Republic of China game

Page 277

The Bund, Shanghai, the British Consulate General in Shanghai.

The entire garden has been turned into a place for dinner parties.There are cold dining tables everywhere, neatly dressed and wearing white hats, Chinese and Western food chefs invited from major restaurants in Shanghai are standing behind the dining tables respectfully, waiting for the guests to take food.While the Indian servants in white coats and turbans were walking around holding trays, all of them were wearing big red turbans, which was particularly eye-catching.On the tray, in addition to various foreign wines, there is also Dutch water and Coca-Cola.

The guests were also quite extraordinary, those prominent figures on the beach were either in neat robes or neatly dressed, respectfully accompanying them.There are also consular counselors and secretaries from various consulates general in Shanghai, and envoys and special envoys from Britain, the United States, Japan, France, Italy and other countries have also traveled thousands of miles here.And today's guest of honor is Luo Yaoguo, the admiral and chief of the general staff of the National Revolutionary Army who just returned from the trial voyage.In addition, there are ladies and beauties on the beach.There was a mixed crowd of men and women, drinking lightly while smiling and talking and laughing in low voices.

There is also a Belarusian band in the corner of the garden, playing waltz there.A dance floor was also opened up next to the band, and several young naval officers were dancing there with their partners in their arms.Among them is Zhao Zheng, the captain of the Zhongshan, and his dance partner is Hu Die, an actress who has just become popular in Shanghai Bund.They seem to be a couple already...

Among the passing crowd, a man wearing the military uniform of the Kuomintang Field Marshal was surrounded by several journalist-like people, asking questions in a low voice.This person stood in a straight military posture, with a dignified look on his face.It was Luo Yaoguo, the vice chairman of the Kuomintang, the vice chairman of the military committee, and the chief of the general staff. Sir Ram Pusheng, the British ambassador to China, was standing beside him, with a calm expression.He seemed to be waiting for the reporters to ask him questions.In the end, after waiting and waiting, it was always Luo Yaoguo who spoke.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, I heard that the five major naval powers, including Britain, the United States, France, Japan, and Italy, have invited the Chinese Nationalist Government to participate in the London Naval Arms Negotiations? Does the Nationalist Government intend to participate in the negotiations?"

"As a responsible major country in the world, the Republic of China is willing to contribute to naval arms control and the stability and peace of the Western Pacific region. Therefore, our national government will send representatives to participate in the negotiations."

"Your Excellency, is there the will of the Beijing central government behind the National Government's participation in the naval arms control negotiations? The Beijing central government is currently the legal government representing the Republic of China internationally. As for the naval arms control negotiations, it seems that only the central government can Are you eligible to participate?"

"This time it is our national government that was invited to participate in the London naval arms control negotiations, not the central government in Beijing. Therefore, it is only the national government that will play a decisive role in the negotiations. As for ... Beijing, we will use the 'North-South Exchange' The Foundation' talk to them. But that's about it."

"Your Excellency, Marshal, the Beijing central government has recently declared that all treaties concluded between any Chinese local government and foreign governments are illegal and invalid. And this view seems to be in line with the current international public law. I don't know what the national government will do. Talk to Beijing to get their approval?"

Hearing this question, the muscles on Luo Yaoguo's face twitched.The declaration of the central government in Beijing immediately pushed the national government into an embarrassing situation.A series of treaties signed by the national government, including the "Guangzhou Four Kingdoms Secret Treaty", "Sino-German Secret Treaty", and "China-Poland Treaty", are now illegal and invalid in terms of jurisprudence.He forced a smile: "Well, we will communicate with Beijing through the 'North-South Exchange Foundation', and I believe we can find a reasonable solution. After all, both the North and the South are Chinese! There is no problem that cannot be discussed."

Luo Yaoguo whispered a few words of English into Ram Pusheng's ear again, and Ram Pusheng smiled lightly, glanced at the reporters, and said with a smile: "The British Empire completely believes in the credibility of the Chinese National Government, so it sent me to Shanghai to come to Shanghai Marshal Luo and Minister Chen are conducting preliminary negotiations. Therefore, the national government is not the central government at the moment and will not be a problem for the navy's arms control negotiations."

