Many say that the Balkans were the trigger for the First World War.

This statement can be said to be true, or it can be said to be not entirely true.

The real trigger for the First World War was the complete decline of the Ottoman Empire, a great power that was no longer an obstacle to the development of Europe from land to Asia, and even the empire itself became the target of the prying eyes of the great powers.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, France, England, and Italy were all eager to penetrate into the territory that had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire, all wishful thinking that it contained the world's greatest resources.

There is another, more powerful interest here - the Baghdad Eurasian Railway.

At least in this era, the railway is still the most powerful transportation system in the world, and dominating such a railway means that it can obtain the resources of the whole of Asia and occupy the market of the whole Asia.

When Russia suspended the development of its navy, it concentrated all its efforts on developing its own army, exporting a large amount of iron ore and oil in exchange for foreign exchange, which was used to arm its army...... It's starting to get trickier.

The purpose of the Shanghai meeting was to discuss these issues and finalize China's policies and targets for the development of its navy and army over the next decade.

After six days of discussions, the Shanghai Conference ended on March 21, 1906.

At this meeting, Hu Chuyuan and the State Military Commission made a series of new decisions -- to strengthen the building of the army to ensure long-term suppression of Russia, and at the same time to continue to ensure the supremacy of the navy in the Asian region, and to maintain the top three powers in the world.

According to this principle, only four Dreadnought-class battleships were built, no new contracts were added, the Sino-British joint research and development program on Duke-class battleships was withdrawn, and the Yizhou-class battleships were developed.

After the completion of the joint development of the dreadnought-class battleships, the domestic naval manufacturing industry has been completely comparable to the United Kingdom, especially in the research and accumulation of new steam turbines, radio communication technology, sonar technology, radio reconnaissance and scanning technology, and other technologies, and the country has been able to build a more excellent giant ship than the European and American powers.

The opinions of Hu Chuyuan, Lu Han and others were relatively moderate, while Wei Han, the main technical experts, insisted on building them separately, which also made it easier for domestic battleships to directly use new equipment in their design, rather than adding and modifying them after production.

According to the Navy's plan, it was to have four Yizhou-class battleships and four Zongyuan-class battlecruisers by 1910, with 330mm main guns.

In the long-term planning of the entire navy, the main fleet group of the navy in the future will be based on the 330mm caliber, and the displacement tonnage of the Zongyuan-class battle cruisers is roughly the same as that of the Yizhou-class, both around 21,000 tons.

The 305mm45 times diameter main gun system with the Dreadnought-class and Liangzhou-class battleships as the main body began to gradually become the second echelon.

Wei Han and others predict that the caliber of the navy's main guns may be increased to 340mm in the future, or even the 380mm caliber of 15 inches, and the domestic research plan should be accelerated.

Hu Chuyuan agrees with this.

However, even if it is increased to a caliber of 380mm, the main formation can still be maintained in the 330mm system, but at the expense of the flagship's range advantage.

From now on, the domestic navy will no longer be equipped with new battleships with a displacement of less than 15,000 tons, the existing eight Liangzhou-class battleships will be retained, and the Ningyuan-class will be sold to other countries one after another.

On the premise of maintaining the total displacement tonnage of the Chinese Navy of 750,000 tons, the Chinese Navy should complete the plan of upgrading within five years within the scope of funds.

Of course, when the funds are really insufficient, Hu Chuyuan can pay out of his own pocket.

The basic policy is very simple: No matter how much the Russian army spends, the actual expenditure of the Chinese army must be maintained at about 1.5 times that of Russia.

If some money cannot be directly accounted for, it will be maintained directly through the sale of official shares and public assets.

Sooner or later, a new war will break out between China and Russia, and this is an inevitable thing.

Hu Chuyuan deliberately invested in the Tyumen region on a large scale through French capital, especially in the oil extraction and processing industry, with the goal of preparing for a new war.

As soon as the war broke out and troops were directly sent to seize Tyumen, China's large-scale mechanized corps would have an inexhaustible oil base in Central Asia.

