"On behalf of the British Government, I would like to express my strong protest to your Government's act of seizing a cargo ship of Chinese nationality and arresting our citizens, which is a serious challenge to the sovereignty and dignity of the British Empire, and a violation of the personal rights of our citizens, as well as the right to freedom of navigation that has always been guided by the British Government. ”

Looking at the British Consul Scholes's impassioned and stern appearance, Li Sanjie was not in a hurry, and said: "Mr. Consul, do you know what kind of goods are carried on the British cargo ships that we detained?"

Scholes said: "Whatever cargo is carried, they are all British cargo ships, and only Britain has jurisdiction over them, and the punishment of British cargo ships by any other government is an affront to British sovereignty." ”

Li Sanjie laughed and said, "Mr. Consul, your attitude like this will not help solve the problem in any way. The real situation should be very clear, your cargo ship helped Japan to transport military supplies, as a belligerent, we could actually treat it as an enemy ship and sink it, but we did not do this, but only seized the ship and captured the crew. Of course, your crews appear to be very experienced in this regard, and they did not resist our capture, which is the right thing to do, to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, and to leave plenty of room for consultation between our two governments, but if Britain really wishes to solve the problem, it wishes to show a sincere attitude, and not this bluff intimidation. ”

Scholes was also a little embarrassed by Li Sanjie's attitude of not being soft or hard. In fact, from the time it was decided to allow shipping companies to transport supplies to Japan, Britain had already prepared for protests from the East China government, but it would take time for the two sides to negotiate and deal with it, and by that time they had already sent enough weapons and ammunition to the Japanese troops on the Korean Peninsula. Now it has detained a total of 7 British cargo ships, arrested 247 crew members, and confiscated nearly 10,000 tons of materials, and Swire was forced to stop all Japanese shipping operations and call the British government, demanding that the British government intervene immediately.

The British government also did not expect that the East China government would detain the ship and arrest people without even saying hello, but now the people and ships are in the hands of the East China government, so it immediately ordered Scholes to negotiate with the East China government. And after receiving the order, Scholes was also bitter, how could this kind of thing of cleaning up the mess for others was his turn, but he couldn't help it, so he had to make an appointment with Li Sanjie. As soon as the two met, Scholes put on a stern look, trying to take the lead and overwhelm Li Sanjie in momentum, but Li Sanjie had the bottom in his heart, soft with hard, soft and steel, and it was very easy to break Scholes's bluff appearance.

Scholes said: "Mr. Commissioner, the solution to the problem is very simple, your government must release the people and ships immediately. ”

Li Sanjie shook his head and said, "Mr. Consul, if you want us to release people, I'm afraid it's not so easy." They helped Japan to transport military supplies, which in itself was an act of war, so it was impossible for us to release them unless Britain showed some sincerity. ”

Scholes said, "What sincerity do you need?"

Li Sanjie said: "First of all, the British government must guarantee that no similar incident will occur in the future, and all British ships will not be allowed to engage in transportation business to the Korean Peninsula; second, the ships and goods seized by us will be punished with confiscation; and those arrested by us can be released, but only after the war is over." ”

Scholes didn't think about it, and said: "No, first of all, this is the commercial behavior of the shipping company, and the British government cannot interfere with it; secondly, you can confiscate the goods, but the seized cargo ship must be returned, and the people you have captured must be released immediately." ”

Li Sanjie said: "We can't accept such conditions, if the British government does not interfere with the company's business practices, then we can't guarantee that similar incidents will not happen again, even if this time the matter is resolved, there will be a next time." ”

Scholes was silent for a while before he said, "Okay, your attitude, I'll report to my government." ”

In this way, after several rounds of negotiations between the East China government and the British, the two sides finally reached an agreement, the British government would warn the merchants in Asia not to intervene in the war in the Far East, and the goods carried by the seven cargo ships seized by the East China government were confiscated, but the ships and crews remained in Qingdao in the form of employment by the East China government and participated in the transport fleet of the East China government until the end of the war.

