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Volume 3: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 147: Talk Three

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    At this time, there was a clear sound of footsteps in the corridor. Belfort raised his head and saw Gillings standing in the corridor. He smiled and said: "Mr. Gillings, I found a beautiful sculpture here. Come and take a look."  , What soft curves, what harmonious proportions. I swear to God, this is simply an Eastern Venus!" Gillings walked down the steps, looked carefully at the Buddha statue that Belfort praised, and shrugged.  Shrugging his shoulders: "Yes, this is a beautiful thing, but it's a pity that half of its head is missing!" "Yes, she is not complete, but what does it mean? Venus of Milos (also known as Venus with broken arms)  ) is also incomplete, but this does not hinder her beauty! " "Maybe you are right! If you really like it, we can mention it to the Chinese people in the meeting tomorrow. I believe they will understand!  "What do you mean?" Gillings didn't understand what the other party meant. He originally came here to exchange views with Belfort on the direction of future negotiations, but the other party expressed his opinions here with great interest.  The artistic point of view made him a little confused.  Belfort seemed not to understand what Gillings meant: "Gillings, don't you think the arrangement of these Chinese people is meaningful? They arranged us in such a peaceful temple, and then placed a statue in our residence.  Couldn¡¯t the wonderful sculpture that was damaged by gunfire want to send some special signal to us? " "This -" Gillings was completely confused by his boss's imaginative words. If he was not the first  When dealing with the young man of noble birth in front of him for the first time, he must have thought that he was a fool who didn't understand anything, but he knew very well that Belfort was not a fool. Every move had its own inherent meaning, and more importantly, his own politics  The future depends on the other party's thoughts, so you must perform correctly at this time.  "Your Excellency, there is an official from Shunguo who wants to meet with you privately!" At this time, the voice of an attach¨¦ of the mission relieved Gillings' worries.  "Oh, very good!" Belfort replied loudly with a smile: "Bring him to me right away!" After that, he winked at Gillings: "You see, we can now ask this question directly to the Chinese  "Chen Zaixing followed the attach¨¦, recalling the last words of the British official during the day. This was also the main reason why he was willing to make this trip. What he should do now is to confirm whether his guess was correct.  It's real now.  "Welcome!" Belfort, who was standing in the yard, smiled warmly at Chen Zaixing, who was standing in the corridor: "So it's you. I remember you understand English. That's great. There is no need for an interpreter between us. It's totally fine."  It's time to have an intimate conversation!" He stepped forward and stretched out his right hand: "You can call me Belfort. In Britain, we prefer to talk while walking rather than sitting in the house. I hope you won't.  They would misunderstand this as a kind of rudeness!" Chen Zaixing stretched out his right hand with some embarrassment and gently shook Belfort's hand: "You can call me Susheng, all my friends are like this.  Call me, I came to you today to exchange opinions with you on the upcoming negotiations." "Very good!" Belfort stretched out his right hand and made a "please go first" gesture: "Then.  Let's get started. I have proposed the British Empire's draft today, so what about your proposal? Let's see how much consensus there is between the two sides." Chen Zaixing was about to speak, but he swallowed the words.  The arrogance during the day and the humility now are two completely different people. Could it be that they are trying to find out their own negotiating trump card.  Thinking of this, Chen Zaixing smiled and said: "Mr. Belfort, if it is based on your draft that you found this morning, I think the possibility of both parties reaching a consensus is very slim." Belfort frowned: "What are you talking about?  What do you mean? Do you want to continue the war? " "No, no one wants war, but peace cannot be achieved by making concessions from both sides, but that is obviously not the case now!" Gillings on the side listened impatiently!  , interjected: "Master Chen, as far as I know, it was your country that invaded the Kingdom of Myanmar first. It was you who led the army of Shun State and killed thousands of Burmese people!" "Excuse me, this person  Who is it?" Chen Zaixing asked.  Balfour introduced with a smile: "Mr. Gillings, the former Consul General of the British Empire in Burma, my advisor!" Gillings on the side stiffly bowed slightly to Chen Zaixing.  "It turns out it was you, Mr. Gillings!" Chen Zaixing's face turned cold: "Then who instigated that coup at the beginning, killed the completely innocent legitimate king, and sent people to attack our country's military base in Mandalay?  Where is the Protector¡¯s Office?¡± ¡°This is all just your subjective guess., Mr. Chen.  If you look at the history of this kingdom, coups d'¨¦tat were common, and we Brits weren't here yet?  Is that also because of us?  Gillings replied with a sneer: "The reality is that the Kingdom of Burma was invaded first and it was the noble army that besieged Mandalay. The army of the British Empire entered Burma only after being invited by King Meng Ji of the Kingdom of Burma. It is completely legal!"  " "If the invitation from a regicide is legitimate, then what is the invitation from the heir of the legitimate king?  I couldn't believe that such words came from a gentleman from the British Empire!  "    "OK OK!  "Belfort interrupted the argument between the two: "But remember, we are not lawyers and priests, and this is not a court. We don't need to judge whether things are just or not.  We are just diplomatic envoys, and our mission is to maximize the interests of our country.  Mr. Chen, let us put aside our prejudices tonight and have some constructive conversations!  This morning, I have put forward the British Empire's draft. If you cannot put forward your own side's draft and just express indignation and rejection of my draft, then I can only think that your country has no sincerity for peace.  " Chen Zaixing was silent after hearing this. The meaning of Belfort's last sentence was very obvious, that is, Dashun must come up with its own plan. After all, if there is a gap between the two sides' plans, they can still reach a compromise through negotiation. If one party does not have a proposal,  If he just expresses his opposition to the other party's plan, the other party can only think that the other party does not have the sincerity to negotiate or that it is not the time to reach a peace agreement, which means war. But Chen Zaixing knows the bottom line of the Dashun side and what it is today.  The conditions proposed by Balfort were far different. If he proposed it now, it would most likely mean that the peace talks would stop and the war would resume. He was just a deputy envoy, could he bear this responsibility? He gritted his teeth and said solemnly.  "Mr. Balfour, I come to you today only in a private capacity, so I have no right to present my draft.  But I want to say that it is unacceptable for your country to fully implement the "Bagan Treaty" signed by the puppet King Mengji with your country this morning.  Because if this is the case, then it is tantamount to asking our country to recognize Meng Ji's status as king. Then who are the current eldest princess and the king?  This is absolutely ridiculous.  " Belfort did not immediately answer Chen Zaixing's words. He just walked forward silently. Suddenly he stopped, turned around and said, "Mr. Chen, as you said, in order to eliminate this hidden danger in the future, I can agree to give up my control of "  The itemized rights given to the empire in the Treaty of Bagan, but as compensation, some corresponding rights must be given to the empire in the new contract signed between the empire and the Kingdom of Burma. What do you think?  " Chen Zaixing did not answer immediately. The air seemed to freeze. He knew in his heart that this was the biggest concession Belfort had made. If he showed goodwill, he was afraid that the negotiation would break down immediately. He gritted his teeth and whispered  : "If your country is willing to give up the terms of the Treaty of Bagan, I will suggest to Mr. Zao that you agree to obtain corresponding compensation from the treaty signed between your country and the Kingdom of Myanmar after I return. However, I declare in advance that not all your countries will receive compensation from the Treaty of Bagan."  The rights obtained in the treaty will be compensated. For example, the officers of Myanmar's new army will be trained by your country.  " "Very good, you see, Mr. Chen, I think we have reached a consensus on one issue!  " Balfour replied with a smile. He knew in his heart that Dashun would never agree to the emergence of a Burmese kingdom with a British-trained army in its southern border. If he takes a step back here, he can naturally take a step forward elsewhere. "Then let us  Let¡¯s discuss the issue of military compensation!  In order to express my gratitude to Mr. Chen for taking the initiative to visit, I can even take the initiative to make a little concession!  Balfour said with a smile: "Military expenses and compensation for losses to British expatriates can be advanced by loans from the Bank of England, and the interest terms can also be discounted accordingly."  " "Corresponding discount?  "Chen Zaixing asked doubtfully. He was a little suspicious of Belfort's friendly performance tonight. "Yes!  "Belfort explained with a smile: If the Kingdom of Myanmar cannot pay the corresponding amount immediately, the Standard Chartered Bank of the British Empire can provide a loan advance first, and the interest can also be reduced to an interest rate that is one point higher than the London Interbank Offered Rate, and can be paid in three installments.  To pay it off in ten years, it is like a lotus tongue. "Mr. Belfort, I can feel your goodwill, but I cannot make the decision on this matter alone. I can only promise you that I will make the decision after I return."  Please convey your suggestions completely to Mr. Zao and the envoys from the Kingdom of Myanmar!  "    "very good!  "When Balfour heard this, he was secretly happy. Before he came to Burma this time, he had made up his mind that even if Britain had no choice but to give up its direct occupation of Burma, it would squeeze Burma as much as possible economically, and finally force the other party to go bankrupt.  This will lay a good foundation for the next control of Myanmar and use loans to export surplus capital to control a country.??Agricultural country is simply something that English bankers are too skilled at.
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