Chen Qiang installed a large mirror in the gym. First, it can make the space in the gym look larger, and second, it can allow those members to clearly see their fitness results. Not to mention anything else, simply seeing themselves sweating in the mirror will also have a sense of fitness achievement.

The whiskey businessman Anthony was standing in front of the mirror, trying hard to tighten his muscles, as if telling everyone that he has achieved very good fitness results in recent times.

"Mr. Anthony, you seem to be in good condition in the past few days." Chen Qiang praised from the side.

"Hahaha, maybe it's because the business is better recently." Anthony paused and continued: "When Europe is in war, my business has also become better."

Chen Qiang was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What does war have to do with selling alcohol? You sell whiskey, not medical alcohol."

"Of course it's related." Anthony explained: "When the war comes, food will become important. The production of alcohol in Europe will decrease. There are even many places that are not brewing wine, so there will be much less wine imported from Europe. The market will be occupied by the liquor produced in the United States, and my whiskey will naturally increase sales. In addition, Europe also has a demand for whiskey. Now that the production of European whiskey has been greatly reduced, they will inevitably import whiskey from the United States to fill the demand, and my whiskey will also be sold to Europe in large quantities!"

"So that's how it is." Chen Qiang nodded.

Anthony continued: "The war broke out in Europe, and for us American businessmen, it was a good opportunity to make money. In the world war twenty years ago, my father made a lot of money. Now it's my turn! But the most profitable arms dealers are the ones! Compared to them, I only earn a drop in the bucket."

"Selling arms is indeed very profitable, but American laws seem to stipulate that weapons cannot be sold to belligerents, right?" Chen Qiang asked.

"You are talking about neutral legislation, right? You don't know yet? That thing is about to be revised! Now those weapons manufacturers and the upstream industries of weapons manufacturers are lobbying in the White House every day. If it weren't for the Republican lawmakers' blockade, the law on the ban on weapons would have been cancelled long ago," Anthony said.

...

When he borrowed 25 million US dollars from the United States last year, Chen Qiang once learned about the relevant laws of the United States. At that time, the United States had a neutral legislation that prohibited the sale of weapons to both belligerent countries. Because of this restriction, the 25 million US dollars borrowed at that time could only be used to purchase civilian living materials, but not weapons.

So Chen Qiang learned about the US neutral legislation from the perspective.

At that time, the United States pursued isolationism and advocated not interfering in other countries' affairs. This is different from the current United States. If something happens to a country, the United States would want to interfere immediately. Even if it is nothing, the United States would create something and then interfere.

The neutrality bill is the product of isolationism. At that time, the United States would impose a comprehensive embargo on weapons and war materials for countries that had war. At the worst, the United States would terminate trade with any country that fought.

Roosevelt himself opposed the neutrality bill. As early as 1935, Roosevelt began lobbying Congress and chose to implement the embargo clause, but it was rejected by the US Congress.

In 1936, the neutrality bill was upgraded again, and this time it not only had a material embargo, but also added clauses that prohibited loans to the belligerent parties.

In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the US Congress passed a resolution declaring that arms trade with Spain was illegal, and then added a new clause to the neutrality bill, which was to prohibit US ships from transporting any passengers or items to the warring parties and prohibit US citizens from traveling on ships from warring countries. This time, not only supplies cannot be sold, but even people cannot be transported.

However, because Roosevelt was in full swing, the US Congress also made concessions to Roosevelt. As the president, Roosevelt could issue presidential decrees to sell materials to specific countries, but the materials could not be transported by the United States and could only be paid in cash to ensure that the United States would not be involved in the conflict.

The materials purchased for the 25 million US dollars loan were used in this clause. Roosevelt issued a presidential decree to approve the sale of materials to China, thus bypassing the neutral clause. Moreover, when transporting the materials to China, it was not used to use American freighters, but British freighters.

Now that in 1939, the war in Europe had broken out, the United States will revise the neutrality bill again, and Roosevelt will also confront the isolated faction again.

...

Hu Shi came to New York again and asked Chen Qiang for a meal.

