Chapter 77

After apologizing to Zhang Xueliang, Shen Honglie walked into Marshal Zhang's study. Zhang Xueliang was somewhat puzzled, wondering why his father had called for Shen Honglie. Unable to figure it out, Zhang Xueliang shook his head slightly and went to the small courtyard to find Yu Fengzhi to pack their luggage.

The country that reacted most strongly to this news was Japan. When the news reached Japan, the first reaction nationwide was disbelief, thinking it was a joke by a newspaper reporter who had made a mistake.

After the news was confirmed by various countries' ambassadors, the reaction was disdain, believing that even if the Chinese spent a huge amount of money to buy warships, it would not pose any threat to the powerful Combined Fleet.

Then came anger. First, the Japanese government summoned the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wang Rongbao, to the Foreign Ministry for a scolding, stating that the Empire of Japan would absolutely not agree to this arms purchase. Then, they lodged strong protests with the major powers like Britain and the United States!

By the evening, after many workers who had worked hard all day learned of the news, large-scale protest rallies broke out in Tokyo and other places.

The protest crowds surged towards the embassies of Britain, the United States, and the Beiyang government in Japan. Many radical individuals threw stones, bottles, and other debris at the embassies and burned the flags of various countries.

Some even set fire to the Beiyang government's embassy in Japan, and the police on the scene turned a blind eye, causing minor damage to the embassy. In the end, the Japanese government had to deploy a large number of police to maintain order to prevent larger-scale riots.

That evening, Crown Prince Hirohito convened an emergency imperial conference in the Bamboo Room of the Imperial Palace. Prime Minister Kato Takahiro, Minister of War Ueda Kazushige, Minister of the Navy Omi Takaharu, Minister of the Interior Wakatsuki Reijirō, Foreign Minister Shidehara Kijūrō, and Minister of Finance Hamaguchi Osachi all attended the meeting.

At this time, Emperor Yoshihito was already in very poor health, often unconscious due to his brain disease.

Crown Prince Hirohito was already effectively performing the duties of the emperor. After the officials bowed, Crown Prince Hirohito asked, "The warlord Gao Yang is spending a huge amount of money to rebuild the Beiyang Fleet. What should we do about it?"

Hirohito, who was not yet the emperor, spoke directly without using the imperial language. After a fierce exchange of glances among the high officials, Prime Minister Kato Takahiro cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, Foreign Minister Shidehara has already submitted a protest to the various countries. I believe we will receive a response soon."

Hirohito clenched his fists tightly and said in a stern voice, "Protest? Does the Prime Minister think that just by protesting, the British and Americans will obediently listen to the Empire of Japan?" His tone was already tinged with severity.

Kato Takahiro gave Shidehara a meaningful look, and Shidehara cleared his throat before saying, "Your Highness, Britain's sale of warships to Gao Yang seriously violates the Washington Naval Treaty. According to the treaty, this arms purchase cannot be successful."

Hirohito clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He thought angrily, "These damned bureaucrats! Not one of them is reliable!"

With a dark expression, Hirohito turned his gaze to the Minister of the Navy, Omi Takaharu. Omi Takaharu, feeling Hirohito's intense gaze, bowed slightly and said proudly, "Your Highness, according to intelligence, the George V-class and Iron Duke-class battleships that Gao Yang plans to buy are old ships that have been in service for over a decade and are very outdated. They cannot possibly be a match for the Imperial Japanese Navy."

"Heh heh," the Minister of War Ueda Kazushige said mockingly, "Isn't the Kongō-class even older than the Iron Duke-class?"

Omi Takaharu immediately glared at Ueda Kazushige and shouted, "The excellent officers and men of the Imperial Japanese Navy are not something the Chinese Navy can possibly match! You, you don't understand the navy!"

After saying this, Omi Takaharu turned to Hamaguchi Osachi and said sternly, "If the British really intend to amend the Washington Naval Treaty to sell warships to the Chinese, the navy must also purchase new ships!" Hamaguchi Osachi, without even looking up, replied, "No money."

"You!" Omi Takaharu stood up and pointed at Hamaguchi Osachi. Before he could speak, Ueda Kazushige interrupted with a mocking tone, "The navy needs money? If you eat less beef, you'll have enough money to buy ships!"

"Damn! What does the army know about horse manure!" Omi Takaharu began to lose his temper. "Damn! You're the one who's horse manure!" Ueda Kazushige stood up and shouted loudly. Seeing the two generals about to come to blows, the others quickly stepped in to mediate. The Bamboo Room was suddenly very lively.

