Chapter 1313

On March 1, 1912, in Beijing, the Third National Congress of the Sixth National Congress of the Chinese Baath Party was held, and delegations from 37 provinces, including the Overseas South China Federation, gathered in Beijing to listen to the new decisions of the current government and the top level of the party.

Premier Zhou Ruidong reported on the development plan for the four major systems of education, science and technology, people's livelihood and law in the next five years, and the European war in full swing did not seem to be included in the main content of the government report that day, but only said that China will steadily promote national influence and ensure China's international status.

On the contrary, the report of Xu Jianyin, Minister of Industry, revealed a lot of dry goods...... In view of the rapid development of domestic industrial capacity, by the end of 1911, Greater China's local steel production had reached a breakthrough 18 million tons, which made everyone here excited, Xu Jianyin specifically pointed out that with the commissioning of a large number of high-quality mining areas in North Australia and South Asia, it is expected that in the next five years, China will surpass the United States and become the world's steel hegemon.

At the same time, the United States, which is across the sea, relies on the sustained and stable development of decades earlier than China, and still maintains the highest steel output of 20 million tons in this era, but the gap has been greatly reduced compared with the gap of nearly 50% ten years ago, and more importantly, with the expansion of domestic production capacity, some peripheral heavy industrial zones in Greater China are also quietly rising, including South China Heavy Industry Zone, South Asia Industrial Zone, these regions. Compared to the native continent. It has more cost advantages. The only thing lacking is only technology and workers.

In the first two five-year plans, domestic power coverage has reached nearly 90% coverage in coastal provinces, and inland provinces have also covered county-level towns, thanks to the opening up of local hydropower industries. The enthusiasm for private investment in electricity is high, and the Baath Party has written the overall goal of covering villages and towns across the country into the national development program as an important indicator of national development.

As the first country in the world to launch gasoline locomotives, in the past 17 years, China's civilian vehicles have not only met domestic demand, but also entered the European and American markets to compete. With today's domestic automobile production capacity, it is enough to destroy the automobile market in Europe and the United States.

Xu Jianyin at the end of the report. There is only one guiding principle for the industrial development of the new government - continue to make every effort to increase production capacity to cope with the huge demand in the Greater China region and overseas markets, and at the same time, it also gives the new government to vigorously support the local mechanical and electrical industry in the next ten years.

The ten-day conference, in addition to announcing a series of huge infrastructure construction visions and industrial planning blueprints, also gave a clear path for the industrial development of the entire country, immediately detonated the frenzy of domestic stock market financing and capacity upgrades, and at the same time, Qin Kai, chairman of the Ba'ath Party, finally announced a blockbuster news that shocked the world.

Qin Kai transferred all the industries under his name to state-owned enterprises free of charge, and only held a nominal share of gold shares in the relevant industries to ensure that he could put forward opinions on industrial development at the necessary time, and the cabinet also announced a plan for the management reform of state-owned industries on the same day, carrying out management system reform for state-owned assets except for secret-related industries, so as to cope with the decline in the efficiency of state-owned enterprises and the management shortcomings that have occurred, and fully realize the board of directors system and the professional manager system.

This series of new reform measures undoubtedly sparked a wide discussion in the domestic media, but the discussion was just emerging when it was interrupted by a major abrupt change from across the ocean......

On March 27, U.S. President William? After receiving secret support from Britain, Taft made a six-point demand to China for the delimitation of sea power, including the United States' demand for the South Pacific and a commitment to the Atlantic sphere of influence, otherwise the U.S. government would work with the British Empire to prevent Chinese maritime power from entering the Atlantic.

Of course, as a condition for political compromise, both the United States and Britain apparently realized that it was impossible to take the Atlantic Ocean for themselves, especially in the face of a sea power from the East. President Taft's proposal promised China's interests in the Caribbean, but this could only be China's only Atlantic interest, and Britain and the United States have put on a posture of resolutely resisting China's entry into the Atlantic.

