1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

grass.

(Historically, it was the Soviet Union that took the initiative to sign with Japan, but Japan ignored them.) "Okay, our Foreign Affairs Committee will contact your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Please state your true conditions."

"Then our condition is that Manchukuo must take back all rights to the Chinese Eastern Railway."

coming.

Litvinov sighed inwardly. It was indeed so.

I know this is what the Japanese did.

There is no need to elaborate on what the Middle East Railway is. You only need to know its current complex situation:

Legally, it should belong to China, and the actual ownership belongs to the Soviet Union. However, the only country that is truly capable of using and operating it is Japan (Manchukuo).

The reason for this is that according to the treaty signed between China and the Soviet Union, the railway should have been returned to China in 1927, but the Soviet Union refused to give it back and even beat up Zhang Xueliang. Now Northeast China has fallen into the hands of Japan...

Things in the world are so wonderful and helpless.

The Soviet Union had been mentally prepared for Japan (Manchukuo) to take back the Chinese Eastern Railway since Northeast China was completely lost and the strategic balance in the Far East was broken, but it did not expect it to happen so soon.

As soon as the situation in Northeast China stabilized and the "Manchukuo" was established, Japan immediately withdrew its promise not to harm the Soviet Union's interests in the Chinese Eastern Railway and began to create various problems for the normal operation of the railway.

Before Fujiwara no Kanezane came to power, they mainly "allowed various gangs and various group armies to attack trains, destroy railways, and use violence and even kill railway employees";

After Fujiwara no Kanezane came to power, his tactics became much softer. He'd cut off your electricity and water supply every day, cut off your supplies, and investigate whether you'd violated labor laws, industrial and commercial laws, fire laws, and sanitation regulations.

protest?

Oops, this was done by a temporary worker. We have fired the guy who made the mistake. We will investigate the matter immediately. Please wait for our response.

what?

How long to wait?

Hey, little comrade, how can you be so ignorant? Don't you know that the master is very busy?

In short, no matter which method was used, Manchukuo made it impossible for the Soviet Union to continue using the Chinese Eastern Railway. This not only caused huge economic losses to the Soviet Union, but also made the railway completely lose its strategic significance to the Soviet Union.

As the saying goes—weakness then is the price we must pay now. Therefore, the Soviet Union had long been considering selling this railway.

Anyway, they can't actually operate it, and the Japanese have already started using it carelessly. If they delay any further, the Japanese will still use it, and the Soviet Union will not get any benefit. It's better to sell it.

The only two concerns are the United States and China. Let's start with the United States.

The US action in Shanghai fully exposed their intention to interfere more radically in China's affairs, but at present, they are mostly concentrated in southeastern China and have little demand for northern China;

Therefore, we can talk to President Field and divide up the "spheres of influence" of China: the north will belong to the Soviet Union, and the south will belong to the United States. I believe the United States will not refuse.

The second is China, or the Chinese Nationalist Government.

Because, according to the Sino-Soviet Agreement signed in 1924, the Chinese Eastern Railway could only be handed over to China. If it was handed over to Manchukuo, it would be a disguised recognition of Manchukuo, or even recognition that the other party was "China";

In other words, this is not only a desecration of China's rights to the Middle East Railway, but will also seriously damage China's sovereignty and international dignity (although it has not).

Of course, this was not a big problem for the Soviet Union.

Anyway, they didn't take seriously the Sino-Soviet Agreement that stated, "The Soviet government recognizes Outer Mongolia as a complete part of the Republic of China and respects China's sovereignty over that territory."

Supporting Outer Mongolia's independence and separation from China has long been a long-term strategic goal of the Soviet Union.

Compared to the Soviet Union in history, which had to be wary of the Kuomintang government's full support for Japan, the Soviet Union in this worldline has already sensed from the attitude of the US government that Chiang Kai-shek will soon be abandoned.

What's the point of caring about a government that is about to collapse and has no great value to the Soviet Union?

