"Sir Wittoma, long time no see! Always good? ”

Liu Xian and Wei Tuma have known each other for a long time, but they still need to be introduced by Ding Zhenduo, who is the ceremonial officer, and take the business card and invitation from Wei Tuma's attaché before he came to greet Wei Tuma with a smile. This is a necessary diplomatic etiquette, and diplomacy is a red tape.

Liu Xian shook hands with Wei Tuma, and the smile on his face was professional, which is an interesting contrast, Wei Tuma's facial expression has always been very professional. No flattery, no explicit, no arrogance, no arrogance. Unlike the Russian minister, Bützena, whose face was always stiff, as if his facial muscles had been paralyzed.

Moreover, compared with the stiffness of the Russian minister, the French ambassador to China, Luo Shuya, could see a trace of enthusiasm in his appearance, and even took the initiative to ask if there was a pastime after the dinner, and if there was a ball, Mr. French Ambassador did not mind dancing a few dances with the maids standing behind Liu Xian.

France is reintegrating into Chinese politics with a new orientation.

"It's a pity, Mr. Ambassador. There will be no dance tonight, just a tea party. "During the dinner, the planning was staggered, and all the people were acting on the spot, hypocritical. At the end of the dinner, Liu Xian said with a smile, "China is a big country with its own traditions, and it is still difficult to accept this form of communication in the form of a ball." And this king thinks that tonight, when the main topic is before everyone, you, all of you, will no longer be in the mood to dance and have fun. ”

"Sir Wittoma, Mr. Lotsy, Mr. Barland, Mr. Siva, Mr. Butzer, please come with me." Liu Xian greeted the envoys to China of Britain, France, Germany, the United States, and Russia, the five major powers in the world today.

Foreign Minister Guo Songtao, who was standing behind Liu Xian, took two steps to show that he was leading the five ministers [ambassadors].

Behind the group were envoys from Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and other countries. But there was no Japanese minister to China. The new Qin government has not yet formally established diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. Although the merchant ships of Xinqin entered and exited the Japanese ports in a big way, none of the little devils dared to stop them.

"This king has the honor to have dinner with all the diplomatic envoys in China, which is not only a testimony to the friendship between China and foreign countries, but also the first step for the king and you to formally establish personal friendship.

Balabala's polite words said a lot before the meal, and now that the mystery is about to be revealed, Liu Xian still said a lot more. But this is the diplomatic etiquette of Westerners, that is, in the East, the emperor holds a state banquet, and the ceremony is similar.

Everyone seemed to be listening carefully to Liu Xian's speech. As for whether you can listen to your heart or not, you will not be known to outsiders. This dinner, where eating is secondary, focuses on interests, national interests, personal interests.

When Liu Xian was about to throw the real hole cards, many diplomatic envoys were afraid that none of them would want the dinner to continue. All the people hoped that the banquet would end soon, that Liu Xian's speech would end sooner, and that everyone would cut to the chase and seek the greatest interests of their country.

"Inviting all of you to dinner today is certainly an important purpose to enhance friendship, but there is another reason that cannot be left unmentioned. Now, please take a look over there. ”

Ding Zhenduo, who was behind Liu Xian, glanced at an attendant, who nodded, walked to the wall to the east, stretched out his hand to open a curtain, and a huge map of China's territory hung on the wall appeared in front of everyone.

Wittoma's eyes widened, and he studied the map carefully, in fact, when he entered the dining room, he found the huge curtain, and had been wondering what it was, and now that the mystery was revealed, he was even more confused.

On this map of China's territory, two thick black lines are drawn in the shape of a cross, one running east-west and the other north-south. Twisted and crossed, it falls in Henan, China. Due to the distance, Wittoma couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in order to see more clearly, we all stand in front of the map."

Liu Xian walked first to the map, and then, the American Minister Xihua, and the German Minister Barland. As an envoy to the most powerful country on earth, Wittoma also went over, then France and Russia, then Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other countries.

"First of all, this king has important news for you. In order to develop China's modern transportation and to penetrate China's vast territory, our DPRK will officially start the construction of the Longhai Line and the Beijing-Guangzhou Line, two main railway lines, in the spring of this year. Among them, the Longhai Line is a railway that starts from Haizhou, Jiangsu Province in the east, reaches Lanzhou, Gansu Province in the west, and passes through Xuzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Xi'an, Baoji and other places. ”

When Liu Xian said this, the attendant standing in front of the map picked up a slender whip and slowly pointed it from east to west on the map. Haizhou, which starts on the eastern coast, and finally Lanzhou, Gansu in the west, is exactly where the 'Longhai Line' is located on the map.

