The August 15th Incident shocked the world, and the world's eyes suddenly shifted from the Tang Empire in the Pacific to Northeast China.

Two major world events in recent times have been related to Japan, and the international community can't help but exclaim that "the Japanese are crazy."

If the Tang-Japanese War was just the British who beat the Japanese for face, then the fall of Northeast China during the August 15th Incident touched the British nervous system. When 18 Japanese Kwantung Army bombers began to bomb Jinzhou, the UK judged that the Japanese army was in a tendency to march into China, forcing Britain to join forces with the United States and France to put further pressure on Japan to ensure that their interests in China were not threatened.

Britain, the United States and France have always pursued a policy of joining forces to weaken Japan's military power and preventing Japan from transforming from island countries to landlocked countries, that is, preventing the Japanese army from invading China and seizing mainland resources. Because Japan is a island country with scarce resources, Britain, France and the United States are prone to check and balance Japan, once Japan gains a foothold in mainland China, then Japan will be out of control.

Therefore, the League of Nations led by Britain and France passed Resolution 1013, which ordered Japan to stop invading Northeast China. The United States publicly supported this resolution together with Britain and France to put pressure on Japan.

Before this, Britain and the United States were killed by their military officers by Japanese naval warships and were waiting for Japan's exact answer.

But the Japanese were very cunning and kept making excuses to Britain and the United States on the grounds that Aso Kotaro was dead and had no evidence. At this time, the Japanese government disclosed the news that Hamaguchi Yuki was assassinated and cleverly avoided Britain and the United States' questioning.

Wakanori Reijiro, who is also a democratic party, serves as acting prime minister, and he is regarded by the Japanese political circle as a continuation of Yuyuki Hamaguchi.

However, in the face of the huge political pressure from Britain, France and the United States on Japan, Wakatsuki Reijiro held an emergency cabinet meeting on August 16. Minister of Army of Minamijiro emphasized that this was a self-defense operation of the Kwantung Army, but Minister of Foreign Affairs of Toyhara Kitzero suspected that this was a conspiracy of the Kwantung Army and tried to resolve the incident through diplomatic means. The Japanese cabinet meeting decided the policy of "not further expanding the situation." However, the Kwantung Army ignored the government's decision and continued to expand the front line in the name of self-defense.

Wakatsuki Reijiro wanted to withdraw troops early in response to the "Manchuria Incident" and not to escalate the situation, but he was worried that if he overstimulated the Japanese military, he would follow the footsteps of the assassination of Hamaguchi Yuki's assassination. The timid Wakatsuki Reijiro also tolerate the military forces doing whatever they want, which caused disagreement of opinions from the Cabinet of the Civil Affairs Party and could not take substantial measures.

The Japanese military believes that Wakatsuki Reijiro knows more about the current affairs than Hamaguchi Yuyuki, so the head of the Kanto Army, the Minister of Army of Minamijiro, repeatedly claimed to Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro that the Japanese army was "self-defense."

Wakatsuki Reijiro was not a fool. He understood that the Kwantung Army did not listen to him at all. The reason why he "lied" to him is because he was the nominal prime minister. Wakatsuki Reijiro knew that the Japanese Kwantung Army planned to invade the entire China, and the occupation of the three northeastern provinces was just the beginning. He could not stop the Kwantung Army, nor did he want to take the blame for the Kwantung Army, nor did he want to be killed by the Japanese military. In desperation, Wakatsuki Reijiro's cabinet resigned collectively before the end of the year.

On the same day when Wakatsuki Reijiro's cabinet resigned collectively, the Japanese Kanto Army sent troops to invade Jinzhou.

The Japanese occupied Jinzhou without bloodshed. Although the National Government had recognized the intention of the Japanese Kwantung Army to invade the entire China, and under pressure from domestic public opinion, many telegrams were made to the Northeast Army of Jinzhou not be allowed to take the initiative to attack and provoke the Japanese army. This practice of letting donkeys pull mills but not giving grass made the Northeast Army attack and not fighting or annoyed. Zhang Xueliang then ordered the Northeast Army to withdraw all the Jinzhou Northeast Army to Shanhaiguan and hand over Jinzhou to the Japanese.

The Japanese military believed that according to the current situation, the National Government would not resist, so the Japanese army could continue to advance until it occupied the entire China. Therefore, it ordered the Japanese Navy's West Sea Fleet to enter the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East Sea to block the Second Fleet of the Republic of China Navy in Yantai (Northeast Navy) and the First Fleet at Wusongkou (Yangtze River Fleet).

The Japanese war of full-scale invasion of China is about to break out.

At this time, Inukai Tsubasa succeeded Japan's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and he was considered the last straw for Japanese politics to stop the military.

