In the Aoyama Palace in Tokyo, the newly arrived Fushimi Palace Bogong King even if he has bathed, it is difficult to hide the tiredness on his body and the eagerness in his eyes, after he recounted the results of the secret business in the Summer Palace, everyone in front of the emperor was amazed and silent, Emperor Taisho heard that the Russian Far East that more than one million square kilometers of land, and immediately said: "Fushimi, how much land is the Ming Emperor willing to give to Japan?" ”

China's hated ministers never reported to the emperor in detail, which led the emperor to think that China was restored by the Ming Dynasty and overthrew the Qing Dynasty, and that Yang was subject to the emperor's restraint like the Japanese prime minister. Between the sighs in the hearts of the ministers present, King Fushimi Gong said: "Your Majesty, Yang Shiyan: rights and obligations are relatively equal, Lucia's loss of the Far East is like a double-headed eagle being cut off a head, they will definitely retaliate, and the object of revenge is not our country, but China." If our country can fight against the Lucian army in the Western Regions and Mongolia together with the squadron, it is not a question of how much land it will get, but if most of the defense and war against Lu are borne by China, then Japan will only have a special interest in this area. ”

Expanding the territory is the emperor's love, hearing that he can't get this land, Taisho, who was originally hanging in the air, sat back disappointed, and Fushimi, who bowed his head, saw the posture of the emperor's feet, and understood his thoughts very well, he added: "Your Majesty, the negotiator Yang Duge... ↑ It has been said that if Japan really contributes a lot and is not satisfied with the division of territory, the Far East can be formed into another country, which will be the protectorate of China and Japan, and the citizens in the country will be subjects of China, Japan and Korea, so that there will be no question of how much land the two countries have. ”

"Your Majesty, if there really is a billion tons of oil in the place, the land is not important." Patriarch Inoue said. "Moreover, our country has now declared war on the independence of the Olympic Games. Lu is our ally, and our country can only watch China occupy the Lu Far East. Unless there is a revolution in Russia, Japan will lose its reputation in the international arena and will be able to obtain special benefits by doing nothing, and this is enough. ”

"Yes. We don't have to do anything about it. "Fushimi Palace, King Hiroko." Yang's demands are very simple, there are only four points: first, if China's occupation of the Russian Far East is blockaded by various countries, Chinese goods can be exported in the name of China; Second. When China canceled unequal treaties, our diplomacy supported military neutrality; Third, after the end of the war, the Lu ** team counterattacked the Far East, and our country needed to send troops, and the number of troops to send determined how much land was obtained; Fourth, when the Japan-Britain alliance was not renewed, the Sino-Japanese alliance was formed against the United States. ”

The four points spit out by King Fushimi Miyahiro Gong are the final summary of the negotiations, and the first three points have no objections, but the fourth article makes the ministers very puzzled. The prince of Xiyuan Temple immediately said: "The Japanese-branch alliance is not as important as the Japanese-British alliance, and the empire is ......."

"Your Excellency, Yang means that the Japan-Britain Alliance will not be renewed, not that we should abandon the Japan-Britain Alliance." King Fushimi Miyahiro Kyoshi was indeed brainwashed in Beijing. The mind is full of the world pattern after the European war, "After the European war, if Britain loses." The dominance of the Japanese-British alliance in East Asia rested with the Empire, not Britain, and it would not be inappropriate for the Empire to ally with China. And if the Entente wins. Britain will also be greatly damaged by the war, and the United States will gain enough dominance. With the practice of the United States that has always been hostile to the empire, the Japanese-British alliance will definitely be broken up by the United States. ”

"Break up?" Xiyuan Temple exclaimed. He had never thought of such a thing, it sounded mysterious, but when he thought about it, it was a little bit possible.

"Yes. The United States has always wanted to seize the maritime hegemony of the Pacific Ocean, and its enemy is the Empire, and he supports China's war against the Empire in order to weaken our country, but the Yang family has long been prepared for this," King Fushimi Palace Hiro Gong said this, his eyes were blazing, and he glanced at the few people standing in front of him, and then said: "The Mi Kingdom built yì The Yang clan occupied the Ryukyus, but the Yang clan opposed it; The people of the United States wanted Yang to sink the Imperial Navy ships, but Yang gave an order to the submarine and aircraft units to prohibit the sinking of the Imperial capital ships......"

