The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

If Zhang Yinghao were here, he would naturally tell Sa Daoyi: Peace survives when it is sought through struggle, but it dies when it is sought through compromise. Britain chose to seek peace through compromise this time, while you, Sa Daoyi, want to seek peace through struggle, but unfortunately your strength doesn't allow it! Therefore, Britain's compromise will not earn any gratitude from the liberated areas, but will instead sow the seeds for a greater conflict next time.

After seeing Sadowie finish reading, Hurd said: "Sir Sadowie, this country has a long history, a unified tradition, and is a natural nationalist country. Any attempt to divide China or go to war with China will arouse the Chinese people's strong will to resist. When dealing with China, one can only nibble away but not swallow it up. It can only slowly disintegrate the will of the people of this country. Once the Chinese begin to resist and be xenophobic, just like the barbarians in the United States today, it will be difficult for other countries to gain benefits from China. Do you know why I didn't react much after the Qing rebels occupied the customs in Chongqing and Tengyue? Although the Qing rebels damaged

We should also protect the interests of the British Empire. But I know that once the people of this country begin to wake up and understand the current state of the country,

system, then they will eventually take back all the lost state power..."

Zhang Yinghao didn't know what the British would ultimately choose: war or peace? That was the question. But he knew that if the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army liberated the coastal cities, the British Empire would have exploited China's weakness. Just like during the Second Opium War, after the initial landing at Dagukou failed, the British and French ruling classes erupted in clamor for war, clamoring for "massive retaliation" against China and "occupying the capital." Subsequently, the Anglo-French coalition occupied Zhoushan, the British invaders occupied Dalian Bay, and the French invaders occupied Yantai and other coastal cities, blockading Bohai Bay and ultimately forcing the Qing Dynasty to sign a treaty...

If the great powers invaded China from the sea, they would have to capture several coastal cities. Moreover, China had such a long coastline, and the liberated areas themselves had no navy. If the great powers chose to fight to the death and bombarded the coastal cities, it would be impossible to defend against them.

Zhang Yinghao can now indeed liberate cities like Shanghai, but the ocean itself cannot be liberated, so these cities can only be considered half liberated. Zhang Yinghao is now facing the same dilemma as the new China at that time. Without air superiority, he cannot liberate the air, so these coastal cities can only be considered half liberated.

Just like in a previous life, after Chiang Kai-shek's defeat in Taiwan, he bombed Shanghai with aircraft, causing massive casualties and destruction. One of the "February 6th bombings" targeted Shanghai's major power plants, causing widespread power and water outages and halting all business operations. Shanghai authorities and residents were deeply depressed, and panic ensued, leading to the decision to relocate industry to the interior. This bombing caused over 1400 casualties and destroyed 1180 houses. Seeing the effectiveness, Chiang Kai-shek later considered bombing Tianjin, Nanjing, Beijing, and other cities. Without Soviet air support, who knows how much more damage Chiang Kai-shek would have inflicted on New China! In reality, New China was practically helpless against Chiang Kai-shek's bombing.

Zhang Yinghao now faces the same situation. If the foreign powers bombard coastal cities to force the liberated areas to surrender, and if bombarding one city seems effective, they continue bombarding along the entire coastline, the damage will be enormous. Although Zhang Yinghao said he would not hesitate to let the foreign powers bomb all the coastal cities into ruins, he would naturally feel heartbroken if they were actually reduced to ruins! Therefore, Zhang Yinghao knows that seeking peace through struggle is not an easy task!

Chapter 417:

Zhang Yinghao knew that his current situation was infinitely better than the one faced by the People's Republic of China in his previous life, just after its liberation. At least the warships of the great powers couldn't reach the shore; they could only threaten coastal cities from the sea. Remember, in his previous life, the People's Republic of China faced not only the threat of warships from the great powers, but also the threat of aircraft. In the late stages of World War II, the combat radius of aircraft reached thousands of kilometers, putting most of China within the range of imperialist bombing.

Zhang Yinghao now fully understood the dilemma of China's previous life's one-sided foreign policy. It had to be this way. Back then, New China couldn't guarantee the safety of the skies. Without Big Brother to back it up, the threats and pressures facing China's national defense were so immense that half the country could be reduced to ruins.

But Zhang Yinghao now faced no fewer problems. At least in his previous life, with the exception of the Soviet Union, which continued to lease Dalian and Lushun, all other countries' concessions in China had been nominally taken back. But now, these concessions and privileges were clearly laid out before him.

Japan has actually been facing the situation that Zhang Yinghao is facing now since it signed the first unequal treaty with the United States in 1854. It has been half a century. Although Japan wanted to revise the treaty, it was repeatedly frustrated. However, relying on the Meiji Restoration, it has tried every means to regain many privileges.

In fact, as Japan's national strength grew, it gradually reclaimed some privileges and abolished some unequal treaties, which also shocked the great powers. Naturally, they all turned their attention to the Qing Dynasty. The great powers had huge interests in the Qing Dynasty and naturally did not want their rights and interests in China to be infringed in any way.

At this time, the world was hyping the "Qing Dynasty Threat" theory. Newspapers around the world even argued that there were only four truly powerful countries in the world at the time: Britain, France, Russia, and the Qing Dynasty, with no US, Japan, or Germany. Tsarist Russia was even more terrified that the Qing Dynasty and Japan would become powerful and endanger its Far Eastern interests. It was at this time that the Russians officially coined the "Yellow Peril Theory."

