Fast forward to April 1918, and the two focal points of the world are changing drastically every moment. The Germans, who had made a good start in the spring offensive, were not able to take Amiens, and the fatigue of the Germans was finally exposed. There are too many factors to defeat them. One of them is rubber. Due to the long blockade, the Germans had no source of rubber, the wheels of the newly built cars and gun trucks were made of steel, the transports of the Huttier troops were deeply bogged down in rotten roads, the craters and spring rain exhausted the energy of the German troops pouring into the breakthrough, they did not capture Amiens before the arrival of the Anglo-French reinforcements, not that they did not realize the importance of Amiens, but that the troops were too tired, and the advance of the Huttier Army was reduced day by day, and they watched the victory slip through their fingers.

On March 28, the U.S. military officially entered the war. General Pershing had at least 1 million men at his disposal, and a large number of fresh troops poured into French ports from the United States every day. Pershing had planned to go back to war in 1919, citing the need for retraining in the U.S. military. But he changed his mind after the outbreak of the Spring Campaign, believing that both the British, French and German armies were exhausted and that the well-equipped American GIs had become the decisive force. Pershing reported to President Wilson that the time had come for American troops to enter the war, and Wilson immediately agreed to Pershing's request...... The American troops, assembled in the rear, began to arrive on the battlefield in trucks, and everyone understood that the defeat of the Germans was not far off.

No one cares about the Chinese Expeditionary Force anymore. Therefore, the repatriation of their troops who had been tested in Europe by Chinese did not cause any turmoil. Nor did they care about the plundering of the industrial resources of Ukraine and South Russia by the Chinese. Several countries that dominate the world are concentrating on planning a final offensive against Germany and Austria, after the US military officially entered the war. The Chinese's containment on the Eastern Front has become insignificant.

The Russian civil war, of course, should be placed in second place. Although Britain and France expressed concern about the Russian civil war, they had no time to take care of it, and only the United States had this power. Under the present circumstances, if the United States wants to meddle in Russia's affairs, it must coordinate with China, and China is the most direct force. While the Battle of Amiens was raging in Western Europe, President Wilson once again sent Secretary of State Lancen to China to discuss Russian affairs.

Because of the unambiguous policy of the Bolsheviks towards private property, the United States Government of course sided with the opposition of the Bolsheviks, the Russian Patriot Union. Secretary of State Lancen's mission on this trip is to negotiate with China on its policy toward Russia.

This is Lan Sin's third visit to China. Every time I can feel the changes in China, Lan Xin cares more about the internal changes than the external things such as urban construction. In Lansing's opinion. There is no change in the temperament of the people. Although it is a bit mysterious to say. But Lan Sing did have a way of looking: the clothing of the residents, the length of their gait, and especially their facial expressions. The car that picked him up met a red light in Tiananmen Square, and he rolled down his window to look at the city's largest city square. Under the gorgeous spring sun. There were a lot of citizens gathered in the square. Half of them are leading the children to fly kites. Lan Xin noticed what the citizens were wearing, and even more so their healthy complexions and bright smiles.

"Remarkable......" Lan Xin muttered.

Foreign Minister Gu Weijun, who came to pick up the station, asked in English, "What did you say?" ”

"I'm saying. The changes that have taken place in China in just a few years are truly remarkable. ”

Gu Weijun smiled reservedly, acquiescing to the comments of his American counterparts. A month earlier, he had succeeded Tang Shaoyi, who had been promoted to vice premier, as foreign minister, becoming the youngest official at the ministerial level in the republic.

"Thank you for the compliment, we will need decades or more to catch up with the first-class countries."

"Why? I think China is already remarkable. It is hard to imagine that more than ten years ago, China's fate was dominated by Russia, and more than ten years later, things have been reversed. ”

"Mr. Lansing, I don't agree with you. It is only the Russians who will decide the fate of Russia. And the changes you're seeing, aren't representative of the whole country. You must know that Beijing is our capital. In many places, especially in rural and remote areas, there has been little change, and we are too poor to compare with your country. Oh, this is not what I said, but what the President of our country said, and recently made a speech to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the situation in Russia, specifically on the issue of our national strength, and asked us to have a clear understanding of our national conditions. ”

"Oh? But I am afraid that this is not the case when I hear and see that China has made remarkable achievements in education, transportation, and basic industries, and even the most conceited Americans are full of praise for it," Lan Xin closed the brown curtains on the car window to block the last rays of the sunset, and the light in the car dimmed suddenly, "I met Mr. Ford before I went abroad, and he deeply admired the development of your country's automobile industry, and was ready to send a group of engineers to China to study...... Just like this car, I must say very beautiful and comfortable. ”

