Jagged Warlord

Gu Weijun sent news from Paris that the prospects for the Paris Peace Conference are not optimistic. The tough attitude of the Japanese has played a big role. Britain and France seem to be planning to sacrifice China.

The content of the telegram Li Mohan replied to Gu Weijun was very simple, stick to it to the end, otherwise the visa will be refused.

Gu Weijun got the tacit approval of Li Mohan, and he spoke boldly at the Paris Peace Conference. He wore a beautiful dress and said in fluent English: "Today, I feel sincerely that I have the opportunity to stand here and express China's position to the world. I am very happy. For a long time, the Chinese people have been looking forward to this moment, because this is a peaceful conference. It will not only bring peace and justice to the world, but also bring peace and justice to China. We cherish Such anticipation and hope came to the peace conference, and we worked hard to realize our long-awaited dream, but this is by no means an illusory dream, because it is real, it is a piece of Chinese territory with yellow soil, a road that bred It is nurtured by the river of ancient Chinese culture. In this land, the world-famous Confucius and Mencius were born. They not only had a great impact on China but also on the civilization of the world. In the hearts of Chinese people, it is The sacred land, the cradle of Chinese civilization, is called Shandong. As we all know, this leased land was seized by Germany by force. In view of the principles of national self-determination and territorial integrity accepted by the Peace Council, the Chinese government requires the Peace Council to send Germany to war. The previously leased land, railway and all other rights in Shandong should be returned to China. If the peace conference transfers these territories to any other country, it will undoubtedly be a great insult to the Chinese people. China cannot lose Shandong, just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem. Shandong will always belong to China, she is like a mother’s child, and will never be given to anyone.”

Shinshin Makino, an important figure in the Japanese delegation, threw out the "Shandong Aftermath Disposal Outline" that had been drawn up a long time ago, making slight concessions in form, in an attempt to induce China to negotiate directly with it, and ordered all Japanese embassies in European countries to send newspapers and publish the , using international public opinion to pressure China to agree to direct negotiations.

Gu Weijun immediately refuted: firstly, the German lease right in Jiaoao was canceled when China declared war on Germany, so of course it was unconditionally handed over; The rest of the inland ports should be freely selected by China; the third agriculture is not allowed to be operated by outsiders, and the vested rights legitimately acquired by foreigners in the hands of Germans should be maintained. In addition, those who violate the contract and occupy them cannot be recognized; It is under the management of China, and the mines should be handled according to the Chinese mine regulations; the fifth Jishun and Gaoxu roads, China can negotiate with the international consortium, and Yanwei cannot assist the case; the sixth rubber customs should be handled in the same way as other customs; On the seventh day, if the property of the government is returned in good faith, it should include everything owned by the government, semi-government, city government, and public. When dispatched from China.

Gu Weijun's rebuttal left Makino Shinxian speechless.

Of course, the essence of politics is the art of compromise. Gu Weijun and Makino were fighting against each other in the open, but they secretly had the mission of negotiating with the Japanese in secret.

After Gu Weijun and Makino Shinxian put on their makeup, they met in a cafe in Paris. As soon as they met, Gu Weijun immediately said to Makino Shinxian: "Mr. yes, "

Makino Shinzo was taken aback, and asked warily, "How do you know this?"

Gu Weijun smiled and said: "Don't worry about it, I can't tell you that although we have the Shandong issue that needs to be resolved urgently, in this world order where Europeans and Americans believe that white supremacy, we Chinese also believe that this should be abolished." inequality,"

Makino Shinshin was very disapproving, and asked back: "Your China is a small and weak country, and your opinions have never had much meaning,"

Gu Weijun sneered and said, "Yes, your Wa country is a powerful small country, but how much influence do you think your opinions can have on those European and American whites?"

Makino Shinshin smiled and said, "What do you think, otherwise why would they give up your claim on the Shandong issue?"

