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Text Chapter 756 Two Treaties

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    Yanjing, British Embassy.  .

    The British Embassy located on the busiest street is extraordinary. The soldiers of the Royal Marines in formal attire, the flowers and plants transplanted from Europe, and even the gardeners and servants are Sikhs from India, which all reflect the Britishness.  The splendor and wealth of an empire.  However, this kind of luxury is now becoming the target of all countries around the world. The huge Sunless Empire is facing the most serious crisis in history. From the Far East to Africa, considerable wealth has attracted countless ambitious people to take risks.

    Ambassador Xu Gesen looked tired and took the briefcase from his secretary, got into the car with the Union Jack flag flying and drove towards the Presidential Palace again.  He has lost count of how many times he has gone to meet Yang Qiu recently.  All I know is that since the outbreak of the second Afghan war, the embassy¡¯s daily gasoline expenses have increased by 500%.  The once great and proud British Empire is facing serious external threats. Japan, which is desperately expanding its navy, threatens Southeast Asia. The victory or defeat in Afghanistan is related to the safety of the Indian crown. Yanjing is accelerating the penetration of the Arab world with economic weapons. Germany has repeatedly challenged the bottom line, etc.  It gave them diplomats headaches, troubles and even food.

    How will the situation develop?

    On the eve of this day full of betrayal and compromise, the dullness and depression make everyone feel uncomfortable. Sometimes when you sit down and think about it, it would be better to simply have lightning, thunder, and rainstorm!  However, Prime Minister Chamberlain's foreign strategy was vague and changeable.  At the beginning, Downing Street had hoped to see exchanges of fire in Afghanistan, and was even willing to see China and Germany work together to attack the Soviet Union. However, as the war situation in Afghanistan became clear, it began to worry about China's penetration of India and the Persian Gulf.  The same is true in Europe. In order to promote Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, Austria was annexed and sat back and watched. However, as the Soviet Union suddenly approached, the Sudetenland autonomy crisis became more and more serious, and China invested in oil in Iran. Downing Street has become more and more anxious.  Even diplomacy has become clueless!  So today I went to meet Yang Qiu again, again about Iran and Afghanistan.

    This kind of vague diplomacy is what all personnel stationed abroad hate the most!  What made him even more annoyed was that the British Empire had reached the point where it wanted to covet Germany and China.

    The car drove quickly along the avenue towards the Yanjing Presidential Palace. When passing the parliament building, Xu Gesen clearly saw several times the number of cars and people entering and exiting than usual. They all said that the country had begun to change. Although Yang Qiu had not announced armaments,  But all signs show that he is actively preparing.  But is this preparation to destroy the Soviet Union, defeat Japan, or challenge the British Empire?

    no one knows!

    Now Yang Qiu is like a mute, refusing all expressions.  There was no alliance or surrender, and the army did not even make any targeted deployments except for Afghanistan and defense against the Soviet Union. This strange behavior made him want to find out what the guy who had ruled China for nearly 30 years was planning.

    "Wait a minute, Mr. Ambassador Xu Gesen." As soon as the car passed the Capitol, an American Ford sedan suddenly turned and chased after him from behind.  The driver was startled, and just as he was about to speed up, the window of the opposite car slowly rolled down, and the U.S. Ambassador to China Johnson appeared behind the window.  Xu Gesen immediately stopped the driver.

    After the car stabilized, I realized that there was a thin-cheeked man sitting inside.  Seeing the man, he suddenly remembered a person, Roosevelt's important personal staff, the real planner of the New Deal, and known as the White House Staff Officer, Holkins.

    "Ambassador Xu Gesen, are you going to see Yang Qiu?"

    "Yes."

    "I'm afraid you won't be able to see him. We have just returned from the Presidential Palace. Your Excellency Yang Qiu took a flight to the north for inspection last night and will not be back until a week later."

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Xu Gesen cursed inwardly after hearing that Yang Qiu left Beijing.  Because Yang Qiu was either inspecting or attending meetings during the recent period, he repeatedly ran into obstacles and returned. Several times he caught up with him to inspect the city, only to realize that he had already arrived at the next stop and was deliberately trying to avoid him.

