Chapter 221 Undercurrents

At less than ten o'clock in the evening, Xiao Yimin quietly left the US Embassy on Gulou West Road. After returning to the Xingying Mansion, he was still weighing the informal talks with the British and American ministers. He knew that within twelve hours, the US Foreign Affairs Department and the British Cabinet would receive relevant urgent reports. After all, Shandong, located in a strategic location in North China and carrying the huge interests of European, American and Japanese countries, will soon change due to Xiao Yimin's strong intervention. (--.net.)

Xiao Yimin believes that the important information he revealed will definitely have an important impact on the policies of Britain and the United States towards China. The United States, which has been working tirelessly to expand its political and economic interests in China for more than ten years, will definitely be happy to see Xiao Yimin, who is hostile to Japan, advance into Shandong.

It is precisely because of the pro-American Xiao Yimin and the Nanjing Office that the benefits and political achievements of the US government and consortium in China over the past two years have far exceeded the total of the past few decades, and there are great trends of steady improvement and exciting prospects.

Therefore, the US government and consortium's policies towards China have undergone great changes. Although the cooperative relationship between the United States and Japan is more lasting, the stubborn and cunning Japan does not have China's broad market and rich mineral resources. In particular, the rapid rise of the Xiao Yimin Group has created a miracle of economic development in Sichuan and led to the surrounding provinces that quickly recovered from the war. The entire southern China has shown gratifying vitality and vitality.

In just over two years, Xiao Yimin Group successfully reached a trade and investment cooperation of up to 250 million US dollars with the US government and consortium. Large-scale manufacturing equipment, smelting equipment, automobile appliances, special steel, cotton, grain, etc. produced in the United States are being continuously transported to China. Thousands of American engineers and technicians are being hired by the Chinese business community, and thousands of Chinese students travel to the United States to further their studies every year. China's huge development potential and the good cooperation prospects between China and the United States have made the US government and consortium overjoyed. This is not the case with the one-million tons of scrap steel trade contract that the two sides have reached, and the large number of weapons processing and production equipment that are idle because of the end of the war.

In contrast, Britain, which has a close alliance with Japan, encountered a huge choice problem.

In essence, the biggest purpose of the alliance between Britain and Japan has always been to guard against the vast land and ambitious Tsarist Russia in the north. At the same time, it also restricts the interests of France and other European countries in China, which are also old colonial empires, and ensures Britain's traditional interests in China and even the entire Asia and its lofty status as the world's largest power.

With the initial establishment of Japan's industrial system, Tsarist Russia fell into a civil war and was unable to expand, and the political and economic benefits Britain gained in Japan became smaller and smaller. Because of the strong rise of the United States, Britain's share in the narrow Japanese market has shrunk sharply. In addition, Japan has continued to suck blood from the chaotic and backward China through various despicable means that it is extraordinary and even violates the axioms and international laws, and its navy has become the fourth largest navy in the world. Its humility and respect for Britain have become increasingly hypocritical, which has seriously damaged Britain's Asian interests.

Under such a situation, the British fell into painful hesitation.

Although the Xiao Yimin Group, which accounts for most of China, has used practical actions to express their sincere attitude and good wishes to establish friendship and in-depth cooperation with the UK, a series of issues such as the Kang-Tibet border conflict three years ago are still fresh in memory of the British government, and it has always been vigilant enough to be on the increasingly powerful Xiao Yimin Group.

However, the British government and consortium clearly saw the rapid development momentum of southern China's provinces and inland depths, saw the increasing economic vitality and huge market on this vast and ignorant land, and became more aware of the powerful strength and potential of the Xiao Yimin Group.

Under the new situation, if the UK continues to maintain its original policy toward China, it is likely that it will be defeated by the increasingly powerful United States and even Japan in the fierce competition in the future. It will not only lose the huge Chinese market, but also lose the political influence on China gradually formed in the 1940s. This is definitely a result that the British government does not want to see.

Before this, many British political observers have made bold predictions: within ten years, Xiao Yimin will defeat all opponents and become China's most powerful ruler in a century. Under his leadership, China is likely to quickly recover and lose hundreds of years of glory!

Xiao Yimin basically grasped the mentality of the British. In order to take back Qingdao and effectively curb and weaken Japan's development and growth, Xiao Yimin must put down his posture and seek support from the British. It is absolutely not enough to have only one ally of the United States, just like in the past two years, it has been vigorously introduced to the United States to invest in the steel industry and textile industry to combat the steel industry and textile export industry, which are the pillars of Japan's economy.

With the injected investment from Britain and the United States, China's textile industry has grown rapidly within two years and is full of vitality. I am no longer afraid of Japan's despicable suppression and destruction. However, Xiao Yimin had to pay a huge price for it and would continue to endure it in the future. But such efforts are worth it. At least the speed of Japan's economic development has been severely setbacked. Although Xiao Yimin's "reform and opening up policy" proposed by him was denounced by many people as a traitor.

However, Xiao Yimin's achievements in developing China's heavy industry, especially in vigorously supporting the steel industry, are enough to make the people of the whole country talk about it and feel proud. After losing the normal supply of Daye iron ore, Japan once again lost four high-quality mining areas that were determined to win, including Ma'anshan Iron Mine, Hainan Shilu Iron Mine, Hunan Shaoyang Iron Mine, and Xuzhou Iron Mine. This has caused Japan's increasing steel output for the first time in ten consecutive years to fall last year, reaching only a scale of 850,000 tons, and it has to import a large amount of steel from the United States to make up for domestic demand.

Let’s look at China. The total output of the three major steel companies in Qijiang, Chongqing and Ma'anshan has reached 800,000 tons. If we add the output of as many as 20 small smelters in four provinces in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong, China’s total steel production last year will definitely not be less than 1.4 million tons.

