November 28 at 1 p.m. ET. Two Japanese diplomats arrived at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on time. They agreed with Secretary of State Hull to start the latest diplomatic talks between the two countries at this time, and the previous negotiations did not reach any results, but it made people feel that the differences were not too big. The December 2 deadline set by the Foreign Secretary is not far off. Today they are ready to show their hole cards; In the previous tug-of-war, this hole card has been held as a gold ingot, and now is the time. This was the bottom line of the last concession that Tojo promised when he persuaded Raisu to take up this mission, regarding the withdrawal of troops from China. Tojo believed that in view of the fact that once the Japanese troops withdrew from China, China would be reddened in an instant, which was certainly not what the United States wanted to see, he could promise a period of time within which he would gradually withdraw his troops from the occupied areas. The proviso was that Chongqing must recognize the regime in Nanking and form a coalition government during the transitional period; Japanese advisers in the former Nanjing (puppet) government were not allowed to be dismissed within the prescribed number of years. Correspondingly, the United States lifted all sanctions and recognized the status of Manchukuo.

In Laiqi's view, this is an unprecedented concession, allowing the military department to spit out what it has eaten, which was almost unimaginable before, but in fact, this big step back is not far from the requirements of the Hull Memorandum. Of course, there is also a mention of political correctness in the *, which I think Americans will be afraid of.

The career diplomat is still a little naïve, and in fact neither Hull nor Tojo expects any outcome from the negotiations, and perhaps the two governments want to provoke their own people by breaking down the negotiations and bring the country into the overall war track.

Two hours before the talks, the embassy received the latest instructions from Foreign Minister Togo, asking him to confirm to Hull during the negotiations the fact that Japan had discovered a large oil field, but immediately received a second telegram revising his previous opinion and requesting that he should not talk about the matter, which also made Nomura and Laisu scratch their heads.

After the start of the talks, the Japanese side first revealed the latest conditions. Come to Qi and start reading a lengthy document.

The Japanese government agreed in principle to withdraw its troops from Vietnam and to restore Vichy French sovereignty in Vietnam.

Agreed to a reinterpretation of the Triple Alliance, which amounted to withdrawal from the Axis Alliance.

It agreed to gradually withdraw its troops from China within a certain time limit, but would not abandon the Wang Ching-wei government.

Finally, it is hoped that the United States will lift sanctions and recognize Manchukuo.

Lai Qi slowly read all the parts, and then stopped and waited with anticipation. As you can see, Hull is wearing glasses and watching very carefully one by one. Maybe the secretary didn't immediately understand the Japanese English in Kurisu, or maybe he was just putting on a show and dragging his feet.

Lai Qi carefully observed the other party's expression, and he had reason to believe that the part of the * mentioned in the clause should be able to impress the Americans, while Ambassador Nomura was expressionless, he was not as confident as the special envoy.

Finally, Hull put down the paper in his hand and took off his glasses.

"Gentlemen, I regret to inform you that it is impossible for my Government to agree to such conditions, because the distance is too great."

"What?" Laiqi almost lost his voice and shouted. During the previous two weeks of talks, the ambiguity of the Americans gave him a rather false impression, making him think that the differences were being bridged and that he was getting closer and closer to reaching an agreement, and that Hull had never expressed the US position so bluntly in the past two weeks as he did today.

"Yes, Mr. Ambassador, and Mr. Special Envoy; The demands put forward by our country are unmistakable, the immediate withdrawal of troops from China, there is no room for bargaining in time. Wang Jingwei's government was illegitimate, and it had to be dissolved; In addition, Manchuria's status is undetermined and illegal, and it is not suitable for discussion in joining this meeting, and it is impossible for our Government to recognize the legitimate status of this country in the foreseeable future. ”

The two Japanese diplomats were poured from the head to the bottom with a basin of cold water. Laiqi half-opened his mouth and looked at the secretary of state in front of him with a ruddy face and a determined expression, he thought he knew this person very well, but today he realized that Hull was so strange and so terrifying. At this moment, he inevitably remembered the huge Boeing airliner, and suddenly felt the bleakness of Japan's future.

"But Your Excellency, at the talks in April this year, didn't your country take the initiative to raise the issue of recognizing the status of Manchukuo as long as Japan withdraws its troops?"

"This is the latest position of our country. In view of the forcible occupation of Vietnam by the returnee in July, the President believes that the previous consultations are no longer appropriate. ”

It is clear that the US government never wanted to negotiate anything, it just didn't want a showdown too soon.

Makino spent the night in uneasiness, realizing that his request was too much and that he would be rejected. When I woke up the next day, I found that Ishihara had gotten up and was meditating in front of the Buddhist shrine in the living room. Makino was inconvenient to disturb, so he could only sit behind him and wait silently, waiting for 1 hour, during which he carefully observed the tablets enshrined in the Buddhist shrine, with different surnames, and some with military ranks. It seems that they are all colleagues or subordinates who have sacrificed in the past, and this person is still very affectionate.

