"I have heard that Mr. Ogna strongly advised the British Government to assist our country by selling warships before the Battle of Riau, for which I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Ogner, on behalf of the Chinese Government. Out of respect for Mr., that's why I'll show this map to Mr., and I'm sure he won't say it, right? ”

"Lord Tang can show me this map, that is a trust in me, Lord Tang can rest assured." After Ogener's assurance, the subject changed: "However, in my personal opinion, my government may not agree to such a partition. I'm sure France and Germany, including Italy, will have an opinion. ”

This is to use European countries to put pressure on China. Tang Shaoyi only smiled faintly at this: "Really? Sir, do you think Britain joined the Powers in declaring war on China? But I don't think so. At least not in Germany, because we have just reached an agreement with Germany on the sale of armored vehicles, and after the agreement with Russia I will go to Germany to meet with His Majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II on the specific price and method, and the Kaiser is extremely interested in our Baiqi-class battleships. ”

When it comes to white-class battleships, it's just that if the British are extremely depressed. The hegemon of the sea, the industrial power, the scientific and technological power, and the first shipbuilding power were surpassed by the Chinese, who were once regarded as a backward race in the Far East. The elites of the British Naval Design Institute's hundreds of ship designs still do not understand how the Chinese built the Baiqi-class battleships, and how the Chinese can effectively integrate the three core parts of the battleship: speed, armor and firepower? Not to mention the triple assembly of naval guns, which has not even been successful in theory so far.

Ogna was also entangled in his heart, but as an excellent diplomat, there was no change in his face: "Lord Tang thinks that China is strong enough to challenge Britain, France and Italy at the same time? ”

"I can't." Tang Shaoyi did not evade this question: "But for Italy, China and Italy only have cooperation and no conflict, what reason does Italy have to declare war on China?" As for France, Liu Yongfu, commander of China's Southern Corps, was unable to participate in the war against Russia, so he only got a small viscount this time. If France had declared war on China, I am sure General Liu would have been pleased. In fact, your country's naval strength alone is not comparable to ours. ”

"Since Lord Tang is very clear, what if my country is resolutely against it?"

"Actually, I have never understood that there is a direct conflict between Britain and Russia. Our occupation of the eastern part of Russia is the greatest weakening of Russia, which is beneficial to Britain, why does your country have such an attitude? ”

"Doesn't China think Siberia is too big? Retreat through Omsk, this is the bottom line of our country. ”

Hahaha -- Tang Shaoyi suddenly laughed, not so much that Britain was intimidating China, but that Britain was beginning to be afraid of China. The army's armored vehicles, the air force's airships, and even Britain's proudest naval warships are not as good as China's Baiqi-class battleships, and the endless emergence of new weapons has made Britain feel that their ability to support and control the world is declining, especially in the Far East, China's sudden rise has absorbed too many benefits that Britain could have obtained in the Far East, Japan and Siam, which were once biased towards Britain, have completely thrown themselves back into the arms of China, and Hainan Islands regard themselves as China. Therefore, Britain does not want China to weaken Russia too much, and Britain wants to leave Russia enough space for development, because China and Russia, two big countries that directly border each other and have fundamental conflicts, will clash sooner or later. In this way, China and Russia can be consumed in mutual contradictions and frictions, and Britain can also benefit more from it.

Britain's idea is clear to China, so Tang Shaoyi bluntly refused: "This is impossible. Our soldiers have spilled their blood and lives on this land, and if we are going to go back just because of a word from the British, then how can we explain to the soldiers? How do you explain it to your children and grandchildren? As for the question of Siberia, if Britain intended that our country would exchange a hundred times the size of the British mainland for the island of Great Britain, would your Congress agree? Siberia is huge, but as we all know, most of the land there is covered with snow and ice, and it is not inhabitable, and it is only in name only. ”

"So is China going to stick to its bottom line?" Oger stood up with a straight face.

"Mr. Ogner, I hope you can understand that what you can't get on the battlefield can't get at the negotiating table. We can make appropriate concessions, but not endless concessions just to the satisfaction of Britain. Tang Shaoyi did not ramble, but faced each other head-on.

