Republic of China game

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Warsaw, Poland, Belvedere Palace.

"Marshal Luo, Poland's current army is the second strongest in Europe, second only to France and surpasses the Soviet Union. Your country's army is the second strongest in Asia, comparable to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is obviously It is the common enemy of our two countries, so of course our two countries should join forces to fight against this evil red empire, so..."

The person who spoke was named Edward Rez Szymigvi, who was also a rather handsome middle-aged man, wearing a neat uniform of a Polish general, and was selling a piece of "China-Poland Treaty of Friendship" to Luo Yaoguo in Polish.

It turned out that Natalie's father also came to meet his son-in-law Luo Yaoguo with Piłsudski's instructions!And Luo Yaoguo had no resistance to those big, watery and charming eyes... So there was this secret meeting held in Piłsudski's mansion today.Now the Poles seem to have a strong interest in a treaty between China and Poland against the Soviet Union.Although they claim to be the second largest army in Europe, they still have deep fear of the Soviet Union in their hearts.The Poles were willing to form an alliance with any country that might become an enemy of the Soviet Union.And China, which has just started to rise and also fought with the Soviet Union, seems to be one of the best partners for cooperation, and the second is Japan!Poland has actively contacted Japan since the outbreak of the Second Russo-Japanese War, hoping to form an anti-Soviet alliance, but Japan has always refused to speak.

I don't know if this Himigvi can't speak German or English, or his national pride is particularly strong?In short, today he only speaks Polish, and the one who translates Polish into Chinese is naturally the awesome goblin Natalie... With her, this "China-Poland Treaty of Friendship" is probably going to be a success.

After listening to Natalie's translation, Luo Yaoguo's eyes rolled around. What is Piłsudski, an old fox, planning?And is it possible for China to gain any benefits from the "China-Poland Friendship Treaty"?In this era, all kinds of treaties are flying around.But there is no real binding force, it's just a trick to bluff people.The audience of the "China-Poland Treaty" is naturally imperialism and the Soviet Union.Will the Soviet Union be deterred by this treaty from invading China, or... Poland?It is estimated that it is a bit suspenseful, but Stalin was not frightened.

"...Our idea in Poland is: Once any one of China and Poland is at war with the Soviet Union, the other country is obliged to join the war and fight against the Soviet Union together, and provide the other party with military and economic assistance within its capacity. If the Soviet Union is at war with China, then Poland is obliged to mobilize within 24 hours of the Sino-Soviet declaration of war, and more than 200 million troops should be mobilized within a week. On the eighth day of the Sino-Soviet declaration of war, Poland is obliged to declare war on the Soviet Union. And at the same time launch an attack on the western frontier of the Soviet Union."

"...If the Soviet Union is at war with Poland, China is also obliged to mobilize more than 24 million troops within 200 hours of the Soviet-Polish declaration of war. On the eighth day of the Soviet-Polish declaration of war, China It should also declare war on the Soviet Union. And move the troops to the Sino-Soviet border as soon as possible to launch an attack on the Soviet Union."

When Luo Yaoguo heard this, he felt a "thud" in his heart. These Poles didn't use "being attacked by the Soviet Union" but "in a state of war"!That means that if Poland launches a war against the Soviet Union, China is also obliged to join Poland in the war according to the treaty!In this case, it is equivalent to giving Piłsudski a blank check for China's military power. Who knows what earth-shattering things this old fox will do with this blank check?

However, the idea of ​​an alliance between China and Poland against the Soviet Union is still very good.After all, Poland is still an unexplored paper tiger right now, and there are god-level leaders like Piłsudski leading it.It would be quite bluffing to put your teeth and claws in the western part of the Soviet Union. With this paper of covenant, if Stalin wants to invade, I'm afraid he will have to think twice!In addition, if China and Poland form an alliance, the relationship between the two sides will naturally be closer. Is it possible to form a "China-Germany-Poland" anti-Soviet alliance in the future?It seems that in Hitler's "Mein Kampf" he did not intend to destroy Poland, but only wanted the Danzig Corridor.Is it possible for Poland to lose to Germany and to gain from the Soviet Union?In this case, Germany's chances of winning the war against the Soviet Union will be greatly increased.And Poland can continue to exist after the war is over, so Natalie...

