In the middle of the nineteenth century, mankind's exploitation and utilization of the sea had not yet reached the extreme, although Britain was known as the empire on which the sun never set, and the navy strictly followed the law of the two powers, but this era was after all the era of sail battleships, and ship technology still had limitations after all.

The Western powers are now focused on the golden shipping lanes, the warships and artillery control are also the richest colonies, and the Europeans don't really care much about some islands that have no economic value.

With more than a dozen shipping lanes from Europe to South America and North America, plus the golden shipping lanes along the Black African coastline, and the Suez Canal that is about to be dredged, these strategic nodes in the ocean are the focus of their attention.

In Asia, the Strait of Malacca, Hong Kong, the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai, these places are the focus of British and French attention, because there is business here, because there is money to be made here.

If Xiao Letian stretched out his black hand to India, to black Africa, and to the Arabian Peninsula, then not to mention that the French would not agree, even the British would have to destroy him in anger, but an archipelago in the South Pacific, this is really no big deal for Europeans except for face embarrassment.

Don't you see that Alaska was sold by the Russians, and the North American state of Louisiana was also sold by France to the Americans, and Napoleon III really didn't care about a few small islands.

The only thing I care about is the face of the French emperor, if the news of the French compensating the land to the Asians is transmitted back to Europe, then the image of the French government will plummet, even if Xiao Letian is powerful, but he is only the prime minister of a sea island country, although he deserves the respect of the Europeans, but the Europeans still do not recognize his strength in his bones.

Goldmi lowered his voice and roared, "You actually want the French to cut the land? This is impossible, you are wishful thinking......

"No, no, why is the Minister so angry? Polynesia is just a useless archipelago in the South Pacific, but you French explorers first discovered it, and then set up a flag that belongs to you, in fact, it is not the inherent territory of you French......"

"The symbolism is much more than the actual meaning, and to be honest, since you French occupy this place, what is the use of it except for replenishing the ships with fresh water, and then you collect some tolls or something?"

"There are many rainstorms and typhoons in the South Pacific, and the monsoon season that can be navigated is only a few months a year, to be honest, you don't bother to send troops there, why don't you sell it to me......

"Huh?" Goldmi was stunned, "What did you say? Sell it to you, you say it again......"

The greedy minister took the bait, Xiao Letian gave the minister a glass of wine with a smile on his face, and said vigorously in his mouth: "Negotiation, naturally you have to bargain, why do ......you stare at it?

The secret meeting of the Roma went on between Xiao Letian and Xiao Letian, and Goldmi never thought that there would be a politician in the world who put the word "interest" on his face, and he didn't hide it at all, just like the aunt in the vegetable market.

After bargaining for a long time, Goldmi finally understood, what 50 million gold francs, that is not the point, Xiao Letian's eyes are actually staring at French Polynesia, and in the end, Xiao Letian actually mentioned that he used 50 million gold francs to buy this archipelago.

"You France secretly paid me 50 million gold francs, and then we bought a worthless island from you for 50 million in a high-profile manner, so that in the public opinion of Europe, won't you French save face?"

"When the time comes, when you return to Europe with French soldiers, won't you be worth twice as much as a diplomat! You are a hero of France to sell a ruined island for such a high price......

Xiao Letian flickered from noon to evening, and finally Xiao Lotian said angrily, "Today is the twenty-ninth lunar calendar, and tomorrow is our Chinese New Year, do you want me to accompany you for the New Year?"

"This is the last condition, I only give you French one last chance, if you don't agree, I will call all Western journalists in Hong Kong and Shanghai, gather all Western ministers, let's open the window to negotiate, then I don't want the islands, I want you French to apologize in front of the whole world......"

"If you're in a hurry, I'll let you French prisoners of war parade in Beijing, believe it or not...... Believe it or not, I'm a madman!"

How could Goldmi not believe that Xiao Letian dared to stir up trouble in Europe with a few hundred people, the Franco-Swiss border overturned the French cavalry, and the Austro-Prussian War set a jaw-dropping record.

This kind of person is not a madman, who is still a madman?

The sky is getting darker and darker, and Tanggu City has now become a sea of fireworks, with 100,000 people carnivaling, and the sky is full of colorful fireworks.

"Mr. Minister, don't you think this fireworks show is very beautiful? I can responsibly tell you that this year, Tanggu purchased a full 100,000 taels of silver fireworks from Jiangnan, all of which were used by the people themselves, and those rich businessmen in Jiangnan have already looked stupid, and just one Tanggu bought a quarter of Jiangnan's fireworks production......

"And the Ryukyus, it should be even more exaggerated now, where after this year's fierce victory, the people have also accumulated countless carnival enthusiasm, and now even the Japanese people have learned from the Han people, a Ryukyus bought nearly half of the fireworks production in the south of the Yangtze River, estimated at least 200,000 taels ......"

