The sun never sets.

Because Lieutenant General Kondrachenko was stuck in Warsaw, Ludendorff did not dare to continue to pursue eastwards, but stopped to remove the nail. The stronger the firepower, the higher the demand for logistical supplies. Warsaw is the capital of Poland and a railway hub, with great strategic significance. If it is not taken, the German army can only rely on mules and horses for mobility and supply, which is too bad.

There were no permanent fortifications like the Liege Fortress in Warsaw, but the city itself was a fortress. However, Ludendorff did not think that Kondrachenko would hold out until his army was completely annihilated. As long as the trenches outside the city were destroyed and artillery shells were fired into the city, the Russian army would almost surrender.

While transporting artillery and shells to the front, the German army stepped up the repair of the railway. The hateful Russians blew up many bridges and railways during their retreat, and now they had to rely on the Germans to repair them. In addition, the Russian track gauge was different from that of Germany, so the repairs had to be replanned and the rails had to be shipped from Germany, which to a certain extent slowed down the German advance.

There are many difficulties for the Germans, but they are not a big problem. As long as Warsaw is taken, they can continue to march eastward. Ludendorff has made a war plan and is ready to use another year to completely eliminate the threat from Russia.

Just when he was ready to fight, bad news suddenly came, like a bolt from the blue, knocking him dizzy. It was not that the German drama had suffered a disastrous defeat, it was not that, but the General Staff decided to stop transporting troops and supplies to the Eastern Front, and domestic resources would be focused on the Western Front.

After hearing the news, Ludendorff was stunned for more than a minute, and then he was furious. The situation on the Eastern Front was so good that if he was given another year, he would definitely be able to reach St. Petersburg. As a result, the General Staff decided to launch a large-scale offensive on the Western Front again. This time, Falkenhayn and his men targeted the Verdun Fortress in northeastern France.

mark.

"We're going to make the French bleed to death in Verdun!"

Chief of Staff Falkenhayn vowed to use bloodletting tactics to force France to make peace. Such an outrageous idea was actually recognized by William II. Ludendorff thought Falkenhayn was a liar who was full of nonsense, and the emperor was a big SB.

He returned to Berlin from the front in a hurry and had a heated debate with Falkenhayn at the General Staff. However, a debate can never determine the winner, just like you can't wake up a person who pretends to be asleep.

Falkenhayn was now in a difficult situation and could only try his best to make a last-ditch effort. The Chief of the General Staff had no choice but to do so. If he admitted that the "defend the east and attack the west" strategy had failed, he would be forced to resign like Moltke the Younger.

The result of the quarrel was that Ludendorff returned to the Eastern Front to continue fighting, and the General Staff was able to implement their new plan. However, before launching a new offensive, Germany had to face the problems brought by cold and hunger.

The scale of the war between the two major camps was so large that half of the world was involved. After the war broke out, both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers suffered from food shortages to varying degrees.

Because food began to be in short supply, Britain established a unified food management agency and issued the "National Food Conservation Wartime League Recipe" to guide the people on how to eat less and "better". The posters in Britain were also very creative, telling people some tips, such as "Eat slower and you won't need as much food." This is really fucked up. No matter how slowly you eat, the calories you consume will not change. Can energy appear out of thin air?

The Central Powers were affected much more than the Allies. The Allies' ships could move freely in and out of France's ports on the Atlantic Ocean, while Germany and Austria-Hungary, sandwiched between Central Europe, suffered. They were blockaded by Britain and had no way to buy supplies from overseas. Even if they had money to buy, they could not transport them. At the beginning, there was not much impact, but after a long time, the Central Powers suffered from famine because no one expected the war to last so long.

Before the war, Germany's food self-sufficiency rate was only 80%, and the rest had to be imported. After the outbreak of the war, Germany conscripted a large number of young and middle-aged men into the army, which caused a large-scale reduction in production in Germany. The army's rations were reduced again and again, and the same was true for the people. In winter, the Germans not only lacked food, but also fuel.

