The sun never sets

There was little coverage of the war in Central Asia in China, as if no one cared about the situation there, but that was only an appearance. In fact, the Central Committee and the Military Commission attached great importance to the war in Central Asia and wanted to understand the current combat effectiveness of the British and Russian armies through this war in order to adjust the country's foreign policy.

The General Staff built a huge sand table around Mashhad, updated the deployment of enemy and friendly forces in real time, and carefully reviewed and deduced the battle process many times. The final conclusion was: the People's Army still had tactical and morale advantages, the British artillery and rifles were of good quality, and the Russian military reforms were not as useful as originally thought. In addition, Central Asia was not suitable for large-scale combat, which was true for Russia and Britain, and also for China.

Li Dayan had won a great victory, but that was all. He had no way to expand his victory. According to the deduction of the General Staff, the combat effectiveness of the army would drop rapidly after leaving the railway line for 100 miles. The German General Staff believed that it was best not to leave the railway line for more than 50 miles. How could Li Dayan's troops be more than 100 miles away from the railway line?

The British had ports, and the Russians had railways connected to nearby Turkmenistan. They were able to replenish their troops and obtain ammunition supplies much faster than Li Dayan's troops who could only swing their legs. When Li Dayan led his troops to the outskirts of Tehran, the Central Military Commission was worried about him. Fighting in Tehran was completely different from fighting in Mashhad. If a fight really broke out, Li Dayan's troops would probably suffer more than half of their casualties.

Fortunately, the result was not bad. Li Dayan extorted a large sum of money and evacuated Tehran. Because only Iranians were injured, Britain and Russia tacitly accepted the fact that Li Dayan occupied eastern Iran. It is more likely that Britain and Russia found that they could not beat the Chinese and had no choice but to admit this fact. However, Britain and Russia accelerated the construction of railways in Iran and prepared to deepen their control over the area around Tehran.

Britain and Russia certainly don't want China to compete with them. Iran doesn't seem to have much oil now, but what about the future? No one can predict. And the Chinese are stretching their hands too far. Once they have established a foothold in Mashhad, won't they continue to expand westwards?

The bigwigs in London all know the story of "the camel and the hut". First the nose came in, then the head, then the whole body, and finally the original owner was driven out. This is what the British did in India. After occupying the whole of India, Britain won the crown of emperor. Because British gentlemen often do this, they are also worried that China will use the same method.

Britain strengthened its garrison in the Middle East and accelerated the process of building railways. Once the railways were completed, it would not only be easier to plunder Iran's wealth, but also easier to transport troops and weapons and ammunition. Imperialism has never been reasonable. If they can be reasonable at all, it must be because they are forced to do so. If Britain built the railway in Iran, it would definitely find a way to seize Mashhad and the entire eastern Iran.

In fact, the British have bribed many local tribes to harass and plunder the area around Mashhad. Downing Street has also funded jihad organizations in the Middle East to help Muslims fight against the evil "false prophet". Ma Yu's "liberation theology" is too harmful. The princes in the Middle East hate the British and Russians, but Ma Yu is their mortal enemy.

Heretics are always worse than pagans!

The Military Commission and the General Staff believed that the railway must be built to Mashhad in order to maintain control over Mashhad. But this was too difficult. The People's Government had just built a railway to Lanzhou. The distance from Lanzhou to Urumqi was nearly 2,000 kilometers, and the road was difficult to travel. Building a railway was more difficult than building a railway from Changchun to Urumqi.

The distance from Urumqi to Mashhad is longer and the road construction is more difficult, but it is only slightly better than the route to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Lin Yongchang also hoped to build a railway to the Middle East, but this was impossible, at least not within ten years. It was not that he did not want to, but that he really could not do it. The long distance hindered the deployment of power, which was true for Britain and Russia, and also for China.

