A hole was made in the cement wall between the headquarters and the official residence the day before the wedding. Now the small door is being recast, but the cement has not yet dried. Xiang Xiaoqiang can't control that much, so he just starts with the small door that has not yet dried.
Entering the headquarters, I immediately felt that it was very convenient, and I immediately got rid of the annoying paparazzi at the door.
This is also very convenient and has the feeling of "a shop in front and a factory in the back". Even after returning home, it is very convenient for subordinates to report to themselves and ask for instructions, and many matters can be handled at home. In this way,
The boundaries between "going to work" and "going home" are very blurred, and it is easy for everyone to subconsciously have the concept that the People's Guard opens to Xiaoqiang's home. Although it is a small door, it is more convenient for him
Firm control of the Popular Guard.
Xiang Xiaoqiang came to the office, invited Shi Shigege, and briefly listened to her talk about the situation. It turned out that this morning, the Queen's secretary called and said that Your Majesty had a call, please answer it. But Xiang Xiaoqiang was still in the wedding room and did not get up.
, and the two adjutants and the two ladies were also in the bridal chamber. Because apart from Mr. Xiang, the one who was most qualified to talk to His Majesty was Princess Liaoyang, so the call was taken to Shi Shigege's office.
If it were anyone else, Zhu Yourong might have told him to tell the message and then hung up, or simply asked his secretary to tell him. But the person who answered the phone was Princess Liaoyang, and this was their first time talking on the phone. Both parties cheered up and chatted and joked for a while.
.Fourteen Gege was so curious that she figured out Zhu Yourong’s meaning in just a few words.
It turned out that a few days ago, when Xiang Xiaoqiang was going to Tongli, a German tourist came to Daming. During the "tour", he received invitations from several industrial and commercial tycoons in Daming. He frequently went to these people's houses for banquets and was welcomed by them.
Dongchang's attention was attracted. Because the People's Guard was established not long ago and the level of intelligence collection was not high enough, it fell behind Dongchang and did not notice this person.
"Who is this person? What does he do? What is his name?"
Asked Xiaoqiang.
Fourteen Gege smiled slightly:
"I don't know what his name is. Your Majesty just said that he is the heir to a wealthy family in Germany."
"Heir to a wealthy family?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang's interest suddenly dropped and he listened to her somewhat absentmindedly.
Shi Shigege said that after this man was noticed by the Ming government, he was invited to his home for a banquet in a private capacity by a certain cabinet member on the third day. From His Majesty's tone, it seemed that the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister had also met him. This German
On the surface, he was a tourist who came to Ming Dynasty in a private capacity, but in fact he was sent by the German government to have further informal negotiations with senior government officials of Ming Dynasty.
If the last time the "Vulture Legion" came to the Ming Dynasty, it was just a test, then this time the sincerity is much greater. This person brought the intention of the Hitler government and made it clear that Germany was sincere in reaching some kind of cooperative relationship with the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, he also said that Chancellor Hitler privately entrusted him to bring a message to the Ming government, and sincerely hoped that Ming could send a representative with the right identity and influence to return to Germany. Of course, if Ming feels it is inconvenient to send an official representative
, or you can send a person to Germany to "tour" like them.
"Oh," Xiang Xiaoqiang understood. What he had been waiting for finally happened. "So, the government thinks that I am the person with the 'appropriate identity' and the 'appropriate influence'?"
Shi Shigege nodded, and then expressed her own opinion. Probably after the cabinet got the news, they took advantage of Xiang Xiaoqiang's absence in Nanjing to persuade Zhu Yourong and sent Xiang Xiaoqiang to Germany. From Ming Dynasty to Germany, take Suez
As for the canal, a single trip takes half a month or twenty days. Plus the round trip and the time spent there, I'm afraid I won't be able to get back in two months.
During these two months, Zhu Yourong can no longer see Xiang Xiaoqiang. The cabinet can take the opportunity to strengthen its influence and control over Zhu Yourong and break Xiang Xiaoqiang's "monopoly" on her. It is even possible to attract the attention of the People's Guard and use means to punish her.
Xiang Xiaoqiang's subordinates, or the people who installed them, put Xiang Xiaoqiang aside.
As for how to deal with Germany, Shi Shigege estimated that the cabinet bosses may not be interested. They still have traditional thinking that Ming Dynasty should stick to Britain. That’s why they suggested letting Xiang Xiaoqiang go. In their opinion, there are two reasons for fighting Xiang Xiaoqiang.
