Battle of the Third Reich

In the event of a conflict, it is possible to get the two heads of government and observation delegations sent by the government to be detained together. Seeing the attitude of the Germans, as long as you have a little diplomatic knowledge, you can feel the seriousness of the problem.

But the poor Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yang knew nothing about the ins and outs of the matter at this time. He can only jump on the feet and let the Italian ambassador Toshio Shiratori, the one signed by the telegraph, use all methods to understand the facts from the Germans’ mouth in the shortest time, even with money or with life. Yes, even at the most expensive price, he can only make accurate judgments with accurate information, and then come up with corresponding solutions.

It was really incredible, how big the army idiot stabbed in the basket, and Yoshinori Matsuoka felt that his stomach disease was about to be committed again.

Detaining a group of foreign government mission personnel is not a trivial matter. If it is placed on two hostile countries, it is almost equivalent to declaring war in disguise. The Germans have always attached great importance to diplomatic etiquette. They will never do such a blatant violation of diplomatic norms for a small conflict. This is a restricted area recognized by the diplomatic community. No civilized country dares to easily step forward. .

What did the guys do in France? Matsuoka couldn't think of it. But as a country's foreign minister, he is well aware of his responsibilities. In the face of such serious diplomatic incidents, if not handled properly, the consequences will be unimaginable. It’s okay if he loses his official position and strikes alone, but if he destroys the goal of His Majesty the Emperor Hachiko Yoshihide, then he will become the sinner of the Great Japanese Empire.

Thinking of this, Matsuoka did not dare to neglect, and with this telegram hurried to the Prime Minister's office. Ten minutes later, sweaty guard Wei Wen took Matsuoka Yang to the Imperial Palace. Forty minutes later, the first imperial emergency meeting in the 15th year of the Showa era in the conference room of the Imperial Palace opened lively.

"I personally think that this is a serious diplomatic incident, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must assume their responsibility and handle the matter with all their efforts. In accordance with international diplomatic practice, we must protest to the German government as soon as possible and demand their immediate release The detained emperor's official, at the same time, the German Empire must apologize to the Great Japanese Empire for this matter and make corresponding compensation."

The spokesman is Emperor Anjing, Minister of the Interior, as the heaviest of the cabinet ministers who are most related to the incident, he put forward his opinions in his usual slow manner.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should indeed bear the responsibility of negotiation, but I think it is too early to protest to Germany, and we must treat this matter with caution."

The Secretary of the Army, Lieutenant General Tojo of the British Air Force, now has a layer of oil sweat on his bald head, shining in the orange light of the conference room.

"Tojo's words are good. Before we understand the truth of the whole thing, we can't act rashly. This is related to the overall strategy of the imperial kingdom and cannot be sloppy."

After finishing the talk, Weiwei Wen glanced at the internal well.

"You guys, the question now is, who knows what happened there? It was your army personnel who were detained. Did the army know nothing about it? Didn’t their trip to Europe report to the Army Ministry? ?"

Although Admiral Yoshida’s General Yoshida frowned, everyone could see the sneer in the corner of his mouth.

"Your Excellency Yoshida, although the German Observation Mission is organized by the Ministry of the Army, all the travel arrangements after going abroad are coordinated by the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also just learned that this happened."

Tojo stared at the opposite Yoshida coldly.

"So, how much does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs know about this matter, have you made any further understanding with the German side."

Yoshida tilted his head and looked at Matsuoka.

"I have called the German embassy to inquire, and the result made me very puzzled. The German ambassador, General Otto, also did not know the exact reason why the German side detained our embassy personnel. In fact, when I asked him, he did not I know this happened. It seems that the German side has not notified their embassy in Japan. From this point of view, the problem is definitely more serious than we thought."

The foreign minister Matsuoka looked sad.

Damn army idiots, Matsuoka now wants to kill the detained Japanese officers. What earth-shattering events they did, even let the Germans block the news to their own embassy.

Originally, the Army’s German Expedition was scheduled to start after the alliance of the three countries was reached, but the group of impatient guys in the Army Province could not wait. They had to go to the German and French frontlines to do field investigations before the French surrender. The new weaponry and equipment used and their effects, as well as the role played by the new tactics used by the Germans in actual combat.

They did so in violation of the usual prudent principles of Japanese diplomacy. At such a delicate moment, such a magnificent inspection of the German ** team is likely to stimulate the nerves of countries such as Britain and the United States and deepen their guard and attention to Japan. So at the beginning, Matsuoka raised his concerns with the head of the Army Ministry responsible for this matter, and hoped that the Army sent the German Observation Mission to proceed as planned after the signing of the three-nation alliance treaty.

