Although it is an important meeting to decide the future fate of China, at least it is an important meeting to decide the future fate of the People's Party. The BJP also only held a meeting of the Politburo. And this meeting is also confidential. The BJP members who can open their eyes to the world are also in the minority. The remaining comrades are of course extremely committed revolutionary comrades, but it is unrealistic to expect them to be able to put forward reasonable opinions on the outside world.

Chen Ke straightforwardly told the comrades about the current diplomatic dilemma. "We are now pursuing three goals, the first is not to take on debt. The second is to liberate the whole of China and restore the strategic flanks of Korea and Annam. Third, by joining the Entente, it will intervene in the mainstream post-war international order system. These three strategic objectives are in fact in sharp conflict. The first two are against the Entente, or on the current system of interests of Britain and France. Since the strategic interests of Britain and France have been infringed upon, we absolutely cannot think that Britain and France will agree so readily on Article 3. So, it's a trade-off, and it's a waiting. ”

Some comrades in the Politburo were able to truly understand the situation expounded by Chen Ke, while some comrades did not have a broad starting point, "China's interests are originally China's, so why do Britain and France think that they are theirs?" ”

Chen Ke had thought so before, explaining: "We in the People's Party talk about materialism. The first point of materialism is that it is necessary to admit that facts exist. Yes, China's interests should have belonged to China, but now the fact is that a considerable part of China's sovereignty and interests are not in China's hands, but are controlled by Britain and France. For Britain and France, why should they give up the interests that are already in their hands? ”

"If they don't give up, we'll beat them!" This is a fairly common attitude within the BJP.

"Of course we can hit them, that's for sure. However, after the contradictions have intensified to this extent, how can we accomplish the third goal, which is to join the Entente, in order to join the mainstream international politics in the future? If we firmly believe that we can endure the blockade, the military threat of foreign countries and even the military invasion, then of course we can do it ourselves. But I personally always think that when the situation is not out of control, we should not make such a choice. ”

When Chen Ke was young, he was not so satisfied with the fact that Hong Kong was not recovered after World War II, and even before crossing the Yangtze River, the party was trying to maintain normal relations with Europe and the United States. With the strength of the People's Liberation Army at that time, why did the party make such a soft gesture at that time? Chen Ke felt that the party had "illusions about imperialism".

It was only when Chen Ke was now faced with such a situation that he himself realized that the party's choice at that time was not wrong. As a grand strategist, Grandpa Mao and the party leadership pursued the strategic goal during the Liberation War, which is actually the strategic goal that Chen Ke is now unconsciously pursuing.

Although history has proven that the simultaneous pursuit of three strategic objectives failed after World War II, the BJP now faces a situation very similar to that at the end of the War of Liberation. A strong challenger has emerged in the old international strategy. After World War II, the Soviet Union finally gained its status through World War II after a long period of isolation and suppression. Chen Ke is facing the rise of the United States as an important force. Although the United States became the leader of the capitalist countries in Europe and the United States after World War II, this does not mean that the United States during World War I did not represent the more advanced power of its time. At least the United States is still much more advanced than the colonialism of Britain and France.

But the struggle between the United States and Britain and France was not like the struggle between the USSR and the United States. After World War II, the Soviet Union was to completely overthrow, more precisely, violently overthrow the old European and American systems. The attitude of the United States towards Britain and France after World War I was to replace them as world leaders.

What Chen Ke has to do now is to let the comrades understand the world situation first, and then everyone will discuss together what China should do, and this process is no less difficult than directing the comrades to enter a war.

It's hard to return, and you have to do what you need to do, no matter how difficult it is. As a result, the Politburo of the People's Party met for two days in a row. One of the central questions is whether the United States will choose the Entente or the Allies.

