"Bang, bang, bang" When Qing Premier Li Hongzhang and the German and French ministers walked into the venue together, all the flashing lights in the audience flashed one after another.

Today is a big day for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, and this is the first time that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty has appeared in front of the camera. For this signing ceremony of the Qing-German-French railway cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened its doors to ordinary journalists for the first time. The small courtyard was already crowded with journalists from all over the world. All journalists were told that they were free to ask questions after the signing ceremony. This is a good opportunity to get close to the top of the Qing Cabinet. Especially after Britain resold warships, Qing Guo did not make relevant remarks. This was an opportunity to get a good understanding of the attitude of the Qing government's top brass towards Britain.

Li Hongzhang gestured to all the reporters present very gentlemanly, and then sat on the main seat in the middle, and the German and French ministers sat on the left and right. Soon the waiter presented the paperwork and ink, and after the three of them browsed the contract presented in front of them, they signed their names in the place where they signed. Then they all stood up, shook hands and exchanged contracts, and everything was normal.

"The importance of railways to the development of a country's economy needs not be repeated. China's railways from Beijing to Heilongjiang, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are about to open to traffic, and most of the railway from Jiaozhou to Xi'an has been completed. Compared with China's huge territory, these railways alone are not enough. In order to better develop the economy of the Jiangnan area, the Chinese imperial court decided to continue to build the Jiangnan Railway from Shanghai to Changsha. After a lot of evaluation by our government, we decided to hand over the railway to the German Asian Rail Company for construction. Of course, this is only the first phase of the project. After completion, it will continue to extend to Sichuan and even Kunming. At the same time, as a member of many countries in the world. China is also trying to get closer to the world. Therefore, at the invitation of France, China decided to build China's first railway connecting foreign countries, the railway from Guangzhou to Cochin, Vietnam. The railway will be built by the French railway company......"

Li Hongzhang's speech, like the speeches of all Chinese officials, was resolute, his ideals were full, and his slogans were earth-shattering...... In addition to explaining which railways to build and who to build them, Li Hongzhang babbled for nearly 20 minutes. There was nothing else. Regarding the speech of the Qing premier, the reporters in the audience listened enthusiastically, and they listened to it while taking shorthand. I'm going to think about it when I go back. I believe that no matter how much they think about it when they go back, they can't figure out anything substantial. Where do these foreign devils understand the connotation of China's official speeches, and China's official public statements have basically not changed for thousands of years, except for the more perfect wording and sentences. The only thing that makes these journalists hear the change is. Now Qing Guo's speech is talking about his own country. The Qing Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty are no longer used to represent them, but the word China is always used. In fact, this is all required by Guangxu, even if the Guangzhou uprising was quickly quelled, but in the open-minded places of Guangzhou, Shanghai and other places in the south, there are still people who are doing things with the topic that the emperor is a Manchurian, which can be said to be too hard to grasp. Therefore, Guangxu strictly ordered the court and officials not to use the Qing or Qing Dynasty in all documents and speeches, and to use the Qing or Qing Dynasty in all documents and speeches, but to use Chinese representatives. Guangxu is showing the world. The imperial court represents the country and all the people in it. There is no distinction between the Mans and the Chinese.

Finally, after Premier Li finished speaking, he sat down. The reporters in the audience began to ask questions. The first to stand up was a British reporter, who held his pen high and asked loudly: "May I ask Mr. Prime Minister, as far as I know, your country has been in contact with China's railway company for the Shanghai-Hunan Railway, and has already discussed specific construction matters. Why did Qing suddenly announce cooperation with Germany? The reporter unceremoniously threw out this topic directly, of course, this is also what most of the reporters present wanted to ask. Moreover, the reporter was very arrogant, and after asking the question, he didn't even give time to wait for the rostrum to speak, so he sat down directly and very unruly.

The British are arrogant, but they have arrogant capital and confidence. Because the British Empire was the largest country in the world at this time, their huge territory not only had the title of the empire on which the sun never set, but also had the most powerful fleet in the world. Therefore, a small reporter is arrogant only because he has a strong country as the backing.

Regarding this problem, Li Hongzhang's explanation to the outside world is that the British asking price is too high, and the reason why he will discuss the specific construction matters with the British side is also because he wants the British company to know the benefits after the successful construction, and hopes that the British side can reduce the asking price. But the UK refuses to lower prices, so it can only find companies that want lower prices. And the German companies will, so why not hand it over to them?

Li Hongzhang's explanation can deal with those journalists, although everyone knows that the reason why this happened was because of the British resale. After all, in terms of actual quotations, Germany did bid lower and on better terms. From a business point of view, there is nothing wrong with choosing a German company.

But after Ogner, who was a man of understanding, reported the matter to the country, the entire British Parliament was shaken. Through previous negotiations with the Qing State, the members of Parliament had already determined that the Qing Shanghai-Hunan Railway had been built by the British. Now, the sudden change has made the British MPs think that they have been betrayed by the Qing and ask Ogener to put pressure on the Qing State.

