Xiao Zhenlei's reaction did not annoy Zhu Erdian and Pei Ge, but made them happy. In their opinion, if Xiao Zhenlei flatly refused, it would definitely not be a good thing for the Entente, and Xiao Zhenlei did not refuse, but asked rhetorically what was the benefit, which shows that Xiao Zhenlei is at least not averse to joining the Entente, as for whether they can say that Xiao Zhenlei can move China to join the Entente, it depends on whether the benefits they come up with are enough.

French Minister Peig said with a smile: "Your Excellency, there are many advantages to joining our treaty, and I will give you an example: First, other member countries of the entente will add China to the list of countries with the most favored treatment, and the obstacles in tariffs, trade and tariffs will be minimized. Second, the previous embargo on some advanced weapons, industrial machinery, and other aspects of China's weapons will be lifted, and we will no longer deliberately blockade China even in many fields of technology. Third, becoming a member of the Entente can be protected by other members, and once China is attacked, it is equivalent to the entire Entente group being attacked, and other member states have the obligation to help and support China in terms of force. Of course, China is also obliged to do the same when other Entente member states are attacked. I'm just going to give you a few simple examples, there are many other benefits to joining the Entente, and if the president is willing to join the Entente, then we can have in-depth and detailed negotiations on this aspect! ”

British Minister Zhu Erdian also said at this time: "Yes, Your Excellency, our relations between Britain and France have always been very friendly with your country, otherwise we would not have been able to stay in this position for so long. I hope your government will seriously consider it! ”

Xiao Zhenlei thought for a moment and said, "This matter is not impossible, I have some conditions. If the Entente can agree, we will join! ”

Zhu Erdian and Pei Ge were overjoyed. Shuangshuang hurriedly said: "Your Excellency the President, please speak!" ”

Xiao Zhenlei stretched out his fingers: "First, repay all the Gengzi indemnities that my country has paid, and those that have not yet been paid will not be paid; Second, to return all the concessions of the Entente in our country, including Hong Kong and Canton Bay! This article is not negotiable. Third, the troops of your two countries that have entered Tibet and Yunnan to interfere in China's internal affairs (a small number) will immediately withdraw, and you will promise not to instigate or threaten our local leaders to stir up separatism; Fourth, the return of China's tariff autonomy cannot be negotiated. Even if your two countries do not agree, in half a year at most, our country will announce to the whole world that it will forcibly take it back! Fifth, abolish a series of unequal treaties signed between the former Qing Dynasty and your two countries! This is my condition, if I want my country to join the Entente, I must agree to some conditions, this is the premise! ”

For the first one, Xiao Zhenlei's idea is to get back as much as he can, in fact, he also knows it. The money is taken out, and it is very difficult to make others spit it out. And it was still borrowed, and the nature of the indemnity was very different from the money lent. Trying to get it back, it's hard, it's hard. Difficult!

As for the second article to recover all concessions, Xiao Zhenlei's idea is that they must be recovered. Even if the powers did not return it, he decided to forcibly take it back. Even at the expense of force, there is no room for negotiation in this article.

On the issue of the third article, Xiao Zhenlei had already had an idea and decided to drive out the British and French troops. As early as three years ago, the French Indochina sent troops into Yunnan, the number is not much, only about 2,000 people, this is three years, there are still many local ethnic minorities in the places occupied by the French army are resisting, if it were not for the establishment of the new government not long ago, the country has not been completely pacified, and it is really impossible to offend all the powers, Xiao Zhenlei would have sent troops a long time ago, and now that the country is basically calm, it is time to solve the border affairs, so Xiao Zhenlei added such a clause to the conditions.

As for the fourth article, this must be withdrawn, which in Xiao Zhenlei's view, is absolutely non-negotiable, if the other party does not take the initiative to return it, then forcibly take it back! Tariff autonomy is related to the question of whether a country's sovereignty is independent, and it is the power of a country to independently formulate its own tariffs, manage its own customs, and handle customs revenues and expenditures.

