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Text Chapter 474 The Raging Sea (1)

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    The European War that had lasted for more than four years had just ended, and the most violent wave of plague swept across the entire Far East.  News of the epidemic outbreak spread in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan and even Zhengzhou and Taiyuan in the mainland. A large number of people were dying every day, and the business of coffin shops was several times better than during the war.  Qufeng Powder, Isatis Root, Yinqiao Powder Aspirin, from a trainee doctor to the director of the Military Medical Department of the National Defense Forces, and now the Minister of Health of the Republic of China, Du Du, who has experienced the fierce war in the southwest, the reunification of the country, and the horrors of the Sino-Japanese War  The literary giant used all his means, but he was still helpless in the face of the terrible plague that was coming.

    The last month of 1918 was the darkest period since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In just one month, as many as 200,000 people were reported to have died from the plague across the country!  Tied with the United States, only behind India's horrific figure of 430,000 in January.  This is just a statistical figure. How many people in the vast rural areas cannot afford to get sick?  no one knows.  In response to this century-old plague, Congress and local governments promulgated hundreds of emergency bills and announcements in a short period of time, and newspapers were full of preventive measures published by the government.  Although these bills contributed to the gradual improvement of public crisis management methods in the Republic of China and the birth of institutions such as the National Disease and Famine Early Warning Center, the scars cannot be erased.  Schools were closed, markets were closed, and factories were shut down There were almost no people in the streets of Nanjing, and victory celebrations were also cancelled.  Some people say it¡¯s because the poisonous gas that foreigners have been using for four years has drifted over in the wind. Others say it¡¯s because God is angry at the ¡°Chengcheng Act¡± that was implemented at the beginning of the year. Some even say it¡¯s because too much coal is spewed out of factory chimneys.  Ash.

    But regardless of whether these rumors were ridiculous or contained evil intentions, 1918 gradually passed in this atmosphere.  In the past year, some people were happy while others were going there. Those who had made war fortunes in the early years were smiling and preparing for the New Year to prepare for the future. Those who had just gritted their teeth and decided to invest all their wealth to make a fortune found that in addition to buying a bunch of machines,  I don¡¯t know where the order is yet.

    The wealth of war gradually cools down as the smoke clears in Europe, and explosive financial figures will eventually plummet.  The wave of bankruptcies has loomed. In addition to trying their best to control the spread of the flu, governments around the world are also searching the world for the last straw to save the economy.  For the many Allied countries, the solution is very, very simpledivide the alliance!

    ¡°Civilized words such as well-dressed, aristocratic etiquette, and gentlemanly demeanor have long been forgotten.  Many people only think about the astronomical compensation, and think about giant warships, priceless precision machinery and equipment, and various coveted technologies.  Every government and official who was invited to the peace conference prepared sacks and rushed towards Paris with red eyes. While sitting in the huge conference room and pretending to have a meeting, they stared at the world's second largest industrial country hundreds of kilometers away from the corner of their eyes.  The Japanese government, which has relied on the construction of 271 types of ships for export in the past three years and has gradually recovered through outsourced processing, was the first to take action to get a share of the pie and establish its position in the new world.  Not only did a Kongo-class battlecruiser be dispatched for protection, Prime Minister Tanaka Yoshikazu also personally led a 40-member delegation, including Foreign Minister Makino Nobunobu, to France.  On the contrary, Yang Qiu, who returned to Nanjing, was unhurried.  First, they discussed with Li Yuanhong and others to send Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang, Chief of General Staff Song Ziqing, Navy Ye Zugui, Industry Minister Zheng Tingxiang, and Central Bank Governor Xu Xiujun to Paris to meet Wang Zhengting, Gu Weijun and others for preliminary negotiations, and then started to mobilize ships to Marseille to pick up the expeditionary force.  When the soldiers returned home, they also requested the protection of the expeditionary force escort fleet that was on mission in the Atlantic Ocean, as if they had forgotten this grand event that determined the world's international politics and order in the twenty years after World War I.

