"Have you ever seen the gutters? The colors inside are different every day. Sometimes it's as red as blood, sometimes it's green as pus, and sometimes it's yellow as bile...... It was actually a river of hell, glowing with terrible neon.

The noise of factories mixed with the echoes of the ground wafted over the city.

The stench in the air smelled like a giant beast vomiting......

I realized that maybe I wasn't living on earth, but in hell.

Am I crazy? ”

……

There is a British literary author in a satirical article about the foggy capital of London, which describes the scenery of London in this way, except for the association of hell, the rest of the content is basically in line with the reality. Li Xin has visited all the industrial countries on the planet and visited the capitals and major industrial centers of these industrial countries. After seeing the vast world, Li Xin's admiration for Wei Ze became stronger and stronger.

China's industrial cities also have these problems, the once famous "Yangtze River Poisoned Water Incident" is a big leak in Shanghai's riverside industrial zone, hundreds of tons of highly toxic sewage with a rainstorm and the power line failure and explosion caused by the rainstorm rolled into the river, not only causing a large number of dead fish on the river, but also causing a large number of illnesses and nearly 100 deaths. This has caused panic in Shanghai, one of the centers of China, for a long time. In the final summary of the incident, the direct and indirect economic losses caused by this incident are actually hundreds of millions.

Since then, many pollution problems that have long been present across the country have finally been brought to the fore, and His Majesty Wei Ze has also taken the opportunity to introduce a draft environmental protection law and industrial wastewater treatment measures. China is not going to abandon its industry because of pollution, or at least it is beginning to confront it head-on.

Of course, the pollution still has to be polluted, and the destruction will not stop. However, whether we can directly point out the problems and solve the most prominent problems is a fundamental attitude problem. Attitude is everything, and at least China has introduced these considerations substantively in the Measures for the Administration of Highly Toxic Industries. As for London, which is also heavily polluted, it can only be said that the people of London are really super anti-toxic. Perhaps the government in London, based on the remarkable abilities of the British people themselves, did not think this was the case at all.

Compared with Germany, which is at the junction of urban and rural areas, London is probably the "old city" in China. In China, it is generally six floors, but in London, it is cut in half, and most of the buildings are three-storey. The width of the streets is generally less than half or even a third of China's, but in the mega-congested megacity of a million people, London has to face the dilemma of public transport, and there is a little bit of improvement.

The fog was foggy again at this time, Li Xin enjoyed the fresh sea breeze at sea, and couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose with a handkerchief when he got into the car. The tail exhaust pipe of a Chinese-made car smoked and then started up, and the smoke quickly melted into the thick fog of London and disappeared.

After meeting with the British Foreign Minister this time, Li Xinpi said with a smile: "Your Excellency, it seems that you completely regard the meeting between the United Kingdom and other countries as an open international conference. ”

The British Foreign Minister knew that Li Xin was settling old scores, and he replied quite cheerfully, "Our confirmation is that the positions of China and Britain on the Bulgarian issue can be discussed with other countries, and if I am not mistaken, Your Excellency will take the same position at future international conferences." ”

was eaten to death by the British, Li Xin was very unhappy. However, he has an idea out of inertia, and it is not a bad thing to ask the British to help China promote China's position. If the international conference that the British want can really be held, China will not have to bother to speak, let alone become the focus of other countries. After all, when it comes to Bulgaria, China is just a soy sauce party.

This matter was not the core issue of Li Xin's arrival in the UK, and he immediately made a request, "I don't know that Your Excellency will have your own ideas as I said before asking Your Excellency to help us gather figures in the British financial circles." ”

The British government will not turn a blind eye to the matter of making money, and the British foreign minister said cheerfully: "Our financiers have been waiting for His Excellency the Foreign Minister to come to London, and if you don't come again, I will be annoyed by them." ”

And so it was, and at 11 a.m. the next day the financiers, or at least plenipotentiaries, arrived in the port of London. The meeting was scheduled to be held for a week, and the financiers with their families and servants, some of the Englishmen drove in cars, and some of them rode in private carriages. When they arrived at the pier, they didn't need to point out it, but the gang saw a beautiful pure white cruise ship moored in the harbor. The British know ships very well, and when they see this elegant and bulky ship, the British financiers are in good spirits. Their families even pointed out the beautiful ship.

Registering in front of the wide gangway, financiers and older ladies are still reserved enough. The younger, younger passengers were a little impatient. These people are all bigwigs or well-known rising stars, and the number is not too many. When the red rope hanging from the gangway was removed and the path from the gangway was opened to the big boat, the sound of a band suddenly sounded on the boat. This is not a common spectacle in the port of London, where music has been played for many years as a form of farewell or welcome, but a ship has a special band, which can only be done by a lot of money.