After Ogner received the report, he didn't have time to press. Germany made another announcement that made him unable to put pressure on the Qing State.

Germany was going to send two battleships, the Brandenburg and the Wools, to the Far East, and even the date of departure was set. Originally, he just wanted the Qing State to involve the energy of Britain, but what Wilhelm II did not expect was that his seemingly disgusting British move was exchanged for such benefits from the Qing State. For this reason, he thought that it was necessary to make Britain sick again. In addition, he offered to the Qing to provide a port for his Far Eastern Fleet to replenish. Unexpectedly, the Qing State agreed to open Lushun, a port that never allowed ships from other countries to enter. Qing also took the initiative to negotiate and ask Germany whether it was willing to lease Tainan's Mirs Bay in Taiwan as a military port for German ships in the Far East. This overjoyed Kaiser Wilhelm II, and now the commander of the German Far East Fleet is examining whether it is appropriate there.

Ogena had a headache, just because Britain resold two warships of the Qing Kingdom, and he didn't expect to bring such a big trouble. The warships ordered by the Qing and Japanese countries will return to the Far East next year. Now Germany is also stepping in. Hawaii's small fleet can also enter the Far East at any time, and even the Iowa-class battleships, which were planned to be built only by the United States in order to strengthen its influence in the Pacific, have now become four. Two of them will sail to the East Coast of the United States in the future...... Oh my God, the Far East is just too crowded.

For this reason, Britain closed the Suez Canal and did not allow German ships to pass through. If Germany had suddenly resold these four newest warships to Qing before the start of the war, Britain's Far East policy would have been completely yellow.

Then Germany succumbed, and the battleships did not go to the Far East, but those two cruisers would still come. For this reason, the German minister specially met with Guangxu to explain that in fact, those two battleships were originally intended to be resold to the Qing Dynasty to deal with the little Japan that was destroying peace. Guangxu didn't care, and still agreed to lease Mirs Bay.

Ogener knew that the Qing still agreed to lease Mirs Bay. His surface can be called arrogant. In the imperial study, he not only asked the same question as the reporter, but he also added a question at the end: "Your Majesty is so rebellious?" ”

But Guangxu, as the emperor, didn't need to say such things to Ogner, who was also a clear person. So in the face of Ogner's questioning, Guangxu's answer was also very tough: "Your country even paid a deposit contract and said that it will be overturned, so what do you say about this matter?" ”

"But we refunded the deposit and liquidated damages according to the contract."

"We haven't even signed a contract yet. Since your country has indulged Japan to challenge China, don't expect China to stick your cold ass with a hot face. ”

"The area around Jiangnan was the sphere of influence of the British Empire. There is no room for others to interfere. Ogna jerked to his feet. The tone is stern.

"Presumptuous." Guangxu smashed his fist on the case and said angrily: "That is the land of China, and it is not a place where you British can point fingers." ”

"Your Majesty, you are an affront to the British Empire."

"China's dignity cannot be desecrated."

It was cold, and there was only the sound of two people's heavy breathing in the entire imperial study. Fortunately, Guangxu has already let all the attendants leave, so today's conversation will not leak out.

After a long time, Ogna suddenly laughed, and naturally sat back in his chair. He said lightly: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I must remind you. The consequences of a war between the Qing and our country. "There are so many such scenes in foreign negotiations that there is no need for an unintentional argument. What face, what dignity, in the end, it is not to rely on strength to speak, he believes that the emperor in front of him will not be so stupid as to see the situation clearly.

"If China and Britain go to war, China will definitely lose." Just now, Guangxu was really worried that Ogna would throw his hand and leave, so Guangxu could only go to ask Ogna. Otherwise, China and Britain will really have to go to war. Seeing Ogner sit down, Guangxu also breathed a sigh of relief, especially when Ogner spoke lightly, it meant that things could be discussed. As long as the conversation can continue, it will be easy to do, so Guangxu also told the truth: "Once China and Britain go to war, not only will the Chinese navy be wiped out, but all overseas territories will be lost." Not only that, but all the coastal cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Tianjin will also be lost, and even I believe that if the British Empire wants to, I will not be able to stay in Beijing. ”

"So I suggest that Your Majesty reconsider the construction of the Shanghai-Hunan Railway."

"But I also want to warn Minister Ogne. The Qing Dynasty has a vast land area and a population of 40,000. Even if we lose Beijing, there will still be Luoyang and Xi'an in China, and even I can move to Chongqing. So may I ask, how many warships does your country need to send in the Qing Dynasty, how many troops to send, and how many war resources do you need to consume? Even so, how much time and how many wars do you think your country will have to spend and fight before it can achieve complete victory? ”

"To be honest, I really want to know." Ogna looked at Guangxu with some mockery.

