The sun is scorching in the midsummer of the capital, and the summer is even more scorching. Therefore, every family's courtyard will set up a pergola in early summer. This pergola is more than meter taller than the courtyard wall, with only fir, bamboo poles and ropes. It is covered with reed mats. For lighting and breathability, a skylight is also opened in the middle. Under such a light "roof", there is a huge goldfish tank. This is not glass, but a giant old tiled basin with a diameter of more than three feet. The outside of the basin is filled with rings, the moss and lotus flowers in the basin are green, and the lotus fragrance is refreshing, and the fish and water blend, making people feel cool.

Pomegranates are indispensable in the pergola, fish tank, and yard. In the hot summer, the yard is covered with a pergola and a fish tank is placed in the courtyard. The fire-like grenade flowers sway slowly in the breeze, with the fragrance of flowers, and the red fish on the side are connected, and the green water is cool. Even without air conditioning, it looks extremely comfortable and does not know the heat.

On the 21st of the Chinese calendar, the day after the German delegation signed an armistice treaty in a train carriage at Edamp Railway Station, a telegram inviting China and Japan to participate in the Paris Peace Conference was sent to the Far East. Logically, the head of state would not participate in such a peace conference. Only President Wilson, who was passionate about building a new world, insisted on going to Europe despite domestic obstructions, and Britain and France were both cabinet prime ministers to attend the meeting. But the situation in China was a little different. According to the constitution, the head of state was Zhu Kuan-chul, but according to the rights, the head of state was Yang Rui. Therefore, in the debate about who was the head of state of Greater China, Britain and Italy under the monarchy had the upper hand. When Wilson was preparing to go to Europe, the three countries invited Yang Rui to Europe to attend the peace conference.

China's key interests are all in Asia, and the interests involving overseas Chinese are spread throughout the Americas. At the same time, China's market for high-end industrial products is all over the world. To analyze these three layers of interests, specifically, the unfinished new contract negotiations with the United States need to be discussed at the Paris Peace Conference; China's interests in northern Persia need to be recognized by all countries; the personal rights and fair treatment of overseas Chinese need to be truly promised by all countries; Chinese goods need to be most favored by all countries, or equivalent treatment. If China's own country is added to the two countries, it means that the Chinese, Japan and North Korea's overseas Chinese must be treated fairly in all countries; the Chinese, Japan and North Korea's products need to be most favored by all countries, or equivalent treatment.

The matter of North Korea is entirely represented by China, and there is basically no need to discuss the two. Anyway, it is the consensus of the monarch and ministers of the Korean people to tie down China to death. With Japan, although China and Japan have the same attitude towards Russia, coal-steel joint ventures and shipbuilding cooperation have tangled the heavy industries of the two countries, and the New Japan has its own interests in Japan. The royal family, warlords, and chaebols. These three forces each have their own demands. At present, the army and the royal family are tied together, the navy and chaebols are closer, and the people in the diplomatic circle are basically internationalists. Therefore, there are many messy things.

Under the awning and beside the fish tank, Ambassador to China, Ji Chongro, will return to China next month to be promoted. On the first day of July, Yang Rui actually invited him to the house for a banquet, and then enjoyed the cool air in the backyard of the home. This made him frightened. Even though there were a few children in the yard playing, he could still hear his heartbeat from time to time.

"Oh..., it turns out that your country is Lord Xiyuanji, go there, haha. Old friend." When the Japanese heard that the head of the delegation was King Xiyuanji, Yang Rui immediately smiled. He knew very well that this Japanese nobleman was more kind, and his resume and education made him look more like a British rather than a Japanese.

"Originally, the Prime Minister of My Country, Mr. Matsukaya, also wanted to go there, but considering that Mr. Matsukaya was old and weak, Mr. Nishizoji served as the plenipotentiary representative of the government." said Kitisho Tohara, with a sense of knowing everything and saying everything.