Ambassador Huang Zunxian lodged a solemn protest with the US Government at the first time, and on the morning of 28 March, he personally met with US Secretary of State Ferrante. Knox, after more than two hours of negotiations, it was clear that neither side could make concessions to the other side, and Huang Zunxian then put forward a final statement on behalf of Beijing, "China will firmly defend the maritime rights it should have, which naturally includes sea lanes and security into Europe, and all attempts to infringe on China's rights and interests may lead to the most serious consequences!" ”

The most serious consequences...... What does that mean, Ferrante? Knox was naturally clear, but he was obviously prepared, and did not put forward any further suggestions to ease the situation, but made it very clear to Huang Zunxian that the United States could not accept China's projection of military power into an unexpected area of the Caribbean, which would likely exacerbate the local military confrontation crisis, and the Chinese government would be responsible for this, and this was also Britain's Atlantic position, so Knox suggested that consultations between China, the United States, and Britain should be launched immediately to ensure that the three parties would not fall into war because of the rights and interests of the Atlantic!

When Huang Zunxian reported the news to China that afternoon, William? President Taft had reached a common agreement with Secretary of War Henry Brown, and on March 30, the British Minister to the United States, Sir Chacleton, obtained a secret meeting with President Taft, and two days later he brought Prime Minister Asquith in response that the Royal Navy would send a battlefleet of the newest battleship, the Dardacity, into the North Atlantic.

Obviously, this news was not learned by Beijing, but on the same day that Huang Zunxian sent back the US-British request for negotiations, Qin Kai, who was observing the naval exercises at Lushun Military Port, was already aware of the sudden change in the world situation.

Although Beijing had expressed in principle in early April its intention to resolve the Atlantic dispute through negotiations, it had never received any news from the British side, and the US government had never made any further communication.

On 7 April, after learning from a secret intelligence channel in London that Britain had formed the so-called Second Battlefleet in the North Atlantic, it was not big news that the British Imperial Navy, which had more than 20 dreadnoughts, completely suppressed the European coastline and assembled a fleet to support the United States.

However, what surprised Qin Kai a little was the commander of this so-called Second Battle Fleet, David? Vice Admiral Beatty, as the core figure of the entire Royal Navy in the World War I era, this name and combat power can even overshadow the now popular Admiral Jericho, the 41-year-old British Vice Admiral, is undoubtedly the fastest-promoted general in the history of the Royal Navy, of course, this is a consideration in addition to the royal officers, even more than the Royal Navy's supreme idol Lord Nelson's promotion speed, and more importantly, this is almost based on his own struggle.

Therefore, this is definitely an opponent worthy of careful study, although Qin Kai did not get the exact information about the so-called Second Battlefleet in the Atlantic, but even if he thought about it with his ass, he could see the connection between this unusual British move and the sudden hardline attitude of the Americans, and he immediately transferred his consideration of the North Atlantic to Zhou Ruidong and Xu Shoushan through the Intelligence Division.

"That is, if the Yankees decide not to negotiate with us, or if the negotiations do not come to fruition, the Yankees and the British will block the passage from the Panama Canal to Port-au-Prince in Haiti as soon as possible, and then our naval base in Port-au-Prince will be in trouble...... Finally the situation in the Panama region, I think it will be difficult for the Americans to achieve victory on land! ”

In the Ministry of Military Affairs, several staff officers are arguing fiercely about the possibility of war, and after the occupation of the Panama Canal, the whole of America has to take seriously the voice from China, and once the Americans want to choose war, there is no doubt that Panama will be a vital strategic point!

"The U.S. Navy has developed rapidly in recent years, and General Lu's Pacific Fleet may not be able to defeat easily, but I think the Americans may not only pay attention, but the British are more troublesome, according to the reorganization of the fleets of the British and the Yankees, the commander must be the British, and the U.S. fleet under the command of the British, this is the more troublesome problem!"

"Panama Canal...... Indeed the key ......"

In the midst of the heated discussions among the staff officers and officers, Xu Shoushan walked in with a frown, holding a telegram in his hand, and it was the news on this telegram that made him have to carefully consider the earlier deployment of the Ministry of Military Affairs at this moment, because a new threat has emerged! (To be continued.) )