When the British ambassador to China reached London with the news of China's demand for the development of iron ore in Western Australia, the British upper echelons felt that this was simply unreasonable.

"It's okay to make up a decent nonsense!" This is the idea of the British side. Both Australia and New Zealand were British colonies, and in between, New Zealand was clearly above Australia. Although New Zealand is much smaller than Australia.

The essence of Australia is in the southeast, and the northwest is simply desert. Logically, it is unlikely that China will spend a lot of effort to prospect and exploit its mineral deposits. But at this time, there is a very interesting question, China has a population of four or five billion, and Britain at this time has a population of only four or five hundred million. If Britain allows Chinese to set foot on Australian soil, it will be a deterrent to Britain.

Is China trying to scare us? This is a kind of consensus among the British upper class. Admittedly, this kind of intimidation was really effective, and the British Colonial Department opposed Chinese prospecting and mining in Western Australia. At this time, the gold rush was still quite vigorous, and some small shallow gold mines were discovered in Western Australia, which caused a huge repercussion in the United Kingdom.

But the Chinese put it so bluntly that Britain would not allow China to mine iron ore in Western Australia, and China would not support any British action in the Far East. This seems to be the reason for the Chinese side to stop the UK. What attitude to take towards China has become the focus of discussion in the UK.

Thirty-eight years have passed since 1840, and the efforts of the British to open up the Chinese market have finally paid off. Now the largest buyer from Britain in China is undoubtedly the new China Zhengfu, a large number of machinery and equipment orders have made British industrial capital have quite good returns. However, this kind of opening up is also a double-edged sword, Britain sold a large number of trains and related technology to China's Zhengfu, China's Zhengfu overhauled railways, and Chinese enterprises monopolized the local market with their own light industrial products. On the contrary, British light industrial products were squeezed out of the Chinese market, and soap and other products even counterattacked the Indian market.

Due to China's large exports, international prices of raw silk and tea plummeted. The plunge has allowed Chinese raw silk and tea, which can afford low prices, to occupy a larger market share. The tobacco trade was basically cut off, and the British worked hard to open the door to China by war, but the result was not Chinese silver, but a much larger amount of Chinese goods.

The reason why Britain wanted to support the Japanese Sacho Alliance was that Britain wanted to take advantage of the modern steamyards that had begun to sprout in Japan. Because Singapore's steamships are now required to go to the shipyard in Guangdong, China, for repairs, a new steamyard called Jiangnan Shipyard has been opened in Shanghai, so that British ships can be repaired further north. These proceeds went into the hands of the Chinese government, and one of the purposes of Britain's support for the Sachang alliance was to control Japan's shipbuilding industry and give Britain a stable base. With Japan, Britain will be able to open up a route from Canada to Singapore, at least giving Britain a greater say on this route. The reason why China is fully asked to support Britain's stance on Japan is that Britain's aim is not necessarily to completely open up the Japanese market, and it wants to gain its own benefits in this matter.

After nearly half a month of discussion, London finally reached a consensus. In terms of strategic order, the Japanese shipbuilding industry ranks first, and if it can have a huge influence in Japan, it can exert tremendous pressure on China in the Far East. Western Australia was, after all, a British colony, controlling Singapore and Malaysia, and Britain believed that its navy was capable of handling China's shipping lines. No matter what kind of carrot you use, you have to let the Chinese take the bait first.

Of course, if it is really possible to export iron ore to China on a large scale, this is no less than the trade of big tobacco. With such a source of money, the British government will also be extremely happy.

Therefore, in January 1868, when the Meiji Emperor of Japan issued a request for the return of Taisei, the British ambassador to China also formally proposed to the new Chinese government that the British government agree to China's prospecting and mining in Western Australia.

Zuo Zhidan didn't expect the British to really agree to this request, and he smelled a strong smell of conspiracy from it. How could the British really work so honestly with China that they could figure it out with their toes. However, Wei Ze's reaction surprised Zuo Zhidan even more.

"Sign a long-term contract, either with the first 10 years we invest in the mine, and in return for the investment is free transportation of ore. Or the two sides jointly invest in iron ore, and we are responsible for exploration and development in China. Ore exports to China are denominated in weight. Wei Ze came up with a posture that he was really ready to do.

"Your Majesty, are you really going to do this? Are we going to prepare for war with the British? Zuo Zhidan hurriedly reminded. In order to cope with the possible Sino-British naval conflict after the seizure of the Dutch East Indies, the navy has now entered a period of frenzy in shipbuilding, and the navy does not dare to underestimate the British navy. If the two sides fight, I am afraid that the deal will be interrupted halfway.

"If we can't beat the British, the deal will be ruined. If we can force the British to compromise with us, the deal will be able to go ahead. I would like to ask you a question, why is there now such a strong desire for the seizure of the Dutch East Indies by the entire Military Commission and even the government? Wei Ze asked Zuo Zhidan.

"Because there are plantations." Zuo Zhidan answered this question.

Wei Ze smiled maliciously, "If the iron ore development fails, then there is nothing to say. If the iron ore is successfully developed, have you ever heard of the word "Longwangshu"? ”

Zuo Zhidan thought for a moment and suddenly realized, as the saying goes, "no profit, don't get up early", only if there are rich interests in front, can all stakeholders be united. Everyone is now so enthusiastic about attacking the Dutch East Indies that the army can say that it sees an opportunity to make meritorious achievements, and the government sees an opportunity to improve the lives of the Chinese people.

If this matter is a mandatory order of Weizer alone, if the war is lost, the responsibility will have to be borne by Weese alone. When this kind of demand becomes the consensus of all interest groups, it is not a problem for Wei Ze alone, from the army to the government, every force wants to win, and every force is willing to bear the cost. It's much better than Weeser betting on all the appeal alone.

The same is true of the iron mines, which were not a very great decoy for the army and industry, and if Weeser alone declared that he wanted to wage war against England, the war might have been launched, but any defeat might lead to the possibility of opposing the war. It is unlikely that there will be a situation in which everyone is united as at this stage of preparation, and the Navy has repeatedly stressed the brutal naval battle with Britain that it will encounter in the future. While declaring the brutality of the war, the Navy also sang the praises with greater enthusiasm about the benefits that could be gained by the whole of China after the victory in the war.

"Alright! I talk to the British about this! Zuo Zhidan replied.