However, as news of the German victory continued, Matsuoka was immediately stunned by the generally optimistic view in Japan at that time, and after repeated lobbying by the Army, he agreed as if it were a ghost. In retrospect, Matsuoka regretted his decision at the time.

Now, no matter how the incident is finally resolved, it will have an impact on the southward strategy just formulated by the Japanese Empire. It should be known that all of Japan’s strategies since then have been based on the alliance of Germany, Italy and Japan. At this critical moment before Germany and Japan are preparing to start substantive negotiations, it is really surprising that this file is inexplicable. unimaginable.

The only thing Matsuoka hopes now is that things will not be so irreparably bad, and if so, his foreign minister will come to an end.

Protest against Germany and demand apology and compensation?

Matsuoka glanced indignantly at Anjing. This idiot, he dared to protest to Germany if he knew something. If possible, Matsuoka would like to apologize to Germany and compensate for the loss, as long as the relationship between Germany and Japan can be restored to its original state, and Germany agrees to reach an agreement with Japan.

"Before that, the Army has been proposing Japan and Germany to form an alliance, and I have always said that we need to consider carefully. Judging from the events that are happening now, my fears are justified, and Germany has not The sincerity of Japan’s alliance, they even ignored the international diplomatic norms and wantonly detained members of the Japanese military delegation. This is a challenge to the dignity of the Great Japanese Empire.

I think that at present we must react to this matter as soon as possible, which is related to the international face of the Great Japanese Empire. If we are hesitant to encounter such a thing, how will the world powers view Japan and how will the people view the government? Moreover, if this matter is not handled properly, it will not only cause damage to the national authority of the Great Japanese Empire, but also the majestic Majesty of His Majesty the Emperor. At that time, how will we face His Majesty the Emperor and how to face the trillion nations of the Emperor.

How to maintain the dignity of the Great Japanese Empire, how to protect the majesty of the Majesty the Emperor, and how to maintain the confidence of the people in the government, I think this is the issue we need to consider first. "

The Navy Secretary stared at the bald head opposite Tojo with a fervent voice.

"Your Excellency Yoshida means that we must immediately protest and negotiate with Germany, so what should we do with the Southward Entry Policy that we have formulated before, and give up on this?"

Tojo asked, glaring at Yoshida unabashedly.

"Southward advancement is a national policy that we have already determined. Now, preparations for "Southward advancement" by various parties in Japan have begun. Only when Southward advances and obtains a resource production base in Southeast Asia can Japan master the leadership in Asia. Only by obtaining these resources can we have the strength to fight the enemy across the ocean.

This is something we have all agreed on before. Now you raise an objection, what exactly do you want to do. I have said long ago that the policy of Nanjin cannot be changed anyway. "

Jin Weiwen said frowningly.

"I am not against Southward, Your Excellency. I just think we should not ally with Germany. They will push us into a direct confrontation with the United States. I understand the importance of Southward to Japan, just like you said just now As it is, Southbound is the only way out for Japan now. However, the alliance with Germany will make us pay attention to the United States before we complete the preparation for Southbound, which is very unwise."

"Are we not being valued by the United States now? We are being suppressed by the United States. Isn't that the case? They have already repealed the trade agreement, and the United States is preparing to stop exporting machine tools and scrap steel to us. Propose to their Congress to stop exporting rare metals and chemical raw materials to us. What will come next? Let me tell you, it is oil! They control most of our oil sources. They have pinched Japan’s neck, if The United States suddenly stopped exporting oil to Japan. How long can we persist? At the last meeting, you also said that one year and a half, we now have only enough oil for the emperor’s team to use it for a year and a half, if you continue to open it Your **** Ford may not last for a year and a half. In this way, how can we continue to fight without the necessary resources, how can we accomplish His Majesty's goals."

Tojo questioned a disgusted admiral loudly.

"It’s because of this that I don’t think there should be any relationship with Germany. Moreover, we just took this opportunity to express our attitude to the United States, which will be an excellent opportunity for us to improve relations with the United States. If the United States is because of Japan With the change of attitude towards Germany and the lifting or relaxation of the trade ban on Japan, we will be able to obtain more materials and make better preparations for our southward strategy. By that time, even if we have to go to war with the United States, there are With more adequate materials to prepare, we will have a better chance. In addition, my car is assigned to me by the headquarters, and I can go to work on foot if necessary!"

Yoshida said loudly.

