Chapter 598

Paper could not contain fire, and what was meant to be exposed would eventually be exposed. Not seeing the Russian diplomats for a long time quickly aroused the suspicions of the ambassadors.

Even the Government of Japan wanted to "leave Asia and enter Europe." It went without saying how serious the idea of worshiping foreign things was.

Under such a social background, if they could not buy a few spies, then they would not be considered a superpower.

…

Late at night, the Shinra Embassy in Yoto was brightly lit.

The ambassadors attending the conference had gloomy expressions. Being pulled out of their sleep in the middle of the night, any normal person would feel dissatisfied.

José, who was good at reading people's expressions, realized this, but he did not have the time to comfort everyone's broken hearts.

"Everyone, we have invited you here tonight mainly because we have just received bad news. All 47 staff members of the Russian Embassy in Yoto have been killed."

Hearing this horrifying news, the British Minister Enrique immediately denied it. "That's impossible!

The Government of Japan assured us that the Russian diplomats were only slightly injured, and no one died. "

It was common for diplomats to be injured, but it was difficult to find a country's embassy staff being wiped out in the entire history of mankind.

Especially in private contact not long ago, the Government of Japan also assured Enrique that all the Russian diplomats were still alive.

José shook his head. "Sir Enrique, I couldn't believe it when I first received the news, but this is the truth, and we have to face it.

In fact, before the Russian embassy was destroyed, they sent us a telegram via wireless telegram. Maybe the thugs came too quickly, so only half of the content was sent. Everyone can take a look first. "

As he spoke, he handed the telegram to Minister Enrique in front of him.

The telegram only contained one simple word, but in Enrique's trembling hands, it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

There was no other way, the content was too shocking. Enrique did not think that José would lie about this issue. The content of the telegram was "murder."

An incomplete telegram alone could not explain the problem, but combined with the Government of Japan's response, it was very clear.

Whether it was sealing off the scene, forbidding the diplomats from various countries to inspect the scene, or preventing everyone from meeting with the Russian diplomats, it was full of suspicious points.

After a pause, José continued, "We have an agreement with the Russians to communicate once a week, and it has never been interrupted for forty years.

Even if it was really as the Japanese said, they should have informed them. It was impossible for them to just let it go like this.

Perhaps everyone also noticed that after the Government of Japan arrived, there were no ambulances in the accompanying vehicles.

Could it be that the injured Russian diplomats didn't even receive ambulances and had to go to the hospital on foot?

I sent someone to the Western Hospital near the embassy district to check, but there were no Russian diplomats among the patients they received.

All the evidence shows that the Government of Japan was lying, and the Russian Embassy staff was probably already dead.

Details determine success or failure. Although the Japanese government had tried very hard to keep it a secret, by the time they received the news, the matter had already been settled.

To., to, to, and the scene, the military police were not professional. What's more, everyone didn't know that the situation would go out of control. They just thought that it was an ordinary eviction mission.

Everything else could be explained, but the biggest loophole was still the hospital. The best hospitals in Tokyo were all run by international capital, and the main doctors were mostly foreigners.

The Government of Japan could hide the truth from their own people, but they couldn't restrain the foreigners.

No matter how secretive they were, it was impossible to seal off the hospital and prevent diplomats from entering the hospital.

As a diplomat, they didn't have to be strong, but they had to have a good mentality. After the initial shock, everyone quickly regained their composure and looked at José and Enriquez.

Since it had already happened, what they could do now was to actively respond. At this time, it was time for the hegemon to take the lead. It was enough for others to follow suit.

With the evidence in front of him, Enriquez didn't dare to continue defending the Government of Japan. Even though he was mentally prepared, he didn't expect the Japanese to dare to play so big.

Deep in his heart, he had already made up his mind to throw away such an ally after he was done with it.

After glancing at the crowd, Enriquez said apologetically, "I'm very sorry to receive this news so suddenly. I need to take a break.

This problem was first discovered by Mr. José, and I think you already have a solution. "

Enrique had no choice but to give up the initiative. The alliance between Britain and Japan was well-known. At this time, any decision made by Britannia would be criticized by others.

In the past, Britannia was naturally fearless. However, it was no longer possible now, as Shinro was closing in on him from behind. At this time, any mistakes would be magnified.

Without any modesty, José said directly, "Let's not rush to deal with the aftermath. The most important thing right now is to protect our own safety.

After staying in Japan for so long, I think everyone knows how barbaric this country is. Since they can attack the Russian embassy, no one can guarantee that they won't attack us.

No one knows what they will do next when they encounter a group of people with abnormal brain circuits. The best way is to deter them with force.

I propose that all countries form a joint intervention group to gather everyone's forces in Asia, and then discuss the aftermath with the Government of Japan. "

The cultural difference between the East and the West was directly defined by José as "abnormal brain." No one felt it was strange at all, but instead showed a look of agreement.

Even the British Minister Enriquez thought that the Japanese had a problem with their brains. However, this didn't mean that he was willing to form an intervention coalition.