I don't believe Chiang Kai-shek would dare to risk the wrath of the world and take the lead in surrendering to the Japanese. Unless they can get strong foreign aid, their only fate will be natural extinction or being destroyed by other warlord forces.

As for the CCP, which was once looked down upon, it has now conquered a part of the world. As long as the CCP is supported, there is no need to worry about China completely turning to Japan or the United States.

Moreover, because Li Desheng led his army to capture Yulin and initially control the Ordos grasslands, it became possible for the Soviet Union to directly provide large-scale assistance to the CCP from Wuyuan County.

In other words, the possibility of the CCP becoming stronger and even controlling a considerable portion of Chinese territory has become a completely foreseeable future.

As a result, the United States planted a stake in the north (Manchukuo), and the Soviet Union also planted a stake in the south (Nanchang CCP), which just achieved a strategic balance.

So, since the United States and China have basically "settled" it, the Chinese Eastern Railway (Nationalist Government), which is like a chicken rib and "tasteless to eat and throw away", can be sold!

The key is to sell it at a good price.

"How much? 4 million rubles? Nearly 4.2 million yen?"

After hearing Litvinov's offer, Fujiwara Kanezane scratched his ear and pretended to be surprised:

"If you want to make a joke, you shouldn't choose today."

"Your Excellency, this price is already very favorable. It does not even include the 1.8 million gold rubles that the Russian government spent to cover the deficit in the first few years after the railway was built."

"It is one hundred and seventy-eight million, sir, but what has the Russian government to do with us? Well, if I must say anything, we gave them a good beating, and the only regret is that we got no reparations."

Fujiwara no Kanezane calmly corrected Litvinov's "mistake," made a few sarcastic remarks, and then shaved a few hundred million off the price:

"The maximum we can offer is 5000 million yen." "What!!"

Litvinov almost jumped up:

"You are the one making fun of our country!" "Are you kidding?"

Fujiwara Kanezane's expression turned cold.

"Please understand your position and circumstances clearly. The Middle East Railway has long been firmly in our hands. We also hold the strategic initiative in the Far East!"

"I can capture Chengde with just over a hundred men. Do you think I can capture Vladivostok with a thousand soldiers using some method you could never imagine?"

"Don't forget, we still have thousands of your railway administration officials and tens of thousands of Soviet citizens in our hands! I haven't sent them all to prison yet only because I still have to consider the legal system of Manchukuo!"

"We are already using the Middle East Railway, and we are willing to negotiate with you because of our friendship in the Far East! Even if I keep dragging my feet, what can you do to me?"

"Mr. Soviet, you don't want us to disregard international conventions and forcibly reclaim the railway, leading to a large-scale armed conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union, do you?"

"Perhaps I should talk to Ms. Field..."

Compared to the past where both sides haggled for two full years before Japan finally managed to reduce the price from 4.11 million rubles to 1.7 million yen, this time the negotiations were incredibly fast.

Just two days later, facing pressure from all sides, Litvinov reluctantly agreed to Fujiwara no Kanezane's conditions on behalf of Moscow:

The Chinese Eastern Railway was sold for a mere 100 million yen, but Japan had to pay within one year in the form of US dollars, gold, rubles, or pounds.

There was no way. Not only did they release a list of assets of the Chinese Eastern Railway, they also blocked the Soviet Union's weaknesses in all aspects, and it was obvious that they were determined to win it.

Once the negotiations broke down and the Japanese/Manchukuo actually took over the Chinese Eastern Railway, the Soviet Union would have no choice but to use a large-scale war to resolve the problem.

And this is not what Moscow wants to see.

"Reporting to the country, I want to use the US gold reserves!"

