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Chapter 602 Chapter 501: Fighting begins before the golden sails are over

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    ¡°Germany ignored Japan¡¯s ultimatum at all.  Perhaps in their opinion, this lame apprentice from the Far East is not worth their attention at all.  Only after this, they and the Austro-Hungarian Empire significantly accelerated their withdrawal, and were expected to evacuate Qingdao before August 20 and embark on the journey back to Europe.

    Seeing that Germany and Austria-Hungary were about to slip away, and Japan was about to lose its excuse to intervene in Shandong, Japan could no longer ignore Britain's repeated attempts to increase constraints, and resolutely announced on August 15 that Japan and Germany  broke off diplomatic relations and immediately declared war on Germany.  The Japanese Congress also quickly approved the Okuma cabinet's temporary military budget of 120 million yen as the cost of the Japanese army's attack on Qingdao.

    Less than two hours after Japan declared war on Germany, Sun Yuanqi, who was inspecting Shanghai, delivered a speech to the whole country through China Radio:

    "Earlier today, the Japanese government officially declared war on the German Empire, stating that the two countries were at war from 14:00 on August 15, 1914, Tokyo time. The government of the Republic of China expressed strong concern about this and will continue to be concerned about the tense follow-up  Development. In order to maintain peace and stability in the Far East and effectively ensure the safety of life and property of the country and people, Sun reiterated the following three opinions to both warring countries on behalf of the government of the Republic of China:

    ¡°First, the government of the Republic of China has always maintained its status as an absolute neutral country during the war, not forming an alliance with any of the belligerent countries, and ensuring that relevant trade practices comply with relevant international conventions, ensuring that the country maintains objective neutrality both in name and in fact.

    ¡°Second, any belligerent country shall not fight in the territory, territorial waters, concessions, or leased areas of the Republic of China. We will reserve the right to make further responses and take corresponding measures against any behavior that infringes upon the territorial integrity of the Republic of China and endangers national sovereignty and the safety of citizens¡¯ lives and property.  Rights, corresponding measures include but are not limited to protests, condemnation, economic sanctions, military actions, etc.

    "Third, the German Empire and the government of the Republic of China signed an agreement on June 27, the third year of the Republic of China (1914), to return the leased land and related industries in the Jiao'ao area without compensation, and it is expected to be completed before August 27 this year. This agreement was signed between the two  It was signed before China declared war and will not be 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 Jiao'ao area, and neither of the belligerent countries will use the Jiao'ao area for war purposes.

    "Fourth, in order to ensure that the interests of the Republic of China are not infringed upon, the entire province of Shandong will enter the first-level combat readiness state 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 the second-level combat readiness state."

    ¡°Subsequently, this speech was broadcast in a loop on China Radio, and major newspapers quickly issued notices based on this speech to convey the news to the public as quickly as possible.

    Although Sun Yuanqi vowed to remain neutral in his speech, anyone with a little common sense knows that this is just a superficial statement, because Japan cannot give up the opportunity to attack Qingdao, and Sun Yuanqi cannot allow the Japanese to attack Qingdao, let alone Sun Yuanqi.  Yuan first stated that he wanted to ensure that national interests were not violated, then said that he reserved the power to take economic sanctions, military actions and other measures. Finally, he also asked the entire province of Shandong to enter a state of first-level combat readiness?  Combined with the previous large-scale military exercises on the borders of Shandong, Shandong, Henan and Anhui, as well as the crazy purchase of food, its intentions have already been revealed.

    Although Sun Yuanqi has not personally commanded any famous battles in recent years, nor has he shown extraordinary military talent, the troops under his command are indeed very powerful, whether it is against the Qing army, the Kuomintang, the Ji army, the Beiyang army, or even the Tsarist Russia.  The Outer Mongolian rebels in the background all won great victories and became China's most powerful army.  Therefore, when young students from all over the country heard that the Northwest Army was going to fight the Japanese army, they couldn't help but cheer and run around telling each other, feeling that the country would finally have a chance to wipe out the shame of the Sino-Japanese War and the Gengzi Revolution!

    But the middle-aged and elderly gentry who had experienced the Sino-Japanese War of 1898 and the Gengzi Revolution were strongly skeptical: At that time, the Beiyang Navy was also known as the strongest army in East Asia, and young students also thought they had a chance to win, and they clamored for war in both the government and the opposition. What was the result?  The army was defeated, the army died, the territory was ceded to pay compensation, and the country was humiliated by losing power!  Although the country has made some improvements now, it cannot compare with the Japanese power that has been rising for forty or fifty years.  As the saying goes, "It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge in ten years." Now we should endure the humiliation and bear the burden, even if we temporarily cede Qingdao or even Shandong, and then secretly accumulate strength in order to make a comeback!

    But now Sun Yuanqi and the New China Party occupy a monopoly position in politics, military, economy, culture, education, science and technology, especially in the Congress and the cabinet. Therefore, the voices of doubt and criticism can only be heard at the wine table.  , tea shops, bathhouses, brothels and other gathering places are circulated privately, and it is difficult for them to be exposed in the mainstream media.

    In fact, after hearing Sun Yuanqi¡¯s tough statement, the Japanese government also had mixed feelings. Even some generals in the always arrogant Japanese military were not optimistic about the upcoming war, including Deputy Chief of Staff Ming.Lieutenant General Yuan Erlang.