From the perspective of the world at the time, the Qing dynasty's strength was multifaceted: economically, after three decades of the Westernization Movement, the Qing dynasty had developed a relatively complete industrial system; militarily, after the elimination of the Taiping Rebellion, the Nian Rebellion, and the Tongzhi Hui Rebellion, the dynasty experienced great internal unrest, leading to the Tongzhi Restoration; in foreign wars, Zuo Zongtang recovered Xinjiang, even defeated France in the Sino-French War, leading to the fall of the French cabinet, and thwarted a Japanese conspiracy in Korea; politically and diplomatically, the Qing dynasty, unlike the cowardly style since the Opium War, launched a large-scale political and diplomatic offensive, restoring its international prestige...

In contrast, Japan was experiencing internal political chaos, with various forces intertwined. Germany, having only achieved unification in 1871 under the leadership of the Iron Chancellor Bismarck, was far from a powerful nation. The United States, having endured a four-year Civil War, only concluded its civil war in 1865 and needed to rebuild from the ground up. France, with its long-standing revolutionary tradition, was prone to chaos at the slightest sign of trouble. This is one reason why the great powers frantically hyped the "Qing threat theory" in the mid-to-late 19th century, before the First Sino-Japanese War.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Qing Dynasty was a great and powerful nation, so the great powers were naturally concerned about it, fearing the loss of their interests in China. However, they were hesitant to launch a war against China. Japan, keenly aware of the great powers' conflicting attitudes, actively participated in suppressing the Qing Dynasty. Consequently, it was Japan that was most enthusiastically hyping the "Qing threat" theory. In 1882, Yamagata Tomotomo, a veteran of the Meiji Restoration and President of the House of Councillors, submitted a memorial to the Emperor, stating that European countries were distant and not a pressing threat to Japan, but that the Qing Dynasty was rising "close by." In reality, Japan was well aware that the Qing Dynasty was a "paper tiger," as Japan had previously invaded Taiwan in 1874, while the Qing government had consistently adopted an ostrich policy. Such rhetoric by Japanese politicians was intended to garner support from the great powers and build momentum for military expansion and war.

The First Sino-Japanese War was, in fact, a concerted effort by the great powers to suppress the Qing Dynasty. It was essentially a war waged by Li Hongzhang, the leader of the Westernization Movement, against these powers. The ultimate result was the failure of the decades-long Westernization Movement, which plunged the Qing Dynasty into a deep abyss. China's semi-colonial status deepened, and the national crisis deepened. This is why, the year after the First Sino-Japanese War, German Emperor Wilhelm II commissioned an artist to create the "Yellow Peril" painting, in which the main villains were Japanese.

But how difficult was it to reclaim the privileges of the great powers and abolish unequal treaties? At least Zhang Yinghao knew that Japan had secured its status as a great power thanks to its victories in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. It wasn't until July 1910 that the Japanese government issued a notice to 17 European and American countries with existing treaties, initiating negotiations to reclaim tariff autonomy. However, tariff autonomy wasn't gradually reclaimed until 1911, when Japan finally broke free from the constraints of unequal treaties and became a fully independent nation.

1911, what a familiar time! It coincided with the Second Moroccan Crisis in Europe, a time when the great powers were preoccupied with Europe and had no time to look east. It was also the time of the Xinhai Revolution in China. To say this was a coincidence is absurd.

There is no trivial matter in diplomacy. If diplomatic affairs were not so urgent before when we were trapped in the inland areas of Sichuan, now that the troops have entered the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and hold almost half of China's land, then the next very important point is that the liberated areas have to start contacting the great powers with the whole people, and diplomatic issues must be given an important position.

Although the liberated areas have been training diplomatic personnel, talent is hard to come by and every unit needs staff, resulting in a current shortage. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao now provides training to comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other related departments, as well as leaders at all levels of the Party, government, and military. Zhang Yinghao, unconcerned about the British response to his telegrams, arrived at the classroom to give lectures.

Zhang Yinghao then asked, "Classmates, I've briefly explained some of our foreign policies, tactics, and guidelines before. Some of you should know some of them, so I won't go into detail here. I've said before that the world today is just like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. There were no wars of justice during the Spring and Autumn Period; they were all fought for profit. Therefore, our current foreign policy can basically follow the two principles of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: make friends with distant countries and attack those nearby, and form alliances..."

Seeing many comrades nodding, Zhang Yinghao continued, "Speaking of making friends with distant nations and attacking those nearby, and of forming alliances and connecting forces, I'm reminded of the Chinese school of diplomacy. Its founder was Guiguzi, also known as Wang Chan, and its representatives include Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Gan Mao, Sima Cuo, and others. Their theories primarily focus on vertical and horizontal strategies. They can be used to unite the weak to attack the strong (vertical), or to exploit the strong to attack the weak (horizontal). The former emphasizes connecting forces, understanding how to use diplomatic means to unite and unite, a strategy characterized by more open schemes than secret ones. The latter emphasizes breaking down conflicts, understanding how to exploit contradictions and interests to create divisions (secretly referring to more secret schemes than open ones). This is strategic thinking, the foundation for achieving great things through the art of debate. Without this understanding, lobbying will be in vain. The requirements for a diplomat are to understand the overall situation, be adept at analysing and analyzing situations, be fluent in rhetoric, be able to adapt to changing circumstances, be both wise and courageous, possess strategic skills, and be decisive... The diplomats are listed as one of the "Nine Schools" in the "Book of Han: Records of Arts and Literature."

