The most enthusiastic person for the Eastern Conference was Japan's Emperor Hirohito. After Japan's defeat at the hands of China, Japan's wealth accumulated since the Meiji Restoration was almost exhausted. What was even worse was the large number of deaths among the navy, land and air forces. You must know that to support a
The main force of an army is the middle and lower-level officers. As long as there is a team of high-quality officers, ordinary soldiers can replenish them at any time, and combat effectiveness will be formed quickly. However, without these low-level officers, it will become very troublesome.
The most fortunate thing for Japan at present is that China has not carried out large-scale destruction of Japan. The professional technicians cultivated by Japan during the Meiji Restoration are still there. The foundation of Japan's industry now is investment and resources. With investment, everything will be available for Japan.
The military-industrial system is still relatively complete and can be restored within a day.
However, the morale of Japan has been seriously affected, and it will not be a matter of time to recover, especially for the small people of this island country. In the past, when they gained power, they could be so arrogant and arrogant.
He wants to rule all nations and peoples, but once he fails, he reduces himself to nothing.
Throughout Japan's history, Japan has been either overly arrogant or extremely inferior. There has been almost no time for peace of mind. Since being defeated by China, Japan's people's morale has been severely hit. Many Japanese have even given up on themselves, thinking that
There will never be a chance of becoming stronger again.
This kind of thinking is absolutely detrimental to Japan's comeback. Hirohito urgently needs to prove to Yaoxia that Japan is still a powerful country and there is hope. The Eastern Conference gave him such an opportunity. In order to show its importance to the conference, Japan sent
Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi personally led the team, and a thousand civil and military officials came to Pyongyang to actively exchange views with representatives from all parties and try their best to show the existence of Japan.
At the same time, Japan announced the establishment of a new country in southern North Korea, named the Korean Federation. The president is Rhee Syngman, who was replaced by Kim Jiu. On the one hand, Japan's arrangement is to fulfill its commitments in the Beijing peace talks and allow southern Korea to establish a nation.
, in addition, it also forms an isolation zone from China. Facing the behemoth China, Japan's pressure is too great.
In addition, Japan also has its own small ideas. Kim Jiu and Rhee Syngman are rivals, and they rule North and South Korea respectively. They can avoid the unification of Korea, which will be of no harm to Japan.
Compared with Japan's fanfare, China seems to be too low-key. The Chinese official did not send official representatives to participate directly, but sent a Chinese delegation led by Tang Shaoyi. Tang Shaoyi's identity is very special. He is from the Republic of China.
The first prime minister and the father-in-law of Foreign Minister Gu Weijun, he has been serving as a foreign affairs adviser after Qiao Yu came to power.
There is no formal establishment for the position of consultant, just like Yang Du is also Qiao Yu's political advisor. They are said to be officials, but there is no formal establishment. Even if they are not officials, they can talk to the top management, even better than ordinary people.
The ministers and senior officials have the final say.
This semi-official and semi-civilian status gives China a great degree of freedom, and the signals it releases are also very subtle. The United Kingdom also knows very well that the purpose of this meeting depends entirely on how it is interpreted. If it can make concessions to China,
It is very likely that it was held in an informal way, where everyone ate, drank, had fun, chatted, communicated and expressed feelings, and finally reached some innocuous declarations, and then went to bed, which was of no use.
If Britain does not give in, China is likely to turn this conference into a martial arts alliance conference against Britain, and then jointly denounce Britain's evil colonialism. Then China will provide money, arms, and intelligence to those anti-British organizations.
In short, the British colonies were turned into a mess.
After seeing through this, Britain is also constantly making calculations. After World War I, Britain really doesn't want to fight anymore, especially now that the British aircraft carrier fleet has not yet been built, and there is no naval aviation to help. Even if all the British battleships are arranged in the Far East, most of them will
It will also share the same fate as Japan's United Fleet. Britain will never fight such a war with no chance of winning.
Since the fight cannot be fought, China has now released a signal of reconciliation. Otherwise, the people attending the Eastern Conference would not be Tang Shaoyi, but Prime Minister Wang Yongjiang and Foreign Minister Gu Weijun. Therefore, the United Kingdom also understands and wants to
China showed goodwill and stated that it would re-examine the Changyao incident and at the same time increase compensation for the dead and injured.
These are just trivial matters. What really matters is the issue of Hong Kong's ownership. British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain once again secretly traveled to the Far East and arranged a secret meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Gu Weijun in Singapore.
The two people have met several times, including talks in Beijing and the Geneva Conference. Both sides have dealt with each other. Chamberlain is a veteran British diplomat. He is shrewd and cunning, but also a bit narcissistic and looks down on others. However, he is very fond of others.
Gu Weijun is still quite afraid. This Chinese Foreign Minister is known for his toughness on the world stage, especially with a country like China whose strength is rapidly increasing standing behind him. He dare not despise him!
In fact, when measuring the strength of a country, we can't just look at some paper data, but also look at the situation of the country. Generally speaking, new and energetic countries can often defeat countries with heavy stagnation. For example, Britain easily defeated the Opium War.