"Since Britain wants to push us to a dead end, then China can only fight on its back. Believe it or not, if I want, with just one sentence, there will be 40,000 Yang Hong in the whole of China. ”

Ogna chuckled in his heart. Countries around the world remember the Yang Hong Rebellion fondly, a completely xenophobic organization with a deep-seated rejection of Westerners. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, all the factories opened by Westerners within their sphere of influence were destroyed or looted. With the current influence of Emperor Guangxu in China, Ogener believes that Guangxu can do it. But in this way, the entire Qing state will take revenge on all the British in China. The navy of the Qing State can be ignored, even if it is the Qing Army. Ogener also believed that the British Empire could be defeated. But to occupy the country, it would require at least tens of millions of troops.

The Qing State was also a land country with a large population, and a population of 400 million allowed them to organize an army of more than 10 million. This is more than the population of the British Empire itself. And once the war starts, how will the investment of the United States, France, Germany, Italy and other countries in China be handled? With the loss of such a huge raw material source and market, how will other countries react? And how will the UK ensure that the interests of other countries are not compromised? Because of the war provoked by the British.

The Qing Emperor, who would never surrender, would fight the war forever, and in that case, France, the United States, and especially Germany, which were planning to challenge the hegemony of the British Empire, would secretly support the Qing Dynasty. Britain will be trapped in the Far East.

Worry is worry, but Ogner does not let go: "It seems that Your Majesty is not afraid of a war with my British Empire. ”

"Nope. I'm afraid. Neither I nor the whole of China are willing to be the enemy of the British. Because I believe that a stable situation in East Asia will be good for both the West and China. are very important, and if possible, I am not even willing to go to war with the Japanese. Although Ogener did not let go, both his tone and attitude were calm. So Guangxu was no longer tough, and even said a little flatteringly: "Before." It was only through this decree that we were able to conclude treaties with the Western countries on the opening of treaty ports. The biggest profit is the United Kingdom. ”

"But Your Majesty, Britain has paid a lot for this railway. Out of respect for His Majesty, I really don't want some unnecessary misunderstanding between the Qing Kingdom and the British. ”

"I don't want to, but your country's asking price is too high. Of course, I will give generous compensation to the British side for their early investment, as a reward for their hard work. ”

"What about the lease to the German port and the construction of the Canton Railway?"

"The Qing country was very poor, and if you want to build and develop, you need a lot of money. Your country's asking price is too high and you refuse to take out a loan, what do you think I should choose? ”

The meeting was long and there was no one else. So no one knows what's going on. It's just that Ogna was very happy when he left. Subsequently. Li Hongzhang, Tang Shaoyi, Lin Qizhao, Wang Shizhen and others received an urgent call from the emperor. In the Palace of Cultivating the Heart, Guangxu summoned all the civil and military confidants.

"Do you all know what Ogner is here for? He came to threaten me, he came to threaten the whole of China. As soon as the words came out, Guangxu burst out laughing: "He said that Jiangnan is the territory of the British Empire, and I told him that there is no room for the British to dictate in the territory of China. Do you know what he said, do you know what he said? He said he was curious to know the outcome of the war between the British Empire and China. Hahahaha...... "Guangxu's laughter is so miserable.

The ministers all knelt on the ground, and even the soldiers who had abolished the prostration were also on their knees, trembling.

"Guess what I'd do if Ogna didn't let up and didn't talk any further. I will go and beg him, and I will even kneel down and beg him. China cannot withstand the blows of the United Kingdom, because this is not an opponent of equal weight. China is still far from it. What dignity, what face, it's not even a piece of paper in front of the British guns......" As he spoke, Guangxu burst into tears.

The ministers were outraged. The soldiers show loyalty, and they will fight to the last man. The civilians swore that they would arm the last child and send him to the front. The humiliation of the British minister is not only the emperor, but also the country and every subject in this country.

Guangxu waved his hand to stop the noise of the ministers: "For foreigners, the respect given to China now is only for the sake of money. But what about our people? It's not like a dog being called by them. Will they still give us face if they can no longer benefit from China? What dignity? What face? Only dignity that has been tempered by blood and fire is heavy. I can lose face, and so can the faces of your courtiers, as long as the most ordinary citizens of a country have face and dignity, will China have no dignity? ”

"Wu Deren, no matter what your attitude towards Britain was before, I am just talking about you. But now, I will warn you, and all of you. No matter what you think in your heart, you have done enough to save face. From now on, we need to lie on our laurels and manage ourselves with our hearts. To foreigners, we can grovel, we can be servile......" Guangxu suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard: "Even if they are willing, I can please them like a dog." But ten years later, I want to meet them, looking up-" Guangxu's eyes were red, and his expression was resolute.

Li Hongzhang saw the line of blood oozing from the corner of the emperor's mouth. (To be continued......) u