In a French-style mansion in the public concession, in the spacious hall, an ancient self-ringing clock was ticking, time was flowing, and the air seemed to be frozen there.
On one side of a long table sat a row of people, including the military attachés of the Japanese Consulate, Yoshiko Kawashima, Seigoro Ozawa and Yu Ying'er.
They represent one force respectively, the military attaché of the consulate represents the military headquarters, Yoshiko Kawashima represents the Black Dragon Society, Seigoro Ozawa represents the General Staff Headquarters, and Yu Ying'er represents the Manchurian Railway.
Although they are not high-level officials, they have been authorized to attend this meeting on behalf of high-level officials from all parties.
On the other side of the long table, there was only one person sitting, that is Dai Li.
There are watermelons, peaches, lychees and other fruits on the table, and in front of everyone there is an unopened bottle of French mineral water.
The two sides had been talking for a long time, and there were many plans for joint operations between the two sides. Dai Li fully agreed. However, at the last moment of signing the secret agreement, Dai Li said that the matter must be reported to the Military Commission for approval, and he did not receive the corresponding authorization.
"Brother Yunong, you are not sincere enough. We all obtained authorization before coming and can sign contracts. Why is it so troublesome for you Chinese to get authorization?" the military attache of the consulate said with some displeasure.
"Your government is making such a fuss out of a molehill, do you think it's like you're doing nothing?" Yoshiko Kawashima stroked her short men's hair with her hand and said in a disdainful tone.
"Mr. Attaché, Miss Kawashima, I am also a cheerful person. To be honest, it is limited by the current Sino-Japanese relations. In addition, you still have doubts about whether we can abide by the secret agreement." Dai Li said bluntly.
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"What do you mean by this? Do you mean that our Empire of Japan will not abide by the treaty?" Ozawa Seigoro suddenly became angry.
"Ozawa-kun, our government signed a secret agreement with Inukai Takeshi's government a few days ago. Is this secret agreement still valid? Do you still abide by it?" Dai Li asked with his thick eyebrows jumping up.
"These are two different things. That treaty was not recognized by the military." Ozawa Seigoro defended with some embarrassment.
In order to ease the conflicts between China and Japan, and to ease the pressure on Japan from the great powers after the September 18th Incident, the Republic of China government and the Japanese government of Takeshi Inukai secretly signed a treaty.
The content of the secret agreement is that China and Japan will fully cooperate and support each other, and the two sides will conduct close business cooperation. China will do its utmost sincerity and strength to meet Japan's economic needs.
China provides Japan with industrial raw materials and opens up a vast consumer market, and Japan provides China with funds and technology to help China develop its industry.
Japan promised to return the sovereignty of Northeast China to China. The Kwantung Army in Northeast China will maintain the status before the September 18th Incident. The Chinese government allows Japan to immigrate to Northeast China. A considerable part of the benefits gained from economic development in Northeast China will belong to Japan (listed below)
specific details).
If this secret agreement can be realized, it can be regarded as a win-win situation at the time.
There was no shortage of far-sighted sages in Japan during this period. They could see that the more China and Japan fought endlessly, it would be a huge loss for both sides, and the only beneficiaries would be the European and American powers.
Therefore, China and Japan should not fight, but should unite and exchange Japanese funds and technology for China's industrial raw materials and vast market.
From the perspective of the treaty, taking into account the differences in national conditions, it can be considered relatively equal. Of course, because Japan has entered the ranks of industrial powers, Japan will benefit more and China will benefit less.
But for the Republic of China government, this was the fairest treaty acceptable.
There is no 100% fair treaty in the world, and the balance of interests always tilts towards the strong.
This secret agreement was approved by the Emperor, and the military also agreed at the beginning. After all, their target was not China, but the Soviet Union or Great Britain and the United States.
As a vast country, China guarantees that it can continuously provide raw materials to Japan and fully open its market to Japan. Japan will become a giant power within ten years.
If this treaty is implemented, the Sino-Japanese War may be postponed for ten to twenty years, and the pattern of World War II will also change as a result.
In a state of being poor, weak, and at the mercy of others, it may be inevitable for China to encounter war, but the scale will definitely be much smaller than the 14-year War of Resistance Against Japan.
However, all these are just beautiful ideas. The evil seeds of Japanese militarism have been laid for a long time and may swell at any time and bear evil consequences.
A Japanese navy lieutenant was furious after hearing about the secret agreement between China and Japan. He united more than a dozen military academy cadets to assassinate Prime Minister Takeshi Inukai, triggering riots in the military community.