After explaining the basic meaning of the ancient strategy of "Hengzong Lianheng," Zhang Yinghao continued, "The most fundamental difference between our diplomacy and "Hengzong Lianheng" is that our diplomacy is based on the nation and safeguards the interests of our country and nation. The "Zongheng" (diplomats), on the other hand, are a group of people without a national stance. For the sake of profit or to achieve their own ambitions, they can swing back and forth, without a fixed leader, and are fickle and inconsistent. Their plans and strategies are often based on subjective political demands. However, the techniques of conversation, the art of persuasion and hesitancy, the art of speculation, the art of flying boxes, the art of decision-making, the art of political intrigue, and other technical matters described in "Guiguzi" are still worthy of careful study by our comrades in diplomacy. As for the specific content, please read it yourself. I recommend that everyone read it, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao had heard of many people who couldn't speak, let alone give speeches, and who therefore spent money on training. In reality, those who can't speak can read the book "Guiguzi," which contains many speech and negotiation skills worth learning. Why would they need to spend money on training in Carnegie's eloquence and public speaking courses?

After recommending Guiguzi to his comrades, Zhang Yinghao continued, "So when it comes to diplomacy, no country has studied it as thoroughly as we Chinese have. More than two thousand years ago, our Chinese diplomatic skills had already reached a point where they were so versatile and maneuverable that they destroyed countless nations. It wasn't uncommon for a single word to bring nations to power or destroy them.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the entire world was divided among the Five Hegemons and the Seven Kingdoms. Therefore, ancient strategists operated within these states. In our current era, the entire world is on display before the people. Diplomats are maneuvering and maneuvering before the entire world. It can be said that for at least the next hundred years, diplomats will have a great opportunity to demonstrate their skills and achieve great things.

Zhang Yinghao knew he had no diplomatic expertise and limited experience, but he didn't think it was a big deal. He only knew one famous Qing dynasty diplomat: Tang Shaoyi. He also only knew a few Republican diplomats, like Gu Weijun and Wang Zhengting. He didn't know any of the others.

After encouraging the comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhang Yinghao continued, "Okay, let's get back to the point. Starting with the Opium War, when Britain used its powerful ships and cannons to open our country's doors, and continuing through the First Sino-Japanese War, the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, and the signing of the Boxer Protocol, the imperialist powers forced the corrupt Qing government to sign numerous unequal treaties, forcibly occupying large tracts of Chinese territory and seizing a host of privileges and benefits, such as stationing troops in China, consular jurisdiction, control of China's customs and foreign trade, and a monopoly on China's finances. These have severely damaged China's independence, sovereignty, and interests..."

Every time comrades heard this, they basically felt ashamed and filled with righteous indignation. Yes, the decadent Qing court's loss of power and humiliation of the country really made people feel helpless, powerless and sad.

"...The Manchu royal family didn't represent the people, so the people naturally wouldn't support them. True power comes from the bottom up, not from the top down. The Manchu royal family relied solely on themselves, not mobilizing the people, and naturally couldn't defeat the foreign powers. Manchu officials were accountable only to their superiors, not to the common people. Therefore, whenever Western powers threatened with force, the Manchu royal family couldn't stand up. Seeing their masters acting this way, it was hard for Manchu officials not to kneel. Manchu officials didn't understand the structure of a modern state, nor did they understand the art of diplomacy. So, when faced with foreign powers, they either knelt directly or stiffened their necks, striving for a reputation of being "fearless" and "strong-willed," defying any demands. Or they simply threw themselves to the ground, pretending to be ready to be hammered, when the powers demanded it. All of this was futile..."

Zhang Yinghao now truly felt that the Qing dynasty didn't understand diplomacy. Although he himself didn't fully understand it, he had watched a TV series called "Diplomatic Storm" in his previous life. Although he had mostly forgotten what it was about after watching it, Zhang Yinghao still felt that it was the same thing when he talked about it now.

China did not have enough diplomats at that time, but in the end Taizu directly sent a group of generals to serve as diplomats after training. Although diplomacy is a discipline, it is not high-tech after all. It does not require long-term accumulation of knowledge such as advanced mathematics. As long as you are attentive, willing to study seriously, obey orders, and have low requirements, you can still eliminate the dross and retain the essence, and cultivate batches of them in a relatively short period of time.

Moreover, this era is different from the post-liberation era. We don't have nuclear weapons that could destroy the world, and it's still an era where the law of the jungle prevails. The cost of launching a war is really too low. In diplomacy, deception is a minor matter, and the threat of force is even more prevalent.

After criticizing the Qing Dynasty's foreign policy, Zhang Yinghao paused and continued, "We advocate forming alliances and making friends with distant countries while attacking those nearby. However, if we, the Forward Party, want to establish China as an independent nation, we must abolish all unequal treaties signed between the great powers and the corrupt Qing Dynasty, reclaim all the privileges and interests seized by the great powers in China, and reclaim the concessions. Although we can simply refuse to recognize these treaties signed between the great powers and the Qing Dynasty, dust will not disappear without a broom, and truth is only within the range of cannons. It is obviously not easy to ask the great powers to give up these privileges and interests. However, no matter how difficult it is, we must do it..."

After setting a firm tone, Zhang Yinghao said directly: "So, what should we do? What policy should we adhere to? The first is to clean up the house before inviting guests; the second is to start anew. Only in this way can we build an independent country."

