The sun never sets.

In the same time and space, in the 1980s and 1990s, people from the mainland secretly ran to Hong Kong, and thirty years later, people from Hong Kong secretly ran to the mainland. There is nothing strange about this.

In Ito Hirobumi's eyes, Tianjin was very prosperous, no less prosperous than Osaka and Tokyo. There were many people on the streets, and there were many means of transportation, including buses pulled by mules, horses, donkeys and cows, two-wheeled bicycles, but not many in number, and four-wheeled cars, but even fewer in number. Ito Hirobumi knew that they were BMW cars, which were expensive, but much cheaper than American and European cars. The Japanese government purchased dozens of them for the cabinet and various departments to use.

The engine of a car is not cheap, and so are the rearview mirrors, windows, tires and other parts. Apart from the government and large companies, only a few people can afford it. Ito Hirobumi could certainly afford it. He had two cars at home, not for showing off, but for the convenience of work.

In addition to the above-mentioned vehicles, Ito Hirobumi also saw a three-wheeled motor vehicle. Hearing the "teng-teng-teng" sound, Ito Hirobumi was very surprised, "Is that also a car?"

Lieutenant Colonel Nagao often came to China and was very familiar with the situation here. He explained to Ito Hirobumi: "It is a three-wheeled vehicle. The locals call it a three-wheeled vehicle, also known as a numb vehicle."

"Three-wheeled vehicle... I can probably understand this, but what does a numb vehicle mean?"

"You see, the tires of a tricycle are two circles smaller than those of a car. Once you leave the city, the tricycle will bounce very violently. If you sit on it for a while, your body will become numb from the shaking, so it is also called a numb vehicle."

"Haha, so that's how it is!" Ito Hirobumi couldn't help laughing, and so did everyone else.

Numbness........The tricycle was Lin Yongchang's creation. Comrades from the Ministry of Industry made a lot of efforts to reduce the price of tractors and cars, but the effect was still not very good. The price of "BMW" cars was nearly one-third cheaper than American cars, but still not many people could afford them. After Lin Yongchang knew about it, he cut off one of the wheels and replaced it with a smaller gasoline engine. The rear compartment was replaced with a trailer, and if necessary, the compartment could be added by oneself. In this way, the price of the tricycle was reduced.

Although the three-wheeled vehicle is very simple and can make people numb, it is cheap and easy to use! It can carry thousands of kilograms of food or other things, is durable and easy to operate, so what else do you need from a bicycle?

The civilian demand for tricycles is very strong, and the military has also taken a fancy to this simple and easy-to-use means of transportation. The General Staff is preparing to equip infantry divisions with hundreds of tricycles, so that troops can be quickly deployed to places far away from railways for combat. In addition to transporting troops, tricycles can also be used to transport ammunition supplies, which is much more efficient than horse-drawn carriages and hand-carrying on shoulders.

In addition, the General Staff has come up with other uses, such as installing a Maxim machine gun on the trailer, or replacing the trailer with a field gun or even a heavy howitzer.

Well, the gasoline engine of the three-wheeled vehicle is not powerful enough and it certainly cannot pull the 150mm heavy howitzer. So what about replacing it with a diesel engine with a higher success rate?

Regarding the ideas of the comrades of the Military Commission and the General Staff, Lin Yongchang said that it was very good and powerful, and the motorization of the army would definitely be advanced, but it was not necessary now, mainly because there was no money. Whether it was China, Britain, Germany, or France, whether it was a financial power or an industrial power, everyone was short of money.

Chapter 526: Demographic Dividend

A few years ago, newspapers described cities such as Tianjin, Beijing, and Taiyuan as a large construction site. A few years later, Ito Hirobumi found that construction was still going on around Tianjin. He pointed to the construction site in the distance and asked, "Why is it still being built?"

It was still Lieutenant Colonel Nagao—or Lieutenant Colonel, which is actually the same thing—who answered, "Tianjin's population is increasing, and the city needs to be further expanded. In addition, it needs to be electrified, so we have never stopped."

"Oh, I see." Ito Hirobumi asked again, "Those are the Lin Yongchang Buildings, right?"

"Yes."

The so-called "Lin Yongchang Building" is a five-story simple building with a unified style and was built quickly. The purpose was to solve the housing shortage problem caused by rapid industrialization. According to Lin Yongchang, those simple buildings are not comfortable to live in. The "Lin Yongchang Building" has shared toilets and bathrooms, and the front, back and upper and lower floors are not very soundproof. If there is a little noise, everyone can hear it, which is really inconvenient. It is common for children to cry, and sometimes when couples do things, they can hear it clearly through the wall.