"That's good. China is invited by various countries, so it is my tentatively. If your country's Supreme Lord Xiyuan Temple does not object, then it is more important to us, oh. By the way, there is also North Korea. Let's take a cruise together with our three countries. It's easy to discuss anything if there is anything." Yang Rui said with a smile. In history, Japan took China together. Later, the United States intercepted it; now, China took Japan together. Although Yang Rui was not very clear about what happened in history, when he made this suggestion, he couldn't help but think in his heart: 'Damn it, come to my bowl soon.'

To charter a boat with China means that China and Japan are wearing a pair of pants. Foreign policies are no different. Although the two countries have already worn half of pants, Japan's attitude is still a little reserved like a slut, especially when the Japanese-British alliance has not yet expired. Toyhara Kishiro knew the attitude of the people in China, so he felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. He said, "Your Excellency, I will definitely convey your kindness to the country and urge the Chinese and Japanese ships to go together."

It is no wonder that Kitisho Toyhara answered Yang Rui like this. He is just an ambassador to China and can only be regarded as a second-tier figure in Japanese politics. What Yang Rui really cares about is what the Japanese are paying attention to this time. For China and Japan, except for the matter between the New Testament of the United States, Japan has little interest in the matter of expatriates.

Unlike China's special overseas Chinese MPs, Japan only sells women and major chaebols overseas. The interests of chaebols are guaranteed by the Japanese government, but how indecent it is to sell women? Protecting overseas Chinese for a few women is simply a shame to the emperor; if China does not protect overseas Chinese, it is impossible to say anything about any angle. Just talking about Yang Rui and Cheng Wu's origins, foreigners cannot bully overseas Chinese, otherwise they will forget their roots.

After talking about the embarrassment of going to Europe with the same boat, Yang Rui, who was silent for a while, asked again, "What are your plans for going to Europe this time?"

When Yang Rui asked, Biyuan was stunned and proudly said: "In this European war, the yellow races contributed a lot. Not to mention China and Japan, just say that there were many Indian soldiers in the British expeditionary force and many Indochina soldiers in the French army. This means that from a race perspective, the yellow races are crucial to the Allies' victory in the war. Our country hopes that countries around the world can no longer discriminate against the yellow races and give equal treatment."

"This proposal coincides with us!" Yang Rui fanned the fan and said excitedly, "Mr. Xie, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of my country, also felt the same. He mentioned a word called 'equality of race'. Some people concluded that this would be opposed by European and American countries, so... Now the world is a completely white world, America is theirs, and even half of Asia is theirs. He admitted that as long as the guests are average, everyone can treat each other equally, but this is not recognized by them, which makes people puzzled. The Allies have to rely on us yellow people to rescue them. Otherwise, he will fail, but after the solution, he turned against others. It is simply a matter of destroying the bridge."

The domestic conference requires all countries to give equal treatment to yellow people, which is to use this as a threat. It is legitimate to obtain the German Pacific colony, especially German New Guinea. It is reported that Australia wants to annex this place. But now seeing Yang Rui looking at the equality of races, Kittori Kitawa has a different mind. However, while he was still thinking, at the press conference of the Prime Minister's Office on July 3, the spokesperson claimed to the outside world that China went to Europe to participate in the Paris Peace Treaty not only for the benefit of one country, but for the benefit of the whole world, because China only had one proposal for this meeting, that is, the case of ethics equality.

Japan also prepared the so-called racial equality case, but this is just a tool of threat; China's racial equality case integrates the negotiations between China and the United States, the rights and interests of overseas Chinese, and the treatment of Chinese goods. As for the remaining Central Asia, the rights and interests of the northeastern territorial rights of the foreign countries, it is for the time being; but this has signed a peace treaty with Russia. From the signing of the peace treaty last year to aid food and food supplies, the Kolchak government has declined. It is a matter of time before the defeat; Baku in the south has also been recaptured, and only Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and the Black Sea coastal areas are still under the control of the Allies under the control of the Allies. Krasnov, a general of the Don River, quickly leaned towards the Allies after losing Germany's support.

