On April 18, 1925, at 10:00 AM, Ishiwara Kanji was personally lecturing the latest batch of Japanese officers on the infantry tactics of the Northeast Army. The door opened, and an officer from the Training Bureau rushed into the classroom. This officer was a core member of the Future Society. Ignoring the surprised cadet officers in the class, he ran to Ishiwara and whispered a few words in his ear.

Although Ishiwara was far from being a frivolous young man at this time, he felt his heart suddenly become chaotic. Under the surprised gaze of the cadet officers, he paced back and forth on the podium a few times before noticing that the cadet officers were all looking at him.

Ishiwara was now certain that He Rui had officially started a new plan. given He Rui's style, this was not just a war between China and Britain. He Rui must have a broader plot. It was just that Ishiwara couldn't understand what He Rui was plotting, which made him particularly troubled.

But Ishiwara knew very well that new changes had begun. Since the cadet officers were all surprised, Ishiwara was not afraid of making things big. He stood back at the podium and said loudly to the cadet officers, "Latest news: China has marched into Burma, captured the city of Myitkyina in Burma, and continues to launch attacks southward."

Buzz! The whole classroom seemed to explode; the Japanese cadet officers were shocked by the news. An officer shouted in shock and anger, "Your Excellency, how dare Shina start a war with Britain! Is He Rui crazy!"

Ishiwara slapped the table and shouted, "China is China, what Shina! Can you make yourself strong by insulting others? No one is allowed to make such a stupid mistake in my class!"

Scolded by the war hero Lieutenant General Ishiwara Kanji, the Japanese cadet officers were stunned, and those Japanese officers who were relatively hostile to China became much more honest. More Japanese officers no longer despised China after experiencing defeat. Another officer stood up and asked, "Your Excellency, subordinate is Captain Kinoshita of the Sendai Division. May I ask Your Excellency, why does China want to compete with Britain for Burma?"

This question represented the voice of most Japanese officers in the classroom. The noise disappeared instantly, and everyone looked at Ishiwara, the Lieutenant General considered 'unparalleled in bravery' among junior officers.

Ishiwara hadn't figured it out at this time either, but what Ishiwara didn't understand was He Rui's overall plan. For the questions of ordinary Japanese officers, Ishiwara answered very easily, "Kinoshita-kun, if China attacks France, will the British send troops to help when France can't hold on?"

Captain Kinoshita thought for a moment, puffed out his chest, and replied, "Your Excellency, subordinate thinks Britain will help."

"Then if China attacks Britain, will the French send troops to help when Britain can't hold on?"

Kinoshita thought for a while and answered unconfidently, "They should help, right?"

Ishiwara Kanji answered decisively, "No! Absolutely impossible! The area of cooperation between Britain and France is maintaining the Versailles system, that is, maintaining the overall colonial system from being shaken. As long as this fundamental system is not touched, France will not help Britain. This is determined by the fundamental contradiction between Britain and France."

More than half of the cadet officers were stunned. Although Lieutenant General Ishiwara was always gentle and refined in the classroom of the New Technology Training Bureau, most cadet officers thought Lieutenant General Ishiwara's characteristic was fortitude and bravery. They didn't expect Lieutenant General Ishiwara to know so much about international politics.

Seeing the surprised expressions of these 'Army idiots,' Ishiwara just wanted to curse 'Baka.' However, Ishiwara also knew that his image as a 'fierce general' among middle and lower-ranking Japanese officers could not be blamed on anyone, because Ishiwara's battle of fame was the Battle of Pyongyang. In that battle, the whole of Japan knew that Ishiwara Kanji went to the front line alone when the Japanese army was defeated and fought against tens of thousands of Northeast troops with thousands of troops. Describing such a general as an 'intellectual general' indeed did not conform to the common sense of the Japanese.

In every subsequent battle, Ishiwara Kanji resisted the Northeast Army with fierce and precise employment of troops. The Japanese army's propaganda naturally needed to be strategic. At that time, the Japanese upper echelon had positioned Nagata Tetsuzan as an 'intellectual general' with strategy, and the corresponding 'brave general' was naturally assigned to Ishiwara Kanji.