In view of the long-term decisive battle between China and Russia, at the national level, it is necessary to invest more in Novosibirsk and the Barnaul region, use the local mineral resources to develop industry and agriculture, and reduce the pressure of long-distance supply in the war.

Of course, the plan for the large-scale development of Xinjiang Province is even more crucial.

In terms of military equipment, 350 horsepower diesel tracked heavy main battle armored vehicles and infantry armored vehicles, 125mm caliber self-propelled guns, 120mm caliber new mortars, 7.92mm caliber semi-automatic rifles, 11mm caliber heavy machine guns, and new 7.92mm submachine guns equipped with 30mm grenade launchers...... and other planned new weapon systems should be studied at a faster pace.

The three new weapons of rocket artillery, semi-automatic rifles, and airplanes should be accelerated, and the research on chemical weapons and defensive measures should be intensified.

At present, the new type of reconnaissance aircraft has already begun to enter service, and two aircraft engineering academies have been set up in China to systematically and professionally train technical engineers, pilots, and maintenance personnel.

This was only the beginning, and Hu Chuyuan's request at the Shanghai meeting was very clear: Both the navy and the army should set up air police regiments with reading power, and they should not only have reconnaissance planes, but also bombers, fighters, and even transport planes with more powerful horsepower.

Considering that China, especially the Zibo Aircraft Factory, has been researching flight engineering for ten years and has accumulated a large amount of data and experience, his request is not excessive.

At least it can be said that at present, China has an aero engine designed separately for aircraft, as well as special aviation gasoline, special aircraft aluminum alloy, tin alloy, and machine gun.

China's military spending is not much, but it has to do more.

In this Shanghai meeting, inevitably, everyone also talked about the issue of the republic.

When Republican?

This is an issue that everyone is also very concerned about now, from the political, economic, and military perspectives, the foundation of the republic is already very solid, and it will not cause civil strife because of the republic, and the key is to find a very suitable opportunity for a smooth transition.

Lu Guangquan is still more anxious, thinking that the republic can be carried out now.

Hu Chuyuan did not rush to express his position, this question ...... I have to ask Qu Hongji what he thinks, but he understands that Qu Hongji is most likely not in a hurry, and Qu Hongji's idea should be said to be very simple...... It must be republican, but not in his term.

Thinking of this question, Hu Chuyuan thought of Shen Baozhen.

Shen Baozhen also said back then that the railway must be built, but not in his position.

The reality is clear, the republic has long been an inevitable trend, and no one can stop it.

At the meeting, Hu Chuyuan didn't say anything.

At the end of the meeting, he sent a telegram to Qu Hongji, and the two exchanged views and reached a consensus -- it is not necessary to engage in a republic during Qu Hongji's term of office, but it is now necessary to strengthen the propaganda of the republican system in China.

The question is what happens once the republic succeeds and doesn't have enough boil to support it?

What to do?

Hu Chuyuan didn't know either.

Or rather, he really can't manage it.

Fortunately, except for him, no one else has the capital and ability to read talents, but he does, but he looks at these things relatively lightly.

He went on to be chairman of his ecumenical party and chairman of the National Military Council, prime minister...... Or the presidency is given to others to take turns, and each can be regarded as having something to gain.

There still seems to be a problem, the prime minister does not have actual military power, and the president does not have sufficient military power...... That doesn't seem appropriate!!

After the Shanghai meeting, Princess Kaolani's condition became more and more serious, and the existing drugs could not effectively control the expansion of myocarditis and pneumonia, almost every day, Hu Chuyuan had to go to the hospital to see her, and Pan Limei, who had lifelong immunity to diphtheria bacillus, stayed in the hospital for a long time to take care of her.

Seeing Princess Kaorani gradually losing weight in the hospital bed, Hu Chuyuan was also enduring torment and stinging in his heart.

It was only in early April that Princess Caorani's condition finally took a miraculous turn, and after long-term use of berberine and sulfonamide, the pneumonia first began to show signs of being controlled.

This made Hu Chuyuan feel a little comforted.

By mid-April, when the pneumonia and myocarditis were under control, Tongji Hospital temporarily stopped using berberine and switched to traditional Chinese medicine decoction for medium and long-term conditioning treatment, while continuing to use triamsulfonamide as an antibiotic to control the germs in Princess Caolani's body.

It's really a peak and a loop!

On this day, Hu Chuyuan and his wife Pan Limei returned from the hospital by car, and on the way, he had been thinking about a very special question in his heart.

Although Princess Kaorani's condition was gradually controlled, several of them were critically ill and had a special irritation for Hu Chuyuan.

He felt more and more insightful...... Life is so fragile and short!

He couldn't help but think, since he had the opportunity to do more, why not do it?

He thought again, maybe people are like this, when they are prime minister, they want to do business, they want to be a more ordinary person, and when all this is realized, they want to continue to control the fate of the country and control everything.

Man, what insatiable greed!

He sighed silently in his heart.

Seeing that he was preoccupied, Pan Limei couldn't help but ask, "What do you think?" ”

Hu Chuyuan sighed and said: "I just feel that life is really fragile, in this short life, should we make more contributions?" ”

Listening to these words, Pan Limei was also thoughtful.

After a while, she said, "Yes, during this time, I am also thinking about the future of Zhihuatang, if we only make money through the dairy industry, it is really against our original intention." I think that Zhihuatang should not be a simple commercial company, it should be a nutrition company that serves all Chinese, providing the best quality dairy products for Chinese, the best infant milk powder for those children who do not have breast milk, and high-calcium milk and nutritional drugs for the elderly, women and children...... If I could, I wouldn't want Shibado to go public...... Or demutualization, I want to keep it under the Fukang company alone, as a nutritional food company that is responsible for the Chinese, rather than only thinking about profits. ”

Hu Chuyuan couldn't help but praise: "This is a good thing!" Money...... For us, that's pretty much enough, and we should think about more and more beneficial things. ”

Pan Limei said: "Yes, so I'm also thinking, husband, you are so capable, and the country needs you so much...... Maybe you should do more...... Of course, no matter what, I will always support you. ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled leisurely, and his heart was also very sweet.

To have such a wife accompany him in his life, he thought, as a man, he should be satisfied!

On the way, he and Pan Limei discussed the affairs of Zhihuatang Company, and the two also thought of some new ideas for the future of Zhihuatang.

In their plan, Zhihuatang will be a special company that will provide the best quality dairy products and nutritious food to Chinese, especially the best dairy and nutritious food, as well as toiletries and medicines to infants and pregnant women.

They are China's future, and they are the real ones who protect China.

Back in Yongyuan, Pan Limei eagerly went to do these things, wanting to implement them quickly, especially to establish the best dairy base in Mongolia and Northeast China, after the Far East was recovered, China did have a huge animal husbandry base.

If Zhihuatang can do a good job and lead the whole trend and promote the development of the domestic dairy industry, it will obviously be of great significance to the development of China's animal husbandry industry.

As for the 600 million yuan investment that Hu Chuyuan promised to invest, there is absolutely no problem.

Although he has enough guts to deceive the world, he has not yet had the guts to deceive his wife.

In a few days, President Zhang Lingpu of the Republic of Sumansia and his delegation will arrive in Shanghai for a visit, Hu Chuyuan is very happy, after all, he is an old friend who has not seen each other for many years, and it just so happens that Princess Kaorani's condition has also improved.

Back in Yongyuan, Hu Chuyuan held a secretarial meeting in the big study, and let Liang Qichao and Qiu Jin be responsible for receiving the Sumancia delegation.

Liang Qichao's wife, Niu Yugeng's youngest daughter, Niu Shuxian, is now the most important secretary by Hu Chuyuan's side, but she does not have many tasks, most of the time she is responsible for keeping various documents of the confidential secretariat and arranging trips for Hu Chuyuan.

After the secretarial meeting, Niu Shuxian stayed behind and handed a confidential telegram to Hu Chuyuan alone.

