Song Ziwen is indeed a smart person who understands the American people and American democracy very well, justice and freedom are just the sympathy of the people who have nothing to do. This American style is exactly the same as that of the western cowboys, but by this time the cowboys' mounts have starved to death, their own steps have staggered, and they have no intention of 'doing chivalrous deeds', only thirst for water and bread.

Under the jealousy of Xu Xinliu, Zhang Jiaxuan and others, Weng Wenhao finally entrusted the propaganda and public relations work to the United States to Song Ziwen, a commercial waiter who spoke English and only read English reports. From the moment he received the order, Song Ziwen was busy, he asked the hotel for an office suite, and he took it upon himself to say that the members of the delegation should not be used, and temporarily hired some waiters in the hotel who spoke well and had sweet voices, and their job was to make phone calls to major newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and some important industry associations related to China's trade, and when the press conference began at 10 o'clock the next morning, nearly 100 newspaper reporters and representatives of relevant industry associations packed the conference rooms provided by the hotel.

"Brother Gongquan, you see this person, ......" Looking at Song Ziwen, who was dressed in a suit on the podium, and calmly dealt with and spoke decently under the reporter's bag, Xu Xinliu, the secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, shook his head very hard. Although he didn't say it explicitly, anyone could see his dissatisfaction.

"Hmm." Zhang Jiaxuan nodded knowingly. He also couldn't get used to Song Ziwen's invincible attitude, as if he was born superior, and he didn't respect Shangguan at all. In his opinion, the most important thing in life is to be a 'person'. Song Ziwen has the ability to 'deal with things', but he can't 'be a person'. Sooner or later, this will offend everyone in the cabinet. "I just don't know what Gu Shaochuan thinks." He laughed gloatingly.

Song Ziwen, who has received Western-style education since he was a child, has no idea that there are two 'Shangguan' in the audience who need his special respect to judge his own character, and he is answering a question from Robert Sherrod of Time magazine at this time.

“…… The alliance between China and Japan is only for self-preservation. And not to wage war against the countries of the Pacific. Dressed in a gray suit, a white wing-collared shirt, and a dark striped tie, Soong looked extremely elegant and gentlemanly, his standard American pronunciation with a New York accent that made reporters feel more familiar, and his Christian name Paul revealed a kind of trust that other yellows did not have.

"Gentlemen, the original intention of the Sino-Japanese alliance was to face Soviet Russia in the northwest, and the covenant was roughly established in 1917 and was repeated several times later. It was finally signed five years later. The reason why it took so long was because I was worried that it would make our friends on the Pacific coast feel uneasy, but at the Washington Conference, Japan's commitment to abandon the construction of battleships was approved by Britain, the United States, France, and other participating countries, and China, Japan, and North Korea signed an alliance treaty. ”

Song Ziwen took the role of Gu Weijun and explained the original intention of the East Asia Alliance Treaty, but the American reporter was obviously not so simple, and before his answer was finished, Robert Sherrod of Time magazine immediately retorted: "Misty Song, China and Japan are now building the largest battleship in history, the Tianjin-class battleship. According to information disclosed by your government, it has a displacement of 65,000 tons and a main gun caliber of more than 18 inches. This is a clear violation of your country's previous commitment not to build battleships, how do you explain this? ”

"Mr. Reporter. If a new Pacific naval disarmament treaty is signed, the Tianjin class can be dismantled immediately in accordance with the treaty. "When it comes to military issues, the answer this time is Jiang Baili, the military adviser to the prime minister." Our country has always had no interest in building a large navy. However, your country's two successive naval bills have greatly shaken our country, and you have also called for the dissolution of the East Asian Alliance. As a country without a single battleship - gentlemen journalists, pay attention. It's not a single battleship! Not to mention the battleships of your navy, after the dissolution of the East Asian Alliance, the Japanese navy, which is not sure whether it is a friend or not, has 10 battleships, and we have to build two battleships to defend Tianjin and Shanghai, which is a helpless way. ”

Jiang Baili took out the Japanese navy according to Song Ziwen's previous instructions, although this was a hint, but it was also a great hint, and the reporters who heard the meaning were as excited as if they had smoked opium, and they raised their hands and shouted: "May I ask if China and Japan are enemies after the dissolution of the East Asian Alliance?!" ”

Seeing that the reporters finally asked the long-awaited question, Song Ziwen raised his hand and the scene quieted down, and he said: "Without the constraints of the alliance, Japan will definitely be dissatisfied with our country's withdrawal from the alliance, this kind of feeling is like a wife looking at her husband who takes the initiative to file for divorce." Therefore, for the sake of its own security, China must build battleships and, more importantly, sign naval treaties with Pacific countries, otherwise the Pacific arms race will turn into a Sino-Japanese naval arms race......"

