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Cannon Doctrine Chapter 573 Shandong Crisis (5)

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    After sending the Japanese away, President Li frowned and his thoughts were completely confused.  His foreign minister did not leave, but was waiting in the Chonghua Pavilion next to the Xiyang Hall. As soon as Hioki left, Lu Zhengxiang saw him. After a while, it became clear that he should have left the presidential palace and walked away, so he went to the Xiyang Hall.  come over.

    As soon as he entered the room, he saw the president walking around with a frown and his hands behind his back. This was a habit of his. Lu Zhengxiang was somewhat familiar with it. Knowing that he must be thinking about something, he stood aside quietly and waited.

    After a long time, the president sighed, turned around, saw him, and asked him to sit down.

    "It's Zixin, sit down."

    "yes!"

    Lu Zhengxiang sat down, and Li Han sighed, "Sure enough, what he was most worried about happened. The Japanese have extravagant plans this time!"

    Lu Zhengxiang¡¯s brows jumped. Sure enough, he immediately heard what he was most worried about.

    "As we had guessed before, Hikigami came here to submit a diplomatic protest to our country on behalf of the Japanese government, protesting our country's contact with Germany and negotiations to take back Qingdao! Although there were changes in Japan a month ago, no matter what  No one could have imagined that this thing would happen so quickly, and we were not prepared at all!"

    How could there be no preparation at all? Since the National Defense Forces marched into the Northeast in May, military supplies have been flowing in continuously for several months from Hubei, Sichuan and Shanghai to the northern provinces along several railways, especially Baoding.  After the parade, the president mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops from local provinces to gather in the Gyeonggi region.  Calculating the timing, it makes sense to say that the previous collection of supplies was to supply the needs of nearly 100,000 bandit suppression troops in the Northeast, although the supplies were a bit excessive.  However, the fixed time of Baoding Gymnastics has aroused many people's doubts. Looking back now, Lu Zhengxiang suddenly has a lot more admiration for the young man in front of him.  It turned out that he had been preparing for possible conflicts with the Japanese and Russians a few months ago.

    I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Having such a strong president is not a bad thing for him, who is responsible for the country's diplomatic throat.

    Of course, this relaxed mood did not last long. The national power gap between China and Japan was like a chasm, and the heights on both sides of the chasm were too obvious.

    He expressed his uneasiness at the moment, "President, since the Japanese have submitted a diplomatic protest, I'm afraid they can't do anything good. What do you think we should do?"

    Li Han walked back and forth a few more steps before standing still with his arms folded. After several years of political career, his handsome face was already full of the mature temperament of a successful politician, "I have already expressed my verbal protest to Japan. You will return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later."  After that, draft a protest letter in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ask the Minister to Japan Lu Zongyu to submit it to the Prime Minister of Japan, and order all the staff of the Japanese Embassy to prepare for evacuation. I will then arrange a ship to Japan. You go to the United States  Contact the American Minister. I need to meet with the American Minister as soon as possible. By the way, there is also the Minister. If possible, please divert your time and arrange a meeting with the American Minister tomorrow morning and a meeting with the British Minister in the afternoon. Then I will decline.  Activities of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance!¡±

    ¡°What, submit a diplomatic protest to Japan!¡±

    Lu Zhengxiang was startled, and he said in a deep voice: "President, the situation should not have reached that point yet. Why don't I arrange for you to exchange opinions with the British and American ministers first, and then decide whether to submit a letter of protest to Japan!"

    It¡¯s not that he is weak, it¡¯s just that China¡¯s national power is too weak.  Japan, the only world-class power in Asia recognized by the Western powers, has taken several big steps ahead of China after decades of unswerving industrial development and external expansion during the Meiji Restoration.  The determination and will of the current new president will inevitably take ten years of development to catch up.  Now, China cannot afford to take the initiative to provoke a war.

    "No need, the Japanese diplomatic protest is here, read it yourself!"

    Lu Zhengxiang¡¯s reaction was not too surprising to Li Han. Diplomats are in charge of a country¡¯s diplomatic throat, and their every move represents a country¡¯s highest political decision-making, so they have to be cautious.  He handed the diplomatic protest letter brought by the Japanese to Lu Zhengxiang and asked him to read it himself.

