For Liang Dunyan, who is the foreign minister of the temporary political axe, although he has been in office for five days, until this time, he still does not know why he is inexplicably "rebellious".

Originally, whether it was influenced by his family or his nostalgia for the Qing Dynasty, he didn't think he would rebel, but when he was about to set off from Hanyang to Tianjin to serve as the Tianjin Customs Road and was stranded in Hanyang due to the blockage of the Yangtze River, the governor's palace and his night later, he was dizzy and even a little inexplicably got on the "thief ship" on the Shunjiang River, and then after seeing the marshal, he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility and became the foreign minister.

At this time, although it is a little inexplicable, for Liang Dunyan, no matter how the political and social environment around him changes, he always wants to do something practical for the country, and this kind of pragmatic and low-key surname is exactly what Chen Moran admires The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the temporary political axe seems to be huge, but in fact, even including the porter, there are only a dozen people, so that the office is just a few houses in the ruling axe.

In this office that is not very spacious, facing Oda Kirimansuke sitting in front of him, Liang Dunyan just put on a rather helpless look.

"Consul Oda, it's not that I don't want to help your country, the minister also knows that whether the Dalian commercial port can be used by your army is directly related to whether the Asian nation can prove that it is not inferior to the white people, whether it can cut off the clutches of the Russians in Asia, and I also know that although your country's war is related to your country's interests, it is also related to our country's interests, but it is ......."

Everyone will say beautiful words, and this will Liang Dunyan said a bunch of beautiful words there according to his clear purpose, but in the end, the word "but" made Oda Kiri, who was mentioned by Liang Dunyan's beautiful words, have some hopes.

"We also talked about it before, it is definitely impossible to cede or lease it in Dalian, how can my ruling axe risk such a big deal!"

"Of course!"

Oda Kiri Manjunosuke nodded in response, the actual result of the discussion in Tokyo was also to give up the extravagant hope of plotting Dalian, with the strength of the Ben can completely capture Dalian in a battle with only a few thousand armed people to defend it, but no one wants to face the risk of the port being destroyed and the station being bombed, and there is no difference between a destroyed Dalian and other bays in the Liaodong region.

"Your Excellency, what our political axe means is that we can openly promise to the world that we will never occupy Dalian, and only need to obtain the right to use the Dalian commercial port in wartime."

"It's not appropriate!"

Sighing helplessly, Liang Dunyan took Xiao Tian's words, and then said downward.

"Your commitment? How to promise, huh! Promise that Dalian is the territory of the Qing State, and will never plot against Dalian, this Manchu Qing has agreed to your country to take over Dalian, and when you control the port, what will Dalian rely on at that time? ”

Without waiting for Oda Kiri Manjunosuke to refute, Liang Dunyan continued.

"I know that with your country's international reputation, it is absolutely impossible to do such a treacherous thing, but, Consul Oda, if your country intends to use the port of Dalian in wartime, then at least you should give the ruling axe a suitable promise, so that the ruling party can account to the people, but the officials of Dalian can not do it!"

Liang Dunyan's words only made Oda Kiri Manjunosuke see a glimmer of hope, and he hurriedly added.

"Okay, no problem, we can make a promise to the Temporary Political Axe!"

"It's still not appropriate!"

Liang Dunyan shook his head and sighed again, his heart was secretly happy, the marshal was an important surname for the victory or defeat of the Russo-Russian War in the relationship between Dalian and Hong Kong, and he was holding the fuse here to threaten Yue himself in order to get what he wanted.

"Hmmm! Consul Liang, now I very much doubt the diplomatic sincerity of your country! ”

Seeing hope from time to time, Oda Kiri Manjunosuke, who had just sprung up and was suppressed, said coldly that it was the first time since he became the consul in Shanghai that he had made such a compromise.

The change in Consul Oda's tone and expression was also exchanged for the change in Liang Dunyan's expression, and he replied coldly.

"Consul Oda, you are a career diplomat, and I would like to ask Mr. Consul, is it possible for your country to make any diplomatic commitment to my provisional political axe that is consistent with public international law?"