Gu Weijun laughed, "Mr. Ford is really interesting, designing a few new cars doesn't mean anything!" China's annual automobile production is less than Ford's production in a quarter, and the quality cannot be compared. We would not have been able to achieve this without the strong support of the U.S. government. ”

"No, the problem can't be looked at like this," Lan Xin and Gu Weijun were very familiar, "considering the foundation of your country, it is even more amazing. Seeing a report from the Army, they were very appreciative of your army's standard rifles and bought a license to copy them. The same is true for aviation...... I heard that your country has a five-year plan for scientific development? If we concentrate the efforts of the whole country on developing something, it will be easier to produce results. In this regard, we should reflect on the fact that scientific research in the United States is in the enterprise, which does not seem to be very easy to ......."

"You have a world-class company, but China doesn't, and this can't be compared."

"Nope. Your country already has very good enterprise groups, such as Huayuan Industrial and Zhongxing. Huamei Machinery is the absolute controlling shareholder of your country, and it should also be counted as an enterprise in your country. And the Swiss company Zebra, which is said to have been developing a promising sterilizer? It's amazing. In these respects, your country is already the first in Asia. Considering your country's low human costs and abundant resources, I am very optimistic about your country's prospects. ”

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your compliment. To be honest, I don't know much about the business stuff. My country has always followed the example of the United States, especially in the area of institutions...... The President once said that Sino-US friendship is an important guarantee for world peace and development. You see, your country is on the east coast of the Pacific Ocean, and we are on the west coast, and what a beautiful picture it would be if we joined hands more closely? ”

Lan Xin laughed, "You are such a good diplomat. Anyway. The changes in China are enormous. Mr. Long is truly remarkable. Mr. Wilson once said to me that your president is comparable to Washington. "I think Mr. Wilson values your country's achievements in the construction of democracy, and the emergence of a democracy in the East. It is of great significance to world civilization. ”

But Gu Weijun heard the sarcasm from it. After Long Qian was re-elected for the second term. The political situation in China is very different from that of previous years. The Mengshan military system has always been regarded as the mainstream of domestic politics, and in fact, Long Qian's military team also controls the core power, needless to say about the army and the intelligence police department. The main departments of the government and the major provinces are in the hands of the Mengshan military system. The original enemy, whether it was the Manchu forces or the Kuomintang, or the Beiyang system represented by Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang, was basically divided and disintegrated, and was no longer a threat. However, from 1916 onwards, there were increasing calls for constitutional amendment around the current constitution, apparently in order to build momentum for Long Qian's re-election. As a result, Song Jiaoren became a benchmark figure in opposition to the constitutional amendment, and wrote articles criticizing the constitutional amendment, believing that it was perverse. However, the two giants, Premier Fang Shengyuan and Senate Speaker Hong Yuecheng, did not support Yang Du like Deng Qinghua, which brought great variables to the political situation. So rumors arose, saying that Fang Shengyuan was ready to replace Long Qian, and naturally did not want to amend the constitution. Probably Fang Shengyuan heard the rumors, and recently talked about the issue of constitutional amendment when explaining the amendment to the "Labor Law" in the House of Representatives, and his words flickered, but the positive understanding is in favor of constitutional amendment, the constitution is not a static thing, and the United States also makes amendments, and the key is to have procedural fairness and justice.

However, it is said that Long Qian was very dissatisfied with Fang Shengyuan's speech in the House of Representatives. Premier Fang's vacation from March to Hangzhou for recuperation may have something to do with it.

Gu Weijun said that Tang Shaoyi's appointment as vice premier was not related to this matter, and if so, Tang Shaoyi was obviously a pawn used by Long Qian to check and balance the Government Council. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the establishment of one and two deputies of the Government Council has been in place, Song Yuchu has a clear banner, Fang Minggao has that attitude, and it is reasonable for Long Qian to be the head of the Government Council. However, he is the beneficiary of this matter, if Tang Shaochuan is not promoted, he will not be able to remove the sub-word on his head, and it is impossible for him to become a foreign minister at the age of thirty......

In accordance with the prior request of the US side, the Chinese side did not hold a public welcoming ceremony. This makes Secretary of State Lansing's visit to China have a secret color. According to the usual practice, Lan Xin was settled in the state guesthouse, and Gu Weijun immediately drove to the presidential palace.

