The end of Washington's affairs ended like this, which relieved Yang Rui, Xie Jintai and Xu Huafeng, especially Xu Huafeng, who was more anxious than anyone else during this time, although the equipment of Britain, the United States, France and other countries can still find substitutes from Germany, but the project must be delayed for a long time, and some of the equipment to match the German equipment or engineering, I think there will be such and such problems, such as the Yangtze River Bridge, the British made half of the Germans and then took over, the probability of problems is very large; Then there are automobile projects, household appliance projects, and chemical projects under construction, and the consumer market for these products is actually the European and American markets.

China is a big country, and its policies are continuous, and it is difficult to transform policies without more than five years of effort. The uncertainty of the outcome of the Washington Conference and the hegemony of the Americans impressed the ministries very deeply, and everyone thought that Yang Rui's efforts to crack down on Christianity were a bit unfounded, but when they heard that the United States discriminated against non-Christians by claiming to be the "chosen people of God," they felt that all Christians should be eliminated and that these "God's chosen people" would think that they were extremely righteous.

The crisis in foreign relations has been alleviated, but Haiphong has made everyone worry because of the abandonment of the tonnage of the capital ship. But some people who can't see him are very worried about this. On July 17, the day after the signing of the contract in Washington, Yang Rui had to go to the Inspectorate for questioning.

"Your Excellency, our country has given up all the tonnage of capital ships and will no longer build battleships. And what about coastal defense? The first question asked by the delegates was this, Yang Rui was still prestigious. So although everyone was uneasy, the tone was relatively polite.

"Coastal defense will rely on submarines and shore-based aircraft." Yang Rui replied bluntly. "Battleships are giants though. But it will soon be outdated, we are now in a period of alternation between the old and the new, and having seized the lead on aircraft carriers, in the future our country will definitely be a naval power, and it will be worth sacrificing for this. ”

"But the newspapers and the previous reports of the General Staff believe that aircraft carriers cannot replace battleships for the time being, but battleships can easily sink aircraft carriers?" This time the question was asked more deeply, and Yang Rui looked up and saw that it was a member of the Kuomintang.

"Before the Great War in Europe. No one knew that airplanes could achieve such great development, but in just five years, airplanes could carry more than a dozen people in the sky, and some of them replaced trains. Looking back, who could have predicted this progress? The outcome of the battle for battleships and aircraft carriers is certain, and the key question is time. The timeline given to me was seven years, and in seven years the plane could sink a battleship hundreds of kilometers away, and the battleship did not know where the aircraft carrier was. "Yang Rui speaks very quickly, and he is confident enough in this regard." Report on the post-summary and some video material. After today's adjournment, you will be able to consult the General Staff Headquarters, but please remember to keep it confidential. ”

Hearing that the situation would be reversed in seven years, the representatives who were worried about Haiphong were temporarily relieved before they saw the report. However, at the end of this round of questions, Song Jiaoren suddenly asked, "May I ask Your Excellency, Prime Minister." Is it worth it for our country to sign a treaty at the expense of giving up all the tonnage of capital ships? After Song Jiaoren finished asking, he added. Why didn't Japan give up part of the tonnage of capital ships? ”

"The tonnage of capital ships, that is, battleships, is not what we need. So it's not a pity to give up. At the same speed and tonnage, a battleship costs almost twice as much as an aircraft carrier. We spend so much money to build such an expensive battleship, and it can only last for a decade at most, which is really more than worth the cost, so in my opinion, this is not a price, but an optimal option. Japan has not given up the tonnage of the capital ships, and she will definitely regret it in ten years, not be happy, of course, this is largely a matter of concept, just like a rifle, if you are used to bolting, you are not used to semi-automatic, and you always feel that you are unwilling to rely on it. Yang Rui said.

"Is there really an alliance between Japan and Japan? What if the conclusion of an alliance is hostile to Britain and the United States and other countries? Song Jiaoren was obviously dissatisfied with Yang Rui's technical explanation of the reason for giving up the tonnage of the capital ship, and he wanted to know how Yang Rui planned Sino-Japanese diplomacy.