After thinking about it for a while, Luo Yaoguo smiled, and began to bargain with the Poles in his already fluent German: "Mr. Himigwi, in principle, I can support the signing of a treaty between China and Poland aimed at ensuring the two countries' mutual respect." Agreement violated by the Soviet Union. But I don't think it's possible to destroy this evil empire with the power of China and Poland, unless some real power in the West will lead the war."

Simigvi nodded with a casual gesture unique to Polish nobles, smiled slightly, and finally spoke German that was more fluent than the Germans: "We in Poland know Russia's huge war potential, and we also know the communist system. It plays a role in war, so we will not do stupid things... If there is a war where Poland attacks the Soviet Union, there must be a truly powerful empire to fight with Poland."

Luo Yaoguo nodded and said with a smile: "That would be great... It's just that we hope to add this clause to the treaty. It can be written like this: If the Soviet Union takes the initiative to attack any country in China and Poland, the other country has the obligation Begin general mobilization within 24 hours of the Soviet Union declaring war on the country it is attacking. Expand its army size to more than 200 million within a week, and declare war on the Soviet Union on the eighth day.”

"...In addition, our two countries can also conclude a secret agreement, stipulating that if Poland joins Germany or Britain and France jointly attack the Soviet Union. China is obliged to fight against the Soviet Union when the war officially breaks out, that is, Poland, Germany or Poland, Britain, France enters war against the Soviet Union within 24 hours of declaring war on the Soviet Union."

Hearing this, Simigvi was taken aback: "Poland and Germany? Are you kidding me? Whether or not Germany joins the war against the Soviet Union is trivial, right?"

Luo Yaoguo just sneered from the bottom of his heart, the Pole in front of him seemed to be a bit out of his mind, he didn't take Germany seriously.Maybe the Second Polish Republic in history perished in his hands?It looks like this Piłsudski is going to have no successor.

"Let's just write it like this. Although Germany is still bound by the "Treaty of Versailles", it may become a military giant in the future. Himigvi, your eyes are always stuck in [-]. This One point worries me very much." At this moment, Piłsudski's words came from behind a half-hidden door, and then the door was pushed open with a bang, and the Polish dictator in full military uniform strode in. , sat at the negotiating table.

Chapter 0388 Half-Empire, Half-Colony ([-])

Japan, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Prime Minister's residence.

In the meeting room, a full house of Japanese civil and military officials sat in awe. Each of them held a report in their hands, and looked at it carefully over and over again.Prime Minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi turned his back to them, staring at the huge map of East Asia hanging there, motionless.

The room was quiet, only the rustling of papers being turned.

That report was "China's Naval Power Growth Forecast and Imperial Countermeasures" jointly submitted by the Ministry of the Navy, the Naval Command, and the United Fleet.Moreover, this report has been led by the Japanese navy veteran Earl Yamamoto Gonbei and Marquis Togo Heihachiro, and it was played to the Japanese Emperor Hirohito.Not only that, Emperor Hirohito also personally issued instructions: "The cabinet is instructed to carefully study countermeasures to ensure the empire's hegemony in the East."

The "Report" made an extremely bold prediction on the growth of the Chinese Navy's military power. The Japanese Navy believes that: "...China has a vast land, rich resources, cheap labor and almost unlimited supply. And now China has got rid of the situation of disintegration and constant internal friction. , the whole country has been unified under the banner of Sun Yat-sen. In particular, the 14 southern provinces under the direct control of the Kuomintang have achieved complete reunification, and have gotten rid of the shackles of unequal treaties. Since the [-]th year of Taisho ([-]) " After the "Guangzhou Secret Treaty", the Kuomintang territories began to implement a series of pro-European trade policies against Japan, using the "China's economic treasure house" as a bait to attract huge investments from European and American powers and overseas wealthy businessmen in China, hoping to establish a complete and complete economy in the shortest possible time. advanced heavy industry system."