The prime minister was on leave, and Vice Premier Tang, who was in charge of foreign affairs, went to India to negotiate with the British on some remaining issues in Tibet, and the task of receiving Lan Xin naturally fell on his head. After all, China and the United States are in the honeymoon period, and the two countries have cooperated happily in military, diplomatic, economic, educational, and cultural aspects, and the Boston Accords alone have received $400 million in interest-free and low-interest loans from the United States, and those loans have been turned into opportunities and patent licenses back to China, and without the generous assistance of the Americans, all plans for China's industrialization are on paper.

"Lan Sin's visit to China has only one purpose, and that is to solve the issue of the Cloth Party." Long Qian said to Gu Weijun, "But I'm not optimistic about the military approach, even if the expeditionary force adds another group army, it may not be able to eliminate the Bu Party." Russia's problems still have to be solved by the Russians, and we should not go too deep. Besides, the more than two years of European war have also put great pressure on our economy, and it is time to stop the war and recuperate. I won't see Mr. Lan Xin tonight, you can accompany me, and tomorrow morning I will go to the State Guesthouse and talk to him in person. ”

"With the president at the helm, I'm relaxed."

"Shaochuan, you have to learn to look at things from a higher perspective. The European War can also be called World War I, and more than a dozen countries were involved. What we want to get and how we get it is not complicated. One is to stand on the right team, form an alliance with the winners, and strive for our post-war interests and a good development environment; Second, to take the opportunity to obtain the capital and technology needed for the first phase of our industrialization. This one is not badly done; The third is to do our utmost to improve our diplomacy and national defense, because the adversary on the sea is Japan, and the adversary on land is Russia. Japan can't talk about it for the time being, that's the next goal, and now it's time to concentrate on weakening Russia so that it can't threaten our northern frontier for the longest time. The last one is the Middle East. A hundred years from now, oil will almost reign. Who controls zhì oil. Whoever controls the world is almost in control. The world's largest oil fields are in the Middle East, and compared with those big oil fields in the Middle East, our oil fields in Shandong and Zhili are not worth mentioning. The British were now the most powerful in the Middle East, but World War I overthrew the British. Don't look at it as a victory. The days of the British Empire's world domination were over. The United States will inevitably take over the baton and command the whole world, and the politicians with the vision and brains of the United States will not fail to pay attention to the Middle East, and we will advance by land. The United States marched by sea in an effort to achieve control of the Middle East in 20 years. That's why I authorized Wang Mingyuan to start in Central Asia. The meal must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be taken step by step, and there can be no rush or ambition. At present, our western territory is still blank, and Xinjiang is not well controlled, so how can we go to the Middle East? Weaken Russia's control over Central Asia, and Xinjiang will be stabilized. Of course, we have to rely on the improvement of our own strength, and when our total economic output triples, we will almost have the capital to make a name for ourselves in Central Asia, occupy Central Asia, and the Middle East is in sight. I may not be able to see that day anymore, but you are still young and you have to work towards this goal. ”

"The president is far-sighted, and Wei Jun has been taught." Gu Weijun said with admiration, "Besides, the president is at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period, and there is no problem in leading us for another 20 years." ”

"Haha, I don't think so. It can also be regarded as a warning, Shaochuan, do not think that you can't do without yourself, we have a population of 500 million in China, and we don't know how many Junjie Guoshi have, as long as we establish a stable and efficient political system internally, with the wisdom and wisdom of our Chinese, we will definitely be able to surpass Britain, France, Germany and Italy, catch up with the United States, and eventually surpass it! ”

Gu Weijun returned to the State Guest House in a complicated manner and told Lan Xin that there would be a formal meeting tomorrow. Lansing had already learned of Molotov's visit to China, presumably because the envoy in China had told him. Gu Weijun unreservedly briefed Molotov on his visit to China, which was authorized by Long Qian. On the Russian issue, Gu Weijun said: President Long Da has already given the whole consideration and will not talk about it today. Mr. Secretary, please rest well.

The media in the capital were not authorized to cover the news, and only a brief report on the visit of the US Secretary of State to China was made on the second page of the "Chung Hwa Pao", which appeared in the newspaper after Lan Xin left Beijing. According to the report, the US Secretary of State visited China upon invitation, and President Long Qian met with Mr. Lanceing and held frank and constructive talks on bilateral relations and international issues of common concern, and reached broad consensus.