Today, if the Allies transfer millions of troops from Europe to support the White Army, it is possible to help the Russian provisional government restore the Russian Provisional Government, but the Allies will not end in person. Britain and France are disabled, and no matter how righteous Wilson is, he cannot convince the domestic people and let the US military fight an interference war in the snow and ice, so territory is not a big problem.

The press conference was just a leak, but the Prime Minister's Office was dealing with other things. At the regular ministerial meeting on the third day of July, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were the protagonists. The Ministry of Revenue cares about two things, one is the handling of the merchant fleet; the other is the redemption of Russian gold; while the Ministry of Works was anxious about how to rebuild diplomatic relations with Germany to implement the industrial plan.

The handling of the merchant fleet is a big problem. Apart from the sinking part, China currently has 4.8 million tons of merchant ships, and after the truce commissioned by Japan, there are more than 3.1 million tons left. Nearly 8 million tons of merchant ships, the best way to sell them is to sell them. Japan needs one million tons of them, while the British need them all. It’s just this price…

At least, the Japanese gave a moderate price of 300 Huayuan per ton to make money together. After examining the quality of standard ships, the British were only willing to pay an ultra-low price of 180 Huayuan. This is because merchant ships were still in short supply after the war, especially when British ocean ships were in short supply, if there was no hurry, no one would want such garbage ships. The price of 180 Huayuan per ton was relatively normal before the war, but the price of marine steel plates rose to 500 Huayuan per ton, which means that steel alone costs 200 to 250 Huayuan per ton. The labor price of shipbuilding during the war was originally expensive, and 500 Huayuan per ton was a conscientious price. For example, the United States, some ships cost as much as 400 US dollars per ton.

Although the 500 Huayuan ship is second-hand, it cannot be sold for 180 Huayuan, so it has been hesitant since the negotiations between the Ministry of Revenue and the British. Generally speaking, merchant ships around the world are not saturated, but China has too many, because there is not such a large commercial network and shipping terminal. After losing excess profits, the 8 million tons of merchant ship cannot be used in China's hands.

"One hundred and eighty tons are really too low!" Yang Rui knew that the Ministry of Revenue began to negotiate merchant ship deals with Britain at the beginning of this year, but China has always requested post-war delivery, which made the British so angry that they were itchy. "This is all diesel engine ships. Even if the hulls are not good, will it be the same as a normal merchant ship when the time comes to change a shell? It is still fuel-efficient than a steam ship."

"We keep saying that merchant ships are just rough hulls and craftsmanship, but their motivation is first-class. However, after adding thirty yuan per ton, they will not add up any more, not two hundred yuan." Yu Huizu shook his head, "That's how to calculate, each ton of 120 yuan is lost, and five million tons is 600 million yuan, which is half of the tax revenue this year." Yu Huizu shook his head, and he looked at Xie Zhangtai and Yang Rui again, and said with some expectations: "Will the international situation in the future be repeated? Didn't the Allies say that they would launch troops against Russia? Should they use ships at that time? When would this merchant ship be the most suitable?"

"Now is the time. The faster you sell, the better, even if the price is lower." Yang Rui didn't want to argue with the British. Although American merchant ships are still launched, more than 10 million tons of merchant ships on his side are under great pressure on the UK.

"Can't we keep it for our own use?" After Sheng Xuanhuai's death, Yan Deqing, who was appointed as the Minister of Fortune the Year before, asked.

"We have no trading companies, no colonies, no docks, no military bases, and financial networks are not spread all over the world. There are also navies, either..." Du Yaquan, the Minister of Commerce, said: "Merchant ships are only a small part of the world's trading system. The current trade network is in the hands of the British. Even if we and the Americans have built so many ships, as long as Britain converts those military docks into civilians after the war, his ships will still eliminate our ships. This is why the British are not in a hurry.

The reason why our standard ship is more attractive than American merchant ships is that the UK has no money after fighting. Although the standard ship is not durable, it is cheap. In two or three years, British ship owners can use the money they earn to exchange for a hull at the shipyard. This is equivalent to installment payment. The Americans don’t say they don’t want to buy it now, and even the selling price is not low. Theirs are good ships that can be used for more than ten years.”

