"The technological generation gap has given our navy a huge advantage, but it does not mean that we can't win without this advantage, if we continue to fight, by the time Britain builds a stronger capital ship than us, their colonies in Asia have already been lost, whether the fleet takes the Suez Canal or detours to the Cape of Good Hope, it needs to travel a long distance, and there is no deep-water port to dock on the tens of thousands of miles of sea in the middle, and by the time the main force is decisive, the condition of the British warships has already declined sharply, even if the original strength is stronger than ours, It's hard to win us over. When Li Hui said this, he couldn't help but sneer mockingly, "What's more, it is impossible for the British government to really empty its homeland, and if it dies, it can send one-third of its capital ships to fight in Asia, and it is really difficult to win against us than to ascend to the sky." ”

Tang Shaoyi instinctively felt that Li Hui was bragging, and her brows suddenly furrowed. However, although he was very afraid of him, out of the sense of responsibility of a diplomat, he still stubbornly questioned, "Britain's colonies in Asia are extremely vast, almost comparable to the whole of China, and we have not even completely settled down at home, where can we have the spare strength to seize such a large territory?" ”

"And how many people are there in the British colonies in Asia? Didn't they rule for so many years? And with the purpose of our Datong Party, we will not follow the old path of Western colonization, eat what can be digested, and directly incorporate it into the mainland, areas that are too far away and too populated to digest, such as the many princely states in India, can directly let them become independent, we just need to control those deep-water ports and strategic points, so that the pressure is much less? Li Hui said disapprerovingly, and educated Tang Shaoyi by the way, "What's more, the shortage of our troops is only temporary, at most after half a year, the situation will be greatly improved, Shaochuan, you don't have to carve a boat to ask for a sword, you must learn to look at the problem from the perspective of development!" ”

"Counting the newly organized troops and the reorganized Qing army and regimental training bandits, by the end of the year, the total number of our usable army and armed police forces will not be less than 500,000 (this number is much more than Li Hui originally expected, but he will not say it here. But that's just the beginning. In another year, China's total number of military and police personnel will reach 2 million, the highest in the world, and this is only to meet the minimum requirements of a standing army. Li Hui told Tang Shaoyi and the other delegates present about the ******** military expansion plan, and everyone else was shocked except for the military representatives who had known about it for a long time.

Tang Shaoyi was still a little worried, "Is it financially affordable to raise so many troops?" At the time of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there were less than 700,000 troops, and there were still a lot of vacancies in it, and the finances were unable to make ends meet every year."

"There is no need to worry about this, the Manchus could not afford to raise too many troops, first, because their system was problematic and the tax collection efficiency was too low, and second, the corruption was serious, all kinds of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes were embezzled by greed, and too little could be received from the central government, and the military funds allocated were also exploited by the officials at various levels, and they could only play a fraction of the effect. First of all, the fiscal revenue of our people's government is much higher than that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it is expected that after the reunification of the whole country, it will reach four or five billion taels of silver a year, and because the cadres are more honest and have institutional advantages, the cost of maintaining the army is much lower, not to mention 2 million military and police, even if it is 5 million, it is completely affordable. Li Hui replied confidently, and at the same time encouraged Tang Shaoyi to say, "Shaochuan, maybe you haven't realized that there is a huge difference between our China and the Western powers that have risen in history, that is, the incomparably huge size. Although the exact population figures will not be known until after the national census in the future, there will be no less than 400 million, and the Western powers are only a fraction of ours. The power that can be unleashed by such a huge human resource, as long as it can be fully mobilized and organized, is very terrifying, even if we will still be a poor country for a long time, but it is much easier to become a first-class power in the world, and if everything goes well, maybe within ten years we can achieve this goal. Shaochuan, you should be more confident, a diplomat of a first-class power, it's not like you! ”

Although Tang Shaoyi has entered middle age, he can't help but feel a little enthusiastic after listening to Li Hui's words, but he still feels that he still needs to be interrupted by Li Hui, "Not only the cost of maintaining the army, but also the cost of the war is also amazing, if you really fight with Britain for a few years"

"It's true that the cost of war is not small, but we can't just settle the economic account. Fight with one punch, lest a hundred punches come. If we compromise and retreat for the sake of immediate peace, the Western powers will feel that we are not confident enough and are likely to flock to us, and if we subdue the world hegemon Britain, then no other country in the world will dare to invade our country, and we can rest assured that we will farm in the future, no, it is to develop the economy. Li Hui said this, and added, "In fact, if the great powers come now, I am not too afraid, the most worrying thing is that after we negotiate peace with Britain, they will not immediately turn their faces, but first actively prepare for war, and wait until the gap in naval technology is leveled and the British Royal Navy becomes the world hegemon again, and then find a reason to turn the other cheek with us." At that time, our technological superiority was no longer as obvious as it is now, the strategic points were still in the hands of the British, and they were likely to gather many allies in advance, which would be ten times more difficult to deal with than it is now. Therefore, I think that it is better to fight late than early, and it is better to fight small than to fight big, as long as Malaya is snatched down, we will be in an invincible position, even if the war drags on for a long time, at most the development speed will be slowed down a little, but the rising trend will never be interrupted! ”

Tang Shaoyi nodded, but he was still a little worried about the war funds, "What the party leader said is very true, but after fighting with a world hegemon like Britain for a few years, even if there is a financial income of four or five billion taels of silver a year, I am afraid it will not be able to bear it, right?" ”

"I am not completely satisfied, but I am still commendable for being meticulous and serious. It's just that the new government is too different from the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it seems that if these old officials want to be qualified for their new posts, they must first strengthen their studies. Li Hui saw Tang Shaoyi's earnestness, so he could only explain to him as briefly as possible, "The economic system of the people's government is different from that of Western countries, and it is also different from any country in the world, and what is more important is the supply of materials, not money, I have already stockpiled sufficient military supplies before the uprising, enough for 400,000 troops and the national navy until next year." By that time, many of our new factories had been completed and put into operation, and the factories and mines built by the Westernists had also resumed production, which was enough to meet the continuous needs of the army, and if necessary, Momen would also support a part, as long as the control of the sea was not lost, let alone a few years, it would not collapse financially if it continued to fight. And the further back we go, the more abundant our supplies will be! (To be continued.) )