"What did Germany do in the Qing Kingdom?" Prime Minister Disraeli asked Cecil.

"My lord, it's still a matter of German trade and investment in the Qing Kingdom." Cecil said helplessly.

"Didn't you report this before? Didn't we ask Thomas-Francis Wade (Sir Wittoma) to inform the Qing government that the Qing people should give us the preferential terms to be given to the Germans in accordance with the terms of the Qingying Treaty? Prime Minister Disraeli's face was a little unpleasant, "Robert, is Qingguo unwilling to agree?" ”

"My lord, Hugh Fraser (Fourless) has received news from Peking, that the Qing people are willing to offer the Germans to the Reich on the terms of the most favored nation status, but the imperial merchants in the Qing are not willing to do so. According to the news from Fraser, several trading companies such as Jardine Matheson and Swire have already released their words to put forward a bill in the House of Commons to protest against the unfair competition of the Germans. I expect that there will be a fierce quarrel in Parliament in the near future over what the Germans were doing in the Qing Kingdom. ”

"The businessmen are still unwilling to accept the same conditions, and they have to make trouble in the House of Commons, why is this?" Prime Minister Disraeli's head is starting to hurt again.

"My lord, it is because the Germans proposed to the Qing State that the conditions of cooperation made the merchants of the empire dissatisfied." Cecil handed another report to Prime Minister Disraeli, "This is a summary of the protests of the Imperial trading company in the Qing Dynasty submitted by Fraser, and the first point of protest is the newly established joint venture between the Germans and the Qing people. ”

"On the issue of starting a company with the Qing Dynasty, the imperial businessmen had a very clear opinion, and all of them did not agree to the establishment of a joint venture company, they believed that the Qing people had no industrialized production and management philosophy, and they did not understand the production and operation mode of the factories in this era, and it was more stupid to cooperate with the corrupt and ignorant Qing people than to cooperate with fools, not to mention that the Germans agreed to hand over the company to the Qing people."

"The merchants believed that it was better to hand over the management of the enterprise to the Qing people than to a trained monkey, and the treaty signed between the Germans and the Qing State specifically stated that it would be managed by the Qing people, which was completely an insult to the businessmen of the Western civilized world, and the Germans used this set of practices that no civilized person could tolerate to despicably rob the empire of the interests of the Qing country."

"Also, in such a joint venture, the Qing people provided markets, land, capital, and sales, and the Germans agreed that the Qing people would own 51% of the equity of the joint venture company, and the ownership would belong to the Qing people, which was even more unacceptable to the merchants of the empire."

"The merchants felt that the market of the Qing Kingdom was opened by the Empire with gunboats, and the land was bought by the blood of the Imperial soldiers, and the Empire brought the goods and ideas of the civilized world to the ignorant place of the Qing Kingdom, and the Qing Kingdom should humbly lie at the feet of the Empire to accept all this, and should not have any delusional exchanges on an equal footing, in a vain attempt to obtain the ownership of a company."

"In addition, the imperial merchants, with their many years of experience in dealing with the Qing government, believed that the Qing government was extremely untrustworthy, and if they could not monopolize the ownership and management rights of the company, then the interests of the imperial merchants were likely to be embezzled by the Qing government."

"In addition, the Germans agreed to transfer technology to the Qing state, and if the Qing country learned Western technology, it would mean that there would be a competitor to the imperial goods in East Asia, which also made the imperial merchants who were only willing to sell their products and not sell their technology very dissatisfied."

With these conditions that the imperial merchants refused to accept, the Germans received 850,000 pounds sterling of German arms purchases, and also received a promise from the Qing government to jointly develop the Kaiping coal mine and build a cement plant in Tangshan, and the Daye iron mine and a steel mill in Hubei. There are even secret sources that suggest that a proposal to rebuild the Qing railroad was put on the table of the Qing government. ”

"Hubei, isn't this the Yangtze River sphere of influence planned by the empire? The Germans actually put their hands over ?! Disraeli asked with a grim face.

"My lord, we have had many negotiations with the Qing government on the exclusive road mining rights in the Yangtze River basin, but all of them have failed, so this time the Germans got the mining rights in Hubei, and the Imperial Foreign Ministry has no reason to blame the Germans."

"Then let the Germans so brazenly encroach on the sphere of influence of the British Empire?" Disraeli was even more upset, and the dark clouds on his face were enough to brew a storm.

"My lord, the empire's Yangtze River sphere of influence is currently only an idea, and the two previous treaties signed with the Qing State were trade treaties and consular jurisdiction. Unless the parliament approves the government's new military operation against the Qing state. Cecil's words, which were approved by the parliament, succeeded in strangling the storm of Prime Minister Disraeli in the cradle.

Now the Conservative Party is a minority party in Parliament, the Boer War has just ended, the war in Afghanistan is still going on, the Russians are making small moves on the Iranian border, the French are always moving closer to Gibraltar in North Africa, and there is the crucial Eastern (Turkish) issue, so let the parliament agree to fight a war with the Qing State....

