The sun never sets.

Zhu Erdian did not approve of Tang Shaoyi's diplomatic rhetoric. "The Empire will negotiate with the United States, but China must...should show goodwill first."

Tang Shaoyi still had a smile on his face. "I think China has shown goodwill. Mr. Ambassador, China only intends to build four battleships. Four, not fourteen or forty."

That requires you to build forty battleships! Zhu Erdian was very dissatisfied with the Chinese people's pretentiousness. He frowned and said, "But your battleships are more than 40,000 tons, which is equivalent to ten dreadnoughts."

"That's because our shipbuilding technology and design are still very backward, and we can only build warships this big. If your country is willing to transfer the blueprints of the super-dreadnought to China, perhaps we won't have to waste so much tonnage."

Tang Shaoyi

He didn't understand battleships, but that didn't stop him from using various excuses skillfully. Zhu Erdian ignored the topic of transferring the super-dreadnought design drawings. That was not something that an ambassador to China could decide. Even the Minister of the Navy couldn't make the final decision. It had to get the consent of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Zhu Erdian said: "If China must build battleships, the British Empire can help you build them. The empire's shipbuilding technology is far superior to any country in the world!"

This is true. Britain has an unparalleled naval tradition, a large number of skilled workers, and can build ships quickly and well.

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Ambassador, but we want to make it ourselves. Even if it is a little more expensive, it can provide thousands of jobs in the country. And we don't have extra pounds to pay the bill unless your country is willing to open up the market."

"The Empire also accepts gold and other commodities as payment," Zhu Erdian's brows were still furrowed, "Mr. Minister, the Empire is sincere."

Tang Shaoyi did not feel sincerity, he only felt the arrogance of the imperialist powers, whether it was Britain or the United States, they would not listen to reason if they could. "Mr. Ambassador, you should know that buying battleships is not only a military issue, but also an economic and political issue. China has no intention of joining the hegemony. We build battleships just to protect ourselves."

It's all lies! Jordan scoffed at this set of rhetoric. The British said they brought peace to the world. "This will change the naval power balance in the South China Sea. The Empire cannot tolerate such a thing!"

Tang Shaoyi's smile was still impeccable, but his words became sharper and more pointed. "The British government cannot tolerate China building four battleships, but can tolerate the United States building twenty battleships? If China increases the number of battleships to 20, will your country be able to tolerate it?"

“That’s not the same thing!”

"That's not the same thing," Tang Shaoyi said with a smile. "China and the Alliance are expanding their naval forces to deal with the threat from the United States, not because of any intention towards Britain. Mr. Ambassador should be very clear about this."

This is true. No matter what the Chinese government's intentions are, it has not vigorously developed its navy in the past few years. Even if it has built a few ships, they are all light warships such as torpedo boats and destroyers.

“If your country can get the US government to abandon the new naval expansion bill, China and the alliance can reduce the tonnage of capital ships.”

“How much can it be reduced?”

"At least half!"

Jordan got a clear answer, but it was far from what he wanted. As the naval arms race intensified, the British government drew more and more forces from all over the world to suppress the Germans, which led to the rise of power in America and Asia. The United States and China were not very obedient, and even Japan began to stir.

However, they were just ready to make a move, but no substantial action was taken. Even if there were some actions, they were directed at the Netherlands. The Netherlands was no longer the "sea coachman". Such a poor country controlled the entire Kalimantan, which would naturally attract the insatiable Japanese samurai.

But the UK is different. Although the British Empire is already on the decline, it is still as prosperous as ever. Before the decline of the British Royal Navy, the British Empire's position as the world's hegemon was unshakable.

Jordan was silent for a moment, then said, "The British Empire does not want to see a military confrontation in the Pacific. This is not good for anyone."

“This was not caused by China.”

Zhu Erdian said to himself: "China can make concessions first. As long as the United States no longer feels threatened, they may suspend the new naval expansion bill."

"Maybe?" Tang Shaoyi smiled. "It's not China that is threatening the United States, but the United States that is threatening China and the entire Asia."

Zhu Erdian frowned and looked gloomy. He stared at Tang Shaoyi blankly, "If China dissolves its military alliance with Japan, the United States will not feel threatened."

The smile on Tang Shaoyi's face froze. He had long known that the imperialist powers were unreasonable, but what Jordan said was too outrageous. The appearance he had been maintaining was broken. His brows gradually frowned, and Tang Shaoyi's expression became somewhat similar to Jordan's. "Is this a proposal from the US government?"