The reporters buzzed for a while and wanted to ask questions.Luo Yaoguo and Lan Pusheng had already turned around and left, walking towards the building of the British Consulate General.

……

In the living room of the British Consulate General, there is the unique mellow aroma of Blue Mountain coffee. American Minister Jason, Japanese Minister Yoshizawa Kenkichi, French Minister Willard, Italian Consul General in Shanghai Ciano, National Revolutionary Army Navy Minister Chen Shaokuan have all been Missed it.

Today's meeting is the first high-level negotiation on naval arms control between the national government and the five major naval powers. The middle and low-level officials of all parties have been in intensive contact for a long time, and all parties have already figured out their cards.The United Kingdom and the United States are currently the two heroes of the world's navies, each with a capital ship of 50 tons, so they do not have high requirements for China. A capital ship with a gross tonnage of 20 tons and an aircraft carrier with a gross tonnage of [-] tons are completely acceptable .However, France and Italy were a little reluctant. Originally, China's navy was not popular, with only a mere tens of thousands of tons of gross tonnage.But they will climb to the top of these two traditional naval powers almost overnight, which is naturally difficult for them to accept.

However, it was Japanese Minister Yoshizawa Kenkichi who responded most violently. The 20-ton capital ship proposed by China is only 30 tons less than the [-] tons currently publicly owned by Japan!And the total tonnage of the aircraft carrier is even higher than Japan's [-] tons!If France and Italy are thousands of miles away from China, the so-called naval ranking is just a face project, but for the army that has lost to China and Japan, China's naval revival is almost like a noose around Japan's neck!

When Luo Yaoguo and Lan Pusheng walked into the living room, Japanese Minister Fang Ze was already having a loud debate with Minister of the Navy Chen Shaokuan.

"...The tonnage of China's capital ships is only 20 tons, and there are four armored ships. There are only four real battleships with a total tonnage of 14 tons. It is less than half of Japan's total tonnage of 30 tons. How? Can it threaten Japan's security? On the contrary, Japan's 30-ton battleship is the biggest threat to China's national security!" Chen Shaokuan was refuting Fang Ze's fallacy in fluent English, but on the surface he had a face A gentleman with a smile.Wearing a well-tailored white navy uniform, he sat upright, reminiscent of a British navy soldier.

Yoshizawa Kenkichi was wearing a tuxedo, with a white stiff collar stretched stiffly around his neck.There is also a standard smile of a diplomat on his face, without any pretense.Seeing Luo Yaoguo and Lan Pusheng walking in, he smiled and nodded.

"Your Excellency Marshal, Minister Chen. The Empire of Japan has no objection to your country's use of four 'Karl Marx'-class battleships. However, it has a different view on the 'Polish Legion'-class armored ships that your country is building. The Empire It is believed that this new type of warship with both high speed and powerful firepower may provoke a new round of naval arms race. Because this kind of warship is faster than all battleships and battlecruisers, and its firepower is enough to overwhelm all heavy cruisers It is the most ideal "destroyer ship". If your country insists on having four "Polish Legion" armored ships...then the Empire of Japan should also have corresponding countermeasures." Speaking of this, Fang Ze intentionally or unintentionally He glanced at the American Minister Johnson and the British Minister Ram Pusheng next to him.

Luo Yaoguo was also looking at the faces of the British and American ministers.American Minister Jason seemed indifferent. The United States has limited colonies in the world, and its local resources are abundant, and its dependence on foreign countries is not high.This kind of "broken delivery ship" poses little threat to the national interests of the United States.However, the British Minister Sir Rampason nodded frequently there, seeming to agree with the Japanese.

……

At the same time, at the Liuguo Hotel in Beijing, there was also a negotiation going on.

"Mr. Zirneh, the oil in your country is heavy and low-quality oil, and now all the light and high-quality oil produced in the United States that can be bought at 2000 cents per barrel in the world is very different. Ah! So the price of 1000 cents per barrel...our national government is absolutely unacceptable. Hehe, the international oil supply is so oversupplied right now, why don’t we just pay [-] cents to buy American oil? Why bother? What about your country? As for the two battleships, we can accept the purchase in principle, but the price... [-] million US dollars is too expensive, and we can offer up to [-] million."

