On the afternoon of the 23rd, Shen Rongxuan met with People’s Guard Commander Xiang Xiaoqiang and Deputy Commander Shi Shi Gege in his office.
Shen Rongxuan did not beat around the bush. He first showed them the letter from the Soviet Union, and then briefly explained what happened, as well as the discussion with the German ambassador at noon.
Xiang Xiaoqiang put down the letter, raised his head and asked:
"Sir, what did the German Ambassador say?"
Shen Rongxuan smiled and said:
"The matter of leasing the port is relatively big, and the ambassador cannot make the decision himself. He must go back and send a report to Berlin. But the ambassador is obviously very happy. He proposed a compromise method to prevent Berlin from having concerns about the leasing of the port. The ambassador suggested that we can Send warships to Germany in the form of a 'visit'. The ambassador himself is quite sure that even if Berlin may have concerns about the 'Lease', it will definitely not have any concerns about the 'visit' and will only welcome it."
Fourteen giggled and said:
"Long term visit?"
Shen Rongxuan nodded:
"A long-term visit. We can stay as long as we want. In this way, the initiative still lies with Germany. Although Spain is at war, Hitler does not necessarily want to completely fall out with the Soviet Union. The main reason why I invited Tingzhi and His Highness here today is to get to know Japan trends.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang was very sensitive and immediately asked vigilantly:
"Mr. Ge, what you want to ask is, is there any threat from Japan? Can we allocate fleet strength to Europe?"
Shen Rongxuan smiled and said:
"That's what it means."
Xiang Xiaoqiang tried it with Shi Shi Ge Ge. Then Shi Shi Ge Ge gave him a relieved smile, held his hand underneath, turned to Shen Rongxuan and smiled:
"Currently, the information about Japan that the People's Guard has is similar to that of other units. It is currently a high-altitude espionage case. What the People's Guard knows, Dongchang and Jinyiwei also know. Japan is actively collecting intelligence on the Soviet Union and stepping up its investigation of the Soviet Pacific Fleet and the Far East. Investigation. There is no unusual behavior against our country. Of course... If I am responsible, then I can only say that the possibility of Japan attacking our country is not impossible at present. But judging from various signs, as well as tomorrow's and Japan's Analysis of the situation among the three countries shows that Japan is more likely to attack the Soviet Union."
"How much bigger?"
Shen Rongxuan stared into her eyes closely and asked.
"Afang!" Xiang Xiaoqiang blurted out, grabbed Shi Shigege's hand, then turned to Shen Rongxuan and smiled, "Mr. Ge, this is hard to say. You know, just looking at the surface information, everything points to Japan. Will attack the Soviet Union. But you are also an old intelligence officer. You should know that there is such a thing as a 'scam' in intelligence. Intelligence can be faked. As for the situation analysis of the Three Kingdoms... Mr. Ge, we are just an intelligence and military unit. International situation analysis is the business of politicians like you."
Fourteen Gege was a little surprised. She didn't expect Xiang Xiaoqiang to be so nervous. Since Xiang Xiaoqiang said this, she planned to respect Xiang Xiaoqiang's opinion in front of Shen Rongxuan. She didn't say anything anymore, and just kicked Xiang Xiaoqiang's foot lightly. , reminding him that he is the chief minister and should pay attention to his speech.
Shen Rongxuan laughed and waved his hand:
"There is no need to worry. I invited you here just to hear your opinions on intelligence and not to let you take responsibility. I am the chief minister of a country, and I am responsible for all external decisions, good or bad. Yes. If you have anything to say, you don’t have to be so cautious. Even if you directly tell me today that Japan will never attack our country, or that Japan will definitely attack our country, it is just a reference to me. If the facts prove in the future , if I really make a mistake in judgment, it is also my responsibility and has nothing to do with you."
Xiang Xiaoqiang still said:
"Mr. Ge, if you want to ask my opinion, then my opinion is to guard against Japan. It is a fact that Japan is stationing more and more troops in the Northeast. No matter whether these troops are preparing to attack us or the Soviet Union, we'd better We must prepare as an attack until we see the outcome.”
Shen Rongxuan frowned and said:
"What's the truth?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang said:
"Japan launches an attack. The one attacking is the Soviet Union, so we can rest assured. The one attacking is us...then we are not unprepared."
Shen Rongxuan smiled and said:
"Of course we are not unprepared. Even if Japan attacks us now, it will be the same. We have several divisions in Fengtian. We also have the Dongjiang Fleet in Lushun. We are also preparing to transfer a battleship to Lushun."
Xiang Xiaoqiang said:
"I know that. But it is to deal with the battleship 'October Revolution' of the Soviet Pacific Fleet. After being transferred to the Port Arthur base, once the Soviet Union declares war, the battleship will immediately sail through the Tsushima Strait and cruise in the Sea of Japan. Then If Japan attacked us at that time, we would not even have a single battleship in the north. At that time, Japan would only need to blockade the Tsushima Strait and then block two or three straits in the northeast, and our battleships would be trapped in the Sea of Japan. Can’t come back.”
Shen Rongxuan smiled and shook his head:
"Come on, why are you so obsessed with this idea?... Haha, okay, even if our battleship enters the Sea of Japan and is blocked in it... wouldn't it be a very cost-effective thing? Sea of Japan There are five straits leading to the outside world. Four of them are within Japan and one is within the Soviet Union. That is to say, if Japan wants to completely block our battleships in the Sea of Japan, it will have to use at least four times forces to block the four straits respectively. In addition, they will not let our battleships hang around in their backyard. They will also dispatch a considerable force to search for us in the vast Sea of Japan. This battleship squadron will become An 'existence fleet' can contain several times the Japanese naval power. After all, you are a soldier, and you should know more about these issues than me."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was speechless for a moment and couldn't think of how to respond.