But no matter what, the "Lin Yongchang Building" is definitely better than basements, sheds, dilapidated buildings and overcrowded shared housing. At this stage, we can only solve the problem of whether there is a building or not, and then we can manage whether it is good or not.

Lin thought that this five-story building was a temporary transition and could be used as a dormitory for singles or a school in the future. If conditions allowed, he would definitely replace it with a better one. But others did not think so. Many people were shocked and envious when they saw this uniform high-rise building.

For example, when Ito Hirobumi came to China for the first time, he randomly counted and found that there were 50 or 60 "Lin Yongchang Buildings". How much did these buildings cost? After hearing that these buildings were built with government funds and then rented to workers at very low prices or simply provided to workers for free, Ito Hirobumi could only sigh with emotion.

The problems China encountered during its rapid industrialization

The same thing happened to Japan. The Chinese government's solution to the problem is very instructive for the Japanese government. However, the Japanese government's fiscal revenue is far less than that of China, and it also has to maintain a strong navy. The heavy burden makes the Japanese government almost breathless. Takahashi Korekiyo often complains that he has no money and has repeatedly opposed the plan of overissuing yen.

Japan is developing very fast, and its fiscal revenue is also growing very fast, but its expenditure is growing even faster. No matter how much money it earns, it is always not enough to spend.

I hope this trip to China will be fruitful.

With this thought in mind, Ito Hirobumi boarded the train. After entering the carriage, he was so tired that he quickly fell asleep on the bed. The guard covered him with a quilt, then stepped out and stood guard outside the carriage. When Ito Hirobumi woke up, he heard the sound of "clang clang clang" in his ears, "Who am I? Where am I?"

He lay on the bunk bed and thought for a while before he remembered that he was visiting China. The train ran day and night, heading west at a very fast speed on the rails. This train did not go through Shanxi, but crossed Henan and entered Shaanxi from Hubei.

Tianjin is the largest port city in the north, as prosperous as Osaka, and cities in other places are also very vibrant. The people's government encourages townships and second- and third-tier cities to establish enterprises. As long as they can improve people's livelihood and are not illegal, all economic activities are protected. Township enterprises have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and cement plants, brick kiln plants and various factories have shown strong competitiveness.

These enterprises have improved people's living standards, but there are also some problems, such as environmental pollution and wild growth. The central government has had many discussions on this issue. Few people support township enterprises, but many people oppose them. Local enterprises are inextricably linked to local governments, the nature of ownership is unclear, and a series of problems such as collusion between officials and businessmen have arisen.

The Ministry of Finance did not like township enterprises because it was difficult to collect taxes, or even impossible to collect taxes. Moreover, township enterprises did not need to buy insurance for their employees, and their labor costs were far better than those of state-owned enterprises. In the market competition, they beat some state-owned enterprises and occupied a lot of market share, which made the comrades in the Ministry of Industry and the Planning Commission very dissatisfied.

Whether it is to the left or to the right, the economic law will not change. The products produced by the factory need to be sold. In order to compete for the market, Britain and Germany have already formed the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, which is about to evolve into a world war. In China, the competition between township enterprises and state-owned enterprises for market share has also caused quite a stir.

Apart from Lin Yongchang, only a small number of people in the central government supported the development of township enterprises, and at least half of them supported it because Chairman Lin supported them. If Lin Yongchang opposed it, they would also stand in opposition.

Regarding this issue, Lin Yongchang's approach is the same as before, first discussing, then conducting investigations, and using data to speak for everything. In fact, he already has a general response method, but he still has to go through the process. The biggest benefit of township enterprises is that they have largely solved the employment problem and improved people's living standards. When people have money, they will have a higher willingness to consume. Apart from this, other methods either have too many side effects or are ineffective.

Township enterprises have just started to develop, and for the people and the country, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. For new matters, it is enough to regulate them with the standard of law. There is no need to make a big deal out of it. As long as it meets the "Three Represents", it is good. Oh, the "Three Represents" has not been written yet. Marshal Lin used "black cat, white cat" just now. It will take some time before the "Three Represents" will be produced.

China's big cities are very prosperous, but the countryside still retains a lot of its original features. Along the railway, you can see many houses built with mud bricks. Far away from the city, there is no cement or asphalt road, no long rows of electric poles, no neat and uniform buildings, but you can see a tall water tower every few meters, and you can see three-wheeled vehicles jumping on the dirt road from time to time.