Prejudice is hard to change once formed; Ishiwara knew this very well. If there were any complaints, Ishiwara could only complain that he didn't become famous in his field of expertise first. However, this was impossible. A major who was still an instructor at the Army War College at the age of 30 was a very marginalized figure in the Japanese strategic field.

Ishiwara calmed his thoughts and quickly made a decision. He must use this matter to teach these cadet officers about strategy. Since He Rui had started a new strategy again, if Japan stuck to old ways, it would only be left further behind by China. Even if this one lesson couldn't reverse the stupid ideas of the Army idiots, at least they had to know what the current world was like.

After making the decision, Ishiwara picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard. After writing about the relationship between Britain, France, and other countries, Ishiwara put down the chalk, picked up the pointer, and pointed to the first item he wrote. "The basis of strategy is the analysis of reality, and reality analysis is based on interests. What are France's interests composed of? Is anyone willing to answer?"

Although most middle and lower-ranking Japanese officers regarded Ishiwara as a brave general, the officers believed that a Lieutenant General famous for bravery would not be poor in strategy either. Strategic issues concerned the long term and the future. Officers who had been affected by the reality of the Japanese economy indeed had a much stronger interest in the future than before.

Hearing Ishiwara's question, a cadet immediately said, "Your Excellency, please tell us directly!"

At 11:00 AM, the French 'liaison officer' finished his talk with Li Shiguang, Director of the Western European Department. Both of them drank the jasmine tea in the cups in front of them and stood up to see Yan Huiqing, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic.

Yan Huiqing was also an old acquaintance in European diplomatic circles. Compared with the vigorous and aggressive young diplomats in the He Rui regime, European diplomatic circles preferred the much gentler Yan Huiqing. Seeing Yan Huiqing, the French 'liaison officer' first congratulated Yan Huiqing on his new appointment, and then asked, "May I ask Minister Yan, when can I see Your Excellency Foreign Minister Wu Youping?"

Hearing this question, Yan Huiqing laughed, "Premier Wu Youping concurrently serves as the Foreign Minister. As the old Chinese saying goes, choosing a day is not as good as hitting the day. Let's have lunch with Premier Wu at noon."

The French liaison officer was very satisfied with this arrangement and hurriedly expressed his thanks. At 11:30 noon, several people arrived at the cafeteria of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China's current simple diplomatic style had been fully accepted by European and American diplomats. Besides this style being actually cordial, China's current status also determined that China was qualified to arrange diplomatic habits according to its own style.

Wu Youping was announced to concurrently serve as Foreign Minister three days ago. At this time, wearing a Republic civil servant uniform, seeing the 'liaison officers' from France and the Netherlands arrive, he stood up and smiled, "Presumably, the two of you already know each other."

The French 'liaison officer' looked at the Dutch 'liaison officer' who was trying to hide his constraint, secretly laughing at the other party's lack of experience. Before China made a move against Britain, perhaps China's attitude could not be determined. Now that the war had broken out, there was no doubt about China's attitude. Britain wanted to unite forces in the West Pacific to form a coalition encircling China, and what China had to do was naturally break this encirclement network.

But since Wu Youping was so polite, the French 'liaison officer' naturally had to cooperate. He said in a somewhat exaggerated tone, "This is Mr. Hoekstra from the Netherlands; we have met before."

Dutch liaison officer Mr. Hoekstra did not have the open-mindedness of the French personnel. China beat up Japan and made a move against Britain. The Netherlands had a clear understanding of its own strength. Without the help of other countries, the Netherlands was powerless to confront China. Even though China's naval power was very weak now, it was not a force the Netherlands could deal with alone.

Wu Youping warmly invited several people to take their seats. As soon as they sat down, Wu Youping said, "China is a peace-loving country. We have no malice towards the existence of France and the Netherlands in Asia."