"Sir, how is the loan matter?" Chen Qiang asked, knowing that this was something Hu Shi was busy with recently.

"I've already got some ideas. Actually, I came to New York for this matter. Although we borrowed $25 million last time, there was a problem when purchasing materials. This time I plan to take charge of this matter myself so as not to make any mistakes like the last time." Hu Shi said.

Chen Qiang knew that what Hu Shi said was that some people in China then borrowed money and made money from the national crisis, so Chen Qiang said, "Sir, you will offend some people in China like this!"

"When did I, Mr. Hu, be afraid of offending others? *******, *******!" Hu Shi said firmly.

Chen Qiang smiled helplessly. He understood why Hu Shi made great contributions in the United States and could not return to the country after resigning as ambassador to the United States. I am afraid that it was because he offended too many people, and the dignitaries in China did not want Hu Shi to go back.

Hu Shi sighed lightly, then said, "Actually, I know that I can't change anything by myself, nor can I stop the high-ranking officials in China. They must have some ways to make a big profit. I do this just because I hope those people can restrain themselves and not do too much."

Chen Qiang thought of the neutral bill.

So Chen Qiang said, "Sir, I think your top priority now is not to negotiate suppliers of materials, but to find relationships and prompt the United States to amend the neutrality bill as soon as possible."

"Amendment of the neutrality bill? I also want Americans to give up neutrality and help us fight against Japan, but I can't do it, and Americans don't listen to me." Hu Shi said.

"It will be a matter of future for the meal to be eaten in one bite. Now we are mainly pushing the United States to amend the provisions of the Neutral Act on the arms embargo." Chen Qiang said.

"Are you planning to buy weapons from Americans?" Hu Shi immediately understood.

Chen Qiang nodded, and then said, "Weapons are harder to buy than other materials. If the food is gone, we can plant it again and grow it again next year. But if the weapon is broken, we can't make it. I heard that there are few weapons on the front line, and many soldiers and even several people use a gun!"

"What you said makes sense. If the loan this time can be used to purchase weapons, it can indeed solve the urgent needs of the country. Armed one more soldier can cause more harm to the Japanese!" Hu Shi said as he stood up and continued: "Listen to what you said, the matter of making the United States amend the neutrality bill has become our top priority. I will go back to Washington right now."

"Sir, I think it's not just that we hope that the neutral bill will be amended, but that the UK and France will definitely also hope that the neutral bill will be amended. The war in Europe has broken out, and Britain and France also need to import weapons. You might as well join the ambassadors of the UK and France to the United States. If we three countries work together, we will definitely be much more busy than you alone." Chen Qiang reminded.

Hu Shi nodded with enlightenment: "You really wake up the dreamer. After I return to Washington, I will immediately visit the British and French ambassadors to the United States!"

...

The current situation in China is of course short of everything. No matter where you transport it back, it is needed in China. However, Chen Qiang believes that it is best to purchase some weapons this time and transport them back to China.

Until now, the Chinese army's weapons have been very large. Even the Central Army with excellent weapons and equipment consumes a lot of weapons. Many local troops have consumed a lot of money from the wealth they have saved over the years. For example, third-line troops like the Sichuan Army, the grandfather does not love his uncle and does not love him, and the equipment is even scarce. On average, no one can even use a gun.

The most important thing is that China's industrial capabilities are not good, and most weapons cannot be built. Many so-called arsenals are assembly plants or repair shops, which dismantle unusable weapons into parts, and then use these weapon parts to make a weapon out.

For China at that time, weapons were non-renewable materials, so purchasing weapons was also the top priority at present. As Hu Shi said, one more gun could arm one more soldier, and one more damage could be caused to the Japanese army.

If you want to buy weapons from the United States, in addition to having money, you also need to let the United States amend the neutral law, at least remove the terms of the ban on the sale of weapons. Now that the European war breaks out, the United States is about to amend the neutral law again. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it works properly, let the United States delete the arms embargo clause and allow the United States to buy weapons for China, which is equivalent to giving the Chinese army a mouthful of blood.

