"Zhang, your actions will make Russia take the blame?"
"Big Beard, are you planning to expose me?" Zhang Tinglan asked back with a smile. The guy opposite waved his hands hurriedly. His big hands were as furry as bear paws.
"Zhang, actually I hate those Japanese dwarfs very much. I'm very happy to be able to cause them some trouble. I just want to remind you to prevent diplomatic disputes. Russia and Japan are both Allied countries, and our relationship is very important.
.”
The person who was talking to Zhang Tinglan was the director of Tsarist Russia's Eastern Railway Administration and the commander of the road protection army, Horvath. This guy was a typical Tsarist Russian officer. He was tall, over 1.85 meters tall, with a big chest and a round waist, and a face full of flesh.
It's like a bear becoming a spirit.
His extra-large rosacea and beard, which is more than a foot long, is messy and he never knows how to clean it, which has become one of his trademarks. This guy also inherited the Russian characteristics of a good drinker, and his eyes always
It was red, and it seemed that he never sobered up. In fact, it was true, he always held a bottle of vodka in his hand, and he would take a few sips of it into his mouth anytime and anywhere.
But although this guy is dazed, his mind is very clear. Like all Russian nobles, he is greedy and barbaric to the extreme. During his rule on the Middle East Road, he implemented the policy of autonomous municipalities. To put it bluntly, he moved along the Middle East Road.
became a Russian colony.
It can be said that this guy is greedy and daring. He has a high regard for Chinese officials and does not take it to heart at all. But Zhang Tinglan is obviously an exception. From the beginning of the smuggling operation, the two people have reached a certain degree of cooperation.
And it goes deeper and deeper.
At this point, the huge profits from smuggling are like fine wine a hundred times stronger than vodka, firmly attracting Horvath, making him intoxicated and unable to extricate himself.
Zhang Tinglan hired a group of Russian cavalry to deal with the Heilongjiang cavalry. Don't try to hide this kind of thing from Horvat. The old guy took the initiative to have an interview, hoping to have a conversation with Zhang Tinglan and understand his true thoughts.
"The Japanese support Gao Shibi and Xu Lanzhou. Doesn't the Russian side know about this?"
Horvath nodded and said: "Of course I know it. The Japanese can't hide it from me."
"The situation is already obvious. Heilongjiang and Jilin are the spheres of influence of the Russians, but the Japanese use their own puppets to rule these two places. Do you think that once Gao Shibi and Xu Lanzhou take control of Jilin and Heilongjiang, you will still have a good chance.
Are you living your life? The truth is very clear. Fengjun is actually helping you, shouldn't you put in some effort?"
What Zhang Tinglan said was plausible. Horvath also knew very well that in the past, there would have been no need for Zhang Tinglan to hire troops. Horvath would probably have directly dispatched the railway garrison to deal with the Japanese, because the Japanese had already destroyed their behavior.
reached an agreement between the two countries.
But now Horvath no longer has the courage, and the reason is very simple. The Tsarist Russia behind him is getting weaker and weaker, and the mud-legged giant can finally go no further.
"Zhang, I want to tell you some very bad news. The Japanese have proposed a new idea to the government, allowing us to use the rights of way of the Middle East Road to pay off the debts between the two countries!"
When Zhang Tinglan heard this, he was immediately shocked. Of course he knew that the Japanese coveted the entire Northeast. They also coveted the Middle East Road, but Zhang Tinglan did not expect that the Japanese had already begun to pursue Russia.
Since the war between Japan and Russia, the trade volume has gradually increased, and Russia's debt to Japan has also increased. Using the Middle East Road as compensation seems to be a very suitable condition. But how could Zhang Tinglan allow it? He has already included the Middle East
The road becomes one's own.
As long as he waits for the Russian revolution, he will immediately take over the Middle East Road. Only in this way can he rely on the Middle East Road to form a confrontational situation with Japan. Otherwise, if the lifeline of the entire Northeast is in the hands of the Japanese, how can Fengjun develop?
"Zhang, don't worry, the Russian government will never give up on the Middle East route. I'm telling you this just to say that the rapid expansion of the Japanese is no longer something that Russia can stop!"
Zhang Tinglan nodded and said: "That means it is a bit difficult to expect you to put pressure on Japan?"
"I would suggest that the Russian government make demands to the United Kingdom and put pressure on Japan in the name of the Allies." At this point, Horvath took a swig of vodka and cursed: "It's all a damn war, otherwise Russia can crush it.
Crush that skinny monkey!"
After Horvath finished speaking, he noticed Zhang Tinglan and said hurriedly: "Zhang, I definitely didn't mean what you said!" Zhang Tinglan nodded, said nothing more, and left directly.
Since Fengjun used the Russian cavalry that day, it had a huge impact. First, the Heilongjiang army was unprepared and was defeated. Then news spread that Xu Lanzhou colluded with the Japanese and attracted the Russians.
He was dissatisfied, so the Russians wanted to join the army and punish Xu Lanzhou.
This statement had both nose and eyes. Yingshun felt fear at first. Years of experience told Yingshun that as long as the great powers are involved, he can hide as far as he can and never cause trouble for himself.
In addition to Yingshun, this news quickly spread to the ears of the Japanese. They easily linked Russia with their own actions. The Japanese could disguise themselves and join the Kyrgyz army, and the Russians could
Join forces with Fengjun.
This put the Japanese in a dilemma. They just saw that the great powers had no time to look east, so they took action in the Northeast unscrupulously. But now that the Russians are involved, will they get the consent of Britain, France and other countries? Or is this the case?
The Allies again demonstrated against Japan.
I thought that many Japanese people had to be wary. At this moment, another piece of news came out, which immediately caused a huge sensation and attracted everyone's attention. It turned out that the content of this news was also
It's very simple. It is speculated that a Japanese army was annihilated.
The evidence is a blurry photo, which shows a large number of corpses, hundreds of them. These corpses are all wrapped in loincloth, which is exactly the attire of the Japanese. However, due to the poor quality of the photo, it is not possible to distinguish
It's very clear, but it's enough to ignite public opinion.
Just a few days ago, Zhang Zuolin praised Fengjun's troops and praised them for annihilating an elite force that tried to sneak attack Manchuria. According to common sense, is this kind of battle with a scale of several hundred people worth writing about? Now the photo
After they came out, everyone suddenly realized that it was the Japanese that Fengjun had wiped out. This was indeed breaking news, and even the major powers had to re-evaluate Fengjun's combat effectiveness.
The great powers were also alarmed. The Russian minister took the initiative to contact the ministers of Britain, France, the United States and other countries, pointing out that the Japanese were directly sending troops to interfere in the political situation in Northeast China, and asked the great powers to unanimously put pressure on Japan.
At this time, the Prime Minister of Japan was Okuma Shigenobu. In later generations, Japan had a glorious record of nine Prime Ministers in ten years. Changing the Prime Minister was like changing the Japanese's bed partner. It was simply too easy. Before World War II, Japan's Prime Minister was nothing.
In a good position, the cabinet collapses, the prime minister is assassinated, resignation and resignation are almost commonplace, and the prime minister is changed every three days.
Shigenobu Okuma, the Prime Minister, is not in a stable position, especially since the infamous Twenty-One Articles were proposed during his tenure, which greatly aroused anti-Japanese sentiment in China, and many forces in Japan were also dissatisfied.
He believed that Okuma Shigenobu acted too hastily, which not only angered China but also aroused the vigilance of the great powers, which was totally unworthy.
In addition, various issues involving Okuma's cabinet bribery and interference in parliament were exposed, so a strong trend was formed to oust Okuma Shigenobu and replace him with a new prime minister.
At such a precarious juncture, Okuma Shigenobu would secretly support the Kwantung Army to stir up trouble in the three eastern provinces, trying to take the opportunity to expand its power in the Northeast and relieve Japan's domestic pressure. Japan has always had a tradition of using foreign aggression to divert domestic conflicts. This time
No exception.
However, the Japanese once again had a bad start, losing troops and generals, and the great powers joined forces to exert pressure, making Okuma Shigenobu's position even more precarious. He had no choice but to find Japan's most powerful veteran, Aritomo Yamagata, hoping to gain support from him.
Yamagata, an old guy, single-handedly built the Japanese Army, and put forward the theory of sovereignty line and interest line, which became the theoretical basis for Japan's external aggression and expansion. After Ito Hirobumi's death, Yamagata's power in Japan has reached a terrifying level.
, if he is ambitious, he can definitely become Cao Cao. In his eyes, Okuma Shigenobu is just a dog.
The old man was silent for a long time, and then said quietly: "Prime Minister, the empire is signing an agreement with Tsarist Russia. Do you know about this?"
"I know that at a time when the world situation is changing, the Anglo-Japanese alliance alone can no longer guarantee the security of the empire. We have formed an alliance with Tsarist Russia to ensure the interests of the empire in Manchuria, and even the partition of Guarana has huge influence on the empire.
strategic significance.”
"Since you know this, why do you want to intervene in the fighting in China and undermine the relationship between the Empire and Russia?"
"Elder, Zhang Zuolin is a very dangerous opponent. I'm worried that after he unifies the Northeast, he will become a serious problem for the empire."
"Confused, since the Japan-China War, China has been stepped on by the empire. The empire's vision must be on the great powers. The Chinese people have a tradition of internal fighting. Even if Zhang Zuolin's strength increases, his first choice is Beiyang.
Rather than the empire, from this perspective, the empire should make Zhang Zuolin stronger!"
"Senator, according to your opinion, should the empire give up and let Zhang Zuolin go, while avoiding intervening in the affairs of Northern Manchuria?"
Yamagata curled up the corner of his mouth and uttered two more words: "Malu!" Being scolded by the elder, Okuma Shigenobu's heart went cold.
"The empire must have the face of the empire, ensure the majesty of the empire, and make the Chinese people fear the empire to the core of their bones! Now that it has been done, it cannot end in an anticlimactic manner. It must make the Chinese people retreat and give the empire greater benefits."