Ito Hirobumi saw tractors plowing the fields in many places, some large and some relatively small. Ito Hirobumi was very interested in those machines that emitted black smoke and made a "tengtengteng" sound. Modern society is a society with more and more machines. Japan has cars, but no tractors, because it is not cost-effective. In Japan, labor is very cheap, and labor in rural areas is even cheaper. In fact, China's labor is also very cheap. Some experts say that it is a "demographic dividend", but it was severely criticized by Lin Yongchang.

Chairman Lin once wrote in a newspaper: "Whose dividend is the demographic dividend? The workers' or the farmers'? New China should not be proud of exploiting the workers!"

Chapter 527 Sugar-Coated Bullet

Chang'an City was built for nearly two years and has taken shape. When Ito Hirobumi got off the train at Chang'an East Station, he saw a completely modern city with main roads more than 100 meters wide and a lot of design redundancy. There were more cars, tractors and three-wheeled vehicles in the city than in Tianjin.

Ito Hirobumi saw people using rickshaws to solicit passengers near the train station, but there were more human-powered tricycles. There were also people selling spicy fish and roasted corn. It looked very similar to the train stations in Japan, but there were obvious differences. In Japan, you won't see so many long buildings, nor so many three-wheeled motorcycles.

The relationship between China and Japan was very close. After arriving in Chang'an, Ito Hirobumi met with Lin Yongchang soon after.

After the meeting, the two sides issued a joint statement, saying that they would strive for a moderately prosperous life for the Asian people. This was the first time that the concept of "moderately prosperous" was proposed. It mainly meant being free from hunger and cold, having food to eat, a place to live, and being able to see a doctor when sick. The requirements were not high, but in this era, it was already a very high standard. Moreover, the attitude of the Chinese government is to enable all people to live a moderately prosperous life, which is something that many people, mainly Europeans and Americans, and some Chinese, think is impossible to achieve.

How can this be done? If this goal is really achieved, wouldn’t it be a “Great Harmony Society”? It really is a “Great Harmony Society”.

This time, the central government not only proposed the concept of "moderate prosperity", but also proposed "people'sism" and "great harmony". China is now in the primary stage of "people'sism". After rising step by step and stepping into the great perfection of "people'sism", we can try to impact half a step of "great harmony". "Great harmony" is called the final form of society. Everyone has a very high level of consciousness and productivity is extremely rich. In that era, labor is because humans need to satisfy their own pursuits, not to fill their stomachs.

This intermediate society sounds like a modern version of the Christian heaven, and it seems similar from the description; it also seems like a paradise far away from all suffering and pain, or a paradise of immortals. Lin Yongchang has no confidence that he can achieve the ultimate form of "Great Harmony" while he is alive, nor does he think that humans will really enter that kind of society, but the ultimate goal must always be set higher.

If you aim high, you will achieve the middle. Set a higher goal. Even if you cannot reach it, it is good to achieve the secondary goal. You can't follow Master Wang and say "the state has no obligation to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people". That would be too bad.

Ito Hirobumi had seen Lin Yongchang's face in newspapers, heard his voice on the radio, and studied his books and articles. He thought he was familiar with Lin Yongchang. In his cooperation with China, Ito Hirobumi felt the taste of a needle hidden in cotton. In his opinion, Lin Yongchang should be the same person as him, maybe a little better than him. After all, he can't fight, write poetry, or come up with a logically self-consistent theory. Well, he is only a little bit better.

But after meeting him, he found that Chairman Lin was very different from what he thought. The most important thing was that Lin Yongchang looked too young, and he seemed to be full of endless energy. Ito Hirobumi was surprised at first, and then jealous. He thought he was as smart as anyone, but he was old, his energy was not as good as before, and his mind was not as happy as before.

If I could be twenty years younger...After seeing Lin Yongchang's youthful and vigorous appearance, Ito Hirobumi thought this more than once. If I could be twenty years younger, I would definitely have a good fight with this guy!

But he also knew that even if he was 20 years younger, he would not be able to match Chairman Lin. It's not that he can't write poetry. Ito Hirobumi can write some verses, but that's just writing. However, the ability to write poetry is nothing for a politician. It's not because he can't fight a war. Fighting a war is the job of generals. For a leader of a country, it's good to know how to fight a war, but it's no big deal if you can't fight a war. Just leave it to professionals.