"Ahh Not only the ministers, but also Emperor Taisho also 'ah', "Fushimi, is this really? You won't be deceived by the Shina people, they have sunk and captured the Hiei. ”

"Your Majesty, the sinking of Hiei is the result of the impulse of the fleet to see their comrades being shot down when the fleet is too close to Shanghai, China, and the soldiers on the plane will see their comrades being shot down, if it weren't for this order, the King Kong would have sunk to the bottom of the sea, and the Izumo and other battleships would have disappeared forever." King Fushimi Miyahiro Gong said loudly, "During the negotiations, His Excellency Yang Du revealed to me that there are more than 100 Chinese submarines, and all of them are ocean-going submarines, and the Yang family has always restrained the use of submarines against our country, and tried to sink our capital ships and merchant ships as little as possible.

Yang also believed that although the empire was now heavily indebted, the war in Europe was a good time for China and Japan to make war money, and during the negotiations, His Excellency Yang Du suggested that China and Japan should immediately implement a coal and steel joint venture, so that not only could they sell goods to the Entente to make a profit to eliminate their debts, but also through the coal and steel joint venture, they could eliminate the possibility of another war between them. ”

The news outside the negotiation was more and more shocking, and after Fushimi Palace said that China was forbidden to sink the imperial capital ships, the Minister of the Navy, Yashiro Rokuro, said: "Your Majesty, Yang's words can be believed, and after the analysis of the Shanghai Sea Battle and the Bohai Sea fleet, the Military Command Department believes that it is ...... China does not mean to kill them all, and it is impossible for the King Kong and Izumo to come back because of luck. ”

"Your Majesty, if only our country's goods can enter the market, then the victory or defeat of the war is no longer important." Matsukata listened for a long time, and finally spoke in the minister's whispered discussion. "Even if this is not the case, the fact that our country's goods can receive MFN treatment, while the goods of other countries do not have such treatment, is more important to the empire than Taiwan and Korea, and even the Russian Far East. What is the purpose of our war, is it not to stabilize the interests of South Manchurian and expand them? Now we have not lost these benefits, but have increased, and the empire will now have a huge ...... The Chinese market, and all our country has to do is China's diplomatic support and external neutrality when it cancels unequal treaties, which is really lucky. ”

"Your Excellency, Yang's original words are that there are more and less people in the market, and they compete with their strength." Feeling that Matsukata Masayoshi had misunderstood the original meaning of the Yang family, King Fushimi Miyahiro Kyoshi immediately explained.

"Will Chinese goods compete with Chinese goods?" Matsukata said with a smile, "Although the Yang government is revitalizing the industry, the foundation of Kezhi is too poor. Once European and American commodities are expelled from the China market, the result can only be that Chinese goods monopolize the China market. China has a population of 400 million. The Yang government is now implementing a policy of enriching the people, and the purchasing power of the people in China will become stronger and stronger. The market will also get bigger and bigger, and I think that the factories throughout Japan will not be able to produce enough to support the consumption of the market, which will be the supreme blessing of the empire. ”

The Prime Minister even came out with 'well-being', and the minister next to him, Dazheng, who was bent on opening up the territory, had a smile on his face, only Youpeng in Shan County was unhappy because of the army's losses, and he said: "What about the army?" ”

"The Chinese view is that the captured soldiers should be repatriated immediately after paying for their food; Soldiers in the three fortresses of Lushun, Penghu, and Keelung could retreat together with weapons, and the heavy weapons in the fortresses were sold to China. The South Manchurian Railway and the Korean Railway are jointly maintained by the patrol police of China and Japan; North Korea is jointly protected by China and Japan, and the rights and interests are also shared by both countries, and the Chinese and Japanese troops are not stationed south of Seoul, and the squadron north of Seoul is garrisoned for five years and withdrawn after five years. Fushimi Palace Bogong said: "In addition, His Excellency Yang Du also signaled that after the contract is signed, if the troops outside Tianjin do not want to go to Europe, they can leave Tianjin and be repatriated by the Chinese side. They were not prisoners of war, were treated the same as soldiers in the forts, and were allowed to return home with weapons. ”

If China and Japan form an alliance, there will be a Chinese army. The Imperial Army will never come out, but now that the Army has been defeated, it is impossible to expand the army. Youpeng in Shanxian County had already prepared for this, although he was not happy. But when he heard that more than 100,000 troops outside Tianjin could not go to Europe, he immediately bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty." Although the army has lost the emperor's grace, it is still a subject of the empire, and the Buddha country has believed that the imperial army will not help its war, and the participation of the yellow race in the war will defile the white race, so the minister implores His Majesty Xià Grace to return to the country. ”

"The minister also has this request." Masayoshi Matsukata also bowed deeply, "Although the Imperial Army was defeated, the responsibility lies with the commander, and the soldiers are not responsible, and I ask Your Majesty to pardon his sins and allow him to return home!" Matsukata was like this, and the other elders and ministers present bowed together.

