"If a country's most famous products are expensive goods, the image of that country will always be superior to those that produce bulk tropical commodities. The Chinese government understands such propaganda tactics very well, which is why they want to reinforce the image of the Lanfang Republic as a producer of expensive timber and spices," Reichenau explained.

The German officers, all the cream of the crop, quickly understood this small, realistic propaganda tactic. Since the Chinese government wanted to help the Lanfang Republic so much, the German officers naturally began to consider from a German perspective how to utilize this opportunity. But after thinking about it briefly, they determined that Germany currently had absolutely no ability to start from this aspect, so they didn't waste their energy and mood on it.

Reichenau only regarded the Lanfang Republic as a source of soldiers for China. As for the Lanfang Republic's political stance and economic model, Reichenau did not care at this stage. A tropical island nation, no matter how much it leaned towards China, could not provide the military strength and products to change the strategic situation.

At this time, Reichenau's train of thought returned to the question of whether to hurry back to Germany. In the latest report from the German intelligence department, a major event had occurred in the Soviet Union, which was about to complete its third Five-Year Plan in 1942. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Stalin, had ordered the transfer of thousands of enterprises from the western Soviet Union to the east, a large part of which were moved to the region east of the Ural Mountains.

This incident caused a huge sensation among the upper echelons of Nazi Germany and the Wehrmacht. The German government and military generally believed that the Soviet Union was preparing for war. The western part of the Soviet Union had always been the most elite part; both agriculture and industry were the regions with the highest level in the Soviet Union. According to information collected by German intelligence personnel, the living standards of the people in the western regions undergoing massive migration were quite high. Compared with the current level of European economic development, the living standards of the people in the western Soviet Union were above those of Germany. Because the Soviet Union's distribution model was highly planned, the degree of equality was very high. The gap in living standards between government officials, factory managers, and ordinary people was very limited.

In order to unite the people, Nazi Germany had put great effort into welfare. Movies of German workers taking German cruise ships for holidays at sea every year were played everywhere in Germany, striving to make the German people believe that the Nazi German government was not a government like the Weimar Republic with a high gap between rich and poor and unfairness at its roots.

However, the results Nazi Germany was striving for had long been realized in the Soviet Union. Soviet people also had the opportunity to travel abroad every year. The double-tracking project of the Trans-Siberian Railway had been completed, and the Soviet Union had also introduced passenger plane technology from China. Soviet *damas* (matrons) and Soviet officials all had the opportunity to travel to China, Northern Europe, and Eastern European countries.

At this stage, the French economy was terrible. Soviet *damas* could even go to Paris, France for shopping, and the Soviet Union invited Italian designers to hold fashion weeks in the Soviet Union every year. This kind of activity was completely public. German intelligence personnel didn't even need to use any means; they only had to go to Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev to see how popular Italian designers were in the Soviet Union.

The new styles of clothing launched by Italian designers every year were quickly "borrowed" by the Soviet people. Various similar clothes, as well as those modified according to personal preferences, were all over the streets. Although European people thought the Soviet Union should be a serious, rigid, totalitarian country with completely uniform clothing, in reality, the Soviet people, especially the women, dressed in colorful and competitive ways. Compared with the Soviet Union, Germany was the serious and rigid country.

Besides the western region, another elite area of the Soviet Union was the oil-producing region centered on Baku. Whenever Soviet oil was mentioned, the German government and military would all be envious to the point of distortion. Reichenau himself had discussed many times with many German Field Marshals and Colonel Generals (Generaloberst) how to bring the western and southern parts of the Soviet Union completely under German control.

Reichenau still hadn't been able to make a final judgment. He personally tended towards attacking the Soviet Union. However, Germany's current economic situation was okay. Relying on military technology cooperation with the United States in the Allied camp and providing industrial products to the United States and Britain, the German economy had not deteriorated so far, and they had even redeemed quite a few Mefo bills.