Zhang Yinghao didn't advocate leaning to one side, because in this era, no power was worthy of China's surrender. The Liberated Areas had already offended Britain and France, so naturally, it wouldn't work. The United States? With only a few hundred thousand soldiers in its current army, its military was a dwarf, so it wouldn't work either. Germany and Austria? Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't side with them either, at most, he would strengthen cooperation. Japan and Russia? Destined enemies, out of the question. That's why Zhang Yinghao initially advocated: make friends with distant powers and attack those nearby, form alliances and make allies, because this is also a part of China's current diplomacy: exploiting conflicts between the great powers to buy time. Zhang Yinghao always believed that time was on his side.

Zhang Yinghao finished speaking and turned to write the two sentences on the blackboard. After seeing the comrades finish copying, Zhang Yinghao took out a small blackboard and hung it up. Then he pointed at the small blackboard and said, "What do these two sentences mean? It means, uh, come on, read it again. "We must clear out" - read it together."

Upon hearing Zhang Yinghao's request to read it, the comrades immediately looked at the blackboard and began to read: "We must eliminate all foreign invading forces in China; thoroughly resolve the issue of how we should treat unequal relations and unequal treaties with imperialism, that is, abolish all unequal treaties concluded by the Qing court and abolish imperialist privileges in China; directly declare that the Liberated Areas do not recognize the old diplomatic relations established by the Qing government with other countries, and that all foreign envoys currently stationed in China will be treated as ordinary expatriates and must abide by the laws and regulations formulated by the Liberated Areas... and then establish brand-new diplomatic relations with countries that are willing to abide by the principles of peace, equality, and democracy."

After the comrades finished reading, Zhang Yinghao continued: "We must also start from scratch and establish a new type of diplomatic team that is loyal and reliable under the absolute leadership of the Party."

After the comrades finished writing, Zhang Yinghao asked, "Does anyone have any questions about this?"

At this time, several comrades raised their hands. Zhang Yinghao nodded, and then he heard the comrade stand up and say, "Chairman, these interests and privileges of the great powers were obtained by launching many wars. If we adopt such a tough attitude now, will it directly intensify the contradictions and directly trigger another war? Over!"

Zhang Yinghao listened to the question, nodded, and asked him to sit down, then said: "This is a very good question! War is the continuation of politics, and politics is ultimately about interests. What we did did harm the interests of the great powers, but the problem now is that the great powers are infringing on the interests of our country and nation. We are just asking them to stop. Do we have the ability to go to their country and infringe on their interests? Absolutely not! Therefore, if any of our comrades are afraid of war, this means that their position is wrong.

We cannot think from the perspective of the great powers, assuming that the benefits and privileges they currently enjoy are deserved. Reclaiming these things would infringe upon the interests of the imperialist powers and serve as a proxy for imperialism. We should consider the issue from the perspective of the Chinese people. It is the great powers that are currently infringing upon the interests of our nation and people. We are now determined to safeguard these interests, even at the cost of waging war. Our attitude toward the Qing Dynasty is that revolution is not a crime, and rebellion is justified. Our fight against the imperialist powers is justified and righteous, because this is China, the place where the Chinese nation has lived and thrived for generations. We can loudly tell the imperialist powers that we welcome friends with good wine, but when jackals come, the hunting rifle awaits them.

If we temporarily refrain from waging war against the great powers to reclaim these rights, it's not because we don't want to, but first, because we lack the strength. Knowing we'll ultimately lose, yet still initiating a war is masochism—the kind only a guava would act. Second, of course, the benefits are insufficient. Even if we ultimately win, we'll end up paying a thousand dollars for something worth ten—a loss that simply doesn't make up for the gain.

As for whether the great powers will take the initiative to directly launch a war to protect their interests in China? In fact, is it up to us to decide whether the great powers launch a war of aggression? We cannot decide at all. If the great powers choose to invade us, choose war, then we will fight them for several years or even decades! I believe that we will be the winner in the end!

Comrades, it took Germany ten years to unify, and Britain and France fought a Hundred Years' War. China's previous attempts at unification were never quick, and certainly not peaceful. To build an independent nation, we must rely on blood and steel; there is no other way.

The Qing Dynasty never thought about taking back the interests and privileges of the great powers in China, but as a result, it was invaded by the great powers again and again. The capital was even looted twice.

So there is nothing to be afraid of in war. If the enemy wants war, our response will be war. Even if the enemy does not start a war, we will still choose war if we are strong enough...”

Chapter 418:

After hearing Zhang Yinghao's analysis and narration, especially the firm attitude he expressed, the students immediately applauded enthusiastically, and the applause lasted for a long time.

No force wants to follow a weak and incompetent leader; they all hope for a leader who can lead them to glory, from one victory to the next. A leader must clearly tell his subordinates what to do, with a clear attitude and goals, and must be decisive and action-oriented.

The lower classes of this era also appreciate tough talk. These comrades of mine have essentially risen from the bottom, knowing they were born and raised in the old era, subjected to endless oppression and exploitation. They need a savior—a figure to lead them in smashing the mountains that weigh them down and liberate them. As for the so-called "greater interests" and "peace" that some people prioritize, that's their own interests and the peace they desire, not the interests and peace that the people need.