Instead of building railways to the west, it is better to build them to Fujian, Guangxi, Yunnan and Vietnam. Fujian is surrounded by mountains, with eight mountains, one river and one field. Except for a small part of the coastal area, other places are still in a very backward state. Although the Yingxia Railway has been built, it is not enough. More railways must be built to go deep into Fujian to change the backward situation of Fujian Province.

The same is true for Guangxi and Yunnan. If the railway is not built there, the local manpower and material resources cannot be fully utilized. Even though the Western Regions Protectorate and Li Dayan and others strongly requested to build a railway to the west first, Lin Yongchang did not change his mind and insisted on connecting Henan, Hebei, Shanxi and other places with railways first, and then paving railways in Fujian, Sichuan and Guangxi in the next five-year plan.

China does not seek hegemony. Mashhad and the like were all done by Mongolia. Even if it never belonged to Iran, it would only be incorporated into Mongolia. Considering the history of the four khanates, Mongolia can also claim to have been there "since ancient times". Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and even northeastern India originally had descendants of the Benduo Turks and Mongols, so Mongolia naturally has claims to those places.

Although Lin Yongchang once again stated that China does not seek hegemony, it is obvious that Li Dayan occupied eastern Iran, and it cannot be fooled by just finding an excuse. The foreign ministries of Britain and Russia jointly put pressure on China, saying some sanctions, serious warnings, and earth-shaking words. Lu Zhengxiang repeatedly stated that China's primary goal is to feed the Chinese people and clothe them warmly, and there is no intention to dominate.

Seeing that the Chinese did not build a large ship, the British government reluctantly accepted this step. China's steel production has reached more than 5 million tons per year. If it joins the naval arms race, the situation will become even worse. Even if China only builds one dreadnought, it will be a big trouble for the current British Empire. Britain's focus has always been in Europe, and it is impossible for it to deploy the main force of the navy to the Far East for a long time.

Japan alone is already a headache, and if China is added, the strategic pattern of the Far East will be completely different. Although the British government also knows that this is a short-term solution, and China will be a bigger problem after economic development. But that is a matter for the future after all. For the British Empire, the most important thing at present is to deal with the challenge of Germany.

Chapter 522 Selection

In the second half of 1907, nothing major seemed to be happening in the world. The war in Iran was glamorously ignored by the whole world. Tens of thousands of people died in Central Asia and West Asia, but British gentlemen would not care, and people in other countries did not care much either.

Germany was working hard to expand its navy, but the British were building ships faster than Germany. To this end, Count Tirpitz formulated a second naval expansion plan, which was quickly approved. In order to respond to the German naval expansion plan, Britain also updated its own shipbuilding plan. The British Navy Minister declared that "for every battleship Germany built, Britain will build two!"

First Sea Lord Fisher developed a very radical plan. He planned to build 10 to 15 warships specifically for the Baltic Sea, as well as a large number of transport ships and landing ships. If a war broke out with Germany, the British Royal Navy would join the Russian Navy and then land in the Baltic Sea to destroy Germany's Ruhr industrial area.

Regardless of the fact that this plan was too fanciful, Fisher was still very innovative. A long time ago, Fisher preached that Britain must change the current situation of using coal as a power fuel for the navy and should use new oil fuel. He insisted that in the future competition for control of the ocean, oil as a power fuel would bring Britain a decisive strategic advantage.

He cited a lot of facts. Warships powered by oil have no black smoke and will not expose their targets, while coal-fired warships drag long smoke tails that can be seen ten kilometers away. It takes 4 to 9 hours for a coal-fired power plant to reach its maximum horsepower, while it only takes 5 minutes for an oil-fired power plant to reach its maximum horsepower. It only takes 12 people 12 hours to provide oil to a warship, while it takes 500 people 5 days to provide the same amount of energy from coal.

To achieve the same horsepower thrust, the oil engine only needs 1/3 of the work of the coal engine, and the daily consumption is only 1/4 of the coal, which is very critical for a fleet, whether it is a merchant fleet or a naval fleet. The operating radius of a fleet powered by oil is about four times that of a fleet powered by coal.

