Nanjing, November 1, 1874.

"The British Empire has officially declared war on China!" In the foreign minister's office, the British embassy at the University of China said to Chinese Foreign Minister Li Xin with the most solemn look.

"We, China, have officially declared war on Britain!" Li Xin said calmly to the British ambassador.

This scene is very similar to the two children in the kindergarten who look serious and shout "I will never play with you again". After exchanging declarations of war, Li Xin made a gesture of invitation to the British ambassador. The British ambassador to China was stunned, and finally walked to the door.

Push open the door, and inside the door is the meeting room. The British ambassador to China and Li Xin each brought their interpreters, and the four of them calmly sat on the sofas on both sides of the coffee table. Li Xin poured a cup of black tea for the British ambassador to China and poured himself a cup for himself, and then said: "The door to peace has always been open, and I believe that Britain will not let the war go on endlessly." ”

The British ambassador agreed. Theoretically speaking, after the start of the war, the period of peace talks began, and after the completion of peace talks, the period of war broke out. The peace of this world is like sweet jam sandwiched between thick slices of bread, intoxicating in taste, but only in a thin layer.

Li Xin continued: "The war between China and Britain will be a war that will cost both sides enormously, and I do not think that the war will end immediately. Our attitude is simple: if your country were to maintain the status quo as a condition for ending the war, we would consider it. ”

This attitude was very correct, and the British ambassador to China asked the question rationally, "What do you mean by maintaining the status quo?" ”

Li Xin explained: "China has no intention of annexing British colonies in Asia, and I must make this clear to Britain. If the war were to end, we would also be willing to ensure that the British colonies in Asia would not be encroached upon. I think it's a good situation to end the war with dignity. ”

The British ambassador was very keen to grasp the point, and he asked: "And which countries will lose colonies in Asia?" ”

Li Xin continued to say calmly: "The current French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies will become Chinese territory. We have taken back Hong Kong, and Myanmar will also return to China's arms. ”

When the British ambassador heard the lion's words, he wanted to be furious, or at least to show it. However, in such a private situation, the use of emotional means was too childish, and the British ambassador finally chose to treat it calmly, and he calmly asked: "Do you think the British Empire will agree to China doing this?" ”

"Now there is a naval war between China and the UK, and this is a competition for the industrial capacity of both sides. I now say that China will be able to win, and I believe that your country thinks we are bragging. We have a saying in China, which is called "If you don't fight, you don't know each other." War is a tragic thing, but by letting both sides know each other's strength, it will avoid more tragedies in the future. If we talk about the driving role of war, it is probably just that. Li Xin said compassionate words like a philosopher.

The British ambassador to China was well aware of the current war situation and that the situation in the British Navy was very unfavorable. The biggest disadvantage is not the problem of the warship being damaged, but the fact that the naval battle between the two sides is in a completely unequal situation. Britain's campaign design was originally based on asymmetry, which meant that Britain had absolute combat superiority. After destroying the Chinese navy, Britain could strike at Chinese ports at will.

It turns out that the British were wrong, and the British may have a slight advantage in the comparison of the naval forces of the two sides in real ironclads. But in the comparison between ironclad ships and armored ships, China has a great advantage. Britain's miscalculation at the tactical level led to serious consequences. When the port facilities could not run, and Britain had the advantage of the fleet, Britain did not have to be a thief for a thousand days, but China had to guard against thieves for a thousand days. The British fleet did not have an advantage, and it became that Britain needed to keep an eye out for the surprise attack of the Chinese fleet.

China's coastal areas from Vladivostok, Lushun, Dalian, Tianjin, Weihai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou have a considerable degree of ship maintenance capacity in addition to their own fleets. Fortified batteries were built near the port, armed with powerful artillery.

Ryukyu, Taiwan, Qiongzhou, Luzon, Lanfang, and Anbuna also have a large number of ports where fleets can dock and forts to guard the ports.

China did not adopt a colonial model in the newly expanded territories, and all Chinese territories were Chinese territory. On these lands, China spent huge sums of money on a large number of infrastructure construction, railways, roads, mines, shipyards, repair plants. On the other hand, Britain not only had no bases along the coast of China, but also had no industry in the British colonies, and wanted to overhaul warships. Now if you want to overhaul it, you have to drive it back to the UK for repairs.

As a-stirring stick for hundreds of years, considering issues from the perspective of the interests of other countries is a compulsory course. The British ambassador now understood what Li Xin meant: if China did not invade the British colonies in Asia, it would mean that Britain would be left with the Straits Settlements and India in Asia, and China would block Britain in the Strait of Malacca. What if Britain even occupied half of the Strait of Malacca? Britain still dares to send its navy to launch a military strike against the core elite areas of Chinese mainland? That kind of one-way attack is pointless. In the event of such a war, China could directly take over the British Straits Settlements and seal off the British fleet in the South China Sea.