Previously, the financial genius Schacht had created more than 200 denominations of currency to make it difficult for the German people to exchange currency. Now, they had also begun to recall those special denominations of German Marks created to deliberately reduce currency liquidity on a large scale, and began to restore normal denominations of German Marks. These policies made the German people feel very good, believing that the suffering they endured for Germany to win the war and get rid of the shackles of the Anglo-French Versailles system was now being rewarded.

Therefore, the current German public could completely withstand a war against the Soviet Union, but the German people now looked forward to taking a breather and living a few good days. In Reichenau's view, perhaps an excuse was needed as a reason for war against the Soviet Union.

If Reichenau knew the content of the discussion between Soviet and American experts meeting in Singapore right now, he would probably feel that the reason for war against the Soviet Union not only existed but that war was absolutely necessary!

Many of the American experts had instructions from the U.S. government behind them. Coupled with American stereotypes about the Soviet Union, the American experts first downed a bottle of vodka each with the Soviet experts in a lively atmosphere before someone asked drunkenly, "I wonder if the Soviet Union is willing to cooperate with the United States in civil aviation."

Chinese fighter jets used turboprop engines. The engine itself was turbojet technology, but the rotational speed was reduced through a reduction gearbox to drive a propeller. Therefore, Chinese engines used aviation kerosene, drastically reducing the operational costs of the air force.

This technology was not just military, but also civilian. After the domestic aviation industry in the Soviet Union introduced Chinese turboprop engines, the level of Soviet passenger planes was greatly improved. After the U.S. Air Force suffered setbacks, it had always wanted to get hold of Chinese engine technology. Since there was no way to get it from China, getting the same principle of civilian engines from the Soviet Union would also work.

Nominally, those coming from the Soviet Union were all law professors from Moscow University and Leningrad University. When the Asian International Tribunal tried the ANZAC Corps for massacres, the Chinese government, out of its own interests, did not specifically invite Soviet experts. The situation was different this time. The Soviet experts were gearing up to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat at this Singapore Conference trying colonialist crimes, allowing the Soviet Union to achieve breakthroughs in international image and substantive diplomacy. Therefore, the research level of many Soviet experts in international relations was higher than their level of legal research.

Just listening to the American experts' words, the Soviet experts winked at each other and immediately expressed, "Since you want to cooperate, you must show sincerity! Come, come, come, let's drink first!"

After speaking, the few Russian experts with great capacity for liquor opened the wine bottles again. After a few rounds, the American experts were drunk and swaying. At least the few American experts who proposed cooperation had already been drunk under the table.

The United States was a country that had enacted Prohibition; how could there be no heavy drinkers in the country? Moreover, facing the huge reality of the battlefield, the U.S. upper echelon had also adjusted part of its strategy. So, two American heavy drinkers easily counterattacked, drinking a swathe of Soviet experts under the table. In the end, two people remained on each side. As professionals who were very outstanding in the diplomatic field, the four exchanged glances and roughly determined each other's identities.

At the central table of the banquet, a group of swaying experts were speaking drunken nonsense. In the corner, the four people were exchanging views on some topics soberly and calmly. The U.S. government representative was obviously very interested in the European situation and asked about the Soviet Union's view on the current European situation. Since asking for the Soviet view, the U.S. representative expressed very sincerely, "The United States has absolutely no intention of becoming an imperialist country. Given Europe's population, industrial capacity, and national quality, the United States absolutely does not consider controlling Europe. As a member upholding world peace, the United States hopes that Europe and America can build a peaceful and mutually helpful friendly relationship. This kind of peace must have the participation of a responsible great power like the Soviet Union."

Since the United States was so sincere, the Soviet representative also expressed his own views very sincerely, "Since the Tsarist era, our country has always been a victim of the unjust international order. Therefore, no country is more willing than ours to establish a just world order. As an important European country, the Soviet Union is always willing to maintain good relations with European countries."