This is not so much a negotiation between China and Russia as between China and the UK. Because of the total annihilation of the navy and the total defeat of the army, Russia has in fact lost its qualification for negotiations. If China does not hesitate to react to the international response and directly garrison troops to occupy it, Russia will not only have no choice, but will have to pay tribute to China in turn, begging China not to attack Ufa and the Caucasus. But the reason why Russia is tough and why China does not dare to attack Ufa and the Caucasus is the result of considering the international reaction, which in fact is almost equal to the British reaction. No way, who called Britain the world boss? However, there are two ways to respond to the international response: tough and back-off. Tang Shaoyi, or China, chose to be tough.

However, at this time, Ogna suddenly relaxed, and sat down again with a smile: "Let's make a hypothesis, if Britain wants to send the Grand Fleet to the Far East, how will your country respond?" ”

"To be honest, I don't know. You know that in China, the civil and military are separated, and I am a civil official, and it is impossible for me to know what the military attaché will think. But since this is a hypothesis, I'll assume it as I think. Half a year ago, the Chinese Navy completely annihilated the Russian navy with 30 main warships on the condition that not a single ship was lost, which is enough to prove the combat effectiveness of the Chinese navy. Of course, the strength of the British navy is definitely stronger than that of Russia, but there is still a possibility of defeat. Then if you want to defeat our navy, you need at least thirty capital warships in terms of numbers. However, our navy has the advantage of speed, and it will inevitably not have a head-on conflict with the British navy, but will adopt guerrilla tactics of high speed and heavy firepower, so in my imagination, it is not enough to rely on the British Far East Fleet, the Indian fleet, and the Australian fleet, at least the South African fleet must be transferred to have enough numbers and firepower to suppress the maneuver space of our navy, and if we want to destroy our navy, we must at least transfer the Mediterranean fleet or even the home fleet. If this is the case, then our navy will have no choice but to retreat to Bohai Bay and hide within the range of shore artillery after losing a large number of fast ships. At this time, the Nanyang Islands, Luzon, Taiwan, the Ryukyus, and Japan have all been lost, and China's coastline is no longer peaceful, and at present, China's major industries are concentrated in the coastal areas. ”

"And is your country still going to hold on?" Ogna's question has two meanings, one is to ask whether your country will choose to negotiate a truce in this kind of war situation? In fact, the question to ask is whether you still plan to stick to Russia's territorial claims?

Tang Shaoyi did not answer positively, but continued to hypothesize: "The military industrial capacity of my navy is mainly concentrated in the coastal area, so Bohai Bay is the last anchorage of our navy. And your country must forcibly break into the Bohai Bay, otherwise as long as it drags down, our country can endlessly build new warships to fight a war of attrition with your country. China is too far away from Britain for Britain to consume, so your country can only storm the Bohai Bay, and our last navy will inevitably choose to defend it. As a result, your navy invaded the Bohai Bay at a heavy price, completely destroying China's ability to build large ships. Since then, our country has no combat strength at sea with your country. ”

"So, and then what?" Ogener was interested, and he thought it might be an opportunity to learn about China's strategic arrangements.

And then? Tang Shaoyi despises Ogner in her heart, will China give you a chance? Do you know why China did not build large warships after the Great War and the Navy actually did not oppose it? That's because we're building submarines! Can you still attack Bohai Bay, which is defended by submarines? Well, even if it is broken through by you in the end, there is still a Yangtze River in my country for you to decorate. You can stop surface ships, but you can stop submarines? Lao Tzu will tell you about the four submarine bases and a number of submarine shipyards under construction in Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake and along the Yangtze River?

Seeing that Tang Shaoyi didn't speak, Ogna asked mockingly, "Lord Tang has nothing to say?"