Hu Shi, a nerd, would never have imagined that this guy would go straight to diplomacy and would not have much fun. When he borrowed money from the United States, he immediately thought about buying supplies and transporting them back. As for Americans who do not sell weapons, he would buy something else! This method of going around in circles to support the War of Resistance, and no one could give advice, Hu Shi really couldn't have thought of it.

Chen Qiang naturally wanted to wake up Hu Shi. He was just an athlete, not a diplomat, nor a soldier. He could help the domestic war of resistance. If the terms of the arms embargo could be lifted one day earlier, American weapons could be transported to China one day earlier. Those soldiers who defended their motherland could have one more cannon, one more grenade, one more gun, and even one more bullet.

As Chen Qiang expected, the British and French ambassadors to the United States are also visiting U.S. MPs, hoping that the United States can modify the neutrality bill and lift the provisions of the arms embargo.

Hu Shi ran to meet the ambassadors of Britain and France, and the three sides hit it off and reached a cooperation instantly.

On the other hand, the Japanese Embassy in the United States tried every means to keep the arms embargo clauses going on.

In fact, Japan was considered a victim of the neutrality bill at this time. China bought 25 million US dollars of supplies with Roosevelt's special approval, but Japan did not have Roosevelt's approval, so it could not buy anything. In October 1937, Roosevelt imposed an embargo on exporting airplane parts to Japan under the name of a "moral embargo".

However, Japan is very clear that once the United States lifts the arms embargo, it will not be of any benefit to Japan, but it will be a great help to China.

The reason is very simple. Japan can produce weapons, but China cannot produce weapons.

With Japan's industrial capabilities at that time, there was no problem in building aircraft carriers, and it was no problem to produce various weapons. So even if the United States opened up the arms embargo, Japan would not have to buy weapons from the Americans, they could make them themselves. What's more, the United States would not sell weapons to Japan.

China is different. China's weapons are all based on buying them. If they can buy high-quality American weapons, they will definitely cause great damage to the Japanese army on the battlefield.

And once the United States sells weapons to China, will Japan take care of it or not? If it is in charge, it will have to seize the cargo ships that transport weapons from the United States, which is not as good as the United States, which is almost equivalent to declaring war on the United States. If it is not in charge, let a large number of weapons be transported to China, and with China's rich human resources, millions of soldiers will be released in minutes. How can Japan fight this battle?

The Japanese are not ready to fight with the United States, nor do they want to see the violent Chinese soldiers, so they can only use diplomatic means to desperately prevent the amendment of the neutrality bill and the lifting of the arms embargo.

The biggest obstacle to lifting the weapons ban in the US neutrality bill is still the isolated faction in the United States, such as the Republican leader Arthur Vandenberg, who was mentioned earlier.

The last time he borrowed money to China, Chen Qiang held an exhibition about Nanjing, Arthur Vandenberg did not prevent the passage of the loan bill. This time, Arthur Vandenberg was not so easy to talk to. He has been preventing Roosevelt from lifting the neutral bill since 1934. This time, of course, he would do his best to keep the weapons ban.

The Japanese Embassy also puts hope of preventing the lifting of weapons from being lifted on Arthur Vandenberg.

During this period, Arthur Vandenberg's position was actually biased towards the Japanese side. After the "September 18th" Incident, Arthur Vandenberg was worried that China would retake the Northeast by force. At that time, he hoped that Britain could balance it. The so-called "balance" was to recognize the Japanese team's occupation of the Northeast and let the Chinese army not act rashly.

In 1939, Arthur Vandenberg also proposed to abolish the Navigation and Commerce Treaty signed by the United States and Japan because this treaty restricted Japan from purchasing materials from the United States. At the same time, Arthur Vandenberg also urged the US government to renegotiate with Japan and believed that the US government should recognize Japan's occupation of Chinese territory.

It is also because Arthur Vandenberg is a "pro-Japanese faction" of the United States, so after Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Arthur Vandenberg strongly demanded to go to war with Japan. He hated Japan more than Roosevelt. When the United States wanted to drop an atomic bomb on Japan, Arthur Vandenberg strongly agreed. Throwing two was not enough, and he wanted to throw more.