It's undeniable that the vast majority of people in this era truly don't know what they need. They themselves truly don't know what kind of struggle and overall situation they need. Therefore, although the Progressive Party often sings the praises of the absence of a savior, the vast majority of people in this era truly need a savior-like hero to lead them.

Later generations often say that the Chinese people of this era were numb and ignorant because of the Qing Dynasty's policy of keeping the people ignorant. This statement actually regards the people of this era as fools, saying that the people of this era are short-sighted. Zhang Yinghao agrees with this statement. However, don't they know whether the people are suffering? Don't they know whether life is difficult? Don't they know who treats them well and who treats them badly?

Numbness? It's like someone who's exhausted from heavy physical labor, yet must keep working without slacking off, or else he and his family will starve to death. But no one tells him how long or how much work he'll have to do. With no goals or hope, how can he not be numb? If such a person can still feel genuinely happy, it means they've stopped treating themselves as human beings.

So, people in this era aren't numb, but rather driven by oppression and exploitation, corrupt officials, and exorbitant taxes. They still have to raise children, support their families, and even worry about where tomorrow's food will come from. They're already desperately trying to survive. Just being able to live a good life and have enough food for their families is already the best they can do. When ordinary people can't even fill their stomachs, who would care about politics so far away? With a bleak future and no hope in sight, what does the future hold? Is there any need to discuss such a luxury?

Only those who don't stand with the poor, the powerful intellectuals, and the so-called "revolutionaries," as exploiters and oppressors, have the energy to whine and moan without reason, then continue to live a life of prosperity and extravagance in the foreign lands or play the political game. They haven't done any hard work, and even have no money to spend, yet they say the people should willingly pay to support them.

If the people don't treat them wholeheartedly, and if they're not satisfied, they'll say the people are dumb and ignorant, and can't understand their "truths." In reality, what have these people brought to the poor people? What have they done for the people? Think about it, during the entire Republican era, what have these people built that benefited the people?

The world was too poor, and the Republic of China imposed heavy taxes. These people's ability to build was even worse than during the Qing Dynasty, and they delighted in plundering the people. A single advance tax brought the local tax revenue to a new era, and the people were completely plundered. If the people were truly destitute, even killing them would be of no benefit. They would eagerly fry them in a frying pan to squeeze out some more money.

Zhang Yinghao regained consciousness and saw his comrades, still excited. He knew he had to lead this public sentiment, this public opinion. He also knew that this was the time to encourage public sentiment and not to deflate it. However, he couldn't continue to encourage it, otherwise it would turn into extremism. He had to replace this public sentiment with rational, dialectical, and scientific thinking.

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and asked, "Comrades, do you have any other questions?" "Chairman, if we push all the powers into opposition at once, wouldn't that be too broad a blow?"

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Haha, it seems that comrades are most concerned about the issue of war! That's right! After all, war is a major event for a country, a place of life and death. It is a matter of life and death. It is a matter of survival and destruction. We must be careful and cautious. However, Mencius said: If there is no law at home and no enemies abroad, the country will always perish. We have offended the world hegemon, Britain. Although there is no fierce and cruel war now and we are still barely maintaining a state of peace, the Yunnan-Myanmar border and the Tibet-India border are not peaceful. This can be regarded as establishing a potential powerful enemy. I think this is very good, which can make us alert at all times. Be prepared for danger in times of peace, and forget about war! Enemies? Too many is not good, but there can be no more..."

After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, he immediately changed the subject and asked, "Does anyone remember the method I mentioned earlier for dealing with this kind of thing?"

"Chairman, it's a combination of principle and flexibility."

Zhang Yinghao listened, nodded, pointed to a few words on the blackboard and said: "When we deal with ethnic, religious and other issues, as well as the problems involved, we must adhere to the principle of combining flexibility. For example, we do not recognize the extraterritoriality of the great powers and treat all envoys from all countries as ordinary expatriates. Isn't that something we can do immediately? If we don't recognize their diplomatic status, what can they do to us? If these foreigners are just living in China, we can register them and allow them to stay in China. But if these people commit crimes, we can just arrest them and deal with them according to the laws we have formulated. If the great powers start a war over this matter, then we will fight them!

For example, do we have to eliminate foreign invading forces, abolish unequal treaties, and recover concessions immediately and in a very short time? For example, after we liberate Shandong, do we have to immediately mobilize troops to drive out the Germans in Qingdao? You must know that Germany has stationed troops and warships in Qingdao. If we forcibly attack Qingdao, there will definitely be many casualties in the end. Therefore, we must be flexible in dealing with these things and divide the enemy! Who is our enemy? The Qing Dynasty is still one of our main enemies! Therefore, although we do not recognize the unequal treaties signed and the privileges obtained by the powers, we must be patient and, if necessary, temporarily maintain the status quo with the powers and negotiate slowly. These lost powers have been lost for so many years, and one, two, or even three to five years is not much!

However, we must tell the great powers that we will eventually reclaim all these privileges. We are not yet strong enough, and our words may not yet be the truth, but we must speak out, because after all, they are all benefits without cost!"

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's words, many comrades laughed out loud. After listening to Chairman Zhang Yinghao's words, everyone had a rough idea of ​​what to do and was not completely at a loss as to what to do.

After the comrades calmed down, Zhang Yinghao continued, "So when facing different powerful countries, we must adopt different attitudes and analyze each case individually, making strategic moves and forming alliances! Once our cannons are large enough and numerous enough, we can naturally recover all the lost rights and interests. So the key is development..."