The British believed that the blockade would starve the Germans into surrendering, as Germany could only produce 80% of the food it needed. At first, the Germans were still very arrogant. In September of this year, the Germans bombed London with a Zeppelin airship. In addition to the bomb, the pilot also dropped a large piece of bone-in pork with a parachute, which read: A gift from hungry Germany. It can be seen that the Germans at that time did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

As the war continued, the Allies could no longer withstand this "war of attrition". The Germans had no pork left to joke about, because they slaughtered millions of pigs to save food for feeding them. This led to a surge in pork prices, and the government had to stipulate that meat could not be eaten on Tuesdays and Fridays, and oil was prohibited on Mondays and Thursdays. In order to implement this regulation, the perverted government sent a special inspection team to conduct random checks from house to house to see who violated the ban on eating meat on that day. If any food was found to exceed the standard, it would be confiscated. In two years, Germany's grain production has dropped by half, food prices have risen by 200%, and there is often no market for food, and money cannot buy things. So Germany began to issue food coupons and implement a food quota rationing system.

Because Britain had control of the seas and could get food from all over the world, the food shortage was not as serious as that of Germany, but this was only at the beginning. When the German government found that it could not defeat the French army in a short time, and the High Seas Fleet could not break the blockade of the Royal Navy, the Germans started submarine warfare. Thanks to China's technology transfer, the Germans had "powerful Type 93 oxygen torpedoes" and submarine blueprints of 700 to 800 tons, or even thousands of tons. The Germans were determined to cut off the supply lines of the British Isles and let the hateful British taste hunger. So Britain also began to experience food shortages.

The situation in France was not much better. The German army had already entered the northeast of France, and the battles on the Western Front were all fought on French soil. The back-and-forth sawing turned the northeast of France into a scorched earth. The "offensive" spirit of the French army caused heavy casualties among the soldiers. In order to continue fighting, the government conscripted more young and strong men to join the army, which led to a further decline in food production. By the end of 1912, France had to spend a large amount of real money to buy food from China and the United States.

Because there were so many things to buy, the French were close to running out of precious metals. The Chinese government refused to accept francs or lend money to France. Finally, China proposed that the French exchange the cultural relics they had stolen from the Old Summer Palace for food. With the whole country starving, the French could only reluctantly agree.

However, the Chinese experts pushed the price down so low that the French diplomats left in anger and returned two hours later. Compared to being hungry, other things didn't seem to be that important.

Chapter 593 A Question

Compared with Britain, France and Germany, Russia had enough food, but the tragedy was that the food could not be transported from the countryside to the city because the railways were overwhelmed by the transportation of troops. The disorderly management exacerbated the chaos.

Women spend 40 hours a week queuing to buy food. Millions of tons of surplus food are piled up at ports on the Black Sea, but cannot be shipped out because it cannot pass through the Dardanelles.

The consequences of Russia's failure to support the Allied attack on the Dardanelles were already apparent, with its exports falling by 95%, and the only ports available were Archangel, which was frozen for half a year, and Vladivostok (Vladivostok), 8000 miles away. But the war was endless, and Russia's food supply could no longer hold up.

After the Battle of the Marne, the two warring parties were deadlocked in northern France and Belgium. France, one of the Allied Powers, suggested adopting a "peripheral strategy" to break the deadlock. British Admiral Churchill immediately responded, proposing to use the powerful strength of the British Royal Navy to open the Dardanelles Strait, the Bosphorus Strait, and directly take the Ottoman capital Istanbul, thereby driving Turkey out of the war, and then attacking the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the German Empire in the Central Powers from the south, ultimately reducing the pressure of Tsarist Russia in the Caucasus direction against Germany.

This "Besiege Wei to Save Zhao" battle plan was perfect, but it turned out to be a completely bad idea. Churchill, the fat man who opened the Iron Curtain, believed that the British Royal Navy was invincible and that he could beat the Turks down by just sending his fleet over. The British Royal Navy was indeed invincible, but British naval generals had long said, "Only fools would use warships to fight against artillery batteries."

Churchill was that fool.

Although the British and French coalition forces had powerful naval guns, they were stubbornly blocked by the Turkish army, and the minesweeping operation stagnated, and the war progressed very slowly. After finally clearing the mines, the British and French fleets launched the largest attack on the Turkish army since the beginning of the war. A total of three fleets participated in the battle, but the losses were also the heaviest. Three dreadnoughts hit mines and sank, and two were severely damaged. The repeated setbacks caused the British and French war decision-makers to believe that without support from the shore, it would not work to rely solely on the naval fleet to open the Dardanelles (this was simply nonsense), so they decided to land on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and an even more tragic scene occurred.