Overthrowing the decadent Manchu Qing Dynasty, Japan defeated the decadent Tsarist Russia in the Japanese-Russian War.
Nowadays, judging from economic data, the UK is much stronger than China. Especially as an old power, the UK's accumulation is still very rich. In addition, it has a much greater impact on European and American countries than China. Once a war breaks out, the UK can
Get more international support.
However, even with these advantages, Britain does not dare to fight China, because the weakening Britain has too many things to take care of, and there are too many overt and covert attacks in important places. The people in the country cannot be as helpless as they were when the road was looming.
Complaints and hard work.
On the other hand, China is in a period of rising. The top and bottom are united, Qiao Yu has gathered great power, the people are willing to sacrifice, and the whole country is united in one heart and one mind. This momentum alone is very comprehensive.
After Gu Weijun met with Chamberlain, he went straight to the point and expressed China's attitude. The British Hong Kong authorities blatantly massacred unarmed people, which showed that Britain was no longer suitable to rule the land of Hong Kong. In order to avoid possible greater tragedies, the Chinese government demanded that the British immediately
Return the sovereignty of Hong Kong to China and permanently withdraw from Hong Kong's land, so that the two countries can maintain a friendly situation.
Chamberlain insisted that the Chang Yao incident was just an accident. Britain's acquisition of the rule of Hong Kong was not an illegal plunder, but a series of contracts. The Chinese government must respect the various contracts previously reached by the British and respect international law.
, the problem cannot be solved with fists alone.
Gu Weijun responded tit-for-tat by emphasizing that the treaties signed by Britain and the Manchus were all unequal treaties. The Chinese government would never admit it. Britain's plundering behavior was a stain on the spirit of international law.
Chamberlain had received instructions at home and could retreat appropriately when necessary, but Britain's bottom line was to maintain a foothold, so Chamberlain changed his tone in the negotiations.
Hong Kong is divided into three parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. They were captured by the British through three unequal treaties. Among them, Kowloon and the New Territories were concessions for a period of ninety-nine years, while Hong Kong Island was permanently ceded. Therefore
Britain only promised to hand over Kowloon and the New Territories to China, while Hong Kong Island would always belong to Britain.
China will never admit such a shameless proposal. Gu Weijun immediately emphasized that Hong Kong is a complete region and is China's territory. Leasing is wrong, and forcibly seizing it is even more wrong. China's position is very clear, that is, sovereignty
Issues are non-negotiable and no bargaining is allowed, return it immediately or suffer the consequences.
There is no doubt that China's stance was a last resort. Chamberlain thought that giving up the New Territories and Kowloon would satisfy China's appetite and give Britain a temporary respite. However, they obviously underestimated China's
Determination, but the current situation is not something Chamberlain can decide. The decision must be made jointly by the British Parliament and the government. China values territory, and the British Empire values territory even more. If the UK chooses to retreat in front of China, it will inevitably cause a chain of consequences.
reaction.
Therefore, Chamberlain proposed that China and Britain hold negotiations again in three months. After Qiao Yu, who was in Beijing, received Gu Weijun's report, he also knew not to push too hard. If the British Empire really felt that it was disgraced, John Bull would definitely win.
The bullish temper will arise, which may not be a good thing for China at that time. Therefore, China promised to hold negotiations three months later. However, China's bottom line is that Hong Kong's territorial sovereignty must be completely handed over to China, leaving no room for bargaining.
After the secret negotiations between China and Britain, the Eastern Conference also ended in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. All parties participating in the meeting jointly adopted a peace declaration. In the declaration, it was emphasized that all Asian countries and ethnic organizations unanimously supported peaceful means.
Obtain the sovereignty of Asia, oppose colonial oppression, and oppose hegemonism; countries and regions must strengthen friendly exchanges, especially economic assistance, and exchange what they need: respect cultural diversity and revitalize Asian culture; at the same time, China and Japan should take the lead
, establish the Asia Liberation Foundation to reward scholars from all walks of life who have contributed to the development of Asia!
Everything else is fictitious, only this foundation is substantive. This is the prelude for China and Japan to provide money to support armed struggles in various places, but the name is more pleasant, and it is also covered with a layer of peace.
However, except for the strange nation of India, I am afraid that no one can believe that they can seize the country through peaceful means.
However, after all, this is just an informal declaration, and there is still room for maneuver. Britain, France and other countries also breathed a sigh of relief, but they also know that this does not mean the lifting of the alarm, but that the issue is temporarily frozen.
The anti-colonial movement in Asia will never disappear, and will only intensify under the joint instigation of China and Japan!
Britain has also contacted France, the United States and the Netherlands, which have colonies in Asia, hoping to form an alliance of colonists to fight against China and Japan. It seems that Britain has realized that it cannot defeat China alone.
However, the crisis in the south has just shown signs of easing, and a new situation has emerged in Russia. Trotsky, who failed in the confrontation with Stalin, successfully escaped from Moscow and fled to Chita. Trotsky had a powerful position in the Far Eastern Republic.
Of course, Trotsky did not expect the Far Eastern Republic's army to defeat Stalin. He still had huge influence in Russia. As long as he could have one
Once you have a foothold, you can divide and dismantle Stalin's power!