Next is you to test me, I to test you, Gillis wants to know Chen Jingyun's attitude towards industry and commerce, capital freedom, etc., as well as the open door, and also wants to know Chen Jingyun's treatment of the United Kingdom. France, Germany, Russia, and even the attitude of Ben, Chen Jingyun also said one by one, he supports industry and commerce, and guarantees that China will guarantee the freedom of industry and commerce and the free entry and exit of capital in the future, and reiterates that he can even establish economic development zones for businessmen from all over the world to invest in China. In addition, with regard to Britain, Chen Jingyun said that China must get rid of its current semi-colonial situation and get rid of the economic and land aggression of Britain, France, Russia, and other countries.

These few words, which are made to informal occasions, are basically impossible to admit publicly, and are basically only used to determine Chen Jingyun's personal attitude.

Chen Jingyun directly stated that the development of the navy is the biggest destabilizing factor in the Asian region, and may even threaten the strategic security of the entire Pacific region and the United States and the Philippines in the future.

Jean Gillis listened to the connection and nodded, Chen Jingyun's anti-rhetorical attitude is the basis for naval cooperation between China and the United States in the future.

After talking like this for more than an hour, the two turned the topic to the Bethlehem contract again, and Gillis took a sip of tea and moistened his somewhat dry throat and said: "Based on the current situation of your country, my country hopes to be able to re-sign the Bethlehem contract with the general!" ”

Chen Jingyun nodded after hearing this: "This contract can be signed." But as you know, Colonel, the situation facing our national army is dire. To develop the navy, we need a unified political axe, and at present, given the strength of our people's army, it is still very difficult to unify China. So I suggest, can this contract be changed? ”

Hearing this, Gillis also pondered, the purpose of the United States for this contract is very simple, that is, to support the Chinese Navy. However, Chen Jingyun is also right: if the Nationalist Army never reunifies China, the rebuilding of the navy will be an empty word.

So he said, "General, please?" ”

Chen Jingyun said slowly: "The original terms remain unchanged, if some new loans can be added for other aspects, it may be better!" ”

Chen Jingyun stood up at this time: "You also know that now the five-nation banking group is preparing to lend Yuan Shikai as much as 25 million pounds, and as soon as the money is in place, it will be when the war breaks out." I'll need a lot of military spending then! As long as I have sufficient military spending, I will be able to expand my troops by ten more divisions or more within a year, and as long as China is reunified, it will be time to rebuild the navy. Not to mention the current 40 million yuan in warship procurement, when the time comes, I plan to build a fleet comparable to the Japanese navy, and even have more than 10 battleships. ”

At this time, Chen Jingyun propped up the desk with both hands and looked at Gillis: "I need a lot of military expenses, and I need cash!" ”

Gillis had already expected such a situation, but the domestic side meant to support the Chinese Navy, and did not intend to directly intervene in the civil war, let alone provide direct Chen Jingyun with military assistance plans for the army.

So Gillis said, "We need to think carefully about this question!" ”

Chen Jingyun sat down again, took another sip of tea and said, "Of course, you can think about it slowly, and this will not affect the cooperation plan of the navy!" I can decide now, sign this contract! ”

Gillis originally thought that Chen Jingyun was going to combine the old and new contracts, but now he was relieved to hear that Chen Jingyun could sign a contract with the navy.

In addition to asking Chen Jingyun's attitude on behalf of Secretary of State Knox, Gillis is also a Navy Colonel and a representative of the American shipbuilding industry, and he is more concerned about the Feihong incident and the Bethlehem contract itself can continue.

After receiving Chen Jingyun's clear affirmative reply, Gillis said that he would report Chen Jingyun's relevant requests.

The secret conversation between the two lasted for more than two hours, and after Gillis left, Chen Jingyun found that Sa Zhenbing had not left yet, and Sa Zhenbing had almost drunk the tea, because it was in the side hall, he didn't know when Gillis left, and when the people in the secretariat informed him that Chen Jingyun wanted to see him, Sa Zhenbing came in in a hurry.

The first thing Sa Zhenbing said was to ask, "How was the talk?" Can the Phenom be bought? ”

In the face of Sa Zhenbing's urgent questioning, Chen Jingyun felt a little moved, no matter what Sa Zhenbing's political stance was, at least his attention to the Chinese Navy was not available to the vast majority of people.

Chen Jingyun said: "If nothing else, this Feihong should be able to come back." ”

According to his secret talks with Gillis, the arrears of the Phenom will be paid by the loan provided by the Bethlehem contract, and he will naturally not tell Sa Zhenbing about this top-secret thing, at least not for now, as long as Sa Zhenbing knows that the Phenom will be bought.

Sa Zhenbing sat down again as if he was powerless, and said after a while: "It's finally saved!" ”

At this time, Chen Jingyun looked at Sa Zhenbing, and for the first time in his heart, he had the idea of recruiting this navy veteran, and immediately got up and walked in front of Sa Zhenbing and said, "Sa Lao, you know the current situation of the Chinese Navy better than me. The Bethlehem contract that Gillis said just now was also done by you yourself, and now the Americans are going to ask me to continue to sign this contract! ”

Sa Zhenbing was even more shocked when he heard this: "The Americans are looking for you to renew the contract and continue the naval reconstruction cooperation plan?" ”

Chen Jingyun nodded.