"Even if the navy of the Allies can't win, doesn't the United States have a big white fleet?" After Chen Ke's painstaking explanation, the content of the People's Party's discussion has evolved to a relatively high-grade level.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the power of the United States swelled rapidly, catching up with the old imperialist powers Britain and France, and becoming the richest and most powerful industrial country in the world. On March 4, 1905, Theodore 61 Roosevelt was re-elected as president of the United States, and in his inaugural speech, he shouted: "The fact that the United States has become a great country prompts us to act commensurate with the great nation of the United States when we interact with other countries in the world...... As the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Navy, Roosevelt has always had a soft spot for the Navy, and after entering the White House, with Roosevelt's insistence and active efforts, in 1907, the number of battleships in the U.S. Navy has reached 20. These battleships formed two powerful fleets: one was the Atlantic Fleet, which consisted mainly of 8 battleships and a number of small warships; The other is the Pacific Fleet, the main force of which is 3 battleships. At the same time, the United States retains a small fleet in Asia to carry out missions in China's inland waterways. In terms of strength, the US Navy at this time ranked third in the world after the British Royal Navy and the German Navy. The powerful US Navy laid a solid foundation for the later formation of the "Great White Fleet".

Japan's resounding victory in the Russo-Russian War in 1905 further expanded its influence in the Far East and the Pacific, where Japan's aggressive expansion posed a serious threat to U.S. interests. At this time, most of the main forces of the US Navy were concentrated in the Atlantic, and the fleet deployed in Asia was very weak and could not compete with Japan at all, so Roosevelt, who had always been bold and ostentatious, had no choice but to adopt a policy of retreat to avoid an open conflict with Japan in Asia.

However, as the confrontation between the United States and Japan in the Pacific region has developed, the hostility between the two sides has become more and more serious. In 1906, the San Francisco School Board in California announced that it would segregate all Japanese students. When the news reached Japan, the Japanese public regarded it as a great shame and a great disgrace, and immediately set off a fierce anti-US demonstration to slander the Americans, and the Japanese Government also strongly demanded that the US Government give an explanation for this. Japanese public opinion even shouted: "The whole world knows that the poorly equipped US Army and Navy are no match for our highly combat-ready Army and Navy." Japan's Mainichi Shimbun roared: "It's easy to break America's stubborn dreams when our great admirals appear on the other side of the Pacific...... Why don't we insist on sending warships? Seeing that the conflict between the two sides was about to erupt, Roosevelt immediately persuaded the San Francisco School Board to revoke the anti-Japanese regulations, and the situation was eased.

Faced with the Japanese challenge, Roosevelt struggled with the question of whether to go to war. If Japan is rashly attacked, will the navy that it has painstakingly managed repeat the mistake of the Russian fleet in 1905 -- being tragically annihilated by the Japanese navy after circumnavigating half the world? How can we find the best of both worlds, showing their strength to the arrogant Japanese and avoiding war? After much thought, Roosevelt finally decided: to send a huge fleet around the world to show Japan and other countries the strength of the American Navy.

A year later, a fleet of 14,000 officers and men consisting of 16 elite battleships and seven small mine-striking ships (the predecessor of the destroyers) appeared on the east coast of the United States. In order to make the whole fleet more conspicuous, Roosevelt specially ordered all ships to be painted in a gorgeous and festive white, so the world called it the "Great White Fleet."

Many comrades of the People's Party have heard of the name of this "Great White Fleet" and know that this fleet has made the world feel the industrial strength of the United States. In the assumptions of many comrades, if the United States chooses the Allies, then the Great White Fleet and the fleet of the Central Powers should have a considerable chance of winning if they are flanked by the fleets of the Allied countries.

After Chen Ke's account and the intelligence collected by the People's Party in the United States, it seems that the Great White Fleet of the United States can add trouble to the British fleet, but it cannot change the current situation at all. This could not but surprise many comrades.

"If the United States goes all out to build ships, with their industrial capabilities, it is not impossible to defeat the British fleet." Such a point was made.

