The snow is still heavy, the sky is still cold, the wind is still strong, Shenyang is still Shenyang, but Yang Rui feels that he is no longer the same as before. At this time, he was walking on the wall of the small south gate of the inner city of Shenyang, looking at the vast white land between the inner and outer cities thoughtfully.

Shenyang Inner City Small South Gate past, along the more than three miles long Xiao Nan Street, is the outer city of the small south gate, this street and the east parallel to the Great South Street is the most prosperous place in Shenyang, but after Gengzi Dongqing Railway was built by the Russians to the West Gate four miles away, the merchants in the city began to gather on the side of the West Gate, and to be able to enter the Manchurian Railway annex is proud. In the war the summer before last, because the British, French, and American consulates were concentrated on the side of the small west gate, both China and Japan avoided the west, and the real confrontation was only in the south and east districts. Months of war, decades and hundreds of years of prosperity were ruined, and until now those broken walls and beams are still covered with thick snow.

Yang Rui lost his mind and looked at the white ground outside the small south gate where broken walls and beams appeared everywhere, and there was no sound for a long time. Li Zilong, who helped him with an umbrella on his side, did not dare to disturb, he felt that the prime minister was different from before, he began to think that it was because of the Sino-Japanese war, and then saw that Yang Rui did not pay attention to the war, and suddenly remembered that the prime minister and the revival army came out of the northeast, and after the founding of the country, he went to the Babaoshan National Cemetery with the prime minister to sweep the graves of some revolutionary martyrs, and several of them were engraved with the inscription "Seven years before Shenwu, Fengtian".

Li Zilong guessed correctly, Yang Rui really thought of the forgotten thing ten years ago, when he went out of the customs alone, because he didn't dare to enter the city without braids, he was almost arrested by Russian Maozi as a traitor when he detoured to Fushun, and then he ran wild on a snowy night, and then he trained the troops. Then there was the stirring up of Japan and Russia, and then the Battle of Mukden. This moment. Many, many deceased people suddenly popped out of his mind: Xu Liezu, Chen Ximin, Wu Baodi, Zhang Zongchang, Xiao Yinfeng, Colonel Madelidov......

"Yang, why are you standing here?" When Yang Rui's mind became more and more chaotic the more he thought about it. Leo's voice rang out, and after the meeting, some of the commanders in charge of the main attack were left behind by the General Staff to explain the details, so Yang Rui was still busy when he left.

"Hmm. It's cooler here! Yang Rui said. He recalled the past, and was very melancholy, so he thought about waiting for a high view. Li Zilong didn't let him go to the outer city wall because of safety reasons, so he could only stand on the inner city wall.

"I thought you'd lecture the officers." Leo took out a stainless steel flask from an officer, and poured it vigorously, "The Northeast is still so cold, enough for the Japanese." They don't even have a roof to cover the snow, and they don't have wood, haha! He muttered, bursting out laughing.

While he was talking, when the wine jug wanted to be put in, it was snatched by Yang Rui. The six-five-degree second pot head was still strong, and after pouring a small half pot, Yang Rui only felt that his stomach was going to turn out. The churning in the ninja's belly, Yang Rui let out a long sigh of relief and shouted, "Happy! Little Japan deserves to die, and he deserves to die cold! Then he said to Li Zilong: "Make a chicken stew with mushrooms for dinner." Then the whole vinegar slips the cabbage. ”

"Prime Minister, in the evening, I want to eat with Governor Zhang Rong and local parliamentarians and celebrities......" Li Zilong reminded.

"Oh. I really forgot. Yang Rui smiled dumbly, "Then help me prepare supper." Dinner is half full. ”

"Yang, why can't you drive the Japanese into the sea this time?" Yang Rui said that it was time for supper. Leo spoke of the battle. As a foreigner, he basically handed over the affairs of the General Staff to Pei Shoutong and Xu Jingxi, and he only supervised himself; But as a friend. He and Yang Rui had nothing to talk about. This time, the General Staff arranged a counterattack, and he felt inexplicable that it was so low. In his opinion, it was simply necessary to take advantage of the fact that the Japanese army's logistics were poor and the whole army had not yet arrived. Drive them out into the sea.

