Glorious Mission 1937

In fact, Minai Mitsumasa and others have deeper concerns about opposing the expansion of the war. Although Seishiro Itagaki's plan to strengthen ties with Germany and Italy and even establish a military alliance has not been approved for the time being, there are many people who support it.Minai, Yamamoto, Inoue and others believe that if Japan concludes an alliance or negotiates with Germany, there will soon be a danger of triggering a Japan-US war. Endure, therefore, must oppose an alliance with Germany both from national policy and strategic considerations.The clear-cut opposition of Minai and Yamamoto in the past few months has prevented further escalation of the proposal to strengthen the Japan-Germany agreement, temporarily saving Japan from the trap.

In the face of a large amount of data, the Army was well-approved by Minai, Yamamoto, Inoue and others. Although they still disagreed with the peace talks with China, many high-level officials, including Prime Minister Konoe Fumma, have agreed with Minai Mitsumasa and others. Therefore, the next thing is how to negotiate with China. What is the bottom line of the Great Japanese Empire?

Negotiating with China is not an easy job. Since the outbreak of the full-scale war of aggression against China in 1937, Japan has not been in contact with the Chinese government, but every negotiation has ended in failure. The Japanese side is not too sure about the outcome of this negotiation. big grasp.

According to the decision of the Imperial Council, the intelligence department will first send a military officer at or below the rank of the Colonel to have limited contact with the Chinese government. If the Chinese government is sincere about the peace talks, then the two sides will conduct negotiations at a higher level, but the peace talks must be rapid. You must not quarrel with the Chinese government, because the empire will not last long.

Under the instructions of high-level Japanese officials, Lieutenant Suzuki Zhuoer of the Japanese Army secretly met with Song Ziliang, Song Ziwen’s younger brother, in Hong Kong, and Japan’s contact with Chongqing began from then on.Prior to this, in mid-December, Lieutenant Suzuki, through the mediation of Zhang Zhiping, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, had requested a meeting with Song Ziliang, Song Ziwen's younger brother.But Song Ziliang refused on the grounds that he needed the consent of his brother Ziwen.But this time it was Song who asked for the meeting on his own initiative.Therefore, Lieutenant Suzuki believes that this may reflect the intention of Song Ziwen or the Chongqing government.

In fact, the person who met Lieutenant Zuoer Suzuki was not the real Song Ziliang, but was pretended by an agent of the Military Control Bureau.Lao Jiang had doubts about the peace talks with Japan.In fact, Lao Jiang has been trying to contact the Japanese since 37. Before Lieutenant Suzuki Zhuoer, the National Government had conducted secret negotiations with the Japanese army twice.

The first time was the "Secret Negotiation between Yu and Kong" in 1938.This is the first time that Chiang Kai-shek has voluntarily requested "peaceful negotiations" with Japan, and this time the representatives sent by both sides are not low-level. The one who was dispatched was General Ugaki Kazunari. At that time, General Ugaki Kazunari served as the foreign minister of the reorganized Konoe Cabinet. It can be said that the peace talks were negotiations at the level of the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Lao Jiang had the highest expectations for that peace talk, after all, he himself had a good personal relationship with Yu Yuan Kassei.Because Jiang fled to Japan after the failure of the "Second Revolution", Kazushige Ugaki took care of him and formed a friendship.After Chiang came to power, he sent Zhang Qun many times to Tokyo and Seoul (Korean capital) to exchange views with Ugakiichi on Sino-Japanese relations.In view of the fall of Shanghai, Nanjing and Xuzhou, the Japanese army swooped on Wuhan, and the situation was grim, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Zhang Qun, the vice president of the Executive Yuan and secretary-general of the Supreme Council of National Defense, to send a telegram to congratulate Kazu Ugaki on his appointment in May 1938, and at the same time expressed the hope that he could hold peace talks with Japan.Even Wang Jingwei, the leader of the pro-Japanese faction, was appointed as the negotiating ambassador.