Both the United States and the Soviet Union were the most powerful industrial nations in the world at present, so discussing the unfair treatment the US and USSR had suffered, they had quite a common language. When the United States mentioned being constrained by France and invaded by Britain, it was truly heartbroken.

Russia's history was much longer than the United States, so mentioning this history was even more stained with blood and tears. From the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth killing its way into Moscow centuries ago, deposing and setting up Tsars, to Napoleon invading Russia, killing until rivers of blood flowed in Russia. In recent decades, there was the ruthless blow by Britain and France in the Crimean War, eventually leading the Tsar to commit suicide due to defeat.

In short, when facing Europe, the US and the USSR had a great deal of common language.

Finally, the legal experts from both the US and USSR, solely in the capacity of private scholars, believed that Europe needed to undergo profound reforms to become a truly peaceful region. And only a peaceful Europe could create a bright future for Europe and America.

The legal experts' wording did not contain any threats or violence; it was completely compassionate, filled with the pursuit of justice and peace. So after a discussion, the experts from both the US and USSR believed it was necessary to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the judicial field. The American expert said with emotion: "The United States knew before that Russia had its own unique points in legal construction. This meeting further proves that such a view without any discrimination is correct. As a law professor at Yale University, I hope that Yale University can establish law school cooperative exchanges with Moscow University, from which you graduated. I wonder what your opinion is?"

The Soviet expert, who held a law degree from Moscow University and a degree in international politics from St. Petersburg University, nodded kindly, "I will contact Moscow University immediately."

Such a discussion, if observed by a European representative, would basically confirm that the US and USSR were attempting to draw closer, and the reason for drawing closer was most likely for the purpose of containing Europe. If Marshal Reichenau heard such remarks about "pacifism and academic cooperation," he could basically confirm that the Soviet Union was full of hostility towards Europe, especially the continental European order currently implicitly led by Germany.

Reichenau would absolutely not think that peace was bad, nor would he think that the US and USSR could not talk about peace. But this way of the US and USSR talking about European peace and Euro-American peace while casting aside Europe, in the ears of anyone above a certain level, even if not in the current state of war, would be considered a naked display of hostility.

Of course, the representatives of the US and USSR would not be so naive as to think that such a talk could decide US-Soviet cooperation. The reason for the current US-Soviet rapprochement was that China had raised the banner of establishing a brand-new world order and had truly begun to execute it through means of war.

Even if the Soviet Union had realized that there seemed to be problems with its own global strategy, it did not mean that the Soviet Union would abandon its global strategy and choose to accept the new world order led by China. The United States was even more so; Roosevelt was able to pass the resolution declaring war on China in Congress because those American congressmen who voted in favor truly believed that the United States could not accept a new international order led by China.

But the economic, political, and military capabilities displayed by China made both the US and USSR understand that the result of either country fighting China alone would likely be an inability to win. After analyzing the world situation, both countries realized that if the US and USSR could truly cooperate, they might be able to contain China.

Therefore, after the meeting ended, the Soviet representative immediately sent the news back to Moscow in code. General Secretary Stalin personally read the report and asked the commissar of the People's Commissariat for Culture to let the Law Department of Moscow University contact Yale University in the United States. Just a few hours after the telegram was sent, Yale University replied, expressing willingness to establish academic cooperation with Moscow University immediately. And they asked if Moscow University was willing to immediately send personnel to Yale University for exchanges regarding cooperation matters.

Now, General Secretary Stalin felt that the United States' current attitude was very sincere and very urgent. The U.S. government could not be blamed for being impatient; as an opponent fighting a Pacific War with China, the pressure the United States was under was too heavy. Although most European countries declared war on the Asian Allied Forces, the one truly exerting effort was Britain, which was being beaten painfully. The fascist bloc was only using the war to make money and was not truly exerting effort. So much so that the United States urgently sought stronger assistance.

