"Not afraid of ten thousand, just in case, what if our strength causes general uneasiness among the great powers? After all, they have all violated our country before, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will not be thieves and worry about our retaliation, especially those countries that have colonies in the South Seas. A middle-aged man in his thirties stood up and asked with a serious face, "There is also a possibility that if Britain grants them enough benefits, it is difficult to guarantee that no country will be tempted"

"Sure enough, those who can leave a big name in history are somewhat capable, and it is not easy to think of so many so many quickly, so it is not in vain for me to make an exception." , Li Hui listened to the middle-aged man's words, and couldn't help but show a relieved smile on his face.

Tang Shaoyi, whose name is Shaochuan, was born on January 2, 1862 in Tangjia Village, Tangjiawan Town, Zhuhai, Guangdong. In 1874, he became the third batch of young children to study in the United States, went to the United States to study, and later entered Columbia University to study, but was recalled early and failed to complete his studies.

Before the First Sino-Japanese War, Tang Shaoyi served as the consul in Seoul, North Korea, not long after the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, he was invited by Gao Shanji with Yuan Shikai, and made a lot of contributions, after Gao Shanji was martyred, he returned to China with Yuan Shikai, but Li Hongzhang took into account Tang Shaoyi's diplomatic talent and left him in Tianjin, but before the official appointment, Tang Shaoyi became a prisoner of the rebel army in a daze

Due to Li Hui's own lack of negotiation (the key is that he is self-aware), although the agents in the biochemical army can serve as a part-time agent, the cost is too high, not to mention the lack of flexibility and experience. Therefore, for the diplomats of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Li Hui still tried to retain them as much as possible, at least enough to put up a diplomatic shelf, right?

Among them, Tang Shaoyi was a historical celebrity and the only one among Manchu diplomats who had experience in the war, so he received special attention from Li Hui, and he was exceptionally approved to become the first batch of party members of the Datong Party and participate in the First National Congress as the only representative of the diplomatic mouth.

Now seeing that Tang Shaoyi has no stage fright, dares to question his views in public, and the questions raised are also of some value, Li Hui is very pleased, but this does not mean that he was persuaded by Tang Shaoyi.

Li Hui made a gesture to signal Tang Shaoyi to sit down, and said with a slight smile, "Shaochuan, your worries are not unreasonable, but even if the Western powers are afraid and uneasy, they will not take the initiative to declare war on us because of this, uh, more precisely, they dare not take the initiative to declare war on us." Because even if war was declared, they did not have enough strength to intervene in the Sino-British war, and before the completion of the first batch of Haitian-class armored cruisers, it is not an exaggeration to say that the British Royal Navy dominated the world, and the navies of other countries around the world combined were not their opponents, because the appearance of Sovereign-class battleships made all the capital ships at that time obsolete overnight. ”

"And our Haitian-class patrol has also opened a new era, and her appearance has made the monarch class obsolete, in other words, even if the whole world unites, it is impossible to defeat us at sea! The battle at the mouth of the Yangtze River has fully proved this, and the most advanced Centurion-class battleships of Britain were beaten by Haitian in a one-on-one contest and were powerless, this is the power of the technological generational difference! Li Hui's loud words made the deputies present tremble, and Yan Fu and other naval representatives listened to it with enthusiasm, as if they had suddenly returned to their youth, because they knew that Li Hui was not bragging, and the current Chinese Navy was so powerful!

Seeing that everyone was shocked, Li Hui's tone slowed down slightly, and added, "If we only have the current six Haitian-class patrol ships, then we may lose sight of one or the other because the number is too small, and we will eventually be dragged to death by the huge number of enemies." But soon we will have six new Haitian-class cruisers in active service, and with twelve Haitian, what else do you have to worry about? What's more, we still have a geographical advantage, and all we need to consider is the question of where we can hit, and it is absolutely impossible to lose our division and land. ”

"The Western powers are not fools, knowing that they will inevitably lose a war, and unless they have no choice like Britain, none of them will be willing to wade into this troubled water. Especially those countries that have colonies in the South Seas, like eggs held in the palm of our hands, dare not be hostile to us. As for the British inducement, how much benefit are they willing to give? If it's just empty checks, who will take a kick out of them? And if it is a real benefit, how much can Britain, which has already lost a lot, get? If they can win with support, they may still be determined, but it's just a fart to add to the wind, and it's useless, is it worth it? Li Hui's vulgar analogies made the delegates laugh, but everyone's eyes gradually had the kind of light called "self-confidence".

However, Tang Shaoyi still did not completely dispel his doubts, and he asked again, "What you said is very reasonable, but other powers can completely oppose us without knowing it, but secretly provide supplies and other help to the British fleet, and even help them transport troops, so what should we do?" ”

"You asked this question very well, and it is indeed possible for them to do so, on the one hand, to exploit loopholes, and on the other hand, to test our bottom line." , Li Hui's expression became a little more serious, he thought for a while, and replied, "We must draw a clear red line, what can be done and what cannot be done, whoever dares to violate is our enemy!" And the task of your diplomats is to make this attitude clear to them, and we can give some benefits to countries that are willing to comply, such as a commitment not to invade their colonies, to open their markets to them completely, and so on, of course, all of which must be mutual. Even, we can sell arms to them, including the Haitian-level armor patrol, all kinds of world-leading weapons and equipment on Xia Ke Island, as long as they show enough sincerity, we can sell them to them, or we can directly exchange technology, I don't believe that no one will take the bait."

Tang Shaoyi was overjoyed at first, because with Li Hui's permission, it would be much easier for them to do their work, but when he heard Li Hui say that even Haitian-level patrols could be sold, he still unconsciously "Ah?" "This is not good, once the Haitian-class patrol is obtained by the powers, then our technological superiority is not it."

"Originally, the technological superiority of the Haitian level could not be maintained for a few years, after all, the Western powers have a deep heritage, and it is not difficult to catch up, in this case, it is better to take it out in exchange for greater benefits while it is still in demand, why not sell it? Of course, the premise is that the other party's sincerity is enough! What is sincerity, you ask? Sincerity is profit! Li Hui laughed and said something that made Tang Shaoyi even more dumbfounded, "Actually, if the British's peace terms satisfy me, they can also become Haitian's buyers" (to be continued). )