Fisher created a new type of torpedo destroyer, the forerunner of future destroyers, to counter the increasingly severe new threats caused by the birth and popularization of torpedo weapons, and broke the French plan to control the English Channel with large-scale light torpedo ships. He also proposed the concept of "all-heavy gun armored battleship", that is, "dreadnought", and later came up with the "battlecruiser".

It is hard to imagine that Fisher is already in his sixties, given his innovative spirit.

But First Lord of the Admiralty John Abastenau Fisher broke this stereotype. He was energetic and made extensive explorations in various fields of the navy, emphasizing firepower and speed, and won a lot of honors and criticisms for this principle.

The problem with the German Navy was that it was too conservative and always followed the British Navy. The problem with Fisher was that he was too innovative. When landing in the Baltic Sea, the top leaders of the British Navy and Army were dumbfounded by the plan and thought that the First Sea Lord was too old and had lost his mind.

If the British Army could defeat the Germans, why would they need to land? They could just start from France and march all the way to Berlin. If the British Army could not defeat the National Army - well, this is a fact, not an "if" - the German railway network is much denser than that of the British and French, and the Germans can mobilize faster than the British and French. Wouldn't it be like throwing meat buns at dogs if they landed rashly?

Although they thought Fisher's plan was unreliable, the British still made corresponding plans. There have always been many "operation plans", some true and some false, and most of them are waste paper. Only one or two useful ones are enough. The Germans released the "Schlieffen Plan", and the British thought it was fake, so they also put forward many fake plans. One more plan would not matter.

Although the relationship between Britain and Germany has deteriorated and a war almost broke out between the Allies and the Central Powers, the British still invited Germany to participate in the Olympics next year. The ruling classes of Britain and Germany have understood that war is inevitable, but many people still think that war is a distant thing. There has not been a major war in Europe for decades. After the Franco-Prussian War, Europe entered a rare peace. Even if there are conflicts and disputes between the great powers, they are all far away from Europe.

Will war break out in Europe? No way? No one really believes it, right? The rulers of various countries, the emperors and queens, are all relatives. Will relatives fight each other?

Many people hold the idea that Europe will always be the center of civilization and the center of the world, and the light of European civilization will always shine on the world. For the British, this center is in Britain, in London. The British government took over the Olympics to show its strength. They invited a total of 28 countries to participate in the Olympics, including Finland, Ottoman Turkey, New Zealand, China, Japan, North Korea, Ryukyu, Siberia and Mongolia, which were all participating for the first time.

In order to participate in the Olympics next year, the People's Government held a selection among the military. If civilians thought they were very capable, they could also sign up at their own expense. Lin Yongchang didn't care much about the Olympics. He didn't think winning a few more gold medals had any practical significance, so he didn't pay much attention to this matter. He just circled eight events and asked the military to select eight comrades to participate casually.

Since Chairman Lin has this attitude, the government staff will not take it seriously. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to use this opportunity to promote it internationally and applied for 4 million yuan in publicity funds. After the report was submitted, it was quickly rejected.

The Prime Minister's Office said that in principle it had no objection to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducting publicity, but that no additional funds would be granted to them. If the comrades in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could find a way to obtain funds themselves, they could do whatever publicity they wanted.

In a word, no money!

The comrades in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are very resourceful. Even if the Ministry of Finance does not approve the funds, they can still get the money themselves. Funding is not a problem. If they can use this opportunity to get the central government to recognize the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' slush fund, it would be totally worth it!

The problem of slush funds exists in all departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are rumors that Chairman Lin was not very satisfied with the slush funds and thought that they were suspected of corruption. Now it seems that this is not the case.

Chapter 523 It’s Finally Here

As the number of government departments increased and their functions became more comprehensive, Lin Yongchang gradually delegated various powers. Everyone has limited time and energy. Even he can only work for 17 or 18 hours a day at most. It is impossible to work 24 hours a day.

