After the meeting, Commerce Minister Li Chenggang was invited to the Ministry of Industry by Zhuang Jiaxiong. Zhuang Jiaxiong asked his secretary to leave and asked immediately, "Chairman He believes this strategic cooperation will bring huge benefits to France. Is the French economy really that bad?"

Li Chenggang answered as cautiously as possible, "France is now a complete financial oligarchy. The real income of the people is not even as good as in 1913. This is data calculated by France itself. Wages have indeed increased, but inflation is higher. After analysis, the Ministry of Commerce believes it is basically true."

Zhuang Jiaxiong frowned slightly. "If France agrees to strategic cooperation, what benefits can the French people get?"

"...In the short term, the French people cannot benefit from it. In the long run, the French Franc will gain increased credit endorsement due to this cooperation. The value of the Franc will be strong, and its price relative to gold will increase. Inflation will decrease. But these are not immediate effects, and the lives of the French lower class will not change much."

Hearing Li Chenggang speak slowly, Zhuang Jiaxiong sorted out some data in his mind. "Minister Li, according to the statistics of the first 11 months, our import and export volume is 3.8 billion Chinese Yuan. Among them, import and export with the Soviet Union is 2.8 billion, and with Europe and America is 200 million. Import and export with Japan is 800 million. We borrow so much money; it will take a long time to pay it off completely. Can the trade relationship between France and China support it stably?"

"Minister Zhuang, how much funding do you think current industrial construction needs?" Li Chenggang felt the Ministry of Industry must have an industrial development plan.

"We have a technology introduction plan. Calculated roughly at an exchange rate of 5 Francs to 1 Chinese Yuan, it is between 14 billion Francs and 20 billion Francs. These funds are used to purchase French technology and complete sets of equipment, and to hire French experts. Of course, doing this will probably hollow out French industrial technology. Even if we can't get those very cutting-edge technologies, the impact on us won't be significant. Afterwards, we need to spend on industrial land, water, electricity, transportation, and other infrastructure. We certainly don't need to borrow money for these; we pay for them ourselves. It takes about 2 billion Yuan to enable factories to formally produce qualified products. Calculated generously, this money is 30 billion Francs, 6 billion RMB. Last year, in '26, our total industrial and agricultural output value was only 18 billion."

Facing such figures, the two ministers felt their hearts beating powerfully in the silence. Since He Rui said he wanted to 'buy an industrial system', the two believed this matter could be completed, and there was a high probability it could really be completed. But thinking of such a huge amount of funds, a feeling of putting all eggs in one basket arose spontaneously. Success or death for this industrialization; there was probably no other possibility.

Deputy Mayor Yang Xiangqian didn't expect to be led to the office of Xiao Hanshan, Minister of the Zhili Ministry. Xiao Hanshan asked about the rural situation in Chenzhou and Kaifeng. Yang Xiangqian reported the actual situation of the two places in detail.

Now that land reform is completed, all farmers have escaped the threat of starvation, and most farmers live on the poverty line. Industrial development has indeed absorbed a part of the labor force, but it is far from reaching the level of changing the rural labor structure. In such a situation, increasing grain production is the most pragmatic promotion method.

Yang Xiangqian couldn't see anything from Minister Xiao Hanshan's face. He could only roughly judge that what Xiao Hanshan was considering was related to Yang Xiangqian's report, but there was no particularly direct connection.

Yang Xiangqian wanted to ask about investment in township enterprises. If the state could invest directly in townships, which are relatively densely populated areas in rural regions, it could indeed drive rural employment. Moreover, Yang Xiangqian himself had conducted investigations; although the establishment of township enterprises could drive employment and local industrial levels, such changes would also have a considerable impact on the current situation in rural areas. Whether to seek speed or stability, and how to balance the two, was a part Yang Xiangqian cared about very much.

Unexpectedly, Yang Xiangqian had just spoken a few sentences when he was interrupted by Xiao Hanshan. Xiao Hanshan asked Yang Xiangqian to take the approval document to the Finance Department of the Zhili Ministry; this allocation was approved. This made Yang Xiangqian overjoyed; he didn't expect things to be completed so quickly.

Leaving Xiao Hanshan's office, Yang Xiangqian exchanged glances with the Director of the Kaifeng Agriculture Bureau beside him, seeing surprise and joy on the Director's face. The two rushed to the Finance Department. It was almost the end of the fiscal year, and there were many things to do. The entire financial system would enter a super busy stage. Besides the daily work that should be carried out, there was also a large amount of data statistics and summary. A large amount of manpower must be drawn to complete the work at the end of the fiscal year. Personnel executing daily work were indeed insufficient, and efficiency would naturally not be high.

Arriving a moment earlier meant going through the process a moment earlier. Maybe just such a short time would be enough to affect the progress of the process by a few days or even more than ten days.