A rhetorical question made Oda Kirimansuke, who was originally a little angry in his heart, stunned for a long time, speechless, and he looked at Liang Dunyan, whose expression was cold, this official who was born in the United States as a child is obviously very familiar with public international law. Even if the Provisional Axe makes a commitment to the Provisional Axe, it is up to the Provisional Authority to abide by it or not, and even if it violates it, it does not violate public international law, and the Provisional Axe is not a regime recognized by the Provisional Axe, and naturally the Provisional Axe does not need to abide by the credibility of public international law.

"I need to remind Consul Oda that until China and China have no diplomatic relations between the two countries, our country will never accept anything about the use of Dalian Commercial Port!"

Although he used his personal relationship with the Rockefeller family of the United States and Admiral Fisher, the British Secretary of the Navy, to try to break the current diplomatic dilemma, the political axe of various countries still ordered the consuls in various parts of South China not to have formal contact with the temporary political axe.

At present, the attitude of various countries towards this liberation campaign is, first, to rely on fleets to protect the lives and property of the people of the countries in the Yangtze River basin, and second, to relocate missionaries and merchants from remote areas to the concessions; The third is to maintain the so-called "strict neutrality" between the two factions fighting in China, but this neutrality is an arms embargo on the South and loans to the North to buy weapons. The second is to oppose the unilateral intervention of a foreign country; This is in favor of the Provisional Political Axe. However, the fact that countries follow a common policy of "no recognition, no engagement" has kept the provisional political axe in a diplomatic dilemma that is unfavorable to them.

If we want to break the diplomatic dilemma, the only way is to first break the so-called "common policy of all countries"; although through the mediation of the Rockefeller family in the United States, the attitude of the US political axe toward the temporary political axe is changing, but it is not a simple task to break the diplomatic dilemma, and now the temporary political axe urgently needs to break the diplomatic dilemma, so that the great powers can recognize the sensational effect of the temporary political axe, and at the same time boost morale and win the defection of those local officials.

"That's right, money is a weapon!"

Chen Moran's voice was not loud, but he was approved by Liang Dunyan.

"I can threaten the British banking community to withdraw from the loan to Qingguo by withdrawing the deposit in Britain, and remind the Bank of America through the Rockefeller family to make them give up the loan to Qingguo, but this is already the greatest use of those two sums of money!"

After pondering for a while, Chen Moran added another sentence.

"At least for now!"

At this time, Chen Moran didn't show the smugness he had when he met with Xiao Tian, he was just talking about a very ordinary thing, in fact, only a few people knew about it until now.

Fifteen days ago, almost after receiving information that the Manchu Qing Dynasty seemed to have loaned 13 million pounds to various countries and that various countries seemed to have formed a banking group against China, he immediately sent a telegram to Ji Li, withdrawing 10 million pounds from the Bank of London in one day, and this was only a small part of the huge amount of money paid by the British financial circles when they bought shares in the Mexican oil fields.

But the purpose of that money is limited to this, and it is impossible to threaten Britain with a short deposit to recognize the temporary political axe, if it does, Britain only needs a freeze, and the money will be in vain.

In the end, in order to avoid trouble, he even borrowed 10 million pounds from HSBC and Citigroup banks in the form of personal guarantees, which was a high interest rate of 9.5%.

As long as we hold Dalian, they will ask us, as long as they want to win, they must get the right to use Dalian Port! Whether we can break the current predicament depends on this move,"

"Dashuai, are you really going to give them the right to use Dalian Port?"

When asked this question, Liang Dunyan was even a little worried, worried about the things he was most unwilling to face.

"What a joke!"

Chen Moran sneered.

"Not an inch of land, the power of the country will be contested, they can use it at most! Moreover, it is to transport the materials, as for the people! ”

Sneered, Chen Moran did not continue.

"I guess they will definitely give an answer in the next few days, you remember the following principles, first, the commercial port should only be used for the download of supplies, not for the transportation of soldiers. Second, it is recognized that 30 percent of the 50 former Russian-flagged merchant ships and material convoys that have been reregistered in Dalian must be Chinese merchant ships, and then in terms of diplomacy, it is said that Dalian Port must first be allowed to enter the port of Dalian when diplomatic relations are severed, the embassy is withdrawn from Yanjing, and the museum is opened in Jiangning."