The arms race between China and Japan and the United States was suddenly extended by Soong Tzu-wen into an arms race between China and Japan, and this statement immediately caused a sensation, and according to this meaning, another meaning of the East Asian alliance is the East Asian peace treaty, and if there is no other treaty to replace this agreement, then China can only maintain the status quo.

"Who does this son of a bitch have?" In the Admiralty building near the White House, Admiral William Daniel Leahy, chief of naval operations, was displeased to hear the Chinese's new interpretation of the East Asian alliance. He is also hostile to the yellow man in the suit (Song Ziwen) in the photo, believing that his actions will interfere with the ongoing strategic plan.

"Sir, he is the Vice Minister of Commerce of China, Mister Song." His aide, Rear Admiral James Richardson, spoke about the message from Rear Admiral Theodore van Wilkinson, head of naval intelligence. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and his M.A. from Harvard University, and has been a believer in the Lord since his father's generation, Charlie Soong, a well-known missionary in China. One of his sisters was married to a famous Chinese revolutionary: Sun Yat-sen. In addition, he is a member of the FF fraternity at Harvard University and an officer of the YMCA in China......"

"Has the president already met with the Chinese?" Leahy was not interested in Song Ziwen's resume, he was concerned about how to send these yellow-skinned monkeys back.

"It has been postponed to the afternoon. If the president does not meet the Chinese today, the pressure from public opinion will be even greater. Maj. Gen. Richardson replied. At this time, he felt that Song Ziwen was hateful. and expressed serious doubts about his faith.

"And how did the British reply to us this time?" The navy could not do anything politically, and Admiral Leahy had to turn his attention to negotiations with the British. The sun never sets, though the empire is weak. But in the war against China and Japan, they were indispensable.

"Sir. The British were still hesitant, but this time they were willing to exchange information with us in a limited and safe area. Major General Richardson imitated the tone of the British, which could not help but make the admiral smile.

Judging from the previous practice of the British, they would like to see the United States and China and Japan in the Pacific, but they do not want to get involved in it - from the point of view of the Royal Navy, the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean did not suffer substantial damage in the East African war, and the aircraft on the Chinese aircraft carriers could not do anything against them, but they were building the Veneto-class battleships at an accelerated pace; And the German navy in the Atlantic was gaining strength, and they had to face threats from Germany (Atlantic) and Italy (Mediterranean) at the same time. If we add the Far East, it is a three-front operation, which is difficult for the Royal Navy to support.

As for the army, after the end of the last war, Britain did not retain a standing army like the United States or other countries, and the Northwest Theater of the Chinese Army posed a mortal threat to India, the Middle East, and even Egypt. In the event of a declaration of war with China, through the Persian enemy, the Chinese armored division could soon occupy the Suez Canal.

The British had the trouble of the British, but including President Roosevelt. Both the navy and the army hope that they will be on the same page as the United States. Regardless of whether China dissolves the East Asian alliance or not, China and Japan will not be able to defend themselves against the attack of the British and American navies, and after destroying the Japanese navy and the poor Chinese navy, all that is needed is the non-stop bombing of the army aviation. They would have surrendered to Britain and the United States.

The Americans have a good idea, but the biggest obstacle to the US military from showing its strength is domestic public opinion, and although a small part of the war against China and Japan has reached a consensus. But the broad masses of the population are still in the dark, and they are likely to be exploited by the Chinese. to exert pressure on the government.

In the afternoon, the Yellow River Song, the national anthem of Greater China, sounded again on the South Lawn of the White House. The last time was during Yang Rui's visit to the United States. After the usual diplomatic courtesy between the two sides, the talks began in the Oval Office in the main building of the White House.

Seeing that Roosevelt, who was smoking a cigarette, did not take the initiative to speak, Premier Weng Wenhao coughed slightly before saying: "Mr. President, I hope to reach a consensus with you on a number of issues to ease the current tension between your two countries. ”

Thinking that he was facing the President of the United States, the great maker of the New Deal, Weng Wenhao's voice was a little dry, and after he finished talking about his hopes, he raised his voice and continued, "Our country is willing to make concessions on a number of major issues and agree with your country on many issues in order to ultimately safeguard peace in the Pacific region. ”

"Mr. Prime Minister, I don't think your country has shown the sincerity it deserves, and one of the preconditions for the negotiations is that your country must withdraw from the East Asia Alliance, not just a promise that our country is willing to make concessions on a number of major issues." Roosevelt looked at Weng Wenhao in front of him, although he didn't agree with the name of the yellow-skinned monkey, but he felt that Weng Wenhao in the crimson Chinese official robe in front of him was like a red-skinned monkey - he was not only short but also very thin, and when he spoke, his eyebrows were high and low, and his face was full of bitterness.