The British and French forces deployed more than 500,000 ground forces, and after a long battle, the casualties reached 150,000. The British and French forces only advanced a few kilometers inland, and except for two shallow landing sites, they gained almost nothing.

However, the British and French forces' retreat was successful. After all, they had powerful warship firepower support, and the Turks could not annihilate them at the landing site. Then Britain and France started the propaganda machine and boasted about this successful retreat. Others thought that the British and French forces had won a glorious victory. After a closer look, it turned out to be a victory of retreat, or a victorious retreat.

It is a tradition to celebrate funerals. If there are more such victories, the Allies can declare victory. This is the advantage of having the right to speak. Bad things can be said to be good, and calling a horse a zebra is just a piece of cake. It is easy to confuse right and wrong.

The Germans ridiculed the retreat of the British and French forces in their newspapers, believing that the Allies were already losing. The German newspapers were no more righteous than the British and French, and their words were all bullshit. The Allies and the Alliance were now trapped in a situation of internal and external difficulties.

In Europe, in addition to food, gasoline, electricity, and coal were all rationed. To save fuel, cinemas and theaters stopped performances. The only place open in Paris was the Invalides Museum, which was designed to inspire people's patriotic enthusiasm with a special exhibition. Before 10 o'clock in the evening, or even before 5 o'clock in winter, the city that never sleeps, Paris, was completely dark. The government stipulated that every household could only turn on one light in each room. If you turned on more lights, you would be punished by a three-week power outage.

Because of the lack of coal, the heating was cut off in winter. In order to keep warm, the Germans had to rely on themselves and created the "self-heating method", that is: wear almost all clothes in the house, and then walk back and forth in the house. However, the effect was not very good, because according to the law of conservation of energy, if you exercise for a long time, you will feel hungry again.

The war devoured money, materials and lives, consuming everything completely without any output. Only the United States and ASEAN benefited from the war. The United States was the largest debtor country before the war. After a year and a half of fighting, the Americans had almost paid off their debts. ASEAN gained less than the United States. After all, ASEAN's productivity is not as good as that of the United States, and it is farther away from Europe than the United States. However, China, Japan and other countries also made a lot of money.

Nicolas Cage said in Lord of War: There are no winners in war, only arms dealers have the last laugh. This is the situation now.

The European war had burned through the gold reserves of Britain, France and other countries, and now they had to rely on debt to survive. China allowed Britain and France to exchange cultural relics looted from China for supplies, and the Americans tore off their neutral face and began to lend money to the Allies.

If the Allies had no money to buy American supplies, not only would the war between Britain and France not be fought, but the US economy would also decline again due to trade contraction and overcapacity. What should Britain and France do if they have no gold but must buy American military supplies?

Britain and France had only two options: one was to sell their American assets at a low price for dollars. Because Wall Street had reopened and trading was hot, Britain and France began to exchange their American stocks for dollars. Morgan Bank helped the Bank of England sell them at a low price.

The transaction involved US$30 billion worth of US stocks. Not only did this transaction allow Morgan Bank to earn a large sum of commissions, but the wealth accumulated by the British Empire in the United States and the ownership of the American industry that it once controlled were completely returned to the hands of the Americans.

The United States is a neutral country, and neutral countries are prohibited from lending money to warring parties. If the United States lends money to the Allies, it is equivalent to funding the Allies to fight the Central Powers, and the United States' neutral position will no longer exist. However, the business opportunities brought by the war are too great, and the US government cannot withstand the huge temptation of interests, and its position has quietly changed.

Make money, not shabby.

After the United States issued loans to the Allies, the situation of the Central Powers became increasingly difficult. A debate broke out in China over whether to issue loans to the Allies like the United States did.

The business community is definitely willing to lend money so that they can sell the goods they produce. The Ministry of Agriculture also agrees to lend money. The Allies are not only short of industrial products, but also short of food. People will really starve to death if they don't have food to eat. China just took the opportunity to sell all the old grain and use the warehouse to store new grain. The banking industry and the Ministry of Finance also agree to lend money. Britain and France have been playing this trick for a long time, and now it is finally their turn to be played. Why not?

Britain and France can't last long just relying on cultural relics. If we don't lend money to the Allies, the United States will be happy to occupy this market. Instead of letting the Americans make money, why don't we make it ourselves?

Lin Yongchang knew that lending to the Allies would stimulate the economy and have other benefits, but national leaders could not only see the immediate benefits, but also consider the future. Should they let the Allies defeat the Central Powers like in another time and space, or should they do something different?