In the face of everyone's pleas, thinking that the commander of the dispatch army had committed suicide several times, Emperor Taisho finally said, "Okay, let them come back." ”

On the 13th day of the seventh month of the third year of Shenwu, the 2nd day of September in the 1914th year of the Jesus calendar. The Chinese and Japanese governments signed the Treaty of the End of the War at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, known as the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Jiayin.

The treaty stipulates that the previous Sino-Japanese treaties shall be null and void with immediate effect; The Japanese government returned Taiwan and its surrounding islands to China; Korea is restored to its original state and is jointly protected by the governments of China and Japan; The Port Arthur was returned to the Chinese government, and Japan's assets and special interests in South Manchuria and Korea were recognized and protected by the governments of China and North Korea. In Japan, the concessions in various parts of China were transformed into autonomous communities, and the self-governing bodies were formed by community taxpayers. All nationals of China, Japan and North Korea are equal, and expatriates must abide by local laws; The three governments formed a committee to deal with the aftermath and established the Koin War Foundation with the profits from Japanese assets in China and North Korea to compensate the Chinese and Korean nationals for war losses up to a maximum of 300 million Chinese dollars......

On the same day that the treaty was signed, China and Japan signed a secret treaty at the Renshou Hall of the Summer Palace, which is known as the Sino-Japanese Jiayin Secret Treaty.

The secret agreement stipulates that China and Japan are not allowed to garrison troops in the south of Korea, and the revival army in the north will be stationed for five years and withdraw after five years; During the European War, if it is deemed necessary, Chinese goods can be re-exported from Japan, and Japan is exempt from customs duties and corporate income tax; Japan supports China's abolition of the unequal treaty and the withdrawal of tariffs, and if European and American countries intervene, Japan will strictly abide by China and Japan, and in return, after China withdraws tariffs, Japanese goods will enjoy most-favored-nation treatment; Japan supported China's occupation of the Russian Far East, and when the Russian counteroffensive ended the war, China and Japan jointly sent troops to fight the Russian army, and in return, Japan enjoyed special interests in the area and acquired territory according to the situation; Sino-Japanese joint venture oil company to jointly develop oil in the Russian Far East; The term of appointment of the U.S. adviser to the Chinese Navy expired, and the Chinese side rehired the Japanese Navy as an advisor; From now on, China and Japan will establish a coal and steel joint venture company to jointly plan the development of coal and steel;

On the day the contract was signed, the French military attache in China, Brisot. Lieutenant Colonel Desmanwright declared that the Japanese soldiers did not meet the standards of the French Foreign Legion and demanded that the Japanese soldiers withdraw from the Corps; Negotiations between China and Russia broke down, the Russian Turkestan Corps reinforced Harbin, and Britain and France sent a note to the Chinese government, demanding that the revival army lift the siege of Harbin; Lieutenant General Lei Yizhen, commander of the North China Theater of the Fuxing Army, ordered the 10th Group Army's Pan Chengye Division to march into Qingdao and ordered the Qingdao Governor to return Qingdao within 72 hours.

Even in the Yin'an Palace, you can hear the sound of gongs, drums and firecrackers outside, and Li Zilong stands outside the prime minister's study, blocking a qiē news. Inside, the Chancellor was arguing with the German envoy.

"Fart! Join the Allies? How do I join? You give money! "There was smoke in the study. In order not to attract attention, it was still the Renaissance Friends Rutte and the Legation Counselor Xin Ci who came. But they were all silent, and it was only Yang Rui who spoke. "Now Britain, France, and the United States all support Japan, and even if the war continues to land on the Japanese mainland, I still won't be able to pay reparations, how can I fight a war without money? And your country, don't say anything else, return Qingdao first. ”

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, but my country is worried that after your country recovers Qingdao, it will still stand on the side of the Entente and be hostile to our country." Xin Ci said, every time he saw him, Yang Rui thought. How hard it must be to produce such a villain from a vote of old-fashioned Germans.

