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Volume 3: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 146: Talk 2

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    As the steaming tea and coffee were brought, the atmosphere at the negotiation table relaxed a lot, and there was a smile on Belfort's originally stiff face.  Zao Guoquan glanced at Qu Duan who was standing aside. Qu Duan stood up knowingly and said with a smile: "Everyone, China and Britain are major powers in the world. Cooperation will benefit both sides, and war will hurt both. Today, all of you from your country are here.  , It¡¯s really a good thing for Cang Li!¡± After Qu Duan said this, the attendants on the Dashun side of the negotiation table all claimed that it was the British side on the opposite side who were still waiting because they could not understand Chinese.  Among the interpreters on the side, only Maung Ji, who was sitting in the corner, looked livid and felt extremely unhappy. What Qu Duan had just said was full of references to China and Britain. Burma, an ally, was not even mentioned at all. He was clearly ignoring it.  , from this point of view, in the subsequent negotiations, Myanmar is just meat on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.  "I agree with your point of view, peace is wonderful, let us praise the goddess of peace!" After listening to the interpreter's translation, Belfort stood up and said loudly: "Since 1860, the British Empire has maintained its control over the Dashun Empire.  The goodwill and expanding trade between the two countries have deepened the bonds of friendship between the two peoples. It is for this reason that Her Majesty's Government has maintained a restrained attitude following the unfortunate events in Myanmar last August.  , to avoid escalation of the situation as much as possible, which also lays a good foundation for the negotiations we are starting now. I personally express my deep regret for the tragic events that have happened to the two great nations.  This tragic incident should be brought to an end quickly. But the premise of all this is the following: "Fortunately, these British guys did not get any benefits on the battlefield, otherwise they would have even cut off the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou.  Go!" Chen Zaixing turned his head and whispered to Batu beside him: "They are greedy and shameless. They were clearly the ones who first instigated Meng Ji to launch a coup, but now they are pretending that everything has nothing to do with them. They are as virtuous as their robber ancestors!  " "First, the Kingdom of Burma must compensate for the empire's military expenditures and all economic losses of expatriates and merchants in this series of conflicts, including direct and indirect losses. The specific figures will be submitted to you within two months of the completion of the peace agreement. All  The amount must be paid within six months after submission. If the full amount cannot be paid, interest must be paid based on the then London Interbank Offered Rate 1.5 percentage points higher. Second, recognize the "Bagan" signed between Meng and the British Empire!  The Treaty is still valid. Third, in order to ensure the security of the empire's territories in India, Burma, Bangladesh, etc., the British and Shun sides must reach an understanding on the issue of garrisoning troops in Burma. That is, Dashun's garrison in Burma cannot exceed the limit of self-defense.  The garrison must be notified in advance and obtain the consent of the British Empire in Rangoon, otherwise the status quo in Myanmar cannot be changed. Fourth, both parties will exchange all prisoners of war and deserters, and neither party shall detain the other party in their own hands under any pretext or precondition.  ¡ª¡ª" "I'm sorry, Mr. Belfort, please forgive me for interrupting your speech!" Chen Zaixing stood up and interrupted the other party: "I can't feel any sincerity in peace talks from your proposal. This is simply  It's ridiculous. Not only are you unwilling to make any concessions, but you also want to get many things that cannot be obtained on the battlefield. Is there any meaning in such a peace negotiation? " "Master Chen, I believe I have already shown that in my speech just now.  The greatest sincerity of the empire!" Belfort's voice was not loud, but his words were very clear, as if every word came out from between his teeth.  "Well, in the first article, you asked us to pay for all your country's military expenditures and the direct and indirect losses of expatriates and businessmen. However, your country is not the only one who spends military expenditures. Dashun also spent a huge amount of money. Why only  Your country's talents should be compensated? Has your country already won the war? Is there any sincerity here? " "Master Chen, as the war continues, the money and losses will only increase. The final compensation will be  The amount will also be larger. Isn¡¯t this the greatest sincerity for the empire to request compensation in advance?¡± Chen Zaixing was almost driven crazy and asked: ¡°No matter how much military expenditure there is, there must be a prerequisite for compensation.  , that is, your country is the victor, are you so confident? " "Of course, will there be a second result?" Belfort had an arrogant smile on his face.  The negotiators on Dashun's side were almost stunned by Belfort's arrogance. Zao Guoquan was sitting there trembling all over, making the chair under him rattle.  Chen Zaixing almost wanted to jump up, but there was an invisible force pressing on his shoulders, pressing him firmly to the chair, unable to move.  The atmosphere in the room became stiff, and Belfort stood up calmly: "It seems that I must clarify something in advance. The empire has no right to Burma."