More importantly, the second phase of the Maanshan and Chongqing Iron and Steel Company, the newly built Hainan Shilu and Hunan Shaoyang Iron and Steel Company, will be put into production this year and early next year. At that time, China's total steel production will increase exponentially on this basis, and the people across the country will benefit from the steady decline in steel prices.

It was late at night, and Xiao Yimin was about to go upstairs to see his wife and children when he suddenly received a report that Deng Xihou had arrived in Nanjing waiting for summons. Xiao Yimin hesitated slightly and postponed the meeting until tomorrow afternoon. At this time, he needed to hang the dignified Deng Xihou, who was now domineering and self-reliance.

Almost at the same time, in Kyoto, Japan, thousands of miles away, Liu Bingxian, who had been in exile for a long time and was isolated by the whole party, finally welcomed his sworn brother Chiang Kai-shek who was running around while he was drunk.

"Zicheng, you can't drink too much anymore. This will not help your body or your future."

Chiang Kai-shek climbed onto the tatami mat, shook his head and tidied up the messy room for Liu Bingxian. Suddenly, he saw a pretty Japanese woman running out, apologizing in front of him, and then rushed to clean up the house in a hurry. Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but look at Liu Bingxian who didn't care.

Liu Bingxian laughed at himself: "Brother doesn't want to scold me for being degenerate, right? OK! As long as you treat me equally, I have no objection. If you want to scold you, I will scold you first, and even scold you for being the pillars of the party, or even scold you for being a gentleman. They are more lewd and shameless than me. At least the money I find women is my own, and no cent is donated by those stupid and ignorant overseas Chinese."

"Enough! Shut up!"

Chiang Kai-shek was so angry that he scolded him loudly, and the Japanese woman next to him was so scared that she knelt down quickly.

Chiang Kai-shek waved to the panicked Japanese woman: "I'm sorry, I'm rude! Please rest, Zicheng and I have something to talk about."

"Hi!"

The Japanese woman bowed and replied, got up and turned to the side and quickly rushed to the side. After a while, she brought Chiang Kai-shek a pot of tea and two tea cups. Then she apologized frequently and bowed and returned to the inner room.

Chiang Kai-shek opened the lid of the teapot and took a look. Seeing that the neatly prepared tea leaves had not yet been brewed, he had to sit cross-legged and wait patiently: "Zi Cheng, Brother Yu rushed over in the snow to tell you two important news."

Liu Bing first rubbed his numb face, supported himself, moved to Chiang Kai-shek to sit opposite Chiang Kai-shek, picked up the teapot and poured tea into the cup, then picked up his own cup, drank it all, let out a long sigh, then shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's like this, what's worse news?"

Chiang Kai-shek knew Liu Bingxian's temper was cold on the outside and hot on the inside. He took a sip of tea and replied in a low voice:

"First, the Beiyang troops stationed in the northwest who surrendered to Xu Shichang and Feng Guozhang joined forces to defeat Chen Shufan, the commander appointed by Duan Qirui, and Deng Xihou, the commander of the Shaanxi Military Affairs Council, who had once left the Sichuan Army and attempted to stand on their own. Then he turned around and captured Tongguan eastward, and fought with Zhao Ti's troops in Henan.

"Sir and all the veterans in the party analyzed that Wu Peifu is likely to take the opportunity to make trouble, which is very beneficial to us."

Liu Bing first picked his teeth, made a few "sizzling" sounds, and then he made a rude sarcasm: "What do those corrupt scholars who can only talk big about talking about war on paper know? I'm afraid that the gentleman will be hot again under the instigation of these grandchildren?"

"Zicheng, please respect yourself, okay?" Chiang Kai-shek glared angrily.

Liu Bingxian still acted on his own terms: "Do you also think this is an opportunity to return to China to develop and rise up again to make a decision?"

Chiang Kai-shek sighed in a low voice: "Oh! I don't know what to say. You know better about Shaanxi and Wu Peifu's situation, so I want to hear your opinion... Don't get me wrong, this is my own idea and I have not been assigned by anyone."

Liu Bingxian knocked on the tea tray and curled his lips, "I dare say that Wu Peifu would never join in the fun. And I concluded that Zhao Ti, the Henan warlord who was swaying between Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui, must have seen this. The reason why he hurried to western Henan and clashed with the warlords of the two tribes of Chen Shufan and Deng Xihou was completely because Zhao Ti did not want to put the other party into Henan.

"Besides, Wu Peifu's reputation of being both wise and brave was not obtained for no reason. Besides, he is now an important member of the Nanjing camp. He didn't even move the Sichuan army that should react the most. Will Wu Peifu move easily? Save it..."

Chiang Kai-shek felt very reasonable and praised him with admiration: "I thought you were stupid when drinking, but I didn't expect you to be so sharp."

"Stop praising me. After all, I have only such a little hindsight. Praising me again will hurt me. In fact, you can see clearly that this little thing is difficult for you? You are just here to comfort me." After Liu Bingxian finished speaking, he looked around and couldn't find the bottle of wine, so he had to continue drinking tea.

Chiang Kai-shek was said to have a crush on his mind, so he had to smile helplessly and said, "The other thing, the day before yesterday, Xiao Yimin once again asked the Japanese Consulate General in Nanjing to extradite 37 party elites back to China for trial, basically including all the revolutionary generals who had studied military affairs in Japan.

"But what is surprising is that the names of you and me are not on the list of extradition requested. Even the names of more than a dozen famous literati such as Wu Zhihui and Zhang Ji were deleted."

Liu Bingxian was shocked and quickly figured out the mystery. He couldn't help but smash the teacup angrily: "This bastard! A sinister and despicable hypocrite..."

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