    The Japanese diplomatic protest was made in two copies, written in Chinese and Japanese languages.  Lu Zhengxiang is a cautious person. After first picking up the Japanese version and reading it, he read the Chinese version with furrowed brows, put it down, sighed, and stopped talking.

    "Qingdao is related to our country's sovereignty. It was a territory that the Germans forcibly snatched from our country. It is reasonable to return it to our country now. But look at what the Japanese wrote in the protest letter. Let's not mention the issue of their interference in our country's sovereignty. But it is just that they use  Our country's 'taking over' Qingdao instead of 'taking back' Qingdao shows Japan's contempt for our country. This is already ten years ago.??It is an obvious hint that it is absolutely impossible for Japan to hand over the Japanese after the end of the European War as promised in its credentials!  Since the Revolution of 1911, the people of our country have become more open-minded. The people's active participation in politics is the beginning of the country's rejuvenation. At this time, the people must not allow the government to show weakness on such issues involving national sovereignty and dignity. Once we show weakness, those who  The dissenting voices in the country that we have suppressed will also take the opportunity to pop up.  "

    He rubbed his cheek with his right hand, and his voice was a little bitter, "I don't have the initiative, so be ready for war!"

    "Yes!" Lu Zhengxiang, who looked ugly, stood up and was about to leave, but he stopped him.

    "Wait, you will go see the German minister immediately and tell the Germans that the worst situation is coming. Today, no matter what, China and Germany must make compromises as one country. We will take Shandong first. The general trend must be  Zhanli."

    "This" Lu Zhengxiang was a little embarrassed, "Won't the president personally take care of this matter?"

    At first, Lu Zhengxiang was in charge of the Sino-German Qingdao negotiations, but as the negotiations between the two sides became closer and closer to the core interests of both sides, the president is now personally responsible, so they asked.

    President Li shook his head and refused, "I will convene a meeting with officials from the Ministry of War, the General Staff, the Ministry of Finance and other ministries later to make strategic arrangements as soon as possible. If the Germans ask me to tell the truth, I will also tell the Germans that tomorrow I  The Fourth Division will be dispatched to Jinan, and China¡¯s garrison in Shandong will be increased to two defense divisions. Germany will be notified in advance to avoid misunderstandings!¡±

    The slightly trembling beard showed the uneasiness in the master's heart. Lu Zhengxiang took a breath and answered after a while: "Yes, since the president has already made arrangements, we just have to do it. But, I don't know what we will do to Germany."  The bottom line is"

    At the beginning of the negotiations between the government and Germany, there was no requirement to re-select ports in the future. However, with Germany's victory in Europe, the morale in Germany was high. Not only did the Kaiser give up the last bit of caution in his heart, but the government also became more arrogant and difficult to deal with. Originally,  The transfer of Qingdao to China was only regarded as a temporary expediency, and naturally a new requirement was added!  Even now that Germany has lost contact with almost all its overseas colonies, Germany is still only relenting on financial compensation and has never given up its demand to re-select ports!

    "The bottom line? Our country can only accept 70 million national debts with an annual interest rate of 6% after ten years to compensate Germany for the construction of Qingdao Port. It is absolutely impossible to accept the request to let Germany choose the port again; at the same time, tell the Germans that if  If the Sino-Japanese conflict can be ended as soon as possible, our country will send troops to regain Outer Mongolia after next spring; our country promises never to declare war on Germany in this European war, and can sign a secret letter of credence with Germany, and will never embarrass all German businessmen and women in China  military personnel, but they need to temporarily obey China's personnel arrangements, so that they can decide to stay or leave as they wish after the European War is over; in addition, if the Far East Fleet docks in Qingdao Port for one day, our country will refuse to accept diplomatic blackmail from any country and try its best to  Supply it and preserve its strength!¡±

    This is the bottom line!

    He paused and suddenly seemed to remember something, then turned around and said: "One more thing, once Germany is willing, our country is willing to redeem all German railway operating rights and industrial and mining enterprise property rights in Shandong. However, in view of our temporary limited financial resources,  It is necessary to issue forward treasury bonds ranging from ten to fifteen years to redeem them, you only need to click on this!"

