In early May, as the bottom line of the British negotiations was exposed, the ownership of Siam finally became clearer.
As Qin Zhiyuan expected, the British were not sure of defeating Lan Fanghe and the French, so after the blackmail failed, they had no choice but to accept the reality.
The British did not give up on the ten provinces in northern Siam. In order to strengthen their strength, the British transferred armored divisions from Liabi, preparing to crush all resistance with tanks.
I have to say that sometimes British people are silly and a little cute.
Northern Siam is a mountainous area, so it remains to be seen how effective the armored forces can be.
Starting in May, the conference entered the naval quota section, and the Americans finally stepped onto the podium in a grand manner and began to show their strength.
The attitude of the United States is very firm. If we insist on a naval quota of 300,000 tons, then the Americans will require 600,000 tons. The British position is a bit ambiguous. The French and Italians have no idea. No matter how much they are given, they will not be able to reach it. When the quota was reached and he reported the progress to Qin Zhiyuan, Lu Zhengxiang looked sad.
At this stage, Huang Bohan retired, and Lu Zhengxiang and Navy Minister Antonio appeared in person. Lu Zhengxiang was not optimistic about the progress of the meeting, because with the participation of Americans, the British were a little emboldened. Although this meeting was in Lanfang's land It was held on the 2nd, but Lanfang did not have the home field advantage.
The British are unreliable. They still have to talk directly with the Americans. What is the name of their Secretary of State? Qin Zhiyuan has no hope in the British. Even if there is an agreement signed by Qin Zhiyuan and Lloyd George, it will be useless.
If the agreement is recognized by both parties, it will have certain binding force. As long as one party wants to overturn it, it will be a piece of waste paper. Don't talk about the country's credibility. The country's greatest credibility is the ability of the military. Others It's all nonsense.
Charles, Charles Evans, Hughes. Lu Zhengxiang also understood that what Qin Zhiyuan said was reasonable, but he was still a little unwilling, so he looked a little annoyed.
Charles Evans Hughes was the Secretary of State who took office with President Harding. Before serving as Secretary of State, Charles served as governor and chief officer. He was very famous in the United States. Five years ago, the President of the United States In the election, Charles lost to Wilson, the last president of the United States, by 23 votes.
What kind of person is Charles? Is it possible to directly communicate with Charles that Qin Zhiyuan wants to get rid of the British. As long as the problems in the United States are solved, then all problems will not be problems.
He is fair, honest and efficient, and his insistence on rules is almost harsh. If he finds a topic that interests him, there is still the possibility of further communication. Overall, he is much better than Andrew, the sick man. Lu Zhengxiang praised Charles highly.
Because of the plight of the fall, Lloyd George was forced to resign as Prime Minister, and Andrew Bernal Law became the new British Prime Minister. Andrew was the first Prime Minister born outside the United Kingdom. After taking office, Andrew formed an all-conservative party Government, this caused Andrew to be criticized when he first took office. In the March election, although the Conservative Party won the election, the Labor Party won 142 parliamentary seats, and the gap between the two parties was not large.
Similar to former U.S. President Wilson, Andrew was also in poor health. This was probably an important reason why Andrew won the election. Like Lloyd George, he was also an excessive candidate.
Then make arrangements. Tomorrow night, I will entertain Charles at the palace. Qin Zhiyuan is going to take action in person.
Although Harding won the presidential election, Harding did not gain widespread trust, so this time it was Charles who came to the meeting.
After the world war, a number of pre-war interest groups were weakened, and the war promoted the rise of new interest groups. The world now is a time when emerging forces and traditional forces are at odds. From a global perspective, the United States and Lanfang is an emerging force, while Britain and France represent traditional forces. If we look at specific countries, the United States, Britain and France have similar problems, but Lanfang does not.
Lanfang has no tradition at all, so there is no such thing as traditional power.
Okay, I'll make the arrangements. Lu Zhengxiang recorded this matter on his notepad, as focused as Qin Zhiyuan's secretary.
Charles did not refuse Qin Zhiyuan's invitation. Before coming to Lanfang to attend the meeting, Charles had some knowledge of Lanfang. Charles knew very well that if he wanted to achieve some results at this meeting, he must It requires Qin Zhiyuan's approval.
Charles has been waiting for Qin Zhiyuan's invitation.
In the evening, when the lights were on, Charles rode his Ford to the palace.
Americans are indeed very cliquey. Lanfang is far away from the United States, but the Americans still took the trouble to transport Charles' car here by ship. Not only that, during the meeting in Lanfang, the Americans were responsible for all of Charles' expenses. , not letting the Lanfang government pay a cent, which made Lu Zhengxiang have a good impression of Charles.