"No, it is the advice of the British Empire."

Chapter 550 Tariffs

While Tang Shaoyi was negotiating with Zhu Erdian, Lin Yongchang was discussing the German Navy with Akiyama Saneyuki. Akiyama Saneyuki had once used the cover of the Olympic delegation to secretly visit Germany with several naval officers and communicated with Count Tirpitz and the generals of the German Navy, but the effect was not very good.

"Does Count Tirpitz still insist on the theory of the existence of a fleet?"

"Yes." For some reason, Akiyama Saneyuki felt that his headache had eased a little and he was able to concentrate. "Whether in terms of the tonnage of warships or morale, the German Navy is at an absolute disadvantage. Count Tirpitz insisted that the existence of a fleet doctrine is most suitable for the German Navy."

The German Navy's choice was the result of weighing the pros and cons and calculating. Although Akiyama Saneyuki was a famous general who won two naval battles, he was unable to make the German Navy change its strategy.

"So what do you think of the Existential Fleet Doctrine?"

"There is no point in having a fleet," Akiyama Saneyuki said without hesitation. "The purpose of a large navy is to destroy a hostile country.

If Germany only needed a fleet for survival, they wouldn't have needed to build so many battleships!"

"If you were in command of the German Navy, what would you do?"

Akiyama Saneyuki did not answer immediately this time. Instead, he thought for a while before saying, "Raid the main fleet of the British Navy and immediately destroy the British Royal Navy's home fleet by any means. Only in this way can the German Navy have a chance of survival."

"Britain is building ships faster than Germany, and with each passing year the gap between the Royal Navy and the German Navy becomes larger. If war is inevitable, Germany should mobilize now rather than wait."

Well, this is a typical Japanese way of thinking. Using a "sneak attack" to provoke a war, putting all the chips on the table to gamble on the fate of the country. But Germany is not Japan, and Europe is not Asia.

Lin Yongchang talked with Akiyama Saneyuki for more than an hour, and then handed him a letter, asking Akiyama Saneyuki to take it to Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi. Communicating by telegraph and telephone is definitely faster than writing letters, but both telegraph and telephone have the risk of leaking secrets, so writing letters is safer.

Akiyama Saneyuki knew that Chairman Hayashi and Prime Minister Ito had a very close relationship, so he was not surprised. He just put the document bag into his briefcase and said that he would definitely deliver the letter to Prime Minister Ito.

After sending Akiyama Makoto away, Lin Yongchang continued to indulge in work. Work makes me happy... He really thinks so. What else can you do if you don't put your vigorous energy into work? It is said that Qin Shihuang read hundreds of kilograms of bamboo slips every day, and Zhu Yuanzhang only slept five hours a day. Many successful people in ancient and modern times are energetic workaholics, and Lin Yongchang is the same.

The intensity of his work far exceeds 996, but he does not feel that he is being exploited.

Paul Kochakin said: "The most precious thing in life is life, which is given to us only once. A person's life should be spent in this way: when he looks back on the past, he will not regret wasting his time, nor will he be ashamed of being mediocre. In this way, when he is dying, he can say: I have dedicated my entire life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world - fighting for the liberation of mankind."

Now Lin Yongchang has not yet devoted his entire life and energy to the cause, nor has he fought for the liberation of mankind. For the time being, he can only be regarded as liberating the people of Asia, and there is no way to liberate the people of Europe.

Soon, Lin Yongchang received a report from the new Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi: the British government wanted to dismantle the Sino-Japanese alliance, or to make Japan withdraw from the East Asian Alliance.

Both the British and American governments have this intention, but China will naturally not agree. Britain also wants to dismantle the Tripartite Alliance. If thinking about it can make Japan withdraw from ASEAN, then why bother to build it?

Ito Hirobumi always wanted to expand Japan's voice in the alliance, but he was a smart man and never thought of withdrawing from the alliance. Ito Hirobumi knew very well that if Japan was not an ally of China, it would definitely be an enemy of China. Only by relying on the big tree of China could Japan expand outward smoothly. So he always emphasized, "Everything can be abandoned, but the alliance with China cannot be abandoned."

The naval arms race is intensifying around the world. While strengthening their own military strength, all countries are actively conducting diplomacy, including China. The Chinese ambassador to the United States has held four talks with senior officials in Washington to discuss the comparison of naval power in the Pacific. Unfortunately, not much useful results were achieved.

