The sun never sets

The US Army's combat effectiveness is the lowest among the great powers, but they have a large number of people, sufficient supplies, and do not care about international influence at all. They are very happy to kill people. On the other hand, the Mexicans are divided into more than a dozen forces. Although they have a certain degree of unity when facing the US military, they still do their own things in general. It would be strange if they were not beaten to a pulp.

"If no other forces intervene, the U.S. military is likely to fight all the way to Colombia. The main goal of the U.S. government is not Mexico, but the Panama Canal..."

The Panama Canal was originally an American project. It was handed over to the British just after it was started. After the British took over, they basically did not start the construction. The Panama Canal is very important to the United States, but not to the British. It is good to dig the canal and collect money. It is also fine if it is not dug.

As long as the Panama Canal was not built, the US Navy would always be divided into two parts and could not really threaten Britain. Therefore, the British government would rather give up economic interests than continue to build it.

Wang Hu was well prepared, and explained the situation in Mexico and the United States clearly, and answered the questions raised by several generals fluently. In the evening, the meeting finally ended. Lin Yongchang smiled at Wang Hu and said, "Okay, go back and wait. I will inform you if there is a conclusion."

"The Wang family's little tiger is pretty good..."

"How does it compare to the one from the Zhao family?"

"I think it's still......"

The voices behind him became quieter and quieter. Wang Hu strode out of the yard and saw Wang Zuolin standing under the big tree outside the door. Wang Hu's heart sank and the smile on his face froze. He stepped forward and said, "Uncle!"

General Wang didn't say anything else, but just said calmly: "The food is ready at home, let's go back and have dinner together."

".......Um."

The Military Commission discussed the Mexican issue for three days, and the General Staff organized officers to conduct a simulation, and the conclusion was not optimistic. However, the Military Commission finally decided to provide assistance to Mexico. From a military point of view, it is not cost-effective to fight the Americans in Mexico. However, the central government considered not only military issues, but also political and economic issues.

Wang Hu got what he wanted. He didn't stay in Chang'an for a few days before he boarded a ship to Brazil with the first batch of more than 300 volunteers. It is not known whether he was really so eager to go to America to work or just wanted to get rid of the constraints of his family as soon as possible.

The whistle sounded, and the huge ship slowly left the port, then continued to accelerate, and finally sailed towards the sunny sea at a speed of ten knots.

"Okay, don't keep on

Young people have their own ideas, and we should let them go out and try their luck.”

Lin Yongchang disguised himself and said to Wang Zuolin, who was also keeping a low profile, "I told Wang Hu that if he couldn't hold on, he should withdraw."

Wang Zuolin shook his head and said, "He won't give up easily."

"Haha, young people are all like this."

Lin Yongchang laughed a little too loudly, attracting the attention of the people around him. He reached out and lowered the brim of his hat a little, "It's a good thing not to give up easily. The world belongs to the young. Even if we don't want to give it to them, sooner or later we will have to hand it over to them. Let's go. There are too many people here. It will be bad if we are recognized."

Instead of taking a car, the two of them took a horse-drawn carriage and left the port. In China, there are still not many cars, with a total of only three or four thousand. However, three-wheeled vehicles and small tractors are selling well and can be seen all over the country. In addition, there is a thing called a "pot-camel machine" running everywhere on the road. The pot-camel machine seems very strange to later generations. This power device connects the boiler and the steam engine together. It can do many things, such as driving water wheels, generators or other various machines, and it is not picky about fuel. Coal, firewood, heavy oil, etc. can all be used as fuel, which is very suitable for use in rural areas.

The pot-camel machine can be used for irrigation and drainage when matched with water pumps and water wheels; it can generate electricity and provide power when matched with generators; and it can directly drive various working machines in threshing, rice milling, oil pressing, wood sawing, food processing and machinery manufacturing.

This machine can use various local inferior fuels and combustible wastes, and is easy to operate, install and maintain, reliable in operation, simple to manufacture and low in cost. Of course, there are also disadvantages, such as the long preparation time for ignition, the need to keep the boiler in hot standby state when temporarily stopping, low thermal efficiency and heavy device.

