Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The Germans' "cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron" move to open up the issue of concession sovereignty completely put him at a disadvantage.

The French Concession could provide banking facilities and shipping channels, but it could not accept the condition of military police law enforcement. Then the conditions that he could offer suddenly became dim and even seemed powerless.

The American consul also looked anxious, his eyes moving back and forth between Renoir and Webster in panic. They simply could not come up with any "non-monetary" chips to compete with them, but they, the United States, were even more unwilling to sit idly by and watch the Germans monopolize the resources in Zhou Zhengqing's hands.

The British Consul Sir Webster's face was as gloomy as the thick fog in London. He stared at Klind, his eyes filled with anger and shock.

The subsequent political and strategic impact of Germany's industrial power's involvement in Tianjin was far more far-reaching and dangerous than the immediate struggle for material share.

But he understood that before Klind played the "technology card", he still held the psychological defense line of "sovereignty", but now it had been easily broken through by the Germans relying on the geographical "no concession status", and was defeated by the "industrial cooperation" card.

The anger in his heart almost broke through the rigid shell of the English gentleman.

"Minister Klind," Renoir's voice sounded like it was scraped off frozen steel, carrying the harshness of metallic friction. "The methods used by the German Empire today are truly... astonishing!"

He turned sharply to Zhou Zhengqing, "General! The Germans are a defeated nation. Sharing strategic resources with such a partner, you don't have to worry about your future political reputation..."

Your Excellency General!

Trade in the Far East has always followed the principles of freedom and diversity!

The French Concession and the French Republic, adhering to tradition, will never sit idly by and allow any single force to monopolize such crucial interests!

His face was filled with anger provoked by Germany's calculations and the determination of being pushed to the edge of a cliff: "Regarding the request of His Excellency the General that the military police enter the concession to enforce the law...

I... I will discuss this with my family later.

The situation is urgent and the supplies are related to our country's fundamental defense needs.

Under the principle of ensuring the safe circulation of goods and transaction efficiency." Renoir paused and swallowed hard: "During the period when specific cargo transportation routes pass through the French Concession.

We... should be able to accept your military police escorts entering specific areas of the concession to perform their duties of ensuring the safety of the goods!"

He almost gritted his teeth as he finished the last sentence, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his bones.

This was a huge and bitter concession by the French, which meant giving up part of the legal "sacred sovereignty" of the concession.

But he had no choice. The morphine factory thrown out by Klind was not only a profit temptation, but also a fatal blow to his future control.

He had to regain his position in terms of core interests. Moreover, he did not say that the military police had the power to enter the concession to enforce the law. . . . He said that it was to protect the safety of the goods. . . .

It is enough to just maintain the independence of the concession on the surface, no matter what the real situation is!

Anyway, we can’t let the Germans monopolize the resources!

As soon as Renoir finished speaking, the American Consul Ball, who had been closely following the development of the situation, could no longer sit still and immediately started talking hurriedly in a low voice with the British Consul Webster.

The two consuls' voices mingled, filled with panic and compromise.

Faced with the "fatal temptation" of Germany's industrial and technological advantages, Britain and the United States hastily abandoned the judicial and administrative sovereignty of the concessions, a sacred line of defense that was regarded as the cornerstone, in order to fight against Germany's potential hegemony.

Heavy words such as "allowed", "specific area", "short-term", "temporary", "limited time", and "accompanying" are used repeatedly in an attempt to retain the last trace of pitiful procedural cloak in an embarrassing retreat.

Not long after, British Consul Webster stood up with a grim expression, raised his head and looked at Zhou Zhengqing with eyes like a wounded lion.

He took a deep breath and spoke slowly with a strong sense of compromise: "General, the situation is urgent. Extraordinary times may require extraordinary measures..."

His gaze turned to Klind, filled with undisguised disgust. "To ensure the stable coexistence of multiple channels, to prevent a single dominant player from damaging the long-term interests of all parties, and to ensure a reliable and stable supply of strategic raw materials required for the Empire's own defense..."

Each word was pronounced with great difficulty: “I will make this suggestion to the country.

Under the strict supervision of the British Concession Municipal Council, during the trading and circulation of key strategic materials such as coal, iron ore and other goods within a specific period of time, specific batches of goods were involved.

"We accept the General's military police as the security force authorized by the cargo owner and, in accordance with our designated procedures, enter the designated storage or transshipment area."

He emphasized the restrictive words “designated” and “predestined”: “To perform his duty of safekeeping.”

Only for the duration of this specific transaction." He said the last few words almost with his eyes closed, as if all his strength had been exhausted.

He knew that the deal he mentioned was valid during the period, but as long as the deal existed, the Japanese could openly enter the concession with weapons in the name of protection!

Webster's face, which represented the majesty of the empire, now looked unusually gray due to humiliation.

Italian Consul Lionel also hurriedly followed, fearing that he would be excluded, and spoke so fast that it seemed like he was chanting a spell: "We in Italy can also discuss it!

We will provide the highest convenience for the general's goods to enter the relevant docks and trading points in the Italian Concession!

Likewise, during the period of inspection and security of specific cargo crossings, the General's Military Police . . . may temporarily enter to perform their necessary duties, as agreed upon by us!"

The air seemed to have been sucked out.

The acrid smoke from the cigar twisted and tumbled in the stagnant air.

The dim light from the crystal chandelier shone on the faces of every Western diplomat, shattering the expressions of helplessness, anxiety, anger and a hint of unspeakable fear.

Amidst this dead silence and pressure, Zhou Zhengqing suddenly moved and clapped his hands slowly.

"Good! Your sincerity." The corners of his lips curled up into a cold, knife-like arc: "I received it. The distribution of the supply... will be decided by Shen Sang and everyone."

He stopped looking at the Western consuls with different expressions and turned his gaze to the slippery Shen Xilin behind him: "Manager Shen, please give the ministers a more detailed list of supplies for their review."

These foreigners are really interesting. What do they mean by temporary entry and protecting goods?!

Don’t you know what boiling a frog in warm water means?

As long as a gap is opened, even the strongest defense will be useless.

At the same time, Zhou Zhengqing was also a little surprised that the difficult negotiations he had expected would be so simple.

From the reactions of the consuls of various countries, it can be seen that the relations between their countries have really reached an extreme level of tension.

And regarding the issue of the Tianjin Concession, the authority of these consuls is a bit too great, although they all said they would go back and report to their respective countries.

But from their expressions and words, it can be seen that they did not seem to have a firm resistance to Japan entering the concession to enforce the law.

It's like... like they had anticipated this.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhengqing glanced at Shen Xilin who was distributing documents.

Could it be that Shen Xilin revealed it in advance?

Have they discussed this with the country behind them?

Or perhaps, having seen Japan's relentless advance in the Far East, they were already prepared to give up some of their "rights" and achieve their preferred policy of appeasement?