"So, your country's intention is..."

"In principle, our country agrees to the plan for France to assist us in building four battleships."

Hearing the answer from Chinese Foreign Minister Li Shiguang, the French Foreign Minister's eyes widened in nervous anticipation. He immediately pressed, "May I ask, Minister, have you been authorized to handle the negotiations for this matter?"

Li Shiguang nodded slightly and confirmed in a measured tone, "Yes. Chairman He Rui and Premier Wu Youping have authorized me to take charge of this negotiation."

The next moment, the French Foreign Minister stood up and extended both hands towards Li Shiguang. As Li Shiguang stood and raised his hand, his hands were tightly grasped by the excited French Foreign Minister, who shook them vigorously up and down. A moment later, the French Foreign Minister released his hands, grabbed Li Shiguang's upper arms, leaned in, and kissed Li Shiguang on both cheeks.

Li Shiguang mentally remarked that French passion was indeed as reputed. Of course, he could understand the Foreign Minister's excitement. Not just for a French minister, but for the foreign minister of any Great Power, securing such an agreement would be a massive success in their career and inevitable political capital for future advancement.

At this point, the French Foreign Minister released Li Shiguang's arms, grasped his hand again, and said loudly, "Long live Sino-French friendship!"

"May Sino-French friendship endure forever," Li Shiguang smiled.

The excited French Foreign Minister asked Li Shiguang to sit down again. Forcing himself to suppress his excitement, he inquired, "So, what is the attitude of the Chinese State Council towards this matter?"

Li Shiguang was prepared and immediately asked in a gentle tone, "We have noted that some parties in France seem to have misgivings about expanding imports from China. In reality, China's light industrial goods are high-quality and inexpensive. For the French public, this effectively increases their purchasing power, especially for lower-income groups. Therefore, I would very much like to hear the Minister's views on the current French political parties."

The French Minister knew that what Li Shiguang was raising was not a small matter, but for the current state of Sino-French relations, it wasn't an insurmountable one either. He pressed on, "What about other aspects? For instance, does China have a need for French naval equipment technology?"

Li Shiguang shook his head. "Our country upholds a peaceful attitude and has no plans to build capital ships in the near future. Of course, if we have a need, we will certainly engage in friendly consultations with France."

In diplomatic settings at the ministerial level, one is responsible for every word spoken. Before making demands, France had been worried that China would require France to unconditionally provide key naval technologies—a demand that would have struck a painful nerve for France. Refusing would be inappropriate, but agreeing would be equally difficult. Hearing Li Shiguang avoid this difficult problem in his statement, the French Foreign Minister felt a wave of relief.

"Does your country have requirements in other areas?"

Seeing the French Foreign Minister was still uneasy, Li Shiguang emphasized again, "The Chinese government is focusing all its energy on domestic construction and indeed does not have more budget to spend on military expenditures. Therefore, our country is very concerned about certain proposals raised in the French Parliament. Because these proposals could potentially affect trade between China and France."

The French Foreign Minister wanted to push the warship deal forward quickly, so he nodded repeatedly. "I can understand China's concerns. Please allow me to explain my personal view."

"I am all ears," Li Shiguang expressed his readiness to listen.

The French Foreign Minister stabilized his emotions before explaining, "The previous cabinet successfully completed its term. One of the main tasks of the new cabinet is to maintain government stability..."

The French Foreign Minister's attitude was sincere because the French upper class, and indeed the European elite, knew very well that Sino-French economic cooperation was the foundation of France's high economic activity and unprecedented political stability over the past four years. There was no need for hollow pleasantries with Foreign Minister Li Shiguang.

The world order constructed by the Versailles System satisfied the requirement of maximizing the interests of Britain and France, so France had no ambition for further expansion in Europe. Sino-French economic cooperation had built domestic economic prosperity in France, and economic prosperity, in turn, promoted political stability.

Whether Left or Right, the bills proposed by political parties were all about increasing welfare and strengthening education. The goal was to use these rare good times to buy votes and stabilize their respective political bases.

This was not strange; when life is comfortable, who wants to cause trouble?

The French Left and Right were all converging towards the middle, to the extent that the current French political scene featured the Left accusing the Right of not being right-wing enough, and the Right accusing the Left of not being left-wing enough. Both sides moving towards the center meant that both the Left and Right were more focused on practical economic issues. This led to some proposals that were not originally targeted at China—for instance, proposals to further promote French employment and raise French national income naturally led to the appearance of some trade protectionist proposals.