The speaker was Lu Ming, Director of the Trade Bureau of the Ministry of Armaments of the Nationalist Government.These days, he was sent by Sun Ke to Beijing to negotiate with the Soviets for the purchase of battleships and oil.Negotiations between the two parties have been procrastinating for some days, but an agreement has never been reached.

To be honest, cash is king in the current international market.The 20 billion U.S. dollars in gold and foreign exchange reserves in the hands of the national government has already become the sweet pastry in the eyes of major oil companies in the world.If you are willing to buy in large quantities, not to mention 75 cents, even 500 cents can be negotiated, and what they provide are all high-quality light crude oil!As for the two battleships... the National Government Navy is quite interested, but they still want to lower the price, and at most they will give [-] million US dollars.

In the living room, only the fragrance of top-quality oolong tea is slowly lingering.Zirnekh stroked his beard and looked at Lu Ming, who was fat and white and looked like an evil capitalist.But Lu Ming just lowered his eyelids, as if he was looking at the teacup in front of him in a daze, as if this teacup was some famous official kiln porcelain.

The attendants on both sides stared with wide eyes.Zhou Enlai, the great god of the CCP who was in charge of pulling the strings at both ends, frowned with thick eyebrows, and his heart was in a state of panic.He didn't care about the fact that the Soviet Union wanted to sell oil to the Kuomintang. This stuff is not a commodity that is in short supply at the moment, and you can buy it if you have money.But the battleships were different in those two days!According to the information obtained by the CCP’s Special Branch staff from the streets of Wuhan.It is said that the Nationalist Government is currently not going to the Northern Expedition, and is running the party with its tail between its legs, because the navy has not yet been built.So the main force of the army was kept in the coastal area to defend against the Japanese threat.Once the navy reaches a level similar to that of Japan... the Northern Expedition will begin immediately!And the Soviet Union sold the two battleships under construction to the Kuomintang, didn't it just speed up the pace of the Kuomintang navy's arming?In this way, the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition may be brought forward, leaving little time for the CCP and the northern people.But now the CCP wants to get help from the Soviet Union, and it is really not good to destroy the good things of the Soviet Union. It is really a dilemma.

The Soviet ambassador Zirnykh was also anxious. Stalin in the Kremlin had already sent a message, and there was no result within a few days.Cheka fighters are about to investigate the relationship between Zirnekh and Trotsky!If anything is found... Hehe!Uh, there are many bad explanations for this "hehe", at least it will end up in Siberia's reform through labor!

Lu Ming's entourage was also a little anxious, because the negotiations between Wuhan and Britain, the United States, France, Japan, and Italy had already started.However, the negotiations on battleships here are connected with the negotiations on joining the "Naval Arms Limitation Treaty".If the two "Karl Marx" class ships are available, the National Government can make concessions on the "Polish Legion" class armored ships.A maximum of two ships can be abandoned.And if you can't buy the two "Karl Marx" class ships of the Soviets...then the breaking capability of the "Polish Legion" class is still worth relying on.Because the Kuomintang needs to "break the war" to deter Japan, although breaking the war can also be achieved through submarines.However, deterrence and actually starting to break the war are two different things. Submarines are easy to use, but after all, no armored ship looks terrible.

But in front of Ziernehe, Lu Ming still had a calm demeanor, sipping tea leisurely, not in a hurry.After all, even if this errand was messed up, with Luo Yaoguo as the backstage, his director would always be there.Moreover, representatives of the southern monopoly bourgeoisie, Krupp, and Blom-Foss, who are close to Lu Ming, have expressed to him that they do not want the national government to purchase the two battleships that the Soviets are building.They want to get new orders from the National Government even more, and the Germans even made it clear that they are willing to use the latest technology to design better and newer battleships for the National Government!Well, business was hard to do during the Great Depression...

"Mr. Lu, do you want oil or not? If you want it...the price can be negotiated!" Zirnykh was about to cry, the Cheka comrades were sharpening their knives behind him, and this evil man was in front of him The Chinese capitalists, and the CCP has no face in front of this capitalists, so now they can only grit their teeth and cry for a big sale.I don't know if oil and warships are sold cheaply, will Comrade Stalin let himself go?This errand is really a disaster, and I don't know which wicked ghost thought it up?Isn't this killing his family!