What really made Ito Hirobumi feel that he was inferior to Chairman Lin was the "Lin Yongchangism", "Lin Yongchang Thought" and "Lin Yongchang Theory". This set of logically self-consistent and proven feasible thinking system was something he could not come up with no matter what. Not only Ito Hirobumi himself, he believed that no one in Japan or East Asia could come up with a theory comparable to this set of thought system.

To defeat the enemy you need to rely on big ships and cannons, but to unite the people you need to rely on ideas,

Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan's ideological world has been in a state of chaos, with all kinds of doctrines, and various theories from the left, center, and right have exploded, but they all have their own shortcomings and are far less rigorous than "Lin Yongchangism". Ito Hiroki is well-versed in both Chinese and Western cultures, so he can naturally see that there are strong traces of "Marxism" in "Lin Yongchangism". In his description of the economy, he borrowed a lot of things from "Das Kapital", but he made further expansions, which can be regarded as standing on the shoulders of giants.

"It's a pity that Mr. Lin was not born in Japan."

Ito Hirobumi felt a little regretful and melancholy, but then he was excited. No matter what, Japan was on the right track. As long as nothing unexpected happened, it would only become stronger and stronger, and there would be no danger of national extinction. He said to the two princes, "Your Highness, please stay in China for a few more days and go back whenever you want."

The two girls who looked somewhat alike were a little shy, their cheeks flushed, "Yeah!"

The leaders of China and Japan held a closed-door meeting for two days and then came up with a joint statement. Everyone didn't believe it, thinking that there must be some secret treaty between China and Japan. But the fact is that apart from the content of the joint statement, there is really nothing else.

Japan wants to expand its navy to cope with the growing threat of the United States' naval power. This is a good thing, and Lin Yongchang agrees with it. But asking China to pay for Japan to build battleships is too fantastic. Based on things in another time and space, Chairman Lin has never taken Japan lightly. The two sides are cooperating well now, but no one knows what will happen in the future.

All Lin Yongchang could do was to arrange hundreds of thousands of production corps in the Northeast. If the Japanese were really confused,

I'm not afraid of that.

The US Navy is becoming increasingly powerful and posing an increasing threat to Japan. The best way is for China to build a strong navy as well. However, Lin Yongchang did not bring this up. Ito Hirobumi did, and he said that when the time is right, the Japanese government will take the initiative to promote this matter.

Ito Hirobumi's knowledge and understanding made Lin Yongchang very alert. The Japanese are best at bowing, followed by sneak attacks. Once the Japanese are very enthusiastic and kind, you should pay attention.

As for the emperor's sister and daughter, that is sugar-coating, and of course they must be eaten.

Chapter 528 Search

Ito Hirobumi came, and then he left, leaving behind two Japanese girls. However, the great powers only focused on the Prime Minister, and did not pay much attention to the girls, at least not as much as the Prime Minister. Now Ito Hirobumi is also very famous in the world. Lin Yongchang said, "The Bismarck of the East"; the Japanese said, "The Tumbler of the Political Arena".

It is hard to say whether the Japanese admire or ridicule Ito Hirobumi's behavior of jumping around. Overall, it seems that they admire him more. Admiring the strong is a common trait of all nations, but the Japanese are particularly outstanding in this regard.

After returning to Japan, someone from the navy came to ask about the situation. Seeing that Britain, Germany and the United States were all building their navies like dumplings, the Japanese night attack group: ⑥⑨四九,③六一三五 saw it with their eyes and were anxious in their hearts. Not only the three major powers of Britain, the United States and Germany, but also countries such as France, Russia, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have accelerated the speed of building their navies. Although they are not as terrifying as the three major powers, they should never be underestimated.

Japan is developing very fast, but its financial resources are still too thin. If it was like before, it would have been the younger brother of Britain, but Japan has already proved itself in Leyte Gulf, how can it return to the previous state? Under the blessing of Lin Yongchangism, many Japanese have shouted the slogan of liberating the whole of Asia, and some have shouted to liberate the whole world. There are such people not only in Japan, but also in China.

Victory in war brings not only glory, but also tangible benefits. Michijiro Umezu, Neiji Okamura and others fought several battles in the jungles of the Philippines. They were promoted quickly and were recommended to enter the Army University. They have a bright future. The Army University is not the Army University of Japan, but the Army University in Taiyuan. The world's number one army is now recognized as the German Army, followed by the People's Army of China. Those who can enter the Army University for further studies will become colonels/major officers after graduation, and will definitely be promoted to the level of generals. These young people have a bright future, and Mitsuomi Kamio was directly awarded the rank of major general as a reward for his suffering in the Philippines.