This result was acceptable to both sides, and it was said that the East China government had released both men and ships, but it was still under the control of the East China government in the form of hired tenants, and as the battle for Liaodong progressed, the East China government had an increasing demand for sea transportation as the battle for Vladivostok began, so the seven British cargo ships were used.

Although Swire Shipping stopped helping Japan transport supplies, 13 cargo ships arrived on the Korean Peninsula and transported about 20,000 tons of supplies, enough for the Japanese army to reorganize about 200,000 troops on the Korean Peninsula and ammunition for a war. This also made Japan breathe a sigh of relief, and in any case, the Japanese army now has the strength to fight a war on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to Britain, the United States is also a target of Japan's efforts, and after the United States and the East China government reached an agreement on the issuance of bonds, the purchase of supplies, and the dispatch of military observer missions, the Japanese ambassador to the United States, Kentaro Kaneko, also visited US President Theodore Roosevelt.

Kaneko Kentaro and Roosevelt were classmates at Harvard University, which is one of the important reasons why Kaneko Kentaro was able to serve as ambassador to the United States in 1904.

Since they were old classmates, the two did not have much politeness after meeting, and after sitting down with each other, Kentaro Kaneko said: "Your Excellency, I am very sorry for the resolution of the US government to allow the East China government to issue bonds in the United States, which will seriously undermine the situation in the Far East and send a wrong signal to the East China government, making peace in the Far East far away, and also seriously hurting the feelings of the Japanese people. ”

Roosevelt shook his head and said, "Mr. Ambassador, although I personally disagree, but the issuance of bonds is a commercial act, and although I am the president of the United States, I cannot interfere with normal business activities in the country, so I really can't help in this matter." ”

Kentaro Kaneko said: "As far as I know, the president of the United States has this power. ”

Roosevelt said: "The president of the United States does have such power, but because he has this power, it is not enough to abuse it, so this matter is very regrettable, and I can't help you much." Moreover, even if the United States refuses the request of the East China government, Germany will still issue it, so there is no point in discussing this issue now. ”

Kentaro Kaneko said: "Okay then! Mr. President, Japan is the cornerstone of stability in the Far East, and Japan has paid a huge price for resisting the murderous Russia, and now Japan is facing an opponent that is more brutal, more barbaric, and more vicious than Russia, and Japan alone cannot defeat this opponent, and we need the help of the United States." ”

Roosevelt nodded and said, "We will not forget Japan's efforts to resist Russia's expansion and its contribution to the maintenance of the civilized world, and we will do our best to help Japan tide over this difficulty." ”

Kentaro Kaneko said, "Thank you for your friendship. ”

Roosevelt said, "So what does the Japanese government need us to do?"

Kentaro Kaneko said: "We hope that the U.S. government will provide Japan with a low-interest loan worth no less than 30 million pounds. ”

Roosevelt frowned and said: "Personally, of course, there is no problem, but loans are the business of banks, and even the president has no power to force banks to lend to designated customers, so I can only say that I will try my best to help Japan, but I am honest, in the current situation in Japan, it may not be easy to get a loan from a bank, unless Japan can come up with effective collateral." ”

Kentaro Kaneko also smiled bitterly, of course he understood that with Japan's military defeat, Japanese bonds, which were originally very popular, suffered a cliff-like plunge in the U.S. market, and those who held Japanese bonds sold at lower prices, and the lowest even fell to 7 of the original price Instead of the bonds issued by the East China Government in the United States, they have been enthusiastically sought after, and although the first batch of bonds issued by the East China Government has been sold, they are still hot, and some people sell the bonds of the East China Government at a price of 103-105%, but they are still in short supply. Therefore, after the news of the East China government's application for the second batch of bonds to be sold in the US market spread, it immediately aroused a warm welcome from the US financial circles, and the East China government's hope to use the proceeds of the bonds to buy US products also made the US industry and commerce quite excited; under the pressure of strong public opinion and capital consortiums, although President Roosevelt did not want the East China government's bonds to be issued in the United States to increase its war capability, it could only approve it.

Roosevelt added: "I have a suggestion to Japan, under the present circumstances, it is better to make a truce with the East China government as soon as possible." ”

Kaneko Kentaro was stunned for a moment and said, "What?"