"Marshal, the Prime Minister of Japan has changed."

On the afternoon of the day that the delegation led by Field Marshal Schleicher and Ribbentrop left Berlin, Field Marshal Hersmann, who was sitting at the headquarters of the General Staff in Tsosen, learned of the change of the Japanese cabinet.

"Mitsumasa Yonechi has stepped down?" Hersmann put down a stack of front-line war reports in his hand (the armistice was not reached, so the fighting on the French front continued), and looked at the head of the military intelligence department, Colonel Galen, "Who is the new prime minister?" ”

"Duke Fumihiro Konoe is the new Prime Minister," said Colonel Galen, "and this is his second time as Prime Minister." In addition, the pro-German Hideki Tojo became the Minister of War, and it is believed that he is the real power figure in the current Japanese cabinet. ”

"What about the Admiralty?" Hersman put down the report in his hand, "Or General Yoshida Zengo?" ”

"It's still him," Mr. Galen said, "but Yosuke Matsuoka, the new Japanese foreign minister, is also a politician close to Germany and Italy." It seems likely that Japan will sign an alliance agreement with Japan in the near future and launch a military attack on French Indochina. ”

"They have no choice!" "Although the economy of the Japanese Empire has benefited from the stability and development of the East Asian continent over the past decade, the distribution of wealth within the country has been extremely unfair. The lower strata are increasingly dissatisfied, and the upper strata are unwilling to concede profits, so they can only seek external expansion to divert contradictions.

Japan's expansion was not based on some clever strategy, but simply to plunder wealth to appease the country. Therefore, it is bound to be short-sighted, and will choose the easiest target to attack. Although the East Asian continent was rich in resources and large in population, and if conquered it would surely make the Japanese Empire a true world empire, the situation in Japan would not allow it to engage in a long and bloody war. So going south is the inevitable choice! ”

Over the past decade, Japan has benefited no less from the East Asian continent than it has historically been, but this has been based on stability rather than turmoil on the continent. As a result, it was much more difficult for Japan to conquer the East Asian continent, especially after the unexpected upheaval in 39. Although Japan has obtained the permission of Britain and the United States, the current situation in Japan determines that they must first pick up a softer persimmon to pinch. Unless Britain and the United States can give Japan a large amount of economic aid as they did during the Russo-Japanese War, and at the same time conclude an alliance.

However, it is not safe to only ally with the United Kingdom, which has become a mud bodhisattva, and it is better to catch up with the United States. However, the situation in the United States determines that there can be no US-Japan alliance. Moreover, in the absence of a peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union, even Britain did not dare to sign the new "Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty".

Therefore, although Britain and the United States have said a lot of good things in the past period of time, and have given a lot of loans, oil and steel, they have not mentioned the slightest mention of the most critical alliance issue. Even when Mitsumasa Minai openly stated that he was "going to fight the German Navy" (which was actually testing the possibility of an alliance), Britain and the United States pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Without the Anglo-American alliance, Japan certainly did not dare to risk war with the Soviet-German alliance (if Japan and the Soviet Union clashed, the current Germany would definitely ally with the Soviet Union and fully support it) to go north and west.

"Marshal," Colonel Galen seemed to be a little confused, "if the political situation in Japan is such that it cannot afford a long and bloody war, then how can they dare to go to war with Britain and the United States?" What's the point of us wooing them? ”

Hersman smiled and said, "They will sink step by step, but not all at once. Japan is like a gambler, he is often very careful when he bets at the beginning, and he does not dare to make big bets, but he will play bigger and bigger later in the bet. Moreover, the discontent of the Japanese bottom was vented not in the form of the workers' movement, but in the form of a mutiny among the middle and lower strata of the military. Therefore, the main purpose of Japan's expansion is actually to satisfy the interests of these middle- and lower-class soldiers, which determines that once Japan gets the sweetness of expansion, it will continue to take risks. So in the end, Japan will definitely gamble on its national fortunes. ”

While Hessman was talking to Colonel Galen, on the other side of the world, Fumiko Konoe, who had just been appointed prime minister, was summoning Yosuke Matsuoka, Hideki Tojo, and Zengo Yoshida at his private residence, Ogigaiso.

The meeting place was a very secluded tea room - a very small room with tatami mats on the floor, no furniture, and four Japanese devils all dressed in kimonos and sitting on their knees. The Duke of Konoe fiddled with an ugly but valuable tea set.

"Both German leader Adolf Hitler and Chief of the General Staff Hersmann made it clear to Ambassador Oshima that the Reich could take French Indochina until Germany and France concluded a peace treaty and France joined the European Community."