Hirohito, sitting on the high platform, watched the farce below with a blank expression, but he was extremely angry inside. "These bureaucrats are completely unreliable! They always look to Britain and America for everything and don't respect the imperial family at all! Damn constitutional government! Now we need a group of true samurai loyal to the emperor."

In the end, the imperial conference did not reach any conclusion. The final decision was to wait for the British response.

This meeting also made Hirohito completely lose faith in the constitutional government. He then turned his attention to the military, hoping to control the military to achieve his goal of ruling the country.

In London, at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was also convening a meeting with government officials.

First Sea Lord Admiral David Beatty and Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill both supported the arms purchase. Their reasoning was simple: the Royal Navy could use the sale of old warships to raise a large amount of money, and the freed tonnage could be used to build several Nelson-class battleships. This arms purchase would greatly enhance Britain's position in international trade and play a significant role in the global currency competition with the US dollar!

Moreover, this could also be an opportunity to establish a connection with Gao Yang, as Britain had long been envious of the huge trade between Gao Yang and the United States!

Churchill, puffing on a cigar, said, "Gentlemen, after the third Anglo-Japanese Alliance expired, Japan's expansionary ambitions in the Far East have become increasingly strong, seriously threatening the interests of the British Empire in the Far East! After the European war, the British Empire no longer has the 220 million pounds in military spending to fight another Boer War! Now we can use the partial arming of China to curb Japan's ambitions, which is beneficial to the British Empire. Why should we oppose it?"

Admiral David Beatty's opinion was even simpler: the Royal Navy needed money! The distinguished Admiral Beatty's opinion had a significant impact! In the end, with the strong support of Admiral Beatty and Churchill, the arms purchase contract was smoothly approved.

Not long after, Churchill received a check for 300,000 pounds from the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company. Churchill said, "I agreed to this because it ensures the interests of the British Empire, not for the money!"

In Washington, at the White House, President Calvin Coolidge asked his Secretary of State Kellogg, "Is this good for the American economy?" After receiving a positive response from Kellogg, Coolidge said, "Then let's put it to a vote in Congress."

In Moscow, at the Kremlin, Comrade Stalin angrily pounded the table and shouted, "Damn warlord, using the gold he stole from us to buy warships! We must express the Soviet Union's anger!"

The news was reported by newspapers around the world, and Gao Yang's name was repeatedly mentioned. Gao Yang quickly gained widespread recognition through this event.

At this point, Gao Yang, who was the focus of countless people, admired, hated, and discussed by many, had already returned to the modern world.

Back in his room, he opened the wine cabinet, poured a glass of whisky, and comfortably leaned back on the sofa, sipping the whisky leisurely and feeling relaxed.

This sudden event had been very sudden, and for several days, Gao Yang had been busy handling various matters. It was only today that he finally had a satisfactory initial result.

Returning to the modern world felt like coming home after a long trip. Gao Yang lazily leaned back on the sofa, not wanting to move.

After finishing the whisky in his glass, Gao Yang took out his phone and played with it, deep in thought. After a moment, he called Jin Yongnam.

"Boss, hello," Jin Yongnam greeted respectfully. "Hmm, what is Krystal doing?" Gao Yang asked in a deep voice.

"Boss, Miss Krystal's group is preparing to release a new single album and is currently practicing dance," Jin Yongnam, who had been closely following Chae Soo-bin's schedule, answered immediately.

"Ah," Gao Yang fell silent. Jin Yongnam held the phone tightly, waiting quietly for Gao Yang's instructions. "By the way, how is the Western restaurant we talked about last time?" Gao Yang asked.

"Boss, as you instructed, I have already completed the acquisition of the Western restaurant. It is now registered under your Korean branch company," Jin Yongnam answered immediately. "Ah," Gao Yang fell silent again. Jin Yongnam did not understand what Gao Yang wanted and could only wait quietly.

After a while, Gao Yang said, "Arrange it. Clear out the restaurant; I need to use it. Also, give Krystal the day off today." "Yes, I understand, Boss."

After hanging up, Gao Yang shook his head helplessly, thinking, "This kind of thing should be handled by Stock."

He rubbed his temples, put away his phone, and leaned back on the sofa, deep in thought. He had missed Chae Soo-bin's debut anniversary, and although she had expressed understanding, Gao Yang still felt a thorn in his heart.

This matter needed to be resolved properly, as their relationship was not yet solid. Since they met, they had not seen each other many times. "Long-distance relationship, a bit risky," Gao Yang thought to himself.

He sat up, rubbed his forehead, and thought, "It's been days, and Stock hasn't told me how the plane is doing! What kind of butler is he!" He took out his phone and called Stock.

"Butler, how is my plane?" As soon as the call connected, Gao Yang asked without waiting for Stock to greet him, his tone tinged with anger.