Xiao Letian sneered and looked at Goldmie and said lightly: "Do you think I'm a madman? Do you say my people are crazy? If you don't agree to my conditions, we crazy people don't mind another war, I want to see how long you can fight France?"

"Give up your Europe and put all your forces into Asia, I am willing to send you a big quagmire and let you sink into it, even if it is a hundred years, we will not hesitate!"

The French minister looked at Xiao Letian's fanatical expression, his heart was full of powerlessness, for this man who rose in East Asia, the minister had no choice, Xiao Letian had already calculated the weakness of the French, and everything was in his plan.

The Tanggu Secret Treaty was signed tonight, and France secretly compensated 50 million gold francs in exchange for 4,000 prisoners and those officers, while Xiao Lotian openly signed an agreement with the minister to buy the islands in the South Pacific with 50 million gold francs.

Everyone was happy, France got face, Xiao Lotian got Lizi, and a small island with no strategic significance solved France's problems and saved the emperor's face.

The minister left, took a dinghy back to the inn in Tanggu, where there was a sumptuous acting and Japanese women to accompany him, I believe that today is a sleepless night for him.

Xiao Letian looked at the dinghy in the distance and sneered on his face, "Lao Tzu has a vision that penetrates history, I know that in less than twenty years, the internal combustion engine will replace the old-fashioned boiler, and at that time, the battleship sailing on the sea will no longer need sails......"

"The progress of science and technology has made the earth smaller and smaller, and it won't take a hundred years for you to understand that any island on the sea is a priceless treasure, and whoever occupies more now will take advantage!"

"You Europeans' eyes are only staring at the golden shipping lanes on the sea, but I am staring at strategic nodes, and I don't see much value now, but after I wait for twenty years, you will know that you will regret it......"

At the end of the negotiation, Xiao Lotian returned to the Xiao family's mansion, at this time his home had already let the Tongzhi Emperor turn over the troublemakers, and the little emperor who had been depressed for ten years actually climbed the roof on a ladder to set off fireworks, and the surrounding guards were pale with fright.

"Stinky boy, don't let me come down yet...... Xiao Letian was anxious when he saw it, letting the little emperor play for a few days was not to let him rebel, so he had to pay it back.

In the Qing Dynasty, Xiao Letian was the only one who dared to scold the emperor's stinky boy, and Emperor Tongzhi still ate him, and when he was scolded, he stuck out his tongue and quickly followed Ermao to climb down from the roof.

At this time, three tables of banquets have been set up in the main hall, Xiao Letian's descendants are concentrated here, because this is a family banquet, the old shopkeeper Fan Yao sat in the right position, and below is a circle of senior generals of the new army, Wang Huaiyuan, Sima Yun, Xiao Hexin, Luo Huo and others are all on it.

and the heroes of this battle also sat around the table, Ye Qiu, Pang Chaoyun, Leo, Matthew, Mike Carnegie, Molière...... A group of people were sitting together and talking, and the little ones who drank were blushing.

"The prime minister is going home...... ......With the housekeeper's roar, everyone in the living room stood up, all eyes staring at the doorman.

With a burst of cold air, Xiao Letian and Emperor Tongzhi, who had a red face, walked into the house, and before everyone could give a salute, Xiao Letian roared excitedly.

"The French have finally compromised! We have exchanged our captives for an archipelago, and France has ceded land to us! The French islands of Tahiti will be ours from today onwards!"

"Hooray!" was a jubilant in the room, although no one knew how strategically important Tahiti was, but it was already a miracle that the French could cut the land.

Xiao Letian raised his glass and shouted at everyone, "Next year, we will attack the Pacific Ocean, Tahiti, Hawaii, Guam, Iwo Jima, these strategic places that Europeans have not yet paid attention to, all will become our fortresses......"

"The chain of islands will become the crisscross of our navy, and we want to turn the Pacific Ocean into China's inland sea, and cheers to our future navy!"

The door of the Xiao family's mansion became a sea of joy at this moment, and the fireworks in the night sky became brighter at this moment.

At this moment in the Pacific Ocean, an American cargo ship is riding the wind and waves towards the Ryukyus, and the ship is loaded with a shipload of submarine fiber optic cables, and the submarine communication arteries from the Ryukyus to Tanggu and from the Ryukyus to Shanghai are about to be paved.

Farther in the South Seas, a Prussian merchant ship is heading north, and the Swedish scientist Mr. Nobel, with his latest explosives technology, is about to return the favor to the Ryukyus.

Farther away in Europa, the Wing King Shi Dakai was sitting in his villa in Hamburg, having dinner with the new recruits who stayed behind, their faces facing the east, and they all shouted with red faces, "......Mother country! You want to be angry! Xiao Letian, you want to be angry!"

The sound of firecrackers is removed from the old year, and the new peach is always replaced with the old charm, and the five years of Tongzhi have passed!