On January 2, 1919, the second day of the new year, the negotiations between China and Britain began. The location is also chosen in the China Hall of Beijing International Hotel, where you will once again witness the changes of history. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the British side headed by the British Minister to China, Zhu Erdian, and his entourage, and the Chinese side, headed by Ge Yunfei, entered the meeting hall in turn and sat opposite each other on both sides of the long table. The British are accustomed to being gentlemen, and their inherent superiority can be seen in their demeanor, and they are arrogant and empty-eyed.

Zhu Erdian is tall, and the beard on his lips contrasts with the bald hair on his head, which is very eye-catching. Zhu Erdian is 67 years old and a China expert. Born in Ireland to a farming family, he studied at the Royal College in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, and obtained a master's degree in literature. In the second year of Guangxu (1876), he came to China and worked as a translator at the British Consulate in Beijing. Zhu Erdian's resume was one step at a time, rising to the rank of librarian of the Beijing Legation in 1888 and the secretary of the Chinese language in 1891.

Due to his outstanding performance, he became Consul General of Seoul in 1896, and was promoted to Acting British Minister to China in 1898, Acting Minister in 1901, and British Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to China in 1906. What is Minister Plenipotentiary? To put it bluntly, the level of the ambassador is the same, but the level of courtesy is inferior to the ambassador. Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary enjoys the same diplomatic privileges and immunities as the ambassador of the host country, which means that Juerdian's status is equivalent to that of the British ambassador to China.

In 1912, Zhu Erdian, the minister to China, made four unreasonable demands in a memorandum to Yuan Shikai: 1) China should not be allowed to interfere in Tibet's internal affairs, and 2) China should not be allowed to maintain an unlimited army in Tibet. 3. Require the conclusion of an agreement on the basis of the above points as a condition for the recognition of the Republic of China. 4. Closure of access to Tibet for Chinese until the agreement is concluded. Yuan Shikai was anxious to gain the support of the foreign powers, and the Khotanese army could reach Lhasa and consolidate the west forever, but Yuan Shikai's compromise left hidden dangers.

Nowadays, the British people have mixed feelings in their hearts, and in just a few years, the Nationalist Government has changed from a cowardly role to a strong one, and this kind of tremendous change is indeed difficult for the British people to accept. It's like when you meet a beggar from time to time, who usually looks down with pity. One day this beggar suddenly became rich and became rich, and his status was on an equal footing with you, which must be difficult for you to accept, and at this moment, it is this mentality of the British, that is, sour and wanting to maintain the dignity of the past.

The hall was silent, and Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi stood up and said: "Gentlemen, in line with the friendly attitude of China and Britain, this consultation between China and Britain is to resolve the reciprocal relationship between the two countries and the interests between the two countries. The Nationalist Government does not recognize the unequal treaties signed by Britain with the Manchu dynasty and the overlord clause unilaterally imposed on us by your country. We demand the return of the administrative rights of the Shanghai Concession, the Guangzhou Concession, and the Hong Kong Concession, and your country is not allowed to station troops in the concession. My Government is committed to protecting the interests of your country and its businessmen in China, including private property. ”

"The Chinese government has withdrawn the salt government tax revenue, the British government must not interfere in China's internal affairs on the Tibet issue, and the Sino-Indian and China-Myanmar borders have been restored to the traditional border line, and I hope that your government will respect the demands of the Chinese government and establish an equal and mutually beneficial relationship between China and Britain as soon as possible." Zhu Erdian stood up and said a little arrogantly: "The treaty signed by China and Britain is protected by international law, and the Chinese government has no right to unilaterally tear up the treaty, which is wantonly trampling on international law." ”

Ge Yunfei stood up and said: "Mr. Zhu Erdian, the European war is in the dark, countless lives have been lost, and countless property losses have been lost, may I ask if this is stipulated in international law?" If our country forcibly rents a piece of land on British land and stationes its troops, can your government agree? Zhu Erdian quibbled: "General Ge, the reason why the British government has built a concession on your land and stationed troops is to protect the legitimate interests of merchants from being violated, because your country is in turmoil, and we cannot do it. ”

"What nonsense, may I ask if since the first Opium War, that time it was not Britain that used force to put power on us, so difficult that we invited you to come?" "General Ge, with regard to your country's appeal, my government's proposition is to submit it to the international community for adjudication." "Mr. Zhu Erdian, did the British Empire decide to impose power on us at the time when it convened an international conference?" "General Ge, will the British Empire agree to your country's decision?" "That's simple, salute first, then soldiers, and if your government insists on going its own way, we will forcibly reclaim all concessions by force. It also includes the restoration of the Sino-Indian and China-Myanmar borders. If we are compelled to take it back by force, the public property of your country will be confiscated. ”

"I protest that this is a naked declaration of war!" "If you think it's a declaration of war, so do we. The rising Chinese nation is not afraid of another eight-nation alliance. If the British Empire decides to solve the problem by force, then the battlefield will expand indefinitely, possibly India, possibly Indochina, or even the Malay Peninsula. Zhu Erdian's face turned red and his mouth was open, and he walked out of the hall with his legs raised, and the British officials who accompanied him hurriedly followed.

"General Ge, is it too strong, and if the British Empire decides to use force, how will we deal with it?" Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi was a little apprehensive. "By force? Unless the British are crazy, rest assured, the British have always used hegemonic means to achieve their goals, and when their opponents are already able to wrestle their wrists, they will know how to advance and retreat. The next day, the British side informed the Chinese side that the meeting was temporarily adjourned. Needless to guess, Zhu Erdian's ministerial privilege could not decide such a major issue, so he had to report it to China by telex.