Regarding the request for peace talks made by the Nationalist Government, the Japanese side was not very active, and even refused to let Wang Jingwei be the ambassador for the peace talks. Ugaki said this in reply to the Nationalist Government's Xinjian: "Your husband and Wang Zhaoming are on the front line, then Careful consideration is required. In the minds of people in your country, when they hear about Zhang Qun or Wang Zhaoming, they will immediately think of them as pro-Japanese tycoons. The Japanese will talk to you and Wang Zhaoming at the forefront of negotiations, and it is easy to negotiate. But the people of your country will Condemned that this was done by the pro-Japanese faction. They betrayed the country and sought glory, which made the negotiations unfavorable." At the same time, Ugaki named Kong Xiangxi, the new President of the Executive Yuan who "has no deep relationship with Japan," to come forward to negotiate. [

On June 1938, 6, the "secret negotiations between Ugaki Kassei and Kong Xiangxi" took place in the form of a "preparatory meeting" held in Hong Kong between Japanese Consul General Toyoichi Nakamura in Hong Kong and Secretary of the Executive Yuan Qiao Fuzo.

In this negotiation, Japan’s Ugaki put forward six requirements to China: ([-]) recognition of Manchuria’s independence; ([-]) North China and Inner Mongolia designated as “special areas”; ([-]) compensation to Japan; ([-]) economic cooperation and joint development (China) resources; ([-]) stationing troops in certain areas; ([-]) China accepting Japanese advisers or other mentors.

At that time, the battle in Wuhan was in full swing, so they were eager to seek a compromise. Therefore, after careful consideration of the request made by the Japanese army, the Nationalist Government made a big concession to Japan on the issue of "Manchurian independence"; Yes."; "About accepting (Japanese) consultants. It is a good thing to jointly develop resources, and almost fully accept the conditions of the Japanese.

It’s just that Kong Xiangxi made some requests from China’s domestic situation: “It is very difficult for us to publicly recognize the independence of Manchuria in the treaty. We can only implement it quietly and gradually. For example, first set up a consul, and all economic issues are resolved between the consulates. If If there are many political problems that cannot be solved by the consulate, then we will send ministers or ambassadors. At the same time, it is not appropriate to set up a special area in North China, and China will try its best to pay the compensation to Japan.”

In fact, the national government had made the biggest concession, but in the end Japan tried to use "Chiang Kai-shek's resignation" as one of the "conditions for surrender" of the Chinese central government.After many meetings between the two sides, in the end Japan's request for "Chiang Kai-shek's resignation" was the focus of this negotiation, and it was also the crux of the difficulty in reaching a compromise.

In order to promote the peace talks, the national government even proposed a concession plan: "Kong Xiangxi himself will resign as the president of the Executive Yuan with full responsibility. At least until the fulfillment of the treaty is completed, Mr. Jiang will still occupy his original position."

However, the Japanese side flatly refused.In order to reach a compromise, Kong Xiangxi agreed to go to Nagasaki on a Japanese warship to meet directly with Foreign Minister Ugaki.In the end, the hardliners Seishiro Itagaki and Hideki Tojo of the Japanese Army insisted on "Chiang Kai-shek's resignation" and used the establishment of the "Kingya Institute" as a means to force Foreign Minister Ugaki to resign. In the end, the negotiation came to an end.

The second negotiation was the Hong Kong negotiation in 1939 between Du Shishan of the Fuxing Society under the direct command of Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese Kayano Nagatochi and Ogawa Heiyoshi. In January 1939, at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, Chiang established the policies of "dissolving communism", "preventing communism", "restricting communism" and "anti-communism".Against this historical background, on March 1, he called Du Shishan, head of the Hong Kong office, instructing him to conduct "peaceful negotiations" with Japan.The policy is: "the foundation of peace" and "in particular, the actual state of China before and after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident cannot be ignored".

On March 3, Song Meiling came to Hong Kong to guide. On the 16th, Liu Yunlong, Du Shishan, and Kayano Nagachi began to negotiate in Room 17 of the Hong Kong Hotel.Liu Yunlong proposed the following conditions:

Equality and mutual accommodation;

Restore the state before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident;

Territorial (integrity) sovereignty (independence);

(Japan) withdrawal of troops;

Sign an anti-communist agreement;

China is in favor of economic cooperation; [

Do not pursue the responsibilities of the personnel of the Restoration Government and the Provisional Government;

Separate agreements with Manchuria.

