"A mighty Siamese ...... Yaoru, what are you trying to do? After Chen Duxiu saw the minutes of the meeting between Chang Ruiqing and Prince Brippa of Siam, he immediately drove from the city of Nanjing to the headquarters of the Military Commission in Tangshan. When I met Chang Ruiqing, it was already past dinner, and Chang Ruiqing was sitting in his study reading a summary of intelligence about Europe submitted by the Military Intelligence Bureau. After talking to Luo Yaoguo, his horizons have now been broadened, and he knows that there are all kinds of possibilities in history. And one of the possibilities is terrifying! And he didn't come to this world (Chang Ruiqing still believes in soul crossing) to come to this world in order to be a stepping stone for some madman to dominate the world - if it weren't for the fact that Trotsky was also a madman, Chang Ruiqing would have wanted to send a killer to assassinate Hitler! So he's paying more attention to things in Europe than he was before.

Just when Chang Ruiqing was silently calculating the possible changes in the situation in Europe in his mind, Chen Duxiu appeared in front of him.

"Oh, it's the Prime Minister here, and I just have something I want to discuss with you." Chang Ruiqing put down the text in his hand, pointed to an empty chair opposite the desk, and motioned for Chen Duxiu to sit down. "The matter of the alliance with Siam was indeed decided by me on the impurity, and I did not have time to discuss it with the Prime Minister...... But this move is also very necessary for our southbound policy. ”

While talking, Zhao Sanmei, who was "thinking" at home, brought Chen Duxiu snacks and coffee. After putting the things away, he glanced at Chang Ruiqing resentfully, and then walked out with a small mouth - it turned out that Chang Ruiqing's punishment for her, a ** element, also included temporarily stopping having sex with her, which was probably the most uncomfortable punishment for her, right?

"To the south? Going south means ......" Chen Duxiu picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite, and said, "Shouldn't it be to help the colonial people in the Nanyang region to fight for independence?" ”

"Of course not, then Britain and France are not in a hurry? There's no need to provoke them right now. ”

"Exactly! Yaoru: Our main focus now should be on economic construction. He swept the text on Chang Ruiqing's desk with the corner of his eye, and found that the content on it was related to Europe, so he couldn't help frowning: "I think for at least 20 years, we have no spare energy to develop outward." ”

"But we've been developing externally -- not in the name of a country." Chang Ruiqing smiled at Chen Duxiu: "Prime Minister, I understand what you mean, we have to build the country well first." Wait until you are strong and then think about the outside world. However, the outside world will not give us the opportunity to develop alone, and in fact, we cannot develop slowly behind closed doors. We interact with the outside world all the time, and we also have interests to defend in the South Seas, which is our right as a strong country. ”

"A strong country? Are we a strong country? ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded affirmatively: "Of course we are a strong country!" And Britain and France are not as strong as many people think! They have many enemies and troubles. He handed the text on the table to Chen Duxiu. Look at it, a world war has just ended. Preparations for another world war began. ”

Chen Duxiu flipped through this article from the beginning. He also took out a small notebook from his pocket to record the main points. Chang Ruiqing took out a piece of stationery from the drawer and began to write.

The content above is mainly about the naval arms race. After Japan put forward the plan of the "Ten Fleet", a new naval arms race unfolded between several imperialist powers. Among them, US Secretary of the Navy Daniels declared: "The United States will build 157 warships in five years to build the strongest and best navy in the world!" ”

And British Prime Minister Lloyd. George said: "Great Britain would rather spend every last penny. It is also necessary to maintain the superiority of the Navy over the United States, Japan, or any other country. ”

It was followed by France and Italy. These two countries, which do not have too strong naval traditions, also joined the race with gusto. With the introduction of one ambitious naval construction plan after another, the whole world seems to have returned to the situation of the "Anglo-German naval arms race" before the First World War! The Anglo-German naval arms race is considered to be the root cause of World War I -- it was precisely because Germany, while becoming an army power, also pursued the status of a naval power, that Britain, Germany's all-time ally, turned against it and turned to seek an Anglo-French-Russian anti-German alliance.

"See, no. The navy is what countries really care about. Chang Ruiqing's letter had already been written, and he handed the letter to Chen Duxiu. Chen Duxiu took it and glanced at it, and found that it was a letter addressed to Mussolini, the leader of the Italian "Fighting Fascists" organization. The content is all theoretical, and the Italian politician and Chang Ruiqing seem to have some common language, appreciating Chang Ruiqing's use of National Socialism to govern China, and arguing that Italy should seek a similar path - rather than being plagued by an ineffective democracy, as it is now.

