Chinese Foreign Minister Li Shiguang's speech was very brief, "China is a country that loves peace, and China is willing to contribute to world peace..."

When he heard this, British Foreign Minister Chamberlain (brother), he understood that China's attitude must be no less than the tonnage of the main battleship of France. However, British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain did not particularly care about China's requirements. According to various intelligence, China's

Naval equipment manufacturing capabilities are at most as high as Japan, and Japan's shipbuilding capabilities have always been introduced from the UK. As long as the UK does not provide China with shipbuilding technology, China's naval equipment level will be more than 10 years away from the UK.

In Chamberlain's personal feeling, He Rui will never accept that the level of Chinese naval equipment is so different from the world's advanced level. In other words, China's current requirements are more of a statement. Even if China has the same level as the United Kingdom.

China is afraid that the tonnage of the main ship will not really build the main ship.

China expressed its views, and Japan also had similar views. Italy's economy ranks last among the six countries. The Italian Foreign Minister said that Italy's tonnage share of the main ships obtained by it must not be less than the Washington Navy Treaty.

All countries have explained their views and the venue was temporarily silent. The French Foreign Minister took this opportunity to say: "France believes that the proportion of the main ships of the six countries of France, Britain, the United States, China, Japan and Italy should be 5:5:5:3

::3:1.25.”

Before the British Foreign Secretary could speak, the Italian Foreign Minister was furious. Who would the French look down on?! Teng stood up, and the Italian Foreign Minister shouted: "I firmly oppose it!"

The British Foreign Minister thought that the French Foreign Minister would put pressure on Italy, but he did not expect that the French Foreign Minister would answer leisurely: "If Italy does not agree with this ratio, then all participating countries have the same tonnage of the main ship. I wonder if Italy is willing."

British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain (brother) was shocked and he lost his unhappiness. The Frenchman at the moment really caught the key to the problem. France doesn't care that Italy has the same tonnage as Britain, and Italy's weak national strength.

There is no way to build a main ship with the same tonnage as the UK. As long as it can cause trouble to the UK, the French will not care about the result at all.

As for whether Italy would accept such conditions, Minister Chamberlain was actually a little doubtful. In 1922, just when He Rui launched the war against Japan, Mussolini also launched the second march into Rome and successfully made the Italian king.

He took the initiative to invite Mussolini to Rome and appointed Mussolini as Italian Prime Minister.

In 10 years, Mussolini established a fascist regime. In order to encourage the morale of the Italian people, Mussolini proposed the slogan of "restore the glory of Rome". Therefore, Minister Chamberlain suspected that if Mussolini had learned of the proposal made by France

, he would probably immediately express his support. Because obtaining the same share of the tonnage of the main naval ships as Britain is undoubtedly a proof of Italy's resumption of Roman glory.

The Italian Foreign Minister who heard the French Foreign Minister's speech immediately widened his eyes, and his small and round eyes were full of surprise. Originally, the Italian Foreign Minister wanted to take advantage of the troubled waters by setting obstacles for France, but he didn't expect France to

The Foreign Minister directly suggested that the tonnage of the naval battleships of Italy, which is equivalent to the other five countries, was not France's concession, but to talk about this topic to death!

Although the Italian Foreign Minister failed to answer immediately, he chose not to speak for the time being. Although the bottom line of France's negotiations cannot be determined, the Italian Foreign Minister has basically confirmed that France had discussed the meeting before attending the London Naval Equipment Conference.

Lack of sincerity.

The daytime meeting was not very long. At around 3:00 pm, the smog sky in London was like in the evening. British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain sat in the comfortable room of the hotel with Italian Foreign Minister and chatted. Next to the warm fireplace

Secretary Chamberlain spoke in a very relaxed tone, "If France withdraws from the agreement to restrict naval equipment, what will the Italian government react?"

The Italian Foreign Minister sighed, "If something like that happens, we can only withdraw from the equipment agreement."

Secretary Chamberlain felt that the Italian Foreign Minister was frank, and that Secretary Chamberlain could understand Italy's reaction very well. So his topic turned to another aspect, "I see that Italy has many opinions on China's trade policy, but I don't know that Italy has it.

Any further plans?”

The Italian Foreign Minister was a little alert. In Europe, "further plans" have a wide range of meanings. In interactions with non-European countries, further plans are often closer to fierce conflicts. The Italian Foreign Minister simply replied readily

: "We do not think that we can obtain the same trade status as France at this stage. Under such a situation, Italy feels that trade with China is still within acceptable limits."

Minister Chamberlain felt a little disdainful of the Italians. Such a second-rate country, even a third-rate country, actually wanted to obtain the same trade status as France, which means that Italy actually wanted to obtain the same world trade status as Britain. This is true

I thought too much.

But this must not be said, and Chamberlain smiled and said, "If Italy is willing to join the pound group, our British Empire will welcome it very much."