Well, that's a problem.

Chapter 594 What is

Should we follow the trend of history or create a brand new era? This is the question. Lin Yongchang is a little undecided about this. This situation rarely happens to him. He has always been very decisive.

The People's Party practices democratic centralism, which requires both democracy and centralism. So we should first let the comrades discuss and express their views. Of course, the topic given by Lin Yongchang concealed the real intention. The comrades discussed whether to lend money to Britain and France.

In addition to discussions at the central level, Chairman Wang Qi also allowed local comrades to participate in the discussions. In addition to the reasons that were summarized, if there were any new ideas, they could send a telegram or write a letter to the central government.

Because of the war, Germany's steel production once dropped to 1300 million tons/year, but the German government adjusted its industry and agriculture in 1912, and the production of steel and other war-related materials reached a new peak. But as long as the German army could not achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield, producing more steel would be of no avail.

In this world war - let's call it a world war, Lin Yongchang believes that it can only be regarded as a European war for now - steel and explosives are important, but people are also important, because in this war, the importance of people is highlighted.

Tens of millions of young men died in the war, and Britain, France and Germany all faced a shortage of manpower. It was not that there were not enough soldiers on the front line, but that there were not enough producers in the rear. Young people were not only the main force of the army, but also the main force of production. Britain could draw manpower from its vast colonies, and Churchill could say, "The British Empire will never surrender until the last Indian dies." Britain could obtain manpower and materials from all over the world, but France could not do so.

The population of France is only 40 million, and the colonies are not as vast as those of Britain. After the young and strong were conscripted to serve in the army or enter the military factories, the French agriculture was hit hard. The French government needed tens of thousands of strong laborers to take care of crops and milk cows. Maybe it's not so politically correct, but Uncle Black is indeed not good at farm work.

The French government transported thousands of black people from Africa to work in the mainland, which caused a lot of trouble and the losses were greater than the gains. The only way for France to use African manpower was to incorporate black people into the army and use them as cannon fodder. In order to save France's agriculture from collapse, the French government made a request to China - to send more than 100,000 farmers and workers to work in France.

The people's government had no reason to object to such a request. The French army burned the Old Summer Palace in China and committed a massacre in Beijing, but later many French volunteers helped the Asian people fight against the American soldiers in the Philippines. When Lin Yongchang visited France, he developed many super-friendly relationships with local ladies and ladies, and many of them even traveled thousands of miles to the Far East to renew their friendships. Moreover, the French government was not unwilling to give money. It was reasonable and sensible for them to send some farmers and workers over.

This move was strongly protested by the German ambassador. If China sent 200,000 people to France, France would be able to recruit 200,000 more soldiers. The People's Government ignored Germany's protests. If the Germans could find a safe way, China could also send 200,000 people to help the Germans with agriculture.

Since workers and farmers had been sent to France, why couldn't China lend money to France? Some people also thought that the war in Europe had caused so many casualties, why couldn't China prevent it from happening? China was already the world's third largest industrial country, and should shoulder the responsibilities of a major country.

Lin Yongchangism has cultivated many idealists, especially young people, who not only want to liberate the whole of Asia, but also want to liberate the whole world.

When China

Having returned to the center of Asia, Asianism could no longer satisfy their appetite.

It's good to have ideals, but you also have to be down-to-earth.

Most comrades at the central and local levels were inclined to lend money to Britain and France, while some radical ones believed that China should join the Allied Powers to expand its influence in the world. Some also wanted to take advantage of the European war to turn the whole of Asia into Asia for Asians.

There were also those who wanted to join the Allies. After all, the German army had always been suppressing the Allies. The world's strongest army lived up to its reputation. It had entered France on the Western Front and had beaten the Russian army badly on the Eastern Front. As long as China launched an attack from the east, Russia would definitely not be able to resist. If the car overturned Russia, the German army could turn west with all its strength, and it would not be impossible to defeat the British and French coalition forces.

The enthusiasm of the civilians and the military for the war was a bit high, but after seeing the photos of the battlefields that were returned, not so many people wanted to fight. The war between the European powers was really terrible. Any battle would consume tens of thousands of artillery shells and cause tens of thousands of casualties.

