On January 6, 1921, Pu Guanshui said loudly to the members of the German secret committee: "Members of the committee, China and Germany are far apart. If we want our ordinary trade to be profitable, there is only one way: build larger cargo ships to sail between the two countries for commerce. Of course, regarding your doubts about our shipbuilding capabilities, I also admit that your doubts are indeed correct. Now, let alone battleships, we can't even build cruisers. But this doesn't mean we are content with the status quo, nor does it mean we can only rely on imports to solve problems."

The atmosphere of the meeting had fallen into a very unpleasant state. The German committee members hoped to make a big fortune from China. No matter how urgent the Germans' desire for cooperation was, it was by no means an overnight thing to truly free the Germans from their contempt for China. After having enough of the German nonsense, Pu Guanshui finally couldn't help standing up to express his attitude.

"We China have nearly 600 million people, and as it looks now, in the next ten years, China's population may reach ten times that of Germany. Our government will implement compulsory education throughout the country even if it means smashing pots and selling iron. This means that in the next ten years, our primary school graduates will be ten times that of Germany, and junior high school graduates will be ten times that of Germany. In the next twenty years, our high school students and university students will also be ten times that of Germany. The longer the time, the greater China's advantage will be. On this point, time is on China's side. With such abundant educated manpower, promoting scientific and technological progress is only a matter of time..."

"...We Chinese have established our own country for more than 4,000 years. Our current country is the continuation of that country more than 4,000 years ago, so we never lack patience and never lack self-confidence. Since we have embarked on the road of national rejuvenation, this general trend is irreversible..."

"...Cooperation requires not only sincerity and mood but also down-to-earth progress step by step. We admit our current backwardness, so what we want is not face-saving work that soars to the sky in one go, but to learn from the most basic courses one by one like primary school students. We feel absolutely no shame about this..."

"...We indeed need large warship projects very much, but without the transfer of a complete set of technologies, especially the transfer of various production and processing technologies, just building a few ships, I think this is precisely the most inefficient way..."

The number of German secret committee members had increased by several compared to a few days ago, and these were just committee members. The news that the Chinese were trying to buy German technology spread quickly. Although the news of direct American investment in Germany also spread quickly and was even more attractive, the German military had sufficient appeal at any rate. The United States and Germany met in battle, and before Germany could possibly achieve final victory, they forcefully blocked the German army outside Paris. Compared with this, China appeared more valuable for cooperation.

After listening to Pu Guanshui's speech with the theme of "self-reliance, ample food and clothing," many Germans still felt quite unhappy. If China really mastered all technologies itself as Pu Guanshui said, then what was the necessity for China to cooperate with Germany? Before seeing the future prospects of cooperation, many committee members fully felt the threat that China might bring.

After the meeting adjourned, Pu Guanshui sat in his seat feeling somewhat depressed. He suddenly felt that he was really not material for diplomacy. Diplomacy should be compromise, various efforts to try to persuade others to change their minds. But in the dozen years in the People's Party, what Pu Guanshui learned was the set of relying on oneself and struggling hard. Moreover, this set was deeply imprinted on all of Pu Guanshui's actions and thoughts. Asking him to be polite and courteous, Pu Guanshui could certainly do it. However, when facing difficulties, Pu Guanshui's stubbornness couldn't help but bubble out.

Of course, German soldiers quite appreciated this attitude of the Chinese army. Soldiers have a more straightforward character. Moreover, "backbone" is something that has a great positive effect on the army. So the military representatives attending the meeting talked with Pu Guanshui with great interest about the strategic conflict between China and Britain.

"We have 600 million people, we have a strong government, and our army knows deeply to fight for the country. The British now dare not adopt the method of land army attack against our country. But we indeed lack naval power. Britain can use their advantage at sea to threaten us and implement encirclement." Pu Guanshui did not hide his sickness for fear of treatment regarding the strategic situation. Every step of China's liberation was fought out. Negotiation was merely a summary discussion of the status quo after the war truly ended. It was both the key point of the previous war and the starting point of the next war.