After entering the industrial age, the social division of labor has become increasingly detailed, and specialization has become increasingly important. While developing higher education, the people's government has also opened many technical schools to train technical workers. The country needs scientists and engineers, and also needs technical workers. In some areas, a level 8 senior technical worker is like a national treasure. Of course, senior technical workers are important, and China also needs a large number of intermediate and junior technical workers.

Lin Yongchang once said in public: In China, there is only a difference in social division of labor, but no distinction between high and low occupations. Everyone is equal. Some people sang a different tune in the newspapers, "Are dung collectors and the president of the country equal?"

The man who said this had his windows broken by workers several times, and he probably felt resentful. After reading the article in Nan Fang Daily, Lin Yongchang thought he could elaborate on this issue, so he wrote an article. But just talking about the reason is not enough, no matter how much you talk, it is better to sit there in person.

Chairman Lin spent half a day working with the night soil workers in Changan. During the lunch break, he took a group photo with the workers. The next day, the photo of Chairman Lin working with the night soil workers was printed in major newspapers, along with an article written by Chairman Lin, “There is no Gao in New China.”

The distinction between high and low".

Lin Yongchang knew that he was just putting on a show, but things are all about comparison. Apart from him, other leaders of other countries would not even put on a show. When Ito Hirobumi saw the report in the newspaper, he was shocked and speechless for a long time.

"Chairman Lin..." Ito Hirobumi pondered for a long time before saying, "You are truly capable of doing what others cannot do."

Miyazaki Toranosuke sat opposite Ito Hirobumi, still looking unrestrained. Even though Ito Hirobumi was the most powerful man in Japan, he did not change his character. "Chairman Lin is certainly not an ordinary person!"

Ito Hirobumi smiled, picked up the newspaper and read it again, his brows knitted involuntarily. "............Miyazaki-kun, have you settled that matter?"

"It's been agreed. We will invest 30%, Chekov and his team will invest 30%, and China will invest 40%. We will jointly develop the oil in Sakhalin Island."

Miyazaki Toranosuke said casually, "But I think it's better to go to Southeast Asia than to dig for oil in Sakhalin. Sakhalin will be frozen for at least four months in winter, but there is no such problem in Southeast Asia. Moreover, I heard from Professor Kawanaka that the quality of Sakhalin oil is not as good as that in Brunei."

"I also know that the oil in Nanyang is of better quality, but that is the Dutch territory."

"They are just the Dutch. Are you afraid of them?" Miyazaki Toranosuke laughed. "How many warships do they have?"

"The Dutch are insignificant, but they have the British behind them. The British government has warned us many times and ordered us not to stir up trouble in Southeast Asia."

"Hmph, the British devils are busy taking care of themselves in Europe, and they are still holding on to Asia! Prime Minister, let us, the Black Dragon Society, go to Kalimantan. It's time to restore the Lan Fang Republic!"

"......." Ito Hirobumi shook his head. "We are no match for Britain now. You can do something, but it's best not to make it too big, otherwise the government will be in trouble." He was silent for a while and continued, "If someone is caught by the Dutch, the government will not recognize your identity."

Miyazaki Toranosuke frowned, "Why do you have to be so restrained?"

"There's a huge disparity in power, so we have to do this. The Royal Navy is six times as strong as ours... or more."

Miyazaki Toranosuke said firmly, "Then expand the size of the navy!"

“…The government has no money.”

Miyazaki Toranosuke suddenly lost his resolve. Lack of money is a common problem for all countries. No matter how rich a country is, it will face the dilemma of being broke. The world hegemon, Britain, often had to rely on over-issuing currency or issuing bonds to survive. The Viceroy of India faced the risk of bankruptcy again and again. The United States, the world's first industrial power, repeatedly rejected the navy's shipbuilding plan in order to save money, which led to the great defeat in Leyte Gulf. If the gentlemen in Congress had cut one less dreadnought, perhaps the tragic ending would not have happened.