The quality of self-discipline needs to be compared, especially when Mussolini was around, which shows the value of Charles' self-discipline. The night Mussolini first arrived in Lanfang, he went to Pandora to gamble for half a night. Not only did he lose 300,000 US dollars in funding, he also owed Pandora 150,000 US dollars. The key point is that Mussolini actually defaulted on the debt and accused Pandora of cheating. This is really disgusting.
Accompanying Qin Zhiyuan to greet Charles was Misha. Julie made an appointment with Helen from the Ministry of Health for a physical check-up today. She has not returned yet. She probably went to Lanling Island with some of her best friends to go shopping.
Charles did not bring his wife, so after saying hello, Misha resigned, leaving Qin Zhiyuan and Charles plenty of private space.
As usual, we still have to take a group photo before entering the banquet restaurant.
It was said to be a banquet, but in fact it was just a common meal. Qin Zhiyuan's English was very good, so he didn't even need a translator, let alone maids or guards. Qin Zhiyuan and Charles had dinner together in a buffet style.
The dining table is a good place for communication. Generally speaking, words spoken in this place do not count. It is a very suitable place for communication and can be used to test each other's bottom line.
Just like Lloyd George when he heard Lan Fang's request, Charles did not take it seriously: Lan Fang does not need a 300,000-ton warship at all. That is too much, especially since your warships are all cutting-edge warships. This will cause strong uneasiness in other countries.
In fact, Charles has achieved certain results regarding the quality of this battleship.
On the first day of the meeting, Charles announced that the United States would dismantle thirty warships and asked the United Kingdom and Lanfang to follow suit. The media commented on this, and even the Daily News had to admit that Charles dismantled thirty warships within 35 minutes. He sunk more warships than all the admirals in the world had sunk in the previous centuries.
The British agreed to Charles' request, but Lanfang refused.
The United Kingdom and the United States are both old capitalist countries. Their domestic warships have a certain age. When the service life reaches the limit, the warships will be decommissioned. Lanfang is an emerging country, and the longest domestic warships are only five or six years old.
, it is really too early to say retirement.
Charles did not force this, it was just an attitude, an attitude that showed the determination of the United States. Although it did not obtain Lan Fang's consent, it was obvious that this behavior achieved its goal and won praise for the United States.
In fact, this is not a problem. You know, even if all the warships in the shipyard are now in service, Lanfang's naval tonnage will not reach 300,000 tons, so your worries are unnecessary. Regardless of whether we want to develop battleships or not, Qin
Zhiyuan must fight hard based on reason.
It's not unnecessary. If it's just in the shipyard, it doesn't matter. But the bigger hidden danger is in the budget. No one knows how much you want to build. The unknown is mankind's biggest fear. Charles eats
Things move slowly and speak in an orderly manner, giving people a real sense of stability.
If I say that what we have now is all, you will not believe me. Qin Zhiyuan is not in a hurry. The meeting between him and Charles is just a preliminary communication. The negotiations are protracted. Even the Olympics can last for eight months. This negotiation is expected to last for several months.
months.
Of course I believe that you are an honest person and there is no need to lie on this issue. If you insist, no one can influence you. But one thing you should pay attention to is that there are six battleships in the American shipyard.
Under construction. Charles was indeed honest, but what he said was not flattering.
The number of battleships currently being built by Lanfang, including one from France, is only three. Charles now says that the number of battleships built by the United States is six, so the meaning is obvious. For every battleship Lanfang builds, the Americans will build two.
In terms of numbers, the Americans must ensure an absolute advantage.
It doesn't matter, you can build as many as you want. That's your internal affairs. Lan Fang won't dictate. Lan Fang has a plan to build warships. The number we build will not refer to how many others have, but how many we need. Qin Zhiyuan
If we push back neither softly nor hard, we are not afraid of starting an arms race with the Americans.
The fiscal system of a democratic country is very magical. At the end of each fiscal year, government agencies will formulate a budget for the next fiscal year, and then submit it to Congress for a vote. If Congress passes it, then the U.S. government will get the money. If Congress
If it fails, the U.S. government won't get a penny.
Lanfang is a system. Although the government budget must be voted by the parliament, Lanfang's army is its own system. Qin Zhiyuan bears most of the military expenditures. Parliament has no control over this area. Moreover, Qin Zhiyuan has the right to make additional purchases at any time, which makes the Americans
Out of reach.
I understand that the wealth you possess is indeed enviable. Therefore, the US government does not intend to compete with you in this regard. Why don't we use the knife to make money wherever we can? Charles is indeed honest.
Charles admitted that even the U.S. government did not have as much freedom as Lan Fang in the use of funds, so Charles did not want to talk more about this issue.
What you mean is that Qin Zhiyuan has always been interested in making money.
Germany, I have a plan to revive Germany. I wonder if His Majesty is interested in it. Charles is here.
Of course, I am very interested. Qin Zhiyuan suddenly felt that Charles was very cute.
