February 10, 1923, Republic 2764, No. 10 Downing Street, London. "145.68 million tons.
Dear Humphrey, are you sure you got it right?"
British Prime Minister Andrew Bernallaw asked in an incredulous tone.
Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Prime Minister’s Permanent Secretary, said seriously: “Yes, according to their own published data, their raw steel production reached 118.7 million tons in 1921, making them the first country in the world to produce more than A billion-ton country.
Their results for last year have not been officially announced.
This is the data our intelligence personnel obtained from their internal information.
This kind of irregular publication called internal reference is only available to their officials at the county or bureau level.
Confidential reading for qualification check, so it should be very accurate.”
"Oh, God, these Chinese people must be crazy.
What do they need so much steel for?"
Prime Minister Labor rubbed his eyebrows and felt that his brain hurt.
"Mr.
Prime Minister, the Americans' raw steel production last year also reached 58 million tons.
Note that this is only their domestic steel production.
If Guyana and the three states of West Africa are included, it will not be less than 60 million tons."
Humphrey also It's not enough, and it continues to undermine the prime minister's fragile confidence.
"Needless to say, the next one must be the damn Germans, right?
I remember that their steel production last year exceeded 20 million tons."
"Uh, yes.
To be precise, it's 21.23 million tons.
This is the data we just got."
"And we, the majestic British Empire, produced only 4.5 million tons of steel last year, less than half of what it was before the war.
This is really an incredible fact."
Prime Minister Labor lamented in his heart, what kind of mess has labor and capital inherited.
These days, steel production is an important indicator of national strength.
Countries with large steel production are not necessarily powerful countries, such as Luxembourg, but powerful countries must produce more steel.
Humphrey spread his hands: "Prime Minister, you should understand that our industrial base in the south was basically destroyed by the Germans, and many factories in the north were also destroyed.
We are still in the recovery period.
In fact, last year we could reach 450 Ten thousand tons is already pretty good, at least fourth in the world.
The French and Italians are even more unlucky.
France’s steel output last year was only 2.1 million tons, not as good as Japan’s 2.2 million tons, and Italy’s was only a pitiful 400,000 tons. " "It has been almost three years since the armistice, why has the recovery been so slow?"
Prime Minister Labor couldn't help but ask.
"Because there is no money, Prime Minister, now we need to invest a lot of money in order to suppress the separatist forces in Africa and India.
We also need to restore the navy, and there are too many things that need to spend money to rebuild London, so the priority of the steel plant is It’s the latter part of the comparison.
After all, we can directly buy steel from foreign countries.”
"Didn't you just say you had no money?
Why do you have money to import steel now?"
Prime Minister Labor thought that this permanent secretary was mentally disturbed.
"Well, Mr.
Prime Minister, we just bought it from the Chinese.
They don't have to charge money.
They can use materials and people to offset the payment."
"How can the employer offset the payment?"
Prime Minister Labor asked a little strangely.
He only took up the position of Prime Minister last month, and he is still not very familiar with it.
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He is not clear about some previous transactions.
By the way, this guy is Canadian and the only British Prime Minister so far who was born outside of England.
"Yes, they need a lot of labor, especially women.
They need a lot of women to balance their male-female ratio.
You know, it was a pagan country, and their men could theoretically marry several wives.
A young man A strong man can exchange for three to four tons of raw steel, while a The women they are satisfied with can be exchanged for more than five tons.
Unfortunately, they don't like black women very much.
We have a lot of people in Africa and India.
Replacing some people from those unstable areas will not only bring profits to the empire, but also bring profits to the empire.
Reduce local troubles," Humphrey said without changing his face.
"Oh, my God, when did our British Empire descend into making money from slave trade?
This is a retrogression of history.
Yes, it is a retrogression of history.
If I remember correctly, we introduced a bill to abolish the slave trade in the last century."
Prime Minister Labor was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped.
Then he said with great dignity: "I think this kind of unethical transaction must stop immediately.
We cannot be as shameless as Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands."
As for the fact that "the country with the most prosperous slave trade in history is Britain", he selectively ignored it.