Lu Ming lowered his head and thought for a while, and finally opened his mouth: "... light crude oil costs as much as 75 cents now, and the quality of heavy crude oil in your country is not bad. 01:30, we bought , it will be troublesome to refine in the future. But for the face of Mr. Zhou of the Communist Party of China, we can buy some, but the price... how about fifty cents?"

Zirnekh wanted to throw the teacup a little bit, this capitalist simply wanted to suck the blood of the Soviet people!Light crude oil is more expensive than heavy crude oil, but there will not be such a big price difference.Right now, the price of light sweet crude oil is 65 cents per barrel, and that of heavy sour crude oil is around [-] cents per barrel.Considering that the national government will purchase in large quantities, a discount of five cents is given, and a barrel of [-] cents is the best.Where is the jump price of fifty cents!The conscience of this capitalist is too dark, right?But then again, although the price of crude oil in the international market has fallen like this, it has not taken into account the strong supply capacity of the Soviet oil industry!If the lumber dropped like it did last year...probably down to fifty cents.

His face turned blue and then pale, and finally calmed down slowly, looking at Lu Ming, who looked like an evil capitalist.He forced a smile and said, "Fifty cents is really too low. It's not even enough! Can you add a little more? What do you think of 65 cents? And... the two battleships, or 500 million yuan U.S. dollars? In this way, you can buy two ships for 500 million U.S. dollars, and they are still built in your own factories, which can stimulate a lot of employment. Do you think this is the reason?”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a young man in a suit and leather shoes hurried in.Still holding a telegram in his hand, he trotted all the way to Lu Ming's side, bent down, and muttered a few words in a low voice.

Then I saw a smirk on the corner of Lu Ming's mouth, he reached out to take the telegram, and waved it in front of everyone: "The quotation for Texas light crude oil from the Chicago Exchange just received has fallen below 78 cents per barrel right now. It's a mark! The latest price is [-] cents per barrel. If... the Soviet Union wants to sell a large amount of crude oil now, I'm afraid it won't be able to keep [-] cents. In addition, the gap between your heavy crude oil and light crude oil, and the large purchase The discount is almost fifty cents. What do you think, Mr. Ambassador?"

Zirnech is almost out of control. Who makes crude oil a buyer's market at all?The damn Great Depression!It seems that capitalism is not over yet, but he, a communist fighter, has to go one step ahead!Thinking of this, he took a deep breath, and looked at Zhou Enlai, the middleman beside him, asking for help.

Zhou Enlai raised his eyebrows, put down the teacup in his hand, and said with a smile, "Mr. Lu, let's do this. You both take a step back from this transaction. The price of fifty cents a barrel is really a little lower, or... just How about sixty cents? It’s still cheaper than the current international market! As for the two battleships, why not sell them at 500 million U.S. dollars? Comrade Zirnech, Mr. Lu, do you think it’s okay? ?”

Chapter 0479 Naval Treaty ([-])

Wuhan East Lake, inside the official residence of Hu Hanmin, Chairman of the Nationalist Government.Now the music is playing.

The music was played from a domestically produced phonograph, babbling, I don't know what it was playing.It seems to be some Cantonese opera or something.

In the study room, Hu Hanmin was lying on the sofa with leather armrests, motionless.

He was covered with a blanket, and on it was a stack of documents waiting to be approved by him, the chairman of the national government.Beside him, the person standing is his cousin and confidant Hu Yisheng.In another time and space, Hu Yisheng left the Chinese political arena early because of his involvement in the assassination of Liao Zhongkai.But here, no one equated Liao Zhongkai's assassination with him.Now Hu Yisheng is still by his cousin's side, participating in the strategy and playing the role of a dog-headed military adviser.But now he just squinted his eyes, shook his head, and hummed softly following the sound from the phonograph, as if he was also a lover of traditional opera.

I don't know how long it took before I heard Hu Hanmin whispering: "What exactly does the CCP want to do?"

