"Your Excellency, do you think that if we join forces with the British and put pressure on the Chinese, they will abandon those ships?" Inside the White House, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge is questioning Secretary of State Hughes.

"Your Excellency, I don't think that's likely. As the Chinese continue to win foreign wars, their attitude has become more and more tough. They have already begun to refit those eight Japanese battleships. It would be very difficult for them to spit it out again. It can even be said that there is no possibility. Secretary of State Hughes said.

President Calvin Coolidge couldn't help frowning: "Aren't we doing useless work?" ”

"Your Excellency, even if we know that it is impossible, we must try, at least let the Chinese know our attitude." Hughes said.

President Calvin Coolidge nodded: "After the Chinese have those warships of the Japanese Navy, is our Navy sure to defeat them?" After all, the strength of our navy is not so bad. ”

"Your Excellency, I'm afraid this is very difficult. The Chinese had already defeated the main force of the British Navy, thus establishing the strength and status of the Chinese Navy. After being strengthened by a few Japanese warships, their navy will be even stronger. It will undoubtedly be very difficult for us to defeat them. Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby said.

"Your Excellency, unless we can build warships on a large scale and suppress the Chinese in numbers. Otherwise, it's hard for us to win. However, the current economic situation no longer allows us to build warships on a large scale. Secretary of State Hughes said. Although the industrial strength of the United States is the largest in the world, after the end of World War I, a large amount of industrial capacity was vacant, and the economic situation of the United States was deteriorating step by step. Under such circumstances, it is natural that the US Congress will not agree to invest huge sums of money in the large-scale construction of warships.

"Okay, that's a question for now. We are secretly allied with the British, what do you think? President Calvin Coolidge asked. After all, before China's rise, relations between the United States and Britain were not so good. The British were even hostile to the United States. Until after World War I, Britain continued to decline. In particular, when the rise of the Chinese Empire posed a great threat to Britain's overseas colonies, the British turned to cooperate with the United States, hoping to suppress the Chinese Empire.

"Your Excellency, it is very good for us to cooperate with the British. After the fall of Japan, we will directly face the expansion of the Chinese Empire. This is very much pressure on the United States. Therefore, it is better for us to win over Britain and fight China together. That way, our odds are greater. Of course, the British also hope to use our strength to counter China. On this issue, the interests of our two countries are identical. Secretary of State Hughes said.

"Well, in that case, we can ally with the British in dealing with the expansion of the Chinese. However, we want to get as much benefit as we can from the British. Since everyone is an ally, then many of the advanced technologies of the British cannot be cherished in our broom. President Calvin Coolidge said. Although the United States has the world's largest industrial output value, there is still a big gap between the United States and Europe in the high-tech field. They salivate over a lot of the UK's advanced technology.

"Your Excellency, I will propose it to the British." Secretary of State Hughes nodded.

On the morning of November 15, 4621, the U.S. Ambassador to China, Schulman, and the British Ambassador to China, Sir Jurbert, went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Empire to meet with the Imperial Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi. This time, they had only one reason for coming. That's asking for debt.

"Your Excellency, Ambassadors, please be seated." Tang Shaoyi said with a smile. Although, when the Chinese Empire was fighting against Japan, Britain and the United States were very dissatisfied. Even the two countries threaten China. However, now that the war is over, the Chinese Empire has been won. Britain and the United States had no choice but to pinch their noses and admit the victory of the Chinese Empire in this war.

"Your Excellency, Foreign Secretary, although, the war of the Chinese Empire against Japan seems to us to be very immoral and destroys world peace. However, we still have to admit the military strength of the Chinese Empire and congratulate the Chinese Empire on its victory on the battlefield. Ambassador Shulman said. The strong military strength of the Chinese Empire made the Americans very envious and admired.

Tang Shaoyi nodded: "So, Your Excellency, what is your intention to come this time?" ”

"Your Excellency, Foreign Secretary, we are here to collect debts this time." Ambassador Schulman got straight to the point.

"Debt collection? What kind of debt do you collect? I don't remember that we still owe money to the United States. Although, at the beginning, the empire owed a lot of money to the United States. However, we have already paid it off. Tang Shaoyi asked suspiciously.

When the empire was just rising, in order to develop industry, it did not hesitate to borrow heavily from Britain, France, the United States and Germany. However, after all these years of development, especially after the empire had earned a lot of wealth in the First World War, these debts had long since been paid off. In particular, those debts owed to Germany were agreed to be repaid in the Mark. Today, the Deutsche Mark is worth less than one percent of its pre-war value. This is equivalent to the billions of marks that the Chinese Empire borrowed from Germany before, and only a fraction of it needs to be repaid.