Mr. Hoekstra from the Netherlands was stunned. For European countries, even if the Foreign Minister said such words on such an informal occasion, it was equivalent to a quite serious statement. Not to mention that Wu Youping concurrently served as Foreign Minister in the capacity of Premier. Saying such words in such a capacity could be completely regarded as the official attitude of the Chinese government.

However, the Netherlands was different from France. France was, after all, the premier army power on the European continent, while the Netherlands was only a European country with a population of several million. In Southeast Asia, the Netherlands completely depended on Britain's whim. China began to attack Britain, and the Netherlands could only express support for Britain.

Wu Youping could fully understand the Netherlands' position and difficulties, so he smiled, "The Netherlands is the Sea Coachman, having massive commercial operations in the Pacific hundreds of years ago. After hundreds of years of tempering, the current Dutch government should have more experience in economics."

Hearing Wu Youping talk about the glorious past of the Netherlands 'overcoming five passes and slaying six generals,' Mr. Hoekstra of the Netherlands naturally knew that he could absolutely not say 'The Netherlands has walked to Maicheng [met its Waterloo] and is lying down licking Britain's boots.' He could only force a smile, "I also ask Your Excellency Premier Wu to explain China's economic policy."

Wu Youping was waiting for these words, so he readily explained the current economic policy of the Republic government to the French and Dutch 'liaison officers.' During this time, dishes came up one by one. Four dishes and one soup for four people. However, everyone's attention was on China's current economic and trade policies, and they didn't care about the dishes themselves.

Because the Netherlands chose to kneel and lick Britain, although it also attached great importance to China's trade policy, it could not make decisions completely independently. The French side was particularly interested. At this time, not only Germany and Britain had to pay debts in Europe, but France also borrowed a large amount of foreign debt during the European War.

The main reason for the Rhine Crisis in 1923 was really not that France deliberately wanted to put Germany to death, but that France itself really had no money. To make money, there must be a market. Originally, the interests of the Chinese market were mainly controlled by Britain, and Japan, as Britain's actual ally, also got a share. Now hearing Wu Youping's narration, the French 'liaison officer' was really very concerned.

China indeed smashed the privileges of various countries in China, but this was only a manifestation of interests. If larger markets and interests could be obtained through normal trade, France did not oppose conducting normal trade with China. If these interests were very large, France would even be happy to establish normal trade relations with China.

But verbal talk alone was not enough to make the French side believe. Just thinking about how to further confirm China's intentions, he heard Wu Youping say, "Our Minister of Commerce, Mr. Morrison, has a clearer understanding of these tasks. I actually look forward to seeing Minister Morrison visit Europe."

Mr. Hoekstra of the Netherlands was stunned; he was already considering informing Britain of China's movements. If the Chinese Minister of Commerce visited Europe, it meant that the country inviting Morrison had decided to make a diplomatic breakthrough with China. This was very unfavorable for Britain.

But the French 'liaison officer' didn't care about this at all. Although he was very dissatisfied with China smashing French privileges in China and killing many French troops. However, compared with the few Frenchmen killed by the Chinese, the number of Frenchmen killed by Germany was thousands of times this number. Even with such deep hatred, France and Germany still recognized each other and maintained economic exchanges.

Besides relations with Germany, France actually appreciated China's evaluation of Anglo-French relations: 'Anglos don't thank France.' So what reason did France have to pay the price for British interests?

Just as the French 'liaison officer' was considering whether to invite Morrison to visit France in a private capacity, he heard Wu Youping continue, "I reiterate once more. The reason for the war between China and Britain is that Britain has always adopted a hostile policy towards China and constantly attacked the Chinese regime in various fields. We China are a very rational country and will never sit idly by in the face of such hostile actions. But we China are a civilized country; we identify relatively with the status quo of Sino-French and Sino-Dutch relations, and we are also happy to see the French and Dutch governments continue their current rational practices. If such a situation continues, we will inevitably respect the existence of France and the Netherlands in Asia."