Shen Rongxuan sighed, looked at him, and said:
"Come on, do you think Japan will attack us?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang hesitated and said:
"I think... it's possible."
"It's not just possible, right?" Shen Rongxuan stared into his eyes, "In your opinion, it should be quite possible, right?... Come on, this is a matter related to the fate of the country. If you control something Now you have the obligation to tell us the information we don't know yet."
Xiang Xiaoqiang took a deep breath, shook his head, and said:
"No, I don't have any information... I know as much as you do."
Shen Rongxuan stared at his expression and judged it carefully. Then he quickly glanced at Shi Shi Ge Ge. Shi Shi Ge Ge was also looking at Xiang Xiaoqiang, and he was also very confused.
Shen Rongxuan picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea, and then sighed:
"If it is just 'possible', then we all think 'possible'. We are all the same. The key is how likely it is. For example, I think it is possible for Japan to attack us. This is undeniable. But the possibility Is it big or not? I don’t think it is big. Princess Liaoyang must also think that although Japan may attack us, it is unlikely. Only by supporting you, not only does it think it is possible, but it is also extremely likely. It seems to have been confirmed. .......Well, what on earth do you think?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt great pressure. He picked up the tea cup in a panic, took a big sip, then put the cup down and said hoarsely:
"Japan...Japan is in urgent need of land and resources, which is destined for it...if it wants to develop further, it must acquire land from the East Asian continent..."
Shen Rongxuan stared at him and said calmly:
"However, Japan has obtained a large area of mainland territory. The land is fertile, rich in resources, and it is many times larger than the original island country."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was flustered, took another sip of tea, and said slowly:
"Japan... has great ambitions. It wants to be the leader of Asia. It is destined to not be able to coexist with the Ming Dynasty..."
Shen Rongxuan lit a cigarette and leaned back in the armchair:
"It's been coexisting for years. It's still coexisting."
Xiang Xiaoqiang took a deep breath and said:
"Now that the Ming Dynasty and the Soviet Union are fighting in the northwest, it is the best time for Japan to attack the Ming Dynasty. If Japan and the Soviet Union attack the Ming Dynasty at the same time, the Ming Dynasty will be trapped in a two-front battle, and it will be difficult to take care of both ends. Japan and the Soviet Union are highly likely to win at the same time. Enhance.”
Shen Rongxuan shook his head and said:
"Just change a few words in your sentence. Now that the Ming Dynasty and the Soviet Union are fighting in the northwest, it is the best time for Japan to attack the Soviet Union. If Japan and the Ming Dynasty attack the Soviet Union at the same time, the Soviet Union will fall into a two-front war and it will be difficult to Taking care of both ends, the possibility of Japan and Ming Dynasty winning at the same time is greatly enhanced... Isn't it true?"
"No, that's different..." Xiang Xiao finally found some reason and said plausibly, "Japan and Ming Dynasty are both maritime countries, and their sea areas are so close to each other, so they are destined not to tolerate each other. But the Soviet Union is not As a maritime country, Japan can peacefully coexist with the Soviet Union, but not with the Ming Dynasty."
Shen Rongxuan smiled and said:
"In the era of confrontation between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Ming Dynasty only occupied half of the south of the Yangtze River, and its military and national strength was only half of what it is now. At that time, Japan was still supporting the Northern Qing Dynasty, and was not directly an enemy of the Ming Dynasty. How come the Ming Dynasty has unified the country now, and its military and national strength have become When it is doubling its growth rate, why would Japan choose this time to become an enemy of Ming Dynasty?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang was startled and was speechless again.
Shen Rongxuan shook his head and smiled:
"Come on... I don't mean to go against you. You have to know that on issues related to national interests, any of my decisions will not be affected by my personal grudges with anyone... not to mention that there is no personal grudge between us. We have always been very harmonious. I can see that you are very wary of Japan, and you are not willing to go against many people for this. This is good, because it shows that you value national interests more than personal gains and losses. But I am a A politician is the chief minister of the Ming Empire. I bear the responsibility of the entire empire. Every decision I make, and even every thought, must be based on rational analysis. If you want to convince me, let me See the evidence. And so far, all you have shown me is your personal 'feeling'. And when making national decisions, it is not enough to just rely on the word 'feeling'."
After he finished speaking, he leaned back in the armchair, drank tea, and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang from the corner of his eye, as if waiting to see what else he had to say.
Xiang Xiaoqiang took a deep breath, turned to look at the fourteenth grid, and looked at Shen Rongxuan, and suddenly felt that what he said was right. He just relied on the word "feeling", and hurriedly tried to persuade him One person after another? People just want to see the evidence. Is there anything wrong?
He suddenly discovered that not only could he not convince others, he could not even convince himself.
Shen Rongxuan smiled, looked at the clock on the wall, and said:
"Let's do this. Tingzhi and Her Royal Highness the Princess will go back first. If you have any ideas later, it's best to come to me as a basis. I'll reject other arrangements and talk to you specifically. What do you think?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Shi Shi Ge Ge looked at each other, and then Shi Shi Ge Ge smiled and said:
"That's very good. Then, let's go with it? Let's go back first and let Mr. Ge do the work."