But no matter what, the pot-carrying machine has improved the utilization of energy. In the past, only human and animal power could be used, but now mechanical power can be used, and the efficiency has increased several times.

In addition to the steam-powered locomotive, there are also cars that use coal gas and natural gas as fuel in rural and urban areas of China, but their scope of use is not as wide as that of the steam-powered locomotive.

Sometimes when he sees those weird, clumsy machines, Lin Yongchang has the illusion that he has entered the world of "steampunk". China did not catch up with the first industrial revolution, and also fell behind in the second industrial revolution. In the process of catching up, it is inevitable that there are different styles.

However, this situation is slowly improving. Although steam engines are cheap and easy to use, they are too inefficient and are gradually being replaced by gasoline engines and oil extraction machines in cities. There are also electric buses in Chang'an and some other big cities. They are not the kind that use batteries, but have two wires hanging on their heads, relying on wires in the air to get power.

At first, Lin Yongchang was not used to things like the pot-carrying machine and the trolleybus, but after seeing them more, he no longer felt that the style was wrong. For the people in this world, no matter what new things appear, they will feel novel.

On the third day of the last month of 1910, the People's Government announced that the goals of the first "Five-Year Plan" had all been completed ahead of schedule. According to the tradition of New China, the statistical data of the previous year is released in March or April every year. Now the news is released in advance to encourage people and boost morale.

Although Lin Yongchang did not think that producing 1150 million tons of steel and more than 200 million tons of fertilizers was anything special, since the comrades wanted to celebrate and wanted to report the good news to the people of the whole country, then let's do it.

In the past five years, everyone has worked hard. In five years, China has completed the journey that took European and American powers 20 to 30 years, and has become the world's third largest industrial country. Such achievements are inseparable from the leadership of the Party, but even more inseparable from the hard work of the people over the years.

People have the right to celebrate, and they deserve it.

Chapter 565 Perfect

In a trance, 1910 passed. China's first "Five-Year Plan" came to a perfect end, and the industrial and agricultural strengths were greatly developed. In five years, the total investment in the country was 550 billion yuan, of which the total basic investment in the economy and cultural and educational departments was 492 billion yuan, exceeding the original plan of 427 billion yuan by 15.3%. In five years, the new fixed assets increased by 460 billion yuan, which was equivalent to 1905 times the original value of the national fixed assets at the end of 1.9.

During the five years, there were more than 921 industrial and mining construction projects under construction, including 297 large and medium-sized projects, 1910 more projects than stipulated in the plan. By the end of 428, 109 projects had been completed and put into production, and had been partially put into production.

Some industries that China did not have in the past, including aircraft, automobiles, power generation equipment, heavy machinery, new machine tools, precision instruments, electrolytic aluminum, seamless steel pipes, alloy steel, plastics, radio, etc., have been built from scratch, thus changing the incomplete situation of China's industry and increasing the strength of its basic industries.

Although European and American countries have questioned China's achievements, few people in Asia doubt that the figures reported by the government are inflated. It is obvious that China today is very different from China five years ago. There are not only many more high-rise buildings in the country, but also more convenient transportation. The most direct manifestation is that people can eat more, and the per capita consumption of staple food, vegetables, meat, eggs and milk has increased.

Except for some remote areas

In most parts of China, food and clothing have been basically solved. The application of fertilizers, pesticides, improved varieties, and machinery in agricultural production has greatly increased grain production.

After a lively Spring Festival, people all over the country were eagerly looking forward to the final results of the "Five-Year Plan". The comrades of the Planning Commission worked overtime for more than two months and finally announced the specific results of the "First Five-Year Plan" in the People's Daily on March 3.