Of course, Kamio Mitsuomi was promoted because he did a good job. Marshal Lin would not give extra care to the Japanese, and only those with real ability would be rewarded. Kamio Mitsuomi was not only good at fighting, but also had outstanding talent in training soldiers. The combat effectiveness of the Philippine People's Army increased rapidly, and he made a great contribution to it.

Chairman Lin has always been fair in his work. Those who are capable and have made contributions should be promoted, and those who are incapable and have made mistakes should be removed and do other things. This is what makes Ito Hirobumi most helpless. Chairman Lin obviously has ideals, but when it comes to specific matters, he will appear very cold and ruthless.

Apart from anything else, the number of people exiled in the past few years has exceeded one million. In places like Mobei and the Western Regions, no more than 60% of the exiled people survived for three years. There were many people within the People's Party who opposed the exile of people at every turn, but Lin Yongchang did not waver at all.

"Chairman Lin..." Ito Hirobumi shook his head and said to Akiyama Saneyuki, "During this trip to China, we have implemented some economic and trade cooperation, that's all. Chairman Lin did bring up another matter, but I need to ask Akiyama-kun's opinion."

Akiyama Saneyuki was stunned for a moment, "What's the matter?"

"Chairman Lin wanted Qiu Shanjun to take some naval admirals and officers to visit Germany. Linjun's original words were to teach those Germans a lesson."

"Are the Chinese and Japanese navies each contributing some personnel?"

"Yes."

Akiyama Saneyuki was so thin that his cheekbones could be seen. The two major battles in the South China Sea and the Leyte Gulf had exhausted his energy. Now he had resigned from the post of fleet commander and turned to do some administrative work. He was silent for a while, as if he was thinking. Ito Hirobumi did not urge him. While Akiyama Saneyuki was thinking, he put on his glasses and picked up the newspaper at hand to read.

In this era, newspapers are the fastest way to get news. Politicians and upper-class people in various countries rely on reading newspapers every day to understand what is happening in the world. Ito Hirobumi must read five newspapers every day: Japan's Asahi Shimbun, China's People's Daily, Britain's The Times, the United States' Washington Times, and Germany's Berlin Daily.

These newspapers are the weather vanes of various countries. They can not only show political events, but also the economic and military trends. There is no need to say much about the other newspapers. Morrison is a special correspondent for the Times. He has been arrested by the Chinese three times, but he is lucky and nothing happened to him.

Lin Yongchang had a deep affection for The Times, so he noticed Morrison, an Australian who was engaged in espionage and smuggling cultural relics in China. Chairman Lin paid attention to The Times not because the British Empire was the world hegemon, but because

It is "Water Margin".

"If he can avenge his wrongs, his blood will stain the Thames estuary."

........Okay, this is because I’ve played Europa Universalis too much.

After a while, Akiyama Saneyuki finished his thoughts, "There is something wrong with the strategic planning of the German Navy." He pursed his lips, "The navy is a branch of the military used for attack. The German strategy was wrong from the beginning!"

Ito Hirobumi put down the newspaper and said with a smile: "Chairman Lin said so too."

"Do we need to tell the Germans this?" Akiyama Saneyuki asked doubtfully.

"You can tell them, but the Germans may not listen. Maybe the Germans are not even interested in listening."

Ito Hirobumi said: "First, do the preparatory work... Let the people below do the specific work. Akiyama-kun, you need to rest more."

“Maybe I should retire….”

"How old are you?" Ito Hirobumi flatly rejected Akiyama Saneyuki's resignation, "The country still needs you!"

It's really a headache. There is no peace of mind in the domestic and foreign situations. Ito Hirobumi was very confident about Akiyama Saneyuki, who wanted to become a monk, but his confidence was based on the fact that he could continue to use him. If Akiyama Saneyuki really went home to become a monk, what would he be confident about?

Ito Hirobumi thought he was the same type of person as Lin Yongchang, with ideals, but they were both very cold in the face of reality. He looked down on fools and weak people. Lin Yongchang wanted to establish a united front and unite the majority of people, but Ito Hirobumi was very direct and didn't want to pay attention to people who had no ability.