, but he is a young man after all. This trip relies on diplomatic skills, and diplomacy is definitely not for young people. The trip will most likely return without success.
Therefore, Shi Shige Ge suggested that Xiang Xiaoqiang must refuse this trip, and when he arrived at the palace, he would elaborate on the disadvantages of getting closer to Germany and adhere to the traditional pro-British attitude. It was absolutely right. From Shi Shi Gege's point of view, who would Daming be better with?
It doesn't matter who you fight against, the People's Guard must be firmly in hand.
Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't comment, he just said he would see after entering the palace.
But when he looked at Shi Shi Ge Ge, he was very happy. Shi Shi Ge Ge was considering him from his perspective. In fact, Shi Shi Ge Ge could have persuaded him to go to Germany. In this way, Xiang Xiaoqiang would have to take care of the people.
The responsibility of the Guard was handed over to the 14th Gege, or part of it was handed over to the 14th Gege. It is very likely that by the time he came back, a lot of the power of the People's Guard had already been taken away by the 14th Gege.
The same thing happened with the last "Edict Incident". If it was for her own benefit, Shi Shigege could support Xiang Xiaoqiang in accepting the edict. But she stood on the side of Xiang Xiaoqiang's interests and firmly hinted that he should not accept it.
... Could it be that she has become accustomed to caring about herself? Xiang Xiaoqiang thought this, but couldn't believe it. It would be great if a top talent like Shi Shigege could be completely loyal to herself.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Shi Shi Ge Ge with soft eyes. Shi Shi Ge Ge was startled for a moment, and realized that something was wrong with his gaze. He coughed lightly, turned his eyes, and continued:
"Sir, if you go to Germany this time, then the People's Guard..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly smiled and said:
"If I really go to Germany, the People's Guard will have to rely on you to watch over me."
Shi Shigege's voice stopped suddenly and she looked at him blankly. After a long time, she turned around and said with a smile:
"Xiang Xiaoqiang, are you testing me?... This is boring."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Why are you testing you?... I am very likely to go to Germany. Germany currently has a lot of things we need. Making deals with Germany, both political and economic, will be of great benefit to our Ming Dynasty.
Although I left Daming and they had some opportunities, they can't just stay at home and dare not move because of this. What's more..."
He looked at the fourteen grids very seriously and said:
"Zhao Fang. I don't call you 'princess' or anything like that now, I'll just call you Zhao Fang. The princess is the princess of the entire Ming Dynasty, and Zhao Fang is just my old friend Xiang Xiaoqiang. I don't mean to talk to old friends now.
I won’t hand over the entire People’s Guard to you. I should let you and another person, or two people, manage it together. But I will give you the most power, because you are stronger than them all.”
Shi Shigege stared at him blankly. When she heard him call out the word "Zhao Fang", the scene where the two of them made a fire and cooked noodles together in the small kitchen in Beiqing suddenly appeared in her mind. She
My heart trembled, and then waves of gentle feelings came over me. For a moment, I didn’t think about anything else, and nodded directly:
"Okay, you make the arrangements, I've listened."
…
When Xiang Xiaoqiang came to the palace, Zhu Yourong first congratulated him with a smile, and then apologized to him guiltily like a primary school student, saying that he should not have dragged him from home the day after the wedding. Xiang Xiaoqiang was very generous.
He waved his hand, which meant that our friendship meant that there was no need to say these words.
Then Zhu Yourong explained the situation to him, basically what Shi Shigege told him in advance. Then Zhu Yourong said hesitantly:
"Yes, I invite you here because I want to hear your opinion. I want you to help me make up my mind. Because if we send someone there, I think you are more suitable. You are from the military and are familiar with politics.
, your participation in foreign affairs is not high, it is not as conspicuous as sending ministers or diplomats. And your status is high enough to represent me. The most important thing is that this time must be unofficial, and you have just got married,
You can go on your honeymoon privately.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang really hopes to have limited cooperation with Germany. Because he knows that Germany has already extended its hand. If he holds it at this time, there will definitely be a lot of money, much bigger than what he got from Britain. If Ming messes with Britain, he will get
The benefits are too vain, and he is still as old as a younger brother. This time when the Ming Dynasty was in trouble, the British just looked at it with their hands, and the facts have been revealed.