"Please rest assured, these bills will absolutely not affect Sino-French trade," the French Foreign Minister strove to express his sincerity.

Li Shiguang did not doubt the French Foreign Minister's mood at this moment. At least for now, the Minister would struggle against any domestic forces in France that sought to damage Sino-French relations. But this personal attitude was temporary and not durable. Li Shiguang then presented the State Council's requirement: "We expect France to open up the sale of Chinese light industrial goods in France."

The French Foreign Minister naturally could not make decisions for the French Ministry of Finance, but he asked within the scope of his authority, "France has already increased imports from China, which should alleviate the pressure on China to repay loans."

Li Shiguang shook his head. "From an economic perspective, this kind of procurement does not solve China's problem. I believe people of all nations have the right to purchase the best products. For the French public who pay these taxes, and for French enterprises, they are being treated unfairly. For Chinese enterprises, this is equally unfair. If they cannot compete with similar products from France—the world's strongest industrial nation—Chinese enterprises cannot become the world's best enterprises. Furthermore, I know that products produced by French-invested enterprises in China seem to be facing some tariff troubles at this stage. We in China expect to remove obstacles regarding tariffs and import-export between China and France."

Hearing this, the French Foreign Minister arrived at a rough conclusion. It seemed the Chinese side wanted to sign the free trade agreement that had been discussed between China and France before. If this agreement were adopted, tariff barriers between China and France would be lowered to the minimum. Moreover, very free investment could be conducted between France and China.

Even though Sino-French relations had improved rapidly in recent years, the French Foreign Minister felt this agreement was likely unachievable at this stage. Currently, France proper plus its colonies totaled a little over 10 million square kilometers, less than 11 million. China's land area was over 11 million square kilometers—still larger than the current France. If the two countries opened up completely, while France could certainly invest and trade throughout China, China would have the equal right to trade in France proper and its colonies. The French government could not accept such conditions.

The French Foreign Minister could already sense how intense these negotiations would be, but this was not surprising. France was getting four 35,000-ton battleships; it had to be prepared to pay a sufficient price. The one governing China now was the He Rui administration, not the Manchu Qing or the Beiyang government, which were weak and incompetent enough to be laughable.

"Does the Chinese government wish to negotiate with the French government on economic issues?" The French Foreign Minister made a final confirmation.

Li Shiguang answered explicitly, "Yes. Developing the economy is the core task of the Chinese government at present."

The French Foreign Minister nodded. "Then let us begin preparing to present our respective demands."

Diplomatic negotiations in 1932 were generally divided into three stages. In the first stage, the heads of the foreign ministries represented their countries to exchange views and decide whether to open negotiations in a certain field. In the second stage, the diplomatic teams under the foreign ministry heads would list their side's demands. If the content covered a broad range, they would be divided into several groups to interface with the counterpart's teams for tit-for-tat discussions. In the third stage, if a result was discussed, a treaty would be signed. If no result was reached but there was readiness to continue talking, the second stage would be repeated regarding the new issues.

Of course, things could also collapse in the end. But at this stage, neither China nor France intended for talks on economic issues to collapse. Even if the ultimate goal wasn't reached, both sides would produce a stage-based result, advancing cooperation on the issue by a step.

Li Shiguang quickly transmitted the news back home. Premier of the State Council Wu Youping only instructed the various ministries to provide assistance for this negotiation but did not say much else. Because Wu Youping knew that in He Rui's plan, this was merely the second stage of Sino-French cooperation. Before the negotiations produced results, many things could not be spoken of too freely.

One might not speak, but the brain would not stop thinking. When Wu Youping reported this matter to He Rui, he couldn't bear the internal pressure and asked He Rui, "Chairman, I believe domestic enterprises may not necessarily be able to withstand such a shock at this stage."

Looking at Wu Youping's expression, He Rui sensed the strong unease in his heart. This feeling was not unfamiliar to He Rui; in the early 21st century, before China decided to join the WTO, the country was also filled with such sentiments. At that time, China decided to open up fully to the world, so there was intense worry domestically about foreign enterprises that were about to enter the Chinese market en masse.