Before the 19th century, the slave trade created a large amount of wealth for Britain and laid a cornerstone for the modern capitalist system.
Many cities in the UK, such as Bristol, London, and Liverpool, prospered through the slave trade.
"No, Mr.
Prime Minister, you misunderstood.
First of all, we are not slave trading.
The British Empire has stopped doing this a long time ago.
We are a labor agency, and all we charge is labor agency fees.
Secondly, the royal family is also involved in this matter. , they have 10% of the shares, and there are many noble lords who also have shares in it, such as Rudingham and Marlborough," Humphrey said in a low voice.
The British royal family has always done whatever it takes to make money.
In history, they have been involved in many profitable "sunshine industries" such as slave trading, opium, and piracy.
You ask them why they are so shameless.
Well, why do they need shame when they have money?
For the sake of real money, they don’t need shame.
Otherwise, do you think that their status as the “richest man on earth” was achieved by farming?
"Oh, since it is a labor agency recognized by the royal family, let's continue."
Upon hearing the names of those behind the scenes, Prime Minister Labor wisely did not mention it.
Any minister who dares to cut off the wealth of the royal family and these top dignitaries will never end well, and the Prime Minister is no exception.
However, he still said unhappily: "This is ironic.
The majestic British Empire actually wants to import steel from a bunch of yellow monkeys.
I remember that twenty years ago, no, even more than ten years ago, they wanted to import steel from us." of" "At that time, the empire had the world's largest navy, but now it does not.
Mr.
Prime Minister, we must recognize the reality," Humphrey spread his hands and said helplessly.
"Okay, let's see what else we lack.
This damn war" "We are still short of many things, including oil, grain, meat, textiles, everything except coal and fish."
"Oh, this is simply unreasonable."
Prime Minister Labor pulled his hair hard, feeling like he wanted to cry.
He felt that he had been tricked by His Majesty the King.
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He originally thought that this was already a mess, but he did not expect that this mess was worse than he thought.
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
If he had known he was so bad, he shouldn't have taken this position.
This Prime Minister Lao Shizi was clearly the one taking the blame.
He now finally understood why former Prime Minister Lloyd George resigned so simply.
After the war, the devastated Britain was left with only half a life.
Although it was still known as the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets," it had actually become a "Empire on which the sun never sets."
The mainland was beaten to pieces, and the capital London was in ruins.
Most of the factories that were once everywhere were destroyed during the war, especially in the south that became a German-occupied area.
The factories were either demolished by the Germans or bombed.
Burn.
This led to a sharp decline in post-war British production and an increase in unemployment.
Coupled with the large number of refugees caused by the war, domestic class contradictions became acute and the strike movement increased.
This is not the most unfortunate thing.
What is even more frightening is that with the joint operation of other powers, Ireland became independent.
Ireland's independence triggered a series of reactions.
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also demanded more autonomy.
They believed that they shed blood and sweat for Britain during World War I, and their treatment should not be lower than that of Ireland.
Well, three biological sons are easy to get rid of, but Africa and India are not so easy to get rid of, and with the support of Arabs, Yemen and Egypt in the Middle East have become riotous.
Now the British colonies in Africa, India and the Middle East are almost Beacon fires everywhere.
Due to a series of military, domestic, and diplomatic failures, Lloyd George tried many times to reverse the situation, but to no avail.
In the end, he had to step down in despair.
Now it's the Prime Minister's responsibility to take the blame.
Prime Minister Labor gritted his teeth and said: "Our current situation is so difficult.
It is all the fault of the damn German Wilhelm II, this lunatic.
If he had not launched the war, we would not be in such a bad situation."
As for this war, Britain first declared war.
The fact was selectively ignored by him.
Humphrey took out a document and said: "Well, Mr.
Prime Minister, there is one more thing.
The German royal family sent an invitation, inviting us to attend the coronation ceremony of Crown Prince William."
"The coronation ceremony of Crown Prince William.
Has William II died of his lunacy?
This is the best news I have heard this year."
Prime Minister Labor suddenly beamed with joy.