If the various countries gathered their military forces in Asia, it wouldn't be a problem that could be solved through negotiation. Japan might even be destroyed.

France was a lesson learned, and Britannia originally had high hopes for it. No one thought that a regional occupation would paralyze France.

Japan was an important part of Britannia's strategic plan. Before the Russians were dealt a heavy blow, Japan's power could not be reduced.

"Mr. José, you think too highly of the Japanese. The Japanese wouldn't dare to harm us even if they had the courage.

The Japanese are not qualified to form an international intervention group. It would be enough to transfer the fleets of our two countries in the Far East. Why do we need to mobilize so many people?

As for the Russian embassy case, we can ask the Government of Japan to give everyone a satisfactory explanation. If they refuse, it won't be too late to take extreme measures. "

It wasn't that Enriquez deliberately belittled the Japanese, but Japan really didn't deserve the international coalition. There was no other reason than that they were too poor. Even if they won, they wouldn't be able to get enough military expenses. Sending troops would be a loss.

Of course, it didn't matter whether they deserved it or not. The key was that Britannia wanted to preserve Japan's strength.

The international coalition sounded good, but in fact, it was a group of robbers. If they really let the Allied Forces go to Japan, the achievements since the Meiji Restoration would be zero.

In contrast, only mobilizing the British and Austrian navies would be much less destructive.

If the Royal Navy didn't make a move, Shinra's fleet in Southeast Asia would at most fire a few cannons at the port. As long as the Japanese navy could hold back and not leave the port, it wouldn't be a big deal.

However, the premise of all this was that the Government of Japan was smart enough to bow down when it was time to do so. If they really angered other countries, Britannia wouldn't be able to handle it.

"It would be best if the dispute could be resolved peacefully. However, we must investigate the atrocities that happened in the Russian embassy and punish all those involved. It's definitely not something that can be settled with a few scapegoats.

The Government of Japan must show enough sincerity to ensure that similar things will not happen again in the future. "

José said coldly.

That's it?

Raise it high and then drop it gently?

Obviously, things couldn't be that simple. José seemed to accept the British's proposal, but in fact, he was making conditions.

In short, the Government of Japan must pay a big price, otherwise, it wouldn't be able to calm everyone's wounded hearts.

In the end, international politics was still about interests. As long as the interests were in place, anything could be discussed.

The main reason for intervening in the Russian embassy case was that the Japanese broke the rules and harmed the interests of all diplomats. It was reasonable for everyone to take a firm stance.

If it wasn't a diplomat who died, but a civilian of Russia, everyone would at most condemn a few words and wouldn't be moved at all.

As a diplomat, Enrique was also very angry with the Japanese for breaking the rules.

If it wasn't for the strategic need, he would never stand up to speak for the Government of Japan. Now that Shinra had agreed to make concessions, he naturally wouldn't continue to fight for the Government of Japan.

After all, there was a price to pay for doing something wrong. Whether it was tracking down the murderer or punishing the Government of Japan, it was reasonable.

If there was no lesson at all, then there would be a problem. What's more, Japan also had a history of this issue.

It wasn't the first time that diplomats had been killed in Japan, but this time, it was the most overboard.

They were all diplomats. Whether it was for the national interest or for their own personal safety, they had to teach the Government of Japan a deep lesson.

After completing the task given by his country, Enrique once again returned to his imperialist face. "Of course, the righteous people of the world can't tolerate the murderer getting away with it.

The investigation of the Russian embassy case must be led by us, and the Government of Japan just needs to do a good job in cooperating. "

…

The diplomatic corps reached a consensus, and a harshly worded joint diplomatic note was released.

The Imperial Conference, which was rarely seen in the past, had recently become a routine. Even Emperor Meiji didn't care about his identity and often participated in the discussions.

Foreign Minister Inoue Kaori held a document with an ashen face and said solemnly, "The news of the Russian embassy case has been leaked. The diplomatic corps has reached a consensus. This is the joint note we just received from various countries.

The diplomatic corps wants us to hand over the diplomatic personnel of Russia in Tokyo within 24 hours. At the same time, they also want us to send people to protect the scene and wait for the joint investigation team formed by the diplomatic corps to take over the case.

During this period, any acts that might hinder the investigation, such as destroying the scene, covering up the case, or allowing the murderer to escape, will be regarded as instigated by the Empire.

This warning was not a joke. From the information received from the British, the various countries already had plans to form a joint intervention team.

If what we do next doesn't satisfy them. They will form a coalition army and carry out military intervention.

The Shinra Navy is already on their way here, and the Royal Navy is about to move out. We don't have much time left. "

The worst situation had still happened. Although everyone was mentally prepared, they still didn't expect international intervention to come so quickly.

Especially the representatives of the military, now all of them were like frosted eggplants, no longer as passionate as they used to be.

They were all adults, and they should follow their hearts when it was time to do so. Stubbornness was based on verbal threats from various countries.