There is no doubt that Akiyama Saneyuki is capable, but he has been exhausted by the two naval battles. It is time to find another "military god" for the navy. He must be capable and have military achievements. Otherwise, the next time a joint fleet is formed, the commander may be a Chinese.

Chapter 529 Business

China's strength is growing strongly. Its production of steel and coal has reached the fourth or fifth level in the world, and its fiscal revenue has been increasing steadily every year. If this continues, by the end of the first "Five-Year Plan", it will have left the British Empire behind.

The People's Government publishes data on fiscal revenue, steel production, electricity generation, fertilizer production, and grain production in the previous year on the first day of March every year. In 1905, China's steel production was 288 million tons. By 1907, it had reached 500 million tons, the fastest growth rate in the world. However, in terms of absolute growth, it can only be regarded as the second in the world. Although the growth rate of the United States is low, because of its strong strength, even if it only grows by 10%, it is still several million tons.

The Chinese people are naturally excited about the data released by the People's Government, but many people in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom are skeptical. Such a high growth rate is really too abnormal. According to past experience and the theories of economists and other experts, this is impossible, so many people think that the Chinese government has tampered with the data and exaggerated the output of strategic materials such as steel, coal and grain.

In newspapers such as The Times and The New York Times, some journalists used sharp writing to satirize the Chinese's counterfeiting behavior, believing that the Chinese had woven a "Emperor's New Clothes."

"Poor Chinese people, they can only rely on lies to maintain their self-esteem."

"They didn't even bother to falsify the numbers. Are their government officials fools?"

"Anyone with a brain would not believe such an outrageous thing!"

There were different voices in the newspapers. The great powers all had diplomats, journalists, businessmen and adventurers in China. There were many products that were unique to China, such as some new medicines. Even the most hostile countries to China did not cut off trade with China. This was still the case even when the Chinese government formed the "Shanghai Coordinating Committee" and deliberately targeted the United States.

Foreigners in China have witnessed the changes in China, and some of them cautiously believe that the Chinese government may not be cheating. China's development speed in recent years is very amazing. For example, there are not many projects like the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge that are similar to a spectacle in the world.

The center of the world is still Europe. After making sarcastic remarks about the Chinese in the Far East, Europeans and Americans focused their attention on other things. There are so many new things every day that news from the Far East cannot even stay hot for more than three days. People are more interested in opera, art, and gossip about the upper class. Even the naval arms race seems to have been forgotten.

The illusion of peace did not last long. The assassination and coup d'état from Portugal shocked the whole of Europe. On February 2, the royal family, who had just returned from the palace, rode in an open carriage on the streets of Lisbon. When passing through the commercial square, several gunshots suddenly broke out from the crowds on both sides of the street welcoming the king. King Carlos I was killed on the spot; the heir to the throne and the king's eldest son Luis Felipe was seriously injured and died later; the second son Manuel was shot in the arm.

Although the two assassins were quickly caught and sentenced to death, the death of the king and first heir to the throne caused social unrest. Portugal was suppressed everywhere in the struggle for colonies, and the royal family chose to rely on the British Empire, which had long made the people in the country very dissatisfied. The assassination was like a fuse, igniting the dissatisfaction in Portugal.

Europeans are used to the assassination of the royal family.

, I was shocked, but I didn't have any other thoughts. The turmoil caused by the assassination of Carlos I was limited to Portugal and did not spread to the whole of Europe. Newspapers in various countries condemned the assassination by the Republicans, but isn't that what Republican liberals do?

Europe is too far away from China. The People's Government sent a telegram of condolences to the Portuguese government, and then no longer paid attention. Portugal was once prosperous for a while during the Age of Discovery, but now it has declined. In the context of the British-German hegemony, Britain crushed Portugal without using military means. Portugal was not the first to fall, nor was it the last.

For China, the assassination of the Portuguese king had less impact than the suicide attack in Burma. The East Asian Alliance defeated the evil American imperialist colonizers and liberated the entire Philippines. The impact of this incident was more far-reaching than Lin Yongchang had imagined.

Inspired by the victory of the Philippine War, the whole Southeast Asia set off a wave of "national independence movement" and "Lin Yongchangism" continued to spread. Many people from colonial countries went to China to ask for help, just like the Filipinos did back then. Lin Yongchang could not refuse these people, at least not openly, but Britain had repeatedly warned that it could not allow China to continue to expand in the South China Sea and Southeast Asia, so it could only take the same approach as before - put the issue aside and wait until the future.