Two years ago, when Yuan Shikai was in power, the imperialist countries completely handed over all Chinese customs duties to foreign banks under the pretext that China could not repay its foreign debts on time, so that China's customs administrative power, customs tax rates, customs revenue, revenue, and custody were completely controlled by the foreign powers. Although the Beiyang government of Lao Yuan tried several times to implement tariff autonomy, they all failed. Xiao Zhenlei decided to take back the tariff autonomy this time anyway, and take advantage of the chaos in the world situation to end the unequal terms signed by the Qing government and the foreign powers.

The great powers forced the Qing court to trade by force and agreed on a unilateral agreement on the tax rate, which was actually the most vicious and the most moderate in form of the foreign powers' invasion of our country and the reduction of our country to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Deprive our country of all kinds of powers regarding tariffs with all kinds of nice words!

The disadvantages of losing tariff autonomy are innumerable, and the most important thing is that there are four harms in the economy: First, it has constrained various industries of China's agriculture and industry and hindered their development; Second, it has caused a long-term trade deficit in China's foreign trade, which has caused the loopholes in China's economic system to increase day by day, and the outflow of cash has been exhausted, and it has also created more capital for the great powers to exploit China, creating more than 30 concessions and carrying more than one billion foreign debts. Third, because the great powers have the right to tariff in China, foreign goods can be dumped into China's market at extremely low prices, overwhelming China's domestic products, causing China's fledgling handicraft industry to go bankrupt and displacing countless handicraftsmen and peasants. Fourth, the people's livelihood in our country is tired and the people are not able to make a living.

The loss of tariff autonomy has not only caused great harm to China economically, but has also greatly restricted China's sovereignty politically, and it has not been able to achieve financial independence. It also allowed foreigners to interfere in our internal affairs and created a situation in which warlords fought for a long time. Xiao Zhenlei is well aware of the consequences of tariffs not being autonomous. Therefore, he could only risk the consequences of war with the Great Powers to forcibly withdraw his tariff autonomy.

As for Article 5, Xiao Zhenlei knew that Britain, France and other countries could not abolish all unequal treaties at the beginning. But he was not in a hurry, because he knew that once the First World War started, it could not be solved in a short time, and during the First World War, he had the time and energy to deal with Britain and France and other countries.

After Xiao Zhenlei finished speaking, he emphasized: "Oh, by the way, starting from today, within a week, I hope that the two of you will withdraw the troops that have entered Yunnan and Tibet from outside the border." Anyone with an official status in your two countries cannot stay there, including spies, and if within a week, your troops have not been evacuated, then our government can only send a large army to forcibly expel them, and in case of resistance, then we have to go to war, this is an ultimatum! Because your troops have not yet withdrawn, they have actually violated our territorial sovereignty. This is absolutely intolerable to our Government."

Xiao Zhenlei's tone was quite tough, now he was not afraid of the British and French powers at all, if the British and French Entente did not buy it, he would join the Allies in a big deal. With the strength and level of the British and French armies, he is really not afraid, if the Allies add China and Japan. Kill Tsarist Russia as quickly as possible, and strategically make the Central Powers together. The Allies were already invincible, even if the United States later joined the Entente. It may not be able to do it with the Allied camp joined by China and Japan, so what is the use of the Entente's navy, no matter how strong it is? As long as the Allies took control of the Asian and European continents, the war could go on endlessly.

Zhu Erdian and Pei Ge were so overwhelmed by Xiao Zhenlei's tough tone and momentum that they broke out in a cold sweat, but after thinking about it carefully, they also thought that they had indeed gone too far, after all, they were now asking for China, and they didn't even think of withdrawing the troops that had entered the border before they came.