Sa Zhenbing was surprised: "The Americans are looking for you? Why didn't it look for the central political axe in the north, why didn't it look for Yuan Shikai? Looking for you? ”

However, as soon as this question was asked, Sa Zhenbing himself found the answer, it is very simple to have this situation, with the complex contradictions between the United States, China, and Britain, it is unlikely that the United States will support Yuan Shikai who was supported by the United Kingdom, since it does not support Yuan Shikai, then it will support Yuan Shikai's opponent. And Yuan Shikai's opponent said that it was Sun Wen on the surface, but everyone who understood it knew that it should be Chen Jingyun and Cai Yi and the military governors of the southern provinces. Based on the fact that Chen Jingyun occupies Fujian, Zhejiang and other coastal provinces, the Americans can be said to have no other object to cooperate with except Chen Jingyun.

Speaking of which, it must be mentioned that so far, neither the United States nor other major powers have officially recognized the Beiyang political axe as China's legitimate political axe.

Chen Jingyun also nodded and said, "That's the case!" ”

After saying that, Chen Jingyun said again: "Everyone is also an understanding person, so I won't say much nonsense." You also know, and you can see what I, Chen Jingyun, want to do in the future, and I dare not guarantee how the situation on land will develop in the future. But what I want to say is that according to the Bethlehem Treaty, in addition to the expansion of the Mawei shipyard and the construction of the naval arsenal, more than 40 million taels will be spent on the purchase of new warships, and in the future, the military investment in the navy will be gradually increased until a navy can compete with the navy! ”

Sa Zhenbing faced Chen Jingyun's words, surprised that Chen Jingyun was so unabashedly exposed his ambitions, and even more surprised by Chen Jingyun's importance to the navy.

Chen Jingyun saw that Sa Zhenbing didn't seem to react, and continued: "In addition to this early naval loan, I will continue to sign a similar naval expansion plan with the United States if possible. Finally, if the Nationalist Army is truly able to accomplish the great cause of restoring the unification of China, I guarantee that the Navy will be treated as fairly as the Army. ”

Sa Zhenbing didn't react much to Chen Jingyun's words, but looked at Chen Jingyun, and said after a while: "Zihua, do you really want to rebuild a Chinese navy that can compete with the Navy?" ”

Chen Jingyun didn't speak, but nodded.

Sa Zhenbing clenched his fists and stood up: "Chen Zihua, since you have this ambition, what does it matter if I, Sa Zhenbing, rebel with you for the sake of the Chinese Navy!" ”

The fiasco of the First Sino-Japanese War is a lifelong shame for any Chinese naval soldier, and many other surviving naval officers such as Sa Zhenbing have always dreamed of the shame of the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, as long as they can snow the shame of the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, even if they follow Chen Jingyun to rebel.

The reason why Sa Zhenbing agreed to Chen Jingyun so happily was that in addition to the expectation of rebuilding the navy and the shame of Xue Jiawu, there was also a very important factor. That is, he saw the optimism of Americans about Chen Jingyun.

Sa Zhenbing's ability to become the commander-in-chief of the Chinese naval division in the first place not only proved his naval command talent, but also proved his acumen in political direction, and it can even be considered that Sa Zhenbing was first and foremost a qualified official, and then an excellent naval commander. Sa Zhenbing knew that Yuan Shikai in the north was suspicious of him, and he couldn't find a place to stay in the north, if Chen Jingyun had a future here, he would also choose to join the national army for his own future.

Sa Zhenbing's choice was made because of a combination of reasons, but no matter why Sa Zhenbing chose Chen Jingyun, it didn't matter, what really mattered was that Sa Zhenbing chose Chen Jingyun.

In the face of Sa Zhenbing, the naval boss, Chen Jingyun showed great welcome, the first time was to inform the whole army, and at the same time appointed Sa Zhenbing as the director of the Navy Department, although the former director Yu Wentao was a little depressed, but he also knew that there was no comparison with a veteran-level figure like Sa Zhenbing, but Chen Jingyun would not treat him badly, and after letting Yu Wentao serve as the deputy director, he let Yu Wentao directly serve as the commander of the Fuzhou fleet, and was promoted to rear admiral. Sa Zhenbing was also directly awarded the rank of vice admiral by Chen Jingyun.

When Chen Jingyun applied to Yanjing's Admiralty for the rank of lieutenant general and major general of Sa Zhenbing and Yu Wentao, it surprised Yanjing's Admiralty, and after Tang Qianming saw the news, even a tea that was not accidentally boiling hot poured out, and it was said that his hands were hot and blistered, Yuan Shikai also had a gloomy face after learning the news, and even scolded in a low voice, as for what he was scolding, it is not something that outsiders can know.

However, regardless of the reaction from the north, Sa Zhenbing successfully became the chief of the naval department with the rank of vice admiral of the Nationalist Army, and then assisted Chen Jingyun with Yu Wentao in starting talks with the United States on the re-signing of the Secret Treaty of Bethlehem.

Since Chen Jingyun and Gillis had already negotiated the main direction, they quickly decided on the naval cooperation plan, and only three days later, they re-signed a new Bethlehem naval cooperation secret treaty.

After the Navy was done, Chen Jingyun continued to negotiate with the U.S. political axe behind Gillis about the military aid plan for the army.

A series of military cooperation programs, such as Bethlehem, do not mean that the United States wants to help China complete industrial modernization, but only a limited military aid program. As far as Chen Jingyun is concerned, this plan is also an introduction, and as long as it is used, it will play a major role in Sino-US relations in the future.