    Johnson had long heard about the recent hide-and-seek game between China and Britain, and Chamberlain's error-ridden diplomatic interference made him secretly feel aggrieved for his conscientious colleague. He opened the door and said: "Mr. Ambassador, are you going to see the Prime Minister?"  , or have a drink with us?" What does the Prime Minister have to say?  Xu Gesen let his car follow him and got into the car: "Is it Mr. Hopkins? I've heard about your name for a long time, but I didn't expect to see you in Yanjing. You have made great achievements in handling the economic crisis and helping the American people resume production.  I admire his outstanding contributions.¡±

    "I'm glad to meet you too. By the way, are you meeting Yang Qiu for Iran or Moscow?" Hopkins was not sociable and was very direct when asking questions, which made Jason frown secretly and thought to himself, no wonder he  It has always been unpopular with mainstream America.  Even Xu Gesen thought he was too straightforward, but he really didn't have time to beat around the bush now, so he nodded and said, "Yes. Although the Iran Oil Agreement was told to us last year, the recent situation has changed."There have been changes, so Prime Minister Chamberlain entrusted me with the hope that he would stop immediately.  "

    China¡¯s desire to invest in oil exploration in Iran has been around since the Saudi crisis. After several years of geological surveys, it has finally identified several areas and is preparing to officially buy the exploration and mining rights.  China informed the British government of these matters early last year, and Chamberlain, who had just come to power at that time, also promised to handle them in accordance with the "Qingdao Treaty". As long as China does not interfere in Iran's internal affairs, it will not interfere with normal commercial investment.  But no one expected that the war in Afghanistan would break out at the end of the year, followed by Germany's annexation of Austria, which would suddenly make the situation in Europe and Asia tense.  At this time, if China continues to invest in Iran, even if it is a normal commercial contract, it may have disastrous consequences.

    Hopkins looked at Johnson. He obviously didn't know that Yang Qiu had told Britain to exploit Iranian oil early last year. He was surprised and asked: "You told him last year? Mr. Ambassador, why didn't Prime Minister Chamberlain stop him? This  If the agreement is announced, it will probably trigger a strong reaction from the Soviet Union.¡±

    Xu Gesen¡¯s head was pounding. He naturally knew how much trouble there would be once the China-Iran oil agreement was reached.  But Chamberlain had already agreed last year in order to hold China back against the Japanese threat. It would be very difficult for him to change his tune now.  Hopkins didn't expect that this matter would be finalized last year, and he had a strange feeling in his heart. Did Yang Qiu predict that the world situation would suddenly change this year at the beginning of last year?

    Although the U.S. government will not intervene in this storm in Europe and Asia for the time being, this matter is related to the future U.S. policy in Asia, so Hopkins also felt a little worried: "Mr. Ambassador, I'm afraid it's too late to stop it now.  The Soviet Union and Germany have penetrated deeply into Iran, and they may have gotten the news a long time ago.¡±

    "I know, but as a staff member of the British government, I must do my best." Xu Gesen's words were a bit irritating. In fact, he really didn't like the United States very much, because if it weren't for the indulgence and support of the United States, Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union would not be able to do anything.  Such a big threat today?  Can China have free access to Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf?  But thinking about the traditional relationship between Britain and the United States, he immediately changed his mind and said, "I'm sorry, I'm a little out of control emotionally. I hope you can understand. But this matter is very important, so I hope you two can help me convince Yang Qiu."

    Hopkins lit up his cigarette, thinking about it and said: "Mr. Ambassador, I'm afraid we can't help you. We, the United States, are the supervisory powers of the Qingdao Treaty, and China's actions have not violated the treaty. And you should know that President Roosevelt  We are committed to solving the domestic economic crisis. China is our country's most important export area, and the U.S. government cannot interfere with this normal commercial contract."

    Xu Gesen¡¯s expression changed a few times. Although Hopkins could not represent American politics, considering his influence on Roosevelt, these words were almost equivalent to Roosevelt¡¯s opinions.  So I could only look at Jensen for help: "Ambassador Jensen, Britain and the United States are traditional friendly countries and have the same interests in Asia and Europe, but the Iranian incident has touched our interests in the Arab world.  , aren¡¯t you willing to stretch out your hand?¡±