Hospitals in Germany, Britain and France were filled with wounded soldiers, and the situation was extremely miserable. The poison gas bombs caused a large number of blinded soldiers, the explosions damaged the soldiers' hearing, and the shrapnel left horrible scars on their bodies. Although China invented several antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs and sold them all over the world, a large number of wounded soldiers still died in hospitals.

The war was so brutal that most of the people who had enthusiastically supported the war calmed down. The French army was tired of the endless war and its morale plummeted. The German army was not much better, and there was a general resistance among the troops fighting on the front line.

"The Allies are at a disadvantage, but there is still a chance of victory."

Lin Yongchang waved his fishing rod, and the surface of the pond rippled. He was not wearing a helmet, sitting on a stool, holding a fishing rod in his hand, looking like a typical fisherman.

"If we stand on the side of the Allies, we won't pay anything, but we won't get anything in return either. If we take action in Southeast Asia at this time..."

Yang Du asked with a smile: "Do the British still have the ability to manage the affairs of the Netherlands?"

Kalimantan, Java and Indonesia were all in the hands of the Dutch, but the Netherlands was not strong, and neither its army nor its navy could compete with the opponents of the East Asian Alliance.

"The Netherlands is not a member of the Allied Powers, and Britain does not have the power to manage the affairs of Southeast Asia now." Yang Du said: "If you don't take the gift from heaven, you will suffer the consequences. Such an opportunity may not come again in the future."

"We have the power to liberate Southeast Asia. We can do it now and in the future. What I am thinking about is not Southeast Asia, but Australia."

"Australia?"

Yang Du's face showed a look of surprise. Nanyang had oil, rubber and spices, but what did Australia have? Besides cattle, sheep and kangaroos, there were only a bunch of robbers and criminals, right? Considering that Chairman Lin was always right, was there something special about Australia?

Chapter 595: The Best of Both Worlds

What's in Australia?

There is the largest and best quality iron ore near China. It can even be said that Australia's iron ore reserves are the largest in the world. Although China is a resource-rich country and has the fifth largest iron ore reserves in the world, as long as it continues to develop, there will definitely be a day when it is not enough. In addition, most of China's iron ore is poor iron ore. Domestic iron ore is much more troublesome than rich iron ore, both in the early mining and later processing. Therefore, China will need to import a large amount of iron ore in the future. As the world's largest iron ore reserve, Australia has become a very difficult existence to bypass.

Australia is located in Oceania, with an area of 769.2 million square kilometers, occupying an entire continent. It has about 1500 billion tons of iron ore, accounting for 18% of the world's total reserves, far ahead of other countries in the world. Australia's iron ore is not only large in quantity, but also of very good quality. The ore mined from these rich iron mines can be directly shipped without almost any processing.

At that time, few people knew that Australia had such rich iron ore, just like few people knew that there was black oil buried under the desert in the Middle East. The Third Department of the General Staff once secretly sent personnel to Australia to investigate and confirmed the existence of several large iron mines. The relevant files were top secret and only the head of state could view them, not even the prime minister.

Although Yang Du was a senior official in the central government, he did not have the authority to view relevant information, so he was not aware of the fact that Australia had abundant iron ore. However, even if Australia did not have so much iron ore, its geographical location was also very important. If China went to the ocean, it would need to build many naval bases around the world, and Australia would have no way around it.

Lin Yongchang never thought of incorporating Australia into China's territory. Although Australians are descendants of a group of robbers and criminals, and are also rich in scum and perverts, Australians are really tough and not so easy to deal with... Well, it's mainly because Australia's colonial master is not easy to deal with.

There is no reason to fight with the British now. That would be like going from watching the fire from the other side of the river to participating in the battle barefoot. It is absolutely not in the interests of China and ASEAN, and it is of no help to the cause of liberating all mankind.

What if the purpose is not to annex Australia? For example, if you just want a foothold in the western part of Australia, this should not anger the British, right? The core part of Australia is near Canberra in the south, and the west is a vast expanse of

It is a barren land with few inhabitants. If China demands the prospecting and mining rights in Western Australia in exchange for a loan to Britain, the British government should be able to agree...right?

Of course, it is not enough to just talk about Australia, there are also several other goals, such as wanting to obtain a port in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a tropical island country next to India and is now a colony of the British government. Sri Lanka is too close to India, and the British government will never agree to lease a port to China.

This is like saying that you want to knock down the walls of someone else's house. No one will agree. Then if you just open a window, the resistance will definitely be much smaller.