"One hundred and eight hundred. Can you add one? When buying it, the British paid two hundred Huayuan, of which twenty Huayuan was placed at HSBC, and the interest belonged to the British ship owner; a few years later, when they changed the hull, the shipyard changed it, and the twenty Huayuan was deducted from the ship price." Xu Huafeng wanted to peel two cows from a cow. He added such a piece.

"I have proposed a similar plan, but the British said they refused." The Ministry of Revenue has long been able to peel the kung fu for two pieces of cowhide, and the British are even more experienced. After Yu Huizu said, "I thought about all the ways I can think of, but those British people didn't get in. They just said that they would consider the comprehensive consideration of changing the boat, and we don't need to give special discounts."

"Don't worry, I'd better sell it earlier." Although the price is low, the time has come, so no matter how you find a way, you should not face the situation. After Yang Rui said that, he didn't want to discuss the sale of the ship again, and asked, "Is the gold from Kolchak staring at? Will it be taken out to the Allies?"

"Kolchak has been surrounded. As long as gold passes through our country, it will definitely be cut off." When it comes to gold, Yu Huizu immediately changed his slump, his eyes just shining. All the gold in the Russian treasury is in the hands of Kolchak. If this gold can be stored in the treasury, then the country will be truly rich. "But what should Red Russia do? They already know this batch of gold and want to use these gold as reserves to distribute new rubles,"

"Anyway, 150 tons of gold are only 100 million US dollars, even 1500 tons, only 100 billion US dollars. We have so many banknotes now, it would be better to exchange them for gold." Yang Rui said again. "Our financial strategy is to try every means to save more gold in the treasury. Now these more than 100 tons are too small. Paper money will depreciate and goods will lose their price, but gold has remained strong for thousands of years. Isn't it better to buy gold with foreign exchange and then spend Huayuan, which uses these gold as reserves? Find ways to get more gold from abroad and gold mines. We must increase at least 100 tons of gold every year without moving folk gold."

There are many people and some things that are hard to say. If Kolchak's gold transits from China, it must be sold to China. Whether it is the Czech or the Russians, they can only transit with various banknotes, and the gold must be kept; while the Bolsheviks want to issue new rubles, it does not have to be a gold standard. The gold exchange standard with pounds and US dollars as reserves is still feasible. In this way, China can still acquire Bolsheviks gold and Russian gold at a higher market price. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks were doing the matter of selling gold;

Finally, there is the gold-grabbing team sent by the Intelligence Bureau. If you really can get back gold, you will make a fortune silently and be happy secretly. In the era of gold standard, gold is the core of the currency and the guarantee of the strong currency. In the Ministry of Revenue’s plan, it will be integrated with Japan’s currency in ten years, that is, issuing Asian dollars. If China does not have gold with absolute quantity advantages as support, Asian banks will not be able to suppress the Japanese and will not be able to obtain complete control.

Two matters about the Ministry of Revenue were briefly discussed, and the next thing was the Ministry of Works. Seeing discussing his own affairs, Xu Huafeng said immediately: "The situation in Germany is very bad now. After a few years of mangle green, only tree bark is left. Since the war has been truce, can we support a batch of German food? No matter how the peace agreement is signed, how much compensation is paid, and how much land is ceased, we have to save people first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Yaquan said, "Mr. Huafeng, the contract has not been signed, and the British have blocked the North Sea. Even if we transported food, we would not be able to deliver it to Germany."

"Ah! Still blocking?" Xu Huafeng didn't know this was the case, so he looked at Yang Rui helplessly. It would be better to give timely help than to add icing on the cake. Now people in Germany starve to death every day. If they really want to send food in, they will never forget the Germans.

Xu Huafeng had long been talking about helping Germany. Seeing that he seemed, Yang Rui had to say: "There is only one way now. It is to use a submarine to drill through the North Atlantic blockade line and transport grain to Germany, but this is not much transported, plus we built ourselves. The navy has only twelve transport submarines, and twelve can only transport 5,000 tons at a time. This is simply a drop in the bucket."

