Chapter 762: Choice (6)

With a "pop" sound, after listening to the Soviet ambassador's strong protest and accusation, Foreign Minister Gu Zhengzhi angrily stood up and shouted: "This is unreasonable. These soldiers are lawless. It is really outrageous. Ambassador, please don't worry, please allow me." The situation will be investigated and resolved immediately, and the Soviet-Japanese friendship will never be allowed to be destroyed.”

"When will you be able to solve it?"

"It takes time to verify the situation and personnel. How about giving me 12 hours?"

At this time, the Soviet ambassador did not know that the Japanese had launched an attack and that the escorting destroyer had not only been sunk, but also the ships had become prisoners. He had received an urgent telegram from Moscow, informing him that the supply fleet had been attacked by the Japanese navy. interception and hope to resolve it through diplomatic channels as soon as possible.

"Then please excuse me, Minister."

As soon as the Soviets left, Gu Zhengzhi scolded: "Nonsense! Does the navy still have the concept of national diplomacy? Can Soviet ships be stopped at will?" He immediately prepared to call the military command department in an aggressive manner. His confidants were quick and quickly pressed the button Stopped his hand.

"What's going on?"

"Don't call His Highness, you have to call General Horikichi first." A confidant leaned into his ear, "Don't you think the whole thing is weird? Now that General Horikichi and His Highness are goring a cow, maybe this The thing is that he deliberately released it to embarrass His Highness, and you rashly intervened..."

Gu Zhengzhi was dumbfounded. Despite the stern tone of what he just said, in fact, he was really lacking in confidence. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has never been able to truly lead the direction of Japan's foreign policy. Although the Foreign Minister is one of the five prime ministers, he is actually a doormat of the Military Ministry. Often, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs As soon as the province made a sound, the military headquarters destroyed it. There is a saying that sums it up well: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is just a pair of gloves. The military department wears them when necessary. When the military department rolls up its sleeves and does its own work, the gloves of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been thrown away long ago.

Now the gods are fighting and the little devils are suffering. He has seen the majesty of General Horikichi on the dock. Even the head of the royal family was made disgraced. Not to mention himself, after thinking about it, he did not dare to ask Horikichi directly. Instead, he called the phone When I arrived at the Navy Ministry - I didn't dare to find Yamamoto Isoroku yet, I only dared to find Inoue Narumi first.

"What?" Inoue Narumi was also stunned, and said quickly, "Don't be anxious, don't make any noise, and try to delay the Soviets as much as possible. I'll go and ask about the situation."

Just as Gu Zhengzhi put down the microphone, the Soviet ambassador rushed in angrily: "I just received a telegram that your country's bombers sank our destroyer and forcibly hijacked our fleet. Do you want to declare war? If you cannot punish the person involved and give us a reasonable answer within 6 hours of explanation, we will declare a state of war between Japan and the Soviet Union.”

Gu Zhengzhi nodded hurriedly and said, "Okay, okay."

After hearing the news that the fleet had been captured and was escorting the fleet to Kanto Prefecture, the amount of supplies was not the 200,000 tons originally expected, but might reach 250,000-280,000 tons. Umezu Yoshijiro was very satisfied and sent a message to Xinjing The secret message: "Mobilize the entire army and strengthen first-level combat readiness. If the Soviet Red Army opens fire first, we will resolutely repel it!" while quickly returning by plane.

Shoji Nishimura and Kakuharu Tsunoda, who were dealing with the situation on the spot, felt that half of the amount given to the Army as agreed was too much, and decided to withhold more. Fortunately, the Kwantung Army was originally promised 200,000 tons, but now there are an additional 50,000 to 80,000 tons. Umezu Yoshijiro also He didn't take it seriously, but thought that the navy was interesting enough, and this favor was "decided". Of course, Umezu Yoshijiro is not a young officer who gets confused when his head is hot. He has thought carefully about the whole matter, and finally believes that he has no intention of "moving north" at present. The Soviet Union is facing huge pressure from the German army and does not dare to rashly attack it. If the war begins in Japan, as long as it can withstand the military and diplomatic pressure ahead, these more than 200,000 tons of supplies plus the German bounty will be in the Kwantung Army's pocket.

If you can't bear this kind of pressure, why do you want to be an army general and the commander of the Kwantung Army?

The anxious Tani Masayuki called Inoue Narumi again. Hearing that he had not only sunk the Soviet warship, but also captured the opponent's fleet, the latter was also furious. First, they went to the Northern Fleet to verify the situation, but they said they had not received relevant instructions and were still patrolling normally. Then they went to the Military Command Department in a roundabout way. As a result, the staff officer on duty said that except for the Second Air Force, which was undergoing training, there were no abnormalities in the movement of other warships.

Inoue Narumi keenly sensed that there was something wrong, and sent the telegram directly to Kakuji Tsunoda for inquiry. As a result, the other party ignored it at all, even after sending it three times in a row.

"It's broken!" He could only go to Yamamoto Isoroku to report the situation, and deduced, "It was probably done by Tsunoda and Nishimura."