By acknowledging this fact, Britain is acknowledging China's hegemony in the Western Pacific. In a compassionate tone, Li Xin told Britain that China's goal was to dominate the Western Pacific, and demanded that Britain recognize China's hegemony in the Western Pacific.

If Britain wants to recognize China's hegemony in the western Pacific, it will have to rely on the navy to distinguish between high and low. China has already begun to do so, and so far, it has achieved its goal. The British Grand Fleet had to return to Singapore to regroup and prepare for another battle.

If the British were in the upper hand, they could also intimidate China with the wrath of their diplomats. In the face of Li Xin, an insidious guy, anger will only be laughed at. The British ambassador calmly replied, "We will consider this matter." ”

While Britain was preparing for the next phase of war with China, the authorities in French Indochina were in a state of anxiety. They eagerly awaited the news of the victory of the British Grand Fleet. As long as the British Grand Fleet wins, the war against China will expand. At this time, France had the opportunity to increase its troops in French Indochina. It would be the view of the European powers to cut off the vassals around China, at least the Russians absolutely supported it.

Britain, France, and Russia all have a strong desire to strike at China, and an alliance can be formed on this basis. Once Britain, France, and Russia formed an alliance against China, and this alliance returned to Europe, Germany would be finished. Bringing the Germans to the end is now the greatest wish of the French.

On 18 October, French warships watching the battle sailed to Saigon, the capital of French Indochina. France was also knowledgeable, and after hearing the results of that naval battle, the upper echelons of French Indochina knew that something was wrong. The French governor couldn't help but say: "Britain should not act rashly at this time. ”

This cowardly remark was unanimously accepted by the middle and upper echelons of the French colony, and the people were also frightened in their hearts. The French colonial authorities were ordered to cooperate fully with Britain in the war with China. China is now on a par with Britain, and even if the Chinese Navy is temporarily at a disadvantage, the Chinese Army is completely at the top of the French colonies.

The Governor said in as calm a tone as possible: "We France are not belligerents, and as long as we abide by the Neutrality Treaty and prohibit the troops of the two countries from passing through our territory and seas, the Chinese have no reason to fight us." ”

This was already contrary to the orders of the French government, and the non-colonial officials unanimously agreed. They immediately prepared to submit documents to China stating the position of French Indochina, following the pattern of self-preservation.

Before the document was finished, the communications soldiers rushed into the governor's palace and shouted in the terrible cry of the shepherd boy when he saw the wolves: "Your Excellency, the Chinese fleet has reached the open sea and has begun to shell our warships. ”

"Are the Chinese crazy! Aren't they afraid of a coalition between Britain and France? The Governor cried out in fear.

China was not at all worried about the formation of a coalition between Britain and France, and not only did the navy begin to annihilate the navy of French Indochina, but the 30,000 army troops also passed through the territory of Vietnam and went straight to Saigon. The outcome of the war was nothing surprising, and the 3,000 French could not resist the 30,000 Chinese troops at all. China easily annexed French Indochina.

On November 11, 1874, the French government received the news. At this time, France had just gritted its teeth and completed the war reparations of 5 billion francs to Prussia under the Treaty of Frankfurt, and the humiliation of the French was at its peak. Suddenly receiving such a blow, the French were angry, one can imagine. The French government chose to expel the Chinese ambassador to France on the grounds that the Chinese were not welcome, and at the same time recalled the French ambassador to China. France immediately declared war on China.

On November 15, a French writer also wrote a novel called "The Last Lesson", which describes the last French lesson of Vietnamese children who had been keen to skip school in French Indochina.

…… French Chinese is the most beautiful language in the world, the most clear and the most precise; And we must keep it in our hearts, and never forget it, that the people who have died and become slaves, as long as they keep their language firmly in mind, are like holding a key to open the prison doors......

…… Suddenly, the church bell struck twelve. The prayer bell rang too. Outside the window, the trumpets of the Chinese soldiers were heard again - they had already finished their drills. Mr. Hummel stood up, his face pale, and I felt that he had never been so tall.

"My friends," he said, "I—I—"

But he choked, he couldn't go on.

He turned to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and with all his strength, wrote a line in French: "Long live France!" ”

Then he stayed there, with his head against the wall, and without saying a word, he made a gesture to us: "School is over, - you go." ”……

Romantic French people will be moved to tears when they read this article. There is a strong resonance with the humiliation of losing land after the defeat of France. Although French has never been spoken in southern Vietnam, there are no French schools in French Indochina for Vietnamese locals, whose ancestral homes in Alsace and Lorraine have spoken German for generations. But the French people don't care. Humiliation and gratitude shook the hearts of the French, who knew very well that, like Alsace and Lorraine, France could not regain these lands in any way as long as they could not defeat China and Germany.

Before the Chinese embassy was evacuated, the French people ran outside the Chinese embassy in droves and threw stones at the Chinese embassy. After "The Last Lesson" was published in the newspapers, the Chinese Embassy in France was empty. Still, a large number of French people rushed in and destroyed the building.