King George V of England received a telegram from Jurdian and immediately summoned all the ministers for urgent deliberation. As soon as the smoke of the war in Europe had just died down, and the newly rising powers in East Asia were taking a tough stance on regaining their lost territorial sovereignty, George V thought that the situation was serious, but he was at a loss for a moment in the face of China's tough attitude. George V was indecisive, but his wife, Princess Mary, was very talented and often had ideas behind her back.

At this time, British Prime Minister David said with a very ugly face: "Your Majesty, the embassy in the United States has sent a telegram that US President Wilson has made it clear that the United States will remain neutral on the Sino-British issue and hopes that the two countries will resolve the dispute by peaceful means. ”

A minister said indignantly: "Your Majesty, the United States has always stolen the interests of the Japanese in the Northeast, and naturally does not want to offend China, which tells us to respect China's demands." "Everyone has expressed their opinions, and the vast majority of ministers have suggested using force against China. The war in Europe had just ended, and George V did not dare to easily approve of the use of force against China. Seeing the king's embarrassment, Churchill, the Minister of the Admiralty, stood up and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is no accident that China has won a complete victory in the war against Japan and has risen to become a military power in East Asia. ”

Churchill continued: "Not long ago, in the Sino-Japanese battle on the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese army was in the Taedong River and the northeastern region of Korea, the Japanese army had nearly 1 million Japanese troops, while the Chinese side only invested 600,000 troops, and the Japanese army was not only difficult to parry, but also 300,000 Japanese troops were surrounded. Gentlemen, China's iron-blooded general, Ge Yunfei, has built a strong, modern army, and its combat effectiveness is very strong. In the Sino-Japanese war, the bravery of the soldiers on both sides was in between, but the Chinese army's weaponry was astonishing, not only more advanced fighters appeared, but also tanks and fighting vehicles were put into the Korean Peninsula. ”

Everyone was shocked to hear that the British government deliberately concealed the war in the Far East, and the media did not report much, and the brutal war in Europe has always been the focus. Churchill suddenly threw out such shocking news, which shocked everyone. Churchill waved his hand, and his subordinates brought in a blackboard, which was plastered with photographs. "Everyone, please see, this is China's latest bomber and fighter, and it is a very advanced monoplane fighter, and its maneuverability and range have surpassed our fighters."

"This is a Chinese tank, the performance is not clear. But according to the combat experience of the Japanese army, the combat performance of Chinese tanks far exceeded ours, and Chinese tanks could only be destroyed with explosives. In order to protect the safety of tanks, the Chinese army has specially assigned a special unit to tank fighting vehicles. This special unit is well-armed, and this photo shows the submachine guns and light machine guns in this unit. ”

"General Churchill, your portrayal of the Chinese army as too strong is a sign of cowardice. According to the conclusion of the Sino-Japanese war, the defeat of the Japanese army was a matter of war potential. If we unite the Japanese and French armies and launch another attack on the Korean Peninsula, we will be able to defeat the Chinese army. "A minister has stepped forward to support the war.

Churchill said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not describing the strength of China's army, and China today is not the China of a few decades ago. At that time, China was a state of scattered sand and civil strife, but today's China has undergone earth-shaking changes. In particular, the iron-blooded general Ge Yunfei has become a national hero, and his appeal and charisma are incomparable. You see, once the war starts, the Chinese army may not be confined to the Korean Peninsula, and it can attack from Burma and then enter India. It can also launch an attack from Annam, enter the Malay Peninsula through the Indochina Peninsula, and cut off the transportation channel of the Strait of Malacca. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not alarmist, with the current capabilities of the Chinese army, it can launch simultaneous attacks on the Korean Peninsula, Annam, and Burma, and once we are defeated, we will lose the interests of the whole of Asia, and the interests in China are more important than the interests of the whole of Asia? Think again! Churchill's words brought the ministers' remarks about the use of force to an abrupt halt.

George V said: "General Churchill has a point, the war in Europe has just ended, on the surface we are a victorious army, if the labor expedition can be sure of victory?" Prime Minister David said: "Your Majesty, according to General Churchill's analysis, if a full-scale war breaks out in China, we are not sure of victory, and the consequences of defeat will be unimaginable. "That being the case, it would be foolish to advocate the use of force. The Americans are looking at jokes, the only allies are the French, and we don't have any choice. ”

George David set the tone, and soon the British government reluctantly accepted the Chinese decision. For the sake of face, the British thought that Ge Yunfei was too strong as a soldier and did not want Ge Yunfei to participate in the next step of negotiations between China and Britain. After several rounds of painstaking negotiations, the negotiations that followed resulted in a bilateral agreement endorsed by China and the UK. Britain was forced to accept the Chinese decision, and in addition to returning the administrative rights of the concession and withdrawing troops, the Chinese side guaranteed that the commercial interests of Britain and British citizens would not be infringed upon, and that private property would be legally protected.

In addition, the British government recognizes China's indisputable territorial sovereignty over Tibet, and recognizes China's restoration of the traditional border lines between China and India and China and Myanmar. After the end of the negotiations between China and Britain, the negotiations between China and France went very smoothly, and the French government not only returned the Shanghai Concession, but also the border line between China and Annam was drawn in Hanoi according to historical data. As for Macao, it was no longer a problem, and Portugal took the initiative to return the administrative rights of Macao.

With regard to the restoration of sovereignty over territorial waters in the South China Sea, the British and French sides have no objection to China's request for a nine-dash line, and the United Kingdom and France have proposed to discuss the South China Sea issue again at the World Peace Conference in Paris in September.