The Italian Foreign Minister did not answer the invitation. If he joined the pound group, it means that Italy would use pound as its foreign exchange reserves, and its economy would be restricted by the UK from then on. What Italy is looking forward to at this stage is economic expansion, not from now on.

Become a little brother in the UK.

After chatting for a while, both sides found that the common point between the two countries was only dissatisfaction with France. In addition to this, the conflict between Britain and Italy still far exceeded cooperation. Since this is the case, both sides would say goodbye politely.

It was already 5:30 pm. The Italian Foreign Minister first returned to the hotel where his delegation was staying and quickly left the hotel. In the dark night, it went to a hotel. This is a Chinese hotel with a decoration style of

Chinese elegant style. As soon as the Italian Foreign Minister put away his wet umbrella, a waiter came to lead the way. The group went straight to the private room. After the private room was opened, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Shiguang was sitting inside.

This time, the Italian Foreign Minister was still very frank, and both sides did not chat first like the British. After drinking half a cup of hot tea, the Italian Foreign Minister immediately asked: "We in Italy have the most creative warship designers in the world, and many worlds

The new warships were all completed by Italian designers.”

Li Shiguang nodded, "I have heard of it. We really appreciate the genius ideas of Italian experts like a wild and genius."

Listening to Li Shiguang affirming the ability of Italian designers, the Italian Foreign Minister seized the opportunity and tentatively said: "If Italy cooperates with China and jointly develop the next generation of naval main ships, I think it is very beneficial to both countries. Our designers believe that

The areas where the main ships needed by China are the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the natural environment of these two oceans is completely different from the Atlantic Ocean. France's design may not be targeted enough."

After saying that, the Italian Foreign Minister looked at Li Shiguang with some expectations in his heart. He saw Li Shiguang shook his head, "We China have decided to design and produce future naval equipment by ourselves. We are very grateful for Italy's kindness, but we can't do anything with

Italy cooperation.”

Although a little disappointed, the Italian Foreign Minister knew that China was quite sincere, so he asked the next question, "If France withdrew from the London Naval Equipment Conference, will China choose to withdraw?"

"The main purpose of China's participation in this meeting is to understand the design parameters of the main ships of major countries in the world. As for whether China will participate, it also depends on whether the design of these treaty battleships can meet China's needs. If we think about it

The difference is too far, so China can only negotiate with other countries on naval tonnage."

Listening to Li Shiguang's frank answer, the Italian Foreign Minister immediately asked: "Minister Li. What do you think France really hopes?"

Li Shiguang smiled politely because he felt that the Italians were really as thief as described in the investigation. He picked up the teacup and poured tea for both parties. Li Shiguang recalled in his heart that the central government was sending Li Shiguang.

An assessment of Italy before attending the meeting.

Economically, Italy lacks raw materials and markets. With such natural endowment, the total output value of Italy's industrial and agricultural industry was half that of France in 1928, which is enough to prove that the Italians work very hard, but this is also the upper limit of Italy.

France's GDP three years ago was about two-thirds of that of Britain. Building a navy of the same size as Britain was heavy economic pressure on France. Three years later, France's GDP is now

More than the UK, just a 5% commission that can earn every year of nearly 200 billion francs is enough to build a fleet comparable to that of the UK. France has obviously made a decision that if the London Naval Equipment Conference cannot meet France's requirements

, France is likely to choose to withdraw from the conference and develop its own navy.

In 1931, Italy's total industrial and agricultural output value was less than one-third of France, and the population of the two countries was basically the same. Italy no longer had to consider competing with France economically. Now the various contents proposed by the Italian Foreign Minister are all about diplomacy.

Means to enhance Italy's status.

Since the Italians are so thrifty, Li Shiguang believes that Italy can play the role of jumping up and down in this meeting. After drinking the second cup of tea, Li Shiguang said: "The French hope to obtain a stable trade route to East Asia to ensure that

Trade with China. I wonder what Italy thinks about such trade?”

The Italian Foreign Minister did not expect that Li Shiguang actually mentioned this very important topic for Italy, and his attitude immediately became cautious. After thinking for a moment, the Italian Foreign Minister smiled and said, "Does China support Italy to have the same naval tonnage as Britain and France?"

"I think France may support it," Li Shiguang advised.

After all, the Italian Foreign Minister is not a dry meal. When he hears this, he understands that Li Shiguang is uneasy. Italy is located in the central Mediterranean. From Western Europe to Asia, you have to pass near Italy. The ideal method for Italy is to influence this route.

As other bargaining chips, however, this is the 'most ideal' plan. Neither Britain nor France want Italy to have such capabilities, and Italy does not have the ability to cut off the Mediterranean route in peacetime.

If you want to gain other people's frankness, you have to show enough frankness. The Italian Foreign Minister said his thoughts, "Minister Li, we just think that the naval tonnage division proposed by France was not reasonable. Italy maintained a ratio of 1.75.