"...At the end of the second year of the Showa era, the Chinese Nationalist Party put forward the so-called general war system and national spiritual mobilization plan, and began to build up a large navy with the support of European and American powers. As far as is known, the Armament Department of the Nationalist Government of China has ordered a large number of warships from European and American shipbuilding giants such as 'Guangzhou Germania', 'Guangzhou Bloom Foss', and 'British Shanghai Yesong' who have opened branches in China. .Including two 'Karl Marx' class battleships with a standard displacement of up to 14 tons (British tons); construction has started); two "Polish Legion" class armored ships with a standard displacement of [-] tons; four "Guangzhou" class cruisers with a standard displacement of [-] tons; the light cruiser "Konigsberg" with a standard displacement of [-] tons Eight. Another unknown number of destroyers, submarines, gunboats, torpedo boats, shallow water heavy gunships and other combat or auxiliary ships are also in the procurement plan. In addition, the National Government has been in Shanghai, Ningbo, and Zhoushan in the southern branch since the [-]th year of Taisho , Jinshan, Chongming, Humen and other places to build coastal defense fortresses. At present, the construction of coastal defense fortresses and large seaports in Maoming, Zhanjiang, and Hainan Island in Guangdong is expected to become the home port of the future national government navy in a few years."

"...The biggest difference between the National Government's 'big navy' and the Manchu Qing government is the emphasis on the training of naval officers. At present, a large-scale naval officer school and a naval university with complete facilities have been completed in Changzhou Island, Guangzhou. Among them The school-running method and rules and regulations are completely modeled on the Flensburg-Morwick Naval Academy of the German Empire. The instructors are all hired from the German Imperial Navy and adopt German-style teaching. In the foreseeable future, the naval officers of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army will be completely composed of The soldiers who have received the most rigorous German naval education, even if their quality is not as good as the officers trained by the Imperial Naval Academy, will not be too far behind. Therefore, in the future battle of Japan, the Imperial Navy will probably not be able to rely on officers The advantage of quality wins with inferior equipment..."

"...The future tactical thinking of the Chinese Navy predicted by the Naval Command and the Combined Fleet is likely to follow the naval thinking of the German Empire. Defend the coastal ports with coastal defense fortresses and shallow-water heavy gunships; take the 'Karl Marx' class battleship as the core The main fleet will conduct a decisive sea fleet battle; the "Polish Legion" class armored ships and the so-called "broken aircraft carrier" will form a broken fleet to destroy the maritime traffic of the empire, and it is also possible that the submarine force will be used to perform the broken mission."

"...The Imperial Navy believes that in the future Sino-Japanese War, the biggest threat to the empire should be the 'Polish Legion' class armored ships and the 'Breaking Aircraft Carrier'. The most dangerous is the 'Polish Legion' 'class armored ship. The design idea of ​​this armored ship is to break the sea at sea. According to the technical data released by Bloom Foss Shipyard, the maximum speed of this class of armored ship will be as high as 32 knots, and the main armament will be It is six 280mm naval guns, and its armor thickness inherits the advantages of German warships' emphasis on protection...In future wars, it can almost completely defeat all the heavy cruisers currently owned by the empire, and the speed of the four King Kong-class battlecruisers is comparable to that of the German warships. Not on this armored ship. If the Chinese National Revolutionary Army Navy has six "Polish Legion" class armored ships for use in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the overseas trade of the empire will suffer a fatal blow! And if the empire uses battleships or If the battlecruiser is used as an escort, it may encounter the 'Karl Marx' class battleship owned by China!"

"...with a standard displacement of 27 tons and a speed of up to [-] knots, the 'Karl Marx'-class battleship has more protection and speed than the Nagato-class, and second only to the Nagato-class firepower. The Navy Command and the combined fleet passed by After careful assessment, it is concluded that, apart from Nagato and Mutsu, the Imperial Navy currently has no chance of surviving if they encounter a single 'Karl Marx' class in a naval battle! If the two Austrian ships encounter a "Karl Marx" class alone, the victory or defeat will be between five and five. Therefore, the Ministry of the Navy, the Naval Command, the Combined Fleet, and the Imperial Navy jointly made a petition to His Majesty the Emperor, imploring His Majesty to agree to the withdrawal of the Empire from " According to the Washington Naval Treaty, the navy will be expanded and cutting-edge warships will be purchased to ensure the empire’s hegemony in the East and the special interests of Manchuria.”