“.......11910年工农业总产值达到1415亿元，比1905年增长67.2%。1910年的国民收入比1905年增长53%。1910年工业总产值超过原计划21%，比1905年增长128.5%。原定五年计划工业总产值平均每年增长14.7%，实际达到18%。1910年手工业总产值比1905年增长83%，平均每年增长12.8%。1910年的钢产量为1253万吨，比1905年增长近3倍，原煤为1.71亿吨，比1905年增长98.5%，发电量为97亿度，比1905年增长164．4%。机床产量达1.8万台，比1905年增长17.7倍；棉布为50.6亿尺，比1905年增长32%，糖86万吨，比1905年增长92%........”

".......By the end of 1910, the national railway mileage reached 29862 kilometers, an increase of 1905% over 32. Within five years, 33 new railways were built, 3 railways were restored, and a total of about 1910 kilometers of railway trunk lines, double lines, and branch lines were newly built and repaired. The Baoji-Chengdu Railway, Yingxia Railway, and Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge were all completed. By the end of 15, the national highway mileage reached more than 1905 kilometers, double the 1 mileage..."

In 1910, the United States, as the world's leading industrial country, produced more than 2600 million tons of steel. Germany, ranked second, produced 1450 million tons of steel. China ranked third, producing 1253 million tons of steel. The British Empire fell from third to fourth, producing less than 700 million tons of steel annually.

The following countries, such as France, Russia and Austria-Hungary, produced less and less steel. The strength of a country is not only determined by the amount of steel produced, but also by many other factors. However, except for Britain, which has naval and economic hegemony, the strength of other countries can be roughly linked to steel production. If calculated in this way, China's strength is almost the same as Germany.

However, Lin Yongchang has a different view. He believes that we should not only see that China produced 1253 million tons of steel, but also see that China's per capita steel production ranks last in the world. China's population has reached million. If this number is used as the denominator, even if the steel production doubles, it will not be enough.

If we use the "historical per capita" calculation method, it will be even less impressive. So Chairman Lin made a public report and warned all party members at the National People's Congress to guard against arrogance and impetuosity. We have only taken a few steps in the Long March and cannot be complacent because of a small achievement. People's Party members should continue to maintain a hard-working and simple style and strive to achieve greater achievements in the second "Five-Year Plan".

After completing the First Five-Year Plan, the central government decided to spend some time summarizing and adjusting, and then formulate the second Five-Year Plan. The First Five-Year Plan could only be regarded as completing China's basic industries. Although steel production has reached the third place in the world, "this does not mean that China has become an industrial power."

Lin Yongchang claimed in newspapers and on the radio that "China has just touched the threshold of industrialization." Farmers account for more than 10% of the total population, and China is still an agricultural country. The People's Government will use the second "Five-Year Plan" to complete China's initial industrialization and reduce the number of semi-illiterate people to less than %.

The first five-year plan was a great success in material production, and it was also successful in spiritual construction. The people's government held various literacy classes and study classes, and did not forget to study during production and during entertainment. The people's government invested in education not only out of the pursuit of "fairness" and "spiritual civilization", but also for more considerations.

Whether they are soldiers or workers, they need to master certain knowledge, otherwise they may not be able to operate weapons and machines properly.

Lin Yongchang said that "China has just touched the threshold of industrialization", and he really thought so, but the European powers were embarrassed. Annual steel production of more than 1200 million tons can only be regarded as just touching the threshold of industrialization, so what are they? Only Germany, with the world's second largest steel production, has saved the face of the old European powers.

However, Germany's development has almost reached its end. Under the current system, it is difficult for Germany to continue to tap its internal potential. It can only seize markets from abroad, which will inevitably lead to conflicts with the British Empire. China can formulate a second five-year plan after the first five-year plan, but Germany has to devote most of its strength to war preparations.

According to German experts, if the data released by the Chinese government is not inflated, then in five years, Germany will fall from the second largest industrial country in the world to the third. So, is the data released by the Chinese government inflated?

Most Europeans and Americans think that it is watered down, just like pork sellers would add water to it. But there are also many people who think that China's achievements are not discounted at all.

, those volunteers who have been to China have witnessed China's rise from a bystander's perspective and believe that the reason why China has achieved such great achievements is because the Chinese people have chosen the right system.

