The trip to China by Prince Bripa, the envoy of the Kingdom of Siam, was destined to be disappointed. Not only was he not summoned by the Emperor of the Chinese Empire, but his attempt to form an alliance with the Chinese Empire also ended in failure. Prince Brippa reported to the country the conditions proposed by the Chinese Empire. However, he then received an edict from King Rama VI of the Kingdom of Siam, demanding that he return to China immediately.

Prince Brippa knew that Rama VI simply could not accept the conditions proposed by the Chinese Empire, and even considered them an insult to the Kingdom of Siam. Since this is the case, the relationship between the Chinese Empire and the Kingdom of Siam cannot be repaired, let alone further developed.

The Chinese Empire did not react at all to Prince Bripa's departure, and only asked an ordinary staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see him off. Although, after this time, the relationship between the Chinese Empire and the Kingdom of Siam was once again affected. However, the Chinese Empire did not care at all. If the Kingdom of Siam dared to persecute the Chinese again, the Chinese Empire would not turn a blind eye.

The Imperial Navy's South Sea Fleet has made cruising the Gulf of Siam a must-have subject. The Imperial Navy's warships haunt the Gulf of Siam all year round, and if the Kingdom of Siam dares to act rashly, the Imperial Navy's Nanyang Fleet will immediately attack. In the case of the dilapidated ships of the Kingdom of Siam, they could not withstand the attack of the Imperial Navy at all. Even the Nanyang Fleet could easily wipe out the Siamese Navy.

The Imperial Marines deployed three divisions in the East Indies. If necessary, these three divisions could launch an attack directly on the Kingdom of Siam. The total strength of the army of the Kingdom of Siam was only more than 50,000 men. Even the Imperial Marines would have been able to defeat them with only one or two divisions. For a small country like the Kingdom of Siam, it is impossible for the empire to take care of them. Although, it seems a little too powerful to say so. But this is undoubtedly a reflection of genuine state-to-state interactions. In the face of large countries, small countries simply have no power to fight back.

When Emperor Wu Haoxuan learned that the Siamese envoy had returned home. On the train from Shengjing to Hei Province. In Mukden Province, Wu Haoxuan inspected two heavy industry bases of the empire, one was the steel base in Anshi and Benxi, and the other was the heavy industry base in Shengjing.

At present, the steel bases in Anshi and Benxi have completed the second phase of the project, with an annual output of more than 2 million tons of steel. The third phase of the project is being carried out intensively. If completed, it will produce more than five million tons of steel per year, making it the largest steel base in the empire.

The construction of the empire's steel bases in Lucheng, Qian'an, Ma'anshan and Qiongdao has completed the first phase of construction and has been completed and put into operation. According to the statistics of the Reich Ministry of Industry, last year the Reich's annual production of pig iron reached six million tons, and steel production reached five and a half million tons. This has made the empire a world-class power in terms of steel production, even more powerful than some of the old powers. Of course. Compared with the world's top powers, there is still a big gap. However, with the construction and operation of the heavy industry base of the empire, steel production will be further increased, and it is just around the corner to sprint to the forefront of the world.

For the empire's current steel production, Wu Haoxuan is still very satisfied. Although, such a little steel is not even enough to meet domestic demand. Every year, a large amount of steel is imported from abroad. However, to be able to do so in just a few years. It is also commendable to build a complete set of heavy industry bases from scratch. What's more, at the current rate of development of the empire, steel production will soon be able to continue to rise.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Industry is confident that in the next five years. Doubling the Empire's steel production. Cen Chunxuan, Minister of Imperial Industry, said with a red face. As one of the nine governors of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Minister of Industry was not a high-ranking authority. However, he was very proud to see the empire gradually transform from a backward agricultural country to a developed industrial country.

"The industry of the empire, in the last few years. It has indeed come a long way. However, this is not enough. In the next five years, the Empire's steel production, as well as the production of other non-ferrous metals, will have to increase further. Construction of the second and even third phases of the heavy industry base has begun. I hope that in the next three years, the Empire's pig iron and steel production will both exceed 10 million tons! Wu Haoxuan said.

In the next three years, war would have already broken out. And it is precisely when the war is raging, the demand for steel and other non-ferrous metals will reach a peak. If the empire wants to make a huge war windfall, it must further develop heavy industry.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cen Chunxuan nodded. Although, it is very difficult to achieve Wu Haoxuan's expectations. However, at the current rate of development of the empire, it is not impossible to accomplish it.

"How many of the empire's current steel production ranks first in the world?" Wu Haoxuan asked.