The "Karl Marx"-class battleship has shocked Japan inexplicably. Unexpectedly, a few days later, another "Polish Legion"-class armored ship appeared!This armored ship with a standard displacement of [-] tons is indeed not as eye-catching as the "Karl Marx" class battleship in the eyes of laymen.However, the experts in the Japanese navy immediately jumped up when they saw it, and after making representations to the prime minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi invalid, they directly passed the prime minister and went to the emperor... It seems that this matter has not been heard much after the Meiji Restoration!

What makes Hamaguchi Yuyuki even more difficult to accept is that even the Minister of the Navy of the current cabinet, the Ministry of Finance, is also on the list of joint names!This kind of thing is really shameless!You are a member of the cabinet. If you are dissatisfied with the policy of the prime minister, you can resign and then go to the emperor. How can you hold on to the position of minister and go to the emperor to complain about the prime minister?snort!Sure enough, he climbed up by relying on the nepotism of the young lady of the Yamamoto family...a man with no backbone!At this moment, Hamaguchi turned his back to everyone, mainly because he didn't want to see Biao's face.

The Ministry of Finance Biao, who had the cheek to rest on the position of the Secretary of the Navy, was sitting in the corner with his head down and a gloomy face, motionless.It seems to be some kind of furniture... In short, everyone just pretends that he doesn't exist.But at this time, he didn't have any regrets in his heart, because he was also a naval professional, so he naturally knew the troubles of the "Polish Legion" class armored ships!If China only has the "Karl Marx" class, or only the "Polish Legion" class, the Japanese navy will not be afraid.But China wants to have these two warships at the same time in the future, and the Chinese will definitely use these two warships together.As for the method to use, any navy person can figure it out with his toes.

Sending several "Polish Legion" class ships to the sea to "break the diplomatic relationship", the efficiency of this armored ship is not as "low" as that of the submarine.This armored ship with the fastest speed of up to 32 knots also has a seaplane!Fleets within two to three hundred kilometers cannot escape their detection at all.Moreover, catching up with merchant ships at its speed is a piece of cake, and the efficiency of its 280mm naval guns to hit merchant ships is simply incomparable to submarines!What's more troublesome is that the escorting cruisers and even the heavy cruisers are not its opponents, unless the battlecruisers are dispatched to escort... But will the two Chinese "Karl Marx" class ships be ambushing somewhere deep in the ocean? , Waiting to hunt down the Japanese Navy's single battleship or battlecruiser?I'm afraid that in actual combat, as long as the two Chinese battleships disappear from the sight of the Japanese, the Japanese battleships and battlecruisers will not dare to sail alone, right?Therefore, the Japanese Navy must have cutting-edge battleships and battlecruisers!There must be battlecruisers capable of catching up with the "Polish Legion" class and battleships with firepower, speed, and defense capabilities that exceed the "Karl Marx" class. Only in this way can Japan's maritime superiority be guaranteed.

But...how come Prime Minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi didn't understand?Why does he only have "weak diplomacy" and Britain and the United States in his eyes?Hasn't the Soviet Union already extended an olive branch to Japan?

……

I don't know how long it took before I heard the sound of tables and chairs colliding. The one who stood up was Suzuki Kantaro, the Commander of the Navy, with a solemn expression on his face: "Your Excellency, His Majesty the Emperor has issued a decree. His Majesty's sacred order. According to the imperial constitution, His Majesty the Emperor has the command of the army and navy, and the composition of the army and navy and the quota of the standing army are determined by His Majesty! Therefore, whether it is the way of being a minister or the constitutional rule of law of the empire, All require us to obey His Majesty's decree."

"enough!"

Hearing the words "the emperor's commanding power", Yuyuki Hamaguchi turned around abruptly, let out a loud drink, and his eyes sharpened suddenly.This so-called "emperor's commanding power" is an important tool that the Japanese military relies on to resist the control of the civilian government.However, Japanese politicians, represented by Yuyuki Hamaguchi, who have not completely lost their rationality, resolutely resisted this.And this time behind the so-called Emperor Shangzuo's request to "build a large navy", I am afraid that there is also the intention of the Japanese military trying to achieve "independence of command power".

Naval Commander Suzuki Kantaro just bent slightly, saluted Prime Minister Hamaguchi, and continued: "Even if His Majesty's command power is not considered, this time we have to make great efforts to build up the navy. Now! The revival of China is already unstoppable, and the empire does not have a leader as talented as Duke Ito Hirobumi, so he dare not attack decisively to break the rise of China! It is extremely important to maintain Japan's naval superiority to ensure the hegemony of the East!"