On March 3, the former Japanese Railway Minister Heiyoshi Ogawa arrived in Hong Kong to participate in the negotiations.The Japanese side ignored Liu Yunlong's conditions. At the beginning of April, Heiyoshi Ogawa raised a "preliminary issue" for the peace talks, that is, he asked Chiang Kai-shek to change "tolerate the communists and resist Japan" to "exclude the communists and pro-Japanese", and first crusade against the Communist Party.Then a partial truce was implemented, and "peace negotiations" began at the same time.

This "preliminary issue" was raised when the Eighth Route Army and other anti-Japanese forces were growing stronger, indicating that the Japanese side would "seek communism" as the basis for Japan-Chiang compromise.This is the obvious difference between the content of this Hong Kong negotiation and the previous peace talks.Du Shishan reported to Song Meiling the "preliminary issue" raised by Ogawa to discuss the communist party first, and Song said that it could be handled by secret agreement.Afterwards, Du called Jiang to ask for instructions, and Jiang replied to "handle it with a secret agreement."

The treacherous Xiao Chuan tested Jiang's sincerity.He pointed out: "The content of the plan is extremely delicate and secret, and we cannot discuss it in detail without meeting Chairman Chiang's confidantes." When Chiang Kai-shek heard Xiao Chuan's request to send Kong Xiangxi or Juzheng to Hong Kong, he hesitated.Du Shishan prevaricates Ogawa: This negotiation was conducted secretly by Jiang's "direct descendants".Liu Yunlong was the son of Chairman Jiang's aunt, and he communicated with Chiang directly by secret telegram.Moreover, Chen Cheng has sent the chief of staff to Hong Kong to explain the preparations for dealing with the Communist Party: Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces have 70 troops encircling the Communist Army, and the students of all military academies have been fully expelled. On May 5, Heiyoshi Ogawa wrote directly to Chiang Kai-shek: "In this difficult situation, you will not be confused. It is like cutting a mess with a sharp knife. This is what a sincere hero does." Please send important officials to Hong Kong, or allow Ogawa Together with Xuanye, he went to Chongqing to listen to the teaching.

Ogawa's secret letter was transferred to Chongqing, and Jiang submitted it to a meeting of direct cadres for discussion.But the matter was learned by the Yan'an side and the Guangxi faction.The Yan'an side demanded "wanted leaders and personnel" and asked Jiang to fulfill the anti-Japanese agreement in Xi'an without compromising halfway; the Guangxi faction claimed that if a peace was negotiated, the Guangxi army would fight alone.

When Jiang was entangled in the issue of dispatching important officials that day, Wang Jingwei's activities to descend to the sun had made progress.Tokyo has decided to implement the policy of "inverting Jiang Liwang". September 9.The Japanese government stated that it will support Wang Jingwei to establish a central government as a policy policy.As a result, Kawano Nagatomo left Hong Kong on October 13, and the negotiations between Japan and Jiang came to a standstill.

With the previous two peace talks, Lao Jiang was not very active in the Japanese request for peace talks this time. On the one hand, he thought that the Japanese had a great appetite, and Lao Jiang's current position in the National Government could not satisfy him at all. Its huge ambitions.Once he makes peace with the Japanese army, he himself will face enormous pressure from home and abroad.It might even lead to downfall.

Secondly, the performance of the Japanese army on various battlefields is far inferior to that at the beginning of the war. In some local battles, the Kuomintang troops have been able to compete with the Japanese army, which also allows Lao Jiang to stand upright. The waist speaks.

the most important is.Making peace with Japan is a fundamental violation of the anti-Japanese strategy that Jiang Baili and others formulated for him before the war. In Jiang Baili's words, the final outcome of letting the tiger go back to the mountain is to raise the tiger. (to be continued...)