Not only did Chinese domestic enterprises think this way, but foreign enterprises thought so too. Both sides felt that foreign enterprises, relying on advantages in technology, branding, and management, would slaughter everyone in China and control the Chinese market.

In fact, after China joined the WTO, many foreign enterprises made money in the Chinese market, and the total amount earned was vast. But looking at it across a 20-year span, Chinese industries developed unprecedentedly during those two decades. Through market competition, they forced foreign countries to abandon industry after industry.

Foreigners indeed made money, but they lost their industries. The high-level foreign figures He Rui had contacted all believed that China was the ultimate victor in that 20-year competition.

"Youping, let's not talk about work for a moment. Everyone is so tired; let's talk about something happy. I had a dream a few days ago; I dreamed of the Northeast," He Rui said, then sighed with emotion.

At the mention of the Northeast, a feeling of nostalgia spontaneously arose in Wu Youping's heart. But the feeling this time was different from before. previously, the Northeast was the vast majority of Wu Youping's world. Wu Youping considered himself forever just a very, very small part of the Northeast. But now, mentioning the Northeast, Wu Youping felt it was merely the home of his boyhood and youth—a warm, beautiful home. But compared to the entire China and even the entire world, the Northeast was like a transparent, warm, beautiful glass house—just a small piece. Wu Youping missed that small, beautiful homeland, but he would not return there.

Seeing the nostalgic look on Wu Youping's face, He Rui smiled, "Do you remember? I had just arrived in Siping not long before and was setting up the tax system. There were barely any people. I was returning to that small courtyard of the Siping Garrison, and you, in a student uniform, popped out from the roadside, blocked my way, and said you had read my book. Haha... sigh..."

Wu Youping himself couldn't remember how he first met He Rui, but with He Rui's mention, he suddenly recalled it. The narrow streets of his hometown Siping, the scorching summer sun, and He Rui with a head full of black hair, unshaven, wearing a Beiyang military academy officer's uniform that looked quite ugly by current standards.

This feeling, as if a lifetime had passed, made Wu Youping suddenly doubt: did his younger self really rush recklessly in front of He Rui and ask him questions using the excuse of having read his book?

But in his memory, it really was so. Wu Youping thought for a moment and recalled even more. Including the conversation with his father before leaving, and the intense panic and unwillingness in his heart at the time regarding the possibility of China being carved up by the Great Powers. Those things... turned out to be events that had truly existed, yet they felt as unreal as a dream.

Suddenly, Wu Youping thought of his father who had passed away a few years ago. The former local leader of the Tongmenghui did not leave instructions for his funeral arrangements on his deathbed; he simply held Wu Youping's hand and said, "Son, I have seen China unified with my own eyes; I have no regrets in this life. You must take care of your health; absolutely do not fall ill. I know if you cannot see the revitalization of China with your own eyes, you will not rest in peace."

Thinking of this, Wu Youping felt a sting in his nose. He hurriedly stood up and walked to the window, reaching out to wipe away tears. But the urge to cry didn't dissipate immediately; Wu Youping took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears several times, took two deep breaths, and only then turned back to sit in his seat, sighing, "Chairman, let's talk about work."

Seeing that he had drawn closer the mutual trust with Wu Youping, He Rui nodded and answered, "Good. Youping, what is the basis of our cooperation with France?"

"Please tell me, Chairman." Wu Youping pushed the topic back to He Rui.

He Rui didn't pause at all and answered immediately, "If Francs are printed, they are just paper. If they aren't printed, they are just some numbers in a bank account. Whether it's French factories invested in China or the debt relationships formed, France's cooperation with China gives those Francs corresponding real objects. Thus, these Franc currencies have value. From the perspective of value, France has made a fortune, and the French people can live a very comfortable life. But from the perspective of national power, France's national power has not become as strong as it appears on paper."

Wu Youping had long understood what national power referred to. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement. "Correct, because most of this production capacity is in China, not in France."