The report did not attract much attention from the Chinese people. Anyone with some culture knows that the United States maintains good relations with China, and more and more college graduates are choosing to study in the United States, and the absolute number has long surpassed that of studying in Japan. Every year, a large number of "sea turtles" return to China. Many enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shenyang, Xi'an, Wuhan, Taiyuan, Chengdu, Lanzhou and other big cities are filled with American engineers and technicians, English has become the first language of universities, and American products, especially industrial products, are increasingly entering ordinary Chinese households...... The US Secretary of State's visit to China does not seem to be much of a big news. The Republic of China has been established for eight years, and the children who have received a new type of education have entered the society, and the fear of foreigners and flattery of foreigners in the past have long been out of the mainstream, especially China's defeat of Japan and the dispatch of troops to Russia, which has greatly boosted the long-lost national pride and self-confidence of the Chinese people, and the resurgence of the heroic style of the Han and Tang dynasties has long been clamoring for a while, and over the past few years, the heads of various powerful countries have visited China one after another, so that the Chinese people, especially the citizens of Beijing, have diplomatic "immunity", and it is logical that Lan Xin's visit to China has not attracted more attention.

Very few people understood the significance of Lan Sin's trip. After two days of intense talks, the United States and China reached an agreement on the Russian issue, and Lan Xin reluctantly agreed with China's basic judgment on the situation in Russia -- Long Qian believed that because of the special nature of the Cloth Party, and the fact that they have a good military industrial system, it would be difficult to achieve a complete military victory over them by relying on the Patriot Alliance army, which had huge shortcomings in organization and training, and that the Cloth Party's ideas catered to a certain status quo in Russia and the resulting sentiments, which would rise to the level of a doctrine, The ongoing Battle of Kazan has proven this, and the armed forces of the Cloth Party, which is equipped with political personnel, are extremely good, and they are on par with the Russian army of yesteryear. The party will become a highly centralized, highly coherent organization in thought and action, and they will not allow opposition and opposing voices to exist. This is evidenced by certain public writings and speeches of Ulyanov. But at the moment, their ideas or policies are highly deceptive enough to attract large followings. The polarization of Russia's wealth is the soil that leads to the expansion of the partyism, and it is a matter of seeking fish without solving Russia's fundamental problems and simply solving the party. Long Qian further emphasized that China has taken note of the harsh consequences of polarization, and since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1910, all our efforts have been to strive for a clean and efficient government and a fair and just system of wealth distribution. If these problems are not resolved, the idea of centralization will inevitably prevail, and this cannot be eliminated by force, as China's long history has long proven.

In response to Lan Sin's request for military intervention, Long Qian explained that if the Chinese expeditionary force were to completely intervene in the Russian civil war, as the United States and other allies of the Entente had hoped, the consequences would be extremely dire. The courageous sacrifice of the Russian nation in dealing with external crises is very respectable, and that will only lead to one result, pushing more Russians who aspire to a democratic system of government to the side of the party. Even beating Moscow will not help! Long Qian sternly pointed out that we can destroy the army of the Cloth Party, but we cannot destroy the Russian people, isn't it? The best way to defeat Bolshevism was not by military means, but by political and economic means. Only by contrasting can true knowledge be gained. To solve the Russian problem, we should still trust the Russian people, who will always make the final choice.

Unable to convince Long Qian, he could only agree to Long Qian's basic principle of not being deeply involved in the Russian civil war, and the two countries continued to increase their support for the Russian Patriot Union, and in due course contributed to the establishment of the Patriot Alliance's central power. The United States agrees that China will develop into the Central Asian region, will continue to increase economic and technical assistance to China, and will increase military exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, especially in the naval field...... China, for its part, agreed to the United States to come forward to establish a League of Nations to resolve the post-war new order of peace and development around the world, and supported the establishment of the League of Nations headquarters in the United States.

The two countries signed the Beijing Treaty, which is not published for the time being and is not directed against third parties. Both the US government and the opposition believe that the emergence of a civilized and progressive democratic republic on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean is of great significance to maintaining world peace, especially peace in the Pacific region, and to preventing the recurrence of war in Europe under the realistic circumstances in which Japan is vigorously expanding its naval strength.

The ambitious Wilson government aspired to dominate the world after the war, but the United States decided that Britain would not voluntarily relinquish leadership. Now that Germany's defeat has been decided, how to design a new post-war political and economic order is an urgent task for the Wilson government to consider and solve. In the past four years of the European war, the United States, because of its strong industrial strength and the large amount of funds and finished products provided to the Entente countries, has changed from a debtor country to a creditor country, and the Entente countries (including China) have all become debtors to the United States.

The Beijing Agreement requires the approval of the U.S. Congress, but the two sides have already taken a big step towards an alliance. (To be continued......)