President William Taft raised tariffs and stepped up foreign intervention as soon as he took office. He would not put the United States in a cage. In fact, building a large navy was part of the United States' foreign strategy. The United States was much stronger than the East Asian Alliance. They did not need to actually fight. They could just drag the alliance into a naval arms race to bring it down.

If the alliance does not follow, that is also easy to deal with. They can accumulate overwhelming naval power and then march back to Asia in a mighty manner. The Americans have never thought of defeating the People's Army on land, but as long as they have absolute naval superiority, the entire Western Pacific, including Japan and the Philippines, will become the sphere of influence of the United States.

The negotiations lasted for more than three months, and the United States did not make any concessions. Instead, Washington demanded that the alliance open its market to the United States. The economic crisis was coming, and the US government was already preparing for the next recession.

The alliance will naturally not agree to unilaterally open up the market and reduce tariffs, which is tantamount to cutting its own flesh to feed the United States. After the United States announced the increase in tariffs, other countries followed suit. However, the United States was not the first to provoke the matter. The first to announce the increase in tariffs was the United Kingdom.

Britain has vast colonies, and building tariff barriers to keep other countries out is good for Britain, and the United States is just following in Britain's footsteps. But the United States is the world's largest consumer market, and when the United States announced an increase in tariffs, it had an impact on the whole world.

Raising tariffs will inevitably lead to other countries following suit. This is a double-edged sword. Unless it can force other countries to unilaterally open their markets, raising tariffs will hurt others and yourself. But the United States still did it because the British had already raised tariffs on Germany and the United States, and the United States could not always let Britain take advantage.

The world was divided into four parts: the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, the United States and the East Asian Alliance. There were irreconcilable contradictions between the first two forces, and the United States and the Alliance.

The conflict between them has not yet reached the point of a life-and-death struggle, but the relationship between them is definitely not harmonious.

Chapter 551 Is It Worth It?

In the current world, the two strongest camps are the Allies and the Central Powers, the United States is the third largest force, and the East Asian Alliance based on the Sino-Japanese alliance can only rank fourth. The power of the two camps is far greater than that of the United States and the Alliance, but the distance limits the power projection of the Allies and the Central Powers.

The United States has the Atlantic Ocean as a barrier, while the Alliance is located at the easternmost part of the World Island, tens of thousands of miles away from Europe. The long distance makes the United States and the Alliance in a relatively safe position, but also makes it difficult for them to make an effective impact on Europe.

For the two camps, both the United States and the Alliance are only secondary directions, but this does not mean that the Entente and the Alliance have given up their diplomatic efforts. Of course, the more allies the better, but neither London nor Berlin can offer more to win over allies.

Under such circumstances, diplomacy has become a game of intrigue and deception. The United States hopes that the East Asian Alliance will fight with the Allies in the South China Sea or Central Asia, and that China and Japan will turn against each other. They want too many things. On the one hand, the US government tempts Japan to withdraw from the alliance, and on the other hand, it wants to drag China into the war, so that the United States will be the only one in the world that will not be affected by the war.

In the past 100 years, the United States has developed very fast. Its vast territory and abundant resources are the foundation of its development, but the main reason is the influx of a large amount of capital. In order to avoid the war in Europe, many families shifted their focus to North America, which is far away from Europe. Once the Allies and the Central Powers fought, more capital would flee Europe. Originally, the United States was the only choice for capital to flee, but now China has also been added.

China has strict control over capital, and capitalists cannot raise a large number of gunmen like in North America, but China is safer, which makes the United States dislike and even hate China more and more, and the free world naturally hates China that holds high the banner of "democracy". Mr. Hoover is an old friend of the Chinese people and has made a lot of money from Sino-US trade, but he is also very dissatisfied with many policies of the people's government.

The US government hopes that China will participate in the war in Europe, but this is just a try, and it does not really think it will succeed. Other powers are facing various internal and external problems, and the United States is no exception. There are all kinds of contradictions within the United States, and various classes are arguing for their own interests. The internal pressure is too great, and the United States hopes that domestic contradictions can be resolved abroad, but outward expansion is dangerous.

Spain was defeated, but the United States lost the Philippines within a few years and lost its main naval forces. In order to avoid another disastrous defeat like the Leyte Gulf and to strengthen the confidence of domestic capital, the United States must have a strong navy. Unless the British Empire offers a price that cannot be refused, but this is impossible.

In order to win over France and Russia, Britain made concessions and divided spheres of influence in Africa, the Balkans and Central Asia. If Britain was willing to share Africa and Australia with the United States, the United States might stand on the side of the Allies. If Britain could allow the Alliance to move freely in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, the Alliance would also be willing to join the Allies as a whole.