"So there is no need to fear foreigners investing in China. We have not opened up those resources that concern China's lifeline, the channels for bulk commodities, or the domestic pricing power over bulk commodities. We have only opened up industrial sectors we do not possess, and competition in civilian goods. If foreigners make money in China, they earn it through capability. Moreover, Chinese people are smart and capable; seeing foreigners make money, they will naturally think of ways to participate in the competition. Since everyone is competing, a France of 40 million people compared to a China of 500 million—France will definitely lose. Even adding Europe, America, the Soviet Union, and Japan together, it's only 500 million people. And they are scattered countries, whereas we are a unified country of 500 million, a unified market. In normal competition, we are the side with the advantage. Do you think this is so?"

Wu Youping was stunned. Although he was considered knowledgeable in his youth, he was still young then. Plus, China was extremely weak at that time, so he developed a strong rebellious psychology, feeling that Chinese people were the smartest and most capable nation in the world. Over the years, as his status rose and he met many outstanding talents in the world and saw so many countries, hearing He Rui actually praise the intelligence and wisdom of the Chinese people, he was momentarily at a loss.

He Rui looked at Wu Youping's expression and couldn't help but want to smile. However, He Rui felt that Wu Youping was under too much pressure inside and couldn't take much stimulation, so he stood up to make tea. Pouring hot water into high-quality glass tea ware with a built-in filter, He Rui compared his state of mind with Wu Youping's. He Rui felt that he had always been a "volunteer patriot" at heart, distinct from the capitalist-roaders and the comprador bourgeoisie—standing in two opposing camps of struggle.

The "China faction" within the socialist camp, when feeling powerless, would naturally choose nationalism as a shield against pressure. He Rui used to write posts online, expressing the view that China was the most excellent nation in the world, so there was no need to fear challenges. But everyone was educated after all; deep down, they knew this view, which bordered on racism, didn't actually hold water. Wu Youping was also a knowledgeable politician; receiving such stimulation, he naturally couldn't accept it immediately.

Returning to the table with the teapot and cups, pouring tea for Wu Youping, He Rui continued as he refilled the water, "In recent years, comrades feel that I am getting along very well with European countries, as if the goal is to ease relations with Europe and America. In fact, these are all means. Our cooperation with France is a trick of supporting France to play the balance of power among Great Powers. In the past, European countries acted as foreign forces supporting factions in East Asia to manipulate the situation. Now, we in East Asia are doing the same to Europe in reverse."

Hearing this, Wu Youping was stunned at first, then immediately understood. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Indeed."

He Rui put down the kettle and continued, "After easing relations with Europe and America, I want to open market access. The purpose is to stimulate China's industrial development through European and American investment in China. The biggest gap between us and Europe/America is not science or technology, but the gap in mass production. Only by accepting European and American investment in China can we narrow this gap most quickly. And on the foundation of European and American mass production, we will develop our own Chinese super-large scale industrial production capability. Whoever masters the capability of super-large scale industrial production will be the leader of the future world."

Wu Youping had heard this before, and his mood could keep up this time, so he had no thought of refuting. However, Wu Youping sighed, "This matter is not easy."

"No!" He Rui shook his head decisively to express opposition. "This matter is very easy. Youping, the depth of a civilization determines the civilization's upper limit. The depth of Chinese civilization is simply not comparable to foreign countries. China's upper limit is also beyond what foreign countries can imagine. More importantly, current global supply chains are very short. Within ten years, China will definitely be able to reach and surpass foreign levels of mass production. At that time, in order for China's domestic economy not to explode, China must go global. This is not a question of whether you or I are willing, but an objective, inevitable economic requirement. If China does not go global at that time, China's economy will definitely explode internally. America's today is China's future."

Wu Youping was stunned, then a moment later, he had a sudden realization. When discussing with some comrades in the Central Committee and economics scholars previously, he had touched upon matters in this area more or less. At that time, everyone didn't go too deep into this question because comrades and scholars didn't have a complete train of thought on how to develop to such a degree, let alone policy.

Moreover, He Rui had proposed launching military operations to liberate the world after 1939, with the goal of establishing a fair world. This also made Wu Youping dare not use simply solving domestic economic requirements as a line of thought. Now hearing He Rui explicitly point out the internal reason for China's foreign wars, Wu Youping felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Without waiting for Wu Youping to speak, He Rui continued, "At that time, whether the China that goes out into the world is a heinous imperialist China, or a seemingly mild hegemonist China, or a socialist China that truly establishes a rational international order—this is a great test. It is also a test we cannot escape. I absolutely do not believe that the imperialist system is a system with a future."