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Text Chapter 338 The Night Before the Storm

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    What is a concession?

    For countries that have been ceded concessions, it is a symbol of colonization and humiliation.  But for the country that gets the concession, it is a sovereign and inviolable area.  This is just like the consulates stationed abroad in later generations. No matter how the war is fought, no one is willing to touch this area because the diplomatic disputes involved are too big.  If it is nothing to say that Germany voluntarily withdraws, then trying to forcibly take over the Japanese concession is tantamount to provoking the entire group of powers, because if this bill is passed, it means that a bill on the British and French concessions may also be passed in the future, so I learned that  After receiving the news, Bernard returned to Shanghai midway. Even Hangel and Doumaile sent telegrams to contact Yang Qiu, asking about the intention and requesting the suspension of the draft.

    But for the Japanese government at this time, it had no intention of paying attention to why Yang Qiu threw out this draft.

    On the streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Chen Haohui was wearing an ordinary worker's uniform and slowly walked towards the Sushan Tavern at the end of the street.  This humble tavern is very famous in Japanese political circles. The feudal clan represented by Yamagata Aritomo has always regarded this place as a thorn in its side. If democratic forces had not been particularly prosperous in recent years, it also had a very wide appeal among the people.  Moreover, the Satsuma faction of the Navy also intentionally or unintentionally protected the faction that threatened the Army Choshu clan. Perhaps this tavern may have been swept into history long ago.

    With his status, he cannot enter this tavern, but that doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t know the secrets inside.  Chen Haohui lowered his head like a worker hurried home in the night. After walking around the pub to make sure no one was following him, he suddenly ducked into a bungalow nearby.  A telescope disguised as a chimney pipe on the second floor of the bungalow can just see the scene inside clearly through the ventilation window of the tavern.  The intelligence agent who was in charge of surveillance was also shocked when he saw Chen Haohui. Knowing his special status, only three or five intelligence agents operating in Japan knew that there was such a person. If he had not also participated in the Southwest Operation, he would not have been involved at all.  Knowing this, he quickly asked: "Boss, what are you doing?"

    "Master Lu is on vacation for the time being. Most of the students have gone home to prepare to die. I came here to take a look if I have nothing to do." Chen Haohui walked to the telescope. The world in the lens was tense and noisy. Many well-dressed democrats waved their fists and seemed to  What was the fierce argument about? This scene made him curl his lips slightly. Although the domestic news in Japan was blocked by the military and the vast majority of ordinary people could not know the news that the front line had failed, these people obviously couldn't bear it anymore.

    Facing the excited members, Takahashi Korekiyo on the side had an indescribable feeling. He was a core figure in the Constitutional Council, but he was also an active force in promoting Japan's invasion of the mainland. It was he who visited Europe and the United States several times to raise a large amount of money for Japan.  Huge public debt contributed to Japan's victory in the decisive Russo-Japanese War.  However, no one expected that those "younger generations" would fail his efforts and drag Japan into a war that should not have happened. This directly led to the gradual erosion of the achievements achieved ten years ago.

    "Have you heard, Kato-kun? The military seems to want to continue the fight. In your opinion, what should be done now?" Takahashi Korekiyo turned to Kato Takaaki next to him.  The latter is not only the foreign minister, but also the largest financial source of the Constitutional Council, because he himself is the son-in-law of the Mitsui Zaibatsu.  To put it bluntly, the struggle between democracy and the feudal clan in recent years is actually a game between the chaebol and the feudal clan. As Japan's national power gradually grows, the chaebols represented by Mitsui are no longer satisfied with their political status after making huge profits, and try to challenge the dominance of the feudal clan.  situation.

    Kato Takaaki is not only the foreign minister, but also one of the most active mouthpieces of the Mitsui Zaibatsu. The independent foreign policy he implements is incompatible with the Yamagata faction. Therefore, there have been remarks about impeaching him recently.  He picked up the wine glass, narrowed his mouse eyes and sighed: "Takahashi-kun, please forgive me, the war must not continue! I just came back from Yokohama. Yawata Steel's raw materials are seriously insufficient, especially the coking coal has reached the reserve warning line.  The quality of our country's self-produced coking coal is too poor to be used for steelmaking. If the steelmaking furnace cannot be replenished, it must be stopped. The steelmaking furnace is a very fragile machine. Once it is stopped for more than three months and cannot be restarted, it will  All damaged!¡±

    No matter what, Takahashi Korekiyo has lived in Europe and the United States for a long time, and he knows a lot about steelmaking and mechanical equipment maintenance. Moreover, steel output is the most important data to measure a country's economy and comprehensive strength. This year's output is likely to increase.  Under the condition of less than 50,000 tons, if the steel furnace damages the newly emerging Japanese industry, it will be all over, so he said anxiously: "But if we don't continue the war, we still won't get replenishment. The European War is already in full swing.  Britain and France are too busy to take care of themselves and can no longer provide us with help. The prices of steel and coking coal in the international market have doubled. ¡§What should we do?"