No one answered, and Hu Hanmin didn't seem to want anyone to answer, so he slowly opened his eyes, picked up a telegram, and glanced at it.With a look of disgust on his face, he threw the piece of paper on the ground.

"Delay the title of king! Delay the title of king! I am afraid that I, the chairman of the national government, will become the head of state. Now it's okay, the CCP is the central government! We are local... local governments are not qualified to conclude treaties with foreign countries. This is the rule of international public law. Admittedly. The central government said that those treaties are a piece of waste paper! Now I want to see how they clean up this situation?"

Hu Yisheng smiled: "How else can we deal with it? Apart from the elder brother coming out to preside over the overall situation of the central government, is there any other way? Now Luo Fuwen and Chen Houfu (Chen Shaokuan) are talking with the big powers in Shanghai about a treaty to control naval armaments. I heard this passage Time has progressed. But... when it comes time to sign a contract, the custodian powers will not recognize our 'local government'. By that time, brother, if you don't come out, I'm afraid it will be impossible."

"Huh! It's not like those big powers haven't done this kind of thing. Would they care if we are the central government?"

"Yes, if others don't say it, Japan will definitely care." Hu Yisheng showed a confident smile: "The Japanese want us to fight between the north and the south! How could they let go of this opportunity?"

"The Japanese? These guys didn't have any good intentions... Let's fight, they will reap the benefits of the fisherman."

Hu Yisheng smiled and said: "Then let's find a way not to fight. Brother, you will be your head of state, and the CCP will also be called the Central Committee in the north. Let's make do with the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The younger brother thinks... With the strength of the CCP, it should They won’t really start a war with us, right? At most, they’re just shouting slogans. As long as we can’t fight the CCP, the Japanese won’t be able to take advantage of it. When they build up their navy, it won’t be too late to unify the Northern Expedition. But The title of the head of state must be taken by the eldest brother first. Otherwise, after the victory of the Northern Expedition, the prestige of Chiang Kai-shek and Luo Fuwen will definitely increase!"

"None of them are good stubble!" Hu Hanmin breathed out, rubbing his forehead and just shaking his head: "After the Northern Expedition is victorious, Chiang Kai-shek and Luo Fuwen's power will be even more difficult to control. If the two of them join forces again, plus Luo Yiqun, Among the five big bosses, they only occupy three seats! When the time comes, just hold a meeting for a while, and they will give me the chairman."

Hu Yisheng smiled and waved his hands: "They have killed the eldest brother, who will be the boss? Can you rest assured that Chiang Kai-shek will be Luo Fuwen? The reverse is also the same. Neither of them can rest assured of the other. But... this country Brother, the head of state should do it early. The head of state is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces! Chiang Kai-shek and Luo Fuwen are both your subordinates. Let them fight there, and you and Xu Ruwei (Xu Chongzhi) can sit firmly on the Diaoyutai gone."

Hu Hanmin clapped his hands: "Okay! Let's do it like this. Suizhai (Hu Yisheng), you go and call Xu Ruwei and ask him to come to me. Oh, and Xie Huisheng (Xie Chi), Feng Zi Bing, Zou Haibin (Zou Lu), Deng Zeru, and Wang Zhaoming also called out together. Let's figure it out, how should this 'emperor' be?"

……

Luo Yaoguo got up from the big mahogany bed, stretched himself, very satisfied.Look around, Natalie is still wrapped in a quilt, lying on one side with messy hair, sleeping soundly.

Last night, he fought this foreign girl for another N rounds, and only managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night, and Natalie hadn't woken up yet.

During this period of time, he was in a good mood and everything went smoothly.Negotiations between Shanghai and Britain, the United States, France, Japan, Italy and other countries have also been relatively smooth.Although there is still a little difference between the two sides, it is not too big.On the issue of armored ships raised by the Japanese, Luo Yaoguo made a concession after discussing with Chiang Kai-shek on the phone, reducing two ships.But it will not be wasted. The two armored ships under construction will be converted into landing ships, and the specific design plan will be released soon.The United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan and Italy also agreed that China has the right to sell two "Karl Marx" class battleships.Uh, the excuse is that Japan is also exporting battleships... but the number can only be two, and Japan is the same, no more.