Well, this requires a specific question.

Wilhelm II once concocted the "Yellow Peril Theory". After seeing the achievements made by the Chinese in the "Five-Year Plan", the German emperor felt an inexplicable fear in his heart. Could it be that the "Yellow Peril Theory" will become true? Would it be a wrong decision to alienate China in order to win over the United States?

Chapter 566: Coercion and Inducement

The US military made good progress in Mexico. It took only one month to occupy a quarter of Mexico's territory. From Cachem to Monte, the US military could be seen everywhere. After several years of hard work, the US military has greatly increased in strength. This growth is comprehensive. The technical tactics, weapons and equipment, supply level, and the number of troops are much stronger than the US military five years ago.

According to the evaluation of Wang Hu and others, American soldiers have not yet reached the level of the People's Army, and are still far behind the British and French armies, but they are very adept at defeating Mexico, a country with little heavy industry.

Whenever they encountered a tough opponent, the U.S. military would pile troops and artillery on the front line. Faced with the heavy artillery bombardment, the morale of the Mexicans was quickly exhausted.

However, when the US military advanced to Querétaro, it failed to maintain its previous unstoppable record. Instead, it suffered a defeat, reportedly losing thousands of people, and then retreated to León.

"The report to the country said that there were more than a thousand casualties, but in fact our losses exceeded four thousand! The casualties in three days exceeded those in the past two months!"

Pershing slammed the table and angrily asked, "McDonald, how do you fight a war?"

"We were ambushed..."

"Won't you send someone to investigate?"

"I sent someone, but......"

Pershing said unkindly, "But what?"

"There are Germans and Chinese helping the enemy fight." Major General McDonald, with bandages tied around his body, said dejectedly, "There are too many of them. They rushed out of the woods and fought hand-to-hand with us. The boys were scared..."

"I don't want to hear your explanation. I just want Mexico City! If we can't take Querétaro, we won't be able to safely besiege Mexico City. You should know this!"

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico, located in a valley on the central and southern plateau of Mexico. The U.S. military wanted to occupy the capital of Mexico to end the war quickly, but they did not expect to be defeated in Querétaro. War is a very expensive thing. The U.S. military has repeatedly increased its troops on the front line. Pershing has more than 300,000 troops. With so many troops, the military expenditure is several million dollars a day. The U.S. government has repeatedly increased military expenditures. The gentlemen in Congress hate the money-burning game of war and have asked Pershing several times to deal with the Mexicans as soon as possible.

The war against Mexico brought great military merit to the generals, the soldiers raped and looted happily, and domestic arms dealers made a fortune from the war, but the US government lost money. The occupied land can bring income in the future, but that is a matter of the future. Not only is there no income now, but money has to be continuously poured into Mexico.

Moreover, the international situation was not favorable to the United States. To be more precise, it was very unfavorable. It was as if the Boer War was re-enacted, and European volunteers all ran to Mexico. Those internationalists and leftists had a strong fighting spirit. Although they could not defeat the US military head-on, they could use the complex terrain of Mexico to launch continuous attacks, just like what they did in South Africa.

Since he led his troops into Mexico, Pershing had been fighting smoothly and advancing quickly, but he had no good way to deal with the guerrillas. He could indulge his soldiers to punish Mexicans, but he could not carry out a massacre like he did in the Philippines. Filipinos are yellow people, but many Mexicans are descendants of Spain. Carrying out a massacre of Mexicans would have a very bad impact internationally.

The presence of Germans and Chinese in the Battle of Clitarot made Pershing very alert. Washington used diplomatic means to force Germany to withdraw all officers, but the number of Chinese became even greater. There were also volunteers from Europe, especially the French and Spanish.

France is the birthplace of various thoughts and the left-wing forces are very strong. Spain is the former colonial power of Mexico, and the mainstream language in Mexico is Spanish. In addition, due to the hatred that the United States took away Cuba and the Philippines from Spain a few years ago, Spain is very concerned about supporting Mexico.