Unable to bear to look at Weng Wenhao's appearance closely, Roosevelt said: "Mr. Prime Minister, how can you be sure that your country's parliament will support the promise you have made now?" Know that everything you promised now will come to naught after the collapse of the cabinet. ”

The current cabinet has been jokingly referred to as the 'peace cabinet' in China, and many people believe that if the negotiations fail, the current cabinet will collapse. Weng Wenhao, who was said to be the weakness by Roosevelt, suddenly felt powerless, and he coughed again before he said: "Mr. President, since the current cabinet can form a cabinet, it means that the contemptible people are trusted by our country's Great Mystery Institute, and the current government is also a legitimate government, and the negotiations conducted by the current cabinet are of course formal and legally effective negotiations. ”

"I deeply doubt it." Roosevelt once again stated his attitude, "But on the basis of diplomatic courtesy, my government is willing to try to negotiate with you." ”

After Roosevelt had expressed his extremely reluctant wishes, Secretary of State Hull asked, "Mr. Prime Minister, when will your country announce its withdrawal from the East Asia Alliance?" ”

"Mr. Secretary, many people in our country do not understand the true meaning of withdrawing from the East Asia Alliance, and they see nothing wrong with forming an alliance with their neighbors. So. My Government believes that the date of the signing of the Naval Treaty will be the time for the dissolution of the East Asian Alliance. In view of Weng Wenhao's confusion, Gu Weijun, a diplomatic scholar, had to take the initiative to answer.

"It's insincere for you to do so. It's just a kind of coercion. Hull, known as the ****** puppet, expressed his displeasure according to the script.

"Mr. Secretary, our country has not made any claims on the tonnage of the Navy's capital ships. All that is needed is a naval treaty and peace guarantees. Gu Weijun retorted. If our country puts forward excessive tonnage requirements, it can be called coercion. ”

"Then how much capital ship tonnage do you think the Chinese Navy needs?" Hull asked.

"It depends on how much main force tonnage the Japanese Navy can get." Gu Weijun replied. "After the expiration of the naval treaty again, our country is likely to face the threat of the Japanese Navy, and we must build several battleships to protect ourselves, and there is nothing else to ask for."

"Mr. Minister, if the naval treaty expires again, China and Japan can form an alliance again, and our country will face an even more serious threat of war." The new war minister in the current presidential cabinet, hawkish Henry **** Sheng, reminded. "Mr. Minister, China believes that the total tonnage of the capital ships of the Chinese and Japanese navies cannot exceed 50% of the tonnage of the capital ships of the Chinese Navy; And based on the fact that the last London naval conference was the result of the failure of the talks due to the representatives of your country and the representatives of Japan. My Government reserves the right to make reparations to your Government and to the Government of Japan. ”

"Compensation?!" Weng Wenhao looked at **** Sheng, and then at Roosevelt, his eyebrows went up and down, and his face was full of grievances.

"It is precisely because of the attitude of your government and the Japanese government that our Diet has passed two naval bills and one army bill in succession, and if the countries sign a naval treaty again, we will have to dismantle those unbuilt warships as we did last time. Mr. Prime Minister, if the London Conference had been successfully signed last year, our country could have avoided allocating funds for the construction of those expensive warships. But the fact is that we have allocated funds to build it, and we will eventually dismantle it, so do you and Japan want to compensate us for the losses? ”

Sheng's unkind questioning made the faces of Weng Wenhao and the others very ugly. But he did not hesitate to say again: "The two naval bills have cost a total of $3.11 billion so far, and the Army bill has cost $850 million, if a naval treaty is signed." I will ask the Ministry of Finance to calculate the actual losses of our country and ask your country and Japan to compensate. ”

"It's blackmail!" Gu Weijun stood up. "Your government's shipbuilding appropriations are all spent in your shipyards. Your country's Navy Act and Army Act are also independent decisions and have nothing to do with our country. ”

"But it was precisely because of your and Japan's refusal to dissolve the alliance that led our Diet to make this decision. This matter is caused by you, and it is completely reasonable to demand compensation! "Gu Weijun stood up, **** Sheng also stood up, his momentum was even stronger." If your government is not willing to pay compensation, China will personally go to Beijing to ask for it after the completion of the ship's construction! ”

"Henry!" Seeing that the **** Sheng's straightforward threat of war turned Chinese's frightened face, Roosevelt snuffed out his cigarette and called him. I didn't want **** Shengzheng to be addicted, so he insisted on ignoring Roosevelt's dissuasion: "Gentlemen, peace comes at a price!" Such a wise decision should have been made last year, and although it was not too late to do so, it had already cost my Government billions of dollars, which must be borne by your country and Japan as a result of your country's insistence on forming an alliance with Japan. ”

"Henry!" Roosevelt shouted again, and Hopkins pulled the **** student aside, so as to stop his shouting.