Chen Ke asked loudly: "It took a huge amount of strength, but it was just a possibility. Now you only need to accumulate strength, and you can get a piece of the pie after the war. Why did the United States choose the former? Britain's decline is an inevitable process, and the United States only has to wait for an opportunity to move forward when Britain is in decline, so why should it force its way out at the risk of possible failure? ”

None of the comrades are fools, and now it is not so much about the United States as about the long-term tactics of the BJP. Obviously, Chen Ke also hopes to follow the path of the United States and choose a better entry point in the future.

Propaganda Minister Zhang Yu saw that no one continued to speak, so he simply spoke, "Then let's make a ranking of the three goals proposed by Chairman Chen." Whoever comes first, who comes second, and who lasts. Now, it's hard to do both. We have to make certain trade-offs. ”

It is a very easy trade-off, and the recovery of China's sovereignty and the seizure of the strategic wings of Korea and Annam are naturally the primary and unshakable goals. In response to this primary goal, the Politburo even unanimously agreed that this strategic goal must be achieved even if it was besieged by the enemy after World War I.

At the back, most of the comrades agreed to join the Entente. Although this goal is likely to force China to accept the possibility of paying a considerable amount of wealth to Britain and France, it is even likely to destroy the third-place goal of "non-payment of bad debts".

After voting, many comrades who had to sigh because they were likely to lose money decided to take back their sovereignty, join the Entente, and not give unjust money. Such a strategic sorting.

After the decision was made, Chen Ke summoned the US representative. "We agree in principle to the request made by the US side, but the signing of this agreement must be next year."

The representative of the United States was not surprised at all, saying that as far as the information he had obtained was concerned, Chen Ke was a very determined person, and it was useless to play such petty means as he wanted to get away with it. Chen Ke and the People's Party he led did not accept this. Unlike the Manchus and Beiyang, the People's Party never counted on any foreign handouts. In the same way, the BJP will deal with foreign countries with great rationality.

Therefore, the American representative also had to play a very high-level trick, and he said with a smile: "It seems that you have a high opinion of your own combat effectiveness?" ”

"I wonder what the American side has to say about our combat effectiveness?" Chen Ke also smiled. Although there was an impulse in his heart, Chen Ke did not mention what was hidden beneath his superficial language. If the United States wants to sign this agreement with China, the People's Party will certainly not let the United States reap only the benefits. When the United States, as the spokesperson of China, makes demands on Britain, Britain must admit the "fait accompli" of that time.

Just as Chen Ke repeatedly expounded to the Politburo comrades, "It is impossible for us to make any concessions in terms of national sovereignty and interests. ”

Of course, the US representative was well aware of what was hidden in Chen Ke's remarks, and the US side had also made a judgment on what choice the BJP would have before coming to China. Seeing that Chen Ke did not show weakness at all, that is to say, Chen Ke did not mention that he planned to stop at the moment. The American representative pondered for a moment, and finally asked, "I wonder what your opinion is on the concession?" ”

"In addition to the rights of diplomats that are accepted internationally, our People's Party will never recognize any extraterritoriality on Chinese soil, let alone allow foreign troops to be stationed in China." Chen Ke replied unceremoniously.

Just as the American representative's face looked a little ugly, Chen Ke continued: "However, we have mentioned it to the British side before, and we have agreed to maintain the status quo. In other words, in the absence of extraterritoriality, we protect the rights of legitimate foreign businessmen and corporate investors to invest, reside and operate properly in China, on the basis of their compliance with Chinese laws. ”

The American representative frowned and thought for a moment, "That is, you will agree with the continued existence of the concession?" ”

"It is certainly impossible for the concession to continue to exist, but foreigners living in the concession can still continue to live, do business, and continue to live in the concession. Of course, what patrol rooms and the like must be canceled, and those patrols have to get out! Chen Ke gave the answer.

After listening to this, the US representative did not say anything, regardless of whether he really agreed or supported it, at least on the matter of the concession, Chen Ke really gave a clear answer for the first time.

"By the way, we will soon march into Tianjin. Eliminate the remnants of Beiyang and liberate Tianjin. In this regard, we do not want any misunderstanding-based conflict with the United States. Chen Ke informed the latest developments of the People's Party of the United States.