But no, nothing. The British Empire had already given away too much and was unwilling to cut any more flesh.

Britain, Germany, the United States, China and other countries have conducted diplomatic negotiations again and again, but nothing useful has been achieved. Different countries have different interests, which cannot be resolved through negotiations.

Lin Yongchang attaches great importance to diplomacy, as "no matter how small, diplomacy is". However, he pays more attention to domestic construction, and his focus on diplomacy is mainly because he does not want to become the target of public criticism, as long as the worst situation does not occur.

While diplomats from various countries were maneuvering, good news was coming from China, with good news of completed projects every month. In May, Lanzhou Refinery, Taiyuan Second Thermal Power Plant, Zhengzhou Thermal Power Plant, Anshan Iron and Steel Company, Luoyang Nonferrous Metal Processing Plant and other projects were either completed or put into production.

In June, projects such as Lanzhou Petroleum Machinery Factory, Wuhan Heavy Machinery Factory, and North China Pharmaceutical Factory were completed; in July, the construction of Fuxin Haizhou Coal Mine, Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, and Sanmenxia Water Conservancy Project was completed.

After more than three years of hard work, it was time to reap the rewards. The country was filled with enthusiasm, and even people like Wu Zhihui and Cai Yuanpei had to admit that the People's Party had made great achievements in national construction.

However, this did not shut up Cai Yuanpei and his colleagues. They changed their faces to compassionate ones and commented on the achievements of the country from another perspective. "It is true that we have made great achievements, but is it worth it?"

As long as you want to be black, you can always find black spots.

Liberals used vivid writing to describe the miserable lives of the exiled people. The former upper class had to work in the fields and herd in the biting cold wind, which really made the listeners sad and tearful. This was not the worst. In places like Mobei and Siberia, people who had just arrived would die in large numbers because they could not adapt to the environment. Every winter, the most people died.

The Hong Kong Times and the Southern Daily claimed that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than a million people were executed and more than 10 million people were exiled. Among those exiled, more than 4 million people have died, and the remaining more than 6 million people are living in water.

"...Even if it was the Emperor Qin Shi Huang who burned books and buried them

Even Confucianism cannot compare with it!"

"When a brutal dictator took control of the ancient country, he destroyed everything that was good, leaving only shameless barbarians who did not distinguish between high and low."

The people's government allows different voices to exist, and "a hundred flowers blooming means spring", but slander and rumor-mongering cannot be considered freedom of speech. The local police station dispatched police to arrest the suspects. The headquarters of the Hong Kong Times is in Hong Kong, so it is difficult to arrest them, but the Southern Daily is in Guangzhou.

The police acted quickly and quickly sent Editor-in-Chief Hu and related personnel back. Editor-in-Chief Hu was known for his flexibility and agility. After being arrested, Editor-in-Chief Hu immediately cut ties with the reporters below.

"I am a party member and I am patriotic!"

Editor-in-Chief Hu changed his position again, "I report it, I expose it!"

He had received funding from businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but he was also a party member. His position often fluctuated, but he was able to survive every movement, and this time was no exception. Editor-in-Chief Hu provided relevant clues, saying that the reporter who published the article had contact with Yuan Shikai who lived in Hong Kong. Based on the testimony of Editor-in-Chief Hu and other personnel, the Public Security Bureau issued an arrest warrant, but it was still a step too late. The two reporters who openly spread rumors in the newspaper had already fled to Hong Kong.

Chapter 552 Red

Hong Kong was leased to the British by the previous dynasty and was a product of the Second Opium War. When the People's Army swept across the south, many comrades thought that Hong Kong should be liberated at the same time. This was not a very difficult thing. Even though the British Royal Navy was unparalleled in the world, as long as it was connected to the land, the People's Army could crush the British resistance.

But after a period of thinking, Lin Yongchang decided to keep Hong Kong for the time being. It was easy to liberate Hong Kong, but Taiwan was isolated overseas. If the British blocked the Taiwan Strait with warships, the People's Army could only watch helplessly.

It's not that they couldn't do something else, such as attacking Singapore from land, but that would prolong the war. Lin Yongchang was considering ending the war as soon as possible and investing the country's resources in construction, rather than turning it into ashes in the war.

For this reason, Hong Kong remained in British hands.