"Chairman, if we create a brand new diplomatic team, then the diplomats left over from the Qing Dynasty can no longer be used?"

Zhang Yinghao immediately replied, "Of course we can use them. We're just hiring them, but we've paid for their services. Furthermore, many of these diplomats are very knowledgeable and have much to learn from them. And Mr. Ouyang Geng, the current Consul General of the U.S. Consulate in San Francisco, has already provided us with tremendous help, and we're naturally grateful..."

After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, another comrade asked, "Chairman, based on our current munitions production, if we launch an all-out war with the foreign powers, our frontline soldiers might be able to hold their own against them head-on in the short term. However, if the war becomes protracted, guns, ammunition, and logistical supplies will undoubtedly be in short supply."

Zhang Yinghao naturally agreed with this. Not to mention the current lack of production capacity on his side, even if it were sufficient, what would happen? Given China's current transportation system, relying on people and horses to carry supplies, how much could be transported to the front lines over thousands of kilometers of transportation lines? And how much would be consumed along the way?

Zhang Yinghao wasn't worried, however. As long as China dared to fight, just as in the Boer War, even if some nations didn't dare openly participate and support China, others would undoubtedly sneak in and take advantage of the situation. How many opportunities to make a fortune exist in a war? Naturally, there would be those who would rush forward.

Even if the great powers were truly united, what would it matter? Even if the People's Liberation Army fought alone? The great powers are capitalist countries, and war costs money. Once they determine that continuing the war will not be worth the cost, they will naturally stop. Therefore, even if they suffer early defeats, as long as the Forward Party refuses to surrender, refuses to compromise, trades space for time, and prolongs the war, the great powers will ultimately lose. This was true during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Vietnam, and even the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in the new century. When the cost outweighs the gain, the great powers will immediately withdraw.

Even if the great powers did unite to invade China again, it would simply be another "Eight-Nation Alliance" invasion of China. Even if the great powers expanded the scale of their aggression, the damage and intensity of the war would never exceed the invasion launched by Japan. This is determined by the productivity of the current era and China's poor transportation conditions. Even the losses would not exceed those of the invasion launched by the great powers in the Gengzi Year. Because the great powers would never force the Progressive Party to sign an unequal treaty, and naturally, they would not receive war reparations.

Moreover, during the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, British Vice Admiral Seymour led more than 2000 soldiers of the Eight-Nation Alliance and was surrounded by the Boxers in Langfang, Luodai and Yangcun. Facing the coalition forces armed with modern guns and artillery, the Boxers fought bravely, ready to die, and fought the enemy with their flesh and blood. They only killed one person and injured more than 300 coalition soldiers. In this way, Seymour's army was defeated and forced to retreat to Tianjin along the North Grand Canal. This shows the current combat effectiveness of the British army. Zhang Yinghao is really not worried about the land forces of the great powers.

In reality, the reason the great powers were so invincible wasn't because they were powerful, but because they exploited the lack of industry in the colonies and used weapons that were generations ahead of them. This was a complete dimensionality reduction attack. When the enemy was still using bows and arrows, swords and spears, they were using muskets. When the enemy started using muskets, they used machine guns and cannons.

Just like a 50-man squad of British colonists in Rhodesia used four Maxim heavy machine guns to repel the attack of 5000 Zulus and killed 3000 Zulus. Killing the enemies was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables. But was the British colonists powerful? In fact, they were just bullying the Zulus.

However, the PLA was a regular force built with the most advanced thinking and organization available. Both sides possessed similar weaponry, and PLA comrades were well-versed in the weapons of the great powers. Despite their own inferior firepower and supply difficulties, Zhang Yinghao was completely convinced that the armies of the great powers were no match for the PLA. Of course, this was strategic contempt for the enemy; tactically, Zhang Yinghao naturally knew he had to take the enemy seriously.

This was the era, everything revolved around war, and his comrades were actually most concerned about war. However, this wasn't a military class after all, so Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't talk too much about war to these comrades in front of him. Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "We fight the wars that depend on our weapons. This is a principle that all of us PLA comrades must understand. We have logistical difficulties, but the enemy has transported logistical supplies all the way from Europe. Does that make it any easier?"

Besides, which is more effective, a soldier carrying a hundred rounds of ammunition or twenty soldiers each carrying five rounds? We Chinese have a large population, but lack firepower, so we can make up for it with numbers! But will it be easy for the great powers to transport troops from Europe? Perhaps transporting ten or twenty thousand people would be easy, but transporting eighty thousand or one hundred thousand would be extremely difficult, and transporting a million to Asia would be absolutely impossible. If the great powers really transported a million people, their logistical support would easily bring down these countries... Therefore, the ultimate victors of the war will definitely be us."

"Chairman, if we were to take back the concessions from the foreign powers right now and drive all the foreigners out, would we be able to do it?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Yinghao immediately thought of the Communist Party era. As the Communist Party continued to expand, amidst the precarious political situation of overthrowing American imperialism and Soviet revisionism, even foreign revolutionaries and foreign experts in China, praised by the founding emperor, seemed to have overnight become foreign spies, with many being arrested, imprisoned, taken for investigation, and subjected to re-education. Foreigners in China felt insecure. In this climate of widespread anti-foreign sentiment, even some international friends who had been revolutionaries in China for decades proposed leaving the country. Zhang Yinghao therefore boldly concluded that if the Progressive Party had launched such a nationwide anti-foreign movement after liberating the country, would foreigners still dare to stay in China? Couldn't they have reclaimed their privileges and concessions?