??Territorial ambitions, everything done before this has only one purpose, and that is to ensure the balance of power and peace in Indochina.  But this does not mean that any excessive conditions will be accepted, because this would be politically unacceptable.  " While everyone on the Dashun side was still struggling to listen to the interpreter's translation, Chen Zaixing was already carefully pondering the implication of Balfour's words. Balfour's speech sounded like he first announced that Britain had given up its attempt to invade Myanmar, but at the same time it also  Not allowing other countries to have a military presence in Myanmar is the bottom line for the UK in this negotiation. The following sentence may sound like it just emphasizes its determination, but if you think about it carefully, it has a profound meaning.  After thinking about it, Zao Guoquan stood up and said in a cold voice: "Mr. Balfour, your country's proposal is very different from our conditions. Why don't we both calm down first before continuing the negotiation!  " "That's fine!  "Belfort smiled slightly and nodded reservedly to Zao Guoquan. "Yidis, bandits, things that don't understand current affairs!  ¡± There were many people in the room. Zao Guoquan had long lost the reserve of an army commander and cursed angrily. The British draft that the interpreter had just translated had been thrown to the ground by him. There were two more footprints on it. Obviously it was Zao Guo Quan.  Quan just left behind. At this time, he didn't need to maintain his demeanor at the negotiation table. The anger he had just been holding back was vented all at once. The attendants on the side did not dare to get into trouble at this time, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent.  After a while, the anger in Zao Guoquan's chest was almost vented, and he asked Chen Zaixing, who was standing first on the right: "Fu Sheng, how do you think we should respond?  "    "hehe!  Chen Zaixing smiled and said, "The Yingyi are so arrogant. Your Majesty's stern refusal today has dampened their prestige. I believe that in a few days they will realize how powerful they are and they will repent and beg for mercy!"  " Zao Guoquan snorted coldly. He naturally knew that Chen Zaixing had just made a few prevarications. It must be because there were so many people here and he couldn't say something important to avoid being true. So he turned around and sat down.  Next, he picked up the teacup at hand, took a sip of tea, and said coldly: "That's it for today!  " Hearing this, everyone bowed and saluted Zao Guoquan, and then left one after another. Chen Zaixing came out of the door, and just after walking a few steps, a personal servant of Zao Guoquan came out from the inner room, bowed to him and said:  "Master Chen, my master invites you!  " Chen Zaixing nodded, and the servant turned around to lead the way without saying much. Chen Zaixing flicked his sleeves and followed him in. He stood at Quduan not far away and looked at Chen Zaixing's back with cold eyes. Chen Zaixing followed the servant through the two rooms.  Entering the courtyard, the servant reached out to the study room in the courtyard and said, "Master Chen, the master is waiting in the house!  " Chen Zaixing walked straight into the house and saw that Zao Guoquan had changed into casual clothes and was sitting in the Taishi chair in the middle. He was looking at the draft. When he heard the footsteps of Chen Zaixing coming in, Zao Guoquan didn't even look up and said in a deep voice.  : "You can do whatever you want when you are resurrected, no need to be polite!  " "Yes, sir!"  "Chen Zaixing just bowed his hand, and Shi Shiran sat down on a chair beside him, admiring the two paintings and calligraphy on the wall. After a few minutes, Zao Guoquan put down the draft, sighed and said, "During today's meeting,  We understand that there are not many people here, and you are considered one. Now there are only two of you and me in the room. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. You can speak up!  " "Sir, I did gain something today, but this matter concerns the country, and most of my income is just speculation, so I don't dare to lie.  If your Excellency thinks it is appropriate, I would like to have a private meeting with the British envoy tomorrow to determine whether the guess is correct.  ¡± Zao Guoquan thought about it for a moment, and he also knew that such private meetings during the negotiations between the two countries were quite suspicious, not to mention that the domestic Qing Dynasty was extremely popular at this time. If too many benefits were lost from this meeting, this meeting after returning to China would  The secret meeting might become the target of attacks by those remonstrating officials. Chen Zaixing's proposal was actually taking a big risk on his own future. Thinking of this, Zao Guoquan couldn't help but feel a little moved, feeling that although this person was acting recklessly,  Some, but I have the courage to do things, and my previous views on it are still a bit too much. ¡°It would be best if Fusheng is willing to go, but please don¡¯t worry, I will never leak this matter!  " "Thank you, sir!  "The night wind blew through the broad-leaved forest, bringing with it a rustling sound. Belfort stood in the courtyard, looking at a Buddha statue in the courtyard with interest. The head of this Buddha statue was cut off by shrapnel.  It's a big piece, but you can still clearly see the Buddha's peaceful smile from the remaining part. The British mission's accommodation was a small monastery outside the town of Pyay. When the Shun army occupied Pyay, the monks in the monastery  In order to avoid the coming war, they fled here. As a result, they were accepted by the Shun army and now become the residence of the British mission.
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