Beijing Yuezhao Temple, the private residence of former Prime Minister Zhang Zhigao.

After dinner, Zhang Zhigao and his wife were strolling in the back garden with their children, and the housekeeper came over with a tray in his hand, and there was a name card on the plate. ”

"Who?" Luo Sulan still held her husband's arm.

Zhang Zhigao shrugged: "Another person who wants me to solve my doubts and go to sleep." ”

After a while, in the warm-colored living room of the British style, the host and guest sides met and inevitably exchanged a few words first.

It turned out that this Lu Zhengxiang originally graduated from Beijing Tongwenguan (later Tongwen University), and later studied at the Foreign Affairs College of the Imperial University, and Zhang Zhigao had served as the president of the former and the dean of the latter, so when Lu Zhengxiang saw him, he inevitably called him "principal".

Suddenly, visiting the division commander, naturally there are no indispensable gifts, a few polite words, Lu Zhengxiang ordered his entourage to present a three-foot square sandalwood gift box, open it and see, there is a pair of Korean ginseng more than two feet long on the fine silk cushion, which is really eye-catching.

Zhang Zhigao smiled: "How embarrassing is this......"

Lu Zhengxiang hugged his fists and said: "Students should be filial to their teachers, they should be, they should be." ”

After ordering someone to put away the gifts, the host and guest drank the first tea, and Lu Zhengxiang got straight to the point and said: "The so-called nothing is not to go to the Three Treasures Palace, the students are here, and they want to bother the principal to solve their doubts on their behalf." ”

Zhang Zhigao smiled and said: "Lord Lu can ask if he has something to say, so you don't have to be formal." ”

Lu Zhengxiang said happily: "Then the student is welcome." The principal must also know that the students will visit the European continent next month, and in particular, they will negotiate with the British on the Afghan issue and the Siam issue......"

"It's not so much a negotiation as a negotiation."

"Principal Mingjian, the students expected this trip, all kinds of difficulties, not a problem. It's just that since taking office, many questions have lingered, and on the occasion of this trip, I feel that this heart disease cannot be eliminated for a day and cannot act calmly......"

Zhang Zhigao listened to this short opening, and he probably expected to know where Lu Zhengxiang's heart was, so he took a sip of tea and said with a straight face: "Isn't Lord Lu questioning the royal cause implemented by the current empire?" ”

Lu Zhengxiang was startled, hurriedly got up and arched his hand: "I implore the master not to speak out......"

Zhang Zhigao waved his hand again and again: "Sit, sit, there's nothing to worry about." ”

Lu Zhengxiang sat down in annoyance, and Zhang Zhigao said: "You are not the only one who doubts this policy, and it has not been a day or two since the former cabinet's foreign minister, Chen Siguang, and Lord Chen criticized this matter, and there are also a lot of discussions among other figures in the government and the opposition, but the emperor and a number of important ministers do not move on to this, not only do it correctly, but also never explain it in detail, which is also reasonable, causing a bunch of misunderstandings." ”

"Listening to what the principal said, this policy of promoting the great cause of the royal road turns out to have an unspeakable miraculous calculation......

"So to speak. If it were someone else, I wouldn't be able to talk much, but since Lord Lu asked, I could reveal it slightly, but I must not mention it to others. ”

Lu Zhengxiang pointed to heaven gratefully: "Thank you for the principal's trust, Lu swears to the sky......"

Zhang Zhigao hurriedly grabbed him: "Hey, why bother, stop quickly, otherwise I will send off guests." ”

Lu Zhengxiang was a little calmer: "Students know their mistakes, please ask the principal for advice, and the students will listen attentively." ”

"That's right."

Zhang Zhigao took another sip of tea and moistened his throat, put on a model stand as a teacher, and asked first: "Have you heard of Lord Lu, the theory of absolute interest circle?" ”

Lu Zhengxiang thought for a moment and nodded: "I have indeed heard it, probably emphasizing that Nanyang, Siberia and Kazakhstan are the absolute interests of the empire, and they should be controlled at all costs, so that the resources of the East Asian Alliance can be completely self-sufficient and open up sufficient space for future development." ”

Zhang Zhigao nodded and said: "It's almost, but above this absolute interest circle, there is a pan-interest circle." ”

Lu Zhengxiang said: "Students have also heard that the pan-interest circles, covering Australia, India and the Persian Gulf, are where the grand cause of dominating the earth lies. ”

Zhang Zhigao smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, then you say, in order to achieve the control of these two major interest circles, where is the future enemy of the empire?" ”

"It's none other than Britain, the United States, and Russia...... In this way, Germany is the only potential ally to be strong. ”

"Yes, but since the Asian-Russian War, Germany has held high the banner of the Yellow Peril theory, infinitely exaggerated the threat of ASEAN, called for the establishment of a pan-European anti-Yellow Peril alliance or a new Three Emperors Alliance, acted as the leader of the anti-Yellow Peril alliance, and intervened in the Russian Revolution in due course, gaining unprecedented prestige, and Britain and France had to make concessions to it in many ways. As a result, there was a consortium of European banks in which Germany had a significant share of loans to Russia, so there was the strange incident of the Netherlands selling West Irian to Germany cheaply in exchange for arms, and then there was the Russian, German, and Austrian Treaty that delimited the scope of power in the Balkans, and then there was the Treaty of Britain, France, Italy and Germany, which defined the scope of African power and agreed to divide Ethiopia, and then there was the current German-Italian war of invasion of Ethiopia......"