"This Mussolini seems to be a sworn enemy of GC International and Italian GCD." Chen Duxiu returned the letter to Chang Ruiqing and reminded him in a low voice. Chang Ruiqing nodded and said with a smile: "But it is possible for him to become the ruler of Italy." In that case, I hope that China and Italy can become friends. Their industrial technology is not first-class in Europe, but it can still help us. In the same way, they will need Chinese markets and raw materials. ”

"Okay, then you can go and make friends with this Italian politician." Chen Duxiu took a sip of coffee. "Or talk about the affairs of the South Seas, do you think that Britain and France are too busy with the naval arms race with Japan and the United States to take care of the South Seas. So you want to get your hand in? ”

"We're already in." Chang Ruiqing said: "The Chinese are the most important ethnic group in Nanyang, accounting for about 30% of the total population of Nanyang. We should treat them as Chinese citizens and have an obligation to protect their interests in Nanyang. This is our right as a strong country, and we do not develop a large navy. It doesn't seem to have any ambitions for the Nanyang region, but that doesn't mean we have to sit back and watch our own people being bullied in the Nanyangs! This is my purpose in wooing the Rama royal family of Siam. ”

"Your purpose isn't that simple, is it?" Chen Duxiu said bluntly.

"Okay. So, Mr. Prime Minister, why shouldn't we pursue the colonial interests of the South Seas? It was originally China's backyard, and the Chinese have always migrated from the mainland, which is colonization, which has lasted for hundreds and thousands of years! If we can strive for a better living environment for the Chinese in Nanyang, more Chinese will migrate there in the future and grasp more power and wealth. Eventually, Nanyang will become the homeland of the Chinese nation...... This is the right of the Chinese nation, and we should not give it up! ”

Chen Duxiu grinned bitterly and said, "It's just your opinion. However, Britain, France, and the United States may not agree to our rights. ”

"Mr. Prime Minister—" Chang Ruiqing leaned forward, approached Chen Duxiu, and said in as heavy a tone as possible: "The volume of our China is there. More than 11 million square kilometers of land. It has a population of nearly 480 million, and now has a strong government, an army strong enough to stand up to the Russian Red Army. Put all this qiē together, any Western power will be wary of us. No matter how much we try to keep our heads in obscurity, it's useless. I'm afraid that the more we pretend that we have no ambitions for the outside world, the more suspicious they become, right? It is better to put forward our demand in a dignified manner -- in Nanyang, our people should enjoy the treatment that citizens of any powerful country in the world should be! This will be the core of our Nanyang policy! ”

"But we're not strong enough!" Chen Duxiu shook his head and said: "This year, our steel output is only 100,000 tons, and the steel output of any small European country will surpass ours." ”

"At the time of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan only had 50,000 tons of steel." Chang Ruiqing smiled and shook his head: "Prime Minister." You should not take the issue too seriously, and it is a legitimate thing to protect the rights and interests of the Chinese in Nanyang. Unless the West is unwilling to recognize China's status as a great power, they will give in to reassure us -- and have you noticed that the alliance between Britain, France, and the United States has come to an end lately. The United States has openly stated that it wants to build the most powerful navy in the world, while Britain has said that it will not hesitate to maintain the superiority of its navy over the United States and Japan. As for the recent dispute between Britain and France, which also had a dispute over Germany, Britain hoped that the French and Belgian armies could withdraw from Germany and rationalize the process of repaying the war reparations from Germany, and at the same time Britain wanted to expand the German pocket-sized army. France, on the other hand, is firmly opposed to this. ”

Chen Duxiu furrowed his eyebrows. In fact, the Chinese leaders of this era do not know much about international affairs, and they do not care much. Their vision is as far as Japan and the South Seas. As for the intricate relationship between the European and American powers, they are basically blindsided, even Chen Duxiu, who has visited Europe and the United States for several months.

But Chang Ruiqing's memories of another world gave him some vision of the world that surpassed other Chinese leaders of this era. Although history has changed now, Chang Ruiqing can still be sure that the honeymoon period between Britain, the United States and France has long passed.

The period between World War I and World War II in history. The relationship between Britain and the United States is not very friendly, as is the case between all the eldest and second eldest. As for the relationship between Britain and France, it seems that there was a rift in the war with the defeat of Poland (although it did not lose the country) - Britain seemed to want a stronger Germany to curb the westward expansion of GCISM, and France did not know what it was doing. Maybe it was to appease Soviet Russia? Or do you want to intensify the arming of Poland? Or a higher bid to win over China to contain Soviet Russia?

And Chang Ruiqing still knows. It won't be long before an economic crisis that is not big or small will sweep across the West. At that time, Britain and France will have little spare power to suppress China, which poses little threat to them.