Subsequently, this secret treaty encountered strong opposition from the military. The Japanese government made compromises due to the intervention of military forces and even unilaterally tore up the treaty.
The assassination of the Prime Minister on May 15, 1932 shocked the whole of Japan. The court also tried the assassins. As a result, the whole country in Japan was enthusiastic. Many people wrote blood letters asking the court to pardon these assassins. There were actually many people.
Asking for his own life in exchange for the assassin's release.
Seemingly overnight, Japan has entered an era of national madness.
The May 15 incident was an epoch-making symbol in Japan, marking the complete failure of the political model represented by political parties, and the increasing weight of the military, laying the foundation for future military dictatorships.
Due to pressure from the people and the military, the court could only give these assassins light sentences. Although these assassins were sentenced, they became national heroes and idols of many Japanese youths.
The subsequent 226 Mutiny was actually a replica of this assassination operation, but the target of the assassination was expanded from a prime minister to an assassination targeting entire cabinet members and plutocrats.
Although this mutiny was completely suppressed, Japan also completely embarked on the path of militarism until its demise.
This is similar to how Hitler came to power with the support of the German people, formed the so-called strongman politics, and gradually moved towards militarism.
When Lu Ming returned from his first trip to the Nanjing Military Commission to receive honors, he happened to catch up with the outbreak of this incident. However, he did not have a deep understanding of the situation in Japan and did not know the significance of this incident to Japan's political direction.
Dai Li cited this example, which can be said to be a slap in the face of the Japanese in public. You come and go with me without any politeness.
That means that you Japanese have always been good at breaking contracts, so we Chinese have reservations about signing contracts with you and will not believe it so easily.
It's not that Dai Li didn't want to sign this secret agreement, but he was afraid of taking responsibility, and even more afraid of being labeled a traitor.
He knew that this agreement was completely different from the torn Sino-Japanese treaty.
This agreement is a secret agreement led by him to eliminate the Communist Party. It is just a use of Japan's anti-communist forces. It has only a negative effect on the country and the nation and has no positive meaning.
Dai Li's intention was very clear. He wanted to use all his power to eliminate the Communist Party by any means. However, using the power of the Japanese military could not be publicly acknowledged.
The military attache of the consulate, Yoshiko Kawashima and others remained silent. They did not dare to express any opinions on high-level government matters and did not care much. What they cared most about was the joint anti-communist issue between China and Japan.
"Actually, you don't need to attach too much importance to the paper treaty. We should attach more importance to actual cooperation. For example, our joint investigation of the arms case this time is a good start." Dai Li said with a smile.
"General Dai's words are also very reasonable, I agree." Kawashima Yoshiko said with a smile.
Dai Li's promotion to the rank of major general had just been approved by the Nanjing Military Commission. The ceremony had not yet been held, but Yoshiko Kawashima had already received inside information.
Dai Li was stunned for a moment, and then he also smiled, seemingly knowingly.
"That is, since Mr. Zhongshan became the interim president, our Manchurian Railway and the Black Dragon Society have maintained close contact with the Republic of China government. The two parties have not formally signed a contract. Haven't they always been cooperating quite well?" Yu Ying'er also said.
Both she and Yoshiko Kawashima could see that Dai Li was trying to avoid signing the contract, but he also wanted to have substantive cooperation with Japan. If this was the case, then there was no need to sign the paper.
Both sides are actionists, and they don't pay attention to formal things. They focus on the goals achieved by actions.
The military attache at the consulate was a little worried. He was entrusted by the military to negotiate. The military pays more attention to procedures. Only after a secret contract is signed will there be a basis for action before military orders can be issued.
The Japanese military is somewhat worried about the rise of the Chinese Communist Party. In fact, it has more profound considerations, rather than just looking at immediate interests.
This sounds a bit ridiculous. Indeed, the Japanese military is not afraid of the Republic of China government, but is afraid of the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.
They believe that once the Chinese Communist Party seizes power in China, it will inevitably affect Japan. This impact includes two aspects. On the one hand, China may launch a war on Japan's homeland. This possibility is unlikely, but it is also possible.
It deserves attention.
On the other hand, once China establishes a red regime, young people in Japan are likely to follow suit. Then the Japanese Communist Party, which has been suppressed by them with all their strength, is likely to follow the path of the Chinese Communist Party and launch an armed revolution.
If this development continues, it will be out of control. The emperor's unified state system and the military's dictatorial politics will all be in vain.
Even if the Republic of China government becomes very powerful in the future and can even crush Japan, it will not have any impact on Japan in these two aspects.