These were not the worst. The worst was that Britain wanted to intervene in the Mexican War. The British Empire was doing its best to suppress Germany and did not have much power in America, but the proximity of the United States and Germany caused great tension in Downing Street. Now the British Royal Navy fleet can deal with the US Navy and the German Navy at the same time, but if the United States really built 20 battleships, the Royal Navy would not be able to maintain the "two-power standard".

Since May, the British government has been selling weapons and equipment to Mexico while putting pressure on the United States to withdraw its troops from Mexico. But how is this possible? Unless it is absolutely necessary, there is no reason to spit out the meat in your mouth.

The United States is the world's leading industrial country, and its desire for the market is stronger than Germany's, otherwise it would not be so eager to expand outward. The US government negotiated with Britain.

Then he urged Pershing again who was leading the troops at the front line.

"I need more troops!"

After carefully studying the situation in Mexico, Pershing asked Washington for more troops. It was not that Pershing did not know how to use troops, but the situation was indeed deteriorating. If it were only the Mexicans, then relying on the existing 300,000 troops would be enough to crush all resistance, but the situation was different from two months ago. The Chinese were defeated.

"In Hawaii, the Chinese defeated our 40,000 troops with only 10,000 troops!" It makes sense for Pershing to ask for reinforcements. Mexico is now a quagmire, and miracles cannot be achieved without great efforts.

"That's because the Chinese had naval superiority at the time, and the Japanese navy blockaded the waters near Hawaii!"

Spending less money and getting more done is what the congressmen want most. It would be even better if they could get things done without spending money and even generate income.

Pershing got tough this time, "Either give me another 300,000 troops, or get rid of me!"

Another 300,000 troops? This is too much. Money is one thing, and the threat to the master is another. If a general has 600,000 troops under his command, will he turn around and march his troops into Washington after pacifying Mexico?

The United States calls itself the "Kingdom on the Hill" and the "New Rome," and is well aware of how Rome transformed from a republic into an empire.

Pershing did not think so much. He just wanted to crush the Chinese into powder and avenge the Philippines. He sent another telegram to Washington, "Give me 300,000 troops and I can take back the Panama Canal!"

Are you worried about the Panama Canal? It's just 300,000 troops, give it to him! There are too many troops in the country. Five years ago, the states took advantage of the panic after the defeat and formed a lot of troops. It's hard to say how strong the National Guard and militia are, but it should be no problem to pull them out to guard the supply lines.

Even if there are losses, it will only weaken the local power. If we win, we will destroy the foreign enemies; if we lose, we will eliminate the internal troubles. It's no loss either way.

As for the threats from the British, they need not be taken too seriously. The US government does not believe that Britain dares to attack the United States. The United States now has millions of troops, and even if many of them are militias, they are not something that Britain can easily deal with.

After the British government discovered the attitude of the United States, it spread the word that it wanted to win over China to interfere in the Mexican war. The East Asian Alliance's combined fleet could not defeat the US Navy near America, and it did not have enough transportation capacity to deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to America. But for Britain, these were not a problem.

Diplomacy is all about coercion, inducement, and using every possible means. Britain may not really want to win over the people's government to take action against the United States, but it cannot be said that there is no possibility of this.

In order to create a realistic atmosphere, British Ambassador to China Sir John Jordan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi several times in a row, behaving in a very high-profile manner.

However, just as most of the world's attention was focused on America, another incident suddenly broke out and shocked the whole of Europe.

Chapter 567: Outbreak

In mid-May, a tribal uprising against the Sultan broke out in Morocco, and France took the opportunity to send troops to capture the capital of Fez. Germany demanded that France cede part of French Africa as compensation, and on July 5, under the pretext of protecting its merchants, it sent the battleship "Leopard" to the Moroccan port of Agadir.

The Germans' actions made Britain and France very nervous. France began a partial mobilization and increased its military strength on the border with Germany. When Britain found that German warships had arrived in Agadir, it believed that Germany wanted to turn the port into a German military port in the Atlantic, which was something Britain could not tolerate. The fleet sent to America turned around urgently, which exacerbated the tension in Europe.