"I have already received the letter of alliance, Japan has signed it, and now the rest is waiting for the approval of the two parliaments." Yang Rui took out a letter of alliance from the clip he brought, which caused a buzz in the venue, the Sino-Japanese alliance was mentioned last year, but because China limited many of Japan's powers in the agreement, and Japan hoped to continue the Anglo-Japanese alliance, so it was not negotiated. During the Washington Conference, after it was determined that Britain would not renew the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Japan quickly moved closer to China and has been closely discussing with China how to deal with the pressure of Britain and the United States.

"Delegates, please be quiet, be quiet! The Prime Minister did not finish his sentence. Seeing that the venue was buzzing, Speaker Xu Guantian began to beat the gavel to quiet the scene.

"Gentlemen, compared with Europe and the United States, we are considered a latecomer, and Japan is the United Kingdom of Asia, which can be concluded from the map. Britain alone has equalized Europe for nearly a millennium, so if Japan becomes Britain, what impact will it have on us? In international exchanges, there are many times when it is a friend or an enemy, and whether it is better for Japan to be an enemy or an ally, I don't need to go into details.

To make friends naturally has to pay a price, the navy, for Japan is the most important, this is her first line of defense, but also the last line of defense, without a strong navy, Japan will become as insignificant as Belgium, the Netherlands, so between China and Japan only we give up the capital ship instead of Japan. The Navy is Japan's first and last line of defense, and Japan is our country's first and last line of defense. The question just asked, what if there is no capital ship, then what about coastal defense? My answer is that Japan is enough to have in Haiphong.

With the end of the war in Europe and the weakening of Britain and France, you can wonder why Britain no longer signed an alliance treaty with us and Japan, but assisted the United States in hosting the Washington Conference. You must know that she has always adhered to the two strong standards before. But now, he has to admit that the United States can have the same tonnage of capital ships as her. Why? Because Britain has weakened.

In terms of the position of our country, the real threat at sea in the future can only be the United States. Even if we had a dispute with the UK, it would be a minor dispute. It is not unsolvable and compromised, if there is a contradiction with the United States, it is likely to be a big contradiction that is difficult to solve, and another point that makes people most uneasy is that the United States is a sectarian country, and the monarchs must not be confused by her democratic freedom, and only priests and priests can govern this country. For example, this is like in our country where only monks and Taoist priests can become representatives of the Inspectorate, prime ministers, and cabinet members......

Is there something wrong with that? Americans have always loved money. Someone among the delegates interrupted, and the Kuomintang representative Liu Chengyu who spoke. Twenty years ago, he and Ma Junwu scolded the Manchu autocracy in front of the Manchu shellfish in Tokyo, and then traveled to the United States to study and only understand the United States.

It is true that the Chinese monks and Taoists are empty, but the Christian priests encourage them to get rich, hoping to glorify God. This can only be said to be a difference in doctrine, but it cannot be said that it is not a religion. For example, the American steel magnate Andrew. Dale Carnegie, whose fortune was hundreds of millions of dollars, was not donated to the church; There is also Mr. Rockefeller, the oil magnate, who is also a devout believer. He also donated a lot of money to the church. Earning money is the most honorable thing a Christian can do, so Marx in Germany. Professor Weber will have the Protestant ethic to create capitalism.

The United States is the country founded by the Protestants, as long as it is in accordance with Christian doctrine in their view. That is noble, and vice versa. For example, Chinese citizens often eat animal offal, which is very common in our country. But in the eyes of Americans, it is a very, very evil thing; Another example is drinking, which can be drunk by three-year-old children during the New Year. But in the United States now, even adults can't drink alcohol, and drinking is evil. Conflicts caused by biases such as these will be more serious and frequent than conflicts of interest between the two countries. For it is irreconcilable and irreconcilable unless we all become Christians.

With the width of the Pacific Ocean, there is no possibility of any war between China and the United States, but with the cultural differences and religious prejudices between the two countries, there is a danger of war breaking out, and the United States is a world power, and there are hundreds of thousands of overseas Chinese in China in the United States, so we need to be on guard in advance for a possible war, and an alliance with Japan is one of the key measures. Again, I reiterate that this alliance is only defensive in nature, and is in no way intended to start a war or rob anyone's colonies.

