In Jinzhou, in the courtyard specially arranged for the ministers of various countries, the hall with charcoal fires burning on all sides is as warm as spring.

British Minister to China Ogne, French Minister to China Alan S.A., U.S. Minister to China Timber Tin, and German Minister Barand accompanied by Zhang Yinhuan and Wu Tingfang, went to Jinzhou. The Qing Emperor surprised the ministers of various countries by arranging a grand welcome ceremony along the way for the visiting ministers. The young emperor of the ancient empire of the East single-handedly built a powerful army in the intricacies of the court, and then led this army to fight on the front line. used himself as bait to turn the tide of the war that had been eroded. And in just two months, he turned an army that had retreated from the Xian Dynasty into an army that had gone back the same way. In addition to curiosity, there is more incomprehension. Moreover, because of this war, the interests of various countries in the Qing Dynasty were damaged to varying degrees. In addition to representing the peace talks, their visit was more for the interests of various countries in China.

In particular, the British minister Ogne, however, suddenly fell as the war progressed, as the victory was already imminent. The economic interests of the British Empire, not only at home but also in the Far East, were becoming more and more apparently affected. As far as the British Empire is concerned, no matter who wins or loses the two poor and weak countries, it is impossible to shake the actual leadership of the British Empire in East Asia. However, in this war, the interests of the British Empire suffered a huge loss.

The 60 million yuan national debt purchased by Britain was embarrassed that it could not be recovered because of the loss of the war. In the Qing Dynasty, the Great Cross Railway Project, which had already entered the stage of substantive negotiations, was completely stalled because of the war, and all the funds that the Qing State had raised to build the railway were swallowed up by the war. The complaints of the businessmen in China were snowflakes, which made Ogna feel so stressed that the British Prime Minister himself sent instructions. Ogner was required to make sure that after the end of the war, the construction of the railroad in the south of the Qing Kingdom began.

On top of that, the young Qing emperor showed a shocking influence in this war, which made Eugene, who had always thought he knew the politics of the country deeply, doubt himself. If the politics of the Qing state changed to the Qing emperor because of this war, then he took the opportunity to mediate the war and establish a good personal relationship with the Qing emperor, just like the German minister Barland. That would be a good opportunity to influence the political situation of the Qing Dynasty in the future.

However, what they didn't expect was that the emperor of the Qing State was now hunting and playing with his female companion, not in Jinzhou. What made the envoys of the four countries even more surprised was that Tang Shaoyi and Lin Qizhao, the close ministers of the Qing Emperor who received them, did not mention the imminent war, but instead mentioned the future construction concept of the Qing State.

Railroads were built, factories were opened, schools were built...... And so on, this plan has actually been implemented all along, but it has been hindered by the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty and the progress has been quite slow. The young emperor of the Qing Dynasty had to use Western countries to coerce the Qing Empress Dowager to make concessions from time to time, so as to slowly promote the modernization of the country. Now, the emperor of the Qing State has gained considerable power by virtue of this war. What's more, in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor, there is also an army in his hands, which is the most elite army for the current Qing State. At this time, the Qing Emperor once again proposed such a plan, and the meaning was completely different, which meant that all countries could obtain greater benefits in the Qing State.

This made the ministers of the four countries invested enough interest.

In particular, Lin Qizhao, the president of the Qing Bank and the actual economic leader of the Qing Dynasty, put forward the idea of a gold standard for the economic restructuring of the Qing Dynasty, which is enough to enable all countries to obtain unimaginable benefits in the process of the economic restructuring of the Qing Dynasty.

At this time, the envoys of the four countries had long forgotten that the purpose of their visit was to mediate the war between the Qing and the Qing Dynasty, and instead talked about the future development and construction of the Qing State. As the Qing Emperor returned from hunting, he entered into a lively conversation.