Thinking of the complexity of the matter, Yang Rui shook his head like a sour orange, "This matter is really difficult. If you transport it like this, the food that costs 50 yuan per meal will probably turn into 200 yuan."

"Two hundred means two hundred. Not to mention one million tons of grain, two hundred thousand tons can save many people." Xu Huafeng insisted: "If you think of a solution, you can think of a solution. Our industrial work depends on the Germans to build it. Now is a good time to recruit talents. The value of these two hundred thousand tons of grain is more precious than 20 million tons on weekdays."

Xu Huafeng pointed out the key point, and the lighter that Yang Rui was using was turned off again. He said, "It's really so important?"

"Of course it is important. Not to mention the chaos in Germany now, famine is everywhere, workers are in revolution, factories are shut down, and those technicians are in panic all day long. We transported food in, talents, technology, and drawings, and there is nothing better than this. The 200,000 tons of grain is only a lot of money. Even if it is 200,000 yuan per ton, it is only 40 million yuan. How much can 40 million be exchanged for 40 million yuan?" After Xu Huafeng said that, he took out a list and said: "It is absolutely impossible to find people according to this list!"

The Ministry of Works has really prepared. The first category on the list is the universities in various countries in Germany, marked as free aid; the second category is the backbone factories, shipyards, and research institutes, marked as key follow-up. Obviously, this not only requires giving favors to German universities, but also needs to seize all the valuable things in Germany in one place while taking advantage of the German famine.

Seeing this list, the regular meeting ended after a simple handling of other things. However, Xu Huafeng stayed. In addition, Zhang Shi from the Intelligence Bureau was also called over.

"Can you transport food into Germany?" Before Zhang Shi sat down, Yang Rui asked.

"Yes!" Zhang Shi turned his eyes for a while, looked straight to the right for a long time before giving a word.

"Tell me your solution." Yang Rui continued to ask in Xu Huafeng's smile.

"If the quantity is not too large, for example, tens of thousands of tons, it can be transported directly from the defense line of the Expeditionary Force." Zhang Shi's method was so simple, which was unexpected.

"Oh..." Yang Rui nodded after being surprised. This was indeed a solution, and it was ready-made. Just lay the railway tracks on dozens of kilometers between the Expeditionary Force's defense line and the German defense line. "But this is likely to be known to the French."

"There are many trucks in the Expeditionary Force. At any mountain pass of Lorraine and Alsace, the trucks can pass by the grain as long as they can pass. As long as they arrive at the railway line or the Rhine, no one knows where the grain comes from." Zhang Shi said. "This method is that the quantity cannot be too large. Based on the supply of the Expeditionary Force, there must be no problem with 20,000 tonnes per month."

"What if it's hundreds of thousands or millions of tons?" Yang Rui asked again. While waiting for Zhang Shi just now, he found that the blockade against Germany must last until the signing of the contract, and the signing of the contract will take at least half a year or even longer. In history, Germany finally signed the treaty in July 1919, and the armistice was in November 1918, with eight months in between. Now it's the truce in July, and considering that it will be winter in a few months... It's a real opportunity.

"We can only ask for help from Russia." Zhang Shi said. "The food we assisted Russia has been transported to Moscow. Because at that time, the railway was transferred from Orenburg to Kazan, the waterway from the Caspian Sea to Nizhny Novgorod, and the port and stations were all transformed so that it could be used for container transportation."

"But in reality, Russia and Poland are going to war." It is a road from Russia, but Poland is blocked, so Yang Rui is in trouble again.

"We can transport the food to Petersburg and then from Petersburg to Germany. This does not require our merchant ships, Germany has its own ships." Zhang Shi said.

"What should I do if I keep it secret? Who is better?" The solution was indeed one. Yang Rui was worried that the Allies would learn about it. It was not considered for transporting grain from France, but it was much more stable to go to Russia.
Chapter completed!