"Your Majesty, the empire's steel production last year was able to rank fourth in the world, second only to the United States, Germany and Britain. Among them, the pig iron production and steel production of the United States are 31.46 million tons and 31.8 million tons, respectively, the pig iron production and steel production of Germany are 16.7 million tons and 17.6 million tons, and the pig iron production and steel production of the United Kingdom are 10.42 million tons and 7.78 million tons, respectively. Cen Chunxuan said. The industrial data of the world's major powers have long been remembered in his mind, and when Wu Haoxuan asked, he was able to report it in one bite.

After listening to these data, Wu Haoxuan couldn't help frowning. Although the empire's steel production ranks fourth in the world, compared with the top three, the gap is undoubtedly very large. Especially compared with the United States, the gap is not half a star. The United States produces more than five times as much steel as the Empire. You must know that Wu Haoxuan has always regarded the United States as the great enemy of the future. If the gap is too large, the United States can easily crush the empire, and if it wants to overthrow the United States and become the new world hegemon, it is simply impossible.

"The gap between us and the world's major powers is still very large. I hope that in the coming years, we will be able to close these gaps as much as possible. Strive to be able to reach 60% of U.S. steel production after the end of the war. Wu Haoxuan said.

"Your Majesty, we will do our best." Cen Chunxuan nodded. Of course, he also knew that this was undoubtedly a huge problem. The outbreak of war in Europe in the future will further stimulate the development of the empire's heavy industry. But again, the heavy industry of the Americans will develop further. If the empire wants to catch up with the Americans, it will be very difficult.

"What about the steel production of the Entente and several other countries of the Central Powers?" Wu Haoxuan asked.

"The other two countries of the Entente, France produced 5.2 million tons of pig iron and 4.68 million tons of steel, and Russia produced 4.64 million tons of pig iron and 4.91 million tons of steel, respectively. The other two countries of the Central Powers, Austria-Hungary, produced 3.5 million tons of pig iron and 2.6 million tons of steel, and the Kingdom of Italy produced 420,000 tons of pig iron and 930,000 tons of steel, respectively. Cen Chunxuan continued.

"It seems that the strength of the allies of the Germans is completely incomparable with that of the British. Although the Germans are strong, the players are terrible. If they want to win, I'm afraid it won't be easy. Wu Haoxuan said.

Cen Chunxuan nodded, looking deeply approving.

Wu Haoxuan, who was familiar with that period of history, knew that the Italians were originally grass on the wall, and after the war began, they were still sitting on the mountain watching the tiger fight, and finally even directly betrayed Germany and joined the Entente. As a result, only Germany and Austria-Hungary struggled to support the Central Powers. Of course, if this were the case, Germany would not necessarily be defeated. What dealt Germany the fatal blow was the entry of the Americans into the war. The industrial power of the United States is much stronger than that of Germany. Although in terms of cutting-edge technology, the United States is not yet comparable to Germany. However, in terms of industrial output, they have far surpassed Germany. The Entente powers, which had a slight advantage, immediately counterattacked the Central Powers led by Germany after receiving the support of the United States, which eventually led to the defeat of Germany because of the riots in the rear without collapsing on the front.

"What about Japan? What was Japan's pig iron and steel production last year? Wu Haoxuan asked. The war in Europe is still relatively far from the empire. The Empire has decided that it will not be in the midst of this world war. So, the empire is just using this war to gain wealth. The next opponent to be dealt with in the empire is still the neighbor to the east. Even though the overall strength of the empire has now completely surpassed that of Japan. However, with the support of Britain, France, the United States, and other countries, Japan is still extremely powerful in terms of military strength. It can also pose a great threat to the Empire.

"Your Majesty, Japan's pig iron production last year was only 240,000 tons, and steel production was only 17,000 tons. This is also the reason why the United States imports a large amount of scrap steel to Japan. Otherwise, Japan's steel production will be further reduced. Cen Chunxuan said.

The empire's pig iron production was 25 times that of Japan, and its steel production was more than 300 times that of Japan. In a way, the empire is already strong, at least much stronger than Japan's old enemy. Although their military strength was strong in the face of Japan's reckless militarism, it was a one-shot deal, and if Japan lost again, they would lose hope completely. On the other hand, the empire has strong industrial strength as support, and the capital is much larger, and one or two failures will not cause a broken situation for the empire. Historically, didn't the United States rely on its strong industrial strength, repeatedly defeated and fought wars, and dragged Japan to death? (To be continued.) )

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