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Reporters swarmed with the wheels, their cameras and eyes gradually focused.

In the words of Gu Weijun later, "The American Marine Corps opened the door, and I was almost stunned by the flashing lights when I walked out with the vice president." In contrast to the Wilson administration, the American civil society, business groups, and Congress paid close attention to the young vice president's every move, and when it was confirmed that he would give a speech on Capitol Hill, there were even cases where someone had to sit in on the connection.

Because this young man is crazy! A poor and backward country that had only begun to rely on the European war to gradually get rid of the semi-colonial country actually sent 25 infantry divisions to fight on the terrible Western Front at one time! The New York Times reporter who was present at the time wrote even more bitterly and directly: "Sacrificing 600,000 lives in exchange for benefits, I can only say that he is a madman, of course, this madman now looks gentle and elegant." ”

These words also speak to the great difference between Eastern and Western cultures. In the simplest terms, this is a collision between China, which has not yet completely emerged from the idea of imperial power and dictatorship, and the idea that human rights and life are above all else in the United States. Yang Qiu himself knew the consequences of doing so, and was even ready to accept the heavy price of 10 to 200,000 sacrifices in private! But no one can deny that this is the best opportunity for the world to change its view of China and win a more relaxed international environment for development after the war! So he would rather pay the price of heavy casualties and years of social unrest after the war.

On behalf of Congress, he was welcomed by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Ron Brown. Mr. Brown, a veteran Republican congressman with decades of political experience, heads the House Foreign Relations Committee and is Wilson's biggest opponent and critic of foreign policy.

"Welcome to you, and I am confident that today will be the most important moment on both sides of the Pacific." When Brown politely stretched out his hand, there was an old man with gray hair, glasses, and slightly narrowed eagle eyes behind the lenses next to him, who was also looking at Yang Qiu. "I'll introduce you, this is." Brown introduced the old man to him, with an old friend-like greeting in his tone: "Our former president, Theodore. Lord Roosevelt. ”

It's him? Yang Qiu didn't expect his speech to attract this big name. Energetic American cowboy, Wilson's biggest headache critic. He was one of the five advocates of active participation in the war in the United States, who was later named the "Founder of Modern America" by Americans and put on Mount Rushmore. Of course, it was also the promoter of turning the Chinese Exclusion Act into a permanent bill.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Teddy." How Yang Qiu dreamed of becoming the old Roosevelt of the East! So I was very excited to stretch out my hand. On the contrary, the elder Roosevelt frowned slightly, but still shook the big yellow hand that he didn't like very much. The two don't have much to do with each other, the teddy days of Big Stick and Carrot are over, and his threat to the Pacific Ocean has been lifted.

After entering the hall of Congress, the noise and noise almost made Gu Weijun unable to believe that this was one of the highest authorities in the United States. Some of the parliamentarians were laughing, some were dozing, and more were talking about the behavior of "madmen" who traded human lives for small profits. But when they saw Yang Qiu and his entourage walking into the venue. The voice was much quieter all of a sudden, and there was even a hint of confusion in their eyes, just because their dress completely subverted the image of the Chinese in their impressions.

The neat military-style short haircut, well-tailored suits, friendly smiles, and the calm expression in the face of hundreds of reporters and legislators have changed the traditional image of the Chinese. "Am I right? Are you sure he's not from Malaya? (The Chinese in Malaya were the first to start the Chinese Scout movement, which was regarded as a successful Westernization area by the United States)" A senator's eyes widened when he saw Lu Bicheng's professional women's clothing that had just emerged in the United States.

The reporters scrambled to grab their positions and crouched in front of the podium. As Brown struck the wooden hammer, the hall finally fell silent, leaving only the old man's voice echoing: "Gentlemen, ladies. Today is probably the first time that this podium has welcomed friends from the East. I look forward to this speech as much as you do, and we will go down in history together! ”

The voice was very loud, and it also made the eyes gradually focus on Yang Qiu, who was about to go on stage. As he walked towards the podium without any speeches, there was a sudden boo in the corner. Parliamentarians from the Irish and German communities expressed their displeasure with China's entry into the war in this way at the most critical moments, and gradually others began to join in, with a few shrill whistles.