I guess Arthur Vandenberg was really annoyed by the Japanese. I was so supportive of you Japan. I went through so much trouble to speak for you in the US Congress, but you stabbed me in the back! Anyone who encountered this situation would have to turn against me.

Of course, it is also because of Arthur Vandenberg's pro-Japanese stance that after the Pearl Harbor incident, he must be more anti-Japanese than others. He must completely cut off from Japan, so that people can forget that he was once a "pro-Japanese faction", otherwise his political career would end.

A bill has opponents and supporters, and US President Roosevelt is the biggest supporter of the weapons ban.

In early 1939, Roosevelt lobbied the US Congress to provide weapons to Czechoslovakia in the form of cash to prevent Czechoslovakia from being invaded by Germany, but it was rejected by Congress. Now, taking advantage of the outbreak of the European war, Roosevelt once again proposed to lift the weapons ban.

Roosevelt believes that the ban on existing weapons is deceiving oneself. Because Italy is still neutral, Italy can buy weapons from the United States and then sell them to Germany. The weapons ban in the neutral law cannot restrict Germans from purchasing weapons from the United States.

However, Britain and France, which have declared war on Germany, cannot purchase American weapons according to neutral legislation because they are participating in the warring countries. If the weapons ban continues to exist, then the American arsenal will be moved to Canada in order to circumvent the weapons ban and sell weapons to Britain and France. At that time, the United States will lose a lot of money and jobs for no reason.

After all, the United States is a country where capital is king, and no one can stop capitalists from making money. American weapons vendors need to make money, and those steel vendors upstream of weapons vendors also need to make money. Twenty years ago, the United States' weapons manufacturing industry had already made a fortune. Now it's time to pick up money again. Those weapons manufacturers are like sharks that smell blood. Not who can stop eating anyone!

Moreover, the efforts of the ambassadors of Britain, France and China have also played a very critical role. In fact, among the ambassadors of the Three Kingdoms, Hu Shi, the Chinese ambassador, seems to be very busy, but in fact he is just a cheering person, standing next to him, waving flags and shouting; France's influence on the United States is also limited, mainly to support the individual field, and the most important thing is to rely on the British ambassador.

Britain has an extraordinary influence on the United States. Most of the members of the U.S. Congress are descendants of British descent. Under the lobbying of the United Kingdom, many U.S. Congress members support the lifting of the weapons ban.

...

In November, Chen Qiang came to Washington and signed a contract with the first franchisee in Washington. Chen Qiang then came to the embassy to visit Hu Shi.

Compared to the last time we met, Hu Shi lost seven or eight pounds. It can be seen that he has been worried about the removal of the weapons ban recently. However, Hu Shi's mental state is very good, with a happy look.

"The US's neutrality bill has been revised and the weapons ban has been lifted. We can buy weapons from the US." Hu Shi said happily.

"That's great. With American weapons and equipment, the soldiers on the front line will be much more relaxed." Chen Qiang said.

Hu Shi pointed to the documents on the table and said, "Chongqing just sent me a telegram. Although we defended Changsha and caused huge casualties to the Japanese army, our weapons were very damaged, and the Central Army was also facing insufficient weapons and ammunition. This time, being able to purchase weapons from the United States really solved the urgent need in China."

Chen Qiang said, "I hope I can buy weapons this time, don't do the same as last time."

Hu Shi knew what Chen Qiang was referring to. The 25 million US dollars of supplies last time eventually became a tool for domestic dignitaries to make money in war.

"It shouldn't be like last time. This time, the purchase of weapons is mainly used to supplement the consumption of the Central Army. That is the chairman's direct troops. No one dares to get involved, right?"

Hu Shi said this, but he felt disconfidant. The dignitaries in China dared to pay even the national crisis and reselled weapons.

...

After returning to New York, Chen Qiang returned home, but saw Esther looking depressed.

"What's wrong? What made you unhappy?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Next year's Olympics are gone! I can't go to the Olympics anymore!" Esther said with a sad face.

Chen Qiang instantly understood that the news of the cancellation of the 1940 Olympic Games had already reached the United States.

———————
Chapter completed!