"What we really need now is comprehensive national strength. Only with such national strength can we conduct a comprehensive war with a country like Britain." After saying this, Pu Guanshui couldn't help emphasizing, "A true comprehensive war."

The revanchist representatives of the German army couldn't help nodding slightly. The failure of this war was because the war was far from comprehensive enough. Even if many victories were won on land, the German navy was comprehensively suppressed by Britain. If the German High Seas Fleet could break through the British blockade, the outcome of this war would have been completely different.

"Does the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army need instructors?" asked a committee member who was a former soldier.

"Naval instructors who participated in the Battle of Jutland, German artillery instructors, artillery instructors with actual command experience of artillery groups are best. Also commanders of various low, medium, and high-level combat commands. We are willing to invite them to China to conduct military exchanges with us." Pu Guanshui resolutely opposed those unrealistic business projects of the capitalists, but extremely welcomed this kind of military technology exchange proposed by the German military which was very suitable for China's situation.

Based on different standpoints, two attitudes appeared in the committee. The capitalist group was very dissatisfied with the stinginess of the People's Party. Pu Guanshui was impervious to reason. Any project that could not obtain technology transfer, any large project that was of no help to solving the immediate technical needs of the People's Party, Pu Guanshui resolutely rejected.

German retired soldiers felt that the harvest was quite abundant. The People's Party was willing to pay considerable remuneration to invite German retired soldiers to China for exchange and lectures. German post-war warships, artillery, and logistical equipment were looted by Britain and France, and these soldiers with professional skills were unemployed. If various experimental seminar trainings could be conducted in China, and the Chinese paid for the German army to conduct a post-war rehearsal summary of the war, this would be a quite cost-effective thing for the German army.

As for China learning war-related technologies and improving China's war level in this process, this was not within the consideration range of German soldiers at all. After all, Germans had discussed this matter. Even if China obtained Germany's most advanced military command technology, it posed no threat to Germany at all in the current situation. The spearhead of the Chinese army would inevitably point to Russia and Britain.

Pu Guanshui was very satisfied with this agreement. Pu Guanshui naturally saw the little calculations of the Germans clearly. Germany was equivalent to sending a small army model to China and using the Chinese army to conduct a war replay. For the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, which had no opportunity to participate in actual combat in World War I, this was a very good learning opportunity.

And after the agreement was completed, another piece of news reached Pu Guanshui. The French looted a large number of artillery from Germany, but these artillery could neither be eaten nor drunk, and maintenance required money. After discussing with China, the French sold part of the artillery to China at the price of scrap steel. Chinese personnel in France wanted to contact cheaper transport ships. You know, these artillery were not expensive, but the freight was more expensive than the artillery.

So Pu Guanshui immediately asked this committee if they could provide transportation services at preferential prices. Now the capitalists in the committee were finally happier. Currently, German shipping companies had no business, and this deal was really a pie falling from the sky.

After many connections and many troubles, by March 1921, nearly a thousand various types of artillery were finally loaded on ships and set sail. German military experts had already set off for China successively earlier. Among the unemployed technical personnel of German military industrial enterprises, some people closely related to the military simply set off for China for higher salaries.

In April 1921, after half a year of tossing and turning, Pu Guanshui finally sat on the ship returning to China. Watching the European coastline gradually disappear from view, Pu Guanshui secretly swore in his heart that if there was a next time, he would never accept the task of coming to Europe to engage in these specific jobs no matter what. This half a year made Pu Guanshui feel more exhausting than fighting ten battles.

The fleet carrying artillery and parts returned to China after untold hardships, and it was already June. Pu Guanshui, who returned to China in advance, was already responsible for arranging comprehensive cooperation between the Chinese Military Academy and German military experts.

Engaging in pure military work, no matter how tedious, Pu Guanshui did it without complaint. As long as he didn't have to deal with those annoying foreign officials, Pu Guanshui would do anything.

