(1st Update)

September 11, 1911, 7 p.m., Dongjiaomin Lane. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

A secret negotiation took place in John Hall on the first floor of the British Embassy, and the number of people present was strictly limited, and the content of the previously proposed Sino-British Secret Treaty revolved around it.

Present at the meeting were British Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Zhu Erdian, French Minister to China Marsley, Minister of Foreign Affairs Liang Dunyan, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Tang Shaoyi, and Vice Minister of Agriculture and Industry and Commerce "Crown Prince" Zai Zhen.

At present, relations between China and foreign countries are tense, and the meeting is also highly secret, and the whole process is held in secret, except for these few people, the Chinese side is only known to Yi Xuan himself.

The Sino-British Secret Treaty is about the survival and abolition of the cabinet, so he attaches unprecedented importance to this negotiation, and the appointment of Zai Zhen basically expresses this meaning.

At the conference table in the John Hall, the Chinese and foreign sides were separated from each other, and after the basic greetings and temptations, the meeting had reached the core part, and both sides began to touch each other's bottom line nakedly.

"Mr. Minister, the Prime Minister is most concerned about a question, when you can withdraw your troops, you want the fastest answer."

Tang Shaoyi threw out a most fatal question, and the negotiations went on to this point, and they all began to ask straightforward questions, Zhu Erdian could hear Chinese, and Ma Shili was no exception, both of whom had lived in China for many years, and there was no language barrier.

"It depends on when your troops withdraw from the concession area, and we cannot allow the Chinese army to occupy and endanger the concession side openly, continuously, and recklessly without external threats, which is not legal." "The first paragraph of the treaty is the basis for the entry into force of the other provisions, and we must first gain mutual trust." ”

Tang Shaoyi and Liang Dunyan glanced at each other, and the difficulty was here.

"As of this morning, the Legation has received seven letters for help from the French Concession Board of Directors, Mr. Tang, do you think the French army will leave them alone, think about it from our standpoint, the problem is actually very simple. ”

Tang Shaoyi wanted to fight back, but Liang Dunyan waved his hand and motioned for himself.

"I am very clear about your demands, but with all due respect, the central government cannot command the troops in the concession, they belong to local forces, and those who can command them are called Liangbi."

This was not surprising to Zhu Erdian and Ma Shili, who had been in China for more than a decade and were well aware of the scattered political landscape of the Qing Dynasty.

"Sorry, that's our bottom line, or we can fix it." Zhu Erdian flicked the table and did not continue to put pressure on Liang Dunyan, "Of course, this will destroy the mutual trust between us, and the best way is for you to come forward and let the Chinese troops withdraw." ”

Liang Dunyan did not continue to talk, the other party had already made it very clear that only by retreating from the army could there be peace, and this peace was not something he could decide alone, he nodded, he wrote something in the notebook.

"I will convey to the prime minister when I go back, now the second negotiation, joint trial, China has no objection to other requirements, as for the specifications of the trial judges, the Chinese side means to be as equal as possible." Tang Shaoyi continued.

"The joint trial is attended by the concession parties of the countries involved, and from the current point of view, there are nine countries, including China, Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Belgium, Italy, and Dutch India, and we have decided to have the chief justices of the Concession Chambers participate in the trial, and the specifications are roughly maintained at this level."

"Then the Chinese side will appoint judges from the Dali Yuan, and I suggest that the consuls of various countries in Shanghai observe the trial, and the Chinese side will also send relevant ministers of the Ministry of Justice to supervise, which is also for the sake of fairness and justice." Tang Shaoyi said.

Zhu Erdian and Ma Shili thought for a moment, and then nodded, "That's a good idea. ”

"Well, then, let's negotiate the last two paragraphs, Mr. Minister, on behalf of the Prime Minister personally, I will convey his views to the two of you, with regard to Germany's rights and interests in Shantung, especially in the Tsingtao area, our position is consistent, sovereignty undoubtedly belongs to China, and Germany is only the Lend-Lease."

"We support China's reasonable demands, and we extend our deepest sympathy and understanding to China on this issue." Zhu Erdian said with a serious expression.

"Thanks, but the chancellor means that the Germans had better not provoke." Tang Shaoyi said succinctly.

Zhu Erdian's face was flat, which was his earlier judgment.

"From the date of entry into force of the contract, our two countries are in an alliance relationship, and your security is protected by us."

"Compared with your country, Germany is also known as a first-class country in Europe, which makes it very difficult for us, and besides, Qingdao has a large number of German troops stationed." Tang Shaoyi directly put this worry on the table.

"Mr. Tang, you should feel completely assured that Germany's strength in the Far East is no more than one-fifteenth of that of Britain and one-seventh of that of France, and in the event of a conflict, British warships can send 40,000 men from India to the Chinese border within six weeks, and even, within two weeks, 16 task forces from Hong Kong can be sent to Tianjin to blockade the entire Bohai Bay and Jiaozhou area, and the German warships are of no use at all, and there is no support situation, just with your new army, 30,000 to 50,000 people, It is enough to occupy Tsingtao, and diplomatically, we will give you the greatest support, including the return of all rights and interests to China, and the permanent expulsion of German interests in China, which will be of great benefit to you. ”

Zhu Erdian's long speech made the three Chinese ministers on the table a little moved, although Germany is strong, but it is a short-legged European butcher, compared to Britain and France, which have taken root in the East for two hundred years, the strength is undoubtedly much smaller, the German army in Qingdao is no more than 10,000 people, under the union of the three countries, the defeat is only a matter of time, coupled with the support of the diplomatic field, it is very likely to recover Qingdao, at least to protect the security of the Yi-Liao regime.

"Clear, I'll convey your meaning to the Prime Minister later."

Liang Dunyan nodded, and at this point, the five-point clauses have all been discussed, and this meeting is nearing the end.

"I wish us all the best in the rest of our negotiations, three gentlemen, and you see, I have all the champagne ready."

Zhu Erdian smiled and said goodbye to them, in their opinion, the Chinese have no way back, and the diplomacy of weak countries is only under the wings of strong countries.

Taking advantage of the night, the Chinese car drove away from Dongjiaomin Lane, and the three people in the car did not communicate with each other.

In fact, before the Chinese representatives came, Yi-Liao had already made the final decision to abandon Germany, one of the important reasons was Liangbi, the Germans and the Janissaries were too close, the latter was almost a copy of the German Guards, if he had to stand between the Central Powers and the Entente, Yi-Xuan would rather choose to start from scratch and tie up with Britain and France.

So, now there is only one question left, when will Liangbi retire?

This is a headache for the three of them, and it is also the end of the next negotiations. (To be continued.) )