However, mobilizing the masses and punishing criminals is indeed satisfying, but if people appear within the party who "use the masses to gain power" as a result, it will also be a very difficult thing to deal with.

Moreover, Zhang Yinghao felt that this method was not necessary for the time being. If Zhang Yinghao used this method to quickly drive out the foreigners in China, the great powers would definitely think that China had experienced another Boxer Rebellion and would probably send troops to intervene. Before the great powers decided to send troops to attack China, although Zhang Yinghao was not afraid of war, he still believed that war should be avoided if possible. After all, war is really a last resort. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao naturally would not tell his comrades about this method now, but in fact, there are many ways to drive out the foreigners.

So, Zhang Yinghao said without hesitation: "Of course it can be done. For example, after we liberate Wuhan, we can directly surround the concession, cut off the water supply, and prevent the people from selling any food to the foreigners inside. How long do you think the foreigners inside can hold out? Can they hold out for more than a month?"

Therefore, it would be no easy matter for us to recover these concessions. In fact, once we liberate the entire country, our position vis-à-vis the great powers will be completely reversed. Qingdao, Hong Kong, Guangzhou Bay, and Macau will all be under the PLA's attack, becoming the testicles of the great powers, held in our hands. The slightest movement or cough from us will send the great powers into a state of panic.

So, on the other hand, while we need time to grow stronger, it is temporarily beneficial for us not to completely intensify the conflict. The fact that the foreign powers have concessions in the inland areas and are surrounded by us is also beneficial. Even if the foreign powers want to go to war with us, they will be more cautious and dare not attack our civilians, because the foreigners in these concessions have become our hostages in disguise... "

Chapter 419:

Zhang Yinghao's perspective was truly novel, instantly opening the minds of the comrades. Indeed, it was indeed true. Why, in the past, had the British dared to rampage across the Yangtze River and bombard Wanxian with such reckless abandon? However, soon, seeing the situation escalate, the British immediately exerted pressure on all sides in an attempt to quell the situation. The Beiyang government immediately sent a telegram to Yang Sen, the person involved, demanding that he "resolve this matter peacefully."

So, it wasn't really about the British warships being so powerful, but about the weak and incompetent government at the time. A small British gunboat launched a bombardment in Chongqing, slaughtering Chinese people, yet was still able to swagger across the Yangtze River. It's strange that the British had any respect for the Beiyang government and China at the time, which also shows the status of Britain in China at the time.

If the Beiyang government at the time had truly the courage to risk its own life and dethrone the emperor, wouldn't the Yangtze River have been blocked? Wouldn't the inland areas have been protected? Unfortunately, from the Opium War to the Beiyang period, as long as the British threatened or sent two warships, the government would have surrendered. Moreover, Yuan Shikai of the Beiyang government had been living almost entirely on debt since overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. As the saying goes, "the mouth that eats the mouth is grateful, and the hand that takes the hand is grateful." This doomed the Beiyang government to be a group of spineless people towards the outside world. Even if a few strong-willed people emerged, it would not change the overall situation of the Beiyang government. Therefore, even though they later dared to fight for the interests of the Beiyang government, they were quickly overthrown by the Northern Expedition Army.

After answering the questions, Zhang Yinghao stopped asking questions and said directly: "I have always emphasized that this is an era of the survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle. The great powers have plundered our country's wealth through unequal treaties and privileges, making our country increasingly poor and weak. Every natural disaster and man-made disaster has caused more deaths in China. These are all evidence of the great powers' exploitation of our flesh and blood.

Therefore, in this era, surrounded by wolves, a small country like Japan joined this bloody and cruel competition in order to survive, and is still fighting in Northeast China with Tsarist Russia. Knowing the cruel facts, for the future of our country and nation, we, the comrades of the Forward Party and the People's Liberation Army, must also adopt an attitude of sacrificing everything.

Because in this cruel era, all nations are driven by whatever means necessary to gain power, grabbing meat to eat. There's no question of who's wronged whom, or who's right or wrong, because truth lies only within the range of cannons. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were no righteous wars. Capitalism entered the world, and from head to toe, every pore dripped with blood and filth. Perhaps in this era, weakness is the original sin.

Therefore, we Chinese naturally cannot be so foolish as to turn into a herbivore like a sheep or a cute little white rabbit. If we do that, the stronger we grow, the fatter and stronger we will appear in the eyes of the great powers, and the more worthy of their attack. In the end, it is only a matter of time before we are eaten, it is just a matter of who will eat us.

Therefore, to safeguard our own interests, China must naturally become a qualified "wolf" and learn to dance with the "wolf." China does not actively pursue wars of aggression, but we cannot fear war in the slightest. If anyone wants to devour our flesh and blood, we will fight to the death and never show the slightest sign of cowardice, otherwise a swarm of predators will immediately besiege us...

Therefore, a qualified diplomat is to safeguard the interests of his country. So what are our diplomatic principles? In other words, how do our diplomats publicize our foreign policy internationally and how do we establish diplomatic relations with other countries in the future? So our diplomatic principles are...”

