Chang Ruiqing only returned to Nanjing on December 18, 1920, when the climate was much colder than in later generations, and the capital of the Republic of China was covered with a white snowfall. The city on the edge of the Yangtze River is covered in silver makeup. The newly completed monument to the Martyrs' Shrine stands tall in the snow, and a thin layer of ice floats on the Xuanwu Lake in front of it. However, the streets of this city are still as bustling as ever.

Chang Ruiqing sat in the car, and today he was wrapped in an earthy yellow military coat, quietly looking out the window at the capital city under his rule. Accompanying him was Zhen Xiaoru, and she accompanied her all the way to Guangdong this trip. And little Lori Sun Yuexun sat in the passenger seat. There was a little tear stain on the corner of the little girl's eyes, his Japanese adoptive parents, Miyagawa and his wife, who had disappeared in the Japanese government's action against the Black Dragon Society a while ago. So when this little girl saw Chang Ruiqing at Xiaguan Wharf, she threw herself into the arms of Chang Da Revolutionary and cried bitterly in front of everyone. The high-level officials of the national government who came to greet him were stunned! Fortunately, Sun Xiaololi's true identity is confidential, and those reporters and friends present don't know it, so they just ignore it when she is Chang Ruiqing's concubine. These reporters don't dare to take out the lace news of the dictator of Chang Da to break the news!

As for Chang Ruiqing's other women, they didn't come to greet him on the dock, Wang Ruonan just added a son to him, and he is now in confinement at home, while Pan Xiaoqian is taking care of the children at home, and the sister surnamed Zhao continues to tearfully "confine" at home.

However, Chang Ruiqing did not have much thought about his family, which was getting bigger and bigger, but continued to think about the "Shanghai Conference".

Japan's reaction was unusually strong, with the newly inaugurated Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiichi Tanaka forcefully rejecting any proposal aimed at controlling the arms race, and openly declaring that the Empire of Japan had the financial resources to build the world's most powerful navy and army -- the former sounding like a dream, the latter as if it were a reaction to Sino-British naval cooperation.

In addition, the Japanese government rejected Churchill's request to visit Wèn, allowing the British Minister of Colonial Affairs to return to Europe in a very shameless manner.

However, Chang Ruiqing saw the shadow of the Democratic Republic of Korea in the later generations in the tough stance of the Japanese -- they did not really want to refuse the conference on naval armaments, but took a tough stance to strive for more favorable conditions! Didn't they also participate in the Washington Conference in history? In the end, it also accepted the treaty of 300,000 tons of total tonnage of capital ships proposed by Britain and the United States "full of humiliation".

And such a "little" lead ship of the Navy, for Japan, an ambitious country. It's a little less, indeed. So Chang Ruiqing was ready to help his Japanese friends as much as possible, so that they could have more battleships and battle cruisers at the beginning of World War II in the future. He was looking forward to a decisive battle between American and Japanese battleships!

For this reason, on his way back to Nanjing, he called the radio on the Guò Haiqi and ordered the diplomatic department to send an invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiichi Tanaka to visit China. And it was quickly answered in the affirmative. Prime Minister Tanaka will begin his overseas visit to China and Siam in January next year......

Except for Japan. Soviet Russia was also strongly opposed to this "imperialist peace conference on the division of the world." According to the report sent back by the Chinese Embassy in Moscow and the International Mission of China and G to GC. For nearly a week, Moscow citizens have held daily rallies on Red Square to oppose the "Shanghai Peace Conference." Lenin, Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and other leaders of the Russian GCD also took turns to deliver fiery speeches. All were opposed to China's participation in the initiation of the "Shanghai Peace Conference" -- according to the report of Zhong Zhijie, the Chinese general representative to the GC International, both Lenin and Trotsky believed that the Shanghai Peace Conference would make it possible for international capitalism to enter a period of stability, and that negotiations on limiting the arms race would be successful if they were successful. It will also delay the outbreak of the Second World War, which will have a negative impact on the liberation of all mankind by the world revolution.

Well, according to the latest analysis of the revolutionary prophet Comrade Trotsky on the shape of the world revolution: the Second World War is inevitable - this view is obviously correct! It seems that this prophet still has some point!

But he also believed that the Second World War would break out between the two most powerful imperialist countries in the world, Britain and the United States! The purpose, of course, is to compete for world hegemony. And the naval arms race that is now going on between Britain and the United States is similar to the Anglo-German arms race before the First World War, and it will definitely lead to the Second World War! And the results of the Second World War. It must be the red flag planted all over the world! So now that China has come forward to convene an arms control conference, of course, it is helping imperialism!

And the welcome of Britain, the United States, and France, the three most powerful imperialist countries, to control the naval arms race, also seems to prove the views of the revolutionary prophets. The monopoly capitalists in these three countries are probably desperate to postpone their demise, so they are now trying to save their limited financial resources to increase social welfare and cope with the economic crisis, right? French Foreign Minister Briand immediately expressed his willingness to attend the Shanghai meeting, hoping that negotiations would bring the size of the navies of various countries within a reasonable range. Although the US government has not yet expressed its position, Harding, who has just won the election and will become the next US president, has already expressed his appreciation for the arms control conference in Shanghai.