Minister of the Zhili Ministry Xiao Hanshan had completely thrown this matter to the back of his mind at this time. The policy He Rui was about to promote made Xiao Hanshan feel his brain was a bit swollen. Calling Yang Xiangqian here was only to further confirm the current situation in the countryside. What Yang Xiangqian said was quite consistent with the content of reports from various places. The speed of the industrialization process had nothing to do with advancing a thousand miles a day. Due to China's low industrial level, no matter how fast the growth rate was, the increment was not large. Not to mention, the current growth rate didn't look fast either.

If He Rui could complete cooperation with France, although Xiao Hanshan didn't know exactly how fast China's industrial development would be, with huge industrial investment smashed down, its driving force would inevitably exceed imagination. Could it be that after seeing China defeat Japan and Britain within 10 years, he would see China complete industrialization within another 10 years?

Xiao Hanshan only felt a ball of fire burning in his chest. It would take some time to cool this flame down.

The leadership of the Party Central Committee and the Central Government was not the same power system as the Parliament. Parliament Speaker Duan Qirui didn't know He Rui had held a meeting. But Duan Qirui also felt a ball of fire burning in his chest. Even if he didn't really trust the safety of airplanes, Duan Qirui still bought plane tickets from the capital to Tianjin together with Xu Shichang.

With a straight-line distance of 600 kilometers, current radial engines could fly it in less than 2 hours. Including the distance to the airport, the 1200-li journey could be completed within 5 hours. If it were usual, Xu Shichang would definitely have some literati's emotions. Moreover, the romantic imagination of traveling a thousand li a day becoming reality could originally make literati emotional. But Xu Shichang, a Jinshi, only occasionally looked at the cloud layer under the plane wing through the porthole, frowning most of the time. Finally unable to bear it, he asked Duan Qirui for Zhang Xiluan's telegram.

Ordinary telegrams can write very few words. Zhang Xiluan's telegram had six words including punctuation: 'If nothing happens, come quickly'.

Duan Qirui looked solemn, almost looking straight ahead at the seat back. Xu Shichang felt Duan Qirui thought the same as him: Zhang Xiluan, the eldest brother with the highest seniority and oldest age in Beiping currently, might be failing in health. Thinking of the situation after Zhang Xiluan's death, Xu Shichang felt somewhat lost. He was now the Director of the National Archives. As long as he didn't resign voluntarily, he would likely work until death. Xu Shichang felt there was a barrier between him and the era when the He Rui government was in power.

Only 4 years ago, Xu Shichang was the President of the Beiyang Republic. Although every day felt like suffering, for Xu Shichang, that was a very real, living era. Xu Shichang thought Zhang Xiluan had vision, but Zhang Xiluan was more of a link connecting two eras. If Zhang Xiluan passed away, Xu Shichang would feel even more lost.

The plane arrived quickly. Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang immediately paid to hire a car and went straight from the airport to Zhang Xiluan's home. Arriving at the door of the Zhang family, they saw the Zhang family members were no different from usual. Duan Qirui asked immediately, "Where is Lord Zhang? Take us there immediately!"

He thought Zhang Xiluan was already hospitalized, but unexpectedly the Zhang family members led the two into the house. Arriving at the greenhouse in the back garden, they saw Zhang Xiluan sitting on a warm seat. Hearing movement, Zhang Xiluan reached out to press the armrest and actually stood up.

Just this one movement showed that Zhang Xiluan's health was actually good. Duan Qirui was both surprised and happy. Worried all the way whether he could see Zhang Xiluan for the last time, seeing Zhang Xiluan in good health put Duan Qirui at ease. However, Zhang Xiluan had never troubled the Beiyang brothers these years. Suddenly calling Duan Qirui to come, there must be something big!

Thinking of this, Duan Qirui took a step forward, bowed first, and then asked, "Brother Zhang, I wonder what instructions you have. Since I am here, it is to relieve Brother Zhang's worries. Whatever Brother Zhang has, just order."

Zhang Xiluan sighed slightly and invited Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang to sit down. The two helped Zhang Xiluan sit down before pulling chairs to sit opposite. Zhang Xiluan sighed, "Back then when Xiangcheng (Yuan Shikai) signed the 'Twenty-One Demands' (Min Si Tiao), he swore: bury our heads for ten years, and meet Japan with heads held high. At that time, for the sake of unifying the country, he disregarded everything. What he said was just big talk. Sun Cannon (Sun Yat-sen) was full of nonsense; what he said was vague, but listening to him, he thought it would take 50 or 60 years for China to become a prosperous and strong country. When you two brothers were in power, you also invited many scholars to formulate construction plans. I remember they also thought it would take at least 30 years. Two brothers, did I remember wrong?"

Even knowing Zhang Xiluan had absolutely no malice, Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang felt uncomfortable in their hearts. But both were people who cared about face and didn't deny what they had done. Xu Shichang said, "Brother Zhang, regarding the national construction strategy formulated back then, scholars believed that it would take at least 30 years for China's industry to achieve something. But estimating liberally, it would probably take 50 years to achieve something."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiluan nodded slightly, lost in thought. After a long silence, he continued, "I read newspapers these days. Since the United States abolished the Chinese Exclusion Act, there has been considerable progress in many negotiations with China. Thinking about it, it has only been 3 or 4 years. This is inherently a good thing, but I feel uneasy."

Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang couldn't figure out what was wrong with Zhang Xiluan. After He Rui unified China, he defeated Britain and forced the United States to recognize China's status as a Great Power through diplomatic warfare. These were all remarkable achievements, yet Zhang Xiluan was worried. But the two could also understand Zhang Xiluan's thoughts a little, yet neither spoke first.

Zhang Xiluan continued, "When Worthy Brother He was outside the pass, I also heard some things about him. Leaving early and returning late every day, very hard working. That's why he could defeat Japan within 10 years. But in the past 3 years, Worthy Brother He hasn't gone on inspection tours or reviewed troops. Except for writing articles in newspapers, he doesn't show his face much. When Xiangcheng was in power back then, he got up at the third watch and slept at the You hour (5-7 PM? No, usually means late. Maybe late night. You hour is 5-7pm, Xu is 7-9, Hai is 9-11. Maybe meant late. Anyway, working hard). In comparison, Worthy Brother He is actually inferior to Xiangcheng. Barbarians have always been treacherous; suffering such setbacks, they will of course retaliate. Moreover, reading Western newspapers, they all praise Worthy Brother He as an outstanding leader with profound strategic vision in the world. I feel they definitely harbor evil intentions. Brother Duan, as the Speaker, you should have paid attention, right? I don't ask about worldly affairs, but Brother Duan, Brother Xu, as elder brothers of Beiyang, you should check for leaks and fill vacancies for Worthy Brother He."

Hearing this, Duan Qirui couldn't help smiling bitterly, "Hehe, Brother Zhang, you think too highly of me. I am just eating a vegetarian meal without doing work in the parliament, just muddling along..."

Zhang Xiluan knew Duan Qirui misunderstood his meaning and waved his hand immediately, "Brother Duan, if Worthy Brother He wants to remove you from the post of Speaker of Parliament, as long as I am alive for one day, I will definitely go to the capital personally to dissuade him!"

Hearing Zhang Xiluan say this, Duan Qirui had no more doubts about Zhang Xiluan, but continued, "Brother Zhang, if others were in power and achieved such a level, they would definitely be eager for quick success and instant benefits, engaging in speculation and trickery. Pulling up seedlings to help them grow will inevitably leave hidden dangers. How could we turn a blind eye? However, with the current ruler, I can no longer see the policy objectives clearly. If I must say, the words and deeds of the current ruler are as clear as a bright mirror. Just like the diplomatic negotiation with the United States, there was no intimidation or trickery, all open and aboveboard. What the United States seeks is to do business with China. Seeing the situation come to this, for America's own desires, they could only compromise. Looking back, I still have many things I don't understand. Reminding beforehand is indeed something my shallow knowledge cannot do."

Xu Shichang knew that the Zhang family's biggest reliance in the future was He Rui, so he naturally cared about He Rui very much. At this time, Zhang Xiluan indeed felt He Rui's governance exceeded the experience of past dynasties, so he felt that when things go wrong, there must be a demon. But Xu Shichang couldn't see any problems with the country now either. He could only persuade, "Brother Zhang, we are definitely not disregarding the incense burner feelings (friendship/loyalty) of Beiyang. It's just that the current ruler has such achievements and the country is stable; there is indeed nothing to check for leaks and fill vacancies. If we entangle in details, the administration of officials in any dynasty has problems. But those are small matters; for the country, they don't even count as scabies. Finding a time, with one decree, they can be rectified for several years without incident. Brother Zhang should relax."

Zhang Xiluan knew he absolutely could not go see He Rui, let alone say these words to He Rui. But with the situation as it was, Zhang Xiluan really felt something was wrong. But seeing Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang both say so, he could only let it go.

At this time, He Rui had already asked Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing to take his handwritten letter to France and hand it to the French President. Before getting on the plane, Yan Huiqing was also somewhat apprehensive. He wasn't afraid France had no interest in this proposal, but worried his ability was insufficient to promote this matter effectively.

But recalling the conversation with He Rui not long ago, He Rui believed the Franc was strongly squeezed by the Pound and the Dollar, financially precarious, and France would never accept such a situation. Moreover, in the current wrestling of countries around the world, France indeed needed a powerful quasi-ally. Even if it could only give France financial and economic support, it could help France's international status not to decline further.

Yan Huiqing took a deep breath and stepped onto the boarding stairs. For head-of-state diplomacy, someone must make preliminary preparations. As Foreign Minister, Yan Huiqing had this responsibility. Even if worried, he had to go regardless of life and death.

Steadily boarding the plane, Yan Huiqing put all anxiety aside. Sitting in his seat, he opened his briefcase and took out the documents on the French situation to read.