The talk is enthusiastic and constructive. Of course, the differences are also enormous. The Qing had some strings attached to these proposals, which made countries hesitate. With Britain's shipbuilding industry, Germany's military system, France's weapons technology, and America's economic support, the Qing Emperor in front of him seems to want to capture the best parts of the world. Germany has no say in the Far East, and as long as the conditions are right, I believe that the Germans will not refuse. In addition to one Annam in the Far East, France could not provide more sources of benefits from other dispensable islands, and could get more benefits from the Qing State, so why refuse? The United States is looking for dumping grounds for its products all over the world, and the opening of a market with a population of 40,000 is not something that the United States can refuse. Only Britain is indecided, and Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty has long been a traditional area of British interests, but with the entry of the United States, Germany and France, it is unknown how much impact it will have on the market of Jiangnan and Britain. How to obtain greater benefits while ensuring the existing interests of Britain is the reason why Eugene has always been hesitant. Shouldn't you talk to the Qing Emperor alone?

In the following banquets and talks, the young emperor of the Qing state seemed to have forgotten about the war that was about to end, and did not even mention a word. On the contrary, it was the result of talking with the people who came to talk about it, and came up with a plan that the ministers of the four countries had been waiting for a long time and full of joy. In other words, it is a timetable for the modernization of the Qing state, which proposes to bring in a large amount of foreign capital in the next five years, build railways, open mines, and establish schools. The market will be gradually opened up and foreigners will be allowed to set up factories and enterprises in the mainland of the Qing Dynasty......

As for the final explanation of the plan, Qing will guarantee the legitimate interests of factories and enterprises in China, and in the same way, all countries must also legally guarantee the legitimate interests of Qing factories and enterprises in various countries in the future. This article is just a laugh, what kind of factories and enterprises are there in the Qing country today.

But a plan must be a plan, and its implementation requires the guarantee of the country's most powerful body. Although the Qing Emperor gained certain rights through this war, could the Qing Emperor represent the Empress Dowager who had been in control of the country for decades on behalf of the imperial court? This question has been discussed many times privately by the ministers of the four countries, and the ministers of the United States and Germany are full of confidence and continue to persuade the British and French ministers. Ogne was a little worried that only if the Qing emperor could successfully grasp the power of the Qing dynasty in the near future, so that the current promise could be fulfilled. However, a sentence from the German minister said the most critical point: the Qing State must take the emperor as the highest right in the name of the discussion, as long as the Qing Emperor is willing to sign the agreement in the name of the emperor, even if the Qing Empress Dowager wants to regret it in the future, as long as our countries join forces, are we afraid that the Qing Empress Dowager will not agree?

On the other hand, Guangxu seems to have been doing nothing to accompany the ministers of the four countries to conduct various talks, and in the space where the agreement was sorted out, he also chatted with the ministers of various countries about history. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty seems to have a knowledge of the history of all countries in the world, and he has learned a lot. The history of each country is not only coherent, but also the anecdotes of celebrities in each country. Compared with the rigid and rigid Qing court, the Qing emperor's open-minded attitude quickly won the approval of ministers from various countries, and he had a good impression of this emperor.

Who will hold the supreme power of the Qing State in the future is not really important to the ministers of the four countries, what matters is what the Qing Emperor shows in front of them, and the future prospects are exciting. In the decades when the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty held the supreme power of the country, she repeatedly obstructed all countries. Therefore, in order to ensure the interests of each country itself, it is necessary to ensure that the future Qing emperor can hold the supreme power of the Qing state.

"Your Majesty, although we have reached some intention of cooperation, as a long-term minister to China, I believe that I still understand the politics of your country. I still have a question. Ogne held his wine glass and asked about the deep concern in his heart: "If the Empress Dowager of your country is against it, how can Your Majesty ensure that the intention of cooperation between us can be effectively fulfilled." After all, your queen mother has been in power for more than forty years. ”

Guangxu smiled faintly: "It seems that Minister Ogne still has some distrust of me. It doesn't matter, it's normal. Of course, I can't guarantee anything. In fact, this is the same as doing business, who can guarantee that every investment will be profitable? But I have one of the most elite troops in the country, and the Queen Mother must be old, but I am still young. ”

"I beg your Majesty's forgiveness for our frankness, we have no intention of challenging His Majesty's authority. It's just that this cooperation intention is too big, and we are worried that we will be opposed by the Queen Mother of your country. French Minister Shi Alan said in a calm tone.