With the participation of the three naval powers, Britain, the United States and France, plus a Japan, which is tough on the surface, will definitely participate in the end. There is no problem with the smooth convening of the Shanghai meeting. However, Chang Ruiqing still hoped that Soviet Russia could also send representatives to attend this meeting, at least not to let Sino-Soviet relations deteriorate again.

Because Chang Ruiqing is still self-aware of the existing strength of the Republic of China, which has just squeezed into the circle of great powers, and the current China is a paper tiger with teeth and claws. Therefore, while striving for national development space with superficial toughness and high profile, we must also carefully grasp the scale. Avoid breaking with any one of the powers.

So now he is thinking repeatedly about ways to pacify Soviet Russia. It seemed that a great man representing China was needed to go to Moscow and discuss openly with Lenin and Trotsky the shape of the world revolution and the position of China.

After returning to his official residence in Tangshan, Chang Ruiqing personally hung up the phone to Mao Zd, chairman of the Chinese G, to ask him for dinner, and the other party readily accepted. Recently, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party has been busy promoting China's democratic constitutionalism. He also served as the vice chairman of the China Association for the Promotion of Democracy initiated by Jiang Jshi, and it is said that he also bowed to the old Jiang!

The meal took place in a secluded private room in the military commission cafeteria, where many senior uniformed Wehrmacht officers were seated. The chairman of the Central Committee of the People's Republic of China (CPC) has a vague complaint about the current state of affairs and bureaucracy in the Nationalist Government and the National Defense Forces. From time to time, he danced his arms vigorously to strengthen his tone. It also prescribes a prescription for the current ** and bureaucracy that is not strict at all, that is, democracy and freedom, and let people use their votes to supervise the government! It really doesn't sound like what the GCD Chairman should be saying.

When the conversation turned to the world revolution and the upcoming Shanghai Conference, it seemed that the role of the great revolutionary in history had returned to it.

"The world revolution will surely be victorious." He said: "Just after the Second World War, although they [referring to Britain and the United States] will use various methods to delay the war, in the end they will definitely fight." ”

"Why did you fight?" Chang Ruiqing asked.

"Of course, it's for the competition for the market and cheap raw materials. This is determined by the nature of the capitalist system, because the capitalist system is full of exploitation, so there must be a large amount of overproduction. In order to find a market for surplus products. At the same time, it is also necessary to obtain cheap raw materials to produce these products. There will be a war between them! ”

He calmly spread his hands. "Especially the United States, they have no other way! They have the most powerful manufacturing capacity in the world, but they don't have a large enough colony...... The old powers, such as Britain and France, which rose first, had carved up all the land that could become colonies, and they would not let American products enter freely. The Americans will also not be allowed to buy the resources there at a low price. Comrade Yaoru, just look at the map and know that Canada, a British colony close to the United States, has nearly 10 million square kilometers of land! The total population is just over 10 million. Why shouldn't the U.S. go after Canada? This is completely contrary to common sense! I think that the arms race between the United States and Great Britain now is aimed at launching a war to seize Canada in the future, and this war will be the beginning of World War II! ”

Mao ZD grinned at Chang Ruiqing, and the little Lori who was with him smiled. He goes on to say: "Once Britain and the United States go to war, the pattern of the fragile balance that is now maintained between the great powers will be completely broken. The other powers of the world will choose one of their two countries to form an alliance, and I expect that France will still side with Britain, but Britain will agree to France's annexation of the whole of the Rhine. Japan, on the other hand, has ambitions for the whole of the South Seas, and they should look at the bids of both sides before making a decision. But it will definitely join...... And we and Soviet Russia should wait and see what happens, and wait until they are exhausted from fighting. Of course, it is not to fight for hegemony, but to liberate the oppressed colonial people and the working masses of the imperialist countries in dire straits. ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled bitterly and glanced at Mao Zd. Although he did not agree with the other party's estimate, he had no intention of refuting it. "Well, but before we and Soviet Russia liberated all of humanity. Or should we make our own people live more like human beings - that's a big problem. Therefore, Soviet Russia and we should try to ease relations with the imperialist powers so that we can concentrate our energies on economic construction. ”

"That's why the Shanghai Peace Conference was convened?"

"Yes, both we and Soviet Russia need a détente in the international environment. Chairman, can you make a hard trip to Moscow? ”

"I'm going to be a lobbyist?" Mao Zd smiled. "I'm not good at it. I wonder if I can convince Lenin and Trotsky? ”

"What can be convinced, now that the imperialists themselves do not want to close their doors, what can they do?"