Japan is definitely not as good as Britain or the United States, and it is normal for them to have no money. Miyazaki Toten frowned and thought for a long time, then said, "Since Japan's national strength is not enough to build a strong fleet to defend Asia, why not let China build a few battleships?"

"Well, that's the problem. I also want China to build a battleship, but the previous Sino-Japanese Oil Countries Agreement, China develops the army and Japan develops the navy, so as to ensure Japan's independence. If this agreement is broken, can Japan still maintain its position in ASEAN?"

"If we can't keep it, then we can't keep it. So what's the big deal? In my opinion, we should incorporate Japan into the country..." The door turned with a creaking sound, and Dajuewu Shizhen walked in.

"Prime Minister...Oh, Miyazaki-kun is here too."

"what's up?"

"The news from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs..." Daijukuya Shishin looked at Miyazaki Toranosuke, a smile on his face, but he did not continue. The latter snorted, stood up, bowed to Ito Hirobumi, then straightened up and said, "Then I will take my leave first!"

Miyazaki Toranosuke said goodbye to Daikakuya Shishin again and left the office.

Ito Hirobumi asked: "What's the matter?"

Dajuewu Shizhen handed the document over. Ito Hirobumi took it and took a look, "Did the German government pass the Second Supplementary Act to the Second Naval Act?"

"Yes, it was passed this morning... at 12: p.m. German time. Germany has increased the total number of battleships to be built from seven to in five years, and has decided to build one battlecruiser every year for the next four years."

Daijukuya Shishin said: "The new battleships added by Germany are no longer dreadnoughts, but super dreadnoughts."

"The super dreadnought...is finally here. The Germans are now able to produce 15-inch cannons?" If this were true, it would have saved Japan a lot of trouble.

"No, the Germans changed the design of the Kaiser Wilhelm class. They replaced the four twin 4-inch guns with five twin 15-inch guns."

Ito Hirobumi put on his reading glasses and looked at the document carefully. "They actually changed the design. The Germans are very powerful, but their naval strategy has problems!"

“I have been following the British

The German Navy has no real strategists!"

Chapter 524 Invitation

Mahan highly advocated the battleship decisive battle model in "The Influence of Sea Power". He believed that only by having 30% more battleships than the opponent could the enemy be destroyed in the decisive battle. John Fisher agreed with Mahan's theory. Under the promotion of him and Churchill, the British Royal Navy not only concentrated on applying new technologies such as all-heavy artillery design, steam turbine power, and oil boilers to new ships to raise the cost of catching up with Germany, but also urged Whitehall to reach a reconciliation with its old enemies France and Russia, and concentrate national defense and financial resources specifically on the German Navy.

If Britain publicly proposed the "dual-power standard", the Royal Navy could launch a preventive attack without waiting for Germany to build battleships that were 30% more than the British ones, and completely destroy this unbuilt large navy, and the German side would be unable to fight back.

In this context, Tirpitz worked hard to come up with a guiding strategy that could defeat the enemy without fighting. After several years of thinking, this strategy has basically taken shape, that is, the so-called "risk theory", also known as the "existence fleet doctrine".

Tirpitz decisively rejected the idea of competing with Britain for maritime dominance. He focused his attention on the North Sea, determined to gain a local advantage in the region that would threaten the British mainland. According to his view, under the premise that Germany built such a large navy, although the Royal Navy could still attack it and even win, the losses it suffered would make it unable to resist the challenges of France, Russia and other countries in the future, and it might lose its maritime hegemony. After weighing the pros and cons, Britain would not dare to take the risk of challenging Germany, and Berlin would be expected to influence the international situation and achieve the status of a "world power" in a peaceful way. The size of the "risk fleet" does not have to be too large, it only needs to reach 2/3 of Britain's total force in the North Sea.

It is not difficult to see that the "risk theory" was not a purely military policy from the beginning. It was more like a political spell, and the hope of success was based on psychology. Therefore, the German Navy did not use the strongest and most expensive artillery, but each level of warship could target the British Royal Navy, so the German Navy held on to its ancestral 280mm cannon.