"Your country can't even do what you promised, how can I believe that what you promised after joining the Central Powers will be fulfilled?" Yang Rui looked at this bad guy and asked.

"Young, the Germans have passed through Belgium and are marching on Paris, and we are about to win. At this time, it is best for China to join the Allies, and China can immediately become a world power. Yang, isn't that your ideal? Rutte next to him also spoke, and the domestic news was becoming more and more exciting, and even he was a little excited.

"Victory. Gentlemen, this is still a long way off. As soon as he talked about the war situation in Europe, Yang Rui immediately shook his head, the things he had painstakingly given. In addition to blasting canisters, airplanes, ammonia, radios, trucks, tanks, mortars were considered redundant by the German General Staff. Mortars are okay because trench warfare has not yet occurred, but Yang Rui can't figure out why trucks and tanks are not used.

"It's really not far off. The French were retreating with wolves, they had no idea that we would hit the forces on the right flank. Cross the border from Belgium and take a detour to Paris. "Xin Ci, the bad guy, immediately corrected Yang Rui's pessimism." Your Excellency, you are a master of military affairs, but the war in Europe is not the same as the war in East Asia, we do not need to engage in dirty, boring trench warfare, and in a few days the Germans will occupy Paris. I really suggest that Your Excellency should properly consider the future relations with Germany, and that withdrawing the ultimatum to Qingdao would be an extremely wise choice......"

Hearing that Xin Ci was still touting Germany, Yang Rui suddenly wanted to laugh, but seeing that Rutte was also so serious, he sighed: "Gentlemen, what if you occupy Paris?" The French will surrender, what a joke! I feel more and more that since Marshal Moltke, there has never been a truly outstanding marshal in your country, and there are just a bunch of warriors who don't know what strategy is. Gentlemen, I now formally inform your country that Qingdao should be returned within seventy-two hours, or we will meet in arms! ”

I wanted to persuade China to join the Allies with the victory of the German army in Europe, but I didn't want Yang Rui to insist on his opinion, Xin Ci was very annoyed, but Rutte stood up in disbelief, looked at Yang Rui and said: "Yang, is this to declare war on Germany?" ”

"Nope! This was only a skirmish between China and Germany, and it was also a war to demand that Germany fulfill its commitments. If His Majesty the Kaiser really takes into account my feelings and the feelings of the people of this country, then please return Qingdao, and our country will compensate for the compensation, but don't feel that you are very smart, everyone is in the palm of your hand. Yang Rui snuffed out the cigarette butt and stood up to send off the guests.

"Your Excellency, your country still has thousands of mechanics trained in our country, so you don't have to worry about ......" Xin Ci saw that the situation was irreparable, so he had to use the last threat.

"Of course I'm not worried!" Yang Rui said with a smile, "If this is really the case, I will immediately cease the war with Russia, and then call up two million troops to go to France, and those one hundred and fifty submarines will also go to the Atlantic, I believe that the war will end soon!" ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, if this is a threat...... Xin Ci thought that he could control this man, but he didn't want him to threaten back.

"That's the threat!" Yang Rui looked at Xin Ci like a beating, and the Security Bureau had repeatedly reported that this person was causing chaos everywhere.

"Yang, I understand your feelings, I will report this matter to the country immediately, and I will tell them your true feelings." Seeing that Yang Rui was really here, Lu Teh had no choice but to find a way from China.

"Of course, if you want to be friendly between China and Germany, then please believe in your words." Yang Rui couldn't help but feel better when he heard what Rutte said, "In addition, there is an extremely important ...... of intelligence" glanced at Xin Ci, Yang Rui only looked at Rute and said: "Your country's Magdeburg light cruiser sank in the Gulf of Finland, because the sinking place is not deep, Russian divers have obtained the naval code books on the warship, and these code books have now been sent to London, I think it will not take long for your country's naval code books to become invalid." ”

"Oh. Oh, God! Rutte and Xin Ci both exclaimed, "Is this true?" ”

"Of course it's true." Yang Rui recounted history. "Then go back and ask, don't you know? In addition, the British have invented a radio direction finder. As long as warships and submarines at sea send telegrams, then London can calculate the approximate direction, which is very disadvantageous for submarines and destroyers. ”

"Yang, thank you so much!" The navy has always attached great importance to the intelligence of the Chinese intelligence department, and this news was relayed by Yang Rui, which must have been verified by the Chinese intelligence department, and Lu Teh and Xin Ci immediately bowed down and thanked them.