But now when interacting with Germany, first of all, the status is equal, and even Daming has a condescending feeling. The most important thing is that Germany needs Daming, more urgently than Daming needs Germany. Daming will get a lot of real things. Xiang Xiaoqiang
You know, Hitler was not stingy and was willing to pay a lot of money to achieve his goals.
Xiang Xiaoqiang did not tell these reasons, but asked Zhu Yourong to talk about his views first, and he listened first.
To his surprise, Zhu Yourong analyzed international relations in a clear and insightful manner, completely different from her usual non-powerful self. Only then did Xiang Xiaoqiang realize that although Zhu Yourong was relatively simple in dealing with people's relationships, she was not very good at dealing with the country's affairs.
She really has a good rapport. She may not be a good leader, but she seems to be a good diplomat.
For decades, Ming Dynasty's "Princess Diplomacy" has been very successful. Zhu Yourong was also trained from an early age and taught by the best diplomats. He also traveled to various countries around the world with his father, queen and mother, and practiced in diplomatic activities all day long.
Later, he visited frequently on his own, and it can be said that he was already a quite qualified young diplomat.
Xiang Xiaoqiang originally thought that Zhu Yourong was also interested in contacting Germany and was deceived by the old men in the cabinet. It turned out that she herself saw the pros and cons very clearly.
"In the past few days, I have carefully studied the important diplomatic documents of the past thirty years," Zhu Yourong said with a frown, holding his forehead, biting his quill, "I have a feeling that since the beginning of the 20th century, Britain has gradually
Abandoned us... After the World War, Britain had actually abandoned us... Ming Dynasty is no longer the Ming Dynasty in the 19th century, and Britain is no longer the Britain in the 19th century. In more than thirty years,
Britain's attention gradually shrank from the world to Europe. After the world war, Britain was no longer willing to stand up for its allies."
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Zhu Yourong and nodded. This girl's analysis was so incisive that she could see through it at a glance. It was the same as the historical data analysis that Xiang Xiaoqiang saw in later generations after World War II. "War phobia" and "chondrosis" were closely related to each other. Having firmly controlled Britain and France, Hitler saw this clearly and continued to use "war" to blackmail him, and he succeeded every time. However, it was after the war, and it was all hindsight. Zhu Yourong, however, had been there for several years before the war. That’s how I saw Britain through.
In 1910, when King Edward VII of England passed away, royal family members from all over the world gathered in London to attend the funeral. At that time, Emperor Minami Tokunaga also crossed the ocean and traveled thousands of miles.
But this time, on January 20, 1936, less than a month ago, King George V passed away. Zhu Yourong did not go, but only sent a message of condolences. Of course, at that time, the Ming Dynasty was busy defending Nanjing, and Zhu Yourong had There are very good reasons not to go. However, if you taste it again after the war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, you can always taste it. It seems that this is a signal that the Ming and Britain will be estranged from each other.
A thought flashed through Xiang Xiaoqiang's mind and he smiled:
"What do you think, Mr. Shen Ge?"
Zhu Yourong's face turned slightly red, and she was a little worried about asking Xiaoqiang, thinking that Shen Rongxuan had taught her these things. She explained:
"Well, Mr. Shen Ge also agrees with me. He also thinks that the symbolic significance of British allies is greater than its practical significance. Especially during the Ming and Qing wars, the whole world saw that Britain stood by and watched us almost destroy the country. So from now on we With the British card in your hand, you can't even pretend to scare people. But Mr. Shen Ge doesn't seem to be optimistic about Germany. He suggests that you take a trip to Europe and visit two or three more countries. It's best to go to Moscow to test it out. He felt that compared with Germany, the Soviet Union played a much greater role... However, I always feel that the Soviet Union is not authentic and I should be cautious when dealing with it."
Xiang Xiaoqiang secretly admired Shen Rongxuan. Shen Ge really deserves to be the chief minister of a country. He sees the situation so well and kills two birds with one stone so well. Indeed, at this time, Germany's situation is difficult to be optimistic about. This is not It was not a question of level, but of Hitler's subsequent series of diplomatic victories. The element of luck was so great that God was simply helping him. At the beginning of 1936, it was prudent not to be optimistic about Germany and the performance of responsible politicians. Those who were optimistic Germans are either geniuses or gamblers.