Up to now, the Soviet Union did not want to go to war with China. Even if China seized all of Asia and Africa, it did not pose a realistic threat to the Soviet Union. As for future threats, that would be discussed when they happened. From a geopolitical perspective, the Soviet Union's threats and greatest interests always lay in Europe.

Regarding the Nazi bloc's inaction, the Soviet Union's view was not that benevolent, believing that the Nazi bloc simply wanted to fish for some benefits. According to Soviet analysis, the threat of the Nazi bloc to the Soviet Union at this stage had not decreased, but actually increased a lot. This was also the reason why Stalin issued orders to move thousands of Soviet enterprises from the west to the east.

The Soviet Union had received relatively accurate news in the past six months that Nazi Germany was ready to attack the Soviet Union in June 1941. It was only because Britain decided to make peace with Germany that Hitler stopped the attack at the last moment of the war. This was an unacceptable fact for the Soviet Union.

Not to mention that with the intensification of the Pacific War, neither China nor the United States could achieve a decisive victory in the short term. Even if China won, it would need to project a large amount of power into Asia and Europe, and did not have the strength to fight in Europe. The benefits the fascist bloc gained from Britain and the US also stopped growing because the war consumed more and more of Anglo-American strength. The call from the German domestic populace to improve the economy was also getting louder. The Nazi Party came to power under the banner of thoroughly solving Germany's economic problems; they could not ignore the calls of the German people in this regard.

According to the theory of path dependence, Nazi Germany solved part of Germany's economic problems through military invasion. In order to solve Germany's fundamental economic problems more thoroughly, Nazi Germany would inevitably choose military invasion. Now that Nazi Germany already controlled Central and Eastern Europe, the only object left for military invasion was the Soviet Union.

Politics is the continuation of economy; this is the cruelty of politics. Since there are only so many ways to solve problems, the choice of national strategy becomes very simple. Even if the chosen path looks extremely baffling, it is like the Chinese idiom "drinking poison to quench thirst"—in order to solve the current core contradiction first, no matter how great the later impact, that choice must be made now.

What's more, Germany was very confident in its current strength. The German Army was the most advanced in the world, and also possessed a tactical air force tested by war; its war strength was more powerful than during the Battle of France. In the intelligence the Soviet Union obtained from Germany, Germany had already developed tanks with fiercer firepower and thicker armor. The previous thin-skinned Panzer I, II, and III tanks were being rapidly retired.

In addition to these economic and military changes, Germany had also obtained a large amount of new technology through military cooperation with Britain and the US because it made peace with Britain and joined the Allied camp.

The Soviet Union certainly did not want to go to war with Germany, but the Soviet Union's wishful thinking could absolutely not influence Germany's decision. The Soviet Union had to make very realistic preparations. Since Germany was very dangerous, the Soviet Union was also happy to cooperate with the United States, which had suffered huge losses.

On the second day after Moscow University received the invitation from Yale University, it dispatched personnel to the United States to discuss the content of cooperation with Yale University.

Amidst the surging undercurrents, the Singapore Conference officially convened. In the first stage of the conference, countries first discussed the significance of the existence of colonialism in the present.

Contrary to outside expectations, even the colonial powers Britain and France did not sing the praises of current colonialism, nor did they excessively beautify past colonialism. As for the small Eastern European countries that never had the chance to participate in the colonial wave, even if they were currently members of the fascist bloc, they not only did not support colonialism but also expressed fierce criticism of colonialism based on their own country's experience of being colonized by the Ottoman Empire.

If ordinary, simple, and kind-hearted people of various countries saw this, they would very likely think that opposing colonialism had become the mainstream internationally. Some former members of the Spanish International Brigades who observed the meeting thought so.

Fortunately, these former members of the Spanish International Brigades had now joined the World People's Liberation Army. The World People's Liberation Army adopted the political commissar system. Through the meeting, these matters were immediately reported, and even He Rui received the report.

After reading the report, He Rui sighed, "The people are too kind!"