With a smile, Yang Rui said: "I'm afraid that if they are ruthless, they will flee to Korea, if that is the case, if we continue to destroy the Japanese, then the British will stand up." It is better for the British to come forward later, otherwise it will be difficult to wipe out all the Japanese. ”

"Are you going to hit North Korea?" Leo didn't fully understand the Wanli plan, but judging from the scale of mobilization and logistical supplies of the revival army, he felt that Yang Rui's goal was not only to destroy the Japanese army, but to occupy the whole of Korea.

"Hmm. Yes, there is such a plan. Yang Rui said frankly. As long as the Japanese put the bets up, then we dare to follow. ”

"Then if you want to occupy Korea, why do you still take care of the British?" Leo suddenly turned the question back again, leaving Yang Rui speechless. "Yang, is there something big going on in Europe?"

The last time Yang Rui made a big move, he set the time in July, based on the fact that the situation in Europe was tense at that time, and the great powers could not look eastward. Now that he is worried about the British and wants to occupy Korea, Leo can only think about one answer, that is, something is going to happen in Europe again.

"Yes!" Yang Rui said frankly again: "If there is no accident in Europe, what we do will not be fruitful." ”

"Is there really going to war?" Leo exclaimed. He believed Yang Rui's news and judgment. He said that if something happens in Europe, then according to the current situation in Europe, there can only be one outcome, and that is war.

Still honest, Yang Rui said: "Yes, my friend." Everyone feels ready, so that just one small spark will cause an explosion, and then one explosion will cause another explosion, and the end result will be that the whole of Europe will be blown into pieces. ”

"Can't you stop it?" Leo was stunned when he heard it, and only after a long time did he look at Yang Rui with some pleading.

"There is no way. The ostensible reason is that Britain is weakening, while Germany is rising, and its industrial scale is already the largest in Europe. If the Saxons want to maintain world hegemony, they must suppress Germany, and by the way, France and Russia will also be weakened, and a weak Europe is the best Europe. Yang Rui said his perception of the First World War, which is the most reasonable explanation in politics, looking at Leo, who was still a little unconvinced, he said again: "If you look into the root of the problem, this is the root problem of the entire Western civilization, this civilization is not improved, it is bound to be destroyed." ”

What Yang Rui is talking about is actually the content of his "The Decline of the West", which Leo does not know, he is at most a military strategist rather than a philosopher.

"The Origins of Civilization in Europe and the Positivism of Ancient Greece. Descartes said, I think, therefore I am. It's actually a culture of the mind, which is logical and empirical. Because of this, Europeans believe that as long as they master science, that is, the truth between all things, they can become God, so their self-confidence is always at the level of things, and their cannons are as thick as their tones are arrogant. Think about it, there are so many self-righteous gods in Europe, so many civilized people who think that their cannon barrels are thicker than others, and sooner or later they will fight because of unequal possession. This is the real root cause of the war in Europe. ”

Yang Rui's tone was not happy about the war in Europe, only that he should be so indifferent, he was not answering Leo, it seemed to be a little like talking to himself, "After this war, Europe will be completely bankrupt not only economically, politically, and civilly." Europeans can no longer proudly say how civilized they are, because their civilization has eventually destroyed all civilizations; It is no longer possible to say how decent they are, because the war will make them less and less decent. Arguably. The victor gets nothing but victory, and the loser has nothing left but defeat......"

"Can Germany win?" I was not in the mood to listen carefully to Yang Rui's criticism of Western civilization. Leo only cares about Germany.

"Maybe." Yang Rui did not dare to logically conclude that Germany would definitely lose at this time, after all, many of its things have been strengthened compared with later generations, especially submarines. Historically, there were only twenty-eight of them, and several more were unusable. And now, the German Navy has at least fifty ocean-going submarines of the first class. These guys are going to make Britain pay the price in blood. "It seems to me that as long as the British fleet cannot be destroyed, the end for Germany is not optimistic."

"British fleet, why?" Leo disagreed, he had thought that the army should defeat France and Russia.