"Okay. Yaoru, you may be able to give the Nanyang policy you proposed a try. Chen Duxiu gently turned the coffee quilt in his hand and thought, "The alliance with Siam should be just the beginning, right?" What are we going to do next? Do you want to support the independence movements of the countries of the South Seas? ”

"No, we can't do that, at least not yet. Supporting the independence movement and defending the interests of our diaspora are two different things. And if we do that, I'm afraid that Britain, France and the Netherlands will adopt drastic anti-Chinese measures, which is not what I want. ”

"What about supporting Siam? Aren't you afraid of what countermeasures Britain and France will take? ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled coldly: "Don't be afraid, after all, Siam is an independent country, and they have the right to carry out military cooperation with us, isn't their Chulalongkorn reform in Siam carried out with the help of Japan?" If Japan can work with Siam, why can't we? Second, even if Britain and France want to counteract, they will only take Siam, not us. Chang Ruiqing winked at Chen Duxiu and said with a smile: "Persimmons are always soft to pick!" And I'm looking forward to when our defense forces will be able to liberate Siam and help the people there to establish a Republic of Siam. ”

……

The Grand Palace of Bangkok, as the royal palace of a small country, although the total area of the Grand Palace is less than one-third of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The magnificent Cheng dù is not much worse.

In particular, the large roof of the Siamese building and the huge gilded pagoda, as well as the five-meter-high white palace wall, and the wide Wangjiatian Square in front of the royal palace, as well as the palace guards inside and outside the palace, and the palace guards dressed like British royal guards. are reminding people. The Rama dynasty of Siam was a fairly wealthy court.

The layout of the Grand Palace is Siamese and softens into some Western styles, and many buildings show some Western architectural characteristics. It is the base palace of the main temple. It is a three-story palace that softens the English Victorian architectural style. It was built in 1876 by King Rama V, known as Chulalongkorn the Great. It is now the place where the King of Siam deals with state affairs and rests, and is considered the center of Siam's state affairs.

At present, the leader of this weak capitalist country is Rama VI, whose Chinese name is Zheng Bao, who has been the king of Siam for ten years since 1910. But his dream of becoming a strong country. But it never materialized.

In the dim light of the main hall of the Jieji Palace, Rama VI sat upright on the throne. Dressed in a red military uniform, with a tired look on his face, he listened gloomily as Prince Zaklappen, who was standing across from him, was reporting to him on his visit to China with Prince Bripa.

"His Majesty the King...... The Nationalist Government of China has stated that as long as we abandon our policy of restricting Chinese and ethnic Chinese, they will be willing to guarantee our territorial and sovereign integrity and help us build a strong army as soon as we return to the situation at the time of Chulalongkorn the Great. In addition, they are willing to promote a Triple Alliance system of China, Japan, and Siam. to jointly defend the collective interests of our Asian nation...... In addition, General Chang Ruiqing, chairman of the Chinese Military Commission, intends to invite His Majesty Xià to visit China and discuss cooperation with him......"

Rama VI listened attentively, and when he heard "Asiatic peoples", the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. It seemed to want to say something, but there was a forced stop. In this era, another "pan-Asianism" is something that Japan is vigorously advocating. Because Japan and Siam have a relatively close relationship for a long time. Therefore, Siam was also more or less influenced by this thought. There are some high-level figures who are not very pragmatic and fantasize about relying on Japanese help. Regain the lost territories that had been seized by the British and French. And Rama VI, who reformed the army with great fanfare as soon as he came to power, is probably such a figure.

In addition to fantasizing about reconquistaking, Rama VI was most concerned with strengthening the royal family's control over the army. Since his ancestor Rama I Ramma Crow's Beak once said that he would rule Siam for 150 years, and it is well known in Siam, and now the 150-year period is approaching, there are many signs of instability in Siam's political situation. As the king, King Rama V was naturally worried, and at the beginning of his reign, while reforming the army, he set up a paramilitary unit called the Wild Tigers as the royal family's private army, but it caused extreme dissatisfaction in the army and became the main trigger for the attempted coup d'état in 1912. Although the coup d'état was suppressed, the estrangement between the army and the royal family did not disappear but gradually deepened.

In order to strengthen his rule, Rama VI began to deliberately promote chauvinism at home, obviously a weak capitalist country, but he wanted to pretend to be a strong country. And if you want to pretend to be a strong country, you have to find a soft persimmon and pinch it. Britain and France didn't dare to provoke it, so they found China's bad luck. Of course, they didn't dare to send troops to attack China itself, but they just bullied the Chinese and overseas Chinese in the country. Who knows, this persimmon in China turns out to be not soft either! Even the mighty Russia was defeated by them, where can little Siam provoke? So he had no choice but to send the Minister of the Navy to China to pay homage to the docks -- this Celestial Empire has always been the most sycophant, and generally as long as the sycophants of their rulers are taken well, no matter how big things are, they can be turned into small things.

But now, has Prince Bripa's sycophant been photographed at home? Why is China still insisting on Siam abolishing its anti-Chinese policy? At the same time, the Chinese offered to work with Japan to jointly safeguard Siam's sovereignty and territory -- which sounds good, but there are always some uneasy points.

Does China want to restore its historical suzerainty status over the Nanyang countries? And how will Britain and France react to this?

So Rama VI still didn't say a word at this time.