War Minister Hideki Tojo had no interest in the tea ceremony, and was the first to interrupt the silence in the tea room.

He said to Konoe Fumi, "Duke, we don't have much time now, let's make up our minds quickly!" ”

Fumiki Konoe glanced at Hideki Tojo, who was yelling, but he was still stirring the matcha freshly brewed in a "water tank" with a small broom-like tool in his hand.

"Tojo-kun," said Fumiro Konoe, "going south is a gamble on the fortunes of the country, do you know?" ”

"A gamble on the fortunes of the country?" Hideki Tojo smiled, "It's just French Indochina, it's easy to take." ”

"French Indochina is also bordered by British Burma, British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies." Navy Minister Yoshida said, "It was a white colony, and it was different from the East Asian continent. If we were to attack the French East Indies, Britain and the United States would certainly see Japan as a major threat. ”

"Humph!" Hideki Tojo smiled disdainfully, "Threaten to threaten, Britain is already difficult to protect itself, and the United States is mired in isolationism, what else can it do?" If the empire loses its chance, it will be too late to regret it. ”

Fumiko Konoe had already made tea, handed the "small water tank" to Yosuke Matsuoka, and then said to Tojo: "Of course, you can't lose the opportunity, but you must be cautious in betting on the fortunes of the country." ”

"Discreetly?"

Konoe nodded and glanced at Yosuke Matsuoka. Matsuoka said: "Germany is good at using other countries to satisfy its own desires, and even if it defaults, it will not do stupid things that will be used by other countries." Countries close to them, almost without exception, have been fooled. So the Reich could not expect Germany to go to war with a powerful enemy like the United States for the sake of Japan. Therefore, the southward movement of the empire must be carried out without excessively provoking the United States. At the same time, it is necessary to conclude an alliance treaty with the Soviet Union as soon as possible, and if a four-power alliance of the Reich, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union can be formed, then the Reich can safely and boldly annex the British colonies and Siam. ”

Matsuoka's words were tactful, but Hideki Tojo understood. In fact, what the other side means is that the army must not rely on the support of Germany and Italy to go into conflict with Britain and the United States. Unless the Soviet Union could be drawn into the alliance, Japan could only swallow French Indochina and could not expand further to provoke Britain and the United States.

"Of course, the army is generally knowledgeable," said Hideki Tojo with some unhappiness, "how can it be possible to clash with Britain and the United States without authorization?" The army is not a fool without brains! ”

Hideki Tojo meant what he said, at least for now.

……

Geneva, Switzerland.

In a small conference room in the Palais des Nations, owned by the League of Nations, German Defense Minister Schleicher and Foreign Minister Ribbentrop finally met with the French government's peace negotiators, Reival and Chaudin. Also present were the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Ziano, and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Juan Murphy. Louis. Bergberg and Clariant, Chairman of the Dutch Council of Ministers.

Ziano appeared here because Italy had also declared war on France a few days earlier, while the President of the Dutch Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain had attended the meeting as mediators of the League of Nations.

Representatives of Belgium and Luxembourg have also arrived in Geneva. However, they will not attend today's negotiations, but will participate in the negotiations on a final peace treaty after the armistice agreement between France and Germany and Italy has been signed.

And the key issue in the signing of the armistice was the French fleet anchored in Toulon!

"The fleet must anchor in the port of Toulon, and must not sail to North Africa or anything else, and must not sink itself!" Field Marshal Schleicher said, "This is a prerequisite for the signing of an armistice." ”

"Are you going to get our fleet?" Shaw, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of the Pétain government, asked with a frown.

Schodang, who spoke German, which Schleicher understood (and whose implementation Lecher also spoke French), looked at each other, and the latter said, "The surrender of the fleet is a matter to be discussed in a formal peace treaty...... If you join the European Community and declare war on Britain, then of course your fleet can be kept in your hands. ”

"Then we will leave the fleet in Toulon," said Reival, "but your men shall not enter Provence." ”

Ribbentrop and Ziano looked at each other, and Count Ziano immediately said: "The Italian navy will lay mines outside the port of Toulon to prevent the French fleet from leaving." ”

"This request can be granted."

The two Frenchmen exchanged views in a low voice, and immediately agreed to the Germans' request.

Because in their opinion, it would be a good idea for Bray to blockade the port of Toulon...... It was possible not only to prevent the French fleet from fleeing to the "Free France", but also to prevent the British from going to attack the fleet in Toulon.

With the batteries in the port of Toulon, the mines of the Italians, plus the anti-aircraft guns and D.520 fighters deployed in the port of Toulon, the French baby fleet was foolproof. (To be continued.) )