After pondering for a while, Chen Moran added.

"And again, the Minister is an ambassador! Didn't they talk to me about equality? Since they say that they are all Asian brothers, then equal treatment should always be done! ”

The recent focus on diplomacy made Chen Moran understand for the first time the diplomacy of this era, in which the title of "ambassador" was not easily conferred, and by 1860 Britain had sent only three ambassadors - in Paris, St. Petersburg, and Constantinople. France sent more ambassadors, while the United States did not send an ambassador until 1893.

However, China does not have embassies of various countries, only first-class ministers, second-class ministers, etc., and there are no first-class ministers even stationed abroad. Foreign countries believe that China is not qualified to set up an embassy, or even a first-class minister, and they naturally will not send an ambassador in China, because China does not admire it!

"Handsome! With so many requests, do you think I will agree to them? ”

Compared with the confident marshal, Liang Dunyan has no confidence, not to mention anything else, even if the minister is promoted to the ambassador, I am afraid that it is difficult, after all, even if it is only the second year after winning the First Sino-Japanese War, he began to apply for the promotion of the embassy with other countries.

"Do they have a choice?"

“…… Their demand is that the Dalian issue be discussed, and it must be premised on the recognition of the provisional political axe! ”

Sitting in front of Hirobumi Ito, Komura Shotaro, who is regarded by Europeans as "the first diplomat in Asia in a hundred years", concluded the Anglo-Japanese alliance and promoted the Russo-Japanese War. If there were no small villages, there would not have been a Russian-Japanese war. The foreign minister of the evaluation said, but his brows were wrinkled.

In his diplomatic career, it can be said that he tried his best to seek the maximum benefit for the sake of the capital, but this time, in the face of Dalian and Jiangning, he had a feeling of no way to start for the first time, and when he was in the war against the Qing State ten years ago, he was so powerless, and he found that the diplomatic means he was accustomed to could not be used at all.

It is precisely for this reason that President Ito invited him to his house today to discuss this issue, and he and Prime Minister Katsura had a serious disagreement on the issue of Jiangning's political axe.

"Mr. President, in accordance with international law or diplomatic norms, if the Qing Dynasty undergoes a change of political system in the future, and the new regime does not abolish the "treaty rights" of the states, what we are asking for is only such a new regime with a policy of succession, not a new state. In such cases, there is generally no question of non-recognition, which is why States remain neutral and unofficial, but ......"

"But now, the Chinese are pushing us into a dilemma, right?"

I asked Ito Hirobumi to taste the tea first, this is Qingguo, no, it should be the new tea shipped from China now, the fragrance of the new tea is very attractive, but he failed to taste the taste of tea.

"Yes, Mr. Dean, if our country takes the lead in recognizing the provisional political axe, it will undoubtedly break the republican policy of all countries, and at the same time it will inevitably sever diplomatic relations with the Qing State, which may cause our country's diplomacy to fall into the target of public criticism!"

"Kodama has sent sixteen telegrams from South Korea, and the content of the telegram is only one, Dalian!"

Hirobumi Ito calmly said something else.

"It's June now, and at this time the waves on the sea are very strong, and our First Army Corps of General Nogi can only rely on sampans to land, which is nothing, but what about supplies? According to a report by Kodama, soldiers and crews desperately loaded with weapons and ammunition on sampans, and one out of ten ships often capsized and sank into the sea before reaching the shore, which made the ammunition in front of the ship even more strained, and food could be bought with money and raised on the spot, but the war could not be won without bullets and shells, and the General Staff Headquarters believed that if there was no commercial port in Dalian, we would probably have failed. ”

At this time, Ito was no longer as worried as he was before the war, and the performance of the army and navy made him full of confidence in winning the early stage of the war, but now the Dalian issue has become the key to affecting the entire direction of the war.

"But I think ......"

"You don't think we should admit it first, do you?"