"Your Excellency, Foreign Minister, it is not the Chinese Empire that owes us money, but Japan owes us. The Japanese Government has lent us 12 sums of money totaling $960 million. Japan had been destroyed by the Chinese Empire and became the sphere of control of the Chinese Empire. Therefore, the United States is justified in demanding that the Chinese Empire repay these loans. Ambassador Shulman said.

Similarly, Japan owes the British Empire £230 million in loans. Now that Japan has been destroyed, then, the Chinese Empire, which has destroyed Japan, should pay these debts for Japan. The British Ambassador, Sir Jurdian, also said.

"What?" Tang Shaoyi was dumbfounded, he never thought that the Americans and the British actually wanted the empire to help the Japanese pay off their debts. However, this is too much of a rhetoric. It's not that the Chinese Empire owes money to the United States and Britain, so why should China pay it back?

"Your Excellencies, two ambassadors, there is a problem with this logic of yours, right? The Chinese Empire does not owe you money, it is the Japanese government that owes you money. You should go to the Japanese to pay back, not us. Tang Shaoyi said.

"However, Japan has been destroyed by the Chinese Empire, we don't look for you, who are we looking for?" Ambassador Shulman said.

"If Japan is destroyed, then it proves that your investment has been lost, and no one else is to blame. Therefore, you can only bear this loss yourself, and you cannot rely on us for this loss, which is unreasonable, and it is also something that the Chinese Empire will not accept. The Chinese Empire was not the original Manchu government and would not accept any blackmail. Tang Shaoyi said with a tough attitude.

The reason why the Americans and the British lent money to the Japanese in the first place was to allow the Japanese to develop armaments so that they could confront the Chinese Empire. As a result, they are shooting themselves in the foot. A lot of money was invested in the development of armaments for Japan, but the Japanese were defeated so cleanly in the end. It also wasted their huge investment. Now, they are unwilling to want the empire to repay this loan, isn't it too whimsical? The Chinese Empire is not such a wrongdoer.

"Your Excellency Foreign Minister, the current Japan is under the military control of the Chinese Empire, so the Chinese Empire is naturally obliged to repay this debt for Japan." Sir Jurdian said.

"No, no. Japan, which was under the military control of the Chinese Empire, was completely different from Japan before it, and it should not be confused. Tang Shaoyi shook his head and said.

Ambassador Schulman and Sir Zhu Erdian glanced at each other, and it was not surprising that Tang Shaoyi would have such a reaction. However, it is clear that they will not leave it at that.

"Your Excellency Foreign Secretary, the U.S. government hopes that the Chinese Empire will hand over to us Japan's 'Yamato-class' battlecruisers and 'Amagi-class' battlecruisers. The Japanese have already promised to use these battleships to repay our loans. Ambassador Shulman said.

Tang Shaoyi frowned, he did it for a long time, the main purpose of the Americans and the British is this! You know, the Chinese Navy is also very interested in the Japanese 'Yamato-class' battleships and 'Amagi-class' battlecruisers. The Yamato-class battleships were converted to become the lead ships of the Imperial Navy. The Amagi-class battlecruisers will be mothballed and converted into aircraft carriers in the future. These warships, all of which are very useful, how can they be ceded to the Americans and the British?

"Your Excellency, are you joking?" The Yamato-class battleships and the Amagi-class battlecruisers were the trophies of the Empire. It is impossible for anyone to snatch these spoils from the Empire. Tang Shaoyi said with a sneer.

Having defeated Japan, the empire was no longer afraid of the threat from the Americans and the British. If they are not convinced, it is better to go to war with the empire directly? However, to borrow a few of their guts, they don't dare to do it! So, even if the attitude is a little tougher, it will be fine.

"Your Excellency, if the Chinese Navy were equipped with these Japanese warships, the total tonnage of your capital ships would far exceed the Naval Arms Limitation Treaty signed at that time. If the Chinese Empire tears up the treaty first, then we, the United Kingdom and the United States, will build more capital ships to defend our interests. Sir Jurden said.

"Whatever you want!" Tang Shaoyi said coldly. It is obvious that Britain and the United States will not sit idly by and watch the Chinese navy build up further. However, if the two countries wanted to develop capital ships on a large scale, the Chinese Empire would be in favor of it. (To be continued.) )