"Because Britain will definitely impose a blockade on Germany, and Germany lacks enough food and other supplies," Yang Rui stressed: "Just like us and Japan, the war will be long, and Germany needs a lot of foreign materials to support the continuation of the war, and the British navy has cut off this possibility." Germany is not China, and he has too much to buy. ”

"Can't submarines also gain sea supremacy?" Leo imagined the blockade of Germany in the current state of China, but he could not imagine at all that China's foreign trade ships were basically foreign ships, and foreign trade was basically in the hands of foreign companies, and the Japanese could not blockade it, and what could really be blocked was the customs controlled by the British.

"Submarine warfare is just the same end, if you don't let me get it, then you don't want to get it." Yang Rui said with a smile. "Even if Britain is blocked, what about France? The real enemy of submarines is the world's merchant ships, and the world's shipbuilding capabilities, and if the number of merchant ships sunk by submarines is less than the number of merchant ships launched, then it will not be truly effective. We are friendly with the United States, and Europe is in a big war, so it is easy to completely blockade Japan, after all, he cannot replenish merchant ships from the outside world, and Britain and France are different, they can rent merchant ships from the other side of the sea, or even lease them, just raise the freight rate, Britain and France have money. ”

Yang Rui said, Leo listened, seeing that he was so concerned about Germany and didn't say anything about the current war, Yang Rui said angrily: "Do you have the fucking heart to fight?" You won't lose your pants to the Japanese, will you? ”

Yang Rui's half-angry and half-joking words Leo was not angry, he just smiled reluctantly, "You'll know in three days." ”

In the personal promise of Zhu Yuxu, the king of Taishang, and the prime minister of the current dynasty that "Shenyang will not fall into the flames of war this time", especially Yang Rui's move to celebrate the New Year in Shenyang, the people of Liaoning were very settled for a while. It is rumored that the prime minister is the stars in the sky, and he is a person who fights the world with his own hands, and people are guarding in Shenyang, and they will be able to protect the peace of one side, but in the first two days of the New Year, pigs and sheep are being slaughtered inside and outside the city, and the purchase of New Year's goods is even more lively than in previous years.

Yang Rui did not know the peace of mind and economic growth brought about by his announcement of the Chinese New Year in Shenyang, and he was in the Taoist temple of the Taiqing Palace at this time. The last time he came out of the Northeast, he stayed here, and this time he had a few days of annual leave, and he wanted to see this Taoist temple in Shenyang. Different from the last time the child served tea, this time the old Taoist personally served, but this time the Taiqing Palace is not only nostalgic, chatting with the old Tao, the guests came.

"The junior minister Li Xiangyu has seen the Prime Minister!" As soon as Gao Li's stick entered the door, he quickly stepped forward to salute, looking at his excited appearance, he couldn't wait to kneel down and kiss Yang Rui's boots.

"Lord Li is polite." Yang Rui smiled, "Let's sit down first." Is Your Highness alright? ”

Although North Korea is called the emperor, Yang Rui does not recognize it. Isn't she just a princess, what kind of emperor should she be? None of the people in the Forbidden City have yet ascended the throne. Li Xiangwei understood what Yang Rui meant, and also understood that Yang Rui was not asking about Chunzong but Gaozong. At that moment, he happily replied, "When the king heard that the Ming Dynasty had cleared the Tartars and restored China, he was immediately overjoyed, and if he hadn't been worried that the would-be wouldn't have found out, he would have been drunk for almost three days." Now the king is looking forward to the mother king coming to the east every day, so as to help the small state expel the Japanese and restore the community. ”

Li Xiangwei continued to flatter, and this time he asked to see Yang Rui, and at this time China and Japan were at war. I immediately knew that this was the hope of recovering the country. North Korean people begged all over the east and west, who knows that in the end they can only rely on China on their side, five hundred years ago it was the Ming Dynasty who sent troops to help North Korea drive away the Japanese invaders, and now they are still looking forward to the Later Ming Dynasty sending troops to help North Korea recover Sheji. This kind of expectation is not only the abolition of the emperor Li Xiyou, but also those small people who have been bullied by the Japanese from time to time, and the words "the Ming Dynasty is about to send troops" have spread all over Korea for 3,000 miles in the past two years, which is actually the reason why Akashi Motojiro, the commander of the Korean military police, wants to send troops to China, and if China is not defeated, the Koreans who have this expectation will not be able to rule at all. The only way to defeat the Chinese government when it is fledgling is to bring it down will not be in endless trouble.