"Yes, Mr. Dean, I am worried that this will cause speculation from other countries, after all, taking advantage of the internal situation of the Qing Dynasty to grab more benefits is the purpose of the current policy of these countries towards China, and once we recognize the temporary political axe, it may cause a series of diplomatic troubles!"

The attitude of the states towards the Qing state has always been one of interests, and the same is true of the original government, first of all, acknowledging that the temporary political axe may not only lead to a series of diplomatic troubles, but also lead to the loss of interests.

"But the port of Dalian has already affected this war! At that time, I am afraid that it will not be as simple as diplomatic trouble, and diplomatic trouble is only a verbal trouble, but if we lose the battlefield advantage that we have so hard to get, then I am afraid that the trouble of this book will be ......."

Ito Hirofumi said lightly, "Many of the demands made by the Chinese are also unacceptable!" ”

The village voiced its concerns.

"Mr. President, China seems to have given Dalian to us, but what we got was only to sail merchant ships into the commercial port, and Dalian Port only supplies for disembarkation, of which thirty percent need to be Chinese ships, to clear diplomatic relations, to establish diplomatic relations with Jiangning, and the legation is upgraded to an embassy, sending ambassadors to each other, the Chinese give too little, and we pay too much!"

After hearing this, Ito Hirofumi suddenly cast a shadow on his heart, and then he was silent, he knew his compatriots very well, and these compatriots of his own were too focused on the immediate gains and losses, even when Dalian Port was related to the life and death of the people.

"Did they ask for money?"

"Nope!"

"Are they going to take it back?"

"Nope!"

"And what do they want?"

The language is a rhetorical question, not a rhetorical question, and when he says this, his tone seems very low.

"The skin does not exist, and the hair wilts?"

After Dean Ito said this, he looked up at the rain curtain outside the window.

"If this war, when it is now going to gain an advantage, it loses because the port cannot guarantee the supply of ammunition. What will all of us face at that time? ”

If the book fails...... Komura Shoutaro's heart was calm, he understood that maybe by that time he would have fallen into a more miserable situation than the visit of the black ship, he said that he was not a Qing country, and he could not afford to defeat without the savings and potential strength of the Qing country! At that time, Lucia, who is greedy and has become a surname, will not only annex Manchuria and Korea, but will also get involved in the native land, and at that time...... That's it.

"Speaking of merchant ships, our merchant ships simply cannot meet the needs of the mainland war, we hire British and German merchant ships to transport supplies for us, why can't we hire Chinese ships? Even if Dalian can't get it, why do you still think about those Russian steamers, as for the severance of diplomatic relations, Xiaocun, you know the Qing Kingdom! ”

Speaking of Ito Hirobumi, he seemed to be caught up in the memories of the past, six years ago when he stepped down as prime minister and went to the Qing Dynasty, he almost became a Qing Restoration adviser, at that time he was thinking of repairing the Qing relations that had been damaged after the Qing War, and even now he also thinks that the Qing relations should be repaired.

"As early as the Qing War, the Han students of the Tianjin Naval Academy had no confidence or interest in resisting the Qing Dynasty, and even had an expectation that they could overthrow the Manchu court. China's recovery has been irreversible! ”

Saying that, Ito Hirobumi's expression became serious, he looked at Komura, and still sighed in his heart, Komura may be a competent diplomat, but he does not have the vision of a politician.

"Taking the lead in recognizing China can not only make Dalian useful to us and avoid defeat in the war, but also show favor to the new regime! This is the perfect time to revise the relations between China and China. ”

(To be honest, Yasu's few shots cost Ito's life and Katsura Taro's death eight years later, changing the history of Asia and the world. Who knows? If there is any place where the two are most successful, it may be that after the First Sino-Japanese War squeezed China as much as possible, they were able to ease the relations between the two countries, and did not end up with a feud between Germany and France after the Franco-Prussian War. The Meiji political axe is full of talents, and Taisho is barely embarrassed, and when he arrives in the country of Hirohito, in addition to blind movement and arrogance, he has long forgotten what diplomacy is and what politics is...... ）

(To be continued)