Gu Weijun thought for a while and said: "You Japanese have participated in the game and are ready to join the international community, but you are always regarded as inferior. In the eyes of white Europeans and Americans, the Japanese are not much better than the Chinese. Of course, what am I talking about now? You won't believe it, when you've got nothing against white people in Europe and America, I think we can still talk,"

The first secret meeting between Gu Weijun and Makino ended in this way. On the next day, at the League of Nations Affairs Committee, Makino Nobuaki read out a lengthy statement, hoping to add something to the article on freedom of religious belief: All members of the League of Nations agree Treating citizens of all countries equally, he found that racial prejudice is very deep, but the important thing is to reach a consensus principle, and then let countries make their own policies. He went on to say that the League of Nations will be a big family, and countries care about each other, so there is no reason for a country to be discriminated against Their peoples made sacrifices, even their lives. In great wars, different races fought side by side, and we are bound together by an unprecedented level of sympathy and gratitude.

The statement was touching but ineffective, Cecil said on behalf of the UK that this was a contentious issue which had caused trouble within the British Empire delegation and he felt it was best to settle the issue later, there was general agreement that the Prime Minister of Greece Venizelos suggested that maybe, they should cancel the whole article on freedom of religion, because it is also a difficult issue in itself, and the Portuguese delegation strongly opposed it, claiming that they never signed a treaty that did not mention God, el-Sisi Hall responded with humor that they could all try this time, and that, in the end, racial or religious equality was not included in the draft to be discussed in the plenary session of the peace conference.

However, the Racial Equality Clause began to attract public attention, the Japanese rallied publicly to demand the removal of the "Badge of Shame," political leaders on the West Coast warned whites of the dire consequences if the Clause passed, and Lloyd George recounted another common Misunderstanding: The provision also addresses discrimination against Japanese living in places such as Australia and the United States, which received lukewarm support at best from the mediators in Paris.

Regarding the "racial equality clause" proposed by Japan, most of the participating countries, including the representative of China, voted for it. The result of the voting was 17 out of 11 votes in favor, 5 abstentions, and 1 absent. The three delegations were unanimously opposed, and the Australian Federation, which was the closest to Asia within the British Empire delegation, had the strongest opposition. The Australian Prime Minister's famous saying "100 out of every 95 people in Australia are opposed to racial equality" was published at this time. .

U.S. President Wilson and British Prime Minister George were unwilling to publicly oppose the Anglo-Japanese alliance that still existed in form at the time, so they secretly agreed with the Australian Prime Minister that the heads of the United Kingdom and the United States would play the "red face" and the Australian Prime Minister would play the "black face". The President of the United States taught the Japanese delegation to mediate with the United Kingdom, and the British Prime Minister told the Japanese to negotiate with Australia. The Australian Prime Minister simply avoided seeing the Japanese representative.

The end of the peace conference was the drafting of the "Constitution of the League of Nations" that rejected the "racial equality clause". The Japanese realized that they were still just "lightweight" juniors in front of the Western powers.

At this time, Makino Shinxian, who had a bad nose, recalled Gu Weijun's words and began to feel that the Chinese seemed to be implying something, so there was a second secret meeting between Gu Weijun and Makino Shinxian.

At the beginning of the talks, Gu Weijun ran out a big bait: China and Japan can coordinate and cooperate, China limits the tonnage of the navy, develops the army and operates the land, Japan limits the number of the army, develops the navy and operates the South Seas islands, and China can provide Japan with support in the market, resources, and when necessary, funds and arms, so that both countries can obtain security guarantees and establish their respective future goals and enemies.

Japan is to China what the United Kingdom is to the European continent. It is a tumor that adheres to the continent. When European countries are not strong enough and their autoimmunity is not strong enough, the United Kingdom has its interests in Europe. When European countries When it reaches a certain level of strength, even without reaching the level of unification, Britain's direct interests in Europe will disappear, so it has no choice but to turn to overseas colonies for development.