After the two glanced at each other, they stood up together and said: "Your Excellency, neither of us can reply to the conditions you put forward for the time being, but we will immediately convey them to China, I believe that there will be news from our two countries soon, and I hope that the next time I come to see you, it will be a pleasant meeting!" ”

Xiao Zhenlei stood up with a smile and shook hands with the two of them, and at the same time said: "Hope, in fact, as the leader of a country, in fact, I am not willing to go to war with any country, after all, my country has just been created, and there are many things that cannot be done, I just said that the withdrawal of troops between your two countries, I hope that the two ministers will pay attention, if something happens at that time, don't blame me for not reminding you, okay, I'll send the two out, please!" ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

After seeing off Zhu Erdian and Peige, Xiao Zhenlei received the Japanese Minister to China Nichiki and the German Minister to China Hahausen in the afternoon, and the purpose of these two people was basically the same as Zhu Erdian and Peige, they came to persuade Xiao Zhenlei to join the camp of the Allies.

Xiao Zhenlei also put forward conditions, he demanded that Germany and Japan withdraw all armed forces in China, return the concessions in various places, and abolish the unequal treaty signed with the Qing government, return the Gengzi indemnity, and the Japanese authorities must also withdraw their troops from Bay Island and its affiliated islands, return Bay Island, and withdraw Japanese troops from Korea.

If Japan and Germany agree to these conditions put forward by Xiao Zhenlei, then China will become a completely independent country, and there will no longer be any unequal treaties imposed on China.

If Japan returns Wandao and its affiliated islands, the Liaodong Peninsula, and all of them to China, returns the Gengzi indemnity, and withdraws its troops from Korea, then Japan's efforts for nearly half a century have been in vain? I am afraid that the Japanese authorities will never agree to this, and even if Japan does not join the Allies, they will not spit out these things that have already been obtained.

Of course, Xiao Zhenlei also knows this, he is also a lion open mouth, in fact, he has not yet decided whether to join the Entente or join the Allied Powers, if he decides to join the Allied Powers, Germany will definitely give up its concessions and interests in China, after all, Germany is too far away from here, and Germany's interests in China are pitiful, it doesn't matter whether you want it or not, but Japan is different.

If he decides to join the Allies, then he will not care about what Japan has done before in a short period of time, and after the Allies defeat the Entente, it is estimated that he will settle accounts with Japan at that time, and at that time Japan's strength and potential will also be exhausted, and it will be much easier to fight Japan again, and it will be much easier for a gentleman to take revenge, ten years is not too late, maybe ten years will be able to beat the Japanese to their knees and beg for mercy.

After receiving the conditions put forward by Xiao Zhenlei, the German company Hahausen was much calmer, and he received instructions from the German side before he came, if he could persuade China to join the Allied Powers, he could consider returning Qingdao and some other concessions in China to China, of course, this was on the premise that China agreed to join the Allied Powers, and if China did not agree, then of course Germany could not return Qingdao and the concessions in various places to China, and if China was co-opted by the Entente powers, China and Japan would inevitably fight. Keeping these concessions and Qingdao can provide a landing springboard for the Japanese army at that time.

Only one day later, German Minister to China Hahausen and Japanese Minister Nichiki came to Xiao Zhenlei again, saying that the German and Japanese governments could consider the conditions put forward by Xiao Zhenlei, and as for the specific final decision, it was still necessary for the heads of state of the three countries to send special envoys to secretly negotiate until the three countries were satisfied.

On the third day after Xiao Zhenlei put forward the conditions to Zhu Erdian and Peige, Xiao Zhenlei received a note from Zhu Erdian and Peige that the British and French troops entering the Tibetan and Yunnan borders would withdraw from China within three days, which also reflected the sincerity of Britain and France in sincerely inviting China to join the Entente.

Xiao Zhenlei was very satisfied with this, and immediately ordered the Wehrmacht troops stationed in Yunnan and Tibet to monitor the British and French troops to send the British and French troops out of the country. Because the British and French troops withdrew in an extremely hurry, there were still a lot of military supplies left in their garrisons that could not be taken away, and these British and French troops had brought great harm to the local people in recent years. (To be continued......) R1292