Guangxu nodded and asked, "I wonder if Germany and the United States have the same worries?" ”

"I'm not worried about that. It just might take a little longer. German Minister Barand raised his glass slightly. U.S. Minister Tian Bei expressed the same trust.

Guangxu suddenly showed a strange smile on his face: "Because of the German minister's trust in me, I suggest that Mr. Barand should pay attention to the southern section of the railway while completing the middle section of my 'Grand Cross Railway Plan'. I then had someone give you a copy of the exploration data for the southern section of the railway. ”

"Your Majesty, this is not fair." Tian Bei immediately expressed his dissatisfaction: "My country is also full of confidence in Your Majesty, is Your Majesty ......?"

"Mr. Tian Bei doesn't need to be in a hurry. In my vision, I also wanted to build a railway from Shanghai to Changsha and Sichuan. There is also the defense construction of Guangzhou Bay, where the Nanyang Fleet is stationed. I thought we needed a few more battleships. I just don't know if your country can eat it in one go. ”

Guangxu's words made Tian Bei very happy: "Just as my country believes in Your Majesty, please also believe that Your Majesty has this ability." ”

Guangxu smiled as always and said, "Of course, you also know." Qing is still an agricultural country, and there are still many things to be done in the country's industrialization construction, which requires the strong support of several countries. ”

"Mutual trust is the foundation of cooperation. If there is a problem with even the most basic level of mutual trust, then how can we talk about cooperation? When Guangxu said this, he gently shook the red wine in the cup and took a sip: "This is the red wine that Mr. Tian Bei gave me, and it tastes really good." ”

Ogne was very entangled, but he didn't expect his words to cause such a huge reaction. If Germany and the United States were allowed to enter the Jiangnan region of the Qing Dynasty, which was regarded as forbidden by the British, Britain's interests in this area would be greatly impacted. And his own political career will be over.

Before waiting for Ogne to say anything. But Barand said, "Your Majesty, I heard that on the battlefield, your melodica was broken. His Majesty Wilhelm II of my country, I have just received a melodica from me to give your Majesty today. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty Wilhelm II for me." Guangxu took it and touched it carefully. The corner of his eye swept over Ogna's tangled face, and he thought that everyone wanted to take a bite of it when Daqing was a piece of meat. Then let you dog-eat-dog. Guangxu stopped Ogne from speaking, and then put the melodica on his mouth.

A melodious song spreads out from all corners of the melodica.

In the warm hall, there was a lively conversation in a friendly atmosphere. In the midst of cheerful laughter, the war fought in the bitter cold winter seemed to be a distant thing.

Until the day of Christmas Eve in the West, Tang Shaoyi, the secretary of the Qing Emperor, signed a memorandum with the ministers of the four countries on behalf of the Qing Emperor. The memorandum mentions the idea of nation-building and economic reform in the next five years, and to this end, the countries will do their best to assist in the modernization of the Qing country. Although there is no specific agreement, the cooperation framework has been largely confirmed. The basic content is that the Qing State will successively open up the coastal cities along the river, build railways and highways, build and improve the national industrial system, send personnel to study abroad, and so on, and reform the Qing country's currency to the gold standard, with the support of various countries in terms of capital and technology, and provide a currency equalization fund to ensure that the Qing State will be used to stabilize the country's financial affairs in the process of national currency reform.

It was then that everyone remembered the war in the cold winter.

"Peace talks, of course, are peace first and then talks. Now that the army is still burning and looting on the territory of our country, what kind of peace talks are there at this time? I would also like to ask the ministers to tell me about this political axe. As long as the troops in the territory of the Qing State have guns for a day, the Pacific Fleet will not stop attacking for a day. The war, I said that I would start it if I wanted to, and now they will end it if they want to, and when the Qing Dynasty is a rag for them to knead? (To be continued.) )