These words are almost murderous!You must know that Suzuki Kantaro is in the navy!It's not the kind of rustic Japanese army that doesn't know the heights of the sky and the earth.Now that the navy is shouting to fight and kill, the army naturally cannot lag behind.

"What Suzuki-kun said is also the opinion of our army."

The person who spoke is also "Suzuki-kun", the current chief of staff of the Japanese Army, the Sixth General Suzuki-sho.Suzuki Soroku stood up and looked at Hamaguchi coldly: "Your Excellency, China is currently recovering rapidly. I'm afraid that within ten years, no, within five years, their industry will surpass that of the empire! The market, resources, and labor force of China are not comparable to that of a small island country like the Empire. In particular, they have adopted a policy of completely opening up to Western capital and completely excluding industrial products from the Empire. Such a result will cause a large amount of Western capital and technology to flow into China. The development of China's heavy industry has achieved an extraordinary high speed, while the current investment in heavy industry in the empire has continued to slump... If the empire does not find a way to speed up the construction of domestic heavy industry and reserve combat power, when China and Japan fight again in the future, the empire may become Loser!"

Yuyuki Hamaguchi looked at the two "chiefs of staff" of the army and navy for a while, and finally shook his head: "It's not that you don't know the resources and markets in the empire... and the empire is not a centralized country like the Soviet Union! It is impossible to rely on the development of heavy industry." It can only be accomplished by the government's instructions, and those chaebols are willing to invest. But right now, which chaebol is willing to invest money in a heavy industry that is destined to lose money?"

Suzuki Shoroku heard that the prime minister's tone had softened, and smiled slightly: "As long as the chaebols are profitable, they will naturally increase investment, and we only need to make the chaebols profitable, right? It's not like there is no way to make money right now. ?Didn’t the Soviets already propose through the imperial embassy in the Soviet Union that they want to exchange resources such as oil and rare metals for the warships and technology of the empire? Now that Germany and China can benefit the Soviet Union by exporting battleships, why can’t the empire What to do?"

Yuyuki Hamaguchi nodded, and replied: "What did I say that we can't sell warships to the Soviet Union? It's just that they just asked to buy two aircraft carriers plus aircraft. How much profit can you make?"

Suzuki Kantaro hurriedly took Hamaguchi's words: "The navy has already negotiated with the shipyard. We plan to quote 400 million US dollars for two aircraft carriers plus 1000 carrier-based aircraft. The shipyard's asking price only needs $300 million, and $100 million for the aircraft. So there is a profit of over $1000 million on the naval side of the deal! And the USSR will use oil and rare metals as a means of payment, and we still have some room for profit here... A total of nearly 3000 two million dollars in huge profits can be obtained from this transaction! It is almost equal to 4000 million yen. In addition, the government has approved a budget of 7000 million yuan for the battleship modification, and the sum of the two sums is [-] million. Ten thousand yen! If all of it is used to build new ships, it can be..."

"No!" Yuyuki Hamaguchi hurriedly interrupted Suzuki Kantaro, shaking his head like a rattle: "The Empire is a signatory to the "Washington Naval Treaty," and the tonnage of capital ships has been stipulated at 30 tons! No more Increased. If we violate the "Washington Naval Treaty", Britain and the United States will follow up and build large-scale warships. Can the empire's financial resources engage in an arms race with Britain and the United States?"

Suzuki Kantaro laughed and waved his hands: "The navy has already figured out a way. We can make an agreement with the Soviet side and let them pretend to order two more warships from us, one of which is a battlecruiser. The other is a battleship. Can't two battleships be built without violating the Naval Treaty?"

Yuyuki Hamaguchi was stunned, took a deep breath, and walked around the meeting room with his hands behind his back.Although he is a "moderate faction", he also hopes that Japan will dominate the world in his heart.He just thinks that Japan is not strong enough and must reserve national strength at present, so it is best not to conflict with Britain and the United States... It's just that China's sudden emergence also makes him feel a little tricky.