"Oh, no. I was thinking, the war has come to this point, I think a year should be there. ”

Ogena thought for a while, although he didn't understand why Tang Shaoyi suddenly said this, but in the end he nodded: "It's estimated that it's about the same, Lord Tang thinks that China, which has lost its navy in a year, still has a way to threaten the British expeditionary fleet?" ”

"Not really. I'm just thinking that the range of naval guns is limited, and warships can't drive on land. Then, one year should be enough time for our army to sweep the whole of India. ”

With a snap, Ogna felt the blood rush into his brain. He forgot that China is still a land power. The Chinese navy was inferior to the British, but the strength of the Chinese army was demonstrated in the Sino-Russian war, and Ogener did not think that the Indian colonial army could withstand the attack of the Chinese army. If you want to mobilize troops from the mainland...... Hell, Britain launched the Second Boer War six years ago against the Boers with a population of only 100,000, and the war lasted for more than three years, and Britain invested more than 400,000 troops before it could get the Boers in check. Although the Boers were eventually forced to sign a treaty in favor of the British, the British were militarily pushed back to their positions. And in this war, the countries that provided the Boers with a large number of weapons and supplies, although there is no evidence, Ogna believes that the biggest suspicion, or rather, China. With such combat effectiveness of the British Army, he still wants to fight a land war with China, and Ogna feels scared when he thinks about it.

Before Ogner could speak, Tang Shaoyi said again: "All the interests of China have been lost, all the interests of India have been lost, but the islands of the South Seas belong to the Netherlands and Spain. For Britain, such a disadvantageous war, I don't think your parliament would agree to it in the first place. After speaking, Tang Shaoyi smiled.

Yes, the British Parliament would not have agreed to such a war. "Our country can close the Suez Canal to China, and I think this Congress will agree." This may be Ogner's last killer move.

"The world is big, and no one country can monopolize it. Europe is not attractive to China, and the European market is even less attractive to China. China can't meet the local Chinese and Southeast Asian markets, how can there be air traffic control in the European market, how many people are in Europe. Besides, we still have the Far Eastern Railway, and the defeat of Russia is inevitable, and if we are willing to provide loans for the release of captured soldiers loyal to Nicholas II in exchange for the transit of our trucks through Russia, I am sure that His Majesty the Tsar will not refuse this cake delivered to the door. As for the closure of the Suez Canal, Mr. Ogner, how much do you think this will affect China? Tang Shaoyi asked very strangely.

Britain's ability to balance the world is to rely on a strong navy to control all the world's sea arteries, as long as Britain cuts off the traffic in these places, the goods of other countries to be transported to distant places can only be rerouted, and the sharp rise in freight will lead to unsalable products, thus affecting a country's economy. However, these methods only work for European and American countries, because the world's largest dumping ground is the densely populated Far East, through which they dump their products into the Far East, such as the Suez Canal. But China doesn't, the South China Sea is under China's complete control, and the islands are not threatened by foreign countries. And Chinese goods can't even meet domestic demand, let alone just laid the land in the northwest. China does not care about the European market, but because of China's low labor costs and almost negligible transportation costs, the market share of European countries in the Far East is shrinking rapidly.

When neither military nor economic means could effectively balance China, and a war with China was clearly more in the interests of Britain, Ogener had nothing to say at all. After pondering for a long time, he said, "It seems that I have no reason to refuse. As for your country's bottom line, I will explain it to Congress. ”

"Mr. Ogna, I think you misunderstood. This is the emperor's bottom line, not my country's bottom line. After speaking, Tang Shaoyi casually picked up a pen and added a stroke on the map: "If the talks come and go, and finally the bottom line demarcated by the emperor concludes the speed negotiation, wouldn't it show the incompetence of our courtiers." ”

Ogna stretched out his head to see that Tang Shaoyi had drawn a small arch on the map, beyond the approximate red straight line between Aktobinsk and Atyrau. If you can really achieve the red line of the map, then adding an arch is not a problem. Ogner didn't say anything, just nodded and said, "I know your country's requirements." ”

The next day, the talks between China and Russia were still adjourned. It's just that the British cabinet ministers have been meeting all day behind closed doors, and no one knows what they are talking about. On the contrary, it was Tang Shaoyi who sat with the German representatives and talked and laughed, and it was only at lunchtime that the Chinese and German leaders reached an agreement on the sale of Chinese armored vehicles. Germany purchased 1,000 armored vehicles from China at a price of 850,000 yuan each, and another 1,000 sets of radio stations from China at a price of 50,000 yuan each. Again, as is the old rule, when the last product is delivered, Germany automatically obtains a production patent.