Yang Du pulled the fishing line, but found nothing. He didn't care. Fishing is not for fishing, but for talking. "The Chairman should not only be thinking about Australia, right? Whatever it is, we must come up with a decision quickly. We have been discussing this for more than a month, and we must unify the thoughts of the whole party and the whole country as soon as possible. The harm to the three armies lies first in suspicion!"

Lin Yongchang certainly knows this truth. No matter what decision is made, it is better than doing nothing. If the opinions above cannot reach a consensus, the people below will become confused and chaos will arise. In the eyes of the people, the government will be like a schizophrenia.

However, what he has to consider is too important to be considered carefully. Australia is not just Australia, it also represents a strategic direction that can determine the direction of China's next ten or twenty years.

With no one around, Lin Yongchang told Yang Du his thoughts. Yang Du put away his surprised expression, frowned and thought for a while, then asked: "Chairman, do you think Russia will fall first?"

"That's for sure. Russia's economy is the worst, and the Tsar wants to take the initiative to launch an attack. In one battle, three or four hundred thousand people could be killed. The Russian Empire has a lot of manpower, but it can't afford to die in this way."

"But Nicholas II had no choice. Russia's tradition is that as long as it loses a battle, there will be riots and rebellions in the country. The last time Russia lost 400,000 troops in the northeast, it caused turmoil in Russia for several years. Now the Russian army has suffered more than one million casualties. The Tsar needs a victory. An ordinary victory is not enough, it must be a hearty victory."

"But the Russian army's combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of the German army. The attack will only consume Russia's vitality faster. It won't be long before Russia will face greater turmoil. That time will be the best time to liberate Russia."

Yang Du understood what Lin Yongchang meant. "If China and Russia get closer, an unprecedented behemoth will emerge... Neither the Allies nor the Central Powers, nor the United States across the Pacific Ocean, will be happy to see that happen."

"By that time, most of the investment in Australia will be wasted."

The essence of the problem that Lin Yongchang considered was the struggle between land power and sea power. In another time and space, "Sea Power Theory" was popular, and the European and American world claimed: whoever controls the ocean controls the world. The land power challenged the maritime hegemon several times, but was eventually suppressed. Lin Yongchang did not quite agree with the views of "Sea Power Theory", but he knew too much, so he had more concerns.

Yang Du did not have such concerns or worries. In his opinion, it was a good thing no matter what happened. The only difference was whether the profit was more or less. Compared with the precarious situation ten years ago, China's strategic environment is undoubtedly much better now.

"It would be better to let Japan run Australia. The Japanese navy is quite strong." Yang Duyun said calmly: "Taking care of both land and sea, we can have the best of both worlds."

Lin Yongchang had always been wary and cautious of Japan. Others didn't know, but Yang Du knew. However, the Japanese government had been very submissive over the years, and Ito Hirobumi had kept a low profile. Although there were times when they competed for interests, most of the time they were very cooperative with China, which made Lin Yongchang feel embarrassed to cheat the Japanese.

Yang Du said disapprovingly: "How can this be called a trap? If Australia has some huge interests, Japan will benefit. If it weren't for ASEAN's backing, would Britain look at Japan with a straight face?"

"Well, you are right, but I still need to talk to Prime Minister Ito first and explain the pros and cons. Since we are allies, we should treat each other with sincerity. You should go to Tokyo and talk to Prime Minister Ito in person to prevent the news from leaking out."

"it is good."

Yang Du agreed, and then he felt something heavy in his hand. He immediately pulled up the fishing rod and the fish was pulled out of the water. "Hey, it's hooked!"

Chapter 596: Unworthy

Since it was decided to let Yang Du go to Japan, Lin Yongchang told him the true value of Australia - the unparalleled huge iron ore, enough to make China's steel production reach 100 million tons per year.

Yang Du rarely showed surprise, but this time he was stunned. One hundred million tons of steel per year? Add up the steel production of the whole world, and then multiply it by two to get that much, right? Does Australia really have that much iron ore?

“Not only is it available, but it is also of high quality, which can significantly reduce the smelting process, which means lower costs. Using Australian iron ore can reduce the price of steel to two-thirds or even one-half of the current level.”

It took Yang Du a while to accept this fact. He did not doubt it. Since Chairman Lin said so, it must be true.

Tell this to Ito Hirobumi?"