Chapter 156: A Guest from Afar

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“Respected Mr. Führer,” Yamashita Kōnosuke said, standing up and bowing a full ninety degrees as soon as they met, appearing very humble. Akado sometimes had to admire a nation like this. When necessary, they could be more civilized than anyone, and when not, they could throw the very concept of civilization beyond the Milky Way.

“Mr. Yamashita! Long time no see! Have you been well recently?” Akado quickly walked over with a smile, extending his hand to shake Yamashita Kōnosuke’s. They acted just like two good friends who hadn’t seen each other in years, but Anna saw that after the handshake, Akado put his hand behind his back and vigorously wiped it on his clothes.

Yamashita Kōnosuke’s trip to Europe this time was Japan’s so-called “ice-breaking journey.” In 1932, Japan had made an all-or-nothing gamble by using military force in northeastern China. Although it had achieved a near-perfect victory, it was seen as a heretic by all of Europe.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone’s source of wealth is worse than killing their parents. The entire Far East market was the source of wealth for many European countries, so this time, Japan had truly “killed their parents.” The six transport ships dispatched from Germany were a warning from all of Europe—only this time, the warning was on a rather large scale: a full one hundred million rounds of ammunition, a dozen cannons, and even twenty French Renault tanks were sold to China.

Judging by Chiang Kai-shek’s attitude and China’s current strength, it was very likely that Japan would suffer a complete and utter defeat in the future Battle of Shanghai. At the very least, telegrams sent back from China by von Seeckt confirmed that this Chinese Generalissimo Chiang possessed extraordinary political cunning and a level of forbearance comparable to Germany’s. He was working hard to preserve the regions he firmly controlled.

The Japanese diplomat bowed humbly once more. “Mr. Führer! The military actions of the Great Japanese Empire in the Far East this time were entirely provoked by the Shina people! Europe’s reckless support for the Shina people has brought trouble to Japan and will also impact the peace in the Far East!”

Shina people? You and your whole family are Shina people! Akado cursed Japan in his heart, but the smile on his face grew even brighter. “Mr. Yamashita, Germany does not wish to see a weak China monopolized by any single country! In fact, we are more in support of the American view that ensuring peace in China is the prerequisite for everyone to make money! But if the Japanese Empire wants to eat alone, it will have to pay a heavy price!”

A price? We took all of Manchuria and didn’t pay any price at all, Yamashita Kōnosuke thought with an inward sneer, but he bowed again. “Mr. Führer, the entire incident was provoked by the Shina government. The Great Japanese Empire was merely acting in self-defense!”

“Explaining it to me is useless,” Akado said with a helpless gesture. “This time, it’s the British, the Americans, and the French who are angry! We were just dragged in by them to make up the numbers.”

It’s precisely you, the one making up the numbers, that we want! Germany had almost only arms interests in China now. Other economic ties were very limited due to the distance. Even the “world plane” Me-109C and the “world car” Mercedes-Benz were difficult to popularize in a poor land like China.

“We need Germany’s diplomatic support, as well as an end to strengthening Shina through the arms trade. We even need Germany to withdraw your officers and stop von Seeckt’s activities in China, to ensure that the friendship between Germany and Japan endures for a long time!” Yamashita decided to state his demands directly. Otherwise, the Führer before him would surely beat around the bush for a whole afternoon to fob him off.

Germany had managed to play both sides under the very noses of Britain and France, turning the situation of a defeated nation into one of an equal, and had driven Britain and France to the point of a falling out over the occupation of the Middle Eastern oil fields just to barely suppress Germany’s rise. Yamashita Kōnosuke knew that behind Akado was a world-class team helping to strategize. “Fighting” such a team was definitely not an easy matter, so it was better to be direct and let interests do the talking.

“The Great Japanese Empire is really asking for a lot,” Akado said to Anna with a smile and a wave of his hand. “I dare not give what you ask for, nor can I. If we support Japan’s actions in the Far East, we will lose the trust of Britain and France. That is not a worthwhile deal for Germany, so we will not do such a foolish thing.”

“Then, what if Japan wants to import German fighter planes?” Yamashita Kōnosuke asked after a moment’s thought. “We are very interested in the ME-109C export model fighter and would like to purchase three for test flights and reverse-engineering.”

“You don’t need to talk to me about that. You can go directly to the Messerschmitt company,” Akado said with a smile. “Our government never interferes in the business of merchants, which is why the merchants are exceptionally supportive of our government.”

This statement was indeed the truth. Akado only kept the core technologies that needed to be kept secret confidential. Once he decided that a certain weapon could be exported, he would not interfere with where it was exported to. The government did not interfere in the merchants’ money-making business, and the merchants’ reciprocation to the government was fanatical support and backing.