Li Xin invited a band from Austria to perform on board, and unlike the kind of music practitioners who work alone or in groups of two or three, Wiena's band showed long-trained professionalism as soon as it started. Amid the melodious music, the expression on the face of even the most old-fashioned old guy softened.

The up-and-comers were more flexible, and when they learned that the ship was set sail at 6 p.m., they immediately requested an increase in the number of men they carried. With such a big deal from China's foreign minister, it's a great experience to spend a week on the sea by boat in an age of scarcity.

At 6:30 a.m., picking up the last wave of hurried arrivals, the 15,000-ton Chinese cruise ship sounded its whistle, pulled anchor and set sail in the eyes of many envious and jealous people in the port, leaving the port and sailing towards the warm south.

At the banquet that night, the hall, which covers an area of more than 500 square meters, was crowded. Li Xinke not only invited the band, but also invited famous Italian opera artists and famous Austrian pianists. First there was a small concert, followed by a dance party in buffet style.

The dignitaries were dressed in formal attire, and their female family members dressed in their prettiest evening gowns, sipping wine and chatting in the salon surrounded by sofas, or dancing to the accompaniment of the band. Although there are many people, thanks to the excellent ventilation system, the air in the room does not look dirty, but the alluring smell of perfume and incense powder is mixed in the fresh air, so that the hall exudes the unique atmosphere of European high society.

The atmosphere of the banquet became stronger and stronger, and just after the first break of the dance began, Li Xin, the convener of the meeting, finally appeared. He was thin and wore a well-fitting dark suit, which was full of style and elegance. After greeting everyone in so-so English, Li Xin thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. The appearance of the Chinese foreign minister made the atmosphere of the meeting even more enthusiastic.

Shaking hands, greetings, and clinking glasses with the main participants, Li Xin invited the leaders to another conference room for a meeting. When leaving the venue, Li Xin smiled at the other people who came with him and said, "Gentlemen, ladies. I hope that those of us who are used to keeping a straight face will leave the venue and make everyone have more fun. ”

In a burst of laughter, the band began to play again. Even before the heads of the house walked out of the hall, the young men were already impatiently dancing with their favorite companions.

The inside of the conference room is centered on a long table in the center of the three rings, and the financiers sit down in the conference room according to their name plates. The main seat is naturally Li Xin, and the most powerful financiers are on the table. Others have sofas to sit on. In each person's place, there is a document with their name written on it, which contains the topics and the general schedule of the meeting.

Without Li Xin to speak, the financiers had already begun to read. The director of the London Stock Exchange was naturally one of the people at the table, and after reading it at a very fast speed, he frowned slightly and said, "Do you want to follow this process exactly as you want to discuss?" ”

Li Xin tapped the document in front of him with his finger, "The first arrangement is to discuss the process arrangement of this meeting. Do you have any comments? ”

The director of the London Stock Exchange did not flinch in the slightest because of Li Xin's status, and he asked: "You can represent the opinion of the Chinese government, but can you represent the opinion of the Chinese financial community?" I'm curious about that. ”

The eyes of the British financiers fell on the two people who were talking, and some of the financiers couldn't help but nod slightly. The British government's greatest power now is probably to declare war, and if the war is not decisive but a local skirmish, then the British colonies have the right to fight some war. As for the financial sector, it is not an object that the government can manipulate, and the British financial sector is at least a powerful force that can greatly influence the government's opinion, if not completely above the government.

In a financial negotiation, the Chinese side actually sent a foreign minister as a representative, which is probably only done by the Russians in Europe. In such a situation, the dispatch of a reciprocal representative of China's financial sector must at least be a representative of the Ministry of Commerce or the central bank.

Li Xin also basically understood the thoughts of the British financiers, and he said with a smile: "You should know very well that there is the intervention of the state in international affairs no matter what. Even if you call for wind and rain in European countries and the United States, you still can't avoid dealing with other governments in the end. I am now representing the Zheng Government of China, and I will talk to you about some basic issues, and also represent the bottom line of China's laws and regulations. When these contents are summarized and determined as the bottom line of future financial exchanges, don't you think it saves a lot of trouble? ”

This is true, but British financiers are not rejoicing. They looked at Li Xin's gaze, but there was a part of uneasiness and vigilance in them. The British adopted "free trade", which meant that the government simply did not have the ability to interfere in any way with the flow of money, capital. What China's foreign minister is now talking about is the Chinese government's strong involvement in the financial sector, and for these British financiers, they will face a powerful state power. This is a situation that they are not happy to see.