However, this strategy, which relies entirely on the enemy's subtle psychology for its success, has more defects than advantages. The absurdity of Germany's series of strategic decisions is that in less than 10 years, it challenged the three pillars of Britain's global strategy - the colonial system, the balance of power in Europe, and maritime hegemony - at the same time, but was unable to quickly deal with one or two of them as a basis for further development.

Tirpitz originally hoped that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would cooperate in easing the relationship between Britain and Germany, so that the navy could safely pass the dangerous time window before the construction of a large navy. He never expected that German politicians would move too fast and too hasty in wooing Britain and Germany to form an alliance, which made Britain suspect that Berlin intended to restrict its freedom of action. Germany's "world policy" from 1897 to 1904 was originally a cover for the naval plan, but it gave people the impression that William II really had an ambition to fight and not give up until he achieved his goal.

After assessing the situation, the British government resolutely reached an agreement with France in 1904, exchanging control of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa for a comprehensive reconciliation between the two countries, and withdrawing some ships in the Mediterranean back to the vicinity of the mainland. After the rise of the People's Party, the British Empire chose to retreat in China, and Britain's security obligations in the Far East have also been greatly reduced. The saved resources can be used to expand naval armaments. However, Germany's plan to win over Tsarist Russia to form a continental alliance to balance Britain failed due to opposition from the Junker aristocracy and Russia's inability to break away from its financial dependence on Paris. The first assumption on which the "risk theory" relies on self-affirmation has failed.

The emergence of the "Dreadnought" was an unprecedented boon to the German Navy. The Germans finally surpassed the British in the navy for the first time and maintained this advantage for a year and a half. A year and a half later, Britain relied on its stronger shipbuilding capabilities to catch up. To put it bluntly, the "Dreadnought" was just an integration of existing technologies, just a change in concept, and there was no epoch-making advanced technology.

Germany's naval superiority lasted only a short time before it fell into trouble again. When Fisher invented the "battlecruiser", Germany went from being a naval leader to a poor imitator of the British Royal Navy.

The original intention of the British to build battlecruisers was not to send them to participate in the battle of the capital ships, but to meet the armored cruisers with inferior firepower of the great powers on the global trade routes to ensure the smooth flow of trade routes and the safety of colonies. Germany, with limited overseas interests, did not have an urgent need for this. However, Tirpitz was worried that the reconnaissance detachment (composed of armored cruisers) serving as the outpost of the German battleship force might be destroyed by this new ship, and insisted on responding. As a result, the German battlecruisers actually became a scaled-down version of battleships with flaws in both offense and defense: the speed and firepower were not as good as the same type of British warships; although the protection was strengthened, it was still unable to withstand the direct attack of the main guns of regular battleships. However, its construction cost has been rising steadily, and the cost-effectiveness has become extremely low.

Although Tirpitz had optimistically estimated that with Germany's latecomer advantage in heavy industry, Britain would quickly surpass the technological gap in the early stages of the naval competition, the reality was not as expected. With the support of the mysterious power from the East, Germany barely managed to keep up with the rest in naval military technology, but Germany

The US Navy was gradually left behind by the British Royal Navy.

As a land-sea composite country, Germany's geographical disadvantage inherently limited the scale of resources it could invest in the naval competition. While engaging in a naval arms race with Britain, Germany also had to be prepared to implement Count Schlieffen's plan for a quick victory on the Western Front and defeat its two land rivals, France and Russia. To this end, Berlin has been working hard to increase the number of frontline troops since 1893, and the expenditure on army construction has also risen sharply.

The increasingly fierce naval arms race has lasted for four or five years. Britain has felt the pleasure and pain of spending money like water, and so has Germany. Developing a large army and a large navy at the same time sounds very domineering, but it really costs a lot of money. Germany does not have vast colonies like Britain, nor does it have economic hegemony. Spending so much money on the army and navy every year has put the finances very tight, almost to the point of not making ends meet.