Moreover, the two countries had cooperated on aircraft materials before. The Japanese Sumitomo company, acquired by Germany, had developed a high-strength aluminum alloy. This material was highly valued by the Japanese aviation department and was to be used extensively in their future fighters—this plane was still on the drawing board, so Japan hoped to reference the design of Germany’s super fighter.

Yamashita Kōnosuke knew that this was the German official attitude. Since they were not preventing it, it was just a matter of price. It probably wouldn’t be cheap, but as long as the Germans dared to sell, he would buy it back at any cost—because in a recent secret engagement with the Chinese air force, the Japanese had lost two Type 90 carrier fighters. The opponent had used German-provided He-51s, so this time, Japan wanted to completely surpass the Chinese air force.

Thinking of this, Yamashita stood up and bowed. “Thank you very much for your generosity! The Great Japanese Empire is your eternal friend.”

Just don’t drag me down with you when the atomic bombs fall, Akado thought, laughing out loud. He then said, “Any other requests? I’m sure you wouldn’t have come all the way to Europe for such a small matter. Let’s hear them all.”

“We are also interested in the battleships that Britain is purchasing from Germany. I wonder if the Führer would be willing to sell?” Yamashita Kōnosuke asked, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Akado.

Japan’s interests in the Far East conflicted with Britain’s. Germany’s interests in Europe were suppressed by Britain. These two countries were natural allies with very good reasons to come together. Both were emerging industrial nations, and both wanted to challenge the industrial hegemon of the old era. This was also an important reason why the two countries eventually came together in his past life and became allies in the Axis.

However, Akado knew very well in his heart that Japan was a complete “pig teammate,” the kind that would feed kills and sell out their allies. They had failed to stab the Soviets when the Germans needed it most, and had stabbed the Americans when the Germans least wanted it… So no matter how you looked at it, pulling Japan in to do big things was an extremely unsettling gamble.

“You should know that German-designed warships have no weaknesses,” Akado said with a proud smile. “Especially in terms of battleships, which have been tested by the Battle of Jutland. It can be said that German battleships are the best in the world.”

“That is also the reason I have come!” Yamashita Kōnosuke said. “The British fleet was already difficult to deal with before. Now, with the addition of German-designed warships, it will become even stronger. We want to be prepared! Whatever the cost!”

Yamashita deliberately emphasized the words “whatever the cost” and then looked at Akado. “Including the return of Germany’s rights in the Shandong Peninsula, anything can be discussed! The Great Japanese Empire is willing to work with Germany to establish a new world order.”

The Shandong Peninsula? What’s the use of getting that back now? With the strength of the German navy, forget about showing off in the Shandong Peninsula, they can’t even guarantee that the Kiel port won’t be blasted to smithereens by the Royal Navy. It’s better to talk about something tangible.

Thinking of this, Akado nodded and said, “I want rubber! 100,000 tons of rubber, smuggled from Southeast Asia. There can be no record of this shipment ever arriving in Germany! And Germany will not acknowledge receiving any materials from Japan. Can you do it?”

Yamashita thought for a moment and then nodded. “Smuggling it should be no problem. We will transport it to the port of Kiel in the name of Dutch merchant ships. The Japanese Navy will send two cruisers to visit Germany and protect this smuggling operation en route.”

The two then mentioned the canned meat made in Germany. Yamashita Kōnosuke’s interest was piqued, and he requested to have lunch at the Führer’s Residence, eating the normal rations supplied to the German army. Akado was also curious to try the life of his own ordinary soldiers, so he arranged for someone to bring a few cans of meat from the Führer’s Residence guard unit, and the two of them had a soldier’s lunch.

To be honest, the taste of the German-made canned meat was really not very good. The chicken-flavored version was made of chicken gizzards, chicken hearts, and other trimmings that Europeans never ate, while the beef-flavored version was made from waste scraps of pork and beef. By later standards, it was the garbage of garbage food.

Anna, who was eating at the same table, didn’t even touch her knife and fork. Akado managed to swallow one bite before losing his appetite. He could only introduce the benefits of this German canned meat. “This stuff has a very long shelf life, and it doesn’t use any of our original food raw materials. It can be said to be a completely extra, free military supply. It can also maintain basic nutrition when given to front-line soldiers.”

Upon hearing about its production method and function, Yamashita Kōnosuke, who had been frowning at the canned meat, immediately had his eyes light up. This stuff could completely simplify logistics and allow the Great Imperial Japanese Army, which was already struggling with transport capacity, to display even greater combat strength. In any case, those soldiers who believed in Bushido would fight no matter what they ate, so this canned meat was practically a divine artifact for Japan.

“Mr. Führer!” Yamashita Kōnosuke pointed to the tin of canned meat on the table and asked, “Is this for sale?”