    The heavy snow made the already silent city of Nanjing even more silent, with only laughter and laughter coming from the Prime Minister's Office.  After being forced to cancel the planned large-scale government reception due to the flu, Tang Shaoyi simply hosted it herself and invited her friends to a gathering.  Firstly, it is to celebrate the victory of the war, and secondly, it is also used to contact all walks of life to lay a solid foundation for the last term of office.  Although there were many guests from other countries, the topic once again turned to the ongoing Paris Peace Conference.

    He became famous throughout the country for signing the "Plum Blossom Agreement".  Hu Weide, who became deputy prime minister less than half a year after his return, became one of the stars at the reception. Especially since he had served as ambassador to France for a long time, he became a source of information about Europe and the Paris Peace Conference. Jiang Zuobin and others surrounded him.  Ask about the situation.  Chen Guofu was the shyer one among the group. He usually lived in seclusion and took care of party affairs for Yang Qiu, but he was not used to this kind of high-level government reception.  He glanced at the spiral staircase leading to the second floor and asked: "Vice Prime Minister. Why do you think the Vice President has not been going to Paris for so long? Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi has been leaving for half a month. And just now I heard from Ambassador Rui Enshi  , this meeting is of no small importance, not only to determine the war dividend distribution plan for each country, but also to discuss issues such as the future politics of the world."

    Hu Weide is no longer a newcomer who just came back and does not understand the domestic personnel situation. He knows that he has a unique position.  The person who has managed the affairs of the National Socialist Party for so many years has not been changed. This shows that his status in Yang Qiu's mind is not as good as Wei's.? replied: "This meeting involves too many countries. Not to mention there are many countries. Britain, France and the United States all have secret intentions to use this opportunity to contain each other and ensure their own interests. It cannot be concluded in a short time. So there is no point in going early."

    Jiang Zuobin agreed with him and said: "The deputy prime minister is right. In addition to France being the host, British Prime Minister Lloyd George and US President Wilson have both set the time to go to France in the middle of next month. I think whether it is the prime minister or the vice president who goes  , we should all keep pace with them.¡±

    Chen Guofu continued to ask: "But I heard that Japan is ready to fight hard this time, not only to continue to ensure the Anglo-Japanese alliance, but also to make a huge profit! Last year, they sent troops to Siberia and squeezed a lot from local Russian businessmen, and also forced  The North Koreans are digging coal and iron mines, and it is said that the first batch of iron ore and coking coal will be shipped back by May this year at the latest. If they get compensation and industrial equipment again, they will definitely be a serious problem in the future."

    Hu Weide knew Yang Qiu's thoughts and personal preferences well, so after returning to China, he carefully analyzed the Japan-Russia issue and said: "We are making progress, and Japan has not relaxed. In the past three years, they have used the Indian iron ore provided by the United Kingdom to produce a total of 200  Most of the remaining ships were sold to Britain and France to make up for losses in the Atlantic Ocean, and they also got a lot of OEM processing business. Last year, the tax revenue also reached a huge 1 billion, which is much better than the previous two years. Regardless of the financial burden, they started construction of 2 battleships and  Several cruisers obviously want to maintain the advantage over us at sea. If it is just Japan, I would not be afraid. I am afraid that Russia will calm down in a few years and join forces with them."

    Jiang Zuobin snorted coldly: "What are we afraid of if we join forces? Irkutsk is in our hands. As long as this place is not lost, the Siberian Railway will not be able to operate smoothly. No matter how capable Lenin is, he will not even think about providing assistance to Japan."

    Hu Weide did not dare to take it lightly and said: "Yu Yan is still a little angry, but don't forget that Lenin even dared to sign the Brest-Litovsk Contract. For him, handing over the Sea of ??Okhotsk to Japan for development, or simply  What do you think will happen if the areas under our control are also nominally handed over to Japan?" This bold assumption made everyone's hearts shrink.  Deliberately handing over the entire Eastern Siberia to Japan for development?  is it possible!  The more everyone thinks about it, the more they feel that there is a way. Since Russia will not be able to get it back for a while, there is no guarantee that Lenin and the Poor Party will not trade the country.

