The Japanese were very efficient, especially when it was a matter of life and death. Just three days later, the Japanese delegation led by Akiyama Yoshiko and Inoue Ryokin set off for Tianjin. When they arrived in Tianjin, they saw

An unexpected figure came to them, Xu Jie was actually in Tianjin! And he seemed to know that the Japanese delegation would come! So, after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, the first secret meeting between Beiyang and Japanese officials officially kicked off

!

"Some people always want to play some tricks, thinking that the rest of the world can't see clearly their little tricks, but in fact, these deceptive actions have no meaning. For example, military officers sent to the United States, for example, are now planning to stand by and profit from it.

ribenzhengfu." Xu Jie's opening remarks were very unfriendly.

"As for the former, I can only say that this is an internal matter between our country and the United States, and you have no right to interfere. As for the latter, I think it is your unfounded speculation. Our country has no intention of starting a war with Russia in the short term.

I don’t know what it means to make a profit.” Akiyama Haogu said calmly.

"I understand. It turns out that the record of the meeting between the British Ambassador to Japan and Prime Minister Katsu Kaishu provided to me by the Commander of the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet is fake." Xu Jie pretended to suddenly realize it, which made Zhang Peilun a little bit intolerable.

I just want to laugh out loud.

"In that case, why are you two coming to Tianjin? Are you here for tourism?" Xu Jie then changed the topic: "I want to tell you that your little actions cannot be hidden from us, and all kinds of indiscretions revealed by this kind of behavior cannot be hidden from us.

This friendly move has made us very dissatisfied! The naval arms treaty with Japan is not free. It requires your contribution! Don’t forget. In addition to the first batch of equipment that came with the ship, your country has the remaining equipment.

All ammunition, accessories and other items must be deposited at Beiyang Port first!"

Xu Jie's tough attitude and anger were far beyond Japan's expectations. In Akiyama's eyes at this time, this negotiation was not so much a coordinated action, but rather an instruction from Beiyang to Japan's political actions.

! This greatly stimulated Akiyama Hiko's self-esteem, and what made the other party even more uncomfortable was that Japan did not have many trump cards to play in this negotiation!

The British are indeed very interested in Japan and do their best to provide Japan with all kinds of help. However, the British adhere to two principles in everything they do. The first is that their investment must be worth the money, even for allies.

Generally speaking, commercial transactions with profit margins are also very rare. Japan's newly ordered equipment from the UK is priced at as high as 750,000 pounds! And if this price is replaced by Beiyang,

Enough to order a battleship in Germany! Secondly, the British pay attention to checks and balances. This principle started in the Victorian era. Now, in the Far East, the British use the Northern Ocean to balance Russia, and use Japan to contain the Northern Ocean. And Britain itself

It does not want to have a direct conflict with Russia. This makes Britain's assistance to Japan depend on Beiyang's opinion. After all, checking and balancing Russia is the top priority at this time!

"We are here to negotiate. We have a common enemy, so we'd better not blame each other. At least when facing the Russians, we are comrades-in-arms." Akiyama Yoshiko said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, let's start formal negotiations. We can give Benzhengfu about 6 months to prepare. And after 6 months, we need Benzhengfu to officially start war with the Russians within a week after our secret message arrives.

"At the same time, the navy must also participate in the attack on the Russian fleet and merchant ships. The specific requirements are in this document." After Zhang Peilun finished speaking, he handed a document to Akiyama Yoshiko.

"I must declare that the Japanese Empire is not your thug. We must make plans according to our own needs. We are equal partners, not subordinates!" Akiyama Yoshiko said angrily.

"Equality?" Xu Jie laughed as if he heard a very funny word. "Without the support of Beiyang, Japan will gradually become part of Russia, and all the resisters will be brutally killed. The rest will also

They will be treated like slaves. The Russians don't need prisoners, all they need is land. How can Japan still talk about equality under such circumstances? Do you know that this equality must be backed by strength!"

"You have no choice. The only one who can give you what you need now is Beiyang, your government. Neither the emperor nor Amaterasu can save Japan, understand? Only after you accept the above conditions, we will

You can continue to talk, otherwise, my subordinates can buy the tickets for you two to go back tomorrow." After finishing speaking, Xu Jie quietly watched the other party's reaction.

After hearing Xu Jie's almost ultimatum-like words, Akiyama Haogu felt angry at first, then helpless, and finally calm after accepting the reality. He put away the document with a slight trembling, and then roughly

After browsing through it, he said in a trembling voice: "So what can I get from this?"

"For example, your country needs siege artillery, such as fine machine guns and mortars, such as food or other supplies." Xu Jie said. Ordinary ordnance is not very attractive to the Japanese.

zheng

Fu can be obtained from the British, but there is a lack of mortars for attacking solid fortresses. In order to better consolidate the occupied areas, the Russians built a defense line near the line of control. Important fortresses are made of steel bars.

Made of poured concrete and equipped with a large number of machine guns and rapid fire cannons, these fortresses would be quite difficult to break without heavy artillery.