So besides Germany, who is the most worthy country for the Ming Dynasty to win over? The only country is the Soviet Union. If you make good friends with the Soviet Union, you can form a strategic encirclement of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the north and greatly reduce the dangers faced by the Southern Ming Dynasty. In other words, in the current first-class politics From everyone's point of view, playing with the Soviet Union is real, even more real than playing with the United Kingdom. But playing with Germany is just illusory.
The Soviet Union is now in political isolation, and it also hopes to break this isolation. The Manchu and Qing Dynasties are directly bordering the Far Eastern border of the Soviet Union, and are not so close to Japan. It is possible for the Soviet Union to sell a few weapons to it, but it is impossible to form an alliance with it.
But is the Soviet Union so easy to win over? Xiang Xiaoqiang knows that Stalin is an old fox who is more difficult to deal with than Hitler. If you bargain with him, you will never get any advantage. Xiang Xiaoqiang still has some ideas about Hitler and knows his Where is the tickle? I know how to stroke his hair. I have no confidence in Stalin or Xiang Xiaoqiang at all. This old guy can smell that you are asking for something from him and want to get something from him from hundreds of kilometers away. .Then they will break your bones at the negotiation table and leave you with no scraps left.
For Stalin, no one could get an advantage from the negotiation table. Not Hitler, nor Roosevelt or Churchill later...Xiang Xiaoqiang naturally knew that he could not do it either. Neither Zhu Yourong nor Shen Rongxuan could do it.
This girl Zhu Yourong is probably also a genius in diplomacy. She can tell that the Soviet Union is "inauthentic" and difficult to deal with based on her feelings, which is very rare. Xiang Xiaoqiang relies on a large amount of knowledge and materials from later generations to see the problem roughly on the same level as Zhu Yourong.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Zhu Yourong like a teacher looking at his students, smiling and nodding with satisfaction, and then casually pointed out a few points that Zhu Yourong couldn't explain, such as Hitler's character and Stalin's character. They had to get used to each. How to look at problems, etc. These casual remarks based on the knowledge of later generations immediately impressed Zhu Yourong, and immediately felt that Xiang Xiaoqiang had unique insights not only in military affairs, but also in international politics.
The two talked for a whole morning and decided to make a decision. Xiang Xiaoqiang will go to Europe for a honeymoon in a private capacity, which will last from one month to forty days. The main destinations are Germany and the Soviet Union. Xiang Xiaoqiang will first go to Germany to explore the route. If Germany is there The talks go well and if the two parties can confirm the "love relationship", Zhu Yourong will then officially visit Germany.
Xiang Xiaoqiang did not dare to pretend to be fat. He knew that he was young and too young to play with Hitler's gang of party sticks. Although it was unlikely that he would meet Hitler, he would probably meet Göring, Himmler, and Goebbels. These people, especially Göring and Himmler. One of their main purposes for going this time was to dig into German aviation technology, and they had already targeted the Messerschmitt fighter that was still in the laboratory. So, it was indispensable to talk to Göring. Dealing with that big fat man. Moreover, he is still the leader of the People's Guard, so the leader of the German SS must give him a courtesy reception.
The two set a date for the visit, about a week later. Within this week, Xiang Xiaoqiang could not take any vacation. He had to explain and arrange many affairs of the People's Guard, and review a large amount of information on European relations, as well as various technical information. We also need to select a few attachés. These attachés include translators and experts in various fields. They will become Xiang Xiaoqiang's assistants.
A week later, it was the day when the Yongan Princess, a new cruise ship customized by Zheng Shipping Company, was launched. This is a luxury cruise ship named after the title of Princess Zhu Yourong in her era. It has a displacement of more than 30,000 tons and a cruising speed of 30 knots. From Guangdong to Bremen, the 10,000 nautical mile route can be completed in 14 days.
The Yongan Princess will make its maiden voyage in Guangzhou Port. At that time, Zhu Yourong and Xiang Xiaoqiang will fly to Guangzhou by special plane to host the cruise ship's maiden voyage. Then Xiang Xiaoqiang will take this tanker to go to Europe for his "honeymoon".
Xiang Xiaoqiang tasted the arrangement carefully and felt that there was something else that he had not remembered.
"By the way," he suddenly asked Zhu Yourong, "Who is that 'tourist' who came to Ming Dynasty from Germany, the heir to a wealthy family?"
Zhu Yourong smiled and said:
"Oh, Alfred Krupp. The heir of Krupp Company. He will also take the Wing Princess back to Germany. You can chat more on the way."