    While petting the short-tailed tabby cat, he couldn't help complaining to the visiting Junzaburo Yamada: "The Prime Minister approved a temporary military budget of 120 million yen without even knowing the weapons and equipment of the Chinese army. Is it true?"  He didn't know that relevant deductions must be made before the war. "The one who has temples before the war is considered the winner must be considered more; the one who has temples before the war is considered the loser must be considered few." War is a major matter of the country, a matter of life and death, but  It¡¯s not playing house!¡±

    Yamada Junzaburo explained carelessly: "From the perspective of my humble position, Your Excellency the Prime Minister's hasty declaration of war was a last resort. Now the national finance cannot make ends meet, there is a serious lack of funds, and the external debt is high, so we have to rely on other ways to obtain additional income. This  One. In addition, under the bewitchment of China, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire actually promised to return the Jiao'ao area to China for free, and will withdraw all officers, soldiers and warships stationed in the Far East in the near future, so that our country will soon lose the excuse to intervene. This is  two.

    "Furthermore, since Sun Wenjun fled to our country and Yuan Shikai died violently, under the rule of Sun Yuanqi, China has become more unified, its economy has grown day by day, and its military strength has also increased significantly. If it drags on for another three to five years, the war between the two countries will be victorious.  The consequences will be even more unpredictable. We cannot allow a powerful country to become an enemy country, let alone an enemy country to become a powerful country. Since the situation is like this, the long-term pain is naturally worse than the short-term pain!"

    Akashi Genjiro said: "Although this is true, China can no longer be underestimated, especially in terms of weapons and equipment. In addition to the various fighter planes and tanks we already know, there are also several extremely lethal weapons being developed.  It may have entered the trial installation stage and is likely to play a decisive role in future wars, but we know nothing about it. Even the technical parameters of various fighter planes and tanks rely on guesswork and imagination.  It¡¯s ridiculous that the cabinet ministers are still looking forward to ending the war in China within three months. Isn¡¯t it ridiculous to want to win without even knowing the opponent¡¯s strength and trump cards before entering the casino?¡±

    Yamada Junzaburo replied: "Don't worry too much, Vice Minister. The real factor that determines the outcome of a war is people, not weapons and equipment. This has been fully proven by the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War and the Japanese-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War. This is  This time, the Empire of Japan dispatched elite troops such as the independent 6th Division and the 18th Division in one fell swoop. The commander and commander of the 6th Division, General Umezawa, and the deputy commander and commander of the 18th Division  General Kamio is also a veteran in the military. Coupled with the support of the First, Second, and Third Fleets of the Navy, it should not be difficult to deal with the northwest divisions and brigades that have not been established in China for a long time!"

    Akashi Genjiro shook his head and said: "It is because the ordinary soldiers from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Navy to the lower levels have such a contemptuous attitude towards China that I am worried. As I said before, the weapons and equipment of China's army are far superior to ours.  Imperial Japanese Army; In addition, according to intelligence, China Prime Minister Sun Yuanqijun has deployed 3 integrated divisions and 5 mixed brigades on the Shandong Peninsula, which far exceeds our Imperial Japanese Army in terms of numbers. Do we only place our hope of victory on the navy?  Help or soldiers one against ten?

    "Another point is that the economic situation of our country mentioned by Mr. Yamada is not optimistic. Being able to squeeze out 120 million yen in temporary military expenditure is already the best effort of the Prime Minister, right? How much savings can we still have in the national treasury now? Once that happens,  The war has lasted for more than three months. With Sino-Japanese trade stagnant and the date for repayment of foreign debt approaching, the country's economy is likely to collapse at any time. Do we still want industrialists to form a newspaper for the National Assembly and women to engage in the military support movement and mobilize people who are already living in poverty?  People, raise military expenses by issuing huge war bonds?¡±

    Yamada Junzaburo said: "The Chinese army may not be able to sustain it for three months! During the Qing Empire's Tongguang ZTE period, the navy and army were at their peak, and our Empire of Japan faced off against it. The real war time was only three or four months.  What's more, China has experienced internal strife in many wars and is already in decline? Moreover, Sun Wenjun has promised us privately that he will strongly encourage the Chinese Revolutionary Party to launch riots in various provinces of China during the war and harass Sun Yuanqijun's rear!

    "Furthermore, I heard from Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato that the cabinet yesterday appointed Hioki Masu-kun as the Minister of the Empire of Japan in China, responsible for liaising with the British Minister to China Juldian, the French Minister to China Conti, the Russian Minister to China Kupensky, etc.  , jointly put pressure on the Chinese government, demanding that they immediately stop implementing the agreement on the return of the leased land and related industries in the Jiao'ao area. Through diplomatic efforts, I believe we can achieve unexpected results."

    Akashi Genjiro was still worried: "Whether the China Army can survive three months is not decided by us, nor can ministers from various countries influence the decision. It depends on the determination of Sun Yuanqi and the New China Party. - If  My word, there are at least dozens of ways to prolong the war and bring down the other side's fiscally precarious government, especially when the country's fiscal crisis is well known!" (Remember this site's URL: www.hlnovel.com
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