    Kato Takaaki is very fond of alcohol, but in Japan where food is scarce, wine is undoubtedly an expensive luxury item. It is even more scarce now when even food reserves are beginning to be tight. Even big chaebols like Mitsui usually limit the supply.  So he drank two more sips before continuing to speak: "Your Excellency Takahashi was the leader of our country's last war.??The biggest contributor, you who have been in Europe and America for a long time, can't you understand?  Britain and the United States still need our country!  As long as an armistice agreement with China can be reached immediately, our country will not sink.  It may take a long time to recover, but it is much better than continuing to fight.

    Seeing Takahashi Korekiyo fall silent, Kato Takaaki continued: "In addition, don't you think now is a good opportunity? Those ugly feudal lords will definitely be abandoned by the people because of this failure. Although the Chinese are very hateful, they help  killed us."

    Takahashi Korekiyo is not a spokesman for the chaebols like Kato Takaaki. Although he is inextricably connected with the major chaebols, he has not yet completely obeyed the mercy, not to mention that the person standing behind the feudal faction is too scary.  .  Although he also admitted that this is the best opportunity for the Constitutional Council in decades, if it is done well, there is even hope of breaking the foundation of feudal control and establishing a new Japanese political structure controlled by chaebols, but this is just one thing. Will this happen?  Will Japan fall into turmoil?  It can be seen from the many confrontations such as the rice incident and the Constitutional Assembly demonstration that the power of the feudal clan is still deeply rooted. Will they suffer another defeat after a rash showdown?  So he worried: "Will this cause some trouble?"

    "Trouble? Do we have enough trouble? If the war cannot be ended as soon as possible, the military will probably use its strength to further deepen its position through war. That person is not an ordinary opponent." Kato Takaaki said in the five-phase meeting last time  He was very angry after the military department ignored the remarks that "allies should be informed that the war is going on".  So I didn't have any good impression of the little old man with a rigid face, and said: "Don't worry too much, Mr. Takahashi. The Navy has already announced the idea of ??ending the war. I think we should find an opportunity to convince Prime Minister Okuma and Takeshi Inukai as soon as possible. As long as  They promised to end it so what couldn¡¯t be done?¡±

    Just as the two were whispering, a rush of footsteps suddenly came from outside. Everyone who was having a heated debate quickly turned their heads and saw an official of the Constitutional Council coming from outside and shouting: "Gentlemen! Something happened.  , just now Kiyoura Keigo and Shirane went to see His Majesty the Emperor and formally requested that the military be granted all rights to use the power of the whole country to win this war."

    "These damn feudal lords, do they want to drag Japan into hell?!"

    "The war must end! If it continues, the Japanese Empire will sink!"

    The news caused an explosion in the tavern. Korekiyo Takahashi and Takaaki Kato quickly looked at each other and said, "No, they don't believe that the military will be stupid enough to continue the war!"  Who in Japan doesn't know that Kiyoura Kuigo and Shirane are the "four great kings" among the old bureaucrats of the Yamagata faction, and they are basically the vanguard of that person.  He must be trying to take advantage of the opportunity before the news of Qingdao's defeat has spread to control the domestic situation as soon as possible to prevent being attacked by the Constitutional Council!

    "I think I should go see Prime Minister Okuma." Korekiyo Takahashi put down his wine glass and Takaaki Kato quickly stood up and saluted: "It's time for me to say goodbye. Maybe British and French ambassadors will flock here soon." The two of them.  After they finished speaking, they walked out together to hail the carriage and hurried to the Prime Minister's Office.

    Watching them leave, Chen Haohui's eyes were cold: "Is there any instruction from the country? What's the next step?" The intelligence officer quickly closed the curtains, handed him a cigarette, frowned and said, "Boss Fang said, we have to find a way to let him go."  Japan is in complete chaos, and these guys are wondering what to do."

    "That's not easy!"

    Chen Haohui lit up his cigarette. He frowned at the low-quality Japanese cigarette and quickly stubbed it out after taking one sip. Then he hooked his fingers at the intelligence agent. When the latter came close to him, he suddenly pointed to the tavern below: "Find an opportunity to start from North Korea."  Those manpower should find a few radicals to blow up this place!" After saying that, he quickly rolled up his sleeves with a low smile and turned into the poor worker again and walked out.

    "Let the North Koreans blow it up?!" The intelligence agent's eyes were about to pop out. He had to kill a bunch of diehard loyalists of the Constitutional Council to keep Japan in chaos!  When the time comes, no matter who did it, this shit basin will definitely be held on the head of the radical military.  After he came back to his senses and exhaled loudly, he raised his thumb at Chen Haohui's back: "Black, so damn black!"