It's the most suitable one."

Li Shiguang nodded and replied frankly: "I think Italy can ask for a ratio of 3. That is, Britain, France, and the United States have a ratio of 5. China, Japan, and Italy have a ratio of 3."

The Italian Foreign Minister had a thought. China and Japan have begun military integration at this stage. Navy generals such as Yamamoto Isori and others from the Japanese Navy took up teaching positions at the China Naval Academy and Naval Academy. Xu Cheng, former Chinese Defense Minister

Feng served as president of the Japanese Army University, and Zhou Yinshan, former president of the National Defense University of China, served as vice president of the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer School.

If China and Japan can get a ratio of 3, the total tonnage of the two countries will be 6, which is more than the separate naval tonnage of any of the three countries, Britain, France and the United States. This is a huge benefit for East Asia.

.

With Italy's current economy, if the Mussolini government saves money, even if it cannot produce a 300,000-ton naval battleship, it will be much different, and it is within a fully acceptable range. If it is really owned by the six countries proposed by France.

With the same naval tonnage, Italy cannot create a battleship with the same tonnage as the United Kingdom, but it is just a joke.

Moreover, the attitude that France has expressed has proved that France does not care at all about the London Naval Equipment Conference and is likely to withdraw from the agreement. For Italy, it is necessary to make this conference successful. Help Britain keep France at the London Naval Military Conference.

On the other hand, it is possible to sell face to the UK. Italy can conduct a certain amount of transactions with the UK. For example, the Mussolini government is considering invading Ethiopia, and it is possible that the transaction will be used to obtain support from Britain and France during this meeting.

Thinking of this, the Italian Foreign Minister confirmed again, "Does China really only want to get a ratio of 3?"

Li Shiguang smiled and said, "Haha, even if China builds three 35,000-ton battleships in the next few years, it will be insignificant compared to the naval powers of various countries. So China has not yet decided to join the Navy Treaty."

When the Italian Foreign Minister heard this, he also smiled understanding. Compared with China's current economic strength, beautifying the tonnage of the Chinese Navy by 10 times can only be called "there are some ships". Since the Chinese Foreign Minister is so polite

, China should be made more valuable to Italy. What the Italian Foreign Minister is thinking about is how to use France to exchange benefits from the British, and more importantly, use China to exchange benefits from France and Britain.

When the Italians had diplomatic ideas, they would work very hard. At the meeting the next day, Italy expressed its attitude toward, "The Navy Treaty ensures peace in the world, and countries must not withdraw! And there is reason to invite

China joins!"

When British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain (brother), he immediately became interested when he heard this. Just as he was about to listen carefully to the Italian Foreign Minister's explanation, the Italian Foreign Minister said: "This is what Italy thinks." After that, Secretary Chamberlain

I saw the Italian Foreign Minister sitting back on his chair and ending his speech.

Now Britain, France and the United States were both surprised. They couldn't figure out what the Italian Foreign Minister wanted to do. Even the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs was very surprised and didn't know what the Italian gourd was sold.

Li Shiguang laughed in his heart and gave good comments on Italy's diplomatic ability. At this time, if Italy made a long comment, it would be seen through the trump card. Instead, it would be so clear that it would be so directed and clear, but it would not be published anymore.

The view gives Italy the greatest space.

As long as some countries make decisions that differ from Italy during the next meeting and discussion, Italy will be brought to help by relevant countries. At that time, Italy will be able to propose its conditions for exchange.

However, being able to make such a judgment requires sufficient strength and political determination. It is not in line with the image of both the rat given by the Italians. Li Shiguang remembered He Rui's view of Italy, "No matter what,"

After all, Italy is also a cultured country. The Roman era was a wave of cultural construction. During the Mongolian expedition to the West, it also imported a wave of more advanced Chinese culture to Italy, so Italy would not make big mistakes when taking the team.

.”

Li Shiguang felt that Italy would not really lose its chain at a critical moment, and would not force it to make a fuss when it was time to be timid.

At this time, Italy had expressed its views, and China and Japan had no intention of making a strong move. The meeting soon returned to the debate track between Britain, France and the United States. Li Shiguang looked at the three countries with verbal confrontation and felt a little disappointed. If it weren't for the country,

If it is to look at the currency, the pound, franc and the US dollar are in a fierce struggle at the London Naval Equipment Conference. As the US dollar is now facing setbacks, the US dollar's attitude is relatively weaker than the pound and francs.

In the Chinese Yuan, the Japanese Yen is waiting for opportunities, with the purpose of ensuring the stability of these two currencies and not in a hurry to jump into the battle group. As for the more weak Italian lira, it is different from the other five currencies. If the other five currencies are forced, they are forced to do so.

I was anxious and turned the table over and left. But the interests of the Italian Lira can only be realized in this meeting, so Lira is the one who really doesn't want to turn the table over and leave.
Chapter completed!