Information that Indonesia had two very large oil mines was quickly passed to the Japanese military headquarters.
After the navy learned of the news, it used it as an excuse to argue that the "southern advance" strategy should be implemented as soon as possible. The army firmly disagreed, believing that "southern advance" would provoke European and American powers, and that "northward advance" to occupy the Far East was the right way.
Because the Soviet Union was isolated and helpless internationally, countries such as Britain, the United States, and France were happy to see Japan causing trouble for the Soviet Union.
The differences between the Japanese Army and Navy have been going on for a long time, and quarrels between the Army and Navy Ministers have almost become a daily routine.
There was no result in the quarrel. In the end, the two sides decided to send people to secretly explore to determine whether the intelligence sent back by the spies was true. If Indonesia did have a super-large oil mine, they could quietly purchase the land and do some preliminary mining.
Preparation.
However, it is impossible to occupy two large oil mines by purely commercial means, because the oil fields are too large. If the Japanese go too far, they will definitely attract the attention of the Dutch colonial government, and by then the British will definitely also
Come in and get a piece of the pie.
The Japanese military sent geological exploration personnel, spent huge sums of money, and spent a year and a half to finally determine that the information was basically true. Using the traditional "volume method", they calculated that the two oil mines had reserves of hundreds of millions of tons.
It irritated the people in the military department to the point of jealousy.
What Japan lacks the most is strategic resources. The invasion of Southeast Asia and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II were all caused by resource problems. What's more, in addition to oil, Indonesia's rubber production is also terrible, ranking among the top three in the world.
The Japanese cabinet gradually learned the news and proposed that it should cooperate with the Dutch colonial government in mining. The military firmly opposed it, saying that this would only make it easier for the British and Dutch. The plan they gave was to support Indonesian independent civil organizations. If the opportunity came,
Mature, it can even help Indonesians build a nation.
This plan is really whimsical, but the people in the Japanese military have always been very imaginative. You know, the ultimate goal of their "continental policy" is to dominate the Eurasian continent.
Of course, no matter how crazy the Japanese soldiers are, there must be a limit. Before Hitler defeated Britain and France, Japan would not dare to easily get involved in Southeast Asia, otherwise it would inevitably attract siege from the whole world.
These are all things for later. After the Japanese military confirmed the oil mine information, it further confirmed the existence of "Freemasonry", and Zhou Hexuan is still an important figure of "Freemasonry" in Asia. Liao Yaquan's espionage mission was upgraded to the highest level.
No one is allowed to hinder this task, and Zhou Hexuan's life safety must also be guaranteed.
…
Just when Wanrong and Liao Yaquan were safely raising their baby, Tianjin Mayor Zhou Longguang suddenly paid a visit and came to seek help.
"Mr. Zhou, I have taken the liberty to come to visit you. Please give me my thanks!" Zhou Longguang said very politely.
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Where, where, I should have gone to visit Mayor Zhou."
Zhou Longguang ran out of words to find something to say: "Mr. Zhou's Sanletang has a profound meaning. Looking at the whole of Tianjin, only Ren Gong's Ice Drinking Room can compare with it."
"Haha, Mayor Zhou is too polite. If you have anything to say, just say it." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.
Zhou Longguang suddenly stopped smiling and said with a sad face: "Mr. Zhou, I'm telling you the truth. The position of mayor of Tianjin is really a pit of fire. My butt is almost scorched."
Zhou Hexuan asked: "Is there anything difficult?"
Zhou Longguang said: "It's not just about the increase in tram prices, it has already become a diplomatic incident. Brother, I have no choice but to ask Mr. Zhou to take action. I hope you can talk to the Consul General of Belgium in Tianjin."
"I'm not familiar with the Belgian consul, so I'm afraid I can't help." Zhou Hexuan declined politely.
Zhou Longguang said eagerly: "You can help me. Mr. Zhou is famous overseas, and consuls from various countries respect you. I hope Mr. Zhou will condescend to negotiate and communicate with the Belgian consul for the sake of the people of Tianjin."
A sarcastic smile appeared on Zhou Hexuan's face. He was indeed a future traitor. Belgium alone scared him. Zhou Hexuan said: "Belgium is a small country in Europe. As long as Mayor Zhou has a tough attitude, they will give in sooner or later.
"
"No, no," Zhou Longguang shook his head repeatedly, "Belgium is a friendly country. Now that China is in dire straits, it is better not to cause any more trouble."
Zhou Hexuan said helplessly: "Since Mayor Zhou wants to invite him, I can't refuse. I will invite the Belgian consul to dinner tomorrow. As for whether the negotiation can be concluded, I can't guarantee it, and there is no way to guarantee it."
Zhou Longguang quickly thanked him and said: "Thank you Mr. Zhou for your help!"
The two chatted a lot of nonsense again, and Zhou Longguang stood up to leave. Zhou Hexuan pretended to send the man out, looked at the other person's back and said with disdain: "What a wimp, even worse than Chu Yupu!"
Today, the KMT's organizational system fully imitates the CPSU, but it only learns some superficial skills and completely lacks the organizational power and cohesion of the CPSU.
When foreign commercial disputes are involved, the local Kuomintang party headquarters and the government often come forward at the same time. The Kuomintang claims to represent the interests of the people, but does not dare to offend foreign companies. When encountering disputes, it tries to please both sides, but the result is that neither side is pleased.