When the news broke, the German representative went out on the front foot, and the French representative on the back foot came to visit. There is no way, since China demonstrated the combat capabilities of airships to the world, plus Germany has purchased a large number of airships from China, and its officers have also received actual combat training from China. When these officers returned home, the Luftwaffe was to be formally formed. France, which did not buy airships from China at the beginning, was deeply aware of the pressure from Germany. This time, the French did not want to lose to the Germans again in army equipment.

"The reason why our country sells armored vehicles to Germany is that Germany also opens up lens processing technology to our country. And your country has nothing. Tang Shaoyi regretted expressing China's attitude to the French representative.

Just when the French representative was also entangled, Tang Shaoyi changed the topic: "Otherwise, your country's manufacturing capacity of complete sets of equipment is still very good, especially in the shipbuilding industry." Or you should be cheaper, so that I can explain to the country. ”

On the afternoon of October 3, China and France reached a trade contract under which China purchased 1,000 armored vehicles at the same price as Germany. However, the sale of the radio station was interrupted due to legal problems due to legal problems due to the fact that European scientists had registered radio patents in France, but this was a French problem. In the following two days, Tang Shaoyi had constant meetings with representatives of various countries and reached a lot of business cooperation with Italy and Austria and other countries. So much so that reporters from all over the world questioned what Tang Shaoyi came to Europe for.

However, with China's initiative to mediate and make concessions, France finally confirmed on the 4th that it would provide loans to Russia, and then France, Germany, Italy, and other countries also extended a helping hand to provide loans or other forms of assistance to Russia. However, it was China that would give Russia the most direct help, and it would release the prisoners of war loyal to the Tsar and provide enough light weapons and supplies to suppress the Russian civil uprising, which alone was enough to make His Majesty Nicholas II bow his arrogant head and finally agree to the transit of Chinese wagons through Russia in exchange for loyal armed forces.

On October 6, China and Russia, witnessed by Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Italy and other countries, sat down again for talks. Thanks to the results of the previous few days of communication, the negotiations went smoothly: China and Russia reached a new state border between China and Russia, with Atyrau, Aktobinsk, Kustanay, Kurgan, the 65th parallel of east longitude and the Ural Mountains as the general route. However, because the time into the deep winter is not conducive to the march, the withdrawal of Chinese troops has been postponed until after the beginning of spring in April next year. Regarding the issue of war reparations, Tang Shaoyi only demanded a symbolic reparation of 1 million pounds. Sergey, who got a lot of loans? Witt didn't even have the intention of asking for instructions from home, so he agreed on the spot.

On the evening of October 6 in Portsmouth and the early morning of October 7 in Beijing, Tang Shaoyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Plenipotentiary of China, and Sergei Silgei, Minister of Finance, Plenipotentiary of Russia, joined the Ministry of Finance. Witte, the two sides signed the Sino-Russian Portsmouth Peace Treaty amicably. Then the news spread smoothly throughout the world, and the whole world finally breathed a sigh of relief, the war was finally over, and the world would usher in a year without war.

But no one knew that Nicholas II stayed up all night, he smashed all the vases, Russia was once again reduced to a European country, Russia lost two-thirds of its land, and the land that his Slavic ancestors had opened up eastward for hundreds of years was completely lost in his hands, and he could no longer expand eastward.

For the world, the Portsmouth Treaty is also tantamount to recognizing China as the official hegemon of Asia, thus signaling that a new member of the yellow race has ushered in this world club of great powers.

At this time, at the top of Mount Tai, Li Ming, facing the rising sun, announced the news to the sky, and China finally recovered the lost ground. This great war washed away the gloom in the hearts of all Chinese like a spring rain, just as the emperor said at the top of Mount Tai: The Chinese have stood up from now on.

This is the first time in history that an Asian country has defeated a European country, and it is a big empire. This has had an exciting impact on the whole of Asia. It showed millions of colonial nations that the rulers of Europe were not divine and predestined. For the first time since the time of the Conquerors, white people have been defeated head-on, and all non-white peoples across the globe are filled with exciting hope. It also announced to the whole of East and Southeast Asia that China, once the old empire, is still the boss of this land -- sacred and unshakable. (To be continued.) )