Just like the United States, it took them nearly 100 years to sell their industrial products to the outside world and need overseas markets, and the same is true for us, the raw materials and markets are all in China, which is enough for the development of domestic industrial capital for 50 years. At that time, the world should be a different picture, not necessarily like now, with the need for artillery to open up raw material sources and product markets. ”

Yang Rui laboriously portrayed the Sino-Japanese alliance treaty in his hand as a peace defense treaty, the members of the Revival Society believed it, but the Kuomintang was skeptical, Song Jiaoren looked at the alliance in Yang Rui's hand and asked, "When can we consult it?" ”

Yang Rui smiled: "You can do it now!" But please keep it confidential. ”

"What about the textile industry in Japan if it is in alliance with Japan? They have several times more looms than we do...... "The person who asked this question was Zhang Jian's son Zhang Xiaoruo. Dasheng Yarn Mill is at a disadvantage in the westward expansion of the country, its products are becoming more and more backward, the cost is high, and the situation is becoming more and more difficult, and the government is now allied with Japan, and the prospects of Dasheng will only become more and more bad.

Yang Rui didn't know that this was Zhang Jian's son, and only said: "China's manpower in the textile industry is lower than that of Japan, and the cotton production area and market are all in China, and Japanese goods still need to pay tariffs and freight. The government does not support the yarn factory, and you need to work hard to run a yarn factory. ”

"But the domestic tax is several times heavier than Japan, need to pay 17 percent high tax, and the textile industry is the focus of Japan's support, China's yarn mills are difficult to compete with Japan after all." Zhang Xiaoruo was so anxious about his own affairs that he had to ask again.

"Your Excellency, don't spread the word that 17 percent is the VAT rate, not 17 percent of the value of the goods, but 17 percent of the value-added part. For a business of 100 taels, if the raw materials are 50 taels, then only the 50 taels of value-added are taxed, and the input cost is not taxable. Even if the value added is taxed, the depreciation of the equipment can be deducted from the tax, which is fair to industries with low margins, because you don't have to pay tax on sales, and you don't have to pay tax on losses and unprofits. ”

Yang Rui briefly explained the value-added tax that is being gradually implemented in various provinces, and then explained the industrial support, "Japan is a country based on textiles and raw silk, and it will naturally support related companies, but for China, raw silk has begun to decline due to the emergence of chemical silk, and the government cannot support the raw silk industry, but can only help these companies transform; The textile industry in our country has an advantage, and the people's income increases every year, so the market is growing geometrically, so it can't be developed, and the government should not be blamed.

I have always emphasized: if you want to sell your products well and make a fortune, please work your own. Don't blame the government for not supporting you if you can't get rich, or just think about boycotting foreign goods. At present, the tariff is in the hands of our country, and the lowest tax rate is 10 percent, and the tax rate of some weak industries is as high as 33 percent; In this case, I still think that government support can make a fortune, then I hope that this kind of company will close down as soon as possible, so I will save the way for backward high-quality companies to block the way, and save yourself from occupying the pit and not. ”

Yang Rui's last sentence made the whole venue laugh, and while everyone laughed, Zhang Xiaoruo felt ashamed. From his point of view, Dasheng Yarn Factory is meritorious to the country, but now the government just doesn't support it, and it is so shameful, it is simply humiliating in person, he quit at the moment to show his dissatisfaction, but hundreds of people in the world are like a drop in the ocean, and they can't stir up any wind and waves at all.

After Yang Rui answered a few more questions, this time the questioning was over. Most of the representatives of the Revival Association are peasants, and they do not attach so much importance to the navy, while the coastal and overseas Chinese representatives have great trust in Yang Rui, and they do not understand the navy. Although some of the Kuomintang delegates came from the navy, they thought that the Renaissance Army had relied on submarines to blockade the coastal areas and then used aircraft to capture the battleship Hiei, and it was really difficult to say whether the aircraft carrier could replace the battleship. (To be continued......)