Inukai Tsushi was indeed much more tough than Hakoto Reijiro. As soon as he came to power, he immediately ordered the Japanese Kwantung Army to stand by on the spot and not go further, otherwise he would deal with it with treason and interrupt all supplies to the Kwantung Army. At the same time, he ordered the Japanese West Sea Fleet to lift the blockade of China's coastal areas and returned home immediately, on the grounds that Japan's current main enemy was the Tang Empire, and the main force of the Japanese navy would expedition to the Tang Dynasty. During this period, the local maritime power was empty and the West Sea Fleet was asked to withdraw immediately.

The Japanese military immediately raised solemn opposition and attitude to the decision made by Inaki's cabinet, but Inaki immediately frozen all appropriations and logistical support for the Japanese military, forcing the Japanese military command headed by Kato to implement Inaki's orders.

On December 19, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army withdrew from the attack on Shanhaiguan. At the same time, the Japanese Navy's West Sea Fleet also evacuated from Yantai, Jiaozhou Bay, and the Yangtze River Estuary. On the surface, Inuyang Yi's cabinet won victory over the Japanese military, but it also made the Japanese military very dissatisfied, leading to a new round of assassination of the disobedient Japanese Prime Minister.

At the same time, because the Kwantung Army stopped its offensive, the Japanese military put the navy's expedition to the Tang Empire back on the agenda.

In the early morning of December 28, 1931, more than 100 main fleets of Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, consisting of battleships, aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, submarines, supply ships, and troop transport ships, completed assembly in Tokyo Bay, and led by Lieutenant General Kobayashi, headed to the Central Pacific to expedition the Tang Empire.

After nearly five months of preparation, the Japanese Navy finally took revenge on the Tang Empire.

Inuyasu agreed to the Japanese Navy's expedition to the Tang Empire in order to divert international attention, especially the Tang Empire was surrounded by overseas colonies of Britain, France and the United States, and he thought it could divert the attention of Britain, France and the United States.

However, his plan did not come true. Although Britain, France and the United States began to care about the Tang Empire more than before, compared with Northeast China, the Tang Empire was still not worth mentioning in their hearts. In particular, Britain, France and the United States all believed that the Tang Empire could not defeat the main force of the Japanese joint fleet and was destined to be destroyed by Japan. The result of a war without any suspense would naturally not attract much attention from them. Therefore, Britain, France and the United States still focused on the issue of Northeast China and continued to put pressure on Japan.

The Inukai Tatsuki Cabinet has the same understanding as the Japanese military, that is, since it has occupied the three northeastern provinces (excluding the Soviet Union's sphere of influence in the northeastern), there is no idea of ​​returning to China. Although the Blue Fox Special Service of the Tang Empire destroyed most of the military facilities and heavy industrial factories of the Northeastern army, which annoyed the Japanese, their original goal was achieved, because the rich mineral resources of the three northeastern provinces will bring extremely low production costs to Japanese industry and inject a shot of a boost to get rid of the economic crisis.

However, this is also the result that Britain, France and the United States are least happy to see. They do not want Japan to obtain the rich mineral resources and industrial product consumption market in Northeast China, so the three governments continue to support the National Government in putting pressure on Japan around the Northeast issue.

At the same time, the Chinese National Government faces huge public pressure from the country and constantly complains to the League of Nations, using all diplomatic resources to convince the great powers of European and American countries, hoping to take back the three northeastern provinces.

But Chiang Kai-shek was unable to compete with the Japanese, but domestic public opinion pointed to him. The Central Plains War had just ended within the Kuomintang, and all forces hated him to death and did not buy him. Chiang Kai-shek was extremely sad and had to announce his resignation at the end of 1931 as chairman of the Guangzhou National Government, president of the Executive Yuan and commander-in-chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and agreed to reorganize and establish the Nanjing National Government, and request Lin Sen to serve as chairman of the National Government.

After serving as chairman of the National Government, Lin Sen was very tough on Japan. In addition to continuing to rely on the mediation of the League of Nations, he strengthened his war preparations against Japan. The 19th Route Army was ordered to enter Shanghai to garrison, but he did not dare to take the initiative to attack the Japanese and support the national non-violent non-cooperation movement to boycott Japanese goods.

What Japan is most worried about is the rise in national anti-Japanese sentiment in China, which is much more violent than the National Government. Wars are still raging in the northeast, and anti-Japanese and national salvation organizations have been resisting the Japanese invasion. Other regions of China have fully boycotted Japanese goods, which is the most serious thing for Japan, which is suffering from the economic crisis.

The Inukai Yi's cabinet knew that the National Government did not dare to take the initiative to attack Japanese forces, but the Japanese military deliberately insisted on sending troops to Shanghai on the grounds that the 19th Route Army entered Shanghai and threatened the Japanese concession.

After all, Inukai Tsubaki is not as experienced as Hamaguchi and cannot suppress the Japanese military, so he agreed to the Japanese military to launch a local war in Shanghai to divert the attention of Britain, France and the United States and force the National Government to surrender.
Chapter completed!