Only then did Wittoma and the others understand what the two black lines on this map meant. Route map of the original two main railway lines. The east-west line is the Longhai Railway, and the north-south line is the Beijing-Guangzhou Line in Liu Xian's mouth.

And the so-called 'Jingguang' refers to the north from Beijing to the south to Guangzhou.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, whether it is Gansu, Henan, or northern Jiangsu, let alone Beijing, it is still in the hands of the Qing Dynasty." Wittoma frowned, pouring cold water on the massive railroad project. From the bottom of his heart, he and the British Empire behind him really did not want to see a powerful new Qin junta dominate the north and south of China.

"It was only temporarily in the hands of the Manchu dynasty. At this time next year, the king will once again feast you in the city of Beijing. Sir Wittoma's worries would not be an obstacle to this plan. Liu Xian waved his hand, and his words were full of momentum.

At this time, the attendant picked up the slender whip and moved it around the map, from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south. Stretching from north to south, the north-south railway line on the map and the Longhai line crisscrossed in Zhengzhou, which was intuitive and eye-catching, and every diplomat present was disturbed by the railway development plan.

"Your Majesty, I must admit that your railway project is very ambitious. But what I want to ask is, is the Chinese government at war really capable of carrying out the development of this huge program? Does your government have that much funding? Belgian Minister Maeterlinck also does not seem optimistic about the railway development plan.

Liu Xian smiled and said nothing. His eyes continued to look at the group of envoys below, and it was not yet the time for them to speak.

"China is a huge country, and China's wealth is beyond doubt. If your Government does not have sufficient funds for a short time, the French Republic is willing to provide low-interest loans. As far as I believe, China has enough credibility and absolute solvency! ”

If the Qing government wanted to build a railway, Luo Shuya would definitely open his mouth and directly ask for the sovereignty of the railway. But in the face of Liu's government, he felt that if France could provide low-interest loans for it in its current situation, it would be a good result.

Wittoma's brows on the side immediately furrowed. Luo Shuya actually said such a thing, is there already an unknown communication between China and France? Or is Luo Shuya's heart too cut?

The former is troublesome. The latter is not a small trouble. This shows that the attitude of Western countries toward China has become discordant and inconsistent.

Maeterlinck shrugged his shoulders and stopped talking. Belgium is a weak country, and its interests in China have always been to follow the great powers to pick up food, but they do not take the initiative to hunt for food.

The envoys of Germany, the United States, and Russia, as well as the envoys of Spain, Italy, and other countries, muttered to each other. I don't know what I'm talking about.

Liu Xian cleared his throat and said, "I have abundant funds, and it is not difficult to build two railways alone. Because of such a huge project, the time required is measured in years. All the funds are invested in stages, rather than all at once. Moreover, the current financial situation of our dynasty is surging in an abnormal state, and the burden of tens of millions of silver dollars a year is not a problem at all for the current financial situation of our dynasty. ”

"But as the Belgian minister said, our DPRK is now in a state of war, and the country is in its infancy, and there are countless places where money needs to be invested. Moreover, if the king wants to build a new modern civilization in China, the development of industry is the main driving force for social progress. A large amount of money needs to be tilted towards industry, and it is not possible to build only two railways.

Therefore, the king intends to push the operation rights of these two railways to the market, set up a railway company, raise shares publicly, and absorb the idle funds of the private sector to invest in the modern construction of our country to the greatest extent. ”

All the foreigners present were stunned. What does Liu Xian mean by this? The right to operate is on the table, although not ownership. But just like he just wanted to eat a steamed bun, he suddenly held a fat duck in his hand.

"Of course, the government will also invest a lot of money and will give some macro guidance to the operation of the railway companies......"

Liu Xian said anything more, and no one continued to listen. The envoys to China again, foreign businessmen, and Chinese businessmen were all excitedly getting together, talking and muttering in groups......

As soon as Guo Songtao arrived at Liu Xian's 'palace' the next day, a snowflake request for talks flew to him.

Like the Great Qing Kingdom in the north, Liu Xian, as the lord of a country, has a noble status, and it is impossible to talk about business with a group of people. This matter is led by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Because Huo Guangzheng, the boss of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, is still in Guangzhou at the moment, Guo Songtao has become the first choice for foreigners to contact.

And one night is enough time for these envoys in China to communicate with China. Although Western countries will not make decisive instructions rashly, the general direction can still be set.

Participating in the construction and operation of railways in a big country like China not only means rich benefits, but also far-reaching political implications! R1152