A typical example is the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France. In the [-]th century, Britain owned territory in Europe because of the succession of the throne, and France was also in a divided state and was not very strong. So Britain directly competed with France on the French mainland. The situation of Britain and France at that time It is almost the same as the current situation in China and Japan. It was not until more than a hundred years later that Joan of Arc appeared in France, which aroused a wave of French nationalism, and then the overall situation was reversed and the British were expelled from the French mainland and the unification of France was completed. After the Hundred Years' War, not only had nothing to gain, but also lost almost all of its territory in France. As a result, it was forced to abandon its attempt to dominate the continent and turn to the sea, thus embarking on the road of maritime empire.

Think about it, Britain and France have fought to death for more than a hundred years, and then they went from confronting Napoleon to fighting the enemy twice in the great wars of later generations. It has only been 50 years since the Sino-Japanese War was defeated in the Pacific Ocean, and it has only been 30 years in this world. The root cause is the decline and division of China, and the weakened immune system, which made Japan, a tumor, see an opportunity to colonize China. Today, the unification of China is already in sight. Although the national power is not super strong, it is still at a moderate level. This makes Japan, like the United Kingdom, completely lose its interests on the mainland, and will force them to develop on the sea.

In fact, there is a more fundamental reason for this, which is the struggle between land power and sea power. Countries have different strategic choices depending on their geographical environment and national strength. For example, Britain is surrounded by seas. His choice is to develop. A powerful navy, because only the navy can fundamentally maintain its security. France, Germany, and Russia are all land powers, so they can only choose to develop the army. Funding is limited, and if it is inclined to the navy, then the army is bound to be affected.

Britain is surrounded by strait protection, while Germany, France and Russia are staring at each other to check each other. It is impossible to give up the army. We can only reduce the investment in the navy and take a defensive position in the direction of the navy. Limited by financial resources, even if the Soviet Union and the United States are as rich and powerful as the later Soviet Union and the United States, each has its own advantages. Its development focus is not comprehensive. Although the Soviet Union developed a powerful North Atlantic fleet in the past, the focus is still on the army, and the overall strength of its fleet is still unable to compete with the United States.

Similarly, because of its superior geographical environment and the protection of two oceans, the United States has always focused on the navy. The strength and investment of the army are far from comparable to the navy. As for the simultaneous development of sea power and land power, it is usually based on financial reasons. Impossible. Under normal circumstances, countries can only choose between emphasizing land power and emphasizing sea power. Maybe some super-rich countries such as the United States can expand the two at full speed during wars, but they will not last long. The best evidence is that the army will be sacked but the navy will retain more.

However, China will have no overseas interests for quite a long time to come. Its interests lie on land within reach of the army, and China's biggest potential enemy at this time is not Japan, but China, which still occupies millions of square kilometers. Territorial Russia, so China's financial resources are very limited, so the funds will inevitably be inclined to the army, so it is temporarily unable to develop on the sea, and even if China wants to develop on the sea, it depends on whether Japan and the United States agree.

If China drives Japan out of the mainland and turns Japan's interests to the sea, Japan can accept the path of withdrawing from China. Apart from the mainland, there is also a way to retreat to the sea. If China wants to build a navy to develop the sea, it will undoubtedly be cut. Cutting off Japan's last retreat, blocking people's money is like killing their parents, so Japan will never die with China.

On the other hand, the reason why the United States is currently hostile to Japan and wins over China is also because the Japanese navy is the only country in the Pacific Ocean capable of threatening the United States and its interests. It is to weaken this enemy in every possible way through other methods. As long as there are no other powerful navies in the Pacific Ocean, this policy of the United States will not change fundamentally. However, if China also starts to build a large navy, it will directly stimulate Japan and indirectly If the United States is stimulated, it is very likely that the United States will unite with Japan to suppress China.

Once such a situation really happens, it is the last thing Li Mohan wants to see. Even if he has a cheating finger, China will have many difficulties if he wants to grow from weak to strong.