Brown and Old Roosevelt smiled and turned a deaf ear, Gu Weijun frowned, and Lu Bicheng, who had experienced this kind of thing for the first time, had a slightly stiff face. But Yang Qiu was very calm, holding the podium with both hands and expressing his heart in fluent English: "I heard the attention!" I enjoy the feeling that I and my country never received this kind of attention five years ago. Whatever we do, we are isolated from the world! The dictatorship and the imperial power have brought serious harm to my country, so my compatriots began to save the country in various ways, and the great martyrs paid with their blood and lives, and finally in exchange for our success! And now we are starting to get attention again, which shows that China is integrating into the world. ”

The boos gradually subsided, and the ears in the venue stood up. Lu Bicheng looked at his powerful waving arms, the corners of his mouth smiled lightly, and his eyes were full of admiration and appreciation, and even the harsh old Roosevelt admitted that his humor and wit helped him regain his disadvantage. From the withering of people's livelihood before Xinhai, to the overthrow of decay and the establishment of a republic, from Japan's invasion to the expulsion of black hands from the mainland, from imperial power to the active reform of the state and social system, Yang Qiu used his concise and humorous words to tell the United States a real China.

His appearance and rise are already very legendary in the eyes of the West, and various newspapers have described them in the form of stories. Therefore, after listening to him say it in person, he firmly believed in the road, as if he brought everyone into the great era of high-spiritedness, enthusiasm and pursuit of dreams in the early days of the industrial revolution. After he finished speaking, he suddenly took out two pieces of paper that were somewhat blackened from his pocket, and the careful reporters immediately turned the camera around.

Everyone is curious, what is that? Even Brown stretched his neck from behind.

"My right hand is a New York-Shanghai bill of exchange issued by a Bank of America, and as a politician, everyone should know what this thing is and what it does." Yang Qiu pinched the smudge-stained bill of exchange and held it high: "40,000 barrels of gasoline, 1,000 engines and 60 trucks with a total value of $2 million are stained, crumpled and inkstained, and it smells musty, and you can't even read the handwriting!" But it still represents contract and credit! Tens of thousands of tons of precious goods from the United States were transported from New York, the center of the world, to Shanghai, the center of the Far East. So why does this piece of wastepaper-looking have so much magic? Because it represents the credit of the merchant and the contract culture of the Western world!

In my left hand is one of the most traditional Chinese bills worth 100 taels of silver, which we call the Silver Bill. The silver ticket was created 13 years ago and bears more than 30 stamps that have been used throughout the country, including Shanghai, Wuhan, Beijing and remote Mongolia and Yunnan. Why did I put them together? Because I want to tell you that China has never been a perfidious country! In the East, contracts and credit are likewise the most precious things! For thousands of years, there have been many promises in my country, and businessmen have followed this precious tradition for thousands of years! Although we have different values, we all abide by the most basic and beautiful things between people!

And as statesmen, treaties and promises are bills of exchange for us people, and we must abide by them!

Our different cultures, foods, beliefs, etc., no one will deny them, and even for a long time to come, we will not be the same, because we have been breeding in that land for 5,000 years and have formed our own traditions. So I don't think any values that are promoted by violent means can really be realized. But on the contrary! Now there are people who are following this path, trying to bring the world into their system, which is an act of stifling civilization, and the world should be a big family, not a unilateral power!

We are backward, poor, and not even comparable to a state in the land under my feet, and I do not want to and cannot deny that! So we need the help of the United States and all civilized countries in the world. Before, you have started, so I thank you, thank you to the United States of America. But when we imagined the future, war broke out! Some nations are also trying to take advantage of your temporary departure to conquer us. But they were wrong! This is not the China of five years ago! The Chinese people who are moving forward with their heads held high will never return to humiliation, let alone be willing to be conquered! When we raise our heads in exchange for victory with blood and sacrifice, in exchange for freedom, we find that civilization is being abandoned, and the future of our country is clouded.

In France I saw wounds, corpses and blood, and when I arrived in Paris I couldn't even believe that it was once one of the centers of the world! Dark clouds are coming over, the goods, technology and equipment needed by our people are not available, and the world's largest republican country is facing an existential crisis! That's when I knew I had to do something about my country! So we fulfilled our promise to send troops to help our allies in suffering, and we have a clear conscience.

I will also promise here that we will continue to open the market, 450 million Chinese have prepared fine wine for you, we welcome everyone to invest, promise to protect their legitimate rights and interests, promise and firmly believe! We will not be enemies of the United States. Let me thank you for listening in four simple words.

Communication, understanding, friendship and handshakes! ”

When Yang Qiu finished his speech and handed over the money and silver bills to the staff to store on Capitol Hill in full view of everyone, two small blackened pieces of paper connected the East and West, and the venue slowly burst into applause and then continued into pieces.

He smiled and let out a long sigh of relief, it was time to think about war...... ()