Japan once purchased a certain amount of 280mm heavy artillery, but some of these artillery were lost in the Northeast battlefield, and some were destroyed by the Beiyang fleet at the port. The remaining ones are very difficult to defend important ports, let alone support the army.

, so the conditions offered by Xu Jie are impossible to refuse!

If the heavy siege artillery gives the Japanese Army hope to crack open the Russian turtle shell, then the remaining material aid will become Japan's lifeline. Japan cannot be self-sufficient in food, and once a war breaks out, the Russian fleet will definitely attack Japan

The maritime transportation line launched an attack. Therefore, having one more transportation line at this time is equivalent to giving Japan an extra chance of winning. Of course, these aids are not free, and Japan needs to exchange real money, silver, and blood!

"Then how much can you provide?" Akiyama Haogu asked.

"The first batch of military aid will include 12 240mm cannons. If your country needs to convert them into mortars, you can. The first batch of supplies will include at least 4,000 tons of military food. As for subsequent assistance, it will depend on the actual situation on the battlefield.

You can take a look at the other details in this document. If there are some special needs, we can go further." After saying that, Xu Jie handed another document to Akiyama Haogu across the way and gave him a slap in the face.

Give a little benefit, Xu Jie grasps it just right!

"There is no problem for the army to launch an offensive, but what about the navy? At the beginning of the war, the Japanese navy could only have 2 battleships at most. And these two battleships could only deal with 2 Azov-type armored cruisers at most.

What's more, our port defenses are weak. I'm afraid that once a war breaks out, the Japanese navy will be destroyed. We are not avoiding war, but we just don't want to make unnecessary sacrifices." said Akiyama Shinyuki, who has been silent.

"The vast majority of the Russian fleet will be blocked by the Beiyang Navy at Muroran Port. Of course, we do not rule out that some Russian warships will be deployed in Vladivostok. The enemy your navy faces is not very powerful, and the Beiyang Navy

The fleet will also dispatch some cruisers to attack the Russian fleet, so this task is very easy to complete. As for the supply issue, your country can go to our designated ports in Beiyang for supplies and repairs." Xu Jie explained.

"Looking at the overall situation, as your country said, the Russian fleet is generally in a suppressed state, but one thing we need to explain is that your country has mainly set our battlefield for breaking up diplomatic relations in the Sea of ​​​​Japan.

Internally, used to stage the connection between Hokkaido and the territory of the Russian Far East, this

The area is not far from the Karutsu Strait or Vladivostok. If the Russian cruise fleet attacks, there is a 100% chance that they will encounter it. If the Russian fleet has an armored cruiser leader, the situation of the Japanese fleet will not be very good.

Optimistic." Akiyama Masayuki shook his head and said.

After the series of battles after the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, the idea of ​​offensive supremacy in the Japanese Navy has gradually disappeared. More and more Japanese Navy have begun to adopt the idea of ​​​​a fleet existence. After all, the loss of any capital ship is of great significance to Japan.

It is a very serious loss for the country, so this idea of ​​not seeking merit but seeking no fault has gradually become the mainstream idea of ​​the Japanese Navy. Although Akiyama Masayuki does not agree with this conservative idea, he will never

Throw away your precious fleet!

"This problem is actually easy to solve. The Japanese Navy needs a qualified vanguard force and reconnaissance fleet. In the treaty reached between Beiyang and the British government, Japan is allowed to have an additional small-scale third-class protected cruiser.

Fleet. Japan could order some small warships from Britain as vanguard. Of course, I also need to remind Japan that once a war breaks out, Russia's probability of harassing Japan's northern coast will even be higher than the probability of going to the East China Sea to break diplomatic relations.

"Xu Jie said with a smile.

"I don't understand." Qiu Shanzhenzhi was a little confused.

"It's very simple. If you think about it, there are only two ways for the Russian fleet to enter the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. The first is to enter the Yellow Sea through the Japanese Sea and the Korean Strait. Once a war breaks out, it is necessary to block the entire Korean Strait with mines.

, it may not be easy for the Russians to pass. The other route is to bypass Hokkaido and then make a large circle into the East China Sea. Beiyang is still not afraid of this, because the voyage is too far, which directly affects the efficiency of the Russian fleet in breaking up the engagement. Moreover,

We also have to face the overseas fleet and the Beiyang Navy.

liThe interception of the armored cruiser formation." Xu Jie explained patiently.

"Once the Japanese Army launches an attack, the Russian Far East Fleet's first mission will inevitably shift from breaking diplomatic relations to supporting the Army's operations. As for a decisive battle with the Beiyang Fleet? I don't think any Russian commander will issue this order easily, so,

This battle is absolutely unavoidable for the Japanese Navy. If this is the case, why not face it bravely if it cannot be avoided?" Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

Thanks to the book friend Hui Huan for the reward, as well as the book friend Han Jiangjiao for the monthly ticket support, and the review votes from the new and old book friends~~. The author looked up today and saw that there are only more than 400 subscriptions. Can everyone please help?
Chapter completed!