416 This is an officially certified traitor of the Imperial Army

2567 kilometers of telegraph, telephone, and water supply and sewage pipelines, 2544.9 kilometers of railways, and all passenger and freight locomotives belonging to the railways;

Buildings, warehouses, residences, offices, barracks, etc., totaling 1199762 square meters, used by the railway itself and passengers;

Power plants of all sizes serving the railway system, local telephone exchanges, an inland river fleet consisting of steam and non-steam vessels, automobile factories, school and club buildings, and the Harbin transshipment terminal;

Railway-owned forest farms, medical and veterinary facilities, villas and sanatoriums, agricultural enterprises, nurseries and greenhouses, sawmills, drying oil refineries, beverage factories, wool washing plants, printing houses... and various other railway buildings and properties.

Such a huge amount of assets was acquired by Fujiwara Kanezane for a mere 100 million yen.

In order to make the show complete, Fujiwara no Kanezane even opened an account for Manchukuo in the United States. Japan "took" the gold and "secretly" transferred it to Manchukuo, which then transferred the gold to the Soviet Union.

Well, it's about moving the gold from one room to one room and then to another room.

It's troublesome, but that's the whole process.

(Note that the full set here does not refer to the full set of foot massage parlors. Please do not misunderstand the pure author, vulgar readers)

The most important thing is that the Japanese government has always believed that:

The Chinese Eastern Railway was the root of the trouble with peace in the Far East. Especially after the founding of Manchuria, the Soviet Union's consolidated position in northern Manchuria had a huge impact on Manchukuo's governance and created many obstacles to the smooth implementation of the "King's Way of Paradise."

Now, after paying a tiny price, the "obstacles" and "influences" are completely gone, and they are gone in the legal sense, and no one can find fault with them.

When the news reached the top Japanese officials, the cheers almost broke through the Imperial Palace and government buildings.

Although Japan paid for the assets and Manchukuo received them, it is clear that Japan and Manchukuo are one and the same.

Although it was a bit unpleasant not to be able to pay in Japanese yen, the rational faction regained the upper hand after the Japanese army had been depressed for a while. Everyone knew that this was the best condition that His Highness could negotiate with all his might.

So, not only did no one complain, but many people looked at Army Minister Araki Sadao with "sympathy" and ridicule:

Your Highness's successive victories in the United States have meant that the Army has had even less opportunity to interfere in the affairs of Manchukuo.

In other words, after the "September 918th Incident", the army was busy running around, and the final fruits might be picked by others.

Does the Army hate it? Of course they do!

But what can they do? What can they do best?

If you have the ability, come on!

Let’s see if His Majesty and other forces will join forces to kill you.

Navy Minister Osumi Tsuneo was particularly vicious. At the meeting the next day, he deliberately patted Sadao Araki on the shoulder and said to him:

"Don't take it too seriously. Your Highness still hasn't done his best. Look, this is already two-thirds of the army's next year's military budget, hahahahaha..."

Then he got punched in the face;

The two sides then had a lively exchange of ideas (physics) at the conference hall; then both were confined by the delighted yet furious Emperor. He was just trying to come up with an excuse to rip you off! In short, the Japanese top brass was practically incontinent with excitement. But someone was about to be scowling.

Of course it is China...the Republic of China, the nominally legitimate government of China at that time.

It was naturally impossible to keep such a big thing as selling the Chinese Eastern Railway secret. Moreover, neither Japan (Manchukuo) nor the Soviet Union wanted to hide it. They just wanted to cut the Gordian knot as quickly as possible and get the matter done quickly.

Manchukuo published the article in the newspaper, and Japan quickly reprinted it. The Soviets, who had already received the first deposit, could only curse inwardly when they saw that Japan had already leaked the news. They quickly responded through the "Izvestia" newspaper, which said:

1. With the complete occupation of Northeast China by the Japanese army, Manchukuo was formally established and exercised its rule over Northeast China. China's due rights to the Chinese Eastern Railway were "naturally lost" and returned to Manchukuo.