The actions of the French Army and the British Navy put great pressure on Germany. In this era, the mobilized side would undoubtedly have a great advantage at the beginning of the war. The bold actions of the German Navy forced France to mobilize. France's mobilization threatened Germany's security, and Germany subsequently carried out a general mobilization.

After Germany's general mobilization, the French Prime Minister urgently contacted Tsar Nicholas II and sent a telegram at midnight. The day after Germany announced its general mobilization, the Russian army announced its general mobilization, and France announced its general mobilization.

France announced that it would mobilize 300 million troops, and Russia went even further, saying it would mobilize million troops. The Germans were under great pressure and could only ask Austria-Hungary and Italy to start a general mobilization in accordance with the alliance treaty, which made the situation in Europe even more tense.

Intensive radio waves flew across Europe, and the Allies and the Central Powers experienced a series of threats and...threats. Germany issued a "double ultimatum" to France and Russia, demanding that the two continental army countries stop mobilization. France and Russia, in turn, demanded that Germany must stop mobilization first.

During the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia defeated and captured Napoleon III on the battlefield because it completed the general mobilization before France. When the strength of the two sides was almost the same, whoever completed the general mobilization first would gain the advantage on the battlefield. The humiliation of the Franco-Prussian War was engraved in the blood and bones of the French, and the French were extremely sensitive to Germany's general mobilization.

Germany's railway system is the most developed in Europe, and its mobilization speed is the fastest. This is unquestionable. The French could not agree to Germany's request. If they stopped mobilization and disbanded the troops, what would happen if the German army took the opportunity to attack them?

In addition, France is experiencing a turbulent

The name of the French Revolution also caught the ruling class off guard. After hearing that they were going to fight the Germans, France was like a fire, and young people flocked to the recruitment points. Many "left-wingers" who were under government surveillance no longer opposed the government at this time, but joined the army singing the Marseillaise. The speed of mobilization far exceeded the government's expectations.

The once quarrelsome France is no longer noisy, and the surging public opinion has become a common voice, "Revenge!"

France and Russia were unwilling and did not dare to stop the general mobilization first, and Germany had the same concerns. Compared with France, Germany needed to build a continental army and a large navy at the same time, and the heavy pressure made the German rulers breathless. In the eyes of the people in the General Staff, war was inevitable, so why not take the opportunity to kill him now?

The Schlieffen Plan required the German army to defeat the French Army before Russia completed its general mobilization. The Germans thought it would take several months for Russia to complete its general mobilization, but Russia's mobilization speed exceeded the expectations of the German General Staff. The most favorable time to start a war was only a few days. If it was missed, the prerequisites of the Schlieffen Plan would no longer exist.

European powers would deploy millions of troops at any time. In comparison, the US military's war in Mexico can only be regarded as a minor fight. Now not many countries pay attention to Mexico's affairs. Everyone focuses on Europe.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was so nervous that he did not sleep all night. He contacted Nicholas II's cousin overnight, hoping that the other party would give in. The combined armies of France and Russia were a threat to Germany. If it was just France, the German army would teach the Gallic rooster a lesson.

However, Nicholas II rejected William II's request and insisted that Germany must first stop mobilization and disband the troops that had been assembled before the Allies would lift mobilization.

William II also contacted the British Prime Minister, the French Prime Minister, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and other European leaders, and even sent a telegram to Chairman Lin in Chang'an. At this time, Lin Yongchang was no longer the President of the country, but he was still the Chairman of the Party and the Chairman of the Military Commission, which was considered to be retired but not retired.

However, Germany is too far away from China, so the news cannot be transmitted in time. At that time, there was no international long-distance call from China to Europe. Besides, Lin Yongchang would not stay in Chang'an all the time. He would spend at least half of his time at the grassroots level every year. Reports, documents and figures can only be used as a reference. The bureaucratic system will always say that the situation is very good, not just good, but very good, but what the situation is at the grassroots level, only God knows.