"Are they two so bold?" Yamamoto Isoroku didn't believe it, "It's not like I haven't taken them with me before."

"Sir!" Inoue Narumi stamped her foot angrily, "Why are you still looking at people with the same old eyes? Don't you look at who is leading them now? Don't look at their arrogance now!"

"Oh, that's right..." Yamamoto Isoroku's face changed slightly, "Get the car ready, I'll go find Horikichi."

"Hurry up and call."

"Can we explain clearly over the phone?" Yamamoto smiled bitterly, "Since he arranged such a big thing and even kept it from you and me, do you expect to tell you with just a phone call? I know the temper of an old classmate very well. I won't go there in person. It’s hard to explain.”

"Then I'll go with you."

"Come on, come on, Yamamoto-kun and Inoue-kun, you two are here just in time." Horikichi greeted the two with a smile, and said while greeting them, "Mr. Cole is here too."

"Kole?" Originally, when Inoue Narumi said this, Yamamoto Isoroku believed it halfway. When he saw Hori Teikichi's attentive reception, he believed it eight points. When he saw that Kole was also present, he was completely convinced by who had instructed the whole thing.

"In order to enhance the relationship between the allies and strengthen your country's strength, with the consent of the head of state, we have decided to present 200 Type 4 tanks, 200 Hunter tank destroyers, 100 Fw-190\Bf-109\Bf-219 fighters and Ju-52 transport aircraft to your Kwantung Army and Indian Expeditionary Army; in addition, we will present a batch of Zero Warfare modified engines to your navy and write off 100 million marks of credit purchases." Kole said while pushing the official document over, "I have been authorized before leaving. Please sign this treaty and it will be established."

When he saw this, Inoue Narumi, who was originally angry and wanted to question, was suddenly speechless. He was not a fool. Why did the Germans send things for no reason? It must be for the US aid. As early as after Germany sent submarines and relevant officers to Japan, it had proposed more than once to cut off the material transportation line. The Japanese cabinet discussed it several times, but each time it was inconclusive. Now Cole simply did not go to the government, but directly picked Hori Teikichi to mobilize. Inoue Narumi could not say a word: let alone the pile of materials on the ship, even the pile of rewards offered by the German side was enough to tempt the military.

Yamamoto Isoroku sighed: "If your country does this, it may not end well in the future."

"End?" Cole smiled, "What's wrong with giving things? Japan and Germany are steel allies, and their friendship is cemented by blood and unbreakable. Our army is still fighting bloody battles with the British and American troops on the Indian Peninsula. Is it for Germany to seize colonies for itself?"

"I can't argue with you, really, but I have other things to discuss with Hori-kun."

"Then I'll leave first." Cole is a smart man. After achieving his goal, he left neatly.

"The Führer plays a good chess game..." Looking at Cole's receding figure, Yamamoto Isoroku narrowed his eyes and said to Hori Teikichi, "Now even I suspect that you really accepted political donations from the Germans."

"Really...hahahaha." Hori Teikichi laughed, "Very good, very good..."

He didn't know how to continue the next words, the scene was awkward, Matsuda Chiaki came to report the news: "Sir, the fleet has completed the mission. The American ships pretended to be Soviet ships to perform missions and escort ships with bad intentions. They have all been sunk by our army! We filmed the whole process, caught the people and the evidence, and the evidence is conclusive. What should I do next?"

"Execute according to the original plan, keep it confidential, and continue to maintain radio silence."

Inoue Narumi was dumbfounded. He only now realized the extent to which Hori Teikichi controlled the fleet - he could report when he wanted to, and "silence" when he wanted to. No wonder he often treated the orders of the General Staff as farts in Europe. Strangely enough, the arrogant soldiers of the Combined Fleet usually acted arrogantly, acting like they were the third in command, and would not listen to anyone else. But when they saw Hori Teikichi, they were respectful and submissive, saying "Master, Master, Master, Master said, Master instructed..." without even mentioning his name. As long as they said "Master's order", no matter what they were doing, they would immediately stand up straight and listen attentively like a conditioned reflex. Without Hori Teikichi's approval, the orders of the Military Affairs Department could not be issued.

"I know you feel wronged, but now you are at this level, you can't do things as you please. There is always the dignity of His Majesty, the dignity of the country, and the unity of the navy, right?" Yamamoto Isoroku advised, "Reputation before and after death is equally important..."

"I've learned your lesson, but time is running out..."

"We have to reply to the Soviet side tonight. His Highness will probably be furious when he knows the news... You should go out and don't do it again." Yamamoto Isoroku left with these words.

"Okay, I'll be there." Hori Teikichi sent the two to the door and bowed politely to Yamamoto Isoroku, "I'm sorry to trouble you."

Yamamoto Isoroku sighed and took Inoue Narumi away.

"Sir..." As soon as the car left, Inoue Narumi asked anxiously, "How can this not be done again? Did they just rob and then rob without saying a word? Are the Soviets so easy to talk to?"

"Commander Umezu of the Kwantung Army asked me to drink yesterday..." Yamamoto suddenly said something out of the blue.