    "No. I'm going to remind the Vice President to prevent this kind of situation." Jiang Zuobin, as an officer, was naturally the most nervous about this situation, but as soon as he was about to go upstairs, he was pulled by Hu Weidao, looking at the end of the stairs and admiring: "Yu Yan, don't worry  , in fact, these speculations were told to me by the vice president, hesees further than anyone else."

    While the discussion about the future was intense downstairs, the atmosphere in the study room on the second floor was solemn.  Yang Qiu crossed his arms and frowned, while Tang Shaoyi and Li Yuanhong were also very serious.  Fang Rui, who was standing next to him, pointed to the sea map on the table and introduced to everyone: "Britain and France have issued an ultimatum, requiring the German naval fleet to sail to Scapa Flow by February 20 at the latest to wait for the final negotiation results. With Germany's character, it will definitely  We set off on the last day. On that day, just in case, the British would definitely send all their warships to the direction of the Kiel Canal to ensure that everything was safe. So Bingwen and the others had decided to set off on the same day. We have sent thousands of sailors to Germany one after another.  The remaining people are all commanded by Bingwen and other cadets who went to Germany, and with local employment, they can ensure that up to thirty cargo ships can be launched. After setting off, the fleet will take the Denmark Strait and enter the Norwegian offshore, taking advantage of the heavy coastal fog and canyons in this area in winter.  More, covering the north to Greenland, and then across the North Atlantic to the northern coast of Canada. We used the need for a naval escort fleet as an excuse and bought three coal ships in the United States last year. The escort fleet will protect them immediately after they arrive.  The coaling ships went to replenish coal. The fleet then dispersed, flying neutral flags and heading to South America along the Canadian and American sides. They met in Brazil."

    Looking at the line drawn by Fang Rui, Sa Zhenbing looked ugly and said: "When I was learning to operate ships in the UK, my instructor told us that we should never enter the Greenland Arctic Ocean in winter unless necessary. There are  From February to May, there are severe storms and freezing temperatures every day. The most dangerous thing is icebergs of all sizes. These icebergs look like they are not much bigger than a table on the water surface. But they are often kilometers wide underwater.  If you go up there, the ship will be destroyed and people will be killed! A few years ago, a cruise ship that big was hit and sank far away from the route! So this road is not easy to go"

    He sighed at the end, making everyone feel their hearts becoming heavier.  Cheng Biguang is one of the few captains in the navy who has sailed around the world. He also added: "Commander Sa is right. The British call this route the Arctic Ocean route. They rarely go there in normal times. They only did it in the past two years to support Russia."  There are ships coming and going. This route was interrupted after Lenin came to power in Russia. Even if it is not interrupted, this route will be basically suspended from February and will not be restored until early May. After passing Greenland is the Davis Strait, which is more permanent all year round.  There are not many ships in sight. But if you can get here smoothly, you will basically have no trouble heading south. American and Canadian patrol ships rarely intercept.The national ships, Brazil and Chile can replenish coal, and we can also bring coal ships to meet them in the name of training, just in case we run into trouble when crossing.  "

    "It's useless to think too much. Bingwen and the others have already sent a telegram to Wang Zhengting. Companies such as Krupp, Rheinmetall, Zeiss and Man have all agreed to the transaction. The data, drawings and equipment are all on their way to Rostock, and the purchased ships are also on their way to Rostock.  They're all there." Yang Qiu didn't know the difficulties. I don't know how many heroes were killed on the Arctic Ocean route in World War II, but there was no turning back when the bow was fired.

    Looking at the map, he stood up and walked to the window: "Chen Guofu and I are going to Paris. As for themit depends on whether God will give this country hope of revival!".

    !  ~!

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