Prime Minister Disraeli thought bitterly for a long time, and reluctantly admitted that he wanted the parliament to pass the proposal of another Anglo-Qing war, but he really couldn't do it, and the only thing he could do was to sulk alone.

Glancing at the sulking Prime Minister, Cecil pursed his lips and said with relief, "My lord, in fact, I think that the Germans obtained the mining rights of the Qing Kingdom, even if it is only 49%, which is a good thing in the long run." ”

"After all, according to the "Anglo-Qing Five Ports of Treaty" treaty, we enjoy the same treatment as the most favored nation of the Qing State, and the Germans got the mining rights of the Qing Kingdom, which actually means that the British also got the mining rights of the Qing Dynasty, although they did not exclusively enjoy the mining rights of the Qing National Road, but we can see how the Germans cooperated with a backward country. If the German merchants could succeed in profiting, then the British merchants would certainly be able to do the same, and if they failed, it was not the merchants of the Reich who would lose. ”

"Therefore, in the matter of supporting His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederick, if the scope of Germany's most-favored-nation trade cannot be expanded, and Africa can only sell part of the land in the name of His Majesty Leopold, I think it is better to let the Germans make some economic benefits from the Qing country in the affairs of the Qing State."

"In fact, the interests of the imperial merchants in the Qing were not materially harmed, the Germans did not intervene in the most important opium, textile, tea, and ceramic trades, and the present protests were more out of jealousy among the merchants. In essence, the merchants did not believe that the stupid Qing people could produce any advanced products of the West, and everyone wanted to see the jokes of the Germans. ”

"Now, the Reich only needs to express a diplomatic stance of approval to the Germans on the question of the Qing Dynasty, and can financially support His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederick, and I think this is the best diplomatic option that can be thought of now." With that, Cecil spread his hands.

"Robert, the Germans can do this, because they have no experience in ruling the world and managing the world, they can act recklessly in these backward and stupid countries like a country man who has just entered the city, but the pride and reality of the empire do not allow us to do so, and we must not share the interests that should be our exclusive with a country that should be ruled by the empire."

"If we cooperate with a backward, ignorant, reactionary government, we will be seen by our enemies as a sign of the decline and weakness of the empire, those careerists will sharpen their claws and pounce on the empire, and those opponents who are suppressed by us will be more confident in opposing the empire! So, the German approach did not suit the Reich. Prime Minister Disraeli said with a gloomy face.

"Tough! Tougher is the most effective protection of the empire! What you can't negotiate with, then use war! But a war with the Qing does not have to be fought by the Empire, as long as someone defeats the Qing State, we can also have equal interests. So, Robert, we're going to create an enemy for the Qing Kingdom! ”

There is no contradiction and the easiest way to create a contradiction is to create an enemy for the enemy. Disraeli was at his fingertips for the Conservatives' most skillful-stirring tactics, but it's easy to create an enemy of your enemies, but it takes a lot of care to support such a suitable target.

"My lord, who is the enemy of the Great Qing that you are going to support?" Cecil asked.

"What do you think, Robert?" Disraeli asked rhetorically.

"Since it is to create an enemy of life and death, it should be the neighbors of the Qing State, especially those former vassals of the Qing State, only the liberated slaves hate their former masters the most, so this enemy should be found from the vassals of the Qing State." Cecil gave the first condition.

After Disraeli smiled and nodded in acceptance, Cecil put forward the second condition, "Secondly, it must be willing to accept the transformation of the Western political system, and be willing to transform the country according to the requirements of civilized society, civilization and backwardness are a pair of mortal enemies!" ”

"Finally, we must listen to the words of the empire, not only to be able to teach the Qing country to benefit the empire, but also to watch the door of the Qing country for the empire before the empire is full, and we must not let other powerful countries take advantage of the Qing country."

"Robert, it looks like you've already had a choice."

"My lord, the choice has been there for a long time, but it takes time to cultivate it, after all, it is still too small and needs the accumulation of hatred and greed."

Prime Minister Disraeli nodded and said, "I agree, Robert, it will take time. Action doesn't have to work, but action doesn't work, and we need to act now. ”

"Yes, sir. I suggest starting with the Ryukyus and letting hatred take root. "Hugh-Fraser came back with information that Sir Barland, the German Minister Plenipotentiary to the Qing Dynasty, had hinted to him that the bottom line of Germany's mediation in the Qing-Japanese conflict was to restore the sovereignty of the Ryukyu royal family in the Ryukyus and demand that Japan withdraw from the Ryukyus. ”

"Tell Fraser to let him agree to the demands of the Germans, the more the Germans press the Japanese, the more the Japanese will hate Qing and Germany, and the easier it will be for us to win over the Japanese."

"If the Qing State is disobedient, we will let people teach him a lesson, even if the interests of the Germans in the Qing Kingdom endanger the interests of the Empire, we can also solve the Germans under the pretense of the hands of the Japanese."

"Robert, remember my life motto, there are no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests in this world."