Mao ZD stopped laughing. "Yes, now they don't want to close their doors. But this door will always be closed in the future. Comrade Yaoru, don't hesitate to liberate the oppressed nations of Asia when the time comes. ”

"Okay. So it was decided, when Britain and the United States fought, we would go and liberate all mankind. ”

Due to the urgency of time, Mao ZD did not delay, and took his wife Yang Kaihui and a small delegation to the north by train early the next morning. He traveled by land on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which took about a month to get to Moscow. If Lenin and Trotsky could be convinced, they would have spent the same amount of time returning with the Russian delegation. The Shanghai Conference was held three months later, in February 1921, a little earlier than the historic Washington Conference. This is also the first time that such an important international conference has been held in China ruled by Chang Ruiqing, and the Nationalist Government attaches great importance to it and hopes to achieve success. Therefore, when Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiichi Tanaka visited China in January 1921, he was also received with great grandeur.

Like Churchill, Tanaka came to China on Japan's most powerful battlecruiser, the Kongo, a 26,000-ton battlecruiser built by the Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Although it cannot be compared with the British Hood, when it sailed into the Huangpu River in Shanghai, it still made the Chinese Navy feel ashamed of itself.

However, Chang Ruiqing did not go to the wharf on the edge of the Huangpu River to meet Tanaka. Instead, they waited for the Japanese prime minister at the Shanghai North Railway Station, and the first secret talks between the two sides began on a special train to Nanjing.

Yoshiichi Tanaka is not very good at Chinese, and Chang Ruiqing does not understand Japanese at all. So Chang Ruiqing arranged for Sun Yuexun, who was on winter vacation, to be his translator - this little Lori seemed to be more favored after her Japanese adoptive parents "disappeared". It seems that he is very promising to become Chang Ruiqing's personal secretary.

However, she didn't know that the joint monitoring of her by the Central Security Bureau and Chang Ruiqing's guard office had not relaxed in the slightest! But this surveillance is still nothing. In fact, after the suicide of Toyama Mitsuru and Ryohei Uchida, the Japanese Army Intelligence Bureau, which took over the intelligence network of the Black Dragon Society, did not try to contact Sun Yuexun, and this spy Lori is still in a state of complete disconnection.

Tanaka just glanced at this little beauty like a flower. With a gloomy face, he began to question Chang Ruiqing: "Chairman Chang, Your Excellency has not forgotten the content of the "Three Kingdoms Non-Aggression Pact", right?" China is not allowed to have battleships and battlecruisers! ”

Little Lori tried her best to imitate Tanaka's vicious tone and translated his words into Chinese. However, Chang Ruiqing shook his head with a smile: "China does not have battleships and battlecruisers now, and there will be no in the future." Because we don't need such weapons - they're too expensive, they're really money-burners. And the real combat effect is also very doubtful. In a world war, there was only one real battle of capital ships...... The German emperor spent so much money to build a fleet that stayed in the harbor and rusted except for this battle! If the Germans had spent their navy on strengthening their army, the war would have ended in 1914, and the German Empire would have been the most powerful country in the world, not a semi-colony, as it is now. So I'm not going to make the same mistake of wasting too much money on the Navy. ”

When Tanaka's interpreter told him Chang Ruiqing's words, the Japanese prime minister's face looked a little better.

"And what about your joint statement with Great Britain?"

Chang Ruiqing shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "The navy always has it." Although we don't want capital ships, cruisers under 10,000 tons and aircraft carriers over 20,000 tons are still needed. Now that Britain is willing to help us develop our navy, how can we refuse such good intentions? ”

"But how can we explain that China will have no more than 30% of the total tonnage of British capital ships?"

"Our two countries will need these quotas for building ships." When Chang Ruiqing said this, he winked at Tanaka. "Your Excellency, what do your naval top brass think about the issue of limiting naval armaments?"

"Of course it's against it! Do you think that our navy will be in favor of cutting their funds and warships? ”

"Ugh. I mean, what does the Japanese Navy think it takes to match their strength with the U.S. Navy in order to ensure victory? ”

"This ......," Yoshiichi Tanaka didn't know how to answer. As for this issue, at the moment the Japanese Navy has not seriously discussed this issue. And even if the Japanese Navy has the answer in this regard. It is also a military secret, and it cannot be sued by Chang Ruiqing.

But. Chang Ruiqing already knew the answer to this question. He paused for a few minutes, then said with a smile: "I estimate that the Japanese Navy needs to have at least seventy percent of the strength of the US Navy in order to ensure victory in the war with the United States!" Because the United States is actually a maritime country, they have a fairly professional navy, and they also have strong industrial strength, and the ability to replenish losses is incomparable to Japan. In addition, the industrial technology of the United States is also superior to that of Japan, and the warships they build should be more advanced than those made by Japan itself.

But can Japan maintain 70 percent of the tonnage of its navy's capital ships in the U.S. through the guò shipbuilding race? In my opinion, this is completely unrealistic, because the United States produces 20 times more steel than Japan, and its economic strength is almost 20 times that of Japan...... If they want to more than double the total tonnage of their navy in Japan, they can still do it lightly. Therefore, it is completely irrational for Japan to try to defeat the United States in the shipbuilding competition, and the British also realized that they could not win the naval arms race, so they dragged China to propose to control the naval armament, and also hoped that Japan could participate. In fact, the naval armaments conference in Shanghai is British, French, Japanese, China, and possibly Italy to contain the United States! Your Excellency Tanaka, do you understand what I mean? ”