After some more questioning and answers, the British financier determined that his idea was not wrong. The negotiations between the Chinese government and the British financiers were an act of state. The public power of the state has taken the lead in determining where the two countries' finances can and cannot cooperate. British financiers did not like this kind of strong government intervention in the economy.

Whether you like it or not, you have to do it. China is a large market with a population of 800 million, and European countries have been hoping to open this market for nearly 100 years. At the time of the existence of the weak and incompetent Manchus, there were many Chinese merchants who did business with the British, but the market was actually closed to the British. Now that the Chinese Emperor Weser is in power, the market has opened up a lot to Europe, and when the big financial market finally shows signs of loosening, the British financiers will not have any reason to oppose it, even if they don't like to deal with strong governments.

The organization of the meeting was adopted one by one during the discussions. The meeting between the two sides only discussed basic issues, not technical issues. There are only two options for each issue: yes or no.

Are companies from both countries allowed to open businesses in each other's countries and are allowed to issue shares in each other's markets?

Are banks in both countries allowed to operate in each other's currencies and issue bonds settled in each other's currencies?

Each item needs to be discussed. The Chinese side is endorsed by the state, and the British system determines that the British government is not qualified to directly let the country bear the risk, and it is the British banks and financial enterprises that conduct financial transactions.

There are not many elements in such negotiations, and there are many issues involved. The British have expanded globally over the centuries and built a financial industry that serves the British system. China is a newcomer to this area, and there are very few bonds issued in the country, let alone a capital operation system with financial transactions at its core.

There were six people who came to the meeting with Li Xin, and of course it was impossible for Li Xin to sing a one-man show by himself. The six representatives represent the central bank, the Ministry of Finance, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the supervisory agency. This painstaking negotiation began with a painstaking meeting to determine the contents. The first night was not settled, and I rested in the luxurious cabin for the night, and the next day continued the discussion.

"Countries all over the world issue shares in the stock market of our British Empire to raise money. China's renminbi is not a gold standard, and there is no reciprocity in the issuance of shares in this regard. Your country can now certainly give assurances that the renminbi will not depreciate or something like that. But we can't believe that. "The directors of the London stock market, as representatives of the British financial community, have made a very severe criticism of China's monetary system.

"The issuance of the renminbi is dependent on China's national credit, and for us in China, the fluctuation of the renminbi is unacceptable. Our monetary policy has been like this all these years. Of course, you can be suspicious of China's monetary policy, but for us, there is no possibility of such a policy being questioned. This is the national capital of our country! Li Xin also responded-for-tat.

The director of the London stock market said with a serious expression: "What is the value of your renminbi other than a piece of paper?" Is it equivalent to gold, or is it equivalent to silver? If it is only equivalent to national credit, then I beg your pardon to say that your Excellency may not like to hear at all, in our opinion this value is very limited! Very, very limited! ”

During this meeting, a bearded man sat in the corner and said nothing, and it was clear from the expressions of the people around him who were a little curious or simply ignored him that this bearded man was not a person in the financial circle, at least not a British financial person who knew or heard of each other.

Uncle Engels was very satisfied with this treatment, and he took a notebook and wrote down what he was interested in. Although the meeting was well prepared, several stenographers were recording the talks at a breakneck pace, and the minutes were compiled and sent to the participants for archival purposes on a daily basis. So Uncle Eun is not worried that his record is not comprehensive enough.

Uncle Ma was too famous to be invited, and Uncle En changed his name to attend the meeting. Afterwards, he commented on the meeting, "The British financiers probably know China's position and economic policy towards China, and they don't know whether these financiers have seen God walking on the sea, or whether they have seen the living Satan walking leisurely on the lake of fire." When money was completely stripped of its value and presented to Europe's top financiers as its general equivalent, this subversive stance gave them a sense of the unusual attitude of the Eastern Empire. It is rumored in various European countries that China uses Marx's theory as the basic theory to guide the economy. However, I am sure that they will have a deeper understanding after this meeting. Personally, while the British see money as an absolute symbol of wealth, the Chinese have a more different view of money because of their history. Personally, I also think that the direct integration of China's currency with the public power of the state is early and deep, and it is something that historians have never disseminated to Europe. ”

Uncle En said this from Uncle Ma's flat-roofed mansion in London, and Uncle Ma learned that the biggest result of the meeting was probably to start a discussion between the financial circles of China and the United Kingdom, and also to create a grand oriental empire. Although Uncle En was very low-key at this meeting, his beard and demeanor as a famous German entrepreneur made some middle-aged, young and even young women very interested in him.

However, Uncle Ma didn't joke with this, he asked seriously: "So is China's monetary policy really as they say it is?" ”