    Why Li Han tried so hard to make good friends with Germany is not because Germany has too many things that make him jealous.  How poor Germany was after World War I, and how many skilled technicians, university professors, ordnance experts and even senior military officers were unable to afford even a ton of food.  Using the German mark, which will be severely devalued in ten years, to bribe the Germans and take the opportunity to win over the German elite is the only way to promote China's development faster.  During World War I, the United States sacrificed the rights and interests of millions of German-Americans in order to participate in the war. He did not believe that the German elite could immigrate to the United States after World War I, which was hostile to Germans, and would not consider moving to a country where relations with Germany would be better.  Friendly China.  Even if we can only win over a small number of people, we can raise the country's technological and educational level to several levels.  This is not intended to be a compliment, but rather a reflection on China¡¯s modern times and an admiration for Germany¡¯s high-level education system since the Prussian era.

    Lu Zhengxiang naturally didn't understand these things. He just listened, took a note and wrote down all Li Han's arrangements, and then left immediately to get busy.

    After learning about China¡¯s attitude last night and the possible reaction from Japan hinted by Li Han, the German minister immediately sent a telegram to Berlin after returning to Dongjiaominxiang.  Because the empire has huge interests in the Far East, and the Japanese navy has tracked the Far East fleet patrolling the sea several times this month, and the German minister in Japan has been detained, Japan's attitude towards declaring war on Germany has become very obvious.  It is inevitable that after the war, its interests in the Far East were seriously damaged. The German government finally bowed its head.?After receiving Franz's telegram, the Kaiser personally gave instructions that concessions could be made on key issues, but everything must be based on preserving the Far East Fleet and fighting for more interests for Germany.

    Franz finally breathed a sigh of relief when he received an urgent call back from China. He was about to arrange a carriage to visit the President of the Republic of China in order to solve the Qingdao issue as soon as possible. The visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lu Zhengxiang had already been delivered to the German Embassy, ??and his  The carriage and horses soon arrived at the German legation!

    "Welcome, Mr. Minister." Franz had negotiated several times with Lu Zhengxiang on the Qingdao issue, and they were no strangers to each other.

    "I have hastily to interrupt you, but I hope the Minister will not take offense. Due to the sudden changes in the situation today, the Japanese government has formally submitted a diplomatic protest to our country, threatening our country not to take over Qingdao from your country. The arrogance of his attitude and the arrogance of his tone are beyond our country.  As expected. After the negotiations with the President of our country were fruitless, he has also submitted a diplomatic protest to Japan. Various signs have shown that Japan will attack Qingdao. Our country is no longer prepared to continue to waste time with your country. Today, on behalf of our government, I would like to express my gratitude to you.  If there is no result in the last negotiation, our country will be forced to prepare for war in order to protect its territorial sovereignty! Since the president has to convene an emergency military meeting and it is inconvenient to visit in person, I have been specially ordered to express my apology to your envoy. At the same time, the president also asked me to  I would like to convey to your envoy that in view of Japan's intention to send troops to Qingdao, our country will have to send the Fourth Division into Shandong tomorrow to enhance its military strength in Shandong and cope with various possible adverse situations!"

    Franz¡¯s face changed drastically on the spot. He didn¡¯t expect Lu Zhengxiang to behave like this when he came up.

    It was obvious that Lu Zhengxiang had made preparations for this negotiation in a short period of time. He handed a copy of the Japanese dialogue diplomatic protest letter translated into German by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the German minister and said: "Originally, in accordance with the principle of confidentiality, foreign ministers should  The letters of credence submitted by our government must not be exposed to the public, but in view of the traditional friendship between your country and our country, the President made an exception and allowed your envoy to view it in person! Please, this is the German translation of Japan¡¯s diplomatic protest!¡±

    Franz didn't care about diplomatic etiquette. He took it and read it, and soon his face turned gloomy. With his many years of diplomatic career, he had no doubt that if this diplomatic protest letter was authentic, then it would almost  It is equivalent to Japan declaring war on Germany!  This would undoubtedly be disastrous news for Germany.

    Franz didn¡¯t dare to bet, nor did he believe that China would play tricks on this issue. After putting down the translation, he breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Oh, God. This is probably the worst news!¡±

    He thought to himself that he already understood his current responsibilities, and the Qingdao negotiations could not be delayed any longer.  Qingdao is a completely different concept in the hands of Germany and China. Once it is lost in the hands of the Chinese, Germany's rights and interests will still be protected after the contract was negotiated.  But once it is lost in the hands of Germany, not only will China not be able to get the benefits promised, but based on the performance of the Japanese, all Germany's foundations in Shandong may be annexed by Japan. This will undoubtedly be a disaster.