The Shinra Navy and the Royal Navy were both dispatched, so it was no longer a matter of words. If the operation was not good, these two lords might really attack.

In the face of the top powers, everyone still knew the strength gap. Not to mention anything else, just look at the strength gap between the navies.

Whether it was the British Far East Fleet or the Shinra Nanyang Fleet, they were the existence of the Japanese Navy.

In particular, the Nanyang Fleet of Shinra had recently added a "super battleship" into service. This ship alone could fight all the battleships of the Japanese Navy.

It wasn't that the enemy was too strong, the main thing was that the Government of Japan was too poor. They could only watch Britannia and Shinra play the naval technology revolution, and they didn't even have the courage to join in.

Not to mention replacing the super battleship, the Government of Japan couldn't even afford to replace the old battleship.

They still used the old ships bought from the British during the Japanese-Spanish War, and the warships auctioned from France after the European War.

No matter how advanced the warships were, there would be a day when they would fall behind. There was no doubt that these warships built more than ten or twenty years ago were now on the verge of being eliminated.

In the face of a dreadnought class super battleship, it was a story of slaughter and being slaughtered, there was simply no confidence to fight against it.

Of course, falling behind was falling behind, but it also depended on who they were compared with. In the face of the two big hooligans, Britannia and Shinra, there was naturally no comparison.

But in the Asian region, Japan was still the proper number one naval power, even if there were only three or four independent countries in Asia.

Ito Hirobumi: "The British's position is now very clear, it seems that the Russian Embassy case also touched their bottom line.

Next, we must deal with it carefully, otherwise, the current hurdle could take the life of the Empire.

The Empire of the Far East is a lesson, the Empire doesn't have such a thick foundation, it can't afford to be tossed around.

How is the investigation of the murderer going? The time given by the diplomatic corps is only 24 hours, we can't delay. "

It could be seen that the current Ito Hirobumi was very tired, it was obvious that he had been worrying a lot recently.

Kodama Gentaro replied bitterly: "The military police have arrested the relevant people involved in the case, but the results of the trial are very not optimistic.

So far, more than 200 people have insisted that they planned it, and it has nothing to do with others.

But how exactly it was planned, no one can say clearly. If the investigation is handed over to the diplomatic corps, I'm afraid that something big will happen. "

Other people were afraid of not being able to find the murderer when they investigated the case. But when it came to him, one by one, they were scrambling to stand up and admit it.

The problem was that he wanted to find the real murderer behind the scenes, not find a few scapegoats to take the blame. If handing over a few people could solve the problem, the Government of Japan wouldn't have to worry about it.

Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu immediately sighed: "With such people, why worry about the Empire not prospering! If … "

Before Ōkuma Shigenobu could finish speaking, Emperor Meiji glared at him. His meaning was very obvious: Stop sighing, what you need to do now is find a way to solve the problem.

The people's patriotism was strong, and it was naturally a good thing that they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the country, but if they loved too much, it would also be troublesome.

For example, now, they were being used, and they didn't even know it.

One by one, they were still excited about killing the Russians, but they didn't know that they had brought Japan to the edge of the cliff.

Driven by fanatical thoughts, one by one, they took the initiative to take the blame, directly cutting off all the clues.

Now it was the Government of Japan investigating, so it didn't matter. Once the investigation team formed by the diplomatic corps took over the case investigation, it would be completely different.

Anyone who had admitted to it would definitely be sent to the guillotine.

It didn't matter if they played themselves to death, the key was that the diplomatic corps would think that the Government of Japan was using the dead soldiers to take the blame and continue to pursue them.

After calming down, Ōkuma Shigenobu reorganized his words and said: "Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to protect the investigation of the case. As long as the investigation is in our hands, the situation is under control.

The main reason why the diplomatic corps actively intervened was because they felt threatened by the embassy case and needed a security guarantee.

On this issue, we can fully satisfy them. For example: increase the police force in the embassy area, prohibit any demonstrations near the embassy street.

If they need anything else, they can also ask for it. As long as it doesn't involve the core interests of the Empire, we can agree.

In addition to the interests of concessions and psychological comfort. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will prepare a generous gift for each of the diplomatic corps and find an opportunity to send it to them.

As long as the emotions of the diplomatic corps are stabilized, the rest will be easy to handle. "

There was nothing wrong with it. Nowadays, the diplomatic corps stationed abroad had boundless power.

Most of the international issues were handled by these diplomatic corps. Only a few of them really needed to report to the country before they could make a decision.

Appeasing these people was equivalent to stabilizing the governments of the various countries.

As long as the diplomatic corps didn't cause trouble, the Government of Japan would only have to face the Russian Empire. Although there was still a great disparity in strength between the two sides, Japan had no worries about self-preservation.

Ito Hirobumi shook his head: "Okuma-kun, you think too simply of the problem. The European countries attach great importance to the diplomatic corps, and the Russian embassy case has touched the bottom line of all countries.

This is not a problem that can be solved by bribing a few diplomatic corps. I'm afraid the Empire will suffer heavy losses this time. "