"The ones you said are totally unfounded. The United States will never relax its repression of Japan because of our antagonism with Germany. This is absolutely impossible. Our conflict with the United States is in China, not Europe. Our alliance with Germany You haven’t seen the benefits. Germany’s victory in Europe will attract the attention of the United States to Europe. Americans will never let Germany rule in Europe. Germany will hold all American attention in Europe. , So that we can make preparations for going south under the Americans’ eyes. Moreover, Germany’s influence in Europe and the world is what Japan needs most now. As long as Germany exerts pressure on those European countries, we will be very relaxed. Took over those colonies from those countries, without even using the force of the empire.

If we can’t form an alliance with Germany, the difficulty of capturing those colonies will increase exponentially. I don’t know how many Army soldiers of His Majesty the Emperor will bleed, wound or even sacrifice their lives in order to seize those precious resources. Can you understand? "

The green muscles on Tojo’s forehead were violent, and Yoshida’s sudden behavior made him feel very angry. If it was not for the Yuqian meeting, the room was still seated by His Majesty the Emperor, and he almost pointed his finger at this The navy **** scolded his mother.

"Did our navy not sacrifice for the blood of the empire? You army..."

Yoshida also stared at Tojo with a frown.

"You guys, have you forgotten where you are!"

Jin Wei Wen Hu finally couldn't help it, he scolded loudly.

"This is in front of His Majesty the Emperor, you are all great ministers of the empire, how can you quarrel loudly like the civilians in the market, please be more serious!"

Tojo and Yoshida suddenly fell silent, and then hurriedly bowed their guilt to the emperor sitting behind a separate desk at the conference room. Matsuoka, who was left alone, rubbed his eyebrows secretly, as long as the cabinet meeting had not been prepared in advance, it would become like this, shirk each other's responsibility and take out the quarrel, each time they can go off the topic and go two miles away, Unexpectedly, they dare to maintain this style before the Emperor.

"We held this imperial meeting, mainly to discuss how to solve the detention of the Army Observer Group. We can discuss the issue of the southward advance at the cabinet meeting."

The Guardian Prime Minister glanced at these serious colleagues.

"We currently have two response options. One is to propose to the internal phase and the marine phase, immediately protest to Germany, and make follow-up requests as the situation evolves. The other is the relationship between the foreign phase and the land phase. The proposed treatment of this matter is prudent, and everything is aimed at maintaining relations between the two countries. Before learning the truth, no response will be made that will stimulate Germany.

As this relates to the relationship between Germany and Japan, and directly affects the future strategy of the Great Japanese Empire. Therefore, I asked for this imperial meeting to be convened. What method should we choose and ask His Majesty the Emperor to give him a decree. "

After saying this, the guard with his cabinet member bowed his head respectfully to the emperor.

The Japanese emperor Hirohito had kept his almost stiff, serious expression without a word sitting behind the desk covered with snow-white tablecloth. The group of cabinet members quarreled like that, he didn't even shake his eyebrows. Now it is finally time for him to express his final opinion. As long as he speaks, no matter which side he supports, it will affect the future direction of Japan.

At that time, the emperor’s imperial mouth could not be opened casually. Any sentence was imperial, even the toughest military system could only be distorted, but it must not be violated. Emperor Hirohito is different from his grandfather Meiji. He is still moderate in nature, and can even be said to be weak. When there are some differences in cabinet discussions, as long as it is not related to national strategic issues, or if a clear written order needs to be issued, he will be With the aim of not guilty of any party, he did not hesitate to use the unique skills of the emperor's family, that is, to use his obscure royal grammar all the way to express some obscure opinions that are confusing. The meaning of the words is so ambiguous that he can't even figure out the best. Anyway, it is to let the following people think about it, and whoever responds quickly will benefit.

This is why the will of the emperor can be distorted by the following people. The following is done, even if he completely disobeys his will, he can be forgiven, and he can still receive his praise. Smashed, that's sorry, misinterpreting the holy intention, making self-assertion, wantonly acting, which one is enough to break the corpse. Many people did not realize it until the end. It turned out that Nao was ready to pay for it afterwards.

Now Yuren was preparing to publish his summary report. Suddenly, the door of the meeting room was pushed open, and a bodyguard hurriedly ran up.

"Your Majesty, my lords. The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent this document. I heard that the German Embassy had just sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Hurry up and get it."

Jin Weiwen hurriedly extended his hand to the bodyguard.

"What! The Japanese soldiers organized and participated in the assassination of the German head of state!"

Including the Emperor, everyone present was stunned by the news.