Because of Hong Kong's special status, many frustrated politicians and intellectuals in China have fled there. And those local tyrants and evil gentry who are about to be overthrown, who have good vision, have fled to Hong Kong. Some have gone abroad, but most people don't have the financial resources and connections to go abroad. Besides, will it be good to go abroad?

In this day and age, people don’t care about human rights. Even superficial efforts are rarely made. If you do something, you might get slaughtered. In Hong Kong, people are worried about the People’s Army coming to kill them. After a while, they are not so worried. After the normalization of Sino-British relations, the situation in Hong Kong has stabilized.

As a result, Hong Kong became the base camp of various anti-government organizations. Among all the opposition groups, the most famous one was Yuan Shikai, the leader of the Beiyang Army and the president of the Nanjing National Government.

After escaping from Nanjing, Yuan Shikai was indignant. He thought that Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang had let him down. With the help of British friends, if the soldiers were willing to sacrifice their lives, why would they be afraid of Lin Yongchang?

After arriving in Hong Kong, Yuan Shikai had been actively contacting his old subordinates and various reactionaries, preparing to launch a counterattack on the mainland when the People's Party could no longer control the situation. Those peasants might be good at fighting, but they certainly didn't know how to govern the country. According to the People's Party's perverse behavior, the country would be in chaos in a few years.

He waited year after year, and China under the rule of the People's Party did not fall into chaos, but became stronger and stronger. This made Yuan Shikai very uncomfortable. As China became stronger and stronger, his chances became smaller and smaller. The People's Army beat the French twice in Vietnam and beat the Americans half to death in the Philippines. How could this be the rhythm of chaos in the world? This is clearly a scene that only happened during the Han and Tang Dynasties!

Gradually, Yuan Shikai put those thoughts in his mind to an end. Although he was still angry and still couldn't stand the People's Party's perverse actions, he no longer contacted heroes and heroes. Heroes and heroes? Pah, they were all stray dogs driven out by the People's Party, just like him.

Days passed by like this, and Yuan Shikai had already accepted his fate. But at this time, a piece of news suddenly came from the north. When Yuan Shikai heard it, he was so shocked that the teacup in his hand fell to the ground.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"It is said that... the term of office will be changed soon, and Mr. Xu Shichang will become the Premier of the State Council!"

Yuan Shikai was in a trance for a moment, then raised his eyebrows, "Such ridiculous news... Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"The rumors outside are very true," Yuan Kewen said with envy, "Lord Xu has become an alternate member of the Central Committee this year, and will be promoted to a full member next year, and then take over as Prime Minister."

"But..." Yuan Shikai was stunned for a long time, and finally sighed, "Juren can have such good fortune, it is his own ability."

Yuan Kewen asked carefully: "Then can we go back to our hometown?"

Yuan Shikai was silent for a moment, then said: "I will write a letter to Ju Ren to test the waters first."

Xu Shichang was once a close friend of Yuan Shikai, but they parted ways and turned to join the People's Party. Yuan Shikai laughed at Xu Shichang at the time, but who would have thought that Xu Shichang, a Jinshi of the previous dynasty, could become the prime minister of the new dynasty? It is not certain whether it is

It is true, but being an alternate member of the Central Committee is already impressive, as it means you have stepped into the highest decision-making circle.

After writing the letter, Yuan Shikai felt mixed emotions. He felt that Lin Yongchang and the People's Party's use of Xu Shichang was just "spending a fortune on a horse's bones", but even if that was the case, it would take a lot of courage. When others saw that someone like Xu Shichang could be used, wouldn't they think "I can do it too"?

Not to mention others, even Yuan Shikai had a little regret. If he had chosen peaceful liberation, he might be the one being envied today. Lin Yongchang was too powerful, and he was a master at controlling his subordinates. With no one around, Yuan Shikai no longer concealed his depression. There was nothing to complain about losing to such a person.

"Why do you think the Party has imposed this burden on you?"

Lin Yongchang restrained his smile and said to Xu Shichang: "You are included in the list of candidates for investigation. It means that the party and the people recognize your ability and character. The prime minister serves the people. If you do a good job, the people will see it. If you do not do a good job, the people will also see it."

"Comrade Xu Shichang, if you feel that you are not qualified for the new position, then write a resignation report. Premier Wang will definitely not stop you."

Xu Shichang was much older than Lin Yongchang, but he acted like a junior in front of Chairman Lin. He just wanted to be polite, just like the abdication in ancient times, he had to pretend to resign once, twice, and three times before he could happily take the position. Otherwise, wouldn't it seem very impatient?