    People on both sides realized the crisis of the situation, so the negotiations this time were naturally much easier. Franz first relaxed and directly cut off the domestic requirements that had been interfering with the negotiations to re-select the leased areas after the war.  Just listen to him say: "These damn Japanese, thank my Chinese friends for their friendship with Germany. His Majesty the Emperor of our country also asked me to send my sincere greetings to the President of your country. It just so happened that I just received new instructions from the country at noon today. In order not to  Affecting the traditional friendship between China and Germany, we are willing to accelerate the resolution of the Qingdao issue and will no longer require your government to continue to provide a comparable leasehold after the war. But we hope to have substantial convenience"

    The Germans' concession on key issues really shocked Lu Zhengxiang. He quickly said: "The friendship between China and Germany is everlasting, and our country will naturally not harm your interests. The president asked me to convey his instructions to your envoy.  , our country is willing to use 40 million of your country¡¯s gold marks in ten-year treasury bonds with 6% interest to compensate for your country¡¯s municipal construction costs in Qingdao.¡±

    Lu Zhengxiang is worthy of being a diplomatic veteran. He knows that the current situation is not good for China but even worse for Germany. Naturally, he is determined to cut off the national debt commitment made by the president by tens of millions.  Naturally, Germany cannot be satisfied with this price. Franz's face changed slightly and he was about to speak, but Lu Zhengxiang stopped him, "Please let me finish my words. This is just one of our country's sincerities. The President also asked me to tell you  The country conveyed our country's military intentions. If the Sino-Japanese conflict can be ended as soon as possible, our country will send troops to regain Outer Mongolia after the spring of next year. At the same time, our country promises never to declare war on Germany in this European war, and can sign a secret letter of credence with Germany.  We will never embarrass all German businessmen and military personnel in China, but they need to temporarily obey China¡¯s personnel arrangements so that they can decide to stay or leave as they wish after the European War is over!¡±

    "Regarding your country's Far East Fleet, our country promises that if Qingdao is handed over to our country, the Far East Fleet will be stationed in Hong Kong for one day and will be regarded as our country's fleet.We will treat our friendly fleets and will never accept military blackmail from any country and will not complete supplies for your fleet.  If your country is worried about returning home, our coastal country will supply supplies to your country at several small ports to help!  "

    ¡°In addition, our country has also promised that if you are willing to let go, our country is willing to redeem all your railway operating rights and industrial and mining enterprise property rights in Shandong. However, in view of our current limited financial resources, it will take ten to fifteen years.  Forward Treasury bonds to redeem!¡±

    The other items are dispensable. Only the item that China is willing to sign a contract with Germany and never declare war on Germany and that China will send troops to Outer Mongolia after next year shocked Franz.  After decades of operations in China, Germany has assets worth no less than one billion marks. If China declares war on Germany, it is entirely possible for Germany to lose these interests before the end of the European War; and the second item makes Franz even more excited.  Although Outer Mongolia is still nominally Chinese territory, it currently has its own army and government, and there are Russian troops stationed in the country. It is basically a semi-colony of the Russians.  If China wants to send troops to Outer Mongolia, it will inevitably collide with the Russian Yellow Russia policy. At that time, it is very likely that China will be at odds with Russia and even offend the entire Allied Powers.  The lowest estimate is that with China's expanding military strength, once a Sino-Russian conflict breaks out in Outer Mongolia, it can contain at least about 200,000 to 300,000 Russian troops.  This will undoubtedly greatly ease the military pressure on Germany and its allies in Europe!

    This is a great thing!

    He had just received the Kaiser's appointment, allowing him to take full responsibility for negotiations in China. He was about to agree, but he suppressed his thoughts and soon pretended to be heartbroken: "For the sake of the interests of China and Germany,  Friendship, our country can make concessions, but if possible, our country hopes that your country will agree to a condition!"

    "Speaking!"

    "Our country hopes that your country will be willing to open other unleased ports on your coast to our country in the future for our ships to dock!"

    This was not an excessive request, but Lu Zhengxiang did not think that the Germans' request would be that simple. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then asked: "What your envoy means is that the ships from your country that call at our port include your navy.  ?¡±

    "include!"

