Chapter 944 943 [Disturbing the World]
Guo Taiqi and Wang Rizhang were also confused, with black question marks on their faces. They also received a telegram from home, which read: "Try to maintain friendly relations with the British government."
What does this mean?
"Sir, is President Jiang really going to surrender?" Ma Jue asked in disbelief.
Guo Taiqi said: "Yes, do you really want to surrender?"
Wang Rizhang also asked: "Does this telegram from the headquarters allow us to paralyze the British government so that we can cooperate with Japan in attacking the Far East colonies?"
Zhou Hexuan put on a show, and said with a gloomy face: "It may be that the British closed the Burma Highway, which caused the domestic peace faction to collectively fry, and President Chiang was forced to start negotiations with Japan. As you also know, the national government's finances have collapsed, and now it has With the communication lines closed by the British, the future war of resistance will be even more difficult."
"What should we do?" Guo Taiqi was so anxious that he almost cried.
Wang Rizhang also ignored that Chiang Kai-shek was his distant cousin and said angrily: "If the President behaves like this, he will definitely become a national sinner. You are so confused!"
Suddenly, the embassy staff came to report: "The British Prime Minister has sent someone!"
The visitor was the confidant of the British Foreign Minister, Churchill's chief assistant, and senior diplomat Judgan. He rushed in with a whirlwind and asked in an ungentlemanly manner: "Gentlemen, is your leader crazy?"
Zhou Hexuan replied: "I think so."
Jia Degan was choked by these words, and calmly said: "Gentlemen, I need an explanation."
Zhou Hexuan frowned and said: "Whether China will surrender to Japan or not is China's internal issue. Why does Britain have to ask us to explain? France surrendered faster. Why don't you go to the French government to ask for an explanation?"
"I..." Judegan was completely speechless.
Guo Taiqi said anxiously: "Mr. Cadogan, China has not officially announced its surrender, and there is still room for maneuver. Now, we need to talk to Prime Minister Churchill in person, and China needs the support of the United Kingdom."
Wang Rizhang said: "Yes, please ask Mr. Churchill to personally call China's leaders. What we people say is useless."
Zhou Hexuan said: "In fact, we all agree with China's surrender, but we have no decision-making power."
Jadegan lost his temper completely and said, "Come with me, the Prime Minister wants to see you."
The car drove quickly towards Downing Street. Except for Zhou Hexuan, everyone else was in a very low mood.
Churchill paced his office. The news that China was preparing to surrender and join the German camp was more difficult for him to accept than the Italian invasion of North Africa. If this comes true, Australia and Southeast Asia will be completely ruined. Japan will surely invade India with overwhelming force, and Britain, having lost India, will become a lame lion.
"Sir, the Chinese are here." Jia Deqian knocked on the door.
Churchill lit a cigar to calm down, sat down and said: "Invite them in!"
As soon as the door opened, Guo Taiqi said anxiously: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please unite with the US government to provide China with substantial help, and we must prevent China from surrendering to Japan!"
"Who can tell me why China suddenly surrendered?" Churchill's anger could not be suppressed.
Zhou Hexuan asked Churchill for a cigar: "Man, please don't get excited. Let me analyze the situation."
Churchill said: "You tell me."
Zhou Hexuan said: "From ten years ago to now, China's military and political circles have always been inclined to seek peace with Japan. Wang Zhaoming, do you know? His contact person for defecting to the enemy was named Gao Zongwu, and Gao Zongwu had served Chang Kai as early as three years ago. Shen’s order guides China’s sovereignty and public opinion. It’s just that Japan’s peace negotiation conditions are too harsh for Chang Kaishen to accept. Now the entire Chinese government, from politicians to warlords, is actually leaning towards peaceful negotiations.”
"It's not like anything I know," Churchill said.
"Of course, diplomatic propaganda is different from the actual situation," Zhou Hexuan continued. "China's finances have collapsed. In the three years since the war began, prices have soared more than 200 times. Even officers at the level of major are struggling to survive. Chinese university professors, every The monthly salary is only enough to buy ink, and ordinary civilians are starving everywhere. China has been unwilling to surrender for two reasons. One is that Japan’s conditions are too harsh, and the other is that it hopes for support from Britain and the United States. However, the United States is still Watching from the sidelines, Britain has suffered another defeat and has to close China's transportation lines. How can China resist Japan? China's only choice is to surrender to Japan and become a vassal of Japan, and the Chinese army becomes Japan's servant army. Mr. Churchill, I can very well To be sure, Britain will suffer consequences if it betrays its friends. Just like you betrayed the Czech Republic, Poland, and France!"
Churchill argued: "Britain did not betray France!"
Zhou Hexuan said: "You know very well in your heart that I don't want to talk nonsense anymore."
Churchill had already sent a telegram to Chang Kaishen in his private capacity. Chang Kaishen's reply was to deny surrender, allowing Britain to feel at ease against Germany. China would resist to the end even if there was no Burma Road.
But the more this happened, the more suspicious Churchill became. He even thought that Chiang Kai-shek was deliberately paralyzing him.
Zhou Hexuan added: "Please rest assured, even if the Chinese government surrenders, the Chinese people will not surrender. France has a De Gaulle, and China will have countless De Gaulles. We will form a government in exile, and we will also fight guerrillas against the Japanese army on Chinese territory." !”
These words made Churchill even more worried. He didn't care whether China had De Gaulle or not. He just wanted to delay the war with Japan.
Guo Taiqi interjected: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please send a delegation to visit China immediately. I believe that the situation will be reversed!"
"I will." Churchill took a deep breath from his cigar.
After talking for a while, Zhou Hexuan and others were sent away, and everyone returned to the embassy dejectedly.
Churchill convened an emergency meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appointed Jadegan as the special envoy to visit China, and transferred several financial and military personnel to accompany him. Although Britain was financially strapped, it was still willing to provide loans to China and send military officers to China as military advisors to persuade China to give up its surrender to Japan.
The United States was even more anxious and directly sent a deputy secretary of state to visit China. Roosevelt was also working hard to persuade Congress to join the war.
China's move to flip the table completely shocked the United Kingdom and the United States. They felt that the game had collapsed. The UK in the middle lane gave up the first and second towers, and China in the bottom lane was directly pushed to the high ground. However, the United States in the top lane was still in the process of farming and developing.
How to play this?
Take the lead!
Japan was also shocked and inexplicable by this. The military thought it was false news, but soon learned from the Super High School that there had indeed been preliminary contact. As a result, another dispute arose within Japan. One faction clamored not to accept surrender and wanted to conquer China with absolute force, while the other faction was happily preparing to move the main battlefield. Conflicts arose again over whether to go north or south, with some calling for penetrating India and entering Eastern Europe.
Hitler personally met with Tao Xisheng and said with confidence that as long as China is willing to surrender, Germany will definitely promote good things and try to give China enough freedom and sovereignty. He hoped that China would cooperate with Japan and attack the British colonies and the Soviet Far East respectively.
On the Soviet side, Stalin issued a stern message to question Chang Kaishen. While telling the diplomats to stay calm, he planned to increase troops for defense in the Far East.
Zhou Hexuan's bad idea for Chiang Kai-shek confused all the great powers.
Several years later, as more and more information became public, and various celebrities' memoirs and diaries were exposed, the inside story of how Zhou Hexuan engineered Chiang Kai-shek's fake surrender and lured the Germans into air raids on London came to light. He was called a "World War II conspirator" by Western historians, and was nicknamed "Jia Xu of the Republic of China" by Chinese netizens. The Japanese media gave him the unparalleled nickname of "Wu Lei's Dark Counselor."