    Jason scratched his head. He didn't expect that inviting him into the car would cause trouble, and he couldn't help but secretly regret it.  If Britain and the United States exert pressure at the same time, Yang Qiu may really give up the Iranian oil plan temporarily, but what will be the consequences?  The United States is not afraid of China, but there is no need to go against Yang Qiu. Moreover, China and the United States are currently in agreement on the issue of dealing with the Soviet Union.  So after he glanced at Hopkins, he said: "Mr. Ambassador, I think the root cause of this matter is still in the Soviet Union. Yang Qiu once told me that Moscow has ignored and denied the "Shanghai Communique" many times, and Stalin was also politically involved.  At the bureau meeting, he publicly stated that he would recover the occupied land, so Moscow cannot completely recognize the communiqu¨¦. I am afraid that Mr. Yang Qiu will not give up the fight for Iran. So my opinion is that you might as well facilitate Sino-Soviet negotiations. Only by sitting down  Only by negotiating and getting Moscow to recognize the Shanghai Communique can the conflict be resolved."

    Xu Gesen nodded, this is indeed the only way, otherwise the peripheral battle between China and the Soviet Union would be impossible to stop.  So after signaling the driver to stop, he said, "Thank you both, I need to go north immediately." After saying that, he didn't even bother to answer, and hurriedly stepped into the car behind and rushed to the airport.

    Looking at the car leaving, Jason sighed: "Britain's mentality has changed. This anxious approach will only bring greater benefits to Yang Qiu." Hopkins nodded.  Chamberlain's erroneous and vague foreign policy may really bring big trouble to the world.  I just don¡¯t know how big the trouble will be this time, and how deeply the United States will be involved?

    Thinking of this, Hopkins also wanted to see Yang Qiu as soon as possible and said: "Jason, although we cannot act together with the British, I also hope to see him as soon as possible."

    When Xu Gesen hurriedly boarded the plane with Prime Minister Chamberlain's request, Stalin was holding a pipe with a tired face and shaking hands with the Japanese guests: "Welcome Mr. Nagata and Mr. Hota to our Soviet Union. At this critical moment, your  Coming here is the greatest support for the Soviets.¡±

      "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and see us. His Majesty the Emperor has always been very supportive of your Asia policy and hopes to achieve real cooperation as soon as possible." Nagata Tetsuyama couldn't help but meet Stalin when he first arrived.  He became excited and spoke out his purpose without any secret.

    Stalin's thick eyebrows twitched twice. He originally looked down on Japan, but the war in Afghanistan made him realize that it would be difficult to defeat China on his own. So he has been paying attention to the negotiations with Germany these days, hoping to ease Europe first, and then  Concentrate all efforts on dealing with China.  At this time, Nagata Tieshan suddenly came to visit again, which suddenly gave him hope.  But he likes to take the initiative. He deliberately did not enter the topic first. He looked at Motolov and Beria beside him, exchanged a few words, pretended to know nothing, and asked: "What are you two doing this time?"  For raw materials? You can rest assured on this matter. Japan is a friend of our Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union is willing to provide its friends with the help it can."

    Nagata knows that it is important who speaks first in political negotiations, but Japan cannot afford to get around it now.  Seeing the great changes in Europe, Yang Qiu also began to prepare for war. If he could not go south immediately, even if he finally got the entire Southeast Asia, he would not have time to digest it.  So he immediately took out a document and explained his purpose: "Mr. Stalin, His Majesty the Emperor asked me to forward this to you. I hope it will help your country."

    Motolov took the document, glanced at it briefly, and immediately handed it to Stalin to whisper.  It turns out that this is a piece of intelligence about China's preparations for war. You must know that the Soviet Union, where Japan's different intelligence networks were paralyzed, could still obtain some valuable information even if it was scanned by Dai Yunong several times.  Seeing Stalin watching carefully, Nagata Tieshan felt relieved and said: "This is some information that our country has. As of before I came out, Yang Qiu had once again ordered to stop this year's soldier rehabilitation work. We estimate that there will be about 30 soldiers this time.  Ten thousand soldiers will be intercepted to form three new armies. In this way, by the middle of next year, he will have 20 armies, totaling 104 divisions, and the total number of the army will exceed 1.5 million.

    We also received a very important news: Yang Qiu is negotiating with the Iranian government to exploit oil fields, and Bai Chongxi has been appointed commander of the Fourth Army.  This man previously served as a military attache in Turkey and Iran for a long time, and many officers in the Iranian army were his students.  Combined with the fact that they are building a large number of transport ships and judging from the three naval exercises in the Indian Ocean last year, we believe that he is ready to send troops to Arabia and Iran!  "

    Stalin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This news about the Japanese Navy is so important!  Ribbentrop's previous intelligence on Sino-Iranian cooperation had pushed the Soviet Union to the brink of danger. Unexpectedly, Nagata also brought the same news a few days later, which shows that the intelligence must be true!  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look towards Beria.