    This this is no longer something Lu Zhengxiang can make up his mind.  He pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "Your request is not too much. If your fleet to China submits credentials to our country in advance, it can naturally dock at any port. Of course, because it involves military matters, I  I need to ask the Presidential Office for instructions. I wonder if I can borrow the phone number of your embassy!¡±

    "Please!"

    Franz summoned a young German civil servant, and after whispering a few words to him, he led Lu Zhengxiang to make a telephone report to the presidential palace.  Soon, Lu Zhengxiang finished the phone call. When he came back, he couldn't hide the joy on his face. He nodded in front of the envoy and said, "The president of our country has agreed to your country's request, but our country also hopes to add a condition that is not a condition."  condition"

    "All ears!" Franz's Chinese has improved rapidly recently, and he has learned to use some commonly used diplomatic terms.

    "The President hopes to establish a more harmonious friendship with your country. Therefore, our country hopes to negotiate with your country now and in the future to resolve some of the shortcomings between China and Germany that have seriously troubled the friendship between the two countries!"

    "for example"

    ¡°For example, consular jurisdiction and Gengzi compensation!¡±

    Mr. Minister's mind was spinning very fast. It should be said that these two conditions are not harsh. As China is the most potential country in the Far East, once it develops, it will be a matter of time before it abolishes consular jurisdiction and even concessions. Of course, these must wait until  Until this country has that strength.  At that moment, he almost blurted out, "I agree in principle with these conditions, but they need to be confirmed by Berlin before I can fully agree."

    On September 12, the same day that the Battle of the Marne in Europe started, in the Near East, because the British government was worried about Turkey joining the Allies, it detained all its warships under construction.  At the same time, Britain arrogantly refused to return the legendary warship "Ottoman Sultan" with 14 7-seater twin-mounted 305mm main guns to Turkey, and instead renamed it "Agincourt" and incorporated it into the British  In the Royal Navy.  Unwilling to sink, the Ottoman Turkish Empire decided to accept the Germans' win. The Germans only paid a Moltke-class battlecruiser Goeben and a blank check of 100 million francs in loan to draw this West Asian power into the European War.  in the quagmire.  On that day, 40,000 Turkish troops marched toward Serbia under the leadership of General Erken. At the same time, the Turks blocked the Dardanelles Strait, cutting off Russia's channels for obtaining military supplies from its allies in the Black Sea.

    The next day, China and Germany issued a joint statement in the Far East.  Germany expressed its willingness to return the Qingdao leased land to China as soon as possible; Germany agreed to transfer theThe remaining German reparations in the Ugly Treaty will be returned to China in batches over the next ten years, and more channels for studying abroad will be opened to China, and scholarships and food and accommodation subsidies will be increased for students studying in Germany; Germany supports China¡¯s abolition of consular jurisdiction requirements and  We are willing to negotiate with China on the abolition of consular jurisdiction.  China stated that in order to thank Germany for its kindness on the Shandong issue, China is willing to open coastal non-trading ports to Germany for German ships to dock and rest; China will hire no less than 10 government consultants and 500 people from Germany in the next five years.  Instructor of the Wehrmacht and police systems, and issued a ten-year public bond of 40 million marks to Germany!

    At this time, the impact of the Sino-German joint statement on the Far East is not insignificant.  Many commentators and diplomats who are paying attention to the situation in the Far East generally believe that Germany has made huge and substantial concessions in its relations with China. Whether it is the handover of Qingdao, the return of reparations or the negotiations on the abolition of consular jurisdiction, Germany has  There is no doubt that China has benefited greatly from the huge concessions made in order to win over China.  The Times reporter in China, who rushed to London from the Far East to take pictures that day, wrote: "With the announcement of the Sino-German Joint Statement, the close relationship between China and Germany has become closer. In the near future, will Germany  What about making greater concessions in exchange for China joining the Allied camp? If that happens, Russia will face Chinese military restraint in the Far East, and the trend of the war will be difficult to predict."

    ????????????????????????????? Seeing that the duck with its mouth is about to fly away, but it really makes a country angry!

    Japan!

    <a href="www.piaotia.com</a>" target="_blank">www.piaotia.com</a>" target="_blank">http://www.piaotia.com">www.piaotia.com</a>
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