"Makino-kun, I thought about the incident you mentioned yesterday." Ishihara, who had his back to Makino, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Is that so?"

"Although I oppose the war between the United States and Japan as much as you do, I do not have the ability to resist what is bound to happen."

Makino listened silently, and he realized that his trip had come in vain.

"Maybe the times will be different in the future, but in this era, soldiers cannot resist His Majesty's will."

"General, are you just watching the war start?"

"You don't have to despair, I don't think things will go the way you think. Perhaps the Divine Will does not want to go to war. ”

"What do you think?"

"The saint is a reasonable person, in the past 2 months, the soldiers in the royal family have begun to gradually retire, this is a clear signal, the saint does not think that the war can be won."

I didn't expect that Ishihara, an old man, was nested in such a remote countryside, and he knew everything about the military department.

"But history tells us unmistakably that war will eventually happen and will happen."

"The history you see should have changed, and the appearance of the three of you will definitely affect the course of history, such as your friend Asano, who directly led to the arrest of Ozaki, a traitor. And you said that another friend of yours, who discovered oil in Manchuria, could also shake history. ”

"But at the imperial meeting the day before yesterday, His Majesty didn't veto the war?"

"You don't know much about His Majesty's way of doing things, and it seems to me that His Majesty may not say anything, but precisely to quell the war by delaying, which is the most typical practice of successive emperors since the establishment of the Constitution. After the day you mentioned, the fleet will naturally return. ”

"What do you think?"

Makino suddenly felt like he understood what Ishihara meant.

"Well, it doesn't matter if the fleet is on the way, doesn't it take an order from the combined fleet to start a war in the end?"

"But if we don't do anything, we still don't know the bottom of our mind."

"Of course you can't do nothing. What you should really be worried about now is that this guy Tojo may mess around. If His Majesty finally makes up his mind, he will neither say to fight nor not to fight; Well, these militants in the military department have done everything, and they are the best at distorting the holy will under the banner of honoring the emperor. ”

"That is......"

"If the emperor doesn't say anything, he must have left a big hole for careerists to manage, and Tojo will not fail to seize it. The army will follow him, but the combined fleet in the Seto Inland Sea is not something he can command. Commander Yamamoto was a man of the times, and the fleet would not have attacked unless he gave the order. ”

"General, there is still a loophole."

"Vulnerability?"

"The command of the combined fleet needs to pass through the east pass of Kasumigase, and then pass through the communication post of Chiba Funabashi in order to send a war signal to the fleet thousands of kilometers away."

"I didn't expect you to be so careful, well, I've already thought about these joints, and it's indeed where Tojo might start."

"You think so, too?"

"Tojo's current possible mobilization of personnel, first of all, the gendarmerie in Tokyo, the Imperial General of the Guards Division has just been transferred, presumably he has already placed his own personnel through the Ministry of War, and he is also among those who can be transferred."

"The Guards Division does have a tradition of rebellion, can it be guarded against?"

Makino asked eagerly, almost forgetting that the tradition of the Japanese army was left by Ishihara.

"Makino-kun, you mentioned to me yesterday, do you still have connections and influence in the military department?"

"Yes."

"You go back today, I will naturally go to Tokyo in two days, although I no longer have a military position, but maybe I can still find some like-minded acquaintances in the staff headquarters and the first division of the left cang. If Tojo dares to rebel against his will, I think someone will be willing to come forward. ”

Makino was stunned, and Ishihara, who had always seemed hesitant, suddenly said such an old and spicy idea, presumably there should be a whole plan.

"So, General, you already have a plan?"

"Not yet, but I'll put it in front of me that if Your Majesty is determined to go to war, I will not make any unruly moves. If someone wants to twist the will, I will not sit idly by. You understand what I'm saying, right? ”

Ishihara said this and never looked back, so Makino couldn't see his expression, but he listened to the tone that he had made up his mind.

"I understand."

"Alright, then, please go back."

"I've annoyed you, and I'm not very scared."

On the night of November 29. Lin Xiuxuan and Qin Xiaosu were still on the bell tower, intercepting the electronic signals of the entire Tokyo. All kinds of encrypted information sent from the bridge of the ship were continuously sent to various places, including the southern fleet that was being assembled, as well as the Chinese battlefield. In particular, the telegrams sent to the 11th Army in South China were particularly busy, and in order to prepare for the upcoming Pacific War and cut off the possible assistance of the Chinese army to Hong Kong, the Japanese army was preparing to launch the Third Battle of Changsha, which of course would also end in failure.

"Captain, look at this, the Japanese Navy confirmed that a British fleet had passed through the Andaman Sea, including an aircraft carrier, a battleship, and several destroyers, and confirmed that there were no carrier-based aircraft on the carrier. The forecast destination is Singapore. I'm deciphering it here, isn't it? ”

"What moves did the Japanese Navy have?" Lin asked.

"A land-based aircraft of an air convoy was mobilized to the airport in Saigon, Vietnam, ready to intercept."

"How many messages are sent per day by the communication facilities at Funabashi?"