wealth-endowed places, cutting off the lifeblood of the country.

"And Sun Yat-sen has a close relationship with the Japanese government, and after Japan occupies the area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is completely possible to use the huge influence of the revolutionary party in Jiangnan to push Sun Yat-sen out to form a government, and then it will be our most critical moment! If we can't survive this section, it will be difficult for us to recover for at least three or five years; But as long as we get through it, the scenery of little Japan in the past twenty or thirty years will be completely over, and we will be like a flying dragon in the sky that cannot be copied, that is, in the future, the British, French, Russian, and German powers will withdraw from the European war, and they will be helpless against us in East Asia! ”

Sun Yuanqi couldn't help but be surprised: In real history, wasn't the later Japanese invasion of China exactly according to Yang Du's words, playing the trick of outflanking the north and south and attacking left and right? If it weren't for Li Zongren's command of the army to fight bloody battles in Xuzhou and defeat the Japanese army from Hebei and Shandong, the two Japanese armies almost met smoothly in the Huanghuai region, swallowing nearly 30 divisions of the Fifth Theater and more than 300,000 officers and soldiers!

Sun Yuanqi replied after a little thought: "Shanghai should be better, because Qingdao is only 700 kilometers away from Shanghai, and the plane can take off at any time to support; Ground troops can also use the Tianjin-Pudong line and Shanghai-Nanjing line to transfer goods, and they can be put into the Songhu battlefield within four or five days at the earliest; Although the navy is not worth mentioning now, it is better than nothing, and it can also play a certain role in covering the areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The most worrying thing is the Northeast! ”

Tang Shouqian also agreed: "In the Ming Dynasty, the area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang was quite invaded by the Japanese invaders, and the people still gritted their teeth against Japan, and they were on the plane voyage, and the Japanese army did not dare to act rashly!" But the situation in the Northeast is very different, with high mountains and dense forests, and sparsely populated; Tigers and leopards are everywhere, and bandits are numerous; The people did not accept the king, the officials were arrogant, and Japan had been operating there for another ten years, so it was difficult for us to get involved, not to mention that it was only a stone's throw away from Gyeonggi! The slightest wind and grass in the northeast shook the officials and people of the capital.

"The Ming and Qing dynasties set the capital of Jingshi, and they wanted to warn the later emperors to not forget the danger and survive with the 'Son of Heaven guarding the country, and the king dying Sheji', but in the past five or six hundred years, they have also suffered from the Tatars in the north, the Northwest Warat, the Jurchens in the northeast, the Liukou in the west, and the sea and the West, and almost did not live a few days of stable life. Now it's our turn to sleep and eat! ”

Sun Yuanqi humbly asked Yang Dudao: "What is the high opinion of the Huizi?" ”

Yang Du closed the folding fan with a "bang", and then calmly replied: "Although there are police officers in the capital, but 'born in sorrow, die in peace', so the Ming and Qing dynasties have enjoyed Zuo for nearly three hundred years, and it is enough to see that the king is vigorous here." At present, the government of the Republic of China has set the capital in Beijing, and the Great Presidential Palace, the State Council, the Congress, and even Li Huangpi, Duan Zhiquan and others are all in Beijing. It's just that now the Beiyang armies are in the grip of Gyeonggi, and we can't rush into Beijing for the sake of our own lives. So what should I do?

"It just so happens that the situation in the northeast is tense at the moment, so Bai Xi might as well telegraph Li Huangpi, Duan Qirui and others to transfer the 2nd Army Division (stationed in Baoding), 4th Division (stationed in Tianjin), 10th Division (stationed in Beiyuan), and 3rd Mixed Brigade (stationed in Nanyuan) near Gyeonggi to the Northeast in batches, and ammunition and food will be distributed in the Northeast in the future. Come to think of it, they will understand what you mean by Baixi! ”

Tang Shouqian couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Two birds with one stone, two birds with one stone, two birds with one stone, it's really a high opinion!" ”

Yang Du continued: "Although the envisaged Sino-Japanese war was originally only for Shandong, as the situation evolves, it will definitely eventually become a dispute between China and Japan. At present, our advantage is mainly that we can preset the battlefield in advance, and we also have many killer features such as aircraft and tanks, but the factors for victory are not only in the geographical advantage and good equipment, but also in the time, people and days! We must fully understand our own weaknesses in order to remedy them in a timely manner, to make use of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and to avoid the real and attack the weak.

"And what is our weakness? Of course, we can list a lot, such as the stronger quality of Japanese soldiers, the higher level of Japanese industry, the stronger naval power of the inscription, and so on. But Yang wants to say that this is not these, but on the other hand, and the most important aspect, that is, although Baixi has an unparalleled status among the people, especially in the minds of young students, his influence is far less than that of Emperor Taisho among the Japanese! Why?

"First of all, Baixi, you have a deeper influence on scholars, especially young scholars, and your influence on the general public is limited to the western provinces where the land is exempted, but it is very mediocre in the provinces of North China such as Zhili, Henan, and Shandong, as well as the provinces of Jiangnan and Southwest China. For the backbone of society, that is, the gentry in their forties and fifties, the influence is even weaker. The influence of Emperor Taisho on the Japanese people is from top to bottom, penetrating into every corner of society.

"Secondly, the impact of Baixi on ordinary citizens is only limited to the promotion of education, the opening of people's wisdom, the exemption of taxes, and the benefit of people's livelihood; For young students, they may be able to use grace, righteousness, and personality charm to attract them to join the army and die, but their loyalty and trust in you are limited, and they may be suspicious or even betrayed at any time because of something. For the Japanese people, as long as the emperor gives an order, they can live and die for it, without any reason, and without any doubts and concerns! (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m.qidian. )