Lu Zhengxiang sighed: "The Kaiser is short-sighted, greedy for small profits and loses the overall situation, and is my enemy, why bother? How could the students, looking at Germany's momentum, should have greatly boosted its ambition to dominate Europe, and how could they deny the most suitable allies thousands of miles away for a few colonies? ”

Zhang Zhigao said with a smile: "If Germany wants to build a colonial empire, how can it not covet colonies? Since Russia was semi-colonized, France, with its weak military strength, was already in danger, and although Britain was strong, land warfare was not its strong point, and it was also stimulated by the tide of the Yellow Peril, so Britain and France had to accommodate in many ways. Germany has repeatedly gained profits, and it will inevitably refuse to give up, and the banner of the Yellow Peril will naturally be held high. ”

In this way, why don't our country take the initiative to repair Britain and France, especially the rare Sino-British secret treaty...... If our country reins itself and restrains itself, in time, the Yellow Peril theory will dissipate. ”

Zhang Zhigao shook his head slightly: "I also had this idea four years ago, but after thinking about it again and again, the root of the Yellow Peril theory is in the Asian-Russian War, and the affairs of Gurkha, Siam, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan are just small details, shallow skin and hair. Either there has never been a war between Asia and Russia, or our country will be defeated or drawn, or with Russia's worst defeat in 300 years, with the colored countries inflicting heavy losses on the European continent, seizing millions of square kilometers of land, and almost collapsing the country's dynasty, the spread of the Yellow Peril theory is imperative. ”

"However, the empire is flourishing in the royal way, and constantly touching the range of powerful forces, isn't it adding fuel to the Yellow Peril theory?" Lu Zhengxiang was obviously confused.

"Germany's intention to advocate the Yellow Peril theory is only one of its interests, and its more vicious point is to stir up contradictions between Britain, France, and Russia and our country, in an attempt to provoke a major war in Asia, and to seek the hegemony of Greater Europe with the blood of our East Asians."

"Isn't that more important to keep quiet and self-disciplined, so as to break their ......?"

Zhang Zhigao sneered: "Lord Lu is a smart person, haven't you come up with a reason yet?" ”

"This ......" Lu Zhengxiang made a difficulty, frowned and thought hard.

"Could it be...... The principal's meaning is not a tooth for a tooth......"

Zhang Zhigao clapped his hands lightly: "Lord Lu has finally turned out of that dead circle, Germany is trying to gain its great benefits with the yellow peril, and the empire can neither use a hot face to a cold ass and completely give up the initiative in relations with Germany; It is still more important to show weakness to Britain, France, and other countries, so that the military and the people will be demoralized and demoralized, and the vassals of the allied countries will be separated from Germany. Therefore, Germany must take the initiative to attack and assist the colonial and semi-colonial nationalist forces in the name of rejuvenating the royal road, and Germany will inevitably come to the country when it hears the wind, waving the banner of the Yellow Peril, eager to try, and engaging in joint intervention, as evidenced by the current Ethiopian war. ”

However, Britain, France, and Russia have their own forces that cannot be opened, and even if they are touched by China, they do not want to be involved in Germany, such as India, Persia, Turkey, etc. If Germany succeeds in Ethiopia, its heart will be arrogant, and it will inevitably repeat its old tricks. Taking advantage of the exposure of German ambitions and the unbearable nature of Britain, France, and Russia, the Reich retreated at the right time and tried to secretly compromise with Britain, France, and Russia. ”

Lu Zhengxiang suddenly realized at this time: "It turned out to be a plan to lure the snake out of the hole, and it was really wonderful......

"In the final analysis, it is necessary to do the opposite, do everything possible to provoke a war in Europe, and use the blood of Europeans to seek hegemony in Asia and the Pacific." Zhang Zhigao sneered.

"In this way, in this battle of Ethiopia, the empire has already made up its mind to sacrifice Ethiopia......"

"Even if it is a bait, it must be sacrificed to be worthwhile, and the value of the Ethiopian war is not how much strength it consumes on the other side, but the contradictions it can provoke, and the distribution of spoils after the war alone is enough to create an expected rift between the participating countries. All in all, it was only a matter of time before the Reich abandoned Ethiopia, Persia, Turkey, and India, and it was intended to involve Germany, which was expanding under the guise of the Yellow Peril. ”

Lu Zhengxiang was slightly apologetic: "In other words, the future hegemony of the empire must not only rely on the hemorrhage of Europeans, but also a large amount of blood of Africans, Indians, Persians, and Turks as a sacrifice......

Zhang Zhigao can probably understand why Lu Zhengxiang is so compassionate and compassionate, and in the historical materials of another time and space, it is recorded that the fate of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China - he voluntarily became a Catholic priest in the Vatican Monastery

"Shedding blood for national independence should be voluntary for them, and at the same time it should be their glory." Zhang Zhigao explained in a high-sounding voice.

Lu Zhengxiang nodded in understanding, and then asked: "The students still want to know what is the prospect of the Sino-German alliance after introducing Germany into the set?" What will happen to the United States? ”

"The question of an alliance with Germany should not be raised by the Reich. After the intensification of the contradictions between Germany and Britain, France, and Russia, the Reich will change to an isolationist policy on the surface, but in fact it will prepare for war, with the instigation of a European war as the fundamental point. After the outbreak of the war in Europe, the absolute sphere of interests was demanded with the backing of force, and if peaceful claims were not feasible, they were seized by force, and the pan-sphere of interests was expanded as appropriate. If the German side takes the initiative to propose a Sino-German alliance, it can negotiate on the basis of fully guaranteeing our interests. ”

"As for the United States, it will be the main adversary in the Pacific, and if the United States has no objection to China's absolute interests, it can solve the problem through negotiations, that would be the best. However, we have no choice but to make military preparations for the United States, and we must be able to have sufficient strength to resist and force peace when the United States is determined to intervene. ”

Finally completed the task assigned by the group - Zhang Zhigao breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the servant to pour the second tea.

For the guest, this is a hint that the host is ready to send them off.