However, the Chinese government had to deal with the "annoying foreign officials." Japan learned that France sold a lot of cannons to China, and the artillery had already arrived in China. The Japanese diplomatic department immediately lodged a strong protest.

The French had long lost the intention of invading China by land army. Similar to the starting point of the Germans willing to conduct comprehensive military command technology exchange with China, the French also felt that selling cannons to China was beneficial to France and troublesome for the British. And Britain's trouble, from a certain perspective, was France's interest. France had no reason to refuse double benefits.

After the Japanese protest, the French side quickly saw more clearly that China obviously could not have a full-scale conflict with Britain. The biggest threat of these cannons was Japan. Of course, because of the existence of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after Japan felt threatened, it would naturally pull the British to fill the scene. With increased pressure in the Western Pacific, the possibility of Britain relying more on France appeared. No matter how you look at it, the tension in the Western Pacific thousands of miles away had no bad influence on the French. Regarding the exasperated protest of the Japanese government, the French side treated it like listening to a fart.

As for China, which got the cannons, it also ignored Japan's clamor. For the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, the function of these cannons was training. With the continuous improvement of electric furnace steelmaking, converter steelmaking, and oxygen top-blown technology, as well as the development of high-quality iron ore in the south, the quality of the Republic's steel was advancing slowly but steadily. Before the large-caliber artillery manufactured by the Republic itself entered the sequence, it was necessary for the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army to master the use of large-caliber artillery and experience what high-intensity firepower war was like.

Regarding the inquiry raised by the Japanese Minister to the Chinese government, the Chinese side answered very simply: "Chinese military construction is purely China's internal affair, and Japan has no reason to interfere in China's internal affairs."

The characteristic of imperialist countries is "long hands, managing broadly." Japan could do nothing about China, so the British side had to come forward. British Minister Sir Humphrey managed to reach a negotiation with China on reparations with difficulty. China and Britain had a summary of various old bad debts. After various deductions, except for the batch of silver Britain gave to Yuan Shikai, China made no concessions at all.

As for the bonds issued by the Manchu Qing, the Republic publicly stated that it would not recognize them at all. "You can go to the Manchu Qing government to ask for it; asking our People's Party for it is completely unreasonable."

On this basis, except for Japan which still kept shouting about the "international treaty" issue relentlessly, other countries also maintained the principle of "consistency among the powers" and all gave up the thought of making a fortune from China.

Not only that, although the Republic had not reached agreements with various countries on issues such as concessions, taking the municipal construction of various cities as an opportunity, China had actually completed the recovery of concessions. Shanghai patrolmen tried to "maintain some integrity," and then after being beaten up by people from unknown places, they were stripped naked and left on the streets of Shanghai with no one caring. Several "particularly spine-hard" ones were beaten until they couldn't take care of themselves.

Since then, when foreign patrolmen appeared on the streets, they didn't dare to resist even when thrown stones by Chinese people. Because every resistance would be met with merciless beating.

Water and electricity were cut off in foreigner gathering areas, and no one collected garbage. After having enough of the filth and stench, the foreign devils left the once glorious concessions one after another. After selling their properties at extremely low prices, they either bought legal properties in the new district to continue their business or simply packed up and went back to Europe.

Other countries had absolutely no influence on China. As for the British Empire, they found that facing China was a powerful country with 600 million people, an army, industry, and a market. A full-scale conflict due to these small frictions could neither achieve decisive military victory nor bear major commercial losses. So the British very cleverly "kept these old debts in mind," waiting for an opportunity to settle accounts later. At the same time, the British faced the future and began to seek struggle and cooperation with China on the current basis.

So when Sir Humphrey seriously raised the issue of Sino-Japanese relations to the People's Party, Chen Ke did not dare to despise the British attitude. If the British had already moved forward, while China still clung to the past, it would only put China in a very disadvantageous position.