Hu Chuyuan opened the folder and saw that it was a telegram from the National Intelligence Agency and the Foreign Aid Committee, which was the matter that Chen Shanyuan and Lu Guangquan were responsible for.

He took a cursory look and confirmed that it was the Ottoman League within the Ottoman Empire that had the strength to mutiny.

Of course, this Young Progressive Party was secretly aided by China's National Intelligence Service and the War Department, and after Lu Guangquan went into the wilderness, he and Chen Shanyuan were secretly in charge of these matters, and a special foreign aid committee was set up.

The Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II was a very brutal [***] monarch, and after he came to power, he not only abolished the first constitutional monarchy of the Ottoman Empire and the organization of the national parliament, but also imposed bloody and brutal rule in the country, and launched a frenzied repression of ethnic minorities, especially the massacres of Armenians and Macedonians continued until he was overthrown.

At the same time, he also wanted to become the religious and spiritual leader of the Islamic world, pursuing a "pan-Islamic" policy and trying to confront Europe by uniting the forces of the entire Islamic world.

He also has the so-called Pan-Turkism, which wants to use the entire Turkic national system against the Russian Slavic national system.

All this is contrary to China's interests.

In particular, the "Pan-Islamic Unification Movement" he promoted has become an obstacle to China's control of Central Asia, and his Pan-Turkism has not had a single restraint and has included Xinjiang Province in the scope of Turkism.

Stupidity!

Long before the outbreak of the war in the Far East, Hu Chuyuan had already planned to overthrow the Ottoman Empire from within.

Even the new sultan, they have already chosen.

Of course, there is a more important reason for this - the Baghdad Railway of the Germans, the trigger of the First World War.

Although Sino-British cooperation and quasi-alliance are the most important aspects of China's foreign policy, Sino-German cooperation remains very good, especially in the areas of education, science and technology, and the economy.

However, this does not mean that Hu Chuyuan can tolerate the formation of the Baghdad railway in Germany, and the Eurasian railway will definitely be built, which is in the overall interests of China...... The problem is that China's bottom line, at least, is that the entire Eurasian railway east of Istanbul will be under Chinese control.

In 1899, after Germany and Sultan Abdul Hamid II reached an agreement on the Baghdad Railway, Hu Chuyuan immediately approved the National Intelligence Service's proposal to support the revolutionary forces in the Ottoman Empire, and approved 1.2 million pounds of support that year.

The Ottoman League's Young Progressive Party, led by Ahmed Riza, is the Ottoman League's Revolutionary and Progressive Organization supported by Hu and the National Intelligence Service, and is currently the chief executive in Macedonia, and the Young Progressive Party's army is secretly hidden in the mountains of Macedonia.

Over the past seven years, the Foreign Aid Committee has sent a large number of military advisers and secretly transported a large number of guns.

and German, British, French, Russian...... China's secret weapon is the Hui, and the more than 60 advisers appointed by China are all middle-aged and young Hui officers and officials, covering military, intelligence, political, economic, and other aspects.

After reading the entire telegram, Hu Chuyuan signed his name and officially agreed to the action.

After so many years and so much money and materials, there is no need for him to continue to wait.

People can't choke on food, and China can't stop expanding because of the possibility of World War I.

China has always regarded Central Asia as one of its core interests, and continues to confront Russia in Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan has become a Chinese protectorate in Central Asia under China's auspices.

China has taken a cooperative approach with Britain in Persia and Afghanistan, and China's railway frontier has expanded to Tehran, which is only the last point away from Baghdad.

Now, Hu Chuyuan's goal is to control the entire Asian part of the Eurasian railway.

Considering the large amount of oil resources needed for a full-scale war with Russia, he was ready to invest in oil mines on a large scale in Central Asia, especially in Persia and Turkmenistan, where the first two rounds of large-scale exploration had ended.

The oil resources found so far will be enough to support China's needs for the next 50 years.

Once the Eurasian Railway penetrated deep into the interior of the Ottoman Empire and extended from Baghdad to Kuwait and the Arabian Peninsula, his entire expansion plan was 90% complete.

So.

Can't wait any longer.

(To be continued)