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Piaotian Literature of the Fourth Empire of China www.piaotia.com Chapter 521: The Arrogant British

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    On July 28, after the British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne and his party arrived in Beijing, they were arranged to a hotel owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  After the declaration of war, the British Embassy in China has been closed. As for its appropriate opening, we have to wait and see the results of post-war negotiations.

    "Your Excellency, Japan's Foreign Minister Shuzo Aoki wishes to see you!" In the hotel owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former British Minister to China Juldian reported to the angry British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne.  After China and Britain declared war, Zhu Erdian left Beijing and went to Singapore.  Later, before the Chinese ** Corps launched the Nanyang Operation, they left Singapore and went to India.  This time Lord Lansdowne was ordered to go to China for peace talks and needed a China passer, so he picked up Zhu Erdian in India.

    "Japanese? What are they here for?" Lord Lansdowne frowned.  Lord Lansdowne has always been a little worried about the fact that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs only sent an ordinary official to Tianjin to greet him.

    "Your Excellency, I think the Japanese are here to find allies. Aoki Shuzo has been in Beijing for more than half a month, and he only met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang once. The Chinese put forward extremely harsh conditions to Japan. Japan  It's simply unacceptable. Aoki Shuzang should want to seek our help!" Zhu Erdian replied.

    "So, do you think the British Empire should provide help to Japan?" Lord Lansdowne had an inexplicable smile on his face.

    "Your Excellency, in the long run, the British Empire should help Japan. After all, supporting Japan and fighting against China is very beneficial to the British Empire. However, the current situation does not allow us to do this. The Chinese are here  On the battlefield, we have achieved a decisive advantage. Our strategy of suppressing China through war has failed. And the Chinese will not tolerate the emergence of a hostile power in the Far East. Therefore, with the help of this war, they will definitely  Destroy Japan. If the British Empire must help Japan, it will only cause trouble for our negotiations with the Chinese." Zhu Erdian said.  After all, this is Lord Lansdowne's mission.  It is necessary to reach an agreement with China as soon as possible to end the war.  Arthur Balfour's cabinet had just come to power and urgently needed to stabilize the domestic situation.

    "Then, it seems we have to give up on the Japanese. However, Japan owes the Empire huge loans. If Japan is destroyed, these loans from the Empire will probably be in vain!" Lord Lansdowne said.  Since Japan was defeated by China in 1895, Japan has provided loans to Britain, France and the United States to repay China's war reparations.  As well as developing military power, it is already heavily in debt.  If Japan is destroyed.  The new Japanese government will probably not recognize these loans.  This would cost the UK tens or even hundreds of millions of pounds.

    "Your Excellency, our first priority is to end the war with the Chinese. As for the loan to Japan, as long as the empire survives this crisis and the empire's military strength is restored, will the Japanese dare not repay the empire's loan?  Zhu Erdian said with a smile.  Military strength is the guarantee of everything.  As long as the British Navy once again becomes the world's number one navy, then the Japanese will not dare to default on their debts.

    "Haha! Minister Zhu Erdian, you are very right. Countries around the world are afraid of the British Empire, not because of the British Empire's democratic system, but because of the British Empire's strong military strength. Even though the British Empire has encountered a little trouble now, it is not  The trouble will be solved soon. The powerful navy of the British Empire will be restored soon. By then, the British Empire will still be the most powerful country in the world!" Lord Lansdowne said proudly.  Everyone in the UK attributed this failure to the technological backwardness of the navy. They believed that if the warships of both sides were at the same level, the final victory would definitely belong to the UK.  Therefore, the British Navy began a crazy shipbuilding plan.  After placing an order for six new 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, the Navy Department requested a new type of battleship that could rival China's 'Qin-class' battleships and placed an order for six more.  Once completed, the British Navy will regain its full strength.  In the world, only the British Royal Navy has such a strong shipbuilding industry and technological foundation.  In this regard, even China and Germany cannot catch up.

    After Aoki Shuzang was left hanging for more than half an hour, he saw Lord Lansdowne.  This made Aoki Shuzang very angry, but thinking of his mission, he could only suppress his anger.

    "Your Excellency, nice to meet you!" Aoki Shuzo said with a smile.  When Aoki Shuzo was young, he went to Germany to study and served as Japan's minister to Austria and the Netherlands. He was proficient in both German and English.

    "Your Excellency Aoki, I'm glad to see you. Please take a seat. Someone, give me a cup of Indian black tea." Lord Lansdowne said with a smile.