Suzuki Kantaro saw that the Prime Minister was silent, and knew that he was moved. He hurriedly persuaded him: "At present, the export of 32-ton battleships from China and Germany has been acquiesced by Britain and the United States, so let's export [-]-ton battleships." There should be no problem with the battlecruiser, right? The Naval Command plans to start construction of two battleships with a standard displacement of [-] tons in the name of exporting [-] tons of battleships and battlecruisers! One of them is a battlecruiser with a design speed of Up to [-] knots. The other battleship was built according to the 'Karl Marx' class battleship given to us by the Soviet Union. Only the main guns used nine triple-mounted [-]-inch calibers. Can hunt China's armored ships at high speed, and that battleship is responsible for entanglement of China's two 'Karl Marx' class in naval battles."

Yuyuki Hamaguchi hesitated for a moment, and asked: "Then we have built these two battleships... and if we don't give them to the Soviet Union, won't we immediately violate the treaty? Can Britain and the United States agree?"

Suzuki Kantaro smiled: "Your Excellency is an honest gentleman! We can start building battleships after receiving the order from the Soviet Union... Doesn't it mean that it must be built within a few years? There is no stipulation in the treaty. We are completely It can be 'built' for ten years, and Britain and the United States can't control it? And we can build two more ships, anyway, the Soviets did not sign the "Washington Naval Treaty."

Chapter 0389 Half-Empire, Half-Colony ([-])

January [-], [-] AD.

Berlin, Germany, Kurfürstendammstrasse, Legation of the Republic of China in the German Empire.

Minister Huang Fu's study has now been given over to Luo Yaoguo as a reception room.After the dinner, Luo Yaoguo, Lu Ming, Gustav Krupp, Heinz Blohm (representative of Blom Voss shipyard), Paul Rochey (owner of MAN), and five Individuals entered this small study room, and until midnight, the negotiations were still not over.Natalie brought in steaming espresso again and again, so as to refresh the vicious capitalists who plotted to sabotage world peace in the middle of the night...

At this moment, the study room is filled with the aroma of gourmet coffee and high-quality tobacco.The negotiations seem to have reached a deadlock.Luo Yaoguo, who was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, had a gloomy face all night, basically he didn't say anything, he just sipped his coffee lightly and smoked second-hand smoke.The person in charge of the negotiation is Lu Ming, the Chief Engineer of the Armament Department and the Director of the Trade Bureau. He is an expert in technology, so it is natural for him to negotiate with him when it comes to technology transfer, and Luo Yaoguo is just a Bodhisattva.

Speaking of the negotiation tonight is actually part of the booming "warship trade" right now.Originally, according to Uncle Krupp, they carried out military cooperation with China and helped China develop its navy and build warships.It was just for the sake of the friendship between China and Germany, and by the way, to help Germany secretly accumulate a little naval power, purely out of noble sentiments of patriotism... This Luo Yaoguo also believed it at the time, but he never dreamed that these seemingly honest German guys Before the joint venture shipyard was fully completed, warships began to be sold all over the world!

The current world economy is very prosperous, but the international arms trade, especially the trade of military ships is extremely sluggish!The main reason is World War I and the Washington Naval Treaty.After the end of World War I, Germany, the original major arms exporter, was shackled by the "Versailles Treaty" and could no longer sell warships.After the "Washington Naval Treaty" was signed, the five major naval powers in the world, Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy, could not just sell warships, especially real and useful warships.For example, the "Polish Legion" class armored ship, which has been well received in the international market this time, cannot be sold... let alone the crazy "Karl Marx" class battleship that is almost envied by admirals all over the world!So the downturn in the arms trade is not a downturn on the demand side, but a downturn on the supply side.Therefore, when Germany, the king of the arms trade, turned a corner in China and returned to the international arms market, and came up with really good things, the orders naturally came one after another. A total of four high-end warships such as the "Karl Marx" class battleship have been ordered, and more than ten orders for cheap and high-quality economical warships such as the "Polish Legion" class armored ship have already been ordered.There is also a "Konigsberg" class light cruiser with almost a dozen orders.

Now that there are a lot of good things ordered, and a lot of deposits are collected, it is natural to consider how to build these warships.So the contradiction between China and Germany began to emerge!This contradiction is the transfer of core technology and the transfer of high-end manufacturing capacity.