2. After the September 18th Incident, the Chinese government did not actually exercise the right to jointly own and manage the Chinese Eastern Railway, so even the right to invoke the Sino-Soviet Treaty was lost.

Well, in the final analysis, the meaning is that the Soviet Union did not breach the contract (Sino-Soviet Agreement, Beijing Agreement, Fengtian Agreement, etc.), but was just acting in accordance with international practice.

No matter how the Soviet Union defended itself, this practice was essentially the same as Russia's transfer of the South Manchuria Railway and the Lüda Leased Territory to Japan behind China's back after the Russo-Japanese War.

In short, as expected, this immediately angered the Nationalist government, or to be more precise, it made the Nationalist government panic.

Because the Japan-Soviet contact took place in the United States and the agreement was reached so quickly, and Soong May-ling was obsessed with money and big dicks, and the diplomatic system was useless, the Chinese side did not receive any advance news at all!

The most crucial thing is that the Nationalist government couldn't even find a way to protest to the Soviet Union about this matter!

Because, after the two sides officially severed diplomatic ties on December 14, 1927, the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-shek, believing they had the upper hand, and the Soviet Union's ban on providing weapons to the CCP, began a large-scale purge of Soviet influence, which further deteriorated relations between the two sides.

(Speaking of which, this is really difficult. For the sake of its own interests, the Soviet Union had already passed a resolution "prohibiting the supply of weapons to any force in China" to show goodwill to the Nationalist government. As a result, the Nationalist government turned around and slapped the Soviet Union in the face.)

Although the heavy blow dealt to these hot-headed idiots during the Middle East Railway incident has sobered them up a bit, the Nationalist government and the Soviet Union are still in contact and have not officially resumed diplomatic relations!

Therefore, after receiving such terrible news, the Nationalist government could only publish a solemn protest statement in the newspaper:

"..All matters concerning the Chinese Eastern Railway shall continue to be handled in accordance with the 1924 agreement between China and the Soviet Union and shall be decided by China and the Soviet Union without any third party interference;"

"Any new measures that are not agreed to by China shall constitute a violation of the preceding agreement and shall be deemed null and void. The Chinese government shall absolutely not recognize them..."

"This is nothing less than the Soviet authorities indirectly recognizing an organization (Manchukuo) that the International has declared illegal, and providing assistance to an aggressor country (Japan)..."

The above content is not a big deal. I can only say that although it is a weak country and protests are useless, it still deserves praise for having the courage to speak out against it.

But what is surprising is that the Nationalist government actually brought up the ongoing negotiations between China and the Soviet Union to resume diplomatic relations, threatening the Soviet Union by saying, "If you dare to sell the Chinese Eastern Railway to Manchukuo, we will not resume diplomatic relations!"

(In fact, as early as 1931, the Soviet Union took the initiative to propose the restoration of diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, but Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, the big idiot, believed that China would not benefit from it and that it would affect his anti-communist efforts, so he flatly refused.)

(Of course, historically, after the two sides exchanged notes and officially resumed diplomatic relations on December 12, the Soviets still had to sell it to the Nationalist government.)

The Soviet Union was also happy about this.

What is a girlfriend from the Republic of China?

I was already thinking of finding an excuse to stop negotiations with you guys, but now you've taken the initiative to say it. Thank you so much for your help!

As a result, the Soviet Union took the opportunity to stop negotiations with the Nationalist government on resuming diplomatic relations and quickly withdrew the negotiators who had already achieved great success.

As a result, everyone in China knew that the sale of the Chinese Eastern Railway to "Manchukuo" was a foregone conclusion, and public opinion was full of criticism.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not insulting Manchukuo. At that time, Manchukuo had a very good reputation in China, at least in northern China, especially in North China. Many people were looking forward to the "imperial army marching south"!

Public opinion unanimously skipped over the buyer - "Manchukuo (Japan)", and once again collectively criticized the treacherous Soviets.

Why say again?

Because everyone knows that this is not the first time, and it will definitely not be the last.