"No thanks." Yang Rui said, "I still hope to see how your navy can fight with the British, wouldn't it be a pity if they fell for the tricks of the British?" Mr. Rutte. Please tell your Emperor that Germany is a knightly country or a rogue country? If you are a knight, please return it to Qingdao. ”

After Yang Rui finished speaking, he ignored Xin Ci and opened the door of the study to let Li Zilong see off the guests, and after seeing them leave, he asked, "Is there anything else in the afternoon?" If you have nothing to do, you will get off work early, and it will be the Midyear Festival in the next two days. ”

"Prime Minister, Lord Xie asked to see me, saying that Britain and France had sent another note to our country, asking for the lifting of the siege of Harbin." Li Zilong said.

"Then invite him in." Zhongyuan is a big festival, and there are three days off on the 14th, 15th, and 16th. Yang Rui, who thought he could rest, thought that he didn't play anything on the Russian side, so he had to let Xie Jintai in.

"The notes from Britain and France were written harshly, but when they learned that we had given an ultimatum to the Governor of Qingdao, the tone of the negotiations suddenly softened a lot." As soon as Xie Jintai arrived, he talked about the note just now. Yang Rui didn't want to see the guests, so Britain and France had to submit a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"In the final analysis, Britain and France are still afraid that we will move Southeast Asia, as long as they do not do anything out of line with Russia. They won't do anything. What Xie Zhangtai said is in line with Yang Rui's judgment, and Britain and France are still very realistic. On the East Asian side, if there is peace of mind, things will be settled. After he finished speaking, he asked: "Can the Gengzi indemnity be delayed?" ”

"You can only defer half of the payment." Xie Zhangtai said. "I've done my best. Rui Enshi still suggested that the money should be included in the international student program, which I refuted. ”

"Rui Enshi ......" Yang Rui thought that the Americans were angry in his heart. This turn of face is faster than turning the book, "Last time, Rui Enshi came to me and explained to me that the United States' support for Japan's withdrawal was a last resort, and I was perfunctory. I think that after this time, our relationship with the United States will only get farther and farther apart. ”

"And then the relationship with Japan is getting closer?" Although the consequences of this policy will not be apparent in the next three to five years, after the Anglo-Japanese alliance expires, China and Japan will form an alliance, and Vice Admiral Moffett will not renew his appointment, and Sino-US relations will fall to a freezing point.

"Well, now it's time to go down that path." Yang Rui said. Sensing that the topic had been diverted, he asked, "What is the attitude of the Americans towards our non-truce with Russia?" ”

"Although Rui Ensch is neutral, he proposes that we immediately cease war with Russia. He believes that our foreign policy is to be friendly to Japan and indifferent to Russia. "Xie Zhangtai said." He also had a particular opinion about the Sino-Japanese treaty, which he considered to be a violation of our previous commitments in Washington to not give Korea the treatment of a truly independent state, and that the retention of Japanese industries in Northeast China and Korea was a violation of the principle of open doors. ”

"That's a lot of!" Yang Rui was very disdainful. "Why didn't he see who broke the ** Shengtun secret agreement first. The Americans can only have one choice, and that is to either make China strong and at the same time gain commercial benefits, or contain China's development and thus obtain hegemonic benefits. There are two kinds of things, no way! ”

"Actually, can we really get together with Japan?" If you are alienated from the United States, you naturally want to be close to Japan, and when you think of that secret agreement, Xie Jintai is very uneasy. "If Japan is really given most-favored-nation treatment, not to mention that the great powers will not be happy, I am afraid that the domestic business community will also complain!"

"Complain, do commercial interests compare to strategic interests? Besides, it's not that Japanese goods don't have tariffs, and those that don't have tariffs can't compete with relevant taxes, and there are still a few years of cache, why don't they die? Yang Rui said angrily: "I know, the dissatisfaction is also those compradors who have invested in the industry, they hold their own face and speak loudly, if they send face to Beijing, I will be very happy."

As for whether it can come together with Japan, the key depends on the coal and steel joint venture, and if it is done well, then China and Japan will eventually achieve economic integration, monetary integration, and political integration. (To be continued......)