Hearing such a clear guarantee, the French liaison officer was even more certain of his view. However, Wu Youping's words piqued the French 'liaison officer's' interest again. "Your Excellency, can you tell us what exactly Britain did?" Seeing Britain suffer was a very happy thing for France.

Wu Youping laughed, "Britain is an island country and also a pirate country. As far as I know, the Sea Coachman Netherlands suffered serious harm from Britain in this regard back then."

Hearing this, the French 'liaison officer' was all smiles and nodded repeatedly. Even the Dutch liaison officer Hoekstra, who knelt and licked Britain, found it hard to refute.

After the Netherlands became independent, the Spanish Navy suffered defeat again, which gave the Netherlands the opportunity for comprehensive development. Because of the low cost and low freight of Dutch ships, they soon controlled the overseas trade of various countries. at its peak, the Netherlands controlled 3/4 of the total tonnage of European merchant ships, owning 15,000 merchant ships. Dutch merchant ships traveled all over the world every day. The Dutch capital Amsterdam often docked more than 2,000 ships.

Since the Netherlands was a bourgeois republic, they only did business with various countries and regions and didn't ask about anything else, which was completely different from the European colonial countries at that time. This gave the Netherlands huge space. Japan in the Edo period closed its doors to the world, trading only with China and Korea, and also with the Dutch. Because the Dutch didn't interfere with them, unlike other European countries that always wanted to interfere in Japan's internal affairs.

However, in that era where the weak were prey to the strong, if you made so much money, someone would definitely be jealous. The first to strike was Britain. But Britain didn't strike directly either; instead, it promulgated the "Navigation Acts" in 1651. The act stipulated that "only ships owned and manufactured by Britain or its colonies can carry goods from British colonies. Manufactured products from other countries must pass through the British mainland and cannot be sold directly to the colonies."

The meaning of this act was that only British ships could undertake maritime trade between Britain and British colonies. This targeted the Netherlands too obviously. Because at that time, it was Dutch ships that transported these goods; after all, Dutch ships controlled the trade of the entire Europe. If the Netherlands recognized this 'act,' it meant withdrawing from the British transportation market, which had begun to own a large number of colonies at that time.

The British strategic goal in doing this was very clear: isn't the Netherlands the Sea Coachman? If your carriage is destroyed, how can you still be a coachman? What happened afterwards was naturally that the Netherlands could not accept it, and war broke out with Britain. Britain's industrial strength was stronger than the Netherlands. Although both sides fought to exhaustion, Britain had stronger recovery capabilities.

Finally, the two sides negotiated peace, and the Netherlands recognized Britain's "Navigation Acts." Since then, the Sea Coachman Netherlands began to decline rapidly, and now it has become a country kneeling and licking Britain. No longer the prosperous appearance of those years.

France naturally knew this past, but what France cared about was the Napoleonic Wars. Britain finally crushed France's efforts to become the hegemon of the European continent. Afterwards, although France was a strong power on the European continent, it was only a strong power. When Germany was unified, after the Franco-Prussian War, France had been suppressed by Germany. Everyone was a thousand-year-old fox; who didn't know *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio*? France knew very well the role played by British capital in the process of Germany's rise. France was naturally very dissatisfied with Britain as well.

Wu Youping knew very well that both France and the Netherlands knew China wanted to divide the anti-China alliance Britain was trying to establish, so Wu Youping was more confident in completing this job. Better to fight a smart person than say a word to a muddled fool. Since the other party knew very well, there was no need for Wu Youping to spend effort explaining the strategy.

China's internal market was huge, and the current economic thinking focused on cultivating China's domestic market. After economic recovery, the Chinese market would improve rapidly. To quickly improve China's industrial strength, communication with the world's advanced countries was the fastest way. China had regained its sovereignty. If there were economic problems, it could naturally make various policy adjustments according to the situation at that time. As long as it was normal trade, China had nothing to worry about regarding 'suffering losses or taking advantage.'

At this time, China's market was precisely the chip that could divide Britain's strategy. After all, no country in this world had a grudge against making money.

So Wu Youping continued, "Britain using compradors to sabotage within China is already an act of war!"