Zhang Yinghao turned around and wrote out a few words before continuing, "Our newly established diplomatic principles are to establish diplomatic relations based on the Five Principles after abolishing all previous unequal treaties and privileges: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual assistance, and peaceful coexistence. As for why we must abolish the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty first, it's because the Qing Dynasty had signed thousands of treaties with the foreign powers. Rather than haggling over these treaties, it's better to deal with them quickly and decisively, just like we did with land reform. Those who don't want to establish diplomatic relations can temporarily refrain from doing so. We must clean up the house and start anew, because only in this way can we achieve complete independence..."

Zhang Yinghao still remembered the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. After all, failing to memorize them would result in a grade deduction on his exams. In his previous life, as "someone else's child," Zhang Yinghao had memorized these principles completely. While this knowledge was of little use to Zhang Yinghao as an adult, it didn't stop him from sharing them now.

In order to develop, later generations of China ultimately had no choice but to adhere to the international rules set by European and American powers as much as possible, which often led to double standards. However, in this era, although the power of discourse still temporarily lies in the hands of Western powers, the space and situation for development are infinitely better than in later generations. At least in later generations, there is no opportunity to expand territory. Even when there are territorial disputes, China often suffers in resolving conflicts.

Doing so would be detrimental to the country and its people, and even more so in the long run. However, given the complex international situation at the time, it was unavoidable. Resolving conflicts on one side safeguarded peace on the other, eliminating an enemy. Otherwise, with so many countries embroiled in territorial disputes with China, if they united to boycott China, China would immediately become a hotbed of conflict. If these countries were exploited by imperialism, the situation would become even more dire.

However, specific issues require specific analysis. After all, the current era is different from the founding period of later generations. The world is still completely ruled by colonialists, a world where colonialism is rampant. In the vast regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, almost all of them are colonies, and even China is a semi-colony.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao knew that even if he had his diplomats desperately promote these ideas, the great powers would only think that China was merely defending itself. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were so well-written, they were the kind of relations that even weaker nations desired. However, how could the truly powerful nations possibly agree to these things? In this era, interfering in other countries' internal affairs was politically correct, and waging war for profit was the norm. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao was certain that if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs used these principles in negotiations with the great powers, they would be laughed at. But let them be jokes; Zhang Yinghao's original intention was not to do so.

"How do we negotiate with the great powers? That is to seek common ground while reserving differences. Our demands differ greatly from those of the great powers, so we can only look for common ground. Comrades, you all know that the great powers love to do business, so we can vigorously promote non-governmental economic exchanges with countries that do not have diplomatic relations with us. As for respecting territorial integrity, Britain still occupies places like Hong Kong, Germany still occupies Qingdao, and France still occupies Guangzhou Bay, so they will naturally not agree to this.

So what should we do? It is impossible for both sides to have no communication except fighting, right? Therefore, these controversial issues can be put aside for the time being, and we can seek things that we all agree on, such as equality and mutual assistance, such as exchanging our industrial raw materials for their industrial technology, machine tools and equipment, etc. For example, the United States is now promoting the "open door" policy. Why does the United States promote "open door"? In fact, there is no market for the products they produce, that is, there is no place to sell their products. The open door policy means that the European powers and their colonies want to allow the free entry of American goods. Regarding this, we naturally have a lot of things to discuss with the United States..."

"Chairman, didn't you just say that this is a world where the strong prey on the weak? Why are you asking comrades to promote this now? Moreover, if we don't initiate the war, how can we recover the territory we have lost?"

After hearing this question, Zhang Yinghao smiled and said: "Haha, comrades, you have all studied dialectics and the theory of contradictions! The decadent Qing Dynasty signed too many unequal treaties. We are in a completely strong position to take back these privileges and completely and forcefully abolish these treaties. This is naturally completely possible and reasonable. But what will those uninformed foreigners think? Will they think that they and their country have been bullied? While we admit that we have patriotism, we cannot deny the patriotism of others. Comrades all know that being bullied is not a good thing. If it is misinterpreted by the powers, it will easily make these people share a common hatred for the enemy, regard us as enemies, and hate us. This is not a good thing.

Therefore, the more the world becomes dominated by the law of the jungle, the more we must promote these things and uphold our principles. Peace survives when it's sought through struggle, but dies when it's sought through compromise! Our advocacy for peace doesn't mean we're showing weakness to the powers or fearing war. On the contrary, by telling them our bottom line, we're actually engaging in an open struggle with them. We're telling them that anyone who disrupts the "peace" we need and refuses to coexist with us will face war. What are principles? They are things that cannot be violated.

Although such propaganda may not necessarily gain complete support from the people of the powerful countries, if the powerful countries really go to war with us, when their people realize that they cannot destroy us and will suffer heavy losses, these people will naturally reflect on themselves and even become anti-war activists and our friends.

Furthermore, by promoting this, we can unite the people of our own country, because we are just and we are the ones being bullied. Naturally, the people will understand the war and will certainly support us. Furthermore, and more importantly, this can unite the vast majority of the people of Asia, Africa, and Latin America who are still being colonized.

Comrades, imagine if a country were to promote this kind of propaganda towards us right now, regardless of whether it's strong or weak, even if it merely verbally expressed its willingness to treat us as equals, even if we've been bullied for so many years and are filled with suspicion, would we still approach them and try to make contact? And what about a colony that's even worse off than us? Of course, if we promote this kind of propaganda to Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which are still colonies, wouldn't they misunderstand us? This is inevitable. They've been bullied and exploited even more severely than we have. So, if people in these places temporarily distrust us in the future, we should remain calm. After all, the people of Asia, Africa, and Latin America will learn from their mistakes.