Chapter 634: Never back down

The storm in Qingdao is getting worse!

The whole Qingdao has been completely paralyzed after entering November!

Needless to say, the machines were shut down and the schools were empty, but there was no electricity, no water, and even those who poured night pots and toilets joined the ranks of the strike, which turned Qingdao into a dead city and a stinky city at the same time.

Originally, in Masanosuke Akiyama's opinion, the strike would not last long, because those Chinese workers had to eat, and the whole family had to eat!

But the situation is not at all what he thought.

Grain procured in the name of the China General Chamber of Commerce in Qingdao is being distributed to the homes of these workers

All of this was planned by Wang Hengyue behind the scenes!

How much money will be spent in order to support the strikes, market strikes, and school strikes in Qingdao, and in order to recover Qingdao? Wang Hengyue didn't care at all! As long as you can take back the land, you are willing to bankrupt your family!

Masanosuke Akiyama was worried, and the protests and pressure from the Japanese people in Japan and Qingdao had become unbearable for him. Qingdao has no sign of resuming work at all.

By November 10, eighteen days had passed on to the general strike that had swept Qingdao, and Masanosuke Akiyama could no longer sit still.

He made an appointment to meet with the striking representatives, but the conditions put forward by them were simply unacceptable.

"Your Excellency the Chief of Civil Affairs, you can only take the form of force to suppress it!" Kenichi Oshima, commander of the Japanese garrison in Qingdao, said murderously: "Since the people of China are unwilling to return to work, the only way to force them to do so is to use force!" ”

Masanosuke Akiyama was a little hesitant.

What are the consequences of the use of force?

The current Chinese government is not the Manchu government of the past, nor is it the Beiyang government. The rash use of force will only allow the Chinese to find an excuse to enter Qingdao!

In fact, perhaps China's great president has long wanted to recover Qingdao

"Send the soldiers out into the streets." After hesitating for a long time, Masanosuke Akiyama finally said, "But without my orders, no bloodshed is allowed!" Your Excellency, I must implore you to remember that now the international situation is very complicated, there are not many countries supporting Japan, the Europeans and Americans want the squadron to continue fighting in Russia, they are supporting the Chinese, and if the bloody conflict continues at this time, it will have an injurious effect on the interests of the empire in Qingdao. ”

Oshima nodded.

As a soldier, although he prefers to take the most direct form, it will be a very terrible thing if war breaks out.

The combat effectiveness shown by the Chinese on the Russian battlefield has already made Kenichi Oshima feel a heavy pressure, and it is very unwise to break out at this time.

To be patient, you must force yourself and your soldiers to be as patient as possible

"Your Excellency, I'm sorry for everything I've done." Jun Aida bowed deeply: "If it's not that I'm not calm, then"

"It's already happened, don't think about it anymore" interrupted his subordinates, Masanosuke Akiyama thought for a while: "Your Excellency Commander, put some pressure on those who are striking, and let the people of China know that we will not hesitate to solve it by force without bloodshed"

"Don't worry!"

Japanese troops began to appear on the streets of Qingdao!

In Qingdao, where Japan had 20,000 naval and army soldiers, it was clear that a crisis was looming

At this time, President Wang Hengyue, who arrived in Ningbo, finally made a statement in front of the world for the first time:

In view of the current grave situation in Qingdao and the Japanese side's use of military forces with the intention of suppressing it by force, in order to safeguard the safety of the lives and property of the Chinese people in Qingdao, the President ordered the Third Detachment of the Navy to enter Qingdao. And ordered the two divisions of the Fifth Army of Zan Xu, the king of Jinan, Shandong, to be ready to enter Qingdao at any time to maintain the local situation!

This declaration is groundbreaking!

Wang Hengyue did not have any intention of informing the Japanese side at all, but directly announced this order!

The Japanese minister to China, Ichichi Kohata, immediately lodged a "protest" with the Chinese government, while Premier Wang Qinglu told the Japanese minister in a solemn and righteous manner:

Qingdao has always been Chinese land, and the Chinese government has never signed any contract to cede Qingdao to Japan! A country does not need to go through the permission of another country to send warships and troops into its own land! …,

Kohata Chieftain was speechless.

None of the contracts ceded Qingdao to Japan!

A country does not need to go through the permission of another country to send warships and troops into its own land!

This is the most sonorous and powerful answer from the Chinese side!

Kohata Chiefichi was caught in a dilemma, and the Japanese government was also caught in a dilemma.

The representatives of the Chinese government did not sign the Treaty of Versailles, refused to recognize the Japanese occupation of Tsingtao, and their warships and troops had every reason to enter Tsingtao!

Unless, Japan does not hesitate to go to war with China over the Qingdao issue!

But that also seems unlikely now. At this stage, the European and American powers were completely and completely on the side of the Chinese government

The Chinese Navy and Army, which received the order, acted at the same time!

On November 12, Duan Qirui, a special adviser to the Shandong Provincial Government of the Republic of China, ordered Wang Zan Xu's Fifth Army to enter Qingdao with the strength of one regiment.

The Japanese side suddenly became nervous

Masanosuke Akiyama urgently met with Duan Qirui, and seriously warned that Duan Qirui must take full responsibility for the operation of the squadron entering Qingdao, and Duan Qirui must also bear all the consequences for the war that may be triggered.

But at this time, Duan Qirui was unusual, he told Masanosuke Akiyama: "I must be responsible for the safety of the lives and property of the Chinese in Qingdao, not to mention that Qingdao leaves all Chinese land, our army enters its own land, I can't think of anything that can be responsible!" ”

"You want to openly provoke a war!" Kenichi Oshima, who also participated in the negotiations, roared: "The navy and army of the Japanese Empire will not hesitate to fight in order to protect their rights and interests!" ”

"China's navy and army are also willing to fight in order to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity!" Duan Qirui said slowly, but he did not back down at all in his tone: "It's like if our army enters Tokyo, and we station troops there, killing the Japanese in Tokyo, what about you?" Mr. Commander Oshima, what would you do? ”

"Baga!" Kenichi Oshima shouted angrily: "Tokyo is sacred, how can the Shina army enter!" ”

"Bastard!" Duan Qirui also slapped the stage suddenly: "Qingdao is also sacred Chinese territory, you have entered it the same!" ”

Masanosuke Akiyama and Kenichi Oshima looked at this "consultant" in a daze as if they had met Duan Qirui for the first time.

I remember that when he first arrived in Shandong, he was very "friendly" to the Japanese side, and he specially visited Qingdao under the leadership of Masanosuke Akiyama.

Masanosuke Akiyama slowed down his tone: "Mr. Duan Qirui, there is a traditional friendship between you and Japan, and I hope that you can remain calm on the basis that the Chinese government has lost its calm."

"My government has not lost its coolness" Duan Qirui smiled faintly: "If a government is indifferent to the slaughter of its own people, it is a real loss of calm." Yes, I have a 'friendship' with Japan, but I can still let go of this friendship compared to national interests."

Masanosuke Akiyama's eyes narrowed into a slit, staring at Duan Qirui deadly.

Duan Qirui also looked at him very calmly, fearless.

For Duan Qirui, he has nothing to worry about, and he thinks he has done one thing right:

Never back down in the face of any power!

The situation in Qingdao has become very bad.

The warships and armies of China and Japan began to confront each other in Qingdao, and war could break out anytime and anywhere!

At this moment, the final decisive battle of Snoyarsk in Russia was about to break out, and the European and American powers absolutely did not want any conflict at this time.

Ministers began to travel frequently between China and Japan, urging them to remain calm, to do everything possible to avoid war, and to preserve the situation in the Far East.

The European and American powers did not want to see a war break out between China and Japan, and Japan did not want to go to war with China at this time.

And in the same way, Wang Hengyue also knew that this battle could not be fought!

Both sides are threatening and testing each other's bottom line. Neither China nor Japan is ready for war.

Perhaps some fanatical soldiers in China and Japan hope for an immediate war and a life-and-death showdown, but this is not what the head of a country should do.

Against Japan, either you don't fight, or if you want to fight, you have to kill with one blow!

Qingdao is watching, China is watching, the whole world is watching!

Wang's hard-line attitude supported the Chinese government and her officials to confront Japan with a hard-line attitude, and Japanese businessmen put heavy pressure on Masanosuke Akiyama and Kohata Chieftachi.

Now, the time has come to solve the Qingdao problem!

Both sides quietly began to give in there. First, it was Kenichi Oshima, at the suggestion of Masanosuke Akiyama, who evacuated most of the soldiers from the streets of Qingdao, leaving only the Japanese police.

After that, Duan Qirui also ordered that except for the regiment that entered Qingdao in advance, the rest of the squadron ** team should temporarily enter Qingdao.

On 14 November, at the suggestion of US Minister to China Klein, China and Japan agreed to understand the start of negotiations in Nanking to resolve the Qingdao issue in the shortest possible time.

The Nanking negotiations can be seen as a continuation of the Treaty of Versailles, in which the countries began new negotiations on the unresolved question of Qingdao.

Wang Hengyue only gave one order to Wang Qinglu, his plenipotentiary representative participating in the negotiations:

All sovereignty over Qingdao must be restored to the hands of the Chinese government!

There is no room for bargaining!