The Second Supplement to the Second Naval Act proposed by Tirpitz was passed, which means that countless marks will be burned in the next few years. When will this arms race end?

Kaiser Wilhelm II was increasingly dissatisfied with the Admiralty and was helpless with the deteriorating national finances. Then he had a flash of inspiration and a good idea popped into his head. Soon, Chang'an received a telegram from Berlin, "His Majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II invited Chairman Lin to visit Berlin with the Olympic delegation."

Chapter 525: Three-Bungee

William II has always been known in Europe for his unexpected and wild ideas - or frivolous - but watching William II's remarks, they are all very purposeful. British newspapers describe the German emperor as a manic and irritable megalomaniac, but is this really the case?

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly replied to the German ambassador, "Chairman Lin agreed to visit Europe next year, with Berlin as the first stop."

A few years ago, Tsar Nicholas II invited Lin Yongchang to visit St. Petersburg, but China was still very weak at that time. Tsarist Russia, not only Tsarist Russia, but all European and American powers had a dark history of killing the leaders of other forces. Who knows what the Russians think? Lin Yongchang has always been willing to speculate about the imperialists with the greatest malice, so he rejected Nicholas II's invitation.

The reason why he agreed to visit Germany now was because the situation was different. China was now one of the great powers, producing 150 million tons of steel a year and becoming the world's fourth largest industrial country. It had defeated Russia, France and the United States in the wars. It had 200 million standing troops, more than million militias and armed police forces, and the largest army in the world. Under such circumstances, Lin Yongchang no longer had to worry about his personal safety.

After receiving the good news from the German ambassador to China, William II was very happy and thought it was a major victory for German diplomacy. The Chinese leaders rejected the invitation of the Tsar but accepted the invitation of the German emperor. Doesn't this explain the problem?

"But after visiting Berlin, the Chinese will go to other European countries, including Russia."

"That doesn't matter. Anyway, we have achieved a great victory in diplomacy!"

Well, since His Majesty the Emperor said it was a victory, then it is a victory.

Before going abroad, you need to arrange your domestic affairs first, and negotiate with the European countries in advance. These things can be done slowly, as there is still a long time before departure.

At the end of 1907, Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi landed at Dadagukou with a large delegation and then took a train to Chang'an. Japan has had a very close relationship with China in recent years. Both sides have adopted the same technical standards and have tried to unify the specifications of light weapons, heavy weapons, and naval equipment. In the industrial age, the more you produce, the cheaper it is. It is easy to understand that adopting the same technical standards and specifications can not only lower prices, but also make repairs and maintenance more convenient.

Japanese businessmen and workers frequently traveled between China and Japan, as did diplomats. Even the Japanese emperor had visited China, but it was the first time that Ito Hirobumi came to China as the Prime Minister of Japan.

He was old and not as energetic as before. After getting off the ship, he was still trying to look around. Ito Hirobumi had no complaints about being defeated by Chairman Lin. The world has always been like this. The strong are respected and the victors are not condemned. Coupled with Japan's unique tradition of worshipping power, after Japan was defeated on the battlefield, Ito Hirobumi changed his position very smoothly.

However, he also wanted to see how China was developing. In the past two years, Japan's economy has improved significantly, and its industrial strength has increased several times. In the world, its growth rate ranks second, second only to China. After embarking on the "people's line" and carrying out "land reform", Japan has exploded with amazing energy, and its development speed far exceeds that of the Meiji Restoration era.

If Japan is still like this, then what about China? How far will it develop?

After getting off the ship, Ito Hirobumi began to observe the situation in China, including the road conditions and the houses on the roadside, the fields in the distance, the means of transportation, the complexion of the people, and so on.

Compared with the Japanese, the Chinese look and dress better, and Ito Hirobumi was prepared for all of this. The average wage of Chinese workers is 1.8 times that of Japanese workers, but the price level is lower than that of Japanese workers. No wonder many Japanese who came to China to work are unwilling to go back. People always yearn for a better life. In addition,