"More than anything, it's not going well." Steve said angrily, "This guy Xu Rui is simply incompetent!"
Jonathan immediately said: "If it doesn't work, we can only put pressure on the National Government."
"Are you stupid?" Steve said angrily, "Xu Rui is from the Communist Party. Do you think he cares about the pressure from the National Government?"
It is an open secret that Xu Bu is the commander of the patrol battalion.
The news was leaked by the Japanese, and its purpose was simply to sow discord between the Concession Industry Bureau and the patrol camp.
"Communists?" Ferguson immediately suggested, "Why not try to get the Soviet government to put pressure on them?"
"It's useless." Steve exhaled a thick breath and said with a snort, "The Soviet minister in Shanghai had already sent a note to Yan'an, but Yan'an replied that the patrol battalion is the armed force of our concession's Ministry of Industry Bureau, and they
It doesn’t matter, they also said that Xu Rui was not transferred to the Songhu area at all, and they don’t admit it, so what can you do?”
Ferguson was furious when he heard this: "Isn't this lying with your eyes open?"
"No, they are just telling lies, so what can you do?" Steve said, "You can't deploy troops, you can't use force to suppress them, everything they say is false."
At this time, Steve no longer longed for his grandfather's era.
When Steve was very young, his grandfather often held him and sat on his knees, telling him about his glorious military exploits. His grandfather once told him that as long as the British Empire built a gate along the coast of China,
With cannons, the Chinese emperor could be forced to cede territory and pay indemnities for peace, and every British soldier participating in the battle could gain infinite wealth.
Johnson said: "Your Excellency, Baron, can this matter be settled like this? Are the patrol battalions allowed to implement military control over the concession, and are they allowed to turn the central and western areas of the concession into anti-Japanese battlefields? Is the British Empire going to abandon the concession?
Benefits? This is a tax income of more than 50 million pounds a year!"
Steve sighed and said, "I'm afraid this is the only way."
After a pause, Steve continued: "You were not here just now, and you didn't see Xu Rui's fierce eyes. This guy is really anxious, and he really wants to fight the Japanese. If anyone blocks him, he will
Who are you worried about? You don’t want to stay in the dungeon of the patrol camp for a while, do you?”
Ferguson and the other three immediately fell silent upon hearing this.
To put it bluntly, the strength of the patrol battalion far exceeds the British military presence in Shanghai.
Ferguson sighed: "The patrol battalion is already full of wings. If there is a fierce battle with the Japanese army in Shanghai, the battlefield may not be limited to the Chinese areas. The Central Area of the Concession, the Western Area of the Concession and even the French Concession may become battlefields repeatedly fought over by both sides.
, I’m afraid what Western countries can do is very limited.”
Jonathan said: "What I am most worried about is that after the patrol camp is wiped out, the Japanese army will stay in the concession. Isn't this how the northern and eastern areas of the concession were occupied by the Japanese? If there are still areas in the central and western areas of the concession,
If the French Concession also falls into the hands of the Japanese, then Shanghai, an international metropolis, will become a forbidden area for the Japanese."
There were originally four districts in the Shanghai Public Concession. In the first stage of the Songhu Battle, the North District and the East District of the Concession became battlefields. In the end, the National Army was defeated, and the Japanese army took control of the North and East Districts of the Concession. Now, it is their turn again
The Central and Western Districts of the concession have become battlefields, and the entire public concession will fall?
Steve snorted softly and gritted his teeth and said: "First, in the name of the Concession Industry Bureau, make a statement that the two sides will never be allowed to fight in the Central and Western Districts of the Concession, otherwise it will be a formal declaration of war on the British Empire! Then, I will immediately report it to the Cabinet
Submit a petition and request the cabinet to issue a formal proclamation warning the Chinese and Japanese governments not to exceed this red line."
"Is it useful?" Ferguson shrugged and said, "At least Xu Rui won't care about our warning."
Jonathan also agreed: "Three months ago, we personally released the devil Xu Rui from King Solomon's bottle. Now it is difficult to lock him in again."
"You have to try it to know whether it works or not." Steve said, "Do you have a better way?"
The two Fergusons shrugged their shoulders and immediately shut their mouths. Of course, they couldn't have a better way.
At this time, Jenna suddenly walked in and reported: "Mr. General Director, there is a Miss Helena who claims to be the Associated Press war correspondent in China. She wants to do an exclusive interview with you. Can she come in?"
"Associated Press?" Jonathan frowned and said, "Just say I'm not here..."
"Wait a minute." As soon as Jonathan finished speaking, Steve waved his hand and said, "If the Associated Press can also speak out, it will be a greater shock to the Japanese government. After all, Japan still has to import steel and wheat from the United States.
For bulk commodities such as crude oil, if the Japanese don’t sell our face, they should sell America’s face.”
Jonathan nodded and said, "Okay, let her come in."
(Dividing line)
At the same time, Nakamura Agency.
Kage Sasaki is also accepting a special interview with Asahi Shimbun.
Jinjiro is the chief reporter of the Asahi Shimbun press team stationed in China. He is regarded as a well-known figure in the entire Japanese journalistic circle. The two little devils Toshiaki Mukai and Takeshi Noda participated in the 100-man killing competition through him.
It made the front page of Asahi Shimbun and caused great repercussions in Japan.
"Your Excellency, Colonel, I just heard a shocking news." Jinjiro opened his notebook on his knees, prepared to record it, and said, "The patrol camp carried out an investigation on the central and western districts of the public concession.
Military control, is this true? If this is true, what impact will it have on the imperial army’s control of Shanghai?”
"That's a very good question you asked." Yingzuo Zhenzhao answered with his hands on his knees and a stiff expression, "The imperial army will never sit back and watch the patrol camp's barbaric behavior that blatantly tramples on international law and blatantly ignores international diplomatic conventions.
If necessary, the Imperial Army will take resolute and just actions to maintain the sanctity and solemnity of international law and not violate it."
Jinjiro looked stern when he heard this, knowing that Kage Sasaki was building momentum for the Japanese army to enter the concession.
As a reporter from the Asahi Shimbun, Gejiro certainly knew that the Seventh Division and the Twentieth Division were urgently gathering and would arrive in Shanghai within half a month at the latest. However, the public concession and the French Concession were always a problem. If the Japanese army
Without being able to enter the public concession or the French Concession, Xu Rui's patrol camp cannot be fundamentally wiped out.