Shadow Spy

Chapter 91 The possibility of preserving the concession

Regarding Li Junhao's analysis, Ayres and Sheen still recognized it and motioned for him to continue.

Li Junhao said: "The UK is no longer an empire on which the sun never sets. Facing the strength of Germany, the only force that can win is their fleet. However, its army and air force are scum, and there is no chance of winning in a head-to-head confrontation! Britain's ally France It is even more useless. I predict that once Germany launches an attack, France will collapse quickly and will only become a drag on Britain...

"Under such circumstances, no country in the entire Europe, except for Soviet Russia, can withstand the German attack. As an island country, Britain still has the English Channel to defend. Other countries on the mainland will fall one after another! At that time, the only country that can Only we, the United States, can turn the tide...

"So, we are no longer the younger brothers of the British. On the contrary, we are the real big brothers! For the current Shanghai Concession, we are the most powerful force. How can we still allow the British to control it, let alone Talk about cheap Japanese!”

"Well said!" Sheen clapped his hands and praised. At this time, the young man in front of him was completely impressed, and there was no trace of contempt or hostility.

"That's right, keep talking." Ayres also nodded, with a smile on his face.

Li Junhao continued: "Two gentlemen, we can imagine that when the situation in the European war is not good and we, the United States, have to end, what will Japan, Germany's ally in Asia, do?"

"Follow Germany and declare war on us." Sheen said calmly.

"Under such circumstances, can the concession be maintained?" Li Junhao asked.

Ayres and Sheen looked at each other and shook their heads. It was not that they had not expected it, but they were unwilling to think about it. This result was too cruel to them.Moreover, they all know about the "White Plan". In more than four months, the European War will start, and there will not be much time left for the Shanghai Concession.

"According to the law of war, no matter how well prepared we are before, the final moment of war will be sudden!" Li Junhao analyzed, "There are so many Americans living and working in Shanghai and the Far East, and it is impossible to evacuate in time. Including us! Once the two countries declare war on each other, what will we do in the area controlled by the enemy? Are we just waiting to be killed? I will not be willing to do so!"

Seeing that the two of them were thinking about their words seriously, Li Junhao got up and went outside to ask the secretary for a hot water bottle. He came back to refill his black tea. As for the two of them, let the secretary refill their coffee!

"So, I imagine that while there is still time, we will take control of the entire concession as quickly as possible, speed up war preparations, and strive to protect ourselves." Li Junhao stated his ultimate goal.

"If a war breaks out, how can we protect ourselves with this small concession?" Ayres asked seriously. "The best result is that we have enough armed forces to defend the concession and prevent the Japanese army from attacking!" Li Junhao said firmly.

"This is unlikely." Although Sheehan was not a soldier, he also knew that with the size and space of the concession and the lack of strategic depth, it was impossible to block the Japanese attack.Ayers certainly thinks so too.

Li Junhao also nodded and said: "Indeed, that is an almost impossible result. Therefore, our focus is to pursue a medium result, that is, to maximize the power of the concession, and to pose a posture of destruction, so that the Japanese army will not dare to surrender. All-out attack. Because the Japanese army wanted to fully occupy Shanghai and Haihai, they valued Shanghai's international status as the financial center and economic center of the Far East; especially the industry and commerce in the concession, which was the fat that this resource-poor island country dreamed of. If the war torch If all the concessions are destroyed, the Japanese will definitely not be able to accept it! And this is our biggest strength after taking control of the concessions!"

Um?This is an excellent idea!Ayres and Sheen immediately sat upright.

Ayers was a bit more experienced and still wanted to confirm, and asked: "What about the worst outcome?"

"The worst result..." Li Junhao was silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice: "The worst result is that after the two countries declared war, we thought it was impossible to win, so we didn't even have the courage to resist and surrendered to the Japanese army. …Then, Americans, British, Dutch, Belgians and other Westerners were all sent to concentration camps by the Japanese army and left to their own devices. Their properties, money, businesses, and factories were all confiscated by the Japanese army, including their parents, wives, and children. Life safety is no longer guaranteed...

"It is even said that by then, as long as the Japanese control food, no one knows how many people will starve to death! And the fate of us diplomats may be even worse..." What Li Junhao said is not an inference, but a historical fact What really happened was that after Japan declared war on the United States and Britain, it occupied the public concession. The foreigners inside had their property confiscated and were imprisoned in concentration camps. It was impossible for them to even have a full meal!

According to statistics from later generations, after the United States and Japan declared war, Americans in the Far East, including colonial garrisons, were persecuted and disabled by the Japanese army, tens of thousands of them, even after they surrendered. The lesson was extremely painful! (After the Japanese occupied the Philippines, more than 1.5 people were bayoneted, shot, and tortured to death by forcing American prisoners of war to conduct the Bataan Death March!)
Ayers and Sheen's expressions were extremely heavy. Having experienced World War I, they certainly knew what the concentration camp represented. They couldn't help but shudder when they thought of the concession being occupied by the Japanese army!

After a moment of silence, Ayers asked: "Little Ogg, if we want to achieve the above-average results you mentioned, what do we need to do?"

Li Junhao said calmly: "The first step is to fully grasp the power of the concession; the second step is to require more troops to be stationed in the country to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the troops; the third step is to enhance the strength of the police force and control the security environment of the concession; the fourth step is to expand the country Commercial groups and other militia forces will fully arm the overseas Chinese and people in the concession; the fifth step is to cooperate with the Chinese anti-Japanese forces to jointly defend the concession..."
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After the conversation, Li Junhao stood up and left. He finally used the assassination incident to express his feelings. As for which step he can take, it depends on the support of several big bosses.

As he stepped out, Sheen said with emotion: "Mr. Ayres, I'm convinced. It's you who has a good eye. You saw Pan Sen's extraordinary ability early! Don't worry, I will fully support your decision and cooperate with your work... …”

When he was the only one left in the office, Ayers got up from the sofa, walked behind the desk, opened a drawer, and turned off the button of the recorder - he was old, so it was better to record important conversations!
(End of this chapter)