"Master Li, Great China says that it is the Ming Dynasty, but it is not all the Ming Dynasty. Although this emperor is still surnamed Zhu. Yang Rui looked at the Goryeo stick full of good words, and was vigilant in his heart, "Every penny of military spending in this government comes from the people. The Manchu Qing ruled for more than 200 years, especially in recent decades, when there were many indemnities and silver outflows. Our people are also poor. Also, if after the restoration of North Korea. This North Korea is still the same as before, and when something big happens, we need to help wipe our butts, so that's it...... Master Lee, as long as these two problems are solved, it is easy to say, and it is not impossible to say that it will hit Pyongyang, even if it hits Busan. ”

In today's world, all are colonies, and there is no colonial history between China and North Korea, but it is difficult to guarantee that there is no such idea now, Li Xiangyi thought of a lot of countermeasures before asking to see Yang Rui, and the most feared thing is that China, like Japan, swallowed Korea and became a part of itself. Now I heard that Yang Rui opened his mouth is military spending, and besides, North Korea can't be like before, and I suddenly feel at ease and worried, it seems that as long as the money is paid, the country will be saved, which is the meaning of the latter sentence, it seems that North Korea is not allowed to be like before, but what about it? Is it like China?

"Your Excellency, the battle of the king division costs a lot, and the military budget of the small state will naturally do its best to support it, but it is just ...... It's just that this country is ......" Li Xiangyu said this and looked at Yang Rui, just waiting for him to point it out.

"It would be nice to have a constitutional monarchy, and there are special reasons why China is like this." Yang Rui said, "When I say that North Korea cannot be like before, I mean that it cannot ignore the lives and deaths of the people at the bottom as before, and rent and interest reductions must be needed, as well as supporting workers and peasants." As for whether or not to respect Confucianism, it is said that it is your own business, but it is better to follow us, otherwise a group of angry young students will return to China from various universities in China to criticize Confucianism and Confucius, and there will always be trouble. If North Korea wants to stand on its own, then it has to go to Confucius to respect the Jizi, so that it will not suppress public opinion and oppress the people's livelihood, otherwise it will save you this time, so what about the next time? If this is always the case, it is better to let North Korea become a province of China, wouldn't it be more convenient? ”

China worships Shang rather than Zhou, and in front of the Capitol stands Hong Fan Jiuchou, a relict of the Shang Dynasty, who warned King Wu of Zhou, which is completely different from the set of etiquette and legal system that King Wen engaged in after King Wu's death. Yang Rui seems to be very relaxed when he talks about this, but after the restoration of North Korea, what kind of form the rulers use to govern the country has always been the focus of the high-level attention of the Renaissance Association.

"Prime Minister, this is ...... Is Confucianism really going to be abolished? Li Xiang's head suddenly sweated, he is a believer in Confucianism, and it is the idea of loyalty that makes him run around and ask for help, now it's good, North Korea is going to be restored, but Confucianism is going to be abolished, which makes him how to deal with himself in the future.

"In terms of function, Confucianism is useless as a statecraft, and Confucianism in Korea has been annexed by a completely Westernized Japan. Besides, China, if China is not too big, I am afraid that it will have been destroyed and annexed by foreigners, the Manchu Qing Dynasty has been defeated in every battle in the past few decades, and the land is ceded and reparated, isn't it the scourge of the Manchu Qing as a foreign race, in order to maintain its rule, advocate Confucianism, and imprison the people? Yang Rui asked rhetorically: "The abolition of Confucianism does not mean that it should be completely Westernized, the Western civilization that seeks its own way to die and fetishizes materialism can be borrowed and melted, but it must not be the only one." Human nature is inherently diverse. The East worships the heart, the West worships things, and the two should not be deliberate. It would be nice to let it be natural, why force belief in one or the other? ”

Yang Rui's words seemed to be detached from the original topic. Although the words are simple, Li Xiangwei, who believes in Confucianism, still does not understand. Seeing that the Goryeo stick was still confused, Yang Rui asked, "Is it in your opinion that without Confucianism, the world will be in chaos?" ”

"That's what the ministers think, if the people don't have dignity and humility, and if the ministers don't have etiquette, the country's society will be in chaos. Please also ask the adults to open up the net and ......," Li Xiangyu complained.

"Could it be that there was no country before the Han Dynasty?" Yang Rui interrupted: "Respecting Confucianism is a matter of the Han Dynasty, and Confucius is also a figure in the late Spring and Autumn Period. Heaven does not give birth to Zhongni. Eternity is as long as night, how similar is this to what Westerners say now, 'If there is no Europe, the whole world would be barbaric'? If Korea worships Confucianism, then if the Japanese land again in the future, then it is not to say that China will stand by and watch. ”

Yang Rui said so, only letting Li Xiangwei stand alone. The invasion of the Japanese 500 years ago was repelled by the former Ming Dynasty, so it was 500 years of peace, 18 years ago the Manchu Qing Dynasty was decaying, and the country was swallowed up by Japan today. When he was uneasy, Yang Rui said again: "In addition to the three things of the national system, rent reduction, and abolition of Confucianism. Let's use the Japanese industry in Korea to offset our military expenses, and everyone will look at the account books, and after the military expenses are recovered, the railways and mines will be returned to you. As for North Korea's taxes, we will also help you manage them first. After a few years, I will return it to you. You are also really capable, and look at how much tax you have collected in the past. How much money did the Japanese loot while they were there? If there is no money, how can this country be built?

In order to avoid the financial difficulties of your government, it is time to return to the government those mines and properties that have been taken over to the royal family because of the wariness of the Japanese. Every year, Congress allocates funds to the royal family; The big ones are left to the cabinet; Military. We will also help you take care of it first, and when you can let go, then let it go; If you feel that you are at a loss, you can raise some tariffs and support your own industries, but China and South Korea must have a preferential system, and the customs and taxes between the two countries must be lower than North Korea's foreign tariffs......"

Yang Rui said for a while, and simply took out the prepared documents and threw them to Li Xiangyu, which was something that was put together by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Rites, and the General Staff Department, and in short, it was equivalent to the colonial preferential system that the British engaged in during the later economic crisis. Although the text says that the two countries are equal, compared to China's industrial base, North Korea will become a semi-colony of China.

When Li Xiangxuan carefully read the text of those agreements, Yang Rui thought that China, which was still a semi-colony, actually brought back a semi-colonial North Korea, and he really wanted to laugh inexplicably. Different from his ease, Li Xiangqian looked through the paper thrown over with great respect and heaviness. In fact, there is nothing in the document that he cannot accept, even if the DPRK is an independent country, there is no unacceptable clause in this agreement between China and North Korea. The real problem is that the king's power will be limited by the Diet, the income of the domestic landlords will be reduced, and Confucianism will no longer be revered. Of course, these are not unacceptable things for a country that has been annexed by the Japanese, and if this article is handed over to Gaozong, I am afraid that the king will be drunk and crying for three days.

"Your Excellency, the United States has now opened its door, and foreigners often say that interests are equal, and if China and North Korea implement a preferential system, then they will ......" After reading the text, Li Xiangyu felt that there was not a word to change, and he began to worry about China again after being grateful.

"The concession is a royal tax reduction deal between His Royal Highness King Min and His Royal Highness the King of your country, and His Royal Highnesses of the two countries have been friends for more than ten years, which is a preferential treatment...... No, it should be called tributary trade, tributary trade has been around for thousands of years, what can't you have? Yang Rui said a new term invented by the Ministry of Commerce. Besides, the United States is not in control of the affairs of the east, and Russia is now completely contained in Europe and cannot look eastward, and the British are the same. Don't worry about this, that. ”

"Xiao Chen understands! Xiao Chen understands! Li Xiangwei nodded immediately, and he asked one last question: "My lord, when should the rebel army be launched to assist Wang Shi?" They are looking forward to the king day and night! ”

"Wait until Japan loses the war in Liaodong before launching it." Yang Rui was a little sleepy after talking for a long time, stood up and said: "Volunteers, bear with it first, when it is time to move, the General Staff will naturally have an order." (To be continued......)