Take last year's Shanghai Sanyou Industrial Co., Ltd. labor dispute as an example. The dignified Shanghai Municipal Government and the Shanghai Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang were unable to resolve ordinary labor disputes. In the end, they had to bring in Du Yuesheng to settle the matter.
Therefore, some researchers call the Kuomintang a "weak authoritarian party" because it has the heart to be authoritarian but does not have the power to authorize.
The Tianjin tram price increase controversy has been going on for almost two months. It evolved from an ordinary price increase incident by a foreign company into a diplomatic incident that alarmed the Hebei Provincial Government, Tianjin Municipal Government and the Belgian Consul General in Tianjin.
The reason was that the Japanese launched riots in Tianjin last year, which made people in Tianjin panic, and there were signs of the decline of various industries. Due to the decrease in business and the suspension of trams during the riots, the Tianjin Tram Lighting Company wanted to increase prices to make up for the company's losses.
This aroused dissatisfaction among the citizens, and then various trade unions and general chambers of commerce in Tianjin also became involved. The Tianjin Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang took the opportunity to intervene, hoping to expand its influence in Tianjin's political and business circles by resolving disputes. As a result, things became increasingly complicated.
big.
There is absolutely no problem with the position of the Tianjin Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang. They are on the side of the people, but the specific approach is not considered. When ordering the tram company to restore the original price failed, the Tianjin Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang actually organized pickets.
The team promoted the so-called "patriotic spirit" everywhere and called on the public at every tram station to buy tickets at full price. Some radicals even called for free rides if they did not buy tickets.
Many citizens in Tianjin responded to the patriotic call because the Tianjin Tramway and Lighting Company was not popular among the people. This Belgian company not only monopolized the electric lighting and tram business in Tianjin, but was also the largest copper dollar exchanger in Tianjin and required the use of copper plates when traveling on trains.
Because there were too many copper coins, the Tianjin Electric Light and Tramway Company secretly sold Chinese copper coins to the Japanese and shipped them to Japan to be melted and cast into copper blocks, which were used to make guns and other military products. After this incident was exposed, it aroused strong opposition from Tianjin citizens.
Therefore, some people have been boycotting Tianjin trams.
Moreover, the copper dollar is China's legal tender. What the Tianjin Electric Light and Tramway Company did is already a criminal act that disrupts China's financial currency. In a normal country, it would be enough to bankrupt this company directly, but who makes the Chinese government incompetent?
The matter has come to nothing.
Although Belgium is a small country, its influence in North China is very large.
The major shareholder of the Tianjin Tramway and Lighting Company is the General Motors Consortium of Belgium, which not only monopolizes the electric light and tram market in Tianjin, but also enjoys the construction rights of the Longhai Railway and the Beijing-Hankow Railway, the mining rights of the Kaiping Coal Mine, and shares in some other mines in North China.
The Tianjin Tramway and Lighting Company's price increase this time is unreasonable. The company's profits have been rising year after year. Now its annual gross profit has reached 4 million yuan. There is no need to increase the price. It is just an opportunity to increase profits.
Facing the picket team of the Tianjin Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang, the tram company actually provoked the tram workers, using the increase in wages as a temptation, inciting the tram workers to fight head-on with the party picket team, which has resulted in two bloody conflicts. One of them even happened before the Kuomintang Party.
In the courtyard of the Tianjin Party Headquarters, tram workers rushed in and beat up the pickets, but later accused the pickets of attacking first.
At the same time, the Belgian Consulate in Zimbabwe also began to intervene, and incidentally involved the Hebei Provincial Government.
The two sides have been negotiating for more than a month, but no results have been produced at all. Seeing that the government is powerless, Chinese non-governmental organizations have no choice but to continue to rely on their own strength to fight. Now the matter is getting worse and worse. All walks of life in Tianjin are involved, and even Tianjin's education circles have jointly signed a public statement.
Support people’s resistance.
As mayor, Zhou Longguang has a lot of headaches. The Belgian Consulate is giving him trouble, the tram company is giving him trouble, the Tianjin Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang is giving him trouble, and even the Hebei Provincial Government is giving him trouble.
Many political and business people in Tianjin have begun to miss Zhang Xueming. Because Zhang Xueming was very tough when he was mayor and did a good job in all aspects of work, people from all walks of life in Tianjin were obedient.
Things developed last week when the Tianjin General Chamber of Commerce publicly sent a letter to Zhang Xueliang, hoping to welcome Zhang Xueming back as mayor of Tianjin and asking Zhou Longguang, a loser, to get out.
As Zhou Hexuan said, Zhou Longguang was not even as good as Chu Yupu. When Chu Yupu was in charge of Tianjin, he fought hard against the tram company. Although he was not completely successful due to diplomatic pressure, he also convinced the Belgian electric lighting company.
The dignified mayor of Tianjin can't even solve the minor issue of price increases for foreign-funded companies, so what's the use of keeping him?
Zhou Longguang is probably imitating the mayor of Shanghai. Shanghai asked Du Yuesheng to come forward to solve the problem, so he came to find Zhou Hexuan to come forward to solve the problem. Because Zhou Hexuan is very popular among foreigners, and he is also familiar with the Tianjin education sector and the General Chamber of Commerce, and even has
Factors related to Zhang Xueliang (officials in important departments in Tianjin are all Zhang Xueliang's people). Coupled with Zhou Hexuan's civil influence, it should be possible to coordinate conflicts in all aspects.