"Sorry, not yet."
Humphrey paused and said, "But it's almost there."
"Hahahaha, that's not bad" Hanking, Presidential Palace.
"Oh, this should be called William III."
Wen Desi smiled and looked at the invitation in his hand, which was just sent by the German Ambassador to China.
"Well, if he is not going to change his name, it will be William III."
Foreign Minister Kaful said.
"What's going on with William II?"
"According to our intelligence, he is in a very bad condition now.
He was seriously injured in Kiel.
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Although he was rescued, he was too seriously injured and unable to handle state affairs.
Since last year, the Crown Prince has been the regent.
Now it seems that it should be He cannot return to normal in a short period of time, and he will not abdicate without his desire for power."
Wen Desi thought for a while and said: "Okay, I'm also going to visit Europe, so let's do it together.
By the way, I'll go visit His Majesty William II, an old friend of the Chinese people, hahahaha."
"Okay, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will make arrangements based on this standard."
"By the way, how about Prince William?"
Wen Desi suddenly asked.
"It's hard to say what his capabilities are now.
After all, Germany is no longer a dualistic empire.
The emperor's power has been greatly reduced, and he can no longer interfere with the government as much as before.
But his ambition is no less than that of his father, and he is planning A Greater Germanic Commonwealth.”
"Oh, it's the plan that includes Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and several of his brothers.
Hahaha, it's a good idea to integrate these countries, but it's not easy."
Kafur smiled and said: "Yes, first of all, several of his brothers were not interested in it, especially his second brother, King Etel I of Poland.
Last time they had a quarrel in front of William II. ” Wen Desi smiled: "It's normal.
The butt determines the head.
Although Eitel I is a German, he is now the king of Poland.
Of course, he must give priority to the interests of Poland.
Besides, his power as a king is also limited.
Not big.”
Everyone knows what kind of urine the Poles have.
Although they are still grateful to Germany for letting them be independent, for example, they are willing to serve as cannon fodder for Er Dezi, which is an expression of this emotion.
But that must be on the basis of ensuring that Poland is an independent country.
Now that Wei San actually wants to go back on his word and let others become a member of the "Greater Germanic Federation" again, the Poles will never do it.
Eitel I was not a fool, so of course he would not agree with his brother's idea.
"But such a person is the most beneficial to us.
It would be great if Wei San's ambition is greater than his father.
I was really worried that he was a pacifist.
Now it seems that I can rest assured."
Wen Desi He showed a harmless smile.
"By the way, Mr.
Wen.
France has proposed that in cross-border marriages between China and France, any French woman who marries to our country will be charged a wedding tax," Kafour said with a strange expression.
"These bastard Gallic chickens, are they crazy about money?"
Wen Desi was so shocked that he almost spat out a mouthful of tea, and then said angrily: "That's free love, free love.
Don't they always pride themselves on being romantic?
Really?"
How can this not be true?”
The current situation of several major European countries is not very good.
The United Kingdom and France are all injured.
The capital and elite areas have been reduced to rubbish.
Industrial capacity has been almost halved.
There is a lot of domestic reconstruction work and the suppression of colonial uprisings.
Make them miserable.
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The UK still has a few biological sons to support the situation, but France cannot.
They don't have biological sons like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and they don't even have any helpers.
Now they are in dire straits.
It was even worse in France.
Their death toll in World War I was 3.167 million.
Including those who died from the Spanish Flu, there were almost 3.7 million people.
Many of these people were young and strong, and a generation was truly dead. people.
This means that France lacks a large labor force, and it also means that a large number of French girls cannot find husbands.
Although France's colonies have a large population, they are basically made up of black millet.
It's okay to use those black millet as cannon fodder or do some rough work, but if you want them to do some technical work, then forget it. .
At this time, several European countries suffered heavy losses in human resources, so they turned their attention to China and hired a large number of laborers from China, especially farmers to work in France.
There is no problem for a populous country like China to dedicate hundreds of thousands of people to export labor services.
These people who go out are basically young singles, and France is in short supply of strong men right now, so what follows will happen naturally: