"Even so, this is a matter between China and Japan. General Yuan, now that you are telling me this, what kind of help do you hope that the British Empire can provide you? Alas, I have emphasized it repeatedly before,
My boss and I are powerless on this matter. What we can do is to ensure shipping cooperation along the East Zhili coast." Reynoldson said with a serious expression and tone, and at the same time he was already a little impatient.
Even if he cares about his cooperative relationship with Yuan Su, if Yuan Su is still so nosy and can't tell the direction of his nosy, he will never receive such a cold look again.
"You, Britain, have secretly cooperated with Japan, hoping to use Japan's navy to destroy the German Far East Fleet. For this reason, you don't care about China's sovereignty and interests at all, and arbitrarily transfer our Chinese territory to Japan.
Ben. Humph, without your British support and acquiescence, how would Japan dare to have such ambitions?" Yuan Su said sharply.
Of course he knew that Reynoldson's responsibility was to have no influence on this matter, and he also knew very well that the interests of cooperation between the United Kingdom and Japan were far greater than the interests of cooperation between the United Kingdom and China. At least this is how it is viewed by the British authorities.
of.
The reason why I had to go to Renoldson and criticize this matter without any concealment was because I wanted to use Renoldson's relationship to open a gap in this matter. It was like preparing for the next move.
Set up foreshadowing.
After listening to Yuan Su's words, Reynoldson felt a little proud and a little dissatisfied. Of course, he was proud because Yuan Su knew that Japan was just a younger brother to Britain, but he was dissatisfied with this young Chinese general.
He seems more and more ignorant of the world and is still arguing about this matter without knowing what is going on.
"General Yuan, let's talk directly about what you want me to do when you come to me today. You tell me first, and I will tell you whether I can help you."
"I can't deny that the strength of Japan's navy is far superior to that of our country, but Qingdao is our Chinese territory, and it is impossible for its navy to occupy it. In terms of targeting the Germans in Qingdao, there is no need to go to such trouble.
Cooperating with the Japanese, it would be fine for China to send troops to deal with the German army in Qingdao." Yuan Su said solemnly.
Of course he knew that the reason why the Allies needed Japan's help was not only to deal with the Allies' power in the Far East, but also to use Japan's navy to ensure the safety of merchant ships, cargo ships, and logistics ships traveling between Europe and Asia.
Naturally, the British don't care about China's fragmentary army power, let alone China's naval power that cannot even achieve ocean warfare. The operation against Qingdao has been deployed, how can it be possible to make changes for China?
But his only certainty is that the British now regard themselves as old-fashioned imperialist powers, not to mention not paying attention to the emerging powers in Asia. Even Western countries such as France and the United States also look down on them. In many British
In the view of the decision-makers of the government, Japan is just a pawn attached to Britain. If Japan wants to gain a foothold in the world, it must obediently obey Britain's orders.
At present, as long as the UK can change some of its views on China and discover that China has some value to the European war, then these "values" can be used in exchange for the UK to give up its support for Japan to take over Qingdao. Even in the worst case, let the UK take over Qingdao.
It is better than allowing Japan to expand its power in China.
In addition, China has no plans to participate in the world war at the moment. Yuan Shikai only wants to take the opportunity to realize his personal dream of becoming emperor while the European powers are busy. Instead, when the First World War is about to end, Duan Qi
It was only when Rui became the head of state of China that he began to prepare to join the war army.
But for the Allied Powers, no matter how weak China's military power is, as early as the military competition stage, the two camps have already used all means to expand each other's momentum in order to unlimitedly increase each other's momentum. It can be said that they would rather overload than lack. After all, China is
It was once the most powerful country in the Far East, not to mention rich in strategic material resources and economic and trade connections in the Far East. Therefore, as long as China is willing to participate in the war, it can gain some benefits even in terms of the momentum of the camp.
In other words, China's participation in the war is also a manifestation of value.
As long as the sovereignty of Qingdao can be exchanged, even if it is just that it is not occupied by Japan, China can use the condition of early participation in the world war as a bargaining chip.
Because of this, after listening to Yuan Su's words, Reynoldson couldn't help but feel strange. He asked seriously: "General Yuan, if I remember correctly, the president of your country has no intention of participating in our European conference."
In this war, the people in your country are also strongly demanding to remain neutral. What you just said about China sending troops to attack Qingdao seems inappropriate."
Yuan Su said calmly: "There is no conclusion yet on whether China will participate in this war, but I know very well that most of our Beiyang government still tends to support the Allies. I believe you also know this, Mr. Reynoldson.
of."
Reynoldson said without denying: "But even so, it doesn't explain the problem. Could it be that General Yuan, you just mean that it is a regional conflict, and you think that as long as you can take the opportunity to regain Qingdao, other things can be ignored?"
Yuan Su smiled slightly and said calmly: "As long as the British Empire supports China in regaining Qingdao's sovereignty, it is not a bad idea for China to declare its joining the Allies. Although we do not have a large naval fleet like Japan, we cannot go far away.
Crossing the ocean to participate in the battle. But since China borders Russia, doesn’t it mean that we can transport armies to Europe, and at least provide material support to the front line via land?”
Reynoldson thought silently for a while. Naturally, his perspective was not like that of the minister to China or the intelligence department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who could see the entire situation in the Far East as thoroughly as he could. Even within the British government, there were still those pedantic people.
Bureaucracy exists. As the spokesperson of the British in East Zhili, he will naturally give priority to the interests of his own territory.
As Yuan Su said, and as many British people believe, Japan is just a small, inferior country after all, with nothing more than a certain industrial base. Since China also has advantages that can be used in the European war
Value, why not consider giving Yuan Su some face, so as to obtain more benefits from the Chinese official represented by Yuan Su to the United Kingdom?
"General Yuan, are you really sure you can persuade your government to join our Allied camp?"
"As long as your British government can support China in taking back Qingdao, no, even if you don't support Japan in replacing Germany in taking over Qingdao, I am confident enough to convince my uncle to make a decision as soon as possible." Yuan Su stated.
He looked confident and said with certainty.
"To be honest, I don't know much about Qingdao's internal decisions. But if General Yuan really has such confidence and can stand further with our Allies, I will spend some time to find out the information.
, and then try to communicate with the Minister to China." Reynoldson said in an uncertain tone.
"Mr. Reynoldson, if you can help us in this matter, we in China will never forget this favor. Even if Qingdao is transferred to your country to take over, there will be room for discussion." Yuan Su further said.
said.
"Really?" Reynoldson's eyes lit up. Compared to those experienced diplomats, he is just a young officer. It is inevitable to seek quick success and instant benefit. In his opinion, if he can win the British government, he is just a young officer.
More colonies will definitely be a great achievement, and maybe he will be awarded the Queen's Medal of Honor for it.
"Mr. Reynoldson must find it strange why we care so much about Japan. Although China and Japan are both Asian countries, we should get along better nationally and geographically. But according to what I have secretly collected over the past few years,
Based on the intelligence analysis, we have to be wary of the ambitions of the Japanese. As an island country with scarce resources, they can only solve the dilemma of domestic resource shortage through never-ending external expansion and colonization." Yuan Su's expression gradually became serious.
, the manner in which he spoke was meticulous.
"That may be the case, but I believe that Japan cannot be so unscrupulous." Reynoldson smiled perfunctorily, but deep down he still firmly believed that Japan was not worthy of justice at all.
"As a friend, I would like to remind you again. Your country is also a maritime kingdom, and you should have a more sensitive awareness of a country's naval development. Japan has only experienced more than twenty years of development from the Meiji Restoration to the present.
Time, but their naval power has developed significantly from the original wooden ships to the current heavy battleships. The navy cannot deceive others like the army, because the navy is an offensive force." Yuan Su said earnestly.
.
Reynoldson's face changed slightly, and he heard something from Yuan Su's words. Britain, an old colonial country that started from the sea, certainly has a very deep understanding of the navy. Just as Yuan Su said
The development of the navy is a time concept, and only through long-term accumulation of experience can it develop into a mature concept of sea control. The United Kingdom has been on this path for more than a hundred years, but Japan has only been on this path for more than 20 years.
Year.
What's more, a clear case is right in front of us. Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, China was regarded as the number one country in Asia, and the Beiyang Fleet at that time was even called the eighth largest fleet in the world. But it is such an ancient and huge country, because
Standing on its own laurels, it finally defeated a weak neighboring country.
Isn't it true that Britain today is stuck in its own ways? When did those old gentlemen in London and the governors of overseas colonies have the spirit of daring to challenge? If Japan can dominate Asia today, it will also do so in the future.
It can spread its influence to farther places, because these short fleets can already sail in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
"General Yuan, I will take note of your words. Regarding the issue of Qingdao, I will contact Bei Jing and Shandong as soon as possible, and will seriously consider General Yuan's proposal. Of course, I also hope for your commitment, General Yuan.
You can start preparations, and it is best to give me a more clear answer." After a slight pause, Reynoldson returned to the topic.
"With your words, I will naturally start arranging related matters. If this cooperation can be successful, I believe that China and the UK will be able to establish a closer friendly relationship." Yuan Su said with a smile.
In fact, he had no hope for Reynoldson's help. The British authorities' views on China had obviously already been decided. It was just that they could do something now, even if it was just to wake up Britain's vigilance against Japan.
Regarding the issue of Qingdao, his greatest hope still rests on Yuan Shikai. As long as Yuan Shikai will not be obsessed with the temptation of Japan, thinking that Japan will support him in becoming emperor and offer Qingdao in exchange. In fact, if China wants to adopt
Taking tough measures to regain Qingdao, given the current situation of Japan and international powers, it is absolutely impossible to stop China.
At this stage, Japan does not have enough military power to threaten China. On the other hand, Japan has to assume the military responsibilities of the Allied Powers and allocate part of its military resources to support the European war. As for the Western powers, they have no intention of paying attention to the Far East.
In this situation, as long as the German forces in Qingdao are eliminated, the issue of Qingdao's ownership will become secondary.
The focus of this conversation with Reynoldson, as previously expected, was just to open a gap for the Qingdao issue.
Next is the news about "Twenty-One". After the foreshadowing made during this conversation with Reynoldson, when Yuan Shikai leaks the news about "Twenty-One", the effect will obviously be more profound.