    The departures of Korekiyo Takahashi and Haohui Chen indicate that a storm has begun to brew.  But at this time, except for a few people, there are many people who don't know what is about to happen, especially the Japanese military department has been completely messed up.  When the news of the failure of the Qingdao Battle came, and the fact that 30,000 people and four battleships were lost in one day and night, the officers were as dizzy as a sap blow. No one expected that the stalemate battle situation would suddenly undergo such a major change¡¤  So much so that for a while no one could come up with a practical and effective solution.

    A total of three divisions before and after!  Four battleships were sunk, and it was not known whether the Iwane could be repaired. The transport fleet was also ambushed repeatedly, not to mention the baggage and supplies lost for this battle. If all were added up, Japan would have lost money in just two months.  Nearly 300 million national currency!  And thisNot counting the hundreds of millions of assets lost due to the war and the huge pensions needed after the war!  What's more serious is that due to the failure of the Qingdao Battle, the remnants of the Guards Division and the Ninth Brigade were surrounded in the narrow Longkou. How to rescue them as soon as possible has become the most urgent problem.  And Jinzhou!  Since Jinzhou has also been surrounded, the 21st Brigade led by Otani Kikuzo can only retreat and wait for help. Can they be rescued when the fleet suffers heavy losses?  No one can imagine what would happen if these two lone soldiers were lost again.

    "There can be no cessation of war!" In the military conference room, the radical officers headed by Junnobu Aoki looked excited and rolled up their sleeves and shouted: "The attack must be strengthened! Even negotiations must first determine the dominance of the Empire in Kanto State before proceeding!  Manchuria and Mongolia are the lifeline of the empire, and losing them will be unimaginable."

    "That's right. Before the news spreads, we should take action first and order the 21st Brigade and the Guards Division to carry out a jade-breaking attack. Only in this way can we restore the dignity of the Imperial Japanese Army."

    "We must not stop and we must not be frightened by temporary setbacks. There are still hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the empire who are willing to sacrifice their lives at any time."

    "The navy should immediately dispatch and continue southward, and not be frightened by the enemy's submarines. It should concentrate its efforts on attacking Shanghai and the Yangtze River, march to Nanjing and destroy their capital in one fell swoop, forcing China to lose its brain and destroy their confidence."

    The louder shouts from the direction of the conference room made Hasegawa Yomichi in the chief of staff's office even more upset. After asking the guards to close the door, he turned to look at Tanaka Yiichi who was standing in front of him: "Has Mr. Yamagata answered?  "

    Tanaka Yoshi nodded respectfully and said: "I have reported the situation to the elder. After asking about the losses and the mobilization force required to continue the war, he has asked Kiyoura Keigo and Shirane Senichi to meet with His Majesty the Emperor. But please forgive me.  Let me be frank, I think it is very difficult to counterattack as soon as possible. The Second Fleet is basically unable to fight. Although the First Fleet is making preparations, it is the last force the empire will use to conquer the world. It cannot be acted rashly unless necessary. And I have calculated,  If we want to stabilize the war situation, we need to invest at least six more divisions in Guandong Prefecture and Jiaozhou Peninsula. Maybe we can mobilize these forces, but if we want to quickly send them to China, we will need at least 50 10,000-ton troop transport ships and a month.  Time, we have lost 12 merchant ships in a row, with a total tonnage of more than 50,000, unless they can be leased from various countries." At this point, he was also bleak: "With our country's current shipping capacity, it will take at least two months to complete the deployment.  , in the meantime we need to sink those cunning submarines first.¡±

    50 10,000-ton troop transport ships?  !

    Where to get this?

    With the outbreak of the European War, German submarines also began to wreak havoc in Europe. In more than a month since the war began, they have sunk nearly ten warships of various types and hundreds of thousands of tons of transport ships, resulting in a serious shortage of ships in the Far East route. Except for the US fleet in the entire Pacific  The only other one was the German-Austrian fleet parked in Sanduao, which was said to be a fleet of 12 10,000-ton ships and 16 other merchant ships that were urgently sold to a Chinese ocean shipping company before the war.  But now that they belong to the Chinese, you can't borrow them from the enemy, right?  If you don't have a ship, what can you do to transport troops?  What's more, there are several ghostly submarines that threaten the waterway at all times.

    what can we do about it?  Hasegawa was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot and asked: "Then did Mr. Takahashi give any other instructions regarding our report?" "No." Tanaka Giichi shook his head: "But when I came back, I heard that Takahashi was  His Excellency Qing has already gone to meet with Prime Minister Okuma, and Foreign Minister Kato seems to have also contacted the ambassadors of Britain, France and other countries. They seem to be starting negotiations.

    Negotiation?  Is the empire really going to withdraw from the mainland?  No, we must not withdraw from the mainland!  Hasegawa gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

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