    "Thank you, Your Excellency!" Aoki Shuzo bowed ninety degrees.

      Soon, black tea was served.  After Aoki Shuzang took a sip, he even praised it without hesitation, which made Lord Lansdowne very satisfied.  The perception of Aoki Shuzo has also been greatly improved.

    "Your Excellency, the black tea produced in India is world-famous. However, I'm afraid it will be hard to drink in the future!" Aoki Shuzo said with a sigh.

    "Why do you say that? Your Excellency Aoki!" Lord Lansdowne asked with a frown.

    "Your Excellency, the Chinese have won victory in Nanyang, and Burma has fallen into the hands of the Chinese. If China wants to move its army westward and attack India, I am afraid that the British Empire's army will not be able to stop the Chinese attack!" Aoki  Zhou Zang said.

    "Hmph! India is the most important colony of the British Empire. If the Chinese dare to attack India, the British Empire will fight them at all costs!" Lord Lansdowne said firmly.

    "Your Excellency, the Chinese have achieved a huge victory in this war, which has posed a huge threat to all countries. Therefore, I think we should unite and put pressure on China to ensure the safety of all countries.  Interests. Only in this way can we restrict China!" Aoki Shuzo said.

    A sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of Lord Lansdowne's mouth. Of course, he knew Aoki Shuzo's idea very well.  However, now it is the Chinese who have gained a decisive advantage on the battlefield.  The navy, which the British Empire relied on to maintain its position as world hegemon, had been defeated. How could it be possible for the Chinese to withdraw their troops?  Even the British Empire was ready to make concessions this time, let alone the Japanese.  Lord Lansdowne suddenly felt that Aoki Shuzo was a little pitiful. The situation in Japan was so similar to that in Britain.  However, Britain's external environment and resources are far stronger than Japan's.  In addition, Britain entered the maritime age earlier, so Britain can become the world's most powerful country, while Japan cannot even guarantee its national security.

    "Your Excellency Aoki, no country can harm the interests of the British Empire. The British Empire is confident in protecting the interests of the empire!" Lord Lansdowne said.

    "Your Excellency, Japan is an ally of the British Empire and now needs the help of the British Empire!" Shuzo Aoki said directly.

    "Your Excellency Aoki, please rest assured that the British Empire will not let its allies be bullied. In this negotiation, the British Empire will try its best to help Japan!" Lord Lansdowne promised.  Anyway, this kind of commitment does not require money. No matter how much it is said, it will not cause any loss to the UK.

    "Thank you very much, Your Excellency. If Japan can survive this difficulty, Japan will be the most loyal ally of the British Empire!" Aoki Shuzo burst into tears with gratitude.  Show your loyalty immediately.

    However, only he himself knows whether Lord Lansdowne's promise is of any use.

    On the morning of July 29, the day after Lord Lansdowne arrived in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang met with Lord Lansdowne and former Minister to China Zhu Erdian in the reception room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  However, this meeting was not pleasant.  The British obviously lost the war, but they still looked superior, as if they were still the world's most powerful country.

    "Your Excellency, welcome to China!" Wu Tingfang said with a smile.

    "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs!" Lord Lansdowne also had a smile on his face.

    After that, the two started to chat, but neither of them started to talk about business first. Instead, they talked about the weather, the law and so on.  Wu Tingfang once studied abroad in London at his own expense and knows the UK very well.  After about half an hour of this, Lord Lansdowne could no longer hold on.

    "Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs, I came to China this time to end this unpleasant war between China and Britain. The cause of the war was entirely due to your country's navy preemptively launching an attack on our Far East Fleet. Subsequently, your country more  It is a brazen invasion of the colonies of the British Empire, which has caused great damage to the interests of the British Empire. Therefore, the British Empire requires your troops to immediately evacuate the colonies of the British Empire and compensate the British Empire for 200 million pounds!" Lance  Lord Dorn said directly.

    Hearing Lord Lansdowne say this, Wu Tingfang suddenly turned pale.  In this war, does China seem to have the upper hand?  But from Lord Lansdowne's words, it seems like a defeat to China!  Do these arrogant British people still think that China is afraid of them?

    "Your Excellency! This war was entirely caused by your country's navy launching an attack on our country's navy first. Moreover, our troops entered Nanyang to protect our country's residents and respond to your country's expedition. Therefore, your country's navy  The country should compensate our country for losses!" Wu Tingfang said seriously.

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