    Beria swallowed and realized that he had really failed in his duty this time.  Fortunately, Stalin now has fewer and fewer people available, and it is not the time to hold people accountable. He now pays more attention to the judgment of the Japanese Navy.  If true, it means that Yang Qiu may indeed send more troops to Iran and the Arab region!  What's bad is that the Soviet navy can only be trapped in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea taking a bath. Even if it has more than 300 submarines, it cannot cut off the possible China-Iran route.

    Seeing that he didn't speak, Nagata Tetsuyama next to him felt even more relieved. Anyone who is not a fool can see that it is impossible for Britain and France to control China now, so the Japanese Navy is the only military force that can cut off China's access to the Persian Gulf.

    Stalin smoked his pipe vigorously, and the thin white smoke obscured less than half of the outline of his face.  The familiar Motolov, Beria and others all know that this red rebel is going to go to war this time!  Sure enough, Stalin slowly put down the document, a stern look flashed in the corner of his eyes, took a deep breath and asked slowly: "Mr. Nagata, our Soviet Navy needs to go to the Sea of ??Okhotsk for some ocean navigation training. I wonder if we can use your country's  Where is the port?¡±

    This sentence made Nagata Tieshan burst into ecstasy!  The only remaining Soviet seaports in the Pacific were small ports in the Sea of ??Okhotsk that belonged to the Soviet Union but were controlled by Japan. It was impossible to support the fleet. Leasing Japanese seaports was inevitable!  However, after the ecstasy, Nagata Tieshan also knew that the timing of this training needed to be carefully considered. After all, what Japan wants now is to go south, not to offend China. It is unrealistic to allow the Soviet navy to be stationed in Japan, at least with Yanjing.  Not appropriate before declaring war.

    ¡°But this shows that Stalin has recognized that Japan-Soviet cooperation has entered a substantive stage!  "Mr. Stalin, please rest assured that we, Japan, are a country that keeps its word and will abide by its commitments!" Hotta, who was standing next to him, immediately stood up and bowed to express Japan's determination to cooperate.

    The moment he bowed, the chains around the necks of all countries were completely broken!

    Nagata Tetsuzan¡¯s trip to Moscow became the catalyst that stirred up the world. Under the double pressure of a total war between China and the Soviet Union being difficult to avoid, and the hinterland Baku and the Caucasus suddenly facing threats, Stalin finally made the most wrong moveDetermined!

    On the afternoon of the third day, Molotov and Nagata signed the "Soviet-Japanese Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation."  According to this secret treaty, the Soviet Union will immediately provide Japan with a loan of 200 million rubles, and provide Japan with 3.7 million tons of raw material support including crude steel, tungsten, chromium, nickel, manganese, etc. via sea transportation in the next three years.  The Japanese government promised to cut off the waterway from China to the Persian Gulf when necessary, and promised to help the Soviet Navy build a batch of warships. It also generously provided all the blueprints and construction technology of the Nagato-class battleships free of charge. At the same time, it will allow the Soviet Navy to  Use Japanese seaports for training.

    At the same time that the Soviet-Japanese treaty was signed, the Soviet-German negotiations were also coming to an end.  Under Stalin's promise not to interfere with the Czech Republic, to withdraw the border troops, and to stop the hostile propaganda of the GC International, a modified "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Agreement" was secretly signed.  Since Germany is still very weak now, Hitler, who is taking a gamble, is very afraid that he will provoke British and French intervention when he attacks the Sudetenland and the Czech Republic. Therefore, this agreement has many concessions compared to history. In addition to the two countries agreeing to jointly "punish" Poland, Bulgaria,  Except for Romania and North Africa, the three Baltic countries, Finland and Iraq and Iran to the east of the Black Sea were almost all handed over to the Soviet Union, and even the Turkish Strait was under joint management.

    Finally, thanks to Motolov¡¯s connection, Nagata Tieshan also had his first meeting with Ribbentrop, and then visited Berlin together.

    In early May 1938, no one in the world knew that two secret treaties affecting the world had been reached in Moscow, let alone!  The magnificent years of blood and fire began.

    (To be continued)
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