"Mr. Prime Minister, I don't think that Mr. **** Sheng's request is a kind of blackmail, he is just based on facts to explain the price paid by our country because of the failure of the London Naval Conference last year." Roosevelt said gently. "The issue of reparations can be discussed during the naval negotiations, and I think that for the sake of the friendship between the two countries, the matter can be dealt with symbolically. However, in order to express your sincerity in the peace talks, I believe that your country should withdraw from the East Asia Alliance before negotiating, instead of just giving us an extremely vague promise. ”

"Mr. President, my Government's commitment is very clear: the day the Naval Treaty is signed is the dissolution of the East Asia Alliance." Gu Weijun once again clarified his bottom line, and then added: "Our country has complete trust in your country, but my country is worried that without the containment of the new naval treaty, the Japanese navy will be unfavorable to our country." ”

"Then our country can guarantee your country that once the Japanese Navy starts a war against your country, the Pacific Fleet can quickly support your country." Roosevelt saw the way of the stitch.

"Thank you, Mr. President, for your kindness, but such a promise is more detrimental to our country's security and will lead to war between our country and Japan, and our country wants peace, not only with your country but also with Japan." Gu Weijun felt more and more that Roosevelt was a difficult person, and the essence of his proposal was to hope that China and Japan would have bad relations.

"Your country's withdrawal from the East Asia Alliance is still a blank promise." Roosevelt shrugged his shoulders regretfully, "Gentlemen, such negotiations are just a waste of time and will not lead to anything. ”

"Mr. President, but no one told me that things had changed in Washington, they just told me that I could start negotiations on naval disarmament as long as I promised to withdraw from the alliance." Seeing Roosevelt like this, Weng Wenhao had to vaguely mention the previous exchange with the US ambassador to China, with some disappointment and grievance.

The Pacific Institute and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported to Roosevelt on the situation of China's new cabinet many times, and Roosevelt was not interested in this, but when he heard Weng Wenhao mention it, he had to say: "Mr. Prime Minister, the judgment of diplomats is sometimes too optimistic, after all, they are not in China, and they have not had close exchanges with other departments. In their opinion, perhaps a commitment is enough, but in reality it is not enough, especially on the premise that your country and Japan have caused billions of dollars in losses to our country. ”

"Would you, Mr. President, want to see a war in the Pacific?" Weng Wenhao said with some excitement - his excitement was not because of the rudeness of the US side at this meeting, but because of the casualties and disasters that the war would cause. "Thousands of people will die, countless families will be torn apart, and countless wealth will be wiped out in the war......"

"Of course we would like to see thousands of American casualties anyway, and it's not American families that ......are broken," the **** student who was pushed aside by Hopkins interjected again, "so I think your government should immediately take substantive action to show that it is not willing to engage in war with Japan, rather than the current promise that is not worth a penny." Gentlemen, there is no value in making promises on the battlefield, what really saves your life is to drop your gun and raise your hands high. ”

This time Roosevelt didn't call out to the **** student, and only after he finished speaking, he said: "Although Henry is very rude, the facts and promises he said are useless." If your government really wants peace, please withdraw from the alliance and come back to negotiations. ”

"Mr. President, do you mean that your two countries are already at war?" Weng Wenhao suppressed his dissatisfaction and stared at Roosevelt's eyes and asked.

"To some extent, it can be understood that way." Roosevelt nodded, and then lit another camel. "Of course, I'd like to see your government do something. In fact, the second and most important thing in the negotiations is your country's attitude toward Japan, which affects the relations between the United States and China. Because we are now worried about a major question: what will happen if you and Japan form an alliance again when the naval treaty expires? If this problem cannot be solved, the naval treaty will be meaningless, and its only effect will be to postpone the war that is going to take place now until ten years from now. ”

When Roosevelt said this, his attitude was very clear - it is not enough to dissolve the alliance, China needs to be completely hostile to Japan, otherwise the United States will not be able to completely reassure East Asia. Before Weng Wenhao could fully comprehend Roosevelt's meaning, Gu Weijun said categorically: "Mr. President, my country does not want to go to war with any country. ”

"Nope! Mr. Minister, your country has a choice to make. Roosevelt said. There is no room for neutrality. ”

Shaking his head, Gu Weijun denied again: "China is a big country that keeps its word, although it yearns for peace, it will never do anything to go back on its word and seek glory against its friends." Mr. President, such immoral behavior will ruin the reputation of our country and be ridiculed by the nations of the world. ”

"Shaochuan ......" Weng Wenhao, who understood Roosevelt's meaning, immediately stopped Gu Weijun. He doesn't think it's so difficult to fight with Japan, or even at war with Japan, after all, Japan is China's defeated general, and he doesn't like this ****, imperial supremacy country. "Mr. President, we will take your valuable suggestions